#...which is a weirdly random direction to take him?

[skipper1331]

you wish you were me // Leah Williamson

a/n: inspired by this iconic performance

Your friend group was out in the local bar, celebrating a birthday. Your mate had just turned 26 and in her eyes, every birthday was there to celebrate it, so that‘s what you did.

You had a lovely dinner at her favourite restaurant and were now down for some drinks.

So here you were in a bar between the smell of alcohol and sweat, playing a card game.

"Wanna spice things up?" your best friend asked with a mischief grin.

"Tell me" the birthday girl replied, very interested in what your bestie had to say.

"Don‘t even listen to her" you argued when the suggestion came that who ever would lose the next card game had to do karaoke, "and the winner is allowed to choose the song"

But there was no point in arguing because everyone was loving the idea.

-

"Oh come on" you huffed as you lost while the other girls cheered.

"This will be fun" your best friend laughed as she ordered some more shots. You surely would need them. You couldn’t go on stage as sober as you were right now.

Drowning the next two rounds of shots, you stood up, the winner whispering the choice of song in your ear, so it‘d be a surprise for everyone.

Thankfully, it wasn‘t an awfully long song nor even a proper song. It was 'You wish you were me' by Trish which she sang in the series 'Austin and Ally'

I can deal with that, you thought, I wont see most of these people after this anyway.

Walking towards the karaoke guy, your best friend talked to him, your nerves on a rise. So many eyes looked at you.

your friends cheered, "Go girl!!" enjoying themselves very much while you were about to run. You hated being the centre of attention.

Fuck it

"You‘ve got this" y/bsf/n said, handing you the microphone, walking back to where your friends sat.

Weirdly when the music started playing you felt relaxed, in that moment the motto “yolo” was all that mattered.

"I‘m so much better than youuu" confidence starting to rise, "I’m a ten, you‘re a two" signaling with your hands your words.

"I‘m a queen, you‘re a fool" you pointed a random person in the bar who was a blonde girl, her friends cheering and gasping loudly before they started laughing.

"I‘m a throne, you’re a stool" you walked and danced on the stage, not caring at all, "you‘ll never be this cool"

"No-Ooh"

"I sing to you on this stage"

"I‘m at the top of my game"

"I‘m a star and you‘re lame"

once again you pointed at the blonde girl.

You grabbed some coins out of your pocket, "I‘m cash and you‘re change" dropping them on the floor.

"You‘ll never have my fame" you sang

not knowing that the blonde woman was actually someone fame, someone who had captained her country to the European championship and winning the trophy.

"So-Ooh"

"You wish you were me"

"Got everything you need"

"Got no time for jealousy"

"I, I"

Slowly the song came to an end, "Yeah, you wish you were me" being the last sentence before you did a mic drop and hit a pose.

The whole bar started to cheer, happily amused by the performance.

Quickly though, you picked up the mic, embarrassed about the move, sincerely apologizing to karaoke guy before you hurried back to your friends.

"That was awesome!" the birthday girl yelled, "best birthday ever!" hugging you.

And just as that the night continued.

"You have an admirer" your best friend whispered, nodding her head in the direction of the blonde who you‘d pointed at the whole time.

"I think she‘s about to kill me" you brushed her off, taking a sip of your drink.

"No, look at her, she‘s been eyeing you all night. Go talk to her!"

"What? No. Do you want a drink? I want one" you changed the subject, already getting up.

"Your glass is half full"

"No it‘s not" and with that you left.

Pah! As if the blonde woman was seriously not thinking about killing you yet you had to admit, she was gorgeous. Maybe you should apologize-?

You were about to order another drink when someone next to you beat you to it, "put whatever she wants on my tab, please" the person said, that person being the blonde woman, "that was quite a performance, aye?"

"Oh no, you don’t have to-" you tried, happy to pay for you own drink or maybe pay for hers (?) - you didn’t know.

"I want to. I’m Leah, Leah Williamson and you are?" she smiled, her smile so genuinely that maybe, just maybe she didn‘t want to kill you.

-

"Aye, Mrs Williamson, you wanna sing a song for me?" Leah mocked, pulling you into her grasp.

"Baby! I apologized for that already several times" you whined, the defender peppering kisses to your cheek.

"What can i say? If it wasn't for the song, I wouldn't be able to call you my wife today"

[prettyboykatsuki-moved]

idk if you’ve ever talked about this but would love a spark notes summary of what your bllk guys are like in bed lol

I DONT THINK IVE EVER MADE A POST ABT IT REALLY? at least not like a masterpost i normally just go insane making 50 horny posts in a row KJSDKJS

i have such strong opinions on all of them actually im so mentally ill . also this reeks of my insane isagi bias sorry alsdkfjsd. u said sparknotes but i cant shut up to save my life SDKFJSJ SORRY!!!

isagi yoichi: he is the True Switch to me. prefers to topping to bottoming with some exceptions like depending on his partner. he leans in whatever direction is partner leans in so if you're submissive, he's dominant and vice versa. very obedient when he's being submissive. kind of an asshole when he's domming sdkfjlksdk massive tease and bully 🙂‍↕️. very verbal and likes to play mind games. a giver in his heart of hearts. enjoys facesitting. likes receiving too but blowjobs make him feel really sensitive so its a special occasion thing. has a thing for stockings and light femdom overall. loves anal. likes vanilla sex equally to everything else he's just generally down for whatever. very quick learner. has a bunch of somewhat random fantasies he's embarrassed about wanting to try but gets really into them when they happen. jack of all trades.

bachira meguru: another True Switch. NOISY IN BED. in general the type that wants to get his way. extremely bratty sub and kind of masochistic. likes the feeling of being completely dominated and also likes being the center of attention in sex. prefers topping to bottoming but only in a very slight margin. rough when he's dominating someone, like sickly sweet tone that completely contradicts what he's doing. likes quickies and in general having very risky sex whether that means being in public or going bareback. likes piss. bitey and likes bruising. fiend about head in general so loves getting facefucked and loves eating pussy. like he lovesssss it. likes receiving it too but likes to fuck(or be fucked) much more. spits an insane amount of filth during sex like goes on and on and on. just like a little slutty. unrelated kinda but his cock is BURLY. anyway.

itoshi rin: generally leans submissive and/or vanilla. kind of a spoiled brat about it but it takes him... a long long time to open up to that point. doesn't care about top/bottom position much. even in vanilla sex it's probably on you to take the lead in one or another until he's more comfortable. can be kind of stiff and awkward. unexpectedly clumsy abut everything and touches you carefully. good with his hands. likes being on the receiving end of body worship. usually does not like to inflict pain. its very intimate no matter what and unexpectedly emotional. uses sex as a stopgap for communication barriers so sometimes his cuteness aggression ends up as marathon sex where you fuck for hours. overall reserved and has to be convinced to do certain things even when he likes them. cant take being edged. always very embarrassed in the aftermath. likes being pampered a little and spoken too in a very embarrassing way but if you bring it up afterwards he'll fucking kill you. sweet when he's deep into subspace but again.... takes a while. he relies on his instinct a lot in bed, like more than normal.

oliver aiku: whore. another switch, but leans on dominant. no real pref for top/bottom. knows what he likes and how to please people. usually bottoms for very burly men and tops pretty boys - he is very typical in that sense. likes all women equally in his case and does what they say. weirdly unselfish which is what makes people come back to him. good with pretty much everything but his stroke game is undefeated and it is unfortunate for everyone. can be incredibly cruel while dominant or incredibly sweet. just depends on who he's with. enjoys getting head when its sloppy. big fan of anything related to ass (likes rimming as much as being rimmed etc). prefers one on one interactions so he can focus his attentions on one person but has been in several threesomes. in a relationship he is extremely heavy on body worship and praise. frightening stamina, never tired. can do it a couple times in a day without getting tired. likes spit and cumming on his partners face.

i think i will be here forever if i go though people can ask for specific characters if they want a version of this SDKJFSDJ. but these are my opinion on my Faves(TM). SORRY THIS IS SO LONG? something is wrong with me

i think a lot of the bluelock men are very switchy and weird about sex bc they are just insane KSJDKJ ??

[audliminal]

It's Just a Game, Right? Pt 5

Masterpost

"It's a pun." Tim murmurs, staring at the notes he's supposed to be sharing with Bernard. "I can't believe I didn't notice that sooner."

"Wait what?"

"The off-key notes are the key to the Caeser ciphers."

"Oh my god." Bernard stares at Tim's notebook. Just like Tim said, each off note is exactly the same amount of steps away from correct as the corresponding number of steps to move down the Caesar cipher. "Okay that's, like, kind of insane? Do we need to be looking for puns now?"

"Potentially? Double meanings are the basis of riddles, which are basically just word-based logic puzzles, so you know... Depending on someone's motivations they might find them equally valuable."

"Huh." Bernard tilts his head considering the new information. "Wait, does that mean that like, the Riddler uses puns? Is that a thing?"

"All the time, actually."

"Dude, why do you just know that?" Tim freezes, remembering too late that most people don't have access to dossiers on every rogue. "No, nevermind I know you're like, weirdly knowledgeable about the bats and the rogues; I shouldn't be surprised."

"Well, maybe everyone should pay a little more attention to their MOs," Tim says pointedly. "They are generally considered to be the most serious safety threat in Gotham, after all.

"I mean, I know generally what their deals are, I just don't go all Genius-Mode about it." Bernard laughs, then gets a thoughtful look on his face. Oh no, Tim thinks. "Hey, maybe the bats should, like, commission your help to deal with the Riddler. I'd bet you'd work through his weird puzzles in like, ten minutes!"

"I feel like they're doing fine as is."

"Yeah, I guess, but like. What if they could do it even faster, right?"

"Maybe." Tim fiddles with his pen. "Do you want to know what else I found?"

"Wait, you found more?"

"Not much; it came to a dead-end pretty quickly, but the implications are- concerning."

"Oh?"

"I noticed that the length of time for each photo seemed randomized, which I thought might also be a choice based on the music, since they always shift in time with a note, but there wasn't any logical pattern I could find there."

"I mean, that doesn't seem like a dead-end, that just sounds like we're missing something."

"Exactly. So I made a list of the durations between each incorrect note, and I ran that through a code checker, and it turned out to be encoded in base 26." Tim points to the corresponding list of numbers, and then below it, to where he's written out the translation.

"Dude." Bernard stares at the notebook, looking back at Tim with wide eyes.

"Someone is begging for our help."

"This is so cool!" Bernard exclaims grabbing at Tim's shoulders and shaking him lightly. "How have I not dragged you into solving ARGs before this you're so good at it! Just wait till I tell everyone on the forum!"

Tim blinks, Bernard's sudden excitement in direct opposition to the words had written down. When he'd cracked it, all he had felt was a spike of adrenaline, the anticipation of knowing there's somebody that needs help. But there isn't, is there? This whole thing is just a game. And the people that wrote this, that made these videos, that encoded these messages - the real people, are just having fun.

Tim takes a deep breath and does his best to match Bernard's excitement. But the words on the page keep staring back at him.

Help us please help us

[forwards-beckon-rebound]

dick grayson figure skating hcs

i swear i wasn’t searching for any skater specifically but what am i supposed to do, look at yuzuru hanyu and not use the pic?

ft mostly men’s singles but there’s bonus dick x reader pairs at the end

we’ve talked about dick grayson going to the olympics for gymnastics

what probably happened was the batfam got together and decided to watch the summer olympics and we got to pommel horse guy

and jason made some comment about how that guy’s basically just a better dick

and he took that personally

so of course he’s already calling up the us gymnastics team because what is the point of being bruce wayne’s son if you don’t have the most random connections ever (and they were probably already begging him to join anyways)

but 4 years is a long time to wait, so in the meantime, he decides to work on competing in the winter olympics too

and he just so happens to be a figure skating prodigy bc ofc he is (bruce signs them up for a lot of extracurriculars so all of the bat kids are weirdly good at random stuff)

ooooh this means that he’d be good at ballet too which pisses me off

he’s kinda like nathan chen in the sense that this guy is good at too many things and my asian parents would unfortunately love him

anyways! back on topic

unfortunately brian orser cannot be flown out to gotham every day (if you don’t know who he is, he is simply the goat i don’t make the rules) so dick probably has a different coach for day to day training

but he went to intensives a couple of times a year growing up

he kinda stopped when the titans and nightwing stuff got to be too much to handle but the two of them still keep in touch and brian’s like i can’t believe my star pupil is wasting his talents being a cop, why is he not on the ice

so you KNOW as soon as the olympics idea comes up dick’s calling brian up and bro sheds tears when he gets the call

he already had the routines planned out and the songs picked because he keeps on getting ideas and being like this is so dick grayson coded (with the same energy as somebody writing headcanons i imagine)

guys hear me out, fun jazzy short

like he gets the crowd to clap along and he just has the brightest smile on his face the whole time

yes i am thinking about kagiyama yuma’s song choice at the beijing olympics. and honestly his outfit too but i’m imagining dick’s is a brighter blue

and you think it’s all fun and games

AND HE PULLS OUT THE CLEANEST 3A + 1EU + 4L KNOWN TO MAN

and ofc he can do a quad axel who is surprised

lives were changed with the short 🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

alsoooooo the ISU legalized backflips now and you know dick is gonna do one of those

ACTUALLY if you guys have ever seen malinin's raspberry twist

are we seeing the vision guys

i feel like he would choose something more emotional for his free (gotta get those performance points)

if nobody is bawling by the end of his program then i am dead

i selfishly want him to skate to yuri on ice (like the actual piece, although i can make a whole list of yuri on ice songs i think would suit him) but i don't know if he's a weeb like that

as a dancer, i feel like step sequences is where i'm the least impressed

he would not disappoint though, like everything's so clean? and so emotive?

i feel like he was built for the biellmann, especially the hyperextended and no i'm not taking notes

THE PRETTIEST OUTFITS EVER

if anybody wants to draw fanart of dick in yuzuru hanyu's skating costumes haha

at the end of his program he's going to point towards his family and bow to them ofc

butttttt he may or may not send a particularly smug look in jason's direction

and the wide grin that he has on his face when he's announced the winner is made even wider because he knows that jason's in the stands gnashing his teeth

bonus: fanfic idea? dick x reader pairs event where they grew up skating together

they had crushes on each other but never said anything

they get into a fight because dick wants to quit

but then a few years later he’s like haha wanna compete together?

and reader thinks he’s not taking this seriously and is still mad at him for leaving but brian’s like great! welcome back dick so obviously they’re stuck together now

and of course they have a very…interesting program (tumblr is not letting me add the link but just search up the tessa virtue and scott moir moulin rouge perfrormance)

at first it’s super awkward, dick’s like not even super sure why she’s still acting weird around him, they continue to butt heads

and it all culminates in their free, when they realize that these emotions aren’t just for performance points but actually genuine??

AND THEN THEY KISS KISS FALL IN LOVE

okay that’s all!

i ended up writing it lol

[ikso69]

"Loved That Twat"

Summary: A random hookup at a dodgy diner with some ginger tosser leads to... well, a proper turn of events, innit?

A/N: Keeping my promises, yeah? I'm absolutely obsessed with Cook 'cause he's... such a fucking idiot you wanna throttle, but at the same time, he's just so fit and hilarious-I'm sick in the head for this wanker.

WC: ~1115

Предупреждения: непристойности, незащищенный секс, публичное дурачество, Джеймс Кук есть Джеймс Кук.

Pairing: James Cook x f!Reader

You ended up getting fucked in the bathroom of a 24-hour diner by some cocky redhead after wandering in high as balls and starving. In your defense, it wasn't a bad shag-ignoring the fact he came way too fast and left you a sticky mess with his cum soaking through your knickers. Probably a habit of his, but whatever. Normally, you don't just drop your pants for randos who can flirt, but there was something different about this one, y'know?

After the sloppy quickie with Cook (yeah, he introduced himself after blowing his load, which made you cackle at the absurdity), you're slumped on a grimy diner booth, chewing cold potato wedges and trying not to think about how your underwear is still damp. You should have tossed them, but your stoned brain decided walking home with some fabric between you and the world was better than none. James swaggers back to the table with two sodas, slamming one down in front of you with a shit-eating grin.

-Tastes like cat piss watered down, he grimaces, plopping across from you. -Shoulda just taken 'em off. Squirming around with my jizz in your knickers ain't helping, love.

James Cook lounges like he didn't just fuck you in a filthy diner toilet but pulled off some heroic feat. His ginger mop sticks out in every direction, that smug smirk plastered on his face, eyes screaming "Yeah, I'm like this-what're you gonna do?"

You glare at the half-empty soda.

-Did you seriously drink mine?

-Had to check for poison, yeah? He shrugs like it's the most logical thing.

-Plus, after blowing my load, a man's gotta rehydrate. Basic science, babe. You roll your eyes but can't help the smirk. Christ, he's obnoxious, but there's something magnetic about it. You've known him less than an hour, and already, his brand of chaos is weirdly charming. Not a gentleman, not a complete animal-just a bloke who loves sex, pretty girls, and makes zero effort to hide it.

The way he sprawls in the cheap booth, arm slung over the back, makes your cunt clench like he wasn't just pounding into you minutes ago, groaning in your ear like a desperate pup as he spilled into your panties. Fuck, those sounds were heaven-left you shivering, cheeks burning like he'd paid you the filthiest compliment.

Absurd, but true.

-You even realize how you look right now? He leans in, voice dropping to a whisper. -Sitting here, all disheveled, my cum still in your knickers, munching chips like it's nothing.

Fuckin'... hot. You scoff, but heat floods your stomach, making you slick all over again.

-You came in, like, ten minutes, Cook.

-You counting? His hand slides up your thigh under the table, fingers teasing bare skin. -Means you liked it. I know how to fuck, just had an off day. Usually, I make girls squeal like hamsters.

You take a sip of the shitty soda (which does taste like diluted cat piss, but after smoke and his fingers in your mouth, it's almost tolerable). A laugh bubbles up, and you clap a hand over your mouth to keep from spitting it out. So your suspicions were right-he was that guy. The one girls whispered about, maybe even older women. Not that you cared. Just... observations. Classic lad move, really. -Alright, you slam the cup down, -if you're so legendary, why not take me somewhere better than a diner loo?

James grins, eyes glinting, and in a flash, he's beside you. His fingers dive under your skirt without shame, rubbing your soaked knickers like he's smearing your mixed fluids back into you. Your thighs fall open with a shaky exhale.

-Fuck, you're drenched, he murmurs against your neck, breath hot. Keep this up, you'll have to hide my hard-on with your hand. Wanna embarrass yourself? Make us look like rabbits who can't stop shagging on every surface?

You just lean back, gripping his shoulder. Couldn't give a fuck if the cashier sees him finger you right here. If he asked, you'd probably come screaming his name loud enough for the whole diner to hear. -James... Your whisper trembles. Fuck me properly. Not just your fingers.

He laughs-low, rough-like you've said something hilarious instead of begging.

-That quick? His fingers don't stop; if anything, one slips under the waistband, soaked with his own spend. You clench around him, hot and wet. Thought I came too fast earlier. Now this?

You glance at the cashier-some old bloke pretending not to notice your hips twitching under James' touch.

-Changed my mind. You yank his hair, pulling him close until your lips brush his. -Fuck me right, Cook. Or can't you?

His eyes darken, like you've just challenged him to the best game of his life. -Christ, the mouth on you. He grins.

-Hope you suck cock as good as you talk, or I'll paint your face 'til you choke on the smell.

Then two fingers sink into you, stretching, curling-your back arches, legs jerking, but he pins your knee to the booth, keeping you open.

-See? He watches your face twist.

You're already clamping down. If I shoved my cock in now, you'd come in a minute. Then bitch that I finished too fast again.

You open your mouth to retort, but he yanks his fingers free and smacks your inner thigh-sharp, stinging.

-Up.

-Wha-? -I said up. He hauls you to your feet, nearly sending you stumbling. -We're going to yours. 'Cause if I fuck you here, that fossil'll call the cops, and I'd rather not get nicked for public indecency.

You protest, but he's already dragging you out, not even letting you ditch your ruined knickers.

-What if I don't want to?

He turns, and the look he gives you steals your breath.

-Say no, and I walk. Done.

Вы этого не сделаете.

- Я так и думал.

Он засунул руки в карманы, идя рядом с тобой, его глаза метались по сторонам, словно он искал свидетелей. Сначала ты не поняла, какого черта это имеет значение — неужели рядом какой-то случайный придурок — пока он внезапно не остановился, не присел рядом с тобой и не засунул руку тебе под юбку. «Какого хрена ты творишь?!» Ты шлепнула его по руке, заправив выбившуюся прядь волос за ухо. Не говори мне, что он собирается выкинуть какой-то безумный трюк прямо здесь, посреди кровавой улицы.

"Relax, doll," he smirked, batting your hands aside like they were nothing and diving right back under your skirt. "Just helpin' you lose some excess baggage." In one smooth motion, he hooked his fingers into your knickers and yanked them down. The black fabric pooled at your feet, and you stepped out, the night air hitting bare skin, making your thighs instinctively press together as you crossed your arms over your chest, suddenly hyper-aware of the breeze where there shouldn't be one.He scooped up your discarded underwear, chucking them onto the pavement like trash."There. Now you're officially ready for round two," James stood, dusting his hands off on his jeans, his gaze dragging down your body-lingering where the wind now teased bare skin.

You bit your lip, cheeks burning. This was the first bloke you'd ever met who had zero filter-dirty thoughts, dirtier actions, no shame. And somehow, instead of putting you off, it was infectious. "You actually just binned my knickers?""What?" He shrugged, but his grin said everything. "They were fucked anyway. Besides-" His eyes darkened. "-this way's more convenient."

Ваш дом — это типичная двухэтажная коробка в районе, где все занимаются своими делами (по крайней мере, вслух). Родители спят внизу, ваша комната наверху — с окном, которое не закрывалось как следует годами. Идеально для пьяных побегов.

And, apparently, ginger idiots.

-You seriously expect me to climb a drainpipe? James eyes it like you've asked him to wrestle a shark.

-Either that, or knock and explain to my dad why you brought his daughter home at 3 AM with no knickers.

Он думает, потом усмехается. - "Ладно. Но если я сломаю себе шею, ты будешь чистить мою могилу своим языком. Don't forget to carve on the stone: 'Died with a stiffy in his jeans, fell like a bloody legend.' "

Ты фыркаешь, когда он вскакивает, как обкуренная обезьяна. Минуту спустя он влезает в твое окно, втаскивая тебя за собой. - Еле-еле. Он отряхивается. - А теперь скажи мне, что у тебя есть резинки, или я умру по-настоящему.

"Shut the fuck up," you hiss as he kicks your laptop. Your heart's hammering-less from lust, more from sheer terror that your dad's about to burst in.

James doesn't care. He's already got you against the wall, fingers digging into your thighs as he hikes up your skirt.

"You're shaking," he murmurs against your neck, teeth grazing skin. "Scared we'll get caught? Or just desperate for my cock?"

You don't answer-his hand clamps over your mouth, the other sliding between your legs, finding you soaked. "Christ, you're dripping," he growls, fingers smearing your own slick back into you. "And you dared say I came too fast?"

You bite his palm, but he just pins you harder, his erection grinding against you through his jeans.

"No rubbers," you pant when he finally moves his hand.

"Fuck it." He unbuckles his belt one-handed. "Already pulled out last time. Only difference is now you'll feel how hot I am."

"Тсс..." - ты хватаешь его за плечи, но он просто ухмыляется и одним плавным движением скользит в тебя, впитывая каждую вспышку эмоций на твоем лице, как топливо для своих ебаных фантазий. Без сомнения, он будет дрочить на это завтра или трахаться с какой-нибудь другой птицей, представляя твое милое маленькое "собирающееся-заплачь" личико - просто потому, что он, блядь, вошел в тебя. Ты запрокидываешь голову, сдерживая стон. Он горячий, как следует горит, и без ��езинки ты чувствуешь, как каждая его жилка, каждый дюйм заполняет тебя.

"Так лучше, не так ли?" - бормочет он тебе на ухо, начиная двигаться. Медленно. Слишком медленно. "Чувствуешь это? Какой я скользкий внутри тебя? Чувствуешь, какая ты узкая?" Ты не отвечаешь, просто впиваешься ногтями в его спину, стараясь не издать ни звука. Но он ускоряется, и твое тело выдает тебя — бедра покачиваются в такт его толчкам, словно у них есть собственный разум.

"Ну же," - он хватает тебя за подбородок, заставляя посмотреть на него. "Хочу услышать, как ты кончаешь. Хочу услышать, как ты скул, как та шлюха в баре, умоляющая меня трахнуть ее". И, черт возьми, ты почти у цели. Но потом - скрип. Дверь внизу. Вы оба замираете.

"Блядь". Твой взгляд устремляется в коридор, откуда доносится шум. "Закрой его, черт возьми", - Джеймс прижимает тебя сильнее, его дыхание обжигает твою кожу. Шаги. Вниз по лестнице. Ты чувствуешь, как его член дергается внутри тебя, но он не вытаскивает его - просто прижимает тебя к стене, ожидая. "Если он подойдет, я выпрыгну из окна", - шепчет он.

"You off yer head?!" You glare at him, hissing like a pissed-off cat.

"Oi, it's this or yer dad catchin' his daughter gettin' railed against the wall like some cheap slag."

You wanna kill him.

But the footsteps fade. Must've been Dad-he's always sneakin' out for a cuppa or a midnight snack, innit? Done it all his bleedin' life, and of course he'd pick now, when some stranger's bangin' his girl in her own room. You've cursed him and the whole damn heavens a thousand times already, scared stiff to yer bones.

Then, a second later, he's at it again.

"Y'know what?" He speeds up, voice goin' rough. "Might even be proper hot if we get caught."

You try to snap back, but he silences you with a kiss and all you can do is give in.

'Cause, Christ, he's right. It is hot.

[bbina]

alone together ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 . . . yearning

── taking comfort in the thought that you are together in aloneness through late night talks, heartfelt confessions, and a genuine connection. with your shared experience of recent heartbreaks, you wonder if getting together would be all worth it. in which you find solace in each other's company, that you are alone together.

⋆｡˚ prev | next ˚｡

꩜ notes .ᐟ 3.6k words later my brain is absolutely FRIED with this chapter... took me a day or two and a headache later but ITS HERE. finally goddamn.. and btw im sorry zb1 stans that i've may or may not have sorta villainized your man... its just for the plot i swear!

꩜ taglist .ᐟ @onlywonb @rosesfortaro @starwonb1n @wonychu @totheseok @dolloie @hyunjinsnumberonefun @binluvsu @onlyhyunjin @annswwa @wonbinsvlle @hakkkuu @ilovejungwonandhaechan @artstaeh @lecheugo @odxrilove @bunni @saranghoeforanton @nujeskz @nakam00t @kyusqult @nctsshoes2 @revehosh @s9nwoo @daegale @palchokitty @dutifullyannoyingfox @oshakyao @koryutte @b-riize @meowbini @the-swageyama-tobiyolo @winuvs @i03jae @rsatoru @enhacolor @dalliesque @sweetiejaeyun @dearestjake @cupidslovearrows @sasfransisco @kkumistars @sngj08 @taroddori @nshmurarki @ennycutie @ffixtionista @koeuh @astro-doll-the-star @amouriu

you ignore the way your phone was buzzing like crazy inside your pockets. you couldn't stand it anymore. not even a day in with your unofficial smoking ban, you're already caving in because of some minor inconvenience in your life— "relapsing", as karina likes to call it

it's stupid, you think. why now? you were doing so well with the process of moving on but then it just hits you on a random day. what exactly are you missing? do you miss the warmth that comes with being in the arms of your lover? do you miss the stupid laugh you have when he makes you smile after a rough day?

what are you yearning for?

before you even realized it, you found yourself in front of the same convenience store you always go to. somehow this little convenience store just provided everything you needed when you need it the most such as right now

you only wanted one thing and no one is here to stop you

"one pack of–"

"i'll take these please. thank you" someone cuts you off in front of the cashier. you let out a scoff until the voice registers in your head

it was wonbin

instantly you shoot him a glare. how the fuck did he find you this quick. actually scratch that– how did he know you'll be here?

with your reaction, wonbin takes this time to pay for whatever he grabbed just before you could tell the cashier that you wanted a pack of cigarettes

the cashier eyes you two weirdly, an eyebrow raise as he is unsure on who to serve first

"uh do you still need the cigarettes..?" the cashier cautiously asks, throwing a thumb towards the display behind him

"yes"

"no!"

you and wonbin both say at the same time, confusing and irritating the underpaid cashier. he lets out a loud irritated sigh and punches in wonbin's things before hastily handing it to him

"thank you for coming, come again next time" the cashier grits his teeth as he forces himself to smile

"thanks" wonbin chirps, grabbing the plastic bag and your hand before dragging you out of the convenience store

"what the fuck, wonbin! i told you i need one right now!" you complained, yanking your hand back from his grip

"you don't. that's why i'm here so instead of smoking, you could talk it out like any normal person would" wonbin points out like it was the most obvious thing in the world

"but i don't want to" you grumbled, stopping in your tracks. "just leave me alone today. i don't want to be around anyone"

before you could say anything else, you see someone you know all too well walking towards your direction. your eyes widened and you feel your breath hitch. if your eyes aren't deceiving you, you're sure that it was gyuvin and his new partner

wonbin notices your sudden reaction and before he could ask, a much taller guy approaches the two of you

"y/n, is that you?" gyuvin asks

you felt yourself frozen in place, unsure on what to do. this was the first time in a month that you've talked to him. hell, why would you? you two are broken up in the first place and gyuvin made it sure that you two will never be a thing ever again

"it is you!" gyuvin gasps, finally reaching you and wonbin who just looked lost at the moment. is he your infamous ex boyfriend that you kept mentioning?

"how have you been?" gyuvin makes small talk, "haven't seen you in a long time"

"and why would you?" you retort, raising an eyebrow at the taller male

gyuvin scoffs and pats your head, "still feisty as ever" he comments. gyuvin then finally takes wonbin beside you and his eyes widened.

"is this the new guy you're seeing?" he asks, looking between you and wonbin, trying to piece things together

before you could answer, wonbin does it for you

"that's none of your business" he calmly states, grabbing a hold of your hand, "c'mon. the guys are waiting for us" wonbin lies, gently pulling you away in front of gyuvin

"woah man! i was just asking a simple question" gyuvin raises his hands in mock surrender, "come on babe, let's go" gyuvin cackles, walking away with his arms around his new partner who shoots you a look

you close your eyes as you process what the fuck just happened to you. this day cannot get any worse than it already is. did you really have to run into your ex like that in the open? with his new partner too?

"y/n" wonbin snaps his fingers in front of your face. you must've been too deep with your thoughts to even hear him calling your name

"what?" you snap back to reality

"i asked if that was that him?" he asks quietly, stealing a glance

"... yeah" you murmured, taking a deep breath "i think i'm gonna need some fresh air"

wonbin nods "and i just know the right place"

. . . ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁

wonbin takes you to the rooftop of his building. the same spot he took you during the party back at his building complex. now here you were, leaning against a railing, letting the air hit your skin

wonbin was seated on the ground, waiting for you to speak. he fishes out the food that he blindly grabbed just so he could stop you in time from buying your cigarettes

hearing the plastic rustle behind you, you turned around to see him munching on some snack. in an instant, he raises the bag of chips to offer you some, only for you to shake your head no and turned back around

"... i still want a cigarette" you say out loud

wonbin chuckles, "too bad"

"you're the worst" you grumbled, pushing yourself off the railing to sit next to wonbin who only laughs at your reaction

"i'm ready when you are" you hear wonbin murmur beside you as he pulls out more snacks out of the plastic bag just in case you'll ever need it

taking a deep breath, you take a look at wonbin

"where do you want me to start?" you ask, unsure where to begin. your thoughts are messy as it is

"anywhere. just talk and i'll listen" he shrugs, licking the chip flavor off his fingers

you start fiddling with fingers, trying to think of something to start off with. being put on the spot like this isn't helping at all. maybe if you just had your trusty dusty cigarette, you would've forgotten about your little dilemma in the first place

since there was no backing out from wonbin much longer, what else is there left to lose aside from your pride and dignity from being perceived?

"i think..." you start, staring off into the distance, "... i miss having someone or more like i miss being with someone" you admit sheepishly

it's pathetic, you think to yourself now that you've said it out loud, it sounds and it is stupid now that you think about it

wonbin nods his head understandingly beside you, waiting for you to carry on

"i miss the feeling of what it feels like to love and to be loved. do you think i'm wrong for missing my ex like that?" you turn to wonbin for his opinion

your eyes both meet and he shakes his head no

"no, i don't think it's wrong for you to miss your ex. even i miss my ex sometimes" he says

"right?! it's not wrong right?! it's just normal human behavior to miss something you had" you throw your hands up in the air

"but sometimes it feels like i'm the villain in my own mind for missing what i had and it's so embarrassing to admit it out loud to my friends after all the shit talking i did" you continue, reflecting on yourself for the past month

"yes i hate him for what happened but i think miss what we had at the same time. i know this is so toxic to say but it's like playing with fire and to be honest, it feels or it felt really good" you finish

wonbin takes time to digest what you're ranting. making sure he's taking in all the words you're saying. you take notice of this and start to feel anxious again

was it too much for wonbin to take?

"what i'm getting is that you don't actually miss the person, but the feeling of security of being in a relationship" wonbin comments, making sure his words aren't hurtful or shameful to hear

you give him a weird look. what did he mean by that? did you not make it loud and clear or were you missing something?

what did he mean by that you don't miss the person? you never really had any other exclusive relationship with anyone else besides gyuvin so it would make sense that you miss gyuvin the way you are missing what its like to be in a relationship

wonbin pauses and holds a finger out. motioning you to wait

"hear me out on this. maybe the reason why you feel that way is because, you actually never felt that feeling you're looking during your time in the relationship. it was always you who was the giver right? so now that you're all on your own, you are now craving for the things you've never felt before" wonbin says gently

"in short, maybe you're yearning for familiarity. now that it's gone, you don't know what you actually want, hence you missing what it's like to be with someone and the like" he finishes, finally looking at you as you take in his words

familiarity. what a funny word.

you take a deep breath as the memories of your past relationship all comes rushing through your mind. you were always the giver or should you say you were the "pants" in the relationship. you never really did receive anything in return that amounted to the shit you did throughout the relationship

even if your ex boyfriend fucked up, you were always quick to forgive and forget

yes you had moments where you felt like you were the luckiest girl in the world but looking back now...

if you could talk to your past self, you would've told her to grow a pair and stand up for yourself to those who won't even bother to look at your direction when the time comes

you were so busy giving everything you had to the person who won't even do the same to you in return and in the end, you were left with nothing for yourself

so much that you didn't even notice that you were feeling neglected throughout the relationship. even you had needs, not only him

you cringe at the mere thought of being the one who serves your lover like it was your duty to do so. not because you wanted to, but because you had to. so that the relationship could stay afloat

but it's too late now. here you are, a month later after the break up. yearning for something that you don't even know, yet you know damn well that you'll never ever receive it

so do you actually miss your ex boyfriend? or did you just miss the feeling of being needed? do you miss the feeling of knowing that if you do your part in the relationship, they will always be there?

maybe it wasn't the familiarity that you long for?

"no.. i'm sure i miss him. at one point he was my everything so of course i miss him! it's not easy to move on from someone you've been with for over a year!" you defend yourself, trying to justify the way you feel but it just feels all wrong

you start to think about those times where it was you who was being taken care of for once. times where your ex would hold you and tell you that everything will be alright as long as you two are together. the times where it felt like the whole world was against you and that you only had him?

those were real feelings right? you had every right to miss those rare moments shared between you and your ex lover

right?

"maybe it's not him directly, but the feeling of loving somebody that you didn't notice that you were losing yourself in the process" wonbin says

you did lose yourself in the process of loving someone else. that's why you're acting the way you are now, right? you barely know how to act anymore, thinking that no one would actually understand you, get you because what else was left for you to understand yourself?

"no" you deny, furrowing your brows. “i do miss him,” you say quickly, but the words don’t feel as true as they once did.

do you really?

do you really miss him that way?

do you miss the way you had to bend your back just so you could give him what he want— exactly what he wanted?

do you miss the way that you'd spend nights trying to make amends over some dumb misunderstanding?

do you miss him the way you were slowly losing yourself that your friends had to keep you in check?

do you?

you can feel your chest tighten as the realization slowly sinks in

was that even love?

or was it a routine that you've grown used to?

maybe you didn't really miss him at all. maybe it was the comfort it brought you all along. maybe—

you were so deep into thought that you didn't notice something right in front of you. it was wonbin holding out a cigarette

"here" he says, voice soft

you look up at him with wide eyes as you glance between him and the cigarette, having an inner debate with yourself if you should take up his offer. should you?

"i'll give you a pass but only for today" he prompts, grabbing your hand as opens your palm to place the stick

with a deep sigh, you accept and held the familiar stick rest in between your fingers. using your free hand, you rummage through your bag for your lighter but wonbin beats you to it

he was already holding a lighter with his hands in front of you. wonbin flicks the lighter and a small flame emerges. you let out a little scoff but nevertheless you leaned your head toward him as he lights up your cigarette for you

for a moment, your eyes meet his, and there’s something different in the air. It’s not just the flame between you—it’s the proximity, the way his gaze lingers as you inhale.

wonbin takes notice of the bags under your eyes when you leaned closer to him. his eyes trail over your face, taking a good look when you're this close and personal to him

he fights the urge to tuck the stray hairs falling over your face

you pull back, taking in your first drag, and let the smoke swirl from your lips. you ca feel his eyes were on you so you peer your head ever so slightly to offer him a small smile

wonbin hangs his head low, smiling sheepishly to himself, tucking away his lighter back into his pockets

suddenly he feels you tap his shoulder. you were offering him the cigarette

"the deal was that if i stop smoking, you would too. but since i'm smoking right now, it's only fair for you to smoke too, right?" you say, offering him the stick

wonbin laughs in disbelief. "i guess you're right"

of course you were trying to justify your actions with the deal you two made the night prior

you were about to hand it to him, but something makes you stop. instead of giving it directly to him, you raise the cigarette to his lips yourself. his eyes flicker in surprise, but he leans in, lips brushing lightly against your fingers as he takes a drag

there’s a sudden shift in the air, something you can’t quite pin point

wonbin's a little shocked by your action. he could've held it himself but whatever. who is he to say no to a free hit?

you watch him take a long drag before blowing the sweet smoke into the cool air. the smoke curls between the two of you. there's something intimate about this and you don't know what possessed you to do such thing

wonbin coughs a little, grimacing at the bitter aftertaste. something he isn't used to

"i still don't understand why you prefer cigarettes over vapes" wonbin makes a sour face and wipes his mouth with his arm

you shrug, taking another drag after him, "it's easier to dispose"

"fair enough" wonbin comments, grabbing your hand to take another hit which you gladly let him

it was like this for a while. just taking turns smoking until the cigarette finally dies. you squish the remains on the concrete floor before throwing it into the plastic bag from the convenience store earlier

you were feeling a lot better now that you've smoked it out. you made a silent vow to yourself that this would be the last time you'll ever do this to yourself

if it meant that you'd stop clinging onto your dead relationship, you could at least give up the same vice you picked up from the said relationship

no more clinging onto the feeling of familiarity. it was time to start fresh

wonbin leans back on the wall, staring out over the city, fiddling with a receipt. he wants to say something but he's not sure if he should

fuck it, wonbin thinks to himself before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath

wonbin's voice breaks the sudden silence

"i don't think i've told anyone this either but," wonbin begins, voice quieter, "i still think about my ex relationship"

you take a glance at him, noticing the way he his shoulders are tensed and that he was gripping what seems to be a receipt so tightly that you could see his knuckles turning white. you note that he seems to be deep in thought, gazed fixed on whatever is in front of him

"we dated for a long while," wonbin continues, there's a hint of bitterness in his tone of voice. "i thought things were going well but then she ghosted me. twice" wonbin starts to laugh

"first time, i gave her space. i chased after her and thought maybe she just needed some time to be herself or something.." wonbin trails off, "then she came back with no explanation or whatever and obviously i was so relieved like she came back so i didn't question it"

wonbin's brows furrow as he rips the receipt he was playing around with into pieces

"and then she did it again. this time, no warning or no anything. just, gone" wonbin breathes out, crumpling the ripped pieces of paper into a ball before looking up at the night sky

"i don't even know why i kept hoping for so long like a fucking idiot. i kept looking, kept searching, literally anything i could get my hands on just for an explanation on why she would do that but alas, i got nothing"

you can only stare at him in silence. shocked that he too would open up something he never told his closest friends. you can sense that there was more to this so you just kept quiet and waited for him to let it all out

"it makes you wonder what's wrong with you, you know? like was everything not enough?" wonbin smiles bitterly, "it doesn't matter how much are you willing to do because if the person won't appreciate it, then anything you do will never be enough in their eyes"

you've never felt more seen

after a moment of silence, you slowly reach out for his hand, giving it a small gentle squeeze. it's a small gesture, sure but you know damn well that it meant a lot not only for him, but for you as well. your own way of offering your support

wonbin's eyes widened when he feels your hand snake their way onto his and in that moment, it feels right

you don't really understand why you feel this way towards wonbin. was it because of the shared experience? there was something about him that just makes you gravitate towards him and vice versa

there's a moment of silence after that. just the sound of the bustling city below could be heard echoing through the cool night sky but it's comforting

"thanks for listening" your voice barely above a whisper, breaking the silence. you turn to the side to see wonbin watching the stars silently. you feel a small smile creeping up your face, feeling a little better that you actually opened up to someone for once

you and wonbin suddenly make eye contact. he then reaches his hand over your face. you feel yourself flinch and close your eyes before you felt his fingers delicately tuck your hair away from your face

your heart races but there's an odd sensation of comfort in the air that it feels warm. like two people who met by fate due to the same circumstance of carrying the burden of recent heartbreaks and that,

for the first time in a long time, you don't feel so lonely

[instant-delusions]

I am so glad you’re taking reqs!! Beach sex with rafayel on my mind 24/7 😔😳

not u reading my mind...💓💓

☆

𝐬𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐮𝐩! ˚⋆𓇼˚⊹ 𖦹 ⁺｡°

𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐥 𝐱 𝐚𝐟𝐚𝐛! 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐰: 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐬𝐞𝐱, 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐞𝐱, 𝐜𝐮𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐬, 𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐯, 𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐥 𝐛𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐫

'it's 30°C in linkon right now, people! that means swimming, beach parties, sex on the beach, and beaches."

you groaned at the weather reporter's distasteful pun and reached out to turn the volume of your mini radio down. huffing, you kneeled on your beach towel, re-knotting the strings of your bikini top. your eyes almost rolled to the back of your head when you felt stares on you, clenching your fist, you turned around to give whatever man thinks he has the audacity to-

"rafayel." you exclaimed in a relieved tone, letting your fist sink. said man cocked his head to the side with his signature smile - he was wearing dark blue swimming trunks and a creamy shirt, which he left unbuttoned. sunglasses sat on his purple hair, and the sun shined so brightly on him, it almost made his strands look lavender. "is an excuse of a man giving you trouble?" he asked, his voice laced with a tilt of threat. you shook your head, stretching out your legs and supporting your upper body with your arms to look at him. "i'd take care of that myself." you started, pursing your lips, "what're you doing here? i didn't think you'd be the type to enjoy public beaches."

the artist crouched down to be on eye level with you and began to draw random shapes into the sand. "you'd be right. i'm just passing through to the private beach i rented." he pointed his finger westways, signaling to a lonely patch of sand surrounded by trees. you gawked at him after the words 'rented' and 'private beach' left his throat and shook your head in disbelief. "rich people have weird hobbies."

rafayel let out a fake 'ha, ha.' but the grin on his face was genuine. letting his magenta eyes travel around the beach, he took in the empty beer bottles and weird people hanging around. "come, join me. this place sucks."

so you did. even though your crocs were filling up with hot sand, it was thrilling to have a beach just for the two of you. after placing your (definitely not spongebob printed) bath towel, rafayel immediately lifted you over his shoulder and dropped you into the icy, salty seawater. resurfacing, you gasped - pulling your wet hair back from your face.

"you."

just hearing the pure, hot anger in your tone, rafayel booked it into the other direction. "you motherfucker!" you sprinted after him, hunter senses kicking in until you tackled him onto the ground. "you're under arrest, rafayel." a cheshire cat-like grin formed on his face, his eyes lighting up with mischief. "what're you gonna do to me, miss hunter?" he began, leaning closer to your face. "what's my sentence?" he whispered, slowly turning both of you around. feeling the energy switch abruptly, you broke eye contact. "i'll...keep you in a small fishbowl, like cosmo and wanda."

letting out a chuckle, he kissed your bare shoulder. "doesn't seem that bad." nuzzling deeper into your neck, he pressed hot mouthed kisses to your throat and collarbone, making you whine out needily. "please, rafa. not here, they'll see." locking eyes with him, you knew this was a useless battle. his eyes were glazed over, a hunger you knew all too well reflecting in them. "I don't care." he said, voice muffled by your skin. spreading your legs, you gave him space to settle, which he took with delight. "seems like you don't care, either." you reacted with a pout, not wanting to admit you were down bad this immensely for him. "I'm still dripping from your attack. it must taste bad. or maybe it'll make a fish like you nostalgic."

rafayel laughed at your attempts to cover your shyness, finding it weirdly endearing. it is very unlike him to choose to stay quiet, but he did - drawing a map from your collarbone, between your chest and down to your waist with his lips, wetting them with seawater and the taste of you. he tightened the grip on your thighs once you started squirming, letting his other hand travel just a bit higher to undo the strings of your bikini and let it fall down your legs.

"fuck, I can't wait to taste you." rafayel rasped, guiding your legs onto his shoulders. a bright blush erupted on your cheeks, and you covered your face with your hands, panicking slightly. it's not like this is the first time you've slept with him, though somehow the same feeling pooled in your tummy - a mixture of embarrassment and excitement. rafayel's passionate and upfront personality makes sex feel so much more like an adventure. kissing your inner thighs, he teased what was about to happen, making you cage him in as if it were a reflex. "tsk." he tutted, tapping his finger on the plump of your upper legs to warn you. "behave."

it's very unlike you to submit, but for him, you do. you arch your back, whine and moan as he parts your wet folds with his fingers and licks long stripes between them, stopping everytime once he reaches your clit - kissing, biting and sucking it. thinking about having the most sought-after man in linkon between your legs makes this even more intense, and you feel yourself getting wetter. rafayel notices this as well, pumping a finger into your hole to make more of your juices seep out. he just liked the taste of you too much, he can't help it.

"get on your stomach." he said, watching you turn over. luckily, you caught a short glimpse of his reddened ears and his wet chin. once you were positioned to his liking, he gave your ass a spank, watching it jiggle with delight. a yelp escaped you as he did it again, grabbing it forcefully and pulling you flush against his hardened cock. feeling him pulse through the fabric of his trunks had you mewling, grinding your backside against him feverishly. "impatient, huh?" he commented hotly, clumsily pulling his drooling cock out, "me too."

all this waiting had you dizzy. grunting, you reached back and took his cock in you hand, to which he let out a surprised gasp. you felt it oozing out pre and almost moaned at how turned on your lover was too. not-so gently, you guided him between your folds and pressed your ass to his pelvis, taking it all at once. feeling him fill you up so nicely, his tip prodding at your cervix and every twitch of his pale dick mingling into your walls made you moan deliciously.

"fuck, (y/n), you're driving me insane." he whined, pushing his hand to your upper back to press you down, rafayel started to languidly drag his cock along your walls. everyone knows this artist isn't known for his patience or for being monotone, so the rhythm faltered quickly, ending in him thrusting into you so hardly, your ass clapping against his thighs echoed through the beach. you feared the water god he talked about might feel the ripples on the sea, cursing you for being so naughty in front of his domain. you screamed out, helplessly scratching at the sand underneath you as some sort of anchor for your sanity, but you lost yourself to the pleasure the moment he wrapped his arms around you and pressed his chest against your back, freely moaning and cursing into your ear.

"princess, you feel so good. fuck, your pussy is creaming on my cock, it's gonna suck me dry this time, I swear." he babbles. rafayel talks a lot normally, but once he loses himself inside you, the words just flow out. "r-ra-af", you choke out between thrusts, "it feels so good, oh my god." your pussy flutters once he hits a certain spot, and he immediately notices - abusing it with no hold-backs. if there's anything he wants, it's for you to go above and beyond the lines of pleasure, so he starts circling your clit with three fingers quickly, drawing circle and infinity shapes just how you like it. with no warning, no build up, you fall apart quickly, screaming his name to the heavens while you feel your soul escaping your body with a mind shattering orgasm. after a few seconds, your body is drained off all strength, and you become a doll in his hands to fuck his cum into.

"(y/n), you should've seen your face right now, never saw something more beautiful. it was so hot, fuck-" he buries his head into your neck while he lazily thrusts into you a few times more, stuffing his cock so deep into your pussy you fear he might target your womb. he doesn't move, keeping his pelvis flush against your back while filling you up -

"fuck, it's yours. I'm yours. take it."

[yversz]

🗯 VALORANT // GEKKO X READER

set at a record store // that feeling when you see a cute person and plan your entire future with them after ten seconds // might make a second part

NOTE; gender neutral reader // ~ 2k words // fluff + pre relationship // no TWs // literally my first time ever writing an x reader oneshot, so this one might be a bit awkward // see this as my valentine's day AND night market day present // potentially ooc.

IT was a quiet afternoon at the record store; the sun had already started to go down, the sky outside being visible through the large window. the light of the sun was still shining, painting the outside world in an orange colour that you loved to watch.

the store belonged to your uncle, currently out of town to visit some relatives, trusting you with the responsibility to take care of his beloved records. it's not like you hadn't worked here before already and didn't know what to do, but you still felt your heart stay still for a few seconds whenever someone dared to do as much as hold a record the wrong way or looked at it weirdly. it was a short moment of panic, seeing your life and the life of the record flash before your eyes.

you knew things about music, but your uncle had more of an understanding of how to and how to not take care of the records, so maybe you overreacted sometimes. still, as much as you liked working at the place, you always feared accidentally breaking something or treating the records poorly, which was especially worrying considering the cost of the things around you. while there was money you got for doing this, you didn't necessarily want to spend it on replacing any of your uncle's belongings.

with no costumers in sight, the shop was currently empty, giving you the chance to just relax a bit, leaning back on the chair behind the counter that you were currently sat on, still looking out of the window.

distracted by your thoughts and the world outside, you almost didn't notice the sound of the bell hanging above the door as it opened, making you jump slightly as you quickly and awkwardly attempted to dust off your clothes, stand up and straighten your back - a costumer service smile and friendliness were always important, after all. you didn't remember all the details and instructions of the rules you had to follow at your old job, but what you knew was enough for people to seem to like you.

your attention now on the man that had just entered - he must have been around your age, taller than you but not as old as your most common costumers - you looked him up and down in a way that was painfully obviously a 'secretive' attempt at checking him out. to your relief, he had not noticed and no one was there to expose you.

he was pretty. too pretty for a random stranger. you mentally cursed yourself already, knowing your own thoughts well enough to know that focusing on anything but him right now would be more than difficult. two seconds in and it already seemed like an impossible task.

muttering a few unkind words directed at yourself under your breath, you tried - and failed - to carry on as if nothing had happened.

while your categories of costumers up until this point had consisted of 'fifty year old divorced father' and 'thirteen year old edgelord reddit teenager trying to impress 'goth girls'', you realised you might have to create a new one - one closer look at the other was enough to make it obvious that you lacked a category for being swept right off your feet.

with his short green hair and brightly coloured clothes, he stood out amongst the boxes and shelves full of records that could, although some were just as colourful, simply not match the green and purple of his clothes, the way it seemed to perfectly fit him. while you might have found such bright colours odd on most others, it just made sense on him; his entire appearance having something laid - back about it. he was more than just nice to look at, really.

maybe it was also his face that stuck out to you - unfairly gorgeous, which was something you could already tell just from his side profile, as that was the only thing in your view right now. it was unfair for this face to belong to a stranger, someone not only out of your league but also destined to never show up in your life again. he would leave this store soon and never look back, leaving you behind with your grief.

it was a shame, really.

to save yourself from the disappointment, you tried to quickly let go of all the thoughts in your head, the fantasies of every possible unrealistic future you could be having if you just approached him. a first date, anniversaries, a wedding and family. with a gorgeous man that you currently knew nothing about.

you really had to stop dreaming.

or you could talk to him.

no.

a lack of experience in this field wasn't even the issue; it wasn't like you had never dated anyone before. however, you were used to others approaching you first, making it easy for you to not have to bother with the difficult part of taking the first step. getting over the internal fight of whether things would be too awkward, the thought that the person already had a partner or whatever other reasons there was that could quickly convince you to not talk to someone. rejection was something you could get over, but it was even easier to just avoid it.

as desperate as you were, things were simply not going how you wanted them to go this time. your wish of avoiding a poor attempt at flirting would most likely not be granted, and you weren't really in the mood to make a fool out of yourself. there were no other options left.

well, maybe asking for more than just the blessing of being able to look at the guy was simply too much to ask for. maybe you were only allowed to treasure the thought of him in your head; look, don't touch. and you could live with that! you only had to convince yourself of it long enough to believe it.

you sighed in defeat, trying to get yourself to just get over this quickly, as you heard his footsteps getting closer to you.

he was walking up to you - or maybe you were just dreaming all this, there was no way he was real - a small smile on his face that made your legs feel stupidly shaky, making you curse yourself again for not managing to simply get your shit together and act normal.

he stood in front of you now, and as you looked at him from up close, you finally got a better look at him; the earrings he was wearing being the first thing to catch your attention, then the tattoos— because, of course, he just had to be even cooler by having a bunch of tattoos. were there any more things he wanted to show and talk about so you would be prepared for just how hot this guy was?

too entranced by the art on his skin, you didn't realise that he had already started talking to you, staring at his face dumbfounded, almost as if it was a genuine surprise to you that a costumer was talking to you.

embarrassed by the consequences of your own distraction, you awkwardly took a step backwards, which quickly proved to not be very useful. it did nothing, it did not make you disappear in shame and it surely did not suddenly make your brain comprehend what the man in front of you had said.

"could you repeat that?", you laughed awkwardly.

as if this wasn't embarrassing enough already, he chuckled back at you. he chuckled.

your face grew hotter and hotter, and all the guy did was chuckle at your misery. it was cute, yes. it was the greatest thing to happen to you today, hearing that sound. but you could have spared yourself the part of making what was probably the worst first impression ever.

grinning at you as he spoke, green hair repeated what he said, "I asked if you have (favourite album) available, I couldn't find it when I checked. maybe i just didn't see it, thought I'd just ask about it"

"oh, that's a great one! give me a second...", you exclaimed cheerfully, as you got to typing it in on the computer next to you, a small smile forming on your face. "love that one, it's one of my favourites"

he scratched the back of his neck, grin growing wider as he spoke, "ah, I got into their music recently. haven't really listened to that one yet"

even without looking up, you could feel his eyes on you. while it usually would not bother you as much to have someone as good looking as this guy watch you, it currently just made you even more aware of the warmth of your face and how nervous you felt.

"hm...", you took a few seconds to reply properly, too focused on the clicking sound of the keyboard, "it's really worth it, though..! it's a great album"

after your poor attempt at remaining calm and ignoring the way he was looking at you, you eventually shook your head gently, having had no luck at finding what green hair had wanted.

"we don't have it in stock right now, but I can order it for you if you'd like", you could offer to let him come over to yours and listen to it together, to tell him everything you knew about them and show off your knowledge. you had no idea if that counted as flirting, but to figure that out you'd have to actually do it. if you took the first step and at least tried. but you had already gone through enough stages of embarrassment today to be able to handle a rejection. for it to not make you feel the urge to never show your face outside ever again. on top of that, it was a weird offer anyway. who just invites strangers into their home? if anything, it was an unrealistic fantasy you had to get rid of; green hair would walk out of the store in a few minutes and you'd never see him again. and that was fine. totally. it would not ruin your week and it surely would not be something that you would get incredibly worked up over for an unnecessary amount of time.

but he was so cute. so unfairly gorgeous, it would feel like an insult to his good looks to not at least compliment him.

the way he smiled at you did not help solving your inner conflict at all. it got you nowhere near a solution, and it slowly but surely made things even worse.

he gave you a small thumbs up, "of course, I live by closely, so I can just pick it up whenever"

after a second of what seemed like him contemplating whether to do it or not, he winked at you, quickly adding another comment, "you know what, I can just give you my number and you can text me once it's here!", a pause, "only if you'd like, of course. like, if you're comfortable with that"

oh. that was.. surprisingly fortunate.

maybe there was a chance you weren't actually as unlucky as you thought you were when it came to all this. sure, having his number for the sole purpose of texting him when the record arrived and for no other reason - because obviously that was all you had to say to him - wasn't necessarily a major sign of him also being interested in you, but one could always see it as such. one could always dream.

you pulled out your phone, unlocking it before you handed it to him, letting him type in his number before he gave it back.

'mateo', the top of your chat with him said. you grinned to yourself before you started to laugh, reading the message he had sent himself on your phone, which simply said 'hey handsome'.

one hand over your mouth, you were trying to stop yourself from continuing to giggle, the giddy feeling not leaving your body.

watching you read the message, he pulled out his own phone, holding it up so you could see the screen.

"oh, look who just texted me! let's just hope they message me again once I'm home, they're kinda cute"

blushing again, you just kept chuckling at his words. you definitely would be texting him again, no questions asked. as soon as the shop closed - or maybe you would close a bit earlier today - you'd be right back on your phone.

"enough of that, though! I unfortunately have to leave now, but don't forget me!", he winked again as he made his way to the door, turning back to wave at you as he left, door falling close with a ring of the bell above it.

you looked after him as he proudly walked off, and even after he was long gone you were still watching the sky outside of the window.

mateo

hey so.... I forgot to ask for your name

y/n

it's y/n :)

mateo

sooo, y/n... do you happen to be free on friday? ;)

[nekkitsuliger]

Some folks thoughts on Gavv's villains is another example of wanting to immediately pick apart aspects that aren't seen as conventionally good rather than trying to consider how it works in the show. Personally I always thought the Stomach family worked perfectly with Komura's vision for this season

I've seen mentions of how characterization is shown too late to make them sympathetic or that Shouma needs to have a deep seated rivalry with them. Which for me is a weird thing to bring up because I don't think focusing on either of these are particularly new or interesting for the franchise?

The Stomachs were never, at any point, meant to be viewed with sympathy. They're all complete monsters, that have sparked the trauma of each hero in the show. With virtually all of them being abusive to Shouma. Why would it be more interesting for them to pull up, and tell Shouma to k*** himself in the bitter arc? When the real juice of the drama was the internalized self-hatred that Shouma and Hanto both faced, and the nuanced friction that bubbles up as a result?

Shouma doesn't care about taking revenge against his family, and he has no interest in forgiving them either. Cause he cares more about his happiness, and the happiness of others than ever being invested in his relationship with his siblings. So, I don't think Gavv could've been executed as well if the focus drifted away to the constant ridicule or presence of his siblings who at worst could unintentionally be portrayed as being validated in their grievances at points where Shouma is parsing through his personal flaws that are a direct symptom of how he was treated.

Even for example having Jiip appear as bitter gavv would rob some of the build up to Suga's villainy, give less space for Rakia and would be 5-6 episodes of flanderizing the character. Having him redundantly pursue revenge, when there's barely any screen time to give that the time it needs to be interesting. Holding it off till the 3rd arc to bring Jiip back made his return feel like a bigger deal. Using the angle of marrying the president's daughter to add a whole new dynamic to the villains, and also being a genuinely unexpected direction for him to take.

Characters like Suga, Glotta and probably Nylev on the other hand have had more flavor added to their characterization in the tail end of their screen time. Putting aside whether you can "feel bad" for them, there's nothing occurring that's somehow implausible or random based off their previous actions. Anytime it appears, it immediately illuminates how their struggles relate to the Gavv's theming and characters. Helping re-contextualize them while not wasting time to deliberate whether they deserve some kind of weird redemption arc. Which almost every kamen rider in the past couple years gets right less than 50% of the time. So, it feels weirdly insulting to portray Komura as almost mythically incompetent in this regard when I think she significantly honed her approach here. And on that note, this is also why I generally believe that the drama Komura chooses to focus on is usually (emphasis on USUALLY ) more interesting than what the fandom likes to come up with

[radiance1]

Teddy bear Danny au strikes again! With its partner in crime being the Uncle Waylon au!

So, Teddy Bear Danny ends up in Gotham because he heard his dad mention some man named Waylon in passing, so he decided to put his (figurative) big boy pants on and head out to find him!

He even had a little bag his mom made him, that he filled up with snacks, his allowance, and various Fenton gadgets he could get his hands on without his parents noticing- like the lipstick. It could also, and he's never sure how his parents managed to do it, hold way more stuff than it should looking at how small it is.

So then he left Amity Park with his family none the wiser, thinking about how awesome it would be when he shows up with his uncle!

He went through a few cities, getting weird looks here and there, playing with some kids he's met, being kidnapped by a few, being kidnapped by decidedly not children, practicing stranger danger- sometimes and others following random people he's just met when they said they knew who Waylon Jones was after he showed them a picture!

A picture he drew himself in crayon, thank you very much. His family said he was quite the artist!

He never managed to actually find his uncle though, even with showing random people his picture. So eventually, he always had to hop buses to the next city he could, though he was unfortunately running low on his allowance...

So low that, when he managed to think about it, could only drop his off at one more city, if he didn't want to impose on the amount he set aside to get him and Waylon back to Amity Park. So, he set his sights on Gotham City, hoping that he would be able to find his uncle there!

When he did get there, he psyched himself up, striking a few poses he saw on Tv once and then running off to go find his uncle.

Once again, a few people looked at him weirdly, but it wasn't anything he wasn't used to, but for some reason he got kidnapped more so than usual, not even by kids! Which were his usual kidnappers, sometimes they even tried to mug him for some reason.

So he gave them a snack.

Some took it and let him leave, others... not so much. So he had run away from those ones, fading through a wall or hiding behind a dumpster, or losing them in the crowd were all very effective methods!

He showed some people his drawing, and nobody still didn't know who he was asking about! Which was stupid, in his opinion, because his drawing was very detailed and very accurate! He was about to give him, thinking that nobody would be able to help him, and was just about to head back home.

At least until he ran into somebody, quite literally falling over due to his sides. It was an accident, but still! People should really be considerate of Teddy bears roaming around!

The guy bent down and apologized for running into him, which was a very rare thing when he stepped out of Amity! So this guy had an instant improve on him on that alone, so he got up, dusted himself off and showed him the drawing of his uncle.

The guy who introduced himself as Brucie Wayne actually recognized him too! He said he was on his way to meet him, to be exact, and Danny saw an opportunity when he saw one, so he climbed onto Bruce Wayne and practically forced the guy to take him alone.

He gave him one of his favorite snacks as payment.

Actually two, because he was nice and fun. But no more than that because these are his snacks, and some were also for his uncle!

So when he got to the place his uncle was being held at- Arkham Asylum-, he was informed that his uncle is currently held here in captivity for something, something, something that he didn't bother to remember if he was being honest.

So of course, the most natural thing and reaction to do was to plan a prison break.

He stayed on Bruce's shoulder, using him as a free ride throughout Arkham Asylum while directing him towards his uncle via picture. It took a while of insistence, but they eventually got to his uncles, so he got down, gave Bruce a handshake, phased through the glass of his uncles cell and stared up.

And up.

And up.

And up.

Sweet macaroni! He didn't know his uncle was so tall! he was practically taller than his Pa! Which said something considering he was like, the tallest person he'd ever seen in the history of ever. But regardless he managed to find him, so he jumped around him a bit in happiness, and showed him the picture.

===

Waylon Jones, otherwise known as Killer Croc, was exceedingly confused about why there was a tiny, sentient teddy bear in his cell. Who seemed happy being in his presence of all things.

It showed him a crudely drawn picture of him after jumping up and down around him, and he doesn't exactly know the significance of it, but it implied that the toy was trying to find him, he watched it dig through its bag and pull out a wide variety of snacks, all of which were thrown at him.

Quite literally.

So he decided to just, sit down and eat them. Not everyday he gets free snacks like this, so.

While he was chowing down, it took out a crayon and paper and started drawing, then after that it showed him a picture of Jack- helpfully labeled- and his family, which the teddy bear was on there along with another girl in the kids section.

Which, huh, he supposes he has a nephew and niece.

Then in the middle of eating the last snack, guards stepped into his cell to extract his nephew. His nephew's time was up, it seemed, so he waved goodbye and stared trying to plan a prison break to meet his nephew outside of prison the next time they saw each other.

He could have never expected for him to be turned into a smaller, stuffed version of himself and phasing through the walls of his cell.

===

Danny liked his uncle, he was nice! But it was a bit unfair that he was still way taller than him, even when turned into a doll.

Anyways, he had a prison break to complete, and then he could drag his uncle back home to his family's utterly surprised faces!

[hheaven-sentt]

healing

summary: healing wounds you couldn't even see | leon kennedy x reader

word count: 2.1k

warnings: yearning and pining, depictions of injuries and first aid, leon being weirdly chill, softness

notes: i like dis one | ao3

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You sense the knock before you hear it. You’re curled up on the couch, a few files spread out on the coffee table that you’d been pursuing for the last few hours. You’d grown bored with them, opting to stare out the window as the traffic down below on the street began to disperse and disappear. It was growing close to half past two in the morning. Which is why you almost expect the knock. It comes at exactly 2:18, and you practically jump off the couch to answer the door. Eagerness oozes from your skin.

He’s leaning against the wall, propped up with a single arm while the other cradles his stomach. With a sigh, he looks up at you, bright blue eyes looking a little more glassy than normal. A breath gets caught in your throat.

“Leon?” you ask, reaching forward to help him into the apartment. He grins up at you from his bent position.

“Sorry about the mess, sweetness,” he chokes out. He’s hurt, badly. You haul him into the apartment and set him up on the couch.

“I need you to count to ten and back out loud while I look for the first aid kit,” you say. He huffs a laugh. “I mean it, Leon. I need to know you’re still awake,”

Rolling his eyes, he says, “One,”

You smile as he continues counting, and begin your search for the kit. You find it just as he hits six for the second time, and you’re back in front of him as he reaches three. Crouching between his spread knees, you hoist the hem of his shirt up to see where the blood is seeping from. You grimace as you take in the injury. It’s a red and angry slash from his hip toward his sternum. You’re unsure of how deep.

“You wanna tell me what happened?” you ask, digging through the box for something to wipe away the excess blood with. He groans when you lay your hands on him the first time, and you have to remind yourself that he’s hurt and not enjoying this.

“Wasn’t paying attention,” he hisses between teeth. You’re threading the needle for his stitches. “Guess I should’ve been, huh?”

You shake your head. “You’re not reckless, Leon. What happened?”

He lets out a low whine as you sink the needle beneath his flesh. “Got distracted, thought I saw something I didn't,”

You know you won’t get a more direct answer out of Leon, so you don’t press for one. Instead, you continue sewing up his wound. “You see a medic, a doctor, anyone other than me?”

He laughs. “No, sweetness. No one’s as gentle as you,”

You try to fight the blush on your cheeks, and you’re thankful for the half dark room. He groans again as you tighten his freshly finished stitches. You spread an alcohol wipe across the suture, and you hear him let out a strained breath. Gingerly, you run your fingers over it.

“If it’s not better in two days, I order you to go to a real doctor and get antibiotics,” you say. “I can’t guarantee it won’t get infected,”

Slowly, he nods and lowers his shirt. You take the bloody part of it between your thumb and forefinger, contemplating on whether or not you should offer him another shirt. When you pull away your hand and see the transfer of red on the pads of your fingers, you frown.

“Need another shirt?” you ask. He grins. “I’m sure I’ve got something for you,”

You help him off the couch carefully, eyeing the way he favors his right leg. You draw your brows together, but don’t press him on the matter. Instead, you lead him to your bedroom where you force him to sit on your bed while you dig through your drawers for a shirt from a long forgotten boyfriend or something your brother left when he was last here. You find an old shirt you’d stolen from your dad at the bottom of a random drawer. It’s black and huge; when you wear it, it goes past your knees. It’ll do, you decide.

“Here,” you say, passing the shirt to him. He takes it. “You’re more than welcome to shower, but call for me if you can’t reach somewhere. Do not tear those stitches because I won’t redo them, Leon,”

Heat creeps up your neck as you say it, and you see the faintest amount of pink coloring Leon’s cheeks, but he nods and attempts to stand. It’s a slow process, but he does it on his own. As he passes you to head into the bathroom, he stops for a second, looking at you in the dim light illuminating half your face. He half smiles and takes your hand in his. He gives it a quick squeeze before dropping it, and then he goes to shower. 

It’s more than a want, the feeling you have for him. It’s an odd sort of craving. An itch you long to scratch and tear away your flesh at. In any other story, he’d be the villain. He’s mysteriously beautiful, ethereal in his ways. In any other story, he would break you down to your barest essentials and make you pick the pieces back up. And maybe you’d let him. He’s someone you shouldn’t share your secrets with, someone you shouldn’t care about this deeply.

Maybe he’s still the villain in this story, your story. But he’d only be the villain to everyone except for you.

You hear the water running in the bathroom. You anxiously bite your nails, pacing the living room. After a few moments, you hear the bathroom door squeak open, and you busy yourself with something to look more natural. He emerges a second later, hair still dripping as he runs the towel over it. Something lurches in your stomach, a breath catches in your throat.

He lays the towel over the back of a dining table chair. There’s something unholy about the way you look at him, something sinful. You attempt to school your features.

“Alright, sweetness?” he asks, voice low timbred and honey sweetened. You feel it in your bones.

You nod, swallowing thickly. “Really worried about you,”

He smiles at this, that sort of half smile that only lifts one side of his mouth and crinkles the apple of his cheek. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll heal,”

“Hopefully,” you chide, matching his smile. He shrugs. “Seriously, Leon. You have to swear to me that you’ll get that checked out by someone actually qualified,”

He raises his hands in surrender. “I swear,”

He takes a seat on your couch, and you move to join him. There’s something sacred about the time you share here, between the four walls of your apartment and the dust accumulating on your shelves. His arm is slung across the back of the couch, inviting you into his space. The other hand fiddles with the hem of the shirt you’ve lent him. Without thinking, you seize his hand, examining the splits and cuts surrounding his knuckles. They’re beginning to heal on their own, crusted over with scabs and skin. You run a gentle brush over them, and he twitches as you sweep across the tender skin.

“Does it hurt?” you ask, looking up to meet his eyes. You see something in them that you can’t place.

“Yeah,” he says, watching you. Then, with a breath, “Nothing I can’t handle,”

You frown. “Maybe we should get you a desk job. Come to work with me,”

He laughs, a bright sound to counteract the dim room. “If you could make that happen, I’d take it,”

You wonder if he’s telling the truth. From what you understand, he’s been doing this for a long time, longer than you’ve known him, and you’re not sure he would walk away given the opportunity. You hope that he would, but you’re not confident that he’d give it up. You’re not sure he knows how to do anything else. He squeezes your hand, bringing you back to the present.

“Sorry that I only ever seem to show up when I’m half dead,” he whispers. He phrases it like a joke, but you know he means it. You wave a hand.

“I’m getting pretty good at patching you up,” you say. “Maybe I’ll run away and become an EMT,”

He smiles softly. “You’d be good at it,”

“Don’t know if I could handle all the blood,” you say, shrugging. “It’s different with you,”

Even when he’s fully healthy, you look at him like a fresh open wound. He’s something that should scare you, make you faint, but adrenaline kicks in and you need to fix it, need to mend.

“You should get some rest,” you whisper. His mouth sets into a line, but he nods.

“I take it I’m on light duty for the foreseeable future?” he asks. You roll your eyes and move away from him.

He says a hushed goodnight, and you disappear into the dark hallway. You hear him shuffle as he gets comfortable on your couch, and a weird sense of guilt washes over you. He’d deny you if you were to offer your bed to him, you know him well enough to scratch that idea before it’s even born. Instead, you allow him his ego, and settle between the sheets.

You’re surprised that he’s still here when you wake, even more so when you see him still asleep on the couch. The blanket is pulled up to his chin, his face bent inwards so that he’s almost in a fetal position. It makes warmth radiate in your chest and you smile. You resist the urge to join him.

He wakes while you’re making coffee. You hear him shuffle around, the creak of the couch as he moves to sit upright. He lets out a low groan. You halt your work on the coffee and rush to help him. He’s about halfway to sitting when you find him, grimacing against the pain and stretch of his stitches. Gently, you pull him into a sitting position, and he looks at you with something you can’t place.

“Don’t look at me like that,” you say. He frowns. “You took a hard hit. You’re not going to heal overnight. I’m not magic,”

“I know,” he responds. You sit beside him. “Thanks for trying, though,”

You laugh. “Keep it up, and I won’t stitch you up next time,”

“We both know that��s not true,” he says, looking at you like you’re an angel. “I know you too well,”

You could kiss him, right here and now. You think, for a moment, that he might just reciprocate. Flush creeps up your neck at the thought, and you remember that he’s still looking at you.

“Where do you go?” he asks. You blink at him. “When you stare off like that. Where do you go?”

You shrug. “Just get lost in thought, I guess,”

He doesn’t pry further, just accepts the answer and remains silent. You can’t tell if you’re satisfied by that. 

“What made you come here?” you ask quietly. He looks at you, studying your features. You wish you could snatch the words from where they linger in the air. Clearing your throat, you add, “The first time, I mean,”

He shrugs. “Figured you wouldn’t ask questions,”

He’d been right. You hadn’t asked questions. You’d tried to, thought about what you could possibly ask, but the idea was too daunting and he was bleeding out in your doorway. You’d hoped that stitches were as easy as they seemed.

“I’m good at keeping secrets,” you say. He smiles. “Can I share something?”

“Anything,”

“I’m glad you showed up that night. For a while, I was angry. Felt like I couldn’t wash my hands enough to scrub away the blood. But I’m glad you came,” you say, feeling short of breath. He’s staring at you, and you worry that you’ve said the wrong thing. You worry that he’ll get up and bolt. Instead, he brushes a few stray hairs from your eyes and smiles.

“If it’s any consolation,” he says. “I didn’t stick around for your stitching abilities,”

The apprehension wipes from your bones and you let out a laugh. “You’re so corny,” you say.

He rolls his eyes and kisses you like it’s something he does every day. It’s sweet and soft, plush against the jagged beat of your heart. It doesn’t last long, but you don’t need it to. You’re breathless anyway.

“What was that for?” you ask, starry eyed and far away.

He shrugs, as if this wasn’t the single most important thing you’ve ever experienced. “Figured it was making you anxious, so I got it out of the way,”

His cheeks are pink as you look at him. “What do we call this?”

“Healing,” he says, and kisses you again.

[applestorms]

the demons got to me and i’m thinking about mello again.

god i so desperately wish we could’ve seen him interact with L in canon. near too, but mello in particular— i’ve already written my mello & misa parallels post so i won’t reiterate all that here but, fuck. i think their similarities would’ve been so obvious if we had actually seen mello’s hero worship of L in practice, like more than just his freak out at roger upon hearing about his death.

do you think he would’ve been loud, in his face about it? i don’t think so. i can’t help thinking back to near’s explanation of why L picked the two of them out to be his successors— the two quiet kids at the back of the room, glowering and watching while everyone else asked their questions. the obvious implication is that L picked them out because they seemed to idolize him, to respect him the least. near at least seems to have managed to stick with that mindset for most of canon… but when did mello’s view start changing? was he just better at hiding it? did his feelings ever become more, less mixed? did he worship L like a cold, distant god— or grow to respect the minor points of humanity that seeped out from the corners?

speaking of: how the FUCK did that conversation about the LABB murder case go? how much of that story was actually, directly told to mello, and how much was his own fantasy, filling in the blanks? he clearly projected onto BB. did he join the mafia with that knowledge in mind, that the desperate, inferiority complex-riddled serial killer was the archetype he fit into better than the world famous detective? did he care about justice, any kind of moral standard— did he bloody his hands or find ways to work around it?

mello knew was never going to be L’s successor, not if he played the game according to its established rules. did L ever imply such things to his face? actually, what the hell did L think of near? was he aware of the burden he put on those fucking kids, did he ever care for even a second? did he mistakenly assume his own immortality, even in the face of a supernatural murder?

(clawing desperately at the walls of my enclosure. L getting annoyed at his pet orphanage of super-geniuses for distracting him from his evil boyfriend is one of my favorite fic tropes of all time, if you gimme recs for that i’ll kiss you)

i wonder if mello ever saw the parts of L in near that everyone else seems to unable to see past. maybe he did, but even so— i think he, of all people, was most aware of all the ways in which near was himself. how easily he fit the role but all the ways in which he broke out of it as well, the similarities in their intelligence & methods of thinking but the minor details that meant near could win where L never could. where mello himself never could. he probably knew how that guy functioned better than anyone, maybe even better than near himself, though i doubt he’d ever do much with that knowledge. it’s one of the few places where i see mello & near switching in terms of passivity— mello knowing Everything about near but doing very little about it, paralyzed by his own self-doubt, while near comparatively struggles to claw as much Mello Knowledge as he can, poking and prodding and pushing him in every direction, all while getting continually blind-sighted as he explodes in random ways he can barely fathom.

i like to think that, in contrast with near’s extreme codependence, mello is actually quite self-sufficient. weirdly, he seems to me like the DN character to be the most likely to actually go to therapy at some point. i think he’s a lot more self aware than he lets on, if only because his inferiority complex drives so much of his self hatred, pushing him to always be better, stronger, more independent. i like to imagine that his apartment or room or wherever the fuck he lives is actually quite clean, that he pushes himself to learn how to cook, how to take care of himself. L never sleeps and near probably sleeps too much but mello needs a consistent, solid 7-8 hours a night or he starts getting cranky— the kind of person who functions better in the sunlight, to take from a fic i read recently.

i wonder how much of his life he remembers from before the orphanage. he seems like he might have emotional ties there, but something he’d never or only very rarely speak about— glimpses of a past life that keeps him up at night on occasion, where near is blessed with a complete lack of any earlier memories. mello just seems more inclined towards sentimentality like that, extreme in all his emotions, particularly when they’re utilized for the purpose of self-destruction. he wears a rosary, has a cross on his gun, chooses to die in a dilapidated church. good lord, he chooses to die in a church.

did he grieve matt? he apologizes, yes. but did he already know he was to join him so soon?

i desperately wish to see a version of mello who had the time to commit to his name and chill the fuck out for a while. get some meds, separate himself from the burdens of L, of the rivalry, and allow himself the chance to relax and breathe and properly heal. part of the reason why his death in particular hits me so hard is the fact that it all seems so possible with him, that he has the most potential to genuinely get over this shit— to not just stew in the corners of the earth and let time wash over him (like a certain someone), but actually, literally get his fucking life back.

he’s explosive, yes, he’s neurotic and emotional and lashes out at everyone and anyone he pleases— but in that same way, he’s honest. mello and near do not bullshit themselves in the ways that L and light do so consistently, they don’t bother lying to themselves or putting on airs about the kinds of people they are or the kinds of things they want. they know their place in the world, the expectations on their shoulders.

everybody likes thinking about “L wins” and “KIRA wins” scenarios, but you know what i really want to consider? what the fuck would mello winning look like? i mean, he’s a character whose primarily fucking trait is the fact that he loses, that he’s always second place. i almost feel like mello winning could’ve been one of the best case scenarios— because for mello to truly win, to not just overpower near and tell him to suck it (a situation which would not make mello legitimately happy, just put him in the same situation as light killing L), he’d have to get over the biggest hurdle of his own bullshit and legitimately grow as a person.

i yearn to see a near that got the chance to grow up with his other half, and a mello who got the chance to live for himself again. they deserve that: quiet afternoons to bitch at each other and argue over whatever book they decided to read that week, near whining about having to do chores and mello yelling at him to clean up his fucking legos, matt shaking his head in the corner.

get those kids a fucking happy ending.

[1800miserablethot]

𝕄𝕒𝕝𝕖 ℝ𝕖𝕒𝕕𝕖𝕣 𝕩 𝔹𝕒𝕞 𝕄𝕒𝕣𝕘𝕖𝕣𝕒

Plot: You all go swimming and some chick comes up and tries to flirt with you and Bam gets a bit jealous while watching. (Ya’lls friends don't help because they just tease him about it and it makes him even more jealous)

Setting: Iceland in the blue lagoon

><><><><

“Hanna you’re really letting yourself go, man,” Dico jokes, causing everyone to laugh and look at Hanna who replies, “I don't give a fuck,” which causes Bam to jump in and mumble “Pear ass body,” which causes everyone to erupt into laughter again. 

Bam looks around while laughing trying to spot eyes on you and when he does his smile falters and his laughter fades out. Instead, a soft glare replaces it as he sees you on the other side of the lagoon talking to a random chick who was way too close for Bam’s liking. “Uh oh, look’s like [Y/N] switching teams,” Bam hears Rake say which makes his glare darken, “shut the fuck up,” Bam hisses, his eyes going back over to you and the random chick. She wasn't bad looking, skinny yet toned body, and black medium-length hair that had streaks in it. “Bam if he was a woman,” Ryan joked but it goes one ear out the other. Along with the comment about the tattoo, the chick had on her upper thigh and the other near her boobs. His fist clenched knowing that the chick would probably try and draw your attention there, “No more hearing Bam and [Y/N] getting it on at night, instead we’re gonna be hearing her.” One of the other boys had said which another replied by saying “That’ll be hotter to listen to,” and that broke Bam. He snaps around and yells “fuck you assholes! That skank isn't stealing [Y/N] from me!” He must have shouted a bit too loudly because all his friends were now looking at him weirdly until Dunn finally spoke up, “Dude they heard you say that,” 

Bam stiffens at the realization and awkwardly turns his head toward your direction seeing you and the random lady both looking at you. He sees her giggle and you grin down at her and that causes his veins to boil with anger. When your eyes meet Bam’s he looks down before shaking his bangs out his face and looking away pretending to ignore you. You couldn't help but chuckle at how Bam was acting, quickly waving bye to the girl you make your way back over to your friends. “[Y/N] has a girlfriend,” Dico teases, “hell no, I’m taken,” you say which earns a snicker from Ryan and Rake when Bam chimes in by saying “By who, her or me?” You laugh softly at his bratty attitude, knowing that there was no bite behind those words. “Might be her if you keep your attitude up,” you joke which makes everyone else laugh and react but it only earns a scoff and an eye roll from Bam. “Fine, she can have you,” Bam retorts, going to get out of the water but you quickly grab his wrist and pull him back in. “Baby I’m kidding,” You cooed, turning Bam around to wrap your arms around his waist. Smiling softly at the pout that formed across his lips. “You know that I only want you,” You continued, seeing how his face started to flush a small shade of pink. “You better, asshole,” he mutters which makes you grin before you plant a small kiss on his pout. “You done pitching now?” you joke, moving your hands from his waist to grip his hips pulling him closer. You see his gaze glance over to what you assume to be the chick and when you glance over as well you are correct. Before you can say anything you feel lips crash onto yours, a tongue slipping its way into your mouth. You hum into the kiss knowing what he’s doing, so you decide to play his little game back. You move your hands up to cup the sides of his face, your nails digging into his skin as you deepen the kiss as much as you can. You keep him like this until you start to hear him huffing and panting into the kiss, you take his bottom lip in between yours and pull on it gently before letting it go which earns a groan from Bam. Seeing his half-lidded eyes flutter open to meet yours. “Now are you done?” you ask, your grin reappearing when he nods and takes your hand into his. You glance over quickly to see that the chick is now gone and you can't help but shake your head with a small laugh. Well, at least Bam got what he wanted. 

[onboardsorasora]

Maybe Max is new to his neighborhood and hears about his direct neighbor, Daniel but never sees him. Realizes he sees lights in the townhouse next door at very random times but no one else seems worried.

Their mutual neighbour Vicky checks on the house for Daniel often. Because he apparently keeps weird hours. She feeds is fish for him.

Anyway he's heard a lot about this guy, the neighbors at their end of the cul de sac love him, even though he's often absent. And they take care of things for him. Daniel's lawn never gets unruly, and someone takes in his mail for him. Max wonders just how safe it is for so many people to have a key to your home. Especially if they know you're not there. They always talk about seeing him and Max can never say hes had the pleasure.

It's probably almost 3 months of that when Max gets home late one evening from a night out. He sees a lone lamp light on in Daniel's house and the front door is open. Max is on alert.

He goes to the house, slowly. He has Vicky on speed dial but it's like 1 am so he'll assess then call the police if anything. He goes up the stairs and pushes the door open, there's shuffling upstairs- definitely the sound of someone rummaging.

Max is no hero, he calls the police. Fifteen minutes later and there's a patrol car. The officer that gets out, Esteban, doesn't seem too worried about the situation. Which makes Max annoyed because he very clearly stated that the robber person was still in the house.

Esteban walks to the front door, doesn't even draw his gun.

"ki Ki ki" he calls out, weirdly. Max furrows his brow in confusion

"rraaa rrraa!" Calls from inside. Esteban chuckles and enters the house, Max follows him.

"Danny, you left your door unlocked again. Your neighbor is worried." Esteban reprimands up the stairs.

"ah shit. Right. My bad." A sharp accented voice groans then there was the sound of rapid footsteps down the staircase. A man jumped onto the bottom landing and Max swallowed thickly.

A tangle of curly hair, framed a hot face pulled back in a chagrined smile. Corded muscle bulged as he rubbed the back of his head. He wore a dirty tight blue shirt and large, navy almost cargo pants that Max recognized as those from a fireman.

His hot neighbor was a fireman.

"Sorry about all the trouble. Thanks for like looking out though." His neighbor, Danny, greeted, sticking his hand out for a handshake. Which Max took.

"oh it's- it's no problem. Can't be too safe y'know? I'm Max by the way."

"Daniel. Sorry we're literally meeting like a thief in the night or whatever. Vicky told me you'd moved in, but we've been short shifted at the station." Daniel explained and Max blushed that Vicky had updated Daniel about him.

"are we all good here? I'm gonna tell dispatch that you're buying a box of donuts for the night shift." Esteban teased and Daniel groaned again

"I'll remember to close the door!" He called when Esteban left.

"I take it this happens often?" Max asked and Daniel blushed.

"too often," he grumbled. "When I do a double or triple I tend to forget that doors aren't like self closing outside of the station."

Max snorted, he could see the problem.

"I hope I'm not coming off as creepy or anything but do you wanna like get some coffee? After I've maybe slept for thirteen hours?" Daniel hedged and Max smiled.

"We can have it at my place." Max offered and Daniel grinned back.

"Sure."

[httydfart]

My thoughts on the HTTYD remake.

-the opening scene, awesome

-they added new depth to some of the characters

-we get to see Astrid’s mom and Snotlout’s dad (spitelout actually had a lot of scenes in this movie)

-the twins feel flatter here

-some of Gobber’s delivery in the Gronkle training felt off

-Stoick convinces the others to join him with an inspirational speech with guidance from the elder instead of threatening them with watching over Hiccup

-Stoick’s talk with Gobber felt short

-in fact, many conversations felt a bit shorter, a bit rushed, like they needed to make room

-they took out the lines in the scenes with toothless where Hiccup is talking to himself. He doesn’t talk to himself.

-they removed a lot of the jokes and banter

-Toothless’ eyes aren’t as expressive in this movie. In the animated you could tell what he was thinking, here the camera doesn’t even show his eyes sometimes.

-Hiccup poses that dragons might not be so bad to Astrid in the book scene, which is a little early.

-Astrid responds by saying “I’m going to become chief” which is a little aggressive but honestly in character for her. I think she was trying to provoke Hiccup into being better because she is off put when he agrees with her.

-Dragon training, Astrid asks if anyone is taking it seriously, when only Hiccup didn’t care, so it was a little misplaced.

-they call dragon training “the trial by flame” and the best in dragon training “top slayer”

-they don’t really use the word Viking too much

-they don’t have very many “jabs” from the other teens, not too much additional language

-the dragons are bigger in this movie

-the forbidden friendship scene felt rushed. they removed a couple shots of toothless by himself, which I think took away from his character a little bit

-the teens don’t immediately come around in the montage

-they cut the scene of Hiccup sneaking toothless through the village (I think they were going to do it because it kind of cuts off weirdly)

-the dandelion thing was weird and a little dumb (yes it incapacitates them, but now they breathing fire in random directions)

-the falling in the test flight is silent, which is an interesting touch

-they cut the scene with the terrible terrors, which I think was a bad idea (it’s supposed to be inspiration for how to win the final fight, also, a dragon curls up to him after he shares his food, which cements his beliefs)

-fight scene in the fog, it’s great (the animated was good for the mystery and surprise, but this really sells the hardships of this search)

-when Stoick returns, Gerald makes it clear that Stoick thinks Hiccup died

(In his talk with Gobber earlier they forgot to mention Stoick being worried about Hiccup dying, he just mentioned that he’s not normal. “What am I going to do with him Gobber?”

“Put him in training with the others”

“I can’t do that. You know what he’s like, he’s stubborn, just like his mother”

“Oh, Valka was the stubborn one? He just wants to make you proud”

“He doesn’t follow orders, not like me. When I was a boy (“oh here we go”) I followed orders because I believed in a Vikings potential to crush mountains and tame seas, but Hiccup is not that boy.”

“You can’t stop him Stoick, you can only prepare him. The truth is you and I aren’t always going to be around to protect him, he’s going to get out there again, heck he’s probably out there now”

-see, the humour is greatly reduced, just a little from Gobber, and they took out the part about Stoick being afraid of Hiccup dying, which is odd because at the end of the movie he says that was his entire motivation.)

-in the final training session, we actually see where the other teens are

-Astrid’s parents are cheering her on

-Astrid’s cursing is cut short, cut off by her mom commenting on it

-we lose Astrid’s death glare, she just looked crushed that she failed for once in her life

-Astrid’s confrontation is a bit rushed

-They drop her on a rock instead of tree, which makes a bit more sense

-once again, toothless’ evil grin isn’t shown

-they don’t use that many close up shots in the scaring tactic

-Astrid apologizes to Toothless instead of Hiccup, which makes me wonder what she was apologizing for, but hey nice that she is trying to understand

-the talk on toothless’ back is a bit longer

-They actually talk about Valka a bit more in this movie. Stoick brings her up two more times than the original, Hiccup responds to Astrid saying Dragons still did a lot of bad things to us with Hiccup saying “a dragon took my mom”

-like I said, the talk is longer and it ends with the two teasing each other so it feels less like Toothless is reacting to Hiccup having to kill a dragon and more is being controlled

-Hiccup points out that this is the nest, keeps the line about Stoick wanting to find it

-Astrid and Hiccup don’t talk during the nest scene (makes it feel shorter)

-they really lean into the queen being an alpha that can control them with its mind instead through threat of death

-the scene with Stoick talking is a distant shot, focused on Hiccup

-in the animated when Hiccup said, “it’s not the dragon I’m worried about” the camera showed Stoick, didn’t do that here leaving it vague

-tells Astrid if something goes wrong, don’t get involved. Saves her reputation that way. Astrid basically says why she believes in him and why she is on his side. I like that, but I also miss him asking her to protect Toothless

-it’s basically the same until Stoick sets off the Nightmare, the fight scene is longer and has more people helping out (spitelout holding the grate for Stoick, the teens trying to help Hiccup climb out of the arena as Toothless climbs out of the cove at the same time) it was amazing

-the beginning of the talk with Stoick was good, the ending felt a little rushed

-Hiccup doesn’t stand in the same place for hours, takes advantage of the fact that Berk is bigger this time around and goes and sits on a hill

-Astrid comes to see him and he’s beating himself up instead of her bringing it up

-Toothless doesn’t get mind control eyes on the way to the nest

-Also, camera doesn’t show toothless freaking out before the red death shows up, Stoick just says “this isn’t over” unprompted

-Hiccup let’s Astrid take command in the fight, which makes sense but I liked seeing Hiccup giving commands, it was like a sneak peak into him as a chief

-the conversation with Stoick is different

“I was just trying to keep you safe”

“I know, Dad”

“I’m proud to call you my son”

“That’s all I need”

-I didn’t like this new version. Him being worried about Hiccup is implied, he didn’t apologize for his words, also they took out Stoick and Hiccup both saying “We’re Vikings, it’s an occopational hazard” I don’t know if it was because they were cutting down on humour or if they weren’t Vikings in this one, but I liked them both saying the line because it’s funny, but it also shows the two have more in common than Stoick thought. They even removed Gobber saying “every bit the bull-headed stubborn Viking you ever were”, instead he says “you’ve got a real chief there,” which…I don’t think is shown in this movie.

-further on that, they dont emphasize the parallels between the two. In the animated, it starts with you thinking the two are vastly different and then revealing their similarities by the end. In this one, Gobber brings up a couple times that they are both stubborn early in the movie, no one listens to him and they never bring it up again.

-I like everyone in the fight against the dragon, although I feel like the Twins weren’t used much (they dont bicker ever, Ruffnut hits him on the head once and then she calls him an idiot once and that’s it) they were told to annoy the dragon and then we don’t see them do that. They only rescue Snotlout.

-it’s basically the same for a bit, but how Hiccup gets knocked off is different. In the animated it was more they couldn’t get out of the way, this one Hiccup was distracted and ran into it.

-final scene, no “I did this” from Stoick, but Hiccup didn’t say it either. He just says sorry immediately, and then Toothless doesn’t show Hiccup until Astrid walks over to comfort the chief.

-people didn’t really seem to be too grief stricken from Hiccup being dead. In the animated, very expressive (horror, shock, remorse, solemness) here (hey what’s going on)

-final scene, Hiccup says “stay” instead of “stay here” which is little, but I think it shows he sees toothless more like a pet than a friend

-nice call back to the beginning of the film

-Removes the joke about him thinking he’s dead and just jumps to Stoick filling him in. Stoick clarifies that they flew back, a detail left out of the animated.

-doesn’t have a swarm of Vikings come to greet him, just his father, Gobber, Astrid, Toothless. He talks to toothless like he’s a dog.

The rest of the movie is relatively the same. The movie had great visuals, expanded the characters of Astrid, Snotlout, Spitelout, Stoick, Gothi, and Flema, and set up for a potential sequel with mention of Valka earlier and connecting to other parts of the world. However, I feel like it’s missing some things, some characters got reduced slightly as an effect. It felt rushed in places, less pauses, not letting the scene rest, and some important elements from the animated got left out leaving gaps.

If I had to give the two movie grades, I’d give the animated an A, and this one an A-

Still good on its own, people who haven’t seen the animated probably wouldn’t see anything wrong with it.

[ohmyeyesmyeyes]

IT'S NEVER OVER - PROLOGUE (sept. 2005)

summary: if anyone asked sid, he wouldn't say that he liked pittsburgh more after meeting nat. no, that would be absurd.

warnings: short and sweet! (none)

a/n: hi, hello! am i posting this without having finished it? yes. i don't know how long it's going to be but i'm slowly chipping away at it and i'm pretty excited about it. it might even be my favourite series thing i've done so far, and weirdly my first one? i've had the entire thing outlined for months but i've been too busy to even think about posting it, so...here you go! i can't promise posts for this will be regular because the chapters are so long, but i'll try my best to keep you posted! hope you enjoy (a series mastrlist will be out soon too so you can get the gist of where i'm at in the entire process) xo

sneak peak | pinterest board

(It started with music, but Nat didn’t know that.) 

It was a total accident, a random encounter that Sidney couldn’t possibly have predicted – one that, without exaggerating, changed his life to an extent. On a whim, he’d decided to go into that coffee shop he’d walked past everyday for the past three weeks, and it was also on a whim he actually made it to the counter to order an uncharacteristic coffee – he was newly eighteen, being pulled in all sorts of sports-diet directions, the confinement of which kind of irked him, so to him, buying that coffee was a subtle rebellion.

It was also a complete accident that he’d wandered off to the right after taking his coffee from the counter, instead of left, or forwards, or even backwards.

Sidney wasn’t one to believe in fate or destiny: he believed those terms were too magical – they alluded to some other worldly forces coming into play, and he liked to stick to facts. Coincidences. Accidents. Nevertheless, he did find it almost inexplicable, the way that his life hurtled into a completely different route after a mere forty minutes inside a coffee shop that he’d just spontaneously decided to make a trip of. He couldn’t quite get his head around it all.

To him, it was a coincidence that he’d walked past her table. A coincidence that she happened to be blaring the only song he’d been able to listen to for the last four days. He’d barely made it three steps past her before he froze. 

She was wearing those over-the-ear headphones, the ones with orange sponges from the 80s, plugged into the iPod that had come out a few years back. He recognised it because everyone that had one in his high school before he left never shut up about it. Sidney admittedly did own one at the time, but he never really felt the need to show it off  – it was much easier than lugging around a cassette or CD player with songs burnt in.

The song still had him halting in his tracks and turning around, his body much further ahead than his brain because he had to steady his mug of coffee; his sharp actions had the liquid almost sloshing over the edge, but he managed to catch it just in time.

He wouldn’t have done either of those things: stop and turn, if it had been any other song he’d heard. He was just so taken aback by it – the exact, precise song. 

The girl at the table didn’t pay him a single dime of attention when he froze, despite the fact that his hip was practically nudging her table. She wasn’t even looking in his direction, her eyes gazing out of the window on her right, skipping over empty faces as people walked past. It was clear she was supposed to be doing work of some sorts: there were textbooks, novels, and flashcards scattered across the entire table, a pencil case half emptied with pens strewn all over. She had a pen clutched in the fist she was resting her chin on, not caring for the study cards at all – entirely enamoured by the view. 

Sidney followed her eyes. There wasn’t much to look at, just a street, and her chair was directly facing the side of a retail store, clothes and mannequins displayed in the window. 

In hindsight, Sidney didn’t really know what compelled him to do what he did next.

He couldn’t tell if she was bored and just looking out, not paying attention to the music flowing into her ears, or if she was just so absorbed in what she was hearing that she couldn’t physically bring herself to think about her work – that she’d tuned out the outside world entirely.

What caught his attention the most was the crease between her brows. It drew him to look straight at her; an alluring combination of chestnut hair and pale eyes – though not too pale that they made him uneasy. She was also probably the only person in the establishment that was around his age.

She had impeccable music taste, if he did say so himself.

Yet, he couldn’t shake the inkling that this girl was wholly feeling the brilliance and soul-crushing heartache of Jeff Buckley’s genius – and he found himself hoping she was.

That was why he cleared his throat and took a small step to the other side of the table. He threw a quick glance over his shoulder, noting that the cafe was pretty busy, so he knew he could at least try to get away with what he was about to do.

He made sure to tilt his head up, because the hat covering his face would be nothing short of slightly suspicious in a public setting, and it wasn’t until he purposefully knocked into the chair that she flicked her eyes to look at him.

He held his breath, a moment when all they did was look at each other, until the crease in her brows disappeared and she reached to pause her music on her iPod, slowly sliding her earphones off so they rested around her neck. 

“Hi.” 

His assumptions had been correct. She was around his age – her voice was deeper than he’d originally anticipated – and when he found himself slightly closer than before, he was able to make out that she was studying for her SATs. 

It was September.

“Hi.” He replied, forcing a smile that he hoped would convey the apology he felt for intruding on her personal time and in her personal space. Her clutter was all over the table, and he knew that if she was hopefully as kind to strangers as he hoped she’d to be, that it would be somewhat of a hassle to shove some of it away, “I’m really sorry, but there aren’t any other tables free. Would I be able to–”

“Oh, sure.” She interrupted, immediately going to reach to sweep a space clear for him over the other side of the table. Sidney watched with a mildly amused gaze; she didn’t seem to care for the way her flashcards seemed to mix themselves up, or the way her textbooks snapped shut and she lost her page.

She flashed him a welcoming, slightly embarrassed smile as she piled the books on top of each other, and before Sidney knew it, he was sitting in the chair opposite, accidentally knocking their knees together in the process, and sipping from his coffee mug. He fought to maintain the thankful smile on his face, despite the utterly bitter taste of the coffee that seemed to fester on his tongue.

No wonder he��d never tried coffee before, it tasted like dirt.

The girl broke a small chunk of a muffin off, a smile breaking out on her face as she fought a small laugh.

Sidney blushed, “I’m not a big coffee-fan.” He reasoned, shrugging.

“I can tell.” She pressed her lips together momentarily, looking down at the plate before turning her attention back to him. Sidney felt stunned at the colour of her eyes. He’d never seen grey eyes before, but hers seemed to balance more on the green side – only when the sun struck the side of her face, they turned a watery, clear blue. There was also a tinge of brown thrown in there.

What was that called? Heterochromia?

He felt his mouth dry, and before he could stop himself, he was taking another sip of his coffee, this time managing to control the urge to wince, “Thanks for letting me sit here.”

She shrugged, gathering the flashcards and lining them up, “It’s no problem. Sorry for the mess.”

He let his eyes wander over the books once more, the green ‘SATs’ letters jumping out at him, “You got an important date?”

The girl swallowed, not entirely understanding what he meant. That crease formed between her brows again, and she opened her mouth to question him, but Sidney beat her to it, a finger pointing at her stack of books. 

She sighed, “Not entirely, they’re at the end of the school year, but one of my teachers gave us an assignment to get some study material done early.” 

Sidney couldn’t say he understood her stress – it was something displayed across the planes of her face; evident when she looked rather tiredly at the stack of books, and hesitated at the flashcards, before throwing them to the side. She folded her arms across the table, then switched so that her hands were interlocked in front of her.

She looked as though she didn’t quite know what to do with herself, and Sidney couldn’t tell if it was because of the presence of a stranger, or if she was already feeling some sort of academic guilt for throwing her attention away from her studies for a couple of minutes.

He saw her jaw clench, and at that observation, the thought that maybe he was paying a little bit too much attention to her crossed his mind, so he turned his focus to the cup of coffee. He was beginning to feel its effects; his knee was shaking softly under the table and he could feel an influx of energy spark at his fingertips. Or maybe it wasn’t the coffee at all.

He hadn’t thought about hockey for five minutes.

He saw her turn her face towards him out of the corner of his eye, and he looked up, “What about you? Are you in school, or…?” She trailed off, her eyes skimming over the logo that had flashed itself from the safe and unzipped confines of his hoodie. 

He felt his heart quicken at having been caught, worried that perhaps she’d shout out who he was – if she knew – across the entire cafe. He remained optimistic; she didn’t seem the type.

He cleared his throat, “Not anymore.” For some reason he hesitated. He could play off the logo as merchandise – he could be someone other than Sidney Crosby, the New Rookie of the Pens – or he could be honest. When he looked back at her, there was a challenge in her eyes, and Sidney knew then that she already knew who he was. “I just got drafted to the Pens for my first NHL season.”

She sighed, “Can I tell you something?” 

Sidney furrowed his brows, his mouth tilting down in a smile. He was new to the whole ‘local celebrity’ deal, but this by far, is probably one of the least impressed reactions he’d ever had. She clearly knew he wasn’t in school, but had still taken the kind courtesy to ask him the question, despite the futility of it.

He nodded. 

“I only know one Pens player.” Then she pointed to something out of the window, “That banner has been staring at me every week for the past three months.”

Sidney huffed a laugh, thinking she was joking, but followed her finger anyway. He was immediately faced with a street corner, tens of people walking past each other – he could even make out their voices if he concentrated hard enough, and it took a while to figure out what exactly she was pointing at, until his eyes settled on a billboard at least a block down.

He’d been told that for press reasons, the Pens had come up with the idea of a way of promoting him as a player, and a ‘person of Pittsburgh’, by plastering some action shots of him – still staged – around the city. He’d neglected to look up lately, fearing that if he did, he’d be faced with some images of himself, but he hadn’t escaped that entirely.

The billboard was small, and he wasn’t the only player on there, either, but he saw it nonetheless. 

When he spun back around to look at her once more, the only thing that came out of his mouth was, “There’s two other players, not just me.”

She shrugged, “I was talking about Sergei Gonchar.”

Sidney felt the blush colour from his chest to his cheeks as he slowly put his hands over his face, consumed by humiliation. He felt himself smile into his hands when he heard the girl huff a snicker. He’d had quite a few people as of late kissing up to his ego, and apart from his teammates, she was the first one to really deliver a considerable blow – and he was thankful for that; that at least someone still had the ability to look past who he was and tease him like he was a normal person. He was aware of the irony that lay there.

He gathered himself, unabashedly removing his hands and displaying the creeping blush for her to see, and sticking his hand between them, “Sidney Crosby, rookie center for the Pittsburgh Penguins.”

She rolled her eyes, not commenting on the state of his cheeks, her smile fading slightly but still remaining, “I was joking, I know who you are.” She took his hand in hers, gripping it tightly, “Nat Brooks. Student.”

Sidney swallowed, his blush remaining for other reasons, and pulled his hand away, flexing it under the table, “Is Nat short for anything?”

“Natalia.”

“‘S very pretty.” He mumbled, and she smiled sweetly.

“Sidney’s very pretty, too. It suits you.”

Something clenched in his chest.