#But I do love her school mode where she's in denial over her crush on Makoto

[sumechiayuu]

Thinking about this one post related to Toko Fukawa’s school mode ending where OP said “UDG except every fantasy is about Makoto” and I haven't stopped thinking about it since

[mariamermaid]

Patronus-Protector

Sirius x Reader

Summary: Much to your dislike, your friends have been hiding something from you. Now it is your turn to find out what has been slumbering beneath the surface of the marauder group…

Words: 3.1k

A/N: requested by @divergirl9-blog Sorry it took so long!

Warnings: swearing, blood, little bit angsty

Patronus{m}, Latin- Protector

“Have they been avoiding you?”

Lilly frowned as you sat down across from her in the great hall. It was a custom habit of the two of you to do the potions homework on Tuesdays together. But your mind was everywhere but on the potions.

“What do you mean?”

“Don´t act stupid, Evans. Did James tell you anything?” You scrunched your nose and leaned a little over the table, so the red-head couldn´t avoid your glance. She held in for a second; James hadn´t particularly mentioned anything. On the other hand, the past times she had seen her somewhat secret boyfriend, there wasn´t much talking involved.

“Not really”, Lilly sighed and tried to get back on the homework. But you were too stubborn and took away her pen. You wouldn´t let this slip another time. “Not really? Is that all you got Lilly?”

“For Merlin´s sake Y/n, I don’t really know! He mentioned something about going to the Shrieking Shack.”

It was your turn to furrow your brows in confusion. “What do they want there?” You asked muttering more to yourself. Lilly rolled her green eyes, until they landed on a certain dark-haired boy. You quickly followed her glance, finding Sirius standing across the hall. It seemed like he had either watched, maybe even eavesdropped, but before you could further question the whole situation, he left the hall with hasty steps.

“You´re done, Black”, you cursed as you hurried after him and to hell with the homework, which you left behind.

Lilly watched as you left, her head back in her hand. “Young love.”

It was no secret to her that you felt a little more than just friendship for the heartbreaker boy. It was also no secret, that Sirius Black was only heartless until it came to you.

There was no thing he wouldn´t do for you, much against his own denial. However, Sirius was best at one thing; protecting you. Mostly, from himself.

Oh yes, he wouldn´t trade your long friendship for anything or anyone, but his craving to feel your soft lips on his, was getting stronger by the day. The fear of breaking in took away his sleep. But as the time the night came, he realized the empty spot in the bed next to him. However, he decided on the empty spot, instead of losing you forever. He had determined years ago, his purpose to protect you was greater than his pain.

You made it hard though. Especially as you ran after him through the halls, after he was explicitly advised not to talk to you with the upcoming full moon. It would be hard to contain Remus and James couldn´t babysit a werewolf and an Animagus at the same time. Especially, if said Animagus was only focused on protecting the girl he loved.

“Sirius!”

He ignored you.

“Sirius Black if you do not stop running, I´ll hex you!” Finally, he stopped in his tracks. So abruptly, you almost ran right into him.

“For Merlin´s sake, you better tell me what is going on!” You scolded him angrily. He avoided your eyes, staring out of the window instead.

“I don’t know-“

“Don´t!” You became angrier by the second, but beneath all that anger was hurt. Why didn´t he tell you? What had you done, that made him loose trust?

“Don´t do this, Sirius. We don´t have secrets from each other, I´ve known you my entire life. If I did something wrong-“

It was his time to cut you off.

“You didn´t do anything wrong!” He assured you quickly and you sighed, as he finally starred into your mellow face.

“But clearly something is wrong and as long as you prefer to keep it from me, instead of letting me help, you can shove our friendship up your ignorant ass!”

He wanted to prevent exactly what just happened; you getting hurt. But you were hurt and his actions felt like betrayal to you.

Angrily and gloomy, you left him standing in the empty hall.

For the next two days, neither of the marauder´s saw much of you. Lily, who shared her room with you was the only one. Sirius, who had given up on trying, after your recent fight, only watched you from afar. Both James and Remus attempted to catch you after class, but you slipped away and hurried back into safeties of your room. All of them worried about the silence that hung like dark thunder clouds, but the full moon was approaching fast. They had bigger worries.

It was on the second day of your oppressive silence; night was approaching and your stomach growled in hunger. You had skipped dinner in order to evade James and Peter, who sat with Lilly. It was weird seeing them without Remus or Sirius, but you hadn´t given it much thought. They were probably up to no good as always.

But as you snuck out your room hoping to get at least a late-night snack, you heard toned down voices. Waiting at the end of the stairs of the common room, you listened to James and Peter.

“Come on, Potter! You can always talk to your girl, but we have to get going now! Sirius will need our help.”

James sighed defeated. “If this continues, Lilly won´t talk to me just like Y/N.”

“If Sirius would´ve acted a little more elaborated, she wouldn´t be as pissed as she is. That boy knows how to charm every girl, but her.”

James snickered at Peter´s comment. “You´re right, let´s go!”

You had no idea what was happening, but your feet acted on pure instinct as you hurried after the two boys. After all, curiosity killed the cat.

They left the school building and you had trouble keeping up, cursing at Merlin for their endurance from the quidditch training. You watched as they arrived at the whomping willow, hiding behind rocks and high grass, and then, they disappeared.

How did the old willow not even attempt to crush them? You eyed the plant structure from a safe distance, analyzing where James had previously stood. Something was there, you couldn´t fully make it out, but James had leaned down a little to touch the willow.

“For Merlin´s sake, those boys will be the death of me!”, you cursed whispering as you hurried to the willow. Hastily and purely relying on hope, you searched the plant for anything. It was your luck, that you found the knot at the base and a secret passage opened up.

Your mouth slightly opened and quietly you admitted, that the marauder weren´t completely stupid. At least not all the time (often enough though). It was a rather awkward slide into the passage, but luckily, James and Peter were already more far off and they didn´t hear your stumbling.

It didn´t take long until you found yourself at the shrieking shack, slowly the pieces were put together. However, you already heard loud voices coming from inside.

At this point, your gut feeling took over your prudence and you hurried inside, following the yelling. Screams from all of the marauders echoed through the old shack and you panted, when all kind of horrible scenarios came to your head. Argument or not, they were your friends and you´d do everything to protect them. With your wand safely in your hand, you entered the large room, but what came to your view wasn´t at all what you had expected…

At the back of the stone wall was Remus… But he wasn´t himself.

In the rise of the silver full moon his eyes turned savage and fur crawled across his skin until he was fully covered. You heard the breaking from the metal chains as he rose from the ground, taller than ever before. A gasp left your lips, which brought all the attention to you.

“Remus!”

James, Sirius and Peter exchanged quick looks, it wasn´t their first battle against the full moon, but this time you were a new meeple in the game. James and Peter lunged forward, trying to keep Remus, who was in full werewolf mode, back and Sirius ran to your side. “What are you doing here?” He asked furious and your head snapped at him.

“Me? You were the one lying to me! I wouldn´t have come, but you were hiding something from me!”

“I wasn´t!”

“Uhm, how about Remus being a werewolf?”

“I wanted to tell you!”

Your argument was interrupted as both James and Peter were thrown against the wall, Remus was on the loose. Sirius who had positioned himself safely in front of you, let out a growl as well.

In the next second, he jumped forward, his clothes ripping and when landing, the four paws scratched across the wooden floor. Yes, you had spent many hours cuddled together with Sirius in his hound form, watching sunsets and sometimes sunrises as well. But it was the first time, you witnessed him other than an adorable dog. This time, he truly seemed dangerous.

Not only he, but Remus as well and you felt fear growing. You didn´t know what they were capable of. Barely realizing how Peter grabbed your arm to pull you back from the fight, you watched as the two shadow figures began battling.

“Y/n stay back”, Peter tried to remind you, but you too captivated. Both he and James couldn’t do much, until Sirius was thrown against a nearby dresser, which fell to pieces. Sirius bellowed in pain and while James tried to help the hound pack on his feet (or paws), you placed yourself right in between him and Remus.

“Remus, remember who you are! We´re your friends!” You exclaimed, but aimed with your wand right at him. No one hurt your friends and seeing Sirius down, felt like a wakeup call.

Remus however didn´t listen and as he made another step closer to you, you were left no choice.

“Stupify!”

The red light bathed the dim room, but then the darkness crawled back into the corners and your senses. Your eyes had to adjust again, but then he was suddenly right in front of you. A sharp pain emerged, as you held up your arms to protect your body and head, then you felt yourself hitting the ground. Everything was spinning, you had lost your wand and burning red liquid ran down your outer, lower arms. Screams echoed further in the shallow room and you did your best to concentrate. Sirius´s dark shadow lunged off the ground and threw Remus back down, howling and growls cut through the air. But the two of them disappeared in blurriness. Two pair of arms grabbed your side.

“Y/n, can you hear us?” James´s distant voice rang through your mind; you formed a faint nod.

Peter starred at the continues blood stream.

“James, she´s losing a lot of blood, we need to get her to the infirmary.” Peter quietly explained and shock as well as fear was clearly written in both of their faces. “What about them?”

James felt like vomiting at the sight of your injury and feared the fact, that you were zooning out more and more. But Sirius had Remus pinned down, and Peter carefully, but rapidly put your arms around James.

“Get her to the infirmary, I´ll help Sirius in tying him down, go!”

It was at the edge of your consciousness as you felt yourself leaning against James, while he tried his best to get you through the dark, dirty passage. Then, before you reached the light of the moon again, you blacked out.

 He had decided years ago, his purpose to protect you was greater than his pain.

 Now Sirius sat on the marble bench outside the infirmary. All he ever wanted was to protect to you, and he failed miserably. Deep, dark circles from lost sleep were seen under his matt eyes. It had been almost two days since the incident and he had not the slightest idea, how James had explained the entire situation. Madame Pomfrey sure had enough to do as he carried you in, in the middle of the night with blood dripping on the way. They were able to stop the bleeding fairly quickly, but your body needed a lot of energy to fully close the wounds. As steps approached, Sirius looked up to find Remus; he looked just as tired.

He had lost all memory of the night, but seeing you pale and injured, hit him hard. He probably hadn´t slept as well. “She´s not awake?”

Sirius didn´t answer, his sole presence was enough. On the other hand, he wasn´t sure if he could even face you.

“Lilly´s with her.”

McGonagall’s lecture was hard, but bearable. Lilly´s on the other hand, only created more remorse. She was right, if he had just told the truth, things would´ve been different, under control at least. A deep empty pit inside his stomach growled as blame remained. But the heaping pain in his heart was even worse. The image of you in the hospital bed had been like a trigger, that created an avalanche. It could´ve ended worse, he could´ve lost you.

Sirius felt like throwing up again as the thought crossed his mind. It was his biggest fear; losing you.

 “Amortentia is the most powerful love potion in the world. It is distinctive for its mother-of-pearl sheen, and steam rises from the potion in spirals. Amortentia smells different to each person, according to what attracts them."

“What in Merlin´s beard are you reading to me?”

Lilly´s head snapped up from the potions book, she couldn´t help herself but feel the need to entertain you. And maybe herself as well, while she held watch at your side.

“You´re up!” The red-head exclaimed excited and sat down on the bed next to you.

“How are you feeling?”

You let a small groan as you sat up a little higher, your limbs felt weak and heavy.

“Tired”, you offered her a small smile.

Your eyes traveled down to the bandages on your arms.

“Glad to see you didn´t amputate them.”

“At least you didn´t lose your humor.”

Then you found Lilly´s gaze again. “What about Sirius and Remus?”

She quickly shook her head. “You left us all worried and with terrible remorse, but we all survived, more or less.” You raised your eyebrow at her, questioning, but she ignored your gesture.

“I´ll just get them.”

Only seconds after, you heard steps approaching again. From behind the curtain came two terribly exhausting looking boys; your boys.

“You both look like shit”, you couldn´t hold back the comment and the three of you erupted in easier laughter. The tensions slightly shrunk. Remus was first to sit down next to you, guilt still hidden behind his eyes. But before he could even speak up, you shook your head.

“Don´t. It´s not your fault, you weren´t you.”

He offered you an apologetic smile.

“If I had told you the truth, or at least allowed Sirius to do so, this wouldn´t have happened.”

“Yeah”, you agreed nodding. “Better to remember for next time.”

Remus grimaced, still eyeing the bandages on your arms. “I hope there won´t be a next time like this.”

“If it helps, I barely remember getting here.”

Remus stayed still, but you carefully grabbed his hand. “Remus, I´m fine. Don´t beat yourself up about it, I forgive you.”

Finally, he looked up as well, nodding with tears in his eyes. It was a huge relief that he felt dropping off his shoulders. He gave you a careful hug. “I think I should give you some more rest, and don´t worry, I´ve been doing all your homework!”

Playfully, you hit his shoulder. “You should´ve started with that apology!”

Remus nodded at his friend as he left your side again, but Sirius remained standing next to your bed. You rose your eyebrow at him. “What´s wrong, Black?”

“Nothing´s wrong, you´re back and healing. It´s all that matters.”

“Something´s clearly wrong.”

Sirius pinched the bridge of his nose; it took all his strength not to break down. “We could´ve lost you.” He paused.

“I could´ve lost you.”

“But you didn´t”, you wanted to argue, but Sirius turned his back to you. Nervously wandering up and down in the room.

“I should´ve protected you better”, he mumbled quietly, his hand roughly running through his messy hair.

“That´s not your job-“

“Yes, it is. I can´t take seeing you hurt. So, I need to protect you!” His voice became louder, almost sounding angry. But beneath the façade was angst and deep distress.

“No, it´s not! Your job is to be my friend, not my patronus! You shouldn´t have to hide something like this!”

Suddenly he stopped, his back still facing you and his hands forming fists. You saw how his shoulders rose and dropped from his heavy breathing.

“Maybe, if I can´t protect you as a friend, we can´t be friends.”

His voice was low and so quiet, you weren´t sure at first about the words escaping his mouth. You felt your heart drop at his sentence, a gasp coming from your lips. Your mouth opened, but no words came out and you watched as Sirius pulled the curtain back, leaving the infirmary.

No, you wouldn´t let this go. Not like this.

You threw back the blanket and your bare feet touched the cold ground. You didn´t care though, or about the thin layer of white linen covering your body.

Just outside the infirmary, you caught up to him.

“Maybe we can´t be friends!”

He stopped once again, not bearing the thought of turning to look at you directly. He felt tears forming and he didn´t want you to see him like this. Weak and vulnerable, unable to protect you.

“And you can´t protect me from everything, especially not heartbreak! Because, you, you Sirius Black are breaking my heart!”

Carefully and slowly, he turned towards you, his eyes still glued on the floor. Your voice was quaking and your entire body shaking.

“You were never just a friend to me!”

Swift, in a blink, Sirius was right in front of you, his hands cupping your face. Only inches were left and you felt his warmth breath on your skin.

“I never wanted to break your heart, all I wanted was not to lose you”, he whispered with his voice shaking as well.

“You didn´t lose me and you never will.”

Then you felt his lips on yours and you eased into the kiss. His touch felt welcoming and you inhaled his musky scent. You had been right, no one was able to stop you from falling for your best friend. But after all, you didn´t need protection; all you needed were your friends and your love.

[mizunetzu]

Maybe some Kuroo x Male reader,, I just need some of my boy 😩

Of course !!! Kuroos the HOMIE I tell you-

————

Kuroo x reader - I’m not gay

⚠️ Warnings - Confused reader, pretty much none

Prounouns - Male, He/Him

——————

I’m not gay,

is what (y/n) told himself, at age 7.

He was over at his friends house, deciding on a movie to watch before they had to go to sleep.

When he held up a rather feminine looking cd, one of them snickered, and the other didn’t even spare it a glance.

“(Y/n)- thats for girls!”

“I-I know that! Shut up! It...it looked interesting...”

“Kuroo-give (y/n) a break...” Kenma murmured, looking up from his Ds briefly.

——

I’m not gay,

Is what (y/n) told himself, in his third year of Junior high school.

He wasn’t going to lie when he said he was a bit curious about the topic, but he’d never considered himself being attracted to the same gender.

Which is why he asked his close female friend if he could kiss her.

It was an odd question, but (y/n) needed to settle something within himself. Just a quick peck on the lips to see if the feelings would go away.

(Y/n) was rather surprised when she nodded yes, because people usually say no when people ask you to kiss them. But he wasn’t disappointed, no.

She leaned up on her tippy toes, pressing a chaste kiss onto (y/n’s) lips, before settling back down on the balls of her feet and hiding her flushed face with the mass of her uniforms sleeves. She peeked through her fingers to see (y/n’s) eyes fixed on the ground in front of him, with a distasteful frown gracing his features.

That didn’t feel right, (y/n) thought.

——

I’m...im not....

Is what (Y/n) told himself, during his second year of high school.

He was in the volleyball club in his school, and the intrusive thoughts hadn’t cross his mind since back in junior high. It was actually going pretty good.

He only had one girlfriend the entire time he was in high school, but he ended it pretty quickly to focus on himself, his feelings, and building Nekoma’s defense. (Hell yeah, sports!!)

Nekoma had a training camp where other schools were invited, which is how he found himself sitting in a circle with a few other teammates and managers, playing ‘never have I ever’.

Most of Nekoma was crowded in the circle, with some stragglers from fukurodani, and Tanaka with Nishinoya and Hinata.

The managers from other schools, both fukurodani’s managers, along with Kyoko and Yachi were there too. (Y/n) was pretty sure that Tanaka, Nishinoya, and maybe Yamamoto were only there to “protect Kiyoko Senpai”, but hey, at least they had more players that way.

People went around saying things like “never have I ever cheated on an exam”, “never have I ever served straight to the libero,” or “never have I ever been the cause of bokutos emo mode”

(That question itself put bokuto in his emo mode)

(Y/n) was the only one who had all fingers up, followed by Kuroo, who had only 2 fingers down, then Akaashi, with 4 fingers down.

It was going pretty smoothly until Yukie, one of Fukurodani’s managers, asked,

“Never have I ever had a crush on someone in this circle.”

Not many people put a finger down, but the question made (y/n’s) questionable thoughts come back in a flash. It forced him to think if he did find any of the girls in the circle attractive, and after ruling all them out, he, half jokingly, turned his attention to the boys.

His eyes drifted from each of the volleyball players, until his eyes landed on Kuroo.

Kuroo. One of his childhood friends. Someone he, regretfully, considered attractive. I mean, he had a nice build, he was in the college preparatory classes, and his thighs could crush-

No, shut up. He’s a man.

You’re a man.

....What the fuck?

(Y/n) didn’t even notice his finger fold itself in, until everyone gasped and started berating him with squeals and questions.

“Who is it?!?”

“It better not be Kiyoko Senpai!”

“It has to be to be Kaori, (Y/n’s) been talking to her alooooot lately!”

He couldn’t help but scrunch up his nose at the idea of dating one of Fukurodani’s managers.

“It’s...it’s not Kaori, no offense but I’d never date Kaori...” (Y/n) mused out as nonchalantly as he could. The second those words flew out of his mouth, he regretted not pretending it was Kaori, so they could drop the topic.

Everyone’s comments went in one of (y/n’s) ear and out the other, until yaku cleared his throat and said,

“If it’s not any of the managers, is it a guy then?”

All of the questions died down almost instantly. (Y/n) felt his blood ran cold.

“I mean...is it?” Akaashi broke the silence, maintaining direct eye contact with (y/n).

I’m not too sure with myself, (y/n) thought, chuckling dryly.

With (y/n’s) answer, or lack thereof, everyone started listing off the boys names or saying “is it me?? If it is sorry dude! Haha..” or some variations of that.

(Y/n) felt like he was going to combust with all the “is it —?’s” and “is it me’s??” He never wanted to think about it again, yet here he was, being-

“Is it Kuroo?” Bokuto grinned, half joking, gesturing to the 3rd year sitting right next to him.

(Y/n’s) eyes widened comically. Was it Kuroo?

He wasn’t sure why this one flushed him so bad. His hands started trembling from their spot in the air, and a red tint spread across his face like a virus. He knew he admired his captain, but having a full blown crush on him? He didn’t dare look up at everyone’s prying gaze, instead suddenly finding immense interest in a broken seam in his red volleyball shorts.

“Oh my god, it is Kuroo!” Someone squealed, probably someone like Bokuto. All their voices seemed to merge together and sound the same. People were gasping, nudging (y/n’s) shoulder, or saying stuff like “I support you!!” Or “you too would be soooo cute together!”

(Y/n) brought his fingers down and entangled them in his sweaty hair. “I’m..I’m not gay. I’m not...” (Y/n) rasped out defensively, trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

Warm hands grasped his wrists, pulling them away from (y/n) gently, forcing him to look up. Kuroo held a shit eating grin that made (y/n’s) stomach churn in both a good way and a horrible, horrible way.

“Oi oi, it’s ok to like boys (y/n)-what, are you in denial or someth-“

“Shut up! I’m straight, and I don’t like you! Don’t touch me!” (Y/n) suddenly lashed out, whipping his wrists out from Kuroo’s hold. He stood up abruptly, choked out a weak “I’m gonna get some fresh air” and staggered out of the room.

No one seemed to notice that Kuroo had put a finger down, as well.

——

Im not gay. I’m not gay. I’m not gay.

Is what (y/n) repeatedly told himself, in the bathroom.

(Y/n) threw water onto his face, before slapping his cheeks as hard as he can. He then backed into the bathroom wall and let himself sink down to the cold floor tiles.

“Goddamit...nnNNFUCK!” (Y/n) dug both his fists into the dirty bathroom floor. His hands stung from the impact. A sigh escaped from his lips as he hid his sopping wet face into his hands.

“What...the fuck...I’m not...they’re just...just stupid! Yeah! They’re stupid and I don’t have a crush on stupid Kuroo! Yeah! Y-Yeah..! .....Yeah...”

He sat in silence for what seemed like forever, before he got sick of listening to his own thoughts. He shakily brought himself up to his feet, and exited the bathroom.

——

Im not gay,

Is what (y/n) told himself, more calmly than before, heading towards the sleeping rooms with a stable smile.

He almost made it scott-free before he felt a hand firmly grasp his shoulder.

“Hey.”

(Y/n) didn’t dare to turn around.

“I...they..might’ve jumped to conclusions, but I really need to know.”

Do you now? Cause I’d like to know, too.

A heavy silence consumed both of them whole. Kuroo forced (y/n) to turn around, tilting his head up with his finger.

“Do you like me.” It was more like a statement than a question.

“I...i don’t know? I think? Maybe?? I-I’m not sure...” Kuroos serious gaze boor holes into (y/n’s) face.

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t know! I mean-I’ve always thought about it, but I never considered that I could be...y’know...and I never really thought about you like that till Bokuto brought it up...”

Kuroo was tacken aback by the sudden raise in pitch, but quickly regained his neutral expression.

“Kiss me.”

It was (Y/n’s) turn to be shocked.

“What-“

“You heard me.”

“You can’t be serious,” (y/n) awkwardly chuckled. He ran fingers through his hair. “Kuroo, hey-“

The middle blocker grabbed hold of the (h/c) boy. He yelped and struggled in his grasp, but Kuroo held his hand firm.

“You don’t know how you feel about me, right? Do you want your answer or not?”

It was rare moments like these where Kuroo wasn’t being smug, or wearing his shit-eating grin, that ignited a confusing flame inside (y/n’s) chest and/or dick. (Y/n) let out a shaky breath.

“Yeah, fine-whatever lets get it over with.” (Y/n) grumbled, red in the face.

Kuroo took hold of (y/n’s) chin with his thumb and index finger, and snaked his other arm around the boys waist. He leaned in slowly, letting their lips meet in the middle.

This didn’t feel similar to the kiss he had in junior high. It felt better. It didn’t feel forced or boring like it did when he kissed that girl, this one feels nice. (Y/n) let his eyes flutter closed while he clutched Kuroos shoulders weakly.

Kuroo began to pull away, but (y/n) whimpered and lunged forward to connect their lips once more. It was a sensation that he never wanted to let go of, but of course, air was also something he couldn’t live without.

They pulled away simultaneously, (y/n) very obviously heaving while Kuroo let out a few deep exhales.

“So...” Kuroo said, wiping spit from his swollen red lips. “How do-“

“I love you.” (Y/n) said, testing the words out on his tongue.

“Hm?” Kuroos vague response dug a pit into (y/n’s) stomach. Did I misread this situation?

(Y/n) broke into a cold sweat. “Aah...I mean-I think, no hard feelings if you don’t like dudes-I mean I just found out myself so it’s all good-“ Kuroos booming, stupid hyena laugh broke (y/n) out of his rambling session. (Y/n) looked up at the middle blocker, and slowly relaxed and let himself smile at his antics.

“You really think too much...” Kuroo said, wiping an invisible tear from his eye. “Don’t worry, I like you too~”

He patted the boy on his head, as (y/n’s) cheeks flushed involuntarily.

I could be gay,

(Y/n) told himself, hand in hand with his newly found boyfriend, Kuroo Tetsurō.

And that’s fine by me.

———————

Extra:

“Get it, (y/n)! Kuroo! Use a condom boys!” Bokuto yelled, from behind a gym wall with Akaashi. The two turned around, surprised.

“Sorry. Bokuto was curious when you said ‘I need to find my new boyfriend, I’ll be right back’, and left.” Akaashi said, fiddling with his ring finger.

“It’s fine. I wasn’t lying when I said ‘new boyfriend’ though, huh, (Y/n)?” Kuroo smirked, slapping his ‘new boyfriend’ firm on the ass. (Y/n) gave a yelp before blushing and clutching the spot where Kuroo smacked.

It would’ve been fine if it was a normal person who slapped him, but in his case, it wasn’t.

But let me tell you, volleyball players spikes are very, very hard. And Kuroo was no exception.

There was a hand-shaped mark on (Y/n’s) ass for a week straight.

————————

[spastuetheobsessedphylosopher]

Hear me out

We all know about the fake-dating trope, right? But listen

Have this DEH AU where Connor lives through his overdose, yeah? And his family is convinced he and Evan are friends and 'fuck now i have to fake being friends with the cute idiot weirdo'

FAKE-FRIENDSHIP AU

Connor is Not Happy, because this asshole was making fun of him with the stupid letter just a few days ago, but listen. His family isn’t leaving him alone with the matter and hey,

hey,

he’s tired of his family looming over him and ‘caring’ about him. And the kid is lonely af, right? It won’t hurt him to hang out with Connor, specially since he has that stupid crush on his sister and he’s desperate enough to spend some time with Connor in order to see her.

(And okay, listen, Connor isn’t a bad person, okay? Yeah he’s done bad shit, made bad choices. He knows, don’t rub it in his face, but it’s not like the rest of his family are little lambs. They’re all to blame, right? Right!?)

(And yeah, Connor wants to do better, okay? He’s scared he can’t. But this Evan kid, surely he must know about being better, right? I mean look at him, he couldn’t kill a fly)

And so Connor hangs out with Evan and brings him home and they lie through their teeth about their supposed amazing relationship, and really, what is it with this guy and trees?

And he tells Miguel about him cause of course he does. I mean, have you seen that dweeb? He’s insufferable and Connor needs someone to rant to about the kid’s obsessions and quirks and cute face

But then Evan approaches him one day after school while Connor is having a not so awesome time. And Connor doesn’t answer so Evan just starts rambling about trees and his summer job and how he fell off the tree but he didn’t actually fall and-

Holy shit. This kid is not at all what Connor thought he was.

So they talk. About their families. About their therapist sessions. About how people just don’t understand.

And Evan tells him about Jared and Connor talks about Miguel. Evan calls Connor lucky for having a real friend like Miguel and Connor says Evan has him and okay,

Connor didn’t know blushing this hard was possible what the hell.

So they hang out. For real, this time. And Evan shows him the tallest trees and Connor takes him to Á La Mode and they’re happy.

Okay. That’s new.

And Evan’s been in denial all the time, repeating to himself ‘it’s because of Zoe’ but the thing is he hasn’t though of Zoe for weeks, and then he actually gets mad at her when she tells Connor his and Evan’s friendship is a lie, she knows, so stop lying to her!

So yeah, okay, maybe he doesn’t do it for Zoe. Maybe Evan actually has fun when they go out for ice cream, and Connor has some chocolate on his nose, and that’s adorable-

Oh. Oh.

Evan’s gay.

Evan’s very very gay.

And what the hell is he supposed to do with that?

So Evan tells Jared, who laughs in his face and repeats ‘I told you so’ on and on till Evan hangs up.

But Jared had said Connor ‘has the hots for you too, he looks at you like you’re a piece of meat’ and, hey, Jared is blunt, but he’s not a liar, right?

(Evan wonders why his heart chose to pin over the Murphy’s)

So Evan decides he’ll tell Connor.

And they start dating, right?

Wrong, cause this is Evan we’re talking.

And Connor only tried to kill himself a month ago, he’s still in process of recovery and Evan can’t just dump that on him!

So Evan can’t tell him. Of course he can’t. He can’t afford to scare one of his only two friends away.

So he’ll keep it to himself. For Connor.

And so of course this is a slow burn.

Both gays are idiots and Connor is still pinning over Miguel, right? Of course he is. This is Miguel. He wants him. No one else. Nope, no siree.

But Miguel opens his eyes and now Connor doesn't know what to do cause Evan is clearly straight af and in love with his sister right? I mean that's why he’s so weird about going to Connor's house right? And Oh My God Evan is suddenly awkward around him he totally knows and hates him right?

So Connor can’t tell him. Of course he can’t. He can’t afford to scare one of his only two friends away.

So he’ll keep it in his pants. For Evan.

[roseelise]

“You are a living work of art, Jughead Jones.” J.J  (part 2)

Reposting all my writings from @r0s3mm, my main blog, it is not stolen or plagiarized. All my works on my masterlist are main unless stated otherwise. 

Hello! Welcome to 2-h, the back up account of @r0s3mm, I’ll be posting my works on here too until (hopefully) my blog gets restored and if not this will become my main blog. 

Pairing:Jughead Jones x reader 

Word Count: 2265

Author’s note/warnings: language, kissing? 

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

“Would I be naked ?” “No, of course not, I want you to feel comfortable. You’ll probably be just shirtless.” I said hope bubbling inside of me. “Who’s gonna be there ?” “Us. Only you and I. I swear.” “Alright I’ll do it. But you owe me.” He said before letting himself fall on my bed.

“Jug ! Juggie !” I called for him in the school’s hallway.

“Hey.” He turned around and saw the way I was dressed. “So,-” “What the hell happened to you ?” He asked as he saw that I was wearing a baby blue pyjama pants and a yellow flannel. “Yeah, hum, I’ve been up all night to put up some sketches before we do the shoot.” I talked really fast. “What are you running on to talk like that ?” He let out a low chuckle. “A few cups of black coffee.” I said as the bell rung. “But you don’t even like coffee.” “I know. Anyway Ms.Evans, that’s my art teacher, gave us two other weeks to do it because she wants multiple shots for each student.” “How many do YOU want ?” He smiled at me knowingly. “What’s that supposed to mean ?” I asked as I hurried my already late self to my locker. Jughead hot on my trail. “I know you, if your teacher wants three shots, you’ll do ten so that after you’ll be able to choose three of them and the rest you’ll put it in the album you keep on you computer.” He glanced down at my body and shook his head.

As I rolled my eyes, we entered the class with B and V.

When we all arrived at my house after school, Archie and Veronica placed themselves on the love seat, Betty and I went in the kitchen for glasses of water while Jug looked in my fridge for some kind of heavy snack.

“Ok guys so, friday night ! What do we do ?” I asked my two best friends.

They shrugged and we joined Archie and Veronica in the living room, who were in a full make out session.

“Come on !” Jughead sighed. “You guys are unbelievable.” Betty mumbled.

Seeing that neither of them moved I sat next to them and pulled Ronnie away from the redhead and made her sit on me.

“You won’t move anymore.”

We were three in the love seat Betty was laying on the three seat couch, almost sleeping and Jughead was sitting on the smallest couch that would normally fit only one human being.

“I wanna watch a movie. What should we watch ?” Ronnie said standing up. “Hum.. So- (y\n) ? Where are all of your movies ?” “There ..?! Why ?” “Because there’s only old stuff.” “Yeah, because that’s what I watch. Just put Pulp Fiction on and it’ll be good.” “I don’t get you guys ..” She sighed standing up and coming to sit with Arch and I. “What ?” “Jug and you. You guys have that obsession with old movies.” “They’re great.” We both said at the same time, looked at each other and it made me blush a bit.

Half an hour after we started the movie, Arch and Ronnie were taking a lot of place on the love seat and Betty was completely asleep on the couch. I took a heavy blanket and sat on the floor, my back against Betty’s couch.

“Tss” I heard to my left.

I looked up and Jug was frowing at me.

“What ?” I asked in a whisper. “What are you doing on the floor ?” He asked in the same tone. “There’s no place.” “Come sit with me.”He patted is lap. “What no, you’ve got just enough room for yourself.” “I don’t care come on “Jughead I said no. I’m ok here.”  

After another twenty minutes my butt started to feel numb, so I stood up and walked to my best friend who had placed himself so I could sit on his lap, his arms finding their place around my wait resting on my lap.

“Jug what time is it ?” “Barely 5:45.” He whispered.

I looked at our friends, Betty was still sound asleep on our right, Archie and Veronica were talking quietly.

“We’re the only ones listening.” I noticed as I turned to look at him.

He turned at the same time and our noses would have brushed together if one of us moved.

“Yeah.” He breathed out.

Our heads were still turned toward each other. Like in some sort of trance we couldn’t get out of.

“I’m- i’m quite hungry right now, uhm, would you like something ?” I asked him as his eyes went from my (y\e\c) eyes to my lips. “I’- i’m good. Thanks.” He said, his voice barely above a whisper.

I walked to the kitchen and drank a glass of water.

“We saw that.” Veronica said. “Saw what ?” “That almost kiss between you and Jughead. Archie and I saw it.” “That was nothing.” “Yeah sure. I haven’t seen someone glance at someone else’s lips so many times.” She winked at me when Betty’s sleppy body got in the kitchen. “I think the boys are plotting against us.” “Why ?” I asked. “When I woke up, you guys weren’t there and Arch was talking to Jug with a smug look on his face and when I stood up they stopped.” “Do you know what they were talking about ?” V asked B. “Heard your name, why ?” Betty pointed to me. “Because our little (y\n) had a moment a few minutes ago.” “WHAT ?” She shrieked. “Shut up jesus and Ronnie it wasn’t a moment.” “Yeah sure. You guys were almost eyes fucking with your bottom lip bitten by your teeth and his eyes looking more at your lips than me when I look at Louboutins.” “Oh my god really ? You guys had a momen-” I threw her a piece of bread when the boys came in.

“What are you girls talking about ?” Archie asked looking at his raven haired girlfriend. “N-nothing that concerns you.” I said not bothering to look at Jughead. “What about Jug. Does it concern him ?” “W-what ? No ! It’s none of your business what we were talking about.” I said turning my body towards the fridge.

From an outsider point of view the five teenagers would be living a whole other story.

He’d see a red head and a raven headed couple trying to break two of their best friends, they would see a blonde girl, an amused look on her face along with one of pure concern for her (y\h\c) friend, talking about her. The outsider would look at the teenager and think that she was being scolded by her parents. She wouldn’t look up to the raven haired boy, nor would she muttered more than a few words.

But then, he would see the infamous raven haired boy, who couldn’t take his eyes off of his best friend. He’d look at her like she was the most beautiful person in the whole world and she was, to him. Because he knew her inside and out. Jughead never really thought about her that way, he always knew he liked the girl, that he had a crush on her, but when, a few minutes ago, he was so close to her. He knew that he loved her and that he had been gone for quite a while.

It was around dinner time, when everyone was gone except her model for the night,  that she started to draw ideas for him to do later that night.

“You know you’ll have to talk to me, sometimes, right ?” Jughead asked from his sitting position on her bed. “I know.” She muttered still not looking at him.

Her whole body stiffened when she felt his warmth on her back.

“What are you doing, Jug ?” She breathed out. “Glad you still remember my name.” He chuckled, which made her chuckled too. “You’re not funny.” She said as her whole body relaxed at the familiarity of their exchange. “I am, you know it and you love it.” “Why so confident ?” She asked him as she turned to face him, but was surprised when she saw that he was at the same heigh as her.

She took back her pencils and paper and walked away from him as she sat on her bed.

“Ok so I thought we could accentuate the features on your abdomen, your jaw and your cheekbones.” She said, voice low, sketching over a poorly done portrait of the man. “You’re not gonna put make up on me are you ?” “I don’t really have make up, Jug. I’ll use body paint with warm tones a little bit darker than your skin color. Then I’ll just put colors all over and take some shots at certain steps so it creates a bit of diversity.”

He nodded then sighed before taking another bite of the now cold pizza on the dresser. He helped her set up her photography equipment, such as the lights and the different lenses.

“Can I- Jug, can I abuse of the opportunity you’re giving me this week end and- “ “What do you want me to do, (y\n) ?” “I want you to, full on model for me. Like the big actors do.” She asked searching his face for any denial.

He knew he couldn’t exactly tell her no. He wasn’t able to do it.

“Inspired by some of the James Dean’s photo I saw the other day.” She informed him. “James Dean ? Have you seen the guy ?” “Yes, in fact I did.” “And you think -” “Jug, listen to me and if you start reciting me the “I’m a weirdo” speech I swear on my own head that I’ll burn that beanie down to ashes. You are one of the most beautiful person I’ve had the chance to see in my whole freaking life and I don’t know how you still don’t see that.”

She said before going to her closet and getting out clothing of leather, dark outfits and all sorts of accessories and clothes.

“Is that a cigarette ?” “Yes, but you won’t light it. It’s just for the aesthetics.”

Five hours later the traits were accentuated, shirts have been on and off and lights have been adjusted. She was finally done and told him that if she had to make some touch ups, she’ll text him.

“Ok, so what do you wanna do ?” She asked him as he got out of the ensuite bathroom.

She raised her head from the editing program on her laptop to see Jughead shirtless, even though she had seen him without a shirt all night long it was different because she was in a work mode, but now. He was ruffling his dark hair with a towel and was dressed with a flannel pajama pants that started to get lower on his hips.

He sat on the bed in front of her and looked at her, his eyes observing every single detail of her face. He leaned in and searched her eyes for any non-verbal refusal from her. When he saw she was too focused on his lips he finally connected them together.

His lips, surprisingly soft, had this subtle taste of the sugary juice he drank a few minutes before his shower, her nose was filled with the scent of her shower gel he used. It wasn’t one of those Hollywood kisses where theres was big fireworks and where their hearts were beating hard and fast. They both knew it was the right time and place for this closed lips kiss. A few seconds after, they pulled apart and smiled softly at each other. They were content with what happened and knew to never talk about it.

“Blonde.” She whispered. “What ?” “Blonde would look good on you. It would fit your eyes.” She smiled at him.

The week that passed was complete hell, (y\n) hadn’t properly seen her friends except from the time when they were in school. Outside of those hours she would be at the studio, developping her photos and getting help with other minor projects. She also had tons of homework to do, Betty recently asked her to helped her on the Blue and Gold and be their official photographer. Between all of that she didn’t really have time to hang-out with her friends, also she was asleep by 8:30 so that really didn’t help. Saturday morning, (y\n) went out, seeing as this was her only moment of calm and walked, camera hung around her neck she snapped  sceneries that would look good on her already full bedroom wall.

“Hey there stranger.” She heard a voice say.

She turned around to see her three friends.

“Hi guys !” She greeted them with a smile. “So, you’re avoiding us now or what ?” Ronnie asked her. “No, no guys I swear. I’m sorry if you thought that-” She dropped the camera on her stomach. “(Y\N\N), it’s fine. We were just wondering what happened to you this week so.” “Yeah, sorry about that. Miss Evans liked Jug’s portrait so much she asked me to help other students and finish other projects and it was just crazy.” “Right, so what are you doing ?” “Abusing of the calm that reigns over Riverdale. Hey have you seen Jug ? Haven’t talked to him in a bit.” “Well we were heading to Pop’s actually. Wanna join ?” “Sure”

[caught-in-a-seesaw-stigma]

Map of the Soul, Chapter Four

For the @btswritingcafe​‘s Map of the Soul: 7 Workshop

Pairings: OT7 x reader (kinda); Taehyung x reader x Jimin

Series Summary: If you give a piece of yourself to everyone you love, at some point, there will be nothing left for yourself. While feeling lost and alone in your adult life, a strange box falls onto your head in your own closet, and you take an unexpected walk down memory lane wondering where everything went wrong.  Was it the romances that fizzled out, the friends & loved ones you left behind, the “what could’ve been” moments, the brush with Fate that never quite connected? Could the strange map you find have the answers you are looking for?  Determined to feel complete once again, you embark on a journey to reclaim the missing pieces of your soul.

Genre: Angst, Fluff, A Lot of Smut

Word Count: 7k+

Warnings: cursing & vulgar language, alcohol consumption, sexual innuendos, mentions of previous sexual encounters, bisexual behavior, fingering, oral sex (m/f receiving & giving), spanking, unprotected/protected sex (rules exist for a reason, be safe), daddy kink, a sliver of degradation, orgasm denial, cream pies, anal play/sex, double penetration

Chapter Four: Just Filter Out the Bad, Keep the Good

Oh, Kookie.

You rolled your eyes and giggled at your phone screen as the bartender finally walked over to you.

“Can I get another Jameson and Ginger?” you shouted over the music. “And another Long Island Iced Tea?”

The bartender nodded in acknowledgement and began making your drinks. It was the third time tonight you’d made your way to the bar, but you couldn’t really complain. You were having so much fun, and Taehyung had the crowd half in love with him with his charming stage presence and his smooth honeyed vocal stylings.

“Thank you,” Taehyung crooned over the microphone. “I’m going to take a little break, but I promise, I’ll be back.”

A round of disappointment resounded through the bar, and you rolled your eyes at the ridiculousness of it all. You caught Taehyung’s eye and he motioned that he was going to go to the bathroom. After a quick thumbs-up, you picked up your drinks and made your way back to your booth to wait for him.

Almost twenty minutes passed and the ice in your drink was clinking against the bottom.

Where the hell is he? Men’s bathrooms don’t take THAT long in bars.

Realizing that this modern bar might actually have gender neutral bathrooms, you decided to go off in search of your soulmate. After making your way past the crowded tables, you rounded the corner and saw there were only a few people waiting in line, none of them Taehyung. You waited a few minutes and the line moved, but none of the individuals exiting the single stall bathrooms were him either. Confused, you started walking back toward the bar.

A throaty groan caught your ear as you walked by a darkened hallway. In the dim red light of the Exit sign at the end of the hall, you made out the distinct shape of Taehyung’s shoulders hovering over a smaller individual against the wall. The two were completely unaware of your approach as they were obviously occupied with other things at the moment.

“Seriously, Tae,” you mused. “Ditching me for a pretty face? That’s a real dick move.”

“Look, sweetheart,” a wispy voice exhaled. “I saw him first, so I’m gonna need you to step off, alright?”

That voice…

You inhaled sharply, staggered back a few inches with your eyes wide, and clutched at the non-existent pearls on your neck.

“Jiminie?” you squeaked out.

The two men ceased their makeout session abruptly, and Taehyung stepped aside to reveal plush lips, bright red hair, and big brown eyes blown out in shock.

“Jagiya?”

March 20th, 11:17 pm

“This next song goes out to my gorgeous soulmate,” Taehyung chirped into the microphone. “I’ve loved her since the moment she fell from Heaven and crushed my head on the playground.”

A round of “awwww”s reverberated across the bar, and you rolled your eyes at Taehyung and blew him a kiss. The music started up again and Taehyung went into full Elvis mode.

“Wise men say only fools rush in, But I can't help falling in love with you…”

“Wow,” Jimin groaned sensually. “Does his voice always sound like liquid sex poured over hot coals?”

“Yes, as a matter of fact,” you quipped. “Taehyung has a very special relationship with the microphone. They’ve been going steady for decades, but he’s always too cowardly to commit.”

“What do you mean, jagi?” Jimin grinned. “Does he not realize how good he is?”

“Oh, he knows,” you corrected him. “He just can’t handle the spotlight very well. In a bar, he’ll get brave, but put him on an actual stage with a real crowd, and he becomes an awkward mess of a man. It’s a mystery.”

“You’re kidding,” Jimin scoffed. “There’s no way that gorgeous hunk of man over there is ever awkward.”

“You’d be surprised,” you chuckled. “I know that man better than he knows himself.”

“I was pretty close to getting to know him myself,” Jimin bragged. “Someone just had to interrupt our steamy little makeout session back there.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Jimin,” you goaded. “Sure, you may have captured his attention, but he’d never really ditch me for another pretty face, including yours.”

“I don’t know, jagiya,” Jimin smirked. “Before you showed up, I already had him asking how far away my place was.”

“That may be so,” you smiled wickedly. “But I guarantee he wouldn’t ditch me. One look and he would be crawling back to me without question.”

You and Jimin stared one another down and your eyes battled it out for dominance. You sighed sweetly and blew a kiss to Taehyung, and he eagerly snatched out of the air and placed it in his lapel pocket. Jimin rolled his eyes at your dual displays of affection and chuckled.

That’s right. No one comes between me and my soulmate.

“So, what brings you back to town, Jiminie?” you giggled, changing the subject. “Let me guess, another frat party?”

“Yes, actually, I’m here for the fraternity’s centennial celebration,” he explained. “We had a whole ceremony and raffle fundraiser last night, and the house party is tonight.”

“I’m surprised you aren’t there now,” you gawked. “The Park Jimin I remember never missed an opportunity for a good frat party.”

Jimin giggled and ran his fingers through his hair, an old habit that always increased his allure. He leaned over and placed his hand on your thigh, provoking a rolling plain of goosebumps across your arms and legs.

“I’m not the same Jimin you remember, jagi,” he murmured while licking his lips. “A lot of things changed since we last saw each other. When was that, by the way?”

A bitter memory triggered in your brain and you gently pushed him away, free from his hypnotic seduction. Confusion traveled across his face and he cocked a questioning look at you, lifting an eyebrow for emphasis.

“It was during grad school,” you reminded him. “The Venetian Masquerade Homecoming party at your frat house?”

Jimin closed his eyes briefly and nodded gravely as the memory hit him as well. There was a tangible shift in his personality, and you knew Jimin was trying to figure out how to proceed.  He was an expert at tailoring his personality to fit the situation, but he seemed at a loss when you reminded him of the troubled past. You both sat there in silence, allowing the details to take shape in your mind once again. Taehyung chose that exact moment to intrude upon your conversation.

“Hey,” he shouted. “Who’s up next?”

Jimin glanced over to Taehyung and gave him a tight smile.

“I guess I am,” Jimin offered. “Any requests?”

“Sing me something sweet,” Taehyung pleaded. “I want my heart to burst with emotion.”

Jimin winked at Taehyung and glanced over to see if you’re looking at him. You were not. As Jimin headed over to the booth to choose a song, Taehyung pulled you close and wrapped his arm around your shoulders.

“What’s going on, ttalgi?” he teased lightly. “I’d know that angsty look of yours anywhere. Are you and Jimin-ssi reliving painful memories from college?”

“Something like that,” you muttered “We didn’t exactly end on good terms the last time.”

“How so?” he recoiled. “Every time you’ve mentioned him in the past, it was always with glowing reviews of his sexual prowess. I’ve never once heard you say one bad thing about him.”

“Tae,” you grimaced. “Have you really never noticed that I stopped talking about Jimin a long time ago? Like almost 6 years now?”

“No,” Taehyung said carefully. “Why? Did he do something to hurt you?”

Taehyung stiffened against you as he shot a glare in Jimin’s direction. You were quick to calm the raging Papa Bear beside you. Taehyung was always quick to defend your honor, but it wasn’t necessary in this case.

“It’s not that simple, babe,” you sighed in defeat, lifting your eyes to stare longingly at Jimin. “We hurt each other...badly.”

“Hello, everyone,” Jimin announced on the microphone. “I’m Jimin, and I’m an asshole. That’s not a lie either. I hurt someone who is very special to me, and I never apologized. Because of that, I lost her and I don’t know if I’ll ever get her back and that sucks. Because I really care about her a lot and I just want us to be friends again because she’s amazing and I miss her. Jagiya, this song is for you.”

A powerful boom pumped through the speakers and Jimin began singing “Before I Cry” by Lady Gaga.

“I can't believe the things you said Right now I wish that you would try Try to stay near me Try to be near me”

“Oh damn, babe,” Taehyung breathed out in a rush. “He broke out A Star is Born? Bold move.”

Your eyes glistened as you concentrated on Jimin’s gaze, which never once wavered from your own. He was singing directly to you, and everyone else in the room just faded away. The delicate lilt of his voice was mesmerizing, and you braced yourself for the chorus, knowing he would be unleashing the full extent of his vocal power on you.

“'Cause I'm gonna cry If you say you don't need me I'm gonna cry if you act like you don't care Promise me, baby, you know I can't fake it Why don't you hold me? Tell me you love me before I cry”

You took note of the gloss covering his eyes after that last big note. He continued to sing, his heart pouring waves of regret and longing over you. His hands reached out for you emphatically as the song progressed and after he hit the last big chorus, he stepped off the stage to sing the last verse. With every step he took, he walked closer and closer to your booth until he was kneeling in front of you and reaching for your hand.

“Have I said what I needed to say? Have you said what you wanted to say? Did you say what you wanted to say? Would you try and stop me before I cry?”

The music stopped and you sucked in a sob before launching yourself into his arms. Jimin stood up and lifted you off the ground in a crushing hug. The room exploded into thunderous applause and they cheered loudly when you pulled back and kissed Jimin on his full lips. He released you and you brushed away the tears trailing down his chubby cheeks. He smiled brightly at you and then remembered he still had the microphone in his hand.

“Oh, thank you,” he laughed in embarrassment. “I guess that worked pretty well, huh? Who’s next?”

Jimin handed off the microphone to the next singer and you pulled him back into the booth with you. Taehyung was leaning on his fists while shooting heart eyes at Jimin who countered with his own half-moon eye smile.

“Jagiya,” Jimin said, turning to face you properly. “I really am sorry for what I did. I never meant to hurt you.”

“It wasn’t only your fault, Minnie,” you responded sweetly. “I said some pretty fucked up things to you that night also. Can you ever forgive me?”

“So, is anyone going to tell me what the fuck is going on?” Taehyung interrupted rudely. “All I seem to understand is that you fucked up, you stopped talking, and now you’re making up. Can someone please fill in the blanks?”

You and Jimin giggled at Taehyung’s flabbergasted expression and decided to take pity on him.

“Jimin and I were supposed to go to a masquerade ball together a while back,” you began. “We even got matching costumes.”

“We were never officially a couple, but people just knew we had a special relationship,” Jimin continued. “But it didn’t stop us from playing the field.”

“However,” you cut him off. “That night, we’d agreed to stick together for once. No one else, just us.”

“Oh shit, I see where this is going,” Taehyung squealed. “Sorry, you were saying?”

“Anyway,” you sighed. “We were doing fine until the jello shots started circulating. You know I can’t resist a good jello shot and neither can Jimin.”

Taehyung nodded enthusiastically, and Jimin pulled you closer to his chest, wrapping his arms around your waist.

“I caught her making out with some hot cheerleader in the kitchen,” Jimin explained. “So I got mad and pulled her away.”

“In my defense,” you countered. “I had just seen you nibbling on that guy’s ear on the patio.”

“You were the one giving that guy a lap dance on the couch,” Jimin shot back.

“Only because you grabbed that girl’s ass on the way to the bathroom,” you spat.

“Yo,” Taehyung cut in. “I get it. You guys are stupid competitive and extremely jealous. Continue the story.”

You and Jimin both laughed at Taehyung’s outburst.

“We ended up having a full on public shouting match in the front yard of the frat house,” you sighed. “Not gonna lie. It got pretty ugly.”

“People thought we were having an actual breakup,” Jimin scoffed. “After we said some pretty nasty things to each other, I got mad and told her to leave the party.”

“He disappeared into the frat house,” you muttered sadly. “The last thing I saw was him pulling some guy and girl into a back room. He flipped me off before he slammed the door in my face.”

“Nothing happened,” he explained. “I just wanted to piss her off. When I left the room a few minutes later, they told me she’d left in tears. I felt like shit about it, but I was still pissed. I got blackout drunk and woke up under the kitchen table in my underwear.”

“Sounds like a good party,” Taehyung giggled. “So what happened after that?”

“I left back home,” Jimin said. “I didn’t apologize because I thought it was her fault.”

“And I didn’t apologize because I thought it was his fault,” you continued. “We haven’t spoken or seen each since then, at least until tonight. We were so fucking stupid. It’s not like we were dating or anything.”

“Yeah, you two should never date,” Taehyung declared. “Look at how horrible you were to each other. That shit would get toxic real quick.”

You and Jimin looked back at one another and he placed a kiss on your forehead. You both sighed and hugged it out once again.

“You’re probably right, Tae-bear,” you admitted. “It just sucks that we weren’t able to fix things back then. I feel like we lost out on so much.”

“I’m willing to do a hard reset if you are, jagi,” Jimin suggested. “I really have missed you. Want to be friends again? We can just erase everything that was bad and just focus on the good stuff and all the fun times we had.”

You rolled the idea over in your mind and then an idea struck you. You promptly scooted him out of the booth, and with a wide smile spreading across your face, you grabbed onto his hands.

“Let’s do our song,” you cheered. “That way it’s really official!”

“Oh, jagiya,” Jimin pouted. “I’m definitely filing that under bad stuff. Besides, you know I can’t perform without the proper attire. There is only one way you’ll get me to sing that song, and I seriously doubt you have what I need.”

“Oh my gods,” you huffed out in bewilderment. “No fucking way.”

“I’m sorry, jagi” he teased. “You know my rule: no sequins, no song.”

You crawled over the table and grabbed your clutch from next to Taehyung. You reached inside and pulled out the gold sequined bow tie and held it up for Jimin to see. He blanched at the sight and the shock on his face was tangible.

“Where the fuck did you find that thing?” Jimin spat. “I thought I burned that in the bonfire!”

“I have no idea,” you grinned triumphantly. “But you owe me a song now, sir. Let’s go, 가자!”

You pulled the bow tie over Jimin’s head and adjusted it. He grimaced and whined as you pulled him over to the booth to fill out the song request. You both grabbed a microphone and you pushed a very reluctant Jimin onto the stage.

“Hello, everyone,” you greeted sweetly. “I brought this adorable gentleman up here for one more song. Wasn’t he just lovely earlier?”

Everyone applauded and Taehyung stood up to whistle and whoop like a crazed fan. You beamed at Jimin who gave you the fakest petty smile he could muster. You leaned up to kiss him on the cheek and he gritted out a faint, but spiteful “I fucking hate you” under his breath. You winked at him cheekily and poked your tongue out in response.

A series of electronic snare drums snapped and synthesizer beats popped out of the speakers and an exuberant “Yeah” and “Woo” filled the air as Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” kicked off.

You and Jimin switched off every other line like a proper duet, and the crowd was eating it up. You alternated little dance moves around each other with cute poses, and you even pulled his arms around you during the chorus, which of course, everyone sang with you.

When the song was done, you both received a standing ovation from the entire bar, and even the bartender applauded enthusiastically. When you finally made your way back to the booth, a waitress showed up with a round of fruity red shots called Washington Red Apples, courtesy of the elated bartender.

“Well,” you cooed at the grumpy Jimin next to you. “That is definitely the best friendship renewal I’ve ever been a part of. Can you even think of a better way to make up than that?”

“I know a better one,” Taehyung remarked with a smirk.

You and Jimin looked up at each other and then at Taehyung. The devilish look on his face transferred onto Jimin’s and then made its way onto your own. You took the shot glass between your fingers and held it out to propose a toast.

“To renewed friendships,” you grinned. “Among other things.”

You all clinked your glasses and downed your shots. It only took a second after for everyone to take action.

“Tae-bear,” you purred. “Close out our tab. Jimin and I will meet you in the car.”

March 21st, 1:07am

The drive back to your apartment was a blur, a steamy blur full of well placed kisses, hot visuals, and a plethora of wandering hands.

After Taehyung pried you off of Jimin’s lap in the back seat, he handed you the keys and ordered you to drive since you were the only one who knew how to get to your apartment. In the meantime, Jimin was pulled onto Taehyung’s lap in the backseat and you were treated to quite a show in your rear view mirror. The moans and groans emanating from the backseat were causing quite a stir in your panties. In fact, the thin material was noticeably sticking to your dripping folds as you parallel parked the car in front of your apartment building.

“Everyone out,” you barked. “Let’s go!”

The two entwined bodies groaned at your command, and refused to move out of the backseat. Beyond aggravated, you leaned in and grabbed onto both heads of hair and pulled back harshly. Both men whined and moaned lightly, but both also knew better than to pull away from your claws. You knew both of their kinks to the letter, and pain was at the top of the list.

That’s right, boys. I’m in charge here.

“I said,” you growled. “Let’s go.”

They quickly exited the vehicle as soon you released them, and all three of you hastily made your way inside of your apartment, promptly locking the door behind you.

The dogs had been walked and fed before you’d left the apartment, so they briefly greeted you at the door, and then huffed out snorts of derision at your choice of nighttime activities.

Jimin got excited when he saw Oberyn and Yeontan, but you and Tae were quick to pull him back into the fold, promising proper introductions later.

Much later.

After a flurry of clothing and shoes tossed from the front entrance to your bedroom floor, you found yourself completely naked and standing at the edge of your bed wedged between two deliciously sweaty naked men who were pressing open mouth kisses all over your body. You could barely differentiate between Taehyung’s playful nibbles and Jimin’s soft suckling against your skin. In perfect synchronization, Taehyung and Jimin latched on to opposing sides of your neck, drawing an impatient moan from your lips.

That’s definitely gonna leave a mark.

Jimin pulled you back slightly and kneeled between you and Taehyung, gripping his hands onto each of your thighs for balance.

“Allow me,” he hummed. “After all, I am a guest in your home.”

With fluid precision, Jimin grasped a hold of Taehyung’s throbbing cock and began stroking it from tip to hilt while simultaneously pulling your swollen clit between his lips. You and Taehyung let out gasping moans in unison while holding onto each other for support.

“Didn’t I tell you the man had talent, Tae?” you hummed. “Ah, Jimin…”

You couldn’t even start your next sentence because Jimin was slipping his tongue into your folds and lapping up every drop of essence collecting between your thighs. Taehyung gaped at the sight while trying not to blow his load over Jimin’s skillful ministrations.

“Holy fuck, babe,” he groaned. “You totally undersold him. He’s like some kind of wicked little sex fairy.”

Jimin giggled against your slippery folds before placing a fat kiss on top of your clit. He sat back on his heels and pursed his glistening lips at Taehyung.

“Sucking dick doesn’t make me a fairy, Taehyung,” he teased. “But I guarantee it will feel magical when I get that fat cock between my lips.”

Switching it up, Jimin plunged two fingers into your hungry hole while licking a long wet stripe up the front of Taehyung’s girthy length. Your eyes locked onto Jimin’s bouncing red hair as he sucked on Taehyung’s dick like a juicy popsicle. Neither his fingers nor his tongue slowed their actions as Jimin turned both of you into hot moaning messes.

“Jimin...ah...baby,” you whimpered. “We need to get horizontal before I fall. My legs are...ah...about to give out.”

Taehyung slid his hand down your side to steady your waist, but found it difficult to concentrate with Jimin’s never-ending onslaught of pleasure. You could see Taehyung’s eyes rolling back in pleasure each time Jimin lowered his head onto his crotch. The erotic sight only spurred your arousal forward, leaking all over Jimin’s fingers as he artfully fingered you.

“Tae,” you whispered. “I can’t...ah...I can’t hold...ah…”

You couldn’t even form coherent sentences at that point because not only was Jimin curling and dragging his fingers along your G-spot, he was also brushing against your clit with every stroke. It was heavenly, but also sent you tumbling forward into oblivion without anything to hold you up.

Taehyung took mercy on you and grabbed a hold of Jimin’s scarlet locks. After pulling Jimin’s mouth further down his length a few times, he pulled his wicked little sex fairy off his dick and to his feet.

“My soulmate needs a bed,” Taehyung gritted out. “Now.”

“Flattering,” Jimin chirped while licking his lips. “But we’ve only just met, Taehyung. Don’t you think soulmate is a bit much?”

Taehyung seized Jimin’s head and devoured his lips, while still holding you up. After a clash of teeth and tongue, Taehyung pulled Jimin’s bottom lip between his teeth and bit down harshly. Jimin’s aching whimper drew your attention, but you struggled to focus on anything with Jimin’s fingers pumping into you.

“I wasn’t talking about you, Jimin,” Taehyung growled. “I was talking about her.”

Jimin offered Taehyung a mischievous smirk and nodded coyly. He motioned for Taehyung to get behind you as he focused all of his attention and energy on you. They eased you onto the bed keeping you on your knees, and your legs were happy to oblige the shift in balance. Jimin pulled you closer and licked his way into your mouth and you began attacking his lips with your own. He swallowed each whine and moan as his fingers began to pick up speed.

Taehyung took this opportunity to kneel behind you and run his hands over the globes of your ass, relishing the plumpness in the dim lamplight.

“How does your ass always look this perfect, ttalgi?” he mused. “It’s extraordinary, and totally unfair.”

He reared his palm back and brought it down firmly against one cheek and then the other. With each spank, you cried out wantonly, much to the delight of both men.

“She loves it when you spank her,” Jimin chuckled. “This vixen loves pain.”

“I know,” Taehyung shot back after delivering yet another smack to your ass. “She’s my soulmate. It’s my job to know these things.”

“Oh yeah?” Jimin quipped. “You think you know more than I do? I’ve probably made her cum more times than you have.”

“It’s not about quantity, Jiminie,” Taehyung bragged. “It’s about quality.”

Taehyung punctuated his statement with one last slap across your reddening cheek and then leaned against your back. He cupped both of your breasts and began pulling at alternating nipples, loving the throaty moans you emitted with each tug. You started rubbing your ass against his hardened length, and Jimin chased after your creamy center, determined to regain your attention.

“She needs multiple stimuli,” Taehyung explained while leaning forward to pull your earlobe between his teeth. “She’s a dirty girl who wants everyone to touch her, to feel her, to own her, isn’t that right, ttalgi?”

Your moans were reaching a fever pitch, and Taehyung knew what you needed to hear to reach the apex of your climax.

“Come on, baby,” he purred against the shell of your ear. “Be a good girl and let Daddy hear you scream.”

The knot of pleasure in your core tightened sharply and snapped. You cried out as the orgasm quaked across your body in a frenzy, the sensations more pronounced in the areas where you were being touched. Your nipples tingled, your clit pulsed, and your ears were ringing.

You collapsed back against Taehyung’s chest and let out a blissful sigh of satisfaction. You opened your eyes when you heard a wet noise near your face and got an eyeful of Taehyung licking your essence from Jimin’s fingers.

“Mmmm delicious as always, babe,” Taehyung swooned. “You have no idea how good you taste, do you?”

“How good?” you giggled.

“Exquisite,” Jimin hummed after licking the remnants from Taehyung’s lips. “I seriously missed that flavor on my tongue, jagiya. It’s only gotten better with age.”

“Right?” Taehyung expressed with a boxy grin. “I was going to say that too!”

The two of them high-fived and you groaned at their childish behavior.

“If you two assholes are just going to sit there and call me old while high-fiving, I’m so fucking done,” you spat. “I got mine already.”

You tried to move away from them, but they both moved swiftly to pull you back into their arms with a whine.

“Where do you think you’re going, dirty girl?” Taehyung teased while grinding his still hard cock against your ass. “You aren’t done until we say you are.”

“And we are far from done, jagi” Jimin promised. “How about we change things up a bit?”

They laid you back on the mattress and you stretched out your limbs, trying to shake the tension out of your muscles. Taehyung reached into your side table to pull out the box of condoms he knew you had. Jimin pressed his body against yours, trailing his fingertips from your neck down to your hip. You both looked up at Taehyung when he cleared his throat.

“Ok, ttalgi,” he began. “Are we sticking to our usual rules with Jimin here? It’s your call.”

“What are the usual rules?” Jimin asked. “She and I only had two rules: wear a condom and be honest about what we liked or didn’t like.”

“We have something similar, but with variations,” Taehyung explained. “Condoms for any assplay, colors for safewords, consent is always confirmed, aftercare is mandatory, and open, honest communication.”

“Condoms only for assplay?” Jimin gulped. “What about vaginal play?”

“I have my birth control implant,” you told Jimin while pointing out the spot on your arm. “Taehyung and I have always been vigilant about staying clean and we get tested every other month, even when we aren’t sexually active.”

“So, I guess the question we have is,” Taehyung expressed kindly. “What about you, Jimin? What do you want to do?”

Jimin sat up on one elbow and shifted his doe eyes between you and Taehyung. He couldn’t believe what you were offering.

“Jagi,” he breathed out. “We’ve never gone bare...like ever. I’ve never gone bare with anyone actually.”

“I know, Jiminie,” you expressed tenderly. “I’ve only ever trusted Tae-bear with something like that. But I know how careful you are, and I’m sure that hasn’t changed. If you’re comfortable with it, then I’m willing to trust you as well.”

You reached up to cup his cheek and he leaned in and kissed your palm gingerly with his swollen lips. He closed his eyes and let out a shaky exhale.

“Nothing’s changed,” he finally responded. “I’m still careful, I still get tested, and I’m still clean. If you really trust me, then I trust you too.

He pressed a chaste kiss on your lips and sat up to pull Taehyung in for a kiss as well.

“I trust both of you,” Jimin proclaimed. “I know I just met you, Taehyung, but if my jagiya trusts you with something like this, then who am I to argue with her logic?”

Taehyung smiled at Jimin’s words and reached over to stroke your cheek affectionately. You all took a deep breath as the electricity in the air increased exponentially. The soft caresses on skin transformed into overzealous gropes, and the quiet exhales became heated moans and needy whines. You decided to take the lead this time and climbed onto Jimin’s chest, asking for permission to ride his face, to which he quickly consented. As you settled over his ravenous lips, Taehyung instigated a rather noisy blowjob behind you, pulling Jimin’s angry red tip between his lips and slurping at the precum spilling over the edge.

“Fuck,” Jimin gasped out beneath you. “You couldn’t give me a warning, Tae?”

“Do you want me to stop?” Taehyung pouted. “Just say the word, Jiminie.”

“No, please don’t stop,” Jimin begged. “Keep going.”

You looked back over your shoulder and grinned wickedly at Taehyung. The smirk on his handsome face was mesmerizing, and you returned it in kind. You lowered your soaking wet heat to Jimin’s lips once again as Taehyung swirled his tongue around Jimin’s girthy penis.

Jimin inhaled sharply through his nose and moaned out into the flooded depths of your vagina. He dug his nails into your hips and you cried out erotically. For every lick and suck Taehyung unleashed upon him, Jimin paid it forward to your gushing center.

“Jimin,” you moaned. “I’m getting close.”

Taehyung slapped his palm against Jimin’s thigh, causing him to hiss and moan into your drenched thigh.

“What was that for?” Jimin protested.

“Don’t let her cum yet, Jiminie,” Taehyung instructed. “Let’s see how far we can edge her out.”

You whipped your head around to glare at Taehyung’s smug face and scowled deeply at him. He knew you hated edging, but he also knew that you came especially hard when edged. You pouted at him and he cocked an eyebrow at you before pulling off of Jimin’s dick with an audible pop.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, babe,” Taehyung relented. “But I promise it will feel amazing if you let it happen.”

He winked at you playfully and you couldn’t resist the boxy grin he shot your way before diving back onto Jimin’s glistening cock. You watched him dip and twist his mouth up and down Jimin’s stiff shaft, even dragging his tongue below the base and flicking along Jimin’s scrotum. Jimin was quickly unraveling underneath Taehyung’s expert skills, and he suddenly lost his concentration on you when Taehyung started licking lower between his legs.

“Ttalgi, come here, quickly,” Taehyung commanded.

You released your hold on the wall and dismounted Jimin’s face, which was contorting into a mask of pure pleasure thanks to Taehyung. He started stroking Jimin’s shaft in time with his tongue barrage.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck,” Jimin moaned out. “I’m gonna cum, I’m gonna cum.”

“Do you want to cum inside her, Jiminie?” Taehyung cooed. “Want this dirty girl to sink down on this hard cock and soak up your hot sticky load?”

Jimin couldn’t verbalize anything, but he nodded desperately and started flailing his arms in search of you. Taehyung positioned you just above Jimin’s dick and held you in place.

“When I say sit, babe,” Taehyung quirked. “Sit down and ride him into his orgasm, ok?”

“I’m ready, Tae-bear,” you agreed wholeheartedly. “Just tell me when.”

After a few more strokes, Jimin’s hands clenched against the sheets and he threw his head back harshly.

“NOW,” Taehyung commanded while lowering you safely onto Jimin’s lap.

As soon as your thighs connected with Jimin’s, he let out a cry of unbridled passion and thrusted up into you like a madman possessed. His eyes were blown wide and he couldn’t stop pulling you onto his dick even as he shot out jets of cum, painting your walls in white. The sexual tempest finally abated and Jimin slumped against the pillows and let out a long audible breath laced with amusement.

“Holy shit,” he exclaimed. “That has to be the most incredible sensation in the world. Jagiya, why have I never plunged into your Cave of Wonders bareback before?”

“Because we were both busy being responsible adults, Aladdin,” you quipped. “Or maybe I should call you Genie since Tae referred to you as a magical sex fairy.”

“He can call me whatever he wants if I’m going to get this kind of treatment,” he giggled. “But, I’m worried about him, jagi. He hasn’t been given proper attention just yet. We should really help him out, don’t you think?”

You chuckled and pulled yourself off of Jimin then propped yourself up on all fours, wiggling your ass slightly to entice Taehyung forward. He shook his head and eased onto the bed behind you. He reached between your legs to see if you needed additional lubrication, but the deluge he slipped into told him you were more than ready.

“Look at this mess you two made,” he commented in astonishment, while licking the combined cum from his fingertips. “Just like a creamsicle on a hot summer day.”

Taehyung slid the blunt head of his stiff cock along the crease of your sopping wet pussy and then slowly pushed his way in. He groaned as each inch disappeared from sight and he gave a small thrust to fit the last few inches snugly inside. You whimpered at the stretch and lifted your head to meet Jimin’s amused stare.

“What a naughty girl we have here, Tae,” Jimin cooed. “All stuffed full of cock and she still looks like she wants more. Should I give you more, jagiya?”

When all you could do was whimper weakly at Jimin’s entreaty, so Taehyung pulled your hair back and thrust forward sharply. Jimin was enthralled by the fucked out look on your face and leaned forward to lick into your open mouth.

“Jiminie asked you a question, ttalgi,” he hissed in your ear. “Don’t disappoint Daddy and ignore our guest. Now, do you want more cock or not?”

“Yes,” you begged desperately against Jimin’s plushy lips. “Want him in my mouth, Daddy. Can I? Please?”

Jimin chuckled at your pleas and leaned over to lure Taehyung into another heated kiss.

“Daddy kink, huh?” Jimin teased as he pulled away. “That’s a new one for me.”

“It only works when I do it,” Taehyung grunted. “You can call me Daddy too, if you like?”

“We’ll see how I feel later,” Jimin smirked. “For now, let’s stuff this naughty little slut full of cock.”

Taehyung picked up the pace as he pistoned his aching dick deep into your womb. Jimin stroked his own cock until he had half an erection and then ran the tip across your lips.

“Open up, jagi,” Jimin crooned sweetly. “I’ve got a treat for you.”

You eagerly opened wide and allowed Jimin to place his hands on your head to hold you in place while he fucked into your mouth. You hollowed your cheeks and slurped him down until he was hard and quivering against your tongue.

“Ah, fuck yes,” Jimin squealed. “Just what I needed. Thanks, jagi.”

Jimin pulled out of your mouth and you whined in protest. He brushed the saliva from your lips and planted a fat kiss on them before disappearing from your sight.

Taehyung took your distraction as an opportunity to pull you up against his chest so he could play with your clit as he fucked up into you. He read your impending orgasms carefully and pulled back each time the crest threatened to break across your threshold. He appeased your adorable tear-streaked face with sweet promises of “the best orgasm of your life.”

“You have to trust me, babe,” Taehyung sneered against your wet cheeks. “You’ll thank me when you fall over that edge, I promise.”

You were about to whine out another protest when Taehyung clenched against you unexpectedly.

“Oh, fuck,” he hissed against your temple. “You wicked little fucker. I should’ve kept an eye on you.”

“Yeah, you should have,” came Jimin’s voice from behind Taehyung. “I’m a sneaky bitch, did I forget to mention that?”

Jimin had sprung a sexy sneak attack with two lubed fingers currently seeking entrance at Taehyung’s back door. Taehyung released you back onto all fours so he could grant Jimin better access to his ass. He slowed his movements just long enough for Jimin to work his dick into Taehyung’s now well lubricated asshole. With all three of you connected, it took a moment or two to find a definitive rhythm together, but once you did, the fluid movements initiated a series of high pitched squeals and moans unlike any you’d heard before. Taehyung felt your walls clamping down into his dick and he gathered up enough focus to make an erotic suggestion.

“Jimin, wait,” he huffed out on a moan. “Let’s change positions. As much as I’m enjoying this, there’s something I want to try now that we have you here.”

Jimin pulled back and waited for Taehyung to continue. With a flick of his wrist, Taehyung reached over and gently pulled the condom off Jimin’s dick and smirked sinfully.

“I’ve never trusted anyone enough to double penetrate her,” Taehyung explained quickly. “Get inside her cunt and let me get a condom on.”

“Oh, shit,” Jimin gasped. “You’re fucking serious, aren’t you?”

“You bet your fine ass, I’m serious,” Taehyung gritted out while rolling on the condom. “This dirty little girl is about to blow and so am I. Daddy owes her the orgasm of a lifetime and he’s going to give it to her.”

You were just catching your breath, and you whimpered at the tightness in your clit.

“Guys, if I don’t cum soon, I’m going to fucking explode,” you growled. “So unless you want me to take care of this by myself, I suggest you get over here and finish the fucking job.”

“Oooh, jagi is feisty when she’s frustrated,” Jimin cackled. “I’ve never edged her, so this should be fun to watch.”

“I’m giving you a front row seat, Jiminie,” Taehyung beamed as he laid down beside you. “Enjoy the show.”

Jimin helped rearrange your body so that you were wedged in between them on the bed. After lifting up one of your thighs, Jimin slipped his bare cock into your swollen cunt, reveling at the raw feeling of your fleshy walls tightening around his dick. You were so wet and slippery that even Taehyung was surprised that he wouldn’t need much lube to get your asshole ready for him.

“I love it when she’s this strung out and horny,” he chuckled. “Makes it so easy for me.”

With a little help from Jimin’s fingers, Taehyung slipped beyond your puckered hole and buried himself into the glorious tightness of your ass. With both of your holes now occupied, you found yourself adrift in a sea of endorphins. The finish line was just beyond your sight and you cried out as you felt both cocks sliding across the thin membrane separating your cunt from your asshole.

“Tae,” you whimpered helplessly. “Jimin...please...I need you.”

“We’re right here, ttalgi,” Taehyung soothed. “Just let go. I’m not going to hold you back anymore. Just let it flow right through you.”

Jimin slipped his fingers down to rub against your clit and the combined sensations hurtled into your brain all at once.

“OH FUCK!” you screamed as you careened over the edge of your climax and tumbled into one spasm and after another, losing track of just how many orgasms Taehyung had stacked up for you throughout the course of the night. When the last one hit, your vision cleared just enough to catch Jimin’s awed facial expression as he watched you come undone. The glazed look in your eyes triggered his own climax and he shot another rope of sweet release deep into your quivering heat.

“Babe,” Taehyung grunted behind you, still pumping away. “I’m really fucking close. Where do you want it?”

You smiled wickedly and pulled Jimin close. He was still reeling from his last orgasm, but he offered you a small smile, wordlessly agreeing to whatever your face was suggesting.

“On our faces,” you moaned. “Cum all over our faces, Tae!”

It only took a few more well timed thrusts before Taehyung was pulling out and stepping over the two of you. He tossed the condom aside and pumped away at his shaft until he unleashed a cascade of semen all over your face and Jimin’s. He groaned wantonly as he watched you and Jimin lap up the streaks of semen from each other’s face.

“Fuck, that’s hot,” he conceded while throwing his head back in exhaustion. “I don’t know about you two, but I’m fucking spent.”

His knees buckled onto the mattress and you placed one last kiss on Jimin’s lips before rolling off the bed. You left the two of them gasping for breath on the bed while you retrieved some bottled water from the fridge.

“Oh, you angel,” Jimin preened. “Just what I needed.”

Once you all got back to a normal heart rate, you corralled both Jimin and Taehyung into the shower. You silently thanked your landlord for installing the wide shower stall with a built-in bench seat. The three of you fit comfortably in the shower together with a little room to spare.

After you were all cleaned up and refreshed, the boys changed the sheets and you gathered up extra pillows so you could all cuddle up on the bed. Jimin heartily agreed to the sleepover, and you were all thoroughly exhausted from your early morning romp.

Taehyung tucked both you and Jimin against his chest and sighed out with contentment. After kissing both of you on the forehead, he wished you good night and settled into his pillow. You and Jimin slipped your fingers together and snuggled against Taehyung.

As you faded into unconsciousness, you smiled and exhaled happily.

Damn, Universe. You’re on a roll.

The three of you drifted off to Dreamland as the dogs in the living room looked up with curiosity and growled at the black sparkles that flashed and pulsed from your coffee table and then vanished a moment later.

Author’s Note: (releasing my clenched thighs) Whew, is everyone ok after that chapter? I don’t know about you, but I need a long shower after that. I had so much fun writing this chapter and I made my betas all hot and bothered when they read it, so I assume it’s good. I hope you all enjoyed the Vmin playtime. Only three more chapters to go! 

PREVIOUS CHAPTER

Chapter Three: The Beautiful Music We Used to Make

NEXT CHAPTER

Chapter Five: There’s Still Sunshine When He’s Gone

MAP OF THE SOUL MASTERLIST

@caught-in-a-seesaw-stigma​‘s MASTERLIST

[obeyme-sylvia-n-co]

   Long post ahead, but I decided to do all of the questions for my Obey Me! MC and OC to get to know them more.

1. Which of the Boys are they the most like?

Sylvia- Beelzebub; Naive and loveable but doesn’t like it when people touch their stuff (for Beel it’s his food, while Sylvia is her belongings; mainly her cross choker that Mammon might pawn).

Oliver- Satan; Bookworms who are very courteous and gentlemanly (though the only exception is that Oliver doesn’t have Satan’s temper).

2. Which of the Boys are they the least like?

Sylvia- Belphegor; She doesn’t like liars and is skeptical when someone lies to her, while Belphegor is the master of lying and manipulating.

Oliver- Mammon; Oliver was taught not to steal by his grandparents and finds stealing to be immoral while Mammon doesn’t like him being friendly with his human.

3. Who does your MC date? [If multiple, what order do they start dating each one?]

Sylvia- Her first date was with Satan- the two went to Devildom’s version of a cat cafe before they took a detour to The Royal Library.

Oliver- He’s currently single, hasn’t dated yet, but he does have some demons fancying him from afar- even has gotten himself a secret admirer during his stay.

4. How does your MC Sleep? [On their side, on their back, with a partner, etc., in PJs, etc.]

Sylvia- She usually sleeps on her side (any side) or stomach by herself, her PJs are usually a cami with wide-leg pajama pants; Sylvia also has a pajama jacket she wears only when she goes out of her room.

Oliver- Mostly sleeps on his stomach; his PJs are always a short-sleeve shirt and flannel pajama pants with a drawstring.

5. If you were to pick one song — and only one song — to describe your MC, what would it be and why?

Sylvia- “Show Yourself” by Idina Menzel; it is when she rediscovers herself thanks to the fairy queen.

Oliver- I don’t know why, but the first song that comes to mind for Oliver lyric-wise is “Last Stardust” by Aimer.

6. Did they come from a religious family/culture? Do they practice a religion? 

Sylvia- Not really, she doesn’t really care about religion as long as someone isn’t forcing them on her.

Oliver- Oliver’s grandparents are into Christianity so he still believes that demons are bad and angels are good, but he isn’t the kind of guy to force his religion onto others.

7. What do they think about the whole angel/demon stuff? 

Sylvia- She doesn’t particularly care about all of that up until she was whisked away into the exchange program.

Oliver- He’s a believer since he was a kid, and the poor guy came close to getting a heart attack when he found out where he was.

8. What’s your MC’s relationship with their family?

Sylvia- She only has a mother and step-father and she loves them both.

Oliver- He barely remembers his parents since they died when Oliver was a child, but his grandparents would tell him that they loved him dearly.

9. What are your MC’s chances of survival if they get lost in the levels of Devildom that take you to the surface [aka the layers of Hell]?

Neither of them would survive the whole ordeal!

10. Is your MC jealous/upset about not being able to use magic? Do they learn?

Sylvia- She only gets jealous when Solomon shows off his magic capabilities, but she would be in Mammon levels of denial and would say that she’ll survive without them. However during her stay in Devildom she began to notice that she has the ability to calm down any creature with her hands thanks to Lavande’s fairy soul.

Oliver- He doesn’t mind not being able to use magic, but as it turns out that he has untapped magic and it shows full force when Solomon lets Oliver borrow some of his magic during everyone’s stay at Diavolo’s castle.

11. What was your MC’s first impression of the demon boys? 

Sylvia- She did not believe that everyone were demons, not one bit- she would act sarcastic around Mammon and call Lucifer ‘Mom’ to name examples, but she gets along fairly well with Satan when the two would bond over cats.

Oliver- Panic mode at 99%; Diavolo had to reassure him that no one in Devildom would ever lay a hand on Oliver because he’s the exchange student.

12. First impression of the Angels & Solomon?

Sylvia- Sylvia and Solomon got along like water and oil, not good… As for the angels, she adores Luke and adopts him as her kid brother while it was love at first sight with Simeon- she still has feelings for him, even though he will never reciprocate.

Oliver- He kind of gets along with Solomon since the two are roommates and he’s good friends with Simeon.

13. What is a skill your MC has that the Boys would be surprised by?

Sylvia- She knows how to bake; as a child she would fawn over cakes and the pretty decorations, which got her wanting to major in Baking and Pastry Arts.

Oliver- Oliver is an excellent writer and is the kind of guy that would act as the beta reader for when he needs to look over something.

14. Do they own a secret place for their most prized possessions?   

Sylvia- She has a jewelry box that she got from one of Devildom’s shop to put away her choker.

Oliver- Not really.

15. What’s the most important thing they own?

Sylvia- Her cross choker that was a Christmas gift from her best friend back in high school.

Oliver- He has a locket that belonged to his mother that has his parents in them.

16. Do they eat the strange demon food?

Sylvia- She thought the food in Devildom looked odd, but was able to stomach most of the food- she really loves the sweets that the realm provides.

Oliver- He was reluctant but had to stomach the demon food so he won’t starve himself, some of the demon foods still makes him sick to his stomach.

17. What’s their favourite part of being in Devildom?

Sylvia- She went to Devildom’s version of a cat cafe with Satan and she fell in love with the cat-like demons that were there; it made her feel less homesick but she missed her cat very much.

Oliver- None, he can’t wait for the moment when the exchange program is over and he can go back to the human realm; being around Sylvia and Solomon helped his sanity some.

18. What does your MC miss most about the human world?

Sylvia- Her parents and cat Marble, she hoped that they’re looking after him while she was gone.

Oliver- His grandparents; they must be worried sick and must be assuming that he must have been kidnapped or worse.

19. What does MC spend most of their time doing/with who?

Sylvia- At the start the only demons she spent time with are Satan and Mammon, she would try to spend some time with Simeon as well because she’s been crushing on him. Eventually she would also spend some time with the twins.

Oliver- He spent a lot of time with Asmodeus since he’s close with Solomon, but when his lineage was revealed he would try to spend much time with the brothers.

20. How does MC wear the RAD uniform? [If they do.]

Sylvia-  Her full-body reference [x]

Oliver- His uniform is similar to Solomon’s but he has a black tie like Sylvia’s.

[namelessthirst]

Can you do a HC for Shoto, Bakugou, and Kirishima? One where their S/o is a an outgoing person with everyone else, but a shy mess when they're around their crush? How do the guys end up falling for such a shy girl?

SHOTO TODOROKI

Shoto was quite used to having two sides.

So yours was understandable, to an extent.

What confused him more was why it centered around him in particular.

He’d been making more effort socially lately.

So the mulling over of your reactions was to be expected.

Were you scared of him? Midoriya acted similarly around Bakugo, at least he had before.

He didn’t think he’d done anything to warrant fear? Had he overlooked something? Said something?

None of it made sense. The rest of the group was starting to worry about the brooding looks he’d slip into in class and at lunch.

It all clicked when he noticed Midoriya acting almost the exact same way to someone he didn’t recognize. He cornered the flushed boy and interrogated him.

“So, you aren’t scared of them?”

“N-no! Todoroki-kun, I just…Well-! They’re…T-they’re pretty. And I uh-”

Oh.

O h .

You didn’t hate him. Or fear him.

Once he realized what he did to you, he made it his mission to keep doing it.

The next few days or so of your life are going to be filled with heart-warming stress.

He tries to figure out what it is that he’s done to make you feel like this.

Expect him to move closer to you at random intervals.

Hope you’re good at not choking, because he’s going to snag the spot next to you at lunch.

Very obvious in his observations.

Definitely corners you after a bit, needs to know more.

Asks questions about what makes you favor him, like he didn’t just call you out on your crush.

What an ass?! You love him.

What a blush this boy can make, once you come to a stuttering stop in the flow of compliments.

“Okay. Let’s date.”

This isn’t a question.

Takes your hand immediately after and leads you back to class.

Totally walks you home.

Love-struck mess and his siblings notice it when he gets home.

Ends up getting advice given which he both appreciates and is terribly embarrassed about.

BAKUGO KATSUKI

Oh god. The hardest to deal with.

He’s so wrapped up in himself and his goals it’ll take a while for him to notice anything is amiss.

Notices it more if you interact directly because you give off the same scared prey vibe that Deku used to.

Izuku is pretty much the standard comparison in the class for “is this person being shy”.

It pisses him off!

He hasn’t even done anything to you! Why do you act like how Deku did after years of bullying?

Sure- he’s crass, blunt and brunt, pig-headed, and honestly awkward as hell when he’s not loud and trying to intimidate…But he hadn’t done anything!

Does actually try to be calm now and then around you. Is he really scaring you that much?

It doesn’t help, probably just makes your heart flutter and everything is just as bad or worse.

He eventually does get fed up with it.

Will hunt you down and try to interrogate you on the spot.

Probably out in the open, in public…He’s such a dumbass.

It’s likely that you’ll flee and he’ll end up giving chase. He’s too stubborn to let this go.

Will 100% fuss at you until you tell him what the fuck is wrong.

He’s definitely not pouting that you don’t act as friendly with him like you do with everyone else.

Spoiled brat please love him.

If he makes you cry doing this he will actually panic.

Equal parts “Wants to yell more because panic” and “Shh shh no shut up it’s fine sHUT-” like an older sibling who’s about to be caught making the baby cry.

Listen he’s so smart. SO SMART. And so goddamn stupid. Observant and blind as a bat. Learns so well and never catches on.

He’s a mess.

If he really does manage to bully it out of you, whether you cried or not, he will look absolutely dumbfounded.

Like, listen. Romance does not seem to be a thing that is ever on his mind.

Doesn’t really consider it and often never considers it for anyone else either.

Once he processes it, he’s stuck between being prideful (because of COURSE he’s attractive!) and his denial-fueled fluster (he’s not embarrassed! YOU’RE embarrassed!)

Now it’s in his head. The idea of it. The idea of you.

Still probably just flees the scene because he’s an ass with poor sense of tact.

Grumbles something along the lines of “That answer’s my question, I guess.”

Doesn’t know what to do about it.

Love is a liability.

The bakusquard corners him after a couple days, having noticed how depressed you seem, how you avoid them and him.

Interrogates him and collectively groan when he explains.

“So you rejected her?”

“What? No?”

“…Bitch you left. You walked. Thats rejection.”

Has no room to fuss at their scolding because he is in fact, full of dumbass disease.

You’re heartbroken and it’s his fault.

With some reluctantly accepted help, and some equally reluctant emotional counseling, he shows up at your house on the following weekend.

Dressed nicely, flowers in hand and an ashamed apology on his lips.

Love isn’t natural for him, but he’s trying. He wants to.

He wants to try for you.

EIJIRO KIRISHIMA

This boy.

This goddamn boy.

Is so mean.

And he doesn’t even know it.

Much like the first two, he’s full of dumbass disease.

At least when it comes to certain feelings directed at him.

Might be suspicious, but nah, surely it’s something else! Right?

Leftover insecurity from years past is a bitch.

Works to assume he’s just maybe a little intimidating?

Makes a joke out of it, how he’s finally achieved scary.

No one believes him and says so.

His teeth could tear your throat out but he’s about as scary as a newborn puppy.

Definitely tries to get close to you, both to maybe be playful about his supposed intimidation and to try and get you to relax with him.

Likes being friends. They’re important!

You’re no exception, so count on him following you pretty regularly as he tries to “help” and be your friend.

Suffering is such sweet sorrow.

Head-pats are a thing that happens. It’s supposed to be calming right?

Accidentally shifts into Big Bro mode in trying to get you to relax with him.

Leans over you to help you get things off high shelves

Waits in line with you at lunch even if he’s got his food already

Walks you home after school because you’re Gonna Be Friends and its the manly thing to do!

The other members of the bakusquad consider intervening because Fucking Lord

but they don’t because they’re assholes and watching Kirishima obliviously make you swoon is great fun.

He gets touchier with you as things progress.

An arm around your shoulder, slung casually with a smile.

A hand on your back when the hallways get crowded.

Head pats and hair ruffles.

Some rando at the cafeteria makes brief conversation with him, and openly mistakes you for his girlfriend.

He flushes just as much as you do, quick to correct them that no, no!

You’re Just Friends.

They’re apologetic, clearly feeling awkward and excuse themselves.

Kirishima doesn’t miss how dejected you look.

You excuse yourself from lunch quickly, finding your appetite gone.

He offers to walk you to Recovery girl, if you’re feeling unwell-

But you decline, shying away from his hands and fleeing as calmly as you can.

Mina is first to jump on his ass

“Kiri, what did you do?”

He splutters out what happened a bit ago and the whole table groans.

“This is too much. This is painful. Kirishima, you have to go tell her you like her.”

“What?! But-! I don’t? We’re just-”

“Just Friends- we know. That’s what you’ve BEEN saying! For weeks!”

Has it really been that long?

“You’ve been doing almost nothing but follow her around like an excited puppy all this time, trying so hard to make her happy and feel nice with you- you really think this is just. Friendship?”

He swallows thickly. He can’t argue. Thinking up new ways to try and please you had been running through his head for a while.

“So…you guys think she likes me?”

Food is flung at him.

The whole squad works to clean him up and hunt you down before the school day is over.

You’re wrapped in tape and being dashed across campus to a quiet spot where Kiri waits, fists gripped so tight he can feel his quirk acting up in waves all over his body.

You’re far from composed when you’re quickly unwrapped and set on your feet, squeals and laughs disappearing into the distance while you look awkwardly between the ground and your crush.

“I��[Name], I’m sorry.”

You feel like you’re going to puke. He finally figured out. Did they bring you here just to watch you crash and burn?

“Nothing I’ve been doing lately has managed to make you relax, or make you smile!”

What.

“Maybe…Maybe this will?”

You hear wolf whistles from somewhere over the ringing in your ears and the pulse in your neck as Kirishima presses a firm kiss to your lips.

[gwcndolyne-a]

PSA ! MY SPIDER-GWEN IS HEAVILY CANON DIVERGENT !

because the more i read up on the comic the more i’m like ‘nah’. i usually write gwen in a verse where she either has no idea peter is spider-man or she has just learned. but my spider-gwen verse takes place as they are dating , not in an alternate timeline ! here’s a quick run down to fill in until i write the actual verse out :

gwen’s father has already died, and gwen has forgiven peter for it. she lives with ehr god father, the sergeant from her father’s precinct. she works with ned on ‘the spider-team’ assisting peter as a hero. 

peter and gwen have been dating for about a year. they had mutual crushes all of junior year but didn’t act on it until summer. they are approaching graduation from high school. 

gwen is caught with spider-man and it is reveal to the public that she has a close personal connection to him. this results in her being targeted by super-villains and she is kidnapped frequently. 

to counter act this peter gifts gwen with her own web-shooter: a simple silver bracelet with a button that can be pressed to transformed the trinket into a fully functioning spider-gauntlet. 

gwen practices with it fairly frequently, and even uses it for crime fighting if she stumbles upon someone in trouble. but she does not seek out heroics. for the most part it’s used to save her own life. 

mantis gifts peter with a ‘spider’ to thank him for saving her life. the ‘spider’ is an alien creature much like the arachnids we have on earth, except it is pale white ( semi transparent ) and highly radioactive - this neither peter nor mantis knows

peter keeps the spider as a pet and names it ‘ripley’. one night he shows gwen the spider, which is usually very docile and content to crawl around peacefully. but upon being released from it’s cage in gwen’s presence, it bites her and jumps across the room. as peter attempts to recover ripley and confine the spider back in it’s cage, gwen passes out. 

gwen stays int he hospital for a few days and suffers minor radiation poisoning, but she seems to be on the mend. however, afterwards she notices that she’s more perceptive, agile, and stronger than she used to be. she gradually begins to realizes that she too has spider-senses. she can now easily pull off stunts that she couldn’t before. 

peter is attacked by norman osborn and is killed.  gwen is with him as he passes away, and she promises that the city won’t go unprotected. somewhat in denial that peter actually can die and somewhat saying what she thinks he wants to hear just to ease his mind in his last moment gwen promises to become the new spider-man. 

after a few months of mourning, crime has skyrocketed in the city and gwen’s promise looms over her head. out of guilt at first she dons the mantle of spider-woman. but as time passes she becomes more and more like the persona she modeled after peter. until she becomes the spider-gwen we all know and love. 

note: her physiology is a little different too ! after being bitten by the radioactive alien spider she grows six new eyes on her forehead so minuscule they can hardly be seen, they just look like black heads. her normal eyes also develop a second eyelid/lense which is pale white and compound. when she is in ‘spider-mode’ her vision is exactly like a spider’s. 

‘spider-mode’ is a strange phenomenon because the way gwen processes information is all spider and cannot be fully comprehended by her human brain. so when she enters spider-mode, often triggered by adrenaline but it can be forced, she see likes a spider would and her sense are super heightened. often she cannot remember what happened when she fought, at least not in the way do. she knows what occurred but she cannot translate it into a human compatible perception of reality, so there is no visual image left in her mind. 

the shift in and out of spider-mode is as simple as a blink- when the compound lense is put over her human eyes. so her memory of fights is very fragmented. she also doesn’t talk with in spider-mode, but because she switches out of it so easily she still banters while in a fight, just not in the moments of actual combat or evasion. 

[evenstevensranked]

#9: Season 3, Episode 22 - “Leavin’ Stevens”

It’s the series finale!! Eileen is projected the winner of a major election for Congress, which means the Stevens family will be moving to Washington D.C. immediately. Pretty big deal. Our beloved characters must say goodbye to each other forever, but Louis can’t bring himself to move across the country without telling Tawny how he really feels about her. 

Let’s talk about why this cinematic plotline would’ve made an infinitely better DCOM than The Even Stevens Movie. 

This one opens with the Stevens family huddled together in the living room, anxiously awaiting the results of Eileen’s election. Riiiiight as the news reporter is about to announce the winner, Beans appears out of nowhere, grabs the remote and changes the channel to... Toon Disney?! They show a legit clip of Teamo Supremo (remember that show?! LOL) instead of some fake cartoon or something which is kinda cool. Granted, it’s a Disney cartoon, so they had the right to use it no problem -- but still! That show premiered in 2002 so I’m sure they threw that clip in there to promote it somehow. Otherwise, it’s just sorta funny to think Toon Disney and ABC (Disney Channel sister stations) exist in the Even Stevens-verse. 

Beans, being the nuisance that he is, throws the remote into a skinny vase thing so Ren is forced to ~magically~ change the channel back manually. 

Remember when you could change the channel with buttons on the actual TV? Good times. If you lose the remote these days, you’re pretty much screwed. 

Thankfully, they turn back in time to catch the results: EILEEN WON! It cuts to her giving a little press conference outside where she announces that the entire family will be moving to Washington D.C. immediately so that she can get to work right away. This is insane news to Louis since he apparently had no idea that Congress was in Washington or that the whole family would need to move there if Eileen were to win. 

It cuts to a very depressed Louis at school cleaning out his locker. Tom and Twitty are with him and Twitty is seemingly in denial about the whole situation, explaining that nothing’s going to change and that a few 14-year-olds can hop a flight to D.C., hang out with Louis and be home by dinner time easy peasy! Tom brings them back to reality by calling them “poor delusional fools” and it’s great. Tawny shows up and it’s time for “Romeo to bid farewell to his Juliet” (Tom’s words.) Oh, man. The rom-com drama kicks in here and I can’t get enough of it. 

I’m guessing that this moment is the actual very last time they’re ever going to see each other?!?! So, the two of them are incredibly freaking awkward trying to say their goodbyes. I mean, how do you say goodbye forever to one of your best friends who is also obviously your crush in, like.. 30 seconds? They’re stammering and dancing around the idea of simply saying “I’m gonna miss you!” So, what do they do? They end up completely avoiding the situation by talking about how they’re going to miss the school cafe’s chili fries instead of each other. Clearly, that is not the last thing either of them wanted to say. As frustrating as this scene is, it’s pretty hilarious. Louis is all “I’m really gonna miss... y.......ahh... c..hili.... fries on Wednesday!” and Tawny just awkwardly goes along with it, “Yeah. I love those... They’re great.” HAHAHA. They proceed to engage in what’s gotta be up there as one of the most uncomfortable hugs of all time:

One thing this show consistently nails is middle school awkwardness. Louis & Tawny are lightyears ahead of me and my old crush though. He was moving to Deleware at the end of 8th grade and we didn’t even say goodbye to each other at ALL at graduation, omg. We just avoided each other entirely. The worst part is that we were side-by-side PARTNERS for the graduation march and we didn’t even speak to each other. The level of immaturity and awkwardness is unparalleled.... 

It cuts to Ren talking with Ruby and Monique who are also getting emotional over Ren’s impending departure. (“What are we gonna do without her?!”) Basically, the two of them are completely incapable of organizing their own lives and need Ren’s constant guidance. One of their biggest concerns is that the three of them previously waited 6 hours in line for Peachbox tickets and now they can’t go to the concert together. First of all.... WHAT OR WHO THE HECK IS PEACHBOX? For some reason, I’ve always imagined a knockoff Matchbox Twenty band simply because of the “box” connection lol. Buuuut, I’m gonna guess that it’s just a music festival or something. It’s not important in the grand scheme of things here.

We see Louis and Twitty walking home from school together and it’s a very somber stroll. Twitty says “I know you’re not the most romantic guy in the world (I BEG TO DIFFER, TWITTY!!!) but, do you really want the last thing you talk about with Tawny to be chili fries?” Obviously, Louis says no, but its too late! There’s nothing he can do at this point! Twitty dramatically says “No, it’s never too late...” and just WALKS AWAY!!!! Did he leave Louis in the dust?! Was that the last thing they said to each other?! What?! Did Louis and Twitty’s epic friendship just... end on a cryptic note for dramatic effect? Why am I just realizing this?

I’m laughing at the idea of this being their final exchange. “It’s never too late. Peace out, cub scout.”

Twitty’s dramatic last words kick Louis into rom-com leading man overdrive. As soon as he gets home, he sits down and starts recording a videotape for Tawny so that he can say everything he wasn’t able to in person. (See cover photo.) Oh, my lord. This is incredible. He starts off by saying that he’ll already be 2,797 miles away (he looked it up) in Washington by the time she sees the tape. “I didn’t want the last thing we talked about to be chili fries. So that’s why I’m doing this -- this tape, ya know? To tell you how I really feel...” And Shia is already hitting it outta the god damn park with his acting. The scene cuts after that, so we don’t get to hear the rest. Gotta keep us on our toes!

Louis meets up with Tom later and gives him the tape, instructing -- or rather, threatening -- him to personally deliver it to Tawny... OR ELSE. 

“Tom, I’m entrusting you with this tape. Okay? So, if anybody else -- besides Tawny -- gets their hands on this... I will personally track you down and make you pay. You hear what I’m saying?”

There’s a little subplot with Donnie and Coach Tugnut, as well. Every character’s plot in this episode revolves around the Stevens family moving, which is kinda cool. We get to see how the potential change affects all of them! Coach Tugnut was planning on training Donnie for the Olympics, so he nearly has a heart attack when he finds out he’s moving. Steve decides to call his boss, Mr. Kupchack, and cuss him out because he thinks he’s never going to see him again. (Bad idea.) Louis has the Tawny situation. Ren has her friends. And of course, Eileen’s whole career is being uprooted. 

Tugnut ultimately decides to uproot his life as well and drive all the way to Washington to continue Donnie’s training. There’s a pretty great final ~adult joke~ here. Tugnut says he talked it over with his wife, Tammy, and they agreed that a little break could be good. He explains that Tammy is busy with her own life, which includes working the night shift at Romano’s Pizza. But, Donnie’s like.. “Uh, Coach... Romano’s Pizza closed, like... 2 years ago” -- Insinuating that Tammy’s been cheating at night. “I’m sure there’s a logical explanation!” Tugnut concludes. Wow. I like this joke, though. It’s subtle and smart. 

Right as Steve is fervently insulting his boss over the phone, Eileen comes running into the living room in a tizzy. She turns on the TV and calls for the entire family to come watch. In a “stunning and dramatic reversal,” a recount snatched victory away from Eileen and gave the congressional seat to some guy Charles Nuck. 

Louis: “My tape!” Ren: “My friends!” Steve: “My job!” Donnie: “My coach!” Eileen: “My seeeeat!”

You can always count on Tom Virtue to go overboard with his performance. To be fair, Steve knows that he totally just lost his job. Soo...

So, yeah! We’re only 9 minutes into the episode and The Stevens family is no longer moving! Wexler is so elated to have Ren back, he’s all “I’d be lost without you!” -- Literally no one can live a productive life without Ren Stevens I guess. He does a little happy dance down the hallway but then stops in his tracks in horror when he sees Louis moving back into his locker. “Noooo!” HAHAHA. 

“WHYYYYYY?!” -- I just really wanted to include this screenshot. Notice how Louis is unpacking a giant thing of syrup! Leftover from Lumberjack Club, I presume? 

Twitty stops by and Louis is in damage control mode. “I have a problem. I did the worst thing I could possibly do.” Twitty says “Dude, everyone gets gas climbing the rope in gym, it’s okay.” HAHA! For some reason I never really noticed that line before. It’s great. Of course, Louis explains that he gave Tawny a tape telling her how he really feels. Twitty asks how bad it is and if he dropped the “L-Bomb.” (“Did ya tell Tawny that you loved her?”) And Louis is officially freaking out. OHHHHHH MYYYY GODDDDDD. Scenes like this make me think that Even Stevens was more of a ~bro show~ kinda. I wonder if guys across the country related to this or not. 

Ren’s little ~storyline within the storyline~ could’ve been a lot better. As usual, she got the short end of the stick for her final hurrah in the series. She ends up finding a replacement of herself for Ruby and Monique named Denise who is seriously controlling and super creepy. After they find out the Stevens are no longer moving, Monique and Ruby really don’t want to go to the concert with Denise anymore. So Ren eventually finds replacements for Ruby and Monique as well so the three doppelgangers can go together instead. It’s trippy. And that’s pretty much it. 

Louis talks to Tawny later that day and finds out that Tom already delivered the tape. Yikes! Tawny doesn’t know what's on the tape though and doesn’t think much of it either. She’s assuming that it’s probably a nature special or Doris’ 40th birthday. And Louis quickly interjects “Good party! That was a good--” and awkwardly cuts himself off. Shia’s phrasing. It’s so good. I laughed pretty hard. Anyway, Louis is officially on a mission to retrieve the tape before she has a chance to watch it and calls Beans for help. Beans is at school when Louis calls his cell phone, and um... Beans is 8 years old. Why does he have a cell phone in 2002? Also, he should be in 3rd grade. Does this look like 3rd grade to you?!

That teacher is reading a baby storybook to them. This never seemed right to me lol. Also, that super tall kid in the middle is at least 11 years old. Come on now. ALSO they make a point to show that every kid in the class has a cell phone, too. Perhaps this show was simply ahead of its time AGAIN, showing us that soon technology will consume all of our lives at every age. 8 year olds have iPhones nowadays.

To sum it up, Louis has Beans climb into Tawny’s bedroom window to steal the tape back. This is the only episode where we see Tawny’s bedroom and much like the part of her house we saw in Thin Ice, it suits her personality perfectly and I love it. 

Louis is relieved to have the tape back, but once he gets home he notices the tape is actually labeled “To: Louis.” OHHHHHHHH BOYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! HEREEEE WEEEE GOOOOO! I’ll let you watch this truly iconic and emotionally taxing scene play out for yourself:

Can you say SOULMATES?! What are the odds they’d both decide to confess their feelings via videotape? Well, besides it being an uber romantic plot device lol. 

The episode ends with Louis and Tawny at their lockers, smirking knowingly at each other because they know they’re in love now lol. It’s precious. It’s still a little awkward because it’s like “ok, we love each other or whatever... now what?” So, in true Louis & Tawny fashion Louis says “Soooo... I hear they’re having chili fries at lunch today.” And Tawny whispers “Cool. I love chili fries.” The two of them laugh at how well they know each other and walk off hand and hand into the sunset. All is right with the world. 

How sweet are they?! Seriously one of the most underrated pairings everrrrr. Tawny’s jeans though. I never understood the 2000s fashion trend that was distressed markings on the BUTTCHEEKS of pants! It looks absolutely terrible.

The final minute bit is Tugnut crying “DonnnieeeeEE!” all alone at the Washington monument lol. 

This is probably the most cinematic episode of Even Stevens. This thing plays out like a freaking movie. Honestly, if they fleshed out the plot a little more and added a few twists and turns that I can’t think of because I’m not a screenwriter -- I firmly believe this would've made for a better and more satisfying DCOM than The Even Stevens Movie. They could've ended the series with an episode built around a wacky plot like the vacation, (I mean, the dismal and beyond outlandish In Ren We Trust was the series’ penultimate episode so that wouldn't be a stretch...) and then have an original movie with heart and a story rooted in the characters. Am I alone here, or? Having the series end with Louis and Tawny getting together and then barely interacting in The Even Stevens Movie always pissed me off. The bit with the videotapes could totally compete with any blockbuster romance film, tbh. MOVIES end with characters finally getting together and it's the big, satisfying moment. Ending a SERIES like that, and then not doing anything with it in the big finale film is just frustrating. I wanted to see what became of Louis and Tawny: The Couple. 

This 8-second scene of them in the chair is the extent of their interaction in the movie. Along with two “right next to papa” lines from Louis, which Tawny sorta reacts apathetically/sarcastically to. That’s literally it. 

I’ve mentioned before that people tend to write-off Even Stevens as nothing but a wacky show to watch if you want to turn your brain off. But, there’s so much heart here and great characters that are overlooked! Having such a crazy movie for the big ending just solidified that Even Stevens = Dumb and wacky TV show, in the memories of many. Which is perhaps the reason why the show isn’t remembered as widely or fondly in comparison to other live action Disney shows of the era. This could also contribute to its underratedness. It’s just not the DCOM we deserved. Even I remember thinking “this looks stupid” when I first saw the promo trailer for the movie as a kid. But this series finale episode felt more like a movie to me than the DCOM ever did! It almost seems like it was intended to be a film but they cut out a bunch of it. It feels really rushed. One minute the Stevens are moving and the next they’re not. There’s so much more tension and emotion that could’ve been built if the idea of them moving lasted longer than 8 minutes, haha. Idk. This just feels like a plot that deserves more than 21 minutes to unfold and breathe. 

I kinda adore this episode. To this day it still manages to squeeze a lil’ tear outta me. I really can’t stress enough how sublime Shia’s acting on the tape to Tawny is. If the scene was longer, it could totally rival his romantic monologue in Disturbia (which some people have performed for acting auditions!!!) I wanna see people do a “Louis Stevens monologue” for auditions, man! lol. The day I see a modern Disney kid pull this sort of scene off with the same level of maturity will be the day hell freezes over. I love that Shia gave his all to this role. Even though ES was “just a Disney show” he treated the material with the weight it deserved and I really appreciate that. It’s what helps make Even Stevens more than “just a Disney show” and why it’s still great, if not better, in 2018. 

This episode makes my Top 10 because, like I said, it has such a movie feel to it and one of the strongest/most engaging plotlines in the entire series. I might’ve ranked this one even higher if Ren had a better final plot. They could’ve had a double romance dilemma with Ren and Larry getting together as well or at least a cute moment where they finally end their rivalry, but nooooooooo! The pressure of moving forced Louis & Tawny to confront their feelings, they could’ve done the same thing with Ren and Larry. If this episode had a Ren/Larry subplot of any kind it would probably be my #1 lololol. The episode does have a lot going for it and so much potential though. I had to put it in the single-digits.

The Louis/Tawny content here is OBVIOUSLY of the highest quality. Hands down the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen on the Disney Channel at least. The videotape(s) is like a grand gesture, but also small and intimate at the same time. Per-fect. The acting is especially great here, from both Shia and Margo. I mean, these performances could stand up against any "adult” comedy TV show, heck.. they’re probably better honestly. They’re seriously killin’ the game and they’re both 16/17 years old here. So underrated. Even Stevens deserved to be picked up by a major network. Imagine what it might’ve been like on ABC, CBS, or NBC? Dang. It’d be the cult classic it deserves to be today.

Thanks for reading!!

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[annamariawrites]

When I was in the 9th grade...

I thought that I was gay.

And it turns out I am. That’s how I have identified for quite a while now. I am sexually and romantically attracted to women. I can’t see myself with a boy or ever desiring to be with a boy.  

It was there long before 9th grade. There was something inside for me that knew, even when I didn’t know and was in denial...

When I was younger I used to not feel “normal”...whatever “normal” meant. I have some vague early memories. One time at dinner I said “I’m a boy” and my older sister said “No you’re not!” I know I’m not. I’m a girl. But that confused me. The whole concept of gender confused me. What was the difference between boys and girls? Besides...you know. I learned that when my little brother was born. Until then it had just been me and my sister. The 3 year old me thought everyone had the same private parts. So yeah I found out what a penis was... and it kinda scared me to be honest. It makes more sense to me now that I know gender and biological sex are two separate things because before I was confused. Who made these rules? Why do girls have to act a certain way and why are boys suppose to act different? But a common question that was on my mind was why do girls have to like boys? Honestly I thought that girls were a lot cuter than boys. I often imaged seeing my female friends beneath their clothes....but I never thought such things about boys. I never wanted to. But as far as I knew, as a girl I was suppose to like boys. I learned what “gay” meant at some point but there was such a stigma attached to it. People made it seem like such a bad thing. I had no exposure to anything gay and nobody ever told me that it was okay so I assumed it wasn’t. I had no gay people to look up to. Nobody ever told me that they would still love me the same if I was gay. They just expected me to be straight. Nobody ever told me that I’m not wrong for being attracted girls when all the girls around me are attracted to boys. So for a long I assumed being gay wasn’t okay and something I could never be. 

The short explanation is that I was born gay but in this hetero-normative world I didn’t understand my feelings until later in life. I just am who am I and that’s that. Its been a confusing journey but there are a few memories of my gay awakening that stick out. A specific one is a sleep away camp. It was the summer between 5th and 6th grade so I was 10 years old. My best friend (at the time) and I went away to camp together. It was really fun and I’ll always cherish the memories of that week. Anyway, there was a specific girl in our unit (I’ll call her Jay for the sake of this story). I felt drawn to her. I always found myself staring at her even when I wasn’t trying to.

“Why are you always looking at me?” Jay would ask. She wasn’t upset, just confused. Then I would feel guilty and go into defense mode...

“What are you talking about? I wasn’t looking at you.” 

One time I was taking a picture with two other girls and Jay walked by. My eyes naturally followed her. Apparently it wasn’t subtle.

“Alright girls. Look this way and smile...3...2...1.” The person taking the picture said.

“She wasn’t even looking at the camera, she was looking at me!” Jay said with an amused laugh, referring to me. 

“It was because I thought you said something.” I said. That was the first excuse that came to mind.

“That doesn’t mean you have to look at me during a picture.” she shook her head and left. Jay was honestly a nice girl and a lot of fun, but I think I started to become more uncomfortable being around her as the week went on. 

I’m pretty sure I kinda had a crush on her. One day when were taking showers, she forgot her towel. I saw her naked and I tried to look away but couldn’t. My eyes kept trailing downward...

I kinda felt a certain way seeing other girls change and I wondered if they felt the same way or if it was just me. There was another girl who was older and more developed. At one point I also saw her topless without a bra on. She had big breasts and I was mesmerized at the sight. My own chest was basically flat until the end of middle school so there was nothing to see there. I know we were all girls and more or less had the same bodies, but there was something about seeing another girl’s body that just felt...different. I liked what I saw but simultaneously I thought it was weird for me to like it so much. Although I didn’t think to hard of it back then. 

You could say that I was “bisexual” growing up. I claimed to  “like” boys (but that wasn’t exclusive). Well, according to the rest of the world, liking boys is what was  “normal” so that’s what I did. Its what I thought I had to do. There was boy in middle school who was a friend of mine I claimed to like him even though I didn’t feel anything towards him. I just wanted to feel normal. It was my secret. I wanted to have a crush to write about in my journal with hearts and stuff. Maybe overtime I convinced myself hard enough that I did like him and I was for sure straight. I used “gush” over some male celebrities and everything. But deep downs something never felt right and it didn’t feel like I was being myself. I also had a friend from Girl Scouts who was super boy crazy so I followed her lead. We would always talk about boys and stuff together all the time. I liked our talks but I always kind of felt like I wasn’t on the same level as her or feeling the same things that she felt. She was a couple years older then me so she would always encourage me to come to her whenever I had any questions about boys, crushes, dating and sex. There was never anything that I genuinely wanted to know, but I tried to act like there was. My confusing feelings about girls were still present but I didn’t pay attention to them because I didn’t want to. 

9th grade (when I didn’t see my “crush” everyday anymore) was when I started to notice those feelings that I tried to ignore. Lots of thoughts were going through my head very often...

Okay how long is it considered appropriate to stare at another girl’s breasts?

Wow that girl is beautiful...like really beautiful.

Seriously she’s so pretty...do I wanna be her or do I wanna...wanna what? I don’t know!

Don’t look at her butt. Don’t look at her butt. No, don’t look at her breasts instead. That’s not okay!

There was this girl in my PE class who was apparently a lesbian. I didn’t know that information until I overheard a conversation one day.

“So wait you’re a lesbian?” another girl asked her.

“I am.” she said casually.

“That’s so cool. I’ve never met a lesbian before.”

Yeah that’s cool. She can be a lesbian if she wants. To each their own. I thought to myself. I had never met a lesbian before either. I knew very well that I felt some type of way about girls but I couldn’t define it. 

What if I was a lesbian...? ...am I a lesbian? That was my first time actually questioning my sexuality instead of pushing away the possibilities. I always assumed that I was straight and that was all I was ever going to be. I wanted to hold onto that.  NO! Definitely not. I’m straight. Trust me, I am so straight. Obviously I like boys. I would never like a girl that way. I’m only ever gonna like boys. No doubt about it. But there was some doubt...

There was another time at a Girl Scouts meeting, I was distracted on my friend. 

“What are you doing?” One of my troop mates asked.

“Just texting my friend.” I said.

“Ohh your friend? Is it a boy or a girl?” she asked.

“A girl.” I said and one of the other girls overheard.

“You have a girlfriend?” She asked surprised.

“No! No. Just my friend who is a girl.” I sad defensively. It truth and that was just a misunderstanding. I didn’t have to get so nervous. The thought of me having a girlfriend seemed wrong out loud but deep down it almost felt right...

It was around 10th grade when I considered myself “bi-curious”. Don’t get me wrong, I’m straight. But I could more than possibly be interested in the same sex.  Eventually I upgraded to bisexual. I didn't want to be gay. If was gonna like girls then I felt like I still had to like boys too. I thought that being bi was the best approach.

There was another guy friend of mine, who I had multiple classes with. He had a girlfriend but we were still pretty close friends. I thought I liked him but at the same time I still didn’t exactly know what “like” was suppose to feel like towards boys. One day we were working on the same computer in class and I looked over at him, wondering what it would be like to kiss him. Could I see myself ever kissing a boy? No, not really. I couldn’t see myself doing that. It didn’t feel right to even think it. I didn’t “like” him anymore after realizing that…

The thought of kissing a boy was not appealing to me at all…but kissing a girl didn't sound bad at all. Being with a girl and doing things with girls was all that I wanted and all I could think about. The more that I thought about it the much better it sounded. And boys started to seem more and more gross and unappealing. It got to the point where I realized I was not interested in boys at all and everything finally made sense. Somewhere along the way I also started reading more lesbian fan fiction and that helped make everything that I thought wasn’t normally start to seem normal. It also kind of amplified my desires for women. I began to fully accept the fact that I’m attracted to girls instead of boys. I was still reluctant at first to use the word “gay” but I figured there’s no other way to describe it. I’m gay. It was before 11th grade started when I was able to fully accept that fact that had been almost obvious since I was little. I’m a lesbian. 

So I had this huge revelation about myself but I had to keep it to myself. I was absolutely terrified to tell anyone. I didn’t know how to honestly. I also thought that people would see me differently or not like me anymore. It was my biggest secret for quite a while. I stayed in the closet where I was safe. A few of my closest friends eventually found out. It was over a year later when I made it known to my parents. I won’t get into that. Also along the way I experienced very legitimate crushes on some of my female friends. Unfortunately they were straight so I had to get over it. But I finally understood what it actually feels like to “like” someone… I have never felt that way about a guy before. I never knew with guys. But when it was a girl, I knew. 

Looking back, there are a few things I  wish I could tell my younger self...

First of all, sexuality can be fluid but as far as I’m concerned you’re gay. And that’s OKAY. I know you never had anyone to tell you that at the time, but it is okay. There is nothing wrong with you. You’re not weird, you’re not disgusting, you’re not abnormal, you’re just you. Your true friends will always love you for who you are. Those who mind don’t mater and those who matter don’t mind. It’s okay to be confused sometimes but things will clear up. You don’t have to put a label on yourself. You just have to be to you. You know what you like, you know what you want. Its okay to be aware of those things with little to no experience. You’re valid. Anything and everything you feel is valid. You’re okay. I don’t know when, but someday you will find a girl who will love you the same way you love her. You’ll finally experience the things you’ve always wanted and you’ll both live happily ever after.

~Annamaria

[breeeliss]

[Miraculous Ladybug]: Good Old Fashioned Meddling

a little late with Week 2 of @thinkoutsidethelovesquare but i really really wanted to do a re-write of the Zoo Scene from Animan with a few rare pairs, so i hope this is a fun little piece for you all 

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Link to Archive of Our Own: [AO3]

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Title: Good Old Fashioned Meddling Pairings: Alyadrien (Alya x Adrien), Chlolya (Chloe x Alya), Chlonette (Chloe x Marinette) Summary: A rewrite of the Zoo Scene from "Animan," except Adrien is coaching Chloe through a date with Alya and Marinette's curiosity can't keep her from eavesdropping.

Good Old Fashioned Meddling

“Just so you know, Alya’s never going to fall in love with you if you keep glaring at her like that.”

Chloe’s eyes widened as she quickly grabbed Adrien’s shoulders and pulled him behind the pile of gym equipment she was currently hiding behind. “Are you some kind of an idiot? Can you not make me look so obvious? For Christ’s sake….”

Adrien smirked. “You’re worried about me making you seem obvious? You’re spying on her from across the courtyard with this look on your face like you don’t know whether you should punch her or go up and talk to her.”

She rolled her eyes at Adrien and carefully peeked out from her hiding spot, watching Marinette and Alya sitting on the steps in the courtyard and laughing over the horoscopes in the latest issue of Le Mode. “I’m….observing her. For….blackmail material.”

“You know, I’m kind of offended that you think I’m that stupid,” Adrien told her. “You don’t have to be embarrassed about it. Alya’s a pretty girl and she certainly has the attitude to keep up with you. I totally understand the appeal.”

“There’s no appeal ,” Chloe hissed out. “She’s objectively awful. It doesn’t matter that she’s gorgeous or that she’s been featuring in an ongoing series of some very confusing but strangely satisfying daydreams. The mere suggestion that I’d be staring at her from across the room like a lovesick idiot is frankly the worst thing you’ve ever said to me.”

Adrien raised a brow and let her stew in her denial for a few long seconds. “...so are you going to admit that you like her so that I can help you, or are you gonna keep pining from fifty meters away?”

Chloe scrunched up her nose in annoyance and sat down on the floor with her arms crossed over her chest. “This is how you treat your oldest most precious friend, huh?”

“By smacking some sense into her when she needs it? Yes. That is certainly how I treat you.”

“Look. Even if I did like Alya. And I’m not saying that I do!” Chloe insisted when she saw Adrien’s face-splitting grin. “Nothing is going to come of it because I can’t freakin’ talk to her.”

“You talked your way out of a maths test by convincing our teacher you had encephalitis,” Adrien deadpanned. “All of a sudden you don’t know how to talk to one of your classmates?”

“You’re not understanding the problem, darling,” Chloe explained. “Can I physically talk to her? Of course, I’m the most charismatic person I know. But everytime I start talking to her, I can’t help but poke fun at her or give her shit at least once. It’s like a sickness! Or a compulsion. Or something. Whatever. I just can’t talk to her without making her angry at me.”

“Have you tried?”

Chloe winced. “Well….I tried to compliment her on her outfit the other day.”

Adrien nodded. “Okay, that’s a start. And what did you say?”

“I said that her sweater was decent considering that colorblind, soft butch lesbian aesthetic she usually flaunts in school.”

Adrien covered his face with both hands. “That’s not a compliment Chloe, that’s being condescending.”

“This is my point!” Chloe complained petulantly. “I can’t do this flirting thing!”

“Alright,” Adrien shrugged. “So try something else.”

“Like….pay someone to do her homework for the next month?”

“Oh my God, you’re hopeless,” Adrien muttered under his breath. “Let’s just….start with something simple. What would you do if it was Ladybug?”

Chloe’s eyes brightened and she clasped her hands underneath her chin. “Oh, it wouldn’t matter, we could be trapped in a closet together and I could literally die right there.”

Adrien snorted. “Alright, but if you had to pick.”

“Oh I dunno,” Chloe muttered. “Um….the Louvre has a really nice exhibit that I’ve been wanting to see. I’d probably want her to see it with me.”

“Perfect,” Adrien smiled. “Ask Alya to go to the Louvre with you.”

“Adrien, that’s so stupid, there’s no way she’s going to agree to that.”

“Look,” Adrien began. “As….prickly as you are, you’re a beautiful girl and I know you’re secretly a sweetheart underneath this holier-than-thou act like you love to put on in front of everyone. I wouldn’t be friends with you if I didn’t think there was something about you to admire. If you take a chance and just tone down the animosity a little bit, you won’t have anything to worry about.”

“Oh, easy for you to say, M. Front Cover Teen Model,” Chloe snapped. “You’re a heartthrob, girls drool all over you on a daily basis. It’s hard out here for us lady-loving ladies. What if she’s straight?”

Adrien snorted and tried to cover up his laughter with this hand. “I really don’t think you have to worry about that?”

“Wait, what!?”

“Look, just ask her to the Louvre,” Adrien repeated.

“Yeah, slight problem, genius,” Chloe glared. “She hates me. She’s not going to go anywhere with me.”

“Would you chill out for two seconds please?” Adrien asked, flicking her on the nose. “I’ve got you. Just follow my lead.”

“You know, I’ve gotta tell you. Adrien’s really stepping it up with these photoshoots. I mean, look at this one. Black is so his color.”

Marinette smirked. “This coming from the girl that said ‘Oh I’m not going to buy a magazine just to ogle a boy. That’s something you would do.’”

“Excuse you, but I did not purchase it. You did. For your fashion references. I’m just taking advantage of the stray reading material and attempting to become a more well-read member of society. A good writer studies and learns from other writers, so two birds with one stone.”

“Yeah, because all aspiring investigative journalists read fashion articles about why pops of color are in this season.”

“Will you shut up and let me stare at this boy’s eyes in peace?”

Marinette lifted her hands and laughed. “Hey, I wasn’t judging. Stare away. You know I support you and your big, fat, embarrassing crush on him because it’s the single most hilarious thing that I know about you.”

Alya frowned and smacked the top of Marinette’s head with the magazine. “Yell it louder, yeah? The whole world hasn’t heard you yet.”

“Sorry, sorry,” Marinette snickered. “You know I’m just teasing. Although I’m surprised it’s still a secret. I would’ve expected you of all people to have made a move already.”

Alya shrugged. “We’re friends and it’s a delicate thing asking out your friend. I’m just looking for an opportune moment.”

Marinette bumped her hip against Alya’s. “Oh, opportune moment, my butt. You’re scared to ask him, aren’t you?”

“Oh please, we both know that if you were me, you’d be stuttering all over the place and wouldn’t be able to look him in the eyes.”

“Bite me.”

“Look, the plan is to tell him eventually,” Alya promised. “I hate hanging onto secrets like this. But I want to do it right and not freak him out, you know? I value our friendship and Adrien seems like a kid that’s in desperate need of friends.”

“I get that,” Marinette shrugged. “Although, I think you really underestimate him. If you asked him out, he’d totally say yes. In a heartbeat. Trust me.”

“I dunno. Sometimes that kid is just as clueless as you are.”

“Okay, when did this turn into a read session? Go stare at your magazine.”

Alya stuck out her tongue playfully and was about to comment back with something snarky, but she was interrupted when she accidentally collided with someone and dropped her magazine.

“Oh, crap, I’m so sor — oh. It’s you.”

Chloe was standing in front of them, dramatically brushing off her sweater and readjusting the bag on her shoulder. “What do you mean ‘oh, it’s you’? How dare you, you insufferable little — ”

Her head was suddenly yanked back as Adrien tugged on her ponytail and immediately cut off her sentence. She pouted at him hatefully and rubbed the back of her head while Adrien smiled charmingly. “Ah, silly us, we weren’t looking where we were going. Sorry about that.” He gave a gentler tug on her ponytail. “Right, Chloe?”

Chloe puffed out her cheeks, stared at her feet, and grumbled under her breath. “Yeah, sorry.”

Adrien stared down at the floor and eyed the magazine Alya had dropped. “Oh, is that yours?”

Alya waved her hand away and bent down to pick it up, surreptitiously closing the page on the full spread that had Adrien featured. “I’ve got it, don’t worry.”

“Oh, the new La Mode’s out already?” Adrien asked. “I haven’t seen my spread yet.”

Alya smirked and tucked the magazine under her arm. “It’s pretty good,” she promised him. “Those new Gabriel blazers they put you in looked really handsome on you.”

Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. “Aw, thanks.”

Alya laughed a little harder and smiled a little wider than she usually did when she told him it was no problem, and Marinette had to cover her mouth to keep her own amused giggles from drawing too much attention to herself. Alya wasn’t the type to stutter and stumble around boys she liked, but she certainly wasn’t subtle about her crushes either as much as she insisted that she was. As Alya’s best friend, Marinette was of the humble opinion that Alya couldn’t possibly be any more obvious.

“Yeah, uh, sorry about that again,” Adrien said. “Why don’t we make it up to you?” He nudged an elbow into Chloe’s side. “Any ideas Chloe?”

Chloe grabbed the collar of Adrien’s shirt and tugged him closer to her. “Why do I have to say something?” she hissed quietly.

Adrien smiled and spoke through his teeth. “This is your date, you ask her out.”

“I’m not saying anything!”

Alya frowned. “Uh, is everything alright?”

“Perfect!” Adrien said a little loudly. “Ah, why don’t we check out the Louvre together? I was going to invite Nino but he’s home sick today and Chloe’s been dying for the two of us to go see the, uh….” He tapped Chloe’s elbow and pushed her to finish his sentence.

“They, uh….have this really cool photography exhibit,” she said, trying to appear aloof about it. “It’s okay, I guess. Sabrina hates museums and didn’t want to tag along so it’s just Adrien and I.” Adrien stomped on her foot. “And you too! I guess….”

Marinette could see Alya’s interest in the invitation slowly starting to wane, most likely because Chloe was apparently going to be tagging along. But Chloe aside, Adrien was going to be there, and Marinette knew a golden opportunity when she saw one. She covered Alya’s mouth with her hand right before Alya cut in with a sharp retort. “Actually, that sounds like an amazing idea,” she grinned happily. “You love photography, don’t you Alya?”

Alya huffed and moved Marinette’s hand away. “I mean, yeah, I do, but —”

“Great!” Adrien grinned. “Then it’s settled. After school, four o’clock?”

Alya laughed nervously. “Uh, I’m not sure that’s —”

“Yup,” Marinette piped up. “Four o’clock sounds perfect. She’ll be there.”

“Cool. Well, Chloe and I are going to head off for some lunch, but we’ll meet you at the museum after school, okay?” Adrien grabbed Chloe’s arm and started to drag her off across the street. “See you girls later!”

“Bye Adrien!” Marinette called, waving to him and trying not to burst into laughter at the sight of the horrified expression Alya was sending her way.

“Are you crazy?” Alya complained. “You just said yes to me hanging out with Chloe . Are you demented?”

“No, I just said yes to hanging out with Adrien ,” Marinette smirked. “Doesn’t that sound so cute? The two of you looking at the exhibits together, getting a chance to talk, pulling out your Alya Charm, and asking him out on a second date so you two can finally stop dancing around each other. It’s the best plan I’ve come up with in a while.”

“Except you’re forgetting the part about Chloe being there.”

“Minor details,” Marinette insisted. “You know she only ever gushes over Ladybug these days anyway. It’s not like she’s going to treat him as arm candy and get in the way of you two talking. Besides, you’re creative. I’m sure you can figure out a way to ditch her and get to spend some time with him so you can run off into the sunset holding hands and talk about the rest of your lives together while Chloe goes and pouts in the corner like the little gremlin she is.”

“You are so over dramatic,” Alya chuckled.

“Please??” Marinette begged with a pout. “It’s worth a shot! Imagine if this is the story I put in my maid of honor speech!”

Alya smirked. “Who said you’re going to be my maid of honor?”

“That’s the worst joke you’ve ever told because it’s so clearly a lie. Now come on! Say yes say yes say yes!”

“Alright, alright,” Alya finally relented. “I’ll give it a shot. Hopefully this little brat will be on her best behavior and I can actually get a word in edgewise with Adrien. I swear, if she sabotages anything, I’ll kill her.”

“You can handle yourself,” Marinette promised. “Aw man, I’m so mad I’m going to miss this! I want to see you on your first date with Adrien.”

“It’s not a date,” Alya corrected. “And stop being so nosy. I mean, what are you going to do, hide behind the arches of the palace and hook a bluetooth up to your ear so you can hear everything we’re saying?”

Marinette’s eyes immediately widened in excitement and she started bouncing on her toes and waving her hands the moment the words finished coming out of Alya’s mouth. Alya scowled and pointed a finger at Marinette’s nose. “Don’t you dare ….”

“Let me—”

“No.”

“—listen in—”

“ No Marinette!”

“—on your date, pretty pretty pretty please oh my God please please I’ll die if you won’t let me!”

“I will update you on everything that happens,” Alya said. “You don’t have to James Bond this crap, you know.”

“But I want to be there for it!’ Marinette said excitedly. “Maid of honor speech! The story I’ll tell your children when you let me babysit your kids! I want to be there for the most important moments in your life oh my God you have to let me listen in and see what happens, pleeeeaaassseee!”

“Alright!” Alya decided finally. “Alright. Fine. But just this once. And you are not to interject or make any unnecessary commentary during this whole thing. I’m more than capable of lasting an afternoon with Adrien and I don’t need you telling me what to say or gushing about planning our wedding in the future. Be chill, okay?”

Marinette bit down on her bottom lip. “I….will commit to restraining myself as much as humanly possible but ask you to not demand perfection from me.”

Alya smiled fondly. “Close enough, I guess.”

“Yay!!” Marinette screamed. “Alya’s got a date!! This is so cool!!”

“It’s not a date! And would you stop screaming , people are staring!”

“You’re abandoning me!?!?!”

Adrien narrowed his eyes at her. “Um, yeah? I set you guys up on a date. Why would I tag along for that?”

“You fucking traitor you’re going to leave me alone with her?” Chloe shrieked. “Did you not hear me when I said I am physiologically incapable of speaking to this girl without feeling the compulsion to smack her in the face? I can’t do this alone. You have to help me.”

“I already did half the work for you,” Adrien said. “All you have to do is show up, be yourself — minus the sarcasm and the insults and anything else that’s going to piss Alya off — and enjoy a date with her. You’re over-thinking this way too much. Weren’t you the one bragging to me the other day about you being the perfect date?”

“Ugh, stop pulling receipts out on me, this is totally different,” Chloe complained. “I have no idea how to get her to not hate me, meanwhile the two of you get along so well. You know what to say to her to get her to like me, so you have to come on this date.”

“Chloe, come on—”

“Adrien darling, for the love of all that is holy in the world, if you do this one thing for me I’ll never ask for anything else ever in my whole life until I die.”

“You know that’s a lie.”

Chloe threw her head back and groaned at the sky. “Fine, I’ll try to snag you Jagged Stone tickets or something just do this for me please?”

Adrien raked his fingers through his hair. “I’m going to regret this so hard, but fine. What are friends for?”

Chloe jumped up and wrapped her arms around Adrien’s neck. “Thankyouthankyouthankyou, you’re the most marvellous sunshine prince I’ve ever met and I love you with all my heart!”

“Yeah, yeah,” Adrien said, patting the back of Chloe’s head. “Now why don’t we practice trying to get you to say all of that to Alya instead, huh?”

“One, two, one, two, testing? Can you hear me, Al?”

Alya was sitting on the edge of the fountains in the Louvre courtyard and laughed while she touched her earpiece. “I can hear you fine, girlie, but I still don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of this. I’m not going to do anything crazy.”

“No. Stop right there. Unacceptable,” Marinette demanded sternly, hiding behind one of the columns in the arches of the Louvre palace only a few meters away. “You always do this. You always wanna keep things casual and be cool about everything and pretend you’re so suave and in control of your crush. That boy is gonna know how you feel by the end of the day, gosh darn it! You are not to play it cool, Alya! I expect some grade-A flirting and a promise for a second date otherwise I’m disowning you as a friend.”

Alya rolled her eyes. “Come on, Mari, I don’t know if he likes me like that yet. I don’t wanna screw up a friendship with him by being too forward about it. We’ve only known each other for a few months.”

“Well, I’m not suggesting you grab him by the collar drag him to a corner and yell in his face about how much you like him. I know that’s your default but for Adrien I was imagining something a touch more muted.”

Alya scoffed. “I’m not that intense!!”

“Um. I’m sensing some next level denial here. Just tell him how you feel without being too aggressive and you’re not going to scare him away or ruin a friendship. He’s into you! I wish you’d believe me.”

Alya groaned. “Ugh, alright, alright, I’ll try to find a moment to slip it in there. Happy?”

“Indubitably,” Marinette giggled. “Oh. And just so you know I’m recording this confession to play over and over again later so make sure you speak into the bluetooth clearly.”

“Marinette, I swear on your precious little sewing machine—”

“Crap! Target at ten o’clock! Get ready!”

Alya straightened up suddenly and started to peer through the crowds of people loitering around the fountains and waiting to get into the museum behind her. She straightened the jacket she was wearing and fluffed up her hair, but the only person she recognized coming towards her and navigating through the crowds of people was Chloe, clutching onto her purse like a lifeline, pressing a hand to her ear, and staring down at her feet while gnawing on her bottom lip.

Alya furrowed her brows and spoke into her earpiece. “Where’s Adrien?”

“I don’t know,” Marinette said worriedly.

Chloe let out a huge sigh as she marched up to Alya and balanced on her toes. “Uh. H-Hey.”

“Hi?” Alya said carefully. “Um. Is Adrien coming?”

Chloe tugged on the braid over her shoulder and winced, waiting for Adrien’s instructions to come in through the earpiece she was wearing. “Yeah. So, funny story….”

Adrien cleared his throat and peeked out from behind the pillar he was hiding behind, speaking carefully into his own bluetooth device. “Okay. Don’t freak out for the love of God please. Just repeat after me exactly. Say you’ll be better off without me.”

Chloe nodded and turned back to Alya. “I figured we’d be better off without me.”

Alya frowned. “What?”

“No, not without you!” Adrien sighed, smacking his forehead. “Without me . Adrien me!”

Chloe shook her head. “Him!” she said too loudly. “Him! Better off without him! Haha. Ha. You know, because why would you be better off without me, I mean, I’m literally amazing company, am I right?”

Alya nodded slowly. “...right.”

Adrien groaned. “Chloe, you’re killing me.”

“Shut up darling, I’m fixing it,” Chloe hissed into her own earpiece. She cleared her throat and gave a fake smile. “I mean, Adrien was never really a fan of museums all that much,” she explained. “Silly little thing never did appreciate that sort of thing when we were growing up. But...I still wanted to see it. And I guess, if you wanted to see it we can just. Go. Now I mean. We don’t really need to wait around for him to go inside and check out the exhibit really quick.”

“Yes we do you ignoramus!” Marinette shouted into the earpiece. “Why is she here? Where is the love of your life?”

Alya turned her head and hissed into her bluetooth. “Marinette, would you chill the hell out?”

Chloe scowled and placed a hand on her chest. “Excuse me?”

“I, uh….I said maybe we could just chill out,” Alya amended. “He said he’d come with us to go check it out, so we can just wait around for him until he comes.”

“Tell her that you just want to spend some time alone with her,” Adrien instructed.

Chloe widened her eyes. “I’m not telling her that,” she hissed.

“What? Yes you are, just say it.”

“No. That’s corny. And humiliating. I’m not saying it.”

“Chloe you’re trying to hit on her, will you just tell her?”

“I’m not going to freakin’ say it!”

“Do you need a minute?” Alya asked in confusion. “You look like you’re having an episode.”

“No!” Chloe said loudly, pointing at Alya’s face as she said. “I mean. No, uh. We can. Just wait here for him. I guess. That’s fine.”

“What are you talking about?” Adrien exclaimed. “Don’t wait around for me. I’m not coming!”

Alya shrugged. “Okay. I guess you can sit while we wait.”

“Er, thanks,” Chloe muttered, sitting down at the fountain a whole meter away from Alya and quickly pulling out her phone to fill up the time.

Adrien banged his forehead against the pillar. “Chloe, what are you doing?”

Marinette slid down to the floor and leaned her chin in her hand. “This isn’t going to end well.”

After half an hour had gone by, the unspoken had become incredibly obvious.

“Adrien’s sure taking his time, huh?” Alya asked, back to Chloe and not bothering to look up from her phone.

“How should I know?” Chloe snapped back. “I’m not his keeper. I have no idea where he is. It’s not like this is my fault.”

Alya snorted. “Let me guess. You convinced him not to show up, so he’s not coming, and this is just some stupid elaborate prank set up so that you can embarrass me and film it for the whole world to see. Clever. Cute, even. But you’re a brat if that’s what you’re up to, so if I’m right you’ll at least have the decency to let me walk away and not waste the rest of my day.”

Chloe bit her lip and dared a peek over her shoulder, Alya’s disappointed tone making her chest ache with a small twinge of guilt.

“Chloe?” Adrien prompted. “Listen. Repeat after me exactly. There’s no joke. I’m not trying to embarrass you. I just wanted the chance to tell you something important.”

Chloe gulped in a lungful of air and turned around to face Alya. “There’s no joke,” she said quietly. “I….I’m not trying to embarrass you. I just wanted the chance to tell you something important.”

Alya raised a brow as she turned around. “Tell me something important? That’s new for you.”

“Oh shut up,” Chloe snapped. “I know we don’t get along, but I’m trying here okay? Just give me a second.”

Alya’s expression softened as she pocketed her phone and folded her hands in her lap. “Alright. You’ve got my attention. What is it you want to tell me?”

“I wanted to tell you that I really like you, Alya,” Adrien breathed out with a smile.

Chloe bit down on her lip. “I wanted to tell you that….” She swallowed and hesitated against the words that were caught just at the back of her throat. “I….really really like this girl and I don’t know how to tell her.”

“Chloe!” Adrien exclaimed. “What are you doing!?”

Alya blinked in surprise. “A girl? Like one that’s not Ladybug?”

Chloe dropped her head in her lap and laced her fingers on the back of her neck. “This is so humiliating.”

“Hey, hey, I’m not going to make fun of you for this or anything,” Alya soothed, scooting closer to her. “But why are you asking me?”

Chloe shrugged her shoulders. “You know who she is. I figured you were the best person to go to. I don’t think she likes me very much.”

“No offense, no one really likes you all that much.”

“Oh screw you, you brat!”

Alya lifted her hands. “Sorry, sorry. Okay. That was uncalled for. Ugh, okay, usually I’m against helping someone like you on principle. But….I can’t say no to a girl trying to confess to another girl so I guess I can help you out.”

Chloe peeked out from between her fingers. “Really?”

Alya snorted. “Look, I’m as surprised as you are. But, I’m willing to call a temporary truce if it means getting two girls together. I like girls too, so it’s a weakness of mine.”

Chloe sighed in relief. “Alright. I can handle a temporary truce I guess. So long as we go right back to hating each other when this is over.”

“Hey, you don’t have to tell me twice.”

Marinette snickered into her earpiece. “You calling a truce with Chloe to help her confess to another girl because you have a weakness for it? Oh my God, this is definitely a satisfying plot twist. I can’t wait to hear how this is going to play out.”

Alya frowned. “I can’t wait to hear you shush for two seconds!”

“Sorry?”

“Er,” Alya mumbled. “I said that I can’t wait to hear about this girl. You said I know her. Is she in our class?”

Adrien tapped on his mic to get Chloe’s attention. “Tell her it’s you!”

Chloe played with the hair at the end of your braid. “It’s, um….it’s….”

Alya smirked. “Yeah?”

Chloe bit down on her lip, felt her cheeks start to grow warm, and said the first thing that came into her head. “It’s your best friend Marinette!”

Adrien’s jaw dropped. “What?”

“Holy shit, what?” Alya laughed.

“What the fuck?!” Marinette screeched.

“You’ve been crushing on Marinette this entire time?” Alya asked with a laugh. “Oh my God, this is the best moment of my entire life.”

“What the ever loving hell are you doing!? ” Marinette practically screamed. “This is horrible! Stop encouraging this!”

Chloe laughed nervously. “Ahaha….ah, yeah. Marinette. Yup. Totally.”

“I’ll admit, this is a challenge,” Alya said, drumming her fingers against her chin. “You’re not very nice to her and I don’t think she’s too keen on warming up to you because of that. But if you’re serious about this, this is definitely doable. A little finagling, some clever nudging, a few cleverly placed situations, and this is a for sure slam dunk. I can try and set up a date for you guys if you want.”

“NO!” Marinette shouted, loud enough that Alya almost heard it from across the courtyard. “Are you crazy!? You didn’t even ask me first! She’s a horrifying little brat who’d rather see me crushed under her heel than on a date with her. No. End of discussion. This is not happening. Cancelled.”

“Aw come on babe,” Alya whispered. “She’s a nightmare, but she’s pretty. If anyone can whip her into shape for you it’s me.”

“Why do you keep muttering to yourself like that? What are you saying?”

“I was just saying that Marinette’s pretty!” Alya corrected. “And it would be pretty easy to whip up an excuse for the two of you to hang out.”

“I’m literally going to kill you!” Marinette said through gritted teeth. “This date with Chloe is not happening don’t you even dare try it!”

“Chloe, what on Earth did you just get yourself into?” Adrien bemoaned. “I don’t know how to get you out of this! What kind of hole did you just dig for yourself, you literally just had to say exactly what I told you!”

Chloe rolled her eyes, and subtly pulled her earpiece out of her ear. “You seem like a meddler so I’m not surprised.”

“It’s one of my many talents,” Alya grinned, also taking her earpiece out and stuffing it into her pocket. “Still wanna see the exhibit? Should give us plenty of time to plan out our next movie with Marinette. Wow, I still can’t believe this is actually happening.”

Chloe shrugged, figuring that this was about the closest she was going to get to spending an afternoon with Alya, even if she accidentally signed herself up with a date with Marinette instead in exchange. “You’re way too excited about this. It’s kind of creepy.”

“You better shut up if you want my help, you little monster.”

 “Wait, wait, wait, explain to me again how you managed this?” Nino asked.

“I don’t know man it was actually really bizarre,” Alya admitted, the two of them sitting on the steps of the courtyard two days later. “After we left the museum, I called my mom and she was totally down to open the hotel restaurant early the next evening so long as the Mayor was okay with it, and of course Chloe can get her father to do anything if she begs for it hard enough. So, bam! Private dinner at Le Grand Paris.”

“Did the two of them actually show up last night?”

“I mean, I walked Marinette there and everything. She looked super cute, but I think she hates me now,” Alya chuckled. “God, she kept saying she was going to maim me the whole way there. But she did get all dolled up for it so at least she put up an effort.”

“And Chloe?”

“Yup. Waiting for her by the door and everything.”

Nino sighed out in disbelief. “Dude. Don’t get me wrong. That’s artistry. Like actually. But that’s kind of intense to just spring a date like that on her without asking her first. You should at least apologize.”

“It couldn’t have been that bad, could it?” Alya wondered.

“I mean, who knows. I personally think they killed each other last night. But no matter what I think you should at least say sorry for going over her head about it.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” Alya decided. “Not often I get to work my matchmaking powers I guess, so I got a little carried away. I hope she’s not super upset.”

Nino nudged Alya in the side and pointed towards the entrance to the school. “Well, here’s your moment of truth. There goes Marinette right now.”

Alya turned to see Marinette skipping up the steps of the school and laughing over a beauty magazine that Alya knew she always picked up from the newsstand on Wednesdays. But what she wasn’t expecting was for Chloe to be linking arms with Marinette and cackling at the same page Marinette was staring at, leaning on her for support as they gossiped over the article. Marinette flipped two pages back and leaned up on her toes to whisper something into Chloe’s ear that had her gasping and playfully smacking Marinette on the shoulder while Marinette stuck her tongue out at her.

Nino couldn’t keep his eyes off of the scene as he slowly leaned over to mutter, “Are you seeing what I’m seeing?”

“The two of them actually getting along?” Alya answered. “Yeah. I’m seeing it.”

“Dude, what kind of black magic did you pull?”

“I don’t know!”

“You’re absolutely awful,” Chloe chuckled as the two of them walked closer to Alya and Nino. “But seriously, if you have that palette let me know how you like it. I don’t know if I want to buy it just yet.”

“I’ll test it out for a week to let you know. But I’m wearing the blushed nudes right now and I really like them.” Marinette shut her eyes and lifted her chin. “See?”

Chloe hummed. “Huh. That eyeshadow looks good on you.”

“Thanks,” Marinette smiled. “You should try the naked colors. The browns and tans would look really good with your skin tone.”

“Worth a try,” Chloe shrugged. “I’m getting tired of these blues and greens. I’m in the mood for a change.”

“Uh,” Alya spoke up. “Hey you two.”

“Oh, hey Alya!” Marinette grinned happily. “Chloe and I were just chatting makeup. By the way, she swears by that eye primer I was telling you about.”

“Magic in a bottle,” Chloe promised. “I don’t leave the house without it on.”

“What’s the miracle the two of you are getting along all of a sudden?” Nino questioned. “You two are usually at each other’s throats before noon.”

“Well, this one sent us on a date last night for close to two hours,” Marinette said, jutting her thumb in Alya’s direction. “Turns out when you get past the brattiness and the ego, the two of us actually have a lot in common.”

Chloe rolled her eyes, but kept a small smile on her face. “Gee thanks, brat,” she muttered. She turned to Alya. “But yeah. Remember that girl I told you I had a crush on. I lied. It was actually you.”

Alya blinked and leaned back in shock. “Wait, for real?”

“Yeah, I’m as embarrassed about it as you are,” Chloe shrugged. “But I guess I only thought I had a crush on you. Turns out after an evening alone with this one — ”

“Hey now,” Marinette interrupted, poking Chloe in the cheek. “You don’t have to gossip about everything.”

Chloe snorted. “Hey, they’re your friends. If you want to keep the suspense up a little bit, be my guest.”

“Here’s the funniest part,” Marinette smirked. “Turns out Adrien was like a stone’s throw away coaching Chloe through that entire afternoon at the Louvre.”

“Wait a minute. Adrien was there?” Alya exclaimed.

“Yeah. Crazy, right?”

Chloe leaned her elbow on Marinette’s shoulder and sent a wink in Alya’s direction. “So Marinette here tells me that you have a crush on some guy.”

Alya’s face fell. “You didn’t….”

“I didn’t say anything!” Marinette insisted, grabbing both of ALya’s hands and pressing a kiss to the backs of them. “Promise! You know, because, I don’t go and make decisions on behalf of other people. Cough, cough, hint, hint.”

“I’m sorry,” Alya deflated slightly. “I’ll cool it next time.”

“You know,” Chloe pondered. “If you really wanted help, I could totally make it happen. You’re not the only one with impressive matchmaking powers.”

Marinette stomped on Chloe’s foot and Chloe immediately backtracked. “Of course that would mean I knew who the guy was! Which I don’t! Because, that would be ridiculous. Because I don’t know who they are.”

“Would you shut up?” Marinette hissed.

“Ugh, fine fine! Forget I said anything.” Chloe crossed her arms and stared at the ceiling. “But, if you wanted to hypothetically make it happen, just give me a call.”

“Chloe! Shut up!”

“ Alright!” Chloe exclaimed. “Anyway, I guess we’ll see the two of you in class. We both forgot to do our maths homework so we’re going to cram before class.”

“Bye Alya,” Marinette waved. “We’ll chat later.”

The two girls scurried off behind them, muttering animatedly in between themselves too quietly for Alya or Nino to hear. Nino scratched the back of his head. “You don’t think that the two of them are….?”

“No,” Alya insisted. “....I mean. I don’t think so. Do you?”

“I dunno, they’re looking a little chummy. Kind of a quick turn around for those two, huh?”

Alya chewed on the inside of her cheek and whispered in Nino’s ear. “Down to spy on them studying in the library?”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

[telltheworld-phff]

Chapter 18: Vicious circle

“Who the fuck was eavesdropping my conversation?”

“Meghan.”

“Meghan sold the Prince’s health issues to the press.” Edward said and hated himself for being the one to give such hard news to Harry. He saw the moment the shock came to his face and the exactly moment when he went into denial mode.

“Are you mental?” Harry yelled. “Of course my girlfriend wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“Harry...”

“Fuck off, Edward. You never liked Meghan and is just biased by Carolina. You’re fucking crazy to think Meghan would do this to hurt my grandfather.”

“Harry, it’s obvious she didn’t do it to hurt your family. She did it to hurt Carol. And to make you fight with her. I know the information got to the newspaper editor by 1 am. If it’s 1 am here, it’s 9 o’clock in Brazil. Where was Carol yesterday at this time?” Edward crossed his arms and walked around his car to seat on the passenger seat and put on the seat belt.

Harry’s mind started running wild trying to remember everything.

“She was at a media seminar for extra credit last night. She told me.” he whispered.

“And her phone…” Edward waited for him to fill in the blank.

“Was dead. I kept sending her lots of silly things during the day and her battery died. She only sent me pictures of the seminar when she got home. It was around midnight Brazil time.”

“Exactly. And we know that the newspaper was printed around 2am, our time. That means...”

“There’s not way Carol would’ve been able to be at the seminar and talking to the editor at the same time. She didn’t do it.”

“I told you so.” Edward said and looked at his friend. Harry wasn’t much of a emotional guy, but right now his eyes were full of emotions and tears and they soon started streaming down his face.

“Fuck!” Harry hit his head of the wheel a couple times hating himself even more at the moment.

Edward knew that Harry had probably lost one of the best friends he ever had. But he didn’t comment on it.

(…)

Carol was devastated. She was sad, feeling betrayed. She was mad and angry. She was furious.

She cried her whole ride home that day, she decided to call for a taxi because she really didn’t want too many people seeing her crying her eyes out. She was skipping classes, her phone was broken and she didn’t want to talk to anyone or see anyone. The only thing she wanted to do was tell Harry off and punch him. Her mind kept repeating his words and accusations and if that was possible her heart was breaking each and every time of it.

She got home and was thankful her mom wasn’t there. She took a long shower and her tears wouldn’t stop flowing. She sat on the floor of the shower stall, hugging her knees close to her chest and crying. She wept and sobbed for a couple of minutes before getting up and leaving the bathroom. She fixed a sandwich to eat and went to her bedroom. She laid there in silence for a time before the tears came back and she hated herself because she was crying because of him.

“I honestly hope you rot, wanker.” she whispered at a certain point.

(…)

As soon as he got home Harry was a man in a mission. He took off his blazer and tie, served a glass of scotch and drank it so quickly before serving another one.

He sat on his desk and stared at his phone for a couple of hours. His eyes were red and puffy and he was overwhelmed by all the emotions he was feeling at this moment. He had to be clever and sneaky. He needed proof to believe Meghan would do such a horrible thing just to hurt his friend. He and Carol had never given Meghan a reason to believe they’d cheat on her. They were friends. They were best friends and that was it. He first called his girlfriend. It was only 8 am in Toronto, so she wouldn’t be on set yet.

“Hey honey. What a surprise you calling me so early.” she said with a sweet voice while she was getting ready to work.

“I missed you, that’s all.” Harry tried to put an effort on his voice.

“Missed? As in you don’t miss me anymore?” she asked.

“I always miss you, Meg. You know that.”

“Yeah. I think I do.” smiled and he was silent for a moment.

“Meg, do you love me?” he asked.

“Of course I love you, Harry. Why are you asking me this?”

“Would you ever do anything to hurt me or my family?” he asked already knowing the answer: yes.

“Of course not honey.” she was getting suspicious but there was no way he’d be able to find out the truth. She hadn’t given her name or used her own phone, she made sure to call the editor in an hour that Carol would be home.

“Yeah.. I think I should’ve listened to you when you told me Carolina wasn’t to be trusted. She sold a very important information to the press, my grandparents are furious with me and they’re truly considering taking off my title.” Harry said knowing that Meghan didn’t know how things worked in the Royal family, so she wouldn’t realize it was a lie.

“REALLY?” she was truly shocked. She loved Harry, of course. But she also liked the idea of the power she’d have if connected to him.

“Yes… I just came home from Buckingham. I might as well go back to the army.”

“But the army is not safe...”

“I know. But that’s what I like to do. And I’ll have to earn my own money.” he interrupted her.

They were silent and Harry served another glass of scotch he wanted to get drunk as soon as possible.

“What do you think of us moving in together? I once asked Carolina how I should ask you this but now I don’t really take her opinion into consideration.”

“How would it work?” Meghan said after a while. He was acting weird, but that was because of the newspapers and the prospect of being left without a title and a job, she thought. But she couldn’t help but smile knowing that Carolina was definitely out of the picture. “What you discussed with her?”

The fish bit the bait. If Meghan wasn’t trying to make Carol look bad for him, she’d start a jealousy fit and not asked what they had talked about.

“I only chatted with her about it, she advised me to talk to my father first and to wait to see if your show is renewed. If it is, I’d be doing less engagements to be with you in Toronto. If it’s not, we’d have to get a flat in London to live. I don’t really care about the place or the country. I just want to be close to you, Meg.” he was disgusted to be saying those words, but he had to do it.

“That’s incredible, Harry. But let’s not get too carried over it, ok?” she said cautiously.

“Well… it’s about time. You have to leave for work. Don’t let me hold you back.”

“Ok, honey. I’ll call you later. We’re planning our next step carefully. Love you, Harry.” she said and hung up.

Now everything he had to do was wait. And waiting he did. So did the bottle that didn’t leave his side.

(…)

“Prince Harry is about to move in together with Meghan Markle. They’re planning to live in a flat in London next Summer.”

“Only a day after Prince Philip’s health announcement from the Palace, a close source says Prince Harry and girlfriend Meghan are moving in together.”

“Just a step before another royal wedding: Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are moving in together. Are they rushing things to have Prince Philip present at the wedding?”

Three days. That’s how long Harry waited. He was in a terrible mood, yelling at anyone about anything. But he was rewarded three days later when he woke up and saw Edward’s newspapers clippings about the lie he had told Meghan. He was furious with her, but at the same time he was furious with himself. Knowing Carol like he did, she wouldn’t forgive him easily. And now he knew how much she valued their friendship and how much she deserved to be trusted. If she had said she didn’t sell his grandfather’s secret to the press, he should have believed it. Not accuse her of something as low as selling him out to earn money. Harry knew Carol’s history and her family’s history. They all worked very hard. They all knew the value of things not just the price. He booked a flight to Toronto later that evening. He couldn’t wait to get there and see if Meghan would once and for all admit she was the one who got the easy money.

(…)

Breaking up a relationship was never a easy thing to do. Sometimes one doubt they’re doing the right thing. But Harry was as sure as possible when he arrived at Meghan’s house at 2 am in Toronto time. She was sleepy and surprised. She was happy seeing him there but soon all hell broke loose and they had one of the biggest fights both of them would ever have. It took Harry four hours for Meghan do confess. He tried to start calm and simply asked her. She denied. He then played with words to see if he’d be able to confuse her and make her talk, but she didn’t open her mouth. He was getting angry and anxious and he simply accused her of doing it. Meghan started playing dumb and crying and after she saw how mad Harry was getting, she tried to revolve the game in her favor. So she accused Carolina of doing it. She lied to his face.  And that only helped Harry to get angrier. She confessed after Harry yelling at her for a couple of hours. And if he hadn’t been raised to be a prince and well mannered, Harry would seriously do something he regretted. He left her house, slamming her front door, as single man, he was relieved for now knowing the truth and thankful for Edward’s effort to prove he was wrong. He was so very damn wrong. Now he had a friend to win back. That was the hardest part.

(…)

“Please, let’s not talk about him.” Carol said laying on Julia’s bed. She was waiting for her friend to get ready to go out. But as always, Julia was taking forever to get ready.

“I mean… he was a fucking dick to you!” she said looking at Carol. “I think we both should punch him.”

Julia and Carol were more like sisters than best friends. They liked the same things, they studied at the same schools, they even at some point had a crush on the same boy. They went to concerts together, they traveled together and they were the kind of friends that even if they were too busy with their lives and went weeks without talking to each other, as soon as both of them were in the same room, it felt like the hadn’t missed a day. Julia had always been one of Carol’s role model. She was smart, funny and outgoing. She stood up for her friends and family whenever it was needed. But she was also the first one to point their flaws and was a very sincere critic to all of them.

“I think you’ve got a crush on him.” Julia said while applying her mascara.

“You’re crazy. I don’t have a crush on him.” Carol said defiantly.

“Deny as much as you want, Carol, but I know you. You’ve got a huge crush on the ginger prince. Besides, I’d be surprised if you hadn’t. You always pick the most daft men to have crushes on.”

Carol threw a pillow at her friend and they laughed.

She was only going out tonight because Julia was simply making her. Ever since her fight with Harry a week ago she only got out of bed to go to work. Everyone noticed her sullen mood and her snapy comments. She was pushing everyone away from her and Julia was the only brave enough to walk on thin ice and tell her friend the things she needed to hear. They were going to Villa and they wanted to dance the night away and get drunk. No one was allowed to go back home sober.

(…)

Carol woke up the next day in a different yet familiar bed. She had a pounding headache from all the tequila she drank. She was only in her underweard an before she started panicking she looked at her side and saw she was at Rodrigo’s house.

“Fuck!” she whispered.

She closed her eyes trying to remember last night. She remembered arriving with her friend, she remembered dancing and drinking. She remembered he arrived there with his friends and that he almost started a fight when she was dancing with another guy. She was drunk. She wanted to be reckless. She wanted to not care about all Harry’s advices to not go near him again.

And she remembered she was the one that kissed him.

Everything else was a blur.

But now that Carol was in pain and sober, she panicked because out of everyone in the world, Rodrigo had to be the last one she had to look for comfort. She thought about trying to leave before he woke and when she was starting to take off the blankets, his arm was around her waist and he was fully awake.

“Going somewhere?” he said nuzzling her neck.

“To the bathroom...” she lied and he tried to kiss her “Morning breath. Off you go.” she pushed him and got out of bed. She went to the bathroom to wash her face and she tried to think of a way to be out of this situation. She looked for a painkiller on his cabinet and found one. She took two without any water and was so relieved when she saw the used condom on his trashbin. At least they had protection.

When she got back to the bedroom, he had fixed them breakfast. She almost said she wasn’t hungry but her stomach rumbled loudly.

“You’re always hungry in the morning. Specially after sex, so I brought you breakfast.” he said.

“Thanks” she gave him an awkward smile and started eating. “What exactly happened last night?”

“Well… You kissed me and didn’t let me go for the rest of the night. I was driving you home and you asked me not to. We came here, had sex and fell asleep.” he said like it was the most normal thing ever.

“Well… it’s not happening again. I was drunk and weak.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night, Carolinda.” he smiled. That fucking damn smile. He nuzzled her neck again e she could feel the warmth of his body on hers. Breakfast was soon forgotten. And the vicious circle was back on.

[rylie-barton]

trigger warnings: talk of death, injuries, blood & tbh a huge rylie barton tw

unsteady | but if you love me, don’t let go.

9:58am. Emergency services, finally, broke through the rubble that had been holding the ballroom doors closed. Much like when the earthquake itself had started, students began to stampede towards the doors the minute they were swung open, clambering over the chunks of ceiling, support beams, and general wreckage without a second thought in their haste to escape. 

The people who didn’t join the rush to get outside where they could tearfully reunite with friends and family and be lead off to ambulances by EMT’s, were the ones left to help the injured out - Rylie was one of many, her arm wrapped around an unfamiliar boys waist as she helped him hobble towards the doors. His teeth were gritted from the pain of his leg, crushed beneath a beam, and she was just exhausted. Conversation was, safe to say, a no-go, but neither of them seemed particularly keen on making any, anyway, the silence much preferred. Helping him over the threshold, Rylie’s eyes darted around the foyer, filled with fellow students and unfamiliar adults who, she assumed, were there to find their kids. Dispersed out in the crowd were the people she was looking for - suited and booted EMT’s, one of which Rylie flagged down when they were a few feet from her. 

“He needs to be in one of the ambulances,” she’d said, voice more quiet than she had intended. The older woman had heard and nodded, solemnly, wrapping her arm around the other student on his other side. When she was confident that his weight was supported, Rylie ducked out from beneath his arm, about to say thanks and rush off once again when the EMT had called - “You’ll need to get to one too, Miss-”

“I’m fine. Thanks, but...-” but nothing. It wasn’t like she was wrong. Rylie was a mess of bruises and blood that was mostly her own, and every step was like she was walking through some kinda viscous fluid. It wasn’t just tiredness weighing her own, but hurt, too - leaving, however, and letting other students pick up the slack... wasn’t an option.  A long second ticked by and when nothing else came to her to say, Rylie simply shrugged, waving the woman off and heading back into the ballroom before she could be stopped. 

Over the next while, however long it was, she just zoned out. A switch flipped, almost like she was going into work mode, and all she thought about was putting one foot in front of the other and helping more severely injured fellow students get out. There was no need for small talk and when there was, it was minimal - they were led off to ambulances and the on site nurses station before she needed to really get to know them,  and it was maybe that she didn’t happen to know everyone she was helping that made it so easy for her to just tune out of all that was going on.

One student became two, two became four, four grew into even more, and before she knew it, the hall was almost emptied thanks to the efforts of everyone who’d pulled together to help. As she’d continued working, more and more of the original group had disappeared into the ever growing crowd of relatives and friends outside, she assumed to find their own loved ones. They were replaced by people in and out of uniforms, one of whom stopped her, eventually, on her way back into the hall and told her she should go. “I’m an agent of SHIELD,” it’d been true, once, but now it was a lie that fell easily from her lips, “I want to help.” 

Someone nearby had stopped what they were doing. “There’s another one of those outside,” he’d said, “A SHIELD agent, I mean. He’s looking for someone-”

On it’s own, the idea of another (see: only) SHIELD agent being at the school wasn’t an altogether outlandish one. Rylie imagined that there’d be plenty of them cropping up for the next few weeks, as everyone tried to establish what had happened - but it seemed like too much of a coincidence. It gave her a kind of hope, and though her legs protested and her head thumped painfully with each footfall, Rylie had turned on her heel and rushed from the ballroom, into the crowd outside that she had been avoiding so well. 

Maybe it was Troy. Maybe it was Dan - maybe it was a stranger, but, she’d have to find out. 

In the aftermath of the quake, she had never felt more alone. The guys weren’t there. Wesley and Bailey had been inside with her, Alex was Alex, and her parents... she’d pushed them away, months ago. She and Natasha hadn’t spoken since before Christmas. She and Clint - well, after the argument they’d had after she’d been hospitalized during the New Year, it wasn’t much of a surprise they hadn’t seen or spoken to each other in close to six months. She just didn’t expect them. Every time she’d lead another student out of the hall she’d caught glimpses of tearful family reunions and felt a pang because she was all alone, but now... if anyone was going to turn up and look for her, it’d be one of her brothers, right? 

The search lasted mere minutes. 

The shock, a while longer.

She’d given the foyer one glance and established that no one was there that she knew, and was heading towards the front doors when her wrist was caught and she was pulled to a stop. 

She had turned and there, in the flesh, was Clint Barton. He looked like she felt - his face was drawn and pale, the worry in his gaze evident.

The last time she’d seen him, he had been slamming the door behind him as he’d left her dorm. I can’t help you if you won’t help yourself, Rylie, he’d said, and that had been the last of the argument she’d caused. When he had tried to call over the following months, she had let the phone ring out, first because she was still seething in her stupid anger - and then, because she didn’t know what to say to him. Years worth of lies had caught up to her and Clint, she felt, had only been doing what any father would do if they found out their daughter was an alcoholic - he’d just wanted to help by bringing her home. But she’d gotten angry, she had shouted and been more disrespectful to him than she’d ever been before in her life... and no amount of words would make up for what she’d said, or begin to mend the harm she’d caused throughout years of lying to him. They had been close, once, but ever since Phoebe their bond had been under tremendous amounts of strain - that was all it had taken to tear it, finally, asunder. 

But there he was. Everything for the time being, at least, forgotten, her dad pulled her into a bone crushing hug that lasted seconds before he was holding her tight by each shoulder and studying her, trying to gauge the seriousness of her injuries. After all - she wasn’t looking all that great, but they both knew that didn’t mean serious. Serious was an arm falling off. 

“Are you okay?" Gingerly, he touched the right side of her face, as if he were checking that all the blood concentrated there was dry. 

I’m fine, was, of course, the first thought to go through her mind. I’m fine, dad. Just a little battered, but, everything is fine - I’m fine.

Lies like that, said every time something happened, had torn them apart. They had continued to build until they all came out in the same, awful argument, and if she’d just said the truth even one more time than she had, maybe she wouldn’t have been without her dad for months. 

"No,” all of a sudden, she was very aware that her hearing was one sided. More aware than she had let herself be all night, in fact. Ever since she had struggled out from beneath the chandelier branch and gotten shakily to her feet, Rylie had been putting the emptiness on her right side to the back of her mind - not in denial, exactly, but intent on ignoring it until she couldn’t anymore, but now... now she couldn’t. The earlier ringing had died completely down and was replaced with eerie silence, and Rylie’s resolve absolutely crumbled then and there, her lip quivering and her eyes filling with tears. “I can’t hear, Pops. It-- I can’t--” She gestured wildly in the direction of her right ear, and then before she could stop herself she was sobbing and her dad was wrapping his arms around her, again, pulling her in tight to his chest and holding her there. 

“It’s okay. It’s okay-” pressing his cheek against the top of her head and closing his eyes, it wasn’t until much later that Rylie would realize that she hadn’t been the only crying, and the trembling wasn’t all her own. “It’s okay, baby. I promise - it’s okay.”

It had been a very long time since Clint and Rylie Barton had been on the same page. Even longer, really, since it had felt they were even reading from the same book - 

But now, in the worst of ways, they had been thrown back together. 

[oumakokichi]

Tenko's undeniably very important to Himiko and her character development, but isn't there some plausible deniability to Himiko's supposedly romantic feelings for her? To be honest, they're my V3 OTP! But I see a lot of people getting their hopes up, thinking they'll get a "mutual gay feelings" ship, and I really don't want them to see them getting disappointed or heartbroken once they've played the localized version, so I kind of wanted someone else who's played the game to confirm this.

It’s certainly true that there’s room for some plausibledeniability, yes! Despite the fact that ndrv3 is the installment in the DR franchise which mostincludes confirmed romantic feelings, pretty much all of them are onlyconfirmed one-sidedly, and the rest is left up to interpretation.

I agree that it’s important to not count a ship as confirmedcanon representation when it’s not. It can be a let-down to fans who expectedmore, and also damaging to consider something as really good representationwhen it’s actually more about subtext or open-ended interpretation. When theEnglish localization comes out in September, it would probably make people sadto have expected a canon wlw ship, only to realize: 1.) one member of this shipdies midway through the game, and 2.) the second member of this ship neverexplicitly says that she reciprocated or loved the other member the same way.

However, I’d like to make a point that this kind of one-sidedconfirmation with room for reading the other person’s feelings however you’dlike is hardly the first we’ve seen of this in DR. While Juzo’s feelings forMunakata were made very explicitly clear in dr3, Munakata’s feelings weredefinitely fudged without any direct confirmation. Similarly, Ouma’s feelingstowards Saihara are made transparent throughout ndrv3 whether you play his FTEsor bonus mode content or not, because they’re plot-relevant, but whether youfeel Saihara does or would ever reciprocate or not is something left veryopen-ended.

Ships getting a definite one-sided confirmation has beensomething of a trend in DR lately, and this includes gay ships. Before Juzo anddr3, I wouldn’t have thought Kodaka would actually confirm there even being acanonically gay character whose gayness was important to his character arcwithout being treated as a joke or some “extra” unlockable line in a throwawayFTE. I definitely didn’t expect for Ouma to be yet another canonically gay character who was treated similarly—I waskind of resigned to probably having to wait a few more years before Kodaka didanything else of this sort, so it was a pleasant surprise.

And while I definitelywould like for there to be a canonical gay ship where both parties areconfirmed to feel the same way and reciprocate, moreso with a wlw ship, I feelthe need to point out that this room for interpretation is at the very leastnot limited to gay ships only. Fandom tends to take the fact that Maki andSaihara have canonically confirmed romantic feelings for Momota and Kaede asword-of-god absolute stamp of approval that momoharu and saimatsu are ships inwhich both parties reciprocate, but…well, these ships too are ones in whichromantic reciprocation is up to interpretation, rather than confirmed.

It’s always been this way in the DR franchise. Naegi andKirigiri have perhaps the most strongly, near-explicitly confirmed relationshipin the whole series, and still you can read into it that they are just really,really important to each other as friends. There’s never been a single “I loveyou” or “I have romantic feelings for you” on either part.

Hinata and Nanami are the same. While they are bothundeniably important to one another, and while Nanami is certainly someone whohas left a lasting impression on Hinata and stayed “within his heart” eversince her death, there’s literally never been an instance of romanticconfirmation. Everything is just FTEs, school mode, or cute little moments ofsubtext that can be interpreted as either a crush or a sweet moment betweenfriends.

Maki and Saihara are some of the first characters in themain game installments to talk explicitly with one another about havingromantic feelings for other people (Momota and Kaede). Their feelings areundeniably there, and real, and important to the plot. Maki’s feelings forMomota drive her to do many things, both good and bad, for the sake of actingon the one thing she feels she’s chosen for herself. Saihara’s feelings forKaede help motivate him to become stronger and to reach the truth. Both of themrely on their romantic feelings for motivation and strength, and that’sprecisely why Tsumugi takes those feelings and turns them into a weakness inChapter 6 when she’s trying to crush their spirits.

Momota and Kaede are never once confirmed to haveromantically reciprocated Maki’s or Saihara’s feelings. Momota certainly knew,at the very end before he was executed, how Maki felt about him. He even seemsto have been thankful that she would feel that way “about a mess of a guy likehim.” But considering his illness, and the fact that he treats Maki roughly thesame as he treats Saihara, there’s plenty of room to read in that he justthought of her as a good friend.

Kaede was only around for one chapter. She clearly likedSaihara’s company, wanted to see him become braver, and trusted him about asmuch as she could in a situation where trust was almost impossible. But thefact remains that she could not trust him completely and explicitly untilalmost the very end of the school trial; she never could bring herself to tellhim about the plan and the trap she had set for the mastermind. She trusted himat the trial to carry on her will and reach the truth after she was gone, butthis is very different from explicitly stating a love confession. Saihara fellin love with Kaede the moment she grabbed his hand in the classroom, but howKaede felt about him is very much a matter of fan interpretation.

This brings me back to Himiko and Tenko. Tenko, whilecertainly nowhere near as plot relevant to the story as these other characters,nonetheless has pretty open, canonically confirmed feelings for Himiko. I wouldsay that with Tenko at least, there’s no room for debate on this front. She’sgay, and she loves Himiko, and while she certainly starts out idolizing Himikotoo much and clinging to her way too much for Himiko’s comfort, this issomething she corrects and adjusts later on, and her feelings of wanting tosupport Himiko and protect her are as genuine as can be.

Much of Himiko’s character arc revolves around how sheactually treated Tenko while she was alive vs. how she would like to treat herif she were still here now. There’s a lot about regret with Himiko, and notsaying the things she could when she had the chance “because they were tootiring,” or “because she was too scared of her emotions.” After Tenko dies,Himiko is devastated, and withdrawn, and keeps bringing up feeling sorry forTenko, and this is something she gets called out on by the narrative andparticularly by Ouma, as she always used to brush Tenko off or treat her like somethingof a pain initially.

But feelings can grow and change and develop. There areplenty of ways to read into the lasting impact Tenko has on Himiko and hercharacter growth and development. You can certainly read into it that Himikojust thought of her as a very good friend! But it’s also entirely possible toread it as a story of Himiko realizing her feelings and that she perhaps couldeven have reciprocated the way Tenko felt about her, but only far too late,after Tenko’s already dead. And since she can’t tell Tenko how she feels abouther one way or the other, either as a friend or romantically, she nonethelessresolves herself to change her way of life and become stronger, more active,and more honest all around.

I wouldn’t say that the idea of Tenko being gay for her everdisgusted or bothered Himiko, either. Her initial problems with Tenko were thatshe felt she was much too clingy, and that it was a pain to be around her.Himiko is someone who is introverted by nature, and who gets tired out easily.The idea of having to constantly spend time with someone ooh-ing and aah-ingover her, and who came across as somewhat condescending or overprotectivedespite her good intentions, is what bothered Himiko about her, and it’s why ittook her so long to realize that Tenko actually was trying to get to know thereal her.

Even if you’d like to read into it that way, I’d just liketo say as someone who’s always been gay and who didn’t actually come to terms withit until I was well into my late high school years/early college years, thatthere were plenty of times in which I reacted very negatively to the idea ofanyone being gay for me, due to my own internalized homophobia, living with an extremely homophobic guardian at home, anda number of other factors. I’m not proud of it, but I definitely said and didhomophobic things back when I was younger, and I was still gay at the time—justin denial about it, and closeted.

My point is that while Himiko’s feelings for Tenko arecertainly not confirmed, and himitenko should not be taken as a 100% reciprocated, canonically gay ship any morethan saiouma or munasaka should, there’s still a lot of room forinterpretation, and I’m glad that Himiko and Tenko got at least a few more babysteps in the right direction. This is progress even compared to Aoi and Sakura,who had a similar line of development and relationship with one another in dr1.And even though it’s always frustrating when canonically gay characters die orgay ships are just left rather open-ended, I’m at least somewhat appeased bythe fact that DR by and large leaves mostof its ships open-ended and unconfirmed, so at least they’re both on somewhatmore equal footing.

I hope this clears up some of the thoughts I have on it! Ireally don’t mind whether people want to interpret Himiko’s feelings for Tenkoas either friendly or romantic, because it’s definitely left open-ended! I alsounderstand people’s feelings of really, reallywanting a confirmed wlw ship in any kind of media, because they’re so hard tocome by and so often get brushed under the rug or played for fanservice only. Ithink as long as people keep in mind that himitenko isn’t something directlyconfirmed and don’t go into the game expecting it as such, they’ll still havean enjoyable time playing when the English release hits. Thank you for stoppingby, anon!