#yeah... more pregame whoops!!

[wanderingxmoth]

Unassuming and reserved, Kokichi Ouma was not the typical personality of a TV star, but he had a pretty face and interesting enough background that the producer accepted his application nonetheless. Upon realizing his more eccentric quirks, though, she drafted him a bolder role. Tsumugi Shirogane pitted him against the "heroes" in promotional material, advertising Kokichi as the season's villain.

[tiki-was-here]

Jealous Thanos x Childhood Bestfriend Reader P2

Word count: 1.4k

P1

This is like so whatever…. And i cooould do so much better but ill never like it as much as the first one i was working on. Also im pretty sure i mentioned that reader dropped out of highschool and started working and selling drugs to support the family but if i didnt just pretend i did lol

The bar was already filled with people when you arrived.  Not in the overwhelming, shoulder-to-shoulder way that made you regret going out in the first place but it was close. The scent of sweat, alcohol, and something vaguely citrus hung thick in the air, wrapping around your group as you pushed through the throng of bodies clustered near the entrance. The bouncer barely glanced at your IDs before waving you in—Su-bong must’ve put your names on the list like he promised.

You and your old classmates had pregamed pretty hard, and it was showing. Min-jun was already flushed from the liquor, his laughter somehow louder than the music as he gestured wildly through whatever story he was telling.The others trailed behind, wide-eyed and grinning like it was their first time seeing the inside of an underground club. Maybe it was. You hadn’t seen them since high school, after all. 

You glanced toward the stage just in time to see some kid finish his set. There was a scattered round of claps and a few jeers before the host called out the next performer.

“Next up—Thanos!”

There was a small ripple through the crowd. Nothing huge, but definitely enough to cause your group to  pause mid-conversation as they looked toward the stage.

His hair was shoved back messily under a beanie, and he had that look on his face, the one he always got when he was about to perform. A weird mix of nerves and cockiness, like he wanted to throw up but also punch someone in the throat at the same time. Eyes glazed over and slightly manic from the pills you're sure he’d taken a few moments prior.

When his eyes found you in the crowd you watched him light up, just slightly. His gaze lingered a moment too long, and then as the music kicked in he launched into his first verse with all his usual energy—loud, aggressive, some decent lines, others just crude. A couple people near the front row whooped and cheered. He was clearly trying tonight. Putting more into it than usual.

He kept looking at you in between each verse, like he was checking to see if you were watching.

And you were. For a while atleast.

But when the conversation at your table shifted, you found yourself leaning in as Min-jun talked about the time you all set a fire in the school lab so that the day could end early. Well, it was really just you doing it while they egged you on but you never got caught so it was still a fun memory. Someone else brought up when they found two teachers hooking up in a closet  and you couldn’t help but laugh. They were good stories and they made you feel lighter than you expected. Like maybe it was okay to enjoy the company of people who used to make your life hell. Maybe you weren’t that kid anymore, the one they picked on. Maybe people really did grow up.

Min-jun leaned in, nudging your arm with the edge of his drink.

“So, you still dealing?” he asked conspiratorially.

You lifted a brow. “Yeah. Why?”

He smirked, already reaching into his wallet. “Think you could hook me up? For old time’s sake?”

You hesitated. You hadn’t planned on working tonight, but… they had paid for the drinks. And it had been years since you saw any of them. A little nostalgia discount wouldn’t kill you.

“Sure,” you said, reaching into your pocket to retrieve a smaller pack. “You can have a couple for free. Call it a reunion gift.”

Min-jun whooped like he’d won a jackpot. The rest of the group leaned in, laughing and clapping you on the back. 

You felt a shift in the crowd noise. There was a short burst of confusion and then silence. You turned to look at the stage.

Su-bong was just… standing there.

One hand gripping the mic and the other hanging limp at his side.

There was an awkward beat, someone in the crowd coughed, and then he went right back to his performance, acting as if nothing just happened,even though you could see the tenseness in his shoulders as he moved around the stage. As soon as the music ended he headed backstage, skipping his usual fanfare, not  even looking at the host as he pushed past him, ignoring the outstretched hand for the mic. 

You were mid-laugh, your head tilted back, when you noticed Su-bong heading in your direction, jaw tight. His hoodie was damp at the collar, and the glint in his eyes spelt trouble.

Before you could react, he’d wedged himself between you and the guy beside you—literally shoving the guy’s arm off your shoulder and inserting himself into the circle with an obnoxiously loud laugh.

“Wow, hyung, didn’t know you were so popular tonight,” he said loudly, tossing a grin around the table.

You raised a brow. “What are you doing?”

“Just came to hang out with my best friend,” he replied, way too fast. “Didn’t realize we were throwing a class reunion.”

You stiffened slightly but didn’t push him off. 

The conversation meandered awkwardly after that, and Su-bong did everything in his power to dominate it—making off-color jokes, bringing up inside stories that your friends weren’t part of, loudly correcting small details whenever someone got something wrong. It was obvious he was trying to reassert himself in front of them. To prove that he knew you better. That you belonged to his world, not theirs.

The tension escalated again when Min-jun brought up the pills.

“Your dealer’s the real MVP (get it get it lmaooo),” he said, raising his can in a mock toast. “Even gave me a discount.”

You barely had time to react before Su-bong cut in, voice sharp.

“ [Y/N] doesn’t give discounts,” he said flatly, his smile gone. “Not to anyone, except me of course.”

“I gave him a couple for free,” you explained quickly. “It’s not a big deal. He paid for drinks and we haven’t seen each other in years.”

Su-bong’s jaw tightened, his grip on your shoulder shifting slightly.

“Right,” he said pointedly. “Guess that makes everything even. ”

You gave him a look, but he wasn’t looking at you anymore. His eyes were fixed on Min-jun, mouth pressed into a hard line. Then he laughed again—loud and forced—like he was trying to wipe the tension away by sheer volume.

“I’m just messing,” he said. “We’re all friends, right?”

He clapped a hand on Min-jun’s shoulder, hard enough that the guy winced a little. You gave him a warning look, but Su-bong was already moving on, gHis elbow dug lightly into your side as he leaned over your drink, grabbing it like it was his.

Things never really recovered after that. The table grew quieter. The stories faded. Eventually, someone said they were heading out, and the rest followed suit. You stayed sitting while the group shuffled out, waving their goodbyes, and only stood once the table was nearly empty.

“Come on,” he said suddenly. “Bring me home.”

You blinked. “What?”

“I’m tired. And drunk.Very drunk. If I go home like this, my mom’s gonna flip. So take me home.”

You hesitated. He was being ridiculous, but you could already see the night getting worse if you made it an issue.

With a sigh, you grabbed your jacket. “Alright. Let’s go.”

The night air was thick and cool when you stepped outside, your bike leaning against the lamppost where you’d left it. Su-bong followed behind you in silence, his shoulders hunched, hands shoved deep into his hoodie pocket. You didn’t say anything as he climbed onto the back of your bike, arms wrapping loosely around your waist as you pushed off from the curb.

At first, the ride was quiet, the low hum of tires on asphalt and the occasional whoosh of cars passing by. But then you felt  his hands start to wander. Slowly creeping up the side of your shirt, fingers brushing the skin just above your waistband.

“Su-bong,” you snapped, your voice cutting through the dark. “Cut it out.”

He didn’t answer, just pressed himself more tightly against your back, cheek resting against your shoulder blade.

“You’re being a child,” you muttered, trying to ignore the way your stomach twisted. “What are you even doing?”

His voice, when it came, was barely audible over the wind. “Can I stay at your place tonight?”

You didn’t answer right away. The bike rolled on, past a shuttered convenience store, past the park with the busted swing set you used to hang out near after school.

“My mom’ll freak,” he added, voice wobbly. “If I come home like this.”

You sighed again, slower this time. “Yeah. You can crash.”

He didn’t say thank you. Just rested his forehead more firmly against your back, his breath warm through your shirt.

[pileofmush]

don't crush the wings

pairing ➸ luffy x fem!reader

details ➸ tags: modern au! humor & spice! gratuitous use of the f-bomb // cw: no smut, but a little suggestive; drinking. everyone's at least 20 & this doesn't take place in america; reader wears a dress & is called a girl at one point // wc: 2k

a/n ➸ happy halloween! 🎃 muahahaha

“We are gonna get fucked up tonight,” Nami sings into your ear with a sharp giggle. She’s sitting on your lap, turned towards you with a long bottle in her dainty, manicured hand. Fishnets run up her thighs, up, up, up into her short black miniskirt, and the fabric rides up farther as she wiggles in your lap. 

“Or just fucked,” you mutter, side-eyeing your friend. You know for a fact that Nami has goals she plans to achieve by the end of the night, and they probably have something to do with a pretty girl whose name starts with ‘V’ and ends with ‘ivi’. 

It’s Halloweekend, a Friday night, and you’re pregaming in the shoddy little apartment you share with Nami and Usopp. Nami’s dressed to kill as an alluring vampire vixen, and Usopp’s fiddling with the zipper of his Party City superhero costume. Knowing your friends, you expect for a little mayhem to occur tonight. Especially considering the party you’ll be attending: hosted by none other than the ASL brothers. 

If there’s one things you can trust the ASL brothers to do, it’s to wreak havoc on society. If there’s a second thing you can trust the ASL brothers to do, it’s to throw a decent party. 

Nami swats your thigh at your remark and thrusts the bottle into your hands. “Drink more,” she orders. “You’re not nearly drunk enough.” You fumble for your Hello Kitty shot glass and pour liquor into your glass.

“Just drink from the bottle,” Nami chides, fingers curling around the hem of your dress. You take this in stride; sink into the spotty old couch Usopp salvaged from a flea market with a sigh. Nami’s a flirty drinker: you know this. Get a couple drinks in her and she’ll get touchy and bossy—or, bossier than she already is. The girl cocks her chin up at you in challenge. “Don’t be a pussy.” She’ll also get mouthy.

You reject her protests with a minute shake of your head. “No way.” Usopp trots over from across the room with a matching Hello Kitty glass, and you tip the bottleneck until vodka pours out, to Nami’s displeasure. “I’m not a fucking heathen.” 

“Cheers to that,” Usopp says, then clinks his glass with yours—Hello Kitty to Hello Kitty. He throws his drink back and immediately starts coughing. 

You smile at your friend’s pathetic demonstration, raise your glass, and toss the drink to the back of your throat. It goes down a little smoother than your first had, but still lights a fire in your chest, tears prickling at the corners of your eyes. 

A loud knock has your head swiveling to the front door. “The calvary is here!” Someone from the other side shouts. 

You say Usopp’s name, and he rolls his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah,” he says and shuffles toward the door, probably resenting the day he signed a six-month lease with two bossy girls. He quickly unlocks the door, swinging it wide open. A boy springs through the entrance with a loud whoop, arms in the air. Behind him struts the moss-headed Zoro, who heads straight for the kitchen, determined to find the booze and drink you out of house and home, you’re sure. Hovering by the entrance lingers Sanji, who towers over Usopp.

“Are you seriously dressed as Batman?” You hear him ask.

Usopp’s pitch raises unnaturally as he defends himself. “The ladies love Batman!”

Sanji snorts. “What do you know about ladies?” He asks, stepping around the Walmart Superhero. Suddenly, he halts, gaze locking on you and Nami like a fucking aim-bot. 

“Nami-Swaaaaaaan!~” He croons.

Nami grabs the bottle from your hands and takes a giant swig. 

“And you must be an angel,” the blond appears at your side, sighing dreamily. A crown rests atop his head; his hair shines like spun gold. Blegh.

“A fairy, actually.” You reply, jab your thumb at the iridescent wings strapped to your back. 

He nods reverently. “Ah, but of course. You’re made of faith and trust, magic and whimsy, my ethereal little pixie.” 

You blink once, twice. Wonder if this loon pregamed the pregame, or if he’s just naturally this ridiculous. Nami takes another shot of vodka, and Sanji’s eyes track the curve of Nami’s neck as she gulps and sighs.

Damn it all to hell. You debate stealing the bottle and drinking from it like a heathen. Nami was right. You are most certainly not drunk enough for this. 

Nami and Usopp’s friends are… Well. They’re something, alright. You met the duo in college and fell in love with their snarky energy, but their non-college friends? You pan your head from Sanji and Zoro, who are halfway to beating each other’s faces in in the middle of your kitchen, to their springy friend Luffy, who’s quite literally bouncing off the walls. Yeah… You try to avoid them when you can.

But. Tonight’s Halloween. The one day you’re legally required to make bad decisions. 

So, more alcohol. You tug the bottle from Nami’s death-grip and take a healthy swig. “What happened to ‘not being a fucking heathen?’” She quotes, mirth bubbling in her voice. 

You open your mouth to say something unbelievable witty and dry, but are interrupted. “Who’s fucking heathens?” Someone behind you asks. Both you and Nami turn to face Luffy, who’s leaning over the back of your couch, upside down. 

“Nami,” you deadpan, at the same time she intones your name. 

Luffy laughs, boyish, but also… Not. His hair’s pulled towards the ground, black curls pulled back to reveal thin brows and half-lidded eyes, and the expression is a little… Sexy. Somehow. Impossibly. Kinda lazy-like, with a shit-eating grin, and it’s... 

You clear your throat, feeling a bit warm. 

“Shouldn’t you be with your brothers? Y’know. Hosting a party right now?” You ask. Luffy chortles. In your peripherals you can see Nami considering you, undoubtedly smelling blood in the water. 

“Nah. Ace n’Sabo threw me out ta stop me from eating all the snacks,” he says. His words aren’t quite slurred, but come out as a drawl, low and intoxicating. You have no idea how this man did a complete 180 in the span of 30 seconds. It’s giving you serious whiplash.

The front door opens once more, and Nami lets out a little squeak. Ah, that’s probably Vivi and co. Hmm. Dimmed lights, a sultry voice warbling over the speakers, intermingling with the occasional drunken shout… This is turning out to be a successful pregame. 

Nami jumps off your lap, stealing the bottle from your hands one last time. Her limbs tremble before she inhales deeply, steeling her nerves.

“Have fun,” you say, shooting her a look. 

“Oh, bite me,” the vampire snaps, then stalks off to go flirt with Vivi. You silently wish her luck (the amount of times you’ve had to listen to her hopelessly pine is staggering) and turn back to face Luffy again, a twinge of uncertainty in your gut.

He’s dressed like a football player, you realize. It’s a good look on him. His jersey is neon yellow and trimmed in green, but the color’s not as obtrusive as it might be in brighter lighting. And it shows off his lean figure, which is. Nice.

Appreciative as you are of his frame, you’re thinking up exit strategies by the minute. This is uncharted territory. You can count the number of times you’ve had a one-on-one conversation with the man on a single hand, and, don’t really feel like stumbling your way through small talk.

“You’re glowing,” Luffy notes. “S’pretty.”

Never mind. This is cool.

“Thanks,” you say, sheepish. “It’s the body shimmer. I’m a fairy.”

“A pretty one.”

Ah, fuck. 

You don’t really feel the alcohol all that much, but there’s a pleasant buzz floating through your body, and it’s making you a little more… susceptible. To simple compliments like that. It has your heart stuttering, but in a good way. You want him to say it again.

“What, that you’re pretty? ‘Cause you are.” He nods. “So pretty,” he concludes; dark eyes sweeping over your frame. 

Did you say that aloud? 

You blink. Rack your brain for something coy to say. “You’re, um. Yeah. You’re pretty, too.”

Fuck.

Luffy laughs at that, and you’re grateful, because you are totally off your game tonight. But he doesn’t seem to mind, just leans in closer, still upside down, and it gives you an open view of the column of his throat. Golden brown skin, taut and firm until he swallows. You tense and back up a little to see his whole face.

He’s close, incredibly close. You can smell the Corona on his breath as he exhales. And you don’t really kiss random people at hangouts after only like, two compliments, but your brain is starting to consider him the exception. 

You pull in your bottom lip reflexively, and his eyes dip to your mouth, tracking the motion. His pupils dilate. He looks, he looks hungry.

Fuck fuck fuck—

The door opens again and more people trickle into the apartment, pulling you out of whatever weird ass trance you were in, and you curse. Is this a pregame or a party of its own? The fuck. 

You lean back, hands seeking purchase on the couch cushion to support you, but maybe you’re a little more drunk than you think you are, because you completely overshoot it, body tipping toward the floor. Your head spins as you realize in real-time that you’re about to eat shit, squeezing your eyes shut before impact.

Somehow, quick hands race up your body and flip you so that instead of falling on your back, you’re braced on top of something, cushioning your fall. Your eyes open. Luffy grins from beneath you.

You’re straddling him, you realize. Make to get off him, but his hands tighten on your waist and then loosen. A suggestion. 

You stay. 

Everyone’s eyes are on you, searing into your skin, but they’re nothing compared to the hot hands sliding down, palming your thighs. You don’t know whether to be mortified or grateful that you chose such a short dress. Luffy hums appreciatively.

Grateful it is.

Time to do some damage control.

“Mind your own business,” you hiss, looking up at the room. Everyone returns to their previous occupations, albeit reluctantly, sneaking glances out of the corner of their eyes.

You turn your gaze back to the man underneath you. “How the hell did you do that?” You accuse. It should be humanly impossible for someone to perform such complicated maneuvers—while inebriated, mind you!

He just shrugs. “Didn’t wanna hurt your fairy wings, did ya?”

That is. Ridiculously sweet. 

“Fuck,” you say. It just slips out. 

Luffy’s eyes sharpen. “Yeah?”

“What?” Your breath hitches. God, you sound wrecked. 

Luffy waits a beat. Runs calloused hands up and down your thighs, and you just barely contain yourself from shuddering in his grasp. But it may be for naught, because you’re melting like putty in his hands. 

He yawns, then licks his lips. “Wanna make out?” He asks abruptly. 

It’s at this moment that you wonder exactly how you wound up here. What choices did you make in your life to end up like this? Splayed out on your apartment floor, surrounded by tipsy acquaintances, straddling the most bizarre man you’ve ever had the misfortune to come across? Fucking Halloween, man. This might just be the most humiliating thing you’ve ever experienced. 

...

You say yes.

In the end, you don’t end up making it to that party. 

[justkiddingm0m]

I haven’t written in years but fucking StarKid’s got me inspired so here’s something really short just to get the rust off. I kind of have ideas past this and I may post more later. I wrote this bit on my phone in the shower tho so it’s probably pretty rough.

“But you guys throw one hell of a—“ the floor boards creak and Max Jägerman falls through the step…

Or, well, his ankle does. Everyone stands in shock for a second, until Max starts laughing. His laugh is unhinged; a laugh of pure glee and delight. It would appear Max pregamed before he came to this “party”.

“That was fuckin’ dope!” He exclaims. The five co-conspirators start to nervously laugh.

“So; uhhh, so you’re not gonna kill us?” Richie stammers.

“Kill you? You guys are, like, my best friends!” Max begins to tear up a bit. Great, so he’s a weepy drinker.

“Look, Max, um, this was stupid. Why don’t we all just go home and forget this happened, yeah?” Steph puts a gentle hand to Max’s elbow.

Max whips his head up, “No way! This is a party! Come on, Steph!” Max bounds over to where he dropped the pack of beers. He grabs one out and tosses it to Steph, “Let’s fuckin’ party!” He grabs another can for himself and chugs it in five seconds flat. He breathes a deep sigh. “Yo Shit Lips, you in?” He holds out a beer.

Richie stammers, “Uh, um… fuck it! Let’s party!” He grabs the beer and pops it open, taking a huge swig. He pulls it away and makes a disgusted face. “Oh,” he chokes out, “yeah, that’s, um, good?”

“Hell yeah!” Max roars as he raises another can to the sky! “Let’s fuckin’ goooooo!” He lowers his arms and looks around, “Hey, Spankoffsky, think fast!” He tosses a beer to Pete who barely manages to catch it. He still looks apprehensive.

Max turns to Ruth. “What about you, Skele’un?”

She doesn’t hesitate, “Oh hell yeah,” she sighs as she dives for a beer and then clings onto Max like a koala. Max just kind of giggles, then he looks to Grace.

“What about you, Chastity?” He smirks at her, a twinkle in his eye. Grace flashes back to all the naughty images that have plagued her since Monday.

“Sorry, Max, but I will not be joining in with your… teenage heathondry.” Grace crosses her arms. Despite herself, however, she takes a step closer to the group. “Buuut, I hear that it is important for there to be a sober adult to watch over any lustful merrymaking to ensure the, uh, safety and, uh, morality of the participants. Besides, I have to lock up, I have the key.”

“So you’re staying?” Steph asks with a bit of attitude.

“Yes. I’m staying.”

“FUCK YEAH!” Max gives his loudest whoop yet and wraps his arm around Pete’s shoulder, manhandling him in jubilation, “Best. Party. Ever!!”

[1-800-iluvhockey]

ig edit with Luke Hughes and actress!reader? please🥺

you ask and you shall receive anon!! this has always been one of my fave tropes ever!! (this is the short version but your idea made me think of a fic idea for this…..)

(note: the pictures and everything with them are works of fiction!! )

liked by @lhughes_06 , @hbo , @thombordeleau & 3.3 million others

yourusername - that’s a wrap on season three of euphoria! can’t wait for you guys to see it (it’s truly worth the wait) can’t say much about it but what I can say is that demie & I love pranking each other on set! see you on the red carpet in a few months! #loveyouall #goinghome

episode one red carpet premiere - may 3, 2022

hbo premiere - may 6, 2022

tagged @/ alexademie, euphoria, sydneysweeney, zendaya & 5 more

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lhughes_06 - watching it as soon as it drops !! @yourusername

↳ yourusername - 🥲☺️ @lhughes_06

mtv- is our best friend duo becoming a couple soon 🥺

↳ alexademie - I mean……… 😆 they totally should

thombordeleau - u better be there on saturday for the game against mich st at yost y/n/n !!! we need our good luck charm even though we are going to beat st lol. also lukey says that he misses you and looooovessss yooooou 🥰😍🥰

↳ yourusername - aweeeee you boys must miss me :-) (I’m on the plane to mich right now so tell owen to pick me up lol I don’t trust your driving!!) and he is lying to you about that because I love him more 😂

oliviarodrigo - ur such a icon !!! you’re going to do great thingsssss <333

↳ yourusername - oh that’s all you sweets (or should I just call you sour)

umichhockey - GO Y/N GO !!!

colecaufield - our y/n has grown up 🥺 @jackhughes86@quinnhughes_ @_alexturcotte @trevorzegras

↳ jackhughes86 - cannot believe that my little bro’s childhood best friend is now going to be on euphoria and in two movies in this upcoming 2022/23 year

↳ quinnhughes_ - no fr where is the girl that would help me bully jack & play street hockey with luke 🥲

↳ yourusername - she is landing in michigan about to go back to visit her best friend lol (stop being so sentimental it hurts)

ethanedwards - YAY BESTIE Y/N IS ALMOST BACK WHOOP

↳ markestapa - YESSSS 😩😩

↳ dylanduke - my roommate won’t shut uppp about you!!! he is such a huge fannnnn

lhughes_06 - y/n isn’t answering her phone right now because she is bugging me on the ride home from Detroit :-) (if you can’t tell I’ve missed her so much….. not lol)

↳ brendanbrisson - that’s code that he is in love with her 🥰😍🥰😘

liked by @elblue06 , @trevorzegras , @quinnhughes_ & 112,463 others

lhughes_06 - beat little brother again, broke/set another frosh record……. all because my favorite person was there to watch !!!! swipe to see the pregame cuddles that she gave me for good luck #bestfriends #mysquishy #myfavoritecelebrity

tagged @/ umichhockey & yourusername

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umichhockey - new record holder for the most goals scored by a freshman is ……. #43 Luke Hughes!! (and he of course had his best friend in the world at the game 😉)

↳ yourusername - @umichhockey media team is seriously the best & yeah lu lu was pretty cool for scoring a goal or two tonight

brendanbrisson - HEY! Lovebirds! It was a team effort!

↳ thombordeleau - there is no I in team hughes get it together!

kentjohnson.13 - so glad that you’re back y/n/n !!! thank you for reminding us that luke is a softie ... and can't hold his liquor lol

↳ youusername - I truly forgot about that until last night (sorry ellen)

↳ jackhughes86 - let's forget it and laugh about it later this summer when he does it again (I mean-- no, no he won't mom)

trevorzegras - ah my favorite couple that isn't a couple are back together for awhile

↳ lhughes_06 - TZ you've had her in Cali for months, let me have her for a while

↳ trevorzegras - yeah I have & now I know some secreeeetttssss same with AT

↳ yourusername - TREVOR FREAKING ZEGRAS !!!! i hate u now

ethanedwards - y/n ran out of the house LOL

liked by mtv , elblue06 , euphoria & 10.6 million others

yourusername - well, after a great four months in michigan, I am back in LA for the first ever viewing of episode one of our show euphoria; thank you all for the support and I can't wait for the world to see it on May 6th!

p.s - very happy that my boy was able to officially be my date after secretly dating for the past year (sorry peeps, I lied to you!) #officialfirstdate #luke&y/nisrealnow #whydoesmyhairlookblonde

tagged @/ lhughes_06 , euphoria & hbo

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lhughes_06 - can finally call you my girl, you are amazing <3 so glad that you said yes after all of these years of asking you out!

↳ yourusername - decided that I wanted to love you after you danced in the refrigerator light :')

oliviarodrigo - WHAT HE DID THAT ?! oh our taylor swift loving hearts.... FINALLY YOU TOOK MY SUGGESTIONS, LUKE WARREN

mtv - you're making our hearts melt in half, squish

↳ yourusername - did I also mention I loved him when he gave me that nickname all those years ago?

jackhughes86 - YES! WE GET IT. took you two long enough

quinnhughes_ - luke, you hurt her, I break your face.

↳ hbo - I think we all agree with Quinn on this one

dylanduke - YOU DIDNT EVEN TELL ME, YOUR ROOMMATE

↳ yourusername - yeah I'm not letting anyone else comment or see the wrath of you, @dylanduke

comments disabled

liked by @umichhockey , @elblue06 , @hbo & 210,839 others

lhughes_06 - got to be y/n's hot date for the premiere of episode one of season three! been dating for a year now, and every time I see her, I still get speechless. swipe to see my stunna become her nickname, squish. she is seriously meant for the industry! you are going to do great things and I am so grateful to be by your side. I love you <33

(sorry but you can't blow the comments up on this one, she is all mine!!)

tagged @/ yourusername

comments disabled

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abbster's taglist: @alliestanley @owenpwr @the-stars-shine-above-us @studsccsnackavoybambi @pulpfixion @hockeyboysarehot @hockey-lover86 @yorkshirespirlo @bellaguarneri @juliasahoshughes

[its-nebula]

Don’t Touch Him

PreGame Kokichi x Delinquent Reader

Well, it wasn’t like you weren’t used to being by your lonesome. It was pretty much just like any regular day. Still, you couldn’t help but wish just once that you could talk to him, maybe even tell him your feelings. Alas, you knew it could only be a fantasy of yours for now. Why?

Well, for starters, Kokichi actually went to class when he was supposed to. Even now, you were standing behind the school, thinking about how you couldn’t even muster up the courage to tell the object of your affections how you simply felt about him. There was an irony to it, really. Everyone assumed that you were one of the toughest people in the school, but you felt like such a wimp, such a coward even.

Still, you had an appearance to keep up. You knew that you would probably scare him off, if you ever tried to confess, so all the more reasons to stay quiet. Eventually, you would probably have to stop coming to school completely and making a fool out of yourself. Every time the two of you crossed paths, you found yourself very giggly and blushy, barely able to form coherent sentences -- not ideal.

Looking at the time, you groaned at the fact that time seemed to be moving so slowly, so you decided to take just a small stroll. Walking back into the building, you lazily looked at the decor, deciding it was all just so boring.

"...and you're just worthless! No wonder your family all left you." You heard a female voice from around the corner. Whoever they were, they sounded angry. 

“I-I didn’t mean to! It was supposed to be funny!” You recognized that voice from anywhere. Kokichi?! You peeked your head around the corner, seeing Kokichi’s panicked face and a pale girl who was covered head to toe in glitter. 

“I bet it’ll be funny to see you on the ground.” She hissed, and punched him in the face without warning. You audibly gasped, covering your mouth and ducking behind the wall. Anger bubbled within you, ready to rise up to the surface. The girl in question looked your way, but seeing nobody, she kicked him in the shin and walked away quickly. Kokichi groaned in pain, rubbing his cheek. 

You felt bad for not interfering, but the girl would get what she deserved. This wouldn’t be the first time a situation like this had come up. Just a couple weeks ago, you had to deal with Rantaro Amami for yelling at Kokichi for dyeing his hair dark red. Rantaro didn’t come near him again.

 Turning around, you made your way around the school to the bathroom, where you assumed she was going to wash herself off. You waited outside for her once you heard the water running inside, and as soon as the door opened, you attacked.

You recognized the girl as Maki Harukawa, who had a reputation for being a little mean, but none of that mattered to you now. You growled as you clenched your fists after you pushed her to the ground. 

“What gives you the right to go pushing people around?” You yelled. She tried to retaliate by getting up, but you put a foot on her chest. “Why don’t you pick on somebody your own size, you bitch?”

“He... glitter bombed....me...” She protested, trying to move your foot off her. You pressed it down harder. “Leave me alone, you- you freak!” 

“Leave. Kokichi. Alone.” You snapped. You moved your foot off of her, allowing her to stand up and dust herself off angrily. “Or else, I’ll-” She punched you in your nose, taking you by surprise. 

“I don’t care how tough you are. Don’t touch me.”

Oh, that fucking does it. Yelling, you lunged at her, tackling her to the ground. You punched her in the face repeatedly, as she tried to reach up and go for your throat.

The school bell rang loudly through the halls. Shit.

Quickly scrambling to get off her, you delivered one final kick to her side, and took off. You weaved through the crowd of people, trying to blend in. It was a little difficult, seeing as how people always got out of your way when you were coming, but you managed to get away without any staff finding you. It was a quiet room of the school that you were sure only you knew how to get access to.

Breathlessly, you leaned against the wall, not even paying attention to the blood dribbling out of your nose. Closing your eyes, you sighed. You knew as soon as Maki revealed what happened you were sure to be expelled.

“Are...you okay?”

You jumped as you heard a voice in front of you, opening your eyes. You saw a small figure in front of you, holding an ice-pack to his cheek. He was looking at you very meekly, but he looked very concerned.

“You’re bleeding...”

The voice was unmistakable as Kokichi Oma, and your face started to flush. 

“I-I-I, u-uh, y-yeah!”

“Are you sure, S/O?”

“I’m, uh...excuse me.” You rushed past him as you exited the room out of nervousness. Letting out the breath you’d sucked in, you began walking to your usual outside spot, but you ran straight into the chest of a very stern headmaster. He glared at you with his arms crossed, tapping his foot.

You, however, pretended you were very happy to see him. “Headmaster. Headmaster! How have you been, how’s the wife?!” You laughed, but he only kept his frown. 

“S/O, I told you after Rantaro that I would give you one last chance to turn yourself around.”

You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “Like that was ever gonna happen. But-”

“Not only have you been skipping most of your classes, but you’ve brutally beaten up yet another student. I’m sure you know what this means. I’m sorry, there’s nothing else I can do.”

There was silence between the two of you. You turned your back towards him, tight-lipped. 

“I’m sure there’s still good in you somewhere, S/O. You’ll find it somewhere, someday.”

“...Goodbye.”

You hastily walked to the outside area, in the back of the school. Going to your usual spot, you stood there, staring up at the large building. You’d probably never get the chance to interact with Kokichi again, but it was a sacrifice you were willing to make. He deserved someone who was less difficult, less dangerous.

“HEY! S/O!” Great, now what? Pursing your lips, you turned to the side, only to be met face-to-face with Kaito Momota. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing, beating the shit out of my friends?”

You hummed in response, not wanting to give him the time of day. He put his hand on your shoulder, harshly forcing you to turn around to face him. “All because of some weird little dude nobody even likes, huh? Well, I’m going to beat the crap out of you, and I’m going to beat that little jokester next!”

You blocked his incoming punch, twisting his arm instead. You weren’t in school anymore, so what was the point of going easy? He yelled out, kneeling in pain. While he was kneeling, you took the opportunity to kick him in the chest, calling him to fall down hard. As you were about to kick him again, he grabbed your leg, causing you to trip.

Once he was on top of you, he started to punch you in your face, just as you’d done to Maki. With all your strength, you pushed him off you, quickly getting up. You kicked him where the sun doesn’t shine, multiple times. 

You didn’t even notice that you drew a crowd, temporarily distracted by the whoops and howls of the spectators. He took the opportunity to punch you in your jaw, getting you with an uppercut. You started to get dizzy, starting to see stars and multiple Kaitos in front of you. 

“This...is for... him....” You managed to mutter out before you delivered one final push to Kaito, then losing the energy to continue further. You prepared for Kaito to make one final blow, but you heard the voice that seemed to be following you.

“STOP! T-This is all my fault! You don’t want her!” You saw Kokichi’s black uniform standing in front of you. Your eyes widened. Was he dumb? Kaito was absolutely going to crush him into a pulp if he didn’t move!

“Ko...kich...i...?” You wondered out loud. How embarrassing, he had to see you in this vulnerable state. You were supposed to be the one protecting him, but...

...

When you woke up, you were still behind the school. It was quieter than what you remembered, and the sun wasn’t in the same place. How long were you gone...? And then you remembered everything, especially how Kokichi jumped in front of you. You tried to get up, but your head was throbbing. Your hand made its way to the top of your forehead, and you felt...bandages? You heard footsteps walking towards you, and they suddenly stopped.

“S/O! You’re awake?” Kokichi ran towards you, and gently knelt beside you. You blushed profusely. “That fight...it looked pretty bad.” You noticed the bruise that’d developed on his cheek, and you reached up to touch it.

“You’re hurt... you shouldn’t have done that, you know.” You warned him.

“I had to.” He looked away shyly. “I heard the rumors of the school, that you only fought Kaito because you wanted to defend my name. You didn’t have to do that. Besides, you’re way more hurt than I am.”

“I would do anything for a friend.” You winced as you said that. You continued, “Why aren’t you scared of me already? I got expelled today, Kokichi. I’m dangerous, you’re much better off-”

“Why’d you do it? Why’d you have to get yourself expelled?”

You took a deep breath. There was nothing else to lose. “I care about you, Kokichi. Those people have no right to be hurting you like they want to..”

“S/O, I care about you too, but you don’t have to go around doing dumb things because of my dumb pranks!”

“...Well...maybe I...like you...” You trailed off, embarrassed that you even said it. 

“You...do? What?” His eyes widened. “S-Since when? Why do you always run away from me?”

“I thought you would be more afraid of me if I ever interacted with you too much. Besides, you deserve better than this.”

“That’s not for you to decide.” He placed a soft kiss upon your lips. You kissed back instantly, smiling within the moment. Once he pulled away, he gave you a small smile. “Thank you for protecting me S/O... I know I don’t look like much, but please, allow me to do the same for you as well.”

You smiled back at him. “I’ll try, Kokichi.”

“Thank you.”

[minisugakoobies]

PARTY PARTY YEAH!!!

The self proclaimed office party planners Tae & Jimin would like to throw a Christmas in July party. They have not taken into consideration that there is a fair amount of people in the office that do not celebrate Christmas. Well... they don't at first until Namjoon (narc) goes to HR about it. Somehow their Christmas in July party turns into 2 write ups, a week of shaken sodas delivered to the jolly giant's desk, and what is now a black light party.

During the pregame until 10pm, the lights will stay on and people can write on other people to say whatever. They won't know what it says until the lights go out at 10. What route do you take with your messages for each member? Remember that you don't have to sign your name but everyone at the party will see the message.

Whoops and would you look at that? Someone (Jimin) tripped (twice) and spilled a cup of jungle juice on Joon and JK. Guess they gotta go through the night shirtless. Drats!

-Bloobies

Man, that Jimin is so clumsy. He’s gotta be more careful.

I’m writing the same thing on 7 chests, clothed or not: “Meet me in the copy room at 10:05. Pants optional. Your secret admirer.”

And then depending on how mischievous I’m feeling, I’m either showing up or I’m not and letting chaos ensue.

[alias-b]

sins of my youth. 001

Billy Hargrove x OC! Evie Fenny~ Also posted to my AO3

Summary: It was common knowledge that Billy Hargrove hated Hawkins. Hated Cherry Lane. Even loathed the strange girl next door. Evie Fenny wasn’t too fond of the chaotic Cali transfer either. An awful high school tradition sparks a chain of events that changes everything, ultimately bringing two frayed souls together. 

A/N: Hey!!! I'm definitely not giving up on LFTM, I've had this story whirling around my brain and it's been pulling at me for a while. Hoping I can slow down, care for myself, and juggle both fics at my own pace. Thank you guys for reading and for being so supportive. I hope everyone who enjoyed WTL also enjoys this fic, it's a totally different direction. I'm excited to share it! I'll tag warning in each chp like I always too. TW: Light bullying, hints at an inappropriate relationship between a teacher/student, and teenage jerks.

Chapter 1: Fast Times

   A blaring bell trilled. Lunch time. So close and yet so far. Scrambling high schoolers like zoo animals clamored into the cafeteria. Knocking shoulders and bouncing around. No one really cared about knowledge today, the last day of school before winter break began. 

   1984. Coming to a close.

   “Evie!” A hand rose to wave. One pink scrunchie around the elegant wrist. Heather Holloway. Cute as a button smiling there. Hands pulled headphones down to acknowledge her. Evangeline Fenny. Best friends since the sandbox and now seniors. “This stupid day is dragging.”

   “It’s killing me.” Evie whined to herself, settling her beat up lunchbox on the table. Red and blue pattern, scribbled all over with song lyrics in black marker. “Mrs. Stockard fell asleep at her desk, I wanted to die.”

   “She snores so loudly.” Heather sparkled when she laughed, sweeping her hair back into a high ponytail with her scrunchie. Evie held a mirror up for her to see out of habit. “Thanks.” It was particularly louder than usual. Teens pregaming the parties to come over the two week vacation.

   “Going skiing with the folks this year?”

   “No, they’re going up to the cabin and I’m staying home after Christmas.” Heather unpacked her lunch, carefully organizing it. Evie pulled a regular PB and J out, amused.

   “Sushi?”

   “My mom’s going through a phase.” Heather poured herself a bit of soy sauce and plucked up chopsticks.

   “Your rich is showing, Heath.” Evie giggled when a foot kicked at her under the table.

   “Trade you a piece for half the pear.”

   “Deal.” They switched. Evie tucked some unruly dark curls aside, sitting back.

   “So...there is a party tonight. Loch Nora. Bunch of schools.”

   “Which ones?” Evie’s brow rose.

   “Ridgemont will probably crash, but who cares. It’s winter break, we’ll go and have some fun then crash at my place. Eat chips, make fun of them, and pass out like we always do.” Heather bounced a little. “C’mon, Evie. I’ll pick you up and we can walk from my house.”

   “I’ll think about it.” That meant yes to Heather. She grinned, reaching across to pat her friend’s arm playfully.

   “It’ll be fun.”

   Evie just whined and crunched on her pear, brows scrunching. Parties weren’t the same since the incident. But, she picked the popular, social butterfly for her closest friend. 

   The two couldn’t have been any more different.

   Heather Holloway. Rich girl from Loch Nora befriending Evangeline Fenny, a Cherry Lane girl, in preschool. They switched beaded hair ties and the rest was history. Bonded over music and fashion. Heather was classically stunning as if she jumped off a magazine. 

   Students used to make snide comments. That Heather kept Evie around because she made her look prettier. Sweet Heather shut that down. Loudly. Whenever the subject came up. Evie Fenny was a bigger girl. Plush. Fat. It wasn’t a dirty word. She was a strange and pretty teen who carried herself too high to be bothered with comments.

   Water off a duck’s back was the saying.

   Used to be she hid herself under big sweaters, tunics, and flared jeans. But, that was before the incident. Afterward, she came to school with a new haircut. Louder makeup. Even louder, fitted clothing. Flaunted the hourglass and caught eyes on her hips swaying. Sat next to Heather at lunch as if nothing had changed. Red glossed lips only smiled and the student body took to her. Those who stayed angry burned alone.

   Thick skin, no pun intended.

   “If that asshole Tannen shows up, I’m dipping.” Evie decided with one breath. 

   “I’d say that I’ll protect you, but you made your point last year.” 

   Ah, the incident.

   “I’m never going to live that down.”

   “It was legendary.” Heather beamed, crushing her fist into her opposite palm. “Bam. Prick went down. My friend is Wonder Woman. Super Bitch.”

   Evie broke to laugh, eyes rolling.

   “Truthfully, I don’t recall it all.”

   That was a lie, she remembered every second of it. Sometimes her knuckles warmed at the thought.

   “I just...didn’t think you had moves like that. Your mom is basically Dolly Parton. You don’t even like violence. You squirm during horror flicks. You love your cat, your guitar, and all plant life...and you beat the hell out of Ridgemont’s golden boy asshole quarterback.”

   It did earn Evie some Hawkins’ fame. Ridgemont was their main rival. The Bulldogs. Football players found a soft spot for the teen.

   “Don’t tell my mom she’s Dolly Parton, that’ll go straight to her head.” Evie joked, popping her water bottle open to drink. Heather’s big eyes lifted behind her.

   A flood of cologne wafted before two fingers tugged a curl. Little harder than they should have. Water choked to spill onto Evie’s chest.

   “Whoops, you got all wet, Fenny.” A tongue clicked. Billy Hargrove slid around the table. All his glory. Heather plucked up a napkin to offer it.

   “Watch it, Hargrove.” She huffed down at herself. The yellow tee tucked into her jeans was soaked through.

   “Girls can’t help it around me, I guess.” He had one hand in his pockets and another cradling his silver lighter. Flicking it open and closed. Eyes narrowed. “Polka dots, huh. I had you figured for florals.”

   “You’re an asshole.” She covered her damp shirt and bra with her striped cardigan. Thick fall colors warmed her skin. Noted the fact that he'd thought about it.

   “Whatever you say, Ivy.” 

   Billy knew her name. They were neighbors. Unfortunately. Right down to sharing the same space between their bedroom windows. She’d had dinner at their house. Susan Hargrove was new and eager to make some friends and Ms. Fenny was eager to be friends with everyone. Perfect match.

   Evie glared up at him. Fucking Adonis.

   “Heather, you going tonight?” He ignored his neighbor and leaned over with one palm on the table, back to Evie as he sat down to flash that darling smile.

   “Maybe.” Heather gestured with her chopsticks.

   “I can work with maybe.” He acted like the girl behind him wasn’t there. Frankly, Evie was used to being invisible. It was better than being bullied. Most days. “Maybe I’ll see you there.”

   “Maybe you apologize to my friend and say her name right.” Heather winked at him.

   “Who?” Billy stood and turned, mocked some surprise. “Oh. Evangeline. So quiet, I forgot you, chica.”

   She wasn’t sure if that was a jab at her mixed heritage or him just being a smartass. Billy rolled her name off his tongue like it was a joke. Like it wasn’t a real word. Blue eyes alight at her stony expression. Sly and alert. 

   The California transfer vibrated after leaving the basketball team before the season ended. Word was that he was persuaded to leave after some fight with Steve Harrington. Billy was a strange one too.

   Often, he seemed lax when he was alone like the world didn’t matter. Other days, he was rocking and quick on his feet. Hungry and itching for something. Anything. It was a scary look on such a pretty boy. You could never gauge where his mind was. Where it would go next.

   “Evangeline.” He sounded out again even slower. “Your mom lose a bet?”

   “It’s a poem.” She replied flatly, sitting back to cock her head at him. Billy snapped his fingers to point.

   “Sounds like the name of some chick whose man died in her arms.”

   She huffed at him, leaning in.

   “...That would be what the poem is about.”

   “Fucking depressing.” Billy tapped his chin. “I got it. I’m going to call you, Angel. I won’t forget that.”

   “You are not calling me-”

   “Trying to compromise with you, Fenny. You cast the first stone.” Billy flicked his eyes to Heather. “Bring your friend with you to the party, Heather. Some guys like angel cake.” He winked and slunk off to his band of merry assholes. This school worshiped him. Kissed the ground he walked on since he started in fall.

   “What a fucking slimeball.” Evie grumbled to herself, stuffing trash aside to ball it up. Thought about tossing it at Billy's big head. Heather gave this conflicted look as if to say, but he’s cute, right?

   “Ignore him.”

   “Bad enough his family moved in next to me.” They packed up their lunches. “God, I want a smoke so bad.”

   She didn’t keep the habit up just to save her singing voice. Her mom picked up cigarettes only after the divorce last year. Smoked out her window and hid it, but Evie knew. No judgment there. Better than other habits moms pick up after divorces.

   “I’ll pick you up at seven tonight?” Heather walked out with her after the bell rang.

   “Yeah, I’ll see you in fifth.” Evie turned to go to her locker and stuffed the lunchbox away. Grabbed a book to hurry to class. History. Three more periods left. Students fidgeted around her.

   “Hey, Evie.” Steve Harrington batted his eyes at her. Friendly enough these days after he left the popular cliche and broke up with Nancy Wheeler. Sometimes having your heart stopped on made you nicer. Not always. “You, ah, do the paper?”

   “All six pages.” Evie set it on her desk. “You?”

   “I made an attempt.” It was strange because Steve never gave her the time of day before this year. Maybe the guy was lonely. He tapped his pencil and the chatter quieted when their teacher walked in. Late as always.

   “Class, pass your papers to the front.”

   “Hopefully they don’t come back with red wine stains.” Robin mumbled behind her, one leg crossed up so she could draw on the rubber side of her sneakers. Evie caught a snort, taking the papers to pass them along. “I like the jacket.”

   “Thanks. New haircut?”

   “My own dad didn’t notice.” Robin beamed.

   “Psst, Evie.” A note flicked on her desk. Tammy Thompson. Pretty girl, kind of shy. “To Steve.”

   Evie considered herself a professional middle man for lovesick note passing. Discreetly, she gave it to Steve, head cocking. He furrowed his brow upon seeing it, but wrote back.

   Whatever the reply, it made Tammy’s shoulders fall.

   AP Biology was next. Teacher treated it like his kingdom and didn’t pose much of a challenge because he was disorganized as hell. Evie was relieved to share the class with Heather. 

   Billy, Tommy, and Carol also had it too. Hargrove bitched for a week about how the other science classes had no openings. Strange because he wasn’t an idiot. Still got his work in and maintained a B average. Probably due to his dad. Neil Hargrove seemed like a real hardass. And all of Cherry Lane had heard him and Billy arguing at some point.

   Evie might have also witnessed some more physical spats through the windows.

   She figured it was why Billy hated her. She knew something about him. Something he hid because it made him feel smaller. He caught her eyes once and barked nastily before taking off in his Camaro. A gust of smoke.

   She never brought it up. 

   Dads could be real assholes.

   “Watch the movie. Fill out the worksheet.” Their teacher was as ready for this day to be over as the students were. Lights went down. Yawns followed. Evie propped her elbow up on the high lab table she shared with Heather, doodling new lyrics between answering questions.

   A crumpled paper hit her hair. Stuck into brown curls. Heather turned back to glare at Tommy shrugging with a sleazy grin.

   He was no artist. Evie smoothed it for a wide, big lipped and breasted caricature of herself. She drew on it and scribbled a note back. Smiling sweeter when she flicked it at his chest. Carol and Billy leaned in on either side to see Tommy’s expression sour because Evie gave him nothing.

   “You got my hair all wrong.” She’d written. Fixing it for him.

   Billy snorted and turned back to defacing his textbook.

   “Bitch.” Tommy muttered to himself, tossing it away. Evie finished her sheet, dug for her compact to reapply a lip color. Caught Billy behind her. Intent on whatever vulgar drawing his mind was concocting. Blue eyes flicked like he’d been aware of her this entire time.

   The mirror snapped shut.

** ** **

   Study hall. Last period of the day. Most kids who had it were skipping out early during the hour. Slipping away one by one through the library. Evie was one of those kids. 

   “Leaving so soon, Miss Fenny?” The smooth as silk voice lowered, startled her enough to drop her notebooks and folders. 

   “Fr...Mr. Bowers.” Evie dropped before her English teacher standing so close to her. Second period. Been in Hawkins three years teaching the junior and senior classes. Fredrick Bowers. Dream of a man to all the teen girls. “Sorry.” She bit her bottom lip, eyes lifting to see him and his shadow blocking the light from touching her. 

   “No, I’m sorry, Evie. I figured you’d heard me coming.” Sky blue eyes centered on Evie there before he came to one knee. Helped her gather lose papers strewn about.    

   Mr. Bowers had a name and face all the teen girls drew little hearts around in pink gel pen.

   Evie thought she saw those same cartoon hearts bubbling up behind his back. Popping like gum. Styled toffee blond locks, trimmed mustache, and groomed side burns. A simple patterned shirt tucked into fitted slacks with the sleeves rolled up. Never a tie. Something groovy about him that stuck from the seventies. Mid thirties and hell of a smile.

   Evie tucked hair aside, displayed her blush in full view obscenely when he flashed those sparkly whites at her. Eyes crinkling.

   “I’ll warn you next time.” 

   Her heart plucked like a song when their fingers brushed. Dashing and broad. A Jane Austen character come to life. Enough to make any young girl melt. And how quickly she did.

   “Next time.” Evie gave this scoff. Pulling her notes close as they both came to their feet with hard intent eyes.

   "I wanted to give you something. A book to read over the break." He pulled it from his leather messenger bag and peered around.

   "An assignment?" Evie sparkled at him so he was lighter.

   "No, it's just because I believe you're so clever and mature. I think you'll read it with an open mind and we can talk about it like we talked about all the others. It's complicated material. I, ah, really shouldn't be giving you this book." He offered it. "But, there were quite a few I wasn't allowed to give you. After that chat we had over The Crucible. I'm just so fascinated by what you think."

   "Lolita. I know what happens in this one." Evie peered at the battered title. Rough paper between her fingers, it was clearly an old copy. She peered at his chest instead of his eyes. "We-"

   "Don't you miss talking? You know. Last year. Someone who knows what you're going through. I want all my students to be comfortable around me."

   "I am comfortable, we..." Evie glanced as someone passed far down the hallway.

   Bowers helped her after her dad left. A shoulder. A confidant. A crush that... She felt her heart close in on itself.

   "I thought you said we couldn't anymore."

   "I miss you." He whispered that. Lush and blunt. She barely heard it. Eyes snapped up.

   Someone missed her. Someone wanted to listen. Someone who saw her depth.

   His wife left him before he came to Hawkins. Evie learned a great deal about her too.

   "I won't tell, I never do." She hid it away into her bag, matched his tone. "We can...talk. Not here."

   "Good." He swallowed. "I just think you blossom under guidance and support. I always knew you were one of those girls."

   Evie blushed again. Eyes on her shoes. 

   “I wanted to say I was impressed with your paper as well. As always.” Fredrick gave her arm a pat and left his hand there. Fingers pressed into the knit fabric of her cardigan. His lip twitched. 

   “Good. That’s…I’m glad.” Evie’s eyes flickered over stormy blue ones, swaying. Lashes gave a dreamy bat. “I was thinking, ah, about you when I wrote it.”

   “Really, you should speak up in class more.” Fredrick gave her one subtle squeeze and dropped his hand. “All those funny poems you shared last year.”

   “My songs.” Evie corrected softer and he only smiled to nod.

   “Right.” An idle step backwards before he leaned over her. A great deal taller. The shadow crept over her eyes this time. “You have a Merry Christmas, dear. And speak up again in class, Evie. You know I love to hear from you.”

   A sensation like a fizzling sparkler glowed in her belly. Out her spine. Spread over skin.

   “I know.” She giggled at him, peering around. “Merry Christmas, Mr. B. We'll talk.”

   “Small town, I’m sure I’ll see you out and about.” A wink and he was gliding off. Shoulders back and chest perched high.

   “You might.” Evie swooned against her locker. Watched him go. Gasped a breath into her lungs. Swept all the clouds aside to fill her backpack with work. He made her feel so special, like no one ever could. 

   “Anyone...” She sang to herself, “who knows what love is...” Fingers plucked up a final book. Evie hummed and thought of small cartoon blue birds spinning around her head as she went into the restroom. Washed her hands and lingered to see her reflection.

   Evie was in a strange place. In and out of her skin. Torn between love and hate for her body.

   Usually, it just took a brave face. Her dad always used to tilt her chin and tell her to put on her bravest face before leaving home.

   She hoped the one she chose was convincing. 

   Her mom would always spin her favorite Bible or Dolly Parton quotes. Which helped on occasion even if she wasn’t sure which source the words came from half the time.

   A sigh. This was her flesh. She’d live in it as best she could. Dreamed herself into something better.

   Footsteps hurried down the hallway until the door shoved open. Humming cut.

   “Hargrove!” She gasped, dropping her messenger bag. “Billy, you can’t be in here!”

   “God damn it, Fenny. You again?” Billy skidded to hush her. Pressed them back into the wall. The heat of his body engulfed her frame, standing a good few inches taller. “Do me a fucking solid. Hide this for me.”

   Billy had no sense of boundaries because he was stuffing a baggie into her front jean pocket. 

   “What are you doing?” She seethed at him, smacking his arms off her to put some distance. “Get off me!”

   “Don’t say a word. Got it?” Billy lifted a finger with an intent look. Smelled of leather and his heavy cologne. Hairspray too. It all overshadowed the cigarette scent. He smoothed his tee out and turned to see the door. Scrambling like a spider, Billy jumped up on the toilet, threw his messenger bag outside, and pulled himself up. Wiggled his way out.

   Evie heard a thud and groan.

   “What the fuck?” She whispered, more so to herself as he disappeared. Hands pulled what was clearly concealed weed bundled up several times and bagged from her pocket. “Shit.” More footsteps before the door burst as she shoved it away.

   “You see that Hard-grove kid?” A thick accent asked. Security guy. Useless.

   “Uh!” Evie pulled her bag up. “Who?...This is the ladies room! Can’t a girl have a moment here?” 

   “Sorry!” He cringed away before she jumped into mushy period talk. It always worked. 

   Evie rolled her eyes and marched out to find Billy. Casual as can be, he tossed his bag into the trunk of his car and stilled to light a cigarette. Grumbling, steps hurried up the hill.

   “Asshole!” She tossed the weed at his chest, made him catch it awkwardly and stuff it into the trunk with a hiss.

   “Keep a lid on it, will you?” He slammed it shut. No one was around to see them.

   “Don’t do that shit again.” She pushed into him to go, Billy’s big hand wrapped around her wrist. Tugged her square into his chest. An unkind grin swept.

   “I had you figured, didn’t I? You didn’t say anything.” Billy blew smoke into the air, plucked the cigarette out to flick it with his free hand.

   “Let go.” Evie huffed. “I would have been in deep shit too for that.” She wiggled and pushed at his chest. 

   Billy flicked his bright eyes over hers. So brown they looked black in winter. He never noticed that she had a dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks like he did. Pale for a girl with darker features. Indiana falls and winters must have taken the color right out of her. Looked like a lot of the mixed gals he knew back home. 

   Big curls. Soft and curvy. 

   Angry at him over something he did.

   There's no place like home, he figured.

   “You’re so weak.” Billy laughed at her. Took another drag. “They told me you freaked out on a guy last year.”

   “You want to be next?” She twisted away from him and turned. It wasn’t a real threat. He’s seen her tend to plants like they were humans. Feed neighborhood cats and nurse her own. Old black cat with not long left. Little fucker was always creeping him out from her bedroom window. Constantly staring with huge green eyes like it knew something Billy didn’t.

   “Babysit your own weed.”

   “You walking home?” Billy was relentless, voice lifting.

   Evie huffed and turned.

   “What, are you going to say I probably need the exercise? My bike chain broke.”

   “Christ, I was gonna offer a ride. Figured I owed you for saving my damn weed and my break. Not like it's out of the way.” Billy turned to open the passenger door. “Quit being a drag and get in. I don’t bite hard...unless asked.”

   “You’re such a creep.” She eyed him there. Wondered how he stayed warm in a tee, jeans, and leather jacket. “Not waiting for Max?” He gave this annoyed look.

   “She’s going out with her stupid friends, not my problem today.” Billy got in, gesturing. “At least close the door if you’re not coming. I went through the effort to open it for you.”

   “What a gentleman.” Sarcasm.

   Evie came back toward his car and debated it. Smelled like it might rain with the sky turning grey. And she really didn’t want to walk in these shoes. Rationalizing it, she slipped inside and shut the door. Settled her bag in her lap. Even buckled up. Billy revved the engine and skidded to speed out without a second glance.

   “You going to the party with Heather?”

   Evie peered at him watching the road with this hard look on his face. Ghosted a smile. Bingo.

   “You’re being nice to me to get to Heather, huh. You know you’re not the first guy to pull this. Could have just asked me about her.”

   Crystalline eyes flared up at her face.

   “What? Dorky chicks like you turn me on, too.” He replied rougher, not bothering to watch the road.

   “Wow. Spread it on thick, Hargrove.” She turned from him.

   “I always do.” He hit a hard corner. Christ, he drives fast. “I got a shot?”

   “She thinks you’re cute.” Evie shrugged. Far too used to this. Eyes slid to his profile. Wild curls still golden on grey days. The boy glowed. It was absolutely insufferable. Leaves whirled by, brown and dead. A smile crossed her face. “Listen. Since you’re saving me a walk. I’ll help you.”

   “Help me? I don’t need your help, I just wondered if she was gonna show.” He scoffed, turning on Cherry Lane.

   “You want to know what Heather likes. It’ll help you.” She crossed her arms, nearly flying forward when he screeched to a stop in front of his house. Billy shot her a look, filled with pride. “You got a pen and paper, bud?”

   He snatched her bag, tore a page from her notebook and dug into his glove box for a pen.

   Ass. She hugged it back to her chest.

   "Talk."

   “Okay.” A breath. “The thing about Heather is she’s a romantic. Jane Austin girl. Pride and Prejudice. If you can quote that just once like Mr. Darcy, she’s yours... Well? Are you writing?”

   Billy did a double take and huffed, grumbling. He actually marked it down.

   “Mr. Who?”

   “Your life amazes me.” She chuckled. “Darcy.”

   “Got it. Darcy. I’ll ask Susan about that shit, she’s a reader.” He muttered, tongue sweeping out before he scribbled. 

   “And she loves museums. First date ideas. Milkshakes. Cheese fries with jalapenos. Cheeseburger gal. Chinese from that corner joint. Always spicy. Easy picks.”

   “A girl after my own burning heart.” Billy felt her peer at him again. Lips lifting with this expression he couldn’t read. Blinked her big eyes and went on.

   “Definitely loves to snuggle in with something scary even though they freak her out. Must be a curiosity thing.”

   “Any excuse to get close to someone, I like it. This is gold, Angel, go on.”

   “You know, I think that’s all I got for you.” Evie turned to get out, sighing. That was just a little evil. “Billy.”

   “What?” He shut his door and turned from her.

   “Thanks for the ride.” She moved to go toward her house. “Knock ‘em dead.”

   Billy didn’t reply. Just watched her go into her house before he dug for another smoke.

   “Mom?” Evie called. “I’m home.”

   “I’m in my room, sweetheart!”

   Ramona Fenny was a spirited woman, went by Mona to the neighborhood. A girl of the 60s. Built like Dolly Parton with a pumped hairstyle to match in sleek dark brown, almost black. She worshiped the woman. Looked like she could have modeled atop a cake. 

   A church going girl who used prayer to get her through the divorce. Never pushed it on others, not even Evie. Too busy pushing other things. Like the free days she lost having her daughter young. She liked what worked in life and this worked for her. Liked the pretty side to things. 

   Mona was a sunny side up sort of mother.

   Best friends with Claudia Henderson as they both went through divorces which was not in God’s plan. Evie liked Dustin, she babysat him on occasion and he was a good kid. Bullied like her. 

   Mona owned the favored hair salon in town. Worked long hours with a team of women and ran a tight ship. Did hair for all the social elites so she knew everyone and all the hot gossip. And did she love that detail the most. Evie helped out with reception during vacation time. Liked the extra cash.

   “I was going to go to Heather’s later, there’s a party.”

   “Oh, have fun, baby.” She pushed her kid to go out. To live. To be smart. Never asked her to call. Not out of trust for Evie, she couldn’t be bothered. Never imagined her daughter would be up to mischief.

   If only she knew.

   Sometimes, Mona keyed in when it suited her. Understood when Evie’s likes and dislikes changed. When she asked to not go to church anymore because it didn’t help her after her dad walked out. Ramona was understanding as long as you didn’t bring up things like depression and anger. There always had to be a way out. Turn the other cheek.

   Evie knew her mother always thought the best.

   “Great.” Evie crossed to steal the hair brush, helped her mother out with the teasing. Dyed rich and dark locks that used to be a mousy brown. Dark eyes like her daughter. Evie didn’t look like her father with his brighter features. Her lush hair and russet eyes. Thick brows. “You going out? All dressed up...”

   “Just into town, couple of errands.”

   That was something that changed a week after her dad moved out. Mona’s style revamp. She was a woman of the sixties and seventies and that came back full force. Styled and pumped up like she was walking out of a Nancy Sinatra music video. Men around town noticed it and the woman certainly speculated. 

   But, her daughter had a style change too after the incident so it must have run in the family.

   “Better?” Evie eyed the glittery rings sitting in a ceramic dish. They looked like gumballs there.

   “Touch of hairspray and I’ll be right as rain.” Pink manicured nails came up with the can. “Take cover, baby.”

   “Got it.” Evie disappeared in a waft of spray. Stole an ice cube from the freezer to crunch it out of this habit she picked up when dad was gone. Cool and melty between her fingers before she swallowed it down. Felt the bulge tense all down her throat. Another followed. Teeth straining to crack it like glass. The chunks went down a little less smooth as she looked for real food and shut the fridge instead.

   Evie went into the bedroom to see her old cat on the pillow. His head lifted. Skinny and balding. Blind in one eye.

   “How’re we doing, my handsome boy?” Evie dropped her bag and crossed to pet him. Purrs erupted, whiskers twitching. “Bourbon, my darling.”

   A scratch of a meow rasped.

   “Yes, I love you too. I’d kiss you if my lips weren’t done up.” She smacked her lips and stood. “Outfit.” Clothing pushed around. Her room was a small, intimate space. Few pictures and purple curtains. Desks covered in song lyrics, trinkets, and needle felting projects.

   Evie held up garments to the cat, but he was no help. Just purred there like a motor boat. Settled on a black top with some sparkle and a magenta wash denim jacket. Jewelry was a must, she preferred earrings that were huge acrylic hearts. Bourbon had gotten into the window to watch the window across the way. 

   Billy wandering shirtless and damp. Muscles red and bulging like he’d done a quick work out

   “Yeah, not today, my sweet.” Evie plucked the cat from the window and reached to close the blinds. Billy caught her. Winked and licked his lips slower. She made a face at him. Utterly loathing and not impressed at his peacock way of navigation. “Ew." 

   The blinds snapped down, leaving Billy to laugh there. Evie carried her purring cat out, chiding. 

   "Don’t make his head any bigger than it already is.”

~~~~

TAGLIST OPEN! Hope you enjoyed! Thanks!

[iamalivenow]

“Objectively, objectively-” Melanie tries to say, with a straight face. “Objectively if you had to pick a cosmic horror terror to pledge your entire life to willing-” Daisy chucks an empty paper cup at her and she breaks down into a fit of laughter.

“Objectively, I'd pick neither. None.” Jon says from the couch.

“Objectively, you're no fun.” Melanie mumbles. Daisy, who's also sprawled out on the couch, taking up way more space than Jon- with her legs in his lap nodded sagely as if there was any space to have this conversation.

“I think if I had to pick, I'd go End.” Basira comes in with another bottle stolen from someone's upstairs office. It's not like any of them would get in trouble for it. “It seems low effort.”

“Ha.” Daisy's voice is dry. “All you do is research anyway.”

“Right, but, and this is very important.” She fills up a cup with amber liquid and passes it on to Jon, who's still holding his last one. Maybe it's meant for Daisy when she decided to sit up like a normal person again. “The Eye can choke.”

“Here here.” Melanie knocks back the rest of her drink and then holds out her cup.

Jon has no idea how they talked him into this- it was just another quiet day, Melanie out doing errands, Basira in the library, and Daisy and Jon in his office, recording statements- well he was recoding statements. Daisy was doing something that looked like Yoga if it was even slower.

“Jon, your turn.” Daisy nudges him with a foot and he has to lift the two cups he's holding.

“Why my turn?”

“Because you've been doing this the longest.” And after a second, “And you've had the least to drink.”

He sighs and Melanie goes off on another set of giggles.

“I don't want to be part of any of them- if we're talking about life goals and aspirations, I'd have a nice house in the country side far away from all of this. With a cat.”

“You're a cat person?”

“He is.” And Melanie fumbles to get her phone out. “Georgie showed me this for blackmail, hold on-” And before Jon can stop her, or even try to stop her, because again, drinks and legs, Melanie is showing Basira the video of Jon dancing with The Admiral. It was four in the morning, they had just gotten home from some unremarkable party and Jon had been consumed with the all too human need of bothering a cat right then. The Admiral was so soft- still is.

“Oh my god.” Basira brings the phone over so that Daisy can stare at the screen too and Jon is still helpless. He should set these down. “I don't think I've ever seen you this happy before.”

“Yes, well.” He says, face a little flushed.

“Your hair wasn't always gray?”

“Of course it wasn't!”

He didn't know that Georgie had filmed him until she had shown it to him a few weeks later.

“Jon!” He almost jumps when Melanie calls his name. “Jon. Answer the question.”

“I don't know.” The video finally quiets down. “Spiral, I guess?”

“Justification?”

“Do I need one?” Jon sighs. A justification- “Free travel, I guess.”

“Why not vast then?”

“Scared of heights.”

“Huh.” Daisy says, a grin on her face. “Makes sense considering you're tiny.”

“I'm a perfectly normal height, thank you very much. It's not my fault all of you are so tall.”

“Melanie's only a higher bigger.”

“It's still not my fault, certainly.” And he finally pushes Daisy's cup into her hands. She's going to spill it on herself but that's no longer something Jon entirely wants to prevent. “What about you then?”

“I've thought about this before.” At stakeouts, she means. Jon doesn't blame her. It's a lot of time spent doing very little. Not that- Not that he ever went on one, but- “I think maybe I wouldn't hate the heights as much.”

“Really?” Basira doesn't sound all that surprised. “You did always want to travel.”

“Would it be so bad to just, get out there? Aside from the heights.” Another nudge with her heel. Jon can't blame her, the temptation after what they've been through is certainly there for him. He can't imagine what that desired weightlessness must be like for her.

“And you, Melanie.”

“I don't know.” Basira laughs, and Jon's glad. Glad, now, that they talked him into this. It's nice, listening to them be happy with him.

“You brought it up.”

“Come on.” Jon smiles now. “Objectively, if you had to.”

“Yeah, well. Objectively, I'm fine with End too.”

“What-” Jon, Basira, and Daisy all say it in unison, varying inflections but indignation all there. “Be original!”

“Listen-” Melanie giggles again, light, airy, followed by more drink- “Low effort is worth a lot. I'm a chief researcher- I'd love to sit on my ass all day.”

“Then you'd just end up like Jon. No offense, Jon.”

“I mean it's partially true, at least.”

“I don't know.” She smiles again- almost privately- and pushes a strand of hair behind her ear. “Something comfortable about inevitability.”

It rests in the air, as the rest of them go quiet, until it's just their breathing and the flickering of the lights. That point in the party- the lull, he guesses. It's not nearly as awkward as he thought it would be, maybe because they're all a little day drunk or maybe because he's gotten so used to Daisy being quiet beside him and it's just like that, but more.

He never would have met any of them- well Melanie maybe eventually, through Georgie at Some point, but he likes to think they're friends. Or at least friendly. He knows with some misplaced confidence or maybe divine intervention that he and Daisy are friends, truly. They don't have a lot of talking points outside of work, sure, but true friendship can be found in comfortable silence.

“Do you like books?” He asks out of the blue- true and natural curiosity.

“They're all right.” Basira says. “Do you still read?”

“I used to, when I was younger. When I was eight.”

“Younger younger.” Melanie says, like a clarification. “Audio books are fine sometimes. For commutes, or whatever.”  

“That feels like a betrayal somehow.” Jon clears his throat. “To the authorial intent.”

“God.” Daisy's head is dipped all the way back over the arm of the couch. “You're so pretentious.”

“I'm sorry we can't all listen to radio plays.”

“Oh, you can listen to them. You just choose not too because you think you're above common folk entertainment.”

“You can like soap operas.” Basira's smiling from her seat. “No one but Jon is going to think less of you for liking soap operas.”

“I'm not going to think less of you for liking your repetitive family drama.” That gets him a kick in the ribs and half of his drink down the front of his shirt. “Daisy-” Melanie, who was already busy snickering from her seat, starts laughing in earnest. Basira in her infinite kindness passes a stack of napkins over.

“Whoops.” Daisy's up now, sitting and dabbing away at his shirt.

“It's fine. You didn't mean it.”

“Yeah.” It's a small thing, her taking the time and effort to try and clean up the stain slowly forming across his shirt. It still makes him happy, in some small way, that someone is bothering to, that his first impulse isn't to snap and lurch away.

“Are we winding down?” Basira gets up. “I still have research.”

“You're drunk.”

“That's what's going to make this fun.” She puts a hand on Daisy's shoulder before leaving as quietly as she came in the first time.

“What about you?” Jon asks, looking up. “Any work?”

“None that I'm going to do.” Melanie sighs. “Maybe I'll head out early, call all of this pregaming.”

“Stay safe.” Daisy calls, not even bothering to look up.

“You two also as well. Both of you two too. Hm.” Melanie gets up. “No good way to say that.”

“Just you too?”

“Well I didn't want to leave Jon out.”

“I appreciate the sentiment. Tell Georgie-”

“Yeah, yeah.”

And then it's just Jon and Daisy, kind of drunk in the break room.

“How did you know she was heading to see Georgie?”

“I- Oh.” Jon sighs. “You know.” And Daisy, his friend, his maybe only friend who he's on really good terms with, pats his head like he's five. “What are you doing?”

“Comforting you.”

“Ah.”

“Should I stop?”

“I- No. No. It's nice. That's nice, just like, objectively. Are you drunk?" She shrugs.

"Does it matter?"

"Not- Not really. You just don't usually-"

"I don't usually need to comfort you. If you hate it I can stop."

"I already told you, I don't mind."

"Uh huh." She says slowly, and pats his head just a little harder, like she's trying to a prove a point. "Your hair is soft, actually."

"Why do you sound surprised."

"You look like you have old man hair."

"I'm thirty."

"And yet your hair- easily eighty." Basira comes back four and a half hours later.

They haven't moved.

[get-your-fics]

Violent Delights - Chapter Two

Something Rotten

Summary: Bruce Wayne is addicted to a lot of things to distract from his dark urges, but his addiction to you might only increase them.

Pairing: dark!Bruce Wayne x reader

Series warnings: Violence, language, smut, rape/non-con, stalking, kidnapping, underage drinking, drug use, torture, abuse

CHAPTER ONE

Usually when I woke up, I rarely had any clear memories of the night before. I could remember going to the Towers, downing drink after drink, dancing under bright lights, and then waking up in my bed. There was a start and an end, but everything in between was hazy and blurred together, like a movie on fast forward.

But when I woke up this morning, I could remember every last detail of my interaction with you.

In fact, my imagination was running rampant all night because of you. Normally, what little hours of sleep I got a night were dreamless, and when I did dream, my mind was plagued with nightmares. But last night, my dreams were haunted by the sweet scent of your perfume and the feel of your soft, warm skin against mine. Sometimes, it was snippets of the conversation we had in the club, and other times, it was you laying bare on my bed beneath me, your legs spread and your skin flushed and shiny from sweat. Your hair fanned out around your head like a halo, and you stared straight up at me as breathy moans escaped from your parted, scarlet-painted lips. I guessed it had been pretty convincing, because my black, silk boxers were stained with cum when I woke up. Shame; they had been my favorite pair.

Another strange thing I noticed when I woke up: I was alone. I had collapsed onto my made bed last night with all my clothes on. I couldn’t remember the last time I had returned from the club on my own. I usually always took a girl home with me, whether I was particularly interested in her or not. Even if I had to chase her away in the morning, it beat trying to fall asleep alone only for the night terrors to come, tossing and turning as fearsome shadows terrorized my thoughts and jolting awake, dripping with sweat and my throat hoarse from screaming.

Alfred was out all day running errands so he couldn’t lecture me, and since I woke up in the afternoon, it wasn’t long before Tommy’s limousine pulled up in front of Wayne Manor. I lazily dressed in something similar to what I was wearing last night - blazer, tank, jeans, and dress shoes - and climbed into the back. I crawled past some girls I didn’t know and fell into a seat between Tommy and Grace.

“There he is!” Tommy clapped a hand on my shoulder and flashed me his bleached white teeth.

“Late as usual,” Grace hissed with a roll of her brown eyes.

“I’m surprised you were able to get out of bed at all today,” he teased me. “You were pretty messed up last night.”

“When am I not?” I laughed.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here.” Grace looped her arm through mine and snuggled up to my side. “I don’t think I could handle being around these idiots without you.”

I suppressed any sarcastic remarks that threatened to slip out and gave her a forced smile instead. She liked to think she was better than the rest of them but indulged in all the same bad behaviors. She rested her head on my shoulder, and I looked over at Tommy. His gaze shifted from Grace up to me, and he quirked an eyebrow. I merely shrugged my shoulder not occupied by Grace’s head in response.

The limousine started with a jerk and teared out of the long driveway leading to the manor. Pregame shots, as Tommy liked to call them, were passed around, and by the time we pulled up in front of the club, some of the girls were already tipsy. We piled out onto the sidewalk, smoke and the smell of cannabis wafting out of the limo behind us, and strutted past the long line of people waiting to get into the club. Most of them recognized me and tried to get my attention by frantically waving their hands in the air or hollering at me, but I ignored them. The bouncer gave me a firm nod and lifted the rope sealing off the entrance, allowing us to pass through.

The lights were a highly saturated magenta when we walked in. It was the same, usual environment: deafening music that made it impossible to hear one another without shouting, overwhelming heat that hit you like a wave and made it hard to breathe, the smell of perspiration and alcohol and cheap perfume mingling in the air. I could see how someone could despise it. I would have if I didn’t depend on it the way Grace depended on her mother’s Xanax prescription and Tommy depended on his bags of fine, white powder.

We made a beeline towards the booth I always had reserved for me. We sat down, Tommy’s arms slung around two of the girls tagging along with us, and not even a second later, two bartenders came over to us bearing drinks. Fruity cocktails for the girls, straight whiskey for Tommy, a vodka soda for Grace, and of course, a martini for me. Some of the girls muttered thank yous as the bartenders walked away, and I stood up, drawing the beaded curtains back so I could see out onto the dance floor. My mind couldn’t help but turn onto thoughts of you and whether or not you would heed my advice to come back.

“Hey, Bruce.” My head snapped behind me to see Tommy addressing me. “The girls want to dance.”

I looked down to see several empty glasses on the table in front of the group of girls. They were drinking fast, much to Tommy’s pleasure, I was sure. “Let’s go, then.” I gestured with a tilt of my head in the direction of the dance floor.

With my permission, the girls rose from the booth and headed towards the dance floor, Tommy in the middle of them. Grace got up and grabbed my hand, dragging me along with them. We merged with the crowd until I couldn’t tell the girls in our group apart from the regular clubbers. They all had forgettable faces, but not you. I could still remember the way the lights hit your features and every single freckle and mole dotting your skin.

Grace draped her arms around my neck and pulled her body close to mine until her breasts were pressed against my chest. She swayed her hips to the rhythm, her crotch rubbing against mine in the process, and stared up at me with half-lidded eyes. I absentmindedly rocked to the beat, my shoulders bumping into the people around me as I did so. I looked over her head at the crowd surrounding me, which was easy to do considering Grace was a good amount shorter than me even in heels.

A girl with bleached blonde hair and spray tanned skin approached me. She grabbed my arm hanging limp at my side and slung it around her shoulders. She batted her lashes clumpy with mascara at me as she moved seductively to the music. Grace noticed the girl and narrowed her eyes at her until they were mere slits. She started to grind up on me more aggressively like a dog trying to mark its territory.

I was too busy scouring the crowd for you to acknowledge their pointless feud. I wasn’t really interested in either one of them anyway. My mind was preoccupied with thoughts of you and seeing you again. I tried to search the sea of inebriated clubbers for your face, but I could barely see beyond the immediate cluster of dancers around me since I was stuck in between Grace and Miss Fake Tits.

Finally, Grace got sick of her shenanigans. She grabbed the girl by her bony shoulders and gave her a firm shove. “Back off, will you?”

The girl stumbled back, and if it weren’t for the bodies behind her that she crashed into, she would’ve fallen in her platform heels. “What’s your problem?” she sneered in a high-pitched, whiny voice.

The two started to bicker back and forth, but I tuned them out. Perhaps a gentleman would’ve broken up the catfight and tried to sort things out in a calm and levelheaded manner, but I was self aware enough to know I wasn’t a gentleman. I seized the opportunity to duck out of the little cluster and put several bodies between me and them before they could realize I was gone. I let out a sigh of relief when I could no longer see their heads, but my satisfaction was short lived. I still had a girl to find.

I elbowed my way through the crowd, shimmying between gyrating clubbers and shoving past girls whooping like a clutch of hens. There were already too many faces to count, but when the lights started to strobe, it made it even harder to see if yours was among them. “(Y/N)!” I shouted over the blaring music, the vibrations shaking me to the core. “(Y/N) (Y/L/N)!” The heat was starting to get to me, and the thin material of my tank clung to my back and my dark curls stuck to my forehead.

Suddenly, a hand grabbed my shoulder, and my stomach fluttered with hope that you had heard me calling your name. But then the hand whirled me around to reveal that it belonged to Tommy. “Bruce, you vanished on us again! What are you up to?”

“I’m...” I began, but my words trailed off and melted into a frustrated groan. “I’m looking for the girl I was talking to last night. I was hoping I would see her here again.”

His dilated eyes got so large I thought they would pop out of his skull. “No way! You’re still not over her? She must really be something if you still can’t get her off your mind.”

“It’s not that, it’s just...” I bit the inside of my cheek as I thought of an excuse. “Once I set my sights on a girl, I can’t let her get away. Somehow, this one slipped through my fingers.”

“Right.” He winked one bloodshot eye at me. “It has nothing to do with how bad you’ve got it for her.” Suddenly, his expression changed, and he furrowed his brows. “What did you say her name was?”

“I didn’t.” I clenched my jaw. I had been trying to keep him and Grace as far away from you as possible, but that was pretty useless now seeing that I couldn’t even find you. “Her name is (Y/N) (Y/L/N).”

His jaw nearly dropped to the floor. “Wait, are you serious? (Y/N) (Y/L/N)?” he repeated.

I looked at him quizzically. “Yeah, that’s her name.”

His eyes twinkled with mischief, and a chuckle fell from his lips. “Bruce, she went to school with us!”

I raised my brows. “Really?” My eyes lit up with renewed hope. “Was she in our grade?”

“Yeah, but I can’t blame you for not remembering her. She was pretty quiet back then.” His lips curled into a smirk and he elbowed me in the side. “Who knew she would turn into such a fox, right?”

I would’ve chewed him out if I wasn’t so relieved. If Tommy knew you, that means other people had to know you too. Maybe I could start asking around to see if anyone knew where to find you. “Do you know where she lives? Anywhere she visits often?”

Tommy pursed his lips, and after a second, shook his head. “No, man, sorry. I don’t really know what she’s up to these days.”

I cursed under my breath. “Did you need something, Tommy?” I asked, the exasperation evident in my voice.

His face went blank before his eyes flickered with realization. “Oh, right. Some of the girls wanted to leave early, and I just wanted to make sure you could get a ride home.”

I shoved my hands in the pockets of my jeans. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’ll just call my town car.”

“Are you sure? You could come with us.” He leaned in close so only I could hear. “There’s enough girls for the both of us. I don’t mind sharing.”

Suddenly, Tommy was yanked back. Two girls appeared at his side, tugging on his arms. “Come on, Tommy! What’s taking so long?” one of them said, slurring her words. I could tell by their droopy eyes and the way they wavered on their feet that they were completely wasted. No doubt they had enough alcohol in their systems to let Tommy do whatever he wanted to them.

I stared at them with disgust. “That’s all right. You guys have fun without me.”

He shrugged. “Your loss.” He snaked his arms around the two girls. “Come on, ladies. Let’s go.”

He led them towards the exit and melded in with the crowd. I got fed up with all the noise and the heat and retreated back to the booth, desperate for an escape. When I got there, the curtains were down again. I parted them with my hands to reveal Grace on the other side.

“There you are, Bruce.” She was laying sideways on the booth with her head propped up by her hand. “I was wondering where you went off to. I thought I would wait here until you came back.”

Shit. Now, part of me was regretting not leaving with Tommy when I had the chance. At least they wouldn’t notice if I snuck away. “Sorry. I stepped outside for some fresh air.”

“That’s all right.” She swung her legs over so she was sitting upright. “Why don’t you sit down?” She patted the seat next to her, her intentions written all over her face.

“Actually, I think I’m gonna go get a drink.” I started to turn away.

“I got one for you right here.” She picked up a martini off of the glass table and held it out to me.

I stared down at the green olive bobbing up and down in the clear liquid with disdain and contempt for stealing my way out. “Oh. Thanks.” I faked a smile. “That was very considerate of you.”

She smiled proudly up at me. “Anything for you, Bruce.” She patted the seat next to her again excitedly. “Sit, I insist.”

I frowned. I didn’t like being told what to do, but I hated looking like a buzzkill more. I snatched the martini out of her hands and sunk into the booth beside her. If I had to talk to her, at least I could get drunk while I was doing it. Maybe even gather some more information on you.

“Grace, can I ask you a weird question?” I began tentatively.

Her round, doe eyes widened slightly. “Yeah, of course.”

I took a sip from the glass in my hand, the sting as the gin slid down my throat followed by a warm sensation pleasing to me. “Do you remember (Y/N) (Y/L/N)?”

She tilted her head to the side and took her bottom lip between her teeth. “The name sounds familiar. Maybe she went to Anders Prep with us?” She squinted at me. “Why?”

My mouth gaped open and closed like a fish out of water for a moment before an excuse popped into my head. “Apparently she’s one of Wayne Enterprises’ newest partners. Alfred was nagging me about getting to know her earlier.” I tried to keep my tone as casual and nonchalant as possible. “Do you know anything about her? Maybe like where she lives?”

She started to shake her head, but then her already large eyes grew to the size of saucers, if that was even possible. “Wait, she was that girl you were talking to last night, wasn’t she?” Her forehead creased with worry as the question I had asked set in. “Are you looking for her?”

I blinked rapidly and stuck my tongue in my cheek. “She lost an earring last night, and I found it. I was trying to give it back to her.” The lie came surprisingly easy to me.

However, it wasn’t enough to get rid of her suspicious gaze. “I’d be happy to return it for you.”

I dismissed her with a wave of my hand. “That’s all right.” I took a long sip of my martini. “Maybe I won’t worry about it.”

The loud music blasting from the DJ booth filled the lapse in our conversation, and I avoided the skeptical looks she was giving me. “I don’t know where she lives,” she answered after a while, “but I do remember she was kind of a nerd. She kept to herself, didn’t really have any friends. I saw her eating lunch in the library by herself one time.” She stuck her nose in the air. “She was sort of weird, and I guess now she’s a sleaze.”

I clenched my jaw, and my knuckles turned white from gripping the stem of my martini glass so hard. I resisted the urge to throw the contents of my drink on her. “Good to know.” I loosened my hold before I could crush the glass with my hand. “I definitely won’t worry about it now.”

A pleasant smile came over her features. “Good.” She leaned forward until her face was inches from mine and ran her hand down my chest. “I don’t know what I would do if you left me to chase some random girl.”

Left you? We’re not even together! I caught her hand with mine at my hip before it could move any lower. “Tommy took the girls back to his place.”

She twisted her wrist in my grasp so she could interlace her fingers with mine. “Finally, now I have you all to myself.”

I gulped the rest of my martini. “Maybe we should leave too.”

She draped her leg across my lap. “Your place or mine?” She pressed her lips to my cheek.

“How about neither?” I put a hand on her shoulder in case I needed to push her away.

“Good thinking.” She slid into my lap. “Why bother going anywhere when we can do whatever we want right here?”

She crashed her lips against mine. My whole body tensed at first, but I forced myself to relax and enjoy the way her lips moved against mine. At least she would be a good distraction, maybe even make me forget all about you and what happened last night. I mean, according to you, I did it once before. Why not do it again?

My eyes fluttered closed, and I ran my tongue along her bottom lip. She parted her lips, and I slipped my tongue into her mouth, quickly gaining dominance. I could taste the vodka soda she had been drinking. She moaned and shifted so she was straddling my hips. Her hands cupped my face and pulled me closer to her. She started rolling her hips into mine, and my hands drifted down to her hips. She buried her fingers in my hair and nipped at my bottom lip.

I tried to lose myself in her and the way she was kissing me, but everything just felt so wrong. Her lips moved clumsily and sloppy against mine. The vodka on her tongue tasted bitter and sour. She tugged on my dark locks too harshly, and she dry humped me like a dog in heat. Nothing about her turned me on in the slightest, but you? You would know what to do with those plump, cherry lips of yours, and you wouldn’t even have to touch me to get me hard. Whether I liked it or not, I couldn’t get you off my mind, and I had to do something about it rather than waste my time on girls obviously inferior to you.

I separated from her and shoved her off of me. She fell back onto her elbows next to me and stared up at me. Her red, swollen lips were parted in shock, and drops of sweat ran down her face, leaving streaks through her orange-tinted foundation. “What’s wrong with you?” she asked, her voice laced with venom and embarrassment.

My hands curled into fists at my side, my nails digging into my palms. “It’s not what’s wrong with me,” I seethed through gritted teeth. “It’s what’s wrong with you.”

I shot up abruptly, and her brown eyes flashed with fear. Her skin turned a few shades paler, and she scooted away from me on the booth almost like she was scared to move under my intense gaze. Seeing the frightened expression on her face was the closest she had gotten to making me excited all night.

I stormed off before I could do anything I would regret.

CHAPTER THREE

[delos-mio]

Death of a Bachelor - Part 13

A/N: lucky number 13! no real warnings beside a drunk and horny Logan and mentions of familial loss. hope you guys enjoy 🤗

The boys had left before you and Emily the next morning, looking to pregame before tip-off. Emily had driven the two of you to a small bistro nearby that you both loved and had a killer brunch. When you arrived, the rest of her bridal party had already grabbed a table, whooping loudly when the bride walked in. You knew most of these girls for ages, lifelong friends of your sister, so it was nice seeing familiar faces and not having to sit through the awkward getting-to-know-you that can accompany these types of gatherings.

“Miss maid of honor made it! It’s been too long.” Michelle was bringing you in for a tight hug and planted a barely-there kiss on your cheek. If you weren’t Emily’s sister, Michelle would have absolutely had been the maid of honor.

“Yeah. It’s getting harder and harder to find time to come out this way,” you laughed lightly before taking your seat.

Before you knew it, champagne was flowing and the chattering began. You were filled in on the troubles Alex had finding a new apartment after she broke up with her girlfriend. Cheryl’s kids were starting kindergarten in the fall. A whole mess of stories from women who were now wrapped up in spouses and families and careers. It was weird to think about all of them sleeping over in your parent’s basement or begging you to buy them booze while they were still under 21. You were zoning out, thinking about days long since passed, when your name being called out snapped you back to reality.

“So, Em tells us you brought a boy home with you,” Michelle said in a sing-song voice, waiting for you to fill in the gaps.

“I um, I did, yeah,” you said with a smile before taking a big gulp from your mimosa, not giving any more details than absolutely necessary. This was going to be a long day.

“Well, spill! Who is he? What’s he like? How’d you meet? Is he one of those rich, LA playboy types?” Gabby added excitedly. How’d she know? Had Emily blabbed or was that just a midwestern woman’s guess at what LA guys were like?

“Jesus, is this 20 questions?” you joked, or so the table thought. “His name is Logan. We…met through work. He worked for his family’s company and yeah. I don’t know. We just kind of hit it off,” you shrugged.

“They fell in love,” Emily corrected, earning you awes from the rest of the girls.

“Yeah, yeah that too,” you laughed.

“How long have you been together?” Michelle asked.

“Officially? I don’t know, I guess I haven’t really been keeping track,” you laughed. You hadn’t. Why hadn’t you? Things were such a whirlwind with Logan, you never thought to stop and think about when you really started seeing each other. It had been at least six months, you knew that much, but you’d been fucking for a while before that. Did it matter? Did Logan know? A new voice snapped you from your train of thought.

“I think you’re the first girl I’ve met who doesn’t know their anniversary!” Gabby’s tone was a bit judgmental, but you let it roll off your back, simply shrugging in return.

The rest of brunch went exactly as anticipated. It was nice to see so many people love and take care of your baby sister. You had a lot of lingering guilt about moving away, even though she had Elliot and always had what seemed like a million friends. After the bill was settled, you caravanned over to the bridal shop for dress fitting and what you expected to be a lot of down time while the other girls got fitted.

You were lounging on one of the couches, scrolling through work emails even though you said you wouldn’t, when a notification from Logan came up. He had sent you a selfie of him and the boys courtside at the Bucks game. One thing you and Logan had in common is that you making friends did not come easily. Seeing him with a very real smile on his face, a little glint in his eye, while he was with a group of guys he hadn’t met before made your heart swell. He was trying to learn and grow and be a little more open and his hard work did not go unnoticed by you.

Y: You look so handsome. And drunk.

L: I’m not drunj

Y: Oh you’re not drunj huh?

L: Ahhhhhhhhhhhh you cauhgt me

You laughed to yourself. Logan drunk and happy and carefree was a new one for you and you fully intended to enjoy it as long as you could.

Y: So I take it you’re having fun then

L: Great time. I love these guys they’re so cool

Y: I’m glad baby :)

L: Giannis is right here!!!! He’s so big in person

Y: Lol well he is in the NBA

L: I wish you wewr here

Y: That’s sweet Lo. But you have fun having boy time

L: But they’re not pretty like you

L: You’er so fuckjing pretty fuck

Y: Lol drunk Logan is a real charmer

L: I LOVE YOU

Y: Love you too. Go have fun it’s almost my turn for my fitting

L: I wanna seeeeeeee

You rolled your eyes and locked your phone, rising to make your way to the fitting room to change. It had been a while since you’d seen the dress and it was the first time you were seeing it in person. You had to send over your measurements and hope for the best since you were out on the coast. But when you pulled the zipper up and took a look in the mirror, you were thankful there wouldn’t be much that needed altering. You stepped out to the pedestal in the middle of the room so the attendant could pin and mark all the changed that needed to happen.

“You look amazing,” Emily said sweetly as she came up beside you.

“Thanks, Em.” You smiled back at her as you were dismissed. Back in the fitting room, you took the opportunity to snap a quick picture in the full length mirror, sending it to Logan.

Y: I don’t look stupid right?

L: FCUK

L: Babe

L: No you don’t look stupid you look like the most beautiful grl in the world

L: Holy shit

Y: Well then lol. Thank you Lo

L: Ok now one without the dress on

Y: You’re so bad! No!

L: Don’t you want to be a good girl for me?

Y: I’m always good. That’s why I’m going to change back into my clothes so you’re not opening dirty pics of me around a million other people

L: Pleeeeease please please

Y: Logannnnn

L: I’ll be so good forever and ever I promise let me see my sweet girl

You groaned. Why was it so goddamn hard to say no to him? You slipped out of your dress and hung it back up neatly, covering it in the garment bag. Before putting your jeans and V-neck back on, you decided to indulge Logan and took another picture, this time in just your bra and underwear in a completely exaggerated pose, annoyed at yourself for caving so easily. Without much more thought, you sent it over and quickly got dressed. As you took back your seat on the couch, now Michelle’s turn to try her dress on, you pulled your phone back out only to see several notifications.

L: Jesus Christ

L: God I want to fuck you so bad right now

L: I’m so hard please baby let me fuck you the second I get home

Y: We’ll see

L: Don’t tease me it’s not fair

Y: But it’s so much fun

L: What happened to my good girl

Y: She’s gone. I’m bad now haven’t you heard?

L: Fuuuuuck I need you baby

Y: Soon enough Lo. Now pay attention to the game

Just as you and Emily had walked in the front door and put your things down, you heard the commotion of drunk boys trying to get a key in the lock. Rather than going to help, you both waited to see just how long it’d take them to get inside. Finally, Elliot pushed the door open a little too forcefully and stumbled in. Logan was close behind, still upright but visibly intoxicated. Elliot draped his arm over Logan’s shoulder as they swayed into the living room.

“I love this guy,” he said sincerely, leaning in to kiss Logan gently on the cheek. The gesture made Logan blush and dare you say, giggle. You raised an eyebrow as you watched the two fawn over one another.

“God, you didn’t tell me they were this drunk!” Emily said, exasperated.

“Oh, come on. It’s fine,” you said. Logan slipped out from Elliot’s grasp sauntered over to you. He ran his hand along the side of your face and down your neck, his dark eyes darting from your face to your chest to where his hand fell on your skin. “Hi, baby,” you said quietly, only to him.

“Hi,” he slurred and smiled back. Logan leaned down to kiss you sloppily, his aim just slightly off. He tasted like whiskey and smoke. “Mmm, let’s go to bed.”

“It’s like 5pm, Lo.”

“I’m ready for bed,” he repeated, pulling you in close to him. You laughed a little and nodded, grabbing his hand and leading him back to your bedroom. Once inside, Logan flopped on the bed still fully clothed. You slid off your shoes and stepped out of your jeans, getting ready to lay down next to Logan. You had no intention of actually going to bed, but he didn’t need to know that. “I love your ass.”

You turned and looked over your shoulder; Logan was staring lovingly at your backside as you changed clothes. “You’re so drunk, baby.”

“Nuh uh.” He rolled onto his side and patted the spot next to him on the bed. You laid down beside him and he immediately pulled you into his chest, his long limbs flinging themselves over you. “You’re the best. I want you so bad, princess,” he slurred into the crook of your neck.

“Why don’t you take a nap and we can play later, hm?” you suggested, trailing your fingers down his spine.

“But I want to put my dick inside you now,” he whined, his voice growing heavy as he fought off sleep.

“Charming,” you laughed. “Sleep, baby.” Logan yawned then and pulled you in a little tighter, his eyes no longer able to stay open. Soon, his breathing slowed and his lips parted just slightly. That didn’t take as long as you thought it would. You carefully untangled yourself from him and rejoined Emily and Elliot in the living room.

-----

“What have you been up to?” Juliet asked before taking a long drag of the cigarette between he fingers. Logan had gotten back from his trip to Milwaukee a few weeks ago and had been avoiding his family, even Jules, since he returned. Finally, he agreed to come over to the home she shared with William when he knew he was away on business with his father. “It’s been weeks since we talked. Is everything ok?”

“Everything’s great, actually. You know me- just fucking around, living a little bit. Trying to figure out how to be a good boyfriend,” Logan laughed.

“So you haven’t scared her away yet?” Juliet joked with a raised eyebrow.

“Not yet, thank god. I was telling Elliot that I’m afraid she’s going to figure out that I’m not shit and cut her losses. But she’s not skittish, that one. I just love her so much, you know?” he said with a fond sigh, lost in thoughts of you.

“Elliot?”

“Oh, yeah. We went on a trip out to Milwaukee. Her sister is getting married to him and he was a good dude. I was able to make friends without anyone knowing a single fucking thing about me. I got to just…exist. No expectations. No reputations to keep.” Logan paused for a second and chuckled. “All this time dad had me thinking people only wanted me because they really wanted him”

“Wow. I’m having a hard time picturing you in Wisconsin. I’m glad you guys had fun. And you got along with her family?” Juliet asked, skeptical.

“I did, yeah. It’s weird having people just take you in like that, no questions asked. Made me miss mom, if I’m being honest,” Logan said wistfully. It was hard to talk about her, even 20 years later. Logan was a mama’s boy through and through. She had loved him like he was the sun and the stars in her world. When she passed, Logan didn’t know how to handle it. He still struggled with it as a grown man. Some days he felt angry with her. Angry she left him here alone with his father, to look out for Juliet on his own. But then the anger would pass and he’d feel that same hole in his chest where she was supposed to be.

“You have family here too, Logan. You know I’m always here for you,” Juliet said.

“I just can’t stand the thought of spending a single goddamn second with dad or your dumbass fiancé.” Juliet passed the cigarette to Logan and he took another drag. “And wouldn’t you know it? You seem to always be with at least one of them.”

“Logan, come on. That’s not fair and you know it,” she huffed. “You can’t expect me to choose between my future husband and my brother.”

“Can’t I?” Logan turned to face Jules and crossed his arms. “He tried to ruin my fucking life! And you just…don’t care!”

“Of course I care, what the fuck?” Juliet spat back.

“Not enough to see what kind of sick fuck he is. Not enough to not marry him. Not enough to stick up for your own brother,” Logan accused pointedly. He knew Juliet was one of the few allies he had left and it probably wasn’t smart to isolate her like this, but he was tired of her not taking his side. She had no problem doing it with their father, so why couldn’t she see it with William?

“You’re being a fucking dick,” she said, tossing the butt on the ground and aggressively stomping out the burning end.

“Jules,” Logan said, much more gentle this time. “I can’t watch you throw your life away for someone like him.”

“Listen, I’m sorry about what happened. Really, I am. But you’re going to die old and bitter if you don’t try to move on with your life. You’re smart and charming and you have someone who really loves you. You can do whatever you want now, Lo. You don’t have dad breathing down your neck. I don’t have that same kind of freedom,” she said with a sad smile. Logan came over and wrapped his arm around Juliet’s shoulder, kissing the crown of her head before resting his cheek there.

“I promise you, I will get you that freedom. Just give me a little more time.”

“Logan…”

“Please,” he asked, quiet but firm. He felt Juliet nod her head under him. A quick glance at his watch and Logan hugged her close to him. “I gotta take off. I’ll text you tomorrow, yeah?”

“Yeah,” she agreed. With that, Logan gave her one more squeeze goodbye before setting off for home.

When he came in, you were curled up in the corner of the couch, laptop out and glasses on. He loved the way you looked when you were laser focused on whatever you were working on. You looked up as the door closed behind him, a wide smile on your lips. As Logan approached you, his expression was hard to read; you thought he looked both worried and smitten somehow at the same time.

“How’d that go?” you asked, shutting your laptop. Logan plopped down next to you and you draped your legs over his lap.

“About how I thought it would,” he shrugged. “I just wish she fucking saw what I see in William.”

“I wish that too,” you said softly, reaching over to run your fingers through his dark hair.

“I think she’ll get the picture soon enough,” he said ominously, making you pull your face as you tried to decipher what exactly he was getting at.

“And what the hell do you mean by that?” you asked. Logan pulled you over to him so you were seated on his lap. He pushed your hair back from your face and gazed up at you longingly.

“Well, my darling, I’m going to throw dear old dad the retirement party he deserves.”

[coolpolarbear123]

Band Camp Day 6

If you thought our band director couldn’t make things worse, you’re wrong

August 24th, 2019

Day 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7

I’m tired in many senses of the word:

First some stuff I forgot from yesterday:

Two nights ago the band was super slap happy and the BD was mad about it but maybe if we weren’t outside for a million hours and had actual indoor rehearsal--

The gang and I are showing up later and later to rehearsal and I’m surprised we haven’t been actually late yet

Okay now for today:

Morning rehearsal we just did a ton of halftime. This time the BD was able to fix our mistakes because he had the music, which Highkey confirmed that last night was a waste of time

We had to relearn a lot

Why are we even doing halftime when we barely know pregame

I learned some clarinet tea: someone went to join colour guard at the beginning of the year, got cut, rejoined clarinets, and they’re slightly annoyed

We got to march to the football practice field to “teach” the footballers how to sing the fight song

Basically we marched there in a parade formation (cool, good practice) and played the fight song for them. We didn’t get to teach them at all technically

When we got there, the football coach was hyping up the team, and we couldn’t respond with hype because we were at attention and that was awkward

Then we played the fight song

Then we got to relax and react a bit

Then we played Dance Again, the band’s national anthem

I was in the back, so I couldn’t see it, but apparently there was just a whole heckin mosh pit so that’s cool I guess

I think it’s kinda fun

So then we had to march back

And fun fact: piccs are in the back

So the genius idea was for the band to just turn around and have piccs in the front

Uh bad idea bad idea

I literally said “nonononononono” and I Know some of the piccs heard it

I was on the edge because I’m a Returner (but that doesn’t mean I’m good at marching, folks)

The first line had two people in it because they were the back

So I was guiding to like my line sort of and my made up place

And it’s not my first time being the corner of a parade, but it’s definitely the worst I’ve ever done

Marching back sucked because of me but whatever we made it in one piece

BD: “We’ll do some halftime then pregame” *we only do halftime*

Lunch!

Half the piccs got together to do a Pokemon Go raid before going back to band and it was pretty fantastic

So the plan was sectionals at 1:30 (after lunch) but it got changed to “Meet in band room first”

It was to put away chairs and stands

Then sectionals

But here’s the deal

Our section leader was really sick

So she wasn’t there until then

Me, texting her: So sectionals are happening, but only come if you think you can Two seconds later, the piccs: Can you text NSL Me: Just did

Us, getting into the sectionals room

Me: Listen up, piccs. Naptime until NSL gets here

We ended up napping for like twenty minutes

NSL got there, and one of the fish piccs was like “Do we have to get up” and NSL straight up said, “No keep napping” and let us go for another fifteen minutes

I was on instagram the entire time because I hate sleeping and naps

But then I was accused of sleeping and I’m still lowkey mad about it

Even though plenty of people stood up for me asdfghjkl

Then we started sectionals

I definitely had a piece of white chalk because I was gonna draw on the chalkboard (I didn’t so I didn’t wake people up)

The chalk was at the board, but I accidentally carried it back to my seat on accident

So I started drawing on myself

(I’m not white)

And I sit in the back so eventually the piccs turned around and were like “[cpb] wtf” “I’m trying to blend in”

Which has the same vibes as when I stole Roommate’s sunglasses (she was up front but her stuff was still in the back) and then was messing around on my phone and it must have been a Look because when the piccs saw they all were like “??????”

NDL noticed almost immediately and gave me a Look

that was like the second day of band camp whoops back to today

Finished sectionals, immediately back to the field

Many pregame

Finally

There was a car parked on where we’re supposed to enter the field so that created Issues

The owner of the car is this one guy who’s,,,, in band? Not in band?? none of us understand

He’s this older dude who fills in spots, but he has a nametag like the rest of us and everything, so

I dunno but he didn’t move it so we were Messy getting on the field

Our drum major brought her dog and her name is Coco and I love her

Technically this was the end of the day (shortened day--ended at 5:30)

We did noncompliance dances, which was some song about cows

One of the returning piccs lives on a dairy farm, and she was very into the song--it was hilarious

yes a member of GB

We didn’t sing, though--not yet

So then our band pres got in front of the band for announcements, and she was like, “Today’s activity is a hike up sugarloaf mountain! We meet here to figure out rides!”

but then here’s where stuff got even messier:

During the week of band camp, we’re supposed to have an elimination block

This is where we get in a block formation and follow commands blindly. Mess up and you’re out. Last one wins

We do it as a band, then just the returners

This is supposed to leave the freshmen paranoid. “Oh no they’re gonna make the freshmen do it” sorta thing

And then you go back to rehearsing as full band without saying anything, effectively confusing the freshmen

We didn’t do this

So as band pres was giving announcements, she said, “We’re gonna march pregame a bit and do an elimination block” so uh that’s spoiled thanks

I sorta get that we have to introduce the concept of it, but we should have done that when we met up after dinner

That entire thing is supposed to be a secret to the freshmen

Especially because of how BD reacted

He was like “Tell them about the rewards!”

And that’s an even bigger secret

So then everyone started whispering “freshman of the year” so surprise: spoiled

So then we completely revealed that, and I had to raise my hand because I was FOTY, and the other two also had to raise their hands but aaaaa

The piccs cheered for me though haha it was sweet

Thankfully, with all of us so tense you could feel it in the air, crash and burn wasn’t spoiled

The fact that we do stuff before sugarloaf was though and it makes me angry

dinner

then the antics

We did a whole band elimination block

I committed suicide--I wasn’t about to do that whole thing

A senior baritone won that

Then it was time for the block that mattered: the freshmen only

Basically the piccs dropped like flies except for maybe two, but they did well

Colour guard won, which nice since they’ve never done that

I should know, I currently have the list

Breaking the streak of only trumpets and drumline getting it one section at a time

Though piccs are slightly annoyed because their DI was a picc and knows the secrets

Then time for crash and burn

What’s supposed to happen is that we set up for pregame, and then they say “returners step out” which effectively freaks out the freshmen

But this time they straight up said “freshmen set up pregame” which ruins that

Then they got to the final block and were being yelled at to stay in set

Then the SL for the percussion gave us their air horn and we went wild

Basically the goal is to get them to break attention

We did a ton of vine references and broke quite a few of our piccs

One of them though was unbreakable so kudos to her, especially since she’s been sick all week and couldn’t do most rehearsals

Picc section has been dying in more than one way

She picks up on stuff so quickly though she’s amazing

Then we went up the hiking trail, hung out at the top, did the senior speeches, got emotional, took some awesome section pictures, amazing GB album covers (that’s what we call our squad pics)

squad piccs

After the senior speeches, we do the cult stuff. Singing the alma mater and fight song. However, before this, we’re supposed to take a pledge--or the freshmen are, at least

However our band pres forgot to get a copy of the pledge, so she had to call the band pres from last year (who graduated) and it was pretty funny

We did the cult stuff first to give him time to send it over

After that NSL called us over to give us a speech and talk about how proud she is of us and dang I love her

I miss mom and dad too, though

The freshmen: Why do you call yourselves gingerbread We made gingerbread houses together,,,, it’s not that interesting of a story

We hiked down

I very quickly figured out that my dinner of Lots of Bread wasn’t quite enough

My friends fixed that real quick

We also played pokemon go this entire time

And uh yeah that’s pretty much the day. I’ve been typing this on and off for two hours so I’m gonna go sleep

But also, another thing from yesterday:

At lunch I misheard someone say something and heard the word “wet” instead. But my dumb brain also took that as slang for “rad” so guess what the picc section says now

Yeah it’s pretty wet

Did I explain that yesterday? I dunno but I wanted to make sure you guys knew because it’s a Thing along with the handshake and I’m excited

Have I talked about the alive, awake, alert, enthusiastic song? I’ll try to mention it tomorrow if not

Have I mentioned how much we talk about vines because that’s still happening it’s honestly fantastic

A new vine reference every five seconds really

Tomorrow is a short day. Expect a shorter post. 

[yourmajestythequeenn]

Confessions Chapter 11

Confessions of a Teenage Witch ~ Chapter 11: Revenge

Warnings: Blood and such. 

Pairings: Rose x Scorpius, Albus x OC

Confessions Masterlist

Em’s Masterlist 

I moan, taking a mouthful of a sticky cinnamon roll. Chewing, I look around the breakfast table, only a few family and friends have meandered into the Great Hall at such an hour.

"Making you moan already, am I?" Lorcan jokes from across the table.  I roll my eyes, "Oh hush, you git."  I glance across the wooden table at Al, who picks at his food. That is not a good sign for any Weasley or Potter. The stress of the last few weeks is apparent on his face. His piercing green eyes circles up to meet my gaze. I give him a sympathetic half smile, then return to my heavenly meal, stuffing my cheeks like an overgrown chipmunk.  "Morning everyone!" Lucy appears beside me sitting down and filling her plate.  "Morning," we chorus back, the noise of our greeting reverberates in the blatant silence of the hall.

"Ahem," a voice coughs from behind me, my fork stops in midair. I see Al look up, his eyes narrow into slits and his jaw sets firmly.  "Sorry to interrupt your lovely family gathering," the husky voice I know too well continues. "But I’m here to warn you…all."

I swivel in my seat, glaring up at the lanky body of Scorpius Malfoy. "Warn us about what, Malfoy?" James growls from behind me.  "Well, Potter, it wouldn’t be a surprise then, would it?" he chuckles slightly.  "Spit it out or sod off, Malfoy," I hiss out from clenched teeth.  "Now, now Weasley, no need to shoot the messenger," he smirks down at me. "And Potter, keep both eyes open on the pitch, will you?"  He spins on his heel stalking out of the hall.  *~* "Al…Al…Al!" I shake him by the shoulders.  "Yeah, hum?" he asks, dazed.  "Get it together! You’ve worked us too hard to fall apart now!" I say roughly.  "Yeah, sorry. I just can’t concentrate," he says sorrowfully.  "I know your heartbroken over Lavinia but you better fix it soon, the game starts in five," I huff, yanking the gold and red jersey over my puffy hair.  "Whatever," he resorts, pulling his jersey over his bare chest.  My teammates have gathered into a huddle in the center of the locker room. Their chants of our traditional pregame pump up song ring off the walls.  "We’re not afraid, we’re not afraid, to take a stand, to take a stand, everybody,  everybody, come take my hand, come take my hand," they shout, jumping up and down. Smiling I walk towards them joining in, motioning Al to follow, he does reluctantly though.  "We’ll walk this route together, through the storm Whatever weather, cold or warm!"  we shout, the words coming easily to my lips.  Al’s shielded face slowly breaks into a warm smile, joining in with everyone shouting the Muggle song at the top of his lungs.  By the end he and Lorcan are fist pumping and jumping up and down.  "Gryffindor!" The announcer’s voice penetrates the room as she (Dom) our team. 

"Albus Potter as chaser and captain, James Potter also as chaser, Lorcan and Lysander Scamander as our beaters, the lovely Roxanne Weasley as keeper, Trevor Wood as chaser, and last but certainly not least Rose Weasley as our amazing seeker!" Dom yells into her wand, broadcasting her voice across the pitch.  Blushing, grip my Whirlwind, pushing off I join my team in the center of the pitch. The Gryffindor section of the stand’s cheers madly, whooping, screaming, waving flags and banners. A rush of wind blows off the Black Lake, causing my hair to blow my face. The crisp smell of fall blows in with the wind.  Don announces the Slytherins, they appear one by one waving and jeering to the rowdy fans. Archie Goyle charges out in front, flipping in the air. Lastly Scorpious flies out, a stupid grin plastered on his face.  I swear to Merlin, playing Quidditch has boosted his ego thrice. The wind increases as we set up to start, pulling wisps of curls from my ponytail, inhibiting my vision. Just as the Snitch is released a shout echoes across the pitch  "Oi, James, Al! You boys go get em’," Uncle Harry leans over the edge of the railing high up in the professors’ stand. He’s smiling and waving like a proud dad.  James and Al turn their heads back towards the game, their faces glowing in embarrassment.  The Bludgers are released, wildly dispersing onto the pitch. Lastly the Quaffle is tossed up, right away Al snatches it from the air, speeding away.  In a matter of seconds everyone is gone, either chasing after or screaming at Al to ‘pass the bloody Quaffle!’ Only the scrawny third year seeker and I are left in the dust. I whip my head around, trying to catch a glimpse of the Snitch. 

But to no avail…

"You’re going down, Weasley" hisses the Slytherin seeker, his eyes narrow into slits, reminding me of his house mascot.  "Sod off, " I snarl at him, speeding off in search of the snitch.  Dom’s voice blasts around the pitch "Potter passes the Quaffle to Wood. The Slytherins are close behind them. Goyle hits a Bludger at Potters head, it’s skillfully deflected by Scamander. Wood passes to Potter, then to Potter, then to Potter, back to Wood. Slytherin chasers Malfoy, Parkinson, and Patil disperse, each one taking on the Gryffindor’s separately."  Down the pitch James zooms across the field. Head down, arm clutching the Quaffle tightly. Even though both Bludgers are hit at him, he dodges them with ease keeping his eye on the targets. "Ruby Parkinson comes up from under Potter, attempting to snatch the Quaffle from him. Potter swiftly throws the Quaffle to Al, only to be intercepted by Malfoy!” Dom screams to the cheering crowds.

Malfoy flies past my broomtail towards the other side of the pitch, his team mates flagging on his sides, the others behind him. Lorcan and Lysander whack the Bludgers at him. As he nears the hoops the crowd goes quiet, holding their breath.  "Malfoy slips the Quaffle to Parkinson who launches it towards the center hoop." "Save it Roxy, come on!" I beg under my breath. She deflects it with the end of her broom tail, sending the Quaffle to the ground.  The crowd erupts in shouts, profanities from the Slytherin side, cheers from Gryffindor.  Fortunately, the students cries die down and Gryffindor starts with the Quaffle. Dom is screaming into her wand, "Gryffindor has the Quaffle, no, now Slytherin, Gryffindor, Slytherin, Gryffindor…Go Al! Go! Shoot! Shoot! Shoot it! Go Gryffindor! Stay away from our Quaffle you slimy, sodding snakes!" Her roaring voice crackles away.  McGonagall’s stern voice blares, "Miss Weasley is taking a break for the remainder of the game. I will be taking over from this point on." I look towards the stands. Dom is still standing in the teacher’s stands, half hanging over the side, cheering on the team…enthusiastically  I’m snickering at her enthusiasm when a flash of gold catches my eye… The Snitch.  I grip my broom with my sweaty hands and take off after it, so concentrated I can hardly hear McGonagall announce, "And Miss Weasley sights the Snitch!"

The game intensifies as both teams attempt to break the tie. The young Slytherin seeker catches up with me, as I close in on the golden orb. Neck and neck, both our hands stretched to the limit, trying to reach the Snitch. I urge my broom faster, swerving to the right sharply as the Snitch dives down under us, speeding in the other direction. McGonagall’s voice reverberates through the pitch. "The seekers battle for the snitch while down below Potter has the Quaffle with Malfoy on his tail." The Snitch speeds up, I know it was time to put our plan in action. Still chasing the Snitch, I yell as loud as possible, "MERLINS KNUCKLES!" the code word for our conniving plan to be set into action.

The Wildfire Wiz-Bangs. Al will recite a simple charm to ignite the concealed fireworks, creating chaos for the Slytherins and giving us the opportunity to win the game, if I’m fast enough.

Right on queue a roar erupts from all sides of the pitch as each firework erupting in an amazing display of our Gryffindor spirits. Screams of terror explode from the stands, drowning out McGonagall’s attempts to restore order.

I look down to see Malfoy’s broom go up in sparks, sending him flying around like an untied balloon. Malfoy clutched the broom for dear life. Despite distractions at every turn I’m still hot on the Snitch’s trail, while the feisty Slytherin seeker is caught up in the pandemonium of everything. "Rose! Rose!" Al’s terrified voice brings me to a halt. I peer around the smoky pitch searching for him. Then I see why Al’s voice was struck with terror. The sight sends a pang of dread through my body. Malfoy’s wonky broom had collided with James’s, their footholds intertwined, sending both of their broomsticks on a crazy downward spiral. The firework attached to Malfoy’s broomtail still sparked. My heart is in my throat, my stomach in a knot, and I felt vaguely nauseous. When they hit the ground the firework explodes, sending up a cloud of dirt and debris. Everyone in the stands realized what was happening and go silent once more. My body reacts before my mind does and I’m on the ground in seconds. Pieces of broom and earth come into view as the smoke clears. "That’s my son!" I hear Uncle Harry’s emotion filled voice from the stands. "Move! out of my way! James! James!" I’ve stopped at the edge of the wreckage unwilling to see what lies ahead. A hand lightly touches my shoulder, Al, his face crinkled with worry. Madam Pomfrey, Uncle Harry, and McGonagall are already in the wreckage, calling for stretchers, or shouting orders. Whimpers from James and Malfoy and frantic whispers from the stands fill the air as they are lifted from the wreckage onto the stretchers. This is our fault. I whip my head to look at Al. He has already realized this. He gives me a tight-faced nod and looks away from my gaze. Bloody hell, this is bad… The levitating stretchers pass us, and the sight makes my blood turn cold. First Malfoy, his face almost unrecognizable from a wound oozing blood on his forehead. His arm is twisted at a painful angle. One of his pant legs has been torn from mid-thigh down. A scary looking cut on his shin reveals a fleck of white. It was down to the bone. His grey eyes are crinkled shut.

I sway against Al’s shoulder. I hope my breakfast stays down. When James’s stretcher floats past, Al’s hand tightens around my wrist. His face is white as a sheet.

Unlike Malfoy James is fully conscious. His shirt has been torn away. His chest rises and falls quickly. His jaw hard set, his hands balled into fists. A piece of jagged wood sticks up from his covered leg. His body is already bruising. His head rolls to the side, he looks at us in desperation and grunts in pain.

I step forward, unable to see him in such pain, pulling Al with me. I touch his shoulder with my hand. It’s meant to be a comforting gesture. But he groans and sucks air in through his teeth. I quickly jerk my hand away. Beside me Al has stiffened up at his brother’s pain.

I drop my head in sorrow. My hand hangs at my side…dripping blood. My cousin’s blood… On my hands… Dear Merlin, I thing I’m going to be sick. Malfoy’s head slick with blood… My mouth dries up, tasting like I licked an old frying pan. The whirling spiral of the brooms crashing to the ground… The world goes topsy-turvy, darkness edges in on my whirling vision. I feel myself fall, but I never hit the ground.

*~* 

A/N: wow, that was intense. Sorry for being a week late on an update. I got caught up in finals. I will be posting several times this week to get caught up. 

Please leave me a note and a comment if you enjoy Confessions! And reblog if you want to share my story with your followers!

Thank you for reading, 

Em 

[abdicatedarchive]

bachelorette party || the girls ft. some unfortunate guests

𝐖𝐇𝐄𝐍: hasting’s house // summer 2021.

𝐅𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆: katie, alice, milly, daniel, claire, channing, courtney, and julie.

𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐑𝐒: tbd.

𝐃𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐋𝐒: katie gathers everyone at her house to kick off the bachelorette party for her best friend, sadly her new sisters in law also have to be invited.

Katie had been running around like a madwoman for weeks to make sure this was the perfect bachelorette party. If this was a different couple, she would know that the nights would not intertwine at all. But it was Charlie and Alice, and the concept of them not getting to party with all their friends at once was a little out of the question. But first there was fun games and things to do. Katie wondered where Daniel and Milly would start their night. It was hard to get them pinned down, but Katie had sent a very convincing text about how pregaming with the girls would be smarter than pregaming with the boys. Everything was set. All there was now was problem solving when things went awry. She had done up the whole Hastings downstairs, phallic paraphernalia everywhere. It was cheesy, but with this being the first wedding of the friend group they had to go all in with everything classically tacky. Katie was stress eating penis shaped gummies when she heard the first knock at the door, and she scrambled to go and open the big doors.

Milly wasn't sure where her and Daniel wanted to start the night off, but after talking to Katie and thinking it through a bit, she thought it would be best to start with the girls. Mainly so she could get Channing out of the way first. That girl was such a pain in the ass, and she never seemed to change. If anything, she just got worse and worse as the years went by. Milly knocked on the door and turned her attention to Daniel, "Whenever you wanna leave, let me know and we're out. All three of them are going to be here and I don't think I can take that kind of headache for too long." she rolled her eyes, referring to the Summers sisters. Once Katie opened the door, Milly narrowed her eyes at her sister, she could already tell how stressed she was. "Breath please, we don't need you passing out on us."

"The three of them will most definitely be late, and someone will be pissed. Let me know when you want to leave, we can uber all night long between the two. Alice just needs cool people here, instead of the three headed bitches" said Daniel with a laugh as he rested his hand on her lower back as they went inside.

Katie smiled and breathed, "I'm not too stressed. You just know how judgey those three are. I can't believe Charlie insisted. Stupid family values" said Katie as she rolled her eyes. She knew her fakeness would come out the second that the three of them were there. Her and Claire would be chatting all night about all the places she had been and all the things she had seen. "Everything is going to be great, and if Alice isn't having fun then it's one phone call to Marshall and combining the parties so the couple can be reunited" she said, knowing that it was very easy to please Alice and Charlie at the end of the day.

"My money's on good old Chanchan." Milly told Daniel with the roll of her eyes. "Judgey? That's a nice choice of words, Katie. I'd prefer the term bitchy or insufferable, but judgey works too." she said with a small grin on her face. As long as she kept her cool around Channing, things would be fine for her. She wasn't trying to ruin Alice's night, but combining the parties didn't sound so bad either. "I'll be on my best behavior, scouts honor."

Alice tried to get over to Katie's place as quickly as possible. It would give her some time with her best friend before the soon-to-be sister in laws arrived. At this point in her life, she knew how to deal with those girls. Courtney was still a hassle, but the least of her worries. Channing was like a little fly always buzzing around, but she knew to not take her comments to heart. Then Claire was an absolute pain in her ass back in the day, but she could take it. Alice was not going to let them ruin her night. Once she was inside the house, she gave Katie a big hug. "Have I told you how grateful I am for everything you've done?" Katie just kept stepping it up every chance she got. Alice wasn't sure how she was going to repay her for all of this, but she knew it would be good. It's what her best friend deserved after all. "Some drinks before they arrive?" she suggested.

Katie gave her sister a hug, "If you do fight Channing, make sure the bruises won't be visible for the wedding" said Katie quietly to her sister. Perfectionism didn't leave Katie's mind. Sure, she was chaotic ... but that was so the end result could be perfect. "The bride to be is here!" said Katie as she gave Alice a hug, "yes of course, there is plenty of punch to go around. Danny will you serve up some glasses for us please?" Katie called out to Daniel.

Daniel started to pour the drinks for the ladies when the three pack walked in. Clearly they had been arguing, but who was to actually say. He picked up two cups and headed over to Milly, "where in Hastings do you think we could hide three bodies? Or at least just one" said Daniel with a little laugh as he took a sip of his drink.

Claire walked in with her sisters, Channing had been particularly annoying about why they needed to be at this event. First of all, there was going to be a lot of business connections that came out of this. Second, there were going to be some cute and newly single dads on the scene of this wedding so it was best to make a good appearance at something that wasn't directly related to it. Third and last, Claire was fully aware that if she were to ever die (due to not being immortal as she assumed) and she had kids that she would want Charlie to take care of them so they wouldn't turn out too terribly. Therefore this was the event to be at tonight. "Alice, you look amazing" she said in a sickly sweet voice as she gave Alice a kiss on the cheek.

Julie had arrived with a big smile on her face. It was always nice to being around this crowd again, and partying with them was even better. She was pretty happy with how life was treating her recently. Not only was the anger issue mostly under control, but she was even starting to help others out too. Bless that Hollingsworth's heart, she needed the most help, but Julie was really proud of the improvements she had made with herself. She was happy with her job, her boxing, and her relationship with Ross. Things had really looked up for her. She gave a big hug to Alice and Katie before noticing the Summers sisters. Oh god. For some reason she had not expected them to be here at all. She had just hoped they weren't as insufferable as they were before.

Milly saluted her sister as a response and walked over to Daniel to get her drink. Fighting Channing was always a nice pastime back in high school, and though she wasn't necessarily opposed to fighting her now, partying sounded a bit more appealing. She grabbed her drink and took a sip as she glared over at Claire, Courtney, and Channing, "I'd say somewhere near Henderson Falls." she answered before looking over at Channing with a very obvious sarcastic smile and waved.

Alice took a deep breath in before putting a fake smile on and saying hello to the three sisters. She at least knew that they wouldn't voluntarily ruin her night because of Charlie. Sure they sucked, but at the end of the day he was everyone's favorite, and if they pissed Alice off, they were pissing Charlie off as well. "Thank you, you do too. I'm glad you three could make it." That was an obvious lie, and they probably knew it. "We could just have a good time without any of our parents and their issues." The huge drama between their families was pretty much squashed, but the parents in Hastings were always having some kinds of issues. "It should be fun."

"Henderson Falls? I know the place" said Daniel with a slick smirk on his face, "you say the word and I'll grab the old truck". Dating Milly had been good for the last few months, their night with the ridicule of Channing would probably be their first real stressor. But he was confident that they would come out on top.

"Milly, Daniel" said Channing with the fakest voice she could muster, "heard you two finally got together at the mental hospital" the girl said as she put her hand over her heart. "It is so sweet that Daniel finally lowered his standards after that mental breakdown. You guys know how much I love charity work".

"Yeah thank god that drama is all done" Claire said with a fake smile, "but as you know, love always wins and people always find their best match. That's why my parents are still together" she added with a sweet smile. "Oh the most fun" Claire added in response, "I'm going to go get a drink, can't wait for the games!". Claire sauntered off to get a drink, knowing she was setting fires that she shouldn't.

Katie quickly went to refill Alice's drink after she talked to Claire, "I assume you need it, don't worry her page is being glued into the burn book as we speak" said the girl supportively, "also I have xanax and molly if you want it. I am very prepared for everything". Katie had a little bit of everything in her bag for the night: drugs, a sewing kit, a large bottle of water, airplane bottle shots, makeup, and an outfit change. Nothing was hurting this night.

The comment about Daniel lowering his standards stung a little, but Milly just had to remind herself that this was Channing, and nothing that came out of her mouth really mattered. "I've heard you're exactly the same." Milly pouted her lips and forced a frown. "My heart goes out to your family, truly."

Alice made sure to keep the fake smile plastered on her face as Claire spoke, it was amazing how these girls weren't getting their asses whooped on a regular basis with the mouths they had. Her mom was finally doing really well with her recent boyfriend, and he was actually a nice guy. Things seemed to be working out for all the Altman's recently. "Let's hope you find that love one day." she said, looking at Claire with a sweet smile of her own. She figured there wouldn't be another Summers wedding for a very long time. Alice immediately took a sip from her cup when Katie came to refill it, "Thanks. I'm good for now, but I might be asking for that xanax later." she looked at her friend with a small smile. "It's just one night, we'll be fine." Alice reminded not only Katie, but herself. Merging these parties was sounding better and better, but she was not going to give up on a challenge this quick.

Channing laughed, "just imagine, if Charlie and Amelia had worked out we'd basically be sisters" she said as she touched Milly's arm. Channing loved to push the envelope and get into people's space, as if it was a delight.

"I am holding out on the instinct to give them a xanax. But I don't want to keep an eye on them all night" said Katie with a roll of the eyes. "I swear if any of them ask me why I didn't bring anyone home from college ... or ask me why I plan weddings when I've had such bad luck I will go ballistic" Katie said, honestly it was a deep insecurity and she was working on owning it. "Okay ladies" Katie addressed the room, "a little while longer here and then we're gonna go ahead and hit the bars. No stripper tonight because everyone on their dossier was from our high school. Cheers to small towns and cheers to Charlie and Alice" she said with a big smile as she raised her glass. "Now, shots for everybody!" Katie encouraged as she went over and poured everybody a shot of tequila and put out the limes and salt.

Milly looked over at Channing's hand, already feeling a little itchy from her touching her arm. "Wow, us Hastings really got robbed of something special, huh?" she said with a sarcastic smile on her face. "But hey, you got Daniel, and what a treat that is. Right?" she looked over at Daniel and patted his shoulder. That connection was still a little too close to Milly though, but she didn't want to think about it.

"There's no way they'd tell you that, I can't remember the last time I saw any of them in a relationship." Alice said, looking over at the Summers sisters from across the room. "Plus, you're Katie Hastings. You need the best of the best, you're not gonna settle for just anyone. They can't even land a date cause everyone knows how crazy they are." Alice had high standards for Katie's potential partner, that was just the Altman in her. Her best friend needed someone perfect for her, and Alice was sure they'd come around soon. She got her glass and raised it up in the air with a smile on her face, she couldn't get over the fact that she was actually getting married to Charlie. It felt too good to be true sometimes. "And cheers to Katie for making this all happen, of course. Seriously, thank you." she said before taking her shot and kissing her friend on the cheek.

Daniel laughed and whispered in Milly's ear, "If you want to dump me so you're one further degree away from Channing I totally understand" before faking a smile to Channing. "So excited for my new sister, or do you prefer she demon?" he said, the same Daniel Altman smile plastered on his face.

Katie smiled when Alice gave her a kiss on the cheek, "we are for lifers!" said the girl with a big smile. This was such an important time in their lives. Everything was coming to a new chapter. What an exciting thing, first loves being forever. Sometimes Katie felt trapped here for no reason, like no one was ever allowed to leave. But if she was here with her friends then it was going to be a good one for sure.

Milly nodded her head and whispered back, "Already one step ahead of you. It's been a good run." she said jokingly with a smile as she went to grab Daniel's hand, "I'm sure she'd love she demon, but wow we gotta go Channing. It was really fun talking, as usual." she said with obvious sarcasm before she went over to her sister with Daniel.

"For lifers!" Alice repeated with a big smile. For as cruel as she was back in the day, and sometimes even now, she got real lucky befriending someone like Katie. They had a special bond that she treasured very deeply. Though her best friend was the wedding planner, Alice could not wait to do the same for Katie. Plan out her bachelorette party, be there for all the wedding planning meetings. It was going to be so exciting. Everything in her life was just perfect right now, not even Claire Summers could bring her down right now. Surprisingly, the rest of the night was actually really fun. They went out, got drunk, and eventually merged with Charlie's group. Just another win for Chalice! [ END ]

[aweirdkindofyellow]

Chasing the Missing Paths Pt. 1

Alex and Emma keep crossing paths, yet the universe just won't allow them to be together

Sometimes we cross paths with somebody and take it for granted, only to regret not finding a method to stay in contact to keep paths aligned. It could be that cute guy you sat down next to on the bus or that charming girl who helped you pick up your books after you tripped in college. We’ve all had those mini crushes that we kept secret, only to forget. And so, you never see them again. You’ll remember them for a few days and then forget they ever existed, or they swarm your mind forever, making the agony worse. But what about the people that we bump into more than once at the most random of moments? They first seem like the stranger we’ll never talk to before, but then we see them again and again. Of course, eventually there will be communication along the lines of ‘hey, I saw you that one time at that one thing’ or maybe the flirty ‘are you stalking me?’, but what if the circumstances aren’t right? What if there’s always something holding one person back? This is a series of those events.

Part 1

The first encounter occurred in 2011. Emma’s friends had dragged her along to a bar on a Friday night, hoping to celebrate the weekend. She was twenty-one at that time and so legally allowed to drink. However, she wasn’t like her friends (or any other twenty-one year old for that matter), as in she didn’t drink until she was drunk. It wasn’t that she didn’t enjoy having the occasional drink in the company of other people, she just knew that it didn’t do her any good. That wasn’t to say she believed people were stupid for drinking, it wasn’t that at all. It was just a personal choice. This specific night, her friends had managed to get her to come along to a karaoke bar. It was often full of drunk people who believed they were the next Beyoncé. They’d belt their hearts out, often way more flat than not. There were the few diamonds in the rough, but they were quite rare to come across, but then again it was also rare to have multiple chance encounters with one person. That brings us to Emma’s co-star in this retelling of events: Alex Gaskarth. He happened to be at that same karaoke bar, occupying a table with many of his friends. With how much they were drinking and how far away they were sitting, he would have never noticed Emma. To him, she was just another piece of the larger crowd at the bar. Now, being the lead singer of a band, Alex didn’t mind getting up on that stage to sing no matter how drunk he was. He actually believed the drunker the better. It was all just good fun. He’d go up there solo, with friends who couldn’t sing if their lives depended on it, or with friends who were equally as talented. His favorites included the Backstreet Boys and any other cheesy songs he could get his hands on. The funnier the better. He quite loved the attention. Emma, on the other hand, was left by her friends. Or, well, she didn’t really mind. They all wanted to go clubbing, only coming to the karaoke bar to pregame. While Emma was happy to come with them to the bar, she drew the line at going to a club. She couldn’t stand having to scream over the loud music everybody either shuffled or jumped to. Although alone, she much preferred the atmosphere of a karaoke bar. Plus, she had signed herself up for a song and her friends wanted to leave before she got to go, so she wanted to wait until that. So, how did these individuals with vastly different lifestyles cross paths? It was all due to one song: Ain’t No Mountain High Enough by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Everybody knows the song and from how cheesy it is, it is more than easy to guess Alex was the one who had chosen it. His name was called out and he got up on stage. There was just one thing missing. The song was obviously a duet, that’s why most people chose it, yet Alex was all by himself. Nobody really thought much about it, including Emma who wasn’t paying all too much attention. Let’s be honest, most people didn’t even know which song was being sung until a well-known chorus came along. “Oh, come on, babe,” Alex said through the microphone, holding out a hand to gesture for his girlfriend to come up on stage with him, “it will be fun!” It wasn’t what he said that caught Emma’s attention, it was what happened right after. Alex’s girlfriend got up and picked up her bag. But she didn’t go up on stage with him. Oh, no, the opposite happened. She stormed out of the bar, not looking back. It was quite the scene. Some people voiced their sympathy, but nobody knew why she ran out in the first place. Maybe they had gotten into an argument before and this was just the cherry on top, or maybe she was embarrassed. Either way, it looked painful. Yet Alex just shrugged. “Guess I’ll be singing this duet alone then.” The backing track started playing and Emma couldn’t ignore the second-hand embarrassment. She stood up from her own chair and rushed to the stage as the stranger started singing. “Listen, baby Ain't no mountain high Ain't no valley low Ain't no river wide enough, baby” She made it just in time for the female part, missing out the first two words, catching the guy off guard at first. But he started smiling as she progressed through the verse. “If you need me, call me No matter where you are No matter how far (don't worry, baby) Just call my name I'll be there in a hurry You don't have to worry Cause baby there ” Alex completely disregarded that they were strangers and that she would have personal boundaries, and put an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. Maybe it was because he was drunk, or maybe it was because he was happy there was somebody helping him out. Either way, he was having fun like he wanted. “Ain't no mountain high enough Ain't no valley low enough Ain't no river wide enough To keep me from getting to you, babe” To make it even cheesier, Alex let go of the girl and acted like he was dramatically serenading her for the male part’s verse, causing his entire table of friends to whoop and holler in amusement. “Remember the day I set you free I told you you could always count on me, darling From that day on, I made a vow I'll be there when you want me Some way, some how Cause baby there Ain't no mountain high enough Ain't no valley low enough Ain't no river wide enough To keep me from getting to you, babe Oh no, darling” Even Emma seemed to be having fun. While her clothes suggested a quiet shy conservative blonde girl, she was singing to her heart’s desire, and all without much effort. She had quite the stage presence herself. Alex felt quite lucky that this stranger decided to randomly join him. “No wind, no rain Nor winter storm Can't stop me baby No no baby Cause you are my goal If you're ever in trouble I'll be there on the double Just send for me Oh baby! My love is alive Way down in my heart Although we are miles apart If you ever need a helping hand I'll be there on the double Just as fast as I can Don't you know that there... Ain't no mountain high enough Ain't no valley low enough Ain't no river wide enough To keep me from getting to you Ain't no mountain high enough Ain't no valley low enough Ain't no river wide enough Ain't no mountain high enough Ain't no valley low enough.” The song came to an end and so did their encounter. After thanking the audience that mainly wasn’t paying attention, Alex’s microphone went back onto the stand, while Emma’s went back to the DJ. They got off the stage to give the next performer the space to get up after the name was announced. “I’m Alex,” he introduced as they were at the bottom of the three steps and held out his hand. “I’m--” Emma went to shake his hand, but she was interrupted by the DJ calling out her name to be the next performer. “Oh, shit, that’s me.” She scrambled back up on stage and stood in front of the microphone Alex had used just before. While she stood up there waiting for her song to start, she giggled and took hold of her skirt like she was about to curtsey only to drop the fabric again. She seemed so bubbly, forming a smile on Alex’s face as he walked back to his table without getting a formal introduction. “Dude, that girl’s hot.” Alex’s friend, Jack, slapped him on the chest in an attention-wanting manner. “Yeah, but I have a girlfriend,” Alex contradicted and leaned back in his chair, looking up at the stage and actually wanting to watch the entire performance for the first time that night. “A girlfriend who just walked out and embarrassed you in front of an entire bar,” Jack snorted, and also looked at the stage, but only because he was figuring out a game plan. “But still a girlfriend.” “Then I call dibs.” Emma’s song started, a simple piano playing in the background, telling Alex this song wasn’t as happy as the one they had done together. It went against the bubbly personality he got a brief glimpse of. Her arms were hanging down, her hand in front of her. She looked down at them shyly as the first verse started. Her voice sounded fairly quiet and shy, yet good nonetheless. “It's not simple to say Most days I don't recognize me That these shoes and this apron That place and its patrons Have taken more than I gave them It's not easy to know I'm not anything like I used to be Although it's true I was never attention's sweet center I still remember that girl” It confused Alex that the girl who went up to help a stranger and sang a song with him now seemed so timid. She started playing with the fabric of her skirt again, but not in the same perky way as before. “She's imperfect but she tries She is good but she lies She is hard on herself She is broken and won't ask for help She is messy but she's kind She is lonely most of the time She is all of this mixed up And baked in a beautiful pie She is gone but she used to be mine” But then the other instruments started kicking in and she got a little more confident. Her hands were no longer by her side, she started making gestures and her voice became more powerful. “It's not what I asked for Sometimes life just slips in through a back door And carves out a person And makes you believe it's all true And now I've got you And you're not what I asked for” In the middle of the verse, the power started coming out more, yet she still stood behind the mic-stand as if for protection. It wasn’t what Alex had seen before. “If I'm honest I know I would give it all back For a chance to start over And rewrite an ending or two For the girl that I knew Who'll be reckless just enough Who'll get hurt But who learns how to toughen up when she's bruised And gets used by a man who can't love And then she'll get stuck” Her voice was now even better than Alex had heard during their duet. This song was obviously vocally a lot more challenging than the one they had done, yet she was doing it flawlessly. Her hands traveled to the microphone, and at the perfect moment, she took it off the stand like she had practiced it before and sounded the strongest she had that entire night. “And be scared of the life that's inside her Growing stronger each day 'Til it finally reminds her To fight just a little To bring back the fire in her eyes That's been gone but used to be mine Used to be mine” Although still holding the microphone, she resumed her initial self-conscious position and her voice became quiet again. “She is messy but she's kind She is lonely most of the time She is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie She is gone but she used to be mine” And just like that, the song had ended. Alex had watched and observed the entire thing and didn’t want it to end just yet. He was completely mesmerized by the girl. Yet he knew he had a girlfriend. He was just amazed by the performance. She got back off stage, once again most of the audience not noticing what magnificence had happened right in front of them. Alex’s eyes followed her as she went back to her empty table and got her belongings. As she left the bar, she happened to walk fairly close to his table. He felt like he needed to say something, but he didn’t know what. So, he just let her walk away. Jack, however, had ‘called dibs’ and wasn’t going to let her go that easily. “Hey!” he yelled out, getting her attention and he beckoned her over. She walked the short distance and waited for him to say what he wanted. Jack cut to the chase and asked, “can I get your number?” “Umm…” Emma’s eyebrows furrowed and she licked her lips in thought. “I don’t know you?” “You know him.” Jack jerked a thumb in Alex’s direction. “I don’t know him.” She shook her head. “But isn’t that the whole point of giving your number. So you can get to know each other?” “I’m sorry, but not right now,” she excused before leaving. “Damn,” Jack muttered, grabbing his beer and taking a large gulp, “her loss.”

[junker-town]

‘Catholics vs. Convicts’ was an imperfect nickname back then, and definitely doesn't fit now

The 1980s slogan doesn’t accurately portray anything about the current Hurricanes.

Notre Dame vs. Miami has everything a prime-time game needs.

Two top-10 rivals, hype leading up to it, and College GameDay in town. Neither team was really expected to be this good this season, but they’re welcome surprises. The Canes built their undefeated record largely on one-score wins before dominating Virginia Tech while ND has looked dominant against everyone other than No. 1 Georgia.

But for all the fun inherent to this game, there’s something else: That nickname.

Let’s just get it out of the way.

If you’re still referring to the Notre Dame vs. Miami game as “Catholics vs. Convicts,” you’re using coded language. It’s become the unofficial name of the rivalry, and college football fans like to hang on to evocatively named games like the Red River Shootout and the World’s Largest Cocktail Party. But those rivalry names don’t deride a group of athletes as “convicts” for the image obtained by their predecessors 30 years prior.

As far as Miami’s concerned, these Canes are markedly different than their predecessors.

I’m not sure that even Miami fans really know what to do with them. This team has swagger, but it isn’t the same as it was in the 1980s or early 2000s.

They win, but they’re not doing it with rosters loaded on both sides with NFL talent. There is no Seventh Floor Crew, no boat parties with rogue boosters, and no Cocaine Cowboys-era excess.

No team is devoid of disciplinary issues. A walk-on QB was arrested for DUI and cocaine possession last September, and two were arrested for resisting arrest right before Mark Richt’s first spring practice. The QB is no longer on the roster, but the other two had their charges dropped and remain with the program.

At Georgia, Richt embraced one of the more strict drug policies in the country. The origin of the “Mark Richt has lost control” meme sprang from him constantly suspending and booting players for infractions that many other schools would’ve handled more quietly. So in fact, Richt tends to exercise more control that most coaches.

His Hurricanes lead the nation in community service, not player arrests.

Miami, in fact, was the No. 1 FBS football program last year in the NCAA’s community service competition. Players are required to put in hours in the offseason visiting parks, schools and places of charity, and in my experience covering those events, they do so eagerly. UM has players like Demetrius Jackson (a budding politician with big goals of helping his community), Chad Thomas (organizing a Christmas toy drive) and Braxton Berrios (finalist for a national “man of the year” award as well as the “Academic Heisman”).

And a coaching staff that once employed a much wilder version of Ed Orgeron now has guys who do this:

I don’t often retweet, but @Coach_MannyDiaz has been on mission trips with me to Nigeria, & on the battlefield with me on gameday! No one more deserving. https://t.co/vJsWDTkMol

— Emmanuel Acho (@thEMANacho) November 9, 2017

So what did these Hurricanes do to get people to invoke the “convicts” moniker? The answer lies in the turnover chain.

These badass Cuban links that adorn the neck of any Canes player who gets a takeaway:

Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

They’re created by Miami’s own AJ the Jeweler, an idea spawned by former Cane Vince Wilfork. It is awesome, and probably the best of college football’s sideline props. And the links look familiar to anyone who’s seen a rapper from South Florida.

Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET

You know what comes next.

When the racists come out, you know THE U is back. http://pic.twitter.com/maYG8Agm8S

— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) November 6, 2017

Convict, like thug, can be a racial epithet. A Miami player wearing a prop to signify an achievement shouldn’t have any more of a “thug” connotation than Tom Herman wearing his custom-made grill to celebrate at Houston.

Thanks to @paulwallbaby, @TvJohnny and especially the Grill Committee for helping me keep my promise. #GoCoogs http://pic.twitter.com/V7wEon4IXN

— Coach Tom Herman (@CoachTomHerman) December 29, 2015

In the hook to the song that made the jewelry a national phenomenon in the early-2000s, Nelly sings, “Rob the jewelry store and tell 'em make me a grill,” but no one accused Herman of planning a robbery.

Richt says the chain is nothing but fun.

He went on The Herd and gave these comments about the jewelry:

“What’s wrong with that, you know?” Richt said. “People want to build it into something else. I can tell you — I tell my guys — I care more what is in your heart than how you wear your hair, if you’ve got a beard, or whatever the heck it may be.

“I care about how you act as a person and how you act as a teammate and a fellow student and all that. That’s what’s most important to me. We’ve got great — not good guys — we’ve got great guys on this team.”

For Richt, the concept of swag is just different.

“Swag is whooping the man on the other side of you! That’s what swag is,” he says. “Swag is, when the game’s over, we win the game! That’s what swag is.”

The rivalry’s unofficial name first adorned a T-shirt in 1988 made by two ND students.

At the time, the teams met every season, and that meeting determined the national champion in ‘88. Notre Dame won by one point on a questionable call in South Bend, then finished undefeated and No. 1. The Hurricanes finished 11-1 and No. 2.

Notre Dame has always purported itself to stand for everything that is good and pure in college football. The Catholic school in America’s heartland wants you to believe it is holier than thou. The words “God, country, Notre Dame,” appeared on the sleeves and helmet of an alternate jersey, and Touchdown Jesus oversees all.

In stark contrast, there was Miami. The 1980s Canes embraced the bad boy persona. They were loud, proud, and largely black. They showed up to a Fiesta Bowl in fatigues. They asked at a pre-bowl luncheon, “Did the Japanese sit down and eat dinner with Pearl Harbor before they bombed it?” before walking out. They owned their brashness. There were guns, alcohol, and drugs aplenty. There were also multiple run-ins with law enforcement.

But it’s not like those Irish were squeaky clean.

It took two teams to have a pregame brawl in 1988, after all. Afterward, then-coach Lou Holtz told his team to keep the game clean, but said that if the Canes wanted to throw down after the game in the parking lot, “hell yeah, if they do, fine,” per the 30 for 30 made about the ‘88 game. Per Pat Eilers (a player on that team) Holtz said, “You do me one favor: you save Jimmy Johnson’s ass for me.”

That doesn’t exactly vibe with the image. Neither does five players testing positive for steroids from 1987-1990, or an allegation by a former player of much more rampant PED use. Holtz reportedly spit in a player’s face during a public scrimmage, and a longtime Holtz assistant said he saw the coach passing money to a recruit while at Minnesota. Holtz had a penchant for leaving NCAA violations in his wake. He did it at three different programs, including Notre Dame.

Toward the end of Holtz’s tenure, a booster was found to have embezzled over $1 million from her employer and lavished gifts on Irish players, mothering a child with one of them in a stretch from June 1995-January 1998. Holtz abruptly left after the 1996 season.

The recent Irish haven’t been without disciplinary issues and other off-field controversies. Six Notre Dame players were arrested in the summer of 2016, with one booted from the team. That was nothing out of the ordinary, but it shows Notre Dame has never above the fray.

Miami and Notre Dame have a classic rivalry. It doesn’t have to try to match an image, just because there was a 30 for 30 about it.

The Catholics are headed to Miami in one of this season’s biggest games. They will meet Canes, not convicts.