#ERM AM I BEING GROOMED

[livelaughlovelams]

[localkiss]

Screaming for attention!

manipulative brothers best friend re4!leon kennedy x fem!reader

cw: DEAD DOVE DO NOT EAT!! Mentions of past grooming by leon, age gap(~8 yrs), manipulation, guilt, dirty talk, p in v, afab reader, noncon creampie, slight anal/talks of anal, codependency, slapping, daddy kink, pet names, depressed thoughts in the beginning, chubby/thicker reader, manhandling, praise kink, degradation kink, talks of pregnancy (just a bit), oral (f receiving), virginity talk, controlling leon, obsessed leon, slight size kink if u squint!

note: hhh... read the warning lol before you comment. I was going to put more of leon being so fucking weird but erm, decided not to. not proof read btw!! but i do want to say i am a victim of SA and i used to heavily think about him and wished that he went further. lol idc what people say, i still struggle thinking like that, but ik it's wrong. so yes that's what this fic is loosely based on -_-

wc: 3.1k! tags: @rigorwhoring, @argreion, @xoxostarlet, @fairry1 bc I love u all :33!

Maybe it's for the best. No more surprises. This is nothing new. All you can hear is deafening silence, swallowing you up in a warm cocoon, suffocating you like a million years of guilt and thousands of weights on your throat and chest. 

You can't help but wish he had done more. Maybe he would've if he could see your thoughts. Maybe he would've stayed.

But those sleeping pills really did a number on your body. You tried to overdose on everything you could, even your antidepressants. Yeah, it was dumb. But it was all just killing you from the inside anyway. 

All you can do now is just sob violently into your pillows. Claw at the sheets and at your scalp, so pathetically. No wonder he chose you. So fucking easy to manipulate, to knead into someone he can use. No wonder he said he only loved you like a friend after he finally got caught in the act.

Whatever it was that he said, you can't remember exactly. You just tuned him out. White noise oozing into your eardrums like water does when you stand underneath the showerhead. He didn't apologize. Didn't explain. Didn't even try to. All you did was cry and plead for him to stay. 

"Please don't leave me, Leon. Please, I can't live without you! I love you! Please!" You sobbed into the phone because, yeah, he broke up with you over text. It's not like you guys were even in a relationship. The age gap was too big and illegal to even be considered a real relationship. 

You knew he was so much older than you. Liked it. Knew it was wrong, yet went forward with it. He should've stopped it. Should've. But he didn't, though. 

You still love him deep down in your heart. He was your first love. First 'boyfriend'. First person to grope your body. You asked for a kiss, and he pressed his chapped lips against your forehead. He asked you for ass pictures, and you gladly sent them. Giggling happily whenever he complimented you and your body.

He's still your ideal type. A cuddly, tall, muscular brunette. 

You wish you could stop yourself from comparing every guy to him or hoping they won't end up like him. Using you and throwing you away as soon as they got what they wanted. 

But, now that you're legal, he reached out to you. Said some nonsense to try and get back into your heart. You didn't even care what he said. Just wanted to feel alive, to feel loved, and to be loved again. Even if it meant being loved by your abuser, you would let him drag you through hell and back if it meant he would love you like he did in the past. If it meant you could feel happy, free, and weightless again, you would march into hell with him.  

As messed up as you are, you would do anything to make him stay. So that you can feel full again. Happy again.

"Wish you would've taken all of my firsts," you pouted as he pulled away from your lips. Swollen and red, so pretty.  

Leon grinned and raised an eyebrow at your statement. "Really, baby girl? Damn," he bites on his lower lip, and his thumb brushes across the apples of your cheeks. 

Taking in the way you look different but still the same as you were years ago, just a bit fuller in your hips, thighs, and stomach, he remembers when he gripped your thigh with both of his hands. Couldn't even manage to grab ahold of all of the fat. A few inches away from completely grabbing your thigh with both hands. 

Now, he probably couldn't even make it so that there were a few inches between his hands; it would be a bit of a distance. That's how much you've grown width-wise. Length wise, you haven't really grown much. 

"Yeah, daddy," you preen under his attention, shifting your weight from your heels to your toes, and back down flat on the floor. "I mean it." 

He lets out a soft chuckle, and his calloused hands softly grab onto your shoulders, rubbing small circles into the fabric of your shirt. "Wish I could've taken all of your first too, baby. I know I would've made it all special for you. For my special girl." Leon coos, his head dipping down to lick into your mouth.

Hot spit trickles down the back of your throat and onto your chin. Making you squeeze your doughy thighs together, moaning as his hands squeeze down to your ass. Pressing you up against his built body. His hard-on throbbing against the confines of his skinny jeans, onto your soft, pudgy tummy.

He groans as you tug at the hair on the back of his head. Pulling back and squishing your cheeks together, and then tapping your face as you try to press your lips on his. His blue eyes darken as you moan when his hand makes contact with your face. 

"Fuck," he grips onto your chin, forcing your mouth open to let a wad of spit hit the edge of your tongue, letting it slide down into your tummy. "Daddy knew you'd like that. I've got a slutty little princess, huh?" 

It's a rhetorical question, but you answer with a few quick nods.

"Yeah, daddy, I'm your slutty little princess." Always so quick to repeat what he said. What he drilled into your brain years ago obviously holds up. You still want to make him happy, even if he ruined you for anyone else. Ruined you for life.

The corners of his lips quirk upwards, his hands giving your ass a quick squeeze before he pushes you down into the bed. He climbs on top of you like a hungry animal, licking his lips at the sight of his prey.

A whine escapes from your throat at the sight. He's gotten even more attractive and bigger, and it's making your brain all mushy. Shooting directly down to your core, feeling it gush out slick onto the gussets of your panties. 

You lick your lips and wrap your legs around his hips. "Please, Leon." 

He lets out a low growl, his veiny forearms coming up by the sides of your head. Firmly planting them on the mattress as he rocks his hips into yours. His bangs fall into your face as he teasingly grazes his lips against yours. Panting hotly against your lips. 

"Relax, baby," is all he says before he moves his mouth, making a wet trail from the corner of your lips down to your jawline. 

"Let me love you." Leon murmurs into your skin as he sucks a hickey underneath your ear, making you gasp and squirm beneath him. 

You become pliable, easy to bend, and easy to please. Brain too foggy to clearly think straight. Leon's marking up your neck like you'll try to run away from him. It's like you're his property now. God, you've always been his, ever since that fateful day, right?

Just a few words, and he can do whatever he wants with your body. Maybe one day you'll let him take your first time with your other hole. Who knows. 

"So pretty, fuck," his tongue dips between the valley of your breasts, hands grasping at your shirt to push it up, exposing you to his hungry eyes. His knee slots between your thighs, making you squeak and squeeze his leg involuntarily. Pressing your tits together to swipe his tongue across your perky nipples. 

Bathing your tits in his spit, he suckles on them like a madman. Enjoying the way you mewl and gasp, using his teeth to draw out more noises from you. Obsessed with every single part of you, even the not-so-pretty parts. He has you mapped out in his mind, his sweet, supple princess. 

"Has anyone ever eaten you out?" Kissing your areolas, soothing the small bite marks he left. He looks up at you through his eyelashes, brows furrowed in concentration. He's doting on you like it's the last time he'll ever see you again. 

"No," you say, pressing your lips together in a flat line. Feeling your stomach tighten up with butterflies and hints of nausea. 

Leon likes that. So much so that he smiles into your stomach, softly gnawing on the pudge around your belly button, earning some soft squeals and pats to try and push him away. He wants to make you crumble under him, submit to him, and never leave. Never want another man. Always comparing someone to him, wishing they did it like him. He wants to plague your mind and control you from the inside out. 

He wants to tie you up in his bedroom and never let you leave. Live your own life? No. Leon wants to drill it into your brain and body that he owns you, no thoughts about anything else but him and his body. 

He pulls down your shorts and panties in one go, watching the string of your arousal stick to the gussets of your panties. His large hands pry open your legs, pushing them up to your chest and holding them down with his weight. 

"Remember this," he spits onto your pussy, watching it swim down to your holes. Squeezing your legs when you squirm a little too much for his taste, deciding to spit once more to make sure you'll have his DNA in you for the next couple of days. 

Pressing chaste kisses on your clit because he knows it'll make your mind go all fuzzy and only think of Leon, Leon, Leon. And how good he's making you feel. Nobody else but him.

He dips his tongue between your folds and begins to languidly make out with it. Thrusting his tongue and swirling it upwards as his upper lip continues to make contact with your clit. Drawing out all sorts of pathetically cute noises from you. 

Wishing he was recording this so he could show it to his friends and brag about how he has molded you to be his perfect girl. You're not a woman until he fucks a baby into you. 

"You like that?" He suckles on your clit and gently bites down on it. Watching the way your face crinkles up and how you squeeze your eyes shut. Everything you do amuses him. 

"Daddy, mmh... god, yes!" You grasp the sheets as you feel a warm, fuzzy feeling in your lower abdomen. Toes curling as Leon fucks his tongue into your drippy hole. 

He shakes his head, pressing his nose into your sensitive bundle of nerves, trying to get you to cum quickly. 

Your hands desperately try to reach for Leon for comfort as you stumble into an orgasm. "Daddy... Mmphh—fuck!" 

Legs kicking out and vibrating as he coaxes you through your orgasm. Slowly swiping his tongue through your folds to slurp up all of your cum, he presses soft kisses all around your pussy. "Such a good girl," he sighs. 

Leon spreads your legs, kissing his way up to your face. He licks his way into your mouth, forcing you to taste yourself on his tongue and gulp down some of his saliva. "So easy." He puts his hand on your neck, lightly applying pressure as he goes back in for more kisses. Make sure you never leave this cloudy state of mind, so he can do whatever he pleases with you. 

"Maybe I can even eat you out here," he says, letting his hand wander down to your asshole and lightly tracing the rim of it. Feeling you tense up brings a sly smile to his face. "No? Okay. Maybe next time." He chuckles and pulls back to unbuckle his jeans. 

Slowly undoing his belt and putting it next to you on the bed. Unzipping his fly as he makes direct eye contact with you the entire time. He makes you gulp nervously as he finally pushes his jeans down his muscular thighs.

Your eyes immediately jump to his hard-on. How does he even keep that thing in there? It's begging to be freed, and quite frankly, you want to run away out of nerves, not believing his cock can even fit inside of you! What the fuck did Leon even eat for it to even have grown that big and thick?

Leon sees the cogwheels turning in your head as he steps out of his pants. With each step he takes, it bounces against the slightly stained, striped fabric. "Baby, don't be so nervous. It'll be alright." His voice is soothing and convincing, almost hypnotic in the way it makes your body buzz and your mind go blank. 

It is a bit terrifying to think about the effect he honestly has on you, your mind, body, and soul. 

"Are you on the pill?" He asks, although he already knows the answer. 

"No, I'm not." You mumble shyly. Embarrassed to not be on some sort of birth control.

Leon reaches down for his wallet and pulls out a condom. "Good thing I always come prepared, huh?" Chuckles as he pulls down his briefs, stepping out of them as he tears open the condom packaging. He slipped it on his drippy and flushed tip, sliding all the way down to the base. 

Slowly kneeling on the bed to lead his dick to your hole. Sliding through your folds to gather more fluids to make the first push easier on you. 

"Ready?" He grunts as he teases you by tapping himself on your swollen clit. 

"Uhuh, 'm ready," you whine as he slowly eases himself into your pussy. 

Moaning as you helplessly flutter and tighten around his shaft. Watching your face carefully as you scrunch and tense up. Stopping halfway and grabbing ahold of your hand, his other one grips the fat of your hip so tight it'll leave a bruise the next day. 

"Almost there, baby girl, doing so well for me," he presses a soft kiss to your forehead as he drives more of himself deep inside of you.

You look down at your stomach and tighten around him as you notice the bulge from his cock being so big and deep inside of you. His tip is brushing against the opening of your womb.

"Nnh, Leon, too big," you gasp as he rolls his hips against yours. Legs squeezing against his waist as he slowly starts to thrust shallowly.

"Baby, relax. Can barely pull out of you," Leon rasps in your ear, sending chills down your spine as you try to force yourself to relax around him. 

"Mnmph, sorry, Daddy. Please—" you pout, squeezing his hand tightly. Trying to signal for him to start pounding your needy cunt already.

He nibbles on your earlobe, slowly shifting his hips to thrust in and out of you properly. Soft plap, plap, plap, of his body hitting yours, making sure that he hits your g-spot. 

You swallow a whine as he lets go of your hip to lazily rub his thumb on your swollen little button. Hearing the way your breath hitches and seeing the slight curve in your spine makes all his administrations worth it. Slowly speeding up his movements as he squeezes your hand, groaning low in his throat when you clench around him tightly like a vice. 

"Tight cunt all f'me," he thrusts harder and harder, making it difficult to keep quiet. Soft punched-out cries leave your lips alongside Daddy, Daddy, Daddy's. "Fuck, daddy's gonna make you cum so hard around his cock, might even make you scream." 

Leon slowly pushes your legs up, putting you into a mating press as he drives himself deeper into you. Fucking into your womb, which craves his thick cum. Ecstatic with the idea of 'accidentally' slipping the condom off and cumming deep in your womb. Get you pregnant and finally be his woman. 

"God, wanna get you pregnant so bad, baby," he pants, bangs falling into your face with each harsh thrust. "Would take care of you and the baby. Mmhh shit—would suck the milk outta your fat leaky tits." 

Drools into your mouth as he kisses you with fervor, teeth clashing as his dick continues to fill up your sloppy pussy. 

"Leon, please, 'm so close," you hiccup as he vigorously rubs your clit in tight circles. Your legs brush up against his head as you feel that familiar warm coil in your stomach. 

"Cum for me princess." Leon's eyes darken; pupil's swallowing up his iris as he watches you unfold before him. Because of him. 

Your body tenses up and convulses with each swipe of his thumb on your sensitive nerves. Letting out a silent scream, your eyes close tightly as you try to hold onto Leon as best as you can, feeling his hot breath on your kissed, swollen lips. His fat cock is hitting all the right spots, almost painfully good as he fucks you deeply. Constantly pressing up against your womb, making your toes curl. 

Slowly rutting through your orgasm, he feels his own start to creep up on him. "Fuck, hold on, baby. Gonna pull out for a sec," he pants, pulls out of your heat, and discreetly pulls off the condom, letting it fall on his jeans. 

He quickly puts it back in before you can notice, giving you a spine-chilling smile. Giving you a few pecks on your lips and on your forehead as he uses you like a fleshlight now. 

Letting out soft whimpers and moans, he puts his head on your shoulder. The sounds of sex are his favorite sounds. Your crying is his favorite sound in the entire world. Nothing can top you crying out for him while moaning like a total slut. 

"So fucking hot, Jesus Christ," he groans, hips rabbiting into your pussy. Your insides are so warm and so wet, he feels like it's the first time he's going raw ever. Orgasm on the fence with each thrust. That and you're making all these noises, it's hard for him to concentrate on not cumming so fast. 

"G'nna cum, babe, holy fuck—" He lifts his head off of your shoulder and kisses you feverishly, spitting deep into your throat. Putting his forehead on yours, his nose touches yours as he grunts, pumping his cum into your pussy. Sticky white ropes straight into your womb. 

Panting and whimpering as his cock slowly ruts into your messy cunt. "Fuck... So good," he chuckles lightheartedly. 

Your pussy quivers around his shaft as it softens up. It feels so hot and sticky, and your mind is too fuzzy to even process that he came inside. A dumbfounded smile plastered on your flushed pink face makes his heart swell up. 

"Such a good girl. My good girl, right?" Leon nuzzles his nose against yours. Driving the fact that you'll always be his. Even if you move across the country, he'll always follow. Always in your shadow. 

"Uhuh," you respond shyly, giggling at the affection he's giving you. His eyes soften up, and you take in his face. The light stubble, small acne scars, and the way his hair is fading from dirty blonde to brown. "always, daddy." 

[davekat-sucks]

Hello monsieur davekatsucks. Sorry if this is a lot but your cherub talk reminded me. I am thinking about how hypocritically sexualized all the friendsim trolls were. You know, on the planet whose society's whole deal is that *only kids live there*... and then one of the authors said Chahut would be over 18 earth years of age like that matters? It's a whole different society man, they aren't considered adults until they go off planet, they would think you're a sicko, it's just another "erm she's actually technically 30 she's just a species that ages slower" argument (mixed with a fun flipped sprinkling of "erm actually the age of consent in some places is xyz"!) except all of the antis bought it this time because they personally thought the character was hot and that justifies as many loopholes in their logic as need be to make them not feel icky or ever have to think about their own capacity to do bad things. It's almost like the randomly generated number they stick on the wiki page for a character doesn't matter at all in comparison to how mature they look and act! You're so close to getting it!!!! Idk I'm tired. And randomly paranoid that tumblr won't keep me anon for this ask, if it's not then kmn ig

It doesn't help as well that Chaut also tells Amisia that she knows trolls YOUNGER than her that have already in quadrants. So that implies someone as young as say 3-4 years old, would have a boyfriend or girlfriend. Maybe she doesn't imply outright sex or do pailing, but it shows that trolls in Alternia are aware of how their species reproduce and the consequences if they contribute for the Mother Grub. Just try to comprehend someone as young as that would have to know about sex and said child is told if they don't contribute to sex, they will DIE. By that logic, if someone as young as that could start a quadrant, then that means age gap would be NOTHING since they are all kids and they need to fuck with someone else to make future troll babies. If Alternia is not just a dangerously environmental planet that grooms aliens about racism and violence, it's also a breeding ground for the young. The other time WhatPumpkin backed down on the Hiveswap Trolls being older than the humans was with Hiveswap Act 2 where Elwurd would flirt with Joey. It has been implied in Elwurd's route in Hiveswap Friendsim that she is or close to an age of adulthood that she would have to leave the planet when she tells MSPA Reader that she and her ex (Bronya) wanted to request combat assignments on the same ship so they won't be separated.

Nobody was sure how old Joey was and people think she is 12 or 13. It wasn't until Homestuck Team in a Curious Cat question that they clarify that Joey is 14 years old since she was born in the year 1980, that Elwurd was 16 and Bronya was 17. But that raises the question on what can be considered adulthood at this point if someone like Elwurd and Bronya could request early to be on the same group before they can leave the planet for good. And knowing that most Jadebloods would have be sent to isolation upon adulthood, a request for a cerulean and jade to be together might be rare, but could be possible if planned ahead of time. So would the years of 16-18 are considered the early stages of young adulthood before becoming legal adults? So wouldn't that mean Elwurd will still be older than Joey in that regard because in Elwurd's POV and stance within Alternian society, she is already an adult at that point. And yeah, the trolls in Friendsim are kind of sexualized. At least by the end in Lanque's route where Ardata reminds you that the Hiveswap Friendsim game is for MATURE AUDIENCES ONLY. And the Bad End in Lanque's route if you confirm you are an adult, is him and MSPA Reader (You) having a ONE NIGHT SEX STAND. Sure it fades out to black, but they don't beat around the bush that the two of them FUCKED. Lanque is stated in that same CuriousCat question that he is 18. So if the person playing the game was like 13 when they first played this game and would think MSPA Reader is the same age as them.... then yeah, that makes it all worse because of that 5 year age gap.

[calypso-finale]

Sixty Seven.

I will never understand why Monica remains around still because this lady is not welcome in my house, I just tolerate her because of Robyn but she should be happy I am not that guy anymore, because past Chris would have caused hell for her daughter to get her out even though deep down it’s killing me not too “twin” looking over at her “when she is she going home? I need the exact date? She is here for what?” I do not understand, rubbing Emi’ back, she fell asleep again and she has just woke up too “soon, I hope” I groaned out “you can’t say I hope, Robyn please tell her she isn’t welcome here, her nasty behaviour isn’t” Robyn sighed out “I know, I have told her off, but she thinks that if she stays that she is helping us with the situation” I have to laugh “right, ok. So today is the erm thing, you know his concert. I am going, I heard the guest list is rather interesting to say the least. Nobody has bought UK artists over like this, so the list is giving, are you coming?” I asked Robyn “I am mad, I don’t know. I mean we knew it happened but to know it happened is a blow for me, I just don’t get what was going in his mind, she was seventeen. I get she was a fast seventeen year old, she was very much out there. I knew she always said she never felt comfortable with Melo because I assumed she did it with him, but she didn’t and she said she doesn’t trust this guy, or this one. And then it came out that Melo called her a hoe and that he lied that they did, I am just shocked she chose him. A whole guy she really barely knew, she didn’t know him. She is so stupid, I am mad again, but I can’t do anything about it because they are a child in and still together” I don’t like to think on it “I know, and trust me Robyn, I hate to think about it because it does make me mad, she doesn’t know. She maybe does now, I mean back then she didn’t know that these guys aren’t good. They do some shit, she is so fucking lucky she got one that wasn’t fast like her because this would ended up being a bad situation for us all, and I hate saying it because I know you dislike him again, but she did chose a good guy but also he could have waited, I don’t know what happened and why or who pushed who to do it but I don’t want to know. I am just glad she is safe, but I get it” nodding my head “imagine if he drugged her, or anything. Things go in my mind, and then the thing is Ti should have said then! She didn’t, anything could have happened, that scares me but right now, I am saying no but later I could go, see how it goes” nodding my head.

The boys being at school makes this home so boring, like they make it a joy and loud too “are you going to the concert?” Amerie asked, nodding my head “I am but you can stay home with Emi of course, I don’t need you really there. I don’t think you can be bothered either” she laughed “how did you know? I just wanted to ask so I can set out my day, that is fine by me” she can have a little break “all of you as a family make me unhappy” looking behind me, Monica of course it is her “ok, go on” I said “Rorrey saying he is going there, knowing full well what he did” she spat “you know what, I can’t hold onto hate like you, I mean it’s been years and you still can’t stand me, I get what happened but she is a mother now, we can’t keep bringing it up can we huh? What do you want me to do? Beat him? I did that already, tell Aziel? I mean tell me Monica?” I don’t get her, she is looking at me all angry but not saying “exactly, you can’t even say because there is nothing that can be done, what happened has happened! It wasn’t grooming, it wasn’t rape. It was a dumb decision made by him, I blame him for that, but I also saw what my daughter was like, so you know what Monica, I don’t care. But I won’t have you around my grandchild if you don’t stop calling it a rape child, I am so fucking serious” I said to her “I call it what I see it” she mumbled “I call it what I see it too, that you’re one foot closer to the grave. That your grandchildren from your only daughter can’t stand you, they going to be celebrating because of your nasty ass mouth, now go and cry to Robyn about it. You stay away from my kids and go the fuck home” taking my cereal bowl with me as I walked off, I have had enough of her, she is nasty.

Robyn just looked at me and I looked at her, I know she has complained to Robyn about what I said “I am not going to say anything” she said “good, then let’s keep the silence, I don’t want to kick her out, I don’t want to make a commotion, but I won’t have her saying what she is saying about my family, about my kids. And you need to do the same, it’s nasty behaviour” Robyn swallowed hard “I know” she breathed out “and I will go with you to the event” smiling at her “that will be nice won’t it” Robyn nodded her head “well why not, it’s nice to get out and I want to be there really” that’s dope she is coming “cool, Drake will be there. For some reason that guy is still after Oakley, he is digging deep, he is the surprise guest or make an appearance, he just will never leave him alone. The best thing he can do is stay independent even though I know it is more hard work for him but it’s better, money wise. OVO isn’t good, he will steal his style and steal his money, but I see his spirit” Robyn chuckled “well I mean it’s been years now so it doesn’t bother me that he is there, but he is still a jerk so yeah, I will go. I will be on my best behaviour, I am saying that but are we even invited?” she questioned “I was the first one, stop it. But the guest list is impeccable that is what Ybeez said, and that guy will do anything for a little spice so it’s a free for all, I think Oakley trusts that man too much but then again, he took him in when he was on his ass and made him who he is, he is a good guy but also he knows how to create drama and create news and whatever” Robyn pulled a face “you care too much about Oakley, I have realised this, that soft spot for him. You really do see yourself in him” I shrugged “he is harmless and being in London I got to know him prior to Rylee ruining that” Robyn laughed out “well that is Rylee for you, but I understand” Robyn nodded her head “just he should have left Rylee on read” she has a point he should have, she can’t speak to herself if he was ignoring her.

My home has never been this busy, ever. I have Oakley’ people here, well friends and I am not happy but there is so much going on that I haven’t said a thing “you have been hiding up here, I noticed” Oakley said as he closed the bedroom door “I just wanted to be here, I don’t want to be there with your friends. And Kairo doesn’t stay here, Wadz can but he can’t and last night was a one off but no” Oakley pulled a face “but why Kairo? I get he can a little too much, but he means well” shaking my head “he doesn’t ok, you bought your friends here on your dime and now your brother is here, how did that even happen? He doesn’t even talk to you, there is some people you need to get rid of in your camp” I pointed “they don’t mind you so why mind them?” I huffed “I am not doing it today; I just want to be here ok. And Kayson better be on his shit today too, I have got Rich too, that is my mother’ bodyguard because after last time, no” waving him off “why? What happened last time” I walked off “nothing, I am just saying. Your friends stay away from me, that is it. Look today is your day, and I am happy for you” making my way back over to Oakley “thank you, I appreciate it. I don’t know why he is here, I ain’t seen him but I was told he is, people are here to either see this go to shit or to hate I am not sure you know. I am nervous of course” smiling at him “don’t be, I know you’re going to kill it out there, you have been in the game for too long to be nervous about this, those people out there are here because of you, that is why they bought tickets. People do listen to other artists outside their country, but they don’t really come here often, so yeah. And it’s a bigger place, more faces, more celebrities this time, you bought people too so yeah. You’re good though, given others a platform here” Oakley grinned “I can’t lie I don’t do good with public thing, like I don’t know. Even interviews I am wack and I have one after the show” he wants money without the fame, and he know that can’t happen.

Aziel and his many uncles are the worst people, the way they turn my son into the roadman, I dislike it a lot. Pulling a face as I made my way down “he’s good, look at him” Oakley laughed, Wadz and Wyge both bad influence on him, watching them in their habitat “ahhh look at his little two step, aye little gang” Wadz pulled up his hood up “is that what he is wearing” I asked, Oakley looked up at me “Trapstar exclusive, nobody got this. This is peak exclusive, of course” it’s Oakley’ day “these trainers are Nike and Corteiz kids collection, nobody got it besides my son. Uncle Clint got you fresh my boy” making my way down the rest of the steps “ok well, if you’re having him on stage Oakley please will you take care of him, he gets scared you know. You left him and I had to go on stage” Kairo looked at me and I looked away from him, that nasty man “I know, my bad. But I think he will be good this time” smiling at Aziel, the fit looks nice but it’s very Oakley “you miss me” he ran to me as I picked him up “we going to go now, but I got your brother Raihan the fit too. You said he was coming on, the boys all got it” nodding my head “that is fine, you will see him, or I will so I will pass it on” Aziel kissed my cheek “my makeup!” I spat walking off with him “she a baddie” Kairo can’t help himself “what I say about you, shut the fuck up” Oakley said to him, I don’t like him at all. I want to bring it up to Oakley, but I don’t want to ruin his friend group, he loves them a lot but why does he have to be a pervert on me all the time, I hate it.

I did say I would have Rich, but I think my parents are coming so he is with them, I didn’t think they would come but they are so that will be nice really to see. Aziel is asleep on the couch backstage, Oakley is rehearsing or whatever they do but I am just here on my own waiting around really, Kayson has gone, he is so useless at times when I said he has to be more vigilant. Getting up from the couch, I should have got Grace to come to this so she could have took care of him, but it will be ok. I am only going to use the bathroom; he won’t wake up anyways. Drying off my hands and looking at myself in the mirror, I look so tired but then again the way they was so loud last night I really didn’t sleep so there is that. Walking out of the bathroom “oh” I said seeing Kairo “I was looking for the boys, they left the stage” he said “well they not here, are they really?” he nodded his head, I feel he looks through me and not at me “you know my boy, he’s been airing you out that you boring in bed, it was just funny because I thought you would be wild you know” I pulled a face and swallowed hard “I don’t care, just leave me alone really, that is all I want from you” he rubbed his hands together “I am just letting you know that if you need some advancement that I can help with that, trust me. His girls always like me” Kairo laughed “well I don’t, and I am happy with how he performs in bed thank you so please just fuck off” what don’t he get “you ain’t worth it really, I just wanted a little taste” I cringed “and trust me he won’t wife you so you best off stop asking him that, just well enough to be a baby mother, and for you to be the Rihanna daughter you pretty lame you know that, we laugh at you always” he chuckled “you’re just mad I won’t fuck you Kairo and I never fucking will, I don’t care what you say because I know Oakley, you know Central Cee but I know Oakley, you don’t know what that guy says to me in bed so shut the fuck up thank you” he is just trying to upset and it won’t work “then how do I know you trying to get him to marry you? Come on now, he talks” the door opened “I was looking for you niggas” Kairo is a bastard and I hate him.

Smiling at Aziel “are you excited, you’re going to go on stage with dad again, no crying this time please. You’re a big boy right” he nodded his head “and give me that” taking the drink from him, I won’t be having him spilling that on himself “who would have thought the Rylee Brown, a baby mother. I really thought you was going to be someone big” my soul just left my body at that moment “don’t make a mess of this outfit please” getting up from my position, turning around “who let you here?” can anything get worse for me “it’s a free country, I can you know like artists. I can go to concerts you know” Melo said “but you know, I really thought you was something. In school, everyone talking about you, who you are, what you are. And now you’re just that” he laughed “a child Rylee, and some rapper, British whatever but I like him. I love the song he made about you, I felt that so I came here to hear that, but I like the other guys, your sister done better though. Guy is in NFL” Melo smiled at me “why do you men make it seem like you have one over me because I am a mother? Like because I can’t be yours you want to be spiteful you want to say that I am just a baby mother, that I am nobody but if this was you with me you wouldn’t be thinking this. I am not upset about being a mother. I love my son, and I am not upset who I am with. You’re insecure that you was with me and never had a piece of me, bozo” I smiled “nah I pity you, I got a new girl now and I am over you, childhood love and that but I am here to just listen to the music, you know you wasn’t very liked, you and that bitch North. I mean anyone friends with North is bad vibes, I should have got with your sister ages ago, I can’t get her off my mind” shaking my head “hey, you better sing it. That line though, I loved you until you try get in my head and that's where I lost respect. I respect you, calling her a hoe too” Melo laughed, looking behind me “who’s that?” Oakley asked, “her ex my boy” Kairo spat, today is just getting me down already.

Oakley is mad at me, and I don’t understand why “I really don’t care for your ex but you just stood there with him, am I joke to you?” I have had enough “you know what, I can’t be bothered yeah. You’re the next one on the list to bark at me and call me whatever, I get it ok” waving him off “then why speak to him? Why is here?” I shrugged “because he adores you for calling me a hoe, you know. He wants to hear it live, make sure he hears the words because he feels the same, seems like I make a lasting effect on these men because they all keep calling me that one thing when they haven’t even been with me!” I barked “shut up” Oakley said “no you shut up; I don’t care. If you think I want him then to think it because I have had enough” Oakley is mad with me, he is so mad with me and for what “drop the attitude yeah, you’re the one there with him talking to him what you think I am going to think huh? And telling Kairo dumb shit, you’re really just pissing me off, this is why I hate when you’re here, you end up acting differently and moving mad” my mouth fell open “tell him what!?” I spat “lower your tone, I said to you lower that shit. You told him that I do pillowtalk with you and I say these things to you, you telling him that for!” is he serious “you know what, you want to hide that you love me then you ain’t a fucking man for me, fuck you ok” the door opened “I bought the gang with me” my dad said, I am not in the mood “I didn’t think you was going to see me” Oakley said “why not” getting up “I am going to the bathroom” I ran off, this is all so much for me that I just want to explode right now.

My family being in the room with Oakley is very weird, after everything that went off, but I am just quiet “oh yeah Raihan, he bought you a fit with Corteiz, or whatever. I will pass it you” Oakley been trying to get my attention, but I am ignoring him “stage in twenty everyone” Ybeez said, Oakley got up from the couch “that is cool, Lee” he said, waving him off but he walked up to me “no” I said in a whisper “let me talk to you” he said “don’t make it out bigger, please” rolling my eyes “I will get you the fit, I will be back” Oakley said, walking behind him to leave “I really honestly don’t want to speak to you” I said, I really don’t but saving face I guess “room free?” he pointed, Wyge nodded his head as he walked in “talk here” I said, he loves to hide everything but he did u-turn and grabbed my hand dragging me inside “I don’t want to argue with you” he closed the door “but you did? Without even knowing the fact too, like how sick are you. I am actually sick of you men, none of you deserve me. You are scared to love me or know that you do pillowtalk with me? Over Kairo? He is a fucking liar ok, your friend wants me that’s his issue” I pointed “how you know that? You been talking to him on the low?” I scoffed “oh my god, no I fucking don’t. I been telling you about him! You fucking don’t listen and now you are here letting him speak on him” Oakley mean mugged me “lower your tone, I can fucking hear you know” I don’t even want to know “can we get this day over with, thank you” walking off, dragging open the door but he banged it shut “now you’re just being a dick, go on, what is it now” crossing my arms “what is going on with you and Kairo?” shaking my head “think what you like, you the one ashamed of me that you don’t want to love me or let the guys know you do cute stuff, fuck you” I spat “am I swearing at you?” he said “am I fucking swearing at you!? I asked a fucking question, this isn’t about what I feel, it’s about you! You opening your mouth about things that isn’t needed to be told, I want to fucking know about Kairo, so fucking speak!” he shouted “I don’t want to speak” I said to him “you know what, whatever” he walked off, I don’t want to speak on anything right now, too much is happening.

The way my dad is glaring, I am not sure if he heard the shouting or not, I think he did but he is looking “you look good Raihan” my dad complimented him, he looks so happy with his fit “say thank you to Oakley too” my dad pointed “thank you, can I keep it?” he asked him “of course, come. You can borrow my chain too” he walked off “why were you both shouting and banging?” my dad asked me “is there an issue?” shaking my head “it’s just between us dad, nothing like I can’t handle” I smiled “well we are here, and I have bad news for you. So is your sister and Taylan” I laughed “it’s fine, Melo is here too. Why not” I have to laugh “she wants to apologise” Oakley waved me over “we need to go, walk to the stage, so now I have Taylan and Tianna here, I mean why not because everything else is wrong “right now I just want to go to the stage. I don’t know about the whole apology, come” walking towards Oakley “Wadz has Aziel” looking at Wadz, there is a lot of people here so I can imagine Aziel wants to be picked up, Oakley held my hand “bit public for you” I said, after all that falling out, he knows he has pissed me off. Oh this is getting videoed; how can I forget “I still want to know about this Kairo business” he said to me “mhmmm” looking at him “you nervous?” I asked him, he nodded his head “just trying to zone out really, feeling it though” I can imagine “I have heard the people that are here, it’s making me feel it” I can tell he is nervous, we turned the corner and stopped. He let go of my hand, placing his hand on my back, the thing with Oakley he is those private people, doesn’t show it publicly but he knows he has pissed me off with it all, he promised he would be better, and he did that “I love you” he said to me, he kissed my cheek. Looking at him “you will be ok out there, I know it” he nodded his head “you still mad with me” I huffed out “a lot is happening, like I can’t even say it’s that anymore, but don’t worry about it. You kill it out there, like you do” hugging him “I would like to know why Ybeez has invited everyone though” I don’t get that “he never says no, I don’t know. But don’t hate me” I laughed “I don’t hate you, just you added to my annoyance, don’t worry about it. You just concentrate on that stage. I know your brother is there, just do you” moving back from the hug, he nodded his head “feel it” he said “ready?” Ybeez asked him “how you feeling?” my dad stood next to me “nervous for him, not his crowd but I know he will kill it” I know it.

[ratttoro]

heres a more vent-y post about ageism cuz y’all are pissing me tf off. (side note, maybe read the whole post before deciding that i just hate teenagers and want them all to suffer).

teenagers seriously need to stop acting as if they are oppressed. you aren’t. you are disrespected/somewhat disregarded in society which is something i’ve been saying but to take it up a notch and compare it to oppression is exactly why there’s so many people who are preaching that teens shouldn’t be online/aren’t mature enough to make their own decisions.

there are laws out there to protect you because we’ve all been there, we all know what its like, we all want you to succeed. youth is one of the only things every human being on this earth experiences, and wishes they could go back and change. there are evil ass motherfuckers out there who want to hurt you, who want to take advantage of you and your naïveté, who want you to believe that you’re more mature than your parents/teachers tell you and that they’re all just holding you back, but good news: there are also people out there that want every single one of those motherfuckers to rot in a jail cell and tons of people who dedicate their entire lives to doing so. thats oppression to you? because you can’t vote at 15 fucking years old? because the teachers don’t want you vaping in the bathroom? get a fucking grip oh my god. you are more privileged as a teenager than you’ll ever be in your entire life.

if you seriously cannot even FATHOM why someone might not want a teenager in their space, to interact with their account, or to have the liberty of making every single decision for themselves, ya aren’t as mature as yer thinking ya are, bud.

even as a teen, it was never hard for me to just respect the fact that some spaces weren’t made for me, and there were valid reasons as to why. (i was a teen like two years ago and technically still am so dont start with that “well things are different now!” bullshit.)

teens aren’t allowed in adult spaces because adults are unpredictable, and no matter how many times you wanna shout that teens are capable of being mature and responsible, most teens are naïve as fuck because most of y’all have 0 life skills yet. once again, if you did have life skills you would probably understand why there are so many things in place to FUCKING PROTECT YOU GUYS.

it’s so frustrating that teenagers are trying to push away everything thats keeping them safe because “erm actually teenagers are a lot smarter than you think!” just because you read Frankenstein does not mean you’re immune to grooming and sex trafficking.

i agree that teens deserve to be respected and their opinions deserve to be heard, but no, sorry, y’all definitely should not be in adult spaces (rather the spaces dangerous or not, some people just don’t want minors around and this type of shit makes me completely understand why).

stop preaching literal groomer language at teenagers AS A TEENAGER. what the fuck! you’re destroying yourselves and forcing everyone else to watch. i’ve seen multiple cases of rape, grooming, abuse, etc, that wouldn’t have gotten recognized as such had the victim not been a minor. stop actively trying to make things worse for yourself. once you grow up, there will be no more people fighting for you. there will be no protection. there will be no more using your age as an excuse. like i said earlier, get a fucking grip.

and ik that teens have been saying the same bullshit reworded for centuries, but it gets more concerning when people are essentially saying “teenager? psssh they’re practically an adult!” and it blows my mind that people cant see why.

[soujux]

[ HYUN. ]

— i'll try not to miss you.

When Taehyun wakes up from an open-eyed dream, Yeonjun loses the power to sweep him off his feet. It causes them to part-ways, months after convincing themselves that they were in love. To not have someone chasing after him, Yeonjun should have taken the opportunity to start anew. But why does he keep searching for Taehyun now that he's gone?

forum. a place, meeting, or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged.

— pairings: kang taehyun x choi yeonjun

— genre: childhood friends to lovers (?), engagement arrangements, first love, unrequited love, one-sided pining, lots of yearning, aged-up, online forums, angst/fluff, retrospect

[📃 NOTE ! this is a fruit of my writer's block written with little to no effort, so excuse my metaphors, dialogues, and picked figurative language.]

HYUN Ask! PrettyBoy

This is my first time joining a forum and I honestly never imagined myself sharing anything on the internet about my love life, but desperate times call for desperate measures—here’s a kettle full of something you can fill your cup with:

Hello. You can call me Hyun. I am engaged to my first love that only sees me as a brother. What should I do?

☾

THE STORY GOES a little bit like this. 

Firstly, Taehyun doesn’t remember not knowing Choi Yeonjun. He’s intelligent, endearingly close to his mother, everyone’s friend, handsome (so handsome), and popular since childhood—which only worsens as he grows older. Taehyun knows Yeonjun well, maybe even too well since the fox-boy’s family visits his household every Saturday from the day he was born. 

You see, here’s the thing. Their parents had always been close—best friends forever, ‘my ride or die’, or call it whatever you want close, that close—and it strings along a whopping ten albums worth of his childhood pictures with a snotty Choi Yeonjun. 

They were together most of their lives and Taehyun’s sister was so blatant about being tired of the Youngest Choi™’s face.

“I think she hates me,” Yeonjun jabbed Taehyun’s side gently when the girl rolled her eyes. Their mother just announced that he’ll be attending her wedding as the groom’s best man, because unfortunately for her, she ended up marrying Yeonjun’s cousin. “Seriously, why is she frowning like that?”

“She’s tired of your face.”

“So, she hates me,” Yeonjun concluded then and there.

“Erm, probably,” Taehyun doesn’t say that he’s feeling a bit tired of Yeonjun too.

Secondly, when Taehyun’s sister married a Choi, their families got closer… and closer. Worse than before. On every family trip, family celebration, and grand family meal; The Chois™ are there. Present and blending in with the family.

“I think at this point we should all just live together,” Taehyun made a joke with roasted garlic on his plate. He doesn’t miss the smile on his parents’ faces. “I’m… I’m joking! Don’t think about living together. This is enough.”

“We know, Hyun-ah. It’s just funny to see you all worked up,” He receives a kiss on the cheek. At least that was a good compensation for a fear that he just discovered.

Thirdly, Taehyun and Yeonjun are inseparable. It wasn’t even a choice anymore.

One day, Taehyun woke up and started his first day in high school, only to find Yeonjun waiting for him at the front door, because—surprise!—they go to the same campus. Years later, they’ll be going to the same college, same dorm building, same cafe, and even the same barber. God. It was a game that never ends.

Although, don’t get him wrong. Yeonjun wasn’t horrible. It’s quite the opposite.

Yeonjun is an absolute sweetheart. Almost like a daydream. He dresses like he’s for the runway and dyes his hair in different hues. People in the university fawn over him as they become friends; he’s easygoing like that. He’s an insider. A social butterfly with the prettiest wings. He dated people like a player, but remained everyone’s dream boy.

Oh, he seems unreal. Taehyun thinks he’s too good to be true. Sometimes he’ll receive a text from Yeonjun asking him to hangout and he’ll have a brief moment to pause and regain composure because he absolutely loses his crap every time ‘The Yeonjun’ comes knocking at his dorm room with fried chicken.

One of those starstruck moments was this one, when Yeonjun sat comfortably on his floor with food on the low table. His hair was pushed back and his jacket laid on the couch, leaving him in his plain white shirt. Taehyun hopes he can conceal the blush in his face.

“Your mother called and asked me to pick you up,” Yeonjun said, munching on a drumstick cutely.

As much as Taehyun would want to coo in adoration, he was more perplexed than flattered. “What for?"

“No idea,” Yeonjun shrugs. “She said it wasn’t urgent, but she needs to talk to us today.”

“Oh, okay. Let’s go after this.”

“Got it, Tyunnie.”

At one point, Taehyun questioned everything about Choi Yeonjun. His words, his thoughts, his care, and his actions—but he seems to be as good as an open book. Yeonjun was genuine and honest. Anyone could see right through him just by looking at his face, yet Taehyun still felt the need to deny so much when he knows too much.

The last part of the story was delayed for several more years. They graduated from university, met new people, got busier, and spent more time apart.

Perhaps that’s what time does to relationships; it makes them harder to think about because there’s nothing more for one to wonder. Taehyun still saw Yeonjun every month and they still shared meals while they talked about work, but there’s an invisible wall that built itself between them through countless changes.

Since—lastly, Taehyun and Yeonjun got engaged on a haphazard day. Like a raging wave in a calm sea.

And he pretends not to read Yeonjun every time he wears his heart in his sleeve.

☾

HYUN Thread! PrettyBoy

I didn’t expect my first post to blow up like that, but to clarify, my fiance is a close family friend and I grew up with him. I started liking him in my second year of high school, when he was leaving for college, and I never really acted upon it until years later.

It took me such a long time because he’s improbably charming and attractive, so I was not the only one that liked him. I think he had a serious relationship in college, but it didn’t end well because of something I didn’t really find out. Even after that, he was always seeing someone, so I took it as a sign that confessing will be useless. But realizing that I need to get it off my chest, I still ended up confessing on his graduation day.

His reaction was fine. It was a bit awkward—sure—but he wasn’t a jerk about it. He gave me a hug and told me I was cute, but he made it clear that I was being rejected. That’s why I’m as lost as everyone about the ring on my finger.

He’s just… confusing.

☾

GRADUATION DAY.

Yeonjun was everywhere from being dragged left and right by his ocean number of friends—he’s probably in everybody’s celebratory post at this point. His smile beamed along with countless others, but Taehyun still saw it like the morning sun.

“Tyun! You’re late,” Soobin spotted him first. Just like Yeonjun, he was graduating today and he’s currently bouncing around with his medals and glorious flowers. “Take a picture with me!”

Soobin.

Yeonjun’s first boyfriend that met his family. He was tall, a lot taller than Taehyun, and he had cunning dimples that everyone was obsessed with. Soobin was kind. Probably the kindest person Taehyun knows; and if he wasn’t such a jealous bug, then maybe he would have rooted for their relationship. Either way, it didn’t work out, but they’re still great friends. On certain days, Taehyun accompanies Soobin to try every pastry in a newly opened bakery—talking about school, games, boys (er, Yeonjun), because Soobin figured him out way easier than he would have thought.

"So, you're finally confessing?" Soobin asked after studying the tense state of the younger boy. "You should do that. help yourself by doing that before it's too late."

"It's not like he feels the same way, hyung. I just want him to know and finally move on."

Soobin merely smiles before they part. Taehyun goes to garner courage once he faces Yeonjun with a rather nervous stutter.

Frankly, the confession was a mess, an accumulation of all the harboring feelings and all the fear that Taehyun has hidden in every corner of his heart. Even his mind was a blur when Yeonjun heard everything he had to say—it was one of those rare days when Taehyun couldn't read Yeonjun's face.

"Do you like me? like, actually like me?"

Taehyun succumbs in embarrassment. "Please, don't make me say it again."

After that comes an adorable laugh that wasn't anything relatively close to a mock. it was genuine, just Yeonjun. "You're so cute, Tyun. Calm down for me, hm? You're shaking so much."

Let me down slowly.

"I'm just saying. I'm not expecting anything in return—I mean it! You're... really important to me, hyung, and I need to get this off my chest before you leave," Taehyun doesn't look at Yeonjun's face, but feels the hands delicately holding his waist. "I also think you deserve to know. You need to know about how much people love you."

"That's very sweet," He failed to find better words to fill the gaps. "Thank you," Yeonjun ended it at that, and perhaps Taehyun was lying about being content.

Saying that he wasn't expecting anything at all was easier than actually not expecting. In the end, he hugged Yeonjun one last time and never saw him again.

It wasn't a new constant per se. Taehyun and Yeonjun do bump into each other sometimes and share a meal out of courtesy, but it wasn't the same as the old days with oily fingers and fast food. Now, meals are shared in a rather more professional setting, less carefree. The joke doesn't land even if Taehyun tries.

Yeonjun works for his own company, while Taehyun was out pursuing a fickle music job that his parents weren't exactly on board with. In just a couple of years, their worlds grew distant, moving farther and farther.

Taehyun convinces himself that life drove them away from each other because they were growing, but when Yeonjun abruptly called him up for a meeting, their worlds collided.

"Marry me."

It came without a warning, yet solemnly—the epitome of what it feels like to love yeonjun all this time. He's a surging wind on a summer day, rain on your favorite day; but Taehyun loved him still, as if he was the same high school boy that patiently waits for something that will never come.

"Are you drunk? I can't just marry you when we're not even…” Taehyun finds it hard to comprehend.

Yeonjun pushes relentlessly. "Then date me. I'll take you out every Friday and we'll spend time together until you deem it enough."

"Hyung, you're confusing me. I know that you don't like me, so what's this about?"

Taehyun shouldn't have asked.

If Taehyun was good at reading Yeonjun like an open book, Yeonjun was better at knowing the ways to Taehyun's heart.

"I want to try it, with you," Rigid breathes between the silent gaps. "Love."

How can Taehyun say no to that?

☾

Re: HYUN Thread! Endolphin Answer MolangLover

Mr. HYUN, your submission has been haunting my mind for nights! I had a similar experience with my last boyfriend, that’s why I broke up with him when I became more self-aware. He cared for me—I know he did—but I wanted to be loved, and he couldn’t give me that. So, I knew it was better to just move on with our lives and meet other people.

I want to ask about how you’re doing, because that kind of relationship is tiring (must be for you, especially). If you could tell me anything—what you feel, what you think—it would be lovely, but if you’re uncomfortable, then feel free to ignore my reply.

Have a nice day!

ㅤ

Re: Endolphin Answer HYUN Thread! PrettyBoy

Hello, Endolphin. I would add something before your name, but I wouldn’t want to misgender you.

Thank you for this reply. It makes me feel comforted that somebody is going through or has gone through something similar to me. If you could probably tell, I am more than fine to answer your question.

Surprisingly, I am feeling well. My fiance takes me out on a date every Friday and it gets cancelled so often because of his not-so-flexible schedule compared to mine. However, I try to be happy. He’s never rude to me, he’s always kind, but it’s nothing close to showing romantic interest.

As for what I think, I think about so many things. I always worry about being well-behaved and being pliant to not upset him. I also worry about my job and other things in my life.

Endolphin, if it’s not so rude of me, may I ask you about the breakup with your last boyfriend? How did he react? How did you do it? Now that you brought it up, I’m starting to think if it’s the best thing to do in situations like this.

☾

THERE ARE PROS AND CONS in being engaged with Choi Yeonjun.

Firstly, he’s Yeonjun. The man Taehyun has been in love with since he was a literal teenager.

He had dreamed about being with Yeonjun, going on dates, holding hands—anything lovers do. But it was not a dream that Taehyun thought would come true. Heck, meeting the famous gay celebrity icon, Beomgyu, sounds more attainable than getting his lips anywhere near Yeonjun’s pretty ones!

Deep breath. Inhale, exhale. Taehyun tries to stay grounded everyday.

Yeonjun would never kiss him.

Should that be a negative streak? It’s a personal agenda, so maybe Taehyun can forgive him for that.

At the end of the day, Yeonjun offered some sort of a course of learning. Love in particular. Which is absolute bull because when you’re learning how to love a person, that means you never loved that person at all.

Among the list of pros is this: Yeonjun was easy to read.

“It’s an emergency, Tyun. Will you wait for me?”

“Hm, okay,” Taehyun once looked at Yeonjun with a smile. It was on a Friday night, inside Yeonjun’s office. He had to put a song on hold just to meet Yeonjun for an expected date, but his fiance couldn’t do the same. “I’ll be waiting in the lobby.”

Yeonjun takes his hand before he can go. “Just stay here. It won’t take too long.”

“I’ll be quiet.”

Deep breaths. Inhale, exhale. Taehyun learns to be patient. Despite knowing each other for eternity, Yeonjun was a lesson to learn. How he acts and how he talks, how he works and how he thinks—Taehyun understands like the lover he is.

He grew not to bother about certain truths that he had no control of. Like how he will never be a priority, how Yeonjun merely had him on display in his life—or how in all the hours that passed since Taehyun sat on the couch, Yeonjun never checked up on him even once.

“Hyung,” Taehyun wants to go home. “Let’s just cancel today. I’m tired.”

Yeonjun hums, “I’ll let my secretary drive you home.”

“No, it’s fine. Good night, hyung,” Taehyun fixed his stuff before making his way to the door. Before he opens it, he stops. “I love you,” He said without looking back.

After all, seeing Yeonjun’s face drop was harder than not seeing his response at all.

Cons of being engaged with Choi Yeonjun: He will never say he loves you back

☾

HYUN Ask! PrettyBoy

Today’s TMI: I live with my fiance, but I barely see him home. Is this even a TMI? People are asking for updates, but I’m literally waiting for the same thing.

Our penthouse is approximately thirty minutes away from his workplace, so it’s only natural that he’ll be staying somewhere nearer on weekdays. On weekends he would stay over, but he often locked himself up in the office. He’s a workaholic. My workaholic. I think I’ve seen him pass out on his desk more than I’ve seen him sleeping in his bed, and he mumbles jargon in his sleep.

Anyway, tips to make your significant other fall in love with you? I don’t want studious relationships, I want mutual obsession.

☾

LIVING TOGETHER WAS Taehyun’s idea.

They got a place in a quieter part of Seoul and settled in quite well. Taehyun had always been a neat person, so Yeonjun never had an issue. Even so, they still have someone that does the cleaning for them once a week. Splitting chores was not an option since they’re both equally busy, so it was the greatest resort.

Much to Taehyun’s dismay, they don’t share a room. They room across from each other, Yeonjun’s being the most empty because he rarely occupies it, but Taehyun has his place filled with instruments and gadgets.

It shows in aspectects like that; one was more enthusiastic among the two. Taehyun doesn’t mind as long as Yeonjun comes home every week.

“Just move in with me. The kids need a babysitter anyway,” Years later, the Anti-Choi Yeonjun™ movement lives on inside of Taehyun’s sister. “Yeonjun is barely home. What are you supposed to do here all alone?”

“Sleep, eat. I bought a PS5,” Taehyun knows there’s no dancing around this, but he still tried.

“Hyun, dump his ass. You’re an idiot for getting yourself into this, but if you’re actually thinking of settling then you need professional help.”

“Noona, I’m not crazy.”

“Then get a hold of yourself. I know he’s the love of your life or something, but this is not good for anybody,” She dragged the boy on the couch. “Do you actually believe that he’ll fall in love with you?”

“You’re making it sound like I’m unlovable.”

Smack. “Dummy. I love you! You’re the most amazing person there is and it’s Yeonjun’s loss for not seeing that, but my point still stands. You can’t force yourself to be in love. It doesn’t work that way.”

“You think I don’t know that?” Taehyun finally unraveled the last card in his hand, drawing a desperate look on his sister’s exasperated state.

Taehyun sleeps over at his sister’s that night. He doesn’t let Yeonjun know—he probably won’t notice anyway—but he returns the next day before following a routine of washing up and preparing breakfast.

What he failed to notice was a sleeping figure on the couch, snoring soundly in deep sleep. Yeonjun was still in his suit, all wrinkled and altered in his rest. His tie was left on the table and his socks kept clinging around his laying feet. The position was rather uncomfortable with the head painfully placed on the headrest. For all he knows, the man’s gonna end up with a stiff neck once he wakes up.

It’s seven in the morning; he’ll wake up soon. Taehyun doesn’t have to bring him to his room or wake him up. All he could offer was a cup of coffee placed beside the discarded clothing on the table.

“Tyun?”

“Hm?”

“Where were you?” The words came out a bit slurred, throat dry and muscles weak. Taehyun felt bad after seeing Yeonjun wince as soon as he sat up.

“Out,” Taehyun answered vaguely. “It’s Friday. Why are you here?”

Yeonjun scoffed, albeit dryly from his slumber. “It’s my house too, you know?”

“I don’t mean it like that.”

“I know. I came home because I felt bad about last week. We… always cancel our dates,” Yeonjun’s voice was small. As if he was unsure of his words.

“It couldn’t be helped. You don’t have to feel bad.”

“No, I want to go out. With you, I mean. I don’t have anything scheduled today, so we can spend it together.”

“But I have work,” Taehyun wanted to say, but he ended up just nodding to Yeonjun’s smile as a silent agreement that he’ll go wherever Yeonjun goes.

This is enough, Taehyun thinks. It’s enough for Yeonjun to only come for him when it’s convenient.

They can start from there.

☾

Re: HYUN Ask! BEN Answer TeddyBear

Love is a mysterious thing. You see, HYUN, there is no step-by-step process to falling in love. It’s like tumbling down a flight of stairs, toppling and terrifying, but once you reach the last step, you strangely still find yourself in the place you wanted to be in. Then, you think you can never do that again.

My lover used to do the same thing as you; he’s like a restless storm. In several ways, he tried to romance me—heartfelt and genuine and I do miss dearly. I only realized how much I loved dancing in the rain when it stopped. Now, the sun doesn’t feel warm on my skin anymore.

Oh, I didn’t mean to stray, but I only mean one thing.

Trying to love someone tires the heart and soul, but most of the time, you are already in love even before you begin.

I hope this helps.

☾

SOMETIMES, HOPE IS A flower that Yeonjun brings home. 

He would tell Taehyun good night with a smile on his face before retreating to his room while someone giddily sets the flower on a vase for the empty kitchen counter they barely use. It’s a rose, thornless by somebody else’s hands. Taehyun admires it every morning and every night, until the next Friday that arrives with a new replacement for a wilted plant.

“How did you know that I like flowers?” Taehyun had to ask as it seems like Yeonjun found a new habit of setting his heart in motion through a single gesture.

“I didn’t. You’re just pretty with flowers,” Yeonjun doesn’t look him in the eye, but the tint on his cheeks was enough for Taehyun to smile.

Sometimes, hope is a warm feeling in Taehyun’s heart.

It’s terrifying to realize that he’s committing to a possibility to only fall deeper, but with every smile and every word that Yeonjun seemingly pulls from something in the air, there was nothing else that Taehyun could see himself do.

Yeonjun knew all the ways to Taehyun’s heart, and it’s so cruel. He could lift Taehyun high and have him fall without caution—Taehyun will never, never have anything to hold on to.

Hope is a fickle thing.

Taehyun realized it on the day he visited his parents.

“I don’t remember inviting you,” Yeonjun merely laughs at the ‘greeting’ he received from Taehyun’s sister. “This is a ‘Kang Only’ zone.”

“Noona, stop embarrassing me,” Taehyun helps her forfeit and leave his fiance alone the entire night. After everything he’s told his sister, he wasn’t sure if the hate-esque approach was just a joke anymore. It all came with good intentions—he’s sure, but Yeonjun was still a guest and a close friend before the whole predicament. Basic respect was the bare minimum. “I’m sorry about her. She’s just protective.”

“I understand, Taehyun. You don’t need to explain,” Yeonjun reassured with a hand pressed against his back. “Let’s go meet your mom.”

“Okay.”

It started well. He started hopeful—when Yeonjun helped him with his chair and offered him side dishes, they blended in with the ideal figure of a happy relationship. Taehyun didn’t think about his failed attempt to hold Yeonjun’s hand under the table when the man swiftly pulled away without sparing him a glance. He didn’t think about the dismissive silence when his mother asked them about marriage.

It’s an ugly feeling, but maybe it has always been there. If Taehyun could burn every pain in his heart, he’d be in the fiery pits of hell. There was no adequate word to explain it.

“I’m still not there, aren’t I?” Taehyun showed vulnerability in the car. The only thing he hates the most, being breakable, he shares with Yeonjun too. “Hyung, you will never love me.”

“Let’s not talk about this now.”

“When will we?”

“You had a few drinks.”

Taehyun shakes his head in exasperation. “I’m not drunk. I know what I’m saying.”

“We’re tired,” Yeonjun breathes roughly, plausibly frustrated. “I don’t want to say something that will hurt you.”

What would change? “You’re hurting me now.” Taehyun shouldn’t have hoped in the first place.

“Good night, hyung. I’m really tired.”

☾

Re: HYUN Thread! Endolphin Answer MolangLover

Hello, Mr. HYUN. I am, in fact, a gay man! You can use any pronouns on me, I really don’t mind. However, I do mind my late response. I just read your reply, and so I only have answers to your questions today.

My then boyfriend was always calm. He’s always logical and handles everything maturely. That’s why I expected him to take it well when I told him I wanted out, but I guess I didn’t know him well enough.

Trying not to give specific details: our breakup happened through dinner. It’s incredibly anticlimactic because we didn’t even cry—he didn’t even say no. Or at least, that’s what I thought, because the very next day he was at my door telling me that he’ll drive me to work.

It pretty much started from there. Just. He’s suddenly everywhere. It’s a mess.

However, one piece of unsolicited advice: some people are not for you, and realizing it later is better than not realizing it at all.

Mr. HYUN, I hope you grant your heart solace. Please be happy. You owe yourself that the most.

From: Soobin binsoochoi

Hello, Kang Taehyun. How are you? I forgot to ask for your number on my graduation and you’ve deactivated all your social media accounts, but I heard that your email is active as ever.

You are one of my most treasured friends despite all the years that passed, and I want to tell you this myself even if you probably already know from the mail I sent last week.

I am getting married! *Break dances*

All the details are in the invitation, so please come or else I’ll cry.

Also, despite the given circumstance, I’m sure Yeonjun wants to see you again.

☾

IT ALL BEGAN WITH SPACE, A PERIOD before a crash. The silence that drove Taehyun deaf until he surrendered to the lonely call of his bedroom for a night's rest. Nobody told him that solitude takes form when it gets overwhelming—that it will hold him by the neck until he blanks and wakes up feeling disoriented for a plight to occur all over again. 

His sister always called him crazy for sitting through the neglect. But if they were to toe the path that led them here, Taehyun still found his own hand tracing the very ring Yeonjun got him that night. It was the thread that he sewed to the plot, his contribution that now made him cynical.

If he said no, would he even see Yeonjun after that night again?

It only dawned on him then, when the door opened and he didn’t bother looking out to check who it was, because welcoming someone home would only apply if home whirled every particle in the area. But everything was foreign and cold.

Taehyun, despite his efforts to keep Yeonjun by his side, already lost him somewhere along the line. Yet, he’s still here. In this house like a madman devoured by lonesome.

His sister was right.

☾

“WHY DID YOU GIVE HIM my number?” Exasperation always, always found its way to Taehyun even after so long.

And yet, Soobin had the audacity to sigh from the other side of the line. “I’m sorry. He just looked so sad. I couldn’t say no.”

“Soobin hyung.. You can’t just give people my personal information just because you’re an empath.”

“I know, I know—I'll have them serve you your favorite wine at the reception next week. I promise,”

It’s a tempting offer, but Taehyun was some kind of a selfless soul. “It’s fine. Just don’t do it again.”

But take that with a grain of salt.

For the past few days, he’s made regrettable decisions that may or may not require shutting doors, walking out, and avoiding someone like the plague. He, for a lack of better word, would skedaddle across the world if he didn’t have a job to keep and a point to give.

Going back a few pages, the story went a little bit like this.

Firstly, Taehyun and Yeonjun had a mutual agreement that the arrangement wasn’t working. Or at least, that’s what Taehyun thought.

You see, the conversation was brief—maybe shorter than Taehyun would have guessed, but most of it was one-sided. Yeonjun, the entire time, barely even spoke. He merely looked at Taehyun with wide eyes and steady breathing; a complete contrast to his then fiance’s stuttering state.

He only said one thing. “You’re leaving?”

Really? After a long monologue about feeling out of place, floating in the air, and feeling desperate—Yeonjun doesn’t even prove him wrong.

“It’s not working,” Taehyun told him. “Why are we even doing this?”

The story continues with boxes and empty cupboards. Packing used to be Taehyun’s most dreaded activity, but packing from the penthouse felt like severing invisible strings. It tickles his skin and his heart, leaving his soul yearning for Yeonjun to stand by the door and ask him to stay.

But even if he did, even when Yeonjun stood by the door, it was to send him off.

“Did you ever love me? Even just a speck..” It was his last resort, but the answer never came out loud. It’s in the air. “Oh, I see.”

He leaves for the door, not before Yeonjun holds his hand for a split second that gives him hope.

He looks back to see Yeonjun’s warm eyes. “Take care, Taehyun.”

Hope is a fickle thing.

The story should have ended there. They never see each other again, they go separate ways, they meet again years later when they’re both happy with all the broken pieces fixed. It was the probable situation that Taehyun pictured.

But Yeonjun had different plans.

☾

HYUN Ask! PrettyBoy

It’s been a few weeks since I last posted anything in the forum, and I still very much find the whole ordeal of letting strangers answer your question a bit skeptical and dumb. However, this is all I got for now, so bear with me.

Hello. I’m Hyun. I broke up with my fiance last week, and last night he came knocking at my door asking if we could be friends. What the fuck is happening?

☾

IT WAS MIDNIGHT WHEN Yeonjun knocked at his door relentlessly. Like who he is. Even when Taehyun pretended to be asleep, even when ten minutes passed—it kept going.

He stumbled to walk across the apartment he got himself close to where his sister lived, wanting to be closer to his family. Sleep got the best of him when he opened the door to a surprised Yeonjun. “Do you want me to call the police on you?”

“I-I..” Yeonjun toyed with the end of his sleeve.

“Did you come from work?” Yeonjun nods to the question. “Okay. Why?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you here?”

Yeonjun points at the sky, awkwardly looking back and forth to seemingly prove a point. “It’s night time. I was too sleepy to drive all the way home.”

It was a bad idea to let Yeonjun drive him to his address last week.

“Sounds like bull—don’t you stay somewhere near your office?”

“It’s boring. I want to stay with you,” Yeonjun said dryly. “Let me sleep over, like the old days.”

Taehyun had to snort. He was not in his best shape. “Hyung, are you drunk?”

Taehyun knew that Yeonjun was anything but ordinary™, especially with his hair tousled and clothes wrecked like he’s gone through hell driving all the way here, but he would have at least expected Yeonjun to reply like a normal person. Instead, the man leaned forward with playful eyes and nose barely missing Taehyun’s skin.

He blows. “What do you think?”

“Mint,” Taehyun babbled. “You. Move away!”

Who makes other people smell their breath like that?

“Let me stay over.”

“No. Hyung, go home. You look fine!”

Yeonjun finally, after what it felt like eternity, gifted Taehyun distance. “I’m tired. You know how fast I fall asleep when I’m tired—I don’t even notice it.”

He has a point. “Clothes. You don’t have clothes. You can’t sleep in that.”

“Then, let me borrow your clothes.”

“What?!”

Needless to say, in Taehyun’s calm sea, Yeonjun will always be the raging winds that start the surging waves.

☾

BEFORE SUNRISE, TAEHYUN got a man in his guest room and the same man wearing his clothes like they’re made for him.

Taehyun falls asleep with frustrated sighs.

☾

HYUN Thread PrettyBoy

Pardon me, but this is not a laughing matter. I think my heart is about to combust and my brain is going into overdrive. Here, let me paint you a picture: sometimes people are dumb enough to act on their instict that they refuse to acknowledge their effect on others. What does that sound like? Insensitivity. Indifference. They lack empathy and I am close enough to beg for sympathy at this point.

He was already everywhere when he was not. What do I do now that he’s actually close enough for me to touch? Sometimes I believe that between the two of us, he’s the one who needs more saving.

☾

WALKING AWAY WAS THE EASIEST thing to do, but if the slope was treacherous, Taehyun found no other way to move forward than just stop. 

And with Yeonjun, nothing ever goes smoothly.

He wakes up to Yeonjun’s cooking. Something that teetered between familiar and foreign. His stomach refused to flip out of hunger, but rather of awe when he got a reminder of what Yeonjun looks like in the morning: messy hair, pale cheeks, and round eyes. He failed to take away the domesticated feeling in his system.

Stop. Pause. Breathe.

Sometimes, to get through a heartbreak is another, but Taehyun wasn’t ready for anything as close to what Yeonjun made him feel the first time.

Instead of a morning greeting, he settles with a blank stare. “Why are you still here?”

Yeonjun should have left—for work, for errands, or anything else that doesn’t require him imprinting his ghost on every corner of Taehyun’s home.

“I made breakfast. I wanted to take a shower, but I don’t have spare clothes,” Yeonjun replied normally. Nonchalantly. It’s almost frustrating to know that he could act indifferent when Taehyun stirs the turmoil in his chest.

He sighs in exasperation. “You didn’t have to. I’ll leave for work anyway.”

“Wait! Have breakfast,” Yeonjun pulls a chair out. “And let me borrow clothes again, please?”

“Hyung,” It’s a warning.

“Please?”

“Just go home,” Taehyun heads to the bathroom, but for Yeonjun to grab his shirt from behind. He groans.

“Taehyun, are you seriously kicking me out?”

He faced Yeonjun with his arms flying to his hips. “Are you seriously not leaving?”

“We’re friends!”

“Friends don’t always do sleepovers!”

“They do! I used to sleep over at Soobin’s a lot.”

Taehyun stepped back in disbelief. “You used to date each other.”

“And we didn’t?” Yeonjun shrugged. He does it with a simper. “We were engaged.”

“Fuck you.”

He gives up. In annoyance, he takes Yeonjun’s car keys and makes harsh stomps at the door. Without hesitating, he throws them out to earn a gasp on Yeonjun’s end. When he was certain that the other would take the keys back by stumbling across the room and outside, he smirks. 

Here, by the door, he wasn’t sure if this was the last time, but he took his chances. “Take care, Yeonjun.”

Close.

☾

Re: HYUN Thread Endolphin MolangLover

Well.. that’s quite an interesting predicament, Mr. HYUN. However, I completely empathize with you since I was in your shoes a while back. I guess our exes were always meant to be our significant bother.

Perhaps, to leave you with a sentiment, I will say this: communication actually works. Instead of dancing around the growing conflict with your ex-fiance, you should face it head-on. If you want him out of your life, tell him that as it is; but if you actually plan on indulging his friendship offer, then that’s something you still have to talk to him about. 

Although, I am one of those people that strongly believes that exes are exes. Never friends.

ㅤㅤ

Re: Endolphin BEN TeddyBear

Exes can be friends.

ㅤㅤ

Re: BEN Endolphin MolangLover

Who

ㅤㅤ

Re: Endolphin BEN TeddyBear

Your friend.

ㅤㅤ

Re: BEN Endolphin MolangLover

Who asked?

☾

TAEHYUN THOUGHT THAT WEDDINGS are odd.

Which is unexpected from someone who’s on the brink of getting married before.

If Yeonjun never offered, Taehyun thinks. I would have never thought of it at all. He finishes with a truth he never knew existed. 

When Soobin leaned in to kiss his partner, Taehyun wondered if they were ever afraid. After all, it’s not easy to admit that marriage was threatening, especially by someone who is already in love. Marriage binds you, colliding two worlds to become one. If that’s not terrifying enough, think of the puppies you’ll share, think of children, home, land, memories, happiness, and an entire language only the two of you understand.

Taehyun smiles. This is why I can’t get beautiful things. He will never understand what comes after fear.

“You’re crying.”

“Stating the obvious,” He wiped his tears away. Soobin was evil for putting Yeonjun and him together in one table. “I’m happy.”

Yeonjun nods, more attentive of Taehyun’s every move rather than Soobin’s first dance. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

He is not.

It was hell to sit through the entire celebration with Yeonjun by his side. “You’re lying,” Yeonjun said. “I know you better than you think I do.”

“Whether I am or not. I don’t think that’s your business,” Taehyun responded. The sweetness in Yeonjun’s voice is a contrast to the bitter feeling he left Taehyun before. This was a problem. Just when Taehyun finds the courage to leave, Yeonjun stays. “It’s not fair,” He added. It comes out of his mouth like a curse.

“Taehyun,” Yeonjun doesn’t continue. Whether he was lost for words or had a thousand things to say, Taehyun doesn’t know. It was one of those days when he found Yeonjun difficult to read. His eyes wide, anticipating, and his chest rising as if it’s holding onto composure.

Taehyun merely looks at him before paying Soobin all the attention he deserves. It’s not about him, it’s not about them. Nothing was ever about them after they failed—if there was even a chance to begin with. If the universe were to sew two people together, they were sown apart, and that’s how it should be.

But he loved him. He loves him. Taehyun always does. And that was the problem.

If Yeonjun looks at him again with hopeful eyes, he would just crumble from the very concrete he’s been building. Falling, falling… never ending. Love was cruel, but to love Yeonjun was the loveliest privilege he had earned.

He says this in the form of a plea, “Help me, hyung,” He had a drink or two, successfully sneaking out to the open parking space. But it was closing in. “Help me, will you?”

“Anything,” Yeonjun shouldn’t have.

“Looking at you only reminds me why you’re not mine, and it feels like shit,” He laughs, the humor absent despite it all. “You’re so selfish. You’re in my home, you’re in my clothes, you’re in my mind—hyung, what else do you want me to offer? How am I supposed to get over you?”

“Why do you think I’m doing this?”

Taehyun chokes a building cry. “Don’t make me ask for something you can’t give.”

Yeonjun had the audacity to chuckle. The same sound that memorized every corner in Taehyun’s love, triggering more and more until it became unbearable. It was fire in Taehyun’s heart to hear Yeonjun laugh; it was fire in Taehyun’s skin when Yeonjun touched him like a delicate figure. 

And he was. Fragile. Scared. Vulnerable.

“You already have all of me,” Yeonjun whispered, not needing to be louder. His lips on Taehyun’s ears, hands on his waist, nose nuzzling the disheveled locks on Taehyun’s cloudy head. He was close, bearably close. 

“You’re drunk.”

“I’m sober enough to know what I’m doing.”

Yeonjun sighs, “Push me away. I’ll stop.”

He leans in, that’s not the last time he did.

☾

[06:13] Choi Soobin (University): Taehyun, did you get home safely last night?

[06:20] Taehyun: Hyung, I fucked up. 

[06:23] Choi Soobin (University): Why, what happened?!

[06:23] Taehyun: Hyung..

[06:25] Taehyun: I slept with Yeonjun-hyung.

[06:25] Taehyun: He’s still sleeping and I’m freaking out in the bathroom.

[06:28] Taehyun: I need to go. I really need to leave. 

[06:28] Choi Soobin (University): ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND?!

[06:30] Taehyun: I’ll cry. I swear. Why am I so dumb?!

[06:30] Choi Soobin (University): ... Was he good?

[06:31] Taehyun: SHUT UP!

☾

THERE WAS A RULE THAT TAEHYUN swore he would never cross, but life took a turn, and now he found himself untangling Yeonjun’s arms around him to collect every article of clothing he could find that was his. Never sleep with an ex, he said. No cuddling, he added. Apparently, besides Korean and English, he was great at speaking bullshit.

He left before Yeonjun woke up. He pretends like it was easy to walk away, but the stares he got from people passing by was a tattletale. He doesn’t fully understand the extent of Yeonjun’s imprint on him, failing like the way he tries to find a part of him that Yeonjun didn’t touch.

And goodness, losing like this felt so good. 

But Taehyun knew that ecstasy doesn’t last long when foolish acts were easier when he was younger. Now, however, he has aged, a lot older than his escapades with exploration and discovery. To make it worse—it’s Yeonjun. The Yeonjun. The man he knew too much about, the man that his family treated like their own. He can’t just sweep this under the rug and pretend like he hasn’t seen all of him. 

It was unfortunate, but luck always had a conflict with him from the beginning. He just wishes that Yeonjun would act indifferent enough for him not to turn red every time they meet.

☾

[08:27] Yeonjun: Tyun? You weren’t here when I woke up :(

[08:30] Taehyun: Sorry, hyung. I have work in the morning. 

[08:30] Yeonjun: Should have woken me up :/

[08:30] Yeonjun: Did you have breakfast?

[08:35] Taehyun: Yes.

[08:35] Yeonjun: Good! Do you want to have lunch with me?

[08:36] Taehyun: No thank you. I already have plans. 

[08:36] Taehyun: Meeting a client over lunch. 

[08:37] Yeonjun: Dinner?

[08:40] Taehyun: Okay.

[08:40] Yeonjun: Great! See you later :D

☾

ABORT MISSION..

Something about Taehyun is that… he’s great at remembering. His memories often come to him vividly and it flows like a second chance to live the moment when he gets lost in his head.

So, maybe it wasn’t a very good idea for Yeonjun to invite him to his place for dinner. Why here? He hissed. Anywhere else would have been fine. He complained. Yeonjun was far too happy to just have him in his kitchen as he cooks to even notice Taehyun’s discomfort.

It’s quiet. Too quiet.

“I’ll… turn the TV on,” Taehyun stutters. He used to complain about the television set in the kitchen, but now he’s grateful as anyone to be offered something useful. It was so unlike him to intently watch the news with Yeonjun around, especially in a set-up like this.

“Wine?” Yeonjun got a bottle from a cupboard.

Taehyun shakes his head, “No. I’m good,” He declined. He doesn’t trust himself with the smallest alcohol in his system. Not with the lingering reminder of what just took place in this very home.

He takes a deep breath, feeling his lungs relieved. “Hyung, you don’t have to cook. We could just eat out. It’s easier and faster that way.”

“I want to. Cook for you, I mean.”

“Hyung,” He groans.

The frustration finally reached Yeonjun with tense shoulders. “Did… Am I doing something that upsets you again?”

Yes. “No,” Taehyun shook his head. “I’ll wait.”

The thick atmosphere somehow melted when Yeonjun finally beamed. “Okay. I have to tell you something later, okay? Wait for me in the living room.”

It was inviting, yet Taehyun settled with plopping his things on the kitchen island. He was too tired to even question every little thing that confused him. “I want to stay. Can I watch you?”

Yeonjun’s smile only grew.

☾

HYUN Thread PrettyBoy

He's a fantasy. I can't believe that I could see him in a light that nobody else can.

And I love, love him. My life has been a constant cycle of me falling in love with him, and he will never know how much I feel. 

What now? It never was a problem before when I learned how to be carefree, but I felt pain so great that I forgot how to love without being afraid. Yeonjun is a dream, I didn't think he would ever love me back beyond an alternate reality, but what's this now? Why is he sleeping in my bed? Why is he calling me beautiful? Why is he kissing me close?

It's sending me in a spiral, but I was sure of one thing. 

If he tells me he loves me, I'll never find the strength to leave again.

[Saved as Draft]

☾

“HYUNG.”

“Hm?”

“Let’s be friends.”

☾

THERE WERE SO MANY THINGS that Taehyun is great at; acing his majors, correcting the uneven strands of his hair, preparing coffee that just suits Yeonjun’s taste, and apparently—driving Yeonjun insane. To the limit.

What Taehyun wasn’t great at, unfortunately, was losing. After playing mouse with Yeonjun who played as a predator chasing its prey for so long, there was only one way to end the fiasco Yeonjun had placed them in. But he starts with nothing.

“Hyung, are you okay?” He tipped his head to get a response from the other but to no avail.

Taehyun had nothing on his sleeve, he merely had it laid before them when they ate dinner. Homemade. It’s a little jarring to use that term when he once searched for home in Yeonjun’s presence and now he’s here.

“Friends,” Yeonjun stuttered. He stuttered. His eyes wavered and came washing were emotions he wasn’t planning on feeling tonight. “Oh,” He said. “You want us to be friends.”

“Like you said.”

You. Yeonjun didn’t miss the emphasis on that word. It was as if Taehyun got him figured out and knew how to press his buttons to the maximum. “Like I said... Us, friends,” He was trying to comprehend. He was, after all, the one who pulled the whole joke from the beginning. Now it was backfiring over his well-made pasta.

And Taehyun. Oh, Taehyun. He had the guts to smile ever so innocently. A menace. His menace. “Yeah, actual friends. Like how we used to in high school.”

“I don’t sleep with my friends,” Yeonjun declared, a little too confident.

That’s when Taehyun ever slightly faltered before coming back. “Was that necessary?”

“We can’t be friends after that, Taehyun. I don’t just sleep with anybody,” Yeonjun huffed. “I never wanted us to just be friends in the first place. Back then, it was the only option I had to see you, so I took it as it is. I didn’t care how dumb it was before, but hearing it now, I thing I’m going to puke my guts out.”

“You may.”

“That’s all you’ve got to say after all of that?”

Taehyun gulps down what he just chewed. The meal was irrelevant at this point. “I already told you everything, hyung. When I left. You never said anything to make me stay.”

It was still a blur, but Taehyun could never fully forget the way Yeonjun wished him goodbye. He was there. He could have done something to stop Taehyun from leaving but he didn’t. And now that Taehyun’s gone, Yeonjun thought it was a good chance to pull him back all over again. 

Taehyun was, and is still, very much in love with him, but if Yeonjun won’t give him a reason to try again, then why should it even be in his mind? He’s been there, he’s done that. It’s not a pleasant feeling to love alone, and it’s not a feeling he would want to have again.

“Can I be honest?” It’s everything that Taehyun wanted.

“Please.”

“I think I love you from the very beginning.”

“Think?” Taehyun had to make sure.

And Yeonjun seemed hesitant. Or maybe he was nervous. His grip on his chopsticks was tight like he’s bracing for something to come. Taehyun, this time, didn’t have to read him to understand. It was the first time that Yeonjun finally found a voice to tell Taehyun something he wanted to know. “I know I love you.”

“You-”

“Let me,” Yeonjun cuts him off instantly, breath hitching. “Do you remember when we were in high school and we would watch crappy rom-coms in your dorm?”

Taehyun nods. “You would bring fried chicken.”

“I would bring fried chicken. I would. And you would let me eat on your floor even though you’re such a clean-freak.”

“I am not.”

“You are,” Yeonjun ends the argument with this. “Times like that never felt different. It didn’t excite me, it didn’t bore me either. I didn’t care if you fell asleep somewhere during the movie or if I fell asleep while we’re still talking, being there just felt so calm and normal and-” He paused. “Coming to you always felt peaceful, and I thought it was like that with everybody.”

“Was it?” Taehyun had to ask, wanting to know if Yeonjun had something to say. 

Yeonjun shakes his head with a growing smile. “No. It was just you,” he said. “The moment I realized that nobody else was going to make me feel the way you do, was the moment I tried to convince myself that nobody would make me feel that way at all. Not even you. Especially you.”

“I don’t understand. If you weren’t planning on anything then why get me into this. We were fine, hyung.”

“We were not fine, Taehyun. You could barely look me in the eyes! And the- the coffee hangouts? You don’t even like coffee, Taehyun. Do you think I don’t know what you were doing?” Yeonjun was teetering towards a cry. “You were making me feel different. And I didn’t like it. I hated it. You treat me the same way as the people you had to tolerate, and it made me sick in the gut.”

“I didn’t know.”

“You didn’t,” Yeonjun calmed down. There was no use to getting mad. “You didn’t, but it made me feel that way.”

Taehyun knew he wasn’t innocent. He solely blamed it on the time, the growth, and the distance, but he had his fair share of blame when he grew ashamed of the feelings he harbored through the years. Yeonjun was his friend before anything, but he forgot about that for the longest time. 

But still. “So, you thought it would be fun to play with my feelings and lead me to this?” He retorted. It wasn’t something he thought well of before spitting it out for Yeonjun to hear. 

“What, no!” Yeonjun stood from his place. The movement alone made Taehyun lean back in surprise. Like this, Yeonjun loomed huge. He was already taller, but with the suppressed tension his presence seemed heavier. “I proposed because I wanted to be with you, but I..”

Taehyun still crossed his arms. “You proposed because you wanted to be with me?” It didn’t sound believable.

“I was impatient,” Yeonjun huffed. “I felt like I’m taking a very long time, and I didn’t want to wait. It terrified me to know that I could mess this up and I’ll lose you forever, so I wanted to be sure while letting you know that I wanted to love you the way you do.”

“And I’m sorry for telling you this now, when the damage is done. I love you, Taehyun. Even then, I do. I just didn’t know for the longest time, but now it’s all I think about when I’m with you.”

“You’re stupid,” Taehyun whispered. He never looked away, but somehow he was still in a daze. “You’re so stupid.”

“I’ll be anything you want me to be,” Yeonjun comes closer and Taehyun can’t breathe. It’s only when the distance ceased to exist when he remembered how to gasp for air before diving into a kiss he met halfway. 

And he was reminded of everything Yeonjun was with a single touch. The trembling of his lips as it moves with ease, the gentleness of his hands around warm cheeks, and the heating gaze of his tongue on the seams of soft lips. Yeonjun was everything combined, kissing Taehyun with certainty laced with fear, and a muttering of all he wanted to convey. 

“I love you.”

Taehyun smiled with a heart that ached in glee and learned how to wrap his arms around Yeonjun’s neck to tug him close. “I heard you the first time,” He’s lifted up to the kitchen island, and merely had time to fix himself before getting drowned in the same love Yeonjun surrounded him with.

Just say the words and I’ll come to you.

☾

HYUN Thread! PrettyBoy

Hello. I have no time, but basically my boyfriend found this forum and read one of my posts about him and now I have to delete everything before he reads more. 

Bye.

ㅤㅤ

CYJ Answer NickWilde

Too late, babe.

ㅤㅤ

HYUN Thread! PrettyBoy

Fuck.

ㅤㅤ

Endolphin Answer MolangLover

At least it’s your boyfriend who found your posts. 

ㅤㅤ

BEN Answer TeddyBear

I can be the boyfriend who found your posts.

ㅤㅤ

Endolphin Answer MolangLover

For the last time, if I were to get back with an ex-boyfriend, you would be at the last of the list.

ㅤㅤ

BEN Answer TeddyBear

I’m on the list?!

GOING TO THE BEACH wasn’t the plan. It was so early in the morning when Yeonjun came knocking on Taehyun’s dorm room, his lips trembling and eyes red with remnants of tears, and he didn’t need words to know that holding Yeonjun was a start to where they’ll be later.

And now, Yeonjun was standing on sea stones, pressing the sole of his shoes. The calm sand was trampled on from early footsteps and playful fingers that drew words. If Taehyun didn’t know any better, he’d think it was a secret language that they only shared, now gone from the sea waves that climbed their way up with a mission to efface every single one. 

“The sun is rising,” Taehyun said behind the phone, holding it up for the camera to hit Yeonjun’s eyes. “Do you want me to take pictures of you?”

Yeonjun smiled. “Yeah.”

Will you remember this? Taehyun mused with short breaths in every take. He was still too young to know why Yeonjun looked so pretty even after he cried. Eyes twinkling and hair falling all over the place, dancing in the wind with the flush of his cheek. On moments when questions don’t belong are moments when reasons don't matter, yet Taehyun already knew the alibi to his weak knees when Yeonjun smiled with the redness of his nose at nineteen.

“Do you want to ask about what happened?” Yeonjun asked in the air. Unconsciously bringing Taehyun’s head back from the clouds when their eyes meet one-sided. The camera falls low enough for Taehyun’s face to show, but he lets out no answer. “I broke up with Soobin.”

“Oh,” was what Taehyun could only find himself to say. Words didn’t seem fair when they started scrambling away from his mind. “That sucks,” He mustered up to babble like an eloquent scholar he was.

But it was enough for Yeonjun to crack into a fit of laughter. “You’re not great at this, aren’t you?” 

Taehyun shrugged, hands having a mind of its own when the camera came back up. It rendered silly candid shots of Yeonjun making fun of his pathetic talent to comfort people, yet he’s never seen anything as pure as it. “Did the sea not give it away?”

“No, I don’t need the sea to feel better,” The shaking of Yeonjun’s head wasn’t enough to paint him every picture of what he meant. Taehyun forgot that despite not having anything to offer, Yeonjun still came to him. “But the sea seems to always go with you, Taehyun.”

[📃: This was something I wrote in a month or two and was posted on my main account first before coming here. Needless to say that this is not the best of what I can do, but this was what impatience brings! Also, the last part is from the mistranslation to Yeonjun’s caption on a TAEJUN post. I thought it was so cute.]

[larentsaloud]

so erm does lita already know in ep9 about thyme and gorya, and is trying to get to know gorya coz she knows thyme liked her? On twt someone said she 'studied' him and everything . What do you think? Also what was that weird kfc placement after the worst episode(angst wise) in history LOL

my take on the situation: yes. lita admits this herself when she has a ‘heart to heart’ with Gorya. she’s been “studying him” when she talks to gorya about him. i find it quite telling and a warning sign…because we know how girls who “study” boys have behaved in the past. remember when Gorya says she is a terrible judge of character? yeah. 

I may be proven wrong, but to me this is how I read the vibe:

 lita arrives on the scene, clocks gorya. she is mesmerised by her at first as a friend, but soon realises, that gorya is special to thyme and wants to know what that means for her. 

the whole studying of thyme seems to include the clip we have seen of thyme talking about how he would treat his ideal girl. he says that it would take someone special for him to take care of THEM. this is the same clip that played in episode 3 when gorya and thyme had their rainy day date. gorya saw this clip of him play in the background of the shop she was visiting with kaning. 

and while lita was repulsed by him, based on what he was saying abotu how thyme would be treat his girl, the same speech attracted gorya to check on thyme. in that clip he says he wants to be the one to be waited on, taken care of. to be understood. but for gorya he is the one doing the trying. the understanding. waiting. 

she found him soaked in the rain. see where I am going with these parallels? 

lita is seeing a different version of thyme, because he is a different person. yes knowing gorya has changed him.

it is rather ironic how thyme becomes the man he always had the potential to be, and essentially is on his way to become a better person - thanks to meting gorya - becomes lovable and easier to be around; it is now that someone falls in love with GORYA’S thyme. 

and lita is interpreting thymne’s behaviour towards her

driving her home after he mistakenly took her from the party, 

giving her a plaster, 

attending to her needs when she is tired 

as a sign that she (lita) is special to him. 

whereas in thyme’s head this is just something he is doing now that he has been around gorya long enough for her kindness to have rubbed off on him. 

I am not suggesting lita knew of gorya prior per se from her parents, but it is plausible and we can't exclude that as a possibility. she could have been warned since she has been handpicked as the ideal candidate. her initial response to the engagement is to rebel and run away, but she collapses on gorya, tears her dress and ruins not only her night, but her love relationship with thyme along with it. it’s rather symbolic. that. innit. 

so it’s not that lita is evil yet but there is something conniving in being groomed by your whole fam to marry a guy. cmon. 

as for thyme, he wants only ONE goddamn thing and that is his girl to love him. his gorya. writers stop attacking my sanity. 

time to exit the galaxy with the tears I cried writing this. 

[chudleycanonficfest]

Air

Our first story on Day 1 comes to you by @zurisenchantedquill !

Title: Air Author/Artist: zurimadison Pairing: Romione, side Hinny Prompt: Rock Concert Rating: Teen, borderline Mature? Trigger Warning(s) (if any): bit of snogging :)

Full disclosure, I was inspired by the song "Stay Next to Me" by Quinn XCII and Chelsea Cutler

______

Ron

“You have ten minutes,” Ginny says, smacking her gum as she stares at me. “Harry will be here soon.”

I don’t move from my seat on the couch. “So let me get this straight, not only are you forcing me into going to this concert tonight, but you also invited your boyfriend to my flat?”

“You like Harry.” She checks her phone. “Nine minutes.”

I do like Harry, but I’m not going to admit that to her right now. I try a change of tactics. “I had plans tonight, Gin. You can’t just show up unannounced and expect me to drop everything to go out with you.”

“Laundry is not a plan, Ron,” she says, texting furiously as she plops on the other end of the couch. “Mum says I need to get you out of the house because you’ve been moping since your breakup, and I knew that if I gave you warning, you’d find an excuse to bail.”

I can’t help but wince, reminded of both the recent end to my relationship and the correct assumption that I’m hiding away because of it. “I just need some me-time right now.”

She looks at me, cheek lit by her phone screen, and smirks. “Eight minutes.”

Whoever said Weasleys are pushovers has never met my little sister.

Actually, probably no one has ever said that.

I sigh and stand, making my way to my bedroom to change.

“Comb your hair or something, while you’re at it,” she calls. “You look a mess.”

“Thanks Gin,” I yell back, but then I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Sheesh, she wasn’t kidding. 

Seven minutes later, dressed and groomed enough to be presentable, I set off down the road with my sister and her boyfriend. 

“Go on then, who are we seeing tonight?”

“The Black Keys,” Harry answers, grinning. “I’ve been dying to see them for ages.”

I’ve never heard of them before, so I ask, “what kind of music is that? Rock?”

“Technically, more Indie Rock,” Ginny answers, and I can’t stop the small snort that escapes me. She shoots a glare that very clearly warns me not to take the mickey, so I hold my arms up defensively and clear my throat.

“Oh, sounds...erm, fun.” It’s lame, but Harry nods and starts rambling about his favorite songs. For all my trouble, Ginny graces me with an approving quirk of her eyebrow. Thanks Sis. 

The venue is close to my flat, so it isn’t long before we’re through the doors, pushing our way into the crowd. 

It feels like even less time before Ginny is snogging Harry, their bodies swaying in time to the music as her drink slops unnoticed on their shoes. They break apart every now and then to sing a lyric or two, then they’re right back at it.

I try to ignore it as I down my beer, but the venue is so congested that I’m constantly jostled into them. Not that they even seem to notice, mind you, but as much as I don’t care what Ginny does on her own time, it’s another thing entirely to literally have it shoved into my face. 

My bottle is devastatingly empty, so I mutter an excuse and snake away through the crowd, not finding it at all dispersed as I move further from the stage. I spot a bar in the back corner and fight my way over to it, feeling like a hero returning home after battle when I’m able to place my order with the bartender. 

It happens as I’m waiting for my beer. I glance down the length of the bar, more out of idleness than anything else, and I see her. 

She’s got dark curly hair that’s highlighted with honey, a red strapless dress that could bring a man to his knees, and, unless I’m much mistaken, she’s holding a book in one of her hands as she leans across the bar to be heard above the music.

I am struck with the impulse to know the color of her eyes. 

She seems to be alone, and is the only person in the venue actually sitting on a stool. I’m not altogether surprised when, after receiving her drink, she opens her book. She’s so absorbed in her reading that she doesn't notice the people bustling around her. She doesn’t even look up when the bartender hands a drink to someone over her head. 

It takes me two more beers, alone in the corner, watching this woman who has such impressive focus, before I work up my nerve. There’s a small opening in the crowd, so I decide it's now or never and throw myself through it. I slip to her side and deliver the almighty line that I’d been working on for nearly twenty minutes.

“Whatcha reading?”

I honestly expect her to ignore me or maybe genuinely not hear me, but to my surprise, she looks right at me. 

Brown. Her eyes are chestnut brown, with a dark ring around the outside. They appraise me before the corners of her round lips turn upwards almost imperceptibly. “Treasure Island.” She has to shout to be heard above the music.

“No way,” I exclaim, bemused. “That’s one of the few books I’ve actually read! Isn’t it crazy that Ben had the treasure the whole time?”

“He what?” Her eyes go wide as she gazes at me, slack jawed. “Seriously?”

“Wait, you didn’t know?” I ask, clapping a hand over my mouth. “I’m so sorry, I thought-”

“Just kidding,” she interrupts me, then begins to giggle at what I can only assume is my idiotic expression. “I’ve read this a million times.”

Her laugh is infectious, and I silently swear to make her do as much of it as I can. I lean against my forearm on the bar and turn sideways so I can view her better. Something about the way she’s looking up at me makes me feel brave. “What’s your name?” 

“Hermione.”

“Ron.” I extend my hand. She slips her tiny palm into mine. I shake it, but then I don’t let go. 

A drunk patron knocks into me, pushing me closer to her. I can almost see down her dress, I’m standing so close. “It’s too crowded in here,” she shouts as she glances over her shoulder. “So many random bodies pressed together.”

“We should go somewhere.” I’m not sure what’s gotten into me, but I don’t mind it when she rewards me with a tiny smile.

“Where? Outside?”

“I don’t care,” I say. “Your choice. I’ll follow you.”

She surveys me, looking as though she’s deciding. “Aren’t you going to miss the show?” 

“No,” I laugh. “I don’t know this band at all.”

“Me neither,” she admits. She’s nearly knocked off her stool by a surge of the crowd around us, and this seems to seal the deal. “Ok, let’s go.” She stands and winds through the crowd, never releasing my hand. 

_____

Hermione

I lead my tall, red headed stranger to the back patio, feeling instant relief in the cool night air as we step over the threshold. The music is much less loud out here, and it’s not as crowded. I drop his hand as I perch myself on the patio railing, sighing in contentment as my overstimulated senses are satisfied by the calming change in environment.

Ron flags a server for us, so I take the opportunity to examine him while he orders. He’s broad in the shoulders but narrow in the hips, though the shape is flattering in the way his t-shirt pulls across his chest. From underneath the material on his left arm, a full sleeve of tattoos runs enticingly to his wrist, leaving me with a burning desire to see the obscured designs. 

Tattooed and bearded. Just how I like 'em.

The server leaves and he turns his gaze back to me, reminding me of the thing so far that I like the most about him.

His eyes.

They’re almost turquoise-y blue, and seem to ripple like water. That alone would be sexy enough, but there’s something about the way they make me feel. They’re...kind.

He leans his back against the railing where I’m sitting, close enough that my leg is brushing his arm. “So, did you come to this show tonight because you like a little background music while you read?” 

I laugh. “No, my friends dragged me here with them, but I lost track of them pretty much the moment we arrived. Hence, this.” I hold up my book. “What about you? You said you don’t know the band either.”

“Nah,” he agrees. “I was also forced to come out tonight. But, I don’t fancy watching my sister snog her boyfriend all evening so…” He shrugs. His hair moves gently in the night breeze.

“Well look at us,” I say. “A couple of third wheels.”

The server comes back with the drinks: two shots of whiskey and two beers. I thank him as I take mine, and Ron raises his shot glass.

“Left your boyfriend at home, then?” He’s holding the whiskey expectantly, smirking while he waits for my answer.

I roll my eyes. “Very subtle.”

“Oh, you saw what I did there?”

“I did, believe it or not.” I hold my whiskey out as well. “To being single?”

It’s phrased as a question, and there’s a triumphant sparkle in his eye as he clicks his glass against mine. “To being single.”

“Cheers.” We throw back the shot. The alcohol hums just under my skin.

Ron doesn’t return to his previous position, but instead stands in front of me so that his stomach is against my knees. He places his free hand on the outside of my bare thigh, sending tingles down my spine. He meets my eye for a moment, as though asking if I mind, and in response I lean forward and place my free hand on his chest. 

The full, lopsided smile I receive in return is worth it.

“What do you do for a living, Hermione?” His voice is gravelly now.

“I’m in microbiology,” I answer. “I work in a lab.”

“Wow,” he lets out a low whistle. “Smart and beautiful.”

I laugh again. “What about you?”

“I’m a nurse,” he says, puffing out his chest. “I work in the ICU.”

Somehow I understand the kindness in his eyes even more. I’m so distracted by looking into them that I accidentally spill some beer all over my lap. “Oh no, I’m sorry!”

“Watch yourself,” he says, laughing as he grabs a napkin and dabs off my legs. “Why is your drink so full anyway?” 

“Yours is just as full,” I argue, offering my beer as evidence.

He looks between our two glasses and shrugs. “Maybe, but I can drink faster, so it doesn’t count.”

“How do you know that?” I demand, holding the beer up now as a challenge. “Chugging contest?”

His grin is evil and beautiful. “You’re on.”

“Three, two…” We both begin to drink as quickly as we can, though it becomes apparent to me that I’m quite outclassed. His Adam’s apple bobs distractingly and I reach out, tracing my finger down it before I can stop myself.

I freeze, my hand again on his chest, fingers grazing the skin above his neckline. When I meet his eye, he puts his glass on the railing and steps between my legs, wrapping his arms around me to bury his hands in my hair as he pulls me in for a kiss.

The way he feels is so distracting that I drop my own glass, still half full, on the outside of the patio, where it spills in the grass. I’m sure we could get kicked out of the venue for that, but right now I don’t care. I kiss my new friend Ron for all I’m worth. He tastes like whiskey and every flick of his talented tongue ignites tiny fires all over my body. 

We snog for I don’t know how long, until we’re forced to come up for air. He doesn’t step away from me, but keeps his face close to mine as we pant. 

“I can’t waste another second here, can you?” His whisper tickles my cheek.

I run the analysis, weighing my options even as my head spins from the snog. I grip his arms tighter. “We should go somewhere.”

His lopsided smile takes my breath away.

[faunusrights]

WIP TITLES ASK GAME

Rules: Share the titles of each of your current WIPs, and, if your followers ask, share a preview of the one that sounds the most interesting. Send this on to mutuals who you are curious what they’re working on.

tagged by @texanredrose who probably dislikes me personally for this HGDFSGHJSDF. tbh i often don't title like ANYYYYY of my WIPs until i have to input them onto AO3, so uh. i am going to have to bullshit some names. also i'm gonna do tex's thing and add a little synopsis if i TRULY cannot think of a title lmao.

note: i am NOT counting WIPs that have at least one chapter posted because otherwise we will be here FOREVER AND EVER so uh yeah. this is just stuff trapped in my gdocs. also it's just RWBY for the sake of keeping it simple, stupid,

anyway uh am tagging @edarzhar (bitch) and @flawedvictori too!!! perish,

(this got long so here's a cut)

Bunfeed Bunsolved: The Valley Walk -- YES this is still happening just very slowly. this is the first cinder/velvet fic of the series and i am SO excited because it gets Weird out there. also it's mostly all about how much cinder likes hiking until she's actually doing it. inspired by the horror movie The Ritual (2017) if you MUST have context,

Ode to Stray Dogs -- it's that guard dog!Weiss/Cinder AU i posted the entire plot for a week or so ago! i love love love this AU and it WILL happen and it IS happening i'm just very slow about it sdhjfghjsgdfk anyway weiss becomes cinder's guard dog. that's the fic. also it's very kinky.

Untitled Velvet/Cinder Fic I -- it's untitled and it's a fic! this one is about, erm... a high-class restaurant/bar/whatever that also doubles as a kinky hook-up joint because you can pay for the servers to let you get freaky with them??? im SO sorry this au legit was so spur-of-the-moment but anyway velvet is there being very hot and cinder, emerald and neo are there like 👀s about it sfdhjsgdfgk

Untitled Velvet/Cinder Fic II -- HAH THERE'S ANOTHER ONE!!! this one is also just a stupid dumb kinky idea but anyway it's about... um... well... it's... [makes vague gestures] i feel like if i try and explain this one people are going to be like 'really' at me BUT IT'S REALLY HOT OKAY I'M JUST!!!!!!!!!!! look if i say it has excessive cum and involves like all the girls of rwby can we just agree to leave it there,

Pâte à Choux -- velvet/every girl. they have sex. every girl. and velvet. i TRULY need to say no more,

Untitled Cinder/Neo Fic -- okay this one is good. cinder and neo gatecrash a mistrali wedding in which cinder talks to everyone to gather just enough knowledge to pretend to be a very distant relative whilst neo demolishes the buffet. they are both dressed terribly and get really drunk and whilst the groom is very suspicious of these two two nonbinary lesbians cinder gives the wife a really expensive gift and so she's like 'do not fucking kick them out MICHAEL' and it's very stupid and dumb. anyway they do this once a week,

Untitled Cinder, Mercury, Emerald, Neo, Roman Fic -- chatlog! been poking at this one for a bit... it's just the CRME + Neo groupchat and it's a disaster also it's cinder/velvet again I KNOW I KNOW I KNOW SHUT UP I KNOW

Untitled GWS!Weiss/canon!Weiss fic -- you know the one. very horny. also very sad???

The Grimmification of Ruby Rose -- here's the bitch!!! this is happening albeit very slowly. in this AU, grimm are actually infected people (THIS WAS BEFORE CANON MADE IT COOL) who turn into grimm over a period of weeks/months! ruby gets infected when she's 15 and decides to kill salem before salem can kill her. currently tinkering with the idea of making it ruby/velvet but don't quote me,

Untitled Faunus AU (aka The Academy of Menagerie) -- a modified version of my Everyone Is A Faunus AU, in which all the cast are faunus and attend the academy of menagerie, which has been invited to participate in the vytal Festival for the first time in its 25 year history. naturally, teams RWBYJNPRCFVY etc show up and wreck shop.

The Misadventures of Blake Belladonna's Silicone Dick -- THIS IS HAPPENING I SWEAR TO CHRIST it's SO funny i have to finish this eventually!!! anyway this is about a non-binary transmasc blake (aka my regular blake) who uses a packer!!! people find out and things get ridiculous. namely it somehow ends up on the roof at some point,

Untitled Snowboarding AU -- this one is one of those horny ones that isn't horny on the surface but is getting there. anyway ruby wins tickets for an all-expenses-paid trip to one of the schnee resorts up in solitas and gives them to blake and velvet who end up there in her stead. they meet weiss schnee, professional snowboarder, and it turns out that when weiss is amped on adrenaline sahe is absolutely 100% down 2 clown... so yeah it's weiss/blake/velvet fhgjsfdj

Untitled Dishonored AU Spinoff -- for Tex!!! the person who inflicted this upon me. it's a little story set in the dishonored au in which we focus on velvet--in charge of the vale rebellion--and cinder, who is a Crime Lady looking to help the rebellion out if only so she can get back to doing crimes all the damn time. its also about velvet strategically avoiding all of rubys text messages as she runs around like a clown. people die!

My Summer Car/RWBY Crossover -- this is another one i'm gonna get to EVENTUALLY. in which taiyang and summer leave for vacation in mistral and yang goes and hangs out in vale for the summer, leaving ruby in the house alone with nothing but a shitty old car for company. probably ruby/velvet. shenanigans ensue.

Sims Medieval/RWBY Crossover -- i've been working on this one FOREVERRRRRRRRRR and it Will happen. it will. ruby is the bardic hero of the kingdom of vale in service to her majesty glynda goodwitch! along with nine other heroes, ruby has to help save vale from an untimely end... but the old queen salem still lingers in the shadows, and threatens to consume all the kingdoms in her great maw. can ruby, armed with little more than a lute and her wits, help save vale? probably not but she CAN play a banging ballad,

Untitled Taffeta/Sienna/Sherveen Fic -- dicks out for milfs that is all

Untitled Ash/Ghira/Taffeta/Kali Fic -- dicks out for dilfs that is all

not as many as tex but then again if we counted all the motherfuckers still in progress................. yikes. anyway here's that. i've probably forgotten a few/ignored ones that are similar concepts to these just in their own little branches (the aufeis fic has like a BILLION snippets in my files i just count em all as the same thing sdhjgf) but whatever. anyway. pass the curse along.

[httpsdreamxr16]

My childhood Online:

Shit needs to be said!

TW: Grooming, abuse, fucked shit, dark topics!

(disclaimer: this is my opinion/experience/my story)

This is my story..

i don’t have family. well to be more specific, my extended family doesn’t like my grandma & my mum with the exception of about 4 people. i have five siblings, two of them refuse to speak to me while another two don’t live with me and have always resented me because i grew up with our mum. my full DNA brother lives with me though.

my family has extensive mental illness issues on all sides. and whatever family i do have enjoy bullying me and using me. as a child of a single mum who works nights & went to college, whatever attention i did get was short lived once i stopped letting her treat me like a doll she could dress up. my brothers were always praised for anything they did so i was consistently over working myself to be the best version that they would like. i became the therapist, doormat, & doll. even at school i wanted to be perfect but it was never enough.

so i went online..

and everyone loved me. well boys, erm maybe men is a better term. no matter their age they praised me, and sexualized me. to them i was perfect as long as i did what they said. as someone who didn’t feel the same amount of love that i give to others no matter where i was this was perfect.

currently i am 16 and very educated for my age. i still find myself being pulled back to toxicity, groomers, and males too old for me.. i mean now that i’m 16 my family has already put the pressures of “marriage” on to me.

even tho i now know what is right and what is wrong, who i should run from, and who i should run towards. i still can’t help but make the same decisions i made as a child. yes i’m older, yes i’m mature, yes i’m beyond educated on multiple topics, i still can’t help but be that same old child when it comes to love.

in that moment of praise, love, and acceptance, honestly yes i do enjoy it. i always have.. but that after feeling.. that regret and hatred towards myself is something no one talks about. no child should go through this.

instead these adults we should go to for help decide to critique me for my choices and blame me!

and that is so fucking wrong. technically yes i put myself in these dangerous situations most times but don’t blame me no matter my age.

blame the men who felt it was ok to train my brain at the ripe age of 7. they are who u should look in disgust towards.

not me. not us.

thanks for coming to my rant

add ur own story by rebloging or commenting<3

YOU ARE LOVED!

[wiypt-writes]

Riding High

Ch1:Jodhpurs And Jeans

Chapter Summary: After a passing comment from his well-meaning neighbour, land-lady and friend, Frank decides that before he enrols her into school Mary needs to learn some social skills and pick up a hobby to help her interact with kids her own age.

Mary decides she wants to learn how to ride…

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words.

Chapter Pairings:  Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

A/N: So yeah, this one’s been buzzing in my head for AGES now. As you all know, I’m a Brit so I’m REALLY sorry if too much British horsey lingo slips into this…ASK away if you don’t understand. As means of an explanation in the UK we have 3 main types of stables. We have Riding Schools (which focus solely on providing riding lessons), Livery Yards (which are places where owners board their horses) and Equestrian Centres (which do both). After a bit of research it seems that EC also translates across the pond and means the same thing so…just bear with me on this and run with it!

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Riding High Masterlist // Main Masterlist

August 2017

“I’m holding you solely responsible for this.” Frank shot Roberta a glare as Mary bounced over to the truck, her blonde hair swinging slightly as she skipped.

“All I said was that it might be useful to have her interact with kids her own age before you throw her into a school, which for the record, I still think is a dumbass idea Frank.” “Input noted and duly ignored…” Frank rolled his eyes “She needs to go to school. Have some kind of variant on a normal childhood.”

Roberta took a deep breath and simply shrugged “On your head be it.”

“Come on Frank!” Mary shouted, standing up on the ledge of the truck “we’re gonna be late!”

“It’s 20 minutes tops to Pinellas Park…” Frank looked at her “We got half an hour, chill out Stack”

“My name’s Mary not Short Stack…” she sing songed back.

“Don’t I know it…” Frank said, looking at her before he turned back to Roberta “I’ll see you later.”

“Hmmm” she nodded, and with that he rolled his eyes again and headed to the truck.

“You know you’re not actually gonna get to ride anything today right?” he asked, turning to his niece.

“No, but I’m still gonna see the ponies.” she said, smiling. “Why can’t we bring Fred?”

“Because a horse might step on him.” Frank shrugged, before he paused. “Actually, shall we take him?” Mary narrowed her eyes at him “That’s mean.” He chuckled, ruffled her hair and started up the truck. **** “Ok, now soften your outside hand…” Fliss called out across the paddock, as the woman riding the tall, black warmblood circled her “Yeah, you feel that. He’s taking the contact now, not leaning against your hand. So when you feel that softening, that’s when you need to push with your inside leg…and if is he isn’t listening a soft tap up with the stick…” She watched again from behind her Oakley wraparounds, smiling as the horse extended nicely down the long side of the school.

“Yeah, there you go!” she shouted encouragingly, “Now bring him round again and this time at the corner, pop him into canter…” She took a quick glance at her watch. She was running slightly behind, but what else was new? She would never leave a lesson, regardless, until her client had achieved something, even if it was what they dubbed a small victory. End on a high was her motto, and this was no different. Ever since Lucy had brought Captain out of his stable, Fliss could see the horse was in one of his awkward moods so she’d had to switch out her plan a little. It had worked and he’d settled after about 15 minutes of being an obstinate shit and he was working quite nicely.

“Good!” She shouted, pacing slightly “Now let’s see if we can extend this a little…” Lucy sat up tall, pushed through her legs and the horse bounded down the side. Fliss grinned, less than 6 months ago Lucy hadn’t even been able to keep the horse in a trot, now here she was producing an extended canter. Moments like this made her job so worthwhile…

“Ok, bring him back down…” she said, “And into trot…and walk…”

Fliss headed over to her client and smiled as she walked alongside her “That was really good Luce…you happy?” “I’m over the moon!” The teenager grinned “I can’t believe it…he went so well!”

“Yeah because you rode him well.” Fliss smiled “You know, I seriously think you should consider a Dressage Competition.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, I do. I know you don’t have a horse of your own but you can borrow Cap if you want…have a think about it.” “I will, thanks Fliss.”

Fliss smiled, gave the horse a pat and headed back to the gate.

“Joanne?” she called, and one of her grooms appeared. “Can you just supervise Lucy cooling him off. I’ve got someone bringing their daughter in at 11 am that should be here any time soon.”

“Sure.” Joanne nodded “Oh, they back barn has been mucked out but I’ve not had chance to scrub the water buckets out.” “It’s ok, you can do it after lunch” Fliss nodded. “the automatics are getting installed in a month or so which should make it a little easier.”

She patted Joanne on the shoulder and made her way into the office. Reaching for a file she dug out a Registration Form and a Liability Waiver and set them on the desk before she took a quick glance in the mirror. Satisfied that her auburn hair was tamed and there was no hay stick in it she nodded to herself and walked back on the yard, just in time to see a tall, well build dark haired man desperately trying to control a blonde haired girl who was looking around in glee and pointing.

“Hi…” she walked over, momentarily stuck by how damned good looking this guy was. He was dressed simply in a pair of jeans and a white T-shirt which perfectly accentuated his tone upper body. His chiselled jawline which was covered in a short, stubbled beard, soft spikey dark hair, and he flashed her a smile that made the corners of his aviator covered eyes crinkle. A smile that made her clear her throat. “I’m Fliss, you must be Mr Adler.”

Frank looked at the woman in front of him, glad that his glasses hid the fact he was blatantly eyeing her up and down. Dressed in a pair of long riding boots, tight navy blue jodhpurs with a white belt around the top, and a tight pink polo shirt he could see every curve she possessed. But it was the smile she flashed him that made him feel like some kind of teenage school kid again.  “Frank, please.” “Nice to meet you Frank.” Fliss smiled, noting how deep his voice sounded, it was much more gravelly than on the phone and there was a Boston twang to his accent. She shook his hand, his palm and fingertips slightly calloused against her skin, and then turned to Mary “And what can I call you Miss?” “Mary.” the little girl infomed her, looking up “Are all these horses yours?”

Fliss chuckled. “No not all of them. Eight belong to me. Two are my personal ones, then I have 6 that work in the riding school and the other six are boarders.” “Oh.” Mary pondered, looking around. “So which one can I ride?” “Mary…” Frank chastised her softly as he looked down at her, before glancing back at Fliss “Sorry, she’s excited.” Fliss laughed and shook her head “It’s fine, I love to see it.”

She turned to Mary and then in an exaggerated whisper so that Frank could here said “I’ll let you into a secret, I always put the new kids on Monty because he’s awesome and looks after everyone and he especially likes girls. He’s a ladies man. You wanna meet him?” Mary nodded eagerly and Fliss looked up at Frank, seeking his permission. He nodded and gestured with his head and she straightened up before leading Mary across the yard to the barn on the opposite side.

Frank stayed where he was for a moment, watching her ass as she walked before he mentally slapped himself and followed.

Fliss led them both into the airy barn, pushing up her sunglasses and down to 2 of the smaller stables at the far end. She stopped at one that contained a small, grey pony who gave a little nicker and stuck his head over the door.

“Monty, meet Mary.” she said with a smile as Mary gently reached up to stroke the pony’s soft nose.

“He’s really pretty.” Mary nodded, appraisingly.

“Yeah he’s awesome.” Fliss smiled, “And he’s a good boy too.” “Can I go in the stable?” Mary asked.

“Erm… if your dad says it’s ok?” Fliss looked at Frank who was tucking his sunglasses down the front of his shirt.

“I’m not her dad.” Frank shook his head “I’m her uncle.” “Oh, sorry.” Fliss frowned “I just assumed.”

“I get it a lot.” he waved her apology away “But I am her legal guardian so…”

Fliss nodded, studying him for a moment. There was clearly a bit more to that story but it wasn’t her business to pry.

“Can I?” Mary looked at him and he nodded.

“Ok so, Monty is really good and nothing scares him but with all horses you should always be quiet and not jump or shout.” Fliss instructed and Frank had to smile as Mary nodded seriously. He hadn’t seen her this engrossed in anything other than books for a long time. Maybe Roberta had been right.

Fliss unbolted the stable door and walked in, leading Mary in after her. She showed her where he liked to be scratched and Mary giggled as she rubbed at the spot on the pony’s withers and he began to tilt his head to the side, lips moving against Fliss’s arm as he nuzzled into her.

“What’s he doing?” Mary asked.

“It’s called grooming.” Fliss explained “So he is mimicking what you’re doing to him by doing it to me, see? It’s how they show affection in the wild. Sometimes they can get a bit carried away and they nip but they don’t mean to be nasty or bite.”

She looked over to Frank, keeping one eye on the small girl who was engrossed in petting Monty and looked at him “So, are you just after her learning to ride then or…” Frank nodded “It’s a long story but, she needs a hobby and this was the only thing that seemed to get her excited. Of course it would be the one that will milk me dry.” he raised his voice a little.

“Spend less money on beer when you go out tonight” she shot back, and Fliss gave a loud bark of a laugh as Frank, shook his head.

“See what I gotta put up with?” he snorted.

“You should talk to my dad about it.” She grinned. “I bled him dry due to horses as a kid, especially when I was up and down the UK competing!” “I was gonna say your accent isn’t local.” He said, smiling.

“Neither is yours.” she shot back “Boston, am I right?” He cocked his head, momentarily surprised. He didn’t think his accent was that strong considering.

“Yeah.” he nodded, “But I aint lived there in a while.” “I lived in Concorde” she explained, noticing his puzzled glance

“Huh, no kidding.” he smiled “Cambridge.” “Nice city.” Fliss smiled “I loved it.”

“What made you end up here?”

Fliss hesitated for a while. “Erm..” “Sorry, you don’t need to explain, I was just a little curious.” “No, it’s fine, just a long and complicated story.” Fliss scratched her temple “The abridged version is my marriage broke down and my mum and dad retired out here so I joined them.” She was avoiding his eyes slightly. Frank was smart enough to realise there was slightly more to it than that but he was tactful enough not to press. Besides, it was really none of his business.

“How about you? What you running from?” “What makes you think I’m running from anything?” he looked at her.

“Aren’t we all?” she looked at him, her deep brown eyes locked onto his.

He hesitated for a moment and then shrugged “Again, a long and complicated story but I wanted to give Mary a life away from hassle. And there was a lot of that in Boston.” He held her gaze and she simply nodded, before turning back to Mary.

“Ok Mary, how about we head into the office, get some forms signed and we can see about booking you in for your first lesson?” Frank watched as Fliss explained the importance of the kick-bolt on the bottom of the stable and showed her how to lock it before they three of them headed back onto the yard.

“Fliss, sorry to interrupt but do you want Cap and Bolt turned out?” a young girl with blonde hair approached them.

“Yeah, they’re not working today.” Fliss said, “But take them one at a time. Bolt’s taking to being a bit bargey. If he starts wrap the lead-rope round his nose.” “Will do.” “Thanks Jo.” she smiled, and the continued.

“What’s bargey?” Mary asked.

“Pushy.” Frank looked at her “Bossy.” “Like you?” Frank shot her a look and saw Fliss smiling to herself as she overheard.

“Or it could mean pain in the ass like you.” he shrugged. “Rude.” Mary shot back as Fliss opened the door to the office. Frank leaned over to hold it open.

“Thanks.” she looked at him smiling. He stepped in after Mary and they both stood, looking around taking it all in.

There was a large photo on the wall to the left, of someone, he presumed Fliss, on a horse jumping an obscenely high fence. On the wall at the back was a number of shelves, one containing files and the others a few more framed photos, one taken outside the gates to the yard of Fliss and a few others, he assumed her staff, and the other contained a number of trophies and a…

“Woah!” Mary said, scooting over “Is that yours?” “Sure is.” Fliss beamed, reaching up to retrieve the box frame. She led it flat on the desk and Mary scrambled up onto the chair to take a closer look.

The frame was split into two. On the right hand side was a photo of Fliss dressed in competition gear, navy jacket, red piping, white jodhs and a navy hat. She had a smile on her face that was literally ear to ear and round her neck sat the gold medal which was displayed in the left of the frame.

“London 2012…” Mary read the small plaque at the bottom “Frank, look…” “I can see.” he nodded, surprise evident in his tone. He looked at the woman “You were in the Olympics?” “Yeah.” she smiled “Only one though. Trained for years to get there…”

“Why only one?” Mary looked at her.

“Mary.” Frank groaned “Stop being nosey.” “It’s ok.” Fliss chuckled “A few months later at the World Championships later that year I had a nasty accident. I damaged my back and it took me nearly six months to recover. Sadly I lost my place on the team.” “Oh, that’s sad.” Mary looked at her.

“It’s a dog eat dog world kid.” Fliss shrugged “Not all bad though, I got into the training side of things which was great. Just my professional career didn’t work out.” There was a moments pause and Fliss replaced the photo and turned to Frank “Can I get you anything to drink?” “No, I’m good thanks.” he smiled.

“Ok, so…” Fliss said, “Mary I’m gonna need my seat back sweetie.” Mary obligingly jumped back down and Fliss took her vacated place, gesturing to the chair by the desk. Frank sat in it and Mary immediately jumped into his lap, her bare legs brushing slightly as she swung them to and fro.

“I have a few forms that you need to fill in and sign.” she said, apologetically “Legal stuff, contact details, waivers, that kind of thing. Safety is paramount at Sandybrook but, accidents to happen. Horse riding can be a dangerous sport…falls happen… as I know only too well.” Frank smiled and nodded.

“But I can give you those to take home, you can bring them with you when you come back.”  Fliss reached into her desk drawer. She pulled out a glossy leaflet and opened it. “Our price list is here. I’m not a huge outfit, I don’t have more than 3 kids on a lesson at a time. Mainly because I don’t have the horses but I prefer to focus on the students, not the profit. I try to keep overheads down as much as I can to keep the costs low…”

She bit her lip, she hated this part of the job, the sales patter as her dad called it. “So it really depends on what you want to do as to how expensive it is. Group lessons are $20 for forty five minutes and individual lessons are $30 for thirty. I do always insist on an individual lesson first, but that’s discounted to $20 for the first one.” Frank nodded, it wasn’t cheap but they’d manage. He’d already explained to Mary that she wouldn’t be able to do it every week, but he could certainly stretch to once a fortnight.

“That’s reasonable.” he said after a pause.

Fliss smiled “I’ve only been open a year or so now, but I’m planning on starting up a few Own a Pony days where the kids can come down and learn how to care for the horses as well as just ride. But that’s all in the planning stages.” “Well you have a good set up.” he said, and she beamed back.

“Thank you, a lot of graft went into setting it up. My mom and dad’s retirement didn’t start out quite as quiet as they had planned!”

“I can imagine.”

“Ok,so…the real expensive outlay is gonna come at the start.” she said, turning to Mary “You’ll need some boots and a hat kiddo.” Mary grinned up at Frank.

“I do have hats I can loan for a few lessons but it is better if they have their own.” she looked at Frank. “It’s the one thing I don’t recommend getting second hand. But boots and jodhpurs etcetera you can pick up on e-bay and the like.” Frank nodded “And the hat?”

“There’s a great store not far from here…hang on…”  she dug in her drawer again and produced a flier. “Here… the kid stuff is pretty reasonable to be fair, you’re probably looking at about $30 for a decent hat but they’ll help you out. If you take my brochure in you’ll get a 20% discount too.”

Mary took the flier from her and began examining it.

“That’s really it.” Fliss said, as she completed her mental check list “So all that’s left is to either book you in or you can call me…” “Please Frank!” Mary looked at him “Can we book?” Frank nodded “If you want.” “I do…” “Ok…what availability do you have?” Fliss opened the laptop and entered the diary and looked for a free spot.” “Does Wednesday at one suit?” she offered “I know once school starts you’ll probably want a weekend or evening but. whilst it’s the holidays does that work?”

Frank nodded “Yeah that’s fine. I can jiggle work around” Fliss tapped on the keyboard and smiled “All booked. If you want to leave me your number I send a text update out the night before just as a reminder.” Frank smiled, and gave out her number which she stored in the diary slot and then clicked saved “All done…guess I’ll see you Wednesday.” “Thanks.” he smiled “And thanks for showing us around.” “Not a problem.” she shook her head “Always important the clients get the tour of the place, to make sure they like it.” “Its awesome.” Mary looked up “Can we go here on the way home.” Frank sighed and looked at Fliss raising an eyebrow. She laughed.

“Yeah, get used to it. Once you get that horse smell on your hands it’s kind of an addiction.” “Frank hates animals.” Mary shrugged.

“I don’t hate animals.” Frank shook his head.

“You hate Fred.” “No, I don’t”

“You said before we should bring him so a horse steps on him.” Frank inwardly groaned as Fliss gave a chuckle.

“Fred is my cat.” Mary explained.

“Good name.” Fliss said “I have a few yard cats hanging around, they keep the mice at bay. And that reminds me, I haven’t seen Thor in a while…”

“Thor?” Mary looked at her

“Yeah, my dog…” Fliss stood up and opened the office door, giving a sharp whistle. “He never goes far.” As if on cue a large german shepherd came lolling down the yard to greet them. Frank eyed the dog, it was huge. Mary, right on cue jumped down off his lap.

“Can I stroke him?” “Go right ahead.” Fliss said, she looked at Frank and spotting his face she smiled “He’s a softie, looks the part though.” “Well I wouldn’t mess put it that way.” Frank snorted, standing up.

“Is he named after the Avenger?” Mary looked up “I love those films.”

“Sure is, he used to have a brother called Loki too but, well he died.”

Thor gave Mary a lick causing her to giggle before he flopped onto his side raising his paw.

“He wants a belly rub.” Fliss smiled, and Mary dropped to her knees to give the dog a tickle. His tail began to wag furiously on the floor and Mary laughed.

Frank watched the girl, smiling. He loved seeing her like this. She was so grown up and serious half the time, he yearned to see her acting like a normal seven year old. He was reticent to drag her away for that reason but he had work later that afternoon, a boat that needed finishing by Monday afternoon was taking him slightly longer than he had anticipated.

“Alright short stack, we gotta move…” “Do we hafta?” “Sorry kiddo.” Mary made a face.

“Do you wanna go to the store or not?” “Ok.” she said, jumping up and wiping dusting off her knees.

Fliss walked them to the truck which was parked in the car park and her eyes flew over to her horse wagon, a small 3.5 tonne box. Frank noticed her looking before she turned back to him

“Yours?”

“Yeah, I did have a bigger one but, well I don’t use it often enough now to warrant it. Maybe at some point I’ll get back into competing…never say never hey?” He smiled.

“Ok, so I’ll see you Wednesday.” she said To Frank’s utter surprise, Mary walked over to the woman and wrapped her arms around her, giving her waist as squeeze, her head pressing into Fliss’s stomach. Fliss bent over to give the girl a quick hug and smiled.

“It was nice to meet you both.” Fliss released Mary and gently ruffled her hair “I can’t wait to see you ride.” Mary headed over to the passenger side of the truck and stood on the sill so she could yank open the door. Fliss turned to Frank and looked at him, frowning slightly.

“Sorry, was that too much? I didn’t mean-” “Oh,God,no.” Frank stuttered, hastily shaking his head. “No, it’s just…well she’s never usually that affectionate with strangers. Not that you’re a stranger I suppose, not anymore but…” he shrugged.

 “I’m flattered then.” Fliss said, her pretty face cracking into a smile which Frank couldn’t help but return. There was a moment of silence where he simply looked at her before he started suddenly.

“I should…” he gestured to the truck with his keys.

“Yeah, sorry. Have a good day Mr Adler…” “Frank…” “Frank.” she corrected herself with another gorgeous smile “I’ll see you Wednesday.” With a smile of his own and a nod he walked to the truck and Fliss turned and headed back to the yard.

He climbed in and turned to Mary who was looking at him, smirking in a smug way that was well beyond her years.

“What?” he demanded.

“You like her.” Mary snorted.

“She’s a nice girl, I mean woman…lady…”

Mary didn’t say a word, simply sat back as Frank reached around for her belt before doing his own and setting the truck into reverse. Sometimes she was far too observant for her own good. *****

“If she gives you any trouble just tie her up on the porch.” Frank said as Mary settled on the couch in Roberta’s trailer. Roberta snorted and Mary glared at him.

“The only one who gives me trouble around here is you Frank Adler.” Roberta shot back. “Now scoot, Mary’s gotta tell me all about this pretty girl at the stables she says you’re sweet on.” “Jesus…” Frank groaned “I’m not sweet on her, she was just nice.”

“He googled her.” Mary said.

“You googled her” Roberta intoned.

“I was curious ok?” Frank sighed “And you asked me to!” “She’s an Olympic Gold medallist.” Mary chanted, draping herself over the arm of the sofa, head hanging, hair brushing the floor “At London 2012 but then she had an accident in the World Championships later that year and she broke two vertebrae…she didn’t compete again. And she was married to a guy called John Stazaker, he was on the US team but they’re divorced now. He’s in prison…but Frank didn’t tell me why.” “Because it’s none of your business, and you don’t mention it to her.” Frank said sternly, cutting her off.

Roberta looked at him curiously “But you’re not interested in her,at all.” “Like I said, curious.” he shrugged “Especially if she’s gonna be teaching Mary.”

“Mmmhmmm.” Roberta dropped her hands to her hips “Whatever you say honey…” Frank sighed and then looked at Mary. “Be good.” “I will, see you in the morning…”

He nodded and then headed out. It was a pleasant evening, the heat of the day had died down to an acceptable level and the ten minute walk down to the small strip of bars wasn’t as sticky as normal. It passed fairly quickly, he was lost in thought about the woman he had met before. It had made for surprising reading, a child star on the circuit the accident had cruelly robbed her of a future in the sport five years ago, and from the sounds of it her ass-hat ex-husband had stolen three years of her life too. Still, as he had told Mary, it was none of their business.

He yanked the door open to Fergs and headed over to the bar. Ordering his usual he perched on a stool and pulled over one of the papers, flicking it open. Taking a pull of the beer he was handed, he let out a sigh. Friday nights were always his time, his one night of the week where he wasn’t Frank with the Dead Sister and the child genius niece to bring up. He was just plain old Frank Adler, perpetual bachelor that might or might not get lucky, depending on how the night went.

Half an hour or so later he was another beer deep and completely lost in his reading. So much so he was barely aware of the body besides him as it slid into the space next to him at the bar. That was until they spoke.

“So how much did she sting you for at the store?”

Frank grinned at Fliss “Just short of a hundred. New hat, boots and a pair of jodhpurs.” Fliss giggled “Make sure she wears the boots in, they’re a killer for the first few days!” “I’ll bear it in mind.” he smiled “So, you hear alone or…” “Oh, no. It’s my Mum’s birthday so there’s a few of us out.” she said, glancing over her shoulder. Frank followed her eyes and settled on a table full of women who were all laughing. One looked quite similar to Fliss, same face shape and nose, who he assumed to be her mother. “If I’m honest it’s a bit boring considering they’re all over fifty but…” Frank laughed “Well I was gonna offer to buy you a drink but…” She laughed again “Thanks but, there’s a kitty going…” with that she turned to the bar tender. “Hiya, can I get 4 bud lights, a gin and tonic and a vodka soda please?” The bar tender nodded and headed off.

“Mary hasn’t shut up about Monty all afternoon.” Frank said and Fliss smiled.

“Like I said, once they get the bug they’re bitten.” “It’ll be good for her to have a hobby.” Frank repeated his earlier sentiment “She doesn’t get much interaction with kids her age.”

“Oh, what about School?” Fliss asked. Frank hesitated and took a drink from his bottle. Fliss let out a silent groan “Sorry, that’s really none of my business.” “No, it’s fine.” Frank shook his head, swallowing his beer. “She’s err, home schooled at the moment. My neighbour thought a hobby might be a good way for her to kinda do that before she goes to school.”

Fliss smiled “Well she’s not wrong. The kids I teach are great, I don’t stand for any crap, she’ll be welcomed with open arms.”

“Glad to hear it.” Frank smiled “Mary can be a litte…well, I suppose, odd is the right word. She’s old before her age.”

“Oh I know all about that.” Fliss smiled. “I spent most of my childhood training. Didn’t get chance to do much normal kid stuff. I was that focussed on my dream of gold medals…” “And you achieved it.” Frank nodded.

“Yeah, wish it had lasted longer you know, but what can you do.” she shrugged. “Hey, you never know, Mary might find a sudden hidden talent that catapults her into stardom…” Frank stiffened slightly and it didn’t go unnoticed by Fliss. She hesitated for a moment before Frank shook his head and smiled “Maybe, although that would really gonna fuck my bank balance…”

Fliss chuckled, eyeing him slightly. The man was a total mystery. At that the Bar Tender returned with a tray of drinks and she turned to pay him, waving away the change.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you Wednesday.” she smiled “Bye Frank.” “Yeah, have a good evening.” he smiled and she turned and walked away. Frank watched her go, the tight jeans she was wearing accentuated her ass and her legs, helped by the white heels she was wearing. The loose white cami top rode up slightly as she bent over to deposit the tray and when the woman he assumed to be her mother caught his eye and gave a knowing smirk he hastily turned around.

“Another beer please pal.” he said, waving his empty bottle

****

“Who’s that?”  Verity leaned over to Fliss as she settled in the seat next to her.

“Oh, that’s the guy I was telling you about.” she shrugged “the one who brought his niece up to the Centre this morning.” “I know you said he was good looking but…”

“Shut up Mum.” Fliss said, flushing slightly

“You’re old enough to be his mother.” Jane, one of the other women said and the table laughed.

“I wasn’t looking for me…” Fliss rolled her eyes “Seriously?” Verity laughed and placed her arm round her daughter, giving her a squeeze. “I’m just teasing Lissy, its just nice to see you talking to someone, that’s all.” Fliss smiled and grabbed her beer, taking a drink.

“Who the fuck was that?” John said, pointing across the packed bar to the man that Fliss had just smiled at.

��No one…” Fliss protested “Just a guy from work, that’s all.” “Right…” John said, the nerve in his jaw twitching. Fliss swallowed nervously and gently touched his arm.

“Honestly, he works at the stables. I was just being polite.”

“He’s eye fucking you.” “No, he’s not…” Fliss rolled her eyes and immediately realised what he had done when John gripped her chin painfully between his thumb and forefinger.

“Don’t roll your eyes at me.” he practically snarled.

“I’m sorry…” Fliss said, the tears springing forth “John you’re hurting me…” He let go and she dropped her head, turning back to the bar. She picked up her drink and took a long pull from the bottle, trying to compose herself. Her hand was shaking, she’d made him angry.

And she knew what that meant…

“Hey…” her mother’s voice shook her out of the memory and she looked up at her. “Oh Liss…”

“I’m ok…” she said, taking a breath.

Her mother looked at her again, and Fliss knew she was busted. “I was just…having a flash back that’s all.”

“He’s not here.” Verity dropped her voice “That fucker is where he belongs, behind bars and he won’t be bothering you again. Me and your dad promised you that…and we meant it.”

“I know, honestly I’m fine…” Fliss assured her mum who leaned over and gave her temple a soft kiss.

Fliss smiled back and shooting one last glance at Frank, who has his back to the table as he continued his reading, she turned to the women and threw herself into the conversation.

**** Chapter 2

[ickle-ronniekins]

protection

request from anon: Hey, can I have some protective Freddie please? I could really use some in my life right about now 💕

request from anon: Hi! This is my first time requesting! I absolutely love your writing it’s so cute 🥺 and makes me blush 🥺 could you possibly write a protective!fred x reader? I loved the one you wrote. Maybe where Draco tries flirting and is quite persistent with the reader or sum. Doesn’t have to be Draco but he was the first character that came to mind. Please 👉👈🥺 Ty! Have a lovely day

request from anon: Hey! Your stories are amazing! Any chance I could request some Freddie fluff at bill and fleurs wedding please?! And maybe some protective Freddie when it gets to the death eaters bit…

word count: 2k

A/N: okay so we’ve got a lot going on here—we’ve got protective fred, jealous fred, wants-to-get-his-fiancé-alone-asap fred, we’re a mess of emotions here pals lol. i have so. many. requests. and i had a bunch asking for protective!fred plus also some fluff at the wedding. i did make the persistent male someone @ the wedding instead of draco but i hope you guys still love it!

tag list: @mintlibri @seppys-return-to-madness @how-do-life-does @fopdoodledane @fredd-weasley @iprobablyshipit91 @semmelsemi @cottageoflove @laneygthememequeen @snakesonaplane-7 @lupinsx @keoghans @helloallthethingsilove @bobduncanlover @dreamer821 | message me if you’d like to be added, loves!

“Think we could just.. skip the wedding, perhaps.. stay up here for the evening, run away tomorrow morning, find a little cottage somewhere and grow old together?”

You laugh softly and push playfully on his chest. “Freddie—”

“Doubt mum would even notice,” he replies, gently running his thumb across your cheek and down your neck, across your shoulder blades, over the goosebumps rising on your arms, “she’ll be crying the entire time, anyway. C’mon—” he jokes, pulling you closer to him, “we won’t be missing much, will we?”

“Don’t let your future sister-in-law hear you,” you tell him, wrapping your arms around the back of his neck. “Promise we’ll have some alone time later. You’ve to help the guests when they arrive. Also—you, sir, promised me a few dances, don’t you remember?”

Fred pauses and considers this for a moment. “You sure you want me to embarrass you like that? In front of all these people, no less?”

You laugh again, letting him twirl you on the spot in the middle of Ginny’s bedroom. He tightens his grip around your waist and begins to slowly lean from side to side, careful not to step on your feet. He stifles a bit of a giggle when he notices you watching. “Yes, my love, I want you to embarrass me—for the rest of our lives.”

— -

George, Bill, and Charlie are a few drinks for the worse at this point. The summer heat is dying down, the sun has completely set behind the hills in front of the Burrow. Fred, dancing horrendously next to his twin in the middle of the dance floor but doing his best to pace himself, holds out his hand to you and pulls you into him.

“I love dancing with you,” he says against your ear.

You hum appreciatively as he squeezes your hips and spins you on the spot, and you both glance at Mrs. Weasley in the corner grinning emotionally at all of her sons and their dates on the dance floor. You turn back to Fred and shake your empty drink at him. “In need of a refill, are we?” He grins lazily at you and you say after placing a hand softly to his cheek, “Be back in a jiff, darling.”

You feel a body appear next to you as you approach the table. You turn; a strapping young man in dark colored robes grins at you and sticks out his hand to introduce himself. It’s firm; his smile brightens more when you take his hand in yours and tell him your name.

“Pleasure to meet you,” you reply, turning back to pour yourself another drink.

He takes you by surprise and asks, “Care to dance?”

“Oh, I’m flattered—” you’re nearly tripping over your words now, a bit stunned at how forward he is. You nod to Fred in the middle of the crowd again, “I’ve actually, erm, got to get back to my fiancé.”

“Fiancé?” he asks with wide eyes, but still—there’s something rather flirtatious in the way he’s eyeing you; it doesn’t seem as though he cares at all that you’re engaged. He inches a bit closer. “Young girl like you, already tied up? Shame, really.”

It’s as if this comment alone calls out to Fred like a signal of some sorts, because before you know it, you feel a hand snake itself around your waist, pulling you closer to him. Fred is there; his eyes have darkened slightly, something you’ve noticed happens in bouts of jealousy. His lips form a thin line; it’s always odd to you when Fred becomes irritable, jealous, angry, when normally, he’s the one who’s always having a laugh.

“Can I help you?” he asks, squaring up the man across from him. You can feel his fingers tighten around your hips and it’s hard for you not to laugh at the tickle it’s causing. You clear your throat in an attempt to suppress your laughter.

“You must be the fiancé.”

“Right I am,” Fred says proudly, taking a swig of his drink. He nods in the direction of a few tables on the other end of the tent, “believe there are a few veela looking for a bloke to have a dance with if that’s what you’re interested in; but this beautiful woman,” he turns to you and grins, “is taken. Or have you chosen to ignore the ring, mate?” You peer down quickly at the sparkling ring on your left hand, and back up at the men in front of you.

“You speak for her?”

You place yourself in between the two of them, now both looking like they’re ready to duel, or worse—kill one another; you squeeze Fred’s hand and say to the other, “No, he doesn’t. Once again, I’m flattered, but I really think it’s time you leave. Wouldn’t want to cause a scene in front of the bride and groom,” you say through gritted teeth, “right?”

A bit embarrassed, but mostly a little on edge, he backs away and heads toward the other end of the tent, sipping rather moodily on his drink. You suck in a deep breath and turn back to Fred, whose eyes are still dark.

“I don’t like him.”

You smile cheekily at him. “You don’t say. Ever met him before?”

“N-no,” Fred replies, taken aback by your teasing, “but it doesn’t matter. Did you hear him? ‘You speak for her?’ What a complete git.”

You pull him close to you and whisper against his neck, “You jealous, love?”

“I’m not jealous,” he replies tersely. He swallows thickly when your grin grows larger before continuing, “I just don’t like the way he was looking at you.”

“Yeah?” you ask, “like how?”

“Like he’ll fall in love.” Fred replies, moving your hair gently out of your face.

“Yeah, well, he can fall in love all he wants,” you tell Fred now, pulling gently on his tie, “but he’s not the one who gets to take me home, is he?”

You know you’ve said the right thing; Fred’s lips curl into a sensual smile and he bites down on his bottom lip, probably to keep himself from jumping on you right then and there. He hums appreciatively before nipping at your neck, “Oh no he isn’t.”

— -

You’re both gently gliding along the dance floor, the soft sounds of harps and piano floating through the air between the guests. Then suddenly, there are a few audible gasps coming from outside the tent where the aurors are standing guard; Fred is tightening his hold around you, a bluish white ball of light shoots through the tent, landing right in the middle of the crowd, only to take the form of a lynx.

And Fred is grabbing your hand tightly, pulling you toward his brothers, and aurors are shouting directions at everyone, and Lupin is rushing the tent when suddenly, black hooded figures enter unannounced and uninvited, the screams of guests and the quick whipping sounds of others Disapparating are filling your ears.

You grab your wand from the pocket of your dress, watching as Harry, Ron, and Hermione Disapparate as Lupin shouts, Bill rushing to protect Fleur at all costs, Fred and George back to back as they shield you and Ginny from any spells or curses headed your direction.

Someone’s shouting angrily about the whereabouts of Harry Potter, Mrs. Weasley is yelling in horror, Lupin is firing spells left and right. Ginny hoists herself on top of a table, Mr. Weasley is dragging her down, George grabs your arm and screams “no!” as Fred closely misses a stunning spell by mere centimeters. Fred pulls you and Ginny together and moves you in the direction of a table. “Under here!” he screams, the force of his weight bearing down on you both.

“No!” Ginny yells, tears streaking her face as, undoubtedly, thinks of the safety of her loved ones. This time, it’s Charlie who’s pushing her down, attempting to shield her yet again, from any spells or curses aimed for you both.

“Let me out!” you scream and push passed Charlie and into the arms of Fred, whose eyes are darker than usual, concern plastered across his face.

“It’s too dangerous!” he yells before wrapping his arms around you and forcing you behind him, only to hit another Death Eater with a stunning spell. It’s as if his words alone are enough to sober him up. “You need to get back—now! Where’s Ginny?”

“No!” you yell over the screams of the guests, “I’m not leaving you!”

Your words are drowned out by the sounds of cries, mock laughter, explosive balls of light, and the crumbling of debris around you as a spell hits you and sends you flying backward, slamming into chairs and tables and nearly knocking you out cold.

And in a half conscious, half awake, barely breathing, horrendous state, you catch glimpses of George shielding his sister, Death Eaters being knocked back by the others, Fred’s tear soaked face as he slings an arm around you and pulls you up from the floor, until before you know it, you’re Apparating Merlin only knows where.

— -

You’re watching from the entrance of Shell Cottage as the sun begins to rise, Fred next to you, asleep on your shoulder, the sound of his breathing like a soothing balm to your soul. Suddenly you feel a blanket wrap around your shoulders and peer up at George, who smiles softly and places a gentle kiss to your forehead before retreating back into the house. “Breakfast should be ready soon.”

“Thanks, Georgie,” you say. Your voice is hoarse in your ears; it sounds strange. Like it’s not even yours. Fred stirs for a moment before fully waking, his eyes bloodshot and tired and weak, only having slept for maybe twenty or so minutes.

There’s silence hanging in the air between you both. You swallow a few times—your throat is extremely dry, it feels like you haven’t eaten or had anything to drink in days. It’s scary that it’s only been a few long hours since the wedding.

“It’s really happening now, isn’t it?” you ask suddenly. The words sound foreign in your mouth. Fred lifts his head in surprise, peers at you solemnly for a moment before squeezing your hand.

He watches a few tears escape your eyes. “Yes,” he replies, and still, it seems so strange to see him in such a serious, stoic state. It makes you feel off balance. You don’t like it. You shudder for a moment and wiggle your way closer to him under the blanket. “But I promise to do everything I can to protect you.”

You wonder, selfishly now, if maybe you should take up Fred’s offer from the day before. Run away, find a small house somewhere far away, grow old together. You wipe a few tears away with your sleeves before turning to face him. You can see tears welling up in his eyes, to. But it’s not long before he’s making you smile and you’re letting laughs escape your lips with no effort. “But we’ve just got to finish this, haven’t we? Reckon those slimy Death Eaters don’t stand a chance—”

And yes, he’s making you laugh, and he’s grinning broadly at you, but the memory of last evening’s events, and the thoughts of events to come, hover over the both of you like a storm cloud ready to release the rain. His voice is a bit shaky when he tells you softly, “We’ll be okay, you know.”

“I hope so.” you reply.

“Besides,” he continues, taking your hand in his and examining the still sparkling ring, “I promised to embarrass you for the rest of our lives, right? Our wedding being the prime spot for it!”

“You’re ridiculous, you are.”

“Yeah,” he replies, kissing your forehead, “but you still agreed to be my wife, anyway.”

And soon, Bill is calling the both of you for breakfast, Ginny is bringing you both steaming cups of morning tea, marking the start of a new, stranger beginning as you both peer in front of you, once more, at the blending of sea and sky.

[theloveoftoms]

Senior Year - High School Joe Mazzello au (chapter 4)

Summary: Today is the night of Joe’s party. Will it turn out as Alexis had planned, or will there be some bumps in the road?

A/N: Chapter four is up babes! Please enjoy, and I hope you are liking this series :) Likes on this post would be greatly appreciated!! Happy reading - m xxx

Warnings: Alcohol use 

Click here to read my other chapters...

Chapter 1 , Chapter 2 , Chapter 3 , Chapter 4, more coming soon.....

///////////////

Joe Mazzello lived in a tan coloured house over looking the coast of La Jolla. His house was lit up by an array of golden outdoor lights. It was hard to see its full beauty due to the already dark night time sky, but damn was it a nice house. From the long driveway, there were identical, perfectly groomed hedges lining the walkway to the door. I turned off my car and texted Joe that I was here as I walked up to the front door. 

I rang the door bell, which made a pleasant chime, and 10 seconds later a woman with kind eyes opened the door. “Hi,” she smiled, “You must be Alexis?” she asked. I nodded, “Yes, That would be me.” “Well, welcome Alexis, I’m Virginia, but you can just call me Ginny, please come in,” she said, gesturing me inside. “Joe is just finishing up, and then he should be all ready to go.” I nodded, as I took a seat on the entrance way bench. 

The Mazzello’s house smelt of good food and happy times. As I looked around, I could see that the interior walls were painted a hazy shoal blue, and there were accents of green and gold and white. On the walls there were various family portraits. One of each Mazzello, one of the three siblings, one of Joe’s parents, and one of the whole family.

While I was visually snooping though the house, Joe made his way down the hall and greeted me with a smile. “Sorry to keep you waiting Alexis, “ be begun, “John hid my phone and wouldn't tell me where it was.” I snickered, standing up from the bench, “Little brothers, am I right?” 

Joe put on his dusty brown suede vans and said goodbye to his parents. Ginny blew him a kiss goodbye, which he was clearly embarrassed by, however I though it was sweet. 

When we got out side, just the two of us, Joe looked at me with kind eyes and said, “You look good Alexis, erm, pretty.” He almost whispered that last word, letting it escape from his throat. I did a little twirl in my dress, “Thanks Joey.” 

“You don't look too back yourself,” I said climbing in my car. 

Joe was wearing a pair of grey tapered trousers and a white tee shirt that had a small logo on the chest. I had never seen in him anything but jeans or Patagonia shorts before, so it was nice to see him in something tidy.

“I was worried this was going to be too much for tonight,” he said, buckling his seat belt. 

I shook my head as I stared the car, “Nahh, you look great. Perfect for where we’re going.”

Joe looked at me with a smirk, “Speaking of which, where are we going?” 

As I backed out of his driveway back onto the street, I shook my head, “As I have said before. I’m afraid I can't tell you that.”

I flicked on the radio, and songs from the 80′s began to hum through my car speakers. “I hope I’m not being kidnapped,” he said. “If you were being kidnapped, we wouldn't be listening to 80′s music,” I said, which earned a chuckle from Joe. 

We drove for 20 minutes, talking and singing along to the radio until we finally reached ‘Gina’s Diner’ the place I was taking Joe for a light snack. His eyes lit up like a puppy when he saw the flashing neon teal and red sign. “How did you know about this place?” he asked in disbelief. “Remember that English project?” I said.  Joe grinned, “Wow, thanks Alexis. This is going to be great.”

I had never been to Gina’s Diner so I didn't really know what to expect. But I tell you that when I walked in, I was blown away by how timeless the diner was. The floor was a typical black and white checkered print, and the walls were painted a dim teal to match the sign outside. Straight at the back of the diner, in between the red tables and chairs with silver accents, was a pristine, authentic, Juke Box. 

Up against the walls were grand booths that were lined with red and white leather. Above each booth was a painting or piece of memorabilia from the 50′s. At the back by the kitchen, in a sparkly silver frame, is a portrait of no other than ‘the king of rock and roll’ Elvis Presley. Elvis was wearing a white flared jumpsuit and his hair was gelled back in the typical style. This place is awesome. 

The gal at the front welcomed us into the diner and handed us floppy menus and told us to sit wherever. 

Joe led me to a booth at the back, and slid in with a smile on his face. “I take it you’re happy Joe?” I grinned. Joe set his menu down, “Are you kidding? This is awesome!” I winked, “just wait until later Joe. I’ve got plenty other plans for tonight!” 

We both scanned the menus, and when the server in her red and white polkadot dress came up, we were ready to order. The waitress, who’s name tag read, Jeanine, flipped out a small notepad to scribble our order down on. 

Joe ordered a vanilla milk shake and a plate of fries for himself, and I ordered a tray of onion rings, fries, and a strawberry milk shake for me. I didn't eat too much before I picked Joe up, and I certainly didn't want to be hungry later. 

While we were waiting for our order, Joe took a quarter and sashayed back to the juke box. He made his selection and soon The Four Seasons’s “December, 1963 (Oh, What a Night)” played out through the juke box. The song may have been released in the 70′s but it sure had the groovy flair of the 50′s and 60′s to it! 

As the chorus played, Joe slid back into the booth, “Man do I love this place,” he said as he looked around the diner. 

Older couples were beginning to sway on the empty area of floor that was dubbed as the dance floor. Usually its just the older folks who dance at restaurants, but something took over the restaurant that made us all want to dance. The other couples, and regulars who were just there dining, got up to dance, and soon enough I was dragging Joe’s lanky arm out of the booth and onto the dance floor. 

“Come on Joey,” I said pulling him up, “We are going to dance!” Joe rolled his eyes and chucked as he followed me to dance with the others. 

We danced adjacent, arms flailing and bopping to the music. My hair flirled and my dress twirled as I danced near Joe, looking up to see his gaze on me. We twisted together on the dance floor, dancing with one another to the classy tune, when suddenly we began to laugh. “This is the most spontaneous thing I have ever done,” he laughed. I agreed, “Me too. And I can't even dance!” 

It was true, I could not dance, but I didn't care, we were all having fun, and it didn't matter what anyone else thought. 

After the song finished, we retreated back to our seat, where soon enough our food was served hot and ready. My strawberry milk shake felt nice as it tricked down my throat. And the saltiness of the fries and onion rings tasted perfect with the milk shake. Joe and I smiled at each other, cheerful of the moment that just happened. 

As much as I wanted to stay and dance at the diner with Joe all evening, I went back to the cash register and paid for the bill. Joe insisted, but it was his birthday, so I covered it. 

While we walked out to the car, I sent Rami a text that we were on the way and would be there in about 20 minutes. I also sent him my location so he could check where we were from time to time. 

As I started the car, it dawned upon me that today was the 21st of September, like as in the song September by Earth, Wind & Fire. I blasted that in the car, for Joe and I to sing along to, and then after we rocked out to some classic 70′s tunes, many by Queen!

My plan had worked. I had distracted Joe just enough that when we drove up to  Rami’s house, he was so lost in the music that he nearly didn't recognize it. While we were walking to the front door I sent Rami a text that we were walking up to the door, to which he replied a quick thumbs up. 

When we reached the door, and I knocked on it, Joe realized where we were. “Were at Rami’s,” he said, “What are we doing here?” 

I pushed back the door and let Joe go in ahead of me. The house was dark, but the moment we walked in, the lights came on, and everyone jumped out and yelled “Surprise!” 

Confetti rained down from the sky as we were blasted with streamers and cheers. I put my hands on Joe's shoulders and gave them a squeeze, “Happy birthday Joe!”

There was a huge grin across Joe’s face, as he brought Rami and Lucy into a group hug. “Thanks guys, this looks awesome!” Lucy smiled, brushing her bangs out of her eyes, “You should really thank Alexis, she was the one who got you here!” Joe turned to me and grinned, “Thanks Lexi.” Lucy put her arm around me as we showed Joe to the kitchen where the cake was. 

Rami’s house looked fantastic - likely due to Lucy’s extravagant decorating skills. There were balloons everywhere, and streamers beaming from the ceiling. The whole house looked ready for a party. 

In the kitchen, the cake was surrounded by boxes of pizza, bags of chips, and lots of alcohol. There were more bottles of alcohol than there was bottles of pop. I have no idea where they got it all from. 

Ram lit the candles on the birthday cake, which was a simple vanilla pound cake with the words happy birthday written on the front in a violet cursive. We all sung to Joe and then cut the cake into slices, giving Joe the largest one. “I believe there's a saying,” Lucy begun. I intercepted, “Let them eat cake!” Everyone cheered and downed a drink of their choice as the birthday boy had his slick of cake. 

After the original festivities, Gwilym began playing a mix of music on a set of speakers, which totally cranked the party up to 12. While Joe was making a drink, I went to the car to fetch my beer - the one thing I recall from health class is never to let anyone make you a drink, ever. So I was pleased, because after all, my beer had a low alcohol concentration so I wouldn't be going at it as hard as my peers. 

When I got back in the house, people were drinking, kissing, dancing, and singing along to the music. It was crazy. But incredibly awesome. Lucy cheered when she saw that I had a beer in my hand. When I approached, she shouted, “To Birthdays!” and all of us (Me, Lucy, Rami, Gwil, and of course Joe) took a drink. 

Amanda, the girl from bio, who I mentioned earlier, yelled, “Who wants to play truth or dare?” The people who wanted to found themselves in a circle on the floor - the others, who did not want to, continued talking, and doing what ever else. 

Since Amanda suggested the game, she went first. “Joe,” she said, pointing at the birthday boy, “Truth or Dare?” Joe smirked, “Dare, obviously.” Amanda thought for a moment, before replying, “I dare you to prank call the fifth person in your contacts and tell them its your birthday.” 

Joe pulled out his phone and scrolled down to the fifth person in his contacts, “I guess I’ll be calling my sisters boyfriend, Anthony.” So naturally, Joe did just so. He called Anthony, and simply said, “I would like to inform you that today if my birthday,” and hung up. Although it wasn't the most challenging dare, people still laughed. 

Since Joe had completed the dare, it was his turn to ask. Joe directed his gaze to Gwil. “Gwil, truth or dare?” he asked. Gwil’s face began to glow red, “Truth.” 

Joe groaned, “Damn, I had a really good dare for you. But anyways, since you said truth, umm, have you ever thought about kissing someone in this circle?” 

Gwil’s face turned red. As I watched him, he glanced over to Amanda, and then back to Joe, “Yes.” 

The people cheered and whistled at Gwil for saying yes. His little trick of eye contact must have worked, so much so that a couple rounds later when he got up from the circle to take a break, I saw Amanda make her way over to him in the kitchen. The two were standing surprisingly close, and I watched as Amanda eventually brought her lips up to his and he placed his hand on the small of her back. I grinned, happy for Gwil. I didn't think he would be the kind to make out in the kitchen of a party, but hey, whatever tickles his fancy.

After that, we had taken a short break from truth or dare, and chatted and so on. It was now around 12, and the party was still booming. Almost all of the food and drinks we had bought were gone, and the drinks I had brought myself were gone as well. I had enjoyed one beer, a half of the other one, and a bit of the vodka and soda. 

After signing along to hits from the 2010′s, many of the teens at the party had moved outside onto the beach and began playing a game of spike ball. That not being my thing, I suggested we go back to Truth or Dare, only this time, we make it group version. 

Only about fifteen of us were in the new circle, and as time went on, the circle began to creep smaller and smaller. Now there were about eleven on us.

 I had only gotten asked a question once so far, and I had chosen truth. It was a simple question too. The girl who had asked me had asked, “What celebrity do you know would be a good in bed?” and naturally, I replied, “Henry Cavill.” Lucy winked at me, “I see you like Brits!” I laughed, so did everyone else. 

A guy with fluffy brown hair, who's name was either Rick or Mark, or something like that, was up to ask. He had decided to ask Joe, and once again, he had picked dare. 

They guy asking the question looked Joe dead in the eye and said, “I dare you, well all of us, to go for a swim in the ocean.” My eyes grew wide, no way am I skinny dipping. Thank goodness he didn't say no clothes. 

Joe smirked and stood up, “You're on.” It was now one am, and the party had cleared out a bit. 

Before I knew what was happening, all of us were running to the back of Rami’s house and down the flight of stairs to the sandy beach. It had significantly cooled off, but it wasn't freezing outside. 

Once we all got to the sand the guys scrapped their shirts. I would have liked to say I didn't watch when Joe took his off, but it seemed as if my eyes would not allow me to look away. Joe was hot with his shirt off. He had the body of a baseball player, nice long lean arms, and a tight torso - it made sense because after all he did say he played on the team. 

We all kicked off our shoes and went running into the dark water. Lucy and I were running hand in hand, and Joe was on my other side. Some kids stopped at knee level, and others - most of us - ran until waist length and dove under the salty waves. 

I cheered, “This is great!” Everyone was laughing and having a good time. I watched as Rami picked up Lucy in his arms and dunked her under water. She groaned, after all she was trying to keep her hair dry, but then eventually began to laugh as she wrestled with her boyfriend in the waves. 

As for me, I was completely drenched in salty sea water. My curled hair had fallen flat in the water, and I likely had a clump of black eye makeup beneath my eyes giving me a certain resemblance to Alice Cooper. 

My coper dress flailed by my sides as I strided towards Joe in the water. I make sure to keep my hands near my sides so my dress would not pull a Marilyn Monroe on me. 

Almost near Joe, I found myself stumbling for balance. I leant forward and found myself caught up in Joe’s arms. “Woah,” I said, “Good catch.” I felt the warmth of Joe’s flesh up against my own as I caught my balance. Although I stood up, I didn't pull away from Joe. I found myself putting my hand along his jaw, and breathing in the warm and cedary scent of Joe. 

This is the closest we had ever been, and after realizing that the two of us weren't 100% sober, and that the corners of my dress were floating up, I stood up swiftlyand played it off cool by splashing him with water. Soon enough, we were all splashing around like a family of ducks trying to drench each other - even though we were all soaked to the bone. 

By the time we made it out of the water, the party had cooled down. There were only about fifteen people left, and Rami had ushered them out the front door as soon as he got out of the ocean. He had said that Joe and I could stay if we wanted, remembering what mom said, I agreed. It would be like a slumber party. Since Lucy was Rami’s girlfriend, she would obviously be staying. No one knew where Gwil was, but my bet is that he went home with Amanda ;)

Before going inside, I sat myself down in the sand and gazed out into the ocean. My mind kept drifting back to the diner, and how fun it was dancing with Joe. Then the image of his ocean wet hair, and charing grin struck my mind. I felt my bare shoulder, exactly where I had been leaning into Joe with minutes ago. A pleasant smile spread across my face, thinking about how close the two of us had been getting. Then it dawned upon me. Do I like Joe? 

Lucy had noticed me sitting all alone, so she called my name from the deck, “Lexi, come inside! You'll freeze!” I waved to her, and dragged myself up from the sand and away from the serious question I had been pondering a moment ago. 

It was much quieter inside, and the house was surprisingly clean despite the number of people who had attended. All four of us were drenched, and it was not the most comfortable state to be in. 

Rami had his hair in a towel when I came in from outside, he must have showered. “You guys can shower and change into some spare clothes if you want?” Joe had disappeared, he must be in the shower. I thanked Rami, and told him I had a change in the car. After fetching my spare clothes, and cleaning up some of the solo cups with Rami and Lucy, It was my turn to shower. 

The guest bath was clean and dry as both Rami and Joe had showered one after another in Rami’s shower. Rami had dubbed the guest bed and bath for Lucy and I, as we would be sharing a bed tonight. 

The bathroom was spacious and had a floor to ceiling mirror near the entrance. As I flicked the light switch on, the room lit up. The shower was composed of a clean white subway tile, silver hardware, and glass panels that stretched from floor to ceiling.  

I went to the washroom and then washed my hands. I was completely undressed, and about to shower when I realized I had forgot to ask for soap. So, I struggled to put back on my soaked bra and panties, and threw my equally wet dress on over top. My now cold clothing struggled to fit my body how it had been intended to. If I hadn't looked in the mirror before I left, I would have been walking around with my dress inside out. 

 I trudged back up the stairs and found Rami sprawled over the couch watching a football game. He didn't seem like the kind to watch sports, but mind you he had talked about the games before. 

I tugged my Dress down my thighs after noticing it had risen up them, “Rami?” I asked, “Do you have any soap I could use?” Rami got up immediately, “ah yes I do, follow me.” I did just so, I followed Rami into his parents bathroom. “This stuff is my moms, you can use a bit of her shampoo and stuff if you want.” I thanked him and grabbed a lemongrass shampoo and conditioner as well as a fresh bar of dove soap. “Thank you so much Rami, I won't be too long in the shower.” “Take you time,” he said as we were going around the corner, back towards the living room. 

I hadn't been watching where I was going, because I literally bumped into Joe, who had just emerged from the steamy upstairs bathroom. He had on a black shirt with a sports team’s name on it, and a pair of rami’s shorts. He smelt fresh and nice, and felt so warm against my cool flesh. 

“Gosh, Alexis, you're freezing,” he said, taking a look at my skin which by now was covered in goose bumps. I nodded, “I’m gonna go shower now.” I wasn't too sure what else to say, so I just disappeared down the hall like the phantom of the opera, into the guest bath. 

I locked the door, turned the water on to the appropriate temperature, and stripped out of my soaked clothes. The water from the rain fall shower felt so soothing on my body. Each droplet of water felt like a little drop of fire happily melting into lava on my skin. 

This was defiantly the most luxurious shower I had ever taken in my entire life. 

I used some of Mrs. Malek’s shampoo, and lathered it in my hair. It felt so nice in my hair, and the conditioner felt so soft. I did my best to finger comb it through in the water so I wouldn't have to brush it when I got out. I stayed a while longer, just soaking my skin in the peaceful water, but then eventually I decided it was time to hop out. 

I turned the facet off, and wrapped my hair and body in matching white towels. Damn the Malek’s must be rich or something, they sure do have some nice stuff. The towel I was wearing was so absorbent and soft that I almost didn't want to take it off to change back into my regular clothes. 

Anywho, I put on my bra and matching panties, and then my jean shorts and white blouse. It was not the most comfortable outfit to wear to sleep in, but I was pleased I had broughten my own clothes to wear. 

I tided up the bathroom and folded up my wet clothes before going back to the living room. My hair was drying in my towel, and I could see that Lucy was doing the same with hers. Lucy was dressed in one of Rami’s tee shirts and a pink pair of workout shorts. She wrapped her arms around me, “That was exhausting!” I laughed “It sure was fun though.” 

The time was roughly 2:30, and we were all having some snacks before bed. I had some cheerios and yogurt and the others just had a leftover slice of pizza. 

After I drank a steep glass of water, I was ready for bed. “Guys, I think I’m going to go hit the hay,” I said as I let my hair down from the towel. Lucy yawned, “I’ll come join you in a few, I’m just going to watch the end of this episode,” she said as she gestured to the soap opera that was on tv. I nodded.

“Night Rami, Night Joe,” I said giving them a tired smile. 

“Night Alexis, see you all in the morning,” Rami said before he retreated to his room for the night. 

Lucy was so in touch with her show that it felt as if it was just Joe and I the room. I walked over to him and put my hand on his shoulder, “I hope you had a good birthday Joe.” Joe smiled and put his fingers over mine, “I really did. This was certainly one for the books.” 

For a moment we looked into each others eyes, and then I again said goodnight. “I’ll see you in the morning Joe,” I said. “’Night Alexis,” Joe replied. 

I was so exhausted from the events of the day, that when I hit the cool white sheets, I was fast asleep in minutes. I fell asleep and dreamt of the sea, and all the shells that must be hidden beneath the dark waves.

[darrowsrising]

You should talk about Serafina. I think her story is fascinating even if I didn’t like her in the sequel trilogy.

In the same way as Augustus, Darrow was her man that came from the sky and destroyed her home.

Erm...idk, I kinda feel bad for not feeling for Sera at all when uou put it like that, but at the same time I am kinda rolling my eyes a little at her.

Look, I don't mean to burst anyone's bubble on here. This is just my opinion, my take, please don't be upset with me and don't take my words as an offence.

I had a tough, emotionally draining week and my mental health is not so great, so maybe it's that speaking, but I genuinely am tired of having to feel pity for all these characters that have even the slightest connection with Darrow or Darrow's crusade destroyed their comfortable little lives in some way or the other.

I mean, I understand why Darrow is a villain in some people's stories, I understand why they have a bone to pick with him and I understand that Darrow or any hero for that matter isn't completely hands-free of blood (unless it's a kid's show). More than that? I simply can't muster.

I understand that Darrow's plan to make sure the Rim does not come to destroy whatever the Rising will build before it even started caused colateral dammage and loss of lives. I accept that as one of those morally grey moments that can make sense, but doesn't make them less harsh.

That being said, everything Darrow has gone through starting with losing his father and until now (and certainly a long time after as well) just makes me say 'cry me a river' to those characters that try to justify their actions with 'Darrow made me do it' and come up short. Want pity? Idk, go to a White or something. I feel sad for them, don't get me wrong...I just can't pity them, because they make it hard and I don't feel up to the emotional burden.

Ajax au Grimmus Raa has been treated as less than human, as a failed experiment, saw the only person that ever loved him get massacrated on live holoNet, everyone else abandoned him or forced him to live up to their expectations and he has been groomed and abused by his aunt and has a superiority complex to make up for the fact that he's been treated so poorly. Now that is a character that I can fully feel evrything for, pity and sadness included in equal mesures - Darrow and his friends came and took away from him the only good thing in life.

Seraphina au Raa wanted glory most of all - proving herself, getting faster through the ranks, whatever made her tick. She bargained and sacrificed a lot to that end. Darrow made her do it? Well, if it wasn't Darrow, she's still want a piece of the pie, so she would have found another thing.

What Darrow did was a betrayal of his allies, but his allies stopped being his allies the moment he left the Rim - they would have attacked from behind to protect their precious ideals, because they couldn't have left the Rising to prosper anymore. That is simple fact, the Rim is still very much fascist, even though they are pretending honour about it.

I am not saying Seraphina isn't right to feel what she is feeling or despise Darrow for what he did, of course. It's just that pity doesn't suit her at all, especially because she doesn't actually care about the losses, she cares about war or some revenge scheme that suits only herself and maybe the Raa name - which I think it's awful, but if even Raas use honour as some sort of façade, that says a lot about the system. I pity the innocents that lost their lives in the crossfire, I pity Aeneas au Raa, a bit, because we didn't get to know hin that much. But Sera or Dido or any other Rim proeminent character? Not really.

For a lot of characters in Red Rising, Darrow seems to be the Big Bad Wolf, and it's understandable and true and interesting, because it's an aspect of humanity that rarely gets discussed in storytelling. Change isn't always rightous and pretty, sometimes it requires underhanded tactics and harming some people, simply because there is no other way. Of course, the circumstances must be of such a nature to justify some things and I am reffering to those particular situations.

Cassius was the paragon of Gold perfection until Darrow 'came down from the sky and destroyed his world'. Killing Julian was not something Darrow wanted, but he says it himself 'no one ever cared about what he wanted', no one ever gave him a choice. Of course Cassius is right to feel what he felt about Darrow killing Julian and being lied about it. What wasn't ok was to pretend honour of his revenge.

Again, it's interesting to see Darrow having to live with himself and push through, it's also interesting to see consequences of his actions manifesting through other characters that are clearly too biased to be fair, yet not too wrapped up into it not to wank it as some rightous scheme.

But am I actually pitying any of the Bellonas? No. Not even Cassius. I pity and feel sad for Julian, because he was an innocent in all of this.

I am too drained at this point to feel much pity, Dark Age did take a lot out of me. If I am required to feel for every poor soul that stood in Reaper's shadow and died or survived to see their loves ones killed, then I would better get out of the fandom, because I genuinely can't. I care a sufficient amount for the mains and some of the side characters. It's all I can do for now.

Sorry if this came out harsh, sometimes I genuinely feel bad that I don't care enough for some characters, but there is real life too, I require emotions for that too. I can't just go feeling bad for every character, it has to actually make me feel things and it doesn't happen that often (in DA it happened a lot, just not with Sera, lol). Idk if that is bad or good, it's just how I feel at this point.

Howl on!

[be11atrixthestrange]

Waking Up In Vegas: Chapter 1

After a night of debauchery, Ron and Hermione wake up in Vegas... married.

Muggle!AU. Romcom!Romione. Slow burning, smutty, angst-fest.

Rated M for reasons.

Ao3 | FFN

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More Chapters

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Chapter 1

[Ron]

Ron wakes up to the strong desert sunlight assaulting his eyelids and turns onto his stomach to bury his face into his pillow. The bed is so warm and comfortable, the satin sheets enveloping him into a nourishing hug. The pillow has somehow maintained its shape and is just the right combination of cold and cozy. His back feels fine, which very much exceeds his expectations, based on how his back usually feels when he wakes up. Maybe an expensive mattress is just what he needs.

Soon enough, his real-life anxieties start to surface. How much does this mattress cost, anyway? What about these sheets? How much extra did this room charge for the scented pillows? Am I even paying for it?

He tentatively opens his eyes, zeroing in on a tray that lies on the floor by his bed. It's adorned with discarded chocolate-covered strawberries, two empty champagne flutes, and a bottle of whipped cream. He never eats whipped cream.

Did I have a girl over last night?

Ron sucks in a breath and freezes in his satin sheets. Gingerly, he turns his head to the other side of the bed, catching a whiff of the pillows he thought were scented before.

Perfume, you idiot.

He lifts his gaze over the mountain of fluffy blankets and high-thread-count sheets, half expecting to see wispy blonde hair glossing the pillow and a hot-pink nightgown that doesn't entirely cover her familiar set of curves. Maybe there would even be lipstick streaked across the pillows. Bloody hell, perhaps he was covered in lipstick, too. Do they charge extra to clean up shit like that? He wouldn't know; he doesn't stay in hotels often.

Honestly, he may have been relieved if Lavender was beside him. They dated for years, and he knows her well. Ever since they broke up, she's been not-so-subtly trying to get him back in bed. She likes having sex with him, and quite frankly, he likes it too. At this point, he knows her body well. She's difficult to disappoint.

On the other hand, she may have mistaken him sleeping with her for regret about ending things, and he has no desire to set the record straight again. Las Vegas is already far enough out of his comfort zone, so Ron will do what it takes to avoid any conflict on this trip.

However, he doesn't have to worry about that because when he peers over the blankets, the girl sleeping beside him is not Lavender Brown.

Instead of a hot-pink nightgown, she's wearing a black pair of mens' boxers and a bright orange Chudley Cannons T-Shirt, with the words "World's Best Coach" emblazoned across the back. He loves that shirt. It was a gift from the youth football team he's coached for years, and he never even let Lavender wear it. Not that she ever asked to, but that's beside the point.

Who the fuck is she?

Still, her head is buried under her pillows, effectively masking her identity. He reaches toward the pillows and gently lifts them to reveal her face, or more accurately, her hair. There's so much goddamn hair. It looks like someone has loaded a t-shirt cannon with curly brown hair and unleashed it onto the pillow beside him.

No. It can't be...

He wonders how he survived the night unstrangled when his companion's hair moves on its own accord like the limbs of a sentient and unpredictable willow tree. Is it as easy to anger as its owner? It begs the question — how the hell has he managed to wake up next to Hermione Jean Granger, his sister's nightmare of a Maid of Honor?

Swiftly but smoothly, he removes his blankets and rises to his feet, only to discover that he's completely starkers. He grabs the first thing he can find — a towel — and wraps it around his hips while he searches the floor for something to wear. Luckily, he's in his hotel room, and his suitcase is wide open on the floor. He exhales a sigh of relief and collapses next to it, pulling garments out one by one. He lands on a pair of inside-out khaki shorts and red short-sleeve button-down, one of his favorite shirts that Lavender would never let him wear. She always said it clashed with his hair.

When he turns the shorts right, a piece of paper floats to the ground. It must have been folded up into his pocket. Out of curiosity, he picks it up and unravels it. He has to read it twice before realization kicks in, and his jaw drops to the floor. His hand is suddenly shaky, but not enough to obscure the words 'Marriage Certificate' across the top.

It's even signed and dated. Ron B. Weasley. Hermione J. Granger. Fuck. This had to be some sort of a practical joke.

He looks back to the bed, and he can't ignore the dread pooling in the pit of his stomach. Hermione's head is still buried under the pillows, the Chudley Cannons Tee rising and falling rhythmically with her breath. Suddenly, he's extremely nervous. She'll wake up soon, and what will happen when she sees him?

She'll probably be pretty upset. Unlike Lavender, she seems easy to disappoint.

Bloody hell.

x

One week earlier…

"I'm Hermione Granger."

She extends a hand to Ron, who reluctantly shakes it. Firm handshake.

"And you are?"

"I'm Ron." She raises her eyebrows. "Ron Weasley? The bride's brother? The groom's best friend?" He tries not to be offended when she removes her hand and wipes it on her trousers. "You honestly don't know me?"

"I figured," she shrugs. "But most people introduce themselves without assuming others know who they are."

Her unfiltered judgment catches him off guard. It strikes a nerve, and he can't help but wonder why Ginny has selected her as her Maid of Honor.

His instinct is to snap right back, but he fights it. He is about to embark on a ten-day international trip to celebrate his sister's wedding, and as the Best Man, he'll be working closely with Hermione and the other bridesmaids, one of them being his ex-girlfriend. It is going to be rough already.

"Well, it's nice to meet you, Hermione Granger," he says as cheerfully as he can muster. He'll just have to get through this trip, and he'll never have to see her again.

Her reply is annoyingly curt. "Thanks." She takes a seat and motions for him to do the same. The gesture is subtle, but it keeps him on edge. He doesn't need permission to sit down. He's tempted to keep standing simply out of spite, but on the other hand, he would like to avoid a power struggle.

He shakes his head as if doing so would reset this terrible first impression. He wants to like her — she's one of Ginny's best friends — but he already feels himself building a wall.

She waves down a server, and Ron squirms at how impatient she seems. What's her rush? The server grumbles when he approaches, and Ron tries to send an apologetic glance his way. "I'll have an iced coffee."

The server nods, then glances expectantly at Ron. "Oh erm... same, I guess.".

"No straws," adds Hermione.

"Noted," quips the server.

"Actually," says Ron, "I would like a straw."

"Straws are awful for the environment," she says when the server's out of earshot. "You don't really need them."

Ron fights the urge to roll his eyes. He's determined to keep it cool, so he takes a steadying breath and changes the subject. "We should compare itineraries for the bride and groom."

"Yes, I agree. In fact, I have put together a tentative plan for the joint stag and hen party." She slides a piece of paper across the table to him. The level of detail is horrendous. It's also laminated. She's organized, that's for sure.

"Hold on," he says. "A joint stag and hen party?"

"Yes, it's more efficient this way. You can see on page four, I've already made reservations at a hotel on The Strip, and for pretty much everything, bigger parties mean bigger discounts."

Ron's heart sinks. He has been planning a surprise stag party for Harry, and he was pretty excited about it. Harry wouldn't go for this. There's no way.

"Hermione, I think the boys would prefer a separate party." Ron was also looking forward to a night out with just the boys — Harry, Neville, Dean, and Seamus. It would be a very different experience if the girls were there too. Well, Ginny, Luna, and Demelza would be fun. Lavender? Hermione? No thanks.

"I've already spoken to Harry, and he loves the idea."

Ron straightens up and stares back at her, for a moment forgetting to mask his hurt. "He… what?"

"Yeah, he already agreed to it."

Their conversation pauses as the waiter returns to deliver their iced coffee. Hermione scowls at Ron and rolls her eyes as he takes a long drag from his plastic straw. Maybe he should ask for a second one just to tick her off some more.

Keep it cool, Ron.

Hermione's expression softens. "I know it must be awkward for you to spend so much time with your ex-girlfriend. Ginny told me about the breakup. She wasn't expecting you two to split before the wedding,"

Unfortunately, the Lavender thing contributes to his resistance to a joint party, but he hates that she can sense that. He hates that Ginny told her about his breakup.

"Look," says Hermione, leaning closer.

He's skeptical of what she might say, but it seems like she's genuinely trying to be caring, so he leans in to listen.

"It'll be hard, but we can't let our personal issues affect this. This wedding is about Harry and Ginny. No one else."

Ron sinks dejectedly back into his chair, immediately regretting giving her the benefit of the doubt. Our personal issues. "What are you saying?"

"I'm asking that we don't bring any unnecessary drama along. Leave it here, and focus on the bride and groom."

"We?"

She nods. "Yes, we. I will also leave my issues at home." She really is infuriating. He's going to have a chat with his sister about her choice of best friend.

"So no drama at the wedding. None." He takes another swig of his drink, raising his eyebrows at her. She scowls again at the straw.

"No drama."

"Deal." He reaches out a hand, and she takes it. Another firm handshake.

Then, something on his face catches her eye. "You've got something on your nose."

He releases her hand and rubs his nose.

She shrugs. "Must have been dirt."

He forces his lips into a smile and wonders if it looks as fake as the one she returns.

What a nightmare.

x

He's pulled out of his reverie by an abrupt jerking of limbs from the bed. Hermione's rhythmic breathing turns into a groan when she tugs the pillow off of her head. She slaps a hand over her eyes when the sunlight hits them, and she groans again, angrily this time. Any illusions of peacefulness are a far distant memory.

When she finally opens her eyes, it's her look of horror that alerts Ron to the fact that he never put on his khaki shorts and a red shirt. He's still hovering next to her bed in a towel, staring at her. He's suddenly very aware of how pale and freckly he is.

"Why are you—?" Eyes wide, she rises to a seat in bed, her hair billowing in every possible direction. She looks down at her body and pinches his Cannons shirt with her fingers like it's a dirty napkin. "Why am I wearing this?" She glances back at Ron and scowls. "Why am I here?"

Ron opens his mouth to answer, but he is unprepared to fill her in. Like her, he has not yet processed this. Before he can explain, the towel starts to unravel from his hips. He motions to catch it, but his right hand is clutching his clothes, and his left hand is clutching a goddamn marriage certificate, so the towel unwinds and lands in a pile on the floor. When Hermione's eye line lowers, her cheeks blush. Ron can't tell if she's embarrassed, angry, or impressed, but he hopes for a combination of the three.

"Morning!" He grins goofily, emulating the falsely excited tone he's become so accustomed to using around her.

It brings her gaze back to his eyes. "Ronald Weasley. What the hell is going on?"

[the-creeping-shadow]

hmmm for the ask meme... miles, eddie, and trager? ^^

Brace yourself, long post incoming!

Give me a character and I will answer:

[Miles Upshur]

Why I like them: I like his humour and his rather cynic way of coping with whatever he is experiencing. At the same time, this guy is dead set on getting information and reveal Murkoff’s inhumane practices. Cynic, but with a heart of gold. 

Why I don’t: If he stopped slamming the doors shut when he has an enemy on his ass, that would be great! On a more serious note, I don’t think there’s anything of note I truly dislike about him. 

Favorite episode (scene if movie game): Since this is a video game and he is your protagonist... I like reading his notes. The end sequence is well-done, but really sad. 

Favorite season/movie: Erm... Outlast 1? XD

Favorite line: Every time he describes one of the Variants is great. But I’m going to go with: “[...] You've escaped one Hell, Chris Walker. God help me but I somehow hope you didn't find another.”   

Favorite outfit: He only has one. I think the casual outfit suits his purposes just fine.

OTP: Miles and freedom.

Brotp: Waylon, Blake, and Lisa. :3

Head Canon: Walrider!Miles experiences not only nightmares (or nightmarish visions) related to the trauma he experienced at the asylum, but also those of every test subject who has ever been put through the Engine. It’s a general headcanon I have regarding the Engine and its effect on people.

Unpopular opinion: I do believe this guy has some smarts since his job as a freelance investigator investigating dangerous affairs certainly requires them. He might be stubborn, but that’s due to conviction, not a lack of sense of self-preservation as the fandom sometimes portrays it...

A wish: Should we ever get a sequel to the existing Outlast games, it’d be cool to hear about him or even have a cameo, depending on his true state. 

An oh-god-please-don’t-ever-happen: Hmm... Given the rather vague allusions in the comic, I am hoping his story hasn’t found a definite end after all.  

5 words to best describe them: Snarky, determined, athletic, risk-taker, inquisitive 

My nickname for them: Buddy! Miles is a fairly short name already... I just call him Miles, tbh XD

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[Eddie Gluskin]

Why I like them: Definitely a fleshed-out character who has an interesting history that ties into the delusion he developed thanks to the Engine. I also like his artistic side. His section in the game, despite being rather long, also creates one of the tensest in the DLC.

Why I don’t: Blatant, old-fashioned misogyny. Although I can’t say I dislike him based on this because few characters in Outlast are without their... dirt. Otherwise the other thing I dislike relates more to fanon interpretations... Oh, his haircut could also use some work!

Favorite episode (scene if movie game): I like the build-up to his encounter to be honest. 

Favorite season/movie: Whistleblower, duh XD

Favorite line: “We've met before haven't we? I know I've seen your face. Maybe... Just before I woke up.” The last one especially is an interesting one to me in context of the Engine. 

Favorite outfit: I think the one he wears during the outbreak is neat enough. Crude, but better than being in underwear XD

OTP: nO.

Brotp: Trager :3 I call them “amateur surgeons”.

Head Canon: Some of the mentality he harbours post!Engine derives directly from his pre!Engine state. Obviously the Engine tends to exaggerate certain traits, but with the murders he had committed he was more likely to put the blame on his victims; if he did not outright deny his culpability. 

Unpopular opinion: Lots. I don’t think he is as handsome as some people make him out to be. Though this is purely subjective. Maybe it’s that haircut. 

A wish: Some kind of an elaboration on whatever was going on with Dennis? I wonder whether Eddie was even aware of him/them and the sacrifices made.

An oh-god-please-don’t-ever-happen: For Eddie to pull through with his goal of having offspring with his victims brides. Thankfully it didn’t, though said victims appear to be horribly mutilated instead...

5 words to best describe them: Persistent, murderous, traumatized, quick-tempered, old-fashioned. 

My nickname for them: The Groom? Eddie? Amateur surgeon number two?

---

[Richard Trager]

Why I like them: He has charisma, humour, and it contrasts the rather morbid and terrifying... everything else around him. He provides one of the most memorable dialogues of the series. I also like the concept behind him of being a former Murkoff executive tossed into the program as a patient and developing this surgeon delusion.  

Why I don’t: I’ve said it before, but I have my gripes with some of his comic characterization. 

Favorite episode (scene if movie game): His cutscene in the first game of course! I also liked that brief interaction with Mr. Langen.

Favorite season/movie: Not many options here. 

Favorite line: All of them are great, including the ones from the Xbox trailer, but for this ask I’ll highlight “Let’s teach you the seven habits of highly eviscerated people.”

Favorite outfit: I can’t say I’m a fan of that preppy look he has in the comic per se going by my own aesthetic preferences, although it’s oddly fitting, so this leaves me with... an apron. Yeah, while I have taken a like to the comic design after some time getting used to it, nothing beats his in-game version :D 

OTP: No.

Brotp: As above, Eddie Gluskin. There is little content for it, but what I’ve seen in most cases is lovely.

Head Canon: Rick doesn’t like having his hair touched, pre!Engine and post!Engine, unless it’s someone really close to him (heh). This reaches back to his childhood.

Unpopular opinion: I honestly don’t consider the coke thing to be as funny or trivial as the fandom sometimes portrays it...

A wish: An epic comeback! And generally more canon information on how he came to be the Variant we see in-game, and how Billy’s premonition ties into it.

An oh-god-please-don’t-ever-happen: He’s dead so... It’s a bit difficult to say at this point. There is a thing that ties into my NOTP, but that’s more of an unpopular opinion and fandom thing.

5 words to best describe them: Funny, talkative, gruesome, corrupt, scissors.

My nickname for them: Rick, Ricky, the surgeon.

Thank you so much for the ask! ^^