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#thanks for tuning into my ted talk
birb--birb · 7 months
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The more I play, the more I think people that who super dislike Astarion have never experienced a trauma before.
Like ofc you're allowed to dislike a character for any reason, but it also makes so much sense why he is how he is when you unlock his positive approval rating covos. He's a snarky stab happy fuckboy yes, but his quest for power isn't unjustified. Astarion is scared, he's terrified he'll be brought back to Cazador and tortured 5 ways to sunday, if not outright killed. The tadpole is what's keeping him safe, and he isn't going to give it up without a fight. So he thinks the only way to ensure his safety and freedom is to go full scorched earth, take as much power by any means possible no matter who it hurts. He's a spurr of the moment decion maker, of course he's not going to think it through. When your ticket to freedom after 200 years of torture is right there, you don't stop to think about the cost of it, to yourself or others.
Astarion doesn't want power so he can rule over the sword coast, he wants power to make sure no one ever can ever hurt him again. You hear something simular in folks who have experienced trauma (plz understand that I'm generalizing here, trauma is processed differently by different people no one brain is the same). Anger, grief, fear, confusion, terror all are things that can go through your mind after a traumatic event occurs. Your brain is trying to find a way to make things hurt less, so if there's a chance for revenge, or the ability to take back power, you bet your ass its gonna sound delicious to your emotionally flooded brain. This is what I think is at the core of Astarions story. That this confident, cunning, flirtatious vampire is mostly an act, it's what he's practiced and what's protected him thus far. He likely learned that showing any sort of vulnerability is a weakness that will be used against him. His grab for power is selfish yes, but not in the way it seems at the surface. But absolutely power will corrupt absolutely, which is why I say his desire is justified, but not exactly supported depending on what type of run you're doing.
Idk man I just immediately looked at this man and went "aweeh.... it's traumatized". That boi ain't got any coping skills whatsoever and I'm a sucker for characters who's confidence is just a ploy to keep you from seeing just how fucked up they actually are. Anyways each character in this damn game is written so freaking well I could write a billion essays about it everyone say thank you Larian
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callmewishful · 6 months
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I interrupt my regularly scheduled posting to bring you: Eastern Faerghan Dilfs and their Kids - Road-trip Edition
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phoenixkaptain · 2 years
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Now, I don’t want to say anything too controversial, but are we sure that the point of early Bugs Bunny shorts wasn’t to imply that he was gay?
Like, look, my guys. It was late 1930’s to early 1940’s. They decided to make a rabbit who crossdressed in his third appearance, kissed Elmer three times in fourth appearance, and who full on flirts with all of his antagonists (that is when Bugs himself isn’t the protagonist, in which he flirts with the protagonists). I’m not going to say that he moves in an exagerratedly feminine way and has rapid mood swings because the 1930’s and 1940’s didn’t exactly have the best depictions of gay people, but actually yes, that is what I’m saying.
I think Bugs Bunny was queer-coded and if you don’t believe me, please watch Elmer’s Candid Camera, in which Bugs is not actually referred to as Bugs, as it was a prototype of sorts, then follow that up with A Wild Hare, in which the joke at the end is that Bugs calls people who act weird “screwy” and walks off playing a carrot as a flute (a reference to his earlier appearances that canonize the idea that those were, in fact, also him). And if you think, “Dang, man, you put a lot of thought into this,” thank you. We all have our hobbies.
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me finding out that Laito Sakamaki and Makoto Itou from School Days share the same VA:
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FYI I STILL HATE MAKOTO ITOU FROM SCHOOL DAYS
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torgawl · 2 years
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i think venti is the "sorry he asked for no pickles" person in xiaoven
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raepritewrites · 2 years
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I'm not saying Taika Waititi is perfect or the best director in the world, but I do think he understands the beautiful simplicity of himbo Thor better than anyone else and I respect him so much for that, I literally didn't care about Thor before Ragnorok and I don't think Marvel did either
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infinitedungas · 2 years
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a thing i love about geralt of rivia is that he keeps his hair Like That despite the fact that surely it’d be way less faff to cut it short. a life of monster-fighting with long hair can’t be convenient (gets in your face, things with opposable thumbs can grab it in a fight, having to wash blood and mud and monster guts out of it, etc) and yet he still goes about with that gay lil half-ponytail and i respect that
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grandninjamasterren · 9 months
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actually im going to be salty tonight
Shipping something between fictional characters doesn’t mean that you support it in real life- and saying “i think these characters would have an interesting dynamic as a couple” is not a moral argument and that doesn’t change no matter what age, gender, race, or species the characters are
Feel free to like or dislike any ships you want, but don’t pretend you have a moral obligation to ship [x] or that you have the high ground because your ship is [y]
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One Piece Live action could never get to it.
But ☝️
What gear five would look like in live action, would be:
Basically everything around luffy would be the same cgi as usual, the ground and how his moves look as he connects with Kaido.
But luffy himself would be animated in 2d, Who Framed Rodger Rabbit style.
It wouldnt be the usual one piece style though, i mean like literally Who Framed Rodger Rabbit’s looney tunes style.
This is my vision.
And im right.
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He’d look like this while nami would look up at him like
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Ya know, all live action like.
Thank you for coming to my ted talk, i will be taking no criticism at this time.
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showf4lls · 4 months
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ɞ ― make a home in you; chuckle sandwich
cw + info! fluff, headcanons / no CWs
includes! ted nivison + charlie slimecicle + jschlatt
dedication! @ivyinnit
notes! i’m currently trying to get over a breakup and am kind of struggling w yearning atmo so this request (while old) was kind of perfect thank you for dropping into my askbox, ivy!! little update: it’s been so long since i’ve received this request, i know. it should’ve been easy to get it out quickly, but school absolutely melted me this semester. i know that ivy’s deactivated now, but in the case that she comes across it, i hope you enjoy beloved <3
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TED
⎼ y’all schedule out laundry days together. it’s cute as fuck okok
⎼ forehead and cheek kisses while you’re on your way out the door
⎼ if he wakes up before you, he makes your morning drink of choice just the way you like it! though, he prefers to sleep in with you
⎼ if you don’t have any important plans for the day and you’ve set alarms just for the sake of waking up at a certain time, he turns them all off before you wake up. he wants to give you an opportunity to rest as much as you need to; your body will wake up when it’s ready
⎼ brunch dates! while you guys prefer to sleep in together, you alternate between sleeping in and waking up at a reasonable hour depending on your plans. ted really likes taking you out to brunch and just walking around window shopping with you after
⎼ if either of you are going somewhere important, the other will help them get ready and run through a mental checklist with them before they go in order to make sure the person leaving has absolutely everything they need
⎼ y’all are constantly doing bits. it’s kind of confusing for your friends, but neither of you care much because you’re just having a great time
⎼ ted is an absolute gentleman always, not just in the honeymoon phase. constantly opening doors for you, helping you put your sweater on when you’re leaving the house, opening the car door for you. stuff like that
⎼ he rubber ducks for you a lot. just sits down near you and listens, letting you work out your issues by talking it out without feeling awkward about it
⎼ he’s just overall a great listener and very in-tune with your needs. only gives advice and input when you ask for it, but he always makes an effort to validate your feelings. holds you when you need him to and steps back when he senses that you need space. also really good at problem solving and helping out when you get overwhelmed or have sensory overload
– when you have bad days, he has a tendency to go above and beyond. he cooks dinner for you, makes sure your comfy clothes are all washed and clean, and generally just makes sure you have to do as little as possible so that you have the proper space to calm down
CHARLIE
– you guys have rapid fire joke contests together, usually late at night when you’re sitting on kitchen counters, snacking. you go back and forth until either the two of you are laughing so hard that it would be physically impossible to keep going, or someone can’t come up with a joke fast enough
– you try to stay on the sleep cycle but you both tend to get a little out of whack every once in a while, so you have these phases of going to sleep at a decent hour and then going to sleep when the sun is about to come up
– as such, you guys have these phases of making spontaneous runs to the grocery store or gas station to get snacks, usually cereal for some reason. you get whatever you want and charlie never lets you pay for any of it. on the later nights, you guys sometimes experiment with new flavors of things or weird snack combinations
– he has a thing about always making sure you’re warm enough. you’re a little chilly? he’s pulling his sweater off and pulling it over your head. once you’re all comfy and settled, he’s on his way to turn on the heater. your feet are cold? he’s running to get you a pair of fuzzy socks and a blanket in case your legs are cold too. even when you’re about to leave the house -- it’s colder than 50 outside? he’s scrambling around the house, gathering gloves and scarves and beanies for you to take with you in case you get cold, even if they don’t match. no other options but you’re still cold? mans is wrapping himself around you, trying to use his body heat to warm you up himself. he hates when you’re chilly and uncomfortable :[
– brings you home little presents all the time. literally anything that remind him of you. you have a collection of buttons and keychains that he’s seen while walking through shops. he also steals cool props from videos and projects to give to you. you have a little collection going
– loves pda all the time, but not always cuddling (which can sound confusing, but let me explain). he likes casual pda with you around the house, whether it be you resting your feet in his lap while you both lounge across the couch, sitting on the floor and leaning back on his legs while you watch a movie, him putting a hand on the small of your back while he moves around/behind you, holding onto your hand until you’ve walked out of reach, gently pressing his knuckles into your back while you’re laying on the other side of the bed and facing away from him. likes to be touching you when he can be but in little ways that aren’t super overwhelming (mostly because i feel like you’d both be too fidgety to just cuddle)
– some of your most domestic moments are spent in the kitchen, usually cooking dinner together. it’s light and warm and it feels so much like home that you sometimes find yourself questioning if it’s all real. he’s right there to tell you it is. but back to dinner. he loves cooking for you, and you love cooking for him. it’s all laughter and winding down from work days and gentle hugs and swaying together as he hums for you
SCHLATT
– it’s a little hard to find domestic moments with schlatt off the top of your head, but they’re there when you look for them. they’re quiet, but they’re ever present
– he sleeps a lot, meaning that you usually wake up before him. if he’s sleeping light enough to hear you get up, he’ll roll over, half asleep, wrap his arms around your middle, and pull you back into his chest, mumbling a groggy “ten more minutes, babe. i’ll be up then, jus’ ten more minutes.” it’s never just ten more minutes
– he picks you up and carries you around a lot. not in the typical way. if he thinks you’re working yourself too hard, he’ll grab you from your desk and throw you over his shoulder, dropping you onto the couch and forcing you to watch a movie with him. or you’ll be sleepily making yourself a snack in the kitchen and he’ll grab you from behind, just wrapping his arms around your middle and picking you up. he carries you, complaining and squirming, the whole way to your room and tells you it’s nap time
– you guys have a lot of nap dates. it’s an easy, sweet block of time for you guys to spend together, hazy and together while napping on and off. if one of you wakes up, you get to fondly watch the other nap until you fall asleep again. watch the easy rise and fall of their chest, run a hand through their hair, trace gentle patterns on their skin, play with their fingers, listen to the beating of your heart
– you do the dishes together. you wash and schlatt dries. sometimes you get into towel fights or start flicking water at each other with your fingers
– schlatt follows you out of bed when you get up in the middle of the night. he’d never admit it, but he has a hard time sleeping without you. he hates waking up to a cold bed. so when the clock blinks 3:17 and he feels around to find nothing beside him, even if your side of the bed is still warm, he huffs and gets up. pads through the house with puffy, tired eyes until he finds you. wraps his arms around you from behind and rests his chin on your head. “what are you doin’ outta bed?” he never waits for your response, just starts ushering you back to your room
– really likes seeing you in his clothes, again, not that he would ever admit it. he’ll purposely “forget” to do your laundry so that you have to start wearing his hoodies, tee shirts, sweats, etc. it just gives him the warm fuzzies, seeing you be so comfortable and cozy in his clothes
– hangs on you a lot on days when there’s nothing to do. he’s pretty idle about it, too, kind of like a character accessory. sometimes you just have to go around the house doing your stuff with this big man hanging off of you because you don’t have the heart to tell him to leave you alone for an hour or two to get your work done
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slvtforfiction · 15 days
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Short imagine + Headcanons for Schlatt :)
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☆ Schlatt X Reader
☆ Headcanons
☆ Fluff/suggestive
☆ If you are going to request: please check at the pinned post if requests are open,otherwise I will delete your requests which I have already been doing
☆ Creds to @cafekitsune for dividers :)
Masterlist | Pinned post
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☆ Schlatt is going to announce your relationship by posting a photo of you two cuddling (you cuddling him because he doesn’t want to seam “weak”) and saying something like “I’ve bagged a woman”
☆ Schlatt is honestly so sweet off camera,the different personas really making a switch. Like if you came onto his stream he would make constant jokes about you but if he’s not streaming let’s be honest,he cuddling up to your chest.
“Ignore that it was a moment of weakness chat.” He’d say if you came into stream
☆ “Guys I hate Valentine’s Day it’s all bullshit-“ Buys you roses,chocolate and a small necklace for you
☆ If you ever joined one of his streams and got hate in dms,twitter etc he would definitely post something on twitter like ; “I love my girl and if you don’t fuck off,fucking idiots hating on someone you don’t know,get a life.”
☆ “Schlatt come to bed it’s late” You know what he would do? Mock the shit out of you before coming to bed to cuddle with his little girl ; “Awh does baby want some hugs?” || “Awh can you not sleep without me?”
☆ Honestly I feel like he wouldn’t actually go too far with his jokes, he knows the limits and boundaries of what he can say/joke about and wouldn’t cross them to save himself.
☆ Honestly a sweetheart but tell him that and he’s immediately a tough guy ;
*You and schlatt laying in bed together with schlatt on your chest*
“You’re such a pretty boy.”
“Don’t push it.”
☆ And adding to that,he secretly loves every nickname you have for him because he knows that it’s special to him and you don’t share that nickname with anyone else.
☆ The dominant one in the relationship,massively,not just in bed but all around the house he’s a very masculine presence. Need help with something? He’s on it immediately. Need help getting off?he’s going down.
☆ Will constantly let you have your way with his hair,though he would sit there and complain in actuality he has all the time in the world for you and so if you want to fiddle with his hair,put it in small pony tails etc. go ahead.
☆ If you needed it he would definitely help you with more feminine typical things such as hair,makeup and nails. (Disclaimer: I’m not saying these are feminine things I’m just saying it’s feminine typical!)
☆ If you are on your period he’s immediately by your side. “What do you want? Chocolate,hot water bottle?” || “I heard that *insert thing* helps”.
☆ He’s not letting anyone talk to you the way he talks to you,at all. If someone calls you a nickname he uses he’s making his presence known in the most intimidating way. Jealousy.
☆ He has the best music taste,long road trip? Turn that shit up !! Definitely the type of person to listen to any genre of music,as long as he likes the tune,he doesn’t care.
☆ Would help you with stream/youtube set ups. Would buy you lights/leds/cute little toys he’s found etc. Just to add a bit of himself to your set up.
“Babe I got you some more Leds for your room!”
“Awh you didn’t have to,thank you.”
☆ Would definitely brag about you to his friends. Ted has heard every single positive description of you along with multiple pictures of you whilst he brags about how pretty you are.
☆ Would absolutely spoil you. You know when you mentioned 3 months ago that you wanted a new pair of converse in that new colour you saw? They’re now at your door
“Jay you have to stop buying me things!”
“You’re my girlfriend,I’ll do whatever I want.”
☆ Would definitely call it weakness whenever he showed affection on stream. He would joke about it enough on stream but the moment he’s off camera he’s showering you with affection and praise.
“Chat you didn’t see that,that was weakness.”
☆ “Schlatt + His girlfriend,cute moments!” They come up more regularly on your YouTube feed than Schlatt himself.
☆ He isn’t a huge fan of PDA but he will wrap a light hand around your waist,kiss your forehead etc. he wouldn’t do any big gestures in public.
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redriotinggg · 4 months
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this has probably been done a million times before but….. i’m thinking just a little bit about a one piece and a: tla crossover. absolutely no plot, just vibes.
avatar luffy bc duh. he meets all of his new friends and they fight against oppressive forces.
earth bender zoro, still a swordsman and bounty hunter of sorts until he meets luffy.
prince of the fire nation, fire bender sanji—WOW how am i just now realizing the parallels between him and zuko???
nonbenders nami and usopp!! nami is from a poor town in the fire nation and usopp is from a small village in the earth nation. usopp’s a master inventor and strategist just like sokka.
water benders chopper and brook!! chopper specializes in healing and brook in ice techniques.
jimbei is still a fishman and is also a water bender. franky is an earth bender who is exceptional at metal bending.
robin is a nonbender from the air nation. she has been in tune with the spirit realm since she was young and can navigate through it easily, using spirits and magic to fight.
merry and sunny as the crew’s animal companions that travel with them!!
that’s all i got, thanks for coming to my ted talk
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benedictscanvas · 11 months
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filling an empty vase - roy kent x reader
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pairing: roy kent x reader
word count: 3.4k (genuinely don't know how that happened)
warnings: language (duh) and some suggestive themes. the word shagging, which is too british not to include i'm afraid
a/n: this was an anonymous request that i'm not going to put here because it kinda ruins the whole plot! but it was such a fabulous request, so thank you anon, for giving me so much space to play. if you're not sure this is your request, you mentioned "Mr I Never Smile Kent" which funnily enough, made me smile!! enjoy sunflowers <3
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You were such a professional in so many ways, but yet again you found your focus drifting during your meeting with the rest of the coaches. Your eyes find Roy’s face with such ease, lingering on the newly thicker beard he’s been sporting recently, then travelling down to broad shoulders, ones that fill out the door frame so nicely when he folds his arms. You’re so lucky he’s always folding his arms.
Before you can move onto admiring those arms, you see his head turn towards you and you look away before you can be caught. Instead of glancing at his face to see if he’s still looking at you, you decide it’s easier to join the conversation. As the goalkeeping coach, there isn’t always much you can contribute to these discussions, but they’re very insistent on including you.
“The only thing you need to be careful of is their counter-press,” you chime in, “Mind that the boys don’t get complacent in possession or my guy will be a sitting duck out there.”
“Good thinkin, Abe Lincoln. Why don’t we add that to our pre-game talk, coach, make sure someone’s watchin’ Zoreaux’s back at all times?”
“Already writing it down, coach,” Beard replied, gaining a double thumbs up from Ted who then continued talking. Even though you’d hardly been listening, you knew to do enough research beforehand so that you were free to let your mind wander and only speak up with a few key points.
You tune back in when you recognise the gruff tone of the very man you’re trying not to admire again.
“No. Y/N stole my fucking thing. I’ve gone over the rest in training,” he says dryly, and you duck your head to your lap to hide your smirk. Of course the two of you were on the same page about strategy, you always were. Usually he got to say it before you though, “Can we go now?”
“Unless anyone’s got anythin’ they want to add?” Ted looks around at everyone’s blank and frankly, very tired faces, “Not even somethin’ personal? Deep dark secret? Scandalous love affair, that kinda thing? Higgins, you look like there’s somethin’ right on the tip of that tongue.”
“I’m leaving,” Roy announced, walking into his office and shutting the door, even going so far as to shut the blinds on both windows before he presumably sat at his desk. You sighed and got up from your perch on the desk to take a step towards the dressing room.
“Afraid I’ve got some work to get done before I go home too,” you say, trying to be at least slightly nicer than Roy about it, “We can get personal tomorrow, alright Ted?”
He agrees with a happy grin on his face and you say goodbye to him, Beard and Trent collectively with a salute before turning on your heel and waving a goodbye to any of the team still around as you leave. You don’t go far. Unable to help yourself, you knock on Roy’s office door from the other side and shuffle your weight between your feet as you wait.
“Fuck off,” comes the greeting, so you open the door and slip inside.
“Even if it’s me?”
His head turns at the sound of your voice and suddenly his features look a special kind of soft, even in the harsh overhead lighting. He swivels his chair fully to face you, but makes no other move.
“Especially if it’s you,” he confirms, folding his arms again like he knew the effect he had on you, “You’re a fucking pervert.”
You gasp, clutching at the door handle behind you in a show of shock.
“I’m a what?”
“You heard me. Staring at me like you do in meetings wasn’t in your job description when we hired you, last I checked.”
“Last I checked, shagging your goalkeeping coach wasn’t in your job description, but you made pretty quick work of it.”
That was enough to get him moving. He’s quick out of his chair for a man with a bad knee, quick to crowd you against the wall just next to the door. Someone would have to really peer in to see the two of you, something he’d probably calculated even though your mind was already blank at the new proximity. 
“You’re right,” he says, voice sinfully low, hands either side of your hips but not touching you yet, “And I was staring at you the whole fucking meeting anyway, so I’m a pervert and a hypocrite.”
“Well, I don’t know if I can keep on with you if you’re both. One of them, maybe I can look past it, but both?”
Finally, one hand comes off the wall to stroke a line down your side with the backs of his knuckles. You try not to give him the satisfaction of shivering, but fail miserably.
“Think you can brave it?” he murmurs, that same hand brushing along your cheekbone, still all rough knuckles instead of his palm, “I’ll take you to Big Tesco later.”
Your whole face brightens despite the heavy tension that had settled like a mist in the room. You reach up to gently hold his wrist, stroking a thumb back and forth over the pulse that jumped there.
“Shit, you know the way to a girl’s heart, Kent,” you whisper, syrupy and cloying, “I take it all back. We can go as long as you like.”
The innuendo drew the growl from him that you’d been hoping for. The hand at your cheek was quick to turn until he was cupping your face and pulling you into him, kissing you deep and slow and longingly. Each kiss with him was better than the last. Yes, it had started hot and desperate after a month of unbearable electricity between you, a rushed encounter at a hotel after a particularly adrenaline-filled away game. 
Ever since, Roy had slowed things down. Not in the way you’d perhaps expected - he was still hot and heavy whenever the two of you got the chance, but he was taking his time with you. Teasing and learning. Nobody had ever treated you like this before, like you were something to be revered. Worshipped.
It was the same now, as he anchored himself with a hand on your back, pulling you further in, kissing you with genuine hunger.
“Roy? Can I come and get my stuff.”
Trent. It was always Trent. You liked the man so much, spent a lot of time with him, in fact, but if he interrupted you and Roy one more time, you had half a mind to hide his manuscript or something.
Roy did his special silent groan that he did whenever he couldn’t groan aloud, where he glared at the ceiling as he broke away from you and then clenched his fists in front of him. It was adorable, not that you would tell him that.
“All good,” you whisper, despite it definitely not being all good. It was entirely a joint decision not to tell the team about the two of you yet, but sometimes you wished you could announce it to the whole fucking world if it would get you some alone time.
You squeeze his hand and slip away to the adjoining door between his and Ted’s office. You hear Roy grunt for Ted to come in behind you, but you squeeze through into the other room before you hear any more of their inevitably one-sided conversation. Ted turns to you brightly as you enter.
“Decided you wanted to get personal sooner, Y/N?” he grins, and you can tell he isn’t really serious.
“Just forgot my keys,” you said sheepishly, retrieving them from the desk where you’d left them completely on purpose. It was always good to have a back-up plan and Roy wasn’t the only quick thinker between you, “See you tomorrow, Coach.”
“Can’t wait, coach!”
As you exit for real this time, glancing into Roy’s office as you pass, you take out your phone to shoot him a text. You’re saved under an unassuming name in his phone, so even if Trent sees it, he’ll be none the wiser.
We’re still on for tonight, right? The way I navigate a Big Tesco will blow your mind x
You press send with a smile to yourself, continuing on towards your office to pack up for the evening. Your phone buzzes before you even get there.
You blow my mind every fucking day. See you soon x
God, you could clutch your phone to your chest and squeal in the corridor, but instead, you speed up your walk to get home as quickly as possible. There was no harm in getting all dressed up to go to the supermarket when you were going with an insanely fit professional footballer, you reasoned.
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Big Tesco. The place dreams are made of, or at least it was when you were younger and felt like you could get lost in the aisles and never return. Nowadays, it was likely nostalgia that kept you coming back, but it still felt like your first Big Tesco trip with Roy was a pretty big deal.
Mainly you needed snacks for movie night, but Roy was happy to indulge you and drive twenty minutes away for this if that’s what you wanted.
“If we’re doing Julia Roberts, we have to do Pretty Woman, obviously.”
“And Erin fucking Brockovich,” Roy agreed, “But if we do Sandra Bullock, we get the modern day masterpiece that is Miss Congeniality.”
“Oh, I still need to see that one!”
Roy stops, Pringles tube hovering above the trolley. He looks at you like he’s seeing you for the first time and he doesn’t like what he sees.
“Right, we’re doing Bullock then, if I have to fucking culture you as well as buy your snacks.”
“We’re splitting the snacks-”
“The fuck we are,” he cut in, already contradicting himself, “I was fucking joking, please can we not get into another snack debate. You bought them last time.”
“Fine. And I’m happy with Sandy, too, so you win twice, buddy,” you grin at him, not expecting him to grin back but ecstatic when he does. You have half a mind to press him up against the Doritos and finish what you’d started earlier, but you have plenty of time for that in appropriate places later.
You had all night, in fact, post-Sandra Bullock marathon. The thought brings a particular movie to mind.
“As long as we throw Two Weeks Notice in there too.”
“Hugh Grant? No.”
“Oh come on, he’s a national treasure,” you argue, sliding your arm through his as the two of you continue your journey through the aisles.
“He’s a fucking idiot, is what he is,” Roy bites back, as he picks up the chocolate he knows you love, “I’ll allow The Proposal.”
“You know what, that’s a better choice anyway. We have a deal if we can make a stop in the homeware section after this?” you say hopefully, excited when he sighs and nods. You kiss his shoulder as you continue walking, “We’re so fucking good at this compromising shit!”
You lean away from him enough to hold your hand up for a high five. He indulges you reluctantly with a light slap from his own.
“We are. It’s cause I’m so fucking nice.”
“To me,” you add, staring up at him as he slows the trolley to a stop beside the biscuits. He takes your face in his hands after a moment.
“To you, yeah,” he agrees, voice all soft like it had been earlier. You’re not going to kiss him senseless in a supermarket, the two of you had some shame and a lot of love for privacy, but it was nice to indulge in something like this, a sweet moment shared without fear of anyone seeing the two of you. You turn your head to kiss his palm, “You’ve sent me all fucking soft.”
“You love it.”
“Love you, more like,” he says, for the first fucking time, in a Big Tesco. You’d found out you were getting a party bus for your 10th birthday here too, so it was a location for big occasions. You kiss his palm; once, twice, three times.
“You have to say the I or it doesn’t mean anything,” you tease, but you’re beaming up at him as he strokes the skin underneath your eyes and you almost let them flutter shut.
“Who fucking told you that? Sounds like shit Jamie would say.”
“Jan Maas.”
“Fucking prick,” he says, then a moment later, “I love you, then, if you fucking insist.”
“I do insist,” you giggle, leaning forward until your face is in his chest so you can safely say: “I love you too.”
Its a little muffled, but thankfully he doesn’t ask you to repeat it again like you think he will. He just wraps his arms around your shoulders and keeps you close to him for a long while.
“Roy? Hey boyo!!”
You freeze in place, face still hidden. If anything, Roy’s arms tighten around you rather than letting go as he turns to see Colin waving at him, alongside Sam, Isaac, Jamie and the aforementioned Jan Maas. They all pile over towards him and you know its a matter of time before they realise its you. Jamie’s already bounding over as if he’s won the lottery.
“Roy’s got a girl! A real woman, like!” Jamie exclaims as he reaches them and you decide to get this over with sooner than later, lifting your head to stare at him wearily. He frowns, “Oh. Y/N, hiya.”
Of course he isn’t connecting any dots. He isn’t quite the connecting type, however much you love him to little pieces. Sam is staring at you a lot more knowingly, Isaac stuck with his mouth open. They’ve all caught on a little quicker than Jamie.
“The two of you together,” Jan muses, “I do not believe this is a pairing made to last.”
“Oi, Jan Maas,” Isaac pipes up, especially as Roy’s already stepped forward to threaten him, “Not cool.”
“I am just telling you the truth. You are both a little grumpy, you will not have the needed balance.”
“We’re balancing perfectly fucking well, thank you,” Roy says, and you can hear that he’s gritting his teeth, “As a team. Of coaches. Because that’s what we fucking are.”
Oh, he was going to play the ‘it wasn’t what it looked like’ card? You weren’t expecting it, but you’d happily back him up if he wanted you to.
“You are telling me that was a friend hug?” Sam asks, voice full of disbelief. You look up at Roy to see what he’ll say to that, but he’s already looking down at you with an untraceable look on his face. When he finally looks back at the boys, he takes your hand in his.
“No. It was a fucking boyfriend-girlfriend hug, alright? Any of you tell anyone before we do and I’ll feed you to a fucking monitor lizard.”
You’d watched a documentary about them last night that had likely led to that threat. Jamie’s snickering but tries to sober up when Roy immediately turns to him. He holds his hands up in surrender.
“I’m sorry mate, I am, I’ve jus’ never heard a grown man say ‘boyfriend-girlfriend’ before,” he says, back to giggling by the end of his sentence and Jan Maas is quick to dissolve into full blown laughter. You bring a hand up to your mouth to hide your own amusement, lest Roy feel betrayed by it.
“Right, fuck off and leave us alone then. We’re on a tight fucking movie night schedule and I won’t have you twats throwing us off.”
“Hey! That’s why we’re here! If we’re all doing movie night, why don’t you join us?” Sam asks, and you can see he’s teasing even if Roy can’t tell. Still, you take it as an opportunity to stake your claim as you wrap an arm around Roy’s bicep and cling to him.
“Look, you lot hog this man all day every day. I’m taking him home and we’ll see you tomorrow, alright?”
It was very Roy of you, just with the addition of a wink at the end that told the boys you were half-joking. Jamie seemed almost impressed, while Sam was trying not to laugh at you. That man never took you seriously, and you loved it.
“We’ll leave you to it then,” Isaac decided, dragging Jamie backwards a little by the collar when he opened his mouth to tease Roy one final time, “Enjoy your night, yeah? See you tomorrow.”
Roy grunted his goodbye, but you waved back at them when they waved, mostly at you. Jamie mouthed something at Roy but, luckily for you both, Roy couldn’t work it out.
“Pricks,” he mutters once they’re far away enough not to hear him and you let out a little snort.
“They were very nice about that, you know? I was expecting a lot worse,” you said, pleasantly surprised at the lack of proper teasing. You knew there was likely more to come once they’d had a while to process it, but still. There was a certain weight lifted knowing that someone had finally been told.
“Do people not say boyfriend-girlfriend anymore?” he asks abruptly, looking down at you from where you’re still clinging to him. You grin at up at him.
“We should bring it back. I love boyfriend-girlfriend. I think that’s how we should introduce ourselves to people from now on.”
He rolled his eyes at the sarcasm in your voice, but tugged you into a quick, public appropriate kiss nonetheless.
“Let’s get you some fucking hobnobs and then we can go and look at fancy glassware, yeah?,” he announces, shaking his head with such obvious fondness when you cheer and turn to the biscuits. He stays close, a hand hovering near your back, and you’re a little worried movie night might be forgotten when you get home given how handsy the two of you have been all day. You resume your shopping tucked into his side, and only bump into the boys twice more on your trip around the wonders of Big Tesco.
Later, when you’re eventually curled into Roy’s side during a movie night that started way later than intended, your phone buzzes a few too many times in a row to ignore. You glance at Roy quizzically as you grab it, seeing a bunch of texts coming in from Sam.
Couldn’t resist. Don’t let Roy hate me. I’ve deleted them on my phone now, so they’re just yours. Lunch tomorrow?
Roy grumbled a little beside you as he read over your shoulder, but really he should have gotten used to your occasional lunch plans with Sam by now, even if he liked having you all to himself for at least one hour during the day. You settle into him even more as you scroll through a bunch of photos Sam’s attached with wide eyes.
You staring up at Roy. Roy kissing you. The grins on both your faces when you part. Then one that has you reeling, where you’re facing the biscuits with your hands on your hips and Roy is looking at you. Enthralled. You’re not even fucking doing anything.
“That little shit,” Roy breathes, squeezing your thigh where his hand was already resting.
“I love them,” you say instead of responding, tilting your head back to look at Roy, “Our first proper photos together.”
“They look like a fucking pap took them,” he complains, but he's still studying them and you can tell he likes them really.
“Look how happy we look," you’re stuck on how he looks at you when you’re not even looking at him. When there’s nothing to be gained from it. You glance at the new vase sitting on your coffee table, with fresh flowers Roy had insisted on because 'if we're getting a fucking vase we have to fucking fill it'. Here he was, filling your life with so many little pieces of joy.
“Well we are fucking happy, aren’t we?”
There's a little bit of vulnerability in his question, like he needs confirmation. You lock your phone and toss it to the side, knowing you can reply to Sam in a bit. For now, you pause the movie and clamber to straddle Roy’s lap, seeing that look on his face again as he stares up at you. It only spurs you on.
“We’re very fucking happy, Roy.”
He grins, which is rare, but then he kisses you and that’s not rare at all.
(roy makes a mental note to thank sam for the pictures tomorrow, even if he tells him to do extra laps in the same sentence to maintain the balance)
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buriedinmyownfeelings · 3 months
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Like most people I pick and choose which of Nora’s extra content I believe to be canon but one thing I can’t get behind is the no ‘I love you’
I understand the thought behind it and I know some people agree with it but that’s just not how I see them
I agree that I don’t think Andrew ever says it and Neil is okay with that because he is a person who is used to people’s actions speaking louder than their words and prefers it that way. For him protection and love go hand in hand so he never needs to hear the words to know just how much Andrew cares about him because he shows it to him in every little action he does
I think Neil absolutely says it. He doesn’t say it for himself but rather so that Andrew will know that nothing has changed and that every single day he will still feel the same way. Andrew has such low expectations that I think the reassurance would be something good for him even if he swears he doesn’t care or need it and I think Neil knows that just giving him a reminder that he isn’t going anywhere is enough
Thanks for coming to my AftG Ted talk. Stay tuned for more updates in the future
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brain-rot-central · 2 months
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My vision for AA is that he's wretched and selfish and uncaring for the world around him, though when it comes to Tav/Durge, he folds. Not immediately; they have to kind of work him open. He still abides by promises he made to them during their journey, but he's not above putting himself first if the opportunity allows for it.
I know some people hc him as having lost his soul during the ritual, and tbh that's a fair take. But the fact that we know he doesn't compel Tav/Durge to do anything (per the epilogue) OR force them into turning if you end the game mortal while still romancing him OR if you go with Karlach to Avernus he simply says "haha I'm letting you have your fun because I know you'll come back to me," idk. I feel like he's... much softer to a romanced Tav/Durge than we all initially assumed he was.
But I believe he carries the same obsession Strahd did with Tatyana; not to where he would destroy himself for Tav/Durge (he's a bit too savvy for that?), but he'd burn the entire world down if it meant keeping them safe. He'd also never stop thinking about them/trying to get them back if they left him.
Idk I've been doing a lot of thinking about the psychology of AA and I feel it's horrifically convoluted. A lot of conflicting feelings and thoughts and back and forth that once Tav/Durge kind of calls him out on, he goes, "Well, fuck," and changes his tune, because they're the only one who is trying to hold him accountable for shit and they're the only one he respects enough to listen to (alluding to his line of having one person he trusts entirely and it being more than enough for him with a romanced Tav/Durge).
Anyhow good morning thanks for coming to my TED talk, I'm struggling with the pacing of ch 3 of my fic and I feel like it's all a mess but it probably isn't (it's probably fine and I'm just being too hard on myself as usual) but it's Wednesday my dudes and I hope you guys have a great day.
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hopefulromances · 10 months
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Long Time Coming I Chapter Four I Jump Then Fall
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Summary: Being hired as the first female assistant coach in the league was a challenge of it itself. Being a football protigy and University Football Legend was easy enough. Coaching Jamie Tartt was a challenge all on its own.
Word Count: 3.6k
Warning: I have literally no clue how football works.
A/N: Enjoy!
Prologue One Two Three
Roy was back. I love Roy. Roy was straight forward and honest. The boys responded well to him. Maybe it was because he was one of them, but Roy understood them better. The Roy Kent effect they were calling it. Of course, that didn’t come with a fair bit of jealously. As much as I tried not to be jealous, of course Roy was getting more recognition for his work than I ever did. His dramatic return at the beginning of the Sheffield game was something to be inspired by.
But Roy and I got along. We had an understanding of the game that Ted and Beard and Nate just didn’t have. We were able to communicate in our own way. We stood on the sidelines, watching the boys scrimmage when Colin whiffed a shot at the goal. I rolled my eyes and glanced over at Roy who nodded at me in agreement.  
I was about to say something when Nate stepped forward.
            “Come on, Colin. You dolt!” he shouted at him.
My eyes widened in surprise at him. Even if Colin wasn’t my friend, which he was, that’s no way to speak to your team. Roy seemed to feel my discomfort and stepped forward in front of me.
            “Colin, you're leaning too far back. Head down, fucking whip it!” Roy instructed, in his aggressive yet endearing way.
            “Thanks, Roy,” Colin called back, grateful for the advice. “I am a strong and capable man.”
I was about to mention my concerns about Bumbercatch when Roy continued. “Bumbercatch, great pass, but it don’t mean shit if they see it coming. The rest of you in the box, when the shot goes, you fucking follow it in!”
            “You smell that, lads?” Isaac asked, letting in a dramatic sniff. “That’s the Roy Kent Effect.” The lads laughed, and I thought I saw the ghost of a smile on Roy’s face as he stepped back to stand by me.
I felt my smile fall at their praise. It was stupid, it really was. Roy was new. Roy was loud. Roy was funny. They flocked to him like he was their savior. And he was! The four-game winning streak was enough to convince anyone of that. I shifted to stand up straight.
            “Anything for me, coach?” Jamie ran up to the front of the group, looking desperately at Roy for his advice.
But Roy ignored him, clapping his hands and instructing the boys to start up again. I let out a low breath. Forgiving Jamie wasn’t easy. Especially when Jamie had all but single-handedly ended his career.
Jamie looked over at me, the disappointment rolling over his features. I gave him a sympathetic smile, shrugging indifferently.  I was jealous. Jealous of Roy Kent because he was so fucking wonderful and great at his job.
I stewed as I sat back in my chair during lunch. I tuned myself out of the conversation that Keely and Ted were having, trying to convince myself to not be jealous. Jealousy was not my favorite emotion, and it was downright embarrassing. What caught my attention was when Jamie walked into the room half dressed.
            “Hi (Y/N),” he greeted. I felt my heart speed up as he singled me out in a greeting. “Hey Keely.” And back to normal speed. I shook my head at myself. I was all out of wack today. Jealous about Roy, disappointed when Jamie greeted Keely, his friend. Just silly. “Gotta tell Roy he needs to start coaching me.”
Of course, he was here about Roy. I tried not to roll my eyes as I stood up, grabbing my bag.
            “Oh, wait, you want me to tell Roy Kent what to do?” Ted retorted quickly. “That’s a great idea.”
            “Yeah, he’ll love that,” Keely giggled, shooting Jamie a side eye.
            “Yes, I’ll totally drop it into one of our conversations where Roy talks about his life and asks me for advice,” Nate chimed in.  We all laughed before Beard turned and blew a raspberry at Jamie.
            “Philistines!” Oh! Big word for Jamie. “I’m asking for help here!”
In his defense, he did truly seem desperate, but the whole situation was just so hilarious to me, I couldn’t help but let out a laugh.
            “Philistines? What is that your word of the day?” I jabbed, moving to lean across from Keely. He glared at me, crossing his arms. I found myself looking over his features, his tense jaw, the way his shirt hugged his biceps. Were his biceps always that big? Oh, god, what was I doing. It was just Jamie. Yeah, he was attractive, but so what? I tuned back into the conversation just as Ted and Keely were leaving. I sent them away and hit Jamie on the shoulder.
            “Grab your lunch, and lets go,” I told him as I walked out of the room.
Jamie and I liked to enjoy our lunches sitting on the pitch. It's where we enjoye most of our free time together. Usually, he would ask me advice on some football technique or play he was trying and I would help where I could. But today, Jamie sat across from me, stabbing aimlessly at his salad. I shook my box, getting the dressing nice and mixed into mine.
            “Jamie, what is going on with you?” I questioned. “You’ve barely touched your summertime strawberry salad!”
I reached forward with my fork and tried to stab at it, but he warded me off.
            “It’s Roy! He just knows how to get under me skin,” he complained, finally shoving a strawberry in his mouth. “I thought I was finally making headway here.”
I couldn’t help but let out a groan. “Jamie, it’s Roy. You two have always hated each other.”
            “I don’t hate, Roy!” Jamie exclaimed, stabbing particularly hard at his food. “Well, I think he’s a pretentious old twat, but I don’t hate him.” He leaned back, setting his fork down. “I just want him to coach me.”
            “For fucks sake,” I burst out. I was sick of everyone looking for Roy’s approval, he was just a man. “He’s just Roy! If you want something from him, just be upfront. Don’t go looking for something in any kiss uppy, or brown nosey way. And anyways, aren’t four coaches enough, why are you all so desperate for Roy’s attention?”
I couldn’t keep the desperation out of my voice and Jamie could tell. He cocked his head at me.
            “Why do you care? We all listen to you anyways. It’s getting you to shut up that’s the problem!” He smirked, sticking his tongue out at me. But I was not in the mood for jokes. No matter how much I felt my cheeks burn watching the way his eyes squinted when he smiled. But no, I was angry.
            “Fuck off, Jamie,” I mumbled before standing up. I turned on my heel and left, heading back inside.
            “Wait! I was just joking,” Jamie called after me.
I didn’t turn around and I heard him curse loudly as I went inside. I walked back to my office and saw Ted sitting there, on his phone. I slumped into my chair, starting to spin. Everything was so fucked. I felt like my emotions were out of control. I was so angry. It felt like I was spiraling out of control. For some reason, the only thing in my head was Jamie. Jamie and his stupid smile, his cocky, smug, stupid smile. Why didn’t he want my coaching? Why wasn’t he fighting to get my attention? God, I felt so stupid.
            “(Y/N)!” Ted’s voice broke my chain of thought, and I stopped spinning. “Hold on there! If you spin any faster, you’re gonna whisk away a little girl and her dog.”
I felt the aftereffects of the spin setting in and leaned back, staring straight ahead. “Isn’t it a little corny to make a Wizard of Oz metaphor? Seeing as you’re from Kansas?”
            “No! That adds to the charm!” Ted exclaimed. “Now why don’t you tell me whats wrong?”
I weighed my options. I could tell Ted everything. He was great at listening and usually gave good advice. But what if he laughed at me or told me to get over myself. Though that thought along was ridiculous enough. Ted was kind. He would never laugh at me.
         “It’s just…” I began, taking a deep breath. “I feel so… weird? I’m jealous! And I’m not a jealous person. But with Roy being back, it feels like… no one needs me around anymore. Like I never got any of the kind of attention that Roy is getting now. ‘The Kent Effect?’ What about the Clemen’s Effect?” I shook my head, realizing how stupid I sound. “And now I’m realizing that I sound like a jealous third grader.”
Ted chuckled.
“I was gonna say you were turning into that giant green bean fella but jealous third grader works too.” I let out a breath laugh, closing my eyes and shoving my face in my hands. “Hey, though, don’t beat yourself up! I get it. I do. But don’t let that make you forget just how much we need you here.” I looked up from my hands to look at Ted. He gave me a smile. “The boys respond to you well, they always have. Heck! You know more about this game than Beard or Nate or myself. Roy is just… new. But there’s one thing that you have that Roy doesn’t.”
            “What’s that?” I asked, looking for an answer.
            “The ability to show by doing,” he stated. “Ever since you showed Jamie that trick about dragging his feet, he’s made more free kicks than ever. Roy’s too old and crotchety to actually be able to do anything anymore. But you! You’re in the prime of your career. You can teach these boys in a way none of the rest of us can.” He reached out and put his hand on my shoulder. “And one thing I want you to understand is that we need you. We will always need you. Don’t forget that.”
For some reason, his words really hit me. My eyebrows furrowed together and gave him a sincere smile. I opened my mouth to say something, thank you, or anything, when Roy and Jamie flew in from the hallway.
            “You fucking asshole!” Jamie shouted.
            “I know you are but so are you,” Roy grunted back, starting to walk into the coach’s room. Ted and I shared a glance before both of us started to rise from our seats.
            “I’m trying to build bridges here!” Jamie’s exasperated voice called out.
Roy turned on his heel, rounding on Jamie. “You couldn’t fucking build Jeff Bridges.”
He pushed Jamie back. I flew up forward and raced out into the locker room, getting in between Roy and Jamie. I stepped in front of Jamie, feeling a rush of protectiveness flooding through me.
            “Hey, hey, hey!” Ted joined, spreading his arms between them. “What’s going on here?”
            “This man refuses to coach meh!” Jamie accused pointing over my shoulder.
            “He refuses to stop being an asshole,” Roy retorted.
 “Hey, we both know Jamie has come a long way in his journey to not be an asshole,” I defended.
“Thank you, (Y/N)!” Jamie chimed in.
“Okay Roy, you’re not going to like this but, right now, Jamie here is being the mature one,” Ted began, moving to standing next to Jamie.
“It’s true. I’m being super mature, you big, dumb, hairy, baby twat,” Jamie whined. I turned and gave Jamie a side eye. Roy suggested that it was Ted’s fault that Jamie wasn’t as good of a player as he used to be.
            “Cause, Jamie, deep down, at your core, you are a prick,” Roy stated, firmly. “So just be a prick.” I tried to glance over at Jamie, trying to wage his reaction. But he wasn’t giving much away.
We decided on a signal. A signal to give Jamie when it was time to be a prick. Or I should say, Roy decided on a signal. One we would find out about later, I suppose.  
Nonetheless, it seemed to qualm the fight that Roy and Jamie had built, and the rest of the day went smoothly. I was packing up my stuff to leave when Roy cleared his throat from behind me.
            “Hey Roy, what’s up?”
            “You’re a good coach.”
I pause and turn to face him. “What… what do you mean?”
Roy rolled his eyes. “I mean, you’re a good fucking coach. The boys respond well to you. You know what you’re doing. Which is more than I can say for Ronald McDonald.”
I laughed, looking down. “I think Ted knows what he’s doing.”
            “I was talking about Nate, but the point stands.” He reached out his hand for me to shake. Maybe it was my crazy emotional whirlwind of a day, but I knocked his hand aside and pulled him in for a hug. His arms didn’t warp around me at all, but he didn’t immediately start to growl so I took it as a success.
As I walked out to my car that night, I saw Jamie leaning against his car, scrolling on his phone. When he saw me coming out of the door, he put his phone away and shot me the biggest smile. Not his normal, cocky one, but a softer, for sincere one.
            “Hey (Y/N),” He started, walking to meet me. “I wanted to apologize, for before.”
            “Jamie, you have nothing to apologize for.” I shook my head, holding my hands up to stop him. “I was being so moody earlier. Just a weird day.”
            “S’lright, just wanted to make sure you was okay,” He said, shoving his hands in his pockets. “Seemed upset.”
Goddamnit. That was so fucking thoughtful.
            “Yeah, I was… I was having a bad day.” I shrugged. “But, I’ll be okay.”
He stared at me for a moment longer before nodding his head. We stood there, staring at each other in a not-too-uncomfortable silence. Finally, I popped my lips.
            “Alright! I guess I’ll see you this weekend. Tottenham won’t know what hit them!” I moved passed him, walking backwards towards my car.
Jamie smirked, turning with me to leave. “That’s for sure, already told Colin you’re filling in for him.”
            “Hah! That’s- that’s really- “I bumped into my car, slamming my hip against the handle. “Ah, fuck, ouch.”
            “Shit, are you-“
            “Yep! I’m fine!” I cut him off before he could be concerned. “Just great, I’ll see you Saturday.”
I opened the door to my car and got in before he could say another word. What was wrong with me?
This Saturday filled me with so many feelings. If I thought my emotions were out of wack at the beginning of the week, the anxiety that filled me about Tottenham just made things worse. We were one win away from going to Wembley and playing Manchester for the FA Cup semis. If we won, it would be to the excellent coaching of Ted Lasso and stellar skills of our players. If we lost it would be because of the female coach dragging the team down.
My normal routine of cheering on the lads in the locker room was replaced with my anxious twirling in my chair. Not even Ted tried to get me to stop. What did get me to stop was when Jamie came into the door way.
            “Mornin’ Coach,” He stopped when he saw me, clearly frazzled in the corner of the room. “Should I ask?”
            “Definitely not,” Beard answered for me.
Jamie cocked his head, pursing his lips at me. “Bit scared about the game, yeah?”
I shot him a glare as my feet planted themselves in the ground before twisting so I was facing the wall away from them.
            “I just told you not to ask!”
            “What do you need, Jamie” Ted interrupted before Beard could escalate things forward.
Jamie’s eyes stayed planted on me for a moment longer before he dragged them over to Ted.
            “I was just wondering if you decided on a signal for me?”
            “I told you; you’d know it when you see it.” Roy entered the room coming over to spin my chair to face them again. “You, need to stop spinning or you’ll blow chunks on the field.”
I frowned at him but stood up and brushed past Jamie into the locker room. As I did though, he grabbed my arm. My breath caught in my throat as I turned back to look up at him. I never realized how much taller he was than me. To my surprise, there was no hint of humor. Just a sea of concern.
            “Are you okay?” he murmured; his face so close to mine I could feel his waiting breath.
I bit my lip, suddenly overcome by my emotions. The same emotions that had been drawing me to his body, his lips, his eyes, every single day this week. I found enough breath to reply a soft: “I’m okay.”
At my reply, he let go of my arm and shot me a comforting smile instead. “Good, ‘cos I was beginning to worry that my salad choices had come back to haunt you.”
“No, our salads were fine.” I chuckled at his concern. “But I am concerned about your ability to play well after too many strawberries.”
“Don’t you worry about me Strawberries,” he smirked. “In a few hours you’ll be begging for my strawberry salad recipe”
He shot me a wink before turning and heading back to his locker. Why were my cheeks burning?
The game was more mediocre to say the least. Nearing the half, the score was nil-nil with only a few attempts at a goal. I could feel the energy leaving the players as Jamie passed the ball to an unprepared Sam. A Tottenham play swiped the ball, kicking it out of bounds. I groaned, running a hand through my hair.  
            “Fuck,” I spat under my breath, turning to Ted. “What’s the plan?” Roy suddenly appeared beside me, causing me to jump slightly. “Christ.”
            “Reckon it’s time to use the signal, huh?” Ted asked, hesitantly.
            “Yep,” Roy answered.
            “Yeah, okay…” Ted looked around nervously. “You didn’t by any chance come up with a better one, did you?”
            “No”
            “Alright.” Ted sighed before cupping his mouth and shouting. “Hey Jamie! Jamie!”
On the field, Jamie turned to look at us. In unison, the five of us all raised our middle fingers at him. I didn’t know how to react when Roy told us the signal he had come up with. It wasn’t exactly surprising, but I wasn’t sure how the crowd would react. Of course, the second we made the signal, the crowd burst out in laughter. Jamie’s face contorted in confusion before a look of realization dawned on him.  
He quickly ran over to one of the Tottenham players, Barnett, and started chatting to him. Whatever he said to him must have pissed him off cause soon the two of them were racing towards the ball. Jamie took control of the ball when, from out of nowhere, Barnett slid into Jamie’s legs, causing him to fall and roll to the ground.
            “REFEREE” Beard shouted, throwing his hands up.
Of course, the ref blew his whistle giving Jamie a penalty. Jamie hopped up off the ground and on his face was his signature cocky, sideways smirk. He approached Barnett and got in his face, saying something snarky I’m sure, because the next second, Barnett was pushing Jamie and having to be pulled away by his teammate. Jamie ran backwards, throwing his hands up in mock surrender.
            “Hmm, glad he’s on our team, you know?” Ted nudged me, but I found myself unable to take my eyes off of him. I muttered an agreement as Jamie turned to face us for a moment as Barnett was cleared off. His eyes were shining with mischief as he raised his eyebrows at me. I shook my head at him, unable to keep the smile off my face.
            “Hey, what do you think? Trick play?” Ted huddled us in a moment. I shook my head. It was a long shot for sure, but one I knew he could make. In fact, it was the same distance I had shown him how to hit that day after training. He could do it.
            “You don’t need it,” Roy, as usual, could read my mind. “The little prick’s gonna fucking score from there.”
Nate scoffed in disbelief.  But I knew what Jamie could do. I watched as he placed the ball on the ground in front of him and took a breath. Then one by one, he dragged his feet backwards, just like I’d shown him. The turf disrupted slightly as his red boots tore up the soil. Then, it was like the world stood still, he jaunted forward, hit the ball with the side of his foot and watched as it flew through the air. Then, with the sweet swish of the goal, the world exploded into cheers. The stadium flew into a state of celebration as the team ran to Jamie’s side.
            “YES!” I cried. “FUCK YES JAMIE!” Jamie turned again, to look over at us. In one swift motion, he flipped us off with both of his fingers. I laughed and shook my head, feeling that flutter in my stomach again. Then it hit me. Just as quickly, as if it was a football to the face. It hit me, staring at his tongue sticking through his lips, as he celebrated with his teammates. It hit me that I was most definitely in love with Jamie Tartt.
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