#(it looks like it's growing out thankfully like i know i've complained about this before

[ssaalexblake]

absolutely fascinated by jodie’s post doctor gay up* in looks 

*by that I mean glow up but Gay. 

[raylaandcallum]

Ryomina gardening together on the dorm rooftop? Maybe Ryoji trying to flirt with flower language

Ryoji/Minato

1,5k

Come spring

The rooftop door creaked, and Minato looked up from the bag of soil he was holding.

"Minato!" Ryoji greeted him with a brilliant smile.

He looked as handsome as ever, but the moment he stepped on the rooftop, the wind started whipping his scarf and hair.

Minato allowed himself a slight chuckle.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, still crouching.

"I came by to hang out with Junpei." Ryoji joined him at his side and peered at the bag curiously. "But he said he was busy. I didn't want to leave since I came all this way, so Fuuka helpfully told me you were up here," he finished with that same dazzling smile, but when those eyes were directed only on him...

Minato tried to focus on the conversation again. "Too bad Junpei's not free. The dorm isn't exactly on your way."

Ryoji nodded. "Which is why I decided to find someone else's time to monopolize, namely, yours."

Minato looked up at him, but the sun made him squint, ruining the desired effect. "Did the rest all draw long straws so it fell on me?"

"Har har. I won't bother you if you're really busy, but..."

Minato sighed with dramatic indifference. "I was in the middle of preparing these pots for the new plants, but you can keep me company if you want."

"Really?" Ryoji put a hand on his shoulder as he leaned over him to look at the seed bags on the floor.

"How about I help you? It'll go faster with two people. And before you complain, I promise I won't ruin anything."

Minato gently shook off his hand so he could finally stand up and face him. "I wouldn't say something like that." He was almost insulted and a bit sad that Ryoji thought of him as cold. Maybe he still had himself to blame; he knew he didn't really come off as outgoing to most people.

"You should put your scarf away, it might get in the way."

Ryoji moved to do as directed and then returned to his side once again, rolling his sleeves up.

Minato allowed himself to notice it innocently for half a second.

Dammit.

"Can you get the rest of the pots from there and that fertilizer bag if it's not too heavy? I wanted to plant most of what I had in mind today. I really appreciate your help." He tried to keep his voice even as he looked at Ryoji.

He hated how his nerves betrayed him in such a silly situation, but was determined not to let it show. Nothing good would come from flirting with this infuriatingly attractive ladies' man. He thought he glimpsed beneath the surface of it, but if that was what Ryoji really wanted...

"Um, Earth to Minato?" Ryoji waved a hand in front of his face. He looked concerned. Dammit, dammit, dammit.

"Sorry, I space out for a second. Thank you." He nodded in the direction of the materials Ryoji brought.

Ryoji raised an eyebrow but thankfully didn't pry further.

Once Minato directed him on what to do with each pot, they worked in silence. Minato felt himself growing too nervous to start a casual conversation topic, and he hoped Ryoji was too engrossed in the work to pay it much mind.

"So what are we planting?" Ryoji broke the silence.

That he could handle, Minato thought.

"Flowers, mostly. I'm not really confident to keep up with fruits and vegetables with finals so near. And I've got more experience with these."

"Really?" Ryoji perked up. "Which ones?"

"I've got here irises, columbines and some thyme. I'd like to experiment with more different kinds, but those'll wait until spring."

"Interesting combination. Are they for anyone in particular?"

Minato gave a confused shrug. "Not really? Just for us here at the dorm to enjoy."

Ryoji laughed. Minato didn't know what he found funny in that, but his traitorous heart helpfully supplied he'd like to hear Ryoji laugh more.

"I think it's perfect. The symbolism fits."

... Busted.

"You... um, you know much about that?"

"About flowers? Of course, they make the perfect gifts."

He hummed in response.

"I find it fascinating how such small beings can hold so much life, beauty and meaning in them. They can be different for each person, but we can all appreciate them in the end." Ryoji paused, his hands still stuck in the dirt, like he was considering something.

"Yeah. You put it really nicely. It's kind of a comforting presence to have some around."

"I know what you mean. I don't think I've ever bothered having my own since we moved so much, but whenever I'd go out in nature, it was like witnessing another world."

Minato silently nodded, working on autopilot while he processed his words.

"I'm really glad I found you up here," Ryoji suddenly started, turning to look at Minato.

Minato found himself looking back without realizing what devastating effect Ryoji's smile had on him. But it wasn't his usual, brighter-than-light smile. This one was smaller, subdued, but Minato had a feeling it was just as genuine. He hoped it was as a small blush spread across his cheeks.

"If you'd like, I could help you with these again. I'm somewhat attached to them now after planting so many. I want to see them grow."

Damn his foolish heart. It would have its way in the end, so Minato blurted out: "We can grow some other ones too. Do you have any in mind you'd like to see?"

That seemed to take Ryoji by surprise. His eyes widened, and he scratched his cheek, forgetting the dirt that was on his hands and therefore leaving a smear of mud in the middle of it.

"Um... What about tulips? They're gorgeous to see, especially red and yellow ones. Just in time for spring. And maybe... gardenias. They're less subtle than tulips, but together they'll go really nicely. If we plant them just right, it'll be a beautiful arrangement." He smiled again, but there was color in his cheeks like the red tulips he spoke of. His eyes didn't seem to hold his usual loud confidence, but they shone with joy nonetheless.

It was impossible not to return that smile.

"That's a great idea. We can go shopping for them together. I know the lady at Rafflesia might have some helpful tips too, so we can ask her. By the time we see how these ones grow along, maybe I'll have an idea of how good the fertilizer is, so I'll know whether we need to replace it..."

Minato was caught up in the idea of growing flowers with Ryoji. When he realized he was rambling, he trailed off uncomfortably.

Ryoji wasn't looking at him anymore, his gaze was fixated on something on the ground.

Minato furrowed his brows. "Sorry, I can go on for a while when it's about plants. Don't worry though, it won't be too difficult."

Ryoji finally met his eyes. "Rafflesia, huh? I actually heard there that..." He regaled him with useful tips about growing flowers he picked up here and there.

Minato tried to listen, but he couldn't escape a hunch that something was wrong. That Ryoji wasn't feeling well. The way he unconsciously fixed his collar reminded him of the way he'd hide his face in his scarf. A habit he like to observe out of the corner of his eye entirely too much when he had the chance.

They sat with their back to the railing, and Minato found himself enjoying the conversation, and even more if he was being honest, Ryoji's presence and the sound of his voice.

He thought back to the moment Ryoji was full of smiles before he fell silent. He wanted them to grow tulips and gardenias....

Minato widened his eyes. His heart was trying to kill him, as far as he was concerned. The tiny spark of hope he trained so hard to grow in other aspects of his life began to ignite. And it wouldn't let him go.

As soon as there was a lull in the conversation, he casually asked: "Hey, do you mind if we add another flower to the list of ones we're gonna grow?"

Ryoji shook his head. "Not at all. What did you come up with?"

Minato turned his head to look at Ryoji. They were sitting really close, almost shoulder to shoulder. Ryoji looked just as beautiful in profile.

"Daffodils."

His face was on fire as he laid all his pathetic hopes out for the world to see.

Now it was Ryoji's turn to look at him and widen his eyes.

Just a tilt of his head and he would be...

"Did you know that daffodils have quite a romantic meaning?" His voice was quiet. Minato could only stare.

He swallowed. "Yeah?"

"What are you gonna do with them?"

"I was thinking... maybe I could have some in my room once they've bloomed. You could take some too. If you wanted."

"I'd love that." This smile was as briliant as it was genuine.

"Mhm." Minato finally tored his gaze from Ryoji and turned away.

"I can't wait," he simply said.

"Me neither." Ryoji chuckled.

As their shoulders brushed again each other's, Minato allowed himself to embrace the hope he'd been denying himself. It made him excited for all the days that were to come if Ryoji would be close to him.

Fin

thank you so much for the ask!! this has been eating away at me ever since i got it. the idea is so cute, but minato's ghost possessed me and said i have to include pining minato too.

the language of flowers

hope you liked it!

i will be posting these one shots on ao3 too, iwa_chan4

accepting more ryomina prompts!

[ffcrazy15]

Y'know...

I'm kinda getting just...burnt out, man. I don't know what it is, but the fanfic community these last few years has just been really difficult to engage with. There are a lot of reasons, but I think among the biggest is this: (warning: long vent incoming):

So. I've been writing fanfic for...gosh, fourteen years now. And back in the day, we had our fair share of problems, I won't lie. Now I came in after the major flame wars of the '00s, but still, there were the shipping wars and the shit-stirrers and the people who took other people having a different opinion on their faves WAY too personally.

But! There were rules of engagement. People might not have always followed them, but back then you could say to someone, "hey, you're not behaving in the way we all agree people should behave in this space. You're being a jerk." And people would either lose their shit at you and you'd block them, or they'd apologize and not do the rude thing moving forward.

This went especially for new writers/readers. They'd make a mistake, people would inform them, and they wouldn't make the mistake again moving forward. That was how we built a health community back then.

*Now: a disclaimer. I know not all new fans are like this, and to those of you who do listen when people inform you of the etiquette of fandom spaces, I want to give a sincere thank-you. The following does not apply to you.

However, and not to be an old woman yelling at the kids to get off her lawn, but:

I see people trying, politely, to tell newcomers the basic rules of engagement for how to interact in fandom. "Don't complain about things that are clearly marked in the summary or tags." "Do not get into dumb shipping wars. Ship and let ship." "Don't leave harsh or unasked-for concrit." "Don't demand updates in the comments."

And instead of saying "Oh wow, sorry, I didn't know about that, I'll do better next time"—I see some new folks responding with things like "Well this just makes me NEVER want to comment/engage/participate!"

And writers are so scared of not getting ANY engagement in this landscape of already dwindling comments and reblogs—or worse, ruining things for other writers—that they immediately capitulate and say oh, we're sorry, we shouldn't have told you you were being rude, please don't stop commenting on fics, we were in the wrong.

And I'm here to say: No. Enough! It is our job as the older citizens of this space to set the expectations for community behavior. If the new arrivals get mildly embarrassed for being politely informed (key words there) that they've committed a faux pas, then that's okay! It's a growing experience. Learning how to be polite in new social settings isn't traumatizing them or causing them emotional harm. They will survive the couple seconds of embarrassment, and then they will go on to be kinder and more conscientious citizens of the digital landscape.

Now, if you're a newcomer who is intimidated by people telling you the rules of etiquette in fandom spaces:

Look. I get it. I was new to fandom once, and I know that that can be intimidating! But sometimes there are going to be situations where you will be new to a social setting and have to awkwardly feel things out, and you will make mistakes and be corrected by others. That's just part of life. Thankfully, fandom is a space where folks have really tried to cultivate clear rules of engagement and want to hand it on to new people! There are guides on the "ao3 etiquette" tag of how to leave polite comments and interact in fandom, and there are lots of people who will help you learn the ropes if you ask them nicely.

I promise you, you have the ability to learn the rules of social etiquette in this online space. You will be able to emotionally withstand the minor embarrassment; all of us have before you, and you will too. And if you are not able to emotionally handle someone politely taking you aside and informing you that you're making some social mistakes and how to fix them, then you are not mature enough to participate in fandom spaces.

Now, for folks who've read this far and would like some quick tips on fandom etiquette, here they are. Remember, none of this advice is meant as a criticism, and if you've done some of these things without knowing better, then that's okay, we all make mistakes! This is simply to help us all have a good time in this space and build each other up as readers and writers!

"Don't like, don't read." — The most important rule of fandom. If you come across a fanfic that has something in the summary or the tags that you don't like, then do not click on that fic. If you do choose to read it anyway, you have no right to blame the author for your reading something you didn't enjoy.

"Dead Dove: Do Not Eat." — A more extreme version of "Don't like, don't read," this means that there is content in the fic that most people would find disgusting, frightening or morally objectionable. Do not read that story if you do not want to read that sort of content.

"Ship and let ship." — Other people will like different ships or romantic pairings of characters than you do. Their doing so is not an insult to you or to the characters in question. If you do not want to engage with stories/fanart/etc. of that ship, then do not read those fics, and block those tags here on Tumblr. Do not go onto other people's fics/art/etc. and tell them that they are wrong for liking that ship (This includes if you find the ship morally objectionable; see "DL:DR" and "DD:DNE" above.)

Tagging – If you are a writer, make sure to tag your story appropriately. This includes the romantic ships (indicated with a slash, / ) and the friendship ships (indicated with an & or the word "and"). It also includes things like graphic depictions of violence, non-consensual or dubiously consensual sexual content, characters who are under the age of eighteen engaging in sexual situations, and major character death. It also includes "Dead Dove: Do Not Eat" (see above), which you should include as a tag if you have content in your fic that the majority of people would find disgusting, frightening or morally objectionable.

Rating – Make sure to rate your story appropriately. If there is explicit sexual content or graphic violence in your story, it should be rated as "mature" or "explicit." Do not label it as "teen" or "general" (or K, K+ or T on FF.net). If there is any sexual content or more-than-cartoon-violence in your story, it should not be rated as "general" (or K or K+).

Bookmarking — Be aware that unless you set the bookmark to "private," the author can read any comments or tags you leave on the bookmark.

Commenting — Almost all writers love comments, and many writers depend on comments for their motivation to continue a story. Leaving comments is both a great way to show a writer that you enjoy their story, as well as provide the writer with motivation to keep writing! A comment can be as elaborate as you like and list every detail you loved about the story, or as simple as "this was good, I really liked it!" Either of those is fine. Keyboard smashes are also fine, as are emojis if you're too shy to write a full comment.

Commenting on Older Stories — Is absolutely fine, and in fact highly appreciated!

Demanding an Update — Do not, however, demand that a writer update quickly or ask them when the next chapter will be. Writers are doing this for free, and demanding an update is considered impolite at best and guilt-tripping at worst. (Examples: saying "This is really good, excited for more!" is fine, since this does not put a timed expectation on the writer. Saying "This is really good, when is the next update!" is considered mildly impolite, and simply writing "Update" is considered highly rude. It is seen as demanding another free gift right after you've received one.)

Concrit/Constructive Criticism — Different writers' mileage will vary on how much they like constructive criticism, so best practice is to check their author's notes, summary, or author page to see if they say they are okay with concrit. If they do not say so, then default to assuming they don't want concrit.

If you do provide constructive criticism, make sure to include at least two compliments as well (preferably more). State the criticism politely and briefly.

Also, be aware that an author might disagree with your advice and choose not to take it. This is not a slight against you personally, and you should not treat it as such.

Do not offer criticism that is not meant to be constructive or help the author grow in their writing skills.

Do not offer "constructive criticism" about you disliking things the author has clearly tagged or noted in the summary. That is not constructive criticism, that is just flaming. (See "DL:DR" above.)

And finally: Never Ascribe to Maliciousness What Can Be Attributed To Ignorance. — If someone is rude to you, remember that they might be new to the space and not be aware of the rules of etiquette. Politely inform them that they've screwed up, and assume that everyone is well-intentioned until they prove otherwise.

And there you have it! By following the above advice, you can help to build up a thriving fan culture of happy writers and happy readers. Remember, we're all here to enjoy our favorite works together and create fan content for them, so let's all work together to create a pleasant digital space for one another. :)

[dnangelic]

She hadn't really seen him for a while. A long while, at least for her. Tatsuki had decided to use her time off to visit Daisuke, with the Time Lock deciding it would just... unceremoniously drop her into the ocean again. That was fun (not).

Well, once she was dry and not all waterlogged, she would stuff the Time Lock in her pocket and head towards where she knew Daisuke lived-- at least, she hoped he still lived there. She didn't know how much time would've passed for him.

Maybe some, maybe none at all.

Maybe they'd just said goodbye and now, to him, she was already back. She wouldn't know until she found him. Which, thankfully, she was able to not too long after she started looking for him.

"DAAAAIIIIIIISUUUUKEEEEEEE!!!!" Tatsuki called, immediately running for him. The moment she was close enough, she would hug him like it'd been ages since she'd seen him. Which, for her, it had been.

"It's me, Tatsuki!" A stark difference from the girl she was before, it seemed. "It's been a long time, I hope you've been doing well! I had some time off from school and work, so I figured I'd drop in, see how you and your family were doing and spend some time here... if that's alright?"

And a pause for a moment before she smiled wider and shook her head some. "And a mutual associate of ours says 'hey'! If you get my meaning, that is. I've got so much to tell you! ...Aaah, this must be confusing, sorry. A lot has happened between when I left to now, I just got a little excited...."

@infatuua

huh ? who ? ' wha --- ?! ' no way , was that really --- ' t-tatsuki ?! ' his eyes go wide and his jaw drops in an instant . was that really her ?! it was , wasn't it ? the tatsuki that he had spent time with had always been a little anxious and unsteady in her actions , but the eager , energetic girl that had suddenly embraced and was now standing in front of him was someone he could hardly recognize at first .

--- still , after all this time , maybe that was a good thing ?

memory was imperfect , nothing more than a snapshot of things as someone either understood or imagined them . when tatsuki had first been sent off and away back to her own life and proper time period , in truth he had been more than just a little worried ... but he had wanted to believe in her . time had slowly passed on for him as usual in the meanwhile , his person finding ways to adjust .

likewise , bitter-sweetly , the space she occupied in his thoughts closed by just a little , until the occasional reminder or reminiscence struck him , and he tried to linger in the warm center of a separated nostalgia rather than any cold , wintry edge . day after day he still went to school . he fret , laughed , and cried . he stole , and kept it a secret . he had all sorts of adventures of his own .

until here she was again , older and wiser like the sort of respectable adult that he was still hoping ; dreaming he could grow up into . ' um , no --- w-well , i mean , i'll admit i'm a little surprised since i didn't expect it , but --- ! ' he nervously smiles and sputters , fumbling for words with his gaze cast towards the ground , the same as ever ...

at least until his stare pulls upwards , and his shoulders ease a little with a small laugh . ' but --- you look well , tatsuki-san . really well . ' his expression lightens . with bliss and with innocence , his gentle , warm welcome no doubt familiar in its own way . ' i was thinking about you all the time , so i'm really relieved ... ! ' it's the truth . his own confession . ' you don't even have to ask , mom and dad and everyone else always really liked you ... ! '

actually , he wouldn't have been surprised if everyone was staking out and eavesdropping on a scene like this at this very moment , if not rushing back to the mansion to prepare party poppers and some kind of celebratory feast . not that daisuke himself would have complained . although the flush on his cheeks remains a deep , loitering red , the bright shimmer in each of his eyes seems to only grow the instant he hears of said 'mutual associate's' hey .

( yo --- ! )

' ... ha , yeah . i get it . ' it's only now that he's brave enough to step forward and set his arms around her in his own embrace . he clutches her tightly ; shuts his eyes against the sensation as his heart pounds , but unlike sometimes , worse times , it didn't seem to hurt . it didn't seem to hurt at all , dark practically glowing with both fondness and a deep pride --- but of course . anyone would feel proud knowing their faith wasn't failed in the future .

' thanks for dropping by , tatsuki . if you've got a lot to say , then we'd better hear it , right ? don't worry , we've got all day . more importantly , it's good to see you again , and --- '

' --- you know . '

' welcome back . '

[smileygoth]

Til I Hear It From You - Part One (Stranger Things / Empire Records)

Not quite sure where this one is going to go, but I really liked the idea so I've started it and I guess we'll just see! A new employee joins the gang at Empire Records, a man with a mysterious past ...

If you haven't watched the excellent 90s movie Empire Records I highly recommend it, this story takes place almost directly after the events of the movie so it might help you understand the characters a bit more. You can rent it cheap on Amazon Prime or watch it for free on YouTube!

CW: A bit of teenage and young adult angst, suggestion of mental health issues.

Word count: 2510 words

Image found on Google.

1996

Week 1

The day was bright but cold, and Debra huddled down in her hoody while she waited for Joe to turn up and let her into the store. The wind ruffled her short hair, making her wince, and she pulled her hood up, thinking that she really ought to buzz her head again soon. She’d done it on impulse, and though she liked how it looked the upkeep was kind of a bitch. She hadn’t realised it would grow back so quickly.

She was starting to think about maybe dying her hair instead and letting it grow when a black and chrome motorbike pulled into the parking space next to her Vespa, across the road from the store. On it she saw Berko and Gina. She groaned inwardly and rolled her eyes. Since she’d dumped Berko and he’d gotten with Gina, things had been kind of awkward at work. She really didn’t care, but they expected her to, and had been tiptoeing around her for the last few months. It was a small relief when she saw Gina climb off the bike and kiss Berko goodbye through the visor of his helmet before he turned the bike back onto the road and drove away. Gina turned in the direction of the store, her hand raised to keep her blonde hair out of her face, and Debra averted her gaze.

Her eyes fell on a stranger standing across the street, leaning against the railing in front of the beach and smoking a cigarette. The man was dressed in torn black denim jeans and a plain black t-shirt under a black leather jacket. His hair was long, brown and curly, the wind blowing it into his face and obscuring it. He looked like some hair metal rock band wannabe. Dismissing him, she looked away as Gina stopped next to her in front of the store doors.

“Hey, Debs,” Gina said lightly. “How’s it going?”

Debra twitched her lip in a weak attempt at a smile. “Same as always,” she replied. “How do you not freeze to death in those tiny skirts?”

Gina looked down at her exposed legs and shrugged. “Pure stubbornness,” she joked, pulling her jacket (correction: Berko’s jacket) closer around her. Debra waited for a snarky comeback, but of course there was none. Gina was on her best behaviour around Debra these days, and it drove Debra crazy. She actually preferred bitchy, sarcastic Gina to trying-to-be-friends Gina.

Thankfully, before they had to try to force any further conversation, Joe’s car pulled up. They both straightened up and called out their hellos as Joe came up, keys jingling in his hand. He gave them his usual early morning grunt and squeezed between them to unlock the doors. “I’m gonna need you two to take care of opening prep by yourselves this morning,” he said. “Got a new employee starting and I need to sort his shit out.”

“No problem, Joe!” Gina chirped happily. “Anyone we know?”

Joe shook his head. “He’s from out of town. Should be here for nine.”

Checking her watch, which was showing 8:40am, Debra’s eyes slid back to the man on the other side of the road. Gina saw her looking and glanced over. Debra looked back and met her eyes.

“You don’t think …” she mumbled.

Gina made a face. “Not another metalhead,” she complained. “Mark does not need any more encouraging to put his shit on the speakers.”

“Are you coming in or what?” Joe snapped. The girls looked back and saw he was inside the store, holding the door for them.

“Sorry, Joe,” they echoed, and hurried inside.

“Joe,” Debra moaned, “Do we really need more staff? I mean the last guy you tried out turned out to be a total douchebag.”

“Oh God yeah,” Gina agreed. “He was such a creep!”

Joe turned away from closing the doors and gave them an exasperated look. “Since Corey and AJ went off to Boston we are two staff down. Berko’s doing more gigs, Eddie’s still got his pizza gig, Mark’s working double shifts but still somehow only does enough work to fill one, Warren’s still at school so he can only work weekends, and Lucas is working so many hours he’s started sleeping in the staff room. And it’s only been five months. Yes, we need more staff.”

The girls exchanged guilty glances. “Sorry,” Gina mumbled.

Joe’s expression softened. “Look, none of you were supposed to stay here forever,” he said. “You’re all supposed to do what Corey and AJ have done and go off to bigger and better things. No one wants to be a till jockey all their life. And there’s other kids out there who need jobs, so …” He gestured with his hands. “It’s the circle of life. Now come on, get to opening.”

Debra waited til Joe was out of earshot before muttering “What if I do want to stay here forever?”

Gina looked at her. “Really?”

Debra looked away. “I don’t know. Maybe. Forget it.”

Twenty minutes later, after dusting, sweeping and counting, putting in the till floats and turning on the music, Debra turned the sign on the door from Closed to Open. Through the glass she saw the man in the leather jacket immediately flick his cigarette away and start across the road. She groaned again and trudged back to the counter.

The guy in black came in through the door, hesitated in the entrance and looked around before coming over to the counter. He had a grey duffel bag slung over one shoulder. Now that he was closer and his hair was out of his face, Debra could see he was clean-shaven and had large, dark brown eyes. Looking up at her at where she stood behind the raised counter, those eyes looked huge. “Hi,” he said in a voice softer than she’d expected. “I, uh … I’m supposed to start work here today?”

Debra nodded. “Oh yeah, Joe’s expecting you. Head on out back. It’s the double doors back there.” She pointed, and he nodded and turned away without a word. “Hey,” she said, making him turn back. “What’s your name?”

“Oh. Right.” He put his hand to the top of his head and rang his fingers through his hair. Chunky silver rings on his fingers caught the store lights and twinkled. “Wayne.”

“Wayne,” Debra repeated. “Okay. I’m Debra.”

He nodded. “Nice to meet you, Debra,” he muttered, then turned and headed for the doors at the back of the store.

“Evidently,” Debra muttered sourly as he went.

From behind the CD racks, Gina popped out from where she had been watching. “So it was him,” she remarked, hopping up behind the counter. “How’d he seem?���

Debra shrugged. “Quiet. Kinda rude. Not the best first impression.”

“Mm.” Gina leaned over the till, watching as Wayne reached the doors and disappeared inside. “Cute, though.” When Debra glared at her, she shrugged. “What? Oh come on, look at that ass!”

Debra wrinkled her nose as the doors open. “Oh thank God, a customer,” she sighed. “You’re on the floor, Gina.”

Gina shrugged and got down from behind the counter. “Fine,” she said. “Welcome to Empire Records, do you need any help today?”

…

Wayne reappeared half an hour later armed with a plastic bucket full of CDs. As a new starter, his first job was to put away stock and get to know the layout of the store. With the leather jacket gone, Debra noticed that the black shirt he wore was a long sleeved tee with holes at the elbows. The white staff lanyard showed out clearly against the black fabric.

Debra watched him from the counter all morning. He didn’t speak to her at all; despite Gina’s bright, cheerful greetings and attempts to start up a conversation he rebuffed her with short comments each time. When Mark and Berko came in to cover the mid shift he greeted them with small nods and curt smiles. Each time a customer approached him (which wasn’t often since it was a midweek morning) he straightened up, smiled and apologetically directed them to another staff member. He disappeared completely during his lunch break, and at regular points throughout the day, presumably to smoke. Occasionally Joe came out to check on him, but there wasn’t much to check on; he worked with his head down and the plastic stock bucket tucked under one arm. Debra had to hand it to him though – by the time his shift was over he was having no trouble finding where the stock needed to go.

Debra was in Joe’s office helping him with the paperwork when Wayne came into the staff room at the end of their shift. He grabbed his jacket from the empty shelf where his name had been taped over Corey’s, pulled it on, slung his bag over his shoulder, stuck his head into the office to thank Joe, and then he was gone. He was out of the staff room, and presumably the store, long before Lucas and Eddie arrived for the evening shift.

Debra looked at Joe. He met her gaze and shrugged. “What?”

“What do you think of the new guy so far?” she asked.

“Well, he turned up on time, did a shitload of work, didn’t loaf off in the staff room and didn’t sneak out early. Other than the bajillion smoke breaks, I’ve got no complaints so far.”

Debra sighed. “Great,” she muttered.

“You don’t like him?”

“I really couldn’t say. He did his best not to talk to me, or anyone, all day.”

“So he likes his privacy.” Joe shrugged. “Give him a break. From what he told me in his interview he’s been through some shit.”

Debra looked up, interested. “He has?”

“Yeah,” Joe replied. “And no I’m not going to tell you about it, so stop looking at me like that. In fact, your shift’s over, so scram.”

“I just need to finish this,” Debra replied, bending her head over the paperwork.

Joe sighed, but he knew better than to argue with her. “Alright,” he said. “Well, I’m gonna hit the road. I gotta pick Jane up in twenty minutes. When Lucas gets here, tell him he’s late.”

Debra shot Joe a salute as he grabbed his jacket from his chair and swept out of the office in a flash of brown leather and cologne. She had no intention of going home before closing. She didn’t want to spend the evening in her tiny, empty apartment. She didn’t feel safe alone.

…

By the end of the week Wayne had worked a shift every single day. He’d met everyone and had even exchanged a few words with each of them, and Debra was forced to change her initial impression of him to match Joe’s. She found out that he’d discovered the door to the roof on his first day, and that was where he’d been sneaking off to to take his smoke breaks and lunches. From their limited snatches of conversation she gathered that he’d recently moved to Delaware, that he had a room at a nearby motel while he looked for his own place, and that he didn’t have any family. Beyond that, he refused to tell her anything. She was secretly delighted with how he gently and politely he rebuffed Gina’s flirting and Berko’s attempts to recruit him into his band, both of which were far from subtle. He seemed to enjoy Mark’s goofiness, was nothing but respectful to Joe, and seemed to have no idea what to make of Lucas … which Debra had to admit was fair.

There was one thing she noticed that stood out to her as odd, however. Often when somebody called to Wayne, they had to repeat his name two or three times to get his attention, particularly when he was deep in thought. This hadn’t bothered Debra much at first; maybe he’d blown his eardrums at one too many concerts, or maybe he just zoned out a lot. Nothing weird about that. But it was the first time he met Eddie that a suspicion started to form in her mind.

Eddie swept in in his usual abrupt way for his evening shift, smiling and calling out hellos to everyone, a box of pizza in one hand wafting the fragrant aroma of melted cheese and pepperoni in his wake. He burst into the staff room and dropped the pizza on the table. “Hey, guys!” he cried. “Sorry I’m late, but I brought pizza in case anyone’s hungry!” His usual greeting: he was always late because he came straight from his shift at the pizza restaurant, and he always brought leftover pizza.

Debra was on the sofa, taking a break and looking through a magazine. Wayne was at the shelves, pulling on his jacket. Debra looked up at Eddie’s entrance and smiled. “Hey Eddie,” she said. “Is there meat on that?”

There was a loud thump as Wayne’s duffel bag slipped from his fingers and hit the floor at his feet. Debra looked round to see him looking at her like he’d seen a ghost. Quickly, he turned away, picked up his duffel bag and almost ran out of the doors. She watched him leave, confused. Eddie watched him go to, then turned to Debra and said, “Who was that?”

“The new guy,” Debra replied.

“He allergic to cheese or something?” Eddie joked weakly.

Debra shrugged and went back to her magazine. “No idea.”

But she did have an idea, and the more she thought about it the more it irritated her, like a speck of grit itching away in her mind. That evening, while Eddie and Lucas were on the shop floor covering the last couple of hours, she went into the office and looked for Wayne’s application form. She knew where it would be; she’d been helping Joe with all the paperwork for a while now, surreptitiously learning everything she needed to know to manage the place herself one day, so she knew where to look. She pulled the form out of Wayne’s employee folder and looked through it.

His name was given as ‘Wayne Cunningham’. His address, disappointingly, was the motel he’d already told her about. No former employers, no details on schools. He hadn’t produced any ID. Debra tapped the paper against the filing cabinet and thought. He’d mentioned he had a van, so he definitely had a driver’s license – or at least had had one at some point. Why hadn’t he shown it to Joe? And why had Joe accepted a guy who hadn’t given him any indication of who he was or where he was from? What had he said in his interview?

Joe had a habit of taking in waifs and strays to work at the store – pretty much every one of them was a messed-up kid with some kind of issues. So Debra wasn’t surprised to find Wayne’s application so empty, but it was frustrating. Wayne had a story – maybe a good one – and she wanted to know it.

[beomglocks]

better ; c.yj

summary : you deserve better

pairing : ex-boyfriend/mafia leader!yeonjun x reader

warnings & other : angst, mention of trauma, stalking and kidnapping, yeonjun breaks into your house, refer to picture for visual, i saw this edit on ig and now my mind has fuel, listen to better by WOOGIE.

w/c : ???

---

the sunlight peeks through your shades and onto your face, causing you to stir in your sleep. you squeeze your eyes tightly shut hoping your brain can trick itself into sleeping for just a couple more hours longer.

it works for a couple of seconds. closing your eyes tight may have tricked your brain into thinking it was still dark enough to indulge in more sleep.

you sigh peacefully, hoping to get back to your previous dream but you're cut off by the sound of a door being slammed shut.

you open your eyes but remain in bed. it had to be around 7am at least which means no one should be in your house. well, no one should be in your house period. if it was a robber, they sure do work early.

you get out of bed, not caring about your lack of proper clothes because if you were gonna die, what's the point? you take careful steps toward your kitchen to make sure you don't alert whoever may be in there.

the sound of things being moved around and frustrated groans grows louder the closer you get to the room. you grab your nearby safety bat from a corner in your hallway and bring it above your head to swing.

when you come into the line of sight of the intruder in your house you halt yourself from swinging and bring the bat down to your side, the person not realizing yet that you're there.

anger bubbles inside of you at the sight of the sleeve of tattoos and dark head of hair that you recognize all too well.

"what the fuck are you doing in my house yeonjun?"

the boy in question seemingly pays no mind to your question and simply continues rummaging through your fridge and cupboards. "where the hell do you keep your peanut butter?"

you cross your arms at him. "i asked you a question."

"so did i," he retorts. you roll your eyes at him. "you're in my house ass hole, in case you forgot."

he subtly rolls his eyes away from your line of sight and stands up from the fridge. now that he's seen you, his eyes linger on your body for longer than you're ok with. he leans back on your counter with a smile, a visible change in his demeanor, "good morning."

"answer my question," you frown. he sighs, "we got busted and i needed a place to crash."

"yeonjun!" you exasperate. "what? i slept on the couch out of respect for you," he raises his eyebrow, taking a bite out of his slice of dry bread.

"what the fuck do you want me to do, thank you? i told you not to involve me in your mafia gang whatever shit anymore and you go and do this," you gesture to the mess on your countertop.

"yeonjun you're the only other person here! what's with all this shit on my table?!" he continues eating nonchalantly as you scold him and try to clean up as best as you can.

"can you calm down," he sighs. he takes another bite of bread before placing the plate on top of a random box of pizza. "no one saw me come here, you'll be fine."

you continue cleaning, without saying a word to him. you feel like if you open your mouth you'll explode. you clench your teeth as you watch him look through your fridge again out of the corner of your eye.

it's been months since you last saw him and this is the first thing he does. from the counter, you have a pretty good view of his back as he looks through the fridge.

even though you hate him, your mind wanders back in time when that same back would be littered with your marks and scratches. the neck tattoo that would be colored with hickeys he would proudly wear is now bare and untouched.

your eyes go up to his head which thankfully is still turned away from you. the pink mullet he used to rock is now a dark undercut with hints of red. it looks good on him, you have to admit. his ears have more piercings than you remember and you hold back a smile thinking about the time when you would play with his ears and he would tell you to stop.

"you're awfully quiet, what're you thinking about?" he asks, still facing the fridge. you have to remember your relationship with the mafia leader ended months ago, whatever feelings that were present right now were most likely your heart missing human interaction.

"thinking about how i want you out of my house," you mumble, picking up a half empty cup of ramen. he sighs, standing up and fixing his messy hair.

"i said i was sorry," he leans back on the fridge, watching you clean. you bite your tongue, picking up the empty pizza box and tossing it in the trash. "sorry doesn't make up for trauma yeonjun, that's what you don't understand," you say quietly.

"if i knew that would happen to you i wouldn't have left you alone, you know i would've had soobin or taehyun be around you 24/7!" he reasons.

"well you didn't," you breathe out. you give him a tight lipped smile and for the first time in months he's reminded of the pain he saw in you eyes when they brought you back.

"you decided drugs and money were more important than your fucking girlfriend that you love "oh-so-much" getting stalked and kidnapped."

“that’s not tr-“ “that’s what it felt like!” you place an empty soda bottle on the table. he blinks at your outburst. in all the time you’ve spent together, you were never one to lash out even when he annoyed you to no end.

he stares at you for a moment before closing his eyes and biting the inside of his cheek in frustration. "y/n," he sighs angrily.

"even after i killed them all? it wasn't enough for you! you still left me," he steps closer to you and you unconsciously step back. you recognized this tone on yeonjun but he never used it on you. it's gravely and deep and on the rare occasion that you did hear it, the outcome was never good.

"yeonjun..."

"no, look- i know what happened to you was fucked up but i tried my best! it still wasn't enough- you still left and didn't even tell me.." he chuckles at this. "do you know how long it took to find this fucking place?"

you look down, suddenly feeling small. any bravery you had has now dissipated. it's like your mind and body were so used to yeonjun that you just knew when to submit.

"you were my only sense of normalcy in that place," he mumbles. "sure i've got the boys but they're not you.."

his head is hung low, making his hair cover his eyes. your first instinct would've been to run into his arms and pepper him in kisses. endless strings of 'i love you' to reassure both of you that what happened wasn't either of your faults.

you bite your lip, "is that why all this food is like this..."

he doesn't move from his spot. "im sorry, i miss you." you almost feel your heart break. you hate seeing yeonjun so messed up about something that he just eats to forget because it's his only other form of happiness, well apart from you.

you walk up to him, bringing your arms around his slim frame. at first, he doesn't hug you back since he wasn't expecting that but soon enough he engulfs you as if he's been touch starved for ages.

"im sorry, please come back to me? i'll do better, i promise you won't get hurt anymore hm?" he sounds hopeful and it makes you close your eyes.

"you need to leave," you say quietly. you feel him hug you tighter as he places his chin on your head. "please let me stay with you," he pleads.

you force yourself to step away from him which takes a lot more effort than you thought. you look up at his face and he looks so broken. it’s rare to see a mafia leader look this vulnerable but yeonjun opens himself up to you like this at times and you feel lucky, in a weird way.

he watches you expectantly, waiting for your answer. “yeonjun i just- i don’t feel safe around you anymore.”

you swear you see his heart shatter right in front of your face.

you want to hit yourself but it’s true. where you once felt peace you only feel fear. maybe once upon a time yeonjun was like your savior but now he brings pain, especially with the type of work he does.

he looks down, biting his lip. you can tell he's trying to act like what you said didn't just tear a hole straight through his heart. "you know i'll still watch over you and keep you safe," he promises.

you smile lightly at him, glad that he hasn't completely given up. "i know." he wastes no time stealing a kiss on your forehead, quickly moving away before you can complain or push him away.

"you still fucked up my kitchen though," you say when he starts walking away to your door. he only shrugs as you watch him walk out your door and out onto the streets.

you can only sigh, hoping he'll be safe until he can get his base back.

[weepinglevi]

patience is a virtue

summary: college!au. all aged up. eren and reader continue with their sexual escapades. find part one here! warnings: 18+ minors dni. dirty text messages, dirty talk. dom!eren and bratty reader (i suppose?). throat fucking and semi-public sex. (no p in v tho) word count: around 3.5k A/N: i have a love/hate relationship with this eren ahaha, he's been ruling my brainrot ever since the last part so i hope you enjoy! there will be a part three eventually, so be on the lookout for that! enjoy your read and feedback is greatly appreciated! xx

you awake to your phone vibrating somewhere next to you. the hope of it only being a one-time occurrence quickly proven to be false as it just wouldn't stop. brr-brr. a second of silence. brr-brr. pause. brr-brr.

taking a mental note to never go to sleep again without turning off your phone, you roll over to your other side and try to ignore it. you could simply answer the texts, but that meant you'd have to open your eyes. and that whoever was texting you would win this weird battle you've just come up with in your head.

"if you don't pick up your goddamn phone, i'll smack you over the head with it," sasha groans from the other side of your shared dorm, words coming slurry with her tiredness.

brr-brr.

"i could also stick it up your ass, your decision," a pillow comes flying to your head, serving as enough of a warning for you to sit up in your bed, rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

"quit moaning, i'll turn it off now," you yawn, feeling around your bed for your phone, "you never hear me complaining about the shit you do in the middle of the night."

"that's because my shit is funny and not fucking annoying," she scoffs, followed by a muted thump as she is sinking back down into her pillows. sasha's way of ending the conversation.

you find your phone half-tucked underneath your pillow, the display already lighting up again. someone is desperate for attention, you think to yourself and unlock your phone with an annoyed sigh. the messages were coming from an unknown number.

thinking about your wet pussy. this is eren, btw. historia gave me your number. i told her you wouldn't mind you don't mind, do you?

in a matter of seconds, your heart is beating in your throat once more, just like this afternoon in that godforsaken computer lab. ears growing hot at his words, you could almost imagine the sound of him laughing at you again. with trembling fingers, you scroll down further.

anyway, let's do it again sometime i told you. i'll never let you forget about how you moaned my name i'm also not forgetting about how badly i want to fuck that pretty mouth of yours, so it's a win-win see ya, then

staring down at your phone, you don't know if you should answer him. and even if you would answer his texts, what the hell should you say? "fucking bastard," the words escaping your mouth before even realizing that you'd better keep quiet. the only thing that could make this situation any worse was if sasha were to wake up again.

scratch that, you think as you see eren's new messages.

how badly do you want to suck my cock? you looked really hot today, covered in my cum what, you're shy again?

there are two ways this could go: either you stand up, put on some clothes, and then go to eren's dorm to let hell rain upon him - or simply mute your phone and ignore him. deciding to go with the latter, you lie back down and save his number as "fuckhead", a small grin forming on your face. if he wants to be childish, then you can be, too.

the display still lighting up at a steady pace, you have to fight the urge to open his other messages. to physically prevent yourself from grabbing your phone again, you put your hands between your thighs and sigh. what the hell have i gotten myself into?

"so, who am i gonna have to teach some manners today?", sasha asks in the morning, "because there are only two valid reasons for sending that many texts in the middle of the night," she sits up in her bed and bends over to reach for her phone, "either someone's dead or there's a food sale."

cringing at the thought of having to read the countless other messages eren has sent throughout the night, you try to laugh at her comment, "of course, when there's food involved, you're all for it."

"girl's gotta eat," she claims, thankfully being too distracted by something on her phone to notice your strange behavior, "i'm gonna be back later than usual today, connie wants me to be his wingman again."

starting to go off on a tangent about how connie should just get a dating app already, sasha's words become more of background noise to you. you want to know what he wrote. what he has in store for you. at the same time, you curse yourself out. you're turning into a headless chicken and all of it because of eren fucking yeager?

you nod here and there, offering her a "yes" at what you believe to be fitting moments, desperately hoping she doesn't catch up on your restlessness. all the while the two of you are getting ready for the day. this goes on for a few more minutes and you have no clue what she's talking about now, so you decide to grab your phone and stand up.

"i'm gonna go for a run around campus, you want coffee?" you blurt out, interrupting her monologue. the device in your hand feels as if it's burning through your skin. slipping into your trainers, you're already halfway out the room, her perplexed "uh- yes, please," being muffled by the door closing behind you.

it's still warm outside - not as hot as yesterday, but warm enough for you to be glad to have forgotten your cardigan earlier. you let out a deep breath, trying to clear your mind. even though you told sasha you'd be out for a run, you walk at a slow pace.

some people are already wandering around campus, most of them on their way to a lecture. at this time in the morning, everyone has their heads full with their own worries so no one notices you slowly making your way off-campus.

arriving at a little park surrounded by trees, you sit down on the bench farest off. you notice your heart fluttering like the wings of a hummingbird when pulling the phone out of your back pocket. fuck him, you think once again while typing in your code. fuck him for making me feel this way.

12 unread messages.

didn't seem all too shy when i had my hand wrapped around your throat no need to play hard to get when i already had you if that makes sense? haven't fucked you yet doesn't mean i won't get to fuck you

all you want is to feel appalled by these messages. to screenshot them and send them to the dean. maybe even to his mother. sickened with yourself though, you already feel the familiar warmth creeping up your body, curling up in your abdomen.

i know you want it, too how fucking needy you were for me getting yourself off in public to the thought of me maybe you can tell me what exactly you were thinking of? gonna make sure to let your dreams come true, princess

pet names? you clench your fist at the thought of eren leaning over you, breathing the word princess into your ear. you have an inkling that he'd say it mockingly; spitting it out whilst gathering your hair in a ponytail, arching your back forcefully, and slamming his length into you without mercy.

no. you hate pet names. at least, you've always hated them.

i'm gonna find out if you're ignoring me right now remember, you're not the best actress. fucking suck at it, actually wouldn't want to be punished now, would we?

his last message echoed in your head. still coming to terms with the fact of what happened yesterday, now you have to deal with a whole new revelation: eren yeager being a cocky motherfucker pushing all the right buttons for you. even though you want to blast his ass for this, the mere thought of him being near you again is too sweet of an imagination.

you want to play this game, too. for whatever reason keep on riding this high, and you just know that no one could do it quite as well as eren can. somehow you can only imagine taking him on this ride with you, no one else.

so, in that manner you decide to ignore his messages. if he's desperate enough to keep on sending them in the middle of the night, you're sure it won't be long until he sends another text. and it would give him enough reason to try and punish you, whatever that might entail – you're excited to find out. fucking nervous, too. but then again, who wouldn't be?

you stand up and put your phone in your back pocket, a sense of excitement surrounding your steps as you turn left to make your way to the nearest coffee shop.

"something tells me you're ignoring me," of course, the moment eren's voice comes up behind you, you fucking flinch like a little bird that's been scared away, "mostly because i've seen you reading the messages, but what do i know?"

you turn to see him clutching his heart dramatically, "don't play with my feelings like this," he swoons, bringing one hand to his forehead. he's laughing again, all white teeth and bright smiles – you realize this is the kind of eren you rarely get to see. not the cocky bastard he normally portrays; right now, he seems to be a happy-go-lucky kind of guy, just enjoying himself. still, you want to show him that you can play just as well as he can.

crossing your arms in front of your chest, you slightly raise a brow, trying your hardest to not look as nervous as you feel. it's a lost cause though because you can already feel the tips of your ears glowing with heat again. can't things go my way for once? just once? you think and chew the inside of your cheek. you felt so sure of yourself just moments ago. how the hell can he have this sort of effect on you?

suddenly, his whole demeanor changes. before, he seemed laid-back, entertained by the game he played with you. now he leans forward, hands in the pockets of his jacket and an almost cruel smile forming on his lips, "don't try to challenge me in this. you'll lose."

you know that you should feel frightened. terrified, even. he's looking like a lion preparing to jump the antelope, a sense of alarming calmness around him that's causing the small hairs on your neck to stand up. but alas, the way he's looking at you seems to have the same effect on you his scent has.

"i told you not to ignore me," eren says and takes a few steps closer to you, "yet here you are, doing it again." the chuckle leaving his lips a stark contrast to his stern gaze, still trained on you. somehow, you feel awfully small again - still not frightened, though. you stare right back at him, tilting your head slightly as if you wanted to say "so what?"

"are you seriously that desperate to be punished?"

better now than never, you think and once again place a courtly smile on your lips, "seems like it."

for a split second, you see eren's smug look turn into a genuine smile. realizing that you're up for his game, he lets out a smooth whistle, "you do surprise me."

"if you wouldn't always be so full of yourself, i'm sure you'd have recognized this sooner," you can feel the confidence growing in yourself again. clinging on to it, you take a step toward him, "i'm full of surprises."

"oh, yeah? i bet you are," from the corner of your eye, you can see him lifting his hand. before thinking twice about it, you bat it away, "i'm not one for public displays of affection."

oh, it is on– eren's smirk turns into a full-fledged grin as he takes a grip of your wrist, "you sure about that?" lifting your hand to his face, for a short moment you think he's going to suck on your fingers again. but all he does is place a faint kiss on the back of your hand, "didn't seem like it yesterday."

"you weren't supposed to see."

"but i'm so glad i did," he leans forward, the two of you standing so close you can feel his breath on your face, "or else we wouldn't have this kind of fun right now."

still having a hold of your hand, he lifts his other to your jaw, gently tracing his thumb across your lower lip, "you looked so pretty in your skirt yesterday."

taking a leap of faith, you grab his hand, holding it in place and letting your tongue run across the tip of his thumb before biting down playfully. there's a hiss and then eren pulls away and grabs your arm, "come with me."

finally, you think and let him guide you to wherever he wants, let's have some fun, then.

on your way out of the park, you pass jean and marco. even though they stand to greet eren, he just raises his hand whilst not breaking his pace, "gotta go, have an assignment to work on."

"never seen you that determined, but go off," jean laughs.

before you know it, you're inside one of the countless maintenance sheds. pushing you against the wall, eren's movements seem to become more and more erratic by the second. pinning your arms over your head, he's looking down at you, breathing heavily. "you have no idea what you just got yourself into," licking his lips, he chuckles.

"oh, but i think i actually do," you smile innocently, fucking glad to have found your normal self again. admittedly, eren threw you off your game since yesterday – but it's just going to play into your hands now. he won't see it coming until it's hitting him straight in the face; that you're just as messed up as he seems to be.

"then prove it," he breathes against your ear, "tell me how badly you want it."

the stuffy air inside the dimly lit shed doesn't help with keeping eren's scent away from you. being so close to him, looking up into his shadowed face and right into his dilated eyes; you're like putty in his hands. you try to move forward, to touch him in some way because you just know that he'll feel so good under your skin.

"now now, princess," he moves even closer, wedging you between himself and the wall, "how about we learn some patience, first?"

you nod, but then grind up against his thigh, hissing through your teeth, "i worry i'll be a real handful." you know you could very well move your hands, too – eren seems to still be testing the waters as to how far he can go with you. but with him actually letting you grind on him; you decide to play into his hands.

your breaths grow quicker as you keep on, pace becoming erratic. all you want is to get rid of your track pants – come to think of it, what you actually want is eren under you whilst you continuously bounce on his cock. you want to hear him call you princess and immediately after call you his little whore because that's exactly what you are.

eren has a little smile on his lips and you know you should ask yourself why – because you're doing exactly what he has forbidden you to do – but you're too far gone. the heat growing, you feel your knees buckle but he's holding you up; one hand now resting on your waist for support. you're so close –

and then he pulls away from you, nearly causing you to topple over. chest heaving, you place your hands on your knees for balance, "what the fuck was – "

"patience is a virtue," interrupting you with a laugh, but his voice heavy with lust, "thought i might give you a lesson you're ought to remember."

you look up to see eren palming his erection through his pants, standing about an arm's length away from you, "but i have to admit, hearing you getting yourself off is fucking hot."

biting your teeth together, you straighten up and take a step toward him – only for him to click his tongue in disapproval, "you're gonna stay right there," tugging at his pants he raises his eyebrow, "i told you what i want, get on your knees for me."

"the fuck i will," you spit out and make a move again, grasping for his waistband. but eren is quick to take a hold of your hand and pushes you back to the wall, "come on, now, princess," he chuckles but his eyes are concentrated at you, "you want this, don't you?". he's asking for permission, the thought feeling very comforting to you. and also, very excited for what's about to come.

"of course, i do," you answer him earnestly, resting the back of your head against the wall, "or else i wouldn't be here."

"fantastic," he breathes, a little smile playing in the corners of his mouth, "then get down on your knees," placing his hands on your shoulders, weighing you down, "i won't ask again."

the change of tone in his voice has you nodding, slowly sinking onto your knees, you're bursting in anticipation. one hand finally pulling down his pants, he runs his other through your hair, then down your jaw until it comes to rest on your chin.

thumbing at your lower lip, he groans "do i have to be careful?"

you just shake your head no. then you break away from his gaze, fixing your eyes on the bobbing cock in front of you. it's tip leaking with precum already, you remember how badly you wanted to lick it away yesterday.

taking his cock at its base, you bend forward and slide your tongue around its head. the salty taste sending shudders down your spine, you make sure to lift your eyes again once you prepare to take it all down your throat. your other hand snakes up to his balls, slightly tugging them which earns you a moan from eren, and fuck, you're so wet at the sound alone, you let go of his cock and slide one hand down to your own center.

he gathers your hair in one hand, taking the base of his throbbing cock in the other, "bet this is what you thought of yesterday," he slowly but surely pulls your head in closer, "of how i fuck the words right out of you."

bucking your hips into your own hand, you can do nothing but whimper at his words. because yes, this is exactly what you imagined. he's only halfway in and you're already struggling to breathe, but not wanting him to stop you hold your breath and push down even further; trying desperately not to moan.

the tears in your eyes causing your vision to be blurry, you attempt to blink them away.

"shit – ", he's pumping into you now, rubbing the tears from your cheeks and then placing both his hands on your head, "you're doing so well – "

getting lost in his words, the fear of being caught is so far away; you finally moan around his cock. saliva soaking the hem of his shirt, you can't seem to take his whole length, no matter how hard you try. you're a fucking mess under him and the thought alone is nearly sending you over the edge.

he's trying to pull away now and you know he's close, so you snake your hand around his hip, hoping this is enough of a sign to him that if he dared to cum anywhere else than down your throat, you'd bite him.

"you really – " his voice is hoarse, "fuck – this is fucking perfect," he moans as he comes to the realization. leaning his arm against the wall behind you, he's fucking himself into your mouth, his panting and the sound of your choking filling the room.

you close your eyes to blink the tears away again, but eren pulls on your hair, "no – look at me."

with this the knot in your belly explodes, leaving you holding on to eren's hip as you ride the waves of electricity that are running through your body like lava.

"such a good little whore – " he's gone as well, holding your head in place as he's pumping his load down your throat, leaving you no other option than to swallow – which you eagerly do. you feel his legs shaking under your hands.

once again, eren hands you his shirt to clean your face. this time, you take it with a smile, noting that, "i still have your other one."

"don't worry, i'll come get it sometime when sasha's away," the two of you know exactly what this means – neither of you are planning on this to be over anytime soon.

"i'll let you know, then," you nod and stand up, hoping you don't look as well-fucked as you feel, and make your way to the door, "she's gone most of the time."

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[daydreamingsora-fics]

Pairing: Post timeskip ex-lover! Miya Atsumu x reader x Post timeskip current lover! Sakusa Kiyoomi

Word count: 1,180

Genre: Angst

<sora's memo> hello, it's been a while~ sorry for being mia. For the past weeks I actually don't feel like writing at all and I just prefer reading. But today is different, after watching this video I got inspired, and I end up writing a short story. I hope you guys are doing well, and are safe! Also I want to inform you guys about something that I've been working onto that I might post it here soon 🤫🤫. Anw, i hope you guys would like this short story that I wrote.

There you are walking down the aisle with a smile, the smile that struck Miya Atsumu’s heart when he first met you in high school. Everyone’s eyes are on you, adoring how beautiful you are, how you look so blooming and fresh on this very special occasion of your life.

But no one adores you like how Atsumu does. He can’t help but to fall in love with you all over again. Heart beating fast as he watches you walk slowly down the aisle. Hands are shaking and a lump is forming on his throat. He feels like tearing up just by looking at how beautiful you are in your wedding dress.

He watches you as you look at your guests, who’ve been part of your life since the very start. There are not many people you invited. You only invited your family, close friends in college and also the former Karasuno Highschool volleyball team of your batch. Then you look forward, your eyes met his golden brown one. And with your eyes meeting, Atsumu went back to memory lane.

He remembered the first time he saw you in the spring tournament which is also the time where he fell in love with you. He remembered how he tried to approach you after their match with Karasuno but got easily rejected. Osamu and Suna even teased him by getting rejected. But he didn’t give up, the next day he tried to approach you again before the match of Karasuno and Nekoma then got rejected again. He tried again and again until you lost it and gave your number to him.

You don’t know how happy he was. He felt like he took 2 to 3 steps of getting closer to you. After that he always contacts you, updating you with everything whether they won or not. It went like that for a while until you realize you’re also falling for this guy. It didn’t take long for the two of you to start dating, and if Atsumu will not tell you that dating you is not the peak of his life then he is absolutely lying. In fact, dating you felt like he is in utopia, everyday felt euphoric. He even reaches to the point of being content with his life, just being with you and achieving his dream as a pro volleyball player.

But not all love stories end with a happy ending and maybe his love story is one of those contrary. Even though everything seems happy and full of love, his relationship with you comes to an end. Everyone was shocked when they knew about it, even him didn’t foresee it. But what will he do now, it’s already done. The two of you have broken up and the only choices for him is to move on.

However, it was not easy for him, he can’t get used to being alone again. He was used to seeing you everyday, taking you on a date and doing most of the stuff together but now he can’t do those things anymore. Atsumu felt so lost. That one person who’s keeping him on track was now out of his life. It took him a while for him to get back on track. He did everything just to feel better and thankfully his friends and family are there to support him.

Later on, you and Atsumu bumped into each other again. You’re with someone, not only a random guy but his teammate in MSBY, Sakusa Kiyoomi. It was awkward, very awkward. Seeing you with his teammate made Atsumu come to a realization on why Omi-kun was being cautious or awkward around him for the past few days. So, to lessen the tension Atsumu is the first one to greet them with a smile and the two relax and greet him back.

After that incident, he and Omi talked after their training. Omi was very careful in telling Atsumu that he is dating you. But just like what Atsumu did before he just smiled and congratulated him.

He remembered how after that talk with Omi, he went straight running to his brother’s restaurant. Telling everything to Osamu, how he bumped into you and Omi, and how Omi told him you two are dating. Atsumu talks and talks as Osamu prepares his meal for him and when Osamu faced his twin brother to serve his food, he saw tears running down Atsumu’s face. The brunette boy looked at his twin sadly and served his food. Osamu felt sorry for his twin brother, he knew how much Atsumu loves you. Even though the two of them argue a lot, he still wishes his brother happiness.

After that event, Atsumu comes back to your life but not as your lover but as your friend. The two of you got to talk about the past and had a closure that you needed. He’s fine with it, as long as he is part of your life. And he did become part of your life again. He was there to see your relationship with Omi grow. He was there to help both you and Omi when the two of you quarreled about something. He either listens to you or Omi complains and gives some advice. He was the first one to know about Omi’s plan proposing to you and the first one to get to know that you said yes. Lastly, he was the first one to get invited to your wedding, not only as a guest but as Omi’s best man.

He even remembered how your eyes sparkled with joy when you told him about your wedding day. Even with Omi, he didn't expect a guy like him would show such emotion when he was offered to be his Best man at his wedding. He wanted to reject the offer but he didn't want to ruin the joy you both felt at that moment, so he accepted the offer.

And here he is right now, standing beside your soon to be husband. When you reach the front of the altar where he and Omi were waiting, you look at him and smile. You reach your hand out and he immediately took it. You gave his hands a squeeze and mouthed “thank you”. At that moment, Atsumu did his very best not to drop a single tear during the best moment of your life. Atsumu just smiled and squeezed your hand back. He then looked at Omi and gave him a pat on his back. Omi looked at him and gave him a smile before taking your hand and walking to the altar.

Atsumu once again felt pain and happiness, just like the time when you show your engagement ring to him. His heart was shattered again as he was not the man you’ll be growing up with but he is content and happy because you fall to someone that will make you feel even more special. Atsumu stepped back and took his seat beside Bokuto. He quietly watched as the ceremony that would change your life forever.

<sora's p.s> I'm supposed to post this on sunday but I can't wait any longer lol

[killerandhealerqueen]

gahan arranged marriage au but gaon's a young ceo (or sum) w some sorta mafia background?? technically morally grey!gaon who grew up abroad and returning to korea for the first time in year. And he meets yohan, his supposed fiance. Getting rid of korea's elite together ?? meeting elijah as yohan's fiance ?? AHHH

I have no idea if this is a fic prompt or a headcanon request but I'm going to write this a headcanon for now

Gaon is a young attorney with a bit of a secret: he's tied to one of the biggest mafias in Korea. He grew up in that lifestyle but finds he doesn't like it so decides to study abroad and not come back

He establishes himself as a very successful attorney and is quite happy with his life until he gets a phone call saying that he's going to be married and has to return to Korea

Gaon is shook because marriage?! Nobody said anything about him getting fucking married excuse me, where was he in this discussion?! But he knows it'll make his parents happy so he decides to head back to Korea to meet his supposed fiance

When he arrives, he's surprised to find a rather handsome man (who's at least a few years older than him) dressed in all black and a long leather overcoat waiting for him

"Kim Gaon?"

"Y-Yes? And you are?"

"Kang Yohan. Your fiance"

Gaon is stunned because a) not only is he getting married to a person he's never even fucking met till now, and b) the person he's marrying is a fucking guy?! (Not that he's complaining because the dude's hot)

Yohan then motions for Gaon to follow him and they walk through the airport to a Escalade that's waiting for them. Gaon then gets into the passenger seat as Yohan gets into the driver's seat and they drive to the mansion

Gaon is surprised by the size of the mansion and thinks that Yohan must be rich because the place is fucking HUGE. They then get out of the car and head into the mansion where they're greeted by a young girl, about 16, in a wheelchair

"Who's he?"

Yohan smiles and motions to Gaon

"This is my fiance. Your new uncle"

The girl looks Gaon up and down before she turns and wheels away, leaving Gaon confused as he looks over at Yohan for explanation. Yohan just smiles but doesn't say anything as he motions for Gaon to follow him into his study where he sits down at his desk and Gaon stands before him

"So, you're an attorney, right?"

Gaon is confused by the question but nods in agreement, making Yohan smile almost devilishly before he went on to explain what he wants from Gaon: he wants his help to bring down Korea's corrupted elite

Gaon is floored and a little shocked because uh...what?

Yohan then goes onto explain why he wants the elite taken down; the death of his brother, the church fire, the crushing of his nieces legs, what they've done to Korea...

As he listens to Yohan's story, Gaon grows angrier and angrier until he looks Yohan in the eyes

"I'll help you. I've got some friends who can help us out"

Yohan smiles as he nods, that's exactly what he wants to hear

So Gaon goes to pay a visit to his mafia "family"/friends, Yohan in tow, and explains to them Yohan's plan. The mafia is more than willing to help as they have no problem getting their hands dirty

However, before the plan can begin, Yohan and Gaon get "married", it's more of a court wedding than like a whole shebang but it's good enough for what they need

They don't really act married, they act more like business partners but over time, as they're working to take down Korea's elite, they slowly grow fonder of each other

Yohan grows even fonder when he sees how Gaon interacts with Elijah, who is slowly warming up to him, and realizes that he might be in love with the young attorney

One of Korea's elites decides to kidnap Elijah and both Yohan and Gaon go fucking ballistic

They rush to find Elijah (who is thankfully unharmed) and before Yohan can even do anything, Gaon is throwing punches and kicking bastards in the torso and head, knocking them unconscious. Thanks to his mafia background, Gaon has no problem getting his hands dirty, like physically

Yohan may or may not grab Gaon's face and crash his lips onto his in a fierce kiss because he can (they're married but they didn't even really kiss at their wedding)

After rescuing Elijah, Gaon and Yohan go on a mafia backed take-down of the elite so that Korea doesn't have to suffer under their stupidity and rule anymore

Gaon finds he rather likes being married, especially to Yohan, and being a father to Elijah isn't so bad either

[vermillioncrown]

College AU, LXC-endgame, intro

People have hot TAs all the time. It's not special. You just look (respectfully), clasp your hands and beg for their forgiveness before you do the homework for that class ("Forgive my for loops, TA Jason - I'm on the 3rd cup of espresso and Kahlua"), and save the disrespectful behavior for gossip among friends.

It's a situational thing. Like, a little bit of bad luck, not a big deal. Two mis-steps, fine, fuck it's typical college suffering.

The streak of bad luck: missing the first registration deadline for a stupid general education course, getting it re-opened only to click the wrong course, and now not only is the stupid credit-filler class more work than its worth...

In walks Hot Violin Asshole. The very same Hot Violin Asshole that years (okay, two years, at most) of effort that has been expended in carefully picking a safe path through campus, physically and education-wise, has now been laid to waste. Hot Violin Asshole that was a waste of three ounces of pu'er tea leaves, destroyer of composure, a cold-faced killer (just metaphorical, but it's pretty apparent that Hot Violin Asshole would be good at getting away with premeditated murder), all sorts of assignations -

He's in this art history lecture.

He's walking up to the podium.

Wasn't he a junior? How was he a TA?

Side note: come late to lectures. Eyes could have been averted, bliss in ignorance, coffee in hand - the world would have been in hand -

"Hey! You're... Zhu Yunxun, right?"

Hot Violin Asshole is in front of her.

Hot Violin Asshole is speaking.

Hot Violin Asshole is speaking. To her.

"Am I already in trouble? Already?" Fuck, mouth - why?! Next time: come in late, Starbucks in hand, braincells safely in her head rather than wherever the fuck they leaked out at home.

His face is... doing things contrary to typical Hot Violin Asshole expressions (not that she would remember she did her best to wipe her brain fuck fuck fuck this guy -)

Hot Violin Asshole looks taken aback, for once. His mouth opens a couple of times, trying to form and reform the start of a sentence.

Thankfully, the actual professor walks in and she's saved.

=

"Drop the class," Shen Yuan suggests.

"I already begged the professor to reopen registration for the course - if I quit now it's like... like saying goodbye to an acquaintance, and then you end up walking in the same direction as them!" She needs her friend to understand. "I'd rather die than deal."

Shen Yuan's long slurp of his iced drink and deadpanned stare is wholly unsympathetic. "Sounds like a 'you' problem."

"Of course it's a 'me' problem - I'm the one dealing with it!" Complaining keeps her awake, but in moderate doses. She's reaching the end of the requisite amount. "Also, I tried very hard to fit my mechatronics course this quarter, and this was the only GE that could. Or. you know, the other, easier art history class. Free A class."

"Or... you could grow up... and actually have a conversation with Lan Wangji."

"I also would rather die."

"He's not that bad - honestly, the Second Lan is so serious he doesn't have time for other people's bullshit." Shen Yuan fishes for reservoirs of drink left in the crags of ice in his cup. "He probably wipes his memory of any irrelevant people every night. Poof. You're gone."

"No," Zhu Yunxun insists, "he holds grudges. He remembers."

"I'm in that fu er dai old money social circle, I've seen him since we were kids. Trust me - most people are irrelevant to him."

"He knew my name."

"... oh. Huh, I thought it was weird that - nah, that's probably his brother, Lan Xichen."

Zhu Yunxun's feet stumble over themselves, and she barely rights herself before faceplanting. At this time of day on campus, everyone's so busy that the student population would treat her as part of the pavement.

"There are more of them. Twins. Triplets?"

"No, older brother. Three years, I think."

"He looks like an exact doppelganger."

Shen Yuan shrugs. "It's a thing. They don't make a big deal about it."

"No, don't you understand?! When there are doppelgangers, whichever one you meet second is the Evil one." The theory needs massaging. "While Hot Violin Asshole is evil, to me, personally - he must not be evil within the framework of society's morality. The doppelganger... must be very, truly evil."

The coffee is yanked out of her grasp, and tossed into the passing trash can. Shen Yuan looks vaguely smug at his rare show of coordination, but the expression switches to disconcerted.

"Go home now. Take a nap. I'll send you the lecture notes."

Her feet start agreeing with her friend and walks her towards the bus terminal instead, even as her mouth keeps running. "See? See? He's more evil! My attendance streak this year, ruined!"

"Shang Qinghua and I were betting you'd ruin it yourself by next week, either way."

=

So, Hot Violin Asshole v2.

(Never mind that she doesn't actually know if he plays the violin, too. He probably does. What else would be a more evil instrument to play?

The oboe?)

He makes several attempts to catch her eye during the week's lectures. Too bad for him, Zhu Yunxun has mastered the technique of Disappearing Post-Lecture, and can be gone within a blink's duration.

Her luck runs out when he's handing back the weekly quiz throughout the lecture hall. The professor called for a mini-break mid-lecture, so it's not like she could sprint off now (she could, but that's not the optimal usage of her time).

"Sorry, I didn't get a chance to introduce myself. Lan Xichen," he says, handing back her shitty quiz and following up with a handshake immediately, "You know my brother, Wangji. He's spoken kindly of you."

1) Fuck, she'll have to spend more time than she wants actually studying for this fucking class.

2) Her lizard brain automatically reaches for the handshake, like a little grabby chameleon.

3) The implication that Hot Violin Asshole has opinions on her, actively discusses those opinions, and those opinions appear to be... Not Correct is fucking bonkers.

At Lan Xichen's sincere smile, sweet, single-dimpled, Zhu Yunxun adds another clause.

4) Hot Violin Asshole v2 must never, ever find out anything about her.

[terubakudan]

This may be an old article from 3 years ago, but these cultural aspects/observations still apply even today. And though this is strictly a Chinese perspective, a lot of these everyday life bits are observed in Overseas Chinese communities in countries such as The Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, etc. as well as countries heavily influenced by Chinese culture like Taiwan, Japan, and Korea.

I've always liked learning about other cultures and making comparisons between how things are done East vs West. Which probably stems from growing up with two cultures and Mom raising me on American movies xD

So the irony is if you asked me how many Chinese, Taiwanese, or Hong Kong actors I know, chances are I know as much as you do xD Like Jackie Chan, Andy Lau, and that's about it. But if you asked me about Western (specifically American and British) actors, then I have a useless brain dump of movie trivia and who was with who in what movie xD

Hmmm, both Taiwan and the Philippines are two distinct cultures but both look up to a certain country and are fascinated by that. In Taiwan's case, Japan and the US for the Philippines. In both cases, this is due to being under the rule of those countries in their history. Taiwan being under Japan for 50 years, and the Philippines being under Spain for 300+ years, followed by periods of American and Japanese rule. To put it simply though:

Taiwan is "mini-Japan with a very Chinese culture".

The Philippines is "former colony of Spain with lots of American influences".

But unlike the author, I've never set foot in any Western country, so my understandings are strictly what I've observed in media, which while it can be accurate, doesn't compare to actually experiencing the culture.

Some further elaboration on most points:

#1 We quite literally use chopsticks for everything. We use it to pick rice, viands, vegetables, fruit, smaller desserts, almost all the food you can think of.

But where do you put your chopsticks when you're not using them? Just put them on top of your bowl or flat on your plate. But do not ever stick them vertically. It's taboo, since it looks like incense sticks, which we use to pray for those who have passed, like our ancestors or during funerary services.

#3 The majority of Asia is obsessed with fair/white skin. In my time at the Philippines, I grew up watching all these Dove Whitening commercials and my classmates often commented on how fair my skin was, how they envied it etc. In Taiwan, girls often say they don't want to 變黑 (biàn hēi) 'become dark'. Japan and Korea too are not innocent of this either (if their beauty/skin products weren't a dead giveaway).

People here at Taiwan often mistake me for being from Hong Kong or Japan (as long as I don't speak Mandarin with my heavy accent xD). A Taiwanese classmate of mine joked that she often gets mistaken for being from Southeast Asia due to having a darker complexion. And while I laughed it off with her at that time, looking back, I now realize she was lowkey being racist. xD

And believe me Filipinas have mentioned literally being told 'your skin is so dark' here in Taiwan, or being given backhanded compliments like 'you're pretty despite having dark skin' and...*facepalms*

My point is, beauty is not exclusive to skin color. People who still think that are assholes.

#5 Not to say we don't have salt and pepper, but yes soy sauce and vinegar are the classic condiments you see on the table, be it at home or at a restaurant.

And if I may add, Taiwanese love their pepper. xD If you ever get to eat at a night market or a smaller "Mom n' Pop-style" restaurant here, some dishes/soups tend to add quite an excessive amount of pepper. Not like anthills, but quite liberally and way more than average. Enough that you see traces of pepper at the bottom of the food paper bag or swirling in your soup. xD

#6 I know this all too well from personal experience. In my years of studying at Taiwan, I always had roommates. 3 in my first school (I graduated high school in the Philippines pre K-12 so I had to make up 2 years of Senior High), followed by 2 in college, with the exception of 1 in freshman year.

My college did offer single person dorms but at around 9000 NTD ($324) per month compared to around 6000 NTD ($216) per semester. Because I wanted to save, the choice was obvious for me xD. But ah, this doesn't mean I don't value personal space, in fact I love having the room to myself, and since both my roomies would go home to their families every weekend, weekends were bliss for me xD

And you don't have to be friends with your roommates (that's an added bonus however), you just have to get along with them. I was quite lucky to have really great roommates all throughout my schooling years.

#9 In the Philippines, we do. Owing mostly to American influences and maybe being predominantly Catholic? xD

#10 *sigh* Chinese parents and parents from similar Asian cultures tend to put too much emphasis on grades, so much that kids could get sent to cram school as early as elementary. This is because what school you get into could literally affect your future job opportunities, and while that's not exclusive to any particular country/culture, I feel it's especially pronounced here in Asia. I'm really lucky my own parents weren't that strict about it. However, if your parents don't point the mistakes out to you, chances are you'll do it yourself, if you're an Asian kid like me anyway. xD It just becomes a habit.

#11 My family is an exception to this. xD We do say 'I love you' directly, but complete with the 'ah eat well ok?', 'don't scrimp on food', 'sleep well' and similar indirect words/actions of affection. We were doing 'Conceal, Don't Feel' before it became popular. xD

#13 I'm kind of confused about this but this has sort have changed over the years in which eye-contact is now more encouraged. But don't stare, especially at elders and authority figures. Sometimes it's just shyness though. xD And I've observed this with my own Taiwanese friend, especially when I'm complaining or ranting to her about something. xD I'm a person who likes to express my opinions strongly, which tends to scare/alienate some of the locals here, as doing so is kind of frowned upon. Thankfully, she does listen and offers her take on things.

#14 Ah this. xD In the Philippines, this is a common greeting known as beso-beso, and I freaked out too when an auntie did that to me. xD Needless to say, Mom lectured me later on what that was. ^^"

#16 Along with #3 another crazy beauty standard. In my view, people always look better with a little meat on them and when they're not horribly thin. Asia still has a loonng way to go with accepting different types of bodies if you ask me. This combined with modern beauty standards has made the pressure for women especially to 'look beautiful' higher than ever.

I know many people love them but please, starving yourself or glorifying eating disorders is never OK just to get this kind of 'ideal' body. I'm not part of the Kpop fandom, but even I think when idols get bullied just for gaining the least bit of weight among other insensitive comments, that's really going too far.

#17 'If you want to make friends, go eat.' <- I couldn't agree more. In the Philippines we have a greeting: 'Kumain ka na ba?' (Have you eaten?) . Similarly in Taiwan, we have 吃飯了沒? (chī fàn le méi), both of these can mean that in the literal sense but are often used as greetings instead. By then which invitation to having lunch/dinner together may or may not follow. Food really is a way for us to socialize and to catch up with what's going on in each other's lives. Not to say we don't have regular outings like going out to the mall, going shopping, etc. but eating together is a huge part of our culture, be it with family or friends.

And while I'm at it, some memes that are way too accurate good to pass up xD

Parents, uncles, aunties alike will fight over the bill xD

Alternatively:

You just space out until your name is called xD

My parents are guilty of the last one. Logic how? xD

#18 True. xD I like giving compliments out to people but I have a hard time accepting them myself, though I've learnt how to accept them much more now than before. We're kind of raised to constantly downplay ourselves so we often say things like 'ah no no' or 'I'm really not that good'. The downside of this of course is that it can come off as somewhat fake. xD

Again from personal experience, that same classmate who made the lowkey racist remark, she was good, she was on the debate team, was a honor student, knew how to mingle with people, but she downplayed herself way too much, while praising me but I honestly thought that she never really meant it from how she treated me. She wanted to keep me around her yet make backhanded compliments at me and she didn't want me socializing with my other classmate who is now my friend. *sigh* It was only after discussing this with one of my roomies did I realize how this 'excessive downplaying' might come off to people like me who more or less grew up with a more 'Westernized' mindset. I'm not saying brag about your achievements but don't be overly humble about them either, which can also be a turn off.

#20 We do tend to be a lot more realistic on how we view things, neither entirely optimistic nor pessimistic. We try to think of things practically and often analyze things on pure logic. A downside of this however, is that Chinese people can be overly practical. Taiwanese for instance don't like to 'find inconveniences' and generally keep to themselves, meaning, they won't help you in your hour of need even when they do have the capabilities. Sounds really harsh I know, but in my 6 years of living in Taiwan, while this doesn't apply to all the people, a lot of them really do only find/talk to you when they need something.

So for some people saying Taiwanese are 'friendly', that's BS xD If you ask me, Filipinos are infinitely more friendly, and again while not all, generally make more of an effort to help you when you need it. I really felt more of a real sense of community during my years growing up in the Philippines compared to Taiwan.

#21 Children do tend to stay with their parents well into college and adulthood, since Chinese families are indeed very family-oriented, in a lot of cases, grandparents often live under the same roof as us as well! And it really does save a lot of money. I see there's a real stigma in the US when it comes to "living with your parents", but that's starting to change especially because of Covid and having more and more people move back in with their parents.

Housing unfortunately is pretty much hella expensive no matter where you go, and Taiwan is no exception. Steep housing prices and the very high cost of raising a child (schooling + buxiban fees, etc.) contribute to a very low birth rate and thus an aging population like Japan. It's not uncommon to see both parents working in Taiwan.

#23 I'm an overthinker myself, but I totally agree with the author that the best is to strike a good balance between these two. Which I guess is why I love drawing or any other related creative attempts, it helps me be more spontaneous or well, creative! I like to remain intellectually or artistically inspired.

#24 Is French high school really like that? xD My friend did watch SKAM France and more or less got a culture shock from what was depicted on the show. I can confirm however that most high schools both in the Philippines and Taiwan require students to wear a uniform, only in college is everybody free to wear casual/civilian clothes.

#26 Ah this is part of our Asian gift-giving etiquette xD We always open gifts later after the event/meeting and in private. Never open them in front of the person who gave it to you or in front of others. This is to prevent any 'shame/embarrassment' that may result both to yourself and to the gift giver. I know this may come off as something weird since some people may want a more honest response or immediate feedback when it comes to gift-giving, but that's just how it is in our culture. You're always free to ask us though (in private) if we liked the gift or not ^^"

#28 I want to say the same goes to drinking, partying, and drugs however xD Those are things which are still frowned upon in our culture. And to be honest, whenever I see those in movies, it does kind of turn me off xD It doesn't mean that we're "uncool" or "boring", we just think that there are much better or healthier ways of "having fun".

#31 Is this true in France?! Man I would kind of prefer that instead of people being on their phones all the time xD This kind of goes with #20 in that Chinese are overly practical or logical, and don't read fiction as much as nonfiction. My Taiwanese friend is an exception though, she's a bibliophile who loves the feel of paper books compared to e-books, and it's a trait of her that I like a lot. Both the Philippines and Taiwan however have a huge fanbase when it comes to manga and anime though.

I'm all for reading outside of "designated reading" at schools especially. Reading fiction improves your vocabulary too, and can be quite fun! It helps you imagine and really invest in a world/story, and if you ask me something that I feel Westerners are better at, they're more in touch with their emotions and creativity, and are thus much more able to write compelling or original stories. Believe me, I've seen a fair amount of Chinese movies that rip off Western movie plotlines xD

#33 Nothing much to add on here..except that since I'm a "weird" person, Mom often jokes that she got the wrong baby from the hospital. xD

#35 True. While I agree with the care and concern that your fellow community can give you, the downside of this is we tend to only hang out with our own people, e.g Chinese with Chinese, Taiwanese with Taiwanese, etc. I've seen too that it's especially hard to make friends in Japan and Korea as a foreigner. Not only is there the language barrier, but the differences in culture too. In a way, Asians can be pretty close-minded on getting to know other cultures or actually making friends with people from other countries. I know this all too well being half-Taiwanese/half-Filipino, being neither "Filipino" enough nor "Taiwanese" enough. xD It's more of people here being too used to what they're comfortable with.

#36 Oh this is something I feel that Chinese students and other students from similar cultures should really improve on. xD How will people respect you if you don't speak your mind?

I felt bad especially for my Spanish teacher in college, granted it was an introductory course (Spanish I and II) but the amount of times that our teacher had to prompt a student to recite/speak even with clear hints already made her (and me too) extremely frustrated. The thing is, these are college students, I personally feel they don't have any reason to be so shy of speaking and technically by not doing so they're slowing the pace of the class too much and a lot of time is wasted.

Unfortunately you can't always be very vocal with your thoughts and opinions in most Asian cultures. I would say strive for that, but at the same time, play your cards well, especially if you're in a workplace setting.

If you made it to the end, thank you for reading and here's a cookie! 🍪 I'm not perfect and there's bound to be something I missed so please let me know if you spotted anything wrong. Feedback/questions are very much welcome and please feel free to share about your country/culture's differences or similarities!

[therealraeweber]

Instagram: Another Rant

Instagram is making me angry, once again! What a surprise!

The last rant I posted about Instagram was due to their new update (you know... the absolutely revolting one). Thankfully, I can now report that I am officially out of the test group! Yay! It was really difficult to use IG with that last update, and I've found myself using it a lot more since they took me out of the test group. I don't know for sure if that means that update was canned or not... or if the full release is just delayed. For them to cancel the new update, that would involve actually listening to their users, which we know IG has not done once since they were bought out by Meta. I left quite a few comments about the new update on that one reel that Mosseri posted about the update, much like many other people. It was almost comforting to see that other people had the same thoughts about it as I did, and I wasn't just being picky.

Anyways, this rant is not about that update! It's about the everything else that IG is doing!

Firstly, the algorithm has been so broken lately, and I feel it has just gotten worse and worse in the past couple weeks. My engagement has been so horribly low, even though I've been following some growth strategies. I was looking at some numbers from my post analytics, and my views genuinely haven't been this low since I had my account on private a few years ago. It's really disheartening when you put a lot of work into your IG posts and not even all of your followers end up seeing them.

The post that made me really aware of this recently was my Eddie Munson cosplay post. I really felt that it would do well, but it is in the lower range of posts I've made in the past few years. I thought it would perform really well because: 1. It's super relevant. Everyone is talking about Stranger Things right now! I posted it a couple days before Vol. 2 came out, knowing it was a super hot topic to post about. 2. I worked really hard on the pictures! I edited the backdrop to look more professional than some of my other posts. 3. They were really nice pics! I really loved them!

So you can understand why I was confused when this post only got half of the engagement that many of my posts did in 2020! Looking through the analytics, my post only reached 155 accounts, when I have nearly 400 followers. I know that's not horrible, but it's much worse than it has been lately. Out of those 155 accounts reached, only 21 of them were non-followers.

Comparing this to my most liked photo, my "princess of the castle" pictures from March 2021, it is really sad. That image reached 481 accounts. Keep in mind that I also had fewer followers back then. Now you see what I mean when my reach is super low now? That post had 298 views from non-followers... in comparison to Eddie's 21. That really shows you how little they share your work anymore. Of course, this image I'm comparing it to is some of my best work, and probably the portraits I'm most proud of, but those numbers really shouldn't have dropped that much, especially when I have gained more followers since then.

The new algorithm is so hard for me to get a grasp on. I know they are really prioritizing reels over photos, but at the same time I know people have also been complaining that their reel views are down. So what gives? It seems that IG is only prioritizing a super select number of posts (all reels), and just showing them to everyone. It's becoming increasingly more difficult for small accounts to grow and get noticed, which is super discouraging. It's also annoying from a IG viewer standpoint, because I feel my viewing experience is becoming less and less curated. Rather, IG is just pushing whatever random reels they want on me, whether or not I engage with that type of content. I mean... the sheer number of slime videos they keep showing me. I. DO. NOT. WANT. THEM.

That was longer than I planned to rant about the algorithm... oh well. I still have other problems with IG I want to talk about! Many, actually, but I'll limit myself for brevity's sake.

Instagram no longer gives me access to the "Add Yours" story feature which is really upsetting. They are such a good way to participate in a fun trend and reach some new accounts, and they just don't let me do it anymore. I noticed this yesterday when I tried to participate in one that said "Cosplayers jump in", which would have been a perfect opportunity to share some cosplay pics on stories. When I tried to click on the add yours button, it would just jump to the next story, as if the button wasn't even there. I tried to use add yours from a few different peoples' stories, and it wouldn't let me click any of them. I then went into my stories to try to make my own and the option is no longer there.

This is particularly frustrating because when I google how to fix this issue, all I find is articles telling me that it might not be available in my country, or that my app is outdated. I know neither of these things are true because I've used them before! I've both created my own and used other peoples' "add yours" before (with no hassle, might I add). There doesn't seem to be any fix or explanation to this. First the algorithm stops you from growing your account, then they stop you from participating in alternative methods of account growth. Suspicious.

Also, I know that it is not just my phone being weird because I have access to the create an "add yours" option when I sign in on a different account! I had to make an IG story for my employer's account today with an "add yours", and I did it on my phone just fine. But then when I switch back over to my account the option disappears. Grumble grumble. I have submitted a support request about this, but odds are they won't see it.

Another issue I've been having with Instagram is about one specific hashtag. I'm the founder of the UVIC Cosplay Club, and we have our own hashtag for our members to use to share pictures from our events and meetups! It is #uviccosplayclub! It is a really nice way to look through our club's activities, and it is great to show people who are thinking about joining the club, so they can see what it's all about. That is, it was nice until the hashtag broke a while ago. Now when I click on it, I can only see 7 posts. There should be way more than that. None of mine show up in the hashtag, and one of my friends only has one of their pictures on it, even though they've tagged about 5 pictures with our tag. This is super frustrating, because we need it to show other students what we do in our club since we don't have a website at the moment. I tried looking both on mobile and desktop, and it looks the same on both. I've also tried looking at it while signed in on different accounts, but nothing. Again, I submitted a support request about this, but I really doubt it'll go anywhere.

I've also been having an issue with things being removed and reporting things, but I simply don't have the energy to get into that right now. Just know it's equally as frustrating, if not more. All that being said, Instagram is still making it really hard to like using it. Tumblr always feels like getting a warm hug after being on the cold, unforgiving plane of existence that is Instagram.

[jimalim]

1/2 ‘I know I probably sound like I’m whining but’ no it really is you just whining. And you’re presenting your whining as you being on a crusade against the general issues of fandom consumption in order to hide that the actual problem here is your personal entitlement. All of your recent leatin fics have bettered the 10% kudos/hits ratio that is generally accepted as being the bar for engagement. So many of your fics do. You are not hard done by

2/2 You just think you are because the fic you expected to go down well on the basis of you liking it the best and working on it the hardest actually didn’t go down well. It be like that sometimes. Suck it up. There is no requirement for people to hit the kudos button. And you having higher expectations of when people will kudos certainly doesn’t create the requirement for them to do so

ok, so anon I get what you're saying, and I wouldn't say you're entirely wrong. hell, I even agree that yeah, I did have higher expectations for this fic, and yes that higher bar does factor into why my disappointment is greater in this specific instance. however, that doesn't mean I'm not allowed to feel that way. It's a perfectly normal, human response to feel upset and/or frustrated when something you put a lot of time and effort into doesn't live up to your expectations. feeling this way and expressing it doesn't make me 'entitled'. I never compared myself to others specifically or negatively bashed anyone. I merely stated how it sucks that this fic seemingly 'performed poorly'-compared to my other fics.

you bring up my hit/kudo ratio, a metric that 1. I never brought up in my post, 2. do not even pay attention to anymore as it's a wildly inaccurate stat because it does not account for people who reread fics, multiple chapter hits, page reloadings, bots/google search hits, that you can only leave one kudo per user (2 if you sign out and leave aa guest kudo) etc. and most importantly 3. should not, and does not have any bearing over the way I'm allowed to feel about my work. just because my ratio is what some people consider 'good' or even 'better' than the typical fandom average doesn't mean I have to "suck it up" and be happy/satisfied with that. If a movie director makes a passion project that does poorly at the box office, are they not allowed to be disappointed it wasn't received as well as they liked? that kind of thinking is frankly petty and ignorant in my opinion. and if you personally take issue with me venting my valid feelings on my personal blog, then just unfollow me, assuming you do since you're complaining about a post I made with no distinguishable tags-posted at the time tumblrs tag system was broken (thankfully that looks to be fixed now!)

when I mentioned the kudo count on this fic, I said it in relation to the number of kudos I have on my other fics for this fandom. I have never written more than 5 or 6 fics for one fandom, it is a first for me having now 30 for this fandom. sure it's still a small sample size, but it's significantly larger than any body of work I've done before, and thus I have a much better understanding of when a fic 'does well' for my existing body of work. out of the 30 fics, all but 8 have over 100 kudos. the average across all my fics for this fandom is 130. so yes I am disappointed that the fic I worked the hardest on and feel is my strongest work has the least amount of kudos at 70 (at the time of the original post, now its 73) because yes, that indicates that it either wasn't as well liked or just not enough people have seen it yet, granted it is still one of my newest works (only 2 months old) so there's still plenty of time for that to grow. my mistake for not better clarifying those particular stats

my main issue being, and this is really what that post was about, the actual ratio that matters to me-the reblog/like ratio here on tumblr. take this post for example-it's the post I made when I published this fic to promote it here and hopefully drive traffic to ao3 so more people would read it. It currently has 93 notes: 59 likes and 32 reblogs. now that looks like an amazing ratio! however, if you look at those reblogs-13 of them are me trying to signal boost. so if you take me out of the equation that's 59 to 19 which is easily my best ratio on original content posts, but it still isn't moving the needle.

tumblr doesn't have an algorithm that shoves popular content in your face the way other social media sites do (and I love them for that!) so that requires organic user sharing to get any real traction. likes on tumblr do not make posts show up to new users the way you might see a tweet someone you follow like or same with a facebook post. you have to reblog a post for others who do not follow op to see it, not everyone checks the tags and half the time that shit doesn't even work.

as I said in my original post "everyone’s all for reblogging posts about how we need to support creators-but how often does that actually translate to a change in the way people consume this media?" I certainly haven't seen a change. but what I do see is the frustration from other creators who reblog those support posts to my dash, and the even larger number that then reblogs that post from me. I just want people to share the media they enjoy-and yes leaving a comment/kudo is also greatly appreciated, these things work in tandem: more reblogs on a post, the greater probability of engagement because it's being seen by a larger audience which in turn leads to more motivation for a creator to keep writing, drawing, making gifs, and videos, and edits, and so on an so forth!

TL;DR: fandom creators are allowed to be disappointed/upset/frustrated when their work doesn't get the engagement they were hoping for regardless of how 'popular' or 'well received' their other work is/perceived by people. low engagement can discourage people from making new stuff, and frankly I don't fucking blame them cause this shit hurts

[anystalker707]

You're like art

Pairing: Gerard x Reader Word counting: 1 603 Genre: Fluff / Cottagecore Summary: Gerard and (y/n) have a peaceful day, painting by the lake and laying down on flower fields

Requested on Wattpad

Gerard and I have been planning it for a time already, but the universe never seemed to comply with us until today, when the sun finally decided to show up in a day when we're completely free from any appointment. We shared the same thought as soon as we woke up, even without having changed any word. Our equipment has been prepared for a long time so we wouldn't waste time before just grabbing it to go, leaning against the wall of the bedroom, to a point a thin sheet of dust covered them objects when we moved to grab them.

I organize a bag with food and a few drinks since we obviously won't be returning so soon and make sure we have everything for us to leave.

We have had lunch about half an hour ago, in a way the sun is bright and high in the sky once we leave our house, but it isn't exactly a problem since the place we're going to isn't far from here and perfectly shaded by trees at this time of the day. The warm embraces us like a warm hug from the woods once we start walking into it, proving we were right in choosing lighter clothes to wear.

"Did you grab the solvent?" Gerard asks, voice muffled among the sound of the wind going through the tree's leaves and the dry ones cracking under our feet along with twigs. The woods so silent, yet so loud.

"Of course, I had left it along with the paints already," I tell him, glancing at Gerard with a smile before I press a kiss to his cheek.

Thankfully, the lake soon comes into view.

The lake isn't that wide, water almost completely clear as it is surrounded by bright green grass which covers the way until the small plants start turning into trees. Lilac flowers grow on a few points, along with a few yellow ones, giving the place an even more pleasing, comfortable, warm vibe.

Both of us have been working on a painting together – we made sure of bringing it with us today so we can work more on it. Maybe it's the excitement for doing everything, the whole time we spent wanting to work on this, even the setting, but the need to paint is so great. Seeing the paint laying around, having stains of paint all over our hands, observing the delicate result of the soft brushes against the canvas are almost like if a necessity as important as eating, right now, making us feel like the lack of it will drive us to death, in a way.

Gerard observes me throwing a blanket over the grass before he takes a seat beside me, carefully placing the canvas down on the ground. We start organizing everything, the brushes, bottle of solvent, paints and palette, along with the cloths to clean the brushes on. Bringing the stand wasn't really an option since it wouldn't be exactly convenient, so the ground it is.

A sigh escapes my lips as I observe Gerard carefully starting to fill the palette with paint and mixing the colors carefully to reach the tone he wants.

The sunlight casts over Gerard, squirming between the leaves and making its way through the trees, creating light spots that illuminate his pale skin and create beautifully contrasted shadows, giving Gerard a baroque air, which gets even richer when his eyes are illuminated the right way.

"What?" Gerard asks, a shy smile taking over his lips when he notices I've been observing him.

"You're just so beautiful," I tell him the truth with a smile, watching it as his cheeks gain a red tone with the compliment and his eyes drift downwards.

"It's just because you love me." Gerard turns back to the painting, thought noticeably happy with the compliment. "C'mon, paint with me, quit gazing at me so much," he teases lightly, momentarily pausing his actions to pull a dark strand of hair away from his face, hooking it behind his ear.

"Sure, love." Despite my words, I instead move to grab the polaroid camera from the bag and proceed to take a picture of Gerard. He only notices it due to the sound of the picture being taken.

"Hey!" He glares playfully, humming as he leans in closer to me. "Let me take a look."

The picture slowly appears on the small piece of paper and I smile pleased with it, though it absolutely doesn't make justice for Gerard and the beauty he holds right now. He doesn't share the same thoughts. I roll my eyes, giving his arm a light slap. "Let's paint," I say as putting the camera aside and finally moving to help him with it.

At some point, the attention we once gave the paint is reduced to neglect since we end up getting more distracted with snapping multiple pictures of each other, giggling as we roll around on the grass. I take more pictures of Gerard, easily snatching the camera from him, managing to capture all the moments in which he's giggling or trying to act angry at me. Gerard quickly tries to solve this and, before I can notice, he's straddling my hips to prevent me from moving and taking uncountable photos of me like I did to him moments ago.

"I guess we ran out of paper..." Gerard mutters, furrowing his eyebrows as he presses down on the button a few times, but nothing comes from the camera. He just stares at it in frustration, pouting.

"'Seems like it," I say with a sigh, calming myself down after all the laughter. My hand runs up and down Gerard's thighs in an affectionate motion while I observe him still fidgeting with the camera. "I didn't think we would take this many of pictures, so..."

"Sounds fair." Gerard puts it away and his expression changes into a loving one once he turns to me again, hands taking place on my shoulders. His lips meet to mine in a sweet kiss, his hand cupping my neck as his thumb traces my jawline softly. He pulls away at some point, but quickly pulls me to a kiss again, humming quietly against my lips. "We should go to the flower field nearby. You know how beautiful it gets during the sunset."

"Of course," I say with a smile, brushing my nose against his lightly. "There will be no problem if we leave our things here, right?"

"Well, if anyone wants a halfway done painting and pictures of two random strangers being weird... good for them, good for them," he says sarcastically and both of us break in chuckles. "Let's go." Pecking my lips, a last time, he moves to stand up.

We grab the cans of tea we brought with us and head towards the flower field. There's a small space on which we like to lay, mainly because we end up not damaging any of the flowers due to the lack of anything but grass there. The flowers aren't too tall and are the same lilac and yellow ones from around the lake, giving us a notion of their origin, though the field holds a greater variety of flowers and colors.

I press my lips to Gerard's suddenly, stealing a kiss from him and continue pressing kisses all over his face, what has him giggling. "I won't be able to drink my tea, that way," he complains, but all I do is to roll my eyes and press a kiss to his pouting lips. He stares and I can't help but to chuckle.

The sun is starting to set itself down in the horizon when we start sipping on our drinks and I start observing the field, which's down a hill that ends in another clearing in the woods. Gerard resting his head against my shoulder brings me back to reality – I observe him for a moment and sigh happily, pressing a kiss to his head.

Everything is quite peaceful. Our cans are empty by the time the sun has almost completely hidden itself behind the hills in the horizon – casting bright and beautiful colors on the clouds standing in the way of the sunrays – and we set them aside to get it again when we leave. We lay back on the grass to watch the sky, side by side, hands holding onto each other.

Gerard's fingers play with mine, in an almost tickling sensation because of how gentle his touch is. His hand wraps itself around mine again, giving it a squeeze before Gerard is rolling over onto his stomach and bringing himself up on his elbows, looking at me with a loving gaze, one that has me feeling my heart fluttering.

"You're losing the sunset," I whisper for no apparent reason, but it feels like the atmosphere is too delicate even for a loud voice tone.

"Why would I?" Gerard has an amused air on his expression, speaking with such a certainty, in the same quiet tone as me. "You're much more beautiful. I prefer to appreciate you."

"There'll never be a sunset like this again, yet, I'll continue like this for a long time," I tell him.

"And you'll never be under the light of a sunset like this again, so I guess I have the right of choosing my priorities." It's clear he isn't able to hold back the grin his lips part into and he seems pleased with how he makes me flustered, wordlessly bragging about it by pressing an unexpected kiss to my lips.

[vi-writes-stuff]

All I've Ever Known (Ethan x f!MC)

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr. Audrey Lee)

Word Count: 3.5k

Rating: 18+ (NSFW content)

Premise: A spontaneous date night leaves Audrey questioning the future of their relationship. Set between Book 2 and 3.

Author's Note: It's been a year since I joined Choices, so I thought I'd try my hand at posting a fic. Title from Hadestown. Big thanks to @queencarb and @imaneditorthankyouverymuch for betareading!

I was alone so long

I didn't even know that I was lonely

Out in the cold so long

I didn't even know that I was cold

Turned my collar to the wind

This is how it's always been

All I've ever known is how to hold my own

__________________________________

Doctor Audrey Lee was not used to the sluggishness that once again occupied most of her days. It was not the caffeine-fueled crash she experienced after a long 16 hour shift, nor was it the unpredictable episodes of insomnia that occasionally plagued her.

Leland Bloom had opened up Edenbrook for a few weeks, before shutting it down to finish the major renovations.

As the sun hit her eyes, she felt the warm body pressed against her back tighten its grasp around her waist. For a brief moment, she relished in the warmth surrounding her. She even allowed herself to believe that she could get used to the feeling of waking up in Ethan's arms.

‘If there even is a future for us…’ Doubt whispers into her ear, poisoning the comfort she found in his embrace.

In the weeks before Edenbrook’s inevitable closing, Audrey, like many of her fellow residents, was looking for somewhere to finish her residency. She had been considering a position back home in New York. When she brought it up with Ethan, he acknowledged her response, but there was no following discussion about what that would have meant for their relationship.

Pushing the thoughts away, she settled back into his embrace. She let herself relax as the muffled sounds of the city below filled the quiet space of the bedroom.

The peace lasted all of five minutes before she began feeling restless again. Uneasiness washed over her as the image of her ripping Bloom's billion dollar check flashed in her mind. In the moment, watching the little shreds of paper sprinkling across the expensive hardwood floor of his mansion had been satisfying. Despite that, she couldn't help but wonder if it was the right move.

If she had accepted the check and handed it to Naveen, Leland would have been convinced that she was on his side. In reality, Audrey trusted him as far as she could throw the old man. Her preference was that he landed into the depths of the icy Atlantic Ocean.

Ripping the check was the right move, but it left her in the dark when it came to Leland's intentions.

Sighing to herself, she turned around in Ethan's arms and buried her face into his neck. She felt the reverberations of his pleased hum. There was no use in overthinking things now. They would deal with the repercussions soon enough.

Pressing a gentle kiss against Ethan's neck, she smiled as his eyes fluttered open.

"Good morning," she whispered.

"It is when I wake up beside you," he mumbled back, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Careful, that sounds awfully sentimental. Wouldn't want my favourite grumpy old man going soft."

Opening his eyes, he sent Audrey a half-hearted glare. The sight of Ethan Ramsey bathed in soft sunlight and his hair mussed up by her hands made her melt.

God, she could look into his eyes forever.

"I contain multitudes," he replied. "Speaking of which, this sentimental and grumpy old man wants to ask if you had plans today."

"No plans." A smirk curled across Audrey's lips as she swept some loose hairs from his face. "But if you had plans that involve us spending more time together in bed, I wouldn’t object."

"You're insatiable."

"Are you complaining?"

He grinned at her. "Not at all."

Leaning in to kiss her, Audrey's hands slid up from his shoulders into his hair. Giving the strands a short and sharp tug, Ethan groaned and bit her lower lip. Leaving a trail of kisses down the column of her neck, he lightly nibbled the skin, eliciting a soft moan from her.

He pulled the sheets away from her body and continued his path downwards. Audrey bit back another moan. Almost immediately, Ethan stopped around her navel and lifted his gaze to look into her eyes.

"I want to hear you, Rookie. Don't hold back."

As a warm hand cupped one of her breasts, his tongue lathered the other bringing her nipples to stiff peaks. This time, Audrey let the moan escape her mouth as she felt herself growing wetter. Lifting his head to lavish her other breast, he shot her a coy smile.

"Much better," he panted. Pinning her wrists against the mattress with a single hand, he slowly made his way down her body as his other hand caressed her soft skin. Swiping a finger across her folds, he groaned. "God, you're so wet for me."

The lust that filled his eyes as his face rested by the apex of her thighs made her shiver.

"Ethan, please," she whined.

When his tongue finally met her soaking cunt, Audrey let out a shaky gasp and an incoherent mumble that sounded vaguely like his name. Her hands threaded into his hair again as he let go of her wrists. Using a hand, Ethan lifted a leg over his shoulder, allowing his tongue to delve deeper. As he sucked her clit, Audrey felt herself tense up as an orgasm rippled through her body.

Once Audrey's breathing slowed, Ethan gently lowered her leg. Through her hazy vision, she noticed his lips and beard glistened in the morning light.

"Please," Audrey begged. "I need you inside of me."

"Gladly."

Pressing a deep kiss against her, she tasted herself on his lips and confirmed her earlier observation. Thankfully, his boxers had been removed last night and he hadn't bothered with putting them back on. The wetness of her first orgasm allowed the blunt head of his cock to easily slip into her throbbing cunt. Gripping onto his shoulders, Audrey panted as Ethan set a steady rhythm, his cock rubbing against her already sensitive clit. As his pace quickened, his thrusts became rougher and he bottomed out causing Audrey to gasp.

She trembled as another wave of pleasure coursed through her body. Ethan followed moments later and groaned into Audrey's neck, the reverberations of the sound causing a delicious tingle across her skin. The couple lounged in bed a little longer as they caught their breaths. Pressing a gentle kiss across her temple, Ethan cupped her face with his hands.

"I wanted to say something before we got sidetracked..." His gaze was impossibly soft as his thumb swept across her swollen bottom lip. "I'd like to take you out on a date. A proper one."

Audrey couldn't help the smile that blossomed across her face. "Really?"

He nodded. "I want the world to know the gorgeous woman beside me is taken. So, what do you say?"

"Yes," she answered. "I'd love to go on a date with you."

__________________________________

Several hours later, Audrey was back in the apartment she shared with her friends. Ethan had dropped her off in the early afternoon with a promise to pick her up at six for their date.

She was looking through her closet, searching for a particular dress she had in mind. Ethan had been tight-lipped about his plans. He had only stated it would be a black-tie event.

"Ah ha! Finally found you." She pulled the shimmering gold dress from her closet. Looking into the mirror in her room, she held the dress up to her body and smiled.

With an hour until six, Audrey jumped into the shower to freshen up. Once she finished styling her hair and applying some make-up, she slipped into the dress. Arranging the slit over her leg, she slipped into a matching pair of heels, a black shawl and grabbed the purse holding her phone.

She entered the living room to see her friends sitting on the couch arguing about what movie to watch. Sienna came from the kitchen carrying a plate of her homemade cookies and smiled at the sight of her friend dressed up.

"Audrey, you look amazing! Isn't that the dress you wore when we did our Boston bucket list?"

She grinned at the memory of what was supposed to be their last hurrah in the city. "It is, but I thought it'd be nice to wear it again for my date tonight."

"Ramsey asked you out on a date? Tonight?" Jackie asked from her spot on the couch.

Various groans filled the room as Audrey nodded.

"Finally!" Jackie exclaimed. "Everyone, pay up. You each owe me a twenty. "

Bryce sighed, pulling out his wallet from his pocket. "God damn it, Lee. Why couldn't he have waited just one more week before he asked you out?"

"Quit complaining," Aurora said, tossing a kernel of popcorn from the bowl in her lap at Bryce's head. "At least you were close, my guess was way off."

Rafael shook his head as Elijah and Aurora both handed a twenty dollar bill over to Jackie. "How did you get it down to the day?"

Jackie smiled. "I'm a psychic, obviously."

"Hold up... Just how long has this bet about Ethan and I been going on?"

"Since everyone saw you kiss at The Hopeful Hearts Gala," Elijah replied.

"And thanks to you, I'm a hundred dollars richer." Jackie pocketed the small wad of cash and leaned back against the couch.

“Thank you, Sienna,” Audrey sighed as she wrapped the black shawl around her shoulders. “My only true friend for having the decency to not partake in this bet.”

Sienna smiled sheepishly as she placed her plate of cookies on the coffee table. Before sitting down on the couch, she pulled a folded twenty dollar bill from her pocket and handed it over to Jackie.

“I’m sorry, Audrey. Raf was the only one who didn’t bet,” Sienna said. “ Dr. Ramsey and I had an interesting talk on the car ride to…” Sienna’s voice wavered slightly and she trailed off before falling silent.

On the car ride to interrogate Travis Perry about the mystery substance he had released in the hospital.

Audrey immediately crossed the room to hug Sienna. It had been months since the incident had happened, but her best friend was still grieving the loss of Danny. Sienna wrapped her arms around Audrey before she pulled back and hastily rubbed at her eyes.

“I’m okay,” Sienna reassured. “Go and enjoy your date.”

Audrey squeezed her friend’s hand in her own before she let go. “Sienna is forgiven,” Audrey declared to the others. “Thank you, Raf. My true ride-or-die.”

Rafael, who was seated beside Bryce, spoke up. “I didn’t want to make any assumptions about your personal life.”

With the most dramatic stare she could muster, she glared and pointed at the others. “The rest of you. Thin ice.”

Several knocks at the door cut off any reply that followed. Opening the door, she found Ethan standing in the doorway, dressed in his suit. His eyes lit up as he looked up at Audrey.

“You look radiant,” Ethan said.

Audrey felt herself grin. “You’re looking pretty good yourself,” she replied.

“Ready?”

“Definitely.”

“Yo, Lee!” Bryce called from the couch before she could step forward. “Just a heads up, I’m crashing on your bed tonight once movie night runs late since you won’t be using yours.”

“OKAY! We are leaving before I strangle Bryce,” Audrey announced, taking the arm Ethan offered.

Bryce laughed as she shut the door behind them. “Anyone wanna bet if she’s coming home tonight?”

__________________________________

Twenty minutes later, the pair were seated inside an elegant Italian restaurant by the waterfront. Looking out the window, Audrey watched the bright lights of the city refract against the dark surface of the water.

“I’m a city girl, but I don’t think I could live anywhere that isn’t close to the water.”

Ethan raised a brow. “Why is that?”

Audrey glanced at the gentle waves before she turned to face him. “I find it calming. It reminds me that the world is big. Bigger than any problem I might be facing. Whenever I felt stressed, I would take the subway to Manhattan and just sit in Battery Park for hours to watch the boats in the harbour or watch the people pass by.”

“I believe you called it ‘people-watching’?”

Audrey was surprised. “You still remember that conversation at Derry Roasters?”

He nodded. “I do,” he said. He reached across the table and instinctively, she placed a hand in his palm. “You said I was lost. You didn’t even know about Naveen’s condition at the time, but somehow you knew something wasn’t right.”

Unable to resist teasing him, Audrey smirked. “If I remember correctly, you said I was only half-right.”

“I stand by that assessment.” His thumb traced the ridge of her knuckles. “What baffled me was how this infuriatingly stubborn intern with the potential to be an excellent doctor kept on surprising me.”

“Speaking of surprises…” she said. “Why a date? Why now?”

The thoughts about the uncertainty of their relationship that morning came crawling to the forefront of her mind again, but she held them back. The night had only begun and as much as their undefined status worried her, she was determined to start the night on the right foot. If there truly was no future for them, she at least wanted to enjoy the time they spent together.

“Well…”

His response was cut off as a waiter came to stop at their table. “Good evening. Can I start you two off with something to drink?”

“We’re catching a show after, would you like a drink?”

“We are? I guess I’ll just have some water.”

“Two waters, please,” Ethan ordered.

The waiter nodded and laid two menus on the table. “I’ll be back in a moment to take your orders then.”

“A show?” Audrey asked. “I thought we were just getting dinner.”

The genuine enthusiasm on Audrey’s face made Ethan grin. “I promised you a proper date. That entails dinner and a show. And if you’re not too tired, perhaps a walk along the esplanade?”

“I could be persuaded. What’s the show we’re seeing?”

He shrugged. “You’ll have to wait and see.”

Audrey pouted before an idea struck her. Slowly taking the black shawl off her shoulders which revealed the plunging neckline of the dress, she traced a finger down her neck to her collarbone. “Are you sure there’s no way I could convince you to tell me?” As her finger passed her collarbone, she slowed as she began to trail her finger down the exposed skin.

She felt him squeeze the hand that was still wrapped in his. “You are trying to kill me,” he replied as his gaze followed the path she traced. Gently, he lifted the hand in his and pressed a kiss to it. “As tempting as that offer is, I do believe you will appreciate the surprise.”

Sighing, she dropped the hand he wasn’t holding into her lap. “You win this time, Ramsey.”

__________________________________

As they got closer, Audrey could see the bright white marquee of the Opera House in the distance: L’Orfeo.

“The darkness of night,” Ethan translates for her. “It’s also the Italian and Spanish form of the name Orpheus.”

“As in Orpheus and Eurydice?” Audrey asked, immediately delighted.

“The very same.”

“When I had my Roman Mythology phase as a kid, I used to check out the same big book filled with various myths for months on end.” She had spent countless hours admiring the detailed illustrations and committing the words that filled the pages to her memory, carefully tracing every swooping letter with a finger. “It actually starts somewhat similarly to the first show we saw together.”

“Then tonight, I’ll rely on your expertise.” Entering the theatre, the pair made their way to his private box. They were seated for ten minutes before the house lights around them slowly dimmed and the curtain opened. On the stage, a woman dressed in red held a lyre.

“That’s the Spirit of Music. She’s saying through the power of music, she can calm any troubled heart. She introduces Orpheus of Thrace, who has the same ability as well. He’s the son of Apollo, the god of sunlight and music, and the muse Calliope, ” Audrey whispered to Ethan, their hands interlaced. As the opera progressed, Audrey explained the events of the story unfolding before them. The marriage of Orpheus and Eurydice and the tragic death of the young bride by snake bite that shortly followed. Orpheus, driven by his grief, embarking on a treacherous journey to the Underworld to bring back his lost love.

“Moved by his singing, Prosperina asks her husband, Pluto, to let Eurydice return to the living world with Orpheus. He agrees upon the condition that Orpheus has to lead Eurydice out of the Underworld, but he cannot look back to see if she is following. Orpheus begins the journey, confident that he will be reunited with Eurydice the moment they leave the Underworld, but…”

Audrey swallowed past the lump that suddenly formed in her throat.

“But then doubt comes in. He thinks Pluto is envious of his love. Maybe Pluto is tricking him.” As a sudden noise sounds from off-stage, the actor playing Orpheus turned around to face his Eurydice. His face morphed from happiness to regret in a flash as Eurydice smiled back at him sadly. “Orpheus sees Eurydice. She was behind him the whole time. She begins to fade away and Orpheus is forced out of the Underworld alone.

“This final act deviates from the myth. Apollo comes from the heavens and tells him not to fall victim to his anger and grief. He invites Orpheus to join him. Eurydice won’t be there, but beauty like hers can be found in the stars. Orpheus accepts.”

As the chorus gathered on the stage for the finale, Audrey looked away. Staring into the dark sea of audience members, she took a moment to collect her thoughts.

Building up her courage, she turned to the man beside her, but before she could say a word Ethan’s hand slipped out of her grasp. Audrey jumped slightly in her seat as the audience around them started clapping for the performance.

By the time the house lights turned on, she had lost her nerve.

__________________________________

Although autumn was right around the corner, the weather had been lovely for the past week. Despite the lack of chilly weather, Audrey held the black shawl tightly around herself as she and Ethan walked along the Charles River Esplanade.

Her eyes were drawn to the shining lights of a boat further in the distance. Audrey didn’t even notice that her steps had slowed to a stop as Ethan paused to look at her.

“Are you all right?” he asked. “You haven’t said a word since we left the theatre.”

Shaking herself out of a trance, Audrey nodded and laughed, but even she could hear that it was far too hollow sounding. “I’m fine. I must be more tired than I thought.”

“I can drive you back to your apartment, but that doesn’t explain why you’ve been staring at the river for so long.”

She sighed, a wry grin twisting her lips. “I shouldn’t have told you what my tell was.”

Stepping in front of her, Ethan tilted her chin so that he could look into her eyes. “What’s wrong?”

“I-it’s just…” Audrey had to close her eyes for a moment. One breath in, one breath out. The same blue eyes she had seen that morning— the ones she thought she could spend an eternity staring into—suddenly felt like a tsunami that threatened to swallow her. “Ethan, what are we doing?”

The moment she saw Ethan’s eyebrows furrow and the hurt look cross his face, Audrey groaned internally. Barely a second in and she had already stuck her foot in her own mouth. “I phrased that horribly,” she said. Placing a hand by his clenched jaw, her thumb grazed his cheek until she felt the tension he held there ease. “What I meant was, what are we? These last few weeks have been amazing. I can’t describe the happiness I feel when I wake up in your arms, but I also love those moments we just spend together whether we’re making dinner or just having a quiet night in. I don’t think I need to explain how much I enjoy the physical aspects of our relationship…”

She swallowed a shaky breath. “But if that’s all this relationship is-”

“You know it isn’t.” he immediately replied, placing his warm hand on top of hers.

Audrey shook her head. “Do I?”

“I meant every word I said. I don’t want to hide and I’m done pretending.”

“When I was considering a residency in New York, you didn’t say a word.”

“I didn’t want to influence you. I wanted you to make the best decision for your career.”

“And what would we have done? A long-distance whatever-we-are? You're Ethan Ramsey. You’re a world renowned diagnostician for Christ’s sake. You wouldn’t have any trouble finding another position in Boston,” she huffed.

Looking into her eyes, he said, “It’s simple. I would have gone with you.”

She froze. She was certain she had misheard him. “What?”

“As much as I despise idolatry among physicians,” he said. “I wouldn’t be above using my reputation to get a position in the same city.”

“But your whole life is here in Boston.”

“But you wouldn’t have been here.” Ethan cupped her face in his hands, pressing a gentle kiss against her temple and then to a tear-stained cheek. “I need you, Audrey. I know I’m not the most articulate when it comes to my emotions, but know that you’re important to me.”

The sincerity of his voice caused the tears she had been holding back to fall. Wrapped in his embrace, she let the last of her doubts drift away from the recesses of her heart.

__________________________________

All I've ever known is how to hold my own

But now I wanna hold you, too.

__________________________________

Author's Note: Originally this fic was called "Good as Gold" (also based on song lyrics) and was gonna have more smut content, but I might write that and make it a sequel to this instead. 😏

[marmosa]

hello 💕 i've just gone through your entire fred weasley and i absolutely love your writing and especially your dialogues, they feel v authentic and real xx i read that you have requests open so i'll leave you with an idea from my v detailed v self indulgent daydream cinematic universe starring fred weasley— post war (say a couple of years after) fred is the owner and manager of the hogsmead branch of the joke shop and sneaks into hogwarts to meet his fiancé, newly hired transfiguration (1/2)

thank you so much for the kind words and reading all my writing, i can’t begin to describe how much that means to me! i love the idea of fred sneaking into the castle to see his significant other, it’s so cute, i had to run a lap around my room just thinking about it. also in this house fred weasley never d worded, if you think he did, no he didn’t. also also, it got kinda sad at the end and i’m sorry, i didn’t mean for that to happen i- but anyways, hope you like it and thank you again for the compliment <3

word count: 1.6k

***

“Hey!”

Tink!

“Hey!”

Tink!

[y/n] looked up from the stack of papers arrayed on her desk and glanced around her study for the source of the noise, absolutely bewildered at who would possibly be bothering her at this hour. She prayed it wasn’t a student messing around with her, for she may have been a relatively new teacher but she wasn’t afraid to stand her ground against misbehaving kids.

The sound came again and this time she saw who it was her face lighting up before falling down as she scurried over to the window, unlatching the glass and pushing it open to find her fiancé sitting all high and mighty on his broom like this was a normal everyday occurrence.

“Fred Weasley! What in God’s name are you doing outside of my window? Why are you throwing stones at glass? Do you have any idea how high up I am?” She hissed, reaching for him, despite knowing full well he could only enter the room on his own accord.

He flew closer to the window and balanced himself on the ledge before grabbing her hand and hopping down onto the floor a giddy smile plastered on his lips, “I’m aware how high up this is, lest you forget I was one of the best Gryffindor beaters this school has ever seen.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever. You do realize you could just come in through the front doors right? McGonagall isn’t going to smite you down for visiting your fiancée,” she deadpanned, latching the window back shut.

“Whatever? If I recall correctly, me being on the quidditch team all those years back had you absolutely smitten, or am I wrong,” he retorted smugly, completely brushing past her statement about walking through the front doors.

[y/n]’s face fell into one of embarrassment as she pushed past him back to her desk, not wanting to fuel his ego any more than she usually did, “Even so, you still can’t be sneaking onto campus. Especially during school hours, you know how it is, I would rather you be turned away at the door than get escorted out by the collar of your robes.”

“But it’s always school hours! Honestly [y/l/n], your new position has really given you a stick up the arse,” He grumbled, leaning back against one of the desks across from hers.

“[y/l/n]?” She repeated, offense written all over her face. Despite not taking it to heart she decided to mess with him a bit for being so stubborn.

Fred’s face fell and he was quick to rush over and apologize, “You know that’s not what I meant! Technically you’re not a Weasley anyway until the paperwork is done legally, so I’m not wrong.”

“I’m telling Molly you said that and she’s going to ground you just like she did 6th year when you got caught nicking something from Filche’s office,” [y/n] pouted, sinking into her chair and crossing her arms.

“You’re terrible you know that,” Fred deadpanned grabbing her cheeks in his hands, “don’t you say a word to my mother or she’ll make me bake you a cake or something.”

“I would quite like that actually, maybe I will tell her,” she replied, biting back a smile.

“Oh, come on! You know George was the one who got all the baking skills! That’s why he’s in charge of all the candy at our shops!” Fred whined, squeezing her face together slightly to try and return the teasing.

“Even if it turned out burnt and gross, I’d still like it because you made it,” she stated plainly, leaning up to try and snatch a kiss.

“Rubbish,” He replied, indulging her and accepting the kiss, smiling down at her when she beamed up at him.

“Whatever you say Freddie, y’know-,”

“Mrs. Weasley? Are you here? I had a question for you.”

All the color drained out of Fred’s face as he recognized McGonagall’s voice from across the room, [y/n]’s features mirroring the same horror as she pushed him off her and shoved him under her desk so he was as out of sight as she could make him.

“Yes- yes! I’m here Minerva, how can I help you?” [y/n] stuttered out, sliding her chair in as far as she could without injuring her soon to be husband.

“Well, I wanted to ask how the preparations were coming along for the annual Christmas Ball? I know you’ve been kept busy with recent exams, but the plans are top priority if we want to keep the spectacular turn out of our ball the same,” McGonagall explained walking up to her desk.

“Oh! The plans are coming along just fine, I haven’t quite finished drafting them up yet, but as soon as I do I’ll have them brought to you right away for approval,”  [y/n] assured her, trying her best not to let on how nervous she now was, trying not to get Fred caught.

“Spectacular! And I expect to see you down in the Hall later? Professors have to arrive early today for some announcement preparation,” McGonagall continued, thankfully still unaware of the hidden person in the room.

“Of course, thank you for letting me know ahead of time,” [y/n] nodded, pretending to assort some papers on her desk.

“Lovely,” McGonagall smiled, heading out of the room, but stopping before she exited the room, “Oh, and tell Mr. Weasley that I say hello, he’s been rather quiet about his surprise appearances to our school recently.”

“Will do!” [y/n] called after her, releasing a breath she didn’t even know she was holding in as soon as the door shut.

“Okay, how come you get to call her Minerva?” Fred complained, crawling out from under the desk, no visible panic at McGonagall’s leaving statement.

“All professors do. Besides, you’re a trouble-maker in her eyes, a darling, but a trouble-maker, she wouldn’t dream of giving you that kind of power,” [y/n] giggled, reaching up to rearrange his  ruffled hair, as he’d decided to grow it out again once he’d graduated.

“Trouble-maker,” Fred muttered, rolling his eyes, “Well she’ll be seeing a lot more of me whether she likes it or not, so I’ll win that privilege, eventually.”

“Whatever you say darling,” she hummed, scooting back in to continue grading her papers.

“You’re ignoring me already?” he groaned, letting his chin rest on the top of her head, arms slinging over her shoulders.

“I’ve got work to do Fred, I’m a professor now. I’m surprised you even had time to visit me, you’re a business owner now after all, it always amazes me how you have the time for these spontaneous visits- not that I don’t appreciate them,” she assured him, setting down her pen and squeezing his hands.

“I own the business, so I get to make my hours, unlike you,” he replied, moving his head so he was peeking over her shoulder.

“Is that supposed to be bad?” she quipped, leaning her head against his shoulder so she could kind of see him.

“Bad for me! I miss you! You’re here far too much,” Fred mumbled, intertwining their fingers.

“Well winter vacation is coming up soon, so you’ll be seeing much more of me. Hopefully you don’t get too sick of me,” she giggled, pursing her lips when he passed her a suggestive grin, “Ah, don’t look at me like that, that is not what I meant.”

“But it is and you know it darling,” Fred hummed, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

“Don’t get too cocky or I’ll come up with extra work to keep me here,” she warned, a teasing lilt to her threat.

“You wouldn’t. Besides even if you did, I’d kidnap you against your will. Also you wouldn’t hurt Molly like that, she always expects you for family festivities,” he replied simply, knowing she would never pass up an opportunity to spend time with him.  

“You’ve got me there. You know me so well,” she sighed, reaching back so she could toy with the hair at the nap of his neck.

“I’d hope I know you well, you’re about to be my wife,” he chuckled, shutting his eyes at the sensation of her soft fingers against his skin.

“Touché, love, touché,” she hummed in agreement, her free hand twisting the engagement ring situated on his finger.

“Anyways, I should probably leave you to it, with your boring paperwork and grading and all,” he sighed, standing tall, her hands sliding away from him and into her lap.

“It’s not boring,” she frowned, crossing her arms across her chest defensively, trying not to cave but ultimately failing when he gave her a raised brow, “okay, maybe it’s a little boring.”  

“I knew it. No worries darling, I know you love it here, I’m only teasing. See you soon though?” He mused, brushing a stray hair out of her face.

“See you soon,” she replied, grabbing his face and pulling him down for a sweet kiss, relishing in one another’s company for their limited time together.

“Farewell my love,” he announced, grabbing his broom and pushing himself onto the window sill, “see you around.”

“Fred wait!”

He laxed the position of his broom and turned around, an adoring smile stretching onto his lips as she pulled him for one last sweet kiss, placing a small object in his hand.

“What’s this?” he asked as she peppered a few last kisses around his face, trying not to let her emotions get the best of her.

“It’s the locket you gave me, I finally put a picture in it, thought it was time to return it to you,” she smiled, stroking his cheek lovingly.

“You’re astounding,” he muttered, tucking the charm in his pocket, “I love you.”

“I love you too, bye Freddie,” she waved as he kissed her softly once more and took off into the setting sun, “see you soon.”