#and this story is kind of insufferable so now i want to put it down and watch levres de sang you have failed. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

glitterquadricorn · 2 months

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Look What You Made Me Do - MV1

+summary: The couple was once thought to be the modern-day Romeo and Juliet (minus the unaliving part). Where you saw her, Max was not too far behind and vice versa. And despite his father's insistence to stay from her, he simply couldn't. He was enthralled by her and her persistence on the track. Together, they rose through the ranks and found themselves to be teammates in Formula one. But their story turns sour when Max betrays her in the worst way possible. +pairing: Max Verstappen x F1!driver +warnings: cheating, mentions the p*quets, curse words, hate comments, poorly edited. If i missed something, let me know.

face claim: Florence Pugh

I do not give my permission to have my work reposted. I do not give my permission to have my work translated. If I'm notified that you've stolen my work or claim it as your own, you'll be asked to take it down before I'll report you. End of discussion.

Her phone constantly vibrated against the glass coffee table of Max and Her's home. People were mentioning her in a tweet made from one of those wag accounts saying that Max was spotted with another woman that wasn't her and that he could be cheating. 'Max wouldn't cheat on me, right?' she thought to herself. Although, she remembered he had been acting rather weird lately. But him acting weird could mean anything.

The sound of the front door opening and closing and keys hitting the ceramic bowl alerted her that Max was home. Her eyes went straight to the bright orange bag in his hand. The same bright orange bag from the picture in the tweet.

"What's going on in that head of yours, Schatz?" Max hugged her, kissing the top of her head. He smelled like her.

"Thinking about what to make for dinner. Anything in particular?"

"I was thinking we could get takeout."

"Sounds good." She watched as Max turned towards their bedroom and tucked neatly into the collar of his shirt, which was a redbull shirt no shock there, was a semi dark hickey. A hickey she knew she didn't put there. Maybe that one tweet was right.

Dinner that night was a silent affair. The question of rather or not he was actually cheating weighed heavily on her mind. One half of her was being completely ignorant and believing Max would never do such a thing. The other half, the rational half, are putting the pieces together and ringing the alarm bells and are practically shouting from the rooftops that he is most definitely cheating. It was getting to be too much for her.

"Are you cheating on me?"

Max began choking on the water in his mouth. "What? Are you crazy? Where are you even getting this from?"

"It's just- I kept getting tagged in that one tweet-"

"And you believe it? You know those kinds of accounts make stuff up."

"Never said I did, Max," she said. "But explain the orange shopping bag, or how you got that hickey on your neck, or how you smell like none of the perfumes I have."

"I don't have to deal with this." Max stood up from the table and y/n followed after him.

"So, they're true?"

"Y/n, I don't want to talk about this right now."

"Well, that's just too damn bad. We're talking about this now because If we don't it won't get talked about at all."

Max faced her, his body shaking with anger. "Fine! Yes, I did cheat on you. Is that what you wanted to hear? How you weren't good enough and will never be good enough for me? How you'll never be good enough for anyone? How sometimes I can't fucking stand you to be around you? You. are. insufferable."

Her eyes started to fill with tears. In all the years she's known Max, he's never not once gotten this mad nor has he ever been this hateful. As if he realized what he's said, he began to apologize profusely.

"I'm so, so sorry, Schatz." Max tried to come closer to comfort her, but she stepped away.

"Thanks for letting me know how you really feel about me, Max. I'll uh get out of your hair."

"Y/n, please-"

"No amount of apologizing will ever make me forget what you said. You were the love of my life, the man that I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with and have kids with."

"But we can still have that!"

"It's rather funny you're trying to save a relationship you destroyed," she chuckled loudly at Max's audacity. "Tell me, how long have you been cheating? And be honest, I deserve that much."

With his head hung low in shame, he mumbled, "Nearly a year."

"Unbelievable."

Before heading off to their bedroom to pack some clothes, she looked at the man she once loved. "You know, I've dealt with a lot in my life. I've traveled the world seeing it in a whole new light while doing what I loved, been in a crash or two that was painful, seen and experienced things I didn't think I'd be able to experience, but this... this hurts the most."

Once she left the house, she got in her car and tapped on her lawyer's number, texting him.

I don't care how you do it, but just get me out my redbull contract. DON'T TELL ANYONE ABOUT THIS.

yourinstagram(left) and maxverstappen1(right) . 2hrs ago

yourinstagram

liked by taylorswift, lilymhe, pierregasly and 932,312 others.

yourinstagram: Mama Tay once said don't get sad, get even 💅🏻💋#newsponsor #newthingsarecoming

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taylorswift I taught you well young grasshopper. liked by yourinstagram

lilymhe where are you going dressed like that? cause damn. ⤷ yourinstagram sponsorship meeting with a new sponsor.

user1 you want to explain that second picture?

user2 looking respectfully.

user3 new things coming? what's that supposed to mean? ⤷ user4 she did say she got a new sponsor and I assume it's with Chanel. ⤷ user5 I can't help but think the whole new things coming means something else.

pierregasly 👀👀 ⤷ yourinstagram just taking lessons from you.

francisca.cgomes are you single? ⤷ yourinstagram why yes, I am. you asking me out on a date? ⤷ francisca.cgomes of course! ⤷ pierregasly I'm right here you know. ⤷ yourinstagram I'll make sure to have her home before midnight 😉

user6 not y/n flirting with pierre's girlfriend 🤣

For half an hour, she sat on the couch listening to Lando, Logan, Charles and Pierre answer questions about their summer break, their hopes for the second half of the season and what they want for their teams/cars. Not one question came her way, and she was happy about that. She hated doing media with a passion. She could understand they had bills to pay, families to support, but if she could get away with not doing any kind of media without being fined for it, she'd happily do it.

Just when she thought she'd have an easy day, a reporter she was familiar with, one she has had problems with since her debut in 2021, raised her hand.

"Mackenzie Smith, Espn. I have a question for you, y/n," she smiled. "Over the summer break there was a rumor going around saying you were leaving redbull at the end of the season. Is that true? Can you maybe give some insight on that?"

It's an innocent question to ask, but knowing Mackenzie, she'll somehow go off topic and ask questions she has no business asking about.

"Accounts like that always make up some of the most ridiculous things for clicks. Unfortunately, people believe it and until me, or my agent confirms it, then it's just that. A rumor."

Mackenzie huffed, clearly not satisfied with that answer. But if there's something about Mackenzie everyone should know, is she has a habit of asking rather intrusive questions she has no business asking. "Your relationship with fellow driver, Max Verstappen, ended over the summer break as well."

"My relationship, or lack thereof, is not yours or anyone's business. End of discussion."

"But he-"

"Yeah, and I said end of discussion. What part of that did you not understand?" she paused. "Now, does anyone have any other questions? No? Okay."

She sat the microphone down beside her and walked out the room. Was she going to get lectured by her PR manager? Yeah. Was she going to be fined for walking out? Probably. But she didn't care and if there was one thing she knew she didn't have to sit there and be questioned about her personal life.

porscheformula1team

liked by yourinstagram, mickschumacher, and 1,253,549 others.

porscheformula1team: Come meet our drivers! Mick, who is returning to the f1 grid after missing out on the 2023 season and Y/n, who finished 2nd in the drivers' standings. The future for Porsche looks bright!

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yourinstagram Thank you for this amazing opportunity, Porsche. ⤷porscheformula1team: No, thank you for taking the risk and signing with us.

mickschumacher It's good to be back in formula one.

user7 while I am excited for Mick to be back, I just think y/n is a backstabber for leaving a team that pretty built her entire career. ⤷user6 did you honestly think y/n would stick around after Max cheated on her?

user8 this is the best thing to wake up to!

user9 redbull was holding y/n back, so it's a good thing she left.

user10 future wdc winners? liked by mickschumacher, yourinstagram,porscheformula1team

user11 best driver's pairing in f1 liked by porscheformula1team

user12 signing these two was the biggest mistake Porsche ever made. ⤷porscheformula1team we beg to differ. ⤷user13 Porsche defending mick and y/n 🥰🤗

Max Why didn't you tell me you were leaving? When did you even sign with porsche?

Y/N Didn't know I was obligated to tell you I was leaving. I signed back in August after I got that Chanel sponsor.

Max YOU SIGNED BACK IN AUGUST?! WTF

Y/N I move fast just like you.

Max What's that supposed to mean?

Y/N It means you're okay with getting into a relationship with Kelly 2 weeks after we broke up.

Max You're being childish, y/n.

Y/N Did you really think I'd stay after you cheated? In 2024, you better get used to being behind me because that WDC is mine.

Don't let this flop. I worked real hard on it.

ALL PICTURES ARE FROM PINTEREST AND CREDIT TO THE OWNERS.

Tagging:

@letsgetfuckingsuperwholocked @patzammit @tinycyberhacker @keenmarvellover @mrspeacem1nusone @lendeluxe @alexxavicry @allenajade-ite @catswag22 @eugene-emt-roe @wcnorris @bibissparkles @cherry-piee

#formula 1 x reader #formula one x reader #formula one x driver!reader #formula 1 x y/n #formula one imagine #formula one x y/n #f1 x reader

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manicpixiefelix · 4 months

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head, heart, hand. {Felix Catton/Reader/Oliver Quick}

Part 3.

Summary: Your second year at Oxford brings with it Farleigh, much to your delight, and you get to learn about Farleigh's personal nemesis (which he rolls his eyes at every time you call him that) Oliver. It turns out Oliver's actually very lovely, and does Felix quite the favour one unassuming morning. Farleigh's not happy to see him again, but Felix is.

{ masterpost }

Need to Know: They/Them. Explicitly NB Reader. FWB!Reader/Felix. Reader is from a well off family but has pretty much been adopted by the Cattons.

Warnings: heavy drinking by everyone at the pub including the reader, and 'dog' being used to demean the reader once.

A/N: 5101 words. much longer than the last ones, and we finally have oliver!! very excited to FINALLY be able to write their weird little fuckin dynamic at oxford, i love them all very much. im a bit unhappy with the pacing of the beginning but i like how it picks up once oli is introduced, but also the bar scene is SO LONG and i will not apologise i love them your honour. id be mighty grateful for any feedback or if you have any thoughts in general about the story, i stare at so many kind asks in my inbox lovingly, i will answer them very soon i promise!! also this is so unedited, sorry lol.

Taglist: @strangemaximoff @renaissance-mama @tsach @malscorner @xhoneymoonx134 @yelchinweasleylothbrok @tarriea @florencediet @butitsbetterifyoudoittoem @belladonnadarksshade @fandom-multiamory @snazzynacho @jubileexoxo @soocore @be-lla-vie @nightingale2124 @willow-sages @null4ndv0id @gracieluvthemoon @day2dream @marvellover98 @navixfr @bitxhinthecomments @daintylovers @alesunsets @noturningbacknow @d0llysposts @alilcloudy @callsignwidow @moviequotes23 @325575 @bonnieblue0606 @osoqueen125 @hot-dino-nuggies @darkness-falls-xo @mattymurderdocks @flowerecs @weepingwitchofthewest @ilovemydinoboi @marsmallow433 @king0flies @cashtons-wife

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At first you don't notice him for who he is. At first you hear about Farleigh's insufferable tutoring partner. At first, Oliver Quick means absolutely nothing to you.

The most important part of your second year of college is that Farleigh has finally conceded to joining you and Felix at Oxford. Once, during the last Summer break, while Felix had been off confronting his at-the-time good friend Eddie, after Farleigh had told him Eddie and Venetia had been sleeping together, you and Farleigh had gotten high in the maze to avoid the fallout.

Since the Cattons were paying for his education, he'd admitted that he wanted to remove himself as much as possible from his mother's legacy and memory and the guilt Sir James held about his sister. It would be hard to do at a college where he would be a legacy student because of his mother's attendance. You think you partly understood; certain people, usually staff, liked to kiss your ass when they found out about your own legacy status and the people your parents became, you're not so sure they'd treat Farleigh the same, all things considered.

But he's out of options.

Sometimes you're not sure what to make of Farleigh; his strange place in the Catton family was never something they seemed to like to discuss around you, but Farleigh was far more candid about it. So when he pulls these stunts, gets himself kicked out of schools, puts himself in precarious positions despite how you knew he genuinely enjoyed academics, especially literature, you can't help but wonder why.

"Don't try and pathologize it," you could hear him rolling his eyes as he attempted to scale the minotaur statue in the middle of the maze. Looking up at him from where you're laying in the grass, you watch him rise above the walls into the sunshine. Maybe it's dangerous, maybe he should stop, get down, be safe, but he looks far more content up there, on the edge. Maybe he feels freer up there, even if he knows it's not true.

So now he's with you and Felix at Oxford, a first year only academically, he slots perfectly into the group of friends you'd both already managed to collect.

The point is, you have no idea that of everything that happens in those first few weeks of your second year, the parties, the hook ups, the social dances you found yourself doing, that the guy Farleigh likes to complain about from his tutoring sessions - Oliver, Farleigh always says it with an eye roll - would mean so much more to you than you'd ever expect.

Everything about the man you would come to find extraordinary, from the outside, was completely, and charmingly, ordinary. Including how you'd met him.

Felix had overslept again, and threw a pillow at the door when you'd stuck your head into his room to remind him that he had classes. You'd left yourself enough time to walk, but Felix would have to at least run if he didn't get his ass up soon, or would ride his bike instead. Its on your way, so you duck your head in to at least check it there.

What you don't expect is the unassuming man with dark hair to have a gentle, almost caressing hand on the tire of Felix's bike. When you make a confused noise, he about jumps a foot in the air.

"Sorry," he seems to shrink in from himself, recoiling from the bike like he'd been caught red handed, "just admiring." He babbles, but can't meet your eyes. For a moment, you look over him, before turning your attention to the ludicrously expensive mountain bike that Felix has always taken for granted.

"It is a nice bike," you find yourself grinning, stepping towards the bike and giving the tire a squeeze, both as a show of your own appreciation, and to test the pressure, just in case, "didn't mean to spook you..." And you trail off, prompting for his name, holding your hand out.

It hangs in the air for a moment, and the man before you gives you a proper look over. The way he holds himself, as if trying to take up as little space as physically possible, but his eyes, his gaze, oh it longed to swallow whole every detail of everything he cast it upon.

"Oliver," he says after a very long moment. Despite his demure voice, there's something deliberate, unwavering about it, "Quick," he follows it up with, "I'm Oliver Quick." And he ducks his gaze, sparing you from his intensity as you shake his hand.

"Oliver Quick," you turn the name over on your tongue; the same Oliver that Farleigh's been complaining about, you ponder, before giving him a smile, "I'm Y/N." As soon as the handshake drops, Oliver's doing that thing again, shrinking back and looking uncomfortable in the space.

"Yeah, I think I've seen you around," Oliver nods but can't meet your gaze, "around campus, I mean -" Which reminds you -

"Fuck, I'm almost running late," you hissed, spinning on your heel, "sorry to run Ollie, you seem lovely!" You call over your shoulder as you bolt to class, hearing him calling out;

"No trouble," and awkwardly trailing off the further away you get, "you seem... very nice too..."

Bursting through the door to your tutorial with five minutes to spare, your lecture looks up from his desk for a brief moment. Giving him a nod, you try and slip past him to grab a seat by one of your friends, chatting near the back, when he raises his voice.

"No Mister Catton today either, I presume," he says with a sigh, and you again check you watch before plastering on an apologetic smile.

"He'll be here," you assured, "promise." The professor did not seem impressed.

Sitting next to India, she immediately greets you with a hug.

"Felix hung over?" She grins, and you anyway in respond with a smirk.

"After last night? I'd assume so."

"King's Arms tonight?"

"Of course."

When he does eventually show up, it's ten minutes late with an apology about how his bike had gotten a flat tire. The professor, just tells him to take a seat, and Felix does with many placating thanks, sliding into one of the open few open seats in the row in front of yours. Ruffling his hair, he throws a faintly guilty grin over his shoulder at you and India, telling you both not to start.

After the tutorial, you fully intend of having lunch with India, as the two of you don't have any other classes until the afternoon, the two of you walk with Felix to where he'd stashed his bike before his next lecture. Except -

"That's not yours," you look at the bicycle curiously, "I thought you had a flat."

"Had," Felix agrees, wheeling the unfamiliar bike from the rack with a grin, "bloody angel of a man lent me his."

"Of course someone just gave you their bike," India chuckles, reaching out to give Felix's shoulder a squeeze before he mounts the bike with intent to take off.

"Lent," Felix grinned back, "I'm gonna give it back."

"And what about yours?" You asked, eyebrows raised.

"He took it back for me."

"Your hero," you laughed, shaking your head at him.

"My absolute hero," Felix agreed, "I'll tell you about it later, okay? King's Arms tonight?"

And once he's away, and you and India are on your way to the campus cafe, her arm tucked in hers, she gives you a knowing, almost exasperated smile.

"You're already trying to figure out how to fix his tire, aren't you?" Her nails dig a little too much and her smile's a little too sly and her tone almost grates against a thought you don't like to consider, so you push it to the back of your mind and give an embarrassed little smile.

"Was it that obvious?"

"No, but you are," she leans in, lips almost against your ear, smile in her voice, "endearingly predictable," she murmurs against the shell of your ear, "you're always wrapped up in him."

"Right now I seem to be rather wrapped up in you," you rest your free hand on hers, tucked into the crook of her elbow, taking her hint and lowering your voice to something flirty.

"And make darling Felix wait?" She teased in response. Instead of answering her properly, you ask her back to your dorm under the guise of lunch and she happily accepts.

The bike shop is closed and Felix has class and you can't even be sure if this supposed bike saviour has even returned Felix's bike by now; there's no waiting, but India likes feeling prioritised, so you keep all that to your self. India likes to feel important in Felix's life. Anyone who Felix spends even a little of his time and attention on ends up rather addicted to that feeling, to feeling special to Felix Catton, and India is one of the many who have picked up on your own importance to the man himself.

So you're not dating India. You're also not not dating India; you're a placeholder of sorts, which would be cruel to you if you didn't like her well enough or if you weren't satisfied taking your fun with her. It would also probably be cruel to India if she knew the truth, that Felix thought she was hot and wasn't ready to commit to maybe dating her, but that he was getting that way he sometimes got about people, that he wanted them around, wanting to not share them, but without devoting himself to them. That's where you come in. A placeholder. A proxy. An almost. Someone who makes this pretty girl feel important and close to Felix. Someone Felix isn't worried about falling in love with India even while keeping her happy and around.

When you arrive late to the King's Arms with your own around India's shoulders, Felix lights up while Farleigh, from beside him, narrows his eyes with a smirk.

"Cute shade of lipstick," he says slyly, even as he moves over at Felix's insistence to fit both yourself and India in the booth beside him. Farleigh flicks the collar of the shirt you'd thrown on in a rush to get dressed for afternoon classes, "on both of you."

"Are you jealous, Farleigh?" India grins, taking it all in stride as you pull your collar out with your thumb to try and inspect it. India's lipstick was smeared faintly against the collar from where she'd been enthusiastically kissing her way down your jaw a few hours earlier.

"Of course," Farleigh's sly smile widens to a cocky grin, and he winks at her, while she leans over you to plant a kiss on the corner of his mouth with a wicked grin.

"Right in front of her partner?" Annabel, Felix's latest fling was on his other side, reaching over Felix to shove Farleigh's shoulder with a scandalised laugh.

"Not really together," India mused, even as she shifted to lean heavily against you, her arm around you and tucking herself up by your side. You nodded in kind, shrugging as Felix had to hide his laughter in his pint.

"And besides," Farleigh declares in a voice you knew all too well, "if anyone knows how to share it's Y/N," with a cheshire-cat smile and making a show of putting his hand far up your thigh under the table. Surprised by the outright boldness of it all, Felix, who had been trying to take a sip to cover his amusement, ends up snorting beer out of his nose as he laughs, which sets the whole table off.

It's later in the night, several rounds of drinks and plates of chips, when you finally remember to ask Felix about his bike. There's this look in his eyes as he recounts the details, how he'd somehow gotten on the wrong side of something small and sharp when he'd been found by his 'absolute hero'.

"Ollie," he says brightly, "Ollie - Oliver - something, I don't -" he's babbling, and though he doesn't at the time, both yourself and Farleigh react, though in vastly different ways.

"Oliver?" Farleigh draws out the name with disdain, like it's done him some sort of personal affront, or set off a bad smell, judging by his expression.

"Don't make that face," Felix rolls his eyes, giving Farleigh a good-natured shove, but it's all becoming background noise to you as you glance over your shoulder. In your mind, all you can focus on the brief but captivating moments you shared with a blue-eyed Oliver just this morning. As if by fate, when you finally come back to reality, and realise you're staring at the bar, you see those same blue eyes staring back at you, intense and surprised.

"There he is!" Behind you, Felix's voice raises above the din of the pub with barely restrained glee, "Ollie! Oliver! Oliver!" And immediately those blue eyes snap to your attention-grabbing best friend, "come over here, mate!" Felix insists, and you drop your gaze with a faint smile.

As Felix loudly and insistently vies for Oliver's attention and company, you briefly raise your gaze, only to see the disdain on Farleigh's face having grown immensely.

Oliver. Farleigh's classmate Oliver. Insufferable tutoring Oliver. Know-it-all Oliver. 'Thus' Oliver. No regard for style in his academics or his wardrobe Oliver.

Felix's hero, Oliver.

Considering how much joy Farleigh took from ribbing you at every given opportunity, just to see your squirm for his amusement, you supposed you could take some joy from his discomfort in this moment. When he sees your smug smile he scowls at you.

"This guy's my fucking hero," you've heard that warmth in Felix's voice a hundred times over, "just telling everyone how you saved my ass today," you wonder how long it will take Oliver to fall for him too.

Oliver, for his part, plays at being abashed as the rest of the group gives him faint compliments, gaze surprisingly shallow as he takes you all in. Keeping your own eyes down for the moment, you take the cigarette from India that you'd been sharing with her. You quickly reach into Felix's jean pocket beside you for the lighter you know is there, and when you look up to light it, cigarette poised between your lips, you see Oliver's gaze momentarily focused on the lack of space between yourself and Felix, where your hand had disappeared. Felix, you know without even having to look at him, hasn't even looked away from Oliver once.

"Take a seat, I owe you a drink," Felix grins, and is already shoving the few people on his left, before you put a hand on his arm to get him to settle down.

"Could you get the next round, India?" You ask her quietly, and though she hesitates for a moment, she relents, considering it was meant to be her shout after all.

Oliver is hesitating as India stands and smooths out her skirt, heading for the bar, and finally Felix remembers that most people's worlds don't revolve around him.

"Oh, sorry, are you with friends?"

Another moment of deliberation from Oliver, before he finally relents to Felix, and agrees to join them. Looking around, there's a chair next to a table behind Farleigh that was going unused, or -

When you pat the now empty seat at the end of the booth beside yourself, you're not looking at Oliver. Chin in your hand and cigarette poised between your fingers, you're giving Farleigh a grin that's all teeth, while he looks like he's trying to stave off a sudden tension headache.

"Come here, Oliver Quick," you refuse to explain your smug smile, "I don't bite."

"Yes they do," Farleigh huffs in irate response, to which most of the rest of the group cracks up. The leather beside you shifts, and you can feel the heat Oliver radiates before you even look at him.

"Quick, Oliver Quick!" Felix, behind you, is muttering almost to himself, before adding, "wait, how did you know that?" And throwing himself practically over your shoulder as you'd turned to face Oliver properly.

"We met this morning," you say quietly, gaze fixed on Oliver's, on the way he's taking you both in. With Felix's chin on your shoulder, the two of you cheek to cheek and watching him with interest, it could be enough to send anyone else running. But his gaze isn't the shallow one he'd ghosted across the others, he's drinking this moment, and the both of you, in. Smile stretching wide across your face and you tip your head against Felix's, "just as lovely as I thought," and turning your face even slightly towards Felix means your lips against his temple, not that either of you seem to mind, "your hero."

"My fuckin' hero," Felix agrees adamantly, though you and he sit back as India approaches with a tray of pints and an exasperated look.

"And you've given up my seat," she sighs, placing the drinks on the table for everyone else to take their share. Farleigh's already passive-aggressively reached behind himself to grab the extra empty chair, and you promise to make it up to her with a heavy layer of implications that the rest of the table snickers at.

Introductions are made and drinks are had and the night carries on apace until you, at the very least, felt like you could call yourself reasonably wasted. Despite how quiet Oliver is in the general conversation, Felix makes a point of always including him, arm around your shoulders so he can lean across you to talk to him, while Oliver just tried to keep up.

Everything about Oliver shouted that these people weren't his people; his clothes, his accent, his vernacular, his very unfamiliarity with who so many of them were considering their families were often titans of industry. Still, you respected the effort he was making to keep up. Whenever even the hint of a joke at Oliver's expense could be felt in the air, Felix shut it down, and though it started out subtle, it became less so as the night wore on; the grateful look on Oliver's face, even as he tried to duck to hide it, said how much he appreciated the gesture.

It's decided almost unanimously by the time you have to buy a round that it should be the first round of shots for the table. Several more would be to come, but you were getting tequila, and all the fanfare that came with it.

Getting back to the table you find Oliver's slid into your spot by Felix. Though he tries to apologise and get up, you shush him, insisting it's fine as you sit down next to him with the tray of shots topped with lime wedges, and the shot glass half full of salt for the table the bartender had kindly provided.

"You do know this is why I was late to my tutorial this morning," Felix still helped himself to a shot glass with lime as the salt was being passed around the table.

"Salt?" Oliver frowned at the glass in front of him, "lime?"

"You've never done tequila shots before?" Farleigh scoffed, holding India's hand up in front of himself where she'd offered it to him to apply salt.

"No, I haven't," is all Oliver can say awkwardly, watching as Farleigh sprinkled a line of salt across the back of India's aloft hand, licking it up in one swift motion before he took the shot and bit the lime in quick succession.

"Salt, shot, lime," you give Oliver a nudge to bring his attention back to you.

"Salt, shot, lime," Oliver repeats, looking from his glass to the glass full of salt that Felix had reached over and brought to your side of the table, "do I have to lick the salt off of someone else?"

"Not necessarily," Felix says from his other side, while Annabel giggled and allowed him to apply salt to her hand.

"More fun that way," she adds coyly.

"Not unless you want to," your own shot glass sits untouched, salt now sitting between both your glasses.

"Do you- should I-" Oliver's stumbling over his words, fidgeting with the end of the lime.

"Lick it off their neck," Farleigh barked from across the table, and though you tried to tell Oliver that he didn't have to do anything like that, and Felix's disappointed admonishment of his cousin, the entire rest of the table, who had finished their own shots and were now invested in the drama, light up with agreement.

"You're so crass, you're gonna give him the wrong idea," Felix groaned, rolling his eyes with frustration.

"I love Y/N but I don't think there is a wrong idea about them -"

"Watch what the fuck you say about them, Farleigh -"

"Watch what I say about your fucking dog-?"

"I'll lick their neck!" Oliver announces at the top of his lungs, interrupting the vicious barb, and the way Felix had practically leapt across half the table in a sudden fury. For a long moment, tense silence hangs in the air, Farleigh half out of his chair, wearing a sneer, and Felix braced over the table with white-knuckled fists pressed into the woodgrain. Then, as Felix sits back down and things begin to ease, once again all eyes return to Oliver, who's shifting in his seat, looking at you with almost apology in his eyes, "if- if you're okay with that."

After a beat, you break into a self deprecating smile.

"I do like getting my neck licked," you laughed, and immediately angled your head and pulled the collar of your shirt to the side so he could have a better angle and more of your shoulder to apply salt. The tension dropped almost entirely as everyone but Farleigh and Felix burst out in cheers. Chatter arose again as Oliver fumbled with the salt, but you caught Felix's eyes from behind him. Tension in his brow that you longed to smooth away, and discomfort in his gaze, but when you smiled you could see him take a breath, and smile back.

"I won't bite," it comes as a surprise when you hear Oliver say this, so quiet only you can hear as he diligently applies a sprinkle of salt to the soft skin of where your throat meets your shoulder, "promise," you can't see his expression but you think you can hear him smirking. It actually sounds almost like flirting.

India's been glaring at you across the table whenever she hasn't been flirting overtly with Farleigh for the past half an hour. So you flirt back.

"Not even if I ask nicely?" You murmur back, trying to repress the thrill that the whole moment was giving you. You hear the faintest, momentary rumble of a laugh from Oliver before you feel his hand on your thigh as if to steady himself, and his tongue on your neck. It's barely a second of contact, the delicate caress of his mouth as he licked the line of salt clear from your skin. Quickly, he then takes the shot, and swallows before biting down on the lime, making a pained face as the table cheered.

His hand is still on your thigh; his grip is tight.

As he's spluttering and grinning and Felix is clapping him on the back for the effort, he's rather abashedly offering himself to you, if you'd like to repeat the same salt process on him -

"You've done enough for your first shot, Ollie," you told him with a fond nudge, happily applying salt to the back of your own hand, completing the ritual with far less fanfare. Still, when you glance past Oliver to Felix, you see the way he's regarding the newcomer, with a kind of awe and warmth. This too you know well.

Crammed so close in the booth, Felix's arm stays around Oliver's shoulders for most of the rest of the night, and while no-one can see it, Oliver's hand remains on your thigh. Sometimes he taps along to the music of the pub that you've already tuned out, sometimes he's rubbing small circles with his thumb, or give you a squeeze when he's laughing at a joke, but it never waivers.

The more drunk you become, the more you find yourself leaning into him, and you begin to tune out the conversation, focusing only on your drink, the warmth of Oliver and his hand on you, and on the sensation of Felix's hand playing with your hair since his arm was around Oliver's shoulders, and you're leaning your head against him.

Everything's become blurry, your brain is still trying to catch up after you take another shot from muscle memory alone when Farleigh starts insisting on Oliver shout the next round, and for that round to be jaeger bombs.

"We just did shots," you shake your head with a faint frown, but the movement makes you feel all kind of queasy.

"You tapping out?" Farleigh, in much better spirits considering how many he'd consumed, is all wide, challenging smiles full of teeth.

"Nope," you again shake your head, against your better judgement, "never ever ever." Everything is spinning, even with your eyes closed.

"Then you shouldn't be letting Ollie snake his way out of paying for his round," Farleigh sounds all kinds of smug, and despite how you're all kind of done with him for tonight, and Oliver is trying to insist that he's not trying to wiggle out of paying for a round, the rest of the table have apparently taken up Farleigh's crusade. They're booing him, hissing at him, while Farleigh's smugness screams social triumph; you can feel Oliver's fingers twitching on your thigh, like he wants to be fidgeting but can't bring himself to let you go.

"Fine," Oliver relents to the peer pressure, letting you go and throwing his hands in the air, "can you move a sec?" He asks, and you shuffle out to let him past, before scooting back in and back beside a once more frustrated Felix.

Farleigh argues that it's the rules of the pub when Felix asks him to give Oliver a break, but you don't really hear them. You've cleared enough space on the table in front of you to be able to cross your arms on the table, laying your head on your arms to try and see if it would help. Felix is rubbing soothing circles on your back as he argues with Farleigh, probably out of pure habit, so you try and focus on that sensation, and picking a point that you see that you can focus on.

Everything's sideways, the bar, the people, the street outside, but it doesn't matter. In the moments you find yourself focusing on Oliver in the cool light of the bar, everything else falls away. He looks antsy and uncomfortable, watching the bartender pour the shots, wallet in his hand. You'd have paid in a heartbeat if Farleigh hadn't been so insistent on attacking Oliver's pride. Everything else about him was so charmingly ordinary, perhaps that's why Farleigh was infuriated by him, and why he'd attacked Oliver's pride, one of the few things that Farleigh probably believed Oliver had of value to himself.

Tomorrow, you and Farleigh were having words.

Tonight, you wanted to somehow help Oliver without making any kind of big deal about it. Problem was, you weren't sure how. You weren't even sure if you were capable of walking in straight line right now.

"Fi -" when you turn your head to your other side, you see Felix, half finished a cigarette, with a pensive look on his face as he too was watching Oliver. When he looks at you there's a moment that the two of you share, of understanding, of compassion and a shared goal, "can you get me a glass of water?" You asked, knowing he'd take the hint. Thankfully, he smiles at you, the two of you shuffling once more so he could get out of the booth and head towards Oliver and the bar.

Leaning on the end of the booth, you wait for Felix to return before you sit back down, instead focusing on the interaction between the two men at the bar. It's not that you can hear them, but you can see the grateful but anxious look in Oliver's eyes, and the way he can't look away from Felix's smile, and something sharp and bright and intrigued lights up in your chest.

There's a moment as the interaction begins winding down, when Felix takes the tray of drinks, and looks back at your gathered group of friends. His eyes meet yours, faint flicker of familiar affection passing in the next moment as he says something else to Oliver before he's making a beeline back to the group.

"Thank you, Ollie!" He announces brightly, much to the cheer and delight of the rest of the group once the jaeger bombs are set down at the table. Caught up in the sudden influx of joy, you chant Ollie's name, clapping along, not even realising that since you'd let go of the booth you were starting to take on a lean.

"You're fucking legless," Felix crows with laughter, who had already slid back into the booth and was now taking you by the arm and sitting you back down beside himself, "I'm cutting you off, you're on the waters now," he joked, arm around you to steady you, though you weren't inclined to disagree. Thankfully, in the next moment, a water was being placed in front of you, and a cheer was once again rising from the group as Oliver rejoined you all, bashful smile on his face as everyone was lavishing praise on him for following through with buying the round.

The glass was cold and clear and faintly frosted, few ice cubes floating delicately on top of the pint of water before you, looking absolutely perfect in this golden, humid pub. Even just reaching out and holding the cold glass of water in your hands seemed to make everything a little less blurry at the edges.

As you dragged the glass towards you, surprised by your sudden craving for fresh, cold water, praise tumbles from your lips, words half blurring together, and Oliver takes his seat once more beside you.

"Ollie, you're my fucking hero."

#felix catton x reader x oliver quick #saltburn x reader #felix catton x reader #saltburn imagine #felix catton imagine #felix catton x y/n #felix catton x you #oliver quick x reader #oliver quick imagine #oliver quick x you #oliver quick x y/n #head heart hand fic #manic writer

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ash-says · 2 months

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Hello dear ladies. I am back in the town with my rants again cause where's a girl gonna go in this patriarchy world to shout her opinions. Plus can't run the risk of letting them in on the game. What's the fun in that??

Anyways, first of all Happy Women's Day!!!!

Happy Mahashivratri ✨✨✨

As today is an auspicious day both internationally and personally for me religiously maybe I will talk about some deep stuff.

Let's get into it. Shall we??

1) Get a belief system. I can't stress enough on this for the love of God. I was listening to a podcast this morning and the host made a really nice analogy that I would like to share with you all. He said that we all have an immense amount of love in us that we want to shower and that's one of the reasons why we so desperately look for partnerships especially romantic ones and we are highly affected by break-up. But when you submit all your love and pain to god the equation changes. Because it's difficult to have earthly expectations towards God and the shift starts there.

Story time ->

I personally found it way easier to love God. Once you start turning in to him you realize how selfless your love can be. But the main reason that struck me was when you love people you are restricted. Let's be honest today's dating scene is the worst you can't express how you feel and for a person like me who has intense emotions it's suffocating and that's where God comes in picture because I just submit my love, struggles and suffocation to him and he is there all the while with me silently witnessing the upheaval without any judgement. That allows me to tap deeper into my issues, understand the roots, look at them from both emotional and logical angles and then detach from it as the supreme being is now in control of the situation.

So on this occasion I beg you ladies to fix your relationship with God. You will thank me later for sure.

2) Be Loud. Be Bold. Be Audacious. Take up space. Unapologetically. Don't let other people feel comfortable in making you uncomfortable. Nope. We do it the other way around here. They should know better than making you uncomfortable.

If there's something I am really proud of myself for at least 90% times is that I never let anyone make me uncomfortable. I have time and again consciously worked on it to make it a second nature to me.

Nobody is born outspoken. It's the situation and the person's decision, self will that makes them like that. So when anyone tries to put me down subtly even if it isn't registered in my conscious brain my subconscious answers it befittingly without my notice. Then I realise what actually happened.

Strive to make offense your second nature. Defense is first mixed in with kindness. Practise it consciously until it becomes a muscle memory.

Ending note: Be insufferable in public and a soft girl in private. That's how you even it out. Wail like a child in front of God but move like a queen among humans.

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words-4u · 2 years

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they don't know about us - j.'h'.s

pairing: jake 'hangman' seresin x reader

wc: 1.8k

a/n: i am so happy to see glen powell getting the recognition he deserves <333 also listen to 'they don't know about us' by 1d cause that also kinda inspired this imagine!

top gun: maverick masterlist

you've had a passion for flying ever since you were little. it came from spending time with your dad on the airbase whenever possible. seeing the glimmer in his eyes anytime he would return with a new story about flying the f-14s made you want to pursue the same thing, so you did.

the second you were able to sign up for flight school, you did. it was against your mother's wishes because she had already lost your father to the sky and didn't want to lose you too. ultimately, she knew there was no convincing you because once you had your heart set on something, that was it.

flight school was interesting, to say the least. the boys in your class didn't view you as much competition but ever since you smoked their asses on the first day, they were quick to respect you. during your time at flight school, you became super close with natasha aka phoenix as she was the only other girl present and you two got on like a house on fire.

when you found out you and pheonix were heading to top gun, you nearly threw up from the excitement. top gun was no joke. it was the elite school for the best of the best aviators and you were now one of them. it was difficult, wild and stressful but also you also had the best time of your life there. you met all kinds of new people, especially ones that you normally would never surround yourself with because they are cocky, egotistical and very full of themselves making them insufferable. so imagine your surprise when you ended up falling for said person.

jake 'hangman' seresin caught you by complete surprise. you and him didn't talk much until one day you were put together on the same team for beach volleyball as a team bonding exercise. no one knew that you were on your high school volleyball team and took them all the way to the championships so it was fun watching their faces when they realized how good you were at serving the ball.

"holy shit, y/c/s! you're pretty decent at this," hangman said dragging his eyes up and down your body. you were in a black sports bra and biker shorts, nothing too fancy yet the way his eyes lingered on you made you feel like you were dressed in the finest clothes.

"i think you mean to say she's fucking incredible!" phoenix proudly put her arm around your shoulders pulling you in and resting her head on yours. your team won 10 to 4 and it was all thanks to you.

the losing team had to buy the first round of drinks at the hard deck. fanboy and bob were not fans f that but still did it with a smile on their face. you were sat at the bar watching your team bond. one thing about you is that you liked to people watch, not in a creepy way but you liked to see people living in the moment. what you didn't realize is that hangman was observing you. he stopped playing pool with the boys and joined you at the bar.

"tell me something," he began as he pulled a seat next to you. you almost choked on your drink as you weren't expecting company. "where did you learn to serve like that? cause it looked killer,"

you smiled into your drink. "i played a little in high school."

"how did i not know that?" he scoffed.

you gazed into his eyes, slightly taken aback by how intensely he was staring back. "you never asked. in fact, you haven't spoken more than 10 words to me since we started at top gun so there wasn't ever a chance."

"well," he raised his empty glass. "it's time we change that."

you knew you shouldn't get sucked into his orbit but was too late the second you started to clench your thighs anytime he smiled at you, you were a goner.

taking your cup and clinking it against his, you grinned at him. "i guess it is."

"penny darling, another round please."

the two of you fell into a comfortable conversation. of course, hangman being hangman he flirted in the most obvious ways but you laughed it off. it was quite alarming how much you were starting to enjoy being in his presence but you brushed off those thoughts and embraced the moment. the rest of the bar fell into a blur and it was like you two were the only ones there until you two were actually the last ones there. he was a gentleman and asked to walk you back to the accommodation you shared with phoenix.

"this is me," you said walking up the steps to your door. you turned around and found him on the step below you so were at eye level.

"thanks for today. i had fun."

"name the time and place and i can always show you a good time," he smirked.

"okay hangman. good night," you started to turn around but his hand caught your arm.

"wait, y/n," you looked back and your heart softened a bit. you've never seen jake 'hangman' seresin so nervous before.

"do you-can i see you again?"

"yeah, i'm gonna see you tomorrow for class." you joked. you knew what hewas really asking but you wanted to make sweat a bit.

"yeah i guess you are," he said chuckling, scratching the back of his neck. "what i'm trying to say is i liked your company a lot tonight and i'd like to do it again in a more... intimate setting?"

you couldn't help but let out a giggle. "jake seresin, are you asking me out on a date?"

"only if you say yes"

you pretended to deliberate for a few seconds before putting him out of his misery. "i'd love to."

you had no idea then but those three words changed your life. you fully intended that date with hangman to be a one-off, but it turned onto second and third and with each passing day you fell more and more.

hangman and you wanted to keep things professional at school but off-hours, you were all over each other. because he couldn't touch you in front of your peers in private, his hands were always on you. while you two studied? his hand on your legs while it was on your lap. sleeping together? his hand will always find yours in the middle of the night. walking on the beach at night as you are right now? you guessed it, his hand was holding yours.

hangman was a confident man, to say the least, but he came undone when it came to you. it terrified him at first but it quickly became a strength of his because you made him want to be a better man. he loved you and he knew you loved him and in your shared world things moved so fast but he wanted one thing to remain constant and that was you.

you stopped at random and took in a deep breath. "i don't think i will ever get over the ocean breeze at night. it's incredible."

hangman's eyes were on you. "yeah, it is."

you looked back and smiled but it feel a little when you saw his look of unease. "hey, what's wrong?"

"n-nothing." he grabbed your hands and kissed your knuckles "it's all good."

"i know you too well to know it's not, so spill."

"i love you," he began. "like a lot. with everything that flight school or life could have prepared me for there was no way, i could have prepared for you. for the longest time, i thought that flying was my first love but i've never been more wrong. it's you y/n and i want to spend the rest of my life with you. only you."

your eyes were burning with unshed tears. "jake," you whispered.

he got down on one knee and opened a small black velvet box travelling a stunning ring. "there are many ways to be happy in this life but all i really need is you. so y/n 'y/c/s' y/l/n will you marry me?"

you got down on both knees not caring if the water was soaking your silk skirt. "yes! yes! a million times yes!"

he slid the ring on the appropriate finger before you took his face and kissed him as hard as you could. it took a second before hangman took full control of the kiss, running his hand through your hair.

you pulled away and brushed his nose with yours. "hi future husband."

"hi future wife," he kissed your forehead before lifting you back into a standing position with him.

you two couldn't wait months to plan a whole elaborate wedding to be married so on a random day you two had off, you went straight to the california city hall and got your papers.

you guys kept it very lowkey around others much like when you were dating but to the outside world, it looked a budding friendship. for the rest of your time at top gun, you guys pushed each other to be the best always trying to one-up each other. the competitiveness usually ended up with you two having hot sex later on but no one knew that. it wasn't until graduation day that the cat was out of the bag.

you had decided to hyphenate your last name and your husbands name and you wanted to be said like that when your name was called. "lieutenant y/n 'y/c/s' y/l/n-seresin."

whispers broke out among your peers but you stood up proudly and saluted your commanding officer before sitting back down. pheonix tried to catch your eye but you stared straight ahead not wanting to have a much-needed conversation non-verbally.

the second graduation was over you went over to the refreshments table. "i knew i'd find you here,"

the comforting voice slid his hands around your body and kisses your head. "i'm proud of you, baby"

"never in a million years did i ever think i'd see hangman so cuddly!" a voice called out behind you two.

you guys turned around and there was rooster, coyote, phoenix, fanboy and payback.

"someone quickly explain because i am so lost,” rooster said.

"surprise?" you nervously chuckled holding up your hand and hangman did the same showing off his wedding band.

"what? how? when?" fanboy asked.

hangman went on to tell the story and as you stood there watching him, surrounded by your friends, you were the happiest you had ever been. you and hangman went through tough times together and made it out the other side stronger. there is truly no other person you'd want to spend the rest of your life with.

#top gun #top gun maverick #jake hangman seresin #jake seresin #jake seresin imagine #jake seresin x reader #jake hangman seresin imagine #hangman top gun #hangman fic #hangman x reader #hangman imagine #rooster #payback #pheonix #fanboy #top gun imagine #top gun x reader

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uhbasicallyjustmilex · 8 months

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5 fics i've enjoyed this month

stealing this idea from @alexturne because i absolutely love the idea of promoting all the amazing talented authors in this fandom more! 💜

missed your bones on me by @glorious-blackout summary: In the aftermath of their blissful reunion at Emirates Stadium, Miles wakes alone in Alex's bed to the sound of a gentle piano melody. Set following Miles' reunion with Arctic Monkeys on 18th June 2023. notes: this fic is absolutely beautiful. full of sadness for the past and hope for the future and just suffused throughout with the kind of bone-deep love that feels so utterly in character for milex. it tugged on my heartstrings in all the best ways, and has my favourite ever portrayal of alex lost in his creative headspace.

some velvet morning by @musette22/@subtle-as-an-earthquake summary: It happens at the OIympia in Paris, just after the show. Their hundredth show. A memorable one for more than just that reason, as it turns out. (Or, the fic in which Alex's body starts talking before his mind does, forcing him to finally realise a thing or two about his relationship with his best friend Miles). notes: oh my lord, this fic 😍 it's like someone (and by someone i mean @subtle-as-an-earthquake) took all my favourite tropes and poured them into a gorgeously written, tension-laden 14k fic that is so stupidly good i've already read it at least three times already 😅 it captures the dynamic between alex and miles SO well - the sense of contrasting complete ease/simmering tension with each other is one of the best portrayals i've ever read of them, and alex's thought process throughout unfolds in a way that feels so utterly (and infuriatingly) in character. the slow build is absolutely delicious, and the culmination of it delivers above and beyond! ✨

sometime in the future by @blacktrickle summary: In a world quite similar to this one, Miles Kane is an international supermodel and Alex Turner is the rockstar who has broken his heart one too many times. Now, two years after their most vicious break up, Alex is asking for one more shot, but this time, Miles won’t make it easy. notes: oh my goddddd THIS FIC 😭😭 i put off reading it for ages because i had this sneaking little suspicion it was going to destroy me - and i was right. destroy me it has, in the BEST possible way. i literally cannot recommend it enough. the writing and depth of character portrayal is just stunning, and i am completely and utterly hooked. i'm actually only halfway through rn, but already i know that this fic is one that's going to stay with me in my heart for the longest time - and can't wait to see where it's heading.

you've got control of everyone's eyes (including mine) by @alexturne summary: It's 2005 and the Arctic Monkeys are about to set out on their first proper tour. Alex is quite happy with that, until a certain someone gets in the way and spoils it all. A story about facing hardships, insecurities and stage fright, about friendships, dreams, music and smoking too many fucking cigarettes in dark back alleys. About keeping your friends close, and perhaps your enemies even closer. notes: i'm only three chapters in, but already this fic has hooked me in completely. it's beautifully readable, and just feels like such a vivid slice of early era am life. alex and miles are absolutely INSUFFERABLE in the best possible way - clearly obsessed with each other, but hiding behind the idea that they hate each other. the constantly simmering ust is wonderfully written, and the way they relate with each other feels so authentic (even if it also makes me want to knock their heads together). i can't wait to see where this fic goes 😍

ain't got anything to lick without you baby by @elorianna summary: At some point during their usual stage antics, Alex and Miles start playing an innocent game of one-upmanship – but with neither one of them willing to back down, things eventually get a little bit out of hand… notes: listen, i've read this one before. and i'll read it a bunch of times again too because it's just a CLASSIC. one of the first ever milex fics i read and i find myself returning to it over and over because it's just such a fun little read, and of course so well written too because it's elorianna. it captures all the ridiculousness and ust of eycte era milex messing around with each other, and the smut is well - *fans self*

okay, that's all for this month, but i think i'm going to try and do this every month and make it a regular thing! if anyone has any fic recs for me then please feel free to drop them in the comments/my asks/dms - i'm always on the lookout for more milex fics 💗

#these are just the five fics i've enjoyed most recently #it is by no means an exhaustive list of my all time favourites #also i have so many on my to-read list that i'm stupidly excited for too #i notice there's a new @yellowloid one i haven't read yet which ahhhhhhh. YES PLEASE 😍#honestly god bless this fandom for having so many wonderful talented authors who share their work with us #i'm truly so grateful for you 💞#milex #milex fic #milex fic recs #lulu posts

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pmdnightfall · 16 days

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OUKA: Huh!! What's this supposed to be??

Hours later, that afternoon, a young Gligar named Ouka sits on her humble Treasure Town home. Today seems to be her sixteenth hatchday, and is spending it with two of her friends.

After she finishes admiring her last present for the day, Ouka puts the shining crystal around her neck.

OUKA: It's so pretty though, thank you Trip!!

TRIP: Slow down dudette, this ain't mine. Ruby was the one who found it, but she couldn't make it today... She wanted me to give it to you, y'know? SUNE: S-She needed to go back home quickly, to take care of a little injured Pokemon. W-Was being attacked by one of these W-Wild Ones. OUKA: Ugh!! They're such a pain. Things were going so well before these weirdos started showing up... Ouka raises her fists in the air in a bout of confidence. OUKA: If I had a D-Nexus to use with my Wonder Cards, all of these fools would be on the ground!! TRIP: Hey now, don't get too pumped up... You know these things cost a fortune and are usually reserved for professional Explorers, right? Trip scratches his chin, looking over Ouka and not very impressed. TRIP: Besides, sis, I'm not sure if you'd be up to the task... No offense. OUKA: Some taken!! Ouka pouts for a moment. OUKA: And hey, I wouldn't be alone, ideally!! All of the great Explorers have partners, and only the GREATEST had a human partner!! TRIP: Oh no sis, you are NOT dumping your fanfiction on us again! OUKA: Hey, it's not fanfiction if it really happened!! SUNE: W-Well she's got kind of a point there...

OUKA: Remember that Meteorite crisis all those decades ago?? TRIP: We weren't even born yet! OUKA: A human, straight from a fairy-tale, being summoned here to save the world with their trusty Pokemon partner!! Isn't that the most fascinating story?? The daydreaming Gligar sighs contentedly. OUKA: One day, that'll be me... TRIP: I think you should keep that as writing on yourbooks, dudette... Ya shouldn't get so ahead of yourself. OUKA: You guys are no fun!! Trip holds out his arms, defensively. TRIP: I'm just being realistic! What are the chances of another world-ending catastrophe for that to happen again? That kind of stuff can't happen more than once in a lifetime, can it? OUKA: Urgh!! You're insufferable when you're like this!!

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#pokemon #pmd #pokemon mystery dungeon #pmd comic #pmd nightfall #gligar #emolga #ekans #ouka yotsuba #trip shootie #sune hyleg #arc 1 chapter 1

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insufferableprotagonistpoll · 3 months

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Propaganda why Marinette Dupain-Cheng is insufferable:

She easily gets away with bad, stalkerish behavior, it always feels like she can ‘do no wrong’ unless the show wants us to pity her, and the show writers want us to think she is a quirky and socially awkward girl when throughout the series we see her be friends with basically everyone in Paris with many connections to high up places.

I get she has social anxiety but the way she goes about stalking Adrien is kind of the worst like she even has creep shots of him hanging in her room? That’s weird. I think Adrien’s going through enough without having to deal with the main character being his stalker lol. I know they’re (spoilers) at this point but in the beginning it was so sus

In the newest season, Marinette hides the fact that Hawkmoth was Adrien’s dad. This leads to the bastard getting a statue and honored as a hero after his death. Adrien now never gets to know the fact that his abusive and neglectful father was the one trying to kill him and is instead proud of him.

Her crush on Adrien is like a black hole for her character. Things she’s done because of it:

1) stolen property

2) ruined dates

3) humiliated other characters

4) has a chart of Adrien’s daily schedule for the next year in her room (this is stalking)

5) broke into his room and sniffed his pillow (also a crime)

6) sniffed, took the hair from, and tried to kiss what she thought was a wax statue of Adrien

7) convinced her parents to let her go to China. Why? Not because she wants to connect with her mother’s heritage, not even because she’s a budding fashion designer and Shanghai is considered a fashion hotspot. It’s because Adrien was there.

shes annoyinng anf shes a stalker

I love fanon miraculous but by god she has got to stop obsessively stalking her crush and generally making a ton of other terrible decisions. I’d submit Adrien too but he’s more of a deuteragonist

I started the show, watched one episode, and never tried again. I simply do not vibe with her.

More propaganda

Anti propaganda

Propaganda why Katarina Claes is insufferable:

Irredeemably stupid. The story frames it as her 17 year old mind waking up in Katarina’s 8 year old body. Yet she is still even more of an idiot than all of the actual 8 year olds in the story and shows no growth over the next ten years. At one point, all the other main characters defend her from accusations of bullying by saying she’s too stupid to have been able to do it.

Also, the Verge of Destruction side story was much better than the original series because her fears of banishment and running out of time made sense.

1) She’s an idiot, and not even in a funny way. One of my pet peeves in isekai is when the MC refuses to recognize when the story has changed. Her whole thing is that she keeps prepping for when she gets banished. But, she’s not going to be banished because she took care of all the problems when she was like 6. Bad relationship with fiancé? Fixed. Bad relationship with family? Fixed. Bullying? Prevented.

2) The harem is ridiculous. The people in love with her: her fiancé, her fiancé’s brother, her fiancé’s brother’s fiancée, her childhood friend, her adoptive brother, 2 dark mages, and etc. (There may be more, but I stopped reading after one of the dark mages kidnapped her then got away scotch free).

3) If you want a good dumbass MC trapped as the villainess of a dating game read “Observation Record of a Self-proclaimed Villainess’ Fiancé”.

Guy who kidnapped her pins her down and puts his face against her neck. She then feels a pinch and notices a bruise/hickey on her neck in the mirror. Her response was “Oh! A bug bit me and he was just trying to get it off :D how nice of him.” I hate the oblivious to sexual harassment trope.

#marinette dupain cheng #miraculous ladybug #katarina claes #my next life as a villainess #insufferable protagonist poll #insufferable protagonist tournament #tournament poll

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scienceoftheidiot · 23 days

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hello! thank you for the WIP tag! I'd love to hear more about 1923 💕

Aha no problem, I saw it was also about art (I don't know if you write?) so I'm 👀 in case you want to share any !!

Ahhhhhh 1923 is my other pet project with All the Hope. It's a long fic too, Royai, and I've been working on it for more than a year now.

I don't know how familiar you are with FMA 03 and Conqueror of Shamballa, but in those Ed and Al end up being stuck in our world in the year, you guessed it, 1923.

This stems from Ed meeting our world's Hughes there, and I kept wondering where Roy and Riza were...

So it starts with Ed meeting our world's version of Roy Mustang in 1923 Munich, but it's in fact just a frame for me to tell our world's Roy and Riza's (and other characters 😉 ) story, year by year, starting from the beginning. It adapts what happens in Brotherhood, btw, for our world, in a way. No spoilers lol.

I think it would have fitted to have Roy and Riza on the same side as Hughes, btw, but for a couple of reasons, including me being lazy, I've decided they aren't. All three however, even if they don't know each other (Roy and Riza do know each other from early on OF COURSE), have taken part in WW1, which is a big chunk of this fic.

I don't know what excerpt to share... so have the first meeting between Roy and Ed (if you want other parts like either character's childhood or the war or after the war, feel free to ask ! I can gush about this fic for hours and I've already written way too much in this reply haha). Also there's Falman there, so, for you lol.

"Are you going?" "Wish I could. But it's during my shift, and I need to put food on the table. With the prices rising…" Falman shrugs. "You want to go?" "Of course! You think there's a fee? I'm on my last marks, too." "You could try to sneak in." "My, a librarian encouraging a kid to sneak into a science conference. That's the kind of people I like." Edward stills and straightens at the voice that rises behind him. "Whatcha got, here, young criminal?" The man's German is a little stilted, spoken as a foreign language most likely, but not enough to make his speech pattern unrecognizable. A gloved hand – the glove is brown – reaches past Ed's shoulder to take the first book on the pile. Ed turns around at once, to see Roy fucking Mustang open the book at random, squint, and put the book upside down on the counter so he can reach into a pocket inside his suit jacket. Falman has a desperate whine at the state of the book – there's no salvaging its spine now – but he's too polite to say anything. And Ed himself has too much trouble trying to close his mouth. Well. Hughes was there. There ought to be a version of the colonel roaming around this world. But. Still. Oblivious, Mustang growls while rummaging through his pockets, taking out his gloves, setting his hat and his jacket on the counter, and laying an ebony cane with a silver handle against it. Edward can't stop the words that cross his lips. "Urgh, of course you would." "Uh? Ah!" Mustang frowns as he pushes a pair of reading glasses on his nose, then takes the book again. “Ah, I knew it. Inorganic chemistry, uh?” “Yeah, and what about it?” Edward retorts, thinking the colonel – or whatever he is in this world – looks even more insufferable with these tiny glasses on. He doesn’t know if he wants to slap him or hug him, and the fact that he’s thinking about this last option makes him furious.

Thank you so much for asking about this ! I hope you liked that and feel free to ask more if you want to know more haha ^^"

#wip #wip ask #wip game #littlewitchbee

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frays-monster-yuri · 2 months

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Story Review - Sun Spoken Turn

I'm actually kind of an emotional mess right now from reading some of the latest chapters to this story.

Put this on the top of your reading list or just read it now.

This is the most beautiful story I have ever read and I can't believe I'm dating the writer.

I have just finished looping a few story threads from the very beginning. Chapter 89 is about as good a place as I can think of to sit down and write a review for any newcomers.

Sun Spoken Turn has delivered on everything that I have ever wanted in a sprawling fantasy story. I have always hoped a story with a transgender protagonist would come around to step into a well realized setting and find reasons to navigate the world's many traumas beyond their own. Despite everything, this story's protagonist decides to take on the burden of trying to make things a little better for everyone in a way that extends their own perspective to even the most insufferable and cruel. There are people in this setting who have used their power and sway to keep the world in the state it is in, who would rather burn people as more efficient fuel than wood to maintain the status quo.

And now that we're past that confrontation point, a little into Arc 3, this story is showing promise that it is only going to get better from here by looping itself and its themes in such wonderful ways.

Dear Prospective Readers,

I want to invite you into following the path that this story offers up. There is so much that I can show you, and so much more meaning that you will find and embrace than what has reduced me to a bumbling mess of tears wanting better for the characters who have sunk to the same depths as I.

But if were to be brief, the most glowing recommendation I can give you is this: A lot of what I adore about this narrative can be found in how this author handles heavy content that can eat characters and readers alive... without wasting anyone.

This story heavily features characters who need to figure themselves out. So when our protagonist starts out as an understandably fumbling little thing. I ask only that you understand that this is someone who has had their entire life planned out for them.

Our protagonist gets a little magical change as a shard of something old, bitter, and unpleasant gets the opportunity to read their life like a book before burrowing its way into their dreams. Within moments, this city has lost one more of its precious few breeding males.

Taken in by a chance meeting with a kind cast of some of the most endearing strangers to walk the paths between settlements, our protagonist has a lot to adapt to. And I really encourage you to be patient with her. Beyond her own traumas, there are histories, injustices, and misunderstandings of this world to uncover that stretch back an uncomfortable amount of time that will be peeled back in layers and constantly revisited with fresh perspectives.

But how we solve the problems we face now really matter.

They are going to snowball into how we treat others who we think will carry the same wounds but constantly surprise us with what this world has done to them. (For both good and ill. Gosh, there are as many heartwarming surprises as there are heartbreaking ones.)

So much of this story is learning out to take care of ourselves and each other despite encountering the unexpected. To give fairly spoiler free examples - surprise encounters with someone's family and the past constantly catching up to us. Sometimes it is the same past on multiple occasions. At some point you have to turn around and deal with it.

At other times it is important to get away, to have uncomfortable conversations with people you trust. But all of this serves to build a strong support structure for when you must confront people you can't trust and sometimes words just aren't enough. And then there are the rare moments. Moments where you can prove everyone wrong and say the right words to heal wounds that have festered for countless years.

There are also cute birds, crabs, and monsters that constantly remind me how much I adore how well this author uses every actor in its setting to deepen your appreciation for what it is like to live in this world.

But I've gone on long enough.

You've your own path to walk from this point onward.

While I can't dictate where that path will take you, I can assure you that this is your life to live.

But if I could make one recommendation, I encourage you to allow this story's many lovely girls to sweep you off your feet.

Anyway here's an alternative link to another site. (If this review isn't gay enough for you, you can read the back and forth comments the author and I left each other on Royal Road deep into the night. At some point I took those comments to patreon, and a few months after that I just started whispering my feedback directly into the author's ear. When you get to Weight of Broken Promises, my comments moved to scribblehub... but that was such a cathartic moment for me to have inspired this author to push the themes of this story as hard and raw as they get.)

#sun spoken turn #web serial #trans #trans story #polyamory #polycule #plural protagonist #plural character #transfem #transfem writer #transfem main character #book review

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feralsteddie · 2 years

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So i need to hear about you Steve & Argyle friendship thoughts because I keep seeing them in your tags and I think they’re such an underrated duo that would probably get along so well together?????

ohmygod THANK YOU I’ve been waiting for an excuse to go off about them. Fics always leave out Argyle or have Steve just think he’s Jonathan’s weird friend and like, I get it, but we could do so much better guys

Like okay I have a couple of different ideas for them. One is nearly canon compliant (aka Hawkins still splits open so we still gotta wait on a boss fight, but Eddie lives, bc I said so) and the other is au where Vecna bites it, Eddie just got a lil nibbled, the charges got dropped, and everything is in the realm of fine. Gunna talk about the first one. This is definitely a bit of a mess of rambles. Enjoy.

It takes a while for them to actually have their first conversation, given everything.

Argyle is with Jon most of the time, who’s with his siblings in the cabin they’re fixing up, all hyperfocused on the impending return of Vecna and the town cracking open. Steve is running around the hospital between Max and Eddie’s room and threatening doctors if they even look at Eddie sideways or if he thinks Max isn't getting proper treatment.

So they just… don’t really cross paths. Argyle’s heard some of the stories about Steve from Jon, so he’s not too quick to go seek him out and Steve just could not care less about the other new guy along for the ride, he's too busy. Doesn’t even learn his name until about two weeks after they get to town and Robin dragged him by his ear to the cabin bc it was the only other place he'd relent to being at the moment.

Their first full conversation is actually about Argyle's daily foraging. He sees Argyle walking around, avoiding the traps and occassionally stopping to pick something and drop it in his bag. So, he's curious, and Steve's been friends with genius children and Robin long enough to be a good listener for things he doesn't quite get, but unlike the fifteen year old assholes Argyle seems cool with answering his questions.

With the ground kind of rotting out from the cracks in Hawkins, and the increasing likelihood the gov is gunna put up a quarantine any day now, they talk about how to best dry and keep things. Medicinal vs Food, how they can sub out ingredients in recipes for what they can find because it turned out they were both pretty damn good cooks.

From then on it just kind of turns into a Thing.

They both see how the other isn't really taken seriously by anyone in the group. Like, their respective best friends love them and don't look down on them, but there's always this kind of air that whenever they open their mouths they're gunna get some eyerolls. Argyle is the guy who can drive, Steve is the guy that gets hit a lot. They're not really necessary for planning.

So they help as much as they can in other places, together.

They make sure the group is fed, and sleeps, and doesn't do anything that raises their potential of being killed any more than necessary. (Joyce and Hop try, they really do, but they're busy harrassing government officials)

Jon hates how they get along, like, don’t get him wrong he knows Steve’s changed, is a good guy and all that, but come on Argyle is his best friend thanks and with how weird everything had been with Nancy he’d really like custody of Argyle back thanks.

Robin thinks it’s nice Steve has another friend their age, and knows how much easier having him around made getting used to the whole Monsters Are Real thing. (That being said, they require a certain amount of Robin-Steve one on one time or they WILL die. Or at the very least be insufferable to everyone around them)

Argyle got Steve into pineapple on pizza.

Steve braids Argyle’s hair whenever he needs to get it out of the way.

They talk to each other about their parental situations, about feeling like they’d never be what their parents wanted them to be. Argyle’s parents worked hard, wanted him to go to university and find a well-paying career; didn’t like that he was perfectly content with community college and kind of just wanted to open up his own restaurant one day. Steve's pretty sure his parents were disappointed the day he was born, and completely gave up by the time he only got back rejection letters. Argyle misses his, they were so worried when he’d gone missing for a few days, and their worry didn’t get any less when he finally called and told them where he was, but they’re not going to force him back. Steve’s parents still haven’t called, and he wonders if they remember that he’s still in Hawkins at all.

They don't hang out all the time. They've each got their respective best friends, and Argyle and Jon are usually the only two who manage to wrangle Mike, Will, and El. Who are constantly trying to sneak away to enact some half-baked plan they're sure will end it this time. Steve's got Dustin and Erica by the scruffs of their necks half the time, and his hands still full at the hospital the other.

They find out the two of them make a really good monster hunting pair though. Rob, Steve and Argyle end up on the same Team during scraps with the Upside Down Monsters. They've both got the most insane observation skills. Each quick on their feet and are really good with improvised weaponry. (Robin's able to fill in the pieces based on things they point out, is kind of the only one who really takes what they say seriously enough to utilise it.)

Argyle becomes the second person to come out to him on a bathroom floor while bloody. Argyle doesn't even really think anything of it, didn't even realise Steve hadn't known about his gigantic crush on Jonathan, just made an offhand joke about hoping his best friend thought the new gash on the side of his arm was as cool as the matching one he had with Nancy. They apent about an hour just talking about how he'd liked Jon from the moment he met him. Thought the awkward loner was cute and sweet and even after he found out he had a girlfriend back home he'd still wanted to be around him. Was content to be his best friend as long as he was happy, and did his best to move on with other people he could see himself caring for.

About a month after Eddie's back, Steve makes the third coming out to happen while bleeding on a bathroom floor. He'd kind of already known that he liked guys, but hadn't ever really thought too hard about it before. But he was having a bit of a freak out and Argyle and Rob both just squeezed into the dry bathtub with him. Let him have a full panic about liking a guy he'd kind of hated before spring break, a most likely straight guy who'd bodied a demodog that'd tried to sneak up on him and- hey did he mention just how hot that had been after they'd both calmed down from a mutual panic attack?

After that Rob, Argyle, and Steve will occassionally just get together to scream about their crushes. Robin still not sure what's happening with Vickie but they held hands guys, girls hold their friend's hands alll the time though right???

They smoke about it, a lot.py

#thank you so much I just need to talk about them or I’ll die actually #argyle (stranger things)#steve harrington #sorry this took a couple of days my sibling was getting married and prep was HECTIC #there's some slight jargyle rockie and steddie in here #but the main focus is argyle and steve #i defintiely have about a million different little hc's for their friendship #i just!!! think they're both so underestimated #so you put them together and they'd be able to value each other's opinions like no one else seems to be able to #and!!! they often ask very reasonable questions and point the right stuff out!!!#sorry they are... important to me #i'm in love with argyle and steve individually in general so just... slap them together okey #Robin: oh thank god he has a second friend. i was worried. last time i hung out with someone else i cam home and he was sitting on my steps #so yeah there's more my head's just on 50% sorry #pyreposting #pyresmailbox

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maybenotmei · 2 years

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sibling !

i look pretty cool, huh?

(((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))♡

notes: Hiiii @bucketofforks you said in the gc u wanted older sibling epel? gotcha . this is really just a compilation of what we talked abt + some additionals i think would be nice. Please check their blog out!! and to all those in need of epel older brother i gotcha

this is like 80% a joke bc i forgor how epel acts. warning very frequent cursing

you know how siblings are. i hope you do

because epel can and Will get competitive with you. even if it's a small thing, he will try and compete with you by even just a little bit. very little. you won't even know he was trying to win over the bigger pancake just for you to get a smaller one (and have some pride in himself)

bedtimes as kids consisted of stories from your lovely meemaw and a fairly disruptive epel. ever since childhood, this guy is insufferable... in the way that he Will reinforce the fact there is something under your bed

however if you do wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, you can shake epel awake. he will get a little mad at first but he will try (keyword:try) to calm you down (it still works though even if it's a pretty messily worded comfort)

you know, getting into the Same Dorm as your Over-competitive Older Brother and watching him get put in his place (or forcibly put down????) by some guy Vil Schoenheit who Just so happens to be your dorm leader was definitely Not the experience you were expecting when you got into nrc.

quite a shock to see epel Not be his usual loud self when you've known this man all your life. genuinely. because you two are siblings that Somehow get along (and vil is very well aware of that)

vil fears you both. maybe educates both of you as well. i don't know, are you just like epel? do you Cause Trouble just for the shits and giggles? if so, yeah, vil's getting wrinkles seeing both of you paired up for mischief. but it's fun though! go stupid go crazy (just expect some wild scolding later)

now ever since childhood this guy would fight. he can and will fight anyone for his sibling at any cost. he's pretty much the only guy that can make fun of you and be alright with it (if you don't like it he would stop bc he's not 100% an asshole) BUT if anyone else does, it's on sight

bc if someone hurts you, it hurts epel too (and guess what happens when someone hurts epel? that's right, physical violence)

**Disclaimer: I Do Not Condone Physical Violence. Please do not follow epel's example

you know how epel tries to act manly? he will around you too However just protecting you will make him feel manly already. so he likes to stand up for you even if you can throw hands yourself

Alternatively: Both of you throw hands together. you're like a power duo that i feel adeuce is just a Tinnyyy bit scared of.

overall, fish want you, people fear you. congratulations! (aka: it's fun having epel as your sibling. he cares a lot for you, despite how it looks on the outside. when it comes to teaming up, you two are pretty much almost unstoppable. just watch out for vil.)

now for some specific special stuff for andy here

adding onto the competitive part thing here, epel's pretty damn competitive with you when it comes to games. a claw machine? a shoot the stick exactly in the hole kind of game? any game that has some sort of big toy reward for successfully passing? you bet he will get real competitive with you if you try it

especially stuffed toy claw machines. those things are rigged and many of you know it, but epel believes he can get it. (100% totally not for you since you like stuffed toys... (sarcasm) besides getting it adds to his pride okay)

now, i think epel would call a lot of interests childish. especially stuffed toys. but only he can call it childish okay? if someone else does it, the last thing they will see is a fist flying towards them at maybe like 50mph or more

"you have stuffed toys? kinda childish" he says as he attempts to win the plush toy in the crane machine and fails miserably

if ace said that however, he's done for. Goodbye Ace, it was nice being your friend...

he makes bets with you that whoever wins the claw machine gets to keep the plush toy. he ends up giving it to you though if he wins, since he's "too manly" for plush toys (aka: refusing to admit he got it for you and to add to his pride of course)

...though, you've spent a little too much on that claw machine. vil, i'm sorry....

#epel x reader platonic #platonic #KEEP IN MIND. PLATONIC. NOT ROMANCE #twisted wonderland x reader #twisted wonderland headcanons #twisted wonderland x reader platonic #epel felmier #epel felmier x reader #i swear im not dead

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geminisecrets · 2 years

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Left Me Like Summer Part II

Warnings: 18+ ONLY! explicit sexual content, oral sex (female receiving), smutty dirty sex, coarse language, a lot of angst, a lil fluff, mentions of alcohol, drug use.

Word Count: 8,000

If you haven't read Part I of this story, go check it out here :)

Summary: “I catch my mind wandering as he works on my knee; his face soft in the light of the flashlight. I’m not sure if it's the leftover effects of the mushrooms, the beer, or the flood of emotions I've been battling this weekend, but at this moment, I’m noticing things I haven't before. Like the crease in the tip of his nose. The length of his eyelashes as they swish up and down when he blinks. The hair in between his eyebrows that don’t quite meet but bunch together in concentration as he takes my left hand in his to inspect it for scrapes and dirt. I notice the sharp peaks in the cupid’s bow of his top lip and how plump and soft his lower one is."

Things with Jake have been rocky for a while now, but what’s to come isn’t even the half of it. aka “A How-To-Guide on The Best Worst Camping Trip of All Time”

Authors Note: This is the second part of a three (?) part series we are working on for Jake and Sam. Let us know if you’re into it and what you think will happen next!

Sorry it took us a minute to post, we've really put our blood, sweat and tears into this story line and we hope you guys like it!

Y’all are so fuckin rad for following and leaving notes.

Requests are open :)

Join our tag list ✨

“Since when does having the slimmest hips in the car mean I have to take the hump seat? Poppy should have to sit back here, she’s tinier than all of us.” Sam whines from beside me.

“Samuel, if I have to hear your voice one more time, I swear to God I will swerve into oncoming traffic.” Josh scolds, squinting a glare into the backseat through the rear view mirror. His hand goes to rest on the headrest of the passenger seat where his girlfriend’s head is tipped back, eyes closed, trying her very best not to vomit. “Just ignore the pest in the backseat Pops, he has no manners. We think he was raised by wolves.”

Josh’s girlfriend, or ‘Poppy’ as we all know her, is the kind of partner you want your friend to have because they’re madly and deeply in love. (Josh introduced us to her as ‘Poppy’ because of the tattoo she has of her August birth month flower- and to tell you the complete truth, I couldn’t tell you her given name if you paid me). She also happens to be the kind of girlfriend you want your friend to break up with because she’s completely and wholeheartedly insufferable most of the time. But, I digress. She did plan this whole weekend and honestly does have the purest of intentions.

It’s been two hours. Two hours into a five hour drive. Between Sam pissing his siblings off with his constant griping over seemingly everything, Poppy’s car sickness, and my anxiety ridden, borderline panic induced state, you could safely say we’ve all had better road trip experiences. I just thank whatever god will listen that Jake is in Danny’s truck. Sam, I can deal with. Sam, I’ve been dealing with even longer than Jake. I met Jake through Sam, in fact.

“It’s not my fault Ronnie has the pointiest elbows known to man.” He mumbles low enough that only Ronnie and I can hear.

“Maybe if you kept your knees on your section of the seat, I wouldn’t have to fucking fight for my life for some personal space over here.” Ronnie bites back, tiredly.

“I’ve got long legs, Ron. I don't know where exactly you want me to put them.” He complains, yet again.

Feeling like I’m one bicker away from punching the back window out and flinging myself onto the highway, I offer up a solution. “Here, Bambi.” I motion towards Sam’s legs, inviting him to drape them in my lap.

“Ahhh” He lets out a comfortable sigh, stretching himself out with his back to Ronnie’s shoulder. “Much better.” He smiles at me, reaching out to pat my head like a dog. I dodge his hand and slap it away.

“Don’t push your luck.” I warn. Things settle down in the car after that and I finally let my head loll against the window. The last thing I hear before I nod off to sleep is Josh singing softly along to The Lumineers from the front seat.

__________

“We’re here, pumpkin” I hear Sam croon softly as feel a finger poke into my cheek. I open my eyes and groan uncomfortably as I stretch the kinks out of my neck. As soon as I open the car door I'm immediately relieved. Nature has always been a solace for me. The smell of fresh air, the quiet restlessness of the woods, the sun peeking in through the leaves of the trees, shedding warmth and light on my skin.

I step out of the car and close my eyes, tilting my head back to get a full deep breath in. Trying to focus my energy on the birds I hear chirping and the water I hear babbling, I barely notice the camp starting to get set up around me. I consider truly making the most of this moment or even sneaking away to take a walk and clear my head but I know I’m just procrastinating the inevitable.

I try my best to help Ronnie stake our tent into the ground. We have three of them to set up. Josh and Poppy have their own. Jake and I were supposed to have our own as well, but given that our relationship recently imploded, we decided to break things up and have the rest of the boys in one tent, and the girls in another. At least I’ll have a separate tent with Ronnie to be able to decompress if things get to be too much.

“My tent looks better than yours”, Sam taunts, interrupting my thoughts, sticking his tongue out at me. Mere seconds later, before I even have a chance to respond, the wind picks up and his rain tarp goes flying.

“Hey, MacGyver, look alive” I point as it begins to blow into the woods between the trees.

“Shit!” He takes off running after it. Taking pity on him, I start to help him chase after it. I swear to God I almost give up as we run further and further back into the woods, tripping on tree roots, getting eaten alive by mosquitos, but the tarp finally catches on a broken tree branch.

“Oh thank god!” Sam yells out, grabbing the tarp and barking out a bellied laugh. I laugh along with him as I double over, hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath. I feel comfortable with Sam. He’s a safe person for me. Unfortunately all of the Kiszkas are, or, were. As safe as he feels, Sam and I have always had some kind of tension between us. I can never quite put my finger on what it is exactly–or maybe I would rather just not acknowledge it for the sake of our friendship. Sam finally breaks the silence in our gasps for air.

“So, how are you holding up? Like actually.” I panic immediately, the oxygen rushing to my brain from The Great Tarp Chase of 2022 has really proven to distract me from my own rambling thoughts but he’s snapped me right back into the present with one question. I don’t want to unload all of this on him and the way he’s looking at me makes me feel weak and pitiful. (Whether or not I am is not the point).

“I’ve been better. I’ve been worse.” I lie through my teeth, turning on my heel and heading back toward our campsite. He follows suit, striding beside me. He nods his head and gives me a weak smile. He knows I'm lying but I’m grateful he leaves it at that. Catching me completely off guard, he wraps his arm over my shoulder and pulls me in for a classic Sam bear-hug. “Thanks, Sammy.” I utter, the words muffled into the fleece of his pullover. Breaching past the point of the tree line, we see Danny’s truck pulled up next to Josh’s Jeep. Oh good. Just when I thought my anxiety couldn’t get any higher.

“Savannah!” Sam yells out in excitement. I didn’t even think it was humanly possible for my head to swivel in the speed and angle it does because who in the fuck is Savannah? It feels like a scene out of a movie as I see a set of long, sleek, tanned legs materialize from the back seat, followed by a luscious head of perfectly shiny, honey toned hair being tossed from one shoulder to the other.

Oh. That Savannah.

“You’ve met Sav before, right?” Josh asks only to me, putting down the camping chair he was holding.

“Um, actually no, I haven’t.” I try to play it cool. Try to act aloof but my blood pressure is absolutely through the roof and I feel like I’m going to pass out.

“Sav is a close family friend of ours, we’ve known her for years. I can’t believe you guys have never met! Jake never mentioned her?” He asks. I force a smile and shake my head ‘no.’ “Poppy invited her after you and Jake ended things… we knew you were on the fence about coming.” I know he’s reading my body language and can tell I'm trying to keep it cool. He throws an arm around my shoulder and tugs me into his side. “Play nice, mama. And don't stress about it. You’re going to get wrinkles before you’re thirty.”

“Hmph” I grumble. He pecks a platonic kiss to the top of my head, comfortingly and walks over to Poppy and Savannah.

See, I’m not lying but I’m not being completely truthful either. I know who Savannah is. Her name has come up in conversations at family gatherings and I’ve seen her in pictures from Kiszka family vacations but I’ve never met her in person. In fact I remember a very specific argument Jake and I had a few months ago around why I’d never met the girl his mother claims is ‘like one of her own.’

I instantly have my guard up. Savannah doesn’t acknowledge my presence, instead catching Poppy in a hug; squealing out a hello. “Thanks for inviting me, Pops!” she says. Finally mustering up the courage to pry my eyes off of her, I look over to Jake who is walking towards me.

“Hello, lo–”, Jake stops himself, “Uh, hey, glad to see you made it safely” He finishes. I feel my heart crack painfully.

“Hey, yeah, you too…” I reply weakly. He wanders off, grabbing his bag to toss into his tent with Danny and Sam. Meanwhile, Ronnie shows Sav to my tent, making herself cozy instantly.

“Haven't you heard that if you keep your face all scrunched up, it’ll get stuck like that?” I hear Sam’s voice in my ear. I didn’t even realize how furrowed my eyebrows were and how intense my stare was until his words hurled me back to reality. I relax my face immediately, closing my eyes.

“I need a minute.” I breathe as I quickly and quietly shuffle down the path toward the creek.

__________

“Shit, we really need more firewood.” Danny states from his camping chair. He’s been doing his very best to keep the dwindling flames alive.

“Nose goes!” Sam shouts and instantly everyone touches their finger to their nose.

Josh being the slowest to play along moseys back into the forest to fetch more wood.

“Josh! Wait for me!” Poppy yells out, Josh gladly stops dead in his tracks and waits for her, turning around to smile, reaching his hand out to take hers.

“If I were to light this joint… would anyone want to partake?” Sam asks, leaving half a grin on his face.

“Dumb question, Sam. I call fresh greens!” Ronnie says, leaping over the pitiful smoking embers of what’s left of the fire to grab the joint from Sam’s fingers.

“Next dibs!” I say, Jake huffing out a questionable groan from across the firepit.

I am praying to whatever god is out there that this changes the tone for the night. We all pass the joint around, of course following the “puff-puff-pass” rule.

By the cough Sav lets out, I'm going to assume this is her first time smoking. Odd, considering the group of people she’s so close with.

“Now, everyone say ‘Thank you, Poppy’” Poppy sings, emerging from the treeline, hands full of kindling while Josh follows behind her, balancing full logs in his arms.

“Thank you Poppy” We chorus back to her. As Sam stokes the fire, Josh and Poppy pour themselves drinks and we all gather around the flames, Danny pulling out his guitar, persuading us to start chanting our favorite songs. My mood has improved significantly from this morning and everyone else seems to be having a good time, too.

As I go to grab a beer, I see Sav walk over to Danny’s truck, “Hey, Dan! Toss me your keys!” He hurls them over to her and she catches them in both hands. A beeping sound comes from the distance as the trunk opens and we see her rummaging around for something. I see a tiny glimmer of light flicker before I hear Savannah start to sing, “Happy birthday to you” the rest of the group follows suit and joins in. “Happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear twins, happy birthday to you!” Walking towards the boys, she places a cupcake in each of their hands before settling back into her seat, a little too close to Jake. She pats his back, “Now make a wish birthday boy” Their birthday isn’t even until tomorrow…

I can’t seem to tear my eyes away from the candle on his stupid cupcake as I spiral. I should be sitting next to him. I should be whispering a wish into his ear, promising to fulfill it after we tuck into our sleeping bags. I should be wearing his warm socks because I forgot mine. Sharing the flashlight on his phone while we brush our teeth in the dark. Reminding him to take a tylenol before bed because he’s been drinking and to make sure he gets a good night's sleep because we have a big day tomorrow. I should be there laying beside him on his birthday morning and kissing him awake.

When I finally drag my eyes up to his, he’s already looking at me from across the fire. Responding to Savannah’s nudge for him to make a wish, he says “Oh, I have.” He lifts his cupcake in the air toward Josh and they blow their candles out in sync as we all cheer. I Immediately break his gaze and scoot closer to the fire as it starts getting a bit colder outside. To be fair, I think it's been cold, but we’ve all been a bit too intoxicated to really notice.

“It’s getting a bit chilly out here,” Sav says, rubbing her arms with her palms trying to create friction.

Without even blinking, Jake quickly starts slipping off his flannel and hands it to her. Fuck. It’s getting harder and harder to convince myself that Jake is just being the sweet, generous friend he is and not anything more. I see Sam visibly wince from beside me and I feel him reach over and firmly squeezes my knee. Sam has always seemed to know exactly what to say and when to say it –even if he isn't using words.

Allow me to interject and say that this is not a love story; don’t get it twisted. I’ve never thought of Sam as anything more than a damn good friend and my boyfriend's brother. I can’t say the same thing for him, though. Jake drunkenly let it slip to me, ages ago, not even a month into dating, that Sam had a huge crush on me. Jake and I both vowed to forget about it despite knowing that Sam is just shameless enough to admit it outright, if given the opportunity.

Feeling like it’s time to start winding down for the night, I walk over to the cooler to grab some water. I need to take a few deep breaths and suppress the primal urge I feel to rip Sav–and Jake– a new one. Josh follows me, so I reach in and pull out a bottle for him too.

“Should've known you’d be the first to quit tonight, grandma.” He teases. I’m notoriously the first to fall asleep or call it a night when we’re all together.

I chuckle, the water in my mouth nearly dribbling out onto my shirt. “What can I say, sleep is my first love.

“Speaking of love-” Josh starts

“Josh, you don’t have to-” I interject.

“I just wanted to reassure you that Sav is a close friend. But that’s all she is. A friend.” Josh smiles warmly.

“Yeah, you guys keep saying that…” I feel that pit in my stomach again as Josh gives me a pity smirk in return.

“Alright guys, I think I’m off to bed. I’m gonna need my sleep if we plan on hiking tomorrow” I announce to the group. I go around the fire giving everyone a hug goodnight, accepting their ribbing and teasing over going to bed ‘so early’.

Trying to be nice, I include both Jake and Sav a weak hug. “Ronnie and I will try to be quiet when coming to bed later!” Sav offers. I shuffle my way back to the tent, crawling into my mattress made of nothing but blankets. The mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion of the day catches up to me immediately and the second my head hits the pillow, I’m out cold.

—------------------

I wake up to the maddening sound of someone scratching on the outside of my tent. My eyes fly open, completely confused about what time it is, what day it is- even unsure of the year. Yesterday exhausted me. I don't even remember hearing Sav or Ronnie come to bed. I’m about to roll over and go back to sleep until I see a tall shadow moving around outside the tent. Pulling the covers over my head, begging for just a few more minutes alone, I try to pretend I’m asleep.

I hear the tent slowly unzip. Please just go away. I pray silently, but I realize God hates me as I feel someone grab my big toe and squeeze. Sam. “Jeez, Pumpkin, are you gonna wake up anytime soon?” He teases, stumbling into the tent and crawling into my makeshift bed. He lays on his side, body right up against mine, head propped in his hand. Absolutely zero boundaries or personal space with Sam and that's just something you learn to accept about him after knowing him for years.

“Where is everyone?” I ask, poking my head out from the covers once I realize it’s just the two of us in here. I keep the blanket over my mouth because I can taste my horrendous morning breath.

“Well, we figured we’d let you sleep for as long as you needed, but, breakfast is almost ready.” He explains, eyes meeting mine.

“I’m fasting today.” I lie. “Gonna do some soul searching and meditate in here.”

“Bullshit.” He calls me out, finally pulling the blanket from over my mouth. “You’re being a pussy because it’s Birthday Day.”

I gasp; a mock horrified expression on my face. “I resent that, Samuel.”

“Resent it all you want, Pumpkin, you’re gonna have to face the music at some point today.” He rolls so that he's flat on his back next to me. It’s silent for a moment, both of us just staring up through the mesh window in the ceiling of the tent.

“Sam?” I ask. He hums out an acknowledgement. “I am a pussy.” I confess. It’s quiet for another beat.

“I disagree.” He finally says. “I think it’s pretty brave of you to come anyway. For Josh. And for the rest of us. Despite. Ya know...”

“Yeah. I know.” I reply, rolling my head to the side to watch him. “Thanks.” His head rolls toward mine and his lips quirk up into a smile.

“Alright!” He claps. “As they say, ‘wakey wakey, eggs and bakey’!” He jolts upright and shuffles to his feet, crouching in the small space.

“Literally, no one says that Sam.” I groan, trying to find the will power to move my body.

He turns to me once more after stepping out onto the dewey grass.“And if nothing else gets you up, maybe brushing your teeth will ‘cause your breath smells like ass.” I throw a pillow at him, shy by about two feet. “Come on! You’ve gotta come see this fancy stove that Danny has”

“Trust me, I know all about that fucking stove”, I mutter under my breath as Sam walks out toward the picnic table.

I give myself one more minute to prepare myself for the day. It’s a new day. It’s Jake's birthday. C’mon baby, let’s just keep things light and fun today. I hype myself up enough to throw my shoes and beanie on and stumble out of the tent.

Immediately, I'm regretting waking up in the first place, coming on this trip, being born, all of it. The first thing I see is Jake sitting on the ground in front of Sav’s chair, her fingers crafting a braid into his hair. He looks completely blissed out. He loves getting his hair played with. Eyes closed. Smile on his face. I know that look. My fingers used to be the reason behind that look.

“Oh shit, I don’t have an extra hair tie… Ronnie, do you have one you could spare?” Sav questions, locking eyes with me instantly. A flicker of panic washes over her features but she masks it with a feeble smile.

“Actually, I have one right here”, Jake quickly interjects. I watch him slip the hair tie off of his wrist. It’s my fucking hair tie. He must still have it from the last time I braided his hair for him. I know it’s mine because I specifically have to buy ones for thick hair. They’re wider in size and flat. I walk over to the picnic table, taking a seat next to Ronnie. “Oh, I didn’t realize you were up yet”, Jake panics as soon as he opens his eyes and sees me.

“Yep, happy birthday boys”, I say cheerfully, remembering the pep talk I gave myself this morning. The tension in this open space is palpable.

“Pancakes?” Danny asks the group and we all grab our plates.

Jake is relatively hard to read, he’s shy and generally beats around the bush. But I know him. I know his expressions, mannerisms, body language, thought processes and behavior patterns and at this point, I think it’s clear that he’s moving on. So, I’m going to try my best to accept that for today. One day at a time. We can hash the rest out at a later time. We don’t need to do it here surrounded by all of our friends–and family.

“Check out the stove! You guys picked out just the perfect one” Danny credits us. I look over to Jake who’s already looking at me. I can’t help but chuckle out a laugh. I don’t think I have ever seen someone so giddy over a damn stove. Jake returns my smile and laughs along, looking down at his shoes.

—------------------

After cleaning up from breakfast, we get ready for the big birthday hike. Josh has not stopped talking about this hike since the day he and Poppy started planning this trip, months ago. This ought to be interesting. Josh, Lord help him, is arguably one of the worst people in the world to hike with. The man can turn a two-hour long hike into a six-hour long journey. Constantly stopping at every peak, landmark, field of flowers, even the gravel pits, for Christ’s sake. I’m all for taking in the beauty surrounding you, but even I have my limits. Let’s just get this show on the road, it was after all, the twins' one birthday request.

“Daniel, my good man, please bring forth the magic fungus for our trip into Mother Nature’s bosom.” Josh bellows, emerging from his tent. Danny smiles, pulling a baggie of mushrooms out of his backpack, shaking it with the biggest grin on his face.

“Fuck yeah!” Sam cheers as we all gather around, waiting like baby birds with our hands out for Danny to give us each our share.

“Bajabule!” Josh chants out, tossing back his little handful.

‘Fuck it’ I mumble to Ronnie, hooking her arm in mine as we place the mushrooms on our tongues.

“Jesus” Poppy scrunches up her face “I will never get used to that.” She gags. Josh bellows out a cackling laugh, pulling her in for a sloppy, smacking kiss.

“Onward, brethren!” Josh exclaims, outstretching his hand toward the mouth of the trail. We all follow suit behind him. This should be interesting. Without tripping, a 2 hour hike with the Kiszka family takes upwards of 5 hours, so I’m anticipating this to be a whole day event. We walk for about half an hour or so before the water in the creek starts to look like glitter and the highlights in Danny’s hair start to glow.

We make a pit stop in a flower field–courtesy of Josh–so we can eat the sandwiches that we brought along for lunch. By this hour, the bread is soggy, the deli meat is freakishly warm, and the lettuce is wilted. But, on the brightside… I’m too inebriated to really give a shit.

“I wish we would have packed anything, but sandwiches”, Jake says, as he chokes down another bite. Everyone giggling in harmony.

“Yeah, honestly… Who’s fucking idea was this?” Danny asks.

“It was Josh’s idea, I wanted charcuterie, but the birthday boy haaaad to have sandwiches”, Ronnie says, nudging Josh’s arm, making sure he knows that she’s playing around.

After we finish up lunch, we head back onto the trail. Josh acting as our tour guide, pointing out different flowers and moss patterns and birds. He makes us stop a few times to instruct us to: “Just close your eyes and breathe. What is the wind telling you?” He asks. What a loaded fucking question for eight people high off their asses on psychadelic mushrooms. It’s the middle of the afternoon so the sun is high in the sky, beating down ruthlessly on us as we break out of the trees and into the open air.

“Josh, can you carry me?” Poppy whines, dragging her feet.

“We’re almost to the river, lover– then we can take a break.” He presses a kiss to her cheek. One by one we all start to strip layers of clothing. Sam’s shirt is gone instantly, Josh’s scarf is now around his head, keeping his hair off of his forehead. Jake’s flannel is tied around his waist and I’m down to my sports bra and bike shorts. “See, there it is.” He points toward the water.

With a squeal of excitement, Ronnie takes off running first and we all follow suit, shedding clothing as we go. The second my feet splash into the water, I feel euphoric. I look down and watch as the water ebbs and flows around my ankles, licking up my legs gloriously. I imagine the minnows in the river stopping by to kiss my toes and suddenly there they are. Dozens of them. Some whisper ‘hello’s to me. I’m completely lost in my hallucination when I feel a cold splash of water rain down on me. I squeal as I’m pulled back into real life. Sam watching me, waiting for me to retaliate. I rush forward, splashing him back as he runs through the waist deep water until he’s swimming away from me. Trying to catch up with him to properly get him back, I slip on a slimy, algae covered rock, sending me plummeting into the water.

The pressure of the water around me is comforting, like a weighted blanket. I feel myself longing to slip lower and lower as the water gets colder, the further I fall. Before I can truly appreciate the weightless feeling of sinking deeper, I feel arms around me, pulling me up through the water. I gasp and inhale dramatically as soon as my head breaches the surface. When I open my eyes, it’s Jake whose arms are around me. I cough and sputter water out through my nose and mouth.

“Jesus, what are you doing? You scared the shit out of me.” He states, slight panic in his tone and features. I’m still huffing in and out, trying to fill my lungs with oxygen.

“Sorry, sorry” I say, my head feeling light from the effects of the psilocybin in my system. My hands are still clutching his biceps and his are around my waist, supporting primarily all of my weight. To my left I see that our friends have all drifted much further away from me than I realized. “I got lost in the feeling.” I explain. My heart clenches in my chest as his eyes sweep over my face, trying to read me.

“Are you okay?” He asks. I’m about to reassure him that yes, I’m fine– just swallowed a little too much river water when I decide that I’m not quite sure he was referring to the water at all.

“Um.” I hesitate. His grip on me loosens a bit and he settles me back on the riverbed, stabilizing me before letting go. “Yes.” I finally respond, head clearing a bit now that we’re not so close. “I’m fine, I might've acquired a rare parasite from drinking too much river water, but I’ll live.” His expression softens at that and I even see a glimmer of a smile.

“Well then come on, no more water for you.” He scolds, playfully. “You can’t be trusted.” He gestures for me to accompany him back to the shore, everyone else seeing us and following along to start the trek back to the campsite.

—--------------

After a solid seven hour hike, we finally make it back to camp, everyone winding down and getting ready to make dinner and gather around the fire for the night. As if we haven’t had an eventful day already, Poppy starts passing out beers to everyone. The annual birthday shotgun; lovely.

“Cheers to a fantastic weekend!” Ronnie shouts, all of us raising our cans in the air, taking a knee and chugging the beer.

“Jake, will you make me a s’more?” Sav asks, puppy dog eyes on full display. “Gonna need a fire first, love.” He teases back. Before he can even say it, everyone touches their finger to their nose. “Sam, you’re up.” Jake calls. Sam whips his head around from where he was–distracted, and quickly trying to change the subject so he’s not the one stuck rummaging around in the forest for wood.

“Who wants a shot?! Shots anyone?!” Sam asks, making a desperate attempt to change the subject.

“I’d love one– you got tequila?” Sav asks, practically leaping from her seat.

“Yeah, I’ll take one too”, I say. I can feel Jake’s eyes darting towards me. He knows I hate taking shots of anything, unless I'm desperate for an escape from reality.

“Okay, yeah, I guess we’re all taking shots then…” Jake huffs out, sounding a tad concerned, his hand running through his hair like it always does when he gets uncomfortable.

“Yeah, yeah… let’s have a couple more shots, and thennnn Sam will go get firewood”, Ronnie says, letting Sam know he is not off the hook.

“Alright fine, but I need someone to come with me and hold the flashlight.”

—--------------

“Sam, you have to point the flashlight where we’re walking, I can’t see shit.” I chide, laughing as I hear him curse, stumbling over a tree stump. We’ve been looking for dry wood for what feels like forever, but I’m sure it’s only been about 5 minutes.

“Sorry, I can’t focus, I think the shrooms are still fucking with my head.” He laughs back.

“Clearly” I shoot back.

“Oh, coming from you!” He heckles. “10 bucks says you couldn't even tie your shoe right now after the four beers you shot gunned back there.”

“Okay, okay you’ve got a point.” I laugh, knowing he’s right. We’re both fucked up and probably the last two they should’ve sent out on this mission. Trying to walk and laugh proves to be too much of an obstacle and I feel my foot hook on a tree root--sending me flying forward on my hands and knees.

“Oh, fuck!” Sam cries out, still laughing. “Are you okay?” He kneels next to me, reaching for my bicep to help me up.

“Flashlight. That was your job, Samuel. The flashlight.” I reprimand as I let him help me to my feet.

“Shit, you’re bleeding.” His tone softens a bit. “Here, come here.” He takes my hand, guiding me to sit on a giant rock a few feet away. He kneels in front of me, taking my calf in his hand. He hands me the flashlight-- “here, your turn” and with the tip of his finger, he prods the scrape on my knee.”

“Ouch, you fuck!” I shove his shoulder, causing him to fall back on his ass, laughing.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m trying to help.” He apologizes. “Here. Just needs to be cleaned up a bit.” He takes my calf in his hand again and analyzes the mark. He makes a guttural sound, signifying he’s about to spit on my knee. My hand flies to cover his mouth immediately.

“Don’t you dare!” I shriek, biting back a laugh.

“I’m joking, I’m joking!” He protests even though I’m 110% positive he was not, in fact, joking. I thank God that we’re right next to the creek bank as he pulls his shirt off and dips the corner of it into the water.

“Innovative” I praise as he gently dabs the cut on my knee. “If I didn’t know better, I’d assume this was all just a ploy for you to take your shirt off.”

His smirk widens, but his eyes stay focused on my leg as he says, “If this were about getting our clothes off, I’d have made sure you fell on your ass.” My heart skips a beat and it's unfamiliar; this feeling. It’s been weeks, an entire month and two weeks to be exact since I’ve had any physical attention and my body is reacting on primal instinct.

I catch my mind wandering as he works on my knee; his face soft in the light of the flashlight. I’m not sure if it's the leftover effects of the mushrooms, the beer, or the flood of emotions I've been battling this weekend, but at this moment, I’m noticing things I haven't before. Like the crease in the tip of his nose. The length of his eyelashes as they swish up and down when he blinks. The hair in between his eyebrows that don’t quite meet but bunch together in concentration as he takes my left hand in his to inspect it for scrapes and dirt. I notice the sharp peaks in the cupid’s bow of his top lip and how plump and soft his lower one is.

Getting lost in his features, I find myself reaching out to brush the loose hair that’s fallen into his face behind his ear. So quietly, I’m sure I could be mishearing, a low hum escapes his throat in approval. Chasing that approval further, I move the same hand from behind his ear up into his hair, scratching at his scalp gently with my blunt fingernails. The hum that comes out next is louder this time, unmistakable as his eyes flutter closed.

“Sammy,” I begin.

“Hmm?” His eyes open again, slowly, finally meeting mine.

“Wanna hear a secret?” I ask, tugging my fingers from his scalp and brushing them through the strands on my way down to his shoulder.

“I love secrets.” He smiles, shifting on his knees until his face is only about a foot from mine.

I smile back at his eagerness, cupping my hand and bringing my lips close to his ear, I whisper, “I heard you used to have a crush on me.” His hands move to rest on my thighs as he draws back to look at my face.

“Is that so?” He asks. I nod back, confirming. “Didn’t know that was a secret.” His head cocking to the side.

My eyebrows raise in surprise. “Really? Well it was news to me.”

“What’s with all this past tense verbiage, here?” He asks, his fingers tightening playfully on my thighs. “‘Used to have a crush’, ‘it was a surprise’.” I feel the blood rush to my cheeks, the blush ruining my cover instantly.

“What are you trying to say, Sammy?” I dare to prod, teasing lightly but there’s a bite to my tone. It’s not until his nose is nearly brushing mine that I realize we’ve been slowly inching magnetically closer to one another. “Sam?” I whisper, so close now that I feel the strands of his hair tickling my cheek. His eyes flicker from my lips back up to my eyes and I can taste his warm breath on my tongue.

My mouth is watering in anticipation and my heart is pounding. I'm certain he can hear it. The birds in the trees can probably hear it. I feel his lower lip graze mine and we both flinch as if we’ve been electrocuted. He whispers my name into my mouth and I inhale it like a vapor. A beat passes where we just exchange shaky breaths, our lips brushing every so often, his hands moving up my thighs, grasping my hips, fists clenching the denim of my shorts. “Sam.” I say once again, this time more like a shallow moan.

“Do you want to know a secret, too?” He asks, pecking a feather light kiss to my bottom lip.

“Uh huh” I whimper pathetically.

“I think you have a crush on me too.” He whispers. “I can feel it.” He breathes. “Right here.” His hand moves from my hip to my chest, pressing his palm over my heart. “Feels like hummingbird wings.”

“Sam.” I blink slowly, feeling lightheaded and blinded by desire. I rest my forehead against his. My only thoughts are yes and touch me and please.

“Tell me.” He pushes. “Tell me you want me to touch you. I need to hear you say it.”

“I-” I swallow thickly, feeling my pulse in my temples now, face getting hotter as my fingers thread through his hair. “I want you to touch me. Please.”

And then…

Finally. Finally, his lips properly smash against mine. It’s messy and it’s hot and there are too many teeth involved but my body reacts instantly. He presses his naked chest to mine, wrapping his arms around me, squeezing. Our lips make a smacking sound as we part. I lean away to tug my shirt over my head and pull him back into me. As soon as our lips meet again, his hands are on my chest, tugging the cups of my bra down. His hands squeeze my breasts roughly, making me cry out. I reach behind myself and unhook the clasp, giving him full access to my chest.

He’s gripping my hip so tightly with his left hand that I can feel his pinky ring digging into me. It feels like it’s striking right through to my bone, but I can only hope that he squeezes harder.

“Fuck” he groans, his lips darting kisses down my neck straight to the buds of my nipples. The expletives that tumble out of my mouth would make my mother blush as he bites down and rolls the hardened nub between his teeth and tongue. “Yeah?” He asks, completely and entirely sure of himself.

“Yeah.” I answer. With one hand gripping the life out of my hip, his other goes down to play with the torn shreds on the hem of my cut off denim shorts, teasing his fingertips up the inside of my thigh slowly. “Do it.” I encourage him. His lips pop off my breast and his eyes meet mine.

“Do what, exactly?” He asks, his fingers brushing the skin between my core and my thigh. So close. “Tell me how you like it, baby” he brings his cheek to mine, his lips to my ear. “You want my fingers?” His lips kiss wetly down the column of my neck to my collar bone and my hips roll against the rock I’m still sitting on, trying to get some friction. His tongue swipes a hot line from my clavicle to my ear and he bites the lobe, “Or my tongue?” I can’t help the whine that squeaks past my lips. Before I can respond he says “I want to taste you. I need to know if you taste better than I imagine you do.”

“Fuck” I whisper.

“When I’m in the shower.” He adds, his fingers slipping past the cotton of my panties and feeling me properly. “Touching myself.” He presses a kiss to my cheek.

“Thinking about me?” I ask. Instead of answering, he curves his finger inside of me, sliding it against my walls. I gasp when he hits the spot behind my clit.

“There she is.” He smirks. “‘Course I’m thinkin’ about you, pumpkin.” His finger starts moving relentlessly inside me. “You get me so hot.” His other hand grabs mine from where it’s tangled in the hair at the base of his neck and he brings it down to press against the bulge in his shorts. These goddamn purple short shorts…

My hand starts moving on its own accord and I palm him, squeezing around where I feel the head of his cock. Feeling brave, I ask “this for me?” He huffs out a breath, eyes closing briefly. “Jesus, Sammy you’re so fucking pretty.” His lips press against mine once before he pulls his fingers out of me and stands up, guiding me with him. Instantly settling back onto his knees, he pulls my shorts and panties down in one swift motion.

“Sit.” He commands. I obey, my ass pressing uncomfortably onto the rock again. “Up.” He taps his shoulders with his hands. Getting the picture, I lift my legs up and bend my knees over his shoulders. Without any other warning, he dips his tongue into my slit.

His cold lips meet my lower half and the stubble on his upper lip causes the slightest, yet most arousing sensation to my clit. The prickle makes me squirm in the best way. I flutter my eyes open to look down at him. Both of his hands are gripping onto my hips, pulling me as close to him as humanly possible.

“Fuck, you taste so good”, he says, briefly coming up for air and then quickly heading back down, hands reaching up to feel my chest.

He moves his right hand away from my hip and before I can process what's about to come next, he’s pumping two fingers in and out of me. “So wet for me.” He grins cockily. I respond by arching my back, pressing myself further up into his mouth.

“So close Sammy– just a little more” I pant out.

“Cum for me, doll”, Sam responds, replacing his two fingers with his tongue again. Softly suckling on my clit, and before I know it, my release is washing over me but he’s not letting up. He continues to tease my entrance with his tongue and lips, making sure to brush my clit with the stubble on his upper lip.

“I have to admit, I didn’t think you had it in you, Sammy”, I poke at him, sitting up slightly.

“There’s a lot you don't know about me” He responds, lightly biting on my clit, hands scratching down my thighs like rakes.

“You ready for me?” he asks, wiping his mouth and popping his two fingers past his lips to taste me again. Sam stands in front of me, brushing his hair out of his face. He grabs my hands and pulls me up to him, grabbing me by the small of my back and kissing me deeply.

“How do you want me, Sammy?” I ask. He answers by spinning me around and pinning me over the boulder, my chest flat on the smooth stone.

I feel him bend over me, his lips coming close to my ear as he brushes the hair out of my face. “I’ll try and go easy on ya, Pumpkin”, I can hear his shorts hitting the dirt below him as he kicks them off to the side.

He nudges my right foot with his, signaling for me to spread my legs a little wider. My fingers grip on to the edge of the boulder as I anticipate what's to come.

Taking his cock and dragging it up and down through my folds, I finally feel him slip inside of me and fuck. He feels so good. My entire body sings out in relief as my walls contract around him instantly. I hear him trying to keep his breathing even as he stills inside me.

“Just how I imagined it, God, you feel so fucking good”, he breathes out, starting to move a little as I get used to the size of him.

“Okay.” I breathe once the stretch starts to make my heart pound. “Fuck me, Sam.” I beg and I’d be embarrassed about just how desperate I sound if I weren’t so completely blissed out.

Once he starts moving, he’s going at a fast pace. I swear I can feel every nerve ending in my body and it feels like tiny fireworks being set off all at once. I could break a rib on this rock by the way he’s pounding into me and could not possibly care any less.

“Wish I could see your face.” I breathe. “I bet you look so pretty fucking me.” I say, feeling close to climax again. Already.

“Next time.” he responds and I can feel myself tensing around him.

“I’m gonna…” I begin to say.

That’s when I hear it. Tree branches snapping and footsteps in the distance. Before I know it, there’s a flashlight in our faces. Still bent over this fucking rock, Sam still pounding in to me, moaning. Eyes closed, completely oblivious.

Jake.

I reach behind me and grab Sam’s wrist, alerting him to the presence of his brother. He opens his eyes and pulls out of me immediately, searching for his shorts. An impressive string of expletives leave his mouth. I follow his example, reaching down for my clothes and haphazardly pulling them on.

Jake is standing before us, clapping his hands, shaking his head.

“Wow.” He jeers.

I feel like a deer in the headlights. What the fuck were we thinking?

“Happy birthday to me, I guess?” He snidely remarks, making a pause to collect his thoughts. “Well, Sam- got what you always wanted, I take it? How was she? Good, right?” Neither of us are able to say a word, just completely shocked and caught off guard.

“Jake, let me explain, please-” I’m finally able to find my voice.

“Let me guess. It’s not like that? Because from the looks of it, my little brother was just railing you from behind in the middle of the fucking woods. Try and tell me that I was seeing things; try.” I can tell by the tone of his voice that he’s both irate as well as deeply disappointed.

“Please, just let me talk to you. Jake, can we please go somewhere to talk?” I ask.

“Jake, I swear, we just got caught up in the moment.” Sam admits, eyes darting to me, to the ground, anywhere but Jake’s eyes.

“No, fuck this. I’ll talk to you about this some other time. Perhaps when we all get home from this God forsaken fucking trip.” Jake says, turning on his heel and heading back toward camp.

We follow after him, trying to get him to turn around and talk to us but he just picks up his speed. Unspokenly, we decide to give him some space. Upon reaching our camp, Jake instantly shouts, “night everyone” and storms into his tent. The group turns their heads in confusion, I don’t think they would've ever seen this one coming.

“Wait, where’s the firewood?” Josh questions.

“Couldn’t find any.” Sam responds curtly, opening up the back door of Josh’s Jeep to crawl into the backseat.

“Is everything okay?” Sav asks him.

“Yeah, the tent just gets a little warm, so I’m gonna sleep here tonight”, He responds, closing the Jeep door.

All eyes dart toward me, looking for answers.

“Um- Okay, well…” Yeah fuck that. “See you guys in the morning.” I nearly whisper; crawling into my tent.

What the fuck just happened.

To be continued...

Part III

Masterlist