#[ he might downplay how much he really likes her gift ] | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

g1rlken · 5 months

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⊹ ࣪ ˖ Gestures ⊹ ࣪ ˖

「 alex turner x fem!reader 」

word count: 1.3k+

summary: a small fluff Christmasy blurb?

—

In the cozy glow of Christmas lights, Alex Turner's childhood home became a haven of warmth and laughter. It took him a lot of convincing to get y/n to come spend Christmas with his family. They hadn’t been dating for that long which made her slightly hesitant to that idea. Just jump into big steps and meeting new people, first impressions over the holidays seemed to be a bit overwhelming. However Alex reasoned it would make his Christmas really better if she was there and his family would be very appreciative of her addition in his life. She agreed.

Alex's family, aware that he didn't often bring someone he wasn’t particularly serious about home, welcomed Y/N with open arms. His parents, in particular, exuded an inviting charm that put her at ease. The house was adorned with festive decorations, and the aroma of home-cooked meals wafted through the air. Just like Alex had promised to y/n they were all rather appreciative of her addition. Amidst the conversations of childhood stories and familial fun y/n felt very much at home. On Christmas morning, the family gathered around the tree, exchanging gifts and sharing stories. With the festive chaos, Alex's mom presented a beautifully crafted plum cake.She was rather warmed up to y/n and got close as if they were long lost friends , she wanted her to feel very welcome at their family Christmas hoping she would have more Christmases with her. Given how a mother just knows, she knew y/n made Alex truly happy.

Caught off guard, Y/N hesitated for a moment. She knew she was allergic to plums, but the genuine excitement in Alex's mum's eyes made it difficult to decline. With a smile, she accepted the slice, deciding to navigate the potential consequences later. With some Christmas miracle her allergy might just not be that bad. Throughout the day, Y/N savored the holiday festivities, all the while suppressing the subtle tingling on her lips and the slight itchiness in her throat and torso but other than that everything was just fine and overshadowed with all the fun and comfort she had with his family.

As night fell, Alex and Y/N retreated to his bedroom. The air was thick with the remnants of a hearty Christmas feast, and the soft glow of fairy lights cast a magical ever so Christmasy ambiance.

The two settled into bed, the room quiet except for the occasional creaks of the old house settling. However, just as the night seemed to embrace them, Y/N's chest began to burn. In the silent darkness, she couldn't ignore the escalating discomfort. But it wasn’t her first time with this, it was around two in the morning when she got out of the bed to see to the discomfort of her chest. When she went to the bathroom adjoined to Alex’s room, she saw her entire upper torso red which felt burning to touch. “Well fuck” she muttered under her breath, she wasn’t that alarmed or concerned about it having bad past experiences with allergic reactions. She was just disappointed.

"Hey Alex, wake up!" she whispered, gently shaking him from his slumber. “Alex…”

Alex stirred, his eyes bleary with sleep. "What's wrong?" he mumbled, confusion evident in his voice.

“Can you go downstairs and get me some ice cubes?” She asked with absolutely no prior context provided to him, who’d just woken up mid sleep.

“What?” He asked even more confused as he rubbed his eyes and sat up, “what’s going on?”

“My chest is a bit red” she shrugged off like it wasn’t a big deal or something to be concerned about, she surely wasn’t concerned.

“Are you serious?” Worry flashed across Alex's face as he fully woke up, realising the gravity of the situation. “Wait what’s happened love?”

“It’s just a small allergic reaction it’s totally fine just go get me the ice cubes.” she reassured, downplaying the severity to shield his worry.

“Allergic reaction? To what?” He asked furrowing her brows, the fact that she was allergic to plums was rather trivial up until now so it never came up she hadn’t got the chance to enlighten him about it “we need to go to the ER this is serious-“

"It's just a mild reaction Alex. I don't want to make a big deal out of it." She said with a sigh at how much he exaggerated it.

Alex furrowed his brows at how much she downplayed this ordeal which was extremely concerning to him, “let me take a look” he spoke, as she lowered her jumper slightly by her upper torso to reveal the red of her allergy which was evident to the burn it’d be making her feel. “Honey girl, that does not seem mild.”

“I’m the one with the allergy not you, I know what’s mild and what’s not.” She said with an exaggerated shrug and she straightened her jumper. “Just get the ice cubes!”

"I insist on waking up my mum. She might have creams or meds," Alex suggested, genuine concern etched across his face.

Y/N, however, refused, fearing it would create guilt. "Just quietly get the ice cubes. No need to tell anyone when I’m saying it’s not a big deal. Don’t make it a big deal." she insisted.

Given how stubborn she was Alex felt it pointless to reason with her at this moment, trusting her experience with allergy he made up his mind he’d take her to the hospital if the ice didn’t make it remotely better for her because she clearly wasn’t open to listen at the moment. Once the returned with the ice, assisting y/n remove her jumper and T-shirt underneath leaving her in her undershirt. Helping with the ice, on her chest because he took it more ‘seriously’ than she did.

“Why’d you have the cake in the first place when you knew you were allergic?” He asked a bit confused but was focused on applying ice as if he was painting.

“Your mum made it with such love and efforts for me I couldn’t have just refused that.” Y/n replied ever so mildly which cases Alex to pause his movements with ice on her.

“Wait what?” He asked raising brows, he had assumed she’d perhaps forgotten or had undying love for the cakes this was unexpected. “Of course you should have told her! She would understand.”

“What?” she scoffed stifling laughter as if what Alex suggested was inane to her “Say what like ‘I’m so sorry Mrs.Turner I can’t have the plum cake you made for me because I’m allergic?’”

“Yeah?” Alex replied with a mix of concern and affection in his eyes. “Or you could’ve just told me I would’ve told her if it was awkward for you.”

“It’s not about awkwardness I just didn’t want to disappoint her because she seemed so happy about it. Besides I’ve had worse reactions than this one.” Y/n said with a shrug as she held on the ice to her burn as Alex instructed.

Fixing the strand of hair behind her hair he smiled shaking his head at her, “You’re an idiot.” He sighed “but you’re my idiot.” He spoke as his eyes softened at her selflessness and how pure of a soul she was to care about somebody’s else’s feeling to that extent.

“Piss off.” She chuckled playfully nudging him when he brought her close to himself by her hands and kissed her. She was cradled in his arms in a few moments as the kiss lengthened. “I already feel better.”

Despite the pain, the tender moment shared in that dimly lit room felt like a testament to their connection. In the quiet hours of the night, as Alex applied ice cubes to alleviate the allergic reaction, he couldn't help but marvel at how deeply y/n felt and cared about all those she loved and how lucky he felt to have her in his life.

In that vulnerable moment, amidst the soft glow of Christmas lights and the quiet rustle of the old house, their connection deepened. Love, it seemed, was not just about grand gestures but also about enduring discomfort for the sake of someone else's happiness.

—

hiiiiiii this is my first fic on here pls send requests for Alex if you want to <3333

Feedback is always appreciated

#alex turner #alex turner x reader #alex turner fanfic #alex turner x reader fluff #alex turner x you #alex turner x y/n #alex turner imagine

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sokkastyles · 2 months

Note

Iroh is likely to hold a selfish grudge against Azula forever, he absentmindedly gave her gift from imperial conquest, abandoned her to an abusive household, shows angry and contempt to her before she does anything wrong, repeatedly tells Zuko to hate her and beat her up, says she’s crazy, puts Zuko and Azula against each other, gets angry that he got burned when he backed her into a corner, tells Zuko she doesn’t love him, even after she makes a speech about how much she loves him and wants him by her side, and treats Azula like the devil, while treating Ozai with much more compassion than he deserves

he’d probably want he to be executed, have her bending taken away, etc.

He also abandoned his traumatized 16 year old nephew to rule over a country all by himself for one of the most selfish reasons ever, so he can open a damn tea shop in a city he wanted to commit genocide in, which is in another continent, he also doesn’t show up to his coronation, what a dick

he also decides not to stop the airships and instead gives that job to 3 children, so he and his cult members can selfishly “liberate” Ba Sing Se because it was his “Destiny” what an asshole

I may be harsh on Ursa, but at least she TRIED

This is why the Azula fandom can't have nice things.

He's not "likely" to hold a selfish grudge, and doesn't in canon, so that argument is moot, anyway. Iroh is actually the one who says in the comics that going with Zuko to find Ursa might be good for her, because he clearly cares about her and wants her to have that closure.

He "absentmindedly" gave her a gift? What the fuck does that even mean? Azula also very purposefully burned that gift, though, while calling her uncle a lazy fatso. Azula stans trying to downplay or justify that by saying Iroh's gift wasn't good enough is really, really ugly behavior, and not an argument I am interested in.

He doesn't show contempt for her "before she does anything wrong", he is actually polite when she shows up lying to his and Zuko's faces, but he doesn't walk into her trap because he sees straight through her. Pretending that she did nothing wrong, when she absolutely has malicious intent there, is stupid and dishonest.

Same with pretending Azula was just defending herself in the Chase, because the reason she was there is because she had mercilessly tracked down the gaang, Zuko, and Iroh. Them teaming up against her is what we call Karma.

Even then, though, Iroh isn't actually angry at Azula. Even when he says "she's crazy and needs to go down," it's delivered in a deadpan and humorous way, not an angry way, and he says it for Zuko's benefit, to tell Zuko that he is allowed to defend himself. It is not about his feelings at all.

He doesn't pit Zuko against her, or tell Zuko to beat her up. He also doesn't treat Ozai with any compassion whatsoever. That's all complete nonsense that actually hurts your argument because it's transparent that you have no actual argument.

I'm also not going to entertain any argument about Iroh opening a tea shop in Ba Sing Se because he also was instrumental in saving that city, which actually changes the whole situation, which is why you left it out. He also did not abandon Zuko. I don't agree with everything in the comics but what they actually show is Zuko not wanting to bother Iroh, but when Aang takes him to Iroh at the end, he says Zuko is always welcome there.

And lol, Ursa "tried" according to you when she's not the current target of your nonsensical rant, but I don't think for a minute that you won't try to turn your "criticisms" towards her if you think it might absolve Azula of responsibility. That's all this is, just the completely ridiculous ramblings of someone who overidentifies with a selfish and cruel character because it feeds your own victim complex. You don't want Iroh or Ursa to try to help Azula, because that won't feed said victim complex.

Again, this is why the Azula fandom can't have nice things.

#iroh #azula #zuko #ursa #the discourse

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misshoneyimhome · 6 months

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Chapter 14 - Part I

Prologue I 01 I 02 I 03 I 04 I 05 I 06 I 07 I 08 I 09 I 10 I 11 I 12 I 13 I 14.I I 14.II

Summary: Upon the girls' arrival in Denver, the New Year is just around the corner; and amidst the cheers of hockey fans and the lively festivities, Julia and William finally find the moment to come face to face.

Tags; William NylanderxOfc; “We never go out of style”

Warnings; alcohol consumption;

Author's Note: So, this chapter was meant to be much longer, hence why I've split it into two parts; There were numerous details swirling in my mind for this, but as usual, things never quite unfold as initially planned; Nonetheless, please enjoy! :)

Word count: 3.9K

"Who was I to say, that this was meant to be?"

The excitement filled the air as the plane made its way to Denver - a four-and-a-half-hour journey during which Charlie eagerly extracted every possible detail from Julia.

"This is so amazing!" she exclaimed, lightly clapping her hands, and Julia couldn't help but be infected her friend's enthusiasm, expressing a smile and a light head shake.

"Charlie, you‘ve got to chill... nothing's even happened yet."

"I know! But it's just so exciting – you've poured your heart out to Willy... in a voicemail, but still... and now you're flying out to see him! It's just so perfect."

Julia offered a light chuckle, attempting to calm her overly excited friend and downplay the situation a bit. "Easy there, tiger. Technically, I'm just flying out with you ladies to celebrate New Year's..."

"Where Willy will be, too," Charlie swiftly added.

"Yes... I suppose," Julia responded hesitantly, releasing a gentle sigh and attempting to offer a faint smile, as she delicately toyed with the amulet on her new bracelet, the gift from William for Christmas. Gazing down at it, she recalled the true reason behind her visit to see him. And for a little while, neither of the girls said a word until Charlie chose to break the silence.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Julia merely nodded. "Yeah, just a bit nervous, I suppose... I haven't seen Willy since Christmas, and..." She drew in a deep breath before proceeding. "I haven't heard from him all day yesterday... or today." Speaking in a soft tone, she glanced down into the cup of tea she held, eliciting a concerned expression from Charlie.

"And now you’re worried that he’s avoiding you?"

Once more, Julia nodded.

"I left that message last night... and I haven’t gotten anything form him since - no text or snap... nothing."

About thirty seconds passed as Julia attempted to steady her breath, while Charlie pondered how best to comfort her friend. She understood that Julia was grappling with the friends-to-lovers situation, and there really wasn't much she could say to ease it.

"You're having tea instead of coffee? Wow, you must be really nervous, huh?"

The playful comment appeared to brighten the solemn moment.

"Yeah... it’s that bad," Julia chuckled.

The two friends shared another moment of light laughter before Charlie returned to addressing the issue.

"It's going to be alright, JJ - I know that! Maybe he just needs time to process things, just like you did, remember?" she smiled, sensing Julia starting to relax a bit.

"I do remember, babe," she responded with a sweet smile before Charlie continued.

"Oh, I can just picture it - you'll see him, and then there'll be this dramatic moment where you both run towards each other. He'll sweep you into his arms and share a deep, passionate kiss..."

She gestured with her arms and hands, emphasising the romantic intensity of the imagined reunion between Julia and William following Julia's heartfelt message. And Julia could only release another chuckle.

"Have you been watching rom-coms again, Char?"

"I might have binged on all the Bridget Jones movies over Christmas... but only because you brought them up!"

"Those are good classics," Julia simply replied, her eyes reflecting a blend of nerves and excitement. “But this isn’t some romantic movie, darling – we won’t just see each and suddenly tumble into mad love, as if nobody else is around.”

But her pragmatic outlook didn’t sway Charlie. The Canadian friend simply continued to smile, and eventually, Julia had to concede, rolling her eyes and releasing a resigned sigh.

“I'm just saying... it’ll be wonderful,” and with that, the girls chuckled and dropped the topic, enjoying the remainder of the flight.

Meanwhile, the lads were awaiting the transfer en route to Denver, and during the wait, William couldn’t resist playing Julia’s message on repeat. He must've listened to it about 15 times already, a subtle smirk constantly appearing on his face as he absorbed every detail. Her voice resonated with tenderness, and her words had found a direct route to his heart.

Though, William had struggled with deep feelings in the past and had never quite experienced what others often described as being in love, he was now certain he was close to that feeling.

Late last night, after hearing the voicemail a couple of times, he had spent the following thirty minutes reminiscing about every shared moment they had experienced. Flipping through photos and videos, he couldn't deny that Julia had evoked new and unfamiliar emotions within him. And it wasn’t until her heartfelt confession that he had finally come to realise that these emotions might actually be love.

It hadn’t happened during the playful teasing, earning eye rolls and chuckles, nor during the support he had provided on the ice during their intimate ice-skating outing. Not even during the twinge of jealousy he had felt seeing her with Freddie, or their intimate moment on her bed after the emotionally charged evening with Börje. It didn't occur during their time in the changing room, their close dance in his living room, or when he had confided in his brother Alex that she had come to occupy a special place in his heart.

No, he just hadn’t realised it before now. They had shared countless moments together - conversations on his sofa, the snowball fight, stolen glances at her unclothed form...

And the kiss. Her soft, full lips. Those were genuinely unforgettable.

But despite his newfound realisation, he found himself unsure of how to react. His first thought was to just call her and tell her that he felt the same way. But he hesitated as he wasn’t sure of how to do it.

Besides, he couldn’t bring himself to do it over the phone. No, he wanted to wait until he saw her again, even though the waiting was tormenting him. But at least he had the message to listen to in the meantime.

***

As the team continued waiting for their transfer, the girls made their way from the Denver Airport to the hotel near the Ball Arena. And upon arrival, Aryne announced their presence at the reception, following Tessa efficiently distributing the room keys.

"Why did I get a junior suite all to myself when the rest of you are sharing double rooms?" Julia queried, with a playful grin.

And Charlie, wearing a sweet smile, explained, "Oh, they were almost all sold out when we booked the rooms. So, it was either that or you had to share a family room with Aryne and the boys..."

"Junior suite it is, and you won’t hear another word from me," Julia chuckled.

Although she adored Aryne and the boys, sharing a room with them was not her ideal plan. Aryne was the only one with children on this trip, and initially, they were supposed to have a babysitter. But unfortunately, the sitter had cancelled at the very last minute. Besides, John was actually rather pleased when he heard he’d see his children on New Year’s.

"So, how's it managing room arrangements when this hotel will turn into a brothel?"

The girls burst into laughter at Julia’s cheeky remark, and Stephanie, excitedly, chimed in, "Well, we've sorted it out. I'll room with Charlie; Mitch and Auston will share, then we’ll switch it up, so each couple has their own double room. The same arrangement goes for the rest."

"That's a whole lot of logistics to sort out," Julia chuckled. "Why doesn't everyone just get their own room? I mean, these boys can afford it, right?"

"Sure, but the management finds it easier to have the boys sharing rooms - it's more convenient and takes up less space for the hotel," Audrey explained.

"That makes sense."

However, as the girls began arranging their rooms, Aryne unfortunately had some bad news to share.

"Alright ladies, listen up. I've just spoken to Brad, and unfortunately, the guys won’t be arriving until tomorrow due to some transportation problems."

"What?" All the girls exclaimed simultaneously.

“What happened?” Audrey inquired. “Did the boys mix up their suitcases again, causing them to go back and miss the flight?”

“Or did Mitch forget his equipment again?” Tessa swiftly followed with a remark.

"Hey!" Stephanie exclaimed.

“Oh, come on, you know it could happen,” Charlie chuckled.

“I know… but still,” Stephanie smiled, and laughter filled the room, as the conversation and concern about the boys' transportation issues continued.

"Actually, it sounds like all the guys were on time and ready to leave, but something went awry in the communication... Please don’t ask me about the specifics; I stopped listening after 15 minutes of Brad explaining," Aryne attempted to clarify.

“So, what do we do now?” Stephanie then inquired, and Aryne simply offered the girls a friendly smile.

“I suppose the plan for tonight will simply be a girls' dinner-”

“And us!” Jace chimed in.

“… with Jace and Axton,” Aryne added with a laugh. “And then, we’ll catch up with the guys at the game tomorrow. So, let’s all meet back down here in about an hour, and then we’ll head out?”

And after an hour had passed, the girls reconvened in the hotel lobby. Laughter and excited chatter filled the air as they gathered, anticipating the evening ahead, and with each of them donning their best outfits, they embarked on their night out, heading to a local restaurant for dinner.

Throughout the meal, the atmosphere was charged with lively discussions about the thrilling events scheduled for the following night. The team's staff, in collaboration with the wives and girlfriends, had gone to great lengths to arrange an exclusive New Year's event at the hotel following the game. And so, the girls discussed their excitement, sharing expectations and eagerly looking forward to dress to impress.

As they returned to the hotel, a desire for privacy emerged among the group. Most of the girls expressed the wish to retreat to their rooms separately, naturally as they all longed for calling their significant others.

However, Charlie couldn’t help but observe Julia's distant gaze and resist showing concern once more.

"Hey, you alright?"

“Sure, why wouldn’t I be… Oh, you mean this slow burn, painfully torturing me as I keep thinking about Willy and how he may or may not like me in the same way that I like him?” Julia casually joked, her voice carrying a tone of sarcasm, and Charlie couldn’t help but chuckle at her friend's exaggeration.

However, Julia softened her tone with a reassuring smile and a twinkle in her eye. “Actually, I feel fine.”

“So, what’s your plan now?” Charlie inquired.

“Oh, you know me; I’m gonna order myself a large glass of Pinot Noir and then head to my room. I'll put on some tunes and enjoy a long, nice bath,” she explained with a satisfied smirk.

“Sounds like a good plan.”

****

As the evening progressed into night, the boys were finally on their way to Denver. However, it appeared that troubles rarely came alone.

No matter where they turned, issues arose. Whether it was the plane unable to take off, a delayed bus, or a missing driver, the team faced a string of challenges that night.

What was initially planned as a journey of just under 2 hours turned into a gruelling 12-hour drive, forcing them to make a quick stop for some sleep along the way.

And as morning arrived, Julia promptly changed into her workout attire and encountered a few girls in the hallway with her enthusiasm.

“Hey, anyone up for a quick workout? We can go for a-“

But her excitement was met with gentle head shakes and light chuckles.

“No takers, huh? Well, see you at breakfast,” she flashed the girls a smile before continuing her way.

After a good workout session, she joined the girls in the restaurant, enjoying the lively conversations that followed.

“JJ, it’s New Year’s Day - why work out today?” Mathilda questioned, a hint of surprise in her smile.

“Yeah, nobody does that,” Audrey chimed in with an amused smile. “I don’t know why you do it.”

“Well, I’m 5’2, and I cook and eat like I’m twice my size so…” Julia chuckled, indicating her plate filled with a hearty portion of food, hinting that her workout was probably more of a necessity.

“I swear, you and Willy are so meant for each other,” Stephanie added, grinning mischievously.

The girls shared laughter around the table, as they ensured they’d have enough energy for the day ahead.

And after breakfast, the they all planned their activities for the day. Some intended to explore the city, while others, like Charlie, opted for a relaxed DIY spa day indoors.

With undeniable thrill and excitement, she had made an effort to make this day and evening special, as it not only marked her first New Year's celebration with Auston, but also her first New Year’s in a serious, committed relationship.

"Alright, which one?" Charlie asked excitedly, displaying two potential sets of lingerie to Julia and Stephanie, who were lounging on the bed.

“Are you seriously asking us to choose your sex clothes for seeing Auston tonight?” Stephanie chuckled.

“Come on, I want to look good and sexy for him! So please help.”

“Babe, you do realise that as soon as Auston sees you, his two brain cells will shut down, and then he��ll eagerly rip off those pieces of fabric as they’ll just be in the way,” Julia chuckled with a raised eyebrow.

"I know… but I don’t care! Come on, you guys – which one?" Charlie inquired with a friendly grin, earning Stephanie and Julia to glance at each other for a moment before speaking simultaneously.

“The black one.”

****

TOR 6 @ COL 2

The Ball Arena buzzed with excitement as hockey fans filled the arena for the game on this New Year's evening. Leafs supporters mingled with Avalanche fans, creating an atmosphere of enthusiastic shouts and cheers.

And as the girls made their way to their exceptional front-row seats by the glass, Julia felt her palms becoming sweaty. In just a few minutes, the players would hit the ice for warm-ups, and she would no longer be able to escape the waiting of seeing William’s face.

She still hadn’t heard from him, which naturally only intensified the anxiety for this very moment.

And as her breaths became uneven, Charlie offered a comforting gesture, intertwining her hand with Julia's before all the girls began clapping for the players stepping onto the ice.

One by one, each player skated around, practicing shots at goal with pucks flying across the rink. And amidst the activity, they quickly noticed the many of the team's significant others in the crowd, shouting and cheering, earning smiles across all player’s faces.

Then, in a matter of seconds, William suddenly stopped, and his eyes widened upon seeing Julia among the women. Time seemed to slow down as his gaze fixated on her beautiful smiling face, her shining blonde hair flowing down her back, dressed in her white Maple Leafs jersey bearing his number and name.

He could feel his heart suddenly quickened its pace as he processed the sight of her in the crowd, blinking a few times to confirm it was truly her before their eyes locked.

Julia's gaze met his, their blue eyes connecting and silently conversing across the arena. And as they stood separated by distance, she could feel her heart racing while searching for any clues in his expression.

Then, a wide smile graced his lips, a radiant grin spreading across his face, as his eyes sparkled with joy.

And without communicating a single word, Julia found solace and warmth in William’s smile, as if he silently assured her that her feelings were mutual and there was no need to be concerned any more.

So slowly, Julia felt her shoulders relax and her heart return to a steady rhythm, yet her being overflowed with joy and happiness.

In that profound moment, both of them realised the depth of their connection. And though it felt like several minutes passed, in reality, it might have been only a fleeting moment or two.

However, their intimate connection was interrupted by Tavares, skating over to William and nudging him to join the team for warm-ups, signalling the need to focus on the impending game.

Which turned out to be an excellent match.

The Leafs swiftly took the lead in the first period, with Marner and Engvall each securing a goal. And though the Avalanches managed to score before the period ended, the Leafs responded quickly with another goal just 34 seconds into the second period by Bunting. Despite the Avalanches scoring another goal, Matthews and Brodie swiftly secured two more goals within a mere 30 seconds, sealing their dominance. And as a cherry on top, Bunting scored the sixth and final goal for the Leafs, assisted by none other than Nylander.

Throughout the entire game Julia found herself smiling uncontrollably, feeling a sense of relief as her anxiety about her feelings for William vanished, allowing her to truly immerse herself in the match.

And as the final buzzer sounded, sealing the incredible New Year’s win, the atmosphere exploded with cheers and excitement. The group of significant others couldn't contain their joy, joining the chorus of shouts and applause directed at their men on the ice. Alongside the rest of the Leafs fans, they sang and celebrated as the players left the rink, before the swiftly gathered their belongings and headed towards the locker room, eager to greet their partners with an overflow of love and congratulations for the amazing victory.

Amidst the kisses and hugs exchanged in the bustling arena halls, William, still in skates and gear, walked purposefully, scanning the crowd for one person in particular.

And as the last one to enter the hallway, Julia appeared.

So, with determined steps, the Swede made his way towards her, as their eyes met once again, smiles brightening their faces as if drawn together by an unseen force. He practically threw his gloves and helmet on the floor. And just as Charlie had envisioned, William enveloped Julia in his arms, lifting her up and pulling her into a tight embrace, where she instinctively wrapped her legs around his hips and their lips met in a passionate, deep kiss.

In that particular moment, it felt as though the entire world around them disappeared.

The kiss was filled with all sorts of emotions, as their lips massaged each other, showing just how much they’d both longed for this to happen.

And as they pulled back slightly to catch their breath, William breathed out.

"I got your message."

Still keeping Julia close, their eyes locked, and light chuckles escaped them both.

"Took you long enough," she almost whispered, a smile gracing her lips, before he gently set her down, his hands still lingering on her.

"Yeah, I'm kind of an idiot like that," William grinned, eliciting a bright smile from Julia as she looked up at him.

"Perhaps, but a lovable idiot."

And once again, the two of them shared a heartfelt moment, finally giving into the connection that had been silently brewing between them for months. In another kiss, they released all the suppressed thoughts and instincts, surrendering to something that had never felt so right before.

"And all because of our meddling!" Mitch's voice rang out from the background, causing both William and Julia to turn and face their group of friends, sharing broad smiles as they observed the scene. "So, who had 4 weeks?"

"Oh, that was me!" Auston announced proudly, evidently the winner of the bet they had made on the night of the Christmas gala.

And amidst the laughter that filled the air, William couldn't help but steal another glance at the girl in his arms. It was somewhat surreal for him to believe that this was truly happening. Julia had been the first person to ever evoke such deep feelings in him, someone who began as a stranger and evolved into a close friend. And after months of their relationship remaining purely platonic, he never thought that she would actually develop genuine feelings for him.

"Alright, guys!" Tavares' voice echoed, capturing the attention of all his teammates. "Let’s wrap it up in here. The girls have something planned at the hotel, so let’s get out asses moving and get ready to celebrate New Year's!"

Following the captain's orders, the group of men shouted in unison before heading to the showers.

And as they waited for the players to finish up, Charlie couldn't contain a massive grin as Julia came towards her.

"Okay, you can say..." Julia chuckled.

And for a second or two, Charlie held a dramatic pause before she exclaimed, "I told you so!" overflowing with excitement, pulling her friend into a tight hug.

*****

Back at the hotel, everyone was dressed in their finest attire, and the hotel's banqueting venue had undergone a stunning transformation into a beautifully decorated room for New Year’s celebrations.

The banquet tables were adorned with delectable dishes for the players, and glasses were filled to the brim with champagne. Despite the late and exhilarating game, everyone appeared to have an abundance of energy in anticipation of the stroke of midnight.

And as the room buzzed with excitement, William’s gaze remained on his new date, Julia.

The girls had made a swift change into beautiful dresses, and he simply couldn’t help but admire the long, tight fitted dress, that formed her curves so wonderfully, and the low v-cut in the front, exposing her chest. And with slow and steady steps, Julia made her way towards William, who’d changed into his pre-game suit, just like the rest of the players.

“You know, it’s not really polite to stare,” she chuckled as she came to stand in front of him.

“Well then you have to go and change, because you look amazing in that dress,” William simply chuckled as he kept staring at her figure.

Julia couldn’t help but bite down onto her lower lip, as she considered speaking what was truly on her mind. With a seductive smirk on her lips, she gently leaned in closely.

“Or… I could… just take it off,” she spoke, sparking a cheeky grin on William’s face, before he leaned down to whisper in her ear.

“Oh, that’s definitely going to happen.”

"Oh, come on, lovebirds!" Mitch shouted from the other side of the room. "You'll get a chance for all that later. Come join us here for the countdown."

In the expansive venue, a substantial gathering of players and their partners assembled as the countdown to New Year's began.

"10... 9... 8..." they all chorused together.

Standing amidst her dear friends, embraced by the man she had grown to care for deeply, Julia couldn't help but reflect on all that had happened over the past four to five months.

“7… 6…”

Never in her wildest dream, had she imagined she’d be standing here among these people, happily jumping into the new year. And not to mention, in the arms of a man, she had met by a coincidence, before the universe had set them up to develop a more profound relationship.

Just a year ago, she found herself in an entirely different situation, alongside a different man, having different dreams of a future. Yet, in an uncanny twist of fate, here she stood.

"5... 4..."

And as the countdown reached its climax, Julia knew there was no one else she'd rather start the new year with than William.

"3... 2... 1... HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

With beaming smiles, William and Julia shared a tender New Year's kiss, Welcoming the 2023, and embracing their newfound love between them.

#we never go out of style #william nylander imagine #william nylander fic #willy styles #toronto maple leafs fic #nhl fanfiction #nhl hockey fic

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findafight · 9 months

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(Okay, gonna try and send this again)

I had a whole spiel about how R0nance has the potential to be very interesting and stimulate character growth on both sides in a similar way to Steve and Eddie. Not to say that Nance needed “ego death”, but she has built too much of her identity around being the smartest person there/the only person who can find the answers, and having Robin challenge her in that way (at times without even needing to) would provide some much needed growth. Because at the moment she’s giving “gifted student who didn’t struggle in school and is going to be eaten alive at college”.

Or, if you wanted to lean into the “Bad R0nance” side of things, they have the potential for a lot of interesting dynamics, scenes and conversations that they couldn’t have with other characters. Like, Barb is already such a charged subject with Nancy - add to that the fact that Barb ditched Robin to become Nancy’s best friend. To say nothing of Steve, who is such a big part of Robin’s life, he’s going to be part of Nancy’s what her she likes it or not.

Hell, assuming that that argument prompt wasn’t meant to be cute or funny, that’s a dynamic that could be interesting to explore. Honestly, I find Nancy’s difficulty with admitting that she’s in the wrong/having to have things done her way interesting, especially in contrast with a lot of the guilt she carries being over things that weren’t really her fault (if a bit too close to how certain loved ones of mine act sometimes). And I already see enough of her sticking to her guns despite common sense going unexplored in the show (quite literally; I love surprise gun-toting badass Nancy as much as the next person, and her and Max sawing down the shotgun was a cool visual. That being said; WHEN have guns ever worked against the Upside Down?).

Anyway - my point is that it’s not that I dislike R0nance, I just find a lot of the stuff written to be OOC, that it ignores many of the elements that I think would make them interesting together, or that it downplays Steve’s importance in Robin’s life/ignores it in favour of treating him more as Nancy’s ex-turned-kinda-friend.

haha yeah I got the first one and was like hm. that's not finished...hope they continue!

yeah Nancy doesn't need the same kind of ego death as Eddie did, but she's in desperate need of the realization she doesn't need to form her identity around her academics and journalism and her ability to Solve the Mystery etc, she can be something other than that. The tidbit from rebel Robin that if Robin tried a bit more, she could be valedictorian or something is so juicy for this! I don't think this is exclusive to romo rnce tbh i think them getting a kind of friendship could be really interesting and change them.

The Barb of it all would be so good and neat to explore. God. the hurt and guilt on both sides? I want them to have a conversation about Barb!! How robin mourned her even before she died, and maybe felt like a fraud for crying herslef to sleep when Barb went missing, because they weren't really friends anymore. How Nancy feels guilt for letting Barb leave, how she wishes she could take it back. How Robin resented Nancy for "stealing" barb away, about her insecurities in her friendships because of that. I want to see it! They could have such a rich friendship!

I want to see them argue! yell! scream and cry! There's so much potential here! their personalities would clash in glorious ways even in a friendship, let alone a romo relationship! hoo hoo!

Poor Steve is just. He's there too. He can't not be, because he might be an ex Nancy didn't talk to unless the world was ending, but Robin would see him everyday? and that's awkward. idk I think people also miss that for Nancy, dating the best friend of an ex she broke up with in....not the best circumstances and tried to avoid since then would be majorly awkward! idk like Nancy has warmed again to Steve in s4, but clearly didn't interact with him a lot between seasons, but she was also flirting with him and then went back to Jonathan, so it's probably not a situation she wants to be in! Besides the whole mess it would be for Robin considering if she actually wanted to date a friend's (best friend's) ex, the ex, Nancy would probably have to consider spending time with an ex like that. (because you're correct! for robin Steve is non negotiable)

(the prompt was absolutely supposed to be cute it blew my mind) But it's such an interesting dynamic, and absolutely something that I can see Nancy doing. It's been haunting me for weeks! Her feeling guilty over things she had no control over, but then not taking accounatbility for things she did and could change, that's so neat! With her relying on body language, and not adequately communicating to partners what she actually wants/needs/is thinking, Combined with Robin not being good at reading people and generally nervous about that inability to read more subtleties, it would be brutal. They would both dig their heels in, but robin wouldn't know why. FASCINATING.

Common sense doesn't exist in Stranger Things <3 Also I know next to nothing about guns but for some reason I know (am pretty sure of?) that sawed off shotguns have worse accuracy. I was like "nooo nancy you don't need to do that! It will also not help at all!" please let Nancy get a meelee weapon please let her beat the shit out of a demogorgon please let her actually inflict damage!

Uhg yes agree. I think it's one of the few ships I dislike more because of the shippers and how they interact with the characters, and that I see it as sort of a relationship that wouldn't last, and the shippers wouldn't like that and also want it canon. So much stuff I find ooc, and also for some reason a number of steve haters (super uncharitable ones that really, idk why they like robin, a character who loves steve so much she wants to combine with him, if they hate everything about Steve). Big turn offs. Not a lot of nuance happening! (which is NOT rnce exclusive!! I exit out of fics with ships I like because I find them ooc etc.) It could be a really interesting ship that would be messy and possibly implode but oof it'd be neat to explore. I've said before that I can see them liking each other and just not working out in an au where Steve and Nancy never had that history, because honestly another part of it is that I just don't see them as compatible (and included it in one of my not at all canon adjacent aus!).

I am with you on a lot of the content fumbles how Steve fits into it. The complexities his relationships both past and present to both Nancy and Robin would bring up between them could be explored more. Like yeah maybe steve's fine with his bff dating his ex whatever. but how would they feel about it? how would Nancy feel about steve being Robin's ride or die? how does Robin's friendship with steve effect that relationship? there's interesting bones here but alas. He's often shoved to the side as Robins friend and nancy's ex-turned friend. WHERES THE JUICE THERE? c'mon! i get some folks want non-conflict romance but maybe the ship that has potential to be so so SO messy that isn't going to be the most incharacter interactions.

#findaanswers #anti ronance #and I think we can make this tag:#fail ronance #like my beloved fail st4ncy and fail st0ncy (censoring so not to turn up in tags)#robin buckley #nancy wheeler #also sometimes for no reason robin is mean to steve and i'm like why? oh..it's going to be rnce isn't it. even tho he is her sweet cheese #ahk fuck it #fandom wank #listen I'm trying to be fair and not mean.#tbh I think they'd end up having like a tentative friendship that isn't super close but more than nothing #added a read more it seemed long

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justmenoworries · 1 year

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Lore Olympus Episode 230 Spoilers

I love how obviously this episode is trying to make Demeter the villain, but only succeeds in shining a spotlight on how much of a point she has.

Persephone isn’t ready to be Queen of the Underworld.

She did a shitty job of watching the mortal realm while Demeter was away, because most of her time she was angsting over not getting Papa Smurf’s dick. (She wasn’t concerned about how her own, now mortal mother was doing though, just putting that out here again.)

She can’t stand up for herself, unless she knows it’s against sombebody who can’t retaliate. Like, in this very episode, she just goes along with whatever Demeter says, with only some meek resistance. How is she gonna handle negotiations or conflicts with the other gods, if she still has a spine made of paper?

Hades did brainwash her,

He’s been grooming her with expensive gifts and blatant favoritism at work ever since they met. He downplayed all of her bad traits and kept her from taking a critical look at herself. Literally, that’s all their relationship is. Him buying her affection with gifts and compliments.

Persephone is so unable to handle adversity that she either breaks into tears or bullies people when she’s given it. And that’s in large part Hades’ fault, because he keeps shielding her from any valid criticism anyone might level at her and continually buys all her problems away. He’s made her dependent on him.

Yeah, I actually cheered when Demeter imprisoned moth-Hades. Mans had absolutely no right to invite himself along to her domain, especially considering the shit he put her through in the past. Should’ve squished him right away, queen.

Once again, really loving how Demeter’s sisters are never on her side. Hestia just... immediately thinks about freeing Hades-moth after Demeter calls her out. You know. The guy who groomed her daughter and sabotaged her career. That’s who she chooses over her own sister, who’s been through a heck-ton of trauma.

God, I hope Hades suffocates in there before anyone can free him.

#anti lore olympus #lore olympus spoilers #lore olympus critical #lo critical

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kcrossvine-art · 1 year

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AHOY MATEYS! Super unrelated question, would you be mad if i sneezed cutely in your ear? Today on the Final Redwall Cookbook cook-through we have a burrowers baked good delight- Nunnymolers!

It's been a long time coming and I don't wanna ramble up here, but y'alls support and interest in this series has meant the world to me. After this post goes up I'll be posting a poll where you guys can vote on the next series of dishes we're going to cover!

(back to the topic, you can find the original recipe for Nunnymolers at the bottom if you’d like to follow along)-

MY NAMES CROSS NOW LETS COOK LIKE ANIMALS

SO, “what goes in to Nunnymolers?” YOU MIGHT ASK

All-purpose flour

Confectioners’ sugar

Unsalted butter, cubed

Strawberries

Raspberries

Honey

Raspberry OR strawberry jam

AND, “what does a Nunnymoler taste like?” YOU MIGHT ASK

Well, Unfortunately. It was raw in the center again, while the outside started burning. I tried making it again and the same issue occurred with a lower and longer cook time, unfortunately the idea came to me that my old oven may be uncalibrated to what the digital display says, but I can't afford don't have an oven-safe thermometer to double check.

...It smelled good though!

Sad and pathetically, he cries

.Dough required about 3 times amount of water to have any consistency .Dough still was too crumbly/hard to wrap around the berries

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

Even with an extra 40 minutes beyond what the recipe called for, the tarts didn't cook all the way through- with raw dough in the center. This has been a consistent issue with the book, giving very low cook times and sometimes very high temperatures for the recipe. Part of me also wonders if the liquid from the fruit and jam contributed to the center not being able to bake.

I live at the same elevation as most of England does, where this was written from, which is part of my frustration with this cookbook. The author as far as i can tell is also the author of the bookseries themselves which is very sweet! But him not being a chef may contribute to some of the off measurements and under seasoning :( I can't blame him for this as its still very much a love letter to his fans but I do want to state it to give context.

My final thoughts on this book is that its an interesting piece to own, but on the scale of cookbooks from strict to loose, the recipes should be taken as loose suggestions. Conceptually I really admire that it adheres to vegetarian restrictions for almost all recipes (Legitimately i think the only exceptions to this are one instance of shrimp, and a handful of instances of eggs. Even then most baked goods make a point to avoid using eggs!), its a trait that makes it stand out from the growing crowd of other defictionalized recipes.

Not to mention all the cute story bits in-between the food itself, it follows Sister Pansy through 1 year in the Abbey, working her way to head chef. Various familiar faces share recipes with her (and us!). Each collection goes through the 4 seasons of the year, introduced by a poem.

This book holds a special place in my heart, I started it not being much of a cook and overtime it encouraged me to grow my abilities and interest in food. I cook most days of the week now and it can't be downplayed how much this book inspired that curiosity. It should also be said that half of that curiosity came from troubleshooting and adapting the recipes to my set-up, with times like these where I couldn't figure it out being the outliers that stick out.

It'd be a fantastic gift for any fan of the Redwall series, but if there excited about cooking and also new to it, I recommend making a hangout of it- cooking together! The moral support will make the failures more fun and easier to learn from.

I can't rate Nunnymolers as I wasn't able to taste them fully, but I can rate the Redwall Cookbook by Brian Jacques- and its squirreled into my heart. I'm giving it an 8/10 overall.

Concept: 10/10 Presentation: 10/10 Instruction: 4/10 Taste: 9/10

🐁 ORIGINAL RESIPPY TEXT BELOW 🐁

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or margarine, cubed

1/2 strawberries, hulled

1/2 raspberries

Honey

Raspberry or strawberry jam

Method:

Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a bowl, whisk together the flour and confectioners’ sugar. Add the butter or margarine and rub it into the Hour with your fingers (alternately, pulse the dry ingredients and butter in a food processor) until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Sprinkle in 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water, mixing with a fork (or pulsing in the food processor) until a dough forms.

Divide the dough into twelve 2-inch halls. Use your palm or a rolling pin to flatten each hall into a 5-inch round.

Spread each round with a thin layer of honey. Place 1 strawberry and I raspberry in the middle of each piece ofdough, then fold the edges of dough in toward the center, leaving a small opening in the middle, and pinch the folds of dough together. Put a dollop ofjam into the top of each Nunnymoler.

Bake until firm and golden, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack before serving.

#cross cooks redwall #recipe review #baking #digital art

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acourtofthought · 9 months

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Do you think that Elain not mentioning Azriel, rather giving Feyre the credit for saving her in acowar is another hint that el/riel isn't happening?

I might be reaching and Sjm might not have even thought of that while writing that in acosf but it was a huge thing back then when Azriel helped Feyre save Elain and so many people made it sound like he alone saved her. I mean, there's this whole "I will get her back" crap and Elain didn't really acknowledge Feyre after they saved her. Even during the saving, she seemed like she addressed Azriel with the "You came for me" line (idk) rather than Feyre.. so to have her only mentioning Feyre in acosf was a little surprising to me.

I mean, the whole book (including the bonus chapter) felt like it was completely against El/riel. I'm not sure if Sjm had always planned Elucien or just later on because I still remember that Interview (although I remember it as a IG live) of Sjm confirming that El/riel are more like brother and sister + the healing journey she talked about Elucien, but the one thing that is clear to me is that el/riel aren't going to happen.

I think it's pretty major that SJM began to downplay E/riel moments in SF. She could have easily written it so Elain said, "And I remember Feyre and Azriel saving me" because that would have been just as difficult for Nesta to hear as "Feyre saving me". Some like to claim she only threw Feyre into the mix because it was an argument between sisters but the developing romances are just as important as the sisters relationship and when SJM wants to build up a couple, she makes a pointed effort to do so. The fact that Elain chose to credit Feyre for her rescue followed by Az seeming to take offense to that fact later when we see: Azriel stiffened. "I know. I helped Elain, after all." seems to show he's a bit put out that he didn't get acknowledged. To me that says Az has just always got to be the hero rather than focusing on how Cassian is trying to talk to him about Nesta's trauma after the experience. So that's one example of oddness between them. If SJM is truly building to E/riel then why are they getting more awkward around one another than closer together? At Solstice (in the novella) they at least chatted openly about her gardens but in SF, he smiles at her and she looks away from him. And Az speaking out against Elain while AMREN needs to put him in his place was pretty much the nail in their coffin (especially when he shows ADMIRATION FOR ANOTHER FEMALE, where did he ever show admiration for Elain when she stood up to Nesta?) That Elain wasn't there to witness that is probably the only reason she was willing to kiss him Solstice night. And though she was willing, they have almost nothing to say to one another. Their biggest concern is making out and that reads way too much like Feyre and Tamlin trying to have sex the night before her final trial. If Az and Elain were alone for the first time in a long time after barely speaking to one another, shouldn't they be interested in exchanging dialogue more poignant than "here's your gift, Nesta wouldn't appreciate the joke." "Here's your gift, it's beautiful, put it on me?" Literally screams epically deep romance right there, doesn't it? Listen, anytime two hot characters are about to get it on, it's going to be sexy. But sexy does not guarantee true love and it doesn't mean two characters are right for one another. The fact that SJM is an author who loves banter (she said she had to cut 15 pages of Bryce and Hunt ribbing on one another playing Mario Cart) and E/riel share none of it, I think it's fairly apparent that they don't have the endgame formula going for them. They're attracted to one another but they're surface level and that we've never witnessed them having a conversation involving the difficult stuff (which both Feysand and Nessian had before they ended up together, before they ever kissed), is pretty tell tale.

#anti e/riel

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timecma · 1 year

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hi! i really enjoyed your fairy council analysis and was wondering if you had any thoughts on the character of Rook. i find the disagreement he and Alex have to be really interesting, and was curious if you had any opinions on it

Hello! I’m glad you enjoyed my Fairy Council analysis—I actually keep on adding facts in a The Land of Stories discord server that I come up with based on that whole glorified rant of sorts haha so maybe I’ll update it soon.

As for Rook… Sigh. Rook Robins. What a character. You see, I can understand why he did it—and thankfully his decision actually led to the best possible outcome, but the fact that it might not have is what makes everyone (Alex included) extremely upset and betrayed. In my opinion, Alex handled the situation extremely well. She told Rook that what he had done was unforgivable; he risked the lives of those she had desperately tried to protect to preserve the lives of his father and the villagers. The best part about this is how Alex understands that. She understands why Rook did it, she just cannot help but feel betrayed because she put all her faith and trust in him just to be heartbroken to discover he used the knowledge she gifted him as a sword to stab her in the back. Yes, he didn’t want to hurt her, but he still did and that is what Alex finds unforgivable. She knows it was a difficult decision for him to make, and she knows that anyone faced with that scenario will most likely choose to betray someone else for the sake of their loved ones. She states this in her reasonings with Rook before she parts ways with him at the end of A Grimm Warning. She’s super, super aware, and she knows she both can and cannot blame him, so that’s why she decides that it would be better for them to part because of that conflict that will always reside within her. It’s difficult to keep a relationship going when someone does a betrayal so big that it risks the lives someone else went through so much to protect.

Honestly, how Alex handles this is how I would have also handled the situation. She acknowledges both sides of the argument, and she makes a decision based on how the future between them might look. She takes her position as the Fairy Godmother into account, and she looks at the different aspects of her feelings for Rook. He broke her heart by doing what she did, and she knew she couldn’t handle being with him during one of the most stressful times in her life going forward. Also, Rook downplaying what he did by saying it was a “bump in the road” relationship-wise shows that he doesn’t fully perceive the weight of the situation. He doesn’t understand how much could have changed based on that one decision he made, and that’s probably why Alex ended it right there and then with him instead of attempting to work on it. She knew he wasn’t going to have the depth of understanding she was, and if he could not meet her on that level then there was no chance of a resolution between them.

This whole situation is actually one of my favorites in the main series, because it shows a realness behind conflict in relationships. People have their own selfish reasons for doing things, but Alex shows us that you have to be willing to understand both yourself, how you’re feeling, and the two sides of the argument. She shows the importance of acknowledging why the other person did what they did, and also standing your ground by saying that it was unacceptable. Yes, mistakes can be made, but when they are of great magnitude it can be a complete deal-breaker, and I stand beside Alex’s decision. She went through the healthiest steps possible during that particular moment—especially considering it was right after her grandmother’s funeral when she was already super emotional and burden-heavy as it was. I have to stand with Alex’s decision on this one. Rook was very wrong to downplay the gravity of the situation, and she was right in correcting him and telling him that because he was viewing the situation as not pivotal in their relationship or deserving of massive consequences, he doesn’t deserve a relationship with her. She physically cannot trust him to take her most valuable possessions (her heart, her trust, her feelings, her hopes, her dreams, etc.) and expect him to value them. If that is how you are feeling about your relationship, then you need to really step back and reevaluate it. She did, and she knew it wouldn’t work out.

Unfortunately, I don’t enjoy Rook Robins that much. Yes, his sacrifice will always be valued with the utmost respect and gratitude, but at the end of the day he was too behind Alex maturity-wise to be in a relationship with her. And, even though he spent the rest of his time in the series attempting to figure out how to get back with her—which I will admit does go to show his determination as a character—he never allowed himself to truly understand things from her point of view, and Alex didn’t trust him to. That is why she would have never gotten back with him, despite how much he was pushing for a relationship with her. It comes off as a bit needy, and shows a few other red flags too.

Sorry this came out to be a really, really long answer. I just understand too much about the situation through analysis, and I’ve got a solidified stance on the matter. I just wanted to explain as much as possible for you so you could understand where I’m coming from. Thank you for the ask though! I’ve never really gotten to share my analysis of him before because everyone else kind of doesn’t like talking about him when it’s really important that we understand his character and how it’s so common to meet impactful people who betray us in life. The Land of Stories kind of teaches us how to consider all the facts before dealing with it, and that’s what I enjoy most—it’s a lesson I actively implement in my life to this day!

#ask me anything #the land of stories #rook robins #alex bailey #tlos

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mickyaltierisgf · 10 months

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Hello!! I was wondering if you could maybe do some hcs w Derek Feldman x Sidney Prescott <3 basically them being older and still in a relationship, and how everything sort of works out, and how their relationship dynamic works with each other (including maybe some trauma w Sidney and how Derek comforts her and vise versa) thank youu❤️ (you're writing skills are just wow! ❤️)

sorry for the delay, anon. I'm not be the best writer for these two, but hopefully you enjoy these hcs.

Derek x Sidney headcanons

They’re very physically affectionate. Derek, especially, is always hugging her, holding her hand, stroking her hair, etc.

He is absolutely head over heels for her, no matter how long they’ve been together.

He’s very doting. Forget one preferred love language; he does all five consistently.

To this day, Sid wears his frat letters. The necklace is almost always on, even if it’s just under her shirt and not visible. Derek gives her plenty of gifts, but this one remains the most precious.

He doesn’t break into song often anymore (lol), but he will write her some very cheesy and sweet poetry for occasions like her birthday and their anniversary. He’ll even recite it to her.

They might have a separate party with family and some friends, but then spend the actual day alone together.

They take frequent vacations. Just the two of them. Nice, easy, relaxing, and intimate.

Derek spends a lot of time on call as a Doctor, but he will spend literally every available moment with Sid if she lets him.

Sid will hold the necklace sometimes. Mostly when she’s alone or misses Derek.

Derek can be somewhat overprotective at times, but Sid really appreciates it because she knows he has his own trauma and tries to downplay it to focus on her.

If she so much as gets a paper cut or something, he’ll be all over her to make sure she’s okay.

Nothing gets past him. If Sid has a headache or is just moody or whatever, Derek will hone in on that and do anything he can for her.

They check on each other a lot when one or both are out of the house. Derek always sends a text before calling, so Sid will know to expect his call.

Sid sometimes has trouble sleeping or has nightmares and wakes up. Derek comforts her when and however he can, and he will listen if she wants to talk but won’t push her to do it.

Derek doesn’t experience this much himself, but occasionally if he's having a rough night, Sid will stay up with him and they’ll do something together like watch a late-night movie or fix themselves a midnight snack until they’re tired enough to get to sleep again.

When they have kids, you can bet Derek is going to spoil them.

He’ll make sure to help Sid in every aspect and spend as much time with her and the kids as possible.

#scream #scream 2 #scream headcanons #sidney prescott #derek feldman #derek x sidney

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matan4il · 1 year

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hello alice! it’s miya here & yes it’s been a hot minute since i’ve been in your ask box! i recently just had 3 surgeries that were basically two in my nose & then i had to get my tonsils out again so i’ve essentially been recovering from that & not in the mood to talk mostly. I do however hope all has been well with you.

since the finale is right around the corner, I wanted to talk to you about buck’s growth this season. we know in the beginning that buck was upset about not getting picked as interim captain despite the fact that he was not clearly ready, the couch theory & how actually death experiences can reset all the progress you’ve made.

i’ve see a lot of folks saying buck has regressed back into old habits & i’d say that’s not true. Buck agreeing to be a donor in the beginning was something he did because he’s buck but the influence around him saying yes was mainly what connor said to him about him being such a good person & what not. now after he dies buck realized he can’t live based off of how others see him & make decisions solely off of that which is why things quickly ended with natalia. i thought it was funny how she said she needed a minute to think & not 10 seconds later she left 😭. Buck didn’t necessarily chase after her for the sake of getting her back but i think he wanted her so badly to understand & it’s like there is already someone in his life who understands & sees him for who he really is and that’s eddie. it’s hard to see someone who buck may feel like kinda has to accept him for all he is cause that’s his best friend as a potential partner but i think there is a possibility we might see that in the finale.

we know the entire 118 is in danger, now granted we have no idea what that means & since we logically only have 45 minutes to tell this story, there is a possibility of things not being completely wrapped up. i wanted to also point out that the only two people (technically 3 if you count chris) who know that buck does not have a couch is Bobby & Eddie. two important people in his life who buck would quite literally lay his life down for. Buck told eddie that “maybe he does not want to pick the wrong couch again” & then he later on told bobby that “im afraid im gonna keep on making the same mistakes” it’s clear buck wants to go about things differently but it’s a matter of how?

i think he was on his way there but then he died and suddenly life got confusing for him. sometimes i think people downplay the fact that buck’s heart stopped & how he genuinely felt like he got away with something when he woke up in the hospital. of course he is going to go around making the most of life. now the way he goes about it may not be the way we want it to happen but it does make sense for bucks character. he wants to treat every waking moment as a gift & that’s things are a sign cause he feels like he’ll never get that lucky again & that’s ultimately very sad.

i think we’ll definitely see buck in s more bigger leadership position next monday however the biggest difference is that his team will be a witness. his team doesn’t know how buck took charge when the tsunami happened or how he saved eddie’s life during the shooting & i’m still on the fence of if eddie knows that. i hope they see what he’s capable of but I hope buck see’s that he’s already had these skills in him it was just a matter of tapping into them.

the couch theory idk.. they have been making it a point to show buck, chris on the couch & then chris and eddie with a space open for one more as if we wouldn’t notice but idk we will see. maybe buck takes eddie home after everything & he falls asleep on the couch after putting chris to bed & everything kinds of falls into place

anyways sorry for my rambling. i have had all of this on my mind for a while lol but again I hope all is well with yous and that life has been treating you good. ❤️

Hi darling! OMG, 3 surgeries? That's so much, especially over such a short period of time. I hope you're doing better now? And thank you for the kind words and for caring. I'm not doing so hot at the moment, but hoping it'll get better. *HUGS*

TBH, I'm not sure what I think. I do expect the finale not to wrap everything up, because they have so many balls they've been juggling up in the air, the bridge collapse will take up a huge part of the ep, so I really don't know how much they can condense into this and address all of the threads that they opened this season. I do absolutely expect that there will be circles that they'll be closing, like Buck moving from feeling dejected over not being considered for the position of interim captain in 601, to acting as captain in the field when the 118 (with Bobby) goes down. And since 601 linked Buck figuring his own life out enough to be able to take this position by linking to the metaphor of the couch, I very much expect to see some return to that, although all may not be resolved in 618. Kind of like how 414 gave us the talk between Buddie to resolve Buck's immediate sense of guilt over seeing Eddie getting shot in front of his very eyes, but it didn't resolve the "make sure you follow your heart" thread that was opened in 413. Eddie still needed to go through it at the beginning of s5 in order to choose himself and be able to break up with Ana in 503. Similarly, Buck was just starting things out with Taylor in 414, and he needed all of s5 to break up with her, even though it was clear they were wrong for each other from the start, and especially as their first kiss was born from Buck's distress over Eddie getting shot in front of his own eyes.

Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with me! I'm looking forward to screaming over 618 with you once it airs! Sending tons of love and good healing vibes to you, lovely. (as always, here's my ask tag) xoxox

#ask #mementosforthebrain #buddie #911meta #911 on abc #911 abc #buddie meta #911 meta #911abc #9-1-1 #evan buckley #eddie diaz #911onabc #911 #edmundo diaz #evan buck buckley #911 speculation #911 spoilers

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noblechaton · 2 years

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Fic title: Your Pain is My Pain

I'm seeing something post-canon (as in, somewhere post-Strikers) that sees the Phantom Thieves finally getting a break from the constant madness of the metaverse and thereon, each finding their own sort of reprieve in the aftermath of several cataclysmic events - Haru focuses up on her gardening, Ann spends time with Shiho, Yusuke dives into his artwork and Ryuji continues working on himself. Everything's calm, for once, and normalcy starts to creep back in - but that doesn't sit right with everyone. Amid her attempts to live a more outgoing life among her fellow citizens, Futaba can't help but keep tabs on Ren, himself having ended up living a relatively close distance to the others after all. While that quiet, somewhat stern behavior of his remains on the surface, she and the others come to profess worry over their former leader and best friend - after all of that, despite what's changed and the catharsis he might have felt alongside all the help he'd given them, it's not as if he'd really decompressed, as far as they knew, with who knows how much otherwise bottled up inside.

So they send Makoto over, dragging him out of his apartment and spending the day with him on the town. They reminisce over all that's happened throughout trips to the familiar places, the movie theater, Big Bang Burger, etc., but he doesn't seem to crack until he realizes that Makoto's taking him back to Leblanc for the first time in however long. Ren's expression shifts from subtle and restrained to something more uncertain, almost anxious as they approach the doors, some obvious silhouettes distorted by the glass. It processes then what all of this has been for, why she'd led him through town and avoided the topic of the others for so long. Makoto takes him by the hand and asks him if he wants to go inside, fingers between his own and her eyes soft on his. Silence falls as a gentle rain starts right on the verge of dusk, the moon above blocked by the clouds as they stand for what feels like eternity.

"Yes," Ren's lip trembles with his eventual, inevitable answer. "Let's...get inside."

All the bracing in the world couldn't quite prepare him for the welcoming faces that greet him, that invite him into a booth and supply him the finest cup of coffee in Yongen-Jaya. It's been a few months since he'd last seen everyone, and yet they all behave as if they'd not missed a beat. Ryuji makes a few bad jokes, Yusuke makes things weird, Ann and Haru offer gifts from their own professions - something stupid expensive and somewhat useless from Ann, a bouquet of flowers mixed with vegetables from Haru. Sojiro keeps the food and drink coming, while Futaba is the one who eventually settles the group down enough to confront the issue at hand, getting their attention with a loud clearing of her throat before she nods behind him.

Makoto eases her arms onto Ren's shoulders then, warmly asking him if he'd like to talk. When he tries to downplay and otherwise avoid the subject, the others nudge him back. Ann encourages, Haru assures, Ryuji affirms and Yusuke - in his own way - inspires. Ren's head dips some, his eyes to one side in a glance towards a Sojiro who shrugs him on. Ren then sits upright again, a twinge of red on his face as he finally, fully speaks his mind. He'd not been silent before, he was often blunt about things, but in this moment, he's allowed to fully process the utter insanity that's been his last few years now, the group listening and replying where they can and where best it fits. He talks and talks and talks some more, of Maruki, of Kasumi, of Akechi. Ren exhausts himself, a glance at his watch revealing that, for a change, he'd been the one talking for a near hour straight, with some tears having subtly welled up in his eyes. He's clearly embarrassed afterwards, but finds himself surrounded. One hand in Ann's, the other in Haru's with Yusuke across from him, sketching out his own inspiration from Ren's flood of emotions. Ryuji places a palm to a shoulder while Makoto rests one on the opposite side and Futaba, who'd earlier slipped onto his side of the booth, leans against him

His friends insist that it's okay, each sharing looks with him in their encouragement, that it's alright - it's alright for him to feel, outwardly, like this, given all they'd been through. Ren's somewhat unfamiliar with this, but comes to relent - he holds hands back, leaning into the touch of his friends with a slight smile across his face as they all share and repeat the sentiment that his pain is their pain, and that they'll all be alright, together.

#thats right im gonna be insufferable about my interests over here too #another idea I had while writing out this one was something a bit shorter and more simpler #that would see luz bonk herself and amity resolve to use some sort of pain sharing spell to help her feel better faster #luz would insist that such a thing isn't necessary but after all they'd been through amity would insist herself #that its important they continue to go through things together #luz would joke that this feels like a bit of an overreaction to a scrape or bruise or w/e but she'd shrug eventually #get a lil kiss and allow amity to enact the spell #could also be a nier thing i bet

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oifaaa · 2 years

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Trans-Stephanie-in-honour-of-Viktor-Hargreeves just made me think of more trans batkid ideas—

Something something trans Red Hood au where everyone is much more confused cause Jay transitioned after being revived

Something something trans Tim clinging onto the Robin name with Red Robin despite aging out because he’s scared he doesn’t pass well enough that if he gave up the well known “boy wonder” mantle villains/the media would assume he was a girl (this edges close to sad boi Tim vibes but I think it could work)

Something something Dick grew up in the circus and couldn’t care less about gender. What’s that, why do I need one?

Something something after changing her costume to show part of her face and hair, Cass finds she misses the androgyny of the full hood

Something something a binding vigilante teen ends up wheezing within range of dad-to-trans-kids-Batman, and the next time they see Batman he gives them a lecture about binding safety that ends with giving them a better binder (or a gift certificate or smth) (funnier if it’s a random vigilante so it’s not Bruce giving a lecture, it’s Batman)

Something something a batkid using their costume as an opportunity to really present how they want, designing their costume to really downplay dysphoria-triggering aspects of themself, hell, using voice modulators in their costume to sound “right”, etc. Fighting villains might mean literal mortal danger, but they’re using the right pronouns and not dead naming them sooooo

I love all of this but trans Jason is literally one of my favourite things like Jason acting extra pissed that Bruce didn't recognise him like he didn't change that much Bruce come on can't even recognise his own dead son and also the reason why Dick designed the Robin outfit like he did was so he could incorporate a binder into the outfit

#Ask #Oenimo #Also trans ally lazarous pit #Recognised Jason wanted to be a boy #Made sure the kid would be able to grow to 6'4 #Also I'll allow sad boy Tim #If its sad trans boy Tim

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possibleplatypus · 2 years

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#I still think that the only logical way that the compass makes sense#is if Peggy pasted her own picture and sent it with the ammo and rations to the front#and Steve opened up his new compass when the camera happened to be on him#and his 😐 face was because he had no idea how to react to this#but Peggy’s smug face tells you that she’s not smart#because she exposed her face to everyone who was going to see those war reels#including Hydra#so yeah they were weak to downplay the relationships that really affected Steve#and the people he spent years with#for a cheap display of heterosexuality that didn’t even make sense#and also at the end when he opens his compass it’s supposed to show he’s thinking about her#and not that he was looking at which direction he was going to put the plane in the water 🤪#the cheap assholery of the MCU persists and I hope that’s what gets them in the end#+.+ @cosmicmechanism

(I didn’t want to intrude on op’s post so I thought I’d make my own) See that compass scene has puzzled me for a while. How much of it was staged/planned? Were they even allowed to show candid footage of Captain America planning his troop movements?? Steve looks so uncomfortable. Was it shown in movie theaters throughout America, or was it just for military brass (and the Hydra spies in their midst)?

For me, it just seemed too convenient to not be staged. Let’s film Captain America strategizing with the guys, and oh, who’s this? *zooms in so viewers can see Peggy’s face perfectly before Steve closes the compass*

I can see it being filmed for propaganda-- give Captain America a girlfriend! Spin a romance, people will go wild!-- but this doesn’t totally make sense because why would they use Peggy’s face if she’s supposed to be a spy? If this was used for propaganda, now the whole world knows what she looks like, and Hydra will have her in its sights. Unless SHIELD was already in the works and they were planning on using her as a figurehead?

(The photo in the compass also looks like it was poorly ripped out of an official photo that Steve got from somewhere, not carefully cut out of a personal photo that Peggy gifted to him 🙄 So imagine if they told Steve to have a picture of a random girl in his compass so they could film it, but Steve hastily tore out a photo of Peggy because he knows what will happen if she sees another woman in his compass ��)

If Peggy was the one to send him the photo of her in the compass knowing it would be recorded for posterity, it just means she’s a terrible spy, OR she’s banking on her subsequent fame outweighing any cons that might occur after exposing her face to the world. The video is actually great publicity for Peggy and her ambitions-- if she’s known as Cap’s girl, wouldn’t people think twice about crossing her? Wouldn’t people vie for her attention and approval? (Still need to watch out for Hydra though, and any enemy spy worth their salt)

I know the “canon” interpretation is that it wasn’t staged and that Steve put her photo in the compass because he wanted to show that he was sorry (???for what though, he did nothing wrong???) and committed to Peggy for reals, but it still doesn’t look great since this only happens after she shoots him. Like “don’t hurt me, see how my heart is yours only?”

Actually that reminds me of this meta by @amarriageoftrueminds:

That domestic abuse means Steve carrying Peggy’s photo after it should not be treated as genuine and unambiguous.

If he’s acting as if he’s 'taken’ by Peggy after receiving a violent punishment for not doing so, that doesn’t mean it’s true. It could easily be read as self-defense. The compass’s odd inclusion in a propaganda reel (where you’d think an allegedly professional spy would not want to feature) supports this.

And imagine the genders flipped:

Nobody would believe a battered woman was carrying her boyfriend’s photo around of her own free will, unless it was meant in a sad, gaslighted this-is-true-love ‘he showed me he’d hit me if I didn’t’ kind of way.)

#mcu #marvel meta #steve rogers #catfa my love #anti peggy carter #unpopular opinion

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yesimwriting · 3 years

Text

BloodRoots in the Suburbs - chapter two

Chapter Two: Kill Habits, Not people

prologue

Chapter One: The Babysitter

*pls let me know if you prefer longer chapters with longer times between updates or shorter chapters that are up faster,, i’m trying to work out a writing schedule lol

a/n yall i just woke up and the amount of support this fic has gotten has made my heart feel so warm!! love yall!! and if you like it so far just wait until we get to the chapters i need to listen to taylor swift to write lmao

...also off topic but they’re putting harry styles in the mcu?? yeah they did that for me i love it

Series Summary: Bloodroots are such a strange flower--white and innocent looking yet undeniably poisonous. It has no place in the safest neighborhood in CA. Then again, neither do you. The suburbs are killing you, and no one understands that...at least you think no one does. I see that in the way you roll your eyes when your sister presses the issue of when you’re going to get back on your feet. I see that restlessness when you’re in the small plot of land that you’ve actually managed to turn into some type of garden. I see you; I understand you. And if it wasn’t for the confines I bear to protect my son, I’d let you know that. But for now, I settle for knowing that the two of us are equally trapped, and I take some solace in that. I feel bad about it, I do, considering that from what I’ve gathered you spent most of your life being considered the perfect, ideal golden girl that was nothing but potential. And now you’re no longer the gifted child, the one that’s first to raise their tiny hand in class, the one that knows everything. But that’s okay--because I’ll make my selfishness up to you.

Chapter Summary: What’s a cup of coffee between two neighbors? Nothing, until Joe realizes that people die a lot easier than habits do.

Joe’s POV

Who the fuck is Ashton?

Your sister is texting you to not come home for awhile in case he’s on the way to her house. Your house.

Maybe the person calling you is more of a problem than I thought. I want to help you, I really do, but I’m not sure I can justify it yet. I’m not alone anymore, I have a son to think about, and with how impulsive Love is, I need to keep myself under control. Henry can’t grow up with two murderers as parents, he’ll end up in the system and I know what that does to a child.

But I won’t let anyone hurt you, either. I promise.

You come back with no warning. “Hey, have you seen my phone? I thought it was in my back pocket, but--”

I turn the screen of your phone off. “Just found it.”

You don’t even look at me oddly before taking it. You’re not suspicious at all. Are you always this trusting? The kind of trusting people like Ashton have no problem taking advantage of? Your home screen turns on--another text? From your sister or the source of the problem? You frown, your eyebrows faintly drawing together.

“Something wrong?”

This isn’t about confirming what I know. What I’m really trying to figure out is how much you trust me, how much you’re willing to tell me. You shrug off your concern, shoving your phone into the back pocket of your jeans as you look back at me. “Worried older sisters, a tale as old as time.”

Worried older sisters? Are you really this dismissive about the issue, or are you putting up a brave front for the neighbor you don’t really know yet? I thought we already had more than that.

“...And ex-boyfriend’s tend to exasperate that instinct.”

So there is more of a connection here than just a distant, neighborly politeness. You let me know that it’s not all in my head, and I’m thankful for that. I’m also thankful that I know what Ashton is. Ex-boyfriend. An ex-boyfriend so bad you still feel the need to downplay everything he’s done to you, but you can’t hide all of it. Not from anyone that takes the time to note the look behind your eyes. Not from anyone that cares to pay attention. The rest of the world might be ignoring you, willing to let you fend for yourself, but not me, y/n. You’re not alone.

I wish there was a way to let you know that. But I can’t say it to you, not yet. “A boyfriend from New York?”

Your frown makes me regret me regret mentioning where you’re from. The fact that you’re from New York and that you left the city in less than amicable circumstances is no secret. I understand needing to disappear and having limited options, but you picked a hell of place for privacy.

“Yeah.” You wipe your hands on your jeans. “He’s from New York.”

I can save this, there has to be something I can say to get you to stop looking like a kicked puppy. It might have been too soon to test the waters around the New York subject. You’re resigned, tired about the inevitable conversation that forces you to relive what you believe are mistakes.

“And you need a break from New York?” An obvious question, I know, but I need to hear you say it. Maybe you don’t belong there anymore. I’m not deluded enough to think that you could ever belong here, but there must be somewhere...not LA, not again. Maybe you belong somewhere like DC now, the Washington Post would be lucky to have you, and there are a lot of bookstores there, old bookstores that could--

No. No. There’s no way for me to insert myself into your future. I can’t...I’m not supposed to try to. I hold Henry a little tighter, trying to remind myself why I have to be careful. “From him--I don’t need a break, I need an early retirement with a...401K.” You’re funnier than I realized, I’ll never doubt you again. “From New York, I don’t know. I can’t live with my sister forever, but I--sometimes I feel like I need the city, which is a weird thing to feel.”

You’re meant for more than the mundane, of course being surrounded by it makes you feel like you’re disappearing. I understand that; I understand you. “It’s not.”

Your eyes soften. You’re not used to being seen without someone asking for something in return. In New York, you thought people were seeing the real you when you wrote, but the moment the editors saw your talent, they exploited it. They squandered you, and you’re just starting to see it.

“There are other cities.” You have a talent for knowing when you’re treading on serious grounds. I can feel you turning away, maneuvering your feelings in a way that has to be practiced. “News never ends in Washington.”

I smile more than I should. Already, we’re on the same wave length. Like we’re meant to be, like I was always supposed to find you. Find you here, not in New York where you believed that you ran the world and I believed that my one was Guinevere Beck. Here--where I need you and you need me.

“I think DC’s worthwhile.” I’m trying to let you go, I really am. “But I...I don’t know much about it.”

You nod once, no sign of rejection on your face. “Neither do I, to be honest.” I want to tell you that we can learn about it together. I want you to picture a world in which we’re together. I want--I want you. “Well, thank you for letting me watch Henry, I should go before I overstay my welcome.” Like you could ever do that. “You must be tired from work.”

Do you really think I don’t want you here? And what about the text your sister sent you? Are you going to dismiss it? Maybe when you brushed it off as your sister being overprotective, you weren’t trying to appear together in front of a stranger. Is that how you actually feel? Your sister seemed to be scared of him. She said he was crazy enough to get on a plane and come here. He knows you don’t want to talk to him, he could be dangerous. For all we know, he wants to hurt you, y/n.

Your phone rings. I know you want to hide the way you’re feeling, but I see it. The way your body tenses. “Not too tired.” You nod once, so distracted you’re not questioning why I don’t ask about the phone call. “Do you want me to walk you back?”

You almost smile. I can feel what you almost say: it’s just across the street. “I um...I think I’m going to go to that coffee place at the end of main street before I go back.” At least you’re listening to your sister. “My sister doesn’t keep it in the house anymore, I think a part of her believes that if it’s in her cupboards the toxins will leak into everything and somehow make it into her uterus.” The moment the words are out of your mouth, you cringe, shutting your mouth. “I can’t believe I just said that out loud. I sound like a sucky person and I just said the word ‘uterus’ to you.” You grimace again. “And now I’ve said it twice.” You shake your head, apologetic. “I’m just gonna go before I say something else dum--”

“No, no.” It’s nowhere near the worst I’ve heard. Love felt comfortable expressing all of her pregnancy. “I um...I could actually go for some coffee.” I shouldn’t be doing this. I--I have to do this. Someone could be after you. “And Henry needs his daily walk.” Too definitive, I need to ease off. “If it’s not an imposition. You know, if you want your alone time, I totally get it, after dealing with--”

“No.” Your chin tilts less than an inch upwards. You want me to go with you. “I like company, but definitely don’t feel like you have to.”

“I definitely don’t feel like I have to.”

You smile. The look erases all of my hesitation. “Okay...then let’s go.”

With Henry in his stroller, we walk outside. I try to casually watch your sister’s house--there’s no new car in the drive way, and there’s nothing to indicate that someone that’s not supposed to be there is inside.

As we pass the houses down the street, you stay at what you consider a safe distance...but it wouldn’t take much for me to get our hands to touch. You want me to have the option to brush our fingers together, the option to hold your hand.

All of us walking together to get a mid afternoon coffee. It feels natural. Like we’re supposed to be one family. You feel it the way you felt our connection in your front yard. You still don’t have a name for this feeling, and it’s starting to pull at you, but you’re not as uncomfortable as you were the first time you felt it. That’s how we’ll be--you’ll see that there’s nothing scary about being seen as long as I’m the one looking.

I’m going to let you go. I let out a breath, doing all I can to focus on what’s directly in front of me. Henry is calm in his stroller, but his presence is enough to remind me what I’m holding myself back for. I’ll do anything for my son, which means I need to stay with Love, which means there’s no guarantee I can protect you from her.

“You’re going to be disappointed in my coffee order.” The comment comes with no warning, and neither does your sudden lightness.

“Disappointed?” I know you have to hear the smile in my voice, but there’s no point in trying to hide how your good humor makes everything feel right. This is how it’s supposed to be.

You nod, turning your head slightly to watch me as you walk. “My coffee order is painfully un-enigmatic.”

Un-enigmatic? I laugh. Okay, I’ll give you that one. “One, you’re implying that a coffee order is a worthy indicator of whether one is or isn’t an enigma. Two, un-enigmatic isn’t a word.”

“Is to.”

“Is not.”

Your eyebrows draw together sharply and your lips press together into a line I have no choice but to describe as obstinate, but the corner of your mouth betrays you, tilting upwards and letting me know that you’re fighting a smile. Our argument is nothing more than a way to pass time, but your expression just makes me want to give in. It makes me want to give in on anything. You can be right about everything forever.

“I used it in an article once, multiple editors read it, and none crossed it out.”

The warmth that returned to you is beginning to fade. You’re thinking of The New York Times again, of what they did to you. Of what that asshole editor accused you of so that he could get away with the way he harasses female writers. “Yeah, and since when is the New York Times known for their judgement?” You smile, but it’s nothing like the one before. This one is for my sake. “Not since they let you go, that’s for sure.”

Your grin isn’t exactly happy, but it’s not sad either. I’ll take it for now. “Thanks.”

“I’m serious, the idiot that fired you is going to regret it.”

You tilt your head slightly to get a better look at me. “The ‘idiot that fired me’ has two Pulitzer Prizes.”

“So?” How could he be better than you? You’re half his age and already working directly beneath him. He probably used that scandal as an excuse to get rid of you before you could lap him. “One day, you’ll have three.”

You drop your head when you think I’m not looking so that I can’t see the way you’re trying to fight a real smile. I’m not exaggerating, y/n. Look at how far you’ve come with no one particularly looking out for you. Imagine how successful you could be if I was there for you. “And you’ll be able to say you knew me when.”

We’re only a few steps away from the coffee shop. “That I will.”

I try to open the door for you, but you beat me to it, holding it open so that I can push the stroller through the entrance. When the door falls shut, you don’t hesitate to wander towards the back of the coffee shop. You stop at a table that’s tucked far away enough from the window that people walking by won’t immediately notice you, but not so far that you’re distant from sunlight. Your life must revolve around that--wanting to be in the sun, but being afraid of the window.

We sit across from each other, Henry’s stroller tucked out of the way, between a wall and our table. “So what is your un-enigmatic coffee order?”

You place your hands on the table, leaning towards me in a way that makes the collar of your shirt lower itself slightly, hinting at just a little more cleavage than what would be considered polite. Are you being more than friendly? “Caramel iced latte, extra cold foam.”

...At least you’re honest.

“Don’t laugh.”

I tried not to, y/n. “I am--I’m not laughing.” Your eyebrows draw together, skeptical. “I am just appreciating your honesty.”

The way you glare at me makes it even harder to keep a straight face. “Appreciating my honesty? Really?”

“Yes.” You don’t believe me and I can’t even blame you for it. “Your coffee order isn’t funny.” You raise an eyebrow. “It’s not, it’s the--it’s the way you presented it. Who describes a coffee order as a way to determine whether someone is or isn’t an enigma?”

You blink, a hint of doubt on your face. “What’s your coffee order?”

A change of topic, I’ll let you have it. “Half a packet of cream.”

Your eyebrows draw together, frowning in surprise. “That’s it? That’s your whole order?” I nod once, you frown in a way that makes it hard to keep my smile in check. “That is so not fair.”

Okay, you can’t get mad at me for laughing at that. “How?”

“Because that’s the kind of coffee order that’s like...full of intrigue, and mystery and--” You sigh, grinning, “Don’t pretend you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

I wish I could. “Save your debate for when I get back with our coffees.”

You turn as I stand. “I can get my coffee--”

“No, no, you stay here with Henry.” You’re not convinced, you’re not used to people doing things for you the way you do things for them. I turn away before you can say anything else. You’ll get used to people doing things for you.

I walk up to the counter, ordering the coffee and paying for it as the barista makes it. When I come back, you’re looking at your phone. Do you look worried, or is that in my head? You smile when you see me, pocketing your phone as I sit down across from you.

“Your unremarkable, un-mysterious coffee.”

You like that I’m joking, that we can have banter. “Thank you.” You take the cup from me, the tips of our fingers brushing. Could that have been on purpose? “How much do I owe you for the coffee.”

“Nothing.” It’s the truth--after all you’ve given me, what’s the cost of a five dollar cup of coffee?

You don’t seem to see it my way, that’s why you’re glaring in a way I think you imagine is intimidating. “Joe.”

I take a sip of coffee. “Y/n.” I use the same sharp tone that you used. “Hey, I still owe you money from babysitting.”

“I told you, you don’t--”

“And I told you, you’re getting paid whether you want to be or not.”

You hold your hands up in mock defense, easing into your seat. “Fine, but this better come out of that.”

I mean this with only love, y/n, but that’s never happening. “Okay, I concede.” Your eyebrows draw together, you’re still suspicious. I need to change the subject. “So how was Henry?”

“Amazing, you may have the world’s greatest baby.”

“He was putting on a show for you.”

You laugh slightly between sips of your drink. “Sarah told me you guys were new here.”

“We moved for Henry, you can’t beat the schools.” You nod, even though school districts have nothing to do with your world. You want to understand me. “I lived in LA for awhile, but I’m from Brooklyn.”

The corner of your mouth turns upwards. The city, something in your wheelhouse, something you know how to understand. “Brooklyn?” I nod. “Do you ever miss New York?”

Oh, this conversation. There’s only so much I can tell you about New York. “Sometimes, but sometimes you have to know when it’s time to let something go.” Like this--I need to take my own advice and let you go. Henry coos, reminding me of the permanent link I have to the unstable monster that would kill you if she ever even suspected I’ve thought about you.

“You’re right.” You nod, trying not to frown. You’re thinking of what happened to you, of what you’ve lost. “But sometimes that’s easier said than done.”

I know exactly how you feel. “If letting go was easy, there’d be less screwed up people in the world.”

You tilt your head to the side, something warm outshining the shadows of your past. See, y/n, I can help you. “That’s fair.” You take a sip of coffee, a bit of foam lingering above your top lip.

“You um...you’ve got some...” You look down, embarrassed as you wipe at the spot right next to the patch of foam.

“Did I get it?”

“Um.” You’re watching me carefully...or is it expectantly? I move my hand slowly, giving you every opportunity to stop me that I know you won’t take. My thumb brushes against the top of your lip, the rest of my fingers gently pressing beneath your jaw. The foam isn’t there anymore, but my thumb still is.

I can’t move away. I don’t want--I can’t let you go. There has to be a way for things to work out...don’t I owe it to us to try? You’re my one, y/n, I know it. I’ve always believed in the concept, the one person you’re meant for, your one soulmate. Candace wasn’t committed, Beck was a child that kept choosing ways to hurt herself, Natalie only saw me as entertainment, and Love...she’s unstable. But you--you’re worth fighting for. It might be messy, but there has to be a way, love always finds a way. I don’t have to be some kind of handcuff, maybe there’s a way for us to have everything. Maybe there’s a way for us to have Washington together.

I’ve felt sure that I found the one before, but this...it’s different. I know it is.

I brush my thumb along the slope of your lips, feeling your warmth, your softness. You hold still, your eyes are wide, like a deer caught in headlights.

You want this too, you feel our connection and it scares you for so many reasons. You’re not the type to go after a married man, much less a married neighbor with an infant son. And after what happened in New York, you’re in no state to take risks. You’re also just generally scared of being known and cared for--probably because of Ashton, who--if your sister’s texts are to be believed--probably a stalker.

All of these things are reasons for you to back away, but you don’t. If anything, you lean closer as much as you dare, just angling your head slightly. Your lips part and I hold my breath. What are you going to say?

A ringing sound forces reality to crash around us. You pull back completely, muttering a quick--and awkward--thank you, before checking your phone. If I didn’t have it out for Ashton before, I really do now.

You frown--are you upset that we were interrupted or is something else wrong? “Anything important?”

“No,” the response comes a little too fast, and you can’t quite look me in the eye. That’s okay--I’m affected by the moment we just shared too. I can be patient, I can put in the work that I need to so that you can feel comfortable being cared for. “I um--loose ends in New York.”

Loose ends that fly out because you won’t answer their obsessive phone calls? “Oh.”

“Nothing bad,” you assure me with one quick nod. “Editors keep reaching out.”

Oh, a tale as old as the social media age. You may not have benefited from a post #metoo world, but they still want you to be apart of it. They want to make you the latest of the club of petty, scorned women. They’ll have you work on a book a ghostwriter helps you with so that it can published before the news cycle can get bored of you and then they’ll send you to onto one of those talk shows where women yell at other women in the name of empowerment. They want you to take an injustice and re-market it into something viral--it’s a brutal blow to feminism, but as far as career strategies go, it’s not the worst.

But you don’t want that. You don’t really know what you want, that’s why you came here...into a town that could have come from that universe in A Wrinkle in Time. “Oh, should I expect a tell-all?”

You look away from your phone screen, wrinkling your nose. The look tells me I was right about you. You find the idea of exploiting what you’ve gone through nauseating. Maybe one day you’ll be able to talk about it, write about it even, and make the asshole that decided his dick was worth more than your career suffer, but you need time. You need someone to help you heal. “No, I can’t even write a cohesive email about what happened let alone--” You cut yourself off, reaching for your cup even though most of what’s left is ice. You don’t want to talk about this, especially not with me yet. I’m still a little more than a nice stranger, someone to be polished around. I can wait until I’m not, so I let it go. “At this point they’d take anything, but...”

Anything? Now that’s different--don’t get me wrong, it’s still an exploitation of what you went through so that some publishing house can get money, but at least they’re letting you pick the format. “But?”

You tap your nails on the counter. You’re nervous now. “I’ve always wanted to write a book, but like this...it feels like--god, this is going to sound stupid.”

How could anything causing you so much stress be stupid? “You’ve told me your coffee order, I doubt it’s worse than that.”

You look up again, almost smiling. You appreciate the joke. “It feels like cheating.” I don’t react because I know from the way that you blurted out the words like you were ripping off the world’s most adhesive bandaid, there’s more. “If I write a book, and it gets attention and everything I’ve ever wanted works out...and it’s because agents and publishers were interested in me because of what he did--it feels like cheating. It feels like my entire career will be his, and that’s exactly what he said.” Your eyes are wider now, practically glazed over. Please don’t cry over him--I don’t know what I’ll do if I see you cry over him. I don’t know if I have the self control to not search up flights to New York the second you walk away if you start crying because of him. “Forget I said anything--I told you it was stupid. And it’s not like I’ve really been able to write anything since...”

It was worse than the papers said. I don’t know how anyone could talk to you about it and not see it. He did more than just offer you something...he really hurt you. The man’s name had been kept out of several articles, but I know he wouldn’t be hard to find. He wouldn’t be hard to get rid of. You weren’t the first young writer he said he wanted to work with, you’re just the first to say something. There are no doubt more victims who were silenced, who settled in court but got nothing. It wouldn’t make me a bad person to get rid of him. I know I don’t want to do things that could make me a bad parent, but I don’t think this would. I mean, I don’t want to raise my son in a world in which men like the one that hurt women like you get away with it with no consequences.

“Y/n, there is no world, no universe, even, in which he gets credit for anything you do.” You nod, your expression softening slightly but not exactly relaxing. I don’t blame you, you’ve probably been told that by every person that you’ve told that to. I watch you carefully, desperate for any clue on how to help. How can I take your hurt away, y/n? Tell me and I’ll do it, please. “Do you want him dead?”

Shit--I shouldn’t have said that. You’ve known me for less than 48, you don’t have any background on my sense of humor yet, maybe I can play it off as a joke? Shit, you’re still looking at me like that.

“What?”

“I kind of exaggerated, a little, but I was just trying to see how angry you are. Not that you’d kill him, or that anyone would, but there’s this saying about anger and sadness and how most anger is just sadness...but that’s bullshit, because you should be angry--but not murderously angry, it’s--”

You save me from myself with a laugh. An almost teary, awkward laugh. “Relax, I didn’t think you meant it literally.” Thank god. “I don’t know how angry I am--it comes and goes, and--sometimes I think I wouldn’t mind pulling off a kind of The Count of Monte Cristo-esque situation.” Are you joking? Do you want him gone? “I shouldn’t have said that.”

“At least it’s the murder that involves the least violence.”

You don’t quite smile, but at least you’re relaxed again. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

You shrug before relaxing further into your seat. You’re trying to shrink away from me, from what you feel. “The company, the coffee, not making me feel crazy.”

“Anytime.” You nod, finally smiling again. “No I mean it--literally ‘any time’, my only options for friends here are men that virtual reality their porn, and spend a lot of time in the wilderness for no reason other than that they can, and men that make me drink caviar flavored, zero calorie energy drinks.” You laugh, the sound so genuine all of my bad thoughts are forgotten.

“The wives are nice,” your defense is weak and you know it, “if you actively try to block out most of their gossiping.” So that’s why you’ve buried yourself away, confining yourself to your backyard, and only bearing the real world out of necessity. “Natalie seemed the nicest, but that might just be because she wanted a friend.” Of course you liked Natalie. “It’s terrible, what happened to her.”

“Yeah, it really is.”

“Did you know her well?”

Outside of our almost-affair and then covering up her murder? No, not really. “She was right next door, I saw her but we didn’t talk often. Had a glass of wine with her once, around the time I moved in...but I didn’t know her well enough to be able to talk about her too much now without feeling...” How do I word this in order to get you to stop asking questions I can’t let you ask?

“I get it. Grieving someone you barely knew because they suffered a tragedy feels weird and kind of wrong if you do it openly.” ...Yeah, not quite, but let’s go with that. “I’m glad you’re honest.”

Ah, so you’ve met Sherry and you know about the way she twisted Natalie’s interference as a tool to gain more followers. You don’t know it, but this is just proof of how good you are--you won’t even turn your own pain into profit for no reason other than financial. You want to wait until you’re no longer hurt so that you can be tactful, I respect that.

“I am honest,” I agree, “and I meant it when I said we should do this again.”

You hesitate because you’re not sure if my offer is out of pity. The way your eyebrows draw together tell me you can’t stand pity. “I’d like that. I’d like to be friends.”

Friends. If that’s what we need to be for now, I’ll take it. I’ll be patient. And if I want there to be a chance of this working out, I need to be tactful. Which means I can’t let myself get lost in our moments together. Love will be back soon. “Well, friend, I’m ready to go if you are.”

“Yeah, I’m ready.”

We walk out together...a little slower than the pace we used to walk here. You’re more at ease now. You’re getting used to talking to me. You ask about my job, what I did before this...I lie as little as possible. You let me get in a few questions. By the time we’re rounding the block, I know that you’re the youngest of three. Your sister is two months shy of being ten years older than you and your brother is four years older than her. You’ve felt like the forgotten child more than you’d ever admit to yourself, but you’re not bitter about it. At least not towards your siblings. Your mother is a mystery...you speak about her like she’s an expensive vase you’ve never been allowed to touch. You never mention a father. You do mention a few good friends: an old roommate waiting for you in New York named Sicily--and you don’t let me get away with laughing at the pretentiousness of naming a child Sicily--and two girls that you used to go to NYU with, Camille and Charlie.

We’re only a few feet away from your house and I’m sadder than I should be. I’ll see you soon...and if Ashton’s there, waiting for you--

There’s a car in the driveway that wasn’t there before. That doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s him. The car is nice, it could belong to your brother-in-law--maybe he just got back from work. Or--

“Oh my god...” You stop walking, I tighten my grip on Henry’s stroller. Is it him? What kind of unstable person would follow you from New York?

The driver’s door is opened, both of us stay still as someone comes out of the car. Their back straightens as they shut the car door. It’s...

“Colin!” Your enthusiasm isn’t making me feel any better. “You’re here!”

The guy--who is honestly, way too tall for you--walks around the car. You take off, running to hug the stranger. Colin. He didn’t come up today when we were walking back to the coffee shop.

You pull away from the hug first, but Colin seems to try to make it linger. “Colin, you’re here.”

“You didn’t think I’d leave you here by yourself forever.” Maybe you did, considering that he didn’t. help you in New York.

“No, not forever.” Your tight smile tells me you’re thinking what I was thinking. It’s easy for anyone to come in like the good guy after the aftermath of an incident, but he didn’t jump into the burning building to save. “Please tell me you’re not here on behalf of the agency. I’d hate to have to kick you out.“

He works at an agency? He doesn’t care about you, y/n--he wants to use you the same way everyone else does. Why else would he show up now? If he cared, he would have been there for you before. “One, you can’t kick me out I’m staying in a hotel.” Doesn’t mean she has to let you hang around. “And two, don’t be so cynical--I missed you, babe.” Babe? Don’t be so cynical? Is this really your type, y/n? Sleazy men that are genetically pre-dispositioned to dismiss every emotion a woman feels? “And who’s this...”

"Oh, this is Joe...and his son, Henry--they live across the street.” How comforting, you didn’t completely forget my existence the moment you saw this guy park his escalade and step out in a suit that’s way too tight for a man his age. Note the sarcasm.

“Joe.” He doesn’t like me. I know it the moment he looks me in the eye--I can see it, the silent ‘thanks for watching her until I decided I was done being busy, but back off now’. “And Henry.” He waves, i have to bite back to urge to tell him to not look at my son. I’m holding it together for you. “Nice to you meet you guys.”

“Yeah, good to meet you too, man.” I can be polite for now. For your sake. I need to know who he is. I need to know how large of an obstacle has just been thrown into our already difficult path, and I can’t exactly find out in front of you. “I had fun getting coffee, but if I don’t get Henry back for his nap, his entire schedule will be off. Do you mind if I drop off the baby sitting money off later?”

“Oh, no--I don’t mind at all, do what you need to do for Henry, and I’ll see you two later.” And I’ll be seeing you first.

I wave a goodbye to Colin, because I’m holding onto the performance I need to give for you. After I turn around, I hear him whisper a sharply skeptical, “Babysitting?” To which you reply with a terribly giggly, “shut up.”

Who is this loafer wearing, neatly trimmed stubbled asshole? I don’t know, but I know I’m going to find out, because despite all the wrong things you said...you were right about one of them: I’ll see you later.

Taglist: @maggiecc @im-sidney @eveieforeve02 @caitlyn-s-bitch @darkened-writer @qardansngan @a-dorkier-book-keeper @littlebrowngirl @kittykylax @everday-imfangirling

#joe goldberg #joe goldberg x reader #joe goldberg you #joe goldberg imagine #joe goldberg x you #you netflix #you #love quinn x reader #love quinn #you show x reader #you show imagine #you imagine #penn badgley

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fics-n-stuff · 3 years

Text

Affluenza | Pt2

Pairing: JJ × Kook!Reader

Summary: Y/N celebrates her birthday with a party that she didn't want to throw and finds out a sad truth about the boy that's not quite her boyfriend, but being in each other's company makes things at least a little better.

Warnings: Mentions of abuse and descriptions of injury, reference to drugs

Word Count: 3.5k

A/N: I'm so happy that so many people liked pt1!! It means the absolute world to me that people are reading and enjoying my work 🥰 Pt3 might take a little longer to get out, but I'll try to post it asap.

Taglist: @alotbnouf @fairypitou @305weasley @thecraziestcrayon @sofamochi @arvinrussellseggplant

Thanks for reading guys ❤

Pt1 here | Pt3 here

“Why didn’t you tell me it’s your birthday on Saturday!?” JJ exclaimed, letting go of your hand and sitting up from where you had both been lying on the deck of your boat.

“I didn’t think it was that big a deal.” You replied with a laugh. “I kinda just forgot to mention it.”

“But what if I wanted to buy you a present?”

“I don’t need a present from you JJ.” You smiled, reaching up to cup his cheek and pulling him down for a kiss.

The two of you had been dating for a couple of months now, and although you very much considered yourselves to be together neither of you had said the words ‘boyfriend’ or ‘girlfriend’ yet. The time you spent together was private, you kept it a secret from everyone; you didn’t want your family to know and he was hesitant to tell his friends, exactly why you weren’t sure but you didn’t want to pry. It wasn’t as if you were sneaking around, you were just being careful.

“I have plenty things already, your company is enough.” You said, pulling away from the kiss and sitting up yourself. “But unfortunately I won’t be able to see you on my actual birthday. Mom’s making me throw a party and every teenager on Figure Eight will be there, so I doubt you’d want to come.”

“I wouldn’t be welcome even if I did want to.” JJ chuckled. You hummed in agreement.

“That’s why I wanted to celebrate today.” You chirped, getting up to retrieve a cooler that you had brought with you.

“What’s in there?”

“A special birthday picnic.”

“Oh, I see.” He grinned as you took your seat opposite him again. “And what does that consist of?”

“Well, let’s have a look.” You opened up the cooler and looked in at what you had packed with a smile. “Of course the standard picnic items; sandwiches, fruit, some baked sweets.” You listed as you took them out of the cooler. “And then, as I learned from my mother, a young lady cannot celebrate her birthday without a bottle of champagne.”

“Fancy.” JJ nodded, taking the bottle from you.

“Not as fancy as these.” You said, taking the glasses out. “Crystal champagne flutes. I snuck them out of the cabinet. We only use them for the most special of occasions and my mom loves them so we have to be careful.”

“I can be careful.” JJ poured the champagne, and you clinked your glasses with a smile. “Happy early birthday.”

“This is a much better celebration than my party will be.” You sighed, finishing your sip and setting your glass down. “I don’t understand why my mom insists that I have to have one, I’m not actually friends with anyone that’s coming.”

“But I thought you said every kid on Figure Eight was going? You’re not friends with anybody?”

“No, not really. They’re all just so fake, I can’t stand it. I genuinely don’t think that any of them are really friends with each other and they’re just constantly pretending, but I can’t be bothered to pretend.” You rolled your eyes and JJ laughed.

“Sounds exhausting.” He smiled.

“What are your friends like, J?” You asked, genuinely just curious. He told you a bit about them, stories of the crazy stuff they had done, but you never got in depth about it. You felt like it was probably because he wasn’t ready to integrate the two parts of his life.

“They’re good.” He nodded. “I mean, we’re basically family. They’re just not the biggest fans of Kooks.”

“Well, neither are you.” You giggled.

“You know what I mean. I think you’d like them, I’m just worried that they wouldn’t want to give you chance.”

“How much do you bet I could win them over just like I did you?”

“I wouldn’t love it if you won them over exactly the same way as me.” He smirked, gently taking hold of your chin and pulling you in for a kiss, which you both laughed into. “I'm gonna get you a birthday present. What if I come by on Saturday just for a minute to deliver it?”

“You know I’ll be happy to see you, but nobody else at the party will.”

“Eh, who cares.” He shrugged, and you grinned broadly.

“Okay, if you insist.” You conceded. “Now let’s eat this picnic that I so painstakingly curated.”

+ + +

Your birthday party was in full swing, the ground floor of your house teeming with teenagers. People were drinking, dancing and jumping in the pool and you weren’t enjoying any of it.

Your mother had gifted you a particularly ugly necklace that was basically just a tangle of gold chain, and Nicholas had openly bad mouthed your father for only getting you a few books, even though that’s what you had asked for. The detest that you felt for him was justified. Your dad was actually supposed to have arrived back on the island the day before, but it wasn’t unusual for him to get held up with work.

You pushed past a group of boys having some loud conversation on your way into the kitchen and poured yourself a strong drink. You threw the drink back in one gulp and slammed the plastic cup back down onto the countertop with a loud sigh.

“What’s wrong, birthday girl?” Topper asked over the music, his arm slung around Sarah’s shoulders as they came up beside you.

“I’m fine.” You shrugged.

“Did your dad get you a good present this year?” Sarah asked with a smile. “A new car maybe?”

“I already have a car.” You replied with a flat chuckle. “He got me some books that I asked for.”

“That’s kinda boring.�� Topper commented. You rolled your eyes and Sarah smacked him in the side.

“I think that’s sweet. What kind if books?”

You told Sarah about the books you had gotten, actually kind if enjoying the conversation. Sarah was actually pretty easy to talk to, you felt like the fact that you weren’t putting on an act made her kind of drop hers, and it was a refreshing break from the way that the rest of the teens on Figure Eight were constantly pretending to be the perfect versions of themselves.

Your explanation of the premise of one of your books was interrupted when you felt your phone ringing in your pocket. You took it out and saw that it was your dad, and you smiled.

“I gotta take this.” You excused quickly before rushing outside to get away from the music. You answered the call excitedly, greeting your dad with a bright tone.

“Hey, Pumpkin, happy birthday!” He exclaimed. “I’m sorry I didn’t call this morning, I got caught up in meetings. You know how it is.”

“I know, dad. It’s okay, you’re calling now. Are you done with work? Do you think you’ll get here tonight?” You questioned eagerly. You heard him let out a sigh, and your smile fell.

“About that, sweetheart, I’ve had a few bumps in the road.” He began. You felt your heart sink and you were already scolding yourself for getting your hopes up before he could even tell you what the reason for missing your birthday was. “My meetings haven’t gone as well as I’d hoped and it looks like I’m going to be held up for a few more days.”

“Oh, right, okay.” You nodded, keeping your voice steady even as your eyes welled with tears. “Hope things get better then.”

“I’m sorry, Y/N, I really did want to be there. I promise I’ll make it up to you when I get back; we can have a movie marathon night, completely your pick.” You let out a chuckle despite yourself. He might not be around much but he still knew you well, and movie marathon nights were one of your favourite things to do with him.

“Sounds great, dad. I can’t wait.”

“I hope you’ve had a good day, at least. What have you been getting up to?”

“I’m having a party, actually.” You replied. You didn’t need to tell him that you didn’t want to have the party and weren’t actually really enjoying it.

“Right now? I’ll let you get back to it then.” Your dad smiled down the phone. “Have fun.”

“Thanks, dad.”

“Love you, Pumpkin.”

“Love you too.”

You said your goodbyes and ended the call, and you tucked your phone back into the pocket of your shorts. You just stood there for a few moments, the loud music and whooping of partying teenagers emanating from the house, before tears began to fall. You shook with a silent sob and had to take a seat on the concrete of your driveway.

You sat there, with your legs pulled up to your chest and your head in your knees, for a few minutes. You sniffed, wiping your tears away on the back of your hand, when you heard a shuffle of footsteps and looked up quickly.

“JJ.” You acknowledged quickly, furiously wiping at your eyes as he walked up the driveway.

“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” He asked, his voice edged with concern. You were ready to brush away his concerns, but as he got closer you saw the bruising on his face and suddenly you had some worries of your own.

“What happened to you?”

“I asked first.” JJ countered. You watched him as he came to sit down next to you, lifting your hand and softly placing it just below his purpled cheekbone, inspecting the fresh bruising around his eye and the split in his lip, then noticing the discolouration around his collarbone. He took the hand away gently, intertwining your fingers, and you saw that there was no bruising on his knuckles; these weren’t injuries earned in a fair fight. “Why are you crying?” He repeated.

“No, that doesn’t matter.” You shook your head. You weren’t trying to downplay your upset anymore, you just knew that whatever had happened to JJ was more important. “Who did this to you, JJ?”

“I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.” He smiled, but there was no joy or amusement behind it. You hesitated for a moment before conceding.

“My dad missed my birthday again.” You told him. “The last time he actually made it home for my actual birthday was when I turned eleven, and yet somehow I still get my hopes up every year. I hate this party, there are at least three different types of club drugs being taken in my house right now, I’m sad. You’re turn.”

JJ sighed. He looked down at your joined hands, pausing to think for a moment before looking back up at you. He let out a short breath of soft laughter, lifting his free hand and smoothing his thumb over the crease that had formed on your brow.

“Promise not to freak out?” He asked.

“Okay.” You replied shakily. You could try to limit your reaction at least. “But you have to tell me the truth, J.”

“My dad hits me.” JJ said quickly, and you felt your lips part in shock. “I stay with John B most of the time, I try to stay out of his way when I’m home, but it’s not like I can avoid him completely.”

“Wha- Why don’t you tell somebody?” You stuttered. “Call the police or protective services or-?”

“I don’t want to.” He interrupted. “I’m happy here with my friends and if I get protective services involved then they’ll ship me off to the mainland. I can deal with my dad.”

“This doesn’t look like dealing.” You muttered softly, pushing the collar of his t-shirt to the side to get a better look at the bruise that it was partially covering. “When is this from?”

“Yesterday. I went home to get some money so I could buy you this.” JJ shifted to reach into his pocket and pulled out a small, flat box. “It’s not much but it’s all I could afford.”

You took the box from him curiously, unlinking your hand from his so that you could pull off the lid. Inside was a small silver necklace, a thin chain with a small circular pendant. When you lifted it up you saw that the pendant had a map of the world etched into it. The necklace was simple and sweet, and you felt a big smile take over your face.

“You didn’t have to get me this, J.” You simpered.

“I told you I wanted to.” He smiled back. You handed the box back to him and turned to face away, and JJ eagerly fastened the chain around your neck. He struggled a little with the tiny clasp, making you giggle. His hands ran over your shoulders before he dropped them, and you turned back to him with the smile gone from your face.

“You went through that just so you could buy this for me?” You murmured. JJ's smile faltered but didn’t fall, and he nodded slightly.

“It’s not your fault, Y/N. It’s just what happens.”

You sat silently for a little while, but your peaceful moment was interrupted by a loud round of cheering from inside. You looked over your shoulder towards the house with a groan, but then lightened up when you got an idea.

“You wanna get away from this bullshit?” You asked, gesturing towards the party.

“You wanna leave your own birthday party?” He asked with a chuckle. You shrugged.

“Nobody will notice that I’m gone. I’ll just have to come back at, like, midnight to kick everybody out.”

“Okay, then let’s go.” JJ smiled.

“Alright. Give me one minute.” You giggled, getting up quickly. “Just wait here a sec.”

You ran back into the house and pushed past all of the people to the stairs, heading up to your bedroom. You had kept the door locked to keep out horny couples. You rooted through one of your drawers until you found a set of keys, switched out of your party sandals to a pair of converse, and grabbed your car key off of your vanity before heading back out, making sure to lock your door behind you again.

You paused on the stairs to scan the crowd until you spotted Sarah, and pushed past the bodies towards her.

“Y/N! Where’d you go?” She shouted over the music.

“Just outside. I’m gonna disappear from the party for the bit, can you call me if something major happens?” You asked. Sarah frowned.

“But this is your birthday party.”

“I know it’s weird, but I’ve got some other stuff going on right now and I just need to get away for a bit.”

“Okay, I guess that makes sense. I’ll call you if anything happens.” She nodded, though the confusion was still clear on her face.

“Thanks. I’ll see you later.” You smiled, before heading back out.

JJ was stood at the side of the driveway waiting for you when you came back out, slamming the front door shut after yourself. You grabbed his hand and pulled him after you to your car with a smile.

“Where are we going?” He questioned as you started the engine and began backing out.

“My other house.” You answered.

“Sorry, did you say ‘other house’?”

“My dad’s house. He hasn’t been home in eight months and I haven’t been there in about five, but a cleaner comes by every two weeks to maintain it.” You explained.

“Jesus you’re rich.” JJ mumbled. He had a teasing smile on his face but the comment made you feel a little guilty.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to show off or anything. We don’t have to go to my dad’s if you don't want-"

“Y/N, it’s fine.” He laughed. “You didn’t choose to be born into a rich family the same way I didn’t choose to be born into a poor one.”

“I know, I just don’t want to be... insensitive isn’t the right word. I just don’t want to seem like I take it for granted; I don’t want you think that I’m that kind of person.”

“I don’t.” He assured you. “You don’t treat me like I’m any different for being poor, so I don’t care that you’re rich.”

It wasn’t long until you were pulling into the driveway of your dad’s house. It was grand and expensive looking, but it was still smaller than your mom’s; she had kept the house after the divorce and since your dad wasn’t even home most of the time he’d decided that he didn’t need quote so much space.

The inside was modestly decorated, no elaborate sculptures or outlandish wall decorations like so many of the other houses on Figure Eight. The furniture was very nice, and the few paintings and things that were on the walls were expensive, but your father was a man of simple taste. He didn’t even have any fancy chandeliers.

“I expected something more opulent for the richest man in the Outer Banks.” JJ commented as he looked around.

“Since when was opulent a word in your vocabulary?” You questioned with a giggle. JJ gasped, and pinched you in the side with a frown.

“I’m not completely dumb.” He objected.

You laughed, grabbing his hand and dragging him after you into the living room. You flicked on the light before dropping yourself onto the sofa and pulling JJ down with you.

“What kind of movies do you like?” You asked him as you picked up the remote and switched on the TV.

“Uh, I don’t know, action and horror.” He shrugged.

“What kind of horror? Slasher? Psychological? Paranormal?”

“I don’t know.” He chuckled. You gave an exaggerated sigh, going into the horror section on Netflix.

“Fine, I guess I’ll pick.”

You ended up putting on The Blair Witch Project after discovering that JJ had never seen it, and the two of you settled down. You were thankful to be away from the crowded mess of your birthday party and just have a quiet night with JJ.

“But I don’t understand how they managed to make it scary, basically nothing happened.” JJ perplexed after the movie ended.

“Yeah, that’s why it’s genius.” You grinned up at him. Throughout the course of the film you had ended up lying across the sofa with your head resting on his lap. “All of the horror is in the fact that you know that something this out there but you never see it. Modern horror movies could never.”

“That’s crazy bro.” He said, making you laugh. He looked down at you with an amused smile and a sparkle in his eye that made your heart jump.

“Do you wanna stay here for the night?” You offered once your laughter subsided. “I’m sure my dad has some stuff in his closet that you can sleep in.”

“Are you sure? I mean, don’t you have to go home?”

“Nah, my mom and Nicholas are staying at a hotel tonight so that I can have my party so they won’t know that I’m not there.” You shrugged. “You don’t have to stay if you don’t want to.”

“No, I’d like to stay.” He smiled. You let out a relieved breath that you didn’t realise you’d been holding.

“Cool. I need to go and kick everyone out of my house but we can watch another movie when I get back if you want?”

“Sounds good to me. Do you want me to come with you?”

“Probably best if you don’t, you know, with the whole ‘every Kook on the island is there’ thing.” JJ laughed lightly at that.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He nodded. “Can I have a shower while you’re gone.”

“Sure.” You chuckled as you sat up. “You can use my en suite and I’ll get you something to change into.”

You took him upstairs, grabbing a t-shirt and a pair of gym shorts from one of your dad’s drawers before showing him into your room. It was plainly decorated like the rest of the house, but you had posters and photos tacked up and covering almost every inch of the walls.

“This is nice.” JJ smiled, looking around.

“Don’t go snooping around while I’m gone, a person’s bedroom is their kingdom.”

“I’ll mind my own business.” He agreed with a salute that made you grin.

“And make sure you dry off properly, I don’t want you dripping all over my nice carpet.”

“Jeeze, any more rules?”

“Uh, nope. I think that’s it.” You chirped. “I should be back in, like, half an hour. I’m pretty sure I left some chicken nuggets in the freezer last time I was here, you can have those if you get hungry. Or maybe I’ll get takeout on my way back?”

“Takeout sounds good.” JJ nodded, beaming, and pulled you in for a kiss before you left.

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