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drewsbabee · 2 years

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Love of my life - D.S

Hello! First, imagine on here and I'm excited to get back into writing! Hope you all enjoy it! And welcome to my little universe!

Song: Love of my life - Avery Lynch (bolded words = lyrics)

TW: slight (little to nothing) angst, FLUFF

Love of my life

I wanna call you that, would that be alright?

I know I get ahead of myself sometimes

But darling, you might be

The love of my life

I knew I was going to fall in love with him the moment we first met. Drew Starkey was the epitome of storybook prince charming. He walked into that coffee shop and straight into my heart.

“Hey”

I slightly jump causing my book to slip from my hands

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” The blue eyed man chuckled

I lightly giggle and shake my head “no, don’t worry,”

“I just wanted to let you know that you look beautiful today,”

My cheeks flush at the compliment as I smile at the boy “Thank you, I’m Y/N”

“Y/N,” I hear him whisper under his breath “Well, nice to meet you Y/N, I’m Drew,”

I tried to find

Someone just like you in the back of my mind

And look here you are, like you've been here the whole time

But darling, can I call you the love of my life?

“Drew?” I sob at the sight of him

“Baby?” He asks concerned “Why are you crying sweetheart,”

“I’m sorry… I’m so fucking sorry,”

“Are you okay?” He asks walking up to me and swiping the tears off my cheeks

“I know I have no right coming here after ignoring you for days… but I just got so scared,” I say lightly laughing through my sobs

“Hey now…” Drew says wrapping me in his arms “Take a deep breath for me sweetheart and let me know why,”

I inhale deeply and find comfort in his musky scent

“You are single-handedly the most important person in my life. Whether you know it or not you have my absolute heart and soul Drew Starkey and that scares the shit out of me. In a couple months, you’ve made my life feel like a fairytale and I so badly want it to have a happy ending. But some part of me, just for a second, thought that maybe our ending wasn’t happy…that I’d be left here in bits struggling left and right to pick up the pieces…”

“So you though you’d save yourself the heartbreak,” Drew whispers softly into my ear

I nod and squeeze my eyes shut

“I want you to listen to me,” Drew saying pulling my chin up to face him “you are my person. You single handedly stole my heart and soul the minute I saw you at that coffee shop…”

My eyes water as he looks at me with so much adoration

“But what if-”

“I love you!” Drew blurts out

My eyes widen

“I know it’s only been 4 months and I know you’re scared but I fucking love you.” He breathes out “I love you so much.”

My eyes soften as I reach up and cup his face, wiping the stray tears trailing down

“It’s okay to be scared sweetheart… I am too. But it’s what let’s me know you care about me as much as I care about you,”

I stare into this man's beautiful eyes and press my lips to his “I love you too.”

And I know we're young

But that only means that we get more time for us

“Can you believe Drew is dating her?” Someone whispers from around me

My body entire stiffens as I clutch my book tighter in my hands

“She's like half his age! And she preaches about loving him, they’re too young. She’s with him for his fame and money,”

I hear the girls giggle as tears pool in my eyes.

Quickly gathering my stuff I stand up and rush out with the small sliver of pride I had left.

Not paying attention to where I was walking, I crash into a body

“Hey, hey hey,”

Immediately recognizing his raspy voice the tears start pouring out of my eyes

“Baby, what happened,” Drew says cupping my face in his hands and swiping the tears away

Not being able to form any words I shake my head and bury myself in his chest

“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what happened my love,” Drew says softly as he wraps his arms around me

I take a deep breath gripping the back of his shirt tightly “Just being stupid…I’m fine,”

“Let me into that little head of yours pretty girl,” Drew whispers into my hair

I look up at my concerned boyfriend “Do you think I’m only with you for your status? Or that I’m way too young for you?”

Drew looks at me confused “baby… why would you think that?”

“Just… heard some people talking,” I say softly

Tucking a strand of hair behind my ear “I know you and I know there is not a selfish bone in that pretty little body of yours.”

Drew strokes my cheek with his thumb “I love you… I love everything about you. And I know you love me as Drew, not the Drew Starkey the world knows,”

More tears pool in my eyes “I’m sorry,” I whisper

“I don’t want to see any more tears and I don’t want you to apologize or worry about what people say about us because I fucking love you and that's all that matters”

“I love you with all my heart,” I say lightly smiling at him

“You are my heart and soul Y/N, and nothing anyone says will take that away from me,”

So will you let me love you?

Say all the things I want to

Confess my heart a million times, until you're sick of hearing why I love to love you

“Good morning,” I say softly

“Mmm, good morning my love,” Drew rasps out throwing a lazy arm over my waist

I snuggle deeper into his embrace as he snuggles us deeper into the comfort of his bed

“Don’t think I’ve ever been this content before,” I say pressing a kiss to his chest

“Better get used to it baby… cus you’re stuck with me” He says popping his eyes open “and I plan to make sure you’re happy for the rest of your life,”

Love of my life

Happened so quickly, but I don't think I mind

'Cause something about you made me so sure that I

That I know I found you

The love of my life

I press a kiss on Drew’s bicep as we intertwine our hands

“You ready to meet the cast baby?” He asks squeezing my hand

I smile up at my excited boyfriend “nervous but excited,”

“They’re going to love you as much as I do,” Drew says pressing a kiss onto the top of my head

“There’s the love birds!” Chase calls out from in front of us

Smiling I walk up to the boy as he pulls me into a hug “Nice to finally meet you guys,” I say shyly turning towards the group

----

“Drew why would you keep her from us!” Rudy whines

Drew chuckles “I wanted her to myself for just a while longer,”

“She’s amazing Drew,” Maddie gushes

Drew looks up to where I stood with Chase pouring the group some waters

“She really is huh?” He says grinning like a Cheshire cat

Walking back up to the group, Chase and I distribute the waters and I go to plop back down beside my grinning boyfriend.

“What’s got you all smiling,” I say staring into his gorgeous eyes

He smiles, shakes his head, and wraps an arm around my waist, pulling me closer to his side “Nothing, Just love you that’s all,”

So can I be someone who

Does all I can to show you

That there is nothing in my life I'd rather do than be the one who get to love you (I get to love you)

“I love you,” Drew says wrapping his arms around me

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing you say that,” I say whispering into his chest

“Good. Because I plan to say it for the rest of our lives,”

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averymorrisx · 9 months

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'Save me if I become my demons'

Basic info:

Name: Avery Morris

Age: 33

Astrological sign: Aries sun, Gemini moon, Taurus rising

Current occupation: Graveyard Overseer on Night Shift 1

Pets: Black lab mix named Beretta

Education level: High school diploma

Previous occupation: Mechanic

Sexuality: bisexual/biromantic

Positive: loyal, hardworking, compassionate

Negative: closed-off, tactless, jaded

Biography:

Jesse Morris had always wanted a son and didn’t see any reason why three daughters should hold him back from it. He was a military man and ruled his home with a strict set of rules. Charlotte died from complications of postpartum preeclampsia three weeks after Avery was born. The devastating loss prevented him from ever remarrying and he threw himself into raising his three daughters: Ava, Aurora, and Avery. Though the house was often somewhat messy and Jesse didn’t have a feminine bone in his body, he did his best to raise three girls on his own.

Being raised by a single father made all three girls hyper-independent. They were taught how to shoot any kind of weapon Jesse could teach them, including a crossbow and guns, should they ever need to defend themselves. He also taught them how to live off the land and fix things around the house instead of paying to have someone do it for them. While some may have rolled their eyes and say he taught them so he didn’t have to fix things himself, it was all done out of love.

Once Ava and Aurora turned eighteen, they left their small town of Blowing Rock, NC and never looked back. Avery stayed behind and if she was honest, she much preferred the small town life. Most people in her life growing up had left and it suited her fine. Some would call it a sense of comfort and a general fear of leaving home.

The news of the outbreak was a horrible, sobering reality that snapped Avery out of her admittedly romanticized small town bubble. It was, quite literally, the end of the world as they knew it, REM lyrics need not apply. Jobs shifted, life was never going to be the same. Blowing Rock became overrun with infected, even despite Jesse’s paranoia and hyperawareness. While some may consider D-Day the worst day of their lives, the worst day of Avery’s life came when she had to pull the trigger on her father after he became infected. She was forced to leave behind everything she had ever known with little more than the supplies that fit in her backpack and her dog, Beretta.

Avery had found Redwood by sheer accident. Charleston had been the destination in mind when she had joined a caravan, but much like the Oregon Trail, not many survived. The end of the world brought out the worst in people, whether it was pure greed, mob mentality, or infection. Avery barely made it to Redwood after three days on her own and being hopelessly lost.

Connection ideas:

fellow graveyard workers

people she used to travel with

sisters: they grew up very close (placeholder names are Ava and Aurora) but they ultimately left their small town for college and never really came back except to visit Avery and Jesse

high school sweetheart: the person she would have nearly married (she'd be the girl from the song "Everywhere" by Tim McGraw or from "Georgia Rain" by Trisha Yearwood) (m/f/nb)

fwb: for the sake of human contact. they don't need much from the other (m/f/nb)

#tfh.intro

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randomestfandoms-ocs · 1 year

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Gilmore oc’s of your choice + favorite/theme song from Taylor Swift midnights? 👀

oooooh okay let's go!!!

Kirsty: also okay this one is coming back again but You’re On Your Own Kid gives me such big Kirsty vibes!!! Like I can hear it playing when she goes to New York at the end of s2 and then being repeated when she moves to New York again in season 7? (You're on your own, kid / Yeah, you can face this / You're on your own, kid / You always have been)

Kirsty 2: Lavender Haze is just such peak Kirsty & Jess! Like Kirsty has all of the eyes of the town on her but Jess sees right through all of it, and the entire “I'm damned if I do give a damn what people say” really fits them coming back to Stars Hollow and facing all of the criticism from the town, Lorelai, and Rory!

Sophie: okay Mastermind actually really hits for her? Like the idea that Sophie has always planned to end up with Logan and was just playing the long game for it — in some ways it doesn’t fit because it’s been much longer term, but the parts that don’t fit them do totally fit Sophie x Rory! (No one wanted to play with me as a little kid / So I've been scheming like a criminal ever since / To make them love me and make it seem effortless & Once upon a time, the planets and the fates and all the stars aligned / You and I ended up in the same room at the same time)

Bonus: Glitch gives me major Sophie vibes but very specifically Sophie x Richie? like it doesn't fit Logan quite as well because they've been a long term Thing before they get together, but it feels perfect for meeting Richie and just being like "oh fuck i wasn't expecting to actually care" (A brief interruption / A slight malfunction / I'd go back to wanting / Dudes who give nothing)

Brady: Brady's theme song is absolutely Would've Could've Should've I'm sorry about the angst but like "Give me back my girlhood, it was mine first" and her relationship with Asher just fit painfully well

Allie: Snow On The Beach is just so Allie x Jess! They’re an interesting dynamic in that they know that they’re going to end up together and it’s just a waiting game (but like, in a different way than Sophie x Logan), and Snow On The Beach feels like the prefect song for them getting together and having this “oh my god, is this really happening?” feeling because this has been building for so long that the idea that they’re actually together now feels impossible! (And it's like snow at the beach / Weird, but fuckin' beautiful / Flying in a dream / Stars by the pocketful / You wanting me tonight, feels impossible)

Avery: oh man I love her but Anti-Hero is such a strong vibe with her other theme song being This Is Me Trying and like… the feeling that she’s always messing up, especially combined with her dad just generally sucking and making her feel like she’s never good enough (The mark they saw on my collarbone / The rust that grew between telephones / The lips I used to call home / So scarlet, it was maroon)

Willow: Willow is You’re On Your Own Kid in a heartbeat like my goddddd it’s such a her song (So make the friendship bracelets, take the moment and taste it / You've got no reason to be afraid / You're on your own, kid /Yeah, you can face this)

Casey: it’s not entirely specific to the lyrics but the overall vibe of Maroon gives me huge Casey x Jess vibes! They do become extremely close again but that nostalgia for their past relationship is such a significant part of Casey’s story! (The mark they saw on my collarbone / The rust that grew between telephones / The lips I used to call home / So scarlet, it was maroon)

Jane: Paris feels like such a Jane x Lindsay x Jess song where they’re out in Philly and both Jane and Lindsay have their moms constantly telling them about Stars Hollow drama and they just don’t care at all because the three of them are in their little bubble and they’re so happy and none of that shit matters to them! (I'm so in love that I might stop breathing / Drew a map on your bedroom ceiling / No, I didn't see the news / ‘Cause we were somewhere else)

Jacqueline: Sweet Nothing!! It just feels so perfect for her relationship with Jess and how they both have other shit in their lives and with their families (and with everyone thinking that for Jess this is some weird Rory-related thing) but they’re just shutting the rest of the world out and staying in their sweet little bubble and being the only people who never expected or demanded More from each other! (They said the end is coming / Everyone's up to something / I find myself running home to your / Sweet nothings / Outside, they're push and shoving / You're in the kitchen humming / All that you ever wanted from me was / Sweet nothing)

(I definitely focused on theme songs over favourites bc I freaking love Midnights and would not have been able to pick favourites for them outside of these being the songs they'd relate to the most!!)

#ask #answered #the witching ash

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what-do-1000-swords-look-like · 2 years

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Big Sky: 3x02 Thoughts

This episode was interesting but I had lots of thoughts:

I'm curious as to why Walt is scared of Sunny but I'm thinking maybe we got a very minute glimpse of why when she gets mad at Cormac. And I also think it's intriguing that she doesn't want Buck or Cormac to know Walt is out there. Is Buck Walt's father? Does Cormac know he has a brother? If yes on both counts, where do they think Walt is now?

So Sunny thought by singing to the backpacker as he died painfully that that helped somewhat? Weird. I could be wrong, but I don't think Sunny wants Walt to hurt anyone (besides not wanting to be put in the crosshairs)

Okay, what is it with that girl Emily? Like, stop pulling your phone out to record every little thing! She's so nosy and I don't really care for that or her to be quite honest

okay I LOVE LOVE LOVE how Cassie literally calls Beau right up at Denise's suggestion of Jenny or "Beau-Beau", like literally no hesitation

even though I would love to see Beau/Cassie as a thing, I do enjoy their friendship/partnership as well - either way they have genuine chemistry (so much more chemistry than compared to Beau/Jenny imho) and I am delighted every time I get to see it - Jensen and Kylie have an unbreakable rhythm that just works, even right down to them sharing the same space on screen - I love that she sees right through his shit and has no problem saying so

I do wonder if Beau will mention the Cormac thing to Cassie at some point; he definitely clocked that little look between them & the show made sure that we as the audience saw it just like Beau

and enter the reason Beau/Cassie will never be a thing: the whole Beau/Jenny thing they're pushing (insert eye roll here, Jenny and Beau are literally the same character, the only difference is Beau has been brought in to soften Jenny up some, if his constant prodding at her about Tonya is anything to go by, even though he's literally going through his own issues) - Elwood, Mr. Showrunner dude, you're making it so obvious: Jenny being in soft colors around Beau, always looking good (and a little softer), sometimes even matching shades of colors in certain items of clothing without full on matching; Jenny's little look when Beau mentions that Cassie called him to help her and he's going so Jenny is stuck helping Tonya; Jenny sitting on Cassie's couch next to him, shoes off, all relaxed, arms back, and looking comfortable; Beau not introducing Cassie to Emily even though she and Emily exchanged a smile; "Sounds like you two had a day." "Getting to be a thing"; every time we see Beau and Jenny walking side by side in frame, the framing itself clearly shows a pairing, matching in looks and sometimes pace (like when Beau comes back to the station from the campsite, they're literally move in sync)

The scene between Beau and Emily was sweet; he loves his daughter very much and he's struggling, a lot of jealousy with Avery (and with what happens with Avery later on in the episode, I wonder how things will play out with him and Carla when she finally comes into the mix; Jenny did say he was still in love with her back in 2x18 and he didn't deny it but confirmed it in a roundabout way)

I think it's very interesting that Emily, Avery, and the other two girls were talking about the lyrics to Alanis Morisette's "You Oughta Know", especially considering this is after Beau has left and not to mention they then discuss the missing couple

Idk much about Donno (haven't seen season 2 yet) but I find him hilarious sometimes

Yes, I may have squee'd when "Sunny" met "Beau" - yes I have a weird thing when my faves/fandoms collide...don't judge me

omg RAVI you DID NOT!!!! - yes, I know he's Luke in this show, I'm kidding, but I have to give the actor credit, it's nice to see him change it up

I now wonder what Luke and Paige's real story is and why Avery is so interested in what they're doing - is it possibly something similar or related to the case of the week story we got in this episode? Like they have this $ and someone is looking for it and "will never stop coming" for them or is it just Avery being a busybody like Emily? He seemed way too interested in that journal that appeared to be in some kind of code?

oooo why do I see a possible confrontation between Sunny and Emily in the future? "Never get between a mama bear and her cub"

the SPN easter eggs/nods: alright, this is most likely an unpopular opinion but honestly, I wasn't too crazy about them - the first one with the US Marshall and Beau saying you'd be surprised who tries to act like a fake Federal agent was an appropriately veiled nod; the second one with the salt - unnecessary. We already had one in the episode and the supernatural has nothing to do with the show or even Beau as a character. I appreciate that they want to give a nod to the possible SPN fans watching but it's not necessary more than once - this isn't Jensen's show that he's executive producing or something, this show existed before Jensen, has its own story, and I don't like it when it becomes so overt in the narrative that it takes me right out of that story - I don't see Dean or Jensen when watching Beau, I see Beau - I don't want to be reminded of either the actor or another character the actor played once upon a time, that tends to ruin the story for me and take me out of it and then I can't take it seriously - the US Marshall thing was enough - I hope they don't continue this trend

okay the first few times Beau mispronounces Poppernak's name were funny but now it's starting to get old; either pick a nickname or call the guy by his name, no more variations please

Cassie, my love, I get 20 years is a long time, especially with no recent crimes to show a pattern, but that case was worth looking into, if for nothing else to rule it out

LOVE the housewarming scene - also LOVE how Jenny brought the right gift (no offense to Beau) - though I winced when Beau got worried and Cassie says "I would have told you if I thought you should be worried" (I do wonder if that's going to come up when he has to go all "Liam Neeson" later on); my heart broke for him when he got that undelivered text back (Jensen played this scene very well, I thought he once again shined here; I am really thinking Beau's loss definitely had to do with the cartel he mentioned before and his brother; that reaction Jensen played speaks to me as not just a worried or overprotective parent but also one scared to lose their kid/anyone else & to something they can't/are helpless to protect them from)

Emily, you busybody you, here's a tip: you should have run before taking a picture after seeing the blood on him; and if for some reason you thought he was possibly hurt, why not ask him rather than taking pictures - girl needs to learn to mind her business and keep safe, she's way too nosy and that's going to get her in trouble at some point (hence the cliffhanger)

Hi Writers, me again, just a few more logistical questions:

1) How did the "drunk" get in with a needle? Isn't it standard police procedure to make sure someone is unarmed when taken into custody? How do you know the drunk didn't have a gun or a knife? Not to mention finding out an identity of said drunk?

2) if Emily is really a busybody (she is) and she likes to catch everything on her phone, wouldn't it make sense that she would have muted her snapshot sounds when taking pics on the DL? How else could she get discreet pics of any drama for her podcast? Everyone would know she was taking pictures

3) Are you telling me that Poppernak not only let Jenny run into that cell but also stood back and watched as the "drunk" tried to stab her with the needle? And she only had Donno as backup? Not to mention, when Donno yells for help before they open the cell, are you telling me that not one single officer or detective in the precinct ran to help? That they didn't hear the same sounds Jenny and Poppernak did before rushing into the room?

4) Why on earth would Avery allow Emily to go check out another trail on her own? Two people from their party are currently missing, Sunny and Buck have warned them all not to go alone anywhere and that they use a buddy system, she's sixteen and doesn't know the area nor is she an experienced backpacker nor does she have any gear with her...so why would he leave her alone?

5) Even Paul said it, do they really only send one officer/agent to take someone into Witness Protection? Especially since Beau even offered an escort, meaning he even knew that one agent is not the usual? Meaning shouldn't that have been questioned more than Beau calling to verify who she is? Especially since he sends Poppernak to follow them?

6) Alright, I know this is a little complex and tangled so I get it but if Beau found the water bottle, looking around with Cassie for this backpacker in an official capacity, how is that not brought back to the station as evidence? Especially with Beau saying to Buck and Sunny "and sometimes people make them disappear"? I get that maybe this is not an official missing persons case at this point in time, and nothing is definitive yet (like the two different tracks), but that seems weird to me, that he would let her keep it at her PI office, because once the truth comes out about the backpacker's death, that's going to be considered evidence that should have been tested (which is exactly why Beau grabs it the way he does & Cassie holds onto it the way she does, then has it in a bag) that if charges are made against a suspect, the defense can literally argue it was tampered with/collected by non-legal, non-official means

7) Why was Paul willing to go into Witness Protection right then and there if he had Camille waiting back at the cabin? I get he might have thought he didn't have a choice but how would he have gotten word to her? How would he have thought she wouldn't be found by Tonya eventually?

I enjoyed the episode, I really did. I'm glad we got some Beau and Cassie time; I enjoy their dynamic immensely. It's also nice to see Beau settling in and how it affects all of the other dynamics around them. It should get even more interesting once his ex shows up, Emily is in danger, and we find out whatever is going on with Avery.

#big sky #big sky season 3 #big sky 3x02 #bigskyposts #thoughts #beau/cassie mention #sort of #cassenny mention #sorta?#beau/jenny critical #putting that tag to be safe

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andyjwaldron · 5 months

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ANDY WROTE ABOUT GOOD ALBUMS FOR HIS JOB

End-of-year list season is a big stinkin' deal over at Rough Trade. Listening back to the previous twelve months' worth of releases not only became a clear delineation of time passing (especially during the pandemic that kept us asking, "Oh, wait, what month is it again?") but it was also great for Andy when he worked there, as staff were asked to write about a few albums that really stuck with them.

Plus, it's always refreshing for a record store employee to provide a solicited opinion, rather than the usual unsolicited comment while ringing you up.

Here are some blurbs Andy wrote for Rough Trade about LPs from SASMI, Bartees Strange, Little Hag, Mitski, and Illuminati Hotties:

SASAMI - Squeeze

In the same way one realizes working retail can seem like you're creating sand mandalas (i.e., organizing LPs in the morning), knowing full well how ephemeral they can be (finding Sheryl Crow in the Metal section at night), the turbulent start to the 2020s has proven that, despite the best efforts to make sense, everything is messy now. I've held onto SASAMI's Squeeze in the same way we grasp for something steady when the boat starts swaying.

In a little over a half hour, hard truths are thrown down (the systematic aggression detailed in "Skin a Rat") and then processed ("I tried to understand," "Don’t wanna agonize, just say it") and met with earned affirmations ("I want you to know you're not alone…you can always call me home"). The guitars that accompany these sentiments shred, strum, and surround the listener – almost swallowing us whole. By the time "Not a Love Song" arrives, the waves of distortion become still enough to see ourselves in the reflection.

Writer Michelle Hyun Kim put it best: In "[bringing] seemingly disparate elements together, finding slippery ways to be both/and, neither/nor, between/outside in all categories," SASAMI meets a messy world with messy creation – gleefully collapsing genre with artists who know a thing or two about frustrating binaries (Patti Harrison, No Home, Rin Kim, Vagabon, Mitski, Andrew Thomas Huang). Squeeze recognizes those who've worked hard on themselves and the world around them and gets drinks with them afterward to celebrate: a beautiful, beautiful sight. (x)

Bartees Strange - Farm to Table

Building on the promise of his first album, Live Forever, our On the Rise artist Bartees Strange carries a fiery ambition throughout his next chapter, Farm to Table. It lights up the dance floor on "Wretched" and "Cosigns" and powers the fanfare of my personal song of the year, "Heavy Heart." It becomes a campfire that warms the quieter second half, carrying the heartbreaking ode to Gianna Floyd ("Hold the Line") to the closing, cyclical singalong, "Hennessy."

It's been exciting watching artists of my generation make work reflective of our fickle upbringing; the way we've watched genre break down, earnestness break through, and connection rise above all other priorities. And while Farm to Table may seem like a 4AD fever dream (from the belt and croon of TV on the Radio's Tunde Adebimpe to the inertia of The National's most anthemic moments), make no mistake: Strange's first LP with the storied label marks a young, bold new moment in capital I capital R Indie Rock™ – one whose flame won't go out anytime soon. (x)

Little Hag - Leash

Take a heaping spoonful of Liz Phair's down-to-earth humor, a touch of Elvis Costello's cutting attitude, and a splash of Jeff Buckley's killer vibrato, and you get Little Hag's Leash, one of the most exciting releases to come from Bar-None Records in recent memory. Avery Mandeville, the NJ-based songwriter behind Little Hag, may be one of the legendary indie label's newest signees, but she's been honing her unique knack for catchy and sardonic tales of her self-described "absurd and profane occurrences of being a woman" for the better part of the past decade. Her lyrics deliver the anthemic quality from other accomplished musicians who have emerged from the Garden State. However, the power that drives them is less "We gotta get outta here!" and more "I'm stuck here… now what?" While their other digital-exclusive releases that came out in the past year (Whatever Happened to Avery Jane? and Breakfast) are worth adding to your playlists, Leash, their first album full of new material for Bar-None, is next level for Little Hag. Stories bearing weighty text messages ("The Whole World," "Cherry," "Red"), dangerous and disappointing men ("My Last Name," "Get Real!"), and self-defense weaponry ("Brass Knuckle Keychain") are conveyed with an urgency matched by a skilled rhythm section that rips. Sure, these eleven tracks are told by a singular voice, but the universality of both the shit that they’ve gone through and how she's powered through all of it makes a vital promise for anyone who listens: crank this up, and you'll feel less lonely. (x)

Mitski - Laurel Hell

The new wave nods of Mitski's Laurel Hell come in spades; not just in its production (where uptempo numbers like "Should've Been Me" navigate the liveliness of ABC and moodier tracks like "Working for the Knife" find kinship with Peter Gabriel's self-titled era) but also the paranoia and devotion beneath the sheen (the album starts with "Let's step carefully into the dark / Once we're in, I'll remember my way around" and nearly ends with "I'm standing in the dark / Looking up into our room / Where you'll be waiting for me").

In meeting acrobatic arrangements with clear lyricism across five records, the 32-year-old songwriter has proven to be one of her generations' strongest craftspeople. The difference now on her sixth is how a wide-eyed weariness emerges in a familiar fashion to the era Mitski references, how the push-and-pull between partners can stand in for the heart and mind… or the artist and the consumer: "I give it up to you / I surrender." (x)

Illuminati Hotties - Let Me Do One More

At times in-your-face like an unexpected conversation from a hilarious stranger at a dive bar, while at other times contemplative, standing beside you and huddling for heat during a smoke break, Let Me Do One More was the perfect buddy to have during a year of bumpy restarts. My favorite albums have historically become teaching moments, usually by artists getting by despite constraints both internal and external, and this album finds the endlessly-talented Sarah Tudzin doing her best in trying relationships with the personal ("Growth") and political ("Threatening Each Other re: Capitalism"). These songs truly helped me find warmth through the uneven sway of 2021. (x)

***

You can go back home by clicking here.

#does.a.lot #rough.trade

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yletylyf · 2 years

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Holiday fluff day 7!

Background on these drabbles here. Drabbles are vaguely chronological and tagged with HP De-stress December.

December 7: Ice Skating

"The Averys invited us over to ice skate this afternoon," Tom ventured. "Would you like to go?"

"Sure," Severus said. He was always open to seeing the Averys, who had started inviting Tom and Severus to their ice-skating tradition a few years ago. "Do you know if they invited Roger?"

"Do you want me to ask them?"

The Averys did not have any children all that close to Roger in age—there was one who was three years behind him—so Roger hadn't ever displayed a particular interest in socializing with the family, but he did like ice skating.

"No, it’s okay. I'll make a quick call."

Severus picked up the telephone—because he refused to use the Floo when Muggle telephones worked much better for the job—and called his son's flat. Roger was the one to pick up, luckily, and he was in fact interested in ice skating. They made plans to meet up at the Averys'.

When Severus and Tom arrived at the Averys' estate, it was a bit of a madhouse. The Averys had invited quite a few families and friends, and it was a larger gathering than Severus was comfortable with. He greeted Erlinda very briefly with a kiss on the cheek, and left Tom to socialize with his former Death Eater buddies. Severus sought out Roger, and found him already on the ice.

Every year, the Averys turned one of their large fields into an ice-skating rink by flooding it, and then using cooling charms to freeze it. The charms persisted all day no matter the weather or temperature, as long as someone renewed them every hour or so. The ice was smoothed by another charm, and the Averys had enough skates on hand for everyone to borrow.

Severus pulled on a pair of skates and went to join Roger. Severus's skating skills had been nonexistent before the Averys started including him in this tradition, and they were only mediocre now. Roger was a natural, but he slowed down his pace when Severus showed up at his side.

"Thanks for the tickets to your Christmas caroling show," Severus offered as a greeting. "Tom and I enjoyed it."

"Did he really?" Roger asked, with a grin like he knew it was a white lie.

"Of course he did," Severus insisted. "You were all better at singing than we expected."

"I was faking it," Roger confessed. "I didn't contribute to the singing at all. Trust me, it was better for it."

"You get your singing talent from my side of the family, then," Severus said with a smile. Roger gave Severus an easy grin and dramatically rolled his eyes. He had known he was adopted for years now, and he was long past the stage of asking questions like whether his birth parents had been talented singers.

The answer to that question was ��no’ if Severus were asked about Lily—she loved to belt out lyrics to her favorite songs, but she wasn't good at it—and ‘no clue’ if asked about James Potter.

"Come on," Roger said, "let's do some more interesting moves before the rink gets crowded."

Severus was decidedly not into more ‘interesting’ ice-skating moves, but he cheered and clapped as Roger experimented with skating backwards, doing a series of small jumps on the ice, and spinning on one foot.

A little out of breath, Roger rejoined Severus when more people started to join them on the ice.

"So who are you dating these days?" Severus sprung the question without giving Roger time to prepare.

Roger went a little pink. But maybe he had already been pink, from exertion. He didn’t answer right away, and he and Severus fell into the same skating rhythm together, doing laps around the edge of the rink.

"If I tell you, you have to promise not to freak out. But I do want your advice about whether I should bring her to Christmas dinner."

"I promise not to freak out," Severus said. "There isn't anything you could do to make me freak out, short of actually hurting yourself."

Roger was silent a while, then finally confessed: "Ginny Weasley."

"Oh," Severus said, shocked but unwilling to admit it. "Really? I had no idea you two were even friends."

"We weren't—not really—in school," Roger said haltingly. "But we hung out all last summer, because she wants to be a professional Quidditch player too, and she attended tryouts and was really involved in the whole process, helping me choose teams, and.... Things kind of... went from there."

"Well, that's... nice," Severus said lamely. "Is it nice? Have you had sex?"

"Dad!" Roger protested, catching an edge on his skate and almost falling. He recovered with an athlete's easy grace. "I'm not a child anymore, you don't get to ask questions like that."

"If you are, I hope you're being safe," Severus said disapprovingly. "A pregnancy announcement certainly would do it on the freak-out-your-father front."

"Ugh, Dad, I know," Roger said, disgustedly. "Can we please not talk about this?"

"Okay, okay," Severus surrendered. "Well, if you want to bring her to Christmas, tell me ahead of time. I can make Lucius and Narcissa swear to be on their best behavior."

"All right," Roger said, now sounding grateful. "I'll think about it and let you know. Thanks."

Roger and Severus came to a stop at the edge of the rink, and carefully stepped off of it. Severus reached out and briefly squeezed Roger's shoulder. "Thanks for telling me," Severus said.

It was a precious gift, his son's trust, and one Severus hoped he never squandered.

#my fic #sniddle #Severus Snape/Tom Riddle #hp de-stress december #holiday fluff #drabble

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stages-of-mania · 3 years

Text

Lord Huron Timeline Masterpost

Disclaimer: A lot of this information is speculation and consists of a lot of theories. Feel free to take things with a grain of salt.

Lonesome Dreams:

Setting: 19th century Wild West (some theories suggested could be the Middle East in the mid-20th century)

Characters:

Huron (main character)

Blaquefut (Huron’s best friend)

Helena (Huron’s girlfriend)

nameless Helena’s Ex (we're gonna call him Sonny for convenience)

Story: (I’m sure that most of the songs are in chronological order from the album but a few of them I believe are flashbacks so I had to move them around.)

She lit a fire/one of the best love songs ever written: The story goes earlier in the timeline technically, as it’s flashing back to how Huron met Helena. This is how the pair met. She lit his fire to travel the world or something.

Ends of the earth: early on in Huron and Helena‘s relationship. He wants to travel the world but she doesn’t so they’re kinda like “let’s split up for a bit”

Setting sun/the most mindfucking song (yes this bonus track is played at the end of the song, but hear me out ): Sonny has noticed that Helena has found someone else. They both know that Huron is better for her, but Sonny’s still pissed so he goes full yandere and chases after Huron. This story was put at the end and made “unfinished” because Sonny will always have a vendetta while Huron’s alive.

Time to run: Huron and friends are being chased by Sonny’s goons. Blaqufut gets shot in the head while helping Huron escape.

lonesome dreams: now this is a bit of a stretch, but from this theory, LD is basically purgatory and Huron travels to it to rescue Blaqufut from death.

Ghost on the shore/best song: nothing too significant to the story, it’s just Huron talking about how he misses home/the Great Lakes

I will be back one day: again, nothing much, just Huron reminiscing over Helena in pursuit to find her.

Man who lives forever: again nothing too significant, just Huron not wanting to die.

Brother: this is possibly the aftermath of an altercation between Huron and Blaqufut that they resolve. It pretty much just reaffirms their friendship.

In the wind: this one actually occurs while Huron is still on the run but from Helena’s perspective. It’s basically her reminiscing over him. I think they put this one at the end because it’s spiritually the end of the album, as it discusses how long distances and death can stop love.

Lullaby: Huron finally makes it back to Helena. He’s a complete wreck but Helena’s just happy he’s back

Sidenotes: Lonesome dreams are a collection of stories from Jorge Ranger Johnson, a writer character that Ben made up. Because of this, some of lonesome dreams might not actually be real within the universe of Lord Huron. Or they might be real events and just happened to be written about by an author.

Alternate theories suggest that Setting sun was actually about Huron the entire time and it did take place at the end of the album, causing Helena to find someone else and Huron to becoming a murderer.

One last important thing, because these are stories and might not actually occur within the universe of Lord Huron, it is possible that there is no afterlife, as suggested in later albums.

Strange Trails:

Setting:

1950s, somewhere in America.

George’s: A bar that several characters tend to spend time at (probably in reference to George Ranger Johnson)

Characters:

Frankie Lou: washed up singer who presumably had a failed romance that fucked up bad. Probably an alcoholic. Sings at George’s

Cobb Avery: zombie brought back to life out of vengeance. His family was killed because his boss gave him a piece of land on a sinkhole. leader of the “World Enders” gang. Basically a bunch of terrorists. Kills everyone from the company that sold him the house. Hangs out at George’s

Jonnie: member of the world Enders. Kind of trigger-happy in a thrill seeker. Probably one of the less malicious members of the group. Probably 19.

Buck Vernon: I also think another washed-up singer. What’s important though is that he suffers from hallucinations and is desperately trying to find the girl of his dreams.

Lily: some girl that every guy in town has the hots for. Hangs out at George’s

Jim: Lily's boyfriend. Hangs out at George’s.

Danielle: Young girl. The only child character, I’d say 11-14. Best character. You’re never too young to have an existential crisis.

Justine: not really important, presumably a writer.

Louisa: some random girl (Assuming that this theory is true, she might also be a witch and might’ve started out as an asshole, might also hang out at George’s)

There’s also some other guy but he was part of one song and it wasn’t significant so disregard him.

Story:

Love like ghosts: this is Frankie reminiscing over her failed relationship

When the night ends: Jonnie talking about appreciating the finer things in life while everything’s going to shit

Dead man’s hand/also best song: buck finds Avery presumably dead while wandering the desert. He buries him only to find out that Avery is still alive. Avery says that there’s no afterlife for him and he doesn’t want to go back in the grave. The pair become friends and go their separate ways.

Hurricane: just Johnny talking about living life on the edge

La belle fleur sauvage/the beautiful wildflower: just the lead singer gushing over Lily. The guy singing this only shows up in this song, but it’s just meant to establish that everyone has the hots for Lilly. The song could also be talking about Buck in his pursuit.

Fool for love: Buck goes to George’s to win over Lily, but Jim is already with her. Being delusional, buck tries to take on Jim (in the music video he gets Avery to fight him), he trashed the place and because of this is kicked out. He’s pretty optimistic but after this, he feels kind of defeated. (*Post-Rejection Depression Time*)

World ender: focuses on Avery‘s story. Follows him as he seeks vengeance and kills the people from the company that sold him the shitty house.

Meet me in the Woods: more of Frankie reminiscing over her failed romance

Yawning grave: (OK so this is the first big roadblock in the story, so the character that this song is about is very much left up to interpretation) I assume Avery has kind of calmed down But still intends to pursue the people that have wronged him.

Frozen Pines: (disappointingly) The only song about Danielle. Her parents were abducted by aliens in front of her. She is sort of in denial and refuses to leave where she is in the middle of the forest out of the delusion that they’ll come back. The song ends with her realizing that she has to move on as she attempts to leave the forest. (also, frozen Pines is the name of the motel so it could also just be that maybe Danielle is stuck at a motel which would honestly be kind of funny.)

Cursed/best love song ever written: Buck has found himself a new girl. However, due to previous failed romantic endeavors and hallucinations, he thinks that she’s an asshole trying to put a curse on him. (The song is presumably about Louisa. It’s entirely possible that Louisa was being manipulative but they sort things out)

Way out there: (The most difficult song to figure out) presumably about Avery. I can only best describe it as him having an existential crisis and him missing his dead family.

Louisa: after Buck was tempted to kick bricks, Louisa helped him out and gave him a newfound appreciation for life. Now they’re happy =]

Night we met: last song of Frankie reminiscing over her ex. Also, the lyric video confirms that Buck & Louisa either broke up or she was just a figment of his imagination, so uh, ya. Hopefully you weren't as emotionally invested in these characters as much as I was because that tore me a new one.

Sidenotes: this album definitely had the most interpretations. The biggest issues are the stories of yawning grave and way out there, as I am unsure that it is even about Avery. The real issue tho is the lack of songs about Danielle. Ben Come On!

There are also a couple connections between this album and the next

Vide Noir:

Setting: 1960s. Detroit & Los Angeles.

Background info: A drug called vide noir has recently been legalized. It’s basically just a hallucinogenic that destroys the fabric of reality, good times.

Characters:

Buck Vernon: Christ Ben just can’t seem to give this guy a break.

Lee Green: Buck’s new girl. Probably wants to be an actress or something.

Lady moonbeam: A medium/psychic. I think she’s black but it’s hard to tell because of the lighting.

Cobb Avery: Best Boy Electrician on “Products of the Universe” TV show. (only mentioned in 1 song)

Marsha Tanley & Dale Frander: “Products of the Universe” host; guy selling vide & its derivatives. (not in the songs)

Story:

Lost in time and space: Buck is upset because Lee left. He decides to chase after her nonetheless.

Never ever: Buck's spirits are lifted as he heads out to find Lee.

Ancient names: Buck goes to Lady Moonbeam For advice but she sees into the future and sees that Buck will become a drug addict. He’s in denial but she knows otherwise.

Wait by the river: just Buck talking about how you would do anything for Lee. Also reveals the potential of an altercation between the two of them, presumably the two of them having a fight before she left.

Secret of life: (OK this one’s a little hard, the singer is clearly Buck, but it’s hard to tell if he’s confronting either Lee or lady moonbeam) either way, whoever he is confronting has allegedly made a pact with Avery that will cause something bad to happen to Buck. Because of this, he downs a bottle of fukitol/vide noir.

Back from the edge: the MF dies but comes back (where have we seen that before)

Balancer's eye: Buck runs into God and is denied access to heaven. Either because he wasn’t supposed to die or maybe people who take drugs aren’t allowed in. Or God has really high standards and no one‘s allowed in (again, weird knowing that Blaqufut experienced purgatory and Avery said there’s no heaven at all)

When the night is over: realizing the effect of VN, Buck is becoming worried for Lee that she might overdose if he doesn’t find her soon enough

Moonbeam: Like with Louisa, Buck ran into a girl that saved him from a bad place. Hard to tell if it’s Lee (it likely isn’t because of later in the story) or lady moonbeam.

Vide Noir: Buck talking about the effects of the drug.

Emerald star/The most depressing song ever written: after doing everything he can and fucking dying, Buck finally finds Lee but he is turned down as she would rather be a junkie. It’s also possible that she might die or be dying, judging by the fact that the second half of this song is just instrumental followed by a sudden halt at the end. {Yay, I get to experience “close to you” all over again}

Sidenotes: George ranger Johnson is a spiritual advisor for the show that Avery works on.

The events of the film are claimed to come at the end/after the album.

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

All information was aggregated from the albums, interviews with Ben, music videos, articles about the film, Products of the Universe, & whatever else I could scavenge from LH’s YouTube channel.

I’d also like to give a huge thanks to the fanbase for their theories and research. It really helped out a lot piecing this all together. I had a lot of fun discussing this with fellow Wanderers and Enders and really appreciate being a part of this fanbase.

If you have any alternative theories, timelines, etc, be sure to mention them. A huge chunk of this info will probably become obsolete when the film/next album comes along so enjoy this while we can still be optimistic.

Dear Balancer help us.

#lord huron #lonesome dreams #strange trails #vide noir #cobb avery #buck vernon #ben schneider

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5sos-seavey · 4 years

Note

“PHASES” INSPIRED JJ FIC

it’s finally here after so long !! really hope you like it girl

Phases - JJ Maybank

Warning(s): some swearing

Word Count: 2416 (without the lyrics)

Tags: @snarkystarkey, @maybe-maybanks, @baby-bearie, @mayibeyoursbanks, @katie-avery, @kaceyjost

A/N: I decided to not switch through points of view but just kept writing while the povs kinda sorta change, hopefully it makes sense as you read but it might be more of JJ’s pov since the song is from the guy’s pov ALSO if you’ve seen the music video for phases I guess it’s kinda gonna be like that lol

I know you’re tryna do you, but I heard you fell off.

After a couple bad nights, and 20 cold hearts.

Tryna find a new you, but I heard you got lost.

Tryna figure your worth.

What the hell does that cost?

You and JJ had been together for a little over a year when you told him that you thought you needed some space and wanted to figure out who you were and what you wanted. At first JJ was confused, he thought you loved each other and wanted each other. “Please don’t be upset with me,” you had said to him. “Y/N I just want you to explain it to me.” “JJ, we’re so young, and I’m not saying I don’t love you, because I do, I love you so much, but I have no idea who I am. I don’t want it to be 3 years down the road and we decide that we don’t want to be together. I know that we’re young, but I honestly think that we’re it for each other. I just don’t want us to end up as that, right person, wrong time, couple.” JJ was nodding along as you had spoke, “okay. I get that. Just, please don’t like, I don’t know, forget me, I guess? Because I love you and I want to be with you.”

When I’m kissing ya, grippin’ ya thigh.

I realized you were destined and meant to be mine.

But who am I to conflict with ya livin’ your life?

Just know when you call, I’m at the end of the line.

JJ knew you were the one. He just wanted to be with you. But he didn’t want to get in the way of you finding yourself, because he didn’t want you to be the, right person, wrong time. He thought of you as the, right person all the time, no matter what. He also would never want you to feel pressure to stay with him because he wanted you to. He also didn’t know what kind of space you wanted so he would sometimes text you, reply to your story, whatever. It broke you, but sometimes you just didn’t answer him. You knew this was hard for him, but it was hard for you too.

JJ: just checking in, how are ya?

y/n: im good jj, thanks.

y/n: i know it’s been a couple weeks and we’re both kinda struggling with this but idk if we should be texting and shit while we’re figuring how exactly to navigate this. and it also won’t help in any kind of growth. im sorry jj

JJ was beside himself. He wanted to be there for you, but this was the one time you didn’t want that. He still thought it was important for you to know that he’s here for you.

JJ: i get that. don’t be a total stranger tho. if you ever need me or anything, i’ll be here

JJ never got a response to that message. But he knew, or at least hoped, you’d come to him if you ever needed.

I’ll practice my patience, while you’re getting wasted.

Till fate brings you home, I’ll wait through your phases.

You’ll shuffle through faces, like songs in your playlist.

Till fate brings you home, I’ll wait through your phases, phases.

It had been about two months since you asked for space and JJ was doing as well as he could be. He spent a lot of time at John B.’s to try and distract himself with John B., Ki and Pope. Even Sarah came sometimes. Sarah was surprisingly helpful actually, while his other three friends tried to steer clear of anything to do with you, Sarah wasn’t worried about bringing you up, “well she did say that she wanted to be with you right? Don’t look at it as a breakup because it’s not. And even if it does become one, which I highly doubt, it isn’t one yet.” JJ was shaking his head, “she’s seeing other people, she doesn’t ever talk to me and I know that I don’t talk to her either, but she asked for that. I don’t know Sarah, it’s hard not to treat it like a breakup.”

Ki started to agree with Sarah, “but JJ, she said she loves you; she just needs to know who she is. You don’t want her to resent you down the road.” JJ looked at Ki in shock, she never wants to talk about Y/N, she was always worried about upsetting JJ. He couldn’t argue with them, what they said made sense, and plus, you had been talking to those two more than you had been talking to him. And that was saying a lot because you only talked to the girls maybe once or twice a week, and you always tried to avoid talk of JJ because you didn’t want to be worried about how he may be feeling; he had said that he supported you in wanting to do this, so you were just going to stick to that.

It definitely did not help JJ’s worrying knowing that you’d go out and you’d be seeing other people, going on dates, doing whatever else you were going to do while you two weren’t together. He’d just have to wait on you, he wanted you to be as sure as he was.

Hittin’ all the right cues and you’re leaving your mark.

But I know that ain’t you, you’re just playing your part.

Tryna fit in them shoes, but you take it too far.

It doesn’t matter where it takes you, I’ll go wherever you are.

It had been four months now. You can’t lie, you missed JJ, but you can’t find yourself in four months just to go right back where you were before. Obviously not saying that going back to JJ would be bad, but it still seemed to early to go back to him now.

You’ve gone a quite a bit of dates, in the beginning, they were all one offs though. Two months ago you had met someone, things were going pretty well actually. You had gone on a few dates together, but you personally thought things had been moving too fast. When you brought it up though, it did not go well. You were told that you were “self sabotaging because you don’t want to be happy.” It goes without saying that you two were no longer see each other. Maybe you were self sabotaging, you definitely weren’t doing it on purpose though. You just always had a lot on your mind.

Since then, you’ve been going out a lot again, and surprisingly Sarah was joining you quite a bit lately. You had felt bad almost completely cutting off your friends just because they were also JJ’s friends. You just didn’t want it to seem like you wanted them to pick sides because ultimately, there were no sides. Right now Sarah was over at your place and you were waiting on the food the two of you had ordered before going out for the night, “so what’s the plan, Y/N?” “Guess we’ll just go to one of the bars or clubs downtown. Can you wing-woman me,” you asked her, lightly laughing. Sarah started slightly laughing along with you, “sure. But uh, and don’t take this the wrong way but, what if we just went out to have a good time tonight? If you meet someone, you meet someone. Don’t try to force finding someone.” You looked at Sarah thoughtfully, maybe she was right. The last few times you’d gone out, and with Sarah, she helped you find someone, and you’d gone on a few dates. Maybe tonight could just be more of a chill night out, “you know what, yeah, you’re right. Do you wanna call Kiara and see if she wants to join too?” Sarah was silent for a second while she stared blankly, “um, I actually don’t know if she’s free. I think she had plans tonight, uh, with the boys.” “Oh okay that’s fine, just me and you then,” you smiled at her. Sure you hadn’t seen Kiara in a while, maybe it was mostly on you, but sometimes it sucked, guess that’s what happens when you want a break from one of your friend’s best friend.

When I’m kissing ya, grippin’ ya thigh.

I realized you were destined and meant to be mine.

But who am I to conflict with ya livin’ your life?

Just know when you call, I’m at the end of the line.

I’ll practice my patience, while you’re getting wasted.

Till fate brings you home, I’ll wait through your phases.

You’ll shuffle through faces, like songs in your playlist.

Till fate brings you home, I’ll wait through your phases, phases.

I’ll wait, I’ll wait through your phases, phases.

For you, I’ll wait through your phases, phases.

I’ll wait, I’ll wait, I’ll wait through your phases.

JJ could admit that these past few months had been hard, but what he hated to admit even more was that it was also getting easier. You never texted him and even Sarah wouldn’t talk as much about you to JJ either. She felt bad because she had started hanging out with you more and more and she didn’t really want it to seem like she was rubbing it in JJ’s face in any way. JJ did appreciate that Sarah was doing that for him, and he also appreciated that you had Sarah, he figured it must’ve been hard for you not being able to talk to any of your friends, but it is what you decided.

JJ didn’t really go out much, he didn’t enjoy it as much as he used to when he would go with you. John B. did make him go out a couple times, especially recently since Sarah was going out with you. Nothing ever happened when he went out, he mostly would just sit at their table and had a couple drinks. JJ was waiting on you.

I’m really tired of being soft spoken.

You got me broke, writing songs about you daily and it’s messing with my focus.

You fuck with him, but we both realized that he was bogus.

I’m the one for you, so why do I feel like I go unnoticed.

I’m talking more than clothes hittin’ floors.

I’m falling off track, but not the rack, like a chore.

Oh, look, another butterfly, I feel it in my core.

Even though you ain’t mine, it’s the fact that I’m yours.

It’s the fact that my life ain’t complete without yours.

It’s the fact that at night I be tryna ignore.

Catching overseas flights just to knock on your door, cause you put my planet in orbit.

Stargirl, your body’s so solar.

Promise you, baby, I’m sober.

Just wait till you give in and finally come over.

I can’t wait to tell you, “I told ya, I told ya, I told ya.”

It’s been about half a year without any contact from you, and JJ is going crazy. Not only that, but now he’s more stressed and worried than he was in the first two months. He didn’t think it’d be like this for this long. He thought maybe you could’ve even been friendly with each other but if you weren’t going to message him, he didn’t want to feel like he was overstepping and intruding on your space.

JJ was also frustrated though because he really, really, really thought you’d at least even tell him that you didn’t want to be together by now. But maybe if you hadn’t it was a good sign, right? He needed to know something though, even if it wasn’t him directly that was finding out.

JJ: Sarah, can I ask you for a favour?

Sarah: shoot

JJ: could you see where Y/N’s head is at rn? I’m kinda freaking out

Sarah: actually I can do you one better

JJ: ??

Sarah: she’s still figuring things out BUT she’s not confused about things as much and she thinks she knows what she wants

Sarah: before you ask tho, she didn’t tell me where she stands or what she’s doing. she probably figured you’d ask or I’d tell you, which I wish I could do

Sarah: I know you’re stressing, but hopefully it won’t be for much longer bc she’ll tell you something soon one way or another

Sarah: but I hope it’s in the way that you’re both happy and together :)

JJ: thanks Sarah, I really appreciate it

JJ: keep me updated if she tells you anything or you hear anything

Sarah: of course, same goes for you

Wow, at the beginning of all this, JJ definitely did not think Sarah would be like his saving grace through it all. She’s honestly been the most helpful and straightforward, making sure JJ was feeling all his feelings and not hiding from any of his friends. She wanted him to know that she was there for him, and so were the boys and Kiara.

I’ll practice my patience, while you’re getting wasted.

Till fate brings you home, I’ll wait through your phases.

You’ll shuffle through faces, like songs in your playlist.

Till fate brings you home, I’ll wait through your phases, phases.

I’ll wait, I’ll wait through your phases, phases.

For you, I’ll wait through your phases, phases.

I’ll wait, I’ll wait, I’ll wait through your phases.

So much time has passed, and you knew now for sure, that you were ready to be with JJ. But since so much time had passed, with no contact at all, you weren’t sure how he still felt. What you did know was that you had to tell him everything you felt before because even though you knew you wanted to be with him, he needed to know that he wanted to be with you. There was not one bone in JJ’s body that didn’t want to be with you, but you didn’t know that.

Y/N: Sarah, do you know where JJ is?

Y/N: PLEASE DON’T TELL HIM IM LOOKING FOR HIM!!!!

Sarah: I won’t dw

Sarah: and he’s at John B.’s, we all are

Y/N: okay please all stay there

You were on your way to John B.’s and to say you were nervous was an understatement. You hadn’t seen any of them, other than Sarah, for half of a year. You just hope none of them changed their opinion of you and hated you now.

Y/N: I’m here, do you think you could try to get JJ to come out without telling him it’s me

You waited a minute until Sarah responded.

Sarah: he’s coming!!!

You waited on John B.’s front lawn and then JJ opened the door. You didn’t know what Sarah said to him to get him to come out, but he started looking around until he saw you, which caused him to do a double take. “Y/N? Wha-what are you doing here?” JJ started to come over to where you were standing. “I uh, I uh, wanted to see you. I-is that okay,” you were a lot more nervous than you thought you were going to be. “Yeah of course. Is um, something wrong?” “I guess that depends.” “Depends on what? You’re kinda worrying me.” “I have something to say to you. And I need to say it all before uh, any kind of decision is made.” “Oh um okay. Go ahead.” You took a deep breath and started.

“When I told you that I wanted to just take a break for a while, I said it was for me and to figure out who I was, which is partly true. I ended up realizing though, that wasn’t the only reason,” JJ tilted his head in confusion at you while you continued, “I realized that it was for you too. And yes, I know that it wasn’t your idea and you still supported me and the decision, but it was for you. It was for you through me. I wanted to make sure you were happy, I didn’t want you to regret being with me,” JJ opened his mouth to say something, but you stopped him, “I just wanna finish,” which he nodded at. “I didn’t want to end up being a burden on you and then have you resenting me in the future for who I was. And I know it sounds ridiculous, these scenarios that haven’t happened about problems you’ve never even voiced. But I guess I not only wanted to grow for me, but I wanted to grow for you, because I love you. I love you so much JJ Maybank.”

JJ had the biggest smile on his face as he pulled you into hug and then put his hands on either side of your face softly and kissed you. You swear you’d never been happier. JJ pulled away, both of you with the same goofy smiles. “I love you Y/N, so much. I’m just glad that we’re together again.” “Me too.” Then before JJ could kiss you again, you heard banging on the windows and when you and JJ looked, John B., Pope, Kiara and Sarah had all been watching through the window the whole time. You and JJ laughed while the four of them just cheered. “Let’s give em a show then,” and JJ pulled you into another kiss.

#jj maybank imagine #outer banks imagine #obx imagine #jj maybank #outer banks #obx #sams work

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walkerismychoice · 3 years

Text

Unwritten - Chapter 3

Book: Platinum

Pairing: M!Raleigh X MC

Rating: This series will contain mature themes. Any necessary warnings will be listed before each chapter, but the overall series rating is 18+

Series Summary: Newly discovered talent Aria Campbell get unknowingly assigned to help write Raleigh Carerra’s latest album and rehabilitate his image in the process.

Summary: Aria is ready to start writing. Raleigh? Not so much.

Chapter Warning: Hints at excessive drinking/alcohol abuse

Word Count: 1750

Master List

She should really go back out there and try to start writing. They only have six weeks to write enough songs to fill an entire album. Then again, six weeks is kind of a long time. What’s a little bit longer?...

Aria picks up the flip phone from her nightstand. She would just text, because who actually likes to talk on the phone anymore, but texting without a keyboard is hardly worth the effort. Seriously, why do they still make cell phones like this? Her finger hovers over the call button momentarily, and then makes the call.

Several rings go by before Aria hears an agitated voice on the end of the other end of the line. "How many times do I have to tell you to take me off your list? How can my car warranty be expired when I don't even own a car?"

"Shane! Wait, don't hang up," Aria pleads into the phone. "It's me!"

"Aria? What are you-" His angry tone gives way to confusion. "Whose number is this and where are you? Wait, are you doing your writing thing? Tell me who you are writing with - is it Avery Willshire?"

If only, she think to herself, hesitating a moment before replying. "I can't tell you that. It's in my contract. If it were to get out, they'd kill me."

"Who are they, the mob?" Shane chuckles. "How many years have we been friends? You know you can trust me. And besides, I had to sign an NDA to be on your contact list, if you go down. I'm going down with you."

"Well that's reassuring," she answers dryly. Sure Shane's in film school and could be the next big director, but as of right now he's unknown, and Aria's got a lot more to lose. But he's right. They tell each other everything and she knows she can trust him. "Fine. But you can't tell anyone."

"Promise."

Aria inhales sharply. “It's...Raleigh Carrera."

"No fucking way!" Shane practically screams into the phone. "Binge drinking, property destroying, R&B singing Raleigh Carrera? You writing for him is...unexpected."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." She replies dryly.

“Ari, you know what I mean. You're more indie pop, with meaningful lyrics. He sings about getting laid in the club. You've never so much as had a tardy at school, and he's got quite the bad boy reputation.”

"Yes, Shane, I know I'm a boring, wholesome girl from the Midwest.”

“No, no! I just don’t want you to have to sacrifice your integrity. It can’t be easy to make sure your voice is heard with with someone like that.”

“I’m a big girl. I can handle myself,” Aria asserts trying more to convince herself than anyone else. It’s not like she hasn’t feared what Shane has said and more ever since she got here. But she’s determined to fake it until she makes it as they say.

"I know you are. I've seen it in action - like when you dumped that smoothie on Chad's head because he made a comment about your ass."

"Oh my god. I can't believe I didn't get fired for that." Aria laughs genuinely for probably the first time today.

They continue on their path down memory lane until Aria's cheeks hurt from smiling, and she finally says goodbye.

"Maybe I should just call mom first," she ponders out loud before thinking better of it. Things ended on a high note with Shane, and she doesn't need get all homesick and weepy right now. She supposes it's time to face the music - literally.

Aria peeks in the open doorway across the hall, and Raleigh's room is empty. She checks the main areas downstairs, but all is quiet. Finally she looks out the the beachside picture window to see a human form spread out on the sand.

As she heads out and towards the beach, she makes out a familiar object next to Raleigh and rolls her eyes. Apparently he has no plans to fully sober up before starting to drink again.

His eyes are closed as she approaches, and when she calls out his name, he doesn't stir. She won't shake him awake because that feels a touch too intimate for someone she just met. Especially someone of his status, lying their shirtless in the sand, a sheen of sweat glazing over the tattoos covering his neck and torso. Ugh stop ogling him, she thinks to herself. You hate tattoos and he's an ass. Aria grabs the bottle of rum and jabs him in the side.

"Huh?" Raleigh jolts upright and frantically looks whips his head around until he gets his bearings. "Oh, it's you." He grabs the bottle from her and takes long swig.

"Bacardi straight from the bottle in the middle of the day? Doing your best to live up to the cliché rockstar lifestyle, huh?” She immediately regrets the words and wonders if she went too far.

He shrugs it off with a laugh and points the bottle at her. "Want some?"

"No." She scrunches her nose and shakes her head. Sipping straight out of the bottle is not her style. Not to mention they're supposed to be working and she prefers to write with a clear head.

"I guess Learning How to Party Like a Rock Star 101 is not part of a music major’s curriculum. You could use some real-world instruction from Professor Carrera." Raleigh teases.

"Haha, very funny.” Wait, how does he know she majored in music? Probably just a lucky guess. "Anyway, I came out here to see if you wanted to get started."

"Nah, I'm good." He takes another pull from the bottle. "I like to write when the mood strikes. If you're so moved though, feel free to whip something up on your own. I really don't give a shit what's on this crap album anymore."

Her blood is boiling now, and she fights a juvenile urge to kick sand in his face and stomp away. "That's not how this works. If they wanted me to just write everything on my own, I could have done so from the comfort of my own home rather than being stuck here with you."

And there it is again - that mischievous twinkle in Raleigh's eye. And before she has much time to worry about what it means, Raleigh's up and scooping her off her feet. He runs towards the water as Aria yells at him to put her down to no avail, and once the water level reaches his knees, a wave hits, sending them toppling under.

Before Aria can get her bearings, she feels Raleigh’s firm grasp pulling her upright. She wipes the seawater from her eyes to see Raleigh standing there with a big shit-eating grin, his hands still bracing her arms to keep her steady. Maybe if she wasn’t so pissed off at his antics she’d notice the slight tingle where her skin was touched by his, but then again she might just attribute that to the chill from the cool water.

She shrugs out of his hold with an exasperated groan. “Why are you such an asshole? I know you don’t want to be here with me, but this wasn’t my idea. You don’t have to take it out on me.”

“Relax, Ice Queen. I’m just trying to thaw you out a bit. We’ll both have a much better time here if you can learn to have fun.”

“Ugh! I’m not..” That remark cuts Aria deep, more than Raleigh could possibly know. “Maybe if you actually agreed to do some work with me, I’d be more in the mood to have some fun.

Raleigh looks her up and down with an undiscernible expression that makes her uneasy before plopping back down on his towel and putting his sunglasses on. “We’ll just have to see about that.”

Fiona looks up from her laptop and spots Raleigh and Aria emerging from the ocean and engaging in what looks to be an intense conversation. The guest house has a spacious wraparound porch with cushy patio furniture. If she’s got to be stuck somewhere on glorified babysitting duty, as if she’s got no other clients and nothing better to do, it’s not a terrible place to be. At least there’s wifi and she can keep working on her projects with other artists on the label.

She’d been skeptical, to put it mildly, when Ellis brought Aria in to discuss working with Raleigh, and based on his initial reaction this morning, she wouldn’t have been surprised if Aria had tried to quit on the spot. Sure Raleigh getting wasted on the beach and throwing his writing partner in the water day one would look bad by anyone else’s standards, but Fiona’s know him a long time. The fact that that he’s engaging at all is a good sign. Maybe that little chat she had with him earlier stuck.

“Looks like things are going as well as can be expected with those two.” Fiona muses aloud. Hank stands and watches attentively, arms folded across his chest. You’d think he was guarding the President with how serious he takes his job. There’s not another human in sight aside from the four of them. He weighs his words before responding. “It seems so, ma’am.”

“Eww, don’t call me ma’am.” Fiona visibly shudders. “We’ve worked together for years now. You can call me Fiona. And anyway, nobody is around. You don’t have to take your job so seriously here. Why don’t you go grab a beer.”

Frank tugs at the knot in his tie. Yes, he’s still wearing his suit and tie - at the beach. “Drinking on the job would be unprofessional, ma-, I mean Fiona.”

"Okay then," she utters under her breath. It says something that self-described workaholic Fiona is the fun one here, but if she's going to make it through this period of time without dying of boredom, getting Frank to loosen up might just be the side-project she needs. Maybe he'll even take his tie off at some point. Fiona looks back to the beach where Raleigh is sunbathing and Aria is nowhere to be seen. "Would it be unprofessional of me to run out there and smack him upside the head?"

"Yes, I believe so," he replies dryly, but Fiona can detect the corners of his mouth curving upward ever so slightly. There might be hope for him yet.

#playchoices fanfic #platinum #raleigh carrera #raleigh x mc #fiona x hank #tw alcohol

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ladynestaarcheron · 4 years

Text

Like Pristine Glass - Chapter Seventeen

ao3 - ff.net - masterpost

(tagging these cuties: @humanexile @skychild29 @rhysandsdarlingfeyre @candid-confetti @rhysandsrightknee @missing-merlin @azriels-forgotten-shadow @books-and-cocos @sezkins79 @city-of-fae @someonemagical @dusty-lightbulb @messyhairday-me @rinad307 @superspiritfestival )

i know all of us read for an escape, and that is especially true for fanfiction, so the only thing i will say here is this: i am sorry that elected officials have bastardized the phrase “thoughts and prayers” because i believe it is a sacred one. please know i am entirely sincere when i tell you i have been thinking of and praying for you all, especially my black american readers. i hope this grants you few minutes’ reprieve from the pain of the world. i wrote it for you, dear reader.

---

February 8 - Year of

Just as Nesta was finishing her preparations for dinner, Emerie knocked on the door. Nesta untied the apron she had donned before going to open it.

"Hello," she said in greeting, and not Happy birthday, even though that was why Emerie was coming over.

"Hi," Emerie answered.

"Dinner's ready. Come in."

Nesta was not naturally inclined towards cooking, and in their little cottage under the Wall there hadn't been much to cook with, but here she was learning. Sometimes she and Cassian even cooked together now.

"This looks nice," Emerie said, inspecting the duck carefully.

"I've learned, all right?" Nesta said, remembering the first and last time she had attempted to cook for Emerie. This time she had used Cassian's recipes.

"Where is he, anyway?" Emerie asked.

Nesta shrugged, although she knew. Whenever he left with a vague I have to go, it was to Velaris.

"That looks loved," she said, nodding towards a book on the countertop. She frowned. "Haven't you read that already?"

"It's children's stories. You're supposed to read them again."

"Or children are," Emerie said, stifling a grin as she poured herself some water.

Nesta scowled. "Cassian still likes them." They had even read some together. Nesta bit her lip tightly, trying not to think of the evenings spent in the living room, her reading aloud some of his childhood favorites.

"You have a great voice, you know that?" he said to her quite suddenly, interrupting what he had claimed was the best story in the book.

She had scowled at him then as she was scowling at Emerie now. For Nesta's voice had been described as many things: shrill, thin, even grating, once, by some horrible girl from her old village—but never great. "Shut up," she had snapped.

His eyes had widened and his arms went up in surrender. "What? I mean it!"

"You do not."

"I do! It's...clear. Soothing. And sometimes..." he moved his head from side to side, trying to think of the right descriptor. "Lyrical."

"Lyrical?" That was certainly a first.

"Yeah." His face had split into a grin. "Do you sing?"

"No," she said, forcing her head back into the book. "Don't interrupt me, or I won't read anymore of this Nicholas thief..."

"Nicholas, the Thief Who Stole the Night! And fine. Keep going."

But perhaps some of the memory bled onto her face, judging by Emerie's smirk.

"How do you normally celebrate?" Nesta said, quickly changing the subject.

Emerie's brown face fell flatly. "I don't, really."

"Well...how do people here normally celebrate?"

She shrugged. "Like this, more or less."

"Duck?"

"No, doing what they like. With...you know. People."

For the second time that evening, Nesta forced the flush out of her cheeks. A person knowing that they are one of your two friends isn't nearly so miserable when you are also one of their only friends.

---

December 23 - 4 years after

The children face leaving Velaris to go home to Sugar Valley with the same excitement they greet everything, but Elain is fighting back tears.

"We'll see each other again soon," Nesta reminds her, slightly exasperated.

"No, I know," she says. "I'll just miss you."

"You can come and visit whenever you want."

"Well, I will." She wipes her eyes. "I'll move in with you."

"Don't sound so miserable," Nesta says, laughingly.

"I just want to be with my whole family all of the time." Elain rubs at her face again, and, without much warning, throws herself at Nesta.

"Ugh—all right, Elain...yes, I'll miss you too..."

"Come on, Elain," Feyre says, walking towards them, Avery on her hip. "Give her some air."

"I'll miss you," she says again, muffled against Nesta's neck

"I won't," Nesta tells her, making both her sisters laugh. She hides a smile.

"You know," Elain says, finally taking a step back, "you don't look like you had a very relaxing vacation."

No, she'd wager she did not. Because after falling asleep in bed with Cassian on Solstice Eve, she had not managed to sleep at all for the two nights after that. Perhaps being back home in her own room would help grant her some peace of mind.

"There's not really a holiday from being a mother," she says instead.

Elain's eyes light up, looking over eagerly at Feyre. "We could give you one! We could take care of the kids for a few days and you could have some time with—for yourself! Or..." she says, backtracking at the look of alarm on Nesta's face.

"No, no, it's fine," Nesta says, bringing up her hands. "I just don't think I'm ready for that yet."

"We're here when you are," Feyre says, putting Avery down and throwing an arm around Elain.

"Mummy, I want to stay with my aunts," Avery says, tugging on her hand.

"They'll come visit soon. Where are your brothers?"

"Cass and Rhys have got them...oh, here they come."

"All set?" Rhysand asks when they reach them.

Nesta narrows her eyes at the extra bag he's holding.

"Is it all right if I join you?" Cassian mumbles in her ear, appearing at her side.

Well, she doesn't have much choice now, does she? "Sure."

"I just want to spend some more time with you all while the Illyrians are still celebrating."

This mollifies her slightly. "Of course."

After more tearful goodbyes from Elain—the children all seem upset to leave her, too, which softens Nesta's heart in a way she had not expected—Feyre and Rhysand take hold of them all and they are finally home.

"Elain and I will come soon," Feyre says, squeezing her tightly. "Thanks so much, Nesta. We loved having you in Velaris."

"Bye, Aunt Feyre."

"Bye, Aunt Feyre!"

"Oh, goodbye, you three!"

"We hope to have you again, Nesta," Rhysand says, the picture of politeness.

But Nesta doesn't think she will ever be able to look at him without glaring. Still, she maintains the same civility he does. "Thank you."

And she doesn't even snarl at the cooed "Bye, Uncle Rhys!"

"It's been a long few days," Nesta says. "We're going to take a nap."

"I'll get them down," Cassian says, picking up all three of them in one swoop, making them shriek with laughter.

"Thanks," she calls after him as he wrangles them up the stairs.

She supposes he's given her some time to herself, but there's stuff to do. She's got so much new crap she needs to put away...and what on earth is she supposed to feed Ollie's new caterpillar?

Half an hour later, when Cassian sees her sitting at the kitchen table scrawling out a list, he laughs.

"I thought you'd take a shower or something."

"I have so much to do," she says, rubbing her eyes.

"Those authors you found?"

"They've given me some samples...I need to decide what I'm giving to Adil." And she was incredibly busy trying to avoid him, of course.

"Well...when can we talk?"

Nesta looks up at him. She sighs. "Now." She pushes away the work in front of her.

Cassian perks up, obviously not having expected this.

She opens her mouth, but he holds up a hand.

"Actually, do you mind if I go first?"

Nesta blinks. "Sure."

He gives her a reassuring, relaxed grin and pulls out a chair. "I really wanted to thank you for agreeing to come for Solstice. It was the best of my life."

She can't stop her lips from tugging upwards. "The children enjoyed it as well."

"I hope you did, too."

Her slight smile falters, and she moves to pull back. He puts his hands over hers. "Nesta, I know that you're still hurting. But we've come a long way since a few months ago, and I want to keep that. And grow stronger. I don't want to do anything to jeopardize what we have now...and what I want us to be."

This is far too confrontational—

"I don't want to scare you off," he says softly, "but I don't ever want to leave things up to interpretation with you." He pauses for a moment, perhaps not even noticing how he traces her fingers with his. "I want us to be a family."

That isn't fair. Of course she wants that. What's the alternative? That her children come from—from a broken home? "A family can be many things." The hoarseness of her voice is unfamiliar to her.

"I know that." A short laugh escapes him, probably as he thinks of his own makeshift family in Velaris. "But I also know what I want ours to look like."

Is he going to spell it out for her, in the name of loose interpretations? She hopes he doesn't. She's not ready for that, she can't hear him say it.

"It was perfect, wasn't it?"

"What was perfect?" she asks blankly.

"That night. The two of us in one room, the three of them in another."

She flinches. "That was..."

"A mistake, I know. But it still happened." He still hasn't moved his hand. She hasn't moved hers either. He squeezes it tightly. "I know you liked being under the same roof, too. Let's just...not lose our momentum. Let's keep going. This pace is fine for me."

What if it's too fast for her, though? Or her children? Or—and this might be worse—too slow for them?

Sometimes she feels like she never got out of the Cauldron. Like she's still drowning.

---

January 1 - 1 year after

The last of the Solstice decorations were being taken down when Nesta walked to the post officer, the letter she was twirling in her hands drawing far less attention than the ever-growing bump under her gown.

Everyone was staring at it. And—ugh—it was only going to get bigger, wasn't it? Amorette had told her that a triplet pregnancy could result in gaining anywhere north of forty-five pounds. And also to stop referring to her belly as it.

There's no easy way to write to someone I know I never intended to speak to you again, but I changed my mind because I'm pregnant. I'm pregnant, by the way, because I don't know how fae pregnancy works, apparently. Which I guess means I shouldn't be having sex, but well, at least I've stopped now. Write back!

After hours of writing and crumbling up parchment and throwing it against the wall, Nesta had settled on the more gentle:

Cassian,

Write back.

Nesta.

Nesta knew perfectly well how pathetic that was, but after the way she left, she couldn't say anything else. She didn't want him to come here. She didn't want to go there. They'd have to meet in some neutral territory.

Announcing her pregnancy, she believed, was not something she could do in a letter. She had to do it face to face. Not only because she thought, well, he deserved being told that way, but...

Because of her reasoning for almost everything: she was a coward. That was the truth of it.

She had left him, and now he had the opportunity to leave her right back. Pregnant and alone. Delaying his finding out was delaying the possibility of that happening.

So even though she hated herself for sending that letter, she knew it was the only option she could bring herself to go through with.

December 23 - 4 years after

After playing at the park and dinner, putting the children down for the night, Nesta asks Cassian if he'll be all right alone with them for a few hours.

"I'm just going out to meet Amorette," she says.

"Before you do," he says, standing up from the couch and slipping his hand into his pocket. "I forgot to give you this...in all the—er—excitement."

He pulls out a small black box, very much like the one she had turned down years ago. But he opens it and she knows it's not the same one, because of the gift.

A white gold heart on a fine chain, with three tiny stones in the left corner. One deep violet, one royal blue, and one slate grey, each engraved with a letter: A, N, and O.

She traces it lightly with her finger. "Thank you," she says. "It's beautiful. I have...I have yours, too. Wait a moment." She rifles through one of the bags in the kitchen. "It's not—I mean, I guess I should've...you..."

"Give it here, Nesta," he orders, making her laugh slightly. She hands him the book.

He unwraps it and his eyes widen.

"I didn't really make it for you," she explains. "I just started it when they were born and kept adding on. But...I thought you might like it."

She keeps things. Three tiny bracelets Amorette had snapped on three tiny wrists, locks of hair cut for the first time, the first cohesive "art project"...

He looks up at her after flipping through some of the pages, eyes shining. "Thank you. Can I..." He gestures to the necklace, which she's set on the counter.

"Oh. Yes."

He picks it up as he walks behind her. Is it the cold of the metal that makes her wince slightly, or his body heat so close to her.

"Thank you," she says, looking down at it, after he fastens it. "It's beautiful."

"Say hello to Amorette."

It's rather abrupt of him, she thinks. But perhaps he's worried about pushing her too far. At any rate, Nesta takes her leave, and it's only a few minutes before she is knocking on her friend's door and being ushered in.

"Nice necklace," Amorette remarks right away.

"Thanks."

"It's a heart."

"I noticed."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well, what warrants a heart necklace?"

Nesta rubs her temples. "Can't I have a drink first?"

Amorette laughs before obliging.

She frowns as she takes the glass from her, jerking her head towards a chair in the corner of the room. "What's all that?"

Amorette's clear blue eyes slide over. "Oh. Paperwork."

"You don't normally bring this much home with you."

"Some research, actually," she admits, "from another hospital. In Ciyaluck."

Nesta raised an eyebrow. "You're working with a hospital in Ciyaluck?"

"Not exactly...they've put out some interesting stuff. They asked applicants to do their own...never mind," she says, waving her hands.

"No, wait. You're applying for something? That's great."

"It's up in the air, really. And I'll spare you the gore. Tell me what happened in Velaris."

Nesta takes a deep breath. "Cassian and I fell asleep in the same bed and Nicky walked in on us."

Even Amorette's healer-patience and understanding are not enough to stop her eyes going wide and her jaw dropping. "You slept—"

"No! We just fell asleep!"

"Oh." She pauses. "But...you were in bed together?"

"We didn't do anything," Nesta hurries to say. "Really. Just fell asleep. We didn't...nothing. It was just..." Nesta lets out a groan and drops her head into her hands. "Nicky saw."

"Did you talk to him?"

"Yes." Earlier today. She had stolen a moment alone with him.

"What was your favorite part of the trip?" she had asked, pulling him into her lap, and listened to his ramblings about everything he enjoyed for a few minutes before gently stopping him. "Do you remember when you walked into Mummy's room? And you saw me sleeping there with Appa?"

His brown cheeks darkened, going rosy at the top. Eyes cast down, he nodded.

"And how did that make you feel?"

He shrugged, still not looking at her.

"Sad? Or angry?"

"No..."

"Happy?"

"I don't know."

"You know we both love you very much, right?"

"I know."

"And you're allowed to come into Mummy's room when you wake up in the morning. Or if you wake up in the middle of the night. You know that?"

"I know."

"Would it..." Nesta paused, wondering how best to phrase it. "Would it be good or bad if Appa slept in Mummy's bed again?"

Nicky had looked up, his grey eyes shy as he started wringing his hands. "I don't know."

"All right," she had said, keeping her tone cheerful. She kissed his forehead. "Do you want to go play at the park?"

"Well, that's all right, then," Amorette says when she finishes recounting the events of the afternoon.

"How is that all right?"

"He's not upset," she replies. "He may not know exactly how it makes him feel, but it's not bad."

"What do you think he is feeling, then?" Nesta tries to decide based on his expression when he walked into the room that morning. He had averted his eyes...embarrassed?

Amorette echoes her sentiments. "In the moment, at least. But from what you said...I think he might be pleased."

Is that worse than him being upset? Nesta can't tell.

"Look, he's clearly not losing any sleep over it, and neither should you. You spoke to him, reassured him, made it clear he can come to you. What else is there?"

"I don't know...do you think he told Avery and Ollie?"

Amorette shrugs. "Well, they're not very good secret keepers."

That much is true. "Should I talk to all three of them?"

"If they ask. Parents have done worse things to their children than falling asleep, Nesta," she teases. "When you traumatize them enough for them to run away, it'll be for something worse than this."

Nesta sighs and stretches out her legs. "Suppose you're right...thanks for the book, by the way." An extremely rare edition of one of Nesta's favorites. "Although I don't know if I should thank you for supporting my competition."

"As if," Amorette says, grinning. "Adil tracked it down for me."

Nesta feels a warm flutter in her stomach. "Oh."

She has so much here, doesn't she? The thought doesn't leave her, throughout the whole evening with Amorette and the walk home. Not just for the children...but for her. Adil and Miri and Amorette...and neighbors...and Zeyn.

Who calls her name just as she walks up the steps to her porch.

---

February 16 - Year of

The cold of the Illyrian mountains did not melt alongside the snow, but all of the iciness inside the General Commander's house had gone. There were quiet moments of awkwardness here and there, when Nesta could hear him not mentioning the forbidden words: Velaris, Rhys, Feyre, etc., but the other moments outnumbered them and were pleasant. Which was why Nesta had agreed to join him on one of the mysterious meetings he always disappeared to.

He had asked her a few days ago, after coming home from one of these meetings. Slumped on the couch and complained about how the preferred method rebellion appeared to be directly disobeying him.

"Step down," Nesta suggested, and he had rolled his eyes. "Well, I don't see why you try so much. There are more armies than just the Illyrian one. So let them choose a new commander if they hate you. Be the other armies' commander."

He stretched his arm out, his fingers trailing the spot next to where her knee was under the blanket, and smiled softly. "But I'm Illyrian, Nesta."

She knew that. "Well...I just don't think you should be giving so much to people who don't even want you there."

"There's no way," he said. "Think what the rebels will do if I step down."

"I don't understand. They're Night Court, aren't they? So aren't they loyal anyway? And aren't they pleased to have an Illyrian High Lord?"

"They don't see themselves as Night Court," he said. "They live amongst themselves. They are only Illyrian. So they don't like having an Illyrian High Lord. They like Night Court society about as much as you do," he added ruefully. His grin tugged downwards slightly as he mused, more to himself, she thought, "Actually, you do have quite a bit in common with them..."

"With the Illyrians warlords?" Nesta asked drily.

"Camp lords. We're not at war."

"Not at war yet, you said."

His fingers inched farther, and she leaned back as he began to rub one of the dimples in her knee from over the blanket. "Come with me."

He was still touching her. "Come with you where?"

"To a meeting."

She hadn't thought he would be able to convince her, but his pleading and a rare burst of curiosity on her part won out in the end. So after a morning of his teasing her that they were going to be late and her grumbling that it was so early, Nesta found herself at the entrance of a building in an Illyrian camp that looked very much like the one she and Cassian lived in.

"Lysander's the new camp lord," Cassian told her. "Relatively young. The old one...well. Not a fan of Rhys' or mine."

"Did you kill him?" she asked, half teasing, half genuine.

"What? No! I didn't kill him...and keep your voice down, if you're going to accuse me of political assassination."

"How'd he die?"

"We're not sure," Cassian admitted. "It might have been an accident. But probably not."

"Are you going to find out?"

"We are." He grinned at her.

Nesta scowled. "That's what I'm here to do? I thought you wanted me to sit next to you."

"You will. And add another healthy dose of fear while I interrogate."

"This is stupid," Nesta said, crossing her arms. "Don't you have a mind-reader on hand?"

"This is a new camp lord," he reminded her. "I want him to see me as his commander, not Rhys' lapdog who calls him in anytime things get rough."

She could appreciate that, at least. "And I'm your lapdog?"

She expected him to give her a wicked grin and say something stupid like, You're a wolf, but he only laughed and said, "No. Who would believe that? You're just here on an excursion."

"That's a big word."

"Oh, shut up. I need your help. All right?"

"Fine," she agreed, forcefully making her tone sound begrudging. "You don't think the new camp lord killed the old one?"

"I don't. But I could be wrong. Let's go see."

The building was not much nicer than the tents the Illyrian military had pitched during the war...and the people's attitude towards Nesta have not changed. Muttering greeted her when she entered the room at Cassian's side, and some of those religious hand gestures were thrown in her direction.

She stifled a scowl. She'd been living in Illyria for six months now. If she were going to unleash hellfire down upon them, wouldn't she have done it already?

Cassian didn't waste much time on introductions. On their part, that is. "This is your new commander's table?" He motioned for Nesta to sit down next to him.

Lysander cleared his throat. "I decided on a chain of command, yes."

He was nervous. That was...good? Because he was nervous about doing something without Cassian's permission first? But if Nesta were living here, she wouldn't like knowing that her camp lord was nervous when presenting his decisions.

Oh, she didn't know what she thought. She didn't really understand the politics before her and she honestly didn't care to.

The whole meeting seemed spectacularly boring to Nesta. Even things that should have been interesting—Cassian asking why no females had been chosen for the new commander's table, discussions of Illyrian separatists starting a fire in the middle of the camp—were not. She just...didn't care.

She didn't think much of it was interrogating, either. Until Cassian said, "It seems odd that an established camp lord, who was well-versed in aerial combat, fell to his death. Don't you think, Lady Nesta?"

It had been quite some time since she'd heard that made-up title. But she gave no indication. "I do," she said.

They all flinched at the sound of her voice.

Cassian ignored them, pretending like they were the only ones in the room, as he leaned back and said, "What's your theory?"

Nesta looked around. "Was he popular?"

"He was not."

"Hm." Nesta thought for a moment.

If Cassian had wanted a politician, he would have brought Rhysand.

So she didn't think up any veiled threats. Instead, she turned to Lysander, and asked, just as she had asked Cassian, "Did you kill him?"

Asking Cassian, though, had not been nearly so funny. There was no chorus of sharp breaths, no sputtering.

But the answer was the same—more or less.

"No, Lady!"

Ooh, he would've had to be quite young to look at her with that kind of fear. But it was still hard to tell with faeries, for her.

"I don't think he did it," Nesta said.

"Anybody else?" Cassian was looking only at her.

She studied them all carefully. There—two from Lysander's right. He was calling on his gods far too much for an honest male.

"Did you kill him?"

His brown face bleached. "I did not, Lady." There was, perhaps, less terror in his voice than in Lysander's, but that wasn't very impressive. Perhaps he did not kill the old camp lord, but he definitely knew who did.

"This doesn't strike me as a good commander's table," Nesta muttered to Cassian, who chuckled slightly.

"Lysander...and you...stay. The rest of you, take your leave."

It wasn't something that she hoped to do again, she thought to herself. She didn't particularly enjoy intimidating people; she didn't like to be around people in the first place. But it was for a good cause, she supposed. Tangentially working for the Night Court, but weeding out corruption, right?

And she couldn't deny it—she did enjoy the secretive grins Cassian kept shooting her way.

---

December 23 - 4 years after

Cassian doesn't mean to eavesdrop. Really. He just thinks, when he hears Nesta coming up to the door, that she'll appreciate his help with her coat. Walk her into the living room where they can go over the book she had given him.

But then he hears her say, "Zeyn."

He freezes. Is he—here to spend the night? Should he leave?

Footsteps away from the door, and a kiss.

"I missed you," he says.

"I missed you too. Thank you for your gifts. We loved them."

When had he given her a gift.

"Suppose they're asleep."

"You can see them tomorrow." She pauses. "How was Solstice here?"

"Same as always. Madam Sabina had the kids put on a dance show."

Nesta laughs. "I wonder what the routine was like."

"Oh, it's such a shame you missed it. I can only hope this routine is repeated an infinite amount of times at every single town fair, so you have a chance to see it."

"Fingers crossed."

She's not sending him away, but she doesn't seem to be inviting him in. He notices, too.

"He's here, isn't he?"

Zeyn's voice has changed. He's not cold, but he's certainly not warm.

Nesta's own voice is unapologetic. "He's my children's father, Zeyn."

"But what is he to you?"

Cassian holds his breath. He doesn't want to listen in anymore, but he's too in-tune to her voice. He'll hear her from anywhere in the house now.

"He's my children's father," she says again. "That's a lot, Zeyn."

"Come on, Nesta, you know what I mean."

He wishes he could see her face—well, no, he doesn't. He saw it earlier tonight. She's not ready. He knows that.

Finally, ever so soft, she says, "I don't know, all right?"

Zeyn waits another few seconds before saying, just as softly, "All right."

"I can't have...anything...right now," she says. "It's too much. I'm focusing on the children."

"You always focus on the children."

"Well, really, Zeyn, what the hell do you expect me to do?"

"No, it's not wrong. I'm just saying...do you really think if you take some time to figure out what you want you won't be focusing on them?"

Privately, Cassian agrees with him.

"I don't know."

Now she sounds tired. Cassian doubts she'll want to look at the album with him.

"I'll see you tomorrow, Zeyn...all right?"

Another kiss. "All right. Good night."

Cassian is sitting on the couch in the living room by the time Nesta makes it to the door.

"Hey," she says, untying her boots as she sits down.

"Hey," he says, casual. "How was Amorette's?"

"Great," she says flatly. "How's the album?"

He can't stop the smile on his face. "Great."

She chuckles slightly and reaches for it. "Did you see the little handprints? When they wake up, we can ask them to hold their hands against it...I still make them do it sometimes...they've just gotten," Nesta pauses to sigh and smile slightly, "so big."

"Ollie was always the smallest?" he asks, looking at the prints.

"Yes. I guess he'll be bigger than Avery one day." She laughs. "Oh, wow...do you ever think about what they'll be like? What they'll look like? Nicky looks more like you every single day."

Cassian perks up. "Really? Do you think?"

She nods. "He's started losing his little cheeks already. They're really not toddlers anymore. Three and a half."

"Three and a half," he echoes.

Nesta flips some of the pages. "And the hair. Look, Avery's hair was so light when she was born. I thought she was going to be blond."

They sit for another hour or so, talking about their children. This time, when Nesta starts to doze off, she claps her hands together and announces she is going to bed.

Cassian doesn't mind in the least.

---

some of y’all might not be aware, but since last week was so tough for me, i turned to you. i asked for prompts to write things that might distract me, and i am so pleased that it distracted a lot of you. some of these are lpg-verse, some are not. all are short, and hopefully fun for you.

you can continue to come to me when things are hard for you. my writing will always be here to provide an escape, and i am always here to lend a listening ear.

don’t let the bad days win.

Chapter Eighteen

#nessian #acotar fic #acotar au #nesta archeron #nessian fic #<3 you all.

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blackmissfrizzle · 5 years

Text

Perfect For Me

Pairing: Erik x reader

Summary: Erik gets reminded why you’re perfect for him

Warnings: None. Fluff and implied smut.

A/N: See if you can catch my Megan the Stallion lyric in here.

A/N: Also, this is a quick little something I whipped up today, so it may not be the best! Please comment or reblog an tell me your favorite part.

It was your friend, Tasha’s annual end of the summer barbecue. There was good music, good food, and niggas being loud over games like uno, dominoes, and spades. And usually you were having the time of your life, but you were in a sour ass mood this year.

The cause of your attitude was Avery and Monica, the nigga who cheated on your friend Marilynn and the bitch he did it with. You promised Marilynn that you were whooping both they asses on sight, but she didn’t want to ruin the party, so she made you promise to chill out.

Her and Erik were the only reasons you were showing restraint. Erik couldn’t stand Avery from the beginning, but he knew you had to respect Marilynn’s wishes, so he always kept a hand on you, just in case you were about to stray away. And you were especially thankful for that, because Avery and Monica didn’t give a fuck about how their pda was affecting Marilynn and you were real close from giving the beat down.

“Just give me the go ahead and I’ll fuck them up. You know Erik’s been showing me a couple of new moves. I bet neither one will able to lay a finger on me,” you whispered into Marilynn’s ear while Avery was kissing up on Monica while he played spades.

Marilynn chuckled and pulled you into a hug. “I love you, but you don’t need to do that. He’s Tasha’s cousin and I’m not trying to mess up the good vibes. You know this is probably be the last big get together we’ll have before everyone becomes swamped with work again.”

This is why you were so upset. Marilynn was a literal sweetheart and for some ain’t shit nigga to treat her like that rubbed you the wrong way. “Okay, whatever, but I’m still mean mugging those bitches for the rest of the night.”

---

The party was winding down and you decided to begin to clean up a bit, since Tasha was pregnant. You were minding your business until Monica decided to shoulder check and sneer at you, “Watch where you are going.” Internally, you were doing backflips. Now you had an excuse to go off on the skank hoe who knew Avery was in a relationship when she messed around with him.

“Excuse me? I know you saw me picking up trash. It shouldn’t be that hard since that’s where you and your boyfriend belong.”

Monica flipped her ridiculously long sew-in and clasped her hands. “Don’t be a bitter Betty, because your friend don’t know how to keep a man.”

You dropped the trash bag, invaded her space, and cracked a smile. “Finally! You said some dumbass shit. I’ve really been itchin’ to go the fuck off on your bitch ass.”

What you didn’t count on was for Avery to be around the corner and be Captain Save a Hoe. He must’ve sense you were about to beat Monica’s ass. “Aye, yo Stevens, come get yo bitch,” he called out to Erik while pulling Monica away from you.

Everyone in the house went quiet except you. A cackle escaped you and you mumbled under your breath, “Oooohhhh, you finna get it now.”

Erik put his drink and stalked over to the hallway, where you were at. Looking at his eyes, you knew Killmonger and not Erik was at the surface. “Ay, what you say to me?”

Not knowing his life was danger, dumbass Avery repeated himself. Luckily, on his behalf Tasha and her pregnant belly got in between the four of you all.

“Aye, Tash move. Your cuz in a mood for a beatdown,” Erik ordered her.

“Nigga, you ain’t gonna do shit!” Avery claimed.

“Oh, now you wanna add some bass to your voice now your pregnant cousin is in the way. But, you right man I ain’t gonna put my hands on you yet. After my girl beat your girl’s ass, she gon give you the same ass whooping, and then I’m gonna beat the shit out of you for calling my girl a bitch.”

Avery was visibly shook and all you could do was smirk at him. Finally, you could beat they ass without worrying about Erik stopping you. However, God and Tasha had other plans.

“Ave, I love you, but you and that hoe gotta go,” Tasha ordered her cousin. At first, Avery fussed, but when he saw you somehow managed to slip pass by Tasha, he rushed out the door.

“Pussy ass hoe,” both you and Erik grumbled simultaneously.

“All right, run me my coins, bitches!” Marilynn screamed from the middle of the living room. Everyone was reluctantly giving her money.

“What the hell is going on,” you asked to yourself.

“I wasn’t gonna invite Avery, but Marilynn told me to do it, because he was my family and she didn’t want to make me choose between them. But I told her, you wouldn’t be able to stop yourself from fighting him and she disagree, so we all made a bet when you would pop off. Obviously, Marilynn was right.” Tasha explained, digging into her wallet to give Marilynn her money.

You stood there in shock while Erik was keeling over in laughter. “Fuck all y’all! I’m not that bad.” you yelled, flipping the middle finger.

All your friends plus Erik side-eyed you, telling you that was a lie. “Princess, I love you but its not that hard to get you ready to fight.”

Shoving Erik, you replied, “Well, you too nigga. I remember you right behind me ready to bash that nigga’s face in.”

Erik hooked his arm around your neck and gave you a kiss. “I know baby. That’s why you’re perfect for me.”

You wanted to mush that nigga in a face, but he was right. So, you dropped your fake attitude and joked with your friends for a while longer, until the constant throbbing in your core since the altercation with Avery and Monica became unbearable.

“Baby, I’m ready to go,” you whispered into Erik’s ear.

“You sure? I thought we were having a good time.”

“We are, but I saw a glimpse of Killmonger earlier and I’ve been wet ever since.”

Erik’s eyes widen and he jumped out his seat. Daping up your friends and giving hugs goodbye.

“Aight, we’ll see y’all later,” Erik called from the door as he rushed out the door, not paying attention to the chorus of ‘nasty asses’ y’all left behind.

Tags: @soufcakmistress @chaneajoyyy @marvelmaree @wakanda-inspired @thehomierobbstark @dumbchick @meishaabae @twistedcharismaaa @bitchacho25 @lildashofmelanin @pastelastronomy24 @nickidub718 @valkyriesnymph @yoyolovesbucky

Sorry if I missed anyone!

#erik killmonger #killmonger fic #killmonger #black!reader #erik x reader #erik killmonger x reader #killmonger x reader #erik x black!reader #Erik Killmonger x black!reader #killmonger x black!reader #mcu #mcu fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #marvel fanfic #black panther #bp #black panther fandom #black panther fanfiction

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baby-bearie · 4 years

Text

suncity - C.B.

genre: angst, fluff at the beginning?

word count : 1675

pairing : female! reader x corbyn besson

tags : @jonahmaraisstuff @ho-ho-hemmings @sunflowermotel @flowersforseavey @blissfulblake @tigerreece @0totally-tubular0 @5sos-seavey @katie-avery @yo-its-prettymuch-woohoo @seaveyssparkle @lacefuly

description: don’t let the city break your heart. ( loosely based off of suncity by khalid )

The party was not exactly something Corbyn had been excited about. They had just wrapped up a set in Austin, and Zach had dragged the boys out to El Paso to meet up with his friends. Corbyn had been tired the entire grueling ride there and he was tired now, seated on a cool leather couch in somebody he didn’t know’s house. His legs were spread, and he leaned forward, balancing his elbows on his knees. Zach and Jack had disappeared when they had entered the house and were probably too gone by now to remember the name of their own band, Jonah was on facetime with his girlfriend, and Daniel was passed out on the couch next to Corbyn, too tired to care about the way too loud music. The lyrics were unintelligible, covered up by people laughing and yelling to each other. But the beat was strong, he could feel every pulse in his chest. Neon lights flashed around him, some cheap spotlights in the corners of the room. They bathed the room in purple, then orange, then red, then back to purple. Corbyn lifted his red solo cup to his lips and took a swig, wincing at the bitter taste. He was not in the right mood to be drinking. The lights flashed purple when he saw her.

Her dress was a tangerine orange, tight around her frame. It tied in the front, leaving a cutout just above her midriff. A strap hung lazily off her shoulder, bouncing as she jumped around, neon pink heels in hand. Her hair shook, messed up, previously immaculately done curls now messily jumping with her. Familiar guitar strokes pumped through the house as she turned, hair swinging around she and caught him watching her. She winked at him, trained strawberry-painted lips tipping into a smirk. Suddenly he was in the right mood to be drinking. He watched her as she walked over to him, heels swinging in one hand. She plopped next to him, but not before tucking a pillow under Daniel’s head. Corbyn’s brow furrowed at this, but he smiled. From what he knew, you didn’t even know Daniel. You reached down to rub at your aching feet before smiling at Corbyn, eyes twinkling in the poorly lit room.

“So, where you from, city-boy?”

Before he knew it, she was pulling him, grabbing his hand, up the stairs. They entered a room, and Corbyn stared at her for a second as she pushed a window open, leaving her heels inside the room before climbing over the window sill and out onto the roof below. Corbyn followed her. The roof was quiet, and they both sat, legs hanging over the edge. The moon-light washed over them, adding to the peace of the whole scene.

“So, when do you go back to LA?” She broke the quiet.

“Tomorrow we leave El Paso. But we won’t go back to LA for a while. Few months.”

She nodded, watching cars pass under the streetlight. Corbyn just watched her.

“How are you liking El Paso?” She looked at him, smiling a little.

He licked his lips.

“It’s, uh. It’s beautiful.” Corbyn hadn’t even seen much of El Paso. All he saw was her.

She laughed, nodding.

“Suncity is, it’s magical. It’s one of those cities. You either fall in love with it and embrace that, or just,” she laughed, “i don’t know, get your heartbroken.”

When Corbyn didn’t respond, she kept going.

“If you let it, it’ll show you beautiful things. Or it’ll forever be what could’ve been beautiful. It’s what you let it be.”

Corbyn nodded, encapsulated by her voice.

“I fell in love with it. It’s free. It’s fast. It’s,” she turned to him, giggling as she mocked him, “beautiful.”

Corbyn left happily that night, with a kiss on the cheek and a phone number to text which he gladly did the next day. And the day after. And for the rest of the week. And then the texts turned into snapchats, then 4 AM calls, and all of a sudden they were confessing their feelings a second behind the lag of a facetime call.

The first month was steady. They were dipping into the waters, deciding boundaries and becoming comfortable.

From there, everything built up. They really did like each other, both of them wanted to see where it was going. But 802 miles between them wasn’t exactly helping their cause.

Corbyn strummed on his guitar, humming a tune to himself.

“Corb?” she muttered.

He placed a hand over the strings, silencing the music. “Yeah?”

“Play me something?”

“Yeah, yeah. Okay,” he nodded, “Close your eyes, love.” He strummed slow, peaceful chords, quiet words tumbled out of his mouth.

She sighed contently. “I can’t do this, bear.”

The mumble-singing stopped as Corbyn frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t not be with you.”

He took a deep breath, thumping his hand on his guitar. “You could always come move in with us?”

“You’d let me?” She smiled softly. He did too.

“So, it’s good? Start packing, get here ASAP.”

“I’ll be there ASAP,” she giggled, “I love you, bye!” She waved enthusiastically and he smiled as she ended the call.

And she really was there ASAP. Only a couple weeks later, Corbyn was helping her unpack her things into the house, helping her pin her Heathers poster to the wall of his bedroom.

And they were happy. They really were. She stayed at his place with him. Well, with him in the sense that he lived there too. He wasn’t really home much. But they were happy.

She made a few friends. Tate. Gabbie. Both of them tried to accept her as one of their own but they weren’t the girls back home. They didn’t really know her.

She would often wander the house, cleaning to give herself something to do. Flipping through Corbyn’s photo albums and looking at family photos. She dripped a few tears as she remembered her younger brothers who she hadn’t seen in eternity. Okay, 3 months.

Basically eternity.

And she tried. She tried so hard. To be happy. For Corbyn, who was too blinded by her smile to see that it never reached her eyes. For her parents, who called everyday to make sure she was safe, but tended to forget to ask if she was okay. For Tate and Gabbie, who could never have even noticed that the bags under her eyes weren’t from “late night trysts” with her blond boyfriend, but sleeping with her back to him so he couldn’t see her cry instead.

But it didn’t work. She could feel it eating away at her bones. The unfamiliarity of the city, the homesickness she felt for El Paso, the need to walk into her favorite diner and see the sunset off that huge hill one last time. Or again and again and again until it was seared into her memory.

So, that night at dinner, she tried to sear him into her memory instead. The way his eyes crinkled when he laughed. The way he leaned over the small table to whisper about the family at the table behind him. The way his hair fell after he ran a hand through it. The sparkle in his eyes when fans came up to him to take photos and the way he always gave them what they wanted.

She wished, so, so bad, that she could’ve given him what he wanted.

She tried to act like it was okay. She wiped away every tear that fell before Corbyn could even notice. She agreed that they should go bowling with the boys next week, even though she knew she wouldn’t be here to. She let him go on believing it was okay. Because she knew she couldn’t see the hurt in his face when he found out it wasn’t.

She laid next to him until he was asleep. And then she packed. She checked over the house one last time and her eyes stopped on the albums. The small one she had filled with her favorite pictures from all of his family albums. And she couldn��t leave it behind. She couldn’t leave every single piece of him behind so she buried it into her bag.

And she kissed him goodbye.

She stepped into the cold air outside his apartment, closing the door behind her softly. His favorite hoodie was still on her.

She took her bag to the staircase and she paused. She took out her phone and she sat down on the steps. She called his number and set the phone next to her.

She could hear his phone ringing, only 15 feet away, just behind that door. She wasn’t stupid. She knew he wasn’t going to wake up to get it. The phone went to voicemail.

“You’ve reached Corbyn. Drop your message at the beep!”

She sniffles.

“Hi, baby. I know. I know. And I’m sorry. God, I’m so sorry.” She sobbed into her hands. “I can’t take it, Corb. I thought i was ready to leave Suncity, to leave home, but I wasn’t. I really wasn’t. You have to understand, I couldn’t stay here. It was never you. Please, for a second, don’t ever blame yourself. It was never you. I let the city break me, Corbyn.” She gasped for air. “Do you remember the night we met? I told you you’ll either fall in love with that city, or you’ll let it break your heart. I’m so sorry, baby. I’m so sorry it broke your heart. I loved you. Don’t ever think I didn’t love you. I’m sorry i had to this, and I’m sorry I can’t go bowling with the boys next week. Tell them I love them, too.” She watched the Uber pull up in front of the building. “I’m going home, baby. I’ll be safe, I promise. Please, when you get this, promise you’ll be okay. I don’t even know if I will, but please, for me. Yeah. You’re gonna be okay. Okay. Bye, Corbyn.”

#why don’t we #why don’t we blurbs #why don’t we fic #why don’t we imagine #wdw #wdw imagine #corbyn besson imagine #corbyn besson angst #corbyn besson fluff #jack avery #jonah marais #daniel seavey #corbyn besson #zach herron #imagine

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omgjasminesimone · 4 years

Note

Beyonce's prompt 5 - 12 and 16 for Bryce and MC? ❤❤

A/N: Oh, I didn’t mean to personally open my requests. And this is kind of a lot of requests. But maybe this is the best way to advertise the Beyonce lyric prompt list! So here are some quick and short example fics from this prompt list

Word Count: 1900

Bryce x MC (Casey)

5. I’m dangerously in love with you

“What?” Casey asks, noticing the way Bryce is looking at her in the harsh florescent light of their favorite 24-hour diner.

Bryce rests his head in his hand, continuing to stare at her, the fond smile on his face growing the longer he looks.

She can’t help but flush a little, having his undivided attention on her. She tosses a fry at him. “Seriously, stop.” She complains, breaking the eye contact to look at the clock. 2 AM. She has to be up early tomorrow for work. But despite that, she’s in no hurry to end their evening.

Bryce taps her foot with his own under the table to bring her attention back to him. “I can’t stop looking. You’re glowing.” He insists.

Casey scoffs. “That’s not a glow. It’s the food sweats from these jalapeno wings.”

Bryce chuckles, leaning over the table to take her hand in his. He gently twists the sparkling diamond he placed on her ring finger earlier in the evening. “I’m so in love with you.” He says unprompted, eyes leaving her engagement ring to meet her eyes.

Casey smiles, leaning in to kiss him softly. “Do you love me more than surgery?” She teases, barely pulling away from his lips.

“Hey now, don’t ask questions you don’t actually want the answers to.” He retorts, but when he leans in to kiss her again, she knows that he does.

6. Put us together, how they gon’ stop both us?

“Could it be neurological?” Bryce theorizes, flipping through a large anatomy textbook as he searches for the cause of Casey’s patient’s ailment.

Casey shakes her head. “I considered that, but it doesn’t explain her other symptoms.” Casey sighs, taking her glasses off to rub at her eyes. She’s tired and starting to get discouraged.

“Hey, what’s with the long face? We’re going to figure this out. Don’t forget you’re the number one diagnostics intern at Edenbrook. And I’m pretty great too. This is the dream team right here.” His unwavering confidence comes through loud and clear.

Casey smiles, picking up another medical journal. “You’re right.”

“As always.” He interjects

Casey playfully shoves him, but he just laughs, taking her hand and kissing it before letting her go. “We’ve got this.” Casey mumbles as she starts to read.

7. When he see me in the dress I'ma get me some

“Oh, damn.” Bryce lets out when she walks back into her bedroom from the bathroom, putting on her earrings. He’s never seen this tight, short, shimmery black dress before.

Casey meets his eyes, sees the smoldering look he’s giving her. “Bryce, no. We’re going to Sienna’s party.”

“We can be fashionably late.” Bryce defends, standing from her bed and approaching her. His hands go to her hips, pulling her flush against him.

“We’re already fashionably late.” Casey reminds him as he trails kisses across her jaw, down her neck.

“Then what’s another 15 minutes?” Bryce questions, placing a chaste kiss on her lips so he doesn’t ruin her lipstick.

Casey quirks a brow. “15 minutes?”

“What? I can be quick if I have to.” Bryce insists.

8. How you’re gon’ upgrade me, what’s higher than number one?

Bryce sighs when he has the last of his stuff packed. He looks over at Casey, but she’s stubbornly avoiding eye contact with him.

After 3 years, is this really how she wants to end things? Silently emptying out the apartment they shared, the life they shared? He feels himself getting angry, angrier than he was when she suddenly announced that she was taking a job at a hospital in South Africa and that she didn’t want to even attempt long distance.

He’d then offered to come with her. He hadn’t even worried about the repercussions for his career. But she had insisted she needed to do this on her own.

He looks over at her again. “Case, are we really not going to talk about this?”

“There’s nothing to talk about Bryce. It’s done.” She still won’t look at him.

Bryce’s jaw clenches, and he grabs his duffel bag and the box full of his belongings, stalking off to the door. “You’re not going to find anyone better than me Casey, someone who loves you more than I did.” Bryce says flatly before he’s out the door.

9. I’ll be damned if I see another chick on your arm

Casey’s jaw clenches as Bryce’s date laughs, gripping his bicep to steady herself as the twosome sways on the dance floor.

Casey misses dancing at these hospital parties, Bryce gently leading her across the dance floor, his hand gradually dropping from a respectable part of her lower back to somewhere decidedly less respectable. She glances over at Ethan, who’s standing beside her chatting with Naveen. Dr. Ramsey doesn’t dance.

Her eyes return to her old flame and his pretty young date. Casey sizes the other woman up. She’s slim, with long dark hair, pretty hazel eyes and immaculately done eyeliner. She may be Armenian? Casey isn’t sure, and it’s not like she’s going to ask.

Casey takes a long swallow of her champagne, excusing herself to the open bar to get more alcohol. She orders a gin and tonic and sits at a bar stool with her head in her hands as she waits.

She knows she has no right to be jealous, especially when she’s the one who ended whatever it was she and Bryce had to pursue a relationship with Ethan, but her heart stubbornly ignores her rational side.

Bryce whispers something to his date, and she nods excitedly. He offers his arm, which she clutches, and they turn towards the door.

For just a moment, his eyes meet Casey’s as he and his date walk past her on their way out. He offers an awkward wave and Casey forces a quick smile.

And then he’s gone, with her on his arm.

10. Everything you own in the box to the left

“Hey.” Bryce breathes out when Casey opens the door of what used to be their apartment.

Casey crosses her arms as she moves out of the doorway, letting him enter. “I put your stuff in that box to your left.”

Bryce glances to the box on the hallway floor, his clothes, records, and seashell collection thrown into it haphazardly. He picks it up but hesitates at the door. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.” He apologizes, again.

“It’s not worth anything. When you told me you had secrets, I wasn’t expecting a wife in Palo Alto Bryce!”

11. When you lose the one you wanted cause he’s taken you for granted and everything you had got destroyed

Casey wakes up alone. A common occurrence recently. Her husband is in high demand, traveling the country to perform a surgical technique named after him. As a doctor herself, she gets it. She’s supportive, encouraging him to pursue these opportunities even though it means he’ll be away from her for weeks at a time.

But he used to call. And send flowers, just to let her know he was thinking about her. But for the last year, it’s like he’s just gone.

And now, he’s even forgotten their anniversary. A big one, ten years of marriage. And he couldn’t even send a text. She’d stayed up last night, waiting, unbelieving that he could actually completely forget. But when the clock struck midnight, still without a word from her husband, she cried herself to sleep.

Her phone rings.

“Bryce.” She answers, voice flat.

“Baby, I’m so sorry. I stayed at the hospital last night because the surgery went long and it was just easier, so I’m just getting back to my hotel.”

So he got her present that she had sent to his hotel room. A watch engraved with their wedding date, since obviously he needs to be reminded. “You forgot our anniversary Bryce.”

“I’m sorry Casey. The time just got away from me. I don’t even know what day of the week it is unless my assistant tells me. I’m going to make it up to you though. How about a trip to Fiji? No work, just you and me.”

“Really?” Casey can’t remember the last time they took a vacation. It had to have been before his career really took off.

“Yeah, I mean, it can’t be anytime soon. The next couple of months are going to be really crazy, and then there’s that conference, but I’m sure we can squeeze in a couple of days. I promise Casey.”

Casey silently wipes a tear, knowing they’re not going anywhere. “Bryce, I want a divorce.”

There are several moments of stunned silence. Finally, Bryce speaks. “No. I love you Casey, and we’re not doing this over the phone. I’m going to come home and we’re going to talk about this.”

“When are you coming home Bryce?”

“Well, I can’t come right this second. There are things I can’t move around, but in like….two weeks I can, wait no, I can’t. Can you come to Dallas?”

“Goodbye Bryce.” Casey hangs up before Bryce can reply.

12. You’re the only one that I want. Think I’m addicted to your light

Bryce slowly wakes as sunlight streams through the open blinds. His arm instinctively tightens around Casey, pulling her closer to him.

“Good morning.” Casey says softly, placing teasing kisses across his bare chest.

“Morning.” Bryce returns, voice still raspy. He squeezes one eye open since he can feel her watching him. “What?”

“Here, in the sunlight,” She trails a hand from his cheek down to his chest. “you’re just so beautiful Bryce.”

16. Honestly you turned out to be the best thing I never had

Esme and Casey sit in the last row of the completely full observation deck, watching Dr. Lahela attempt his first craniotomy as the lead surgeon. Harper Avery stands off to the side, ready to step in if necessary, but so far it seems that Bryce has everything under control.

Esme glances over at Casey, notices how intently she’s watching Bryce’s hands as he makes the delicate incision into the patient’s brain. “Word on the street is you guys used to date.” Esme says quietly.

Casey quirks a brow. “The street?”

Esme shrugs. “The nurses love to gossip.”

“Date is a strong word.” Casey replies, shrugging when Esme looks at her skeptically.

“So, nothing is going on now?” Esme prompts.

“Geez, you’re nosy. I’ve known you for two weeks and you’re already all in my love life.”

“That’s what interns are for.” Esme insists.

“We agreed to just be friends. Neither of us needs a distraction.” Casey reveals.

“Probably a good thing you decided to let him go. Looks like he belongs to the people now.” Esme says, gesturing to all the observers raptly watching Dr. Lahela.

Casey smirks, shaking her head. “I don’t think Bryce Lahela could ever really belong to anyone.”

“Ah, one of those. Well, take it from me. You don’t want to date a doctor anyway, even if he is objectively really hot. It’s the worst.” Esme insists.

“Guess I’ll have to take your word for it.” Casey replies, watching the way Bryce’s hands move so surely as he operates.

#bryce x mc #beyonce lyric prompts #choices fanfiction #open heart #bryce lahela x mc

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camillemontespan · 4 years

Text

senorita [raleigh x MC] [one shot]

NSFW.

@burnsoslow @emichelle @ibldw-main @pug-bitch @of-course-i-went-to-hartfeld @katedrakeohd @moonlightgem7 @ritachacha @star-spangled-eyes @ifyouseekheart

The screaming that echoed around the arena was deafening. Marina felt a little thrill as she adjusted her vision. The lights were so bright.

But as she slowly walked onto the stage, the lights dimmed, the screaming faded and all of the 50,000 fans in the audience were gazing up at her in rapture.

Marina focused on the microphone in front of her and closed her eyes as she began to sing without music. Her husky vocals filled the arena, the silence from the audience so palpable you could hear a pin drop.

'I love it when you call me senorita, I wish I could pretend I didn't need ya, but every touch is ooh lala, it's true lala, oh I should be running..'

She broke off and opened her brown eyes to look coyly at the audience. They waited with bated breath.

'Oh you keep me coming for ya,' she finished, laughing as the audience began to cheer. They were chanting her name, something she was yet to become accustomed to. She had only been famous for a few months. Everything was a whirlwind right now but she wouldn't change a thing.

'Land in Miami..'

Raleigh's smooth voice lilted from the wings. The audience screamed louder, knowing he was there. They were going to see Raleigh Carrera in the flesh.

She could feel him behind her. Marina was always aware when he was near her. Her body would break out into goosebumps and heat would build in her core and she would curse herself for feeling this way. She didn't want to.

Raleigh's hand ran up her arm, sending electricity through her veins.

'The air was hot from summer rain, sweat dripping off me,' he sang. Raleigh chuckled when the audience screamed at the lyric about sweat. Of course they enjoyed that line.

'Before I even knew her name, la la la..'

Raleigh wandered around the stage, keeping his eyes fixed on Marina. They had agreed with their managers to make this performance as steamy as possible because the publicity would be wild. But Marina knew that deep down, they didn't need to pretend. She joined in with his singing, their voices merging together.

'Sapphire moonlight, we danced for hours in the sand, tequila sunrise..'

Raleigh shot Marina a knowing look. She blushed despite herself, remembering tequila cocktails, desperate kisses and blurred vision.

*****************

'Right, Cortez, you're up,' Raleigh said. 'What should we drink in this fine establishment?'

Marina rolled her eyes. 'We're not drinking together,' she told him. They happened to be at the same bar on this Friday night but that wasn't unusual. All their celebrity friends liked to come here. Raleigh was with his entourage while Marina was hanging out with Micah and Avery. Her friends were sat at the back, swallowed up by the throng of socialites, musicians and actors.

They had been pretending to be in a relationship for publicity. It hadn't been their idea. Their labels thought that Pop's Bad Boy and Pop's Good Girl would be perfect for headlines.

Raleigh gave her a lazy smile and leaned close. 'What? Afraid that when you lose your inhibitions, you won't be able to keep your hands off me?'

Marina's cheeks flamed. Yes, that was exactly it, but he didn't have to know that.

Twice Marina had ended up in Raleigh's bed after sinking too many drinks. Twice was too much.

They were friends. Colleagues. Marina didn't want to be drawn to him. Raleigh was bad news and she didn't want to be dragged down with him. By all means, pretend to be together if it meant boosted album sales. But she didn’t want to be associated with everything else like his drug use and penchant for trashing hotel rooms.

But there was something about him. He was flirty, sure, and arrogant, but underneath that bravado, he was kind to her. He was interested in what she had to say. He gave her ideas for her songwriting. He made her laugh.

She was catching feelings.

Regardless, she had to stop whatever this was. She had to stop it before she was in too deep.

'Come on, Marina,' Raleigh teased. 'Have a drink with me.'

Marina sighed. 'Fine. Tequila Sunrise.'

Raleigh smiled. 'As you wish, senorita.'

Marina gently hit his shoulder. 'Don't call me that.'

'Why not?' he asked. 'There's worse nicknames out there.'

Marina cast her eyes down, trying to stop a little smile from forming. Senorita. Senorita.

The bartender handed them both the Tequila Sunrise cocktails and Raleigh raised his up, facing her. 'Bottoms up, Cortez.'

Marina took a deep sip of the drink, feeling the Tequila burn down her throat to the pit of her stomach. Raleigh's eyes slid down to focus on her lips that were wrapped around the straw and he quickly looked away, anywhere but at her.

******************

'I love it when you call me senorita,' the two of them sang, beginning to move closer to each other. Raleigh stroked her jawline with his finger, his brown eyes burning into hers, and Marina ran her hand up his chest, ignoring the screams from the audience who were lapping this up.

'I wish I could pretend I didn't need you, but every touch is ooh la la la, it's true, la la la..'

Raleigh grabbed her hand and twirled her, making her long hair billow around her. He brought her back into him, their chests pressed up against each other, sweat running down Raleigh's collar bone and sliding down his white vest. Marina's eyes followed the droplet and Raleigh smirked, knowing exactly what she was thinking.

*************************

They had sunk four tequila sunrises each, chased down by tequila shots.

Marina's mind was hazy but she was capable of knowing what she was doing. She knew she had made her decision. Raleigh was going to take her home but she insisted that they hang out longer because spending time with Raleigh was intoxicating and wild and made her feel free.

They burst into Raleigh's hotel room. His long fingers raked through her hair as she launched herself at him, their mouths crashing together in a mix of heat, desperation, aching attraction and tequila.

'Señorita..' Raleigh groaned, throwing his head back as Marina's lips kissed his neck. His hands moved down her back, down her spine, until they rested on her ass and he squeezed hard. Marina let out a moan and tugged on his lower lip with her teeth.

Raleigh picked her up roughly and carried her to the bed. Sex with Raleigh was always like this. Like he needed her. Like he was mad for her.

He threw her down and Marina burst out laughing. Raleigh smiled and moved to suspend his body over hers.

'You're wearing too much,' he whispered.

'So are you,' Marina replied, running her finger down his arm.

'Let's fix that then,' Raleigh murmured. Marina watched hazily as he pulled his white t-shirt off, exposing his tattooed torso. Black swirls of ink wrapped around his arms and his favourite lyrics were tattooed in pretty writing on his ribcage. Marina loved his tattoos. They told her the story of Raleigh. Raleigh as a man and a person. The Raleigh nobody else got to see.

Raleigh's fingers gently pulled at her top. Marina arched her back as he pulled the garment off, tossing it to the floor. His eyes studied her and Marina could see the sheer lust in his eyes.

'Hermosa,' he whispered.

He made his way down the bed so he was just above her hips. His hands delicately undid her jeans and he pulled them off her legs. Marina watched as his fingers hooked around the string of her lace thong and pulled them down too.

'You're art,' Raleigh told her.

'No I'm not,' she muttered, blushing again.

'You are, Marina,' he said steadily. 'Fucking gorgeous.'

'Raleigh -'

'Let me prove it to you,' he murmured against her core, his hot breath tingling against her. She watched as his tongue slid out between her folds and she groaned as she felt him begin to work her. Raleigh was fantastic at oral. He enjoyed making her writhe and cry out his name. He knew what she tasted of and he couldn't get enough of the elixir.

***********************

'Locked in the hotel, there's just some things that never change,' Marina sang, beginning to move her hips as she danced with Raleigh.

'You say we're just friends,' they both sang, their voices turning low. Marina smirked and turned her body so her back was against his chest. She slowly moved her body down so she was near the floor and Raleigh's hand took hers as he guided her back to standing.

'But friends don't know the way you taste, la la la,' Marina sang, enjoying the feel of Raleigh's heart beating against her back. His fingers clenched around her wrist as he remembered what she tasted like.

She could remember too. She remembered wrapping her lips around his length, taking all of him in deep, making him groan her name and beg for more.

Because at the end of the day, Raleigh and Marina couldn't get enough of each other.

They were friends disguised as colleagues. Lovers disguised as friends.

***********************

Raleigh pulled Marina on top of him, letting out a hiss as he felt himself slide into her so easily. She was more than ready for him.

Her black hair was tousled and wild. Her brown eyes were huge and her lips swollen from their harsh kisses.

Raleigh thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

Marina moved her hips against his, throwing her head back as she focused on the sensation of him. His hands grasped her hips as he ground up into her, his breath ragged from the effort.

'Oh god, don't stop!' Marina called out, enjoying the increased speed. Her fingernails scratched his chest but Raleigh didn't care. The marks left from Marina were reminders for him about what they did together in the dark.

He never wanted to forget.

**********************

'Ooh love, your kiss is deadly,' they sang, their lips dangerously close to touching. The audience were loving the performance. They loved Raleigh and Marina.

'Don't stop,' they sang before suddenly stopping.

The audience cheered for more, waiting for the song to continue. Raleigh and Marina's eyes were locked on each other and their chests were heaving from the energy of dancing and singing.

Raleigh kissed her.

The audience screamed.

Marina lost focus as his lips brushed hers. She longed to wrap her arms around his neck and pull him in but that was for private moments. Not public moments like this on stage.

They parted as suddenly as they stopped.

'I love it when you call me señorita,' they sang, walking in a circle around each other, sizing each other up.

They were singing for each other now. This was no longer a performance. As the music reached its crescendo, Raleigh and Marina's voices rang out around the arena.

Feeling confident, Marina strutted around Raleigh, trailing her hand across his chest before she tugged at the material of his vest. He smirked. He loved it when she lost her inhibitions and just went with it. That, to him, was the mark of a true artist. Someone who let the song flood their veins and feel it in their soul.

‘All along I've been coming for you, and I hope it meant something to you, ' they sang, not once taking their eyes off the other. 'Call my name, I'll be coming for you,'

Their voices collided. They sang passionately and truthfully.

'She loves it when I come,' Raleigh sang. Marina pressed her lips together to stop laughing. An innocent lyric with its hidden meaning evident for everyone to see.

**********************

They lay tangled around each other with legs intertwined. Raleigh played with a lock of her hair as he gazed up at the ceiling. He was humming to himself.

'What are you singing?' Marina asked.

'I've got lyrics in my head,' Raleigh told her softly.

Marina smiled and turned to rest on her side, propping herself up as she studied him. 'What lyrics?'

Raleigh shrugged. 'Lyrics about a señorita,' he said, chucking when she rolled her eyes. 'It's a duet.'

'Oh?' Marina's interest was peaked. 'Duet with who?'

Raleigh grinned and pulled her on top of him. She let out a squeal and Raleigh kissed her deeply silencing her.

'Who do you think?' he asked. 'You're my señorita.'

#raleigh carrera #raleigh x mc #Platinum #choices the stories you play #Platinum fanfic

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bapyess1r · 4 years

Text

PuNK

WARNINGS: cursing

Pairings: Rafe Adler x OC

Tags: @desertvvitch , @courtenbae , @tiecladartist

Chapter 5

Rafe’s POV

‘What in the hell… How could I have missed this?!’ I thought, continuing to go inside. All along, I’d been falling in love with Lyric’s voice. All this time, I’d been lusting after her. ‘Well this is certainly going to make the workroom a little awkward….’ I went to my usual corner and ordered gin and some fries. I waited eagerly for the band to start playing. When they finally came on, I stopped eating to stare at her in awe. This show was different from the others. It felt much more personal than before. Because I now knew why she rushed after paperwork sometimes. She had to be here. Suddenly, I felt a bit bad for giving her so much to do on the weekends. I poured a bit of gin in my glass and finished it in one gulp, already pouring myself another.

The lights in the room dimmed and the audience went wild. I rose to my feet as soon as Lyric stepped onto the stage. Like every night, she looked incredible. Like every night, she sang her heart out. And like every night, the band received a standing ovation. I was thoroughly impressed. She had a talent. I couldn’t help but to look at her differently. She wasn’t just my assistant anymore; she was a star. When the performance ended, I watched as the band made their way to the bar. She didn’t leave off for once. Then again, she didn’t work in the morning (even though I was considering calling her into the office). I couldn’t decide if it was a bad idea to go talk to her just yet so I stayed in my corner as the club turned on Senses Fail. I drank a good bit until my nerves had numbed. Suddenly, it was a great idea for me to talk to her. So I stood up, fixed my hair, adjusted my shirt and made sure I was presentable and approachable. I didn’t want to scare her off…

I weaved my way between the tables until I ended up behind the band but something was said that made me stop in my tracks.

“Rafe can honestly be such a prick…” I heard her say. ‘Woah…’ I thought, crinkling my brows. I didn’t want her to see me yet and I wanted to hear more of what she had to say. I sat on a barstool at a high table behind them and just leaned back into my seat, listening in on the conversation between the band. “Like…. he just… these past two weeks were horrible! I mean, I was almost late every day last weekend. And this weekend I had to put some pages aside to finish in the mornings.” She exclaimed.

“He overworks the hell outta you, bro. I remember when you texted me about the lunch thing the other day.” Said one of her bandmates. I frowned. ‘What lunch thing?!’ I thought, racking my brain to remember such a time. I looked behind me a moment just as a guy with fuschia hair asked her the same question I wanted to ask.

“What happened?” He asked.

“So it’s literally getting close to my lunch break. I was just about to get off and he sent me to go get his lunch and it took all of my lunch period to go get it and bring it back. I had nothing to eat all day except a cheese stick. Good shit.”

I nodded in a sort of shameful acceptance. I did do that.

“Oh! And that meeting! He fucking yelled at me because his coffee was cold when he was late! I showed up on time, dammit. Don’t get pissy with me because you fucked up, y’know?” I listened to her continue to vent over drinks about several incidents that expanded into months ago; how she was one bad day away from quitting and how she was ready to risk being a broke musician. And that worried me. From the sound of it, I’d honestly been treating this girl terribly. Despite how I may have been acting towards her, Lyric was a reliable assistant and I did appreciate her. I was getting used to having her around the past 4 years. And it was disappointing to know that she’d been busting her ass for me this whole time and barely got to rest, write music, or even breathe. I suddenly stood to grab my things and leave the club. This was her night off and I wanted her to enjoy it. So I ordered her and the band a bottle anonymously. I wouldn’t call her in in the morning; I wouldn’t send her work to do at home and I wouldn’t have her come into work earlier than scheduled. She deserved the break. And a chance to eat… no wonder she was so thin.

I walked home for a while. Thinking about what else I could’ve done to her. What I could’ve said to her. Suddenly, the fan boy in me kicked for a second. ‘I’ve been treating my favorite vocalist like shit!’ I thought. With that, I sighed. I just wanted to go home and go to sleep.

Lyric’s POV

I woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. When I looked at the clock it was way past noon. I groaned and threw the covers off, rubbing my hands down my face. “Coffee…” I murmured as I stood to cross my small apartment. I rubbed my eyes and walked into the kitchen. Even though I was hungover to hell, there was so much I remembered. I just needed to put the pieces together again. I began to start a pot of coffee and lit a cigarette. I was in the stages of quitting. So far it was going well and I no longer needed it as badly. But some mornings, I just really needed one.

I sighed as nicotine filled my lungs and stared out the window as I waited for the coffee to brew. As I looked along the New York skyline, I began to reflect on my week; something I hadn’t had a chance to do in a while. I faintly remembered a guy buying the band a bottle of really nice whiskey. I remembered looking back to thank him and only seeing the back of him as he left. Call me crazy but he looked a lot like my boss. But there was no way in hell Rafe would’ve gone to a trashy dive bar. It wasn’t his scene. ‘Speaking of…’ I thought, grabbing my laptop from the plush blue velvet couch. I don’t know why it stuck but I began to remember Rafe’s struggle with finding that cross. I figured maybe I could do a little digging before the day was out. Just then, the coffee maker did that sputtering noise it tended to make as if emptied the contents into the pot. ‘But first… coffee.’ I gave a long sigh and made myself a cup. I milked it barely and sugared it asmuch as possible without killing myself before curling up on the couch and beginning my research.

Hours had gone by. Rafe hadn’t called nor texted me all day which was very unusual for him. He would almost always call me in for some bullshit I could do at home. Or have me run and grab a spare suit from the dry cleaners… Not that I minded being unbothered for the day. I found some time to play my guitar and write a little music. And I was able to finish a song I’d been working on. After that, I continued to search for the Saint Dismas cross. And just like that… ‘Gotcha.’ I thought as my eyes widened in excitement. I found a link with a picture of the cross to it. Apparently, it was going up for an auction in the next week in Italy. I let out a laugh and sat back on my couch. “Well holy shit.” I couldn’t wait to see his reaction when I showed him this.

Rafe’s POV

I sighed heavily, rubbing my hands over my face. As I leaned into my chair, I stared at Lyric’s desk through the open doorway. I was beginning to get anxious. This woman that I’d found myself fawning over for a month was working right under my nose and I barely even knew it. ‘Should I tell her that I know?’ I thought as my leg bounced quickly. ‘What do I say to her? Should I apologize?’ Suddenly, a knock tore me from my thoughts. When I looked up, that talented woman stood before me with a thin folder in her hands. My heart skipped as I let my eyes run over her hips in her leather pencil skirt. I straightened my posture but my stale expression never faltered.

“Good morning, Ms. Lewis.” I said in my everyday tired tone.

“Mr. Adler!” She smiled widely and pushed a curl behind her ear, revealing a single golden braid. I tried to conceal my laughter. The poor girl must’ve missed one when she changed her hair this morning. But I wouldn’t tell her. I’d let her figure it out. She then turned around and closed my office door behind her. ‘What is she doing?’ I looked at her with furrowed brows and she sat the folder on my desk before me. She gestured to it excitedly and crossed her arms over her fuzzy green sweater.

“What the hell is this?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her.

“Open it and find out!” She sang, pursing her lips to suppress a smirk. I scooted towards my desk in my chair, eyeing her suspiciously as I opened up the folder. Before me was a few pages printed from an auction site in Italy. Heading it was a large picture of the cross I’d been so desperately looking for. ‘You’ve got my attention….’ I thought as I leaned forward, straining my eyes to read the fine print. It would be going up for bidding at their next event at the Rossi Estate. It was next week. I let out an amused chuckle. I was impressed. Very impressed. I looked up at her with an approving expression and leaned back in my seat, tapping on the papers before me.

“Where did you…. How? Sam and I have been searching for weeks and—”

“I told you! You didn’t google hard enough.” She said in a sultry voice as she leaned onto my desk. I forced a laugh as I found myself mesmerized by her brown eyes. ‘When did she find the time to….’ I thought, shaking my head as I stood to lean on my desk as well. We both stared at each other a moment from across the desk.

“This is good work, Lyric. Thank you. Honestly, I…. ha ha! We’re one step closer to finding Avery’s treasure because of you.” I praised her. Something I never did. Though I was beginning to think that I should have… At the sight of her relieved smile, an idea came across my head. I admired her figure and began to wonder how well she cleaned up… “Come with me.” The words left my mouth before I could even really think about it. The smile on her face disappeared as her brows raised and her eyes widened.

“What?” She said in confusion.

“Come with me.” I reiterated, slowly. “I’d like for you to accompany me as my date.”

“Oh!” She exclaimed as a slight blush tinted her cheeks. I smiled gently at how adorable she’d become. “Why me?”

“Well you found it’s whereabouts, you deserve to see it through.” I shrugged.

“You want me to come with you to Italy?” She was still in shock; which was fair. Considering my treatment of her lately, this was a massive jump.

“Why not? You can keep me company. It would be nice to have a familiar face around.” For the first time to her face, I think I smiled at her. Not a fake business smile that I put on for these corporate jackasses but a genuine pleasant smile. She looked at me as if she’d just seen an alien.

“May I ask why you’re being so….”

“Cryptic?”

“Nice…. You haven’t yelled at me this morning, ordered me around… you didn’t even bother me yesterday! Is everything okay?” She asked me and I burst into laughter.

“I guess I have been a bit uptight lately, huh?” I said rounding the desk to sit on it next to her. A very informal thing I found myself doing with her around. She didn’t move from her position, she just looked at me in surprise and bit her lush lips. “So how about it?” I asked again.

“Um… I don’t really have the cash to get to Italy.” She told me awkwardly.

“Don’t worry about it. We’ll take my jet—”

“The company jet?! I’ve only ever seen it from the outside!” The excitement in her voice was enough to make me chuckle a little.

“Well now you can actually fly in it.” I said. It’s a shame the things I hadn’t done with her, especially with her being my assistant and all. “And I’ll have a dress picked out for you—”

“No, no. Nothin’ good ever comes from someone else picking my clothes for me. I’ve got a dress.”

“Are you sure? Not something you wear to the club on the weekends, Lyric- this is a black tie event.”

“I’m aware. I have formal dresses. I’ll wear the one I wore at the company dinner last year.”

“I don’t remember that one.” I chuckled, trying to remember what it looked like.

“You barely looked at me.” She said plainly and I frowned a little. I really had been shitty to her.

“Well things are changing. Have your passport ready and your bags packed. Make whatever arrangements you need and by the end of the workday next Thursday, we… will be on our way to Rome.” I said, rounding my desk to gather up all the papers and putting them back into the folder. She stood up, straightening her back like a soldier. Clearly she was taken aback by my sudden demands. Demands that had nothing to do with a fat folder of paperwork or my Starbucks order.

“It’s a date!” She smiled before it awkwardly fell. “I mean…. I’ll be ready, sir.” I smiled to myself and opened my laptop to start my work for the day. I still had to play boss. Just for a while.

“That’ll be all, Ms. Lewis. Thank you.” I said briefly.

“Okay…” She said turning to leave but then she turned on her heel as if she’d forgotten something. I looked up at her as she began to speak. “Oh! You have a 2 o’clock with Mr. Ackles again.” She told me. I groaned tiredly. I hated meetings. They were tedious and boring and quite frankly a waste of time. Also I wasn’t dressed to meet anybody today. A thin grey sweater and slacks wasn’t appropriate for meeting with that asshat. With a long sigh, I ran my fingers through my hair.

“Alright… um… I need you to do me a favor then. Could you please grab my dry cleaning for me? I’m sure there’s a suit there getting cleaned now. Just bring it to the office and hang it on my coat rack?” I asked her. She blinked at me a couple times in silence and I looked about awkwardly. “Is something the matter, Ms. Lewis?”

“You…. you said please- never mind. Yes, sir. I’ll grab it for you.” She said as she turned to leave again.

“Thank you, Lyric.” I called on her way out. I smirked as the door closed and looked over at the folder she’d brought me. “Goddamn Saint Dismas…” I mumbled, suddenly remembering that I needed to inform Samuel. “He’s going to love this…” With that, I picked up the phone and dialed his number.

#uncharted #uncharted 4 #rafe adler x oc #rafe adler x reader #rafe adler #poc #poc ocs #poc oc

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