#I voted for the cool dream ending before it ends

[eyekonvivi]

The Seventh Star - Chapter 3 - Katseye x 7th member reader

All right reserved

3,1 k

Warnings : cuteness

Notes : That's it for chapter 3 ! I tried to make it as long as possible without making it too long. I must admit that i'm really proud of this one, I hope you liked it ! 

And I wanted to thank you for your comments and vote on both Wattpad and Tumblr :) 

Two days later, We stood side by side on a velvet stage in front of flashing cameras. One of  our first press showcase. Media from South Korea, France, the U.S and beyond had flown in to see the official seven-member debut.

The room was buzzing, the backdrop shimmering with Katseye's logo in platinum foil.

Each girl had taken turns answering questions. Until now, I thought the girls' answers were very well controlled, although the questions were not necessarily very pertinent and sometimes rather embarrassing. I waited silently for my question, reassured by Megan's calm presence beside me.

Then a voice from the crowd cut through the air :

" Y/n, some fans online were surprised by your addition to the group. Some say your vocals don't match the group's overall tone. How do you respond to that?"

Every head turned.

My chest tightened. The mic in my hands suddenly felt like a weight. I opened my mouth, but the words slipped away.  Before I could form a full sentence, Megan leaned toward my mic.

"I don't know who those 'fans' are," she said, cool and confident, "but y/n's tone gives our harmonies depth. Some voices are soft-spoken until you actually listen."

There were murmurs of approval from the room.

I looked at her, stunned. Megan gave me a small, sideways wink.

Then, Sophia added, "Seven voices. Seven strengths. That's Katseye's foundation."

I found my voice again.

"I know I was a surprise to some people. But I'm not here to replace anyone—I'm here to add something. That's what music is, right? Layers."

Flashbulbs popped. The moment passed. But I could feel my hands shaking slightly even after the interview ended.

Megan bumped shoulders with me as we walked offstage.

" Welcome to the spotlight, seventh star."

" Thanks Meg, I really appreciate it " I reply, with a sincere smile.

As I feel an arm clinging to mine, Megan moves towards Daniela and I look away to Lara standing beside me, a teasing smile on her lips.

"So we're saved by her knight in shining armor, are we?" she whispers conspiratorially.

I blush slightly at her words before replying :

" She's not my knight in shining armor! She would have done it for any member of the group..."

"Sure" she replies with a wink, "Let's hurry up and get changed, Son told Yoonchae he was going to treat us to a restaurant after that awful interview."

We then head happily towards the rest of the group, who are talking half-amusedly, half-irritated in the dressing room about the absurd questions we've had to answer.

I watch with a smile on my face as Daniela's antics mimic Manon's hilarious reaction to being asked by a fan which band member she hated most during all the drama surrounding her during Dream Academy.

I change quietly, thinking about Lara's words, feeling at home in the group's chaotic atmosphere, which becomes more pronounced when Lara and Sophia decide to join Daniela in her imitations.

***

 We enter the restaurant with Son and a few members of the production team. The atmosphere is intimate, with soft light emanating from the ceiling. The tables are covered with red-checked tablecloths, and the stereotype is so overdone that it makes me let out a discreet laugh.

At least, that's what I thought, because the whole group turns to me, including Son, who questions me, one eyebrow raised : 

" Y/n ? What's so funny ?" 

" I'm sorry, it's just that this restaurant is really a stereotype of French culture as seen by Americans, I find it quite amusing " I reply shyly.

" Ok, I was thinking that maybe you didn't like the restaurant... Although Megan insisted that we go to a French restaurant to cheer you up".

" It makes me happy Son, thanks a lot "

I then turn to Megan and whisper teasingly :

"So, Meg, you're influencing Son's decisions for me now ?"

"I, I just wanted you to take your mind off the horrible interview questions, well, uh, cheer up the group and, and what better way to do that than with French food? " she tries to justify herself, her cheeks slightly flushed.

" Yes, it's true that French cuisine never fail to comfort me , thank you Meg." I put an end to her misery with a warm smile.

From the corner of my eye, I see Lara struggling to hold back her laughter. I give her a murderous look, which she answers with a wink, before moving to sit next to Manon.

As I look around for somewhere to sit, I notice that the only empty seat is the one opposite Lara between Sophia and Daniela. The latter's animosity towards me seems to have eased somewhat over the last few days, but that's probably more to do with the fact that we're very busy and our interactions are professional and on camera.

So I'm a bit nervous when I sit down.

But no sooner do I get my butt on the chair than the conversations start and the girls, with the exception of Manon, bombard me with questions about French food. I try to describe each dish as best I can, until they all go back to their own menus.

I'm hesitating between the Quiche Lorraine and the Boeuf Bourguignon when I feel a discreet tap on my shoulder, I look up and see Daniela looking at me with an awkward expression.

"Uh, y/n, I just wanted to ask you what you were going to order because I have no idea what to choose..."

"I was hesitating between these two..." I point to my two choices on the menu "but I think I'll go for the Quiche Lorraine, it reminds me too much of my childhood."

At the end of my words, she concentrates on the menu, eyebrows furrowed in a way that I must admit is rather adorable, if you forget her usual temper for a second...

She then raises her head determinedly towards me, and announces, as if it were the biggest decision of her life : 

" Okay, I will order the same thing then." 

I let out a laugh at her behaviour, followed by Manon, who was watching our exchange. Daniela's brows furrow, and she adds with a smirk.

" So if it's not good, I can always blame your lack of taste."

"How generous of you" I add, before focusing my attention on the waitress who has just arrived at our table.

The meal is punctuated by laughter with the girls, Son's improbable annectotes and, above all, Daniela's various comments on the tasting of her Quiche Lorraine and the bits of food she steals from Manon and Lara's plates.

I observe her as, with her glass of white wine in hand, she makes a whole plea to me and Lara about how the egg on the latter's Croque Madame shouldn't be legal, and how awful the mixture is. 

She actually seems to be in her element, surrounded by her friends, sharing her more childlike, fun side with me.

Maybe a friendship between us will finally be possible, or at least a proper professional relationship.

When the dessert menu finally arrives, I'm full of hesitation when I see that there's a Crème Brûlée and Macarons, both of which I really want, but I don't really want to be the only one to choose both.

Seeing my hesitation, Sophia gently suggests:

"We can share the two if you like, so you can eat both and I can discover even more about French gastronomy".

"We have a deal then" I reply with a smile. 

When our two plates arrive, I share my dessert with Sophia while quietly discussing our opinions on the different tastes of macarons.

"You should try the caramel one, I swear it's to die for ! " Sophia tells me enthusiastically.

"Okay"

Just as I was expecting Sophia to place the macaron on my plate, she hands it to me, expecting me to bite it. I do so hesitantly, looking into Sophia's eyes as I take my first bite, her eyes slightly widening, but this moment is broken when I hear Yoonchae whisper to Lara :

" They really act like a married couple."

" Yes, they do", replies Lara.

Manon and Megan laugh in response, although when I meet Megan's eyes, I realize that her smile doesn't quite reach her eyes. As for Daniela, she reacts in a blasé manner, adding:

"You're not going to reduce the amount of fan fiction about girl groups..."

The laughter starts up again, and is maintained by Sophia's particularly humorous laugh, which makes me laugh out loud.

Our meal ends in good spirits with a little speech from Son, who expresses how proud he is of what we've achieved so far. I leave the restaurant with tears of gratitude in my eyes, because even if the beginning wasn't easy, I feel that things can get better with the girls.

***

The next day 

After our warm-up session, I find myself sitting on the floor, exhausted, and as Manon hands me a bottle of water, the music producer clapped her hands once, hard. 

"Okay. I'm pairing people off for the unit stages next week. I want to see chemistry, contrast, vocal risk."

The room tensed. That tone meant challenge.

She read from her clipboard. "Sophia and Lara. Megan, Yoonchae and Manon. And...  Y/n with Daniela."

Daniela's jaw shifted. I went still.

The room reacted quietly : exchanged looks, low whispers.

"Great," the producer said. "You'll be covering 'Bleeding Love' by Leona Lewis. Stripped-down version. Two microphones. One harmony, one lead."

Megan let out a low whistle. "They really said tension and tears." 

Practice was painful.

Daniela barely looked at me. Their first rehearsal was spent in near silence, except for music cues and a few comments like :

" You're late on the downbeat."

" That run's unnecessary."

"Are you even breathing properly ?"

I  tried to stay calm. Tried to focus. But the weight of the song— our lack of connection—made the performance fall flat every time.

By the third day, the producer finally paused the track.

"This isn't working," she said. " Not because your voices clash. But because you're clashing. Figure it out. "

She walked out, leaving us alone in the sound booth.

A long silence.

Finally, I broke it. "Do you hate me?"

Daniela glanced up sharply.

"I don't hate you," she said. "I just don't know how to trust someone who skipped the part where we bled for this."

I stepped forward. "I already told you that I didn't skip it. Mine just wasn't on camera." 

Daniela stared at me  "That's fair."

"Are you angry because I joined the group when I wasn't supposed to?"

"I, I kind of was at first, I was so obsessed with this idea of being a member of six with certain members in mind. But when I saw your name called instead of Emily, who I was so close to and who to me so deserved her place in the group, I don't know, it made me so angry..."

Another pause.

Then, softly :  "You have control on the bridge. It's nice. When you're not second-guessing."

I  blinked. "That almost sounded like a compliment."

Daniela smirked faintly. "Don't get used to it."

They ran the song again. This time, something clicked—not in friendship, not yet. But in rhythm. In breath. In the shared pain the song demanded.

It was a start

***

The next evening, I was in the practice studio late. Everyone else had left, but I had stayed behind to work on her choreography—alone, as usual.

Until the door creaked open.

Lara walked in.

I glanced at her through the mirror. Lara was always hard to read. Soft-spoken, analytical. Her expression was calm, neutral. 

"Couldn't sleep?" I asked, half-joking.

"I sleep fine," Lara replied, sitting by the wall. "I just watch who stays late."

I stopped stretching. "Meaning ?"

"You and I have something in common," Lara said, tilting her head. "We both live just outside the center of the group. Observers."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that what you think I am ? An outsider?"

Lara shrugged. "You kinda feel like one. But you still show up. That matters."

Silence.

Then, she added, more softly: " You don't perform for approval. That's rare here."

I felt something loosen in my chest. "You're not what I expected."

"Neither are you."

They didn't say much more that night. But Lara stayed for one full run-through of my dance. And when I hit my final move and looked up, Lara nodded once.

A quiet seal of recognition

***

After this late-night training session, we drive home with Lara, music blaring in the vehicle.

When we open the door, we notice voices in the dimly lit living room, bickering.

"No seriously, we've already watched Twilight far too many times for it to be legal. Why not a Disney? Rapunzel, for example. "

"We already watched Rapunzel three weeks ago Soph..."

"Yes, but it's a classic, we never get sick of it!"

"If you say so..."

After depositing our stuff in the entrance hall, we head for the voices and spot Manon and Sophia, on the sofa, bickering in front of a TV that itself seems bored with the argument.

"You're not asleep?" Lara asks.

"No, we wanted to have a movie session, but after watching Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for the thousandth time, I thought it couldn't hurt to continue the evening on something else" Manon replies, at the peak of desperation.

"I see. Good luck with Sophia then, I'm going up to my room to call my sister. Good night girls!"

Lara gives us each a little hug before heading for the stairs.

"Do you want to join us y/n? So you can choose the movie and save us spending two hours choosing. "Manon suggests.

"Let me just go take a quick shower and I'll be right there, that'll give me time to think about the movie."

"We can make popcorn in the meantime!" says Sophia enthusiastically.

"You know how to talk to me, Sophia! "I reply with the same enthusiasm.

I hurry off to my room, where Yoonchae is fast asleep. Maybe I should go and shower at Lara and Megan's if I don't want to wake her up, she looks so peaceful. I quickly decide on this solution and grab my things as quietly as possible.

Je ferme la porte le plus délicatement possible puis me dirige vers la chambre de Lara et Megan avant de frapper doucement. 

"Lara, are you still in here?"

I hear no reply, but light footsteps approach the door. It's an adorably disheveled Megan, her head half-covered by the hood of her hoodie, who opens the door for me.

"Y/n? What are you doing here?"

" Hey Meg, I just wanted to ask if I can take a quick shower in your bathroom because Yoonchae is sleeping so soundly, I don't want to wake her."

" You're such a cutie " she mumbles, fidgeting with her fingers " Uh it's giving older sister vibe! "

"Thanks, I just try my best. So it's a yes?"

" Uh yes of course. Come in, make yourself confortable, Lara is on the balcony chatting with her sister"

" Merci beaucoup. I shall hurry if I don't want Manon and Sophia to murder me or die of boredom waiting for me, see you soon! "

"Yeah, see ya," Megan replies, heading for her bed.

I then head for the bathroom and take the fastest shower of my existence while trying to think about the film. I get dressed quickly but realize too late that I forgot to take a t-shirt. So I call Megan through the door.

"Meg? Do you have a T-shirt I can borrow? I forgot to pick one up in my hurry earlier".

"Yes, I'm coming," I hear her muffled voice.

After a few seconds, her footsteps approach the bathroom door and she knocks gently, I leave just enough space to let her hand pass through with the T-shirt and close it almost immediately after thanking her.

The T-shirt she has handed me is a large Angel City soccer jersey with Megan's last name on the back. I'm just questioning her choice when I hear Sophia calling me from downstairs.

When I finally emerge from the bathroom, Megan looks me up and down with a slightly satisfied smile. I quickly walk over to her to give her a hug and add when I'm close to her ear in a soft voice:

"Thanks for the jersey sweetie. And good night! "

I barely have time to observe Megan's flushed face before I half-run out of the room to join Manon and Sophia who are already waiting for me, three huge bowls of popcorn in front of them.

"So what did you pick ?" questions Manon.

"Uh I thought we might watch..."

"Is that Megan's t-shirt you're wearing?" asks Sophia, her eyebrows slightly furrowed.

"Yes, I didn't want to wake Yoonchae so I went to their room to shower but as I was rushing I forgot my shirt so Meg let me borrow one."

"Great, great but what movie are we watching ?" insists Manon.

"What do you think of The World of Narnia ?"

"Good idea !"

"Let's do that then."

Manon rushes to grab the telecomand as I settle between her and Sophia on the sofa.

Sophia seems in her thoughts as Manon searches for the film on the TV, concerned at her rare silence, I ask :

"Are you alright Soph ?"

"Yeah don't worry, I'm just tired".

As soon as the film begins, I grab my bowl of popcorn and devour it as avidly as Manon.

However, after about thirty minutes, I feel the effects of the training on my body and end up snuggling up to Sophia, resting my head on her shoulder before sinking into a deep sleep.

***

I wake up on the sofa, with a pillow under my head and a small blanket over my body.

But what worries me most is the smell.

The kitchen smelled like noodles and smoke.

I ran in coughing. "Is something burning ?!"

Yoonchae turned from the stove with a sheepish smile. "I forgot water boils."

I laughed. "You... forgot?"

"I got distracted trying to remix our setlist for fun," she said, waving her phone. "It kind of slaps though."

I looked at her. Yoonchae was chaotic in a way I would usually find exhausting—but somehow, with her, it was oddly comforting.

"You're not worried about all the pressure?"

Yoonchae leaned against the counter. "Pressure is a drumbeat. I just dance over it."

I grinned. " That's poetic."

"I get like that when I'm hungry and slightly choking on smoke."

We cracked the window open and ate instant noodles on the floor.  We chatted about anything and everything, sometimes in a vague English, but it was enough for us in this moment, a morning spent around a quiet laugher.

It wasn't a deep heart-to-heart. But I realized that for Yoonchae, connection didn't come through speeches—it came through shared space, laughter, and not taking the world too seriously.

I was glad that, Yoonchae, my new roomate was in this group,  I needed her young energy to keep me from slipping into the sometimes dark abyss of adulthood, and especially into the sometimes toxic environment of the music industry.

[starl0rds]

Theory of Desire

Hwang In-ho x Fem! Reader ୨୧ · ♡ · ୨୧

“Everyone wants to live.” “Everyone wants,” he murmured. “Well, of course.” It was your turn to meet his eyes. Your breath caught in your throat. “Don't you, Young-il?”

As past and future converge in the throes of the games, your fate becomes inextricably entwined with a man you once knew.

Titled after Jacques Lacan’s "Theory of Desire."

Author's Note: hi! this is my first squid game fic. story is mostly finished and chapters will be posted every few days on ao3. eventual smut (minors dni!) with elements of philosophy, angst, yearning, mutual pining... yah. enjoy! <3

︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶ ୨♡୧ ︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶ ୨♡୧ ︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶

Chapter 1: I heard a scream in the woods somewhere

My head was warm 

My skin was soaked 

I called your name 'til the fever broke 

When I awoke 

The moon still hung 

The night so black that the darkness hummed 

- “In the Woods Somewhere,” by Hozier

Ding! Sharp and decisive, the sound of the last buzzer pierced your ears. You were sure that ringing would revisit you in your dreams, haunt you forever. 

Player 001 had cast the final vote. You couldn’t have beared to look as he made his decision. But as you slowly opened your eyes, the sounds around you told you all you needed to know.

On your side, the players who had voted “X” grew hushed. Some cried out in rage and disbelief, others in utter despair. Opposite from you across the large room, the “O” players erupted into cheers. You looked first at Gi-hun, and found his face awash in anguish. Your eyes panned to the scoreboard above: 182 for X, 183 for O’s.

Your stomach dropped. 

Amidst the chaos of the room, and the dawning revelation that you would be forced to play another game, your eyes fell on Player 001 himself. He fastened his “O” patch onto the chest pocket of his tracksuit, then turned and joined the mass of jubilant “O” players. Rather than celebrating with them, he stood with a quiet confidence, the self-assuredness of a man with conviction. The expression on his chiseled face was placid, unyielding. And though you knew that a hundred and eighty-two others had voted for the games to continue, you couldn’t help but feel a burning anger at what he had done. What he had condemned you all to, once more.

Depending on who you had voted for, dinner was either solemn or celebratory. For you, Gi-hun, and the few other players you had gotten acquainted with, the scant meal of bread and milk was eaten in silence. 

Your stomach protested, but your mouth ran dry. In your hands, the unwrapped pastry and the opened carton of milk felt heavy. You set them down on the bed next to you.

“You need to eat,” Gi-hun urged across from you. For his part, it appeared as if he had only taken a single, begrudging bite from his pastry. “You’ll need your strength for the games.”

“My appetite is shot. I can’t.”

“Later, then.”

You nodded, the two of you lapsing into silence. Your mind drifted to the way he had led the players through Red Light, Green Light. Though you had scoffed when he first made his claims, the horror that had unfolded proved he was right. After what had happened at the end of the game, you resolved to stay by his side.

You looked down, and found your hands shaking.

As the hour passed, you leaned your head back against the thin headrest of your bunk. The cool metal soothed you in a way, uncomfortable as it was, grounding you to your senses. You were here. You were alive. If the games would keep on going, you supposed you had to, too. Your mind drifted back to the uneaten meal left beside you, and you felt your stomach rumble once more. 

Footsteps snapped you out of your daze. You looked up, startled, and saw him approaching—none other than Player 001, his face carrying the same unreadable expression from before. His eyes were trained not on you but somewhere off to your right—where Gi-hun was sitting, slumped over in his dejection.  

He drew closer, leaving you with little time to ascertain his motive. Your throat tightened. There it was again, the pool of anger in your chest, bubbling up within you. And at the same time, something about his appearance sparked a memory. Those features, those piercing eyes, the set jaw—

“Have we met before?” you asked, the question tumbling out of your mouth before you could stop it.

You became acutely aware of the attention you’d drawn to yourself. Gi-hun, Player 390, and Player 388 all looked up from their food, pulled into curiosity. And then there was Player 001, whose gaze had now fallen on you. Something in his dark eyes, some expression you couldn’t quite name, made your heart race.

It wasn’t until he answered your question that you remembered you asked it in the first place. “I don’t believe so,” is all he replied.

“Are you certain?” you swallowed. “You look awfully familiar.”

“I assure you, in my line of work, it is not in my nature to forget a face.”

“What do you want?” Gi-hun interjected.

“To talk.” His voice was even and gravelly, like the tide. “You said you played in the games before. Does that mean you know what the next game is?”

Gi-hun straightened from his position. He looked at the others—Player 390, Player 388, then you, as if gathering assent from your small group. 

He nodded, slowly. “Last time I was here, the second game we played was dalgona .”

The other man tilted his head at Gi-hun. “I sense that you’re upset at me.”

“If you had chosen ‘no’ in that last vote, we wouldn’t have to play this game at all. We would have been going home.” 

“And yet 182 other people also voted to stay. If I had voted ‘X’ and we all left, would everyone have been happy?” He scanned Gi-hun’s face. “I voted ‘yes’ because of you. Because we have a past winner here. Perhaps, you can guide us.”

His eyes fell on you again. That’s what it was, you realized.

Hunger. Masked, but surely there, nonetheless.

︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶ ୨♡୧ ︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶ ୨♡୧ ︶︶︶ ⊹ ︶︶ (chapter cont. on ao3!)

[meganx]

Just One Weekend // Lando Norris x OFC // Part One

Summary: Alice has been a Formula One fan all her life. When the opportunity came up to enter a competition that could mean attending an actual race, she pounced on it. When the news finally came that she had won, she was cautiously optimistic about what the experience would hold. Lando, on the other hand, would rather eat fish than spend an entire weekend entertaining a stranger.

All My Works

Series Master List

Next Part

Part One

The light from her laptop illuminated her face as she studied the email for the fifth time that day.

From: mclarenpr@mclarenracing.com To: alice.richards@email.com Subject: YOU'RE GOING TO THE SILVERSTONE GRAND PRIX!

Dear Alice You've won! Your helmet design was incredible, and the team unanimously voted it the winner. As our VIP guest, you'll receive exclusive access to next weekend's Grand Prix. Please reply to this email as soon as you can so we can arrange your flight tickets, accommodation, and paddock pass. Once again, congratulations! Regards, The McLaren PR Team

She blinked, reread it, then let out a strangled, "Holy -".

Of course, she checked the email address multiple times, comparing it with the one listed on McLaren's website. A part of her was terrified that this was somehow a spam email, or worse, another one of Mia's pranks. So, she checked the email address again, read the email again, and repeated that until she was convinced this wasn't somehow a trick.

She clicked her phone on and immediately video called Mia. One ring, two rings, then, "Hey, Ali! What's - Wait, are you crying? Why are you crying?".

The tears streamed down her face in happiness and excitement, and she had to hold back from screaming in celebration. She had never been very good at holding back emotions. Her mother always said her emotions were easier to read than a picture book.

"I won," she said. Her voice was soaked with raw emotion, and it broke just a little at the end.

"Won what?" Mia's question was laced with confusion. Winning something didn't usually result in full-body sobbing.

"Remember," she paused to sniffle, "Remember that helmet design competition I entered like two months ago? I won."

As she said the words out loud, another wave of emotion washed over her. Or maybe crashing into her would be a better way of explaining how it felt. She felt pure, unadulterated joy at the prospect of attending the Silverstone Grand Prix. Formula One had always held a special place in her heart, and never in her wildest dreams did she think she would have the opportunity to actually attend a race.

Mia screamed. She screamed so loudly that for a second Alice was convinced the speakers in her phone would blow.

"I knew you would! That's amazing Ali!"

Mia was always a person who felt others' joy. She celebrated every one of Alice's achievements like they were her own. Maybe that was just what happened when you've been best friends with someone for fifteen years.

Suddenly, Alice laughed, overwhelmed by all she was feeling. "What do I even wear to a paddock? Is it possible to look cool while sweating profusely from both nerves and heatstroke?"

"I'm convinced you'd still look cool if you wore nothing but a garbage bag," Mia replied. "I can't believe you're actually going to meet the Lando Norris. You've had a crush on him for years."

"It's not a crush. It's admiration," she said. "For his racing," she added, although she wasn't sure why it felt necessary to clarify.

"And his face," Mia smirked.

Alice tried not to smile. "I can't believe this. This is actually insane."

A voice from outside her door suddenly filtered into the room. "Honey, dinner's ready," her mom announced.

"Coming!"

She turned to look at her phone screen once more. "I'd better go, speak later?"

Mia nodded and ended the call. Alice took a deep breath, doing her best to gain control of her emotions before she headed downstairs. Excited and nervous energy bubbled through her body as she walked towards the dining room. It felt like her skin was crawling with electricity.

"What's wrong with your face?"

Alice glared at her sister. "I'd say there's way more wrong with your face than mine."

Both girls rolled their eyes at each other, and their father sighed from where he sat at the head of the table. "Can't we try to go one hour without a sarcastic comment from you two?" he muttered.

Alice took her usual seat opposite her father and settled in. Her mother entered with a pot of chicken curry and rice that smelled so good Alice's mouth almost watered.

"Smells amazing, honey," her dad commented. Her parents were always complimenting each other. She genuinely believed their relationship was the reason that she had such unrealistically high standards.

Her mother studied her intently. "Something did happen. What?"

Alice waited for her mother to take a seat before she answered. "Do you remember two months ago when I entered that competition?"

"The art one?" her mother asked.

"Sort of. I designed a helmet for the McLaren Formula 1 team to use at the Silverstone Grand Prix. They sent an email saying I won. I'm going to the Silverstone Grand Prix!"

"You sure the email wasn't a scam?"

She looked pointedly at her sister, not wanting to admit that she had the same concerns not so long ago. "It's not a scam."

"Well, that's wonderful, Alice, but are you sure it's safe? I've seen those crowds on television. What if you get lost?"

"I won't get lost, Mom."

"She can handle herself, Nora." Her father placed his hand lovingly in his wife's, "We raised her to be smart."

"Maybe she won't get lost, but knowing her, she'll trip over a tire and break her nose."

"Why don't you keep your two brain cells occupied on something other than me, Rory?"

Her sister just smirked, completely satisfied that she managed to get under her sister's skin. Both their parents just sighed and began dishing food up onto their plates.

"You know Lewis still holds the record for fastest lap at Silverstone?"

Alice nodded her head. "One minute and twenty-seven seconds."

Her father beamed at her proudly. They had watched races together for as long as either of them could remember. The two of them never had much in common, but they would always share their love for the sport.

Dan had always been grateful that Alice took to the sport. Neither his wife nor Rory had ever shown even the slightest interest. His eyes grew slightly watery as he looked at Alice. "You know, I remember when you were still knee-high to a grasshopper, you used to race your Hot Wheels cars around the coffee table pretending it was an F1 race. You would do the commentary and radio. And now you'll finally get to experience it all in person."

Alice's emotions swelled again. Though this time she didn't cry. Her smile stretched from ear to ear, and the excitement threatened to swallow her whole.

The family chatted about what the experience would be like until late into the night. As Alice lay in bed, ready to sleep, she felt the joy sink into her bones. And there, just below the surface, was the anxiety.

----------

The next morning, Alice was woken up by banging on her bedroom door. There is only one person who dared to behave like that this early in the morning.

"What do you want, Rory?" she groaned.

The girl came barreling through the door and jumped onto the bed beside her sister.

"I was up all night researching." She pulled her phone out and unlocked it, prepared to show Alice the dozens of screenshots she had taken. "I saw how the girls at these races dress and your skinny jeans and sneakers aren't going to cut it."

"I'm not there to kickstart my modelling career. I'm just there to watch the cars drive." Alice's voice was still groggy with sleep. "Can't we talk about this later?"

"Nope. We're going shopping. Get dressed."

Rory moved out of the room as quickly as she had come into it, and Alice groaned once more. A trait both of them shared was complete and utter stubbornness. If Rory had her mind set on going shopping, not even the end of the world would stop her.

Alice gave in to the inevitability of her situation and sat up. The light streaming through the windows was bright enough that she knew she had slept late. It was something she didn't do often, but the excitement of the night before had left her exhausted.

She lazily moved through her room as she got dressed. As she stared at herself in the bathroom mirror, she felt a hint of gratefulness that her sister was going to help her. Though she would never admit it to Rory, her sister always did have the better style.

The stairs creaked under her feet as she made her way to where Rory was waiting by the front door, looking impatient.

"See! You can't be on camera dressed like that," Rory said. Her tone was matter-of-fact as she pointed at Alice, who stood there in her faithful skinny jeans and cheap unbranded sneakers.

"You don't think I'll actually be on camera, do you?"

"Oh, please. This whole thing is one giant PR stunt. They're going to put you on camera every chance they get."

Alice's anxiety grew as they walked towards the car. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she had acknowledged that the team might want to get a few pictures of her with different members of the team. But being on camera? A lot? She wasn't made for the spotlight, or interviews, or people in general. And just like that, some of her excitement was sucked right out of her.

Their drive to the mall was quiet. Well, not quiet. Rory had her music blasting loud enough that Alice could feel the bass drumming through her bones. But neither of them said a word.

Even as they parked, both stayed silent. It wasn't until they walked into the first store that Rory piped up. "Okay, what's with the not talking?"

Alice shrugged her shoulders. How could she even explain her anxieties to someone who lived for being the centre of attention.

"Are you seriously upset about what I said? About the camera's?"

"I'm not upset. I just don't think I'm qualified to handle that kind of scrutiny."

Rory's eyes softened for just a millisecond before they returned to their normal state. "You're definitely not. But you've embarrassed yourself hundreds of times and we all still love you."

Alice's anxiety was chased away and replaced by the infuriation reserved only for her sister. She followed Rory as they weaved their way through the aisles and racks of clothes. Rory picked up hangers as she walked. Finally, they ended up in front of the dressing rooms, and all the clothes were thrust into her hands.

"I want to see everything," Rory commanded before pushing her sister into the nearest dressing room.

Alice stood in front of the mirror and dumped the clothes on the bench. She took the first item off the top of the stack. It was a pair of high-waisted white shorts. Far more classy than anything she owned. Quickly, she slid her skinny jeans off and replaced them with the shorts.

"What shirt am I supposed to wear with the white shorts?" she asked Rory, who was standing just on the other side of the door.

"White button-up blouse. And the brown leather belt."

She nodded her head and quickly put everything on. She opened the door, and Rory immediately rolled her eyes. "You were supposed to tuck the top in dimwit."

Rory stepped closer and started tucking the blouse in for her. "Okay, that's decent, but not how I imagined it. Next."

Alice spun around and entered the dressing room once more. She saw a cute-looking sundress that was white with blue details. It reminded her of a Chinese teacup, and she loved it immediately. She quickly changed into it and walked out to present herself to her sister once more.

"Oh! That looks so good! You absolutely have to get it."

Alice smiled as she walked back into the room. She hung the dress up and placed it to one side. The newly designated 'yes pile'. The process repeated for another four hours and Alice went home with five new outfits.

"I can't believe I spent all that time curating clothes just for you to pair them with another pair of white sneakers."

"I'm trying to be practical!" Alice exclaimed. "Besides, these ones are at least clean."

Rory rolled her eyes but chuckled softly. Alice was always the practical one.

----------

Lando was sitting in a swivel chair in an office at McLaren's headquarters. A woman from the PR team sat on the other side of the broad desk and tried to explain the situation to Lando.

"All she's going to do is shadow you. Follow you around and maybe ask some questions. It's one weekend Lando."

Lando could hear the exasperation in her voice, but he couldn't find it in himself to care. It wasn't like him to lack empathy, but he hadn't been feeling very much like himself lately.

"Why can't she shadow Oscar?"

"Part of the competition entry was to explain why you were a fan of the team. She's not a McLaren fan. But she is a Lando fan. She said she designed the helmet specifically for you."

Lando almost felt something tug at his chest. Almost. He loved the helmet. It was the first thing in weeks that made him smile even slightly. But that didn't change the fact that spending an entire weekend with a stranger was the last thing he wanted.

"Please Lando," she begged.

"Whatever. Just make sure she stays out of the way."

With that, he walked out of the room. He stood up with so much force that the chair was left swivelling even after he closed the door behind him.

[sc0tters]

Wildest Dreams | Luke Hughes

summary: as the biggest test comes for you and Luke you begin to realise that maybe he was only ever meant to be a dream.

request: yes/no

warnings: sexual themes, oral (fem receiving!), swearing.

word count: 3.5k

authors note: this is the piece that you guys actually picked for us to write about this week! to the nonnie that actually suggested this I hope I did the request justice and I absolutely loved writing this, like hands down favourite of the year. I tried to incorporate a bit of everything because the votes for how this one should go were so divided to! Whilst this is a part two fic you don’t have to read the first instalment before however it is advised for context!

pt 1

Luke was your best kept secret.

The light shone through the half drawn curtains as it made you groan “where I am?” You grumbled as you blew by to pull your duvet over your face and instead pulled a blanket over you. You looked around finally noticing the pictures on the wall and the hockey gear scattered on the floor, you were in Luke’s room.

As you went to get out of bed the door opened “you’re awake.” Luke smiled seeing the sight of you in his sweater “how are you feeling?” He asked handing you an Advil and a bottle of water “did I kiss you last night?” You didn’t know if that was a dream or not and part of you was terrified to hear the truth.

Luke winced as he thought you had regretted it making him weary of sitting next to you “I know I shouldn’t have kissed you but I just realized that if I didn’t do it then I really never-” you cut him off as you hooked your fingers under his chin as you pecked his lips making him go quiet.

He brought his hand to your hair as he tugged as the hair on the nape of your neck “woah.” Luke mumbled as he stared at you “meant it if I said I liked you.” Again you were unsure of if you had said it to him “that makes two of us.” The hockey player nodded in agreement as he ran his hand over your thigh.

The boy did everything in his power to make sure he kept his cool “what do we do about Jack?” He asked suddenly feeling the image of his brother appear in his mind “we can tell him when it feels right.” You grabbed his hand as you sighed “and if he isn’t happy we can reevaluate then.” You cringed knowing that Jack had always been protective of you, this was never going to end well “hope to give you the world pretty girl.” He mumbled as he went to kiss your lips again, pushing the worries out of your mind.

That was over three months ago and you swore you never intended for it to stay like this for that long. But as Luke moved to New Jersey and you found yourself landing a job in LA it only felt right to keep things light hearted. Sure there was a silent agreement that you guys had met a level of exclusivity where you were no longer sleeping with other people. You tried to say that Luke didn’t have time for another girl with the addition to being an NHL player, hell he barely had time for you. Even as the texts came at the most random hours you still ever found yourself growing irritated because you truly did find yourself falling in love with Luke.

Now the biggest test for you two had come and it was at the lake house. Two whole weeks of you in nothing more than you in shorts and your bikini was bound to be torture for Luke. The fact that you couldn’t have Jack finding out about you guys either only made Luke’s desires for you increase tenfold.

To top it all off Luke had to listen Cole and Trevor talk about how you were as hot as you had ever been. That’s how the youngest Hughes boy ended up sat on your bed as you were in the shower leaving the rest of the boys on the boat “what happened to going with the boys?” You were surprised that he was home “wanted to see you.” The innocence of his words made your cheeks feel warm as you ran your towel over your wet hair.

Luke patted his shorts as he motioned to sit with him “couldn’t listen to him talk about you anymore.” His finger ran over the edge of the red satin robe that was pressed against your body “didn’t know you could get jealous.” You teased letting out a laugh as it made him press his finger harder into you.

His gaze sharpened as he scoffed “why would I need to care when you’re on my lap, not his?” Luke grumbled as he pinched at your hip “think it’s cute you care.” You rolled your eyes as you caught your lower lip in your teeth.

The boy smiled as he sighed “glad you think that.” Luke rolled his eyes as he brought his hand to your cheek. It was killing him how you established a stupid rule that meant he couldn’t touch you over the time at the lake house.

You figured that it would make things easier for you if you weren’t worrying about the inevitable hickies that Luke would leave on you “fuck you look so kissable right now.” Luke groaned as his throat went dry staring at your lips “Luke we can’t.” You warned going to get off of him as his grip on your thigh tightened.

Desire roamed his mind as the only thing that he wanted was you “the boys are out baby.” The boy complained as he pulled you onto his lap properly “they won’t know a thing.” He added pecking your lips.

But as you fought the sexual frustration that built in your body you couldn’t help but sigh “we shouldn’t.” You mumbled as you pulled away “baby please I can be quick!” His huff made you laugh “Hughesy thinks he could really get me off that fast?” You teased only going quiet as you were flipped over.

Luke hovered over you as he glared “I know you like the back of my fucking hand pretty girl.” That was the truth, over the last few months even if there was one you two actually spent together Luke knew the was to make you squirm. So much so that once he moved to the garden state he knew how to get you off by the mere sound of his voice. Whilst Jack was teasing Luke about the mystery girl that let moans roll off of his bedroom walls.

A gulp caught in your throat as his hand pulled at the ribbon on you robe letting the fabric hit your sides. Luke loved how your eyes grew full as you went silent “not so tough when you’re on the bottom now are you?” He smirked running his finger over your body “fuck Luke.” You whined as your skin grew warm in wake of his touch.

But you were never going to have it that easy “what about your rules?” There was this set of about four or five that you had in the hopes that it would make you keep your hands to yourself and the sexual frustrations to a minimal. You rolled your eyes “fuck my damn rules too.” You grumbled making him laugh.

Luke finally found himself getting what he wanted as he kissed you. No longer was it one of emotion but instead was full of lust as it sucked the oxygen out of the room “Luke.” You gasped feeling his lips move to your jaw and he continued peppering soft kisses on your body all the way until he got to your breasts “you don’t have all day.” You grumbled feeling his hands run over your stomach.

A laugh left his lips as his face hovered over yours “like seeing how needy you get f’me.” The boy mumbled as he shifted down your bed aiming to go to your now soaking cunt that had you squirming to press your thighs together “and so wet too.” He teased propping your legs up at an angle giving him space lay down “please.” You begged writhing in your sheets full of anticipation.

Luke pressed his tongue flat against your slit as it almost made you jump “fuck Luke.” You groaned quickly finding your hands in his hair as his arms locked around your thighs.

He loved having you like this as he looked up to see your eyes already screwed shut. His tongue lapped up against your cunt as though you were his last meal “s-so good.” You gasped tugging at his curls as his teeth grazed over your clit.

Your feet pressed against his back as you swore your were going to pass out as you looked to the heavens for help “so sweet.” Luke’s words sent vibrations through your body and with that it made your nipples harden as you brought one hand up to tease your sensitive peaks “please.” You begged as his movements were relentless making you contemplate who was enjoying this more.

A feeling of being on fire captured your body as you didn’t care about keeping your moans and whimpers quiet when the boy had you clenching around nothing “let go f’me pretty girl.” Luke nodded as he smirked knowing that his time away from you was enough to make you want him ten times more.

Sexual frustration was one way to put it and was probably what you would have tried to argue but instead as Luke’s skilful tongue had you forgetting what language you spoke there was no doubt about it just being him. You wanted to still prove your point by holding out on him but the moment he had his fingers pinching at your thighs you knew you were gone “fuck dear lord!” You cursed letting your body shake against the mattress as your chest heaved making him continue his movements until your cunt finally came and it was so hard it had your toes curling.

Just as your orgasm came down and your breathing began to go straight you brought Luke up to kiss you again “we’re home!” Cole called out as he slid open the glass door. It reminded you that your door was wide open as the youngest Hughes boy seemed to fail to shut it.

You were quick to push the boy off of you “baby!” Luke whisper yelled as he looked down at his now painful boner “go have a shower and I can stall them?” You proposed with a shrug as you began to grab things out of your suitcase to wear.

The boy crossed his arms as he sent you an unimpressed look “you’re like so not funny.” He grumbled as you pulled your shirt over your head walking back over to him as you smiled “promise I’ll make it up to you later big boy.” You winked as you had convinced him to join you as you went looking for your apartment in California.

Luke let out a sigh as he pecked your lips “you’re lucky you’re cute.” The hockey player clicked his tongue as he sighed heading out of your room just in time for Jack to come up the stairs “good shower?” The middle Hughes boy teased seeing your reddened cheeks “great shower.” You nodded watching him come into your room and sit on your bed as though that wasn’t where his brother just had you seeing stars.

The rest of the day was relatively quiet for you both and of course it couldn’t last too long. As the next day Trevor thought it was funny as he had caught Luke staring at you as you sunbathed that morning. So much so that every single chance he got he teased the younger Hughes boy at every chance that he got. But as the celebrations for the fourth of July finally began the teasing stopped as Luke found himself sat next to you “you’re just as pretty as the fireworks.” He confessed making you blush.

Luke smiled at your reaction “like seeing you smile pretty girl.” The hockey player placed his hand on your knee before you quickly swatted it away “you know my rules.” You pointed your finger at him accusingly as you tried to not smile.

Even his pout couldn’t make you break as Jack sent you a confused look wondering what made you both so quiet “Luke c’mere!” Trevor’s called out as a group of girls arrived “want you to meet Isabel.” He added instantly making you furrow your eyebrows.

It made Luke laugh as he placed his hand on your knee again “trust me no girl is gonna make me not want you.” He reminded you of where he stood as you brushed him off “trust me those girls wouldn’t be competition even if you weren’t mine.” It make a spark land in his belly hearing you say that he was yours.

Yet when you heard the sound of the girls voices get louder you both turned to see Luke walk over to them. Sure you trusted the boy but it was moments like this that you wished there was more between you both as everyone would have then known that he was yours.

The night was a little lonelier than you’d admit because even as Trevor ended up sat next to you, the sound of Isabelle’s voice as she flirted with Luke echoed in your ears. It left you wanting to reach up and hit the ducks player for trying to help the youngest Hughes boy out.

When you went out the morning after for groceries you should have known that it was dangerous letting Luke come with you. But after last night when Trevor spent the majority of his evening trying to get Luke a girl, you were feeling jealous and you missed his company and attention. So you brought Luke along figuring as the rest of the boys weren’t awake so what was truly the worst thing that could happen?

Luke smirked as he watched you struggle to get the bag of chips from the top shelf “need some help pretty girl?” He teased watching you push onto your tippy toes “I think I can get a bag of chips Lu-” you were cut off when he pressed himself against you reaching above to get what you wanted.

Your mouth went dry as you felt his bulge hit your lower back “Luke we are in public!” You whisper yelled turning to see his face drop to your neck “just want you to see what it is that you do to me.” The hockey player mumbled he peppered soft kisses on your open collar bone “god you are dangerous.” You groaned as you turned to face him with his shit eating grin.

If this was any other moment with any other guy you would have thought that it was cute that he was a little bit needy, but after the earlier events of the week it only made your hunger grow more for Luke. That was why you honestly let Luke win, the front of the cart had your hand wrapped around it s hard that your knuckles turned white. The music that echoed through the overhead speakers went quiet in your mind as you stood there watching in awe as the mere feeling of his lips on yours had you feeling like a moth to a flame, with your mind entirely captivated by him. As his scent invaded your nostrils you were so close to being entirely enthralled by him, but you were far enough that the sound of a basket hitting the cold floor had you pushing Luke away.

The color drained from your face as you locked eyes with him “wait.” You gasped seeing him freeze “you guys a thing now or something?” Jack blinked silently praying that this was just some bad dream that he could wake up from “sort of?” With your hesitancy on getting into it Luke proposed that you guys spoke about what you were after the summer, with or without his brother’s knowledge. Jack scoffed as he sent the taller boy a glare “out of all of the girls who fucking fell at your feet you just had to take her huh?” The forward felt sick knowing that Luke had a crush on you, but he thought he would act on it.

Tears fulled your eyes as you frowned “did you run out of girls your own age and just wanted the one thing you knew you couldn’t have?” The boys never had an agreement about it but as Quinn and Luke both had male best friends, Jack just figured that because you were his, you’d be off limits. Luke frowned as he shook his head “I really fucking like her dude so don’t talk about her like that.” Luke took a step forward as you stepped between the duo wanting to avoid a fight “you are such a pain in my ass!” As Jack went to take a step at his brother you stopped him by pressing your hand against his chest.

The boys glared at each other as you finally spoke up “I’m so sorry.” Your voice wavered as your lips quivered “and you just had to go spread your legs for him.” Jack spat not even letting himself look at you “don’t talk to her like that!” Luke was quick to go to your defense as he hated what it implied.

Jack shook his head as the sight of Luke wrapping his hand around your waist “you both make me sick.” His voice was barely a whisper as he sent you a look that truly made you feel like the worst person on the planet.

The middle Hughes boy turned to leave as he sighed leaving you two alone “Jack!” You sobbed as Luke held you in your spot “please!” Your throat was sore as tears rolled down your cheeks.

Luke also kept you from collapsing onto the ground “Luke please.” you begged trying to push past him as you continued to cry “I need to go to him.” You were finally strong enough to get away from Luke as you brought your hands up to wipe your eyes “just give him a second baby.” Luke reached out to grab your hand but you shook your head not wanting it “we aren’t like that anymore.” You announced practically breaking his heart in the process “you don’t mean that.” Luke now felt his tears kicking in.

But even as it was all so emotional, you still remained strong “I said I’d end it if he wasn’t happy.” You reminded him of how Jack was important to you “what about our happiness?” These past few months with Luke had been the best thing you had ever had. The highs were like a drug that you were constantly addicted to and now it was your oxygen.

You sighed as Luke looked at you, somehow with all that love still in his heart “Jack is my best friend.” You reminded Luke all that his brother meant to you “I love you!” Luke knew it wasn’t the right time to tell you that but he had felt that way since he watched you get out of the pool when you were fifteen. Sure your hair might have been in some messy braids but the sight of you in that red bikini was enough to make him feel things that no other girl has ever made him feel.

As a tear rolled down his cheek your thumb wiped it away “Luke you are young, you could-” as you tried to tell him that there would be plenty of other people for him Luke the boy that he could find someone else it was no use “I love you.” He repeated as he frowned “if you love me then you’ll let me go.” You pleaded as you kissed his lips one last time.

Still Luke couldn’t understand why you were doing this “why are you doing this?” Luke felt sick as his heart throbbed watching you step away from him again “because you can find any girl who will love you.” It was still no secret that Luke was gorgeous and as he was a new hotshot hockey player, the girls who wanted him only increased “but f’me there is only one Jack.” You didn’t mean that you only had one Jack Hughes, no you meant that there was only ever going to be one man in your life who could make you feel the way you did. He was the man who could make you laugh so hard you’d have milk coming from your eyes, he could have you telling him everything about you - so much so that he knew you better than you knew yourself -.

But beyond all that you had grown so close and comfortable with Jack that your life before him wasn’t something you could remember anymore. You needed Jack in your life to keep you sane and you couldn’t cope with the idea of losing him, even if it meant you could finally be happy “I’ll miss you.” You mumbled as you walked back leaving the isle as you went to chase after Jack.

The last few months might have formed a relationship that you could no longer call yours, but the memories you held could’ve been kept for a lifetime.

[fandomnerd9602]

Off Script

Actress!Wanda x Reader

For @lifespectator and @aloneodi

You couldn’t believe it. First big time film project and you were teamed up with your celebrity crush, the world famous Wanda Maximoff.

It was a smaller indie project but Wanda always loved to do them after a blockbuster. It kept her grounded in her mind. And here she was about to work with you.

You somehow got thru the chemistry tests with her without completely falling to pieces in your presence. It was only later that you found out that she personally voted for you to be her love interest in the movie.

First day of filming and you were having jitters. You felt your script shaking in your hands.

“First day jitters,” a kind and lovey voice spoke to you. You turned to find Wanda giving you a friendly smile. “I still get those too. Especially on films im so excited about”

“You do such a wonderful job at hiding them.”

She giggles, “don’t worry it’ll pass. You got this Y/N. See you for scene 28” she gives a wink and walks off to join her assistant.

Scene 28? How could you forget? The first scene on the first day of filming and it’s the big scene where your character and hers admit their star crossed feelings for one another. You were supposed to then pick her up and set her on the kitchen counter before being interrupted.

Your hands were gonna be in her waist. She was supposed to be panting according to the script. The only woman you’ve ever crushed on and this was the scene?

Well the first few takes were a disaster. The director wasn’t furious but more frustrated. “This is not align with my vision!” The director whined before moving from the set to his trailer to think.

“I’m a screw up” you sigh. Wanda places a gentle hand on your shoulder.

“It’s not easy. Building a sense of intimacy with a total stranger.”

“But you and Vis do so great on—“

“We hung out before the cameras even rolled” she shrugs. “Come on. I think our director’s gonna be gone for awhile”

Wanda takes your hand and leads you to her trailer. Her trailer, a mishmash of her guitar, some old TV show DVDs and her laptop. She takes a seat on the couch and pats the space next to her. You take a seat.

Your favorite actress stares at you like a girl who invited to her crush up to her bedroom. You could feel your own heart pounding out of your chest.

“Ask me anything.” She says, “anything to break the ice.”

“Favorite food?”

“My momma’s paprikesh. Old family recipe. Favorite show?”

You were tempted to say hers, “uhh…Dick Van Dyke season two”

“Nice choice. Also my favorite” she giggles, “if you weren’t acting what would you do?”

“Writing.” You answer, “I just love it. And you?”

“I honestly don’t know.” She takes a deep breath, “maybe gardening…or maybe writing a children’s book”

“Got anyone special?” Your question makes Wanda’s cheeks burn red with embarrassment.

“No. I know what the press says about me and Vis but there’s nothing there.” She smiles at you, “and you?”

“No. I-I’ve been so nervous about working with you. You’re like so cool and amazing and beautiful.” You wanted to slap yourself for saying it aloud.

“You think I’m beautiful?” She smiles at you. As if on instinct, you nod. “I-I have to admit, I was nervous about today too.”

“The great Wanda Maximoff? nervous?”

“I couldn’t tell you at the audition but…I-I thought you cute.”

You could practically feel your heart stop. This had to be some last second before death kind of dream.

Wanda gets up on her knees. “Mind if I try something?”

“Sure. What?” She wraps her arms around your neck.

“Chemistry test…detka” she leans in, your arms wrap around her waist. She kisses you. First gently and then a little quicker and then a little more desperate. She pulls back and looks you in the eye.

“Perfect” she whispers before kissing you again. “You’re perfect”

It was perfect. It was everything you dreamed of. Wanda was in your arms, her legs wrapped around your waist, kissing you. Her lips were like the sweetest candy. You never wanted it to end.

A knock at the trailer door breaks you apart. “Ms Maximoff? You and Y/N are needed on set. Everything alright?” The A.D. asks.

“Yeah. Y/N and I were…practicing for the scene.” She blushes.

“Need you both on set in five.” The A.D. says before leaving.

“To be continued?” You ask a little hopeful.

“I can’t wait for us to practice Scene 75,” Wanda gives you a wink before pulling you out the door. She pulls you close and whispers, “later…detka”

Wanda Maximoff, you’d want no one else for a screen partner…and maybe just for a partner in general. The paparazzi is gonna have a field day with this.

[ohdorothea]

More information about the tournament here and lyrics are below the cut! Happy voting!!!

The Bolter lyrics

By all accounts, she almost drowned

When she was six in frigid water

And I can confirm she made

A curious child, ever reviled

By everyone except her own father

With a quite bewitching face

Splendidly selfish, charmingly helpless

Excellent fun till you get to know her

Then she runs like it's a race

Behind her back, her best mates laughed

And they nicknamed her The Bolter

Started with a kiss

"Oh, we must stop meeting like this"

But it always ends up with a town car speeding

Out the drive one evening

Ended with the slam of a door

Then he'll call her a whore

Wish he wouldn't be sore

But as she was leaving

It felt like breathing

All her fuckin' lives

Flashed before her eyes

It feels like the time

She fell through the ice

Then came out alive

He was a cad, wanted her bad

Just like any good trophy hunter

And she liked the way it tastes

Taming a bear, making him care

Watching him jump then pulling him under

And at first blush, this is fate

When it's all roses, portrait poses

Central Park Lake in tiny rowboats

What a charming Saturday

That's when she sees the littlest leaks

Down in the floorboards

And she just knows

She must bolt

Started with a kiss

"Oh, we must stop meeting like this"

But it always ends up with a town car speeding

Out the drive one evening

Ended with the slam of a door

Then he'll call her a whore

Wish he wouldn't be sore

But as she was leaving

It felt like breathing

All her fuckin' lives

Flashed before her eyes

It feels like the time

She fell through the ice

Then came out alive

She's been many places with

Men of many faces

First they're off to the races

And she's laughing drawin' aces

But, none of it is changin'

That the chariot is waitin'

Hearts are hers for the breakin'

There's escape in escaping

Started with a kiss

"Oh, we must stop meeting like this"

But it always ends with a town car speeding

Out the drive one evenin'

Ended with the slam of a door

But she's got the best stories

You can be sure

That as she was leaving

It felt like freedom

All her fuckin' lives

Flashed before her eyes

And she realized

It feels like the time

She fell through the ice

Then came out alive

The Prophecy lyrics

Hand on the throttle

Thought I caught lightning in a bottle

Oh, but it's gone again

And it was written

I got cursed like Eve got bitten

Oh, was it punishment?

Pad around when I get home

I guess a lesser woman would've lost hope

A greater woman wouldn't beg

But I looked to the sky and said

Please

I've been on my knees

Change the prophecy

Don't want money

Just someone who wants my company

Let it once be me

Who do I have to speak to

About if they can redo

The prophecy?

Cards on the table

Mine play out like fools in a fable, oh

It was sinking in

Sinking in, oh

Slow is the quicksand

Poison blood from the wound of the pricked hand

Oh, still I dream of him

Please

I've been on my knees

Change the prophecy

Don't want money

Just someone who wants my company

Let it once be me

Who do I have to speak to

About if they can redo

The prophecy?

And I sound like an infant

Feelin' like the very last drops of an ink pen

A greater woman stays cool

But I howl like a wolf at the moon

And I look unstable

Gathered with a coven round a sorceress' table

A greater woman has faith

But even statues crumble if they're made to wait

I'm so afraid I sealed my fate

No sign of soulmates

I'm just a paperweight

In shades of greige

Spending my last coin so someone will tell me

It'll be ok

Ooh

Ooh

Ooh

Ooh

Please

I've been on my knees

Change the prophecy

Don't want money

Just someone who wants my company

Let it once be me

Who do I have to speak to

About if they can redo

The prophecy?

Who do I have to speak to

To change the prophecy?

Hand on the throttle

Thought I caught lightning in a bottle, oh

But it's gone again

Pad around when I get home

I guess a lesser woman would've lost hope

A greater woman wouldn't beg

But I looked to the sky and said

Please

[shiningwonderland]

Ren Jinguji (Repeat)

Translator: Nadie (Twitter: NmoniaG)

Proofreader: Raz (Twitter: agnadance)

Editor: Snail (Twitter: herbert_snail)

QA: Rei (Twitter: wolfe_raine)

True Love End - With a Cantabile Kiss

Such a grand and magnificent voice. His technique was endlessly mesmerizing to everyone who listens.

Jinguji-san pushed the senses he was born with to the maximum. It was his greatest performance yet.

He had perfected not only the song but also every single move he made.

He had fully grasped how the audience saw and heard him and made his moves accordingly.

Even without seeing his movements, his voice alone was enough to feel the expression in his singing.

Each word was so clear that it went straight to the heart.

He made everyone here realize that once a prodigy like him puts effort into something, they're unbeatable.

Jinguji-san, you kept your promise to me.

"No matter what I have to sacrifice, I'll become a professional." You made me realize the weight of those words.

Before he went on stage, he told me that I'll understand when I hear the song.

After hearing his song, I understand that he used all his power to make my dream of debuting together come true.

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Female Student A: Amazing... Not only was he cool and kind, but he's also such a talented person... I've never seen Ren-kun so passionate.

Male Student A: That was really awesome! There's no way anyone could beat him. Even if you scoured the globe, I doubt you could find anyone who could beat his voice.

Seiichiro Jinguji: Ren... you... I see now that this is a great song. I understand why you were so confident in it. You are an even more wonderful singer than our mother.

After the song ends, Jinguji-san bows deeply to the audience, then winks and throws them a kiss.

"WAAAH—!"

Almost every woman screams at the top of their lungs.

Jinguji-san makes his way to the edge of the stage, smiling at the shouts of joy as he goes.

Soon all the contestants had their turn, so now all we have to do is wait for the result.

The winner of the graduation audition will be determined by the votes of the audience and the nine judges, which include the principal.

Each of the nine judges can award up to ten points for a performance.

The audience votes for their favorite performance. First place with the most votes gets ten points, second place nine, and so on up to tenth place.

The winners will be the ones who have the most points from the two voting systems combined. They will be hired by the Shining Agency as a new idol and can take the next step towards becoming a top idol.

Students who don't win but score at least 85 points can still be hired by the Shining Agency.

There are also agents from other agencies watching the graduation audition…

Even if you don't get a chance to join the Shining Agency, you might still get scouted by other agencies.

If that's true, then that's good to know.

But it's different for me now. If I don't win, I can't become a professional.

Jinguji-san's singing and performance were perfect.

But the composition was made by me... I wonder if it could make full use of Jinguji-san's true strength...

The more amazing Jinguji-san becomes, the more anxious I get.

Ryuya Hyuga: The winner of this year's graduation audition is… Ren Jinguji!

An astonishing amount of cheering and applause erupts from the audience. And it is all directed at Jinguji-san.

Ryuya Hyuga: Here is your trophy. You imbued that song with your signature charm, complete with a stellar performance.

Ren Jinguji: Well, it's just that easy if I really try.

Ryuya Hyuga: Really, you... Well, you're not wrong. Honestly, you should have just done that from the beginning.

Ren Jinguji: That's different. It's the song that let me go all the way. It brought out my real strength, no, even more of my appeal.

Ryuya Hyuga: That so? In that case, you won this time because of the song.

Ren Jinguji: —And let's not forget the girls at the venue who cheered me on... Thank you… It's all thanks to everyone's support.

And with that, Jinguji-san lifts the trophy up high and winks at the audience.

This results in more shrill cheering.

Shining Saotome: You have secured such a large number of fans even before you made your debut? I expected nothing less!

Ren Jinguji: Well, it's more that the ladies can't get enough of me. But... there are more important things than that... Right?

Jinguji-san turns his attention to me while I'm still in the wing of the stage and flashes me a broad smile. My heartbeat quickens just by our eyes meeting.

When I heard this song earlier, I felt this overflowing love. I felt like I couldn't hold back those feelings anymore.

Although I had decided for us to remain partners as idol and composer...

I might accidentally tell him I love him again if I met him now.

I didn't know what to do, so I escaped from the wing of the stage without saying a word to Jinguji-san.

Ren Jinguji: …!

Our gazes only met for a moment, but as I was turning, I saw his eyes widen in surprise. He was about to say something.

Unable to stop, I leave this place behind.

I hurry away without a word, but it is for the best.

I can't possibly cause him more trouble after he has worked so hard, and I don't want to disappoint him.

But… I love him… I love him so much…

I can't stop these feelings, so it's better if we don't meet for now...

The door opens with a clatter and Jinguji-san bursts into the classroom.

Haruka Nanami: Jinguji-san!!

He must have been in a hurry. His shoulders heave with his ragged breathing.

Ren Jinguji: There you are! I've been looking everywhere for you, Lady. My goodness, why did you disappear so suddenly... Hah, hah...

Ren Jinguji: Did my song… not reach your heart?

Haruka Nanami: That's impossible! It clearly reached my heart!

Haruka Nanami: Your feelings about your desire to become a professional reached me to a painful degree. That's why I want to continue working with you...

Haruka Nanami: As your partner, I'll try not to cause you any trouble. So please let me stay with you!

… That… should be enough…

My love for him will only burden him. So this is enough.

Jinguji-san responds to my words by pushing his hair up with a troubled expression on his face.

Ren Jinguji: You're wrong... That's not what I was trying to convey... Besides, if that was the case, why did you run away?

Haruka Nanami: Ah, um... I'm sorry... I... got scared...

Haruka Nanami: I didn't know what to do... Listening to your song made my love for you overflow, I couldn't hold it back...

Ren Jinguji: …

Haruka Nanami: I have to organize my feelings.

Ren Jinguji: …

Haruka Nanami: With that in mind… I…

Ren Jinguji: …

Haruka Nanami: …

Ren Jinguji: … You were… scared? That should be my line.

Haruka Nanami: What…?

Ren Jinguji: … I was also scared… this whole time…

He was scared? Him?

Why…? I look intently at Jinguji-san's face.

Ren Jinguji: …

Haruka Nanami: …

Ren Jinguji: …

But he remains with a troubled expression on his face, looks as if he wants to say something, and then bites his lip hard.

Could it be because I said the word "love" again?

Could he be thinking of ending our partnership right now?

He has already told me that he is going to pretend that he did not hear it.

As professionals, our relationship should stay as composer and idol.

Just because I was irresponsible and confessed again... He must be completely fed up with me by now...

Haruka Nanami: … I'm sorry...

Unconsciously, my tears overflow.

Ren Jinguji: Why are you apologizing? There's nothing to apologize for. You're the one person I never want to make cry, and yet how did it end up this way…?

Ren Jinguji: —! …Despite loving you so much.

He mutters softly in a trembling voice, his fist slightly shaking.

Haruka Nanami: Huh…? What did you just say…?

I think I misheard. This cannot be true.

Ren Jinguji: It's so strange... I've whispered words of love so many times, and yet... When I'm in front of the person I really care about, I can't say a single decent line.

He hugs me, squeezing me tightly.

Ren Jinguji: …Haruka… I love you…

Ren Jinguji: It's hopeless, I can't think of any other words than these. But I was always so afraid... I was afraid you'd break if I touched you...

Ren Jinguji: I have never really loved someone like this. I didn't have the confidence to cherish anyone either.

Ren Jinguji: I never realized I was such a cowardly human being. The more I loved you, the more I was afraid of losing you... to the point where I couldn't touch you.

Jinguji-san…? A coward…?

Ren Jinguji: I wanted to treat you kindly, but I couldn't control these feelings well, so I ended up hurting you with my insincere attitude and words. All of this in spite of the fact that I love you very much.

Ren Jinguji: I was irritated because I was forcibly suppressing those emotions, and sometimes I even lashed out at you. Despite that, you were always kind and honest with me.

Ren Jinguji: Since I'm saying this all of a sudden, you may not believe me. But I'm going to say it as many times as it takes until you do. I'm in love with you and I cherish you very much.

Haruka Nanami: …!

Ren Jinguji: I've been in love with you ever since that day in August when you composed a song just for me. I love you so much, I’m losing my mind.

Ren Jinguji: No matter what, I wanted your dream to come true, I wanted you to become a composer. Helping you achieve this dream was my only expression of love...

Ren Jinguji: I misunderstood you, spun my wheels, and hurt you over and over again. I felt like I was being torn to pieces when I pushed you away while you were lost, hurting and barely holding on.

Ren Jinguji: Back then, however, I thought this was for the best. Because I know that spoiling people meaninglessly can make them useless so easily.

He did that… for me?

Ren Jinguji: Out of all people I didn't want you to become like that. I knew you could have collapsed under the circumstances, but I tried desperately to suppress the urge to hug you.

Ren Jinguji: I forced myself to act cold to you. But in reality, all I wanted was to embrace you, kiss you and let you cry as much as you want in my arms...

Ren Jinguji: I was depressed because I thought you hated me. I comforted myself by telling myself that as long as the results were good, I'd be okay. Now that your dream has come true, I can no longer hide my feelings.

Ren Jinguji: I love you. I can love no one but you. I love you so, so much that it's unbearable! I love you… I love you with all my heart.

He hugs me so tightly and whispers "I love you" in my ear over and over again.

Haruka Nanami: There are times when one song can convey a message better than a thousand words.

I lift my head and look into Jinguji-san's eyes.

Ren Jinguji: Huh…?

Haruka Nanami: Since the moment I heard your song I knew it. You conveyed it to me. But I was simply too scared to admit it…

Haruka Nanami: But what if I misunderstood? I didn't want to be shocked and gave up before believing it. I ran away, but now I don't doubt it anymore.

I understand without a doubt that he loves me deeply.

Ren Jinguji: Am I really enough? Are you really fine with me?

Haruka Nanami: … Yes.

I nod my head deeply.

A smile spreads over his whole face and he hugs me tightly once more.

Ren Jinguji: Thank you, Lady. I will definitely... make you happy.

He mumbles in a husky voice. His hand trembles as he gently combs through my hair.

Ren Jinguji: I love you... I love you, Haruka. So much, it's suffocating... Sorry, I can't hold back anymore...

After giving me a peck-like kiss, he smiles oh-so-softly for just a split second before leaning in for another one, longer and more passionate this time.

Haruka Nanami: …Nh…

We felt each other for what seemed like an eternity before slowly parting our lips.

And then we strongly and tightly embraced each other.

Ren Jinguji: I've… lost my composure. I'm so lame... But I like you so much that even my composure dissolves.

We look at each other and then kiss again. Then we stare intently at each other once again.

Ren Jinguji: Nh… Huff. Lady… We'll be together forever now. I won't let you go until the day I die. I'll never let you go...

Jinguji-san whispers into my ear.

And, at that moment.

Shining Saotome: Thanks, I've heard every last word!

The principal comes breaking through the ceiling of the classroom.

Haruka Nanami: What?! P-Principal!!!

Ren Jinguji: Boss… The mood was so good just now. Did you come here to interrupt us?

The moment Jinguji-san saw the principal's face, he returned to his usual composure.

Shining Saotome: YES, that's riiight! Canoodling in the classroom is a big Non Non Non!

Ren Jinguji: Excuse me, at least say that we were having a passionate moment.

Jinguji-san suddenly flashes a calm smile.

Haruka Nanami: J-Jinguji-san, you can't say that!

Ren Jinguji: It's okay, Lady. We can't hide anything from the boss, so there's no need to keep up appearances. Besides, no matter what anyone tells me, I'm not going to stop loving you.

Haruka Nanami: Jinguji-san…

Shining Saotome: Ignoring me and creating this rosy atmosphere is also a Non Non Non!

Haruka Nanami: Oh, s-sorry…

Ren Jinguji: So? What do you want to do? Expel us? Or maybe withdraw our victory? 

Jinguji-san asks, to which the principal sinks into deep thought with a "Hm."

Shining Saotome: … To do so now would only mean that society would look at ME with cold eyes...

Shining Saotome: That song was already exposed to the public. In addition, it was decided that this song would become a commercial song as soon as it won.

Shining Saotome: Things kept changing because of me, so I can't go back on my words. This song will be played on all the TV stations like crazy.

Shining Saotome: You guys will become the center of attention. You will be so famous that I can't fire you just because you love each other.

Ren Jinguji: Hmph. I was expecting you to say that, Boss.

Shining Saotome: But to think that you, someone who was raised without knowing love, got to find it here at my academy… Fate is an interesting thing.

Shining Saotome: Normally, I would pull you apart, even if it's by force... However, I believe you will grow stronger by loving each other.

Shining Saotome: Besides, your love can't be stopped even if I were to try. Looks like you two have already overcome quite a few obstacles.

The principal suddenly flashes a kind smile and looks at me.

Shining Saotome: I'm sure you'll be able to handle idol-work and "love" well at the same time.

Ren Jinguji: Naturally!

Jinguji-san's smile is brimming with confidence.

Shining Saotome: …"Naturally," you say? There you have it. Then let me see with my own eyes the future you are heading for.

Shining Saotome: I'm going to make a special exception for you just this once. BUT! Make sure the people around you don't find out!

Ren Jinguji: O.K., Boss. I'll show you my flawless acting.

Shining Saotome: I have high expectations for you!

And like that, the principal leaves the classroom.

Ren Jinguji: We should also get going. I can't pledge my love to you here properly.

Jinguji-san softly pulls me closer by my shoulder and starts walking.

Seiichiro Jinguji: There you were, Ren. You weren't in your room, so I looked everywhere for you.

Now Jinguji-san's big brother has appeared.

Ren Jinguji: What did you come here for?

Seiichiro Jinguji: I went to see Saotome earlier. Technically, I'm still your guardian, so I came to affix my seal on the letter of consent.

Seiichiro Jinguji: Starting tomorrow, you'll be a full-fledged member of the Shining Agency. Isn't that great?

Ren Jinguji: Thanks, I guess.

Seiichiro Jinguji: It was a great song. You shone so brightly. You seemed so bored of your life until now, but I'm glad you've finally found something important to you.

Ren Jinguji: Yeah, singing… and the love of my life.

Jinguji-san glances at me fleetingly.

Seiichiro Jinguji: I see... That's great to hear.

Ren Jinguji: Great to hear...? Do you really think so? It could be the source of a scandal.

He wrinkles his face, looking unconvinced.

Seiichiro Jinguji: I know you'll be fine. And if you love her, then I'm sure you won't try to expose her to the inane mass media.

Seiichiro Jinguji: And to be honest, I'm relieved. I wasn't sure if you could really love someone since you never received parental love.

Seiichiro Jinguji: Looks like that worry was unnecessary. Your eyes... they’re kinder now. That's why you're going to be okay now.

He flashes a kind smile. It's a smile that looks a lot like Jinguji-san's.

Seiichiro Jinguji: Besides, that person is no longer here. He had us at his mercy for too long. You’re free now.

Ren Jinguji: Free…? Brother, what are you talking about—

Seiichiro Jinguji: Well, I'm the heir, so I have to inherit the conglomerate. But you can live your life however you want, Ren...

Seiichiro Jinguji: I won't let anyone complain as long as I'm the head of the conglomerate.

Ren Jinguji: Brother... I always thought you hated me. I thought you hated me just like Daddy did...

Jinguji-san mutters in a dumbfounded tone.

Seiichiro Jinguji: I could never hate you. You are my precious little brother.

Seiichiro Jinguji: It’s true, we haven't had a conversation like this for a long time. Our age difference is quite big, and it seems that we have neglected to try to understand each other.

Seiichiro Jinguji: And... I'm sorry, I couldn't protect you because I couldn't stand up to our father. I'll make sure to protect you from now on.

Ren Jinguji: No need. From now on, I'll start a new life with my lady. So I don't need your help.

Jinguji-san tightly grasps my hand.

Ren Jinguji: It's enough for you to watch over me, brother. I'll go my own way without losing my way. So don't worry.

Seiichiro Jinguji: You have grown up, Ren. That must be thanks to you, Nanami-san. Looks like I'm in the way here, so I'll leave now... I wish you every happiness.

Haruka Nanami: Your big brother was a nice person after all. He really cares for you, Jinguji-san.

Ren Jinguji: Seems like it… He was always next to me, but I was so busy thinking about myself that I never noticed his real feelings. Looks like I've still got a lot to learn.

Ren Jinguji: I did not notice his affection when we were close. I notice it now at a time when we are separated. There was nothing I could give back to him...

Haruka Nanami: That’s fine! You can just focus on restoring your bond, one day at a time!

Haruka Nanami: We can work hard and help revive your brother's company together!

Haruka Nanami: For you and your brother, this would be like a collaboration!

Haruka Nanami: There are so many things we could do! …Oh, we should make a song first! —!! I just got inspiration for one phrase!

Haruka Nanami: I have to write it down… Um, where is my notebook…

Ren Jinguji: Here are your music sheets. You always work so hard. Not just for yourself, but for others as well. That's one of the reasons why I fell in love with you.

Jinguji-san hands me blank music sheets and a mechanical pencil.

Haruka Nanami: T-thank you very much! Um…

Ren Jinguji: You really are such a music lover... But... That's why you shine the brightest when you compose.

He whispers into my ear and gently pats my head.

Jinguji-san stays by my side and watches me tenderly until I've finished writing the composition.

Ren Jinguji: Ohhh… This is good. This song is just your style, it's nice.

Jinguji-san smiles happily at the finished sheet music.

Ren Jinguji: Oh, that's right. Lady, do you have some time later? I want you to spend some time with me.

Haruka Nanami: Of course!!

Haruka Nanami: U-um… Is it really okay for me to be here?

At Jinguji-san's insistence, I went to the boys' dormitory and to Jinguji-san's room.

Ren Jinguji: We're going to be saying goodbye to this place soon, so I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to make some memories while we still can.

He pulls me closer by my shoulder and kisses me on my cheek.

Haruka Nanami: Memories…?

What? What kind of memories?

He hugs me tightly from behind and whispers into my ear.

His breath tickles my ear and my body shudders instinctively.

Haruka Nanami: U-um… This is also Hijirikawa-sama's room... Won't it bother him if he comes back and I'm here...?

Ren Jinguji: Don't worry, he won't be back today. He'll be eating somewhere else with his father and little sister, since they've come to visit.

Haruka Nanami: Ah… I see…

Ren Jinguji: So... yeah. You get it, right? I can't contain myself anymore.

Jinguji-san puts his palm on mine and intertwines our fingers.

The heat I feel through our firmly joined hands reaches deep into my heart.

Ren Jinguji: I love you, Lady. I would like to do anything for you. What would you like? What do you demand from me? 

Haruka Nanami: Ah…um… I would be happy if we could stay together... I can't think of anything else... Um, I'm happy right now...

Ren Jinguji: How modest. I can't think like that. Lift your head… Nh…!

Haruka Nanami: …!

The kiss is so fiery I might melt.

Ren Jinguji: Just being together isn't enough. I want to touch you, kiss you and leave my marks all over your body to show that you're mine. Nh…

Haruka Nanami: … Ah…!

Jinguji-san's lips trace a line from my nape to the back of my neck.

Ren Jinguji: I love you. It's the first time I've ever loved someone like this.

Haruka Nanami: Ah… I… I love you too.

Loving someone for the first time and being loved for the first time can be quite confusing.

Ren Jinguji: Yeah, I know, Lady.

He hugs me securely and kisses the area around my eye.

Ren Jinguji: I want to treat you carefully, but at the same time I want to hug you so tight you might break. Even I am at a loss as to what to do.

Ren Jinguji: Surprisingly, I seem to be quite clumsy. I want to be gentle, but I can't hold back. I love you so much it's driving me crazy. All I want is you.

With his eyes gazing directly at me, I can feel my heart beating fast, thumping hard in my chest.

Ren Jinguji: I can't imagine a life without love or a future without you.

His arms tighten around me.

At this rate, he might hear my uncontrollable heartbeat.

Ren Jinguji: I'll keep saying it with my voice, with my hands, with my eyes. I love you. No one else, only you… Nh…

Haruka Nanami: … Nn…

It's an intense kiss that almost leaves me gasping for air, making me dizzy.

But it's so pleasant that I want to devote all of myself to him.

Haruka Nanami: … Ah…!

Everything is spinning, and the moment I start to wobble, Jinguji-san supports me lightly.

Ren Jinguji: …Huff… huff… Sorry, I guess that was a bit too passionate.

Haruka Nanami: …Ah… no… I also… want to feel you more… So…

Ren Jinguji: Are you sure you should say that? Remember, there's just the two of us here. You can't be sure what I'm going to do.

Ren Jinguji: Not even I seem to be able to hold back these emotions anymore. Will you still say yes to me? Are you sure, Haruka?

Haruka Nanami: … Yes.

Ren Jinguji: I love every part of you. I will cherish you more than anyone else in the world, so please... become mine. Nh—

And then Jinguji-san kisses me so passionately that I almost lose my mind.

Such fiery, intense and passionate love melts my heart. The time we spend in this delirium passes in the blink of an eye.

After that, Jinguji-san's workload increased every day. And so did his popularity.

I support him as his own special composer and his partner.

While things have been hectic, there has been no time for just Jinguji-san and I. But I'm happy that we're working hard together.

And then, one day…

Jinguji-san invited me to a party venue.

When I woke up this morning, I found a dress in my room with a note on it that said: "I want you to wear this dress and come to the party."

Confused, I put the dress on and hurried to the party venue.

Ren Jinguji: I've been waiting for you, Princess. Mm-hm, my choice was perfect. You look beautiful in this dress.

Haruka Nanami: U-um… What is this?

Ren Jinguji: Happy Birthday.

Haruka Nanami: Huh…? Oh… Today is my birthday…

My birthday… He remembered it.

Ren Jinguji: Come on. You even forgot your own birthday? Are you, by chance, working too hard again?

Haruka Nanami: But I won't forget your birthday… It's February 14th, Valentine's Day.

Ren Jinguji: Correct. As a result, I mostly get chocolate for my birthday. That's not too bad, but I would have preferred it to fall on a different day.

Haruka Nanami: In that case, I'll make something that isn't chocolate. Is there anything you want?

Ren Jinguji: That's an easy one. What I want is you, Haruka.

He takes my hand and kisses it.

Haruka Nanami: M-me? B-but wasn't I already yours…?

Haruka Nanami: I mean… Since I'm technically your… girlfriend…

Aaah, I'm blushing.

Since we started working together, Jinguji-san has been shining brighter and brighter. Is it really okay for someone like me to call herself his girlfriend?

From time to time, I get insecure about it. 

Ren Jinguji: Yes, you are my girlfriend… for now.

For now... Yes, he's right. The day may come when I'm not his girlfriend anymore.

Since Jinguji-san is so wonderful, I have these wistful thoughts occasionally.

I still want to stay as his partner. Even if this might sound greedy.

At least, let me give him my music.

Ren Jinguji: Why are you making such a sad face? Come on, lift your face, Princess. My future wife is not supposed to look so sad.

Haruka Nanami: What…?

Ren Jinguji: Ah, I guess I'm taking things a bit too far for now. But... one day... I'd like to live with you.

Ren Jinguji: I can't imagine a life without love or a future without you. I'll definitely make you happy, so please entrust your life to me...

Haruka Nanami: …Okay.

Ren Jinguji: Thank you, I love you, Lady!

Jinguji-san smiles happily and kisses me on my lips.

Ren Jinguji: The ballroom belongs to us tonight. Let's have fun and dance the night away.

Haruka Nanami: Yes…

And then we go hand in hand and dance to our hearts' content.

Sometimes we caress each other, whisper to each other, or hold each other close.

To spend a time like this together, alone, is the greatest treasure.

And the best birthday present of all.

Fin

[yukiteruakari]

Leon is very very good at baseball okay? He is one of the best players in the nation and he's only 17. But he doesn't want to play baseball. He is so sick of it. Since he is a genius and can achieve what his teammates can't just by minimal effort, his teammates fucking hate him. He is the nail that sticks out, the one who doesn't, or rather, *cannot* conform. Japanese baseball wants each people to act as ants that stick together and Leon just cannot be a part of it due to his talent. So he tries to distance himself from it. He doesn't go to practices so he wouldn't have to face his teammates. He still wins the game for them. He keeps playing because it gets his scholarship afloat. He also gets attention from girls, the only people that don't treat him like shit. He also as an incestuous cousin named Kanon who's obsessed with him ever since she was 6 years old and that kind of made him date bunch of girls so she'd get the clue but she never did so it kept going until Leon became a ladies guy but that's besides the point. Okay so, Leon, despite liking baseball, was tired of the expectations surrounding it. He was individualistic in a group of full conformists. So one day, these people take a vote to force Leon to shave his hair. And that's the last straw for him. He says he will quit baseball for good. He wants to rebel. He is so sick and tired of always being controlled, of always being hammered down. He tries to find new things. He enters a hair salon. He starts to chat with a hairdresser there. And she says she is interested in musicians. Leon decides right there. "That's right! I will become a punk musician!" Because punk rockers are cool. They are rebellious. They don't care what others say and people still love them. Leon wants to be adored more than anything. So he decides on his dream, he will become a rockstar.

So he gets invited to this highschool called "Hope's Peak Academy" due to his baseball talent. This is a very special academy that only recruits students who are insanely talented at one thing. They get to be called an ultimate so Leon is "The Ultimate Baseball Star". Leon only accepts the invite cuz he wants to change his title to "The Ultimate Musician" because anyone who enters that school is guaranteed success in life instantly. But here is a catch. When Leon enters, he faints. And he finds himself in a classroom. When he gets to the main hall, he sees his classmates looking all confused. And then a monochrome bear comes in, telling them that they're trapped in a killing game and the only way out is for one person to kill someone. If they do that successfully then they'll be granted a release. Everyone is like "wtf what how why" and the bear laughs chanting abt despair or whatever. They check the whole building for ways to escape. They can't. It's all closed. They start to live together. It's cool at first but then the bear forces them to watch a spooky scary motive video. It's actually very serious.

The video shows each student's most valuable person being hurt badly. Some of them even look dead. And at the end it says "kill someone to escape and find the answers". So the bear really wants this game to happen. One girl especially freaks out and her name is Sayaka. She is an idol. The national sweetie. Everyone loves her, adores her. She is a cutie. She is very hard working and she puts her dream before anything. She admits to the protagonist that she has done shady things in the past for her dream (her dream is literally her being an idol btw) maybe she drove a rival to suicide? By the way she talks about it, it very well could be. She is also very close with the protagonist, Makoto. Makoto is literally just some guy. The bingus. The guy who works at mcdonalds. He attended Hope's Peak through a lottery. He has no feats. He is just a boring everyday man character yet Sayaka is absolutely in love with him cuz he rescued a bird one time or whatever. It was apparently life changing for her. Anyway he calms Sayaka down or at least tries to. Sayaka saw her bandmates in danger. No bandmates means no performance. It means no longer being an idol. It means being forced to be irrelevant forever. Sayaka doesn't want that. She worked so hard for this dream, sacrificed so much for it, did so many bad things for it.

Oh my god things get very ugly here. Okay so maybe I should explain that Leon has a puppy crush on Sayaka and has made it pretty obvious ever since meeting her. He wants to become a musician and she is a musician. She is caring. She is loving. Leon wants to talk to her about it, wants to get tips from her. He calls her Maizono-chan while he refers to everyone just by their surnames. He really admires her and likes her. In the manga (because the game didn't do shit regarding Leon unfortunately), after some bike gang leader dude knocks up Makoto cuz he gets super mad, Leon offers to carry Makoto to his room, especially after seeing how shaken up Sayaka is about it. The two have a conversation on the way back. Leon explains that he wants to become a rockstar. He is a very lighthearted, easy going guy. Sayaka takes offense to that. She believes Leon is taking her profession lightly. Yet she doesn't show her frustration, having her usual idol smile. Leon invites her for tea and she accepts. The two talk about it, bond over it. Leon is very happy. Even though this situation is very shitty, at least he made friends with Maizono Sayaka. He really likes her.

You can probably guess where this is going. Leon obviously accepts the invite. He is too happy about it. Sayaka wants to talk to him again. So he goes to her room, knocks on the door and asks "Maizono-chan? You wanted to see me?" And then what does he see? Sayaka swinging a knife at him. Leon is utterly shocked. He can't believe his eyes. Even Maizono-chan, the sweetest girl in Japan, could listen to that bear? He tries to run away to safety. Finds a golden sheathed replica sword put there for defense. He grabs it and starts using it to defend himself against the swings. Sayaka tells him to die repeatedly. He is extremely upset. She tells him since they share dreams, he must understand how Sayaka feels. But she knows he can't because he is too lighthearted. Leon starts getting mad. He tells him if she really believes that bear will let her out just like that and in a swift motion that fits his talent, he disarms her. But that causes her wrist to break since he is kinda the ultimate baseball player. Sayaka, realising her plan has failed, takes the knife with her and runs to the bathroom, locking the door. Leon knocks on the door and tells her to open up. She keeps saying "Noooooo don't kill me". Leon has dealt with psychos before. He has a PHD in it. He's been dealing with a one ever since he was a kid. And he doesn't want to leave Sayaka there while she's all hysteric alone with a knife. So he goes to his room and brings a toolkit, opens the door. Sayaka swings the knife at him again and he dodges. He tries to calm her down but she is too out of her mind, trying to kill him, protect herself, whatever she's trying to do. Leon holds her hand with the knife and tries to talk to her, reassure that he will not kill her. She doesn't believe him. A tragedy happens. While he's trying to get the knife from her hand, he applies too much pressure to her broken hand and the knife accidentally stabs her.

I don't think I have to explain how much Leon freaks out over this. Realising he really is a culprit now, he tries to get rid of all the evidence or else he'll be found out. He's the only one that has red hair so he gets all the hair from the ground too. He throws his bloody shirt in the incinerator. He can't sleep that night.

The others find out about Sayaka the other day. Makoto freaks out, understandably. Leon cannot say anything. And then the bear reveals an information that he hid from them. The culprit must not be found or else they will be executed. If the others fail to find the culprit then everyone else will be executed and the culprit will be granted a release. Leon is shocked. A confession means imminent death. The others find him out eventually. He tries to explain himself but they cut his words. Nobody wants to understand Leon, they just see him as a sick murderer. Even though Leon was the former victim. Nobody wants to hear him out. Leon doesn't even think they'd believe him anyway. And then he is executed :/

Oh and the details I told you about? Nonexistent in the game. You can only learn about them in the manga.

The game makes you believe Leon is some evil guy or whatever when he is literally fucking not

He dies as a misunderstood, unloved, unforgiven victim of a system that chews up outliers and spits them out. Whether that system is baseball, idol culture, or the killing game it’s all the same.

Leon Kuwata never stood a chance.

[goldensunset]

MAIN FANDOM TAG SIMULATOR

——————————————————————-

[teen girl character in pinup pose]

‘heyyy has anyone ever considered that maybe [thing that was disproven ten years ago]’

HARDCORE BDSM PWP CHARACTER X READER (untagged) (1k words) (not under a cut) (not even remotely in character)

cool art! [it only has 3 notes?????]

‘am i the only one who feels like [literally one of the safest and most popular opinions in the fandom]?’

cool post!

‘i WANT to like the main girl character but i just can’t…’ [they are willing to rewrite the earth and heavens to get a male character with the same amount of characterization or less to fit into a ship held together by dreams and duct tape]

[incorrect quote-style post that isn’t strictly out of character but isn’t particularly compelling or original either]

poll for a larger tournament you really don’t care about but will pause and vote for your favs in before continuing on your way

‘i love this franchise soooo much <3 but it should’ve ended after [title they have childhood nostalgia blindness for] everything else was a mistake’

porn bot

[avianyuh]

Yoon Jeonghan as a boyfriend

-

word count; 679

idk if it's because I've been watching a lot of svt content lately

(btw stream god of music)

but Jeonghan has been getting my attention lately so I thought this would be a fun write

first of all he's RUTHLESS

like you're not safe

he'd put you in your place if you said something dumb or tried to leave the house looking all weird

but you know, it's out of love

I think he's also a huge softie, which is shown in his friendships with the members

speaking of the members...

if you didn't get along with the members then...

bye bitch

I think he'd introduce you to Seungcheol and Joshua first

#95z

but for multiple reasons

#1; jeongcheol obvi. they're really close and I think Cheol's approval means a lot to him when it comes to letting someone in

#2; Jeonghan and Shua have known each other for a veryyyyy long time. I think those two were close to each other before anyone else because they had joined the company at the same time

So I think Jeonghan would really appreciate Joshua get to know you

#3; Seungcheol is great with vibe checks lol. Jeonghan probably wants a second opinion

#4;Jeonghan would probably just want you to be closer with Coups and Shua tbh (early on)

but he really wants you to get along with alllll of the members

they mean the world to him and he'd really make the effort to get all of you acquainted and friendly

I'm not saying you have to be besties with the boys (especially cuz there's 12 of them not including han)

but like, if one of the members is at home and doing nothing and you and Jeonghan are going out for the night

Jeonghan would invite his members along unless it was a really special date

it would mean a lot to Jeonghan if you were cool about that kind of stuff because he cares for you but he also really cares for his members

ANYWAYS

he's kind of a homebody

so you spend a lot of time inside

probably build Lego sets together

and when he goes on tour you take care of his pet rock

yes...that's a real thing he has, his name is Doljjong and he likes warm bathes

no seriously

Jeonghan is probably the best thing in your life if you're dating him

I think he'd be protective over you

He'd also probably enjoy taking care of you

making sure you're eating enough and checking in as frequently as he can if he's away

though he teases you a lot, I think he'd tell you he loves you alllll the time

like; "Jeonghan can you pass the remote" "Sure, I love you" "🤦🏻‍♀️"

you pretend you're sick of it but you love it and he knows that

he's very open with carats so if he really found the love of his life, he'd come clean and just show you off

I don't think he'd get caught I think he'd make you come on one of his lives or he'd mention you or something

but like I said, he's very protective and I think he might refrain from showing you off just in case it puts you in harm's way

he worries a lot about you

but it just shows how considerate he is

should I add some shexyyy shtufff???

ummmmmm

okay maybe a little bit

gentle in bed

like the type to brush the hair out of your face

heavy eye contact

I think he'd get shy to be honest

makes sure that NO ONE is around

kisses you everywhere

definitely into praising

just LOVES YOU

he shows it during sex and after

remember how I said he teases you?

I actually don't think he'd tease you during sex

I think he never wants to get his signals crossed

he wants you to know that he loves you

okay end of that

in conclusion; he's a dream man

loves you so so so much

loves being home with you and just being himself around you

he'd also be a great father

like...look at how he interacts with the younger members. he loves them so much and takes such good care of them

definitely think it's a testament to how he'd be as a parent

but even in your relationship, he's very caring with you and just such A BABE

-

enjoy some pics of Jeonghan❤️

{A/N; idk maybe I'll make a svt as dad's series lol. okay, anyways, stream svt god of music. vote for super for SOTY cuz it deserves it and send well wishes to Cheol and Mingyu. might do s.coups next cuz I've been missing him lately😢}

[neverniko101]

WOOOOOOOO

YEAH

HORROR DREAMTALE TIME

I actually have solid lore now. like. i have a reason for nightmare’s antlers other than “it looks cool”. I have an idea on how it could actually end. This is incredible

Only Ink is open for asks rn! I’ll hold a vote on who to open asks for next in a few days. In the meantime, ask away!

Also, there’s a (kind of) short summary of the story so far below the cut. A few minor things have been changed, so I recommend giving it a read even if you were here for the prologue!

- - - - - - - - - -

Masterpost

Next

- - - - - - - - - -

Summary:

Dream and Nightmare started off as any normal Dreamtale AU— Dream adored by the villagers and working every day to the brink of exhaustion and Nightmare bullied, hated, and feared.

After one particularly harrowing day and one too many times of finding his brother beaten and bruised by the villagers, Dream decided he’d had enough. Staring up at the tree they called their mother, he shouted, begged, pleaded; why didn’t she do anything? Why did Nym let them suffer while she simply stood there, baring immaculate gold and violet fruits? The young skeleton tore down one of the Positivity apples in frustration. Were they doing something wrong? Were they not good enough?

…

He could make himself better.

-

“Dream?” Nightmare barely had time to call out to his brother before the golden apple reached his mouth. He received no response but his brother’s shriek as the fiery wings burst from his back. Despite the mountains of pain the guardian had to have been in, his gaze fixed greedily on the clusters of apples overhead.

Nightmare’s gaze hardened. He couldn’t let Dream do this.

-

The brothers both had one apple each, fighting until they collapsed. When they woke, they agreed that neither of them would have another apple again. They would never fight like that. They would stick together.

The tree, however, was never the same. A blight took hold of the land.

-

Once the two turned fourteen, a bunch of weird creatures called anons randomly showed up and aggressively befriended them using soup, macarons, and other such implements. While the twins’ magic had grown unstable from the influx of power gained from the apples, they remained relatively sane and had a close bond, although both were worried about the declining health of the tree.

-

Long story short, Ink showed up, and thought it would be a great idea to bring them to Ccino’s cafe, where non-horror dream was waiting for him. Upon meeting non-horror Dream, Firefly (horror Dream) had the idea to drain some of his magic to fix the tree he could finally fix his mistake. He and Frostbite (horror NM) attacked the guardian, draining a large portion of his magic. With this magic, Firefly was able to create portals, traveling around the multiverse and eventually stealing souls. One day, the two disappeared back into their AU, where they fed the magic and souls to the tree. After that? You’ll have to find out… :3

-

Ink by comyet

Dreamtale by Joku

[schlattsdoll]

smut prompt 2.

doin a (cooking?) stream with j and all the otk people wtvs and you atart grinding on him subtly when he comes up behind u (ur half bent over a counter or summat and he pushes his hips into urs) n then js get more frequent once he sits down somewhere n u sit on his lap still in frame

he makes u move after cuz big guy can't controll himself and then later on u both end up stood up in frame and u literally grap his dick through his sweats and squeeze it like a clown nose xxx

very vivid I had this dream the other day so x

erm new here too 🍓 anon if possible

love ur writing bbs xx

hi lovie!! ofc <3

what's cookin' good lookin'?- jschlatt

minors dni

pairing: jschlatt x fem/afab! reader

prompt : “stop before someone sees!”

i made this a chuckle sandwich stream since i haven't binged otk yet <3

streaming with schlatt was always a fun time, but add ted and charlie to the mix? pure chaos. the four of you decided to have a baking contest, including decorating. schlatt took a big glob of batter on his finger and went to swipe it down your nose. “i will full name you right now don’t you fucking dare schlatt!” he didn’t listen to you, smearing chocolate down your nose.

he laughed while licking off his finger and kissing your now covered nose. ted handed you a paper towel to clean up the rest and went back to his and charlie’s batch.

as you bent over the counter to throw away the paper towel, schlatt came up behind you and grabbed your hips and grinded against you quickly. that was just the start of his incessant teasing, he’d do that, whisper sweet nothings into your ear, and worst of all he would grab your ass randomly. “jay, stop before someone sees!”

as the cakes went into the oven, the stream moved into the living room. you got pulled onto your boyfriend’s lap and were welcomed with a kiss. it was usually easy for you to get comfy on his large thighs but today it was a problem. you wiggled around in his lap, desperately trying to get in a comfortable position, but little did you know what you were doing to him. “gettin’ revenge on me now are ya doll?” he groaned lowly in your ear. you didn’t realize what he meant at first until you felt something like your behind. “maybe i was, or maybe i was just trying to get comfy.” a small bonus to your troubles. “if you don’t stop moving i will take you in the bathroom right fuckin’ now doll. either move or settle down.”

a hour or so passes and the cakes have finished baking and cooling, causing the set up to move back to the kitchen. as you and jay stand up, you grab his dick quickly squeezing it, barley even a second and it leaves him in shock, running to hide behind the counter in his gray sweats.

you finish decorating the cakes and chat voted you schlatt as the winners. “thank you guys so much for watching! stay tuned for more content with these clowns coming up soon bye!”

schlatt grabbed your hand and dragged you to the bathroom and pinned you against the door.

“now, be quiet my little dolly, and i’ll let you cum as many times as i want.”

[ace-does-stuff]

new setting (new ideals)

Summary: Wherein John Dory accidentally sneaks into the home universe of Sans after a very small margin of victory in the latest multiversal tourney; things escalate in unprecedented ways after the local scientist sizes him up to scale.

Warnings: swearing, drinking, god i am so sorry for this

Authors Note: @ohposhers @bulliestrolls someone needs to put you two in the fucking slammer for drawing sansdory, and then they need to put me in the slammer for writing sansdory. for the sake of enjoying this fic please picture JD as a lot more creature than in canon.

John Dory was small enough to fit inside of Sans' coat pocket.

Sans discovers this the hard way when the ex leader of brozone falls out of his pocket after his return to Snowdin.

"Ain't snow fucking way." Was what Sans managed as he stared at the unmoving body in the snow, far too small to be considered the average monster for the underground. The Troll would be eaten without a second thought, mistaken for the bugs Muffet doesn't provide protection for.

He plucks the tufted tail and holds up John Dory like he's a dead rat. Of course he snaps awake as soon as Sans is holding him at eye height, and with a screech he's flung aside as the skeleton lurches back.

Sans pauses to catch his breath, "Okay, so you're not dead. That's good."

"Where am I?!" Was John Dory's instant question as he shook the snow from his hair and brushed himself down.

"Pipe down pipsqueak, I won't let you get squished," Sans said as he took a seat on the snow. He held out a hand, "We should probably get you situated with Alphys, size you up a bit."

John reluctantly stepped onto a gloved hand and took a seat on the palm, it was cold and unpleasant. His tail thwipped loudly despite his size, "Anything else in mind to get me back home?" The words are agitated.

"Want me to leave you here?"

Silence.

"Thought so, I'll give you a hand in figuring it out, but you're playing by my rules bud."

"How were you the reigning champ for years on end?"

"The girlies liked me for my dry humor, MILF hunting attitude, and undetermined backstory- and my infinite fuckability of course."

"Must suck not having a dick."

Sans just gives a hum before giving John a gently toss, only a few inches but he still yelps and clings desperately to phalanges when he lands back in Sans' hand. It garners a chuckle from the skeleton, "Pal, I got extremities you couldn't even dream of, and no, that isn't an invitation to start listing 'em off."

John Dory shuts his mouth.

"Don't be shocked if Alphys tries to fill you up with needles and probes."

"With what-"

"She's a curious gal."

-/-/-/-

Thankfully the resizing process involves a lot less probing than Sans said it would, which John is eternally grateful for. He'd like to avoid having a cold piece of metal shoved up his ass if possible. The process just required a small blood sample and some weighing before he was resized with one little ray.

And then he was the exact same height as Sans, give or take a few inches.

"Proportionately, I can see why you won," Sans said, hands stuffed in his pockets and expression same as always. It's far too hard for John Dory to read, he can't tell if it's sarcastic or genuine.

"Thanks." He shrugs off the compliment because he doesn't know how to take it.

"Is it easier to see why I was the reigning champ?" Sans asked.

"You're the furthest thing from 'sexyman' out there," John Dory said before he could actually think about the words exiting his mouth.

Sans laughed, "Tell it to The Onceler, if you can convince him to take me off the bracket then I'll stop trying my best."

"You don't try at all."

"The girlies like me for that."

"What is it with you and the girlies?"

"What makes you think that the guys were voting for me?" Sans shot back, "Think you can walk and talk? I know a shortcut."

"Good point," John Dory said, "I can walk and talk."

"Cool." Sans holds out a hand.

"What?"

"Gotta hold my hand to take the shortcut."

John places his paw atop Sans hand and the grip the motion is received with is far too intense to be considered normal. But a shortcut is a shortcut, and he'll just have to take help to get around this universe until he can get home.

-/-/-/-

"Ketchup?"

"Yeah man, ketchup." Sans tossed a bottle to John Dory as he spoke, the Troll catching it with ease.

"You expect me to drink ketchup? I've had worse, but what about alcohol?" John asked.

"Bud," Sans began, "The bartender is a living flame, you really think he wants to be handling highly flammable stuff?"

"Fair point, but can you actually get drunk offa ketchup?" John asked, and he gave this slanted smirk as he spoke, partially leaning an elbow on the bar. He's gotten more comfortable after a week in Sans' hometown, he lives in the room under the sink in the skelebros household and made it his own until later notice.

Sans gives a hum, "Wanna find out?"

John grins before popping off the cap, "Try me."

-/-/-/-

"What do they put in this shit, Sans?" The words are spoken with a giggle and despite the ache in his head John Dory goes back for more.

"Tomatoes," Sans answered with, still slowly downing his first serving of ketchup.

"It's gotta be more than that, bonedaddy," John Dory purred, leaning a little bit more on the bar and resting his chin in his hands.

A distinct azure rises to Sans' face, "I think you've had too much ketchup."

"You meant it."

"What?"

"When we were in the lab, when you said I looked hot. You meant it, you like me," John deduced rather skillfully despite his inept state.

"And if I do?" Sans asked.

John pauses, "It'd be hot, Sans and John Dory double teaming the tourney."

"Alright, we should get home," Sans said, sliding off his bar stool and holding out a gloved hand.

John Dory took it and slid off his own stool, his tail wagged about lazily. His face is burning up and he looks oddly lovesick, a realization that Sans makes the choice to ignore until he can contemplate it late at night. Alone. In bed. By himself.

The Troll slinks an arm under Sans' shoulders, face resting atop the fluff of his hoodie and nuzzled into the collar of his turtleneck, he still clutches a hand tightly. He gives a contented hum, "Your jacket's soft."

"I know."

"You're soft."

"That's an odd thing to say considering I'm all bones."

"I'll show you bones."

"We really gotta get you home."

"And then?"

"And then you're going to sleep, no goodnight kiss."

-/-/-/-

Another week passes and Papyrus suddenly has to deal with the fact that Sans and John Dory are being overtly romantic.

"Your teeth are cold." John Dory would always say whenever he tried to kiss Sans.

"The girlies like it." Sans would always answer.

And sometimes John Dory would try again to get the usually snapped shut jaw open, or he'd say, "I guess I'm one of the girlies."

They'd laugh and after a small beat of silence continue on with their day.

Maybe it's selfish that Sans is keeping John Dory from a way back to his own universe, but he's pretty sure the Troll doesn't mind. He's stopped asking when he'll get to go back home at least, and Sans is benefiting from having someone around.

It makes the resets more tolerable if nothing else, and Sans just doesn't tell John about them. About the times he's watched everyone die and everyone live, he never speaks a word of it. And unless Frisk brings it up, he won't have to know of the amnesia or the violence.

And they can keep living their happily ever after.

[tobeafangirl]

are you going to say it first, or am i?

Words: 5,650 Rating: M (mild language, slight talk about addiction) Type: Chapter (3/25) Previous Chapter A/N: Yay! Thanks to your votes, Zayn is now entering the story. I am also still looking for someone to help with proof reading if anyone is interested. Hope you enjoy!

I probably should have found it odd that he didn’t question me. That he just followed and took me straight to his truck. Now, when he said truck, I was thinking of one of those over-the-top huge trucks that screamed strong ego and self-esteem issues. However, I was met with something that looked like it came from the 50s with a fresh coat of paint on it. At least he was gentleman-like, he opened my door for me. Either that meant he was an alright guy or a serial killer. In today’s world, you never know. I buckled myself in and sat with my arms crossed as he hopped in the truck and started it up. I could feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. It was either Harry or Gwen and I would put bets on it being Gwen since I didn’t say a single word to her. In addition to me stealing the guy that she was so obviously flirting with; I am sure she is wanting some answers. I didn’t want to give answers right now because I didn't even know the answers myself.

“Do you want to at least know my name?” He finally broke the silence. Something about his voice caused me to shiver, or maybe that was the cool air blowing on me. I took the time to look over at him. He was focused on the road. He looked different without the confused look on his face. It was weird. He had this bone structure that you read about in science books but there was a softness to his face. It made him look friendly – inviting. “Sure.” I was hesitant in my reply, and I didn’t know why. This was no way to act toward a stranger now. The hesitance is supposed to come before getting into the car with them.

“Zayn.” It suits him – and I shivered again. I tried to ignore that as I nodded in response. “Great. I’m Y/N.” My introduction was lifeless, monotone, and unapologetically me. I didn’t want to sit in this truck and make small talk. In fact, I wanted to explode. The anger that I felt was not subsiding and I wanted to scream, but one thing I learned in the family was how to keep it all in. I bottle things up until it was too late, and then when I let it all out, I end up pushing people away.

“I’m guessing something happened back there for you to end up in this truck with me, huh?” I can’t criticize him for wanting to know the details. I had to look at things from his perspective too. Some random girls just pulled him away from a party. I was a stranger to him just as he was to me. It wasn’t fair to him.  “Something like that” I had adverted my gaze back to the passenger window, looking at the dark sky. There were little to no stars out tonight, it was just – dark. Something about that made me sad because it caused me to not have a familiar distraction that I enjoyed so much. It made it easier for images to replay in my head over and over. 

“Look – if you don’t want to talk about it.” He started, but he didn’t get to finish his entire sentence. At this point, the thoughts were turning into a headache, and I just had to let it out. I opened my mouth, and it was like I had a case of logorrhea. 

“I have waited such a long time for this moment. It was supposed to be my moment. The guy of my dreams. One of the few reasons I continue to stay here and push myself out of my comfort zone. A guy that I trust. Well, trusted, I guess? I am so confused; do I look like a joke to you?” I couldn’t stop myself. I believe part of me felt better if I vented to a stranger because then if I never wanted to see them again. I didn’t have to. I could go on with my life, and this would just be one incident that I would put in my past. 

“N-no?” He stuttered, for the first time that we have gotten into the truck he took his eyes off the road to look at me. He had sweet eyes. I could tell he was not expecting all of this – or maybe he was. Either way, I felt a ping of guilt hit me, but I still couldn’t stop myself.  “Well, I must be, especially after that. He just asked me out on a date. A date! Do you know how that feels? To be asked out and humiliated in the entirety of thirty minutes? Maybe I was dumb, things were too good to bet true.  I am an idiot.”

I was startled as the truck made its way to the side of the road. We were in the middle of nowhere, nothing but dessert surrounding us on both sides, and I felt panic start to sink in. “Why are you pulling over?” I asked quickly, my hand was already placed on the handle to get out just in case I needed to spring in action. I was an expert in horror movies, so why did I do this in the first place? I should have known better. Now, I am going to end up on How I Survived because there was no way I was going to let mister sweet eyes be the death of me.

“Because I did not sign up for this.” Not what I expected, but I slowly let loose of the handle. “But you asked?” I pressed. Zayn was now facing more towards me than the wheel, he was looking me over. This was different. I could read Harry’s mind like it was my own. I always knew what he was thinking or what he was going to say but this was totally new. I had no idea what was going on in Zayn’s mind. No clue what he thought of me. He nodded slowly, leaning back into his seat a little to get comfortable. “Who is this guy and what are you going on about?”

“The guy’s name is Harry. He is a guy who has been a strong part of my life for a while, but now I am starting to wonder why I have kept him so close. Was it because he was familiar? Did I really think there was a chance? And don’t get me started about Cassandra—” the disgust in my voice was loud. Although she was not my favorite. I also knew this was not her fault. How was she to know? Yes, does she scheme and does the craziest things to get Harry to acknowledge her, of course, but Harry had a choice at that moment too. He did what he did and there was no excuse for it. 

”You know Cassandra?” There was some shock in Zayn’s voice. Obviously, Zayn didn’t come to the party without knowing anyone, right? Although that could be a possibility, it was a very slim one. I wonder if that is why he came, Cassandra. It wouldn’t be a crazy idea that the party somehow got to her, and she invited some people, one of those being Zayn. Wait, then that would mean they were friends and here I was about to just completely talk trash about her. That couldn’t be though, because so far, Zayn seemed to be nice and that just didn’t sit right to think they’d be close in some way.

“You know Cassandra?” I asked back. He chuckled as he shook his head, leaving a smirk on his face. I didn’t want to say it out loud – not that I would anyway, but Zayn was a handsome man. I could see him being Gwen’s type. Any girls type for that matter. Something about him made me nervous but in a refreshing way. He was new and exciting, and I hadn’t had this long of a conversation with another guy besides Harry and well Harry’s brother. We had other guy friends in the group, but we would only speak when in groups and it was never detailed. 

“Who doesn’t? The chick is somewhat bad news. She once dated one of my friends. Talk about a wild summer. We were in high school then, but I always got an odd feeling about her. I am sure she has some underlying problems, but I never wanted to find out.” I completely understood where he was coming from. It was like he just confirmed all my suspicions in less than a minute. Cassandra carried around a case full of bad news, leaving her mark no matter where she went. “Yeah, well, I hate her,” I said quietly. I huffed. I officially did not want to talk about her anymore.

“This guy must be something if he’s got you feeling like this. Not that I am trying to hit on you while you’re going through it, and I know this is not what you want to hear right now. But you are a very attractive girl who can probably do better.” I froze. That comment just made me realize I had not been hit on by anyone besides Harry the entire time I had lived here. I could feel the heat flutter to my cheeks. I was blushing? Sort of. I was flattered. This didn’t happen often. 

“If it’s not what I wanted to hear, why would you say it?” My voice took on a defensive tone, but sort of in a playful way. I hated to say there was a possibility that he might be right. Had I been wasting all my time on Harry? Could I have been living a better life without him? Just an hour ago there was no life without him. “Because someone has got to tell you the truth.” His eyes hadn’t left me since we pulled over, and I could feel his glaze set fire to me. There was something sincere in his voice and I absolutely hated that. I frowned. Guilt fell over me. I wasn’t even sure why I felt that way, maybe it was because I felt like I had been lied to. Lied to by myself. 

“Thanks, but I don’t need a knight in shining armor right now. I need a ride home.” I was sticking to my guns as best as I knew how. I didn’t want to look his way, I had this gut feeling I would fall apart and he surely didn’t ask for that. I heard him laugh and felt his body shift as he focused his attention back on the road. The car started with a jolt and within moments we were back on that long stretch of a road. “Alright, alright. You’ll have to give me directions though or it might take all night.” I’m not sure why, but I smiled. I knew we had about ten or so minutes before we reached the lone light that was along this road, but I obliged, giving him the first direction.

“You’ll take a right at the light.”

**

The rest of the ride was silent unless I was giving instructions on where to turn. It was nice though; I was not complaining. It gave me time to relax, and my overthinking began to subside. I was able to breathe easy. Once we pulled into an empty parking spot at the apartment building, I looked at my phone to check the time. It wasn’t super late, but it wasn’t early either. I ignored the many missed messages and calls, although I did wonder when Gwen was going to come home. I finally looked back over at Zayn and our eyes met. He smiled. He had one of those lop-sided smiles that could be mistaken for a smirk, but again, it fit him like most of his mannerisms. 

“Do you want to come in?” I found those words coming out of my mouth before I could stop them. It sounded crazy but I wanted to spend more time with him. He was a great listener, and I was entitled to have more than two friends, right? If tonight showed me one thing, it was that I needed to get out more and start ‘living my life to the fullest’ as they say. Put myself out there more. Lord knows I couldn’t get any more hurt than I felt tonight. 

“I don’t really do one-night situations.” He spoke slowly as if he was choosing his words carefully when he spoke. He didn’t want to hurt my feelings. I saw that as a good thing, even if what he had said completely threw me off. “Not like –” I sighed, sinking in the passenger seat a little. I couldn’t hide the slight annoyance in my voice. Why did guys tend to think that all things were sexual? “Look I just thought maybe I could invite you in to apologize. I snapped earlier, and never gave a proper explanation. Used up your gas. I owe you a drink at least.” I explained.  

He took a moment as the truck was idling. I was tempted to just recant my offer and walk right into my apartment, but nonetheless, he responded by turning off the ignition. “I don’t drink, but I could use the company.” Never once did I think to ask him why he drove me home. There could have been an underlying reason. He might have needed an escape as well, I felt selfish for making most things about me, but I was planning on making that up to him.

Part of me felt happy he agreed to come inside. I didn’t say anything, just jumped out of the truck and waited for him to join me before walking to my apartment door. Once inside I stood in the middle of the room as Zayn closed the door behind us. I did a twirl. “Tada!” I had already forgotten the alcohol that was coursing through my system, but I was quickly reminded as I nearly lost my footing. I was clumsy, so this was normal, but it was still embarrassing. He did that chuckle thing again. “It’s not much, but it’s home.” I shrugged. “No, it’s great. A lot better than my current living situation so – it’s comfy.” Comfy. I liked that. In fact, I think I prided on that. To know that others found my living space comfortable. For someone who has been uncomfortable their whole life, it was good to know that I could provide something I hadn’t experienced before.

It was time for the explanation I promised. I stayed standing in the middle of the room as I watched him lean back against my front door. Probably to run if things got too weird – I understood that. “So, to start things off. I’m Y/N. You already knew that but, I feel like this is a more appropriate introduction than before. This is my place; I have a roommate – Gwen – the nice, sweet blonde I pulled you away from. She’s great, just an FYI if you were interested. And tonight, you have caught me, probably at the lowest I feel like I have been in a while.” This is when my nerves started to kick in. I started to fidget with my fingers as I continued to speak.

“I don’t put myself out there much. I have a lot of trust issues. It comes from my family. My dad was never supportive of anything I ever did. I think that is why I am so scared of failure. I always did whatever I could to show him that anything I sought to do, I could do it and finish it, no problem. My mom however always had her problems. I did whatever I could to try and be present for her, but she never cared unless I was achieving something.” Honestly, I tried my best not to talk about my mom. My parents have always been a disappointment, but with my dad, it was expected. He was blunt. My mom went through cycles and gave me hope from time to time. No matter, it always hurts the same. 

At this point I had started to slightly pace as I spoke, I was looking down now while speaking so I didn’t notice that Zayn had made his way further into the apartment. At least I hadn’t scared him away just yet. “When I was top three in track, my mom came to almost every meeting. She would be cheering from the crowds, egging on that I was her daughter but when we got back in the car, she went numb. It was like she was dead to the world, a zombie. She was only a mother when she benefitted from it, but God forbid I have a bad day or need advice. It always felt like I didn’t matter to my family.” And those feelings were only validated when I left home

.

I wasn’t necessarily sure why I was telling my whole story to Zayn. Only two other people know it and it’s easy to guess who that is. I feel so insecure when I talk about my life. I know that it doesn’t define me and that it’s not the worst. But it’s something I do wish I could forget and move past. No amount of therapy or medication could work for me. I’ve tried. “I have always tried so hard for other people, I thought moving here would provide me with a new start so that I would be able to try hard for myself but then I met Harry. And don’t get me wrong, the time we have spent together has been great. He understands me, he doesn’t judge me. Sometimes though I feel like I put myself on the back burner when we met. I wanted so desperately to have something with him. We even made a game out of it, how crazy is that?”

Somehow, I ended up on the floor right in front of the couch and not on it. Something that happened way too often but what got me was how fast I was joined by Zayn. He did not hesitate to come and sit on the floor right next to me. He had been silent this whole time. I am not sure if he was blocking me out or really listening but somehow this was helping me. Slowly I felt like there was an unknown weight that was being taken off my shoulders. “Tonight, for the first time, we were going to take a chance. I know all of this sounds crazy.” My knees were tucked into my chest, and I used my knees as a rough pillow as I turned my head to look at him. Again, our eyes met.

“It does. But we all have baggage, right? We just have to make sure we choose someone who can handle it properly. Maybe this isn’t the guy for that. Maybe both of your pasts seem equal in part but overbearing when trying to place it all together.” I hated that. It made sense. I felt my face fall without warning, sadness creeping back over me. Not for a moment did I ever think of things in that way. I just figured that was why we easily got along. We had things in common. We had struggles in common. Maybe that was why we weren’t destined to be. 

Zayn immediately took notice of my change of expression and changed the subject instantly. “I feel like you need to have fun. Now, I know I don’t drink, but why don’t I pour you a glass of wine so you can relax.” I reluctantly nodded and pointed to the kitchen. He sprung into action and mostly figured everything out on his own. I only had to point out where the glasses were, but the wine was already sitting out. Gwen refused to move it from a certain spot on the counter. She claimed she would never be able to find it if she did. She at least had a glass of wine every day, she said it kept her sharp. I only drank it if I was already drinking, hence to me now holding a glass of cabernet.

“Why don’t you drink?” I asked as I took a sip, watching as he took his seat next to me again. My face scrunched at the taste of the wine. It was not my favorite, but we didn’t keep any other type of alcohol in the house. Never made sense why we would need to. We both didn’t drink heavily like that unless we were out at parties. “It’s a long story.” There was something in his voice this time, the way he looked at the glass of wine. He was hesitant, possibly nervous? He scratched at the scruff on his face, and I quickly realized that was a nervous habit of his. I smiled a little. I was figuring him out. “Oh, come on, I pretty much just told you my entire life story.” 

I don’t want to say I had some type of charm, but I was able to get information out of people sometimes. Harry always told me it was my kind eyes and how I gave off a secure feeling. I wondered if Zayn thought the same thing. He gave a defeated sigh, another smirk-like smile, and a nod of his head. “I first picked up a bottle when I was nine. Grown-up juice is what my parents called it and I wanted to grow up fast. I didn’t have a bad childhood; my family is decent. Every family has something right? Well, I was fortunate enough to be the black sheep. My addiction kicked into full gear when I was twelve. Don’t ask me how I was drunk before recess, but I had my ways to make sure I always had that special juice on me.”

I tried to wrap my brain around someone beginning to drink at that age and what they would have to be going through personally for them. “I stopped drinking right after high school when too many blurry nights led to the most idiotic mistakes that I think some people could ever make. It was hard for me. I didn’t know what to do with myself for a long time. Now, I fix old vehicles, hence the old, rusted truck we rode in. It’s a distraction for me, one that finally works. But don’t worry, I have self-control so – you drinking in front of me doesn’t phase me.”

“I was just about to ask you that,” I said while eyeing the glass of wine in front of me. I admired that. Him having control. I know it takes a lot to get to that certain point and I was happy he shared that with me. “Most people do.” He replied as he reached for the wine glass and handed it over to me. He was not urging me to drink, just letting me know it was okay if I wanted to continue. I could tell that by his eyes. They were this dark brown and yet they were soft as well. I could probably stare at them, but I am sure that would creep him out. I did get lost in them though and found myself talking again without thinking.

“It’s crazy, what we do right? Like how we cope and the age we start doing, or if it is an appropriate way or not. It’s what shapes us into the adults we become and rather that’s good or bad I have yet to decide.” I took a sip of wine. Effortless was the perfect word for conversation with Zayn. It could have been the alcohol, but I feared it could be more than that. I looked back over at him as I sat my drink down and noticed his expression. He looked woeful and I quickly felt like I said something wrong. “Sorry,” I whispered. Even if we were sharing our troubles with each other, I didn’t want to overstep a boundary by making him uncomfortable. 

“No, it’s okay.” He reassured me with his smile back on his face. I felt like I was trying to read his mind. To focus on what he was thinking. At this time, I also realized how close we were. I don’t remember how this happened, but I guess during our conversation we just slowly started to gravitate toward each other. He had his arm draped around the couch and his legs were touching me slightly. I suddenly felt like I was in a cloud of Zayn.

So, I changed the subject instantly. “Also, what do you mean by rusted, that truck looks brand new.” I was flabbergasted as I pointed at the front door as if it was the truck itself and he laughed. Not a chuckle this time, a laugh. “It still needs work.” He commented. Typically, especially when someone is so into their work. He didn’t see how good it looked. I did. 

“You’re starting to sound like a perfectionist.” I teased him. It was my turn to laugh now. He looked down in a shy manner and that was a proud moment for me. I just made this guy blush. It might not have been a bright color on his face, but the way he looked away from me for a minute. I knew what that meant. 

“Listen – I – thank you.” It was my turn to sound sincere for the night. I was grateful for the interaction I was having. The events leading up to it didn’t matter at this point. I felt a new sense of urgency. I felt like I was presenting a better version of myself to Zayn. A version I didn’t know existed, but I wanted to learn more about. I’m not the type to pray, but I hoped this guy wouldn’t disappear after one night. 

“I don’t know what the hell I was thinking when I got into that truck with you but, no regrets. You might have some, sure, but I needed this tonight.” I admitted my thoughts to him. Well – half of them. I didn’t mention that I enjoyed his presence, and I was terrified that this would be our first and last night together.  “In a weird way, so did I.” I hoped that was confirmation that this would not be the first time we had late conversations, but the first of many. 

“Okay, enough somber. You said fun, right? Tell me something interesting about you. Or weird. Fun. Tell me something fun.” I was rambling and laughing at the same time, turning my body to face him. It was time to stop talking about all these things we couldn’t change and talk about the memories that left something with us that we cherished.  “I see the alcohol is working.” He nodded towards my barely touched drink. He had jokes; I’ll give him that. He turned to face me as I was facing him, matching my body language as he did so.

He looked up at the ceiling as if there was some imaginary dream cloud there that would give him an answer to my question. “I used to want to be a tree.” He said proudly. I tilted my head at his words. “You said what now?” I blinked a couple of times trying to process what he said to me. I even tried to hold back a laugh, but it escaped in a huff.

“Yeah, I was determined. I think it had to do with the growing-up thing. I even tried to plant myself. My mom thought it was a kiddish phase, but it lasted nearly two years. My dad wanted to take me to a therapist, but my mom didn’t believe in that stuff. It turned out that when I was nine, I played a tree in our school play. I absolutely hated it. Never wanted to be a tree again. I had to dance; I don’t do that. Figured if that was what a tree does, I would rather stay nine and never grow.” No one could wipe the smile off my face at this moment. “Wow.” That was really all I could muster at that moment. I tried to picture it, but picturing someone you barely knew as a child was weird. 

“I know, I also learned green was not my color too.” We both laughed at that, but I gave him a very unsure look. “Nah, you in green? Five stars.” Now that was something I could picture. A nice olive green would complement his tan skin. I am sure he would look great in green. Honestly, I am sure he would look great in any color. “You’ve never seen it.” Now he was the one with the puzzled look. “Don’t have to,” I responded fast. Things quieted after my comment. He was giving me a look again, the one that made me shiver. So, maybe I was flirting a little. 

“Alright, your turn.” He spoke slowly again, and I had to take a moment to lean back out of the trance I had found myself in. “I don’t know, I don’t have much. I’m kind of boring in a sense. I have a bottle cap collection? I spend most of my time watching horror movies. I could quote Scream in my sleep, could reenact it scene by scene. But other than that, I don’t have fun interesting stories about myself. None that come to mind.” I was giving him the most basic facts about me. These are things that someone could pick up within a week of knowing me. I didn’t hide these things away. Nonetheless, these were still things he didn’t know, but I felt like I was doing a disservice to him not having a memory come straight to mind.

“There has to be one.” He said with a roll of his eyes. I sighed, poking at my wine glass as I let my mind wander. Homelife made it where all my memories had something attached to them. They would start off great, but they would never end happily. Something always had to ruin it in some way. I did think of one eventually. It didn’t match his great story, but it was a fond memory of mine that I kept with me for rainy days. 

“Okay, um, I’m fascinated by scenery. I know not exciting, but I remember the first time I was captivated by it. I had to be like seven and my dad had to take me with him to work one day. He did construction, it was not a safe environment for a kid but that was just normal sometimes. Especially for us. Anyways, I wandered off, which I shouldn’t have but there was this lake close by. It was breathtaking. I remember how green the grass was, and how each tree surrounded it perfectly. I remember seeing my reflection in the water so clear and drifting off into a beautiful daydream. Did I fall into the lake? Yes. Was I not allowed to go to work with dad again? You bet. But it was all worth it because now I have this crazy appreciation for it.”

It was true. The way I enjoyed nature and the outdoors was on another level. I took it in differently than most, analyzing things in ways a lot of people wouldn’t think of. I believe everything in nature has beauty and a purpose. A lot of people overlook that. It’s sad. I must have been staring off into the distance because I did not realize how silent it was in the room. I was too busy reminiscing.

“You’re beautiful.” That deep voice broke the silence and my eyes shot back to him. There was that look again but this time it was intense. It was almost like he was looking into my soul. It made my breathing pattern change. I was nervous. “You mean that’s beautiful.” I tried to correct him. I wasn’t sure if I wanted him to agree or not. “I said what I meant.” Finally, I could tell he was getting closer. Leaning in. That began an internal battle within me. First, Gwen popped into my head and how she seemed to be hitting it off with him a few hours ago. Second, Harry took over and I felt horrible like I was betraying him. Even after what he did. Then, my own desire crept in and I wanted him to kiss me.

Time seemed to pass by in slow motion. Perhaps he was trying to make sure I was okay with what was happening before it happened. He was inches away; I could feel his breath on my lips. I wanted this; I knew I did. But I spoke instead. “I should – um, probably get some sleep? Yeah. Uh. Sleep.” I began to scoot away so that I could stand up. I crossed my arms. I was mentally beating myself up. “You’re free to stay the night if you want. The couch is comfortable.” I had ruined everything. I knew he was going to leave. I felt so embarrassed. 

Zayn stood up. His look never subsided. It stayed intense and locked on me. I worried that he was going to grab me and kiss me. Or maybe that was what I wanted to happen, and I was wishing it on me. Instead, he took a seat on the couch and proceeded to lay back. “Goodnight Y/N.” When I looked down at him, he smiled. I hastily made my way to my bedroom. Stopping at my door to speak before walking inside safely. 

“Goodnight Zayn.”

[rindecisions]

Stranger Tales Part 25

Read the rest on AO3

Steve beamed a little brighter than he'd intended at Eddie's comment, feeling his cheeks warm a bit.

That smile had Eddie entirely enchanted. It felt as if the universe herself had put a spotlight on Steve. He almost forgot he was holding his ice cream cone again and opted to put it in the tray with the others before he ended up dropping it for real.

With a slightly nervous lick of his lips, Steve cocked his grin unevenly. "If it's really not, not working..." He swallowed. "Do you think I could... possibly... get a number?"

Eddie was taken aback. Even if Steve had been messing around with flirting with a guy on a dare, making an actual move was unexpected. "Twenty-three," he said before he could reel in his shit-heel.

"What?" Steve squinted.

"You asked for a number, right? So, I gave you one." He shrugged. He'd already stuck his foot in his mouth. It'd be weirder if he tried to back down.

Steve scoffed a laugh and shook his head. "No. Your number," he clarified.

Eddie chewed on his lip. "That depends," he stated smoothly, meeting Steve's eyes with a little more confidence. "Do you plan on actually using it, or is it just proof that you managed your end of the deal?"

Strangely, Steve found it a little hard to look into Eddie's focused eyes. "I'm a little undecided, honestly," he answered with an awkward huff.

The slightly bashful expression on Steve's face made Eddie's heart thud. It almost felt like Steve was seriously considering it. "Can I think about it?" He picked up the tray of cones. "I need to get these to the guys before they melt."

"Yeah, no, of course," Steve replied quickly, and gestured for him to leave.

Eddie nodded and turned away.

A concern gripped Steve's chest, and he spoke before he could think it through. "Munson."

Eddie turned back around to look at him.

"You—you're not going to tell anyone about this, are you?"

Deep pity and sympathy washed over Eddie, and he let out a small sigh. "No, Steve. I wouldn't dream of it," he stated sincerely, and gave him another nod before leaving.

Eddie knew it was too good to be true. There was no way that Steve would ever be okay with dating a guy. He'd almost considered giving him his number too, but maybe he should just let things slide.

He met the guys out front of the comic shop, and everyone took their respective cone.

"What took you so long?" Jeff asked.

"Harrington was talking my ear off," Eddie chuckled.

༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒༒

Steve spent the rest of Robin's break waiting to see if Eddie would come back, and when he didn't, he felt his heart sink.

"How'd it go?" Robin asked, hanging up her bag in the back.

"Well, I did it," Steve sighed.

"By the weight of that sigh, I'm assuming it didn't go well."

"I think it went great, actually," Steve chuckled weakly.

"Then why the long face?"

"I think I blew it at the end. I was fucking stupid and—"

"No surprise there," Robin interjected with a pursed grin.

Steve looked at her flatly, unamused. "As I was saying," he grumbled. "I asked him not to tell anyone that I was flirting with him as he left," he admitted.

"Yeah. Okay. That was stupid of you."

Steve gave her a bitchy glare and sneer. "No shit."

"But hey, at least you did it," she stated congratulatorily. "I'd call that a win all on its own."

"When I asked for his number, he said he needed to think about it."

"Was that before or after you dropped the insecurity bomb on him?"

Steve groaned. "Before."

"Ouch." Robin cringed.

He sighed and rested his forehead against the cool freezer door.

"Gonna try to concuss yourself again?"

"Maybe if I hit it hard enough, I can stop being so fucking stupid."

"Not likely, but it'd be funny to watch, so don't let me stop you."

He glared at her and flipped her off.

Don't forget to vote ^-^

[grayy-dayy]

Posted this to Ao3 as "One Battle Over, A New One Begins" by Gray_Day, a continuation of "Reuniting With Your Brother by Sending a Military Raid to His Place of Work"

His heart was beating in his ears as he held pressure to Jung-bae's wound. He was vaguely aware of the police arresting the Frontman and his guards. It's what he's wanted since the begining, but... it didn't seem to matter very much in that moment.

He could feel himself speak more than he could actually hear. He could feel his mouth moving, the words scratching at his throat, his friend's name haunting the air around him. But for some reason, the words never reached his ears.

When someone tried once again tried to pull him away from Jung-bae, he panicked, ready to become violent. Until, he saw the police officer with a first aid kit.

The man who tried to grab him from behind apologized, introducing himself as an officer and a friend of Jun-ho.

He let the officer guide him to an empty corridor. He let his mind drift away for he didnt know how long, until officers once again escort him outside. The cool air hit his face like a cold shower. It felt difficult to move on his own, almost like he was a statue, watching, but never participating in the chaos around him. Military boats and helicopters surrounded the island. EMTs and soldiers rushed around him.

Up ahead was a makeshift prehospital, where he could see Jun-ho sitting on the ground. He looked pale and very out of it. Gi-hun couldn't blame him, he felt the same way.

Guards were being arrested and unmasked before being escorted onto boats in units. Most of them looked so young, all with a dull look in their eyes. They all looked like average people he would pass on the street.

His gaze floated around the scene before him with no particular destination, until it fell on the frontman, wrists cuffed, surrounded by soldiers, with no mask on.

"...Young-il...?" His voice cracked.

Young-il spotted Gi-hun as a soldier patted him down. He sighed, looking... defeated?

Gi-hun felt like he was about to throw up. His knees caved in and he fell to the ground. He began to dry heave and an officer rushed him to the prehospital. They sat him down with a bucket across from Jun-ho. They locked eyes.

"Young-il... He's the Frontman..." Gi-hun said faintly.

Jun-ho tilted his head, eyes squinting, "Young-il? Who is that."

He nodded his head in the direction of the Frontman, "He was a player... Or, I thought he was..." The nausea continued to swirl around in his head.

Jun-ho shook his head. "No. No, that's In-ho." He paused.

"That's my brother."

Gi-hun buried his head in the bucket as vomit began pouring out his mouth. Tears began to stream down his cheek.

This was far more than he was prepared to handle...

Young-il, player 001. This first person so approach him on the first day. Who changed his vote just for him. Who so quickly accepted Jun-hee into their team with open arms. Who laughed, mourned, fought with them.

This was the man responsible for countless deaths. The man that tormented his dreams. The man that lived with a silver spoon in his mouth. He could kill anyone he wanted with the snap of his finger.

This was the man who had both ruined Gi-hun's life and a tight grip on his heart.

After he was pretty certain he was done vomiting, he finally lifted his head up from the now disgusting bucket and wiped his mouth with a nearby cloth. He breathed in and out through his mouth. He closed his eyes and let the sounds around him cleanse his mind. Sure, the yelling of soldiers, static of police radios, and whopping of helicopters was loud, but the rustling of trees, the whispers of the breeze, his own, slowed breathing canceled all of that out so nicely.

"The man that was next to you," Jun-ho started, "the one that got shot. Who is he?"

Gi-hun shifted around. "Park Jung-bae. He's a good friend of mine."

Jun-ho nodded, not pushing for more details. "We spent a few days searching for the island, but we kept bumping into dead ends. They knew we were looking for them and sent us to a few traps. Turns out the fisherman who's been helping me the last three was working for them. He killed one of our men and tampered with our drone."

Gi-hun's eyes widened. "Three years? They've really been keeping tabs on us, huh..."

Jun-ho took a swig from a waterbottle. "Makes a lot of sense. The Frontman shot me and he was the one who found me." he said.

Gi-hun furrowed his brow, "You never questioned how he saved you from here and was never once able to find it again?"

The younger man paused before looking away, his cheeks now tinted a rosy pink. "What matters now is the mission is over. We can rest now."

Gi-hun nodded, but both men knew this wasn't true. The pain wouldn't go away anytime soon. They still have to deal with the government, the press, the trauma. The only thing that made what was to come easier than the last three year was the significant lack of death.

He hesitated before speaking. "Maybe, in the middle of all this... when we're both free... you would want to grabs some drinks? My treat."

Jun-ho looked at him, a bit surprised. "Yeah. That would be nice."