#Grumpy x manic pixie

[sugarplumprincess2003]

Manic Pixie Dream Boy Stiles Stilinski!

Last night I was going through Instagram reels and there is this creator who makes parody videos about Almond moms, pick me girls, etc. One of her videos on 'Manic Pixie dream person' stuck with me. I just can't get the idea of Stiles being a Manic Pixie person out of my head. I mean he literally embodies that character - 1. Weird ass but rhyming name: Stiles Stilinski is quite a weird name as opposed to the others 2. His energy and his babbling - it's kind of adorable and annoying at the same time 3. He pretty much exists in the show to help Scott, the main lead. (another matter that us fans made him our mc) 4. He is eccentric and quirky - I read the characteristics of a manic pixie girl 5. Magnetic attractiveness - they are known to be annoying but somehow everybody knows them, and they are popular, and they unknowingly have a lot of people who have a crush on them. That's Stiles fs. I am sure we can uncover more such relations between Stiles and the personality. So the question is - was Stiles supposed to be manic pixie dream girl, but they saw Dylan and were like oh he looks great and made him the bestie? Is Dylan himself such a quirky guy that he unknowingly embodies this personality for Stiles? We'll never know. And for us Sterek lovers - just imagine Grumpy Derek x Manic Pixie Stiles. That's like made in heaven. Now I want fics. God dammit.

P.s - if someone can draw me this I'd like it

[abominable-space-they]

I said this on twt but I don't actually have that many Hannigram moots so I'm bringing it here too

Also, if you're a canon mastermind/dark will enthusiast, pls follow me here or there. I need to find more of my semi feral antisocial autistiqueer cryptid community

My Twitter is here

I do more shit posting & updating fic there, plus the occasional tweet fic or headcanon. More analysis here

[gyutarling]

INFINITE

late night adventures with beomgyu...

♯ — beomgyu x gn!reader ⋆ fluff ⋆ wc 1.7k

warnings! — cursing, mentions of burning things, mentions of ghosts and death, catcher in the rye slander (not srs if u like that book thats cool!), a little pretentious, jokes about dating a senior citizen, lowercase intended, not proofread

note — went ballistic after gyu made an insta..... save me manic pixie dream boy..... save me....

“gyu, where are we even going?” you enquired. frankly, you were still a little grumpy from being woken up at 3 in the morning, with beomgyu outside your window holding your shoes, wordlessly telling you to follow him.

when no reply came after several pauses, you glanced over next to you, only to find him completely zoned out. you were about to open your mouth to snap at him, patience spreading thin from the sleepiness, but then he smiled.

“the library, we’re sneaking in.” he turned his eyes back to the road ahead after making eye contact with you, mischief still heavy on his cheeks.

what he said took you a few seconds longer to process. “oh, okay— wait. what?!” in your befuddled state, you stopped in your tracks, “what do you mean by ‘sneaking in’? why the library?” honestly, you were more surprised that you didn't have more questions, but then again, this is beomgyu, you wouldn't put something like this past him.

beomgyu casually fixed his bangs, “sneaking in as in, we’re gonna not-so-legally enter the library like, right now.” he stopped in front of said building, you didn’t even notice you had been walking for so long. “and the library because there's a book i wanna burn.”

you almost shouted out a question, if not for beomgyu placing his hand over your mouth when he saw you staring at him with wide eyes. “hush! we might get caught!” his hand dropped after he felt your tongue touching his palm, “gross! anyway, do you have a paperclip i can borrow? kinda need to pick this lock before we do the actual ‘sneaking in’ part.” he held out his hand as he inspected the lock.

“what the fuck? are you insane?!” you opted for whisper shouting instead. you take it back, just when you thought he couldn't get any crazier, he proves you wrong with his stupidly perfect smile that seems to grow wider with each late night adventure. “first of all, why did i have to come with? could you not have done this yourself? i don’t wanna get in trouble again.” you said with a roll of your eyes.

“this is a two-person operation! besides, it’s more fun this way. so sorry in advance if i do get us into trouble,” beomgyu whispered back, and by the dimple peeking out from his smirk, you can tell he didn’t mean his apology.

you let out a relenting sigh and handed him a paperclip, “okay, but second of all, what book got you so enraged that you just had to sneak into the town library at such an ungodly hour just to steal and burn it?”

“it’s not like it enraged me, i mean, books are supposed to make you feel intense things, so i would have liked it if it did enrage me,” beomgyu mindlessly spoke while fidgeting with the paperclip, “it’s ‘the catcher in the rye’, borrowed and finished it recently, and i don’t know, the main character is just such a whiny ass bitch boy. he’s got this whole self-loathing, self-aware hypocrite persona going on, and throughout the book he pretty much just talks and drinks and pities himself. i think the author tried to make him too relatable, to the point that he became unrealistic, if that makes sense,” he rambled on, “the only part i liked was near the end, the part with his sister was actually pretty well-written.”

“so you are enraged,” you couldn’t help but giggle at his mini rant, “you’re cute when you ramble, by the way.”

“hm, i’d say the word would be ‘unimpressed’, i just don’t like it.” he pretended to inspect the lock closer, yet still failing miserably at hiding his reddening cheeks. a few minutes after poking and moving the paperclip around inside the keyhole, you heard a click, and seconds later, you two were inside the pitch dark library. “alright, we’re in. the rest should be fairly easy.”

“hold on, one more question,” you realised as you took out your phone for the flashlight, “why didn’t you just do this when you still had the book? why did you have to return it and then come back?” you were too far into the theft and arson two-person operation to be angry at beomgyu for dragging you into it at this point. you were happy to be hanging out with him anyway.

“hey, this might make me a criminal, but i’m not a heathen. i return my shit, never had an overdue book in my entire life,” beomgyu bragged, “mrs. librarian is basically my best friend.”

“and yet you don’t know her name?” you laughed at his antics.

“i believe in the magic of mystery,” he said in an exaggerated fancy accent, “besides, names and such formalities are for first dates, which i might score one soon, heard her husband’s been out a lot.”

“gross, dude! she’s like 78!” you couldn’t help but to playfully shove him.

“and yet she remains such a radiant beauty, her prune-like visuals never fail to amaze me!” beomgyu emphasised even more, and you both couldn’t help but let out loud laughs you weren’t supposed to.

“how romantic, even shakespeare wouldn’t have been able to be as eloquent as you. save it for her, though, i don’t wanna hear about how you’re into an old, saggy woman who’s pushing 80.”

as the laughter died down, you two decided to split up to look for the object of beomgyu’s hatred. you were a little unsettled by the dark, this was a library after all, a very fitting place for a victorian ghost to haunt.

just when you were about to let out a breathy laugh at your own absurd thoughts, you heard a creaking noise. you quickly turned off your phone’s flashlight, this was it, you always knew beomgyu would lead to your downfall by baiting you to some supernatural entity. he probably made a deal with the devil and offered up your soul. no, scratch that, beomgyu is the devil himself—

“boo!” you let out a squeak and fell backwards, startled as you saw beomgyu with his flashlight shining from below his face. you breathed heavily, trying to catch up with the shock as he let out silent cackles. beomgyu might be even more evil than the devil.

“oh man, you should’ve seen your face!” he spitted out between laughter, but that abruptly stopped when you two heard the jingle of keys. you looked at beomgyu, panic still in your eyes, but for a different reason this time. you were still on the ground when he helped you up and dragged you to a corner, sandwiched between two bookshelves as he covered your mouth.

you didn’t know if you were dizzy from being out of breath, or the distance (or the lack thereof) between you and beomgyu. one hand covering your mouth, one hand on your waist to keep you steady, his equally fast breaths on your cheek. if you weren’t insane enough already, he gave you a reassuring squeeze, and leaned his forehead on yours from exhaustion. you wanted to stay like this forever.

of course, your dazed moment was interrupted by the lights of the library turning on, and then came the sound of approaching footsteps. your anxiety returned, and beomgyu glanced to the side just to quickly turn back.

“change of plans. fuck the book, we’re booking it.” he smiled. honestly, how can he have time for word play in such a predicament?

“what—” at that, he grabbed your hand and bolted out from between the shelves. you could hear the shouting of someone, presumably the security guard, but the buzzing adrenaline was louder. beomgyu hurriedly bursted through the doors that you both came in from, with your hands still connected, then down the streets. your legs burned, but at that point, you two were laughing like crazy. in the small, empty neighbourhood, well into the night, you swore you could take on anything if you had beomgyu by your side.

slowing down, he continued to hold onto your hand as you came to a stop. inhaling and exhaling rapidly, the rush died down and you noticed the delicate snowflakes that nipped at your skin. beomgyu seemed to notice as well, he stood up straight and stared upwards, mesmerised by the fluttering whiteness.

“it’s the first snow,” he mumbled, “you know, they say that seeing the first snow together with someone means you’ll be with them forever, and any wishes you make will come true.” he looked back at you, and you found yourself admiring his twinkling eyes.

“that’s pretty,” you smiled at him, “did you wish for anything?”

“yeah, i wished that you were mrs. librarian instead— hey, ow! i’m kidding!” beomgyu dramatically rubbed his arm after you very lightly and playfully punched him.

“moment ruined.” you said, unimpressed as beomgyu giggled.

a comfortable silence fell over the two of you as you continued watching the snow, it’s light enough to not be too cold, but cold enough for beomgyu to pull you closer to him, close enough for the moment to feel real.

“sorry you didn’t get to take out your burning anger on the book.” you slightly chuckled as you remembered the events of the night.

“it’s alright, didn’t matter too much to me,” he shrugged, “i didn’t even hate the book that much, just wanted an excuse to drag you out with me.”

you looked at him, stupefied, “so you couldn’t just ask me to hang out during the day like a normal person? what if that security guard was secretly a victorian ghost protecting the library? and what if said ghost happened to die from a thief who burned their house down?” you started exaggerating to show that you weren’t actually mad at him.

beomgyu jokingly scoffed at your silly rambling, “normal is boring, and from your whole spiel just now, you’re clearly not normal either, weirdo.” at that, you both smiled at each other.

beomgyu is truly beautiful, but especially when he smiles. the way his nose scrunches, pinkish from the cold, eyes turning into crescents with tiny sparkles in them. the way his lips curl up, matching the wispy ends of his soft-looking hair, framing his face perfectly. his smile is truly perfect.

in that moment, all you could feel was beomgyu and the world, both infinitely yours.

PERMANENT TAGLIST (italics = can't tag!) @malswrldsworld (send an ask to be added!)

[literaryvein-reblogs]

bunny x cat dynamic?

Like, adhd bunny and grumpy cat dynamic? I'm going to try writing a bit where the dynamic of the main characters are fleshed out. Any input on what people often enjoy about these for me to take into account?

To me it's so cute because she considers herself more as an annoying dog but for him, he considers her to be a cute, hyperactive bunny (that's kind of useless to (literal) death but let's put that aside, or not)

The ideal response to this would come from your readers. If you've already established your reader base, try asking them their preferences and expectations. Of course—still, write the story you want (and need) as a writer. And there it is, in your second paragraph. The idea is that if you write what you want, the people who also prefer this dynamic will find your work and stay for the rest of the story, and will more likely enjoy your other work as well (this is essentially what most successful authors advise new writers—write what you want, what you enjoy etc etc). But striking a balance between your readers' and your own preferences would be great too.

If you don't have a reader base yet, I'd suggest going through your favourite literature/films and finding ones that depict this particular character dynamic. Then you yourself, as a reader/viewer now, could answer what you find enjoyable about these pieces of media, and incorporate that in your writing.

Also, here are some tropes that I think have similarities with the dynamic you described. Same suggestion with finding books or films/TV shows you like that feature these tropes. But also research their readers'/audience's feedback to find out what they enjoyed about these character tropes, and this is what you can take into consideration for your story.

Grump and sunshine. One character is so grumpy all the time; the other character is so bubbly all the time. And somehow, through that power-of-love thing, they end up balancing each other out. The grump sometimes has sworn off love.

Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl. This is a potential pairing (platonic or otherwise) between a pragmatic guy and a girl who is very full of energy. One partner in the pair will be lively and optimistic while the other is savvy and more slothful, quiet, or otherwise less expressive. EXAMPLES:

In Corpse Bride, Emily and Victor. The former is a dead bride who is rather lively and spiritual for a corpse, while the latter is a live man who is shy and awkward almost to a fault.

This defines Anna and Kristoff's relationship in Frozen nicely. She is a spunky princess willing to do whatever it takes to bring her sister home, he is a grumpy, rough-around-the-edges ice harvester helping her along the way.

In Pixar's Up, the quiet and timid Carl befriended and eventually married the energetic Ellie.

Uptight Loves Wild. He's stuffy. She's untamed. It's true love. Mr. Stuffy is in a rut: Life is boring because he plays by the rules. Along comes this wild and crazy woman to show him how to live life to its fullest, and she just might learn a few things along the way, too. EXAMPLES:

Enchanted: Stuffy, cynical divorce lawyer Robert meets fairytale princess Giselle.

The Sound of Music: Maria isn't "wild", but she is a Blithe Spirit in the face of the extremely uptight, Captain von Trapp.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind: Quite thoroughly deconstructs this. A relationship like this doesn't always work and after the falling-in-love part, it causes more pain than joy; so much so that both parties opt to have their memories removed of each other. The Manic Pixie Dream Girl is also far more complicated: "I'm not a concept, I'm just a fucked-up girl looking for a peace of mind".

Opposites Attract. EXAMPLES:

The Princess and the Frog has Tiana and Naveen. She's a Workaholic, no-nonsense waitress and he's a fun-loving, lazy prince.

Tangled gives us the jaded, worldly-wise thief Flynn Rider and the spirited, innocent princess Rapunzel.

Treasure Planet has Captain Amelia and Dr. Doppler. She's a tough-as-nails Action Girl, he's a bookish scientist, not to mention they're basically an anthropomorphic cat and dog, respectively. The two grow closer throughout the movie, and by the end they even have several kids.

Sources: 1 2 ⚜ More: Writing Notes & References

[absolutebl]

Hello! I would like to place an order. *checks menu* Can I get some dramas with grumpy seme x sunshine uke? Something like a Kim x Porchay from KinnPorsche? Please and thank yooou~ *hands you a tip* (lol great blog i check it all the time ^^)

43 Grumpy/Sunshine BLs

This is a popular trope (and I tend to just combo it with tsundere/sunshine & grumpy/sweetheart). Korea loves it and tends to execute the most "on trope" versions. (Technically this is archetypes.)

I track it, so you can have an exhaustive list, like 200+ BLs. (And that's limiting to main couples only!) But I figured you wanted just the good ones...

You're a KP fan? Def track down Long Time No See. That'll be your winner.

Grumpy/sunshine BL Rated Above a 7/10

these are in general order with my personal favorites towards the top. I put the ones in bold that I think most satisfy the romance novel version of this trope. Sometimes sunshine can geta bit manic pixie dream boy.

To My Star

Until We Meet Again

A First Love Story (short)

Love Tractor

Nobleman Ryu's Wedding

A Tale of Thousand Stars

Cherry Blossoms After Winter

My School President

Just Friends?

Puppy Honey (BL Side)

Long Time No See

Life: Love on the Line

Restart After Come Back Home

Where Your Eyes Linger

2gether & Still 2gether

The Tasty Florida

You Make Me Dance

Golden Blood

Ocean Likes Me

Oh! Boarding House

Tinted With You

Star in My Mind

What Zabb Man!

All the Liquors

Happy Merry Ending

Love Mate

Moonlight Chicken

My Tooth Your Love

Candy Color Paradox

Never Let Me Go

Silhouette of Your Voice

Red Balloon

His the movie

Mr. Heart

Made in Rooftop

Manner of Death

Nitiman

Nation's Brother

Oh! My Sunshine Night

To Sir, With Love

HIStory5: Love In The Future

Oh My Assistant

My Esports Genius Brother

[pinkertinn]

My ships if one of them was an absolute manic pixie dream girl: Aerith x Cloud - really not far off lol

Setting: Aerith has dragged Cloud to the rooftop of a random building in Midgar “for the view,” even though it’s a cloudy, smoggy mess.

Aerith: [Balancing precariously on the edge, arms spread wide.] “Isn’t it amazing up here? You can practically feel the dreams floating around in the air!”

Cloud: [Standing several feet back, arms crossed.] “Pretty sure that’s just the mako fumes.”

Aerith: [Turning to look at him with mock offense.] “You’re impossible, you know that? Where’s your sense of wonder?”

Cloud: [Shrugging.] “I left it back at the bar. Along with my patience.”

Aerith: [Laughing, hopping down and grabbing his hand.] “Come on, grumpy! I didn’t drag you up here to mope. Look—if you squint really hard, you can see the stars!”

Cloud: [Looking up at the thick smog layer.] “Those aren’t stars. That’s light pollution.”

Aerith: [Leaning into his side, tilting her head dramatically.] “Wow, you’re just a ray of sunshine, aren’t you? What do you do for fun, huh? Alphabetize your materia?”

Cloud: [Looking away.] “…Sometimes.”

Aerith: [Gasps, grabbing his arm and kicking her legs excitedly.] “I knew it! You’re secretly a huge dork! Oh, no, don’t deny it, it’s written all over your face!”

Cloud: [Pulling his arm free, clearly flustered.] “I’m not a dork. I’m just… organized.”

Aerith: [Grinning, skipping around him.] “Sure, Mr. Organized. Tell me, what’s the most rebellious thing you’ve ever done?”

Cloud: [Deadpan.] “Followed you up here.”

Aerith: [Bursting out laughing and clutching his arm again.] “That’s adorable. You’re like a kitten pretending to be a tiger.”

Cloud: [Glancing down at her, his cheeks slightly pink.] “…I’m not pretending.”

Aerith: [Squeezing his arm and leaning in close, her voice softening.] “Of course you’re not. You’re already a tiger. You just don’t know it yet.”

Cloud: [Looking away, swallowing hard.] “…You’re weird.”

Aerith: [Laughing, spinning away from him with her arms out.] “Maybe. But weird makes life fun, doesn’t it? Admit it, you’d be bored without me.”

Cloud: [Muttering under his breath.] “I wouldn’t mind a little boredom.”

Aerith: [Leaning over the edge, calling back without looking.] “What was that?”

Cloud: [Quietly, almost smiling.] “Nothing.”

[cosmic-nebula356]

Headcannons and jotnotes for my obscure ship between 🦊Fuyu x 🐸Shibuki

How did they meet?

- Shibuki was practicing in the mountains with her previous master, a literal rat named master Sliver

- he escaped from her watch and she tries to go find him

- she then does manage to find him, dead, in the mouth of Fuyu.

- Fuyu was out from his shrine in hopes of the legendary Cursebreaker to show up and fix his curse

- only for some random ass rat to come out of nowhere and try and steal some of his shrine offerings

- So of course he killed it

- then he finds this random green haired girl out of nowhere, exclaiming he’s now her master because of some ninja laws

- she’s ecstatic about it, cause she got upgraded from a rat to a kitsune, and he’s appalled and flabbergasted by it

- she insists she can help break his curse, and that he is her sensei now

- he begrudgingly accepts after she kept on persisting and annoying him so much

- in return, he will train her with all he knows. As lucky for her, he just so happen to be the commander of his own army, and master of his sword skills and a war criminal

🗣Dynamic🫂

- Grumpy old ass man x cheeky gremlin bitch

- he keeps her on a leash, and she keeps on tryna break said leash to jump into the fountain

- the “i am in misery” x dancing coachroach

- Shibuki is the manic pixie, and Fuyu is the master keeping her in check

- she’s a brat, and knows it. And Fuyu gets to discipline her for it

- “seriously, what do you even see in her?” “she makes me laugh.”

- Yapper x Listener

- cold hearted tyrant melts away by goofy aa ninja girl

- gives off young adult dating middle age old ass man

- “Imma shoot an apple off of my own head!” “No.”

- talks big, only to start squealing and squirming when her seduction works

- constantly wants to get into danger x keeping her out of danger

[badedramay]

Omg THANK YOU for pointing out this weird trope that dramas have of “U just be cute and girly, I’ll be rich and support U”. To be fair it’s not just pak dramas; I’ve seen it in Turkish and K dramas as well. A girl is able to act as spastic and childish as Umeed because her well-off husband just smiles to himself at her antics and will pay for any damage she does 🤑.

I mean I guess this trope is better than an abusive partner trope, but I don’t get how it’s 2023 and drama writers often miss the mark on writing a female lead, especially when it comes to different genres like FT being more comedy. Most ramadan comedies feature a loud, hyper FL as if the writers are trying to hammer us with “see? She isn’t a rhona dhona type”. Because ya know, who needs even semi realistic characters when we exclusively have the two extremes on TV for our viewing pleasures?

I digress but typing this out made me appreciate yunhi way more. For all of its flaws, maya chose as close to a realistic female that I’ve seen in pak dramas in a while.

the rich man x poor woman, or Cinderella trope, is old as time and its appeal is not up for debate. it's fun wish fulfillment and I agree that some of my personal favorite rom-coms have been based on this trope. but I had said this before and I will say it again, this trope DOES come with a very unhealthy power imbalance that simply cannot be ignored. idk about Dizis but kdramas, despite being chokeful of the Cinderella trope, do try to completely veer off in the territory of "rich man becoming the poor woman's sugar daddy" because the woman's integrity and her self-respect are not compromised. the hero may help push a few buttons for the heroine but he doesn't take the entire financial responsibility of the woman to give her all the time to be her cutesy clumsy giggly self. at max we'll get the trademark wardrobe makeover scene and dinners at fancy restaurants but when the night is over, the heroine goes back to her own world. in fact, most of the romance in kdramas come from the rich hero fitting in the poor heroine's world than the other way round.

when it comes grumpy rich hero and bubbly poor heroine trope..we already know what the hero is bringing to the table that the heroine doesn't have in her i.e. his money. the tricky part then becomes what the heroine is bringing in the hero's life. like take Jab We Met, an iconic movie in the similar genre vein. Aditya was RICH rich as commented by Geet. Geet, while well-off herself, didn't reek of the kind of industrialist money that Aditya had. throughout their journey in the first half Geet relied on Aditya's money as their guarantee of safe way home. however, Aditya's money never became a substitute for Aditya himself. Geet offered Aditya a perspective of life that Aditya's money couldn't bring him while Aditya, ultimately, gave Geet the kind of reliable, unshakable love that Geet had dreamt of. in their story the power imbalance that their individual social standing could've colored their relationship was safely avoided from the beginning as Aditya was more than his money, Geet's manic pixieness didn't come at the cost of her fierce self-reliance.

Mr. Darcy was obscenely rich and Elizabeth's low social standing was a major conflict for him when it came to his feelings for her. but, all of Mr. Darcy's wealth couldn't make Elizabeth find him attractive because she just didn't like his personality. we hype up Mr. Darcy-esque heroes a LOT in our stories (even Farjaad is called as one because he's serious and rich) yet there's complete silence on the fact that Mr. Darcy needs an ELIZABETH BENNET to make the romance work. a smart, witty, self-reliant heroine that completely owns her individuality. the sparks fly when two headstrong individuals collide and the romance happens when BOTH of them, over time, see beyond their own judgements and prejudices to see the other person for who they are. Darcy changes his perspectives for Elizabeth, yes. but Elizabeth also learns to being more positively accommodating of the parts of Darcy that he has no control over like his wealth.

but yeah..all of this is nuanced writing that our PakDramas just don't want to bother with. the question of power imbalance only comes in when the story is about SOCIAL AWARENESS of yet another form of marital abuse. it's incredibly boring now. i won't say I am too old to enjoy wish fulfillment fantasy stories but i am definitely no longer immature enough to lap up just about any rom-com because it apparently celebrates "feminine joy". love me a rich af hero but only when he's paired with a heroine that can thrive without his wealth coming to her rescue, thank you very much.

[tedthetalk]

‘grumpy x sunshine’ is the new manic pixie dream girl

[twilightarc-gm]

Thinking about how a friend told me that MDZS is actually a w/x romance and everything else is filler. 

So now applying this, yeah, it is true because WWX would not have even been able to go to CR because he was not an heir (and could not be one while YZY is also alive and married to JFM and unwilling to adopt WWX). Without JC, JFM has no argument to send WWX as he's already mastered the material, and WWX explicitly didn't like being there and wanted to leave, so why would he have originally wanted to go if not for JC? So, he would not have met LWJ outside of competitions. 

At indoctrination, JC was constantly holding WWX back from doing rash things to anger Wen Chao, without that, Wen Chao probably would have WWX killed or core melted, again because he’s not an heir so is about as expendable as Mianmian was, and we already saw what treatment an heir got anyway (JZX) so for WWX it would have been far worse. 

Even if you subscribe to the theory that WWX is only a troublemaker to make JC look good, and that he can be responsible and methodical when not acting like a loon, without JC, WWX is never going to be the manic pixie dream girl that LWJ crushes on. WWX learned how to get beneath the skin of grumpy rules-followers first by being JC's friend, a skill set he unleashed on LWJ later when they were stuck together for a month. The only reason LWJ got to really know WWX at all. 

Without JC, WWX ends up in a situation more like JGY post-JZX's death with the one advantage being that JFM arguably favors him like JGS never did for JGY. But we also know JFM's favor is only good for paying tabs and getting out of kneeling in the ancestral hall early.  

Oh actually, WWX had a choice whether to go to the indoctrination or not, and what would be the likelihood that he would go without JC? When he could stay and protect YMJ/LP instead? It is not like they didn't know the QSW were up to something. Anyway, both cases, cave scene doesn't happen and w/x doesn't happen. 

Even still without all the fallout of the YMSJ relationship, WWX has nothing to run from and therefor nothing to run to. The story of MDZS is WWX running away from the consequence of his choices he made in his past and he finds support and company in LWJ who is not affected by WWX's choices at all. 

Without JC there is no YMJ after the fall. Without YMJ, WWX is going to spend his effort on protecting JYL who will be stuck in MSY. There will be no LWJ haunting the Jiangling front constantly arguing with WWX over "come back to Gusu". LWJ wouldn't even know WWX at all because that WWX wasn't at CR or indoctrination. 

Like sure you could change events around to somehow drive WWX over to LWJ but WWX himself is just not going to be the same person that caught LWJ's attention. 

Like it or not, JC and growing up with JC formed a lot of WWX's precocious manner and big brother tendencies, both of which are needed to entice LWJ, I.e. be like LWJ’s mother and his brother. 

If WWX is just smiling through sadness and pain with no one to protect but himself with a foster mother who hates him, that is just JGY. Can you imagine LWJ falling in love with JGY? [new crackship unlocked]. 

Anyway, love how JC haunts the narrative even though he's the only survivor.

[theharrowing]

Deep Spaces and Unsteady Explorations

Seokjin thanks his lucky stars that Yoongi is his destiny. Yoongi may not be sold on astrological alignments but he won’t deny Seokjin’s hold on him is akin to how the moon controls the tides

🪐 Yoongi x Seokjin

🪐 word count: 6.9k

🪐 strangers to lovers, smut, fluff, melancholy with a happy ending, slash, nsfw, 18+

🪐 warnings: top Yoongi and bottom Seokjin, this Seokjin gives me manic pixie dream girl vibes. fluff (acrostic poems, falling in love, astrology), smut (frotting, anal fingering, anal sex, crying during sex), heavy on space & astrology imagery.

🪐 written for the BTS One Line Wonders Fest!

🪐 beta read by @neoneunnajimin​

🪐 posted june 2022 | read on ao3 

🪐 story jumps between past and preset with each break

"He was like the moon, part of him always hidden away from the world; the side filled with darkness and hate, the side he wanted no one to notice," Yoongi says with a grin. "But the lighter side, the side he did show, full of love and wisdom—the side that pulled me in and controlled my tides—that side was brighter than the sun."

"Not gonna lie, I expected it to be something about my dick, and you surprised me with all this deep, poetic shit," Seokjin mutters with a scrunched nose and shy smile, and Yoongi can feel his cheeks burn red hot. "I think you're biased, though; I don't show much love or wisdom at first. I tend to push people away."

"You don't push people away," Yoongi says, "you just struggle to let them in. But that's not the same thing. You're kind to others."

Seokjin hums in acknowledgment, but it is flat, suggesting he disagrees. Maybe Yoongi is biased—maybe he does forget how hard it was to get Seokjin to let him in at first. Yoongi tends to forget there was ever a time when Seokjin didn't speak to him openly because once he did, he went from just being a twinkling star in the night sky to an entire universe.

"What would you say if you had to give my eulogy, then," Yoongi mutters defensively. 

"I wouldn't have to; you'd outlive me," Seokjin says. "It's always the grumpy ones who live the longest."

"I fucking hate you," Yoongi grumbles, which turns into a giggle as Seokjin's fingers press into his ribs, right where he's ticklish. 

Seokjin nuzzles into Yoongi's neck. "That's the spirit."

It is true that getting to know Seokjin was no easy task—he was always so elusive and quiet, tucked away in oversized sweaters with his grown-out dark brown hair hanging in his eyes. During the times when Yoongi would get close enough to him to strike up a conversation, the walls built around Seokjin were always too tall to allow for any exchange beyond vapid mentions of whatever was relevant to where they were at that exact moment. Whenever Yoongi would try for more, Seokjin would resist.

"Line's long today," Yoongi would mutter from next to Seokjin as they stood in queue for a coffee, in his equally oversized hoodie and over-grown dark brown hair hanging in his eyes. 

"Mmhmm," Seokjin would respond, never tearing his eyes off whatever point they were fixed on ahead of him. 

"What are you getting?" Yoongi would ask, hoping to learn about Seokjin's likes and dislikes. 

Seokjin would shrug. "Same as always."

And although that should have been the opposite of helpful information in the grand scheme of things because, Yoongi should not have known that Seokjin's same as always was just a medium black hot coffee, he had heard Seokjin order it countless times before and heard the barista call the order out for him just as many times. But it did not stop him from asking, mainly because he was not sure what else to ask—just needing to ask something. Yoongi couldn't resist the gravitational pull he felt in Seokjin's presence, and he always fought the urge to lean into the force, searching for more.

And for months, once or twice a week, in between his second and third classes, Yoongi always tried. 

"Line's not too bad today." 

"Sure." 

"What are you getting?" 

"Same as always." 

And although it made Yoongi yearn for more, he always stayed within the same line of questioning, never going too far or asking for too much. No matter how many times Seokjin shrugged him off, Yoongi always tried. 

"Weather's hot today." 

"Yeah." 

"What are you getting?" 

"Same as always."

Until one day, Yoongi deviated, and it caused some kind of unspeakable rift between them that even Yoongi probably should have foreseen.

"Hotter than usual outside today."

"Yeah, sucks."

"Are you getting a hot coffee, same as always?"

Seokjin didn't respond—didn't even so much as look in Yoongi's direction, and Yoongi could feel that the air had shifted because it felt heavier than usual in his chest. And when Seokjin continued to stare ahead and say nothing, it made Yoongi anxious. He could not understand why Seokjin shut him out without giving him a chance, and although the question of why spun around his head in countless phrases and iterations, he could not force his mouth to fucking speak—he could not bring himself to ask. 

When it was Seokjin's turn to order, he got his medium black hot coffee, same as always. And when the medium black hot coffee was in Seokjin's hand, he left the café without looking back, and for weeks after the incident, Seokjin was nowhere to be found.

There were plenty of spots on campus to get caffeinated beverages, and sometimes Yoongi would go to those locations around the same time he would expect to see Seokjin getting coffee before, but he never caught sight of him. Yoongi felt foolish; he felt borderline obsessive and ashamed of himself. What good was it to stalk the whereabouts of some guy who clearly wanted nothing to do with him? Yoongi knew he should just give up.

"No wonder you're so persistent," Seokjin mutters, playing with Yoongi's fingers while they lie on their backs on the dirty mattress which sits in the center of the abandoned pool that is tucked away in the woods just off-campus. The sun is starting to fade just enough to make pollution cast light streaks over the darkening sky.

"Why?" Yoongi mutters. His hands have begun to sweat, but Seokjin does not seem to mind.

Seokjin turns his head, eyes wide. "You're a Pisces."

Yoongi meets Seokjin's eye but can't hold contact too long, looking between his face and the graffitied pool wall behind him. 

"So?"

"So you're emotionally deep. Sensitive—maybe overly sensitive. Do you feel lonely a lot? I wonder what your moon sign is."

"I don't know."

"You don't know if you feel lonely a lot?"

"I don't know what my moon sign is."

Seokjin hums in understanding, turning his eyes back on the sky. 

"What are you, then?" Yoongi asks, even though it all means nothing to him.

"Sagittarius," Seokjin responds with a smile.

"I'm also year of the water rooster," Yoongi offers with a shrug.

"Perfect balance to my water monkey, I'd say."

"What does all of it mean?"

"Well, for one, it means I'm a fucking mess, Min Yoongi," Seokjin grins, turning his head once more to meet Yoongi's gaze. There is a sadness to his smile; it does not quite reach his eyes. "And it means I was destined to love you."

A month after the café incident, Seokjin appeared, though not in the queue for coffee. Rather, he was outside the café with his arms crossed, eyes watching the sky, and he seemed to be waiting for someone inside the café, maybe—it was hard to tell. He wore a tan sweater that went all the way past his knees—impressive at his height—and ripped blue jeans beneath. Yoongi listened to everyone in queue before him for a person placing Seokjin's order, but the words medium hot black coffee were never uttered. 

So, feeling brazen, Yoongi ordered his drink and a medium hot black coffee and waited. He told himself that if, in between the time he ordered and the time he got the drinks, Seokjin was no longer outside the café, Yoongi would just ditch the hot black coffee on the counter and pretend it was never his, to begin with—pull his black hoodie over his face enough to cover his eyes and slip out like a bandit in the night. It would not be the most honorable course of action, but Yoongi had never been one to be concerned with things like honor, especially when adrenaline kicked in and took over, like right then.

Yoongi was also never one for complicated orders, always getting the same iced americano, so when his order was called rather fast, he took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly before picking up his and Seokjin's cups. Although his hands were already beginning to sweat and have a tremble to them, he felt determined to at least attempt to right his wrong. 

As Yoongi made the short walk to Seokjin, he considered all of the things that could transpire. Like Seokjin taking the coffee, sneering at Yoongi, and dumping it onto the ground. Or Seokjin laughing in Yoongi's face and not accepting the drink at all. And although those things seemed terrible, Yoongi steeled himself, ready to handle whatever Seokjin did. Come what may, and all that. 

So when Yoongi walked up to Seokjin and held out the coffee with, "Sorry for being invasive; I shouldn't have asked you so many questions," on his tongue, he wasn't expecting Seokjin to look him in the eye before he could say anything and mutter, "Yoongi?"

Yoongi froze, arm still outstretched. How did Seokjin know his name? Yoongi knew Seokjin's name because it was common to know the name of someone you were unabashedly in love with, even from a distance, but how did Seokjin know Yoongi's name? 

"How—" was all Yoongi croaked out before Seokjin cut him off.

"Of course, the new moon is in Taurus; no wonder I was drawn here."

Yoongi said nothing. Tears welled in his eyes, and he tried to blink them away. He had no idea what Seokjin was talking about, and was too overwhelmed anyway to try to parse it. The air in his chest, once more, felt heavy in Seokjin's presence.  

"What class do you have?" Seokjin asked.

Yoongi knew that he had astronomy next because he had astronomy twice a week every week for several months. And yet, at that moment in time, he had no clue what class he had next. At that moment in time, Yoongi could not tell you what fucking day it was; Seokjin eclipsed everything in Yoongi's mind, shrouding it in shadow. Before then, Seokjin had never looked at him while they had spoken—had never given Yoongi any information about himself—and suddenly, he was asking an innocuous yet personal question about Yoongi's schedule and his brain short-circuited.

"Can you skip it?" Seokjin asked, probably deciding that he was not going to get an answer to the first question any time soon.

"Y-yeah," Yoongi muttered with a nervous nod, mouth hung open and eyes glued to Seokjin though unfocused and only really seeing a Seokjin-shaped blur.  

The coffee that Yoongi still held outstretched was pulled from his grasp, and immediately his fingers felt cold. But not for long, as Seokjin took Yoongi's hand, engulfing his fingers and tugging him through campus. Yoongi stumbled along like a petulant child who did not want to go because—despite very much wanting to go; he could not get his legs to work like normal, and Seokjin was not slowing down for anything. Yoongi wondered if that was a Seokjin trait, to not slow down for anything.

Yoongi had been drunk before, had even done drugs before—nothing too hard, just enough of this and that to catch a body high and melt for a while—but nothing could compare to the spinning, chaotic euphoria that Yoongi experienced while being pulled away from their school, through a small nearby forest, by Seokjin. 

Body, mind, and soul felt ablaze by a warmth that started in Yoongi's hand and spread through his limbs, licking in molten flares throughout his body, festering into something Yoongi could only identify as a side effect of Seokjin holding his hand. He had been to the forest several times before but never deep enough into it to suddenly lose sight of what was outside of it. And certainly never deep enough to find the abandoned pool.

"W-what's out here?" Yoongi muttered.

Seokjin looked back with a smile. "There you are. Welcome back, darling." 

Yoongi didn't ask what Seokjin meant because Yoongi knew that he was not fully along for this ride, mentally. But he did wonder how Seokjin picked up on it. Yoongi wondered if Seokjin could read his thoughts or feelings through the palm of his hand—Seokjin had to have had some kind of super powers to make Yoongi feel so fucked up, after all.   

"This was a pool, and now it's just a chill spot," Seokjin said, tugging Yoongi along to where the jump into the old pool was only three feet. 

Seokjin sat on the edge, still holding Yoongi's hand, so Yoongi sat too, and when Seokjin slid his ass off the edge, Yoongi followed suit, letting himself go over and onto the cracked cement. It hurt his ankles when he landed, but Yoongi did not complain. It was only then, when the jump made some of his iced americano spill out of the lid, from the hole that the straw stuck through, that Yoongi remembered he had been holding something in his hand the whole time.

"I change the sheet from time to time," Seokjin said as they approached an old mattress in the middle of the empty pool. 

Only then, when they stood next to the mattress, did Seokjin let go of Yoongi. Yoongi immediately balled his hand into a fist and watched as Seokjin sank down, took a drink from his coffee, then set it on the floor and laid back. Yoongi did the same—sat on the edge of the mattress, took a large, cold, bitter swig through his straw, then set the drink down on the floor and laid back.

"You disappeared," Yoongi said.

"You scared me."

"Why?"

Seokjin exhaled deeply. "Getting close to people is a gamble. You can never guarantee how it will work out—if the person will always be good to you, if you'll always be good to them. I thought about a future where I would get to know you and come to love you and then squander the chance to be good to you, and it made me sick to my stomach. It made me run." 

Yoongi stared at the clear blue sky above them and tried to make sense of everything, but everything was too much, and he could not quite comprehend it. What did Seokjin mean about wanting to love him and be good to him?

"The sky is so blue," Yoongi muttered.

"B," Seokjin announced. "Believe it or not, I've always liked you."

"What?"

"L. Looks like there's nothing more to hide from you."

Yoongi snickered. "Are you seriously doing an acrostic poem right n—"

"U. Yoongi, you're so fucking pretty."

"Hey, that doesn't technically work��wait, what?"

"I. I tried to run and hide, but everything reminded me of you."

"What?" Yoongi's heart pounded in his chest, and the flames inside his body burned red hot—so hot, Yoongi sat up, gasping for air.

"Too much?" Seokjin asked, his voice coming out nervous. 

"N-no, I just," Yoongi turned to Seokjin. 

"You thought I just so happened to be ordering overpriced shitty coffee twice a week at the same time as you? Always in line right before or after you?" Seokjin chuckled. "I was hoping for a chance to mutter about the weather with you. But thanks for the coffee today, anyway."

"B-but you—" Yoongi's gaze fell to the chipped blue paint and graffiti scrawlings around them, and he wondered if he was dreaming. 

"I'm sorry I let you scare me away."

"You think I'm pretty," Yoongi muttered, looking down at his hands. Tears welled in his eyes once more. 

"So fucking pretty," Seokjin said, sitting up beside Yoongi.

All thoughts left Yoongi's mind as he turned, straddled Seokjin's hips, and draped his arms around his wide shoulders, stopping just before their lips could meet, silently asking for permission. Seokjin wrapped his arms around Yoongi and met him halfway, nodding and turning his face just enough to allow Yoongi to slot their lips together without their noses squishing. Yoongi licked eagerly into Seokjin's open lips, and when Seokjin moaned, Yoongi sniffled.

"Are you crying?" Seokjin asked softly.

Tears poured from Yoongi's eyes as he pulled Seokjin closer—kissed Seokjin deeper. Seokjin was not just a gravitational pull, he was a supermassive black hole, and Yoongi collided with him and exploded, making a huge fucking mess. 

Gently and sweetly, Seokjin pulled Yoongi closer, ran fingers through Yoongi's hair, and Yoongi cried and cried and cried.

"Is it more significant for me to be ruled by Jupiter or Neptune?" Yoongi asks, eyes on the sky as always.

Seokjin turns, propping himself on an elbow. "Are you a traditionalist or a modernist?"

"I don't know."

"I mean, Neptune is literally the god of storm and sea," Seokjin mutters. "And Pisces is the double fish sign, so it makes sense that your planet was changed." 

"What does Roman mythology have to do with astrology?" 

Seokjin grins. "In western systems, the Greeks and Romans reign."

Yoongi sighs. "Loving you is complicated sometimes. There's a lot to remember."

"I would say Neptune for you since you prefer practicality over spiritual abundance."

Yoongi furrows his eyebrows. "I just told you I love you."

"I know, Yoongi, and I love you too," Seokjin mutters sweetly, taking Yoongi's hand in his.

The third time they went to the abandoned pool, Yoongi didn't wait to get to the mattress before he had his hands on him—shoving his body into Seokjin's, pressing Seokjin against the wall in the three-foot end, standing on his toes to reach his lips with the amount of force required to kiss him the way he needed to. The last two times they were there, nobody had gone to disturb them, so Yoongi felt certain that nobody would that time either as his hands dropped to Seokjin's belt loops.

"Want to touch you," Yoongi grumbled into Seokjin's jaw, sloppily kissing and nipping at every inch of skin his mouth could reach. 

"Then touch me," Seokjin responded as if it was a challenge. 

Yoongi reached under Seokjin's baggy pink sweater and grabbed his belt loops. He drug Seokjin along the pool wall, watching the perplexed, excited look on Seokjin's face as he let Yoongi eagerly pull him along. Today there were no coffees in hand, not since Seokjin admitted to only ordering them to be close to Yoongi—not since he gained access to Yoongi without pretense. At the slope where the pool went from three feet to five, Yoongi walked slightly up the incline before stopping, pulling Seokjin into him now that he was ever so slightly taller. 

"On higher ground?" Seokjin teased. "That's cheating."

"Shut up and fucking kiss me," Yoongi whined, pulling Seokjin into a sloppy, needy exchange full of teeth and tongue. 

Yoongi rubbed a palm over Seokjin's tight black pants, giving his half-hard bulge a squeeze, and Seokjin whimpered in Yoongi's mouth. 

"This okay?" Yoongi asked, sounding breathless.

"More," Seokjin responded, nibbling on Yoongi's lower lip. 

Quickly—desperately, even—Yoongi undid Seokjin's fly and shoved his hand into his briefs, fisting his tip to rub precum on his palm, and stroking his thick length.

"Fuck, Yoongi, you're so needy, darling."

"You have no idea," Yoongi groaned as he tugged Seokjin's cock until it was fully erect—until the precum had all but evaporated between their skin, and Yoongi had to bend and spit, catching it between his hand and Seokjin's shaft as if he had been practicing that move. "You have no fucking idea how long I've wanted to touch you."

Seokjin's hands moved to Yoongi's pants, pushing up his oversized black sweater and undoing Yoongi's fly. "Oh, but I do," Seokjin muttered, stopping at the waistline of Yoongi's briefs. "May I?"

"Yes, please. Touch me before I fucking die," Yoongi begged, losing his footing and slamming his hip into the wall of the pool, panting as Seokjin brought their lips back together and pushed past the fabric to collect Yoongi's precum on his palm, sending a flood of arousal crashing over him. 

Yoongi moaned and whined and felt like he might cry again, and Seokjin swallowed every sound whole, licking into Yoongi's mouth as if drawing the sounds out of him with the tip of his tongue. Yoongi used the hand not jerking Seokjin off to tug Seokjin into him by the back of his neck, and Seokjin snaked the hand not jerking Yoongi off around Yoongi's waist to bring their hips flush until their knuckles knocked into each other. 

Seokjin grabbed both of their dicks in his hand and rubbed their shafts together in his palm, and Yoongi quickly followed suit—Yoongi's hand down at the bottom and Seokjin's up at their heads. 

"Holy fuck," Yoongi whimpered as his legs trembled beneath him. "This is so good I might blackout."

"Better not," Seokjin panted into Yoongi's mouth. "You could get a concussion if you fell in here. I'm too fucked out already; there's no way I could catch you."

Seokjin spun them until Yoongi was against the wall and gently bent at the knees, up and down and up, fucking his length into their hands alongside Yoongi's shaft, both of them spilling just enough precum for the friction to feel like heaven. Pleasure built and built, and gradually Yoongi felt like a taut wire ready to snap.

"Your dick is so big," Yoongi whined, feeling his high building and building. 

"Are you into that sort of thing?" Seokjin groaned into Yoongi's mouth, sucking on Yoongi's lip. Yoongi whimpered loudly, hips bucking uncontrollably—he was close. 

"Y-yes. I don't have a preference for topping or bottoming, but if I bottom, I want to get fucked hard. I want it to punch the air f-from my lungs and make me feel like I might die."

Seokjin groaned, pressing Yoongi's body into the wall hard with his bodyweight. "Oh, fuck, Yoongi; I'm gonna come."

Yoongi was already delirious. "Me too."

Seokjin did his best to collect his come as it spurted from his cock, holding his hand over it while Yoongi continued to stroke them. He did not make much noise, but his hips shook, and his breath came out ragged and torn on the edges as he sucked a sensitive spot into Yoongi's neck. 

"I like to bottom the most, but I would fuck you till you're cross-eyed," Seokjin groaned as Yoongi stroked both their cocks despite Seokjin being spent. "I would love to. I bet you make the prettiest sounds."

Yoongi threw his head into Seokjin's shoulder so hard Seokjin hissed and hugged Yoongi close—held him so tight as he came in Seokjin's sticky, come-covered palm. Yoongi mewled and sobbed out choked, pitchy sounds as his hips shook and he saw stars.

"I like it slow and sweet, but I can give it to you as hard as you need," Seokjin panted.

"I can fuck you slow," Yoongi muttered into Seokjin's neck, leaving soft kisses against the skin. "I would love to take my time with you. I would be so good for you."

"Why do we come here still?" Yoongi asks, pressing Seokjin against the pool wall. 

The clouds are dark, and they don't have umbrellas. 

"You're a sentimental Pisces, and coming here helps you hold onto the hope that we'll always exist as long as this place exists."

Yoongi rolls his eyes and ruts his hips into Seokjin, pressing their clothed cocks together. "We have apartments. With beds that are kept in rooms. I can't fuck you out here."

"Why not?" 

"Seokjin, I want to have you to myself in private. We're not students anymore; we don't need to keep coming here. And you can't blame all of this on my birth chart when you're the sentimental one, you know?"

Seokjin pulls Yoongi close and slowly licks into his mouth, pouting. "But if we go to each other's apartments, then all of this becomes set in stone which will make it bigger than it's ever been yet, and it'll just crash down all that much harder and heavier when—"

"It was set in stone when you told me you love me."

Seokjin sighs, "I know, but—"

"Stop fixating on the end and let yourself be happy now. Please."

"I don't know how to do that," Seokjin says through a smile, but it's the sad smile Yoongi knows too well.

Yoongi sighs, pressing his body into Seokjin. "We can't keep frotting in an abandoned pool and stumbling home with come stains on our hoodies like horny teenagers. I want to fuck you properly. Make you feel good. You deserve better than—" Yoongi waves his arm out, motioning to their shabby surroundings, "—this."

Seokjin kisses along Yoongi's throat and neck, shoving his hand into Yoongi's pants. "I'll think about it."

"C," Seokjin muttered, staring at the sky.

"Can you believe there was ever a time before I knew you?" Yoongi responded, squeezing Seokjin's hand tightly. 

"L," Yoongi said, reading Seokjin's next move as always.

"Loving you is easier than breathing," Seokjin sighed. "O."

"Oh, Jinie, are you becoming sappy on me?"

"I've always been the sappy one, darling," Seokjin grinned. 

"U," Yoongi said as his lips brushed over Seokjin's knuckles.

"Unable to comprehend my own thoughts when you're near. D."

"Do you ever wish we could freeze time and stay like this forever? Y."

Seokjin sighed a heavy, deep huff of air and squeezed Yoongi's hand tight. "You have no idea how badly my heart will break when this is over."

Yoongi chuckled softly and shook his head, placing soft kisses against Seokjin's knuckles. "Good thing I would never let you go."

There is nothing particularly special about Yoongi's apartment; it is just not an abandoned pool in the middle of the fucking woods that rests next to a campus he recently graduated from, so in that context, it is pretty fucking nice. 

Yoongi tidies up anyway, hoping to make a good impression on the guy who insisted for several months on dragging him to a dilapidated, deserted, remote location...as Yoongi thinks about it, he realizes how ridiculous it is for him to even care about the state of his place—probably Seokjin would feel more at home if Yoongi pushed all his furniture to the walls and threw a comforter on the floor. 

When Seokjin finally arrives two hours late, holding armfuls of snacks for their intended movie date, he enters the apartment almost skittishly, like a nervous animal that has had one too many run-ins with shady apartments, or something of that nature. Yoongi can't help but feel self-conscious; Seokjin says he loves him, so why can't Yoongi have access to him? Why is he always worried about the future when the present is so promising?

"Baby, relax," Yoongi mutters, taking things from Seokjin's arms and dropping them onto a small nearby table. "There's no pressure; it's like we're hanging out anywhere else."

Yoongi has never called Seokjin baby before, and he expects Seokjin to react in some big way, maybe to scoff it away, but Seokjin softly smiles for just a split moment. 

"I should be open to flexibility. Maybe it's my Capricorn Venus holding me back."

Yoongi approaches and places his hands on Seokjin's cheeks gently. The apartment door still hangs open, but Yoongi doesn't want to startle him by kicking it shut. 

"Baby, please. Regardless of which planet rules your passion, it is natural to let trauma cause you to be unsure. But it's me—it's my place. I'll keep you safe, okay?"

Seokjin gently grabs Yoongi's face and leans in to kiss him. His tongue and voice say so many things without the use of words, and Yoongi understands them all loud and clear, melting in his hold. 

"I need you, Yoongi."

"I got you, baby." 

Yoongi licks playfully over Seokjin's lips, and Seokjin stares at Yoongi with wide eyes. "I need you right now."

"Okay, baby, let's go," Yoongi says, leaning around Seokjin to push his door closed, relieved when it shuts a little too loud and Seokjin doesn't seem to mind. "Let's go; I'll take good care of you."

Yoongi leads Seokjin through his small apartment and into a bedroom that's dim, save for the sun peeking through his blinds. Everything is various shades of grey with black and hints of blue, and Yoongi guides Seokjin over to his dark blue comforter, sitting him on the edge of the bed. 

"Tell me what you need," Yoongi says as he kneels on the floor in front of Seokjin, watching patiently, holding his hands. 

"Just you," Seokjin mutters. "I just want to be taken out of my headspace for a while."

"Would it help if you came in my mouth first?"

Seokjin shakes his head softly and smiles. "Just take your time prepping me. Let me come from your fingers so that I'm overstimulated and sobbing when you finally fuck me."

"I could do both."

Seokjin whines. Yoongi stands, still holding Seokjin's hands. "I'll take good care of you; fuck you nice and slow, baby. Can you undress for me?"

Seokjin nods softly and drops Yoongi's hands, then pulls his sweater over his head. It's bright blue with white stripes on the sleeves and a giant white whale on the front, and Yoongi already plans to steal it and wear it like a dress. Yoongi has caught glimpses of Seokjin's tummy before, but seeing him shirtless in all his broad-shouldered tiny waist glory makes Yoongi's head spin. 

While Seokjin works his fly open, Yoongi gently places his hands over Seokjin's chest and dances them down over his pecs and the expanse of his abdomen, tracing every line and curve he can see with his eyes as if to commit Seokjin's body to memory. 

"Are you gonna fuck me fully clothed?" Seokjin asks with a smirk, and Yoongi chuckles. 

"You're saying you don't usually fuck people with your clothes on?" Yoongi teases as he pulls his large black sweater over his head. 

Seokjin drops his pants to the floor. "Is that what you kids are into these days?"

Yoongi's mouth falls open at the sight of Seokjin's long, muscular legs. He wants to chide Seokjin and remind him that they're practically the same age, but he can't form a coherent thought, so he does not try. 

"Damn, you got it bad for me, don't you?" Seokjin teases, approaching and gathering Yoongi's long white tee in his hands, tugging it up and over Yoongi's head—Yoongi at least has the wherewithal to lift his arms.

"Sorry I think my boyfriend is fucking hot," Yoongi grumbles, looking down and reaching for his fly. 

When Seokjin does not respond, Yoongi's eyes dart back up. Seokjin watches him with some kind of soft, almost unreadable reverence. Yoongi continues to open his pants and push them down, taking his briefs with them, then steps out of them, pushing them aside with his foot. He reaches out to Seokjin and grabs him by the arms, pulling him close. 

"We already say we love each other," Yoongi mutters. "Please don't fret because I called you my boyfriend."

Seokjin smiles, and this time, it makes his eye shimmer. "I like it. Call me more things."

Yoongi wraps his arms around Seokjin's neck and pulls him into a kiss. Against Seokjin's lips, between flicks of his tongue, Yoongi groans, "Gonna make you all mine, baby. Do you want that? Do you want to be mine?"

Seokjin whimpers and tugs them back toward the bed, and Yoongi releases the kiss to let Seokjin sit against the mattress. Yoongi leans forward for one more chaste kiss and says, "Get comfortable for me, baby."

Yoongi moves to his bedside table to collect a bottle of lube. Meanwhile, Seokjin pulls his briefs down and lays on his back in the middle of the bed. Yoongi cannot help but check Seokjin out, scanning from his smile to his toes and back again. With Seokjin on his back, Yoongi grabs the t-shirt he was wearing and drapes it over the end of a pillow like a makeshift towel, then wedges the pillow under Seokjin's lower back and ass to give him more access to him.

Once Seokjin is in position, Yoongi crawls onto his knees on the bed and leans in to suck kisses into Seokjin's thighs, making him moan and writhe. Yoongi thinks it is a shame that he cannot easily see Seokjin's handsome face, but he revels in what he can see. 

Yoongi lubes up two of his fingers and circles Seokjin's hole. Seokjin pants—quick short breaths and quiet whimpers fall from his lips. With his middle finger, Yoongi slowly pushes past Seokjin's rim. His mouth falls open from the warm, soft feeling that engulfs him, and he gently kisses and sucks on Seokjin's thigh as he slowly pulls and pushes, deeper and deeper until he's past his thick knuckle, until Seokjin is whining in choked vowels. 

"So tight, baby," Yoongi groans against Seokjin's thigh. He cranes his neck to see Seokjin's face and smiles at the sight of wet, bitten lips and rosy cheeks. 

"More," Seokjin whines. "Please." 

Yoongi pulls his finger out and flips the lube open with his free hand, pouring more onto his fingers and using the pad of his thumb to warm it, setting the bottle aside. Gently, Yoongi pushes his middle and pointer fingertips in and out, listening to Seokjin whine, watching as his legs shake. Yoongi is slow and patient and takes his time, paying attention to cues to tell him Seokjin is overwhelmed and when Seokjin is relaxed into the feeling and ready for more. 

"F—ah—feels so good," Seokjin whimpers.

"You do feel so good, baby," Yoongi praises, voice deep and raspy. "So tight but so eager.” 

"Want you," Seokjin begs as Yoongi slowly pushes both fingers past the knuckles.

Yoongi bites back a moan at the feeling of Seokjin's ass swallowing him so eagerly, watching his legs continue to tremble. "You're not ready for me yet, baby. Gotta fall apart on my fingers first, remember?"

Slowly, Yoongi pulls out and pushes in, twisting his fingers and opening Seokjin. Yoongi scissors his fingers to stretch him a little more before slowly pressing in a third. Seokjin trembles and gasps but says very little, only squeaking out a deep whimper from time to time and whisper-begging Yoongi not to stop. Yoongi takes his time and finger-fucks Seokjin slowly, and when Seokjin seems adjusted to the stretch, Yoongi seeks out his prostate and gently rubs over the small, sensitive gland, making Seokjin whine.

"That feel good, baby?" Yoongi asks as he sucks another pink spot into Seokjin's thigh.

"S-so good, please don't stop."

Yoongi doesn't stop and he doesn't speed up. And slowly, gradually, he turns Seokjin into a mess of moans and stuttered breaths. Slowly, gradually, Yoongi turns Seokjin into putty in his hands, making Seokjin his. All his. 

"Touch me, please," Seokjin sobs. "I'm getting close."

Yoongi angles himself up enough to grab Seokjin's cock in his free hand, and the touch makes Seokjin seize and his ass squeeze Yoongi's fingers. Rather than stroke Seokjin's cock, Yoongi leans down and runs his tongue up and down the shaft, then takes him into his mouth, swirling his tongue around and gently sucking on the tip while his fingers continue to rock in and out of Seokjin's tight hole. 

Seokjin squeezes Yoongi's fingers and trembles harder than before. He tries to warn Yoongi that he is going to come, and Yoongi groans in response, sucking his thick cock a little further into his mouth. When Seokjin finally comes, whimpering quietly, Yoongi moans and swallows his release. Seokjin's come tastes heady—tangy and sweet—and Yoongi gently sucks every drop he can. 

"F-fuck," Seokjin whines, thighs shaking once more.

Yoongi releases Seokjin from his mouth and gives his shaft one last long, slow lick. "Too much, baby?"

"So sensitive, fuck," Seokjin mutters with a gasp. "Need your cock."

"I got you baby," Yoongi grumbles sweetly, flipping the lube open with his free hand while he slowly pulls his fingers from Seokjin's ass. 

Yoongi takes no time squirting lube onto his palm, repositioning on his knees, and coating his cock. Seokjin has barely had a chance to catch his breath before Yoongi is rubbing his blunt tip over his hole.

"F-fuck, yes, please," Seokjin whines.

"Tell me if it's too much, baby."

Slowly, gradually, Yoongi pushes his tip in, breaching Seokjin's rim with a moan—the tight, soft warmth already making Yoongi lightheaded with arousal. Seokjin's legs shake, and Yoongi wraps his arms around them to try to hold them still as he pulls out and pushes forward, just past the head, just enough to make Seokjin squeal.

"F-fuck, it's too much," Seokjin sobs. "Don't stop, please."

"Are you comfortable, baby? Want me to move the pillow?"

Seokjin nods his head, eyes squeezed shut, letting out a whimpered response of affirmation. Yoongi pulls out and gently tugs the pillow out from under Seokjin's ass, then repositions and pushes his cock back in, just an inch further than before. Seokjin's arms are above his head, his hands are bunching the pillowcase in their grip, and he looks absolutely sinful. Yoongi leans down as he rocks his hips and touches Seokjin's chest, then rubs his fingertips down the expanse of Seokjin's torso.

"So handsome, baby," Yoongi moans, watching Seokjin lips tremble. "So fucking perfect for me."

Seokjin opens his eyes, which are glazed over with tears, and he squeezes his brows together, panting while Yoongi slowly fucks him open, holding his legs spread wide. Seokjin lifts a leg, and Yoongi takes it, resting it over his shoulder, leaning forward a little more. The new angle makes Seokjin's eyes squeeze shut and pulls the delicious sounds from his mouth as his back arches. 

"Fuck, Jinie, your ass feels like fucking heaven," Yoongi praises. "You swallow my cock so eagerly. Such a greedy boy."

Seokjin's dick is hard and leaking against his tummy, and Yoongi runs his fingers gently up the shaft, collecting his precum in his palm and giving the tip a gentle squeeze. Seokjin moans loudly, and his cock twitches in Yoongi's hold, encouraging Yoongi to squeeze a little harder and rub his thumb over the slit.

"Wanna come again baby, or wanna wait for me?"

Seokjin shakes his head. "I'll wait."

Yoongi lets go of Seokjin's cock and focuses on keeping his pace steady, rocking his hips at a rate that pulls slow, sweet whimpers from between both men's lips. Yoongi's body tingles with arousal, and although the build of pleasure is becoming stronger and stronger, it is never intense—never bordering on too much or making him dizzy. Yoongi likes taking his time on Seokjin—he likes the way Seokjin's skin blooms with red and his tummy clenches and releases. 

Seokjin's breathing comes out harsh and ragged, yet measured, and Yoongi wonders if his body was made just for his; if the sweet, soft collision of their bodies is enough to create entire galaxies between them.

Yoongi wonders what the constellations in the universe between his thighs and Seokjin's ass might look like; how compatible their new zodiac charts would be. I was destined to love you, Seokjin's voice says in Yoongi's mind, and Yoongi feels the familiar urge to cry. 

Tears are streaming hot and slow down Yoongi's cheeks by the time Seokjin cries that he is going to come. His croaked, desperate sob has Yoongi's arousal swirling fast and tight, and as Yoongi reaches forward to gently tug on Seokjin's cock, Seokjin squeezes Yoongi's so deliciously that Yoongi bursts bright and hot, exploding quickly, threatening to turn him to dust. Seokjin's body jerks and trembles as he comes, and their moans fill the room in tandem, in a euphony of lust. 

When Yoongi's brain reboots, and he comes to his senses enough to pull his spent cock from Seokjin's ass, tears continue to fall. He rubs at his face with the palms of his hands, and Seokjin reaches out, taking Yoongi's wrists and pulling him forward.

Yoongi had not noticed Seokjin sitting up, but he leans into him and lets Seokjin lick his lips, and he taste the salt from his own tear streaks that have gathered there. Yoongi moans into Seokjin's mouth as he smiles and runs his fingers through Seokjin's thick, sweat-covered hair.

"Let's shower, darling," Seokjin mutters against Yoongi's lips, and Yoongi whimpers and pulls Seokjin closer. "Unless you want me to fuck you until you spill even more hot tears down those pretty, soft cheeks."

Yoongi gasps, opens his eyes wide, and nods, feeling his cheeks warm. He wants Seokjin in and on and around him in every way imaginable. He never wants Seokjin to ever let him go. He is sure of it. 

"I love you," Yoongi sobs. "I love you so much, baby."

"I love you too, Yoongi," Seokjin smiles. Yoongi moves his head back just enough to see the stars that shine in Seokjin's eyes, brighter than any in the night sky. 

"You were destined to love me."

Seokjin chuckles and rubs his nose against Yoongi's nose. "Yes, darling. I was destined to love you."

love this story with all my heart & i hope you love it too!  🪐 tag list: @dasexydevitt13​ & @giriiboyy​

Deep Spaces and Unsteady Explorations is copyright 2022 theharrowing, all rights reserved. Don’t be a silent reader, I love to hear from you! 

[seerofmike]

what are your favorite and least favorite story tropes?

faves:

-grumpy old man and the cute child he adopts . does not matter if the child is cute and innocent or a little bastard

-found family / team as family

-the protagonist and rival/antagonist used to be friends/used to see eye to eye

-a robot or monster or someone who is half human i.e. a cyborg not feeling human enough until they fall in love

-older adult figure realizes child/teen has a rough family life and intervenes or even adopts i.e. matilda

-badass grandma (does that count as a story trope)

-The Power Of Love and Friendship (jkr stinky and dont interact but the scene at the end of the order of the phoenix where harry tells voldemort he'll never know love or friendship....that shit Gets to Me)

-grumpy stoic character x sunshiney bouncy character

okay now for least faves

-villain who really is not reedamble like they committed genocide or are a fucking nazi or some shit gets Redeemed anyways

-it can get done right but most of the time it gets done wrong: a character betraying their friends or doing something awful due to a misunderstanding. this trope is SO frustrating to me

-hetero love triangles . just enter a polyamarous relationship idiot

-related to above, love triangles with Good Boy and Bad Boy . its boring

-the bad boy trope is boring actually. so is manic pixie dream girl.

wait actually.....bad boy x manic pixie dream girl....has this been done before

-"it was all a dream" trope

-"asshole playboy billionaire" trope

most of these are character tropes sowwy

[twsted-princess]

What's your favourite shipping trope?

Oooooh that's tough. While I love the Grumpy Asshole with the Manic Pixie Girl but there's so much more (Knight x Princess, Love Triangle that turns Polygamy, Monster x Human). I'm a trope lover at heart.

[hamlets-ghost-zaddy]

it happened during lunch period

Babe Heffron x Eugene Roe 

Summary: (Teacher AU) Bill is a hardworking math teacher with few wants in this world: eating the taco salad made by his wife for lunch in peace being the most reasonable of them (in his humble opinion). However, his best buddy, Babe Heffron and his spiraling panic over the new anatomy teacher, Eugene Roe, would disagree.

The door to the classroom eases closed after the final pack of kids, tottering off in a slow-moving herd to stuff their faces with the cafeteria’s consistently mediocre food, and Bill watches it inching closed slowly, slowly, just a few more millimeters and he can safely reach for his taco salad, it’s almost there—

“Bill!”

The door swings open, banging against the outside yellow lockers outside, and admitting a fast-moving orange-haired blurred into the sanctity of Bill’s classroom. Bill’s eyes don’t properly register the blur or its hair (though Bill has a ground total of two friends in this school who have enough disregard for their own wellbeing that they’d interrupt his lunch hour, and only one of them has red-hair) until Babe Heffron has his palms splayed on Bill’s desk, leaning over to emphasis the seriousness of his declaration: “Bill, we have a serious problem.”

Bill’s not sure when Babe started to use plurals when talking about his personal issues. He can’t say he likes it.

“What?” Bill asks before shoving Babe’s hands off his desk adding, “Remove your grubby mitts.”

Babe doesn’t let Bill’s tone—equal parts exasperated and annoyed, and no parts concerned, which would be truly ideal—deter him. He slumps into a recently vacated student’s desk, dropping his forehead into a hand. “We got to do something. It’s Eugene Roe.”

“Who?” Bill grunts, opening the lower drawer of his desk and fishing out the Tupperware container of taco salad Fran sent to school with him. They traded who was on lunch prep duty every other day and, while Bill is mighty proud of his chicken salad sandwiches (thank you very much), he also will be the first to admit Fran makes a bombass lunch.

“You know, Eugene Roe, the anatomy teacher?” When he’s met with a blank stare from Bill, Babe expands: “The new one?”

“Ah,” Bill grunts, prying the lid off his lunch before fetching out his fork (real metal because Bill loves the Earth, double thank you very much). “Why didn’t you say that to begin with, huh? Expect me to know the science department’s names, Jesus fucking Christ.” The rivalry between the science and math departments—crammed into the same wing of the school the majority of last semester after the Physics teacher, Speirs, allowed his students to catapult a Barbie (a Barbie on fire, no less) into a pipe of the water main thereby flooding the science halls—is well known. And, really, English teacher or not, Babe knows better than to mention a science teacher to Bill.

Babe’s expression is decidedly unimpressed. “Bill, you wanna hear the problem or not?”

Bill considers saying ‘no’ as he crunches into a bite of lettuce, tortilla, and ground beef. Then again, his only other lunchtime entertainment would be grading quizzes, and Babe’s problem is bound to be less depressing than fifth period’s attempts at trigonometry. “I mean, if I have to,” Bill replies.

Encouraged, Babe lifts his face from his hand, only to use to it to wave and illustrate his story. “I’ve gotta say something to the guy, Bill, I just don’t know what; I mean, he’s a new colleague, I can’t—”

“Babe, you’re spiraling,” Bill observes. He learned the term from his buddy, Lewis Nixon, the psychology teacher, during a faculty meeting the other week (in true form, neither were paying actual attention to what the school district’s superintendent, Sink, was saying) and Bill is probably, admittedly, using it wrong. Still, it feels right.

It does seem to do the trick because Babe cuts himself off to heave a sigh. He gets to the point: “The dude has been dropping my packet copies off in my room—like, he even came in during the middle of one of my classes! Like, yeah, he apologized and everything, but it was so unprofessional! And then he showed me these notes he took during the faculty meeting—”

“Wait,” Bill interrupts, mouth full and ranch dribbling down his chin. What can he say: he’s a man of refinement and culture. “He took notes during the faculty meeting?”

“I know,” Babe nods, vindicated. A spark in Babe’s eyes, a spark Bill associates with discussions of Sunday night football, bottomless wing deals from Buffalo Wild Wings, and first editions of Steinbeck novels, lights in Babe’s eyes. “Like, seriously, who the fuck does that?”

Stuffing his face with more taco salad to disguise the slow-growing, shit-eating grin curling his mouth, Bill echoes: “Who the fuck.” (Though, it’s around food, so it sounds more like the caterwauling of a minorly inconvenienced cat).

“It made me look like I wasn’t paying attention,” Babe adds.

“You weren’t paying attention,” Bill corrects, because he can’t let the implication stand: if Bill or Nix—or math department head Joe Toye, or chronically grumpy Johnny Martin—weren’t paying attention, there was no way in fuck Babe Heffron was paying attention. “Plus,” Bill drawls, “He did save your ass; Webster would have dragged you if you couldn’t come up with the name of the new book they’re wanting for Common Core. And he’s insufferable enough as is. Remind me why the fuck we decided to invite him to Tuesday morning coffee?”

Frowning and looking uncharacteristically thoughtful—Bill wonders if smoke will start pouring from Babe’s ears, his brain is working so hard—Babe mutters, “We wanted to give Liebgott someone to fight with, remember?” Pause. “Can’t believe they’re replacing The Great Gatsby with John fucking Green.” Another pause. “Like, seriously, if that’s the administrations idea of author diversity and representation than—”

Sensing a brewing literature rant that will ruin any enjoyment he’ll have eating his taco salad in all statistical probability (especially as he is getting to the guacamole layer), Bill hastily prompts: “Babe, you were griping about Roe?”

“Oh, right,” Babe says, shaking his head as if to physically clear his brain of any further mutterings of ‘manic pixie dream girls’ or ‘romanticizing sicknesses.’ “So as if the copies, the interrupting class, and the notes aren’t enough, this little twerp—” Bill’s eyebrows furrow: twerp? Really? “—goes and fricking—! I mean, get a load of this: I let him use one of my whiteboard markers and instead of giving it back, he buys me a new pack! It was one of my good markers, too!”

“What happened to the original one?”

Babe shrugs. “Roe said some kids exploded it over a Bunsen burner.”

Bill opens his mouth to ask, decides he doesn’t want to know, and instead settles on, “Let me see if I got this straight: he delivers you copies of your lesson material so you don’t have to walk to the copy room way over in the BFE, he helps you not make an ass of yourself by filling you in about the meeting, and not only replaces your shit but gives you more than what you gave him to begin with?”

Nodding furiously through the whole summation, Babe declares a heated: “Exactly!” when Bill finishes, punctuating it. Red has risen in Babe’s cheeks, fiery enough to rival his hair, and his fists have clenched tight. “He’s making me look bad, Bill! Like I can’t function by myself as a teacher or grown-ass adult! I know he’s new and we have to create a welcoming work environment, but, seriously—”

“Babe,” Bill intones, because for all that his friend’s an idiot, this—by Bill’s estimation—is Babe really outdoing himself. He can’t stand how embarrassed he is for him. “Babe, you’re mad because Roe is being nice to you.”

“’Nice?’” Babe echoes, spluttering and choking over the word. The eloquence of an English teacher. “What? ‘Nice?’”

Bill nods gravely. “Nice.” To emphasize his point, he crunches into some particularly crisp lettuce.

“I—uh—what—?” Babe squawks. “Bill, ‘nice?’ What do you mean?”

“You’re an English teacher, Babe, you tell me what ‘nice’ means,” Bill retorts, casting his eyes to his classroom’s ceiling as if asking for divine intervention—or maybe Carwood Lipton’s intervention, his classroom directly above. When he returns his eyes to Babe, he finds the red, formerly staining his skin, drained, leaving Babe gaping like a gutted fish. Taking pity, Bill sighs and tries a different tactic, “Kid, he’s not trying to undermine you. He’s trying to be nice.”

“But, Bill,” Babe protests weakly, “Why would he be that ‘nice?’” The implication of Babe’s dubiousness over if it truly is niceties compelling Roe’s actions heavies Babe’s words. “I mean, he’s not that ‘nice’ to anyone else.”

“I don’t know, Babe,” Bill says, though he knows full well why. “Have you done anything nice for him?”

“Well there was that one time I bought him coffee, and I, uh, I told him his tie is nice, and…” Babe trails off. Bill watches with perhaps too much interest as Babe grows yet paler. He hadn’t thought it possible and, if Bill didn’t want the entire science department to drown in a Second Great Barbie Tsunami, he would have reported this preternatural phenomenon to them. Babe’s rambling thoughts, meanwhile, only allow him to get out a single: “Oh. My. God.”

Shoveling more ground beef into his mouth, Bill intones: “You’re spiraling again.”

Babe drops his forehead into his hands—both of them this time—and lets out a long groan. “Oh my god,” he repeats, “Do I have a crush on Roe? Does he have a crush on me?”

Eating the last of the taco salad, Bill confirms: “Definitely spiraling.”

[amaluelmwood]

This is so stupid. But I have figured out the formula for my ships. I have an actual fucking type. (Anyone who’s known me long enough has probably already figured it out - and I BET there’s a shit ton other people with the same damn type, right, right? I can’t be the only one!) 

Person A = Grumpy Bastard With Heart Of Gold

Person B = Actual Ray Of Sunshine + Sarcasm/Little Shit

And it nearly always starts with my zeroing in on the Grumpy Bastard, like, ‘yes good, you’re grumpy but you mean well, you remind me of me’ and then I squint at the rest of the cast until I spot The One, the Actual Ray Of Sunshine and am all ‘yes good, you can be the one, you can be the one to make The Grumpy Bastard smile’. And that’s it. The ship latches into my mind and an OTP is born.

SOMETIMES I spot the Actual Ray Of Sunshine first. But mostly it’s Grumpy Bastard first.  

And, I mean, it’s not always so clear-cut? Of course. Sometimes ‘grumpy bastard’ translates as ‘stoic’ or ‘deeply hurt so keeps things close to chest’ and ‘actual ray of sunshine’ sometimes translates to ‘little shit’ or ‘emotions on sleeve’ or ‘also deeply hurt but faking it with the biggest smile/loudest personality’. 

[*Adds: this isn’t just about the Grump either? I mean, a lot of times the Sunshine can also be in need of something? Sunshine might be putting on the Loud for underlying insecurity reasons, or to cover for a Dark Past, or they might just legitimately be Oblivious. And that’s where Grump comes in! They provide grounding, even if it’s in the form of pessimism/realism, or holding Sunshine by the scruff of the neck to stop them doing something really bloody stupid. 

So, this is a proper partnership where both contribute, not, like, a ‘manic pixie dream girl’ situation where Grump basically uses Sunshine to Better Themselves. Because that shits tired and annoying.]

I present to you (myself, mostly) the evidence: 

Please enjoy this trip through Hannah’s brain. Also, sorry.

1. These two bastards

Like, literally, both fucking versions of them. They have completely consumed my brain in recent months. My queue is FULL of them. I am writing 6 separate fucking fics for them. Bones is my favourite thing in all of Star Trek, I literally cannot get enough of him. 

(There’s something about the ‘grump/stoic’ characters in Trek that I just latch onto every time - in TNG it was Data, in DS9 it was Odo and Garak, I didn’t watch Voyager enough to settle on anyone, and didn’t enjoy Enterprise enough. In Discovery it’s Saru!) 

2. These two shits

This was an example of the ‘Actual Ray Of Sunshine’ being latched onto first, Eames took like thirty seconds of screentime to do that yo. As soon as he and Arthur were in the same room, BANG that was it. OTP. Everyone else go home.

3. The We Could Have Had It All 

Another example of the ‘Actual Ray Of Sunshine’ hitting me first lol The INSTANT Stiles tumbled off that damn roof, that was it. And then the INSTANT Derek showed up and they looked at each other across the leaf-strewn forest floor BAM OTP. 

And it really COULD have been everything. They had such onscreen chemistry, I stg. And the episode this scene is from? Could have set Stiles up as the Pack’s next Emisary, but noooooooo. Ugh. I love these two so fucking much, but I couldn’t with the show after, like, S3B or whatever the fuck they called it.

4. Seriously 

I was actually a multi-shipper for Naruto, but still almost entirely GrumpxSunshine lol 

5. Never forget these two yo 

I have always been and will always be a Stony shipper. Tony is my BB, has always been will always be. He is my Sad Genius Son. He needs protection. He needs to sleep. And before Civil War, I thought the Actual Ray Of Sunshine Little Shit that is Steve Rogers was it for my brain. I thought I was a single-shipper! Unable to multiship My Son Tony! But Civil War did happen, and so:

6. these two shits came on the scene:: 

and

Which is totally all about someone being there to help out my Boy Tony with their Sunshiney Little Shit ways since a certain someone displeased me greatly and was unceremoniously dropped from my brain as ‘Actualy Ray Of Sunshine Prime’. *cough* 

7. And sticking with Marvel, these two shits omg 

Which is fucking canon as far as I’m concerned.

8. More Marvel, and one of my oldest ships

Rogue, like, epitomised the ‘Don’t Touch Me’ thing and Gambit the ‘I Love You Anyway’ thing yo. And, being X-Men, they BOTH have that Tragic Past and Secret Hurt thing going on - but Rogue was always quite stoic and Gambit always fun loving and definitely a little shit. 

9. More Marvel and another old-ish one (also I know the guy who did this art for this run)

These two fuckin’ nerds, I swear t’god. ‘I can never kiss her!’ ‘YOU DON’T NEED TO KISS HER TO BE INTIMATE’ good GODS JONO *cough* I may have shouted at my comics a lot when Jono kept being his Emo British Self in Generation X...

10. NEW OTP ALERT 

SERIOUSLY? Aizawa ‘Let Me Sleep’ Shouta and Yamada ‘Living Smile’ Hizashi? Actual fucking Avatars of The Grump and Actual Ray Of Sunshine? Of course. Yupp. Cool cool cool. Right. 

---

Other examples that I can’t be arsed to find pictures for: 

11. Hannibal and Will. Hannibal is obviously the Little Shit and Will the Giant Grump (fight me on this one, I dare you) 

12. Dean Winchester and Castiel. Dean is the Actual Ray Of Sunshine and Castiel the Grump. 

13. Harry and Eggsy. Harry’s the Grump and Eggsy’s the Actual Ray Of Sunshine. Duh 8l 

14. Sonic and Amy (Fleetway comics) - look, I started young. Shut up. 

15. Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood - Harry is The Grump and Luna is the Sunshine and I will take this ship to my fucking grave. 

16. Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy - in which Harry is less The Grump and more Actual Ray Of Sunshine while Draco is totally The Grump 

17. Lance and Kieth - Kieth’s the Grump and Lance is the Actual Ray Of Sunshine, though Lance also has the Deeply Hurt thing going on! 

Y’know what, there are a thousand of these but I’m sort of sick of myself at this point lol Anyone else around here have this same Grump/Sunshine trope to their shipping??? 

I hope you enjoyed this completely unnecessary and random delving into my mindscape 8l