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shirleydanders · 3 months

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“Reunion”

CHARACTERS: River Cartwright x James ‘Spider’ Webb

SUMMARY: It’s been about a month of silent hospital visits before River hears that Spider’s awake. He goes to see him and their game, as ever, is on.

WORD COUNT: 1,664

WARNINGS: Angst, violent imagery, bad language, deep, deep sadness and weird dudes.

NOTES: This is kind of a fix-it fic because I refuse to accept Spider’s death as laid out in either the book or the show. Also, I tried to do a bit of a character study into why River is so pathetic and Spider is such a fucked up little freak, so I hope you enjoy that.

River knows how it feels. To be worth more vivisected than whole. Maybe he can sympathise. There’s something more compelling about his destruction than the half-life he’s slipping through.

So loneliness will always be preferable to the feeling of being sifted through for something more valuable. He watches as the light in everyone’s eyes dies on contact with him. He carries on talking even though no one’s listening. He was made a pawn, but the game’s over.

He knows he’ll let his guard down eventually. Sooner or later, he’ll offer himself to someone, to be broken down into those familiar disembodied bits. He can feel useful then, if only for a moment.

Pathetic, that’s what most people would call it. River has given up trying to justify himself. He doesn’t have the energy. He’s half a person; half the vital functions. His thoughts dissolve as soon as they arrive. Any emotion feels a hundred miles away. If he does catch up, it’s already petered out.

He thinks about his mother briefly. How she left him on his granddad’s doorstep at seven. Well, of course she did. She could see it, even then. He’s always been a ghost.

He thinks that’s why he doesn’t stay whole for long. Whatever he is isn’t worth being saved, not even an entire being in the first place. And haunting people is so painful. So he lets them take him apart. All the pieces. Until he’s just a husk, and they’ve slinked away.

Spider’s anxieties are different altogether. He is sure of his importance; knows he’s needed. But the idea that someone could overtake what he’s managed to achieve makes him sick. The constant need to sabotage, to prove himself above others. He marks his card as one of the elite, but the conviction he embodies it with doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

Taverner never liked him. He doesn’t need her to, so long as she doesn’t like anyone else either. But she did before. She liked River. So when she came with the request to ruin him, a Shakespearean betrayal, he’d done what he had to. There was no place for him but the top of the food chain.

It’s never bothered him. There’s always someone undeserving in the place he should be. Who was the one weeping, smeared across the floor in the torture resistance training? Not him, that’s for sure.

It’s not personal. What River is or isn’t to him has never even been a consideration. It’s London Rules, as it always has been. Covering your arse is a lot easier when you can push someone down to do it for you.

When they meet again, for the first time since Spider woke from his coma, there is that stilted silence – the great unsaid. That has always been a game they played. There’d always been a hushed nature to their… relationship. Before the resentment kicked in, there was something else that was keeping them apart.

Now, even the love’s gone, but the distance remains unchanged. They’re too incompatible for that to be overcome.

Nevertheless, they are drawn together every single time.

River is the first to speak.

‘Long time, no see.’

Spider nods – a smile, half expressed, half tangled up in another moment, resting on his lips. He catches River’s insinuation. That Spider hadn’t seen him, even though he’d visited.

‘You gonna use that against me? The coma?’

‘Well, I’ve never been in one.’

The pair laugh, acidicly.

‘Never too late to try something new.’

The thin veil of playfulness shatters. They both wilt, as though resigning themselves to the opposite. It is too late. It’s all too late, and too messy, and too much.

‘That’s the last time I ask your lot for a favour.’

‘Yeah, well, we’re slow horses,’ River replies, teeth grinding slightly as he forces it out, ‘what did you expect?’

‘I would’ve thought not letting people get shot while you’re running security is common practice, even among your kind.’

They both know they’re not here to speak as though they’re on the record, in some unseen competition. They want to be candid. To possibly even be vulnerable. The trouble is, someone’s got to break first. Spider had never knowingly broken in his life. Ah, but River…

‘I thought you were gonna die.’

Spider’s eyes snap up to River, quiet satisfaction setting his lips in a smile.

‘That was never on the cards.’

‘Be fucking serious, I…’ River began with the anger that only really expresses itself for Spider. Every other inconvenience he felt was par for the course, worth little more reaction than an eye roll, but Spider is the one who gets under his skin. It’s impressive, really, how instantly he can boil River’s blood. He starts again, softer. ‘It just made me think about training.’

The glint in Spider’s eyes extinguishes itself.

‘You know, they say that when you’re in a coma, you’re aware of everything around you. That wasn’t true for me.’ Spider begins the observation in a cold, guarded way. As though armouring up in the terrible event of his vulnerability.

‘I heard nothing. Saw nothing. One minute I was awake, the next minute I was awake again. Nothing in between.’ There’s a pause, as he draws breath like a gun. ‘It’s what I imagine your life’s like at Slough House.’

River looks at him, really looks. If this is a joke at his expense, it hasn’t landed. Spider’s as serious as a heart attack, his words grave.

‘And, so what? You– you feel sorry for me?’

Spider just looks away. Maybe he thought about training too. What they had been through– only for Spider to leave his legacy in blood on a marble floor. For River to still experience a living death, everyday. Maybe he considered how sitting at that desk must feel to someone with the world to give.

Or maybe not.

The blood’s up again in River’s ears. His cheeks are beet red and his jaw aches from clenching. So much has changed. So much has stayed the same. They walk a hall of broken mirrors; a corridor leading to the abstract nothing. The walk had almost ended for Spider, but he clung on. If only to throw River ahead of him.

Why does River continue the cycle? Why is he even here? A voice in the back of his head answers:

Because he’s the only one who knows what to do with the bits you break down into.

‘I haven’t missed you being such a prick.’ River is serious when he says it, but it’s an evasion. It’s pointless too. Spider can see it for the hubris it is.

‘Cartwright,’ River hates when Spider calls him by his surname. Like an old schoolmaster. It’s loaded with association, too. His grandfather, the super spy, and him, Cartwright the Younger. The disappointment. The black sheep no-one had the decency to send to slaughter. ‘They tell me Taverner’s coming down. You might wanna make yourself scarce.’

Something like vengeance flashes in River’s eyes. How sweet it feels when the upper hand begins to guide you.

‘If they’re sending her down in person, there’ll be two choices.’

He let that hang. Maybe Spider had already considered this.

Maybe not.

‘I don’t choose Slough House.’

‘Didn’t think you would.’

‘As a new expert on fates worse than death–’

‘Yes, fine.’

It irks River. That, even while lying in a hospital bed, Spider still commands the room. His confidence, misplaced though it is, is like a dagger between River’s shoulder blades. The first piece begins to come away.

‘When will you be discharged?’

‘End of the week, all being well. Few more tests.’ He’s vague, lest River mistake his condition for any sort of weakness. It was simply a matter of record keeping that he had been shot. Dodging death in a manner almost offensive, and powering ahead like he still has the world at his feet.

Only, it’s starting to settle in. What River had said. When one choice is Slough House, the other is quit the Service. There’s no route back to the Park. This isn’t the minor blip he’s pretending it is. This is as good a death as he’ll ever get.

River might feel sorry for him. Under all the resentment, there might be a tiny sliver of him that wouldn’t wish his life on anyone else. Especially Spider, for some reason.

They sit in their torturous silence. When they built their walls, they’d been too close to see that they’d hemmed each other in with them. Stuck in a hellish limbo between saying nothing and saying everything. The goodwill between them, if it ever had existed – in the liminal ‘before’ – had run dry. There remained only an itch, like a phantom feeling for something that could still exist, but never will again. River needs to be broken down, and James needs to consume him. That was the unspoken order of things. But, to admit it would be the worst betrayal. Instead they sit, in this prison of their own making, thinking of what life would look like, as if they didn’t already know.

‘I’m gonna go.’ As River turns to his coat, he finds the forgotten bouquet beneath it. Spider’s eyes widen. ‘Oh, yeah. I got you these.’ He extracts them, now more than slightly squashed, and hands them to Spider. ‘Lilies, in case you’d died.’

Receiving them now, Spider knows what he should say. He’s opened up a clear line of sight. You got me flowers, you pathetic fuck? But he can’t. Some unseen chain snags around his neck. He holds the flowers, plastic crinkling as he turns them over in his hands.

‘I wouldn’t make it that easy for you.’

River finds himself smiling, despite himself. Despite everything.

‘I’m sure.’ He throws on his coat. ‘Give Taverner my love and… erm– enjoy unemployment!’

‘Fuck you, River.’

‘Fuck you, Spider.’

And although they both wish it weren’t, the world as they’d always known it is back.

#river cartwright #james spider webb #spider webb #river x spider #river cartwright/spider webb #river cartwright x spider webb #waterspout #my weird sons and their psychosexual obsession with each other #georgia’s fics #slow horses #watch spider pretend he wouldn’t drink river’s bathwater for nearly 2k words!

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zmczzz · 2 months

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Cartwright in S4

#slow horses #river cartwright #river cartwrong #James Webb #ooc #river x spider

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alixxali · 6 months

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Worst kept secret

#slow horses #river x spider #river cartwright #james webb x river cartwright #otp #fic coming soon

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curioushabitforarivergod · 1 month

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my current (main) WIPs that I haven't actually posted but I am working on them I swear please believe me

The Killing Moon

A ~70k tomarry, same-gen fic drawing inspiration from anglo and celtic mythology. Still in the planning stages but will probably have a sequel too

there is a light that never goes out

A janto one-shot. A CoE fix-it with immortal Ianto and plenty of angst. Need to finish writing a scene and edit it but I kinda hate large parts so I'm not sure where to begin editing

Kaleidoscope

A Slow Horses River/Spider with background Louisa/Min and Diana/Ingrid based on The Game (2014). Currently writing chapter one, but I will be posting as I go given there's only 6 chapters planned. Probably will end up around 60k

Feel free to ask questions about any of them or just chat with me. I've got some other stuff in the works, but they're joint things/very early conceptual ideas.

#tomarry #harry potter #janto #torchwood #river x spider #or as I call them 'WaterSpout'#slow horses #slough house #ao3 #fanfic #my wips

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bachaboska · 5 months

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#I promise nothing #my stuff #a poll that exists only to make me feel better about not finishing some of my other projects #reservoir dogs #one piece #opla #shanks x mihawk #miguel x peter #slow horses #river x spider #the passenger 2023

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makesteddiecanon · 14 days

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Heartbreak High as things i found on my phone

Bonus:

#heartbreak high #amerie wadia #darren rivers #quinn gallagher-jones #heartbreak high 2022 #season 2 #incorrect quotes #text posts #harper mclean #malakai mitchell #spider x ant #anthony vaughn #spencer white #missy beckett #australian tv

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luuuuucyscorner · 8 days

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𝐒𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫 𝐖𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞- 𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐲, 𝐈'𝐦 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬

Chapter One. Info: spider gets called up and put into the SLT. upon entering, he meets the new student: Y/n L/n and is immediately taken by her

Tags: 18+, swearing, groping

word count: 5582

gif by me

The semester started off normally enough, summer had just ended and it was time to start a new year of school. Spider's peaceful start was quickly interrupted by some random girl running through the courtyard yelling; "Oi! Theres a fully-gacked sex map in the old stairwell! It's called the Incest Map." In a blur all students were shoving their way into the stairwell trying to catch a peek at the Map. As Spider walked with Ant, attempting not to laugh at the current situation, his name was called over the loud speaker, "Will the following students please meet at classroom 5D," the principle lists a few names before saying "Spencer White". Spider groaned, “oh cunt.” As Ant next to him laughs, "Anthony Vaughn." At least he wouldn't be alone. “Oi, shits fucked, eh?” he says to his friend, “can’t imagine what kinda arvo it's gonna be.”

The two of them walk into class 5D and sit in the back, and as she walks in looking down, he calls out to Amerie; the girl who got him and twenty or so other students into this fucking mess, "Map Bitch! Map Bitch." he laughed noticing her miserable look. The teacher of the class, Ms. Obah, finally introduced herself before dubbing the class a sexual literacy class or SLT's, which quickly got spun into 'Sluts'. Spider and Ant start chanting "Sluts, Sluts, Sluts" before he's quickly cut off by the door slamming open and a new student stepping inside, he narrows his eyes…

A girl he had never seen before walks in, "uh hey? i'm not sure im meant to be here but i was called up? im new here, im Y/n L/n" the girl explained.

ms. Obah greeted her and motioned for her to sit down at the same table as spider and his mates. Leaning back in his seat, Spider smirks at the new addition to their little group. "Y/n L/n, huh? Well, Y/n, nice ta meet ya, the names spencer but my friends call me spider" he drawled, spewing more Aussie slang than usual. Crossing his arms, he gave her a once-over, grinning when she mentioned she wasn’t supposed to be there. "Well, looks like me and Ant here are gonna teach ya a thing or two bout rules today. Wanna play along, darlin'?" He winked, eyebrow raised suggestively. With a chuckle, he motions towards Amerie, snickering softly. "'S her fault we're here, dollface."

Y/n watches on, unimpressed. "god, so you're the class dickhead then?" she sasses.

"Oh, I ain't even close to bein' the biggest one around, love," Spider retorts with a cocky grin, leaning back in his chair. Seeing her stand up for herself only made him more interested. "But thanks for makin' me feel special, darling. That smile, though... How could anyone resist?" He leered at her playfully, crossing his arms over his chest. "Better start learnin', kiddo. Looks like yer in for a wild ride in 'SLT's.'" He chuckles, looking around at their fellow classmates before turning his attention back to her. "You're American, aren't ya?

Y/n rolls her eyes, "uh, no. its a British accent, you asshat"

Spider blinks, adjusting his gaze to study her for a moment. "British? Blimey, ya sound American tae me, love. Or Canadian, maybe?" He scratches the back of his head, tilting it to the side quizzically. "I dunno, mate. But yer right, I shouldn't judge a book by its cover, should I? Jus' a typical Aussie mistake." He grinned widely, clearly enjoying the banter. "Alright, Y/n, im sorry for taking the piss outta yer accent" he teases, noticing your expression.

"fuck off Spider we both know you'll be jacking off to my accent tonight" she winks as Ant and Dusty shove and make fun of Spider. Spider's cheeks flush a deep red. He glares at his friends before turning back to her, a mixture of embarrassment and amusement coloring his features. "Alright, alright. I'll admit it - I might've been thinking about it a bit. But yer can't blame me, doll. You've got a voice like honey." He rubs the back of his neck sheepishly, feigning innocence. "Just enjoy the view." Swallowing hard, he tries to recover his composure. "But seriously, welcome to our lovely little class. Just try not to break anything, yeah?"

"Well stop taking the piss out of my accent then" she reaches over and palms his crotch under the table when no one is looking to enforce what she said. Spider jolts in surprise, gasping quietly as your hand connected with his crotch. His face turns bright scarlet, but he somehow manages to maintain eye contact with you. "Fuck, love! Not exactly what I was expectin'," he stammers under his breath, trying to stifle his laughter. "But I think I'll survive." He clears his throat, attempting to regain control of the situation. "Listen, if it bothers you that much, I won't mention it again." he gives her a lopsided grin, still feeling the lingering effects of her touch. "Now, let's focus on this class" he adds, subtly adjusting himself under the table.

"deal" Y/n winks and turns her attention back to ms. Obah. Spider sits, watching you intently, his heart pounding slightly faster. He couldn't deny the attraction he felt, nor could he hide the satisfaction in his eyes. Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, he forces himself to pay attention to Ms. Obah's lecture. Still, his thoughts kept drifting back to your bold move and the thrill of it all. And despite the awkwardness, there was undeniably a sense of excitement that lingered between them. "Deal," he agrees softly, keeping an eye on you during the lesson. Little did he know, he was already hooked.

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lansangprincess · 17 days

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Heartbreak High S2E2 highlights⋆·˚ ༘ *

malakai having hella bi panic in the escape room lmfao — "I had a threesome w a guy once. not to brag but it was pretty gay 😌✨"

AMERIEMALAKAI FIGHT NOOOOOOOOOOO

i feel rlly bad for Harper. I may not have liked her that much in s1 but I have always been glad her character and storyline exists bc fcking hell do i relate

anthony vaughn the man u are. imma tackle u for sure idgaf abt pig oil

the Missy/Spider ship gets into gear bc he got distracted by her muscle mommy-ness???? INTO IT.

but still, fuck u spider incel piece of shit <3

AND FUCK YOU TOO ZOEY VICTIM-BLAMING BITCH

the ant/harper scene i want that scene tattooed on me. right next to amerie/malakai first time scene. him being a fking idiot most of the time but having the sense to stop harper from doing something she might regret (while gently reassuring her that he wants to)?? i love him i love him i love him i love him

💗detective Quinni💗 exposing Sasha for being the hypocrite we all knew her to be

idk if i like rowan that much but i love malakai and seeing him have bi panic constantly is so funny but it also makes me feel really bad for amerie please just tell her T^T

CA$H BABY LOOK AT ME IT'S ME CA$H PLEASE DON'T DO THIS mommy im scared (…idk why but i feel like if u showed him the duck he'd go w nan and darren…)

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moon0fairy · 17 days

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Finished 2x05 of heartbreak high and oh boy stuff went down (contains spoilers!!):

I kinda expected the identity of bird psycho but also didn‘t want it to be true. He was kinda acting sus during the camping trip and something about his mannerisms, the way he looked made me suspicious

On reason why I threw away that thought is because I couldn‘t think of a motive since he‘s the new kid but I‘ll guess why‘ll find out soon

Poor Malakai tho, he deserves someone who truly likes him :( I can‘t tell if I still like Amerie x Malakai because she‘s done some not so nice stuff but let‘s see

Amerie listing out to Malakai what he‘s done wrong in a frog costume and a flute was hilarious

Poor Quinni, I totally get it tho :( She was so focused on her detective work and then suddenly it all collapsed. I also panic when my friends have so much stuff going on and I feel left out. I‘m just glad we got such great autism representation

Darren, Cash and Harper sounds like the most chaotic living situation ever (I feel like Cash would do all the household chores and being stressed out)

Kinda need more Darren and Cash scenes, I‘m glad they‘re communicating more ( minus Cash not telling Darren about the whole Chook thing, which also understandable)

Interesting that we get a Spider redemption arc and yeah, after seeing his living situation, I can understand why he behaves like that (what Missy said). I hope he learns that he doesn‘t have to be such a shitty person

Also MISSY IS SO GORGEOUS I HAVE A FAT CRUSH ON HER (Spider you better treat her right)

#heartbreak high #heartbreak high spoilers #heartbreak high s2 spoilers #heartbreak high 2x05 #malakai mitchell #amerie wadia #darren rivers #darren x ca$h #ca$h #missy beckett #spider #rowan callaghan #quinni gallagher jones #harper mclean

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seoulmusume · 2 months

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spider about river :

#james spider webb #river x spider #river cartwright #slow horses #slough house #cartwebb #jack lowden

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dedenneblogs · 1 month

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HEARTBREAK HIGH S2 ANALYSIS PART 1 (buckle up this is going to be a doozy)

so... it's out (the trailer).

youtube

my excitement cannot be expressed...

BUTT! today, i will be doing my iconic mouse analysis of this trailer (this is actually the first time im doing something like this so it's not rlly iconic BUTT it will be soon) with the most comprehensive inspection i can using under 2 minutes of video as a basis....

with that said lets

BEGIN!

the heartbreak highers are back for another "cursed" term....

so glad to see the trio back in action. like. actually so happy. MIGHT explode from excitement... as always, their outfits slaylay.

the boyfriends... friends? boys? BUGS??? found out on hh s2!

these goons are back... gayer then ever,,, seriously. when will these two have an episode long make out 'sesh? unlikely, to much dismay....spoiler alert...you'll see....

MISSY!!!!! and sasha, i guess

SPOILER ALERT AGAINNNN missy looks like she'll be more prominent in this season so...WIN!!!!

also why is she mewing who is rizzing up

and new on the the chopping block-- Rowan Callaghan!

we'll get to rowan when we get to rowan

in other (more important) news-- SHE'S HEALING! HARPER IS HEALING!!!

i... *sobs* i she's growing her hair out oh my GAW...... she's getting better...she... there's a lower chance she'll cock-block amerie (oh but she'll get cock [spoiler-- again!])

butt let's not celebrate just yet-- it's still "everyone hates amerie" up in this joint, smellas

may as well... shot them. huh. well. pop off, i suppose... (amerie asserts her right to bear arms-- truly patriotic coming from an aussie!)

...touché coming from the (still) most hated student in heartly who only adds salt to the wound by... using the pink 'ildo from s1 as a mic... chat... she's lost it.

(unrelated but in the background-- MISSY AND MALAKAI!!! they were building up a relationship between them in s1 and how she and her brother (i think? 'memory's fuzzy) helped him heal from the shit he had to go through in s1 and even better connect him with his aboriginal roots. i hope to see more of these two interact come april 11th and i binge the whole season)

ALSO also ANOTHER new character-- Zoe Clarke!

we will ALSo get to zoe when we get to zoe

anywho-- cue: AMERIE'S ONLINE HARASSMENT ARC! becuz every show needs one...unfortunately. Give a cold welcome to Bird Psycho, heartbreak highers (we will get to bird psycho when we get to bird psycho)

(who ever is doing this shit is a bitch but either way: "you dont get to be the hero" shut your goofy ass up)

oh that's gore. that's core of my comfort character.

ok so maybe this bird psycho cuck isnt fucking around because clearly he's gotten to our girl ams :(

(dw they uh...take her out for ice cream. after this. proabably.)

moving foward-- STAND BACK I SAID STAND BACK WEIRD GIRL QUINNI

oughh im gonna be sick. of course. OF COURSE SHE WOULD GO FULL SHERLOCK HOLMES TO HELP HER BESTIE.

yeah anyways with this in mind she'd totally try and crack the fnaf lore wouldn't she. wouldn't she.

she's slay she's girlboss but at the end of the day she's a weirdo

anywho nuff of my rambling there--

ominous of you to say zoe

BUT ENOUGH OF HER CA$$HHHHHHHHHHHH

ca$h omg eshay eshay eshay pspspspsp,,,

i am so happy to see him (spoiler alert for 2 secs throughout the whole trailer) but anywho remeber? remeber right he's in prison. but seems to be doing okay... (maybe for the best heartly drama is really coming to a boiling point)

and-- oh. uh... chicken dumbell... okay... pop off, missy...

when i said i wanted more missy i didnt expect this

spider seems to be into tho maybe what ??1/1/111.1/?!??!/1/1/1

missy x spider was NOT on my bingo card

WHEN MISSY SAID SHE WAS STARTING TO LIKE WHITE BOYS I DIDNT THINK SHE MEANT THIS.

BUUTTTttttt-- i. am. down. for. it... somehow. frankly, spider needs someone to put him in his place and low and behold, missy seems to be the student to do so..........

hey. if they're both happy with their...chicken dumbells, i am too.

amerie dont be alarmed but there's a white boy to your right

in other news this love triangle scares the diarrhea out of me

look at them. they're the perfect couple (malakai x amerie 4life) and rowan is--

well he's a nice boy but cmon

LOOK AGAIN IM DOWN FOR THEM TO BE HAPPY BUTT when it comes in between THE BEST SHIP IN THE SHOW (looks at amerie x spider shippers with affectionate disdain) i draw the line.

but who knows? rowan seems nice enough, and if he's able to make amerie happy, let them have each other! <3

also knowing malakai's track record i wouldn't put it past him to get freaky with rowan too (threesome attempt 2??? actually no wait thats a horrible idea NEVERMIND [gets s1 ep4 flashbacks])

also also "classic love triangle" scene gives major "erm...well this is akward!" vibes from ams (we stan cringey amerie in this household tho)

and well. shart. max limit of 30 photos. oh well-- ill make a second part! tune in for the update heartbreak highers :3

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nineteeneightywhore · 13 hours

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not to be dramatic but if netflix pull that cute little trick where they cancel an interesting and diverse show with a cult following on its second season for heartbreak high i will be sending bomb threats to netflix hq

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v4mpgutz · 5 months

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Knife Under My Pillow, Hobie Brown [ ONESHOT ]

— got me feelin' paralysed, i can't sleep without the lights

hobie has a nightmare and you offer him comfort!

note: i don't know why i didn't have this idea sooner omfg i love soft hobie, PUSHING THE SOFT HOBIE AGENDA!!

warnings ! — hobie is a little disoriented at first, angst to fluff, kind of ooc but its just bc hes sleepy and anxious because of his nightmare. petnames ( baby, babe, love )

hobie had always had fairly vivid dreams. there'd been many times where he'd wake up and tell you about how he was kidnapped by aliens and then went to mcdonalds with them or where you turned into a tiny kitten and he'd carried you in his pocket.

unfortunately, having vivid dreams also meant he had vivid nightmares as well. most of the time when he had a nightmare he'd wake up, go get a glass of water, come back to bed, cuddle into you and then go back to sleep. this time, however, was different.

you awoke from small mutters and mumbles coming from beside you, not being able to make out any words but you knew it was hobie.

you smiled down at him as you sat up and checked the alarm clock on his bedside table, 2:37 AM.

when hobie let out a small, distressed sound, you quickly turned back to him and noticed his face was screwed up in what looked like discomfort or pain. you furrowed your brows in concern, trying to listen to what he was saying in his sleep.

"love.." he mumbled, taking a shaky, gasp-like breath in, but still asleep. "no, move..."

you could only grow more concerned as sweat started to build on his forehead, his body shaking as he started to flail around a bit.

"hobie?" you whispered, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "hobie, wake up!"

you could see his eyes moving around quickly under his eyelids and his skin developed a layer of goosebumps. you shook his shoulder, calling his name again. "baby, wake up, c'mon..." you whispered.

you shake him a little harder and watched as he opened his eyes with a shallow breath in, blinking slowly and looking around his room.

he didn't see you at first, calling your name as his eyes teared up.

you frowned and placed a hand on his cheek gently as he sat up, eliciting a short gasp from him. "i'm right here, hobie," you reassured him as you moved one hand to gently hold his right one.

he took a few deep breaths, just looking at you. he took in your appearance — you were okay. he shuffled further towards you on the bed and hugged you, his head resting against your torso as he laid the two of you down again.

you felt his body shaking as he let out muffled sobs. "hobie..." you called and rubbed his back, hugging him close. "what happened, babe?" you asked him.

he turned his head so that his face was away from your stomach, whispering softly.

"it was you," he choked out. "i couldn't stop it."

you didn't entirely understand what he meant but you figured something bad had happened to you in his nightmare. you didn't want to push him to say anything else considering he was so upset and you'd never wish to cause him more pain, so you opted for comforting him instead.

"hey," you whispered to him. "look at me, hob."

he coughed and wiped his eyes, looking up at you from his place tucked between your legs as he laid on your torso.

you held his face in your hands and looked him in the eyes, seeing tears gather along his waterline. "i'm okay, see?" you smiled softly, rubbing his cheek.

"i'm right here, i'm fine." you nodded, humming softly. he seemed to be a little calmer, lips pulling into a barely noticeable smile as you hummed some made-up tune.

he let out a breath and cuddled himself back into your stomach, "you're right."

you laughed and patted his back, running your fingers up and down it gently, making him shiver.

"go back to sleep, baby," you told him as you checked the time again. "it's early. i've got you, i'm not going anywhere."

you felt him smile against your slightly exposed skin due to your shirt riding up. he kissed your stomach gently and mumbled a small, "thank you."

before you knew it, you heard his quiet breaths as he fell back asleep.