#I have only shown two people this finished picture so if you know who I am no you don’t

[secretidentityartblog]

Not quite enough

[haniette]

(in)visible.

pairing | yoon jeonghan x fem!reader

genre | fluff, angst, college au, hidden relationship au, non-idol au, comfort

word count | 7k

warnings | use of pet names (angel, baby, sweetheart), kissing, slight harrasment, mention of abusive behavior, alcohol consumption, jealousy, swearing, soft but also sometimes possesive jeonghan 😩 big angst bro-, THE SAINT LAURENT JEONGHAN???? (on my knees fr)

summary: he decided to give you time, to let you feel comfortable with him and everything else. but you don’t want and need it anymore. you want to be visible. you want the two of you to be visible to the others. that you’re his and he’s yours.

a/n: oh my god.. my writer's block really hit me hard like a truck 😭 i’m so sorry for not posting anything for past few months.. </3 however ! here’s the small gift for you guys <3 hope u enjoy !

(i have already planned new jeonghan fanfiction and i’m SO proud of myself, watch me get the writer’s block again and post it after months again LMAOO)

i got you, you got me,

when it's us, babe,

you make me feel complete.

you're all i need.

Does Yoon Jeonghan have a girlfriend?

That was the question which was asked probably the most past days on your campus.

You could hear it everywhere. People were gossiping about in the hallways, in the bathroom, in the cafteria and even during the lectures, trying to get to the truth.

Is he single or not?

This whole situation began when someone from the campus took a photo of him, hanging out with a girl and holding her hand with a big smile on his lips. The face of the mysterious girl wasn’t shown in the picture, which is why they were wondering who it might be and if she’s his girlfriend.

Jeonghan was a 3rd year student and as far as everyone had known, he was staying single for a long time already. But now, nothing was sure.

People had mixed opinions on it. Some were happy for him that he found somebody to love, some were just really confused while not wanting to believe it's true, and the last group was really negative about it (thinking they even had a chance with Jeonghan, pfft).

However, it was obvious that everyone wanted to know the truth.

Does Yoon Jeonghan have a girlfriend?

However, only two people knew the answer to it.

Yoon Jeonghan himself, and you.

Jeonghan came out from the lecture class with his black messenger bag overhanged across his chest while being deeply immersed in his phone, when Seungkwan, campus’ sweet boy, joined him by his side.

“Hello Jeonghan!” he started enthusiastically, “How’s your day? Are you okay?” the boy blinked a few times and sent him a cute smile, while taking a sip of his beloved iced americano.

Jeonghan frowned, looking at him quite suspiciously.

“Hi,” he mumbled, letting out a sheepish chuckle, “Yea, I’m fine. Just finished my schedule, and I’m a bit tired. And you?” Jeonghan asked, continuing the conversation as the two of them slowly walked towards the entrance of the campus.

“Uhh.. I still have one lecture left, so I need to stay.” Seungkwan pouted, making the other boy smile, “Are you meeting someone? Or going home by yourself?” the sunshine boy asked, making Jeonghan stop mid-step, crossing his arms over his chest.

He looked at the younger boy with an amused expression as he snickered, “Seungkwanie, come on. Don’t tell me you’re also into this whole gossip trend on our campus.”

“Oh, hyung! But is that true? Are you seriously in a relationship?” Seungkwan questioned, tilting his head to the side, while wishing to get the answer everyone wanted to know. “Please! I won’t tell anyone.” he pouted.

Jeonghan let out a quiet snort, while looking to the side as he was kind of getting tired after hearing another person ask him that question.

Why was everyone suddenly so curious about it?

“I’m sorry Kwannie, but I won't tell you. Nice try though.” Jeonghan muttered, fixing his bag on his side, “See you tomorrow.”

Then, he turned around and walked out, leaving the younger boy and all of the gossip behind him in that building.

December's cold, evening breeze hit Jeonghan’s face, finally letting him breathe out in relief. The boy placed the hood over his head, tugging his hands into the pockets of his big hoodie.

He did it. He survived another day without getting caught.

Gosh.. it was so hard for him not to react every time he passed next to you in the hallways. To not stare at your beautiful face for too long, to not send you a soft smile, to not yield his food to you at the cafeteria or just hold your hand. He wanted to do it so badly, and many times he caught himself almost doing it.

But at the same time, Jeonghan was aware that even the smallest thing that could have been taken as ‘more than close friends’, might have caused suspicions from your or his friends. Which you two wanted to avoid at all cost. At least for now.

Your relationship had to stay invisible to people around you.

Even though the boy didn’t like that idea at first, after some time you two agreed that for now you won’t show your relationship in public, especially in college.

Jeonghan decided to give you time to get comfortable as it was your first relationship after being in a really harmful and traumatic one in the senior class at highschool. Your ex was a very cute and nice guy at the beggining who later turned into being really abusive towards you, especially verbally. And when you revealed at the beggining, that you two are dating, a lot of people abandoned you, leaving you behind with the problem that after a while you were forced to deal with all alone.

That’s mostly why you weren’t sure if you wanted to reveal your new relationship. And it’s not that you didn’t trust Jeonghan, because you did. You trusted him as no one else. But because of your past, you were not certain if you could go through that all over again.

Jeonghan couldn’t wait to finally see you, after this long and tiring day. He really wanted to hug you close and tell you how good you looked today. Because he missed you. Your voice, your smile, your smell, your warmth and your touch. He missed every single thing about you, and he hasn't interacted with you for only around 6 hours (not counting all of the texts that the two of you shared today).

Rushing towards your apartment with a bag of takeout food that he bought on the way, Jeonghan was already thinking what you two could do tonight. But the truth was that even if you two laid in your bed, cuddling, he was okay with it. Because what mattered to him was spending his time with you. Not the activity you did.

Right after only one ring to the door, you opened it with a tired smile visible on your face. You were already dressed in your kuromi pyjamas (to which Jeonghan had a matching, ‘my melody’ one), wearing fluffy socks.

Your boyfriend giggled, excited about seeing you and finally having you for himself only.

“Hi.” he said gently, with a bright smile shining on his face.

“Hi.” you replied softly, while connecting your hand with his, taking him into your apartment, and closing your door right behind him.

“I brought food!~" the boy cheered, taking his shoes off by his heels. You couldn’t help but melt, and a bright smile appeared on your lips.

The boy swung the bag in the air with a big smile, and you approached him, slowly kissing his cheek while thanking him sincerely. Then, he quickly placed the bag on the floor and wrapped his hands around your waist, hugging you tightly to his body.

Jeonghan laid his forehead on your shoulder, “I’m tired.” he murmured, closing his eyes while sighing, “I need to recharge.”

A smile creeped onto your lips as you slowly started to play with Jeonghan’s hair, him still being close to you.

“Don’t worry, baby. We have time.” you smiled, caressing his head. You let him ‘recharge’ as the boy didn’t move away from you for even a second.

“You’re doing a great job, Hannie.” finally, you broke the silence, feeling how he snuggled closer into the crook of your neck. The scent of your body has always had a calming effect on Jeonghan, and it wasn’t different now.

“I can’t believe that acting like a stranger with my girlfriend might be that tiring.” he murmured into your skin, immediately catching you off guard.

Your face saddened in the split of the second, with the feeling of guilt starting to take over you.

“Hannie-”

“No, it’s okay.” the boy looked up at you, with his shining, full of understanding eyes, “We both agreed on it after all. And I want you to feel comfortable when you’re with me. So I won’t pressure you into doing things you’re not okay with.” he added, and gently cupped your face with his hands, admiring your features.

“I’m sorry..” you mumbled, feeling the lump in your throat, “I’m sorry that because of me you have to pretend something you don’t want to, but.. please, believe me that I’m really.. really trying to somehow overcome this-”

Jeonghan quickly placed his lips on top of yours, connecting you in a gentle kiss, while stopping you from speaking more. At first your whole body stiffened, not expecting this. But the feeling of Jeonghan’s soft lips on top of yours started to overwhelm you, making you crave for more of him.

However, before you could even react and reciprocate his sweet action, Jeonghan already moved away from you, sending you a reassuring smile.

“Let’s eat, darling. I’m sure you’re hungry.” the boy suggested, and took the bag from the floor, making his way to your kitchen.

“And then I need to put my baby to sleep.” Jeonghan giggled, to which you quickly responded with a scoff, “I’m not a baby anymore.” you muttered, but the smirk was still present on your lips.

You quickly followed right after him, sitting by the kitchen island as you silently watched him take out the containers with food.

But the slight feeling of guilt hasn’t left you at all, making you stay up at night, tossing around in the bed, overthinking everything, while being tightly hugged from the back by Jeonghan.

Should you finally become visible to people?

Or should you let things stay as they’re now?

“So..” Millie — your best friend, started and you looked at her suspiciously.

The two of you were coming back from the nearest coffee shop after buying a coffee to go for yourselves. This small break was good for you as you still had this one lecture to survive.

“So?”

“I met a guy.” she said while covering her face as she already knew how you’re going to react.

You let out a sigh, closing your eyes whilw tilting your head to the side. “Millie, I swear to god..”

“But listen!” she interrupted, “He’s actually really nice and he cares for the others a lot! He’s the greatest gentleman I know! And you won’t believe me, but he’s actually close friends with Yoon Jeonghan.” after hearing that name, your eyes immediately widened.

You choked on your drink, immediately starting to cough, “Ooh..” you started trying to stabilize your voice, “What’s his name?” you asked, quickly realizing that you sounded too interested about that.

Even though you remembered a few of Jeonghan’s friends as he was sometimes going out or just talking about them with you, you were really curious which one stole Millie’s heart.

She grabbed your hand and squeezed it tightly, “Hong Joshua! Can you believe he’s also half american half korean? Just like me!” the girl exclaimed while grinning.

“Yeah, I’m happy for you-” you mumbled while trying to get off her hand, that was slowly starting to make your palm feel numb.

“I think we can even go and meet him now! Joshie said he’ll wait for me by the entrance.” Millie giggled just at the thought of the boy, and already started walking faster, leaving you behind.

You looked at her with some pity written on your face as you shook your head and followed her steps.

A few minutes later, the two of you were already standing by the entrance, waiting for Joshua to join you. On the way, Millie already told you that you’ll have this lecture together.

“He texted me he’ll be here any second!” Millie cheered, showing you the text that he sent her a few seconds ago. And as Joshua said, several seconds later, you two noticed him going towards you. However, he wasn’t alone.

Yoon Jeonghan, who was smiling brightly while listening to Joshua, accompanied him. It made your breath immediately hitch in your lungs.

Oh shit. You haven’t thought about the fact that he might actually come right now with Joshua.

“Hi Joshie!” Millie shouted enthusiastically, waving to the boy to get his attention. As soon as Joshua noticed Millie, his face brightened up as his eyes turned into two small crescents and a cute smile adorned his lips.

But you had your eyes stuck on him. And so did he, with a slight smirk that creeped onto his lips.

“Hi y/n! Millie talked a lot about you, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” Joshua greeted you, sending you one of his charming smiles to which you smiled back.

“This is my friend, Jeonghan.” he added, making you move your gaze at the mentioned boy, only to find him already staring at you.

There was a short silence before you decided to make the move.

“Hi.” you finally uttered, smiling gently.

“Hi.” Jeonghan replied, the same way as he had always greeted you.

It was your small tradition that only you two understood. Each of the smallest ‘hi’ you said, also meant ‘i missed you’ or ‘i love you’ at the same time.

“Oh, right, I almost forgot to tell you!” Millie said suddenly, making you twitch.

“Today, together with some other people from campus, we’re going to a barbeque restaurant! If you want to, you can join us. I think it’s going to be more fun and less uncomfortable if you’ll be there.” the girl remarked, and sent you a pleading look.

You looked at Jeonghan, searching for an answer on his face and he silently nodded, “Yeah, I can join you guys. And y/n too.” the boy answered, and shifted his eyes back to you.

“Perfect!” the girl cheered while hugging Joshua’s arm, “Then we see each other tonight at 6PM! I’ll send you the localisation later. But now let’s get going, the lecture is about to start!” she added, and then Millie pulled Joshua to the lecture hall, leaving you two behind.

“Are you okay?” Jeonghan asked, worried by the absent look in your eyes.

You smiled briefly, “Yeah.. I’m just a bit tired. I just need to survive this one last hour. But now let’s go, we don’t want them to get suspicious, do we?” sending a small wink to Jeonghan, you quickly followed your best friend’s steps to the hall, with Jeonghan going right behind you, not being able to hide the smirk on his lips.

When you sat down in the hall room, several students were already there. Millie sat next to Joshua, and Jeonghan decided that you'll sit in the row behind them.

As soon as the lecture started, you placed your arms on the desk and laid down. The feeling of tiredness after not getting enough sleep tonight was taking over you, making it really hard for you to survive this day.

However, it didn’t go unnoticed by Jeonghan that you looked exhausted. Gently, he removed your hair that got in the way, and stroked your back.

He leaned closer and whispered, “How about you rest a bit, hm? I’ll take the needed notes for us, so you don’t have to worry.”

You smiled gently, melting inside from the softness and care that the boy treated you with. Nodding softly, you whispered a small ‘thank you’ to Jeonghan.

Opening your eyes one last time, you saw Jeonghan’s focused face. He was playing with the pen in his hand as he always had to have something in his hand.

As you shifted your gaze to Millie, you immediately noticed that compared to your boyfriend, the girl wasn’t paying attention to the lecture at all. She probably wasn’t even planning on doing it, because Millie was busy studying the boy next to her. Smiling weakly at the mere sight, you closed your eyes, finally drifting off to sleep.

Little did you know, Jeonghan also decided to follow Millie’s steps after some time.

“Hi angel, are you ready?”

Jeonghan peeked into your room as you were finishing getting ready for the night out. You looked up at him in the mirror, and the boy smoothly came closer to you with a smirk playing on his lips. He bent down to be on your eye level, and looked at you from the back by the mirror. The scent of his freshly applied perfume and shower gel hit your nose, showing that he just finished getting ready.

You two came back from the college around two hours ago. At the end of the lecture, the boy patted your arm gently, whispering your name to wake you up. He caught himself smiling at the sight of your sleeping figure, but quickly scolded himself for it, remembering that he has to take notes and act completely unaffected by you.

Not going to lie, it quickly became a big challenge for him.

The boy was wearing a black silk shirt with a deep neckline, paired with black loose pants. His hair was freshly styled, with his bangs resting right over his eyes. He looked incredibly attractive at that moment, making you rethink about how it is even possible that a man and an angel like him is actually your boyfriend.

You, on the other hand, did natural make-up, and wore a black dress that hugged your body perfectly, reaching around your calves area, with a deep cut that reached right above your knee. Your hair was left loose, and with a delicate gold necklace that Jeonghan gifted you on your birthday, your whole look was finished.

It was indeed intentional to choose an outfit that would match Jeonghan’s, and vice versa (but not too obvious). However, the more you thought about it, the more you were starting to doubt if you should go with that dress. Of course you wanted to look elegant and step out of your comfort zone a bit, but you quickly started to think if it was really worth it.

And just as if your boyfriend heard your thoughts, he whispered into your ear, “You look beautiful, sweetheart.” Jeonghan left a sweet peck on your cheek, “You don’t have to feel unsafe or uncomfortable. I promise I’ll be there to protect you everytime, at any cost.” he added, solving all of the problems that you could have been thinking at that moment.

The boy moved away a bit, finally allowing you to let out the breath that you didn’t even realize you’ve been holding the whole time. The scent of him was always really strong and just being by his side, you thought that you might go insane by any second.

Soon later, the two of you finally left your apartment, and sat comfortably in Jeonghan’s car that he parked in front of your house. Your way to the restaurant went actually really comfortably, and even when you didn’t say much, Jeonghan tightly held his hand intertwined with yours, whispering from time to time compliments to you.

When you entered the restaurant, Millie, Joshua and some other people that you didn’t really know were already sitting by the table. As soon as your best friend noticed you, she yelled your name and waved to you. The two of you joined the group, and you sat down next to Millie and a guy that you didn’t know. Jeonghan sat on the other side of the table, next to Joshua, and a girl who was really known in your college, Siyeon.

“I’m glad you guys actually made it!” Joshua cheered, and you smiled at him.

“Why did you two come together?” Siyeon asked, “Are you two dating or something?” she added, gaining everyone’s attention as everyone heard about the gossip.

She always knew how to get people to look at her. Siyeon was not only called the goddess of the campus, but also she made it with her attitude. And even now, she successfully gained everyone’s gaze by looking at her and at you two, while smirking lazily.

Her question made you immediately start to panic inside, but you were trying to not show it that much on the outside. Not knowing how to respond, you looked at Jeonghan, frightened. The boy immediately read from your facial expression what’s happening, and he decided to take action.

The boy laughed out loud, “Oh come on, guys! Does really everything have to be about dating? I just gave y/n a ride because it’s dark already, and she lives near me.”

Smooth.

Jeonghan looked at you, and sent you an apologetic look, “We’re just friends. We’re not in a relationship, guys.” he added, making the others start joking and laughing because of this situation.

Oh.

Even though you knew that the boy did it to protect you, and your relationship, you still felt that stinging pain in your heart.

But actually, what did you expect? Jeonghan did what he had to do to keep your relationship a secret. Something that you two agreed to do, especially because of you.

So why did you feel that way? Maybe.. just maybe, you deeply hoped that he would admit it, and say that you’re his girlfriend.

“Hey, you okay?” you heard Millie’s whisper by your ear, bringing you back from your thoughts.

You nodded, chuckling from embarrassment, “Yeah, I’m fine. Sorry.” she stroked your arm gently while sending you a reassuring smile, and you sent her a small smile, reaching for your glass of water to take a sip.

When all of you ordered, and the food together with alcohol was finally brought, your group started to eat, while telling stories, joking around, and slowly getting more drunk.

You weren’t really a fan of drinking as you had a light head, so you were always the responsible one for Millie as she always wanted to drink. But even now, when she had Joshua by her side, you still decided not to drink.

Jeonghan always reminded and assured you, that you shouldn’t worry about not drinking anymore. He insisted, that if you’d want to have some fun with friends then you shouldn’t stop yourself, because he’ll be there to protect you and take you home afterwards. But even when you knew he truly meant it, you still decided to stick by your glass of water.

Millie was already clinging to Joshua, already getting tipsy from the drinks she drank. People were laughing loudly at something and you were sitting silently, listening while finishing your portion of tteokbokki that you decided to have. A few minutes later, Jeonghan excused himself by the need to go to the toilet.

As soon as he disappeared by the corner, the boy next to you named Changmin, who also drank a few bottles of soju after the challenges the boys from your college made, turned around and suddenly shouted, “Oh y/n!” what made you immediately look at him, not knowing what was happening.

Then, the boy leaned closer to you, making you widen your eyes and he clumsily sweeped some of the sauce with his thumb, that was in the corner of your lips.

Unfortunately, while being already tipsy from the alcohol, he made even a bigger mess on your face as he not only smeared the sauce to your chin but also some of your lipstick.

“Oops!” he laughed goofily, and some of the boys that were there started to laugh with him.

You just hoped that someone would somehow help you. But Millie was already passed out on the chair, with Joshua being concerned about her. Other girls, including Siyeon, were busy gossiping and drinking more soju. So you were left alone with this situation.

Quickly, you reached for the napkin that was near your bowl, and turned slightly to the side, gently removing the sauce and leftovers from your lipstick. You felt embarrassed because of what happened, just as if that boy fully meant to do it.

But it wasn’t funny to you at all.

Changmin looked at you one more time before smacking your thigh with his palm and squeezing it slightly. You widened your eyes as you were flabbergasted what just happened. And in the split of the second, you pushed his hand away.

“What the fuck are you doing?” you asked angrily, as you immediately felt uncomfortable but also pissed by the boy’s sudden action.

“Aww, poor baby is not in the mood,” he chuckled and reached for his chopsticks to take another piece of the tteokbokki from your plate and put it in front of your mouth.

“We need to feed the baby, say aaaaah~”

You hit his hand away once again, and the boys around started to laugh even more, making you feel ashamed. The tears from helpless frustration started to sting your eyes, but you strongly resisted to open your mouth and eat the tteokbokki that Changmin put in front of you once again.

“Come on, y/n! Say a-”

“I’m sure y/n is not hungry anymore.”

You heard a voice from behind you, and the person quickly pushed Changmin’s arm away. You looked up, seeing Jeonghan’s serious face behind you. He took a quick glance at you, immediately noticing the tears that swelled in your eyes.

Your boyfriend grabbed your wrist and pulled you up, the chair squeaking by the sudden drag.

“Oh come one, dude!” one of the boys shouted, but he was totally ignored by Jeonghan.

He quickly hid your fragile body behind his silhouette, looking into your eyes which glistened with tears.

Jeonghan cupped your cheeks with his hands, “Talk to me, angel. Did he hurt you?” he whispered gently, looking at you intensively.

You didn’t respond to him, tears glistening in your eyes.

The boy cursed under his breath, quickly focusing on you once again, “I’m sorry.. I’m so sorry angel that I left you here alone..” he whispered, gently kissing your forehead, “I’ll take you home now.”

“Jeonghan, dude! Your friend is so damn pretty,” Changmin yelled, lazily getting up from the chair, stumbling over his own legs, “Can I have her number? You know that I like girls like her, especially in bed.”

You could see how Jeonghan’s face immediately darkened, and he let out a loud scoff after hearing the boy’s question. He took a deep breath and grasped your hand.

“Okay, then I’ll text you later!” Changmin shouted.

Not even glancing back anymore you two left the restaurant, immediately getting into Jeonghan’s car.

This time, the silence was really uncomfortable, compared to the time you drove here. The atmosphere between you not knowing why thickened.

During the whole way home, Jeonghan was silent. He focused on the road, still holding your hand, and only taking small glances at you from time to time. There were a few times when you wanted to say something, but as your mouth opened, nothing came out. You thought as if you’re going to explode from the nervousness you felt at that moment.

When you finally reached your apartment, you walked into it silently, taking off your coats and shoes.

You knew that the boy was trying to give you some time and space, but as you’ve already known Jeonghan well, you knew that something was bothering him as well.

The boy muttered something about getting a glass of water for himself, and you, feeling guilty about everything that had happened, decided to follow him to the kitchen like a puppy.

He took a glass for himself and also for you, and poured some water for you to drink before drinking from his glass. But you had other plans than drinking that stupid water.

You knew it was finally the time to destroy the wall between the two of you.

“Jeonghan-” you said, but in the blink of an eye his glass hit the hard surface of your kitchen island and he scooped you up, placing you on the countertop.

Jeonghan’s arms rested by the two of your sides, securing you, as he stood between your legs. He was silent, with his head lowered.

Your heart was beating like crazy and your breathing sped up. You had no idea what you should do in this situation.

“It’s so.. fucking frustrating.” the boy hissed, still not looking at you. You decided to give him time and you waited for him patiently.

Finally, after a while the boy raised his head, looking straight into your eyes. As he was slightly bent down, his eyes were on the same level as your, dangerously close to your face.

“It’s so fucking frustrating, that people can’t see that we are together. That you can’t call me yours, and I can’t call you mine. That I have to tell everyone that we’re just friends. That we can’t have any, even the smallest interactions..” he stopped for a second, being completely drowned in your eyes.

“Please.. y/n.” Jeonghan sighed painfully, “Can’t you see how hard I’m trying? Just give.. us a chance. I will show you that we can be together in the public, and that we can survive by being by each other’s side. Because I love you, y/n.”

And for the first time in your life, you saw Jeonghan's eyes fill with tears, making it really hard for you to also not tear up.

“A-and..” he stuttered, as his voice slowly started to break.

“Recently I’m not even sure anymore if you still love me the same way as I do.”

Ouch.

Just one sentence. Small like a needle, but painful like a knife.

You immediately cupped Jeonghan’s face, wiping his tears away with your thumb. The boy had stuck his eyes still to yours, desperately looking for an answer.

“I’m sorry, I’m so so so.. sorry, that I made you feel that way..” you uttered, “I was blind, mainly following my feelings and needs, while not focusing enough on yours, which you also had.” you stopped for a second, taking a big breath to not let your voice break.

“You’ve always been so patient with me, always honest and so soft with the way you treated me.. You protected me, and was with me when I needed you the most. And I..” your voice broke, and you let out a shaky sigh.

“I gave you nothing back but rules. I feel so stupid because of that..” your eyes shone with the tears that you couldn’t hold in anymore. Jeonghan was listening to you silently, with his eyes still watery, but now you could find hope in it.

“I’m so sorry, Hannie..” you whispered as you brought the boy closer, crossing your hands over his shoulders. He snuggled into the crook of your neck, while holding your waist tightly, and inhaling your scent.

You stayed in this position for a few good minutes, before you finally pulled away, resting your foreheads over yourselves. You had your eyes stuck on Jeonghan’s shining ones, and he had on yours. And at that point, when you were staring at your boyfriend, you'd made up your mind.

You were ready.

“Hannie..” you uttered.

The boy sent you a soft smile, “Yes, angel?” he murmured.

“I want us to be visible. I don’t want us to hide anymore.” you decided, immediately noticing how much you caught Jeonghan off guard by your sudden statement.

On the spur of the moment and Jeonghan’s confusion, you leaned down and placed your lips on top of his, connecting you in a soft kiss.

At first, Jeonghan didn’t react to your action. But then he melted into the kiss, turning it into a passionate and hungry kiss. He quickly cupped your cheeks with one of his hands, holding your face gently while not allowing you to pull away with his other hand that rested on your waist.

You ran your hands through his soft, dark hair. The boy lifted your body from the kitchen island, and you wrapped your legs around his waist, not breaking the kiss as the boy made his way to your bedroom.

Yeah.

You were sure that you wanted to make you two visible.

The sound of the messages blowing up your phone has been ringing for the past 15 minutes, echoing in your room. Irritated by another incoming call, you finally woke up, and it turned out that it was Millie, the same as all of the messages.

You answered the call and put it on the speaker, placing your phone next to your pillow as you layed back on the bed.

“Millie.. I swear to god, if it’s something unimportant and you woke me up on the day when the lectures start later-”

“Wait y/n! Have you checked my messages?” Millie’s loud voice made you squeeze your eyes from the loudness, as you were still half asleep.

A sigh left your mouth, “Girl be for real. You just woke me up, how could I check your messages?” you muttered while rubbing your eyes.

“Then check it! I think you need to see it!” Millie shouted, and lazily, you took your phone, unlocking it and going straight to messages.

Millie sent you a screenshot with an Instagram post, uploaded by Siyeon. She took a selfie with Jeonghan, who sat next to her (probably not even knowing she was taking photos).

You immediately noticed that this photo was taken at the meeting that you attended a few days ago. Siyeon was wearing the same, short burgundy dress she wore that day, and Jeonghan had the same black shirt on.

But the most disturbing thing was the description she wrote under the post.

Liked by shushu_a and 16 134 others

SolLaSiyeon: finally breaking the radio silence 😘

“Can you believe that Lim Siyeon is in a relationship with Yoon Jeonghan?!” Millie squealed on the other side, and she started talking about something, but her voice began to gradually mute. You didn’t respond, being completely stunned by what you just saw.

“Wait. How do you know they’re together?” you asked, wanting to deny Millie’s assumption, “She didn’t say anything about it.”

“Oh y/n.. the title holds the whole meaning!” your best friend was quick to answer you, “She breaks the radio silence while posting a photo with Yoon Jeonghan. And in the description she writes ‘breaking the radio silence’ which refers to the gossip about Jeonghan’s girlfriend!”

Now it actually made sense, what made you feel even more terrified.

That one scene kept playing in your mind.

“Why did you two come together? Are you two dating or something?”

The girl was planning it from the beginning, making sure that her plan would work out.

Your best friend was still talking about something, but you didn’t really have the time to listen about how Joshua did this and that, so unfortunately you had to cut her off, “Sorry, Millie, but I really have to go. I’ll see you at the lectures later.” and you hung up, quickly getting up from the bed to get ready.

You couldn’t just leave it like that, you had to do something.

But what exactly..?

Your heart was racing and you felt like throwing up. You were waiting by one of the lecture halls, pacing back and forth while trying to calm yourself down. From what you’ve heard from some people on the campus, Siyeon was supposed to finish her lecture now, making it easier for you to catch her and talk with her.

And just as you were coming by the door again, it opened widely and people started to flood out of the room. You waited, standing on the side by the wall, while nervously biting your lower lip. You kept observing when the girl would come out from the lecture hall.

Finally, after some seconds you noticed the familiar face, immediately feeling how your insides start to roll from the stress. Siyeon was talking with one of her friends, not even sparing one glance at you, being deeply immersed in her conversation.

You took one deep breath before following them, and finally calling Siyeon’s name. The girl stopped her movements and turned around to face you, immediately putting the fake ‘shit i have to look friendly’ smile on her face.

“Hi y/n, what’s up?” she asked, trying to sound as enthusiastic as she could. You gulped, feeling how hot your whole body started to feel.

“Hi,” you mumbled, “Could I ask you a favor?” the girl looked at you questioningly.

“Could you delete the post with Jeonghan that you recently posted?”

Siyeon’s eyes grew bigger as her smile turned into a grimace. “Huh why? Is something wrong with that, sweetie?”

“I don’t want you to create confusion and another round of gossip about my boyfriend.”

There you go. You finally said that.

However, the girl pressed her lips tightly, and looked at her friend, bursting out laughing. The wave of coldness ran through your body. That wasn’t something you expected.

“Okay, o-okay,” Siyeon stuttered, trying to calm down from laughing, “You got us. That was a nice one, y/n. Now if you excuse us-”

“I’m not finished.”

Suddenly, your hand gripped onto her wrist, stopping her mid-step from walking away. Siyeon glanced at your hand that was tightened around her forearm. She rolled her eyes, letting out a scoff as she turned around to face you.

Then you finally noticed how people started to circle you, observing what’s happening, some even recording. Your mouth immediately felt dry but you knew you couldn’t give up now.

“I don’t want you to post any more photos that include my boyfriend, while trying to make an impression as if he is your boyfriend. Yes! We might have been secret about our relationship, but it’s not as if we didn’t have the right to. It’s actually none of anyone’s business who Jeonghan is dating, because it shouldn’t be anyone’s main concern. But, when you post a photo with a description that says ‘breaking the radio silence’ as if you’re proposing to everyone, that you two are dating, then nothing else is left for me than to finally reveal the main secret, that everyone has been dying to find out the truth.” you smirked, while letting out a quiet snark.

“Yoon Jeonghan is dating me. I am his girlfriend, and Jeonghan is mine.”

Everyone and everything around you fell silent. The only thing you could hear at that moment was your rapidly beating heart, and your own breathing.

After some seconds, you finally looked at Siyeon, only to find she wasn’t looking at you. The girl had her eyes set on something behind your figure. You frowned, and slowly turned around.

At that moment, you felt as if your heart dropped. Your whole body froze, the feeling of embarrassment and shame striking you right at that specific moment.

Because no one else than Yoon Jeonghan himself was standing a few meters from you, in front of the whole crowd. He had his hands stuck in the pockets of his jeans, head tilted a little to the side while a proud smirk was stuck to his lips.

When Siyeon finally came out of her daze, she hit your stiff figure with her shoulder as she ran up to Jeonghan, pouting. “Jeonghanie! Did you hear what that crazy chick was saying? Isn’t she stupid? How could she even say such insane things! You’re not her boyfrie-”

“Oh, but I am.” he cut her off, with that lazy smirk he always loved to wear.

If your speech made an impact on people who stood around you, Jeonghan’s approval surely caught the whole crowd off guard. Everyone started to whisper, gossip and murmur about something.

“W-what?” Siyeon’s lips started to tremble, “But oppa..” she whined, trying to argue with him, but Jeonghan simply ignored her.

He slowly approached your shaking figure, sending you a warm grin. Gently, he took your hand and connected it with his, intertwining your fingers. The boy left a butterfly kiss on your knuckles, immediately getting sounds of adorations and approval from around.

Your eyes met his, and the boy whispered, “Trust me.”

Jeonghan slowly walked out of the crowd, pulling you out from that corridor. The two of you left the building silently, and finally when you were in the campus’ park, you had to break the silence.

“Hannie..” you removed your hand from his, gaining a questioning look from your boyfriend, “Listen, I’m sorry.. I know I should have stopped myself from doing it, from getting jealous, from confronting Siyeon, and from letting out the secret, but believe me I didn’t do it on purpose.. I-I.. ah..” you stuttered, being lost in your words, “I couldn’t just leave it like that when everyone started to gossip about you being in a relationship with her and-”

“y/n, stop.” Jeonghan’s firm voice ran through your whole body, shutting you up right away.

The boy chuckled, gently cupping your cheeks with his palms, and looking deeply into your eyes with his shining ones.

“Did you really think I would get mad at you for any of these? Angel.. why would I even do that..? You can’t imagine how happy I felt when you finally gave us a green light. But still, I wanted you specifically to tell us about us and our relationship.” he caressed your cheeks with his knuckles, smiling at your pouting face.

“And that moment when you claimed that you’re my girlfriend and I’m only yours? Damn, sweetheart, that was so hot-”

“Yoon Jeonghan!” he immediately got rewarded with a slap on his shoulder as the boy bursted out laughing at your shyness.

“Okay, I’m sorry!” he giggled, and you finally broke the grimace, sending him a soft smile.

“But seriously, you can’t even believe how happy you just have made me right there.” Jeonghan added, and left a sweet kiss on your forehead before conecting your hands once again.

“Hot chocolate?” he asked charmingly.

“Hot chocolate.” you nodded.

Walking down the main sidewalk of your campus, many people looked at you, and specifically at your intertwined hands. With your cheeks burning red, you took your phone out of your pocket, only to find lots of calls and messages from people from the campus. And one of them was Millie.

Millie:

YOU.

bitch

how dare you not tell me anything!!!! >:(

you have LOTS to tell me

and i won’t let you go

oh nononononooooo

so better prepare yourself

cuz i need to know

every.

single.

detail.

EVERYTHINGGGGGG

As you think of it now, while laying peacefully in your bed and having Jeonghan snuggled into the crook of your neck, even if you liked the way you two functioned while being ‘invisible’, you had to agree.

Being visible with Jeonghan was much better.

© shuawonie | 2023, all rights reserved.

reuploads and likes are highly appriciated ♡

[one-flower-one-sword]

"You came from a renowned school, an orthodox sect that never traversed the deviant path. Growing up in that sect, you were always told that ascending was the ultimate thing to strive for," Jun Wu continued. "It is very difficult to give up that sort of goal. Falling in with the Ghost Realm was an unfortunate circumstance, an act born of helplessness. Of course you cannot say you are satisfied with your position in the Ghost Realm. It was never what you wanted in the first place."

Yin Yu didn't have enough confidence to deny it. He said weakly, "Chengzhu has shown me grace. He saved me -"

"I know," Jun Wu said. "He even helped you pacify and send off Jian Yu's vengeful spirit after he died during your banishment, am I correct?"

"...Yes," Yin Yu confirmed. "So whether or not I am satisfied with my current position, it's all -"

"That is dissatisfaction," Jun Wu noted. "You are bound by his grace and have nowhere else to go. You are in denial." Yin Yu hung his head and didn't reply.

Vol 7, page 144-145

One of my favorite relationships throughout the novel, even though we get so little information about it, is Yin Yu and Hua Cheng's. Even the above tidbit is mired by the way Jun Wu is trying to manipulate Yin Yu's emotions and how Yin Yu at times responds genuinely and at others plays along to try and find a way to escape.

Once I had finished the novel, I was left wondering why there are so many fandom jokes about Yin Yu being exploited by Hua Cheng when the text seemed to paint a much different picture of what Yin Yu's life and work environment as a god was like versus as the highest ranking ghost city officer. So in this meta I try to examine and compare the two as well as try to draw conclusions about how Yin Yu felt about it all and why.

First of, I think that Yin Yu's longing to return to becoming a god is genuine, since this is what he says after he stops playing along with Jun Wu's manipulation because he's by then gotten enough spiritual energy to attack him:

"I do want to return to the heavens, I do want to be ranked in the top ten!" Yin Yu continued. "But it's completely meaningless if I don't do it on my own! I'm unlucky, I accept that! Admitting that I can't compare isn't that hard!" Vol 7 page 152

Which is interesting, considering this is what he felt like when he was still a god in heaven while Quan Yizhen hadn't yet ascended:

A good while later, [Quan Yizhen] said bluntly, "I don't like it here."

Yin Yu said nothing.

"They think I'm annoying, but I think they're even more annoying," Quan Yizhen continued. "Before, I could train at least sixteen hours a day. Now half the time is taken up by talking and listening to nonsense, by greeting and visiting people. There are people who yell at me and hit me for no good reason, without apologizing, and I can't even fight back. This isn't heaven. I don't like it here."

Yin Yu sighed. "I don't like it here either."

"Then let's go back," Quan Yizhen said.

But Yin Yu only shook his head, "Even though I don't like it here, I want to stay."

Quan Yizhen couldn't understand. "Why do want to stay if you don't like it here?"

Yin Yu was stumped, and chuckled in spite of himself. He didn't know what to say, unable to explain it to him. How could he convey to Quan Yizhen that reaching the Heavenly Capital was the dream of so many people who sought the path of cultivation, the ultimate end goal? Or just how difficult it was for someone his age to achieve ascension?

Vol 5, page 271-272

Yin Yu essentially seemed to be struggling with sunk cost fallacy, where he put his everything into ascending to heaven and so wants to stay there even though it's making him increasingly unhappy. It's interesting that Jun Wu accuses him of being in denial about his unhappiness in the Ghost Realm, when Yin Yu in the past seemed to be in denial about his unhappiness in heaven. Especially since this is what he was being treated like as soon as his power and influence were in decline:

Yin Yu and Jian Yu were seated next to the "Earth Master." Their assigned seats were considered the edge of the banquet. Yin Yu wasn't eating or talking to anyone. [...]

At the other end of the banquet, there was already a large crowd of heavenly officials fighting to greet Quan Yizhen. The surrounding crowd had completely blocked the person at the center from sight. It appeared that this was soon after Quan Yizhen ascended and established his own palace. He was at the height of his popularity in heaven, in contrast to how he was disliked by most of the present court. Although the two were both Martial Gods of the West, he was significantly more prominent than Yin Yu. The attendees all swarmed over, leaving the table where Yin Yu sat quiet and empty.

Vol 5, page 273-275

I've talked about this in my Yin Yu & Quan Yizhen meta as well, how Yin Yu tries to get by in heaven by conforming and submitting to the elitist power structures it's based on:

Quan Yizhen kept going. "They cussed at me first. I don't even know them. They said I was a low-ranking heavenly official and yelled at me for no reason, then they laughed at me and told me to scram and not to block their way [...]" "Are low-ranking heavenly officials below other people?" Quan Yizhen asked.

"No," Yin Yu replied. Was that true? It was obvious he didn't believe his own words, and Quan Yizhen noticed.

Vol 5, page 271

and how it starts to chip away at the kindness and the moral backbone he showed while still in his sect:

"Shidi, the things you're all saying aren't right." The crowd was taken aback. "I'm going to say something unpleasant," Yin Yu continued. "No matter what path we cultivate, talent truly is an incredible thing. And he is not only talented, he is willing to work hard. If you really think Shifu is playing favorites, then let's work harder to keep up with him - maybe even overtake him. And then things like training halls and supplements will naturally be open to everyone. Rather than wasting time being angry at him, your priority should be training harder. Am I right?" [...]

"You really don't need to mind them. You didn't do anything wrong. It's fine like this." Anyone with clear eyes could see that the other disciples couldn't stand Quan Yizhen. They found fault everywhere, and it wasn't because of his big appetite, or because he wasn't a morning person, or because he was inconsiderate and a poor teammate who only cared about showing off. At the end of the day, what they really couldn't stand was this: he was the last to enter the school, but he received the most. Quan Yizhen nodded. "I think so too." Yin Yu patted his shoulder. "Go train! That's what's most important. Don't think about anything unnecessary." [...]

After watching the two scenarios, Xie Lian praised Yin Yu. "San Lang, that subordinate of yours really is a rare character. What a good heart."

Vol 5, page 262 + 264

Everything Yin Yu and Quan Yizhen already struggled with in their sect - the jealousy, the bullying, the competition for resources - is even worse in heaven, which actively encourages the endless competition for devotees and subordinates as well as the exploitation and mistreatment of those of "lower rank". No matter how hard Yin Yu tries to conform to these structures, they steadily wear away at both the way others see him and also how he sees himself:

After closing the gates, Yin Yu's voice grew louder. "Don't say any more! I don't want to hear it! It's very normal for an ascended heavenly official to establish a palace, so he didn't do anything wrong. Since you get irritated just talking about him, why must you constantly bring him up?" "Please don't think that I'm speaking out of turn, but someone must remind you. Yin Yu, the west is only so big, and there are only so many devotees. He's already taken so much. That wolf yao kill should've been yours, but he stole it! Look at the state of you now - your domain's shrinking smaller and smaller. How much do you have left? Can you maintain your standing if this keeps up?" "How is what he's done theft? It's not like he's forcing anyone to worship him at knifepoint - everyone's willing. Besides, that wolf yao..." Yin Yu sighed and said frankly, "I couldn't have defeated it. It was useless praying to me, so of course they went to him." "I just... I'm worried that if this fight continues, he'll win and leave us with nothing," Jian Yu said bitterly. "Fuck, even those lower-ranking officials only care about their own advancement - each one of them coming up with empty excuses to quit and slipping away to serve under other heavenly officials. What a bunch of no-good asshats!" Yin Yu sighed again and sat down on a prayer cushion. "What fight are you talking about...? Why care for such things? Those who want to leave will always leave in the end, and those who want to stay will naturally remain. I didn't ascend to fight for power with anyone, nor squabble over domains, nor quarrel, so why can't you let this go?" Vol 5, page 277

This is a stark contrast not only to the kind of standing he had while he was still in his sect:

Yin Yu pushed them away, urging them to leave. He sighed. "You said yourself that he's insane, so why bother with him?" It was easy to see that Yin Yu's words held weight with his peers at this point in his life. Although the crowd was still upset, they left as told. Vol 5, page 257

But especially to the kind of authority and respect that his position in Ghost City offers him:

Suddenly, there was a commotion in the ghost crowd. They immediately parted, forming a path, as if someone of importance had arrived. Xie Lian came to his senses and saw a tall, black-clad figure walking straight toward him through the path created by the mob. That person yelled, "Settle down. Let him go!" The black-clad figure, like most of the ghosts on the street, wore a mask. It was a funny mask, with a face that was contorted as if it was smiling woefully. The mob muttered under their breath, "It's the Waning Moon Officer!", and they released their hold on Xie Lian at last. It seemed this black-clad figure was someone significant in Ghost City. Vol 2, page 99

It's also worth mentioning at this point that I think people forget that Yin Yu does not always necessarily work alone and has to do everything by himself but that he has his own subordinates:

After taking a moment to contact his subordinates in Ghost City, Yin Yu meticulously reported the general directions of each sighting.

Vol 7, page 48

Another very important thing to take away from the argument between Jian Yu and Yin Yu is that while still a god in the heavens, Yin Yu had no confidence that he'd be able to fight a wolf yao, yet in the amnesiac extra, he shows no signs of hesitancy or fear when Hua Cheng orders him to go after the monster that stole Xie Lian's memories:

He was still trying to process what he'd learned when he heard San Lang say, "I need to attend to him right now and can't leave. Catch that monster before tomorrow night and bring it to me." "Yes, sir. Shall I leave it one last breath?" the man in the ghost mask asked quietly. San Lang put down his brush and glanced at what he'd written, which he then crumbled up and tossed away, apparently unsatisfied. "Leave it a few. Make it spit out what it swallowed, then crush its worthless head to dust. Make it slow and painful." His tone and expression were both quite frightening, yet Xie Lian didn't find him repulsive or alarming. The man in the ghost mask acknowledged San Lang’s order and was about to take his leave, so Xie Lian quickly dodged away and hid. Vol 8, page 226-227

Which leads me to another important point - the amount of trust Hua Cheng shows Yin Yu by the kind of missions he sends him on. If he didn't have a high opinion of Yin Yu's abilities, he would never send him after something like a monster that had eaten Xie Lian's memories, given how incredibly important Xie Lian's wellbeing is to Hua Cheng. There's many other examples too - like how Hua Cheng trusted Yin Yu to help with tricking Shi Qingxuan and Xie Lian into saving "Ming Yi", or how he entrusted the Earth Master Shovel to him. But Hua Cheng also does not ask the impossible of him - when they're all trapped in heaven and Yin Yu started to dig tunnels with the Earth Master Shovel to try and free Xie Lian and the others so they could recover and become strong enough to escape, Hua Cheng cautions them against it because he correctly deduces that "you'll be seeking your own deaths if you try to break out under Jun Wu's watch." (Vol 7, page 130) Even though Yin Yu is with Xie Lian, Hua Cheng doesn't expect him to get Xie Lian out on his own, because he knows how powerful and ruthless Jun Wu is.

For extra emphasis, let's compare Hua Cheng’s regard for Yin Yu and his abilities to the way Jun Wu never even deemed to speak to Yin Yu while he was a god because he was so very much "beneath" him:

"My dear Yin Yu, I do not think I have ever chatted with you like this before. Isn't that right?"

"I guess not..." Yin Yu replied cautiously.

Even back when he was the martial god who ruled the west, his base of believers wasn't strong, his merits were few, and his rank wasn't impressive. He wasn't the lowest ranked of the heavenly officials in the Upper Court, but he was still below average, so he'd had almost no opportunities to interact with the Heavenly Emperor - the highest of the high.

Vol 7, page 142-143

Keeping all of that in mind, it's very interesting that Jun Wu tries to tempt Yin Yu to his side by offering him the position of his right-hand man:

Finally, Yin Yu asked, "In the Upper Court, I... What... would my position be?"

"Ling Wen will be my left hand, and you shall be my right," Jun Wu said. "There will be none above you besides me."

Vol 7, page 149

When that really is a position Yin Yu already holds - he's Hua Cheng's right-hand man. Now, one could argue that Yin Yu does have less power and prestige in the position of a ghost realm officer than he would have as a god - there's no believers worshipping him - but I think the point is that he doesn't answer to anyone but Hua Cheng, that there's no one else competing with him for that position, no one else among his subordinates that Hua Cheng puts this much trust in, and that there's no one else besides Hua Cheng himself who is demonstrated to hold so much authority and respect in Ghost City. And with all of the above, it's really important to keep in mind that Ghost City is the one single autonomous place in all the three realms and that its Chengzhu is the one single being whose power and influence is rivaled only by the Heavenly Emperor himself.

And said Heavenly Emperor damn well knows Yin Yu is Hua Cheng's right-hand man, which is I believe a big part of the reason he tries to flip Yin Yu by dangling this exact position in front of him. As I've talked about before in other posts, Jun Wu hates Hua Cheng deeply for various reasons. There's the whole thing where Hua Cheng is the unmistakable proof of a believer that never leaves their god, the very thing Jun Wu felt entitled to but didn't receive. But in this case I think him wanting to tempt Yin Yu away from Hua Cheng's side is about how bitter and salty Jun Wu feels about the fact that Hua Cheng holds more sway over all three realms than he does - evidenced by the way Hua Cheng doesn't just have followers in the Ghost Realm but the Human Realm as well, and even the gods, while they fear him, also can't help but admire him and strike deals with him in secret (Vol 1, page 157-160). That Yin Yu, a banished god, would (just like Xie Lian) rather be loyal to Hua Cheng than Jun Wu - that must have angered him a lot because it's something he'd take quite personally.

This is, I think, also the root of why Yin Yu has so much trouble seeing his position in the Ghost Realm for what it really is and why he still longs to be a god despite how unhappy he was in the heavens and how badly he was treated there - he can't see past the prejudices about the Ghost Realm in general and Ghost City in particular that he has internalized. Prejudices that Jun Wu actively weaponizes every time he speaks to Yin Yu, by repeatedly insinuating that being a ghost city officer is a shameful thing to be:

"Surely you do not actually like being a mere pawn in the Ghost Realm?" [...] "Falling in with the Ghost Realm was an unfortunate circumstance, an act borne of helplessness." [...] "You are bound by his grace and have nowhere else to go." [...]

Vol 7, page 144

Which makes it all the more satisfying when Yin Yu tricks Jun Wu (or attempts to, at least) and ultimately rejects both his offer and his authority, and also calls Jun Wu out on the way he tried to manipulate him:

"My Lord... My... No, not My Lord! You! Why must you keep reminding me of that?! Why do you speak like you actually understand me?!"

Vol 7, page 151

Jun Wu is deeply enraged by his defiance and rejection - in general, but also because it reminds him of Xie Lian's defiance against him:

Jun Wu turned around with a casual sweep of his hand. "Exhilarating. You and Xianle must get along well."

Vol 7, page 152

This brings me to my final point - which is that choosing kindness and righteousness even in the face of criticism and rejection, of personal loss and suffering, is what Jun Wu hates the most, and what ties Xie Lian and Hua Cheng, Quan Yizhen and Yin Yu, and Yin Yu and Hua Cheng together. Hua Cheng was drawn to Xie Lian because Xie Lian chose to treat him kindly when everyone else abused and rejected Hua Cheng and pressured Xie Lian to do the same. Similiar things can be said for Quan Yizhen and Yin Yu, since Yin Yu was the one to ask his sect's shifu to take Quan Yizhen in when he came across him as a seemingly abandoned child, and who repeatedly defended Quan Yizhen from the other sect members' judgement and bullying, even though this earned Yin Yu their ire as well. Yin Yu, too, values kindness very highly:

Yin Yu sobbed. "If I wasn't destined to be perfect, I at least wanted to be perfectly kind. But... I couldn't even manage that." (Vol 7, page 156)

Therefore, though we get very little information on their first meeting, I think kindness is also what drew Yin Yu to Hua Cheng, what made him stay loyal to him even when tempted/threatened by Jun Wu, and what made him go right back to working for him after the events of the main story. Because while we get only this one mention, I think a great deal can be gleaned from it:

"Chengzhu has shown me grace. He saved me - "

"I know" Jun Wu said. "He even helped you pacify and send off Jian Yu's vengeful spirit when he died during your banishment, am I correct?"

Vol 7, page 144

It's not just he helped me, it's he saved me. And not only that, Hua Cheng, in a sense, saved Jian Yu as well by helping him move on, which I would assume was simply because Yin Yu wished for his friend to let go of his resentment and not become stuck as a vengeful spirit. What I think is really important to keep in mind here is that not only was Hua Cheng under no obligation to save Yin Yu, he had, objectively speaking, nothing to gain from it. He Xuan was already in the heavens by then and giving Hua Cheng intel. and Hua Cheng didn't show off that he had a banished god working for him either - he let Yin Yi wear a mask, and for years, no one (except apparently Jun Wu) knew where Yin Yu was or what had happened to him, evidenced by the way Quan Yizhen kept looking and kept asking about him to no avail (Vol 5 page 235).

We don't really get Hua Cheng's side of the story but I think the fact that he doesn't speak about it speaks for itself - aside from keeping things close to his chest in general, he tends to not talk about the things he does out of kindness and/or his own sense of justice. We see this for example when Xie Lian only finds out why the group of cultivators is after Hua Cheng when he overhears them saying that Hua Cheng chose to shelter both the pig spirit and the prostitute ghost who had chosen to take revenge on humans who had used their positions of power to hurt others (Vol 5 page 28-29).

This is therefore more speculation than analysis, but I can imagine that this whole scenario - a god with a good heart who gets abandoned by the heavens with only a vengeful spirit by his side - even though the exact circumstances that led to it differed, might have held enough similarities to what Hua Cheng personally witnessed of Xie Lian's banishment that it would bring out that same urge to help and protect in Hua Cheng. The fact that Yin Yu says Hua Cheng saved him really can't be overstated in my opinion, considering that Hua Cheng, understandably, has usually nothing but feelings of either indifference or hatred for all of the gods aside from Xie Lian and the Rain Master.

To sum up - the power structures in heaven encourage workplace harassment, bullying, and endless competition for resources and support, and this causes Yin Yu not only increased stress, isolation, and unhappiness, but also puts a strain on his inherent kindness and righteousness as he starts to give in under the pressure to conform. By contrast, his position in Ghost City is dependant on nothing but his loyalty to Hua Cheng, on Yin Yu's own choice to stay with him, and offers him an unprecedented amount of respect and trust. It is heaven, really, that is repeatedly shown to mistreat and exploit its officials, especially those of lower rank, not Hua Cheng.

[imaginesforeons]

Could you write itadori with reader, who is very insecure about their body

Omg yes!! My first ask, I'm so hyped.

Yuji and a Reader who is insecure about their body

~You have doubts. Yuji doesn't~

CW: Reader is insecure about their body.

Word Count: 664

Yuji is aged up in this, somewhere in his 20s.

Reqs are OPEN! Send me an ask with your ideas. You can see what fandoms I write pinned on my page.

Buy me a coffee?

.-.-.

Bodies were strange. They came in so many different shapes and sizes, endless shades of skin and hair and eyes, creating something so unique that no person looked quite the same. Sometimes… sometimes these traits combined perfectly, creating perfect people.

“Babe?”

From your place in front of the mirror, you jumped, squeaking. Whirling around, you saw Yuji, standing outlined in the doorway.

“Hey, Yuji,” you said, mustering up a smile. You took a step back from the mirror, hoping he wouldn’t notice.

Speaking of perfect people, you thought, eyeing Yuji up and down, your boyfriend was one of the best. Born with a genetic jackpot, Yuji was the most handsome man you had ever laid eyes on. While he was thinner and gangly in his teen years, at least from the pictures he had shown you, his twenties had done him well, filling him out until he was perfectly proportoined. His cheekbones were sharp, face model-worthy, and when he smiled he caught the attention of everyone in the room. There was no other way to describe it; Yuji was stunning, and you… well, you weren’t.

Yuji drew closer, taking in the drawn curtains, the dimmed lights. The mirror. “What’s up?” he asked, eyes tracking over your body.

You grimaced. While you adored Yuji, there was always another emotion hidden deep underneath your love. Something was waiting for the other shoe to drop, because for as long as you had been with him you couldn’t figure out why he’d give the time of day to someone like you. Compared to Yuji, you were subpar.

“I was just-” you tried to come up with an explanation, something that would dull the curious look in his eyes, but your mind fell flat. “I was looking,” you finished lamely.

Yuji only hummed, wrapping his arms around your waist and leaning in to kiss your temple. You slowly turned around til your back was pressed against him and you were facing the mirror again. Yuji hooked his chin over your shoulder, watching both your figures in the mirror.

You were watching too.

With the both of you reflected in the mirror, your previous thoughts were only brought to light. Yuji was beautiful, and next to him you were like the ugly duckling. You folded your arms across your chest, if only to hide a little more of yourself. Maybe Yuji wouldn’t notice.

Right when you were ready to squirm out from his hold, Yuji spoke up.

“Ya know,” he mused. “I think we make a pretty cute couple.”

It took your brain a moment to catch up, but when it did, you blinked. “Really?” you asked, craning your head up to try to catch his eye.

Yuji nodded. “Of course! I mean, you’re definitely better than me when it comes to the looks department, but I think I’m pretty close.”

“Oh.” To your horror, you felt your throat tighten, and tears started to well in your eyes. Before they could fall, you turned and buried your face in Yuji’s chest, but it was too late. Yuji had seen your eyes well up in the mirror.

“Babe?” Yuji sounded panicked. “What’s wrong?”

Sniffling, you nuzzled deeper into his chest. “You really think I’m pretty?”

“Oh, baby,” Yuji said. “Of course I do. I think you’re perfect.”

Your throat caught on a sob, and Yuji shushed you gently. He started to run his hands down your back, over your hips, up your arms. He whispered sweet nothings in your ears, while in-between he pressed kisses on top of your head and brow. He cradled you in his arms, guiding you towards the bed where the two of you layed down together, your head on his chest. He ran a hand carefully up and down your spine, still talking all the while.

You held on to him tightly, fisting your hands into his shirt. “Thank you, Yuji,” you whispered. It was too quiet for anyone but the two of you to hear.

[bryngmemoney]

✁FASHION FLIRT✃

Megumi Fushiguro x Reader

⭑story masterlist link

tw:none

Writing in between messages!!

🪡Chapter Fifteen: 8-ball

“You have to show me him!” Yuki exclaimed as you adjusted her outfit, making sure everything fit well. “Well, I could show you a picture, but he’s gonna come in right after you, so you could stay a minute extra.”

You two were referring to Megumi, as Yuki had always been one interested in starting conversation on people’s types. You were no exception. She told you that the reason she did it revealed a lot about the person without them knowing, you could see what she meant to an extent but really only she knew what she was talking about.

“Ooo, like how soon after me?” You looked at the time displayed on your phone, seeing the lock screen show the song you were quietly playing in the background for you and Yuki, as you guys were the only ones around. The numbers at the top read the time 5:50. “Like in ten minutes maybe, he said he’d be here around six.”

You backed up, asking Yuki to spin for you, seeing that everything seemed to fit well. “Does anything feel off?” “No, it’s perfect actually!”

“Great! Well that’s really all, you can go and change again, are you staying for a few?”

“Well I am curious, i’ll stick around with you for a bit.”

6:20, and Megumi was no where to be seen. “Is he running late?” Yuki asked leaning her back against the table while she sat down, facing you who was standing up, peaking out the window of the studio room to see if there was any sign of anyone walking in.

“I don’t know, he hasn’t answered the text I sent him.”

“He usually shows up on time?”

“Most of the time, there was just once where he showed up late, but that’s because of something that was happening.” You turned back to Yuki, checking your phone just once again to see if there was any sign from him. “Like how late?” You placed your phone down, sighing before answering “40 minutes..”

“Oh, wow.”

“He made up for it though!” You defended, “He took me out to dinner, it wasn’t really a date because his friend was there too, but still!” Yuki just hummed seeming amused in your story.

“Okay, i’ll wait another 10 minutes max with you then, but if he still hasn’t responded or shown up, we’re leaving.” You yawned in response, not feeling tired because it was late, but instead because this week had really exhausted you with class work. “Can’t we make it 15?”

“Listen, he’s already done something like this before, and you’re tired, just tell him not to show up and talk it out later, but if I was you i’d go and take the fattest nap ever first.”

Megumi sighed after finally finishing his project presentation for his Photo Seminar class. He really needed to try on this assignment, as his last one wasn’t the best. He didn’t fail, but he wasn’t anywhere near where he wanted or needed to be. Stressing over it he was glad to have finally finished his preparation, feeling a weight being lifted off him that is until he checked the time to be 6:38, then it was replaced with panic, remembering he had promised to meet you around six today. He looked for his phone, only to find it and see a text from you already saying you left 7 minutes ago.

Author’s Note: date with megumi officially planned🗣️‼️

tbh i think beer pong is my favorite imessage game

hope you guys enjoyed!

Taglist below, feel free to comment or dm me to be added!!

TAGLIST

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[chrisevansonly]

Extremely Proud (blurb)

pairing: harry styles x female reader

summary: slane castle was a show you’ll never forget and you have the tears to prove it

warnings: none<3

a/n: just a lil something cause slane was literally insane, im so proud of Harry, he was so happy last night and I just wanna sob🥹

It was almost hard to see through the tears that lined your eyes as you looked out across the crowds that filled Slane’s fields and the seats near the castle. This show was not only a huge accomplishment for Harry but it also had a a lot of historical significance, a show that truly would be remembered for a long time.

Fireworks going off around you as Harry gave his all to sign of the times as he usually did, your hand coming up to wipe your cheeks every so often, Lloyd being sure to capture a few pictures of you to send to Harry later on. There was still a little bit to go until the concert was over and you’d be rushed to the airport to get back to London for his four nights at Wembley Stadium, so when Harry had a 5 min water break and bathroom break he came straight for you

“Baby…you’re crying”

“H-Happy tears m’love”

He smiled pressing a quick kiss to your lips, his thumbs catching a few more tears

“I know you don’t have long, but this is insane Harry, I-I’ve never seen anything like this”

“Yeah it’s incredible isn’t it?”

He glanced out and really took the time to look out at everyone who’d come to see him perform. Going from a teenager on x-factor not really knowing where he would go to performing in front of almost 100 thousand people, it was a surreal experience; and you were with him too, which only made it more special for the two of you.

“I’m so proud of you baby, everyday, seeing you go out there, sing your heart out and dance all night is such a beautiful thing to get to witness and be apart of..”

Harry’s arms tightened around you as you soaked up the last minute you two had together

“You are so deserving of all of this, the venues, the people, the shows, the awards, i’ve never met someone who works as hard as you, who loves their fans, team and band as much as you do…you’ve come such a long way H and I’m so f-fucking proud of you.”

You could tell Harry was trying to remain as focused as he could, not wanting to shed any premature tears; the two of you could do that on the drive to the airport tonight

“I love you so much y/n, having you here to experience these moments and celebrate with me makes it all the world…you are my world, and I wouldn’t be the man I am today without you.”

You heard someone call a 30 second warning so you pulled him in for one more kiss, arms wrapping around his back after to hold him to you for a few more seconds

“I love you H, keep shining baby, i’ll be waiting”

“I love you more darling, see you soon”

Kissing your cheek he was back off towards the stage, the crowd erupting in cheers as he started to finish his set for the night. The moon starting to come up from behind the castle as you watched Harry dance and sing his way around, everything almost becoming quiet for you as you held your gaze on him. There was no one else on this planet that deserved the love and kindness Harry was shown day in and day out by those around him.

He made it. From that teenage boy that stood on a stage for a handful of people on xfactor to the man that now stood in front of thousands of people; people that were here for him, for your Harry…he had made it, and you couldn’t be prouder.

[letteredlettered]

Hi, just finished By the Grace and.. I love? Unattractive!draco isn't what i enjoy cus his canon description is my type. But to see THAT as harry's version of ugly and then slowly as he falls, him finding THAT same face beautiful was painfully adorable. Also, i laughed a lot at draco's humour + found Timothy's story horribly scary. As dead beings aren't new in HP we don't actually realize how creepy it is when they 'exist' with the living. While reading, i could imagine Timothy as alive, struggling, confused and in pain. Probably tortured too before the sacrifice. His story before he was the "Timothy tree", which i find so disturbing that people still read it all as the "tree" as if the BOY wasn't the one whose spirit was forced in it. Tree wasn't sentient, Timothy was. I loved him addressing draco even though he wouldn't let draco climb. When he's freed, I love how the rot of the tree is shown.

Another point, even towards the end we see draco addressed in the fic as "Malfoy" instead of draco(except the last page) and as it's from harry's pov did you intentionally choose that? Is there anything you meant by that?

You don't have to answer me(obviously) still thanks for writing the fics! And (copying draco) i hope you too sleep beautifully. I'm sorry this is so long, forgive me.

I am so glad you liked unattractive Draco, even though you don't picture him that way! I've been frankly a little shocked at the number of people who have tried to tell me Draco is "canonically" hot. He is canonically blond, tall, and pointy. Two of those traits are actually turn-offs for me. Then I'm told that Draco is hot in the movies, which means he is canonically hot. I find this interesting on several counts. I'm not writing movie canon. I don't find Tom Felton hot (though he is a fine guy!)

Most importantly, it's news to me that objective hotness exist. I was deeply aware that there is a societal conception of hot that depends upon an agreed upon set of facial features, coloring, and body characteristics, but that is not objective hotness, and even that is under dispute, cf Benedict Cumberbatch, who half the world seemed too find the very definition of too hot to handle, and the other half of the world thought looked like an alien.

Sometimes I imagine Draco like that--a face that is wildly attractive to some and odd to others. Sometimes I do imagine him as very symmetrical and most people, even Harry, grudgingly admit he's a bit fit. But most of the times in my head he is pretty unappealing.

I'm glad you liked the Timothy Tree as well! I admit, I started with the name of that tree and only later invented why it was called that. I just liked the sound of something called the Timothy Tree!

I think Harry thinks of Draco as "Malfoy" because he is struggling so much with dealing with everything Draco has done to him, to people he loves, and to society. At first, "Malfoy" is just what Harry as always called Draco, and then, when Harry's feelings begin to soften and warm, it's hard for Harry to deal with, so he thinks of Draco as "Malfoy" to hold him at a bit of a distance.

Because Draco embraces fascist ideology and genocide at some points in canon, because he bullies Harry, physically and mentally, tries to kill him and his friends, I struggle with fics where Harry doesn't struggle with those issues about Draco. In lots of fics, Harry immediately starts calling Draco "Draco" as soon as they get to know each other a little better. It feels like a big thaw that comes way too soon for me. So, in this fic, I kept the "Malfoy" until nearly the end to show how hard this was for Harry, about how he has to give up some self-protection and be vulnerable in order to think of Draco as just another boy, and not someone who tortured him and hurt people.

[aclowntiny]

Hello 👋 I really love your writing like very very much 😊 ❤ 💖 if I can request can I ask for Ateez first "I love you " moment?? Like who said it first and the reaction ?? It's okay if you didn't though , i just want to tell you that you're amazing 🤗

Absolutely you can! Thank you so much love, that literally means the world to me 🥰🥰🥰 making things that people enjoy is my number one goal & hearing this is why I keep going 🥹 (also, I want one of those pearl teddy bears so bad 🥺 where's my man at)

First 'I Love You' With Ateez (Gender Neutral)

Hongjoong

It was date night. Nothing fancy, just a night in, but with a boyfriend like Hongjoong, even that was one of the most beautiful evenings you could imagine.

He squared off one of his building's balconies, draping the whole thing in fairy lights. He gathered an assortment of the most delicious hors d'oeuvres he could find, laid them out like art on a little table for you too, and finished it off with some of your favorite dessert from a little corner bakery you two had been dying to try.

You ate, you talked, just catching up on your days and your goals, Hongjoong’s free hand occasionally traveling across the table to run affectionately over the arm you had rested there. It brought a shy smile to your face each time, which brought a proud one to his in turn.

When your meal was finished and your conversation had lightened, Hongjoong rose from his chair, crossing your little paradise to a speaker, which he turned on to play some music. He made his way back to where you sat, stopping right next to your chair and extending his hand.

“May I have this dance?”

How did you get so lucky? “Of course,” you breathe, placing your hand in his.

He pulls you up, steadying you by the small of your back as his other hand slides out to hold yours. The music is soft, intimate as you sway together and gaze into each other’s eyes. Several songs pass like that, each blending into the other as Hongjoong draws your focus, expertly turning and dipping you, even stealing a kiss on one of them.

Finally, as one song ends, he speaks again. “There’s something I want to tell you.”

“Of course,” you whisper, daring not to break the fairy-lit magic of the night.

“I’m so glad you’re mine,” he says, and that’s when you know the magic will never break, not when you’re here with the man of your dreams, “you’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met. My hear, my muse. I love you, (y/n).”

Not a thought is needed before you reply that you feel the same, that you truly are his and only his. If you had any doubts, the smile he gives you shatters them completely, replacing them with the same butterflies he’s always made you feel as he pulls you flush against him. You’re barely dancing now, but neither of you care.

“What a beautiful night,” you gush.

Hongjoong turns, a hand tilting your chin towards him as he leans in all the way. “It’s trying to compete with you.”

Seonghwa

What did Seonghwa do to deserve someone like you? Someone who made him tea, sat with him while he built legos and recorded his ASMR, someone who gifted him with the greatest, most natural and unadulterated laughter accidentally recorded into said ASMR mic, someone who sent him the cutest pictures with encouraging words every day just because he was on your beautiful mind. How lucky.

With you, he felt...light. Euphoric. Like he was shown more and more sides of a big heart every day that you took care of him. And darn it if he wasn't going to be the one to take care of you, too.

He claimed the dorm kitchen, shooed any potential intruders out. Googled all your favorite things, made sure he wasn't missing a single bit of it. Called you and told you to be over for a surprise, that he couldn't wait to see you.

And tell you how much I love you, he wanted to say, but that was to come later. For now, he had work to do.

You arrived just as he finished, making the way toward the kitchen with widening eyes, first at the smell, then at the sight of Seonghwa laying out your favorite meal at the table, which was centered by a vase of your favorite flowers. With an exclamation of endearment you shuffled across the kitchen, jumping into his arms for a big hug.

"I know today was a long day," he told you, "so I wanted to surprise you. Make sure you didn't have to lift a finger for dinner after it all."

"Seonghwa, this is amazing," you breathed, making him smile with the way your body visibly relaxed, "I- I-"

"I love you," both of you said at the same time.

You felt your eyes widen, saw Seonghwa's do the same. Your hands shot up to your face in surprise, fell to reveal the big, gorgeous smile he loved being the cause of. Reaching out his arms once more, he pulled you into his chest, holding you gently there against his beating heart.

"Thank you."

"You're the one who did all this, I should be thanking you," you protested, though you made no effort to leave his embrace.

You feel his head shake on top of yours, the motion ruffling your hair a bit. "No, thank you," he insists, "you've just given me a much better gift. Now, what say we enjoy some dinner, hm?"

Yunho

Yunho knows he loves you when even a text from you changes the trajectory of his day. He knows he loves you by the way you know him so well, remembering every little thing about him. He knows he loves you by the way your smile is the first and last thing he wishes he could see every day.

He knows he loves you, now all that's left is to tell you. He asks you out to a nice dinner, and beyond your pleasant surprise at the proposed fancy outing, you don't seem to catch on to anything special. Yunho's just glad you can't feel how rapidly his heart is beating, even though he knows it's all anticipation. After all, once the decision came to his head, it was as natural as breathing, one of the easiest he's made- it feels right.

You walk into the restaurant dressed to the nines and the sight takes his breath away. It seems to show, and he's glad, because as his eyes land on you you give him the biggest smile, fondness and gratitude already present in your eyes. Yunho wants those things to always stay there when you look at him.

When he tells you he already ordered your favorite appetizer, you clap adorably. When he presents you with the bouquet and the pearl teddy bear, you light up even more, shining brighter than the crystal chandeliers adorning the ceiling.

"Yunho, this is all so wonderful- what is it for?" You finally ask.

He was going to wait until after dessert, maybe even until your goodnight kiss, but he's swimming in the highlights of your eyes and the opulent walls of the restaurant have faded out completely and he can't help himself. The moment is right.

"Because I love you," he replies simply, "no other reason than that."

You take his breath away again, this time by launching yourself half out of your seat and into his arms, crushing him in a hug he's happy to reciprocate. You're both warm, you're both giggling, and your scents are pleasantly mingled as you speak again.

"I love you, too."

Yeosang

Yeosang wasn’t sure what he was doing, but he was sure why he was doing it. Shifting the box in his hands, he reached one up to ring your doorbell.

Your eyes widened at the sight of him standing at your door, but your lips immediately curled into a smile that went straight to Yeosang’s heart. If he had needed any more encouragement, he’d just gotten it. “Surprise!” He exclaimed sheepishly.

Your eyes travelled from his down to the white box he was holding. “What’s this?”

“It’s a surprise,” he teased, “you have to let me in to find out~”

“Oh, right,” you chuckled, stepping out of the way, “I’m sorry. Please, come in, go set it down! I hope it wasn’t heavy.”

Even if it had been, it would have been well worth it. Your adorable look of surprise, the way your home smelled just like you- even if that was weird to say, it was true and Yeosang loved it. Resting the box on your table, he swiveled to face you, to reach for your hands at your sides.

“I wanted to share this with you,” he told you, nodding at the box when you gave him a confused slight frown.

“Alright,” you nodded back, eyes not leaving his, “what is it?”

Fumbling toward the table, his hands found the top of the box. “I hope you love it!” With a proud smile, he unveiled the most beautiful cake you’d ever seen. Pink and white ombré frosting was piped along the top and bottom and dotted with heart-shaped sprinkle. Edible glitter dusted the white top, which had gorgeous calligraphy swirled on top. I love you, the words read.

Your hands just shot up in surprise. “Yeosang, I… this is beautiful. It’s really for me?”

“Well, as long as I get a piece too,” he replied, giggling as he pulled you in closer by your hands, feeling his heartbeat pick up the longer you went without addressing the words, “what do you think?”

You finally peeled your eyes off the cake, and when they fell on him it gave him all the answer he needed, the dull thud within him crescendoing into a soar. Your gaze darted between the loving stare he’s giving you and a bit lower, sliding along his profile eagerly.

“Well, I didn’t prepare a cake, but hopefully this’ll do as an ‘I love you’,” you answered, one of your hands leaving his to find the small of his back, bringing him as close as you could get him as passionately kissed him.

He giggled again when you separated, one of his hands gently playing with your hair.

“You’re sweet,” you whisper, doe-eyed at Yeosang’s affection.

He leans in to press his lips to your cheek. “Speaking of sweet…”

“Yes, we can cut the cake now.”

San

Complete and utterly lost in you- that's the only way to describe how San feels. There are city lights and a gorgeous breeze and the smell of the sea all on different horizons of his little orbit, but they're barely perceptible in the face of your laugh, those eyes that San doesn't know what he did to earn such looks from. All he knows is that he wants to do it again and again in this life and the next.

You're warm at his side, an arm tucked in his as you stroll along the beach, another successful date in the books. You're telling him everything you love about the sea, how powerful it feels to you, how close to the very forces of nature themselves, and all San can think of is how you're describing is how his heart feels in the presence of yours. He can't keep this to himself.

"I know that feeling," he says.

You smile and his heart bursts all over again, his arm tightening just so around yours. Just enough to pull you a little closer.

"Right? The ocean is such a magnificent creation, it's just-"

"No," he shakes his head, "it's something far more beautiful."

Your eyebrows shoot up. "Oh? What's that?"

"You. You're far more magnificent than the sea could ever hope to be, and my heart feels just as drawn to the waves of yours."

Your free hand rises to your chest. "Wow. Is that from a book?"

He shakes his head again. "Just from me to you. Too much?"

"Oh, uh, no," you stutter, an adorable, just-barely-visible in the night's dim light flush dusting your cheeks, "I just wasn't expecting you to get so poetic."

"Neither was I," San laughs, reaching up to pinch your warming cheek, "but being in love makes us do funny things."

"It sure does," you agree, "like this."

Your free hand rises again, this time to smooth his hand over your cheek, holding it there as you kiss him. San releases his grip on your arm to pull you in closer by the waist, wasting no time in returning the passionate seaside kiss.

"No, seriously," he tells you as you pull apart, forehead resting on his, "I really love you."

Your gaze falters a little, but you smile wider and echo his sentiments as his hand finds yours, pressing them in their joined state over his heart.

Mingi

"Don't you want to finish the movie?"

Your whispered words tickle Mingi's cheek and the side of his neck as you lean down to his horizontal form. You two have a love seat to yourselves as Ateez hold their movie night, the film about halfway through now. Mingi, though, has just laid down, his head having drooped against you a few times before he stopped fighting it.

"Mm-mm," he shakes his head against the love seat cushions, snaking his arms against your waist to pull you closer into him, "you're comfortable. Better than the movie."

Having already been half laying down, you surrender, dropping completely to your side to assume the position as Mingi's little spoon. As soon as you've done that, though, he turns you around in his arms to face him, nestling his head in the crook of your neck and shoulder. Warmth rises to your cheeks at the feeling of his breath, leading you to exhale in a little chuckle as you reach around to hold Mingi, too.

"Well, good night, then," you tease, tilting your head to close your very tiny gap with a peck on his lips.

"Good night. I love you."

You briefly stiffen in his hold, leaning back to see if he's fallen asleep already, just saying whatever in his stupor. The moment you scan him, though, his eyes open wide, one falling shut in a wink. Suppressing a giddy laugh, you just smile, settling back down and snuggling even closer to him.

"I love you, too, Mingi."

Wooyoung

The stars hang high in the sky and everyone is fading fast save for Wooyoung and you, his other half. His better half, if you ask the rest of Ateez. The one who manages to simultaneously pump him up and calm him down.

Except right now, there's no calming him down-it's the last song of the night, but despite its many predecessors, your boyfriend is as hyped as if he'd just picked up the microphone. Grinning, you glance at the screen, expecting a party song, so surprise flits across your face when you see Wooyoung choose a song from a musical. He points at you with a wide smile, beginning an ostentatious, goofy comedic love song that has the other seven guys cringing and groaning.

You for your part just pick up a microphone and give it right back to your boyfriend, matching every sweep of his arm, finger heart, and ridiculous miming gesture as if you two had coordinated. He turns it into a skit, your singing melting into a very corny sung conversation that has your audience shaking their heads in amused exasperation. Only those two, you see their mouths saying, and that gives you a rush of joy. They may be embarrassed, but to you, it shows you that there's something special about you and Wooyoung.

He feels it too, clearly, as he grabs you and dips you the moment you finish your thought, sending a chorus of cheers soaring over you two.

"That was so much fun," he leans down toward you.

"It was," you agree with a big smile, gazing into his eyes.

"We play so well together," he continues, leaning even further.

"We do," you all but sigh, anticipation fluttering in your eyelashes.

"I love you." Your noses are almost touching now.

A fiery wave of joy crashes over you and you can't help yourself any longer, your hand finding the back of his head to tangle in his black locks and pull him all the way into you. Even more tired exasperation and mock-disgust sounds off around you, but beneath the dim purple light of the room and the dreamy red haze cresting your heart, you can't care less. They get a show.

"I love you, too," you whisper as your lips separate, Wooyoung's hand on your back gently raising you to your feet, where he wraps both arms around you.

Jongho

"Thank you for agreeing to this," Jongho says, turning to face you, to get a look into your eyes.

"Agree to this?" You snort. "You make it sound like some sort of procedure, not a date."

A smile rises to his lips. Alright, he'll give you that one. It did sound a little funny. "Well, not everyone enjoys going on hikes."

"With you, someone could sit us down and read us the phone book and I'd still have a good time."

Jesting as they are, something about your words strikes a cord deep within Jongho's fluttering chest. They're playful, but they boil down to a very specific essence what your presence is to him: comforting, the highlight of his day, easy, the joy of being in his element no matter what the situation, what went wrong, simply because it was you.

Should he say something?

"Well, come on!" Before he can, your fingers are intertwining with his, pulling him forward along the trail. Laughing, he picks up the pace behind you, stopping just as suddenly when you reach the trail sign and take a selfie with him.

Life with you is an adventure. Ugh, that sounds corny, Jongho thinks, but it's so true and he has to admit he loves it. No, not it. You. He loves you.

The hike is quiet, peaceful for the most part. Every now and again, one of you will point out a butterfly or a bent tree, stop to take a picture, crack a joke. No pretense, just the bracing air, the sunshine, and your hand in his. Jongho's heart is beating a little faster, but you aren't on a strenuous enough trail for him to play that off as exertion.

Soon enough, you reach the top, the trail bottoming out into a meadow of waving grasses dotted with adorable little wildflowers. Jongho stops to take it all in, but you run headfirst in, frolicking like a deer set free, and he can't help but smile and give a fond shake of his head as he follows you. When he reaches you, you've picked a mini bouquet of the tiny pink and yellow flowers, holding it so gingerly, clearly having the time of your life if your expression of pure joy is anything to go off of. Once again, it's like cupid's arrow is shooting straight into his heart.

"Isn't it cute? ...Jongho?"

He'd been staring off into space. Heck, he still is. You're not used to the dreamy look in his eyes, and it still feels new to him, but it takes him over anyway. "I love you."

Your jaw drops. "What?"

He blinks, snaps out of his love-drunk state a little, but all that does is return the words to his chest with a new fire. "I love you," he says, this time more loudly, firmly. Proudly.

You giggle, clutching your flowers a little tighter, still a bit giddy yourself. "And somewhere so beautiful, too?" Your eyes are shining more than ever, full of more love than Jongho had ever seen them shoot his was. "I love you, too. So much!"

The moment you turn around, he's ready to catch you, pulling you up from your hug until your feet lift off the ground and you give a little squeak of surprise. It's all a little corny, a little sappy, and yet as your foreheads, and then your lips, meet, all Jongho can think is how perfect it all is, how all he wants is to feel you in his arms.

[gregorygerwitz]

Crochet Commissions!

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Pictures of my recent work and prices are below. Including: stuffed animals, dice bags, holiday stockings, blankets. As well as: shipping info, custom request info.

For further questions or to request a commission: message me here or email me at crochetbyalex@outlook.com

When I did my poll, most people voted for stuffed animals, and I recently finished a few that I can show my skills with. The blue penguin is my latest finished piece, with the purple penguin the first thing I ever crocheted side-by-side for comparison of how much I've learned in the last ~7 months. The mouse is technically unfinished because the eyes aren't embroidered yet, but I made it in about a day and a half, for timeline purposes.

I also just finished the above dice bag octopus about an hour ago for my roommate, which took about three hours of non-stop work (I turned on a movie and got through the stitches pretty quick). I can make them in any color you want, with either the plastic safety eyes or embroidered eyes. Most of these can be entirely customizable, just let me know what you're thinking and I'll see what I can do!

Dice bags: $10 + $5 domestic (US) shipping Stuffed animals: $15 + $5 domestic (US) shipping optional crinkle filling (washer/dryer safe): + $2 (stuffed animals only)

10 slots total (4 REMAINING)

I don't have any pictures of any of the hats or scarves I've made because it's been a few years, but I made some stockings for the apartment for Christmas last month, and that's one of my most recent projects. The green one was the last one I made, and probably the most accurate to what my capabilities are now.

If you'd like a stocking for Christmas 2024, let me know! I have an unlimited number of slots for them as the holiday is far enough away that the time crunch isn't so rough.

Hats: $20 + $5 domestic (US) shipping Scarves: $30 + $5 domestic (US) shipping Holiday stocking: $24 + $5 domestic (US) shipping

5 total wearable (hats/scarves) slots

The least popular item in my poll was the blankets, which I understand. And I'm only going to open one slot for them at a time because they take so long and so much yarn to make. The wave pattern (both blankets pictured above) is my favorite to do, but I have patterns for most simple designs, or I can likely easily google it and put it together for you. Prices are based on the time and materials these take to make, but because they're so much more expensive than the smaller items above, domestic (US) shipping is free.

Baby blanket (top left): $50 Throw blanket/afghan: $100 Full size (length shown in bottom picture): $200

1 blanket slot (0 REMAINING)

Custom requests:

If there's a pattern you've found on Etsy/Pinterest/etc that you want made, contact me by using the contact information above. We can discuss prices or my ability to accomplish that for you. ***patterns must be CROCHET patterns as I do not knit (yet)*** 5 custom slots total

International shipping:

Let me know when you request a commission where you are located, as shipping prices vary wildly from country to country. I'll go over the actual cost with you before you commit to the commission and make sure the price works for both of us.

Current open slots:

Stuffed animals and dice bags: 1. [FILLED] 2. [FILLED] 3. [FILLED] 4. [FILLED] 5. [FILLED] 6. [FILLED] 7. [OPEN] 8. [OPEN] 9. [OPEN] 10. [OPEN]

Wearables: 1. [OPEN] 2. [OPEN] 3. [OPEN] 4. [OPEN] 5. [OPEN]

Stockings: [NO LIMIT]

Blankets: 1. [FILLED]

Custom requests: 1. [OPEN] 2. [OPEN] 3. [OPEN] 4. [OPEN] 5. [OPEN]

[dreamcatcher92]

Secret Santa

Summary: You start a new job in the big city. You’ve been quite the loner your entire life, but Billy Russo seems to be able to bring you out of that shell of yours.

Warnings: Language, mentions of alcohol, 18+, sexual content.

This is my first one shot, so I hope you guys like it! 🙂 Happy Holidays! 

And as always, thank you all so much for the likes and support!!

Christmas was fast approaching, and you just weren’t in the holiday spirit. You were still new to city life since you were used to living in a small rural town in Kentucky and stuck to your daily routine of going to work, then going straight home.  You had just started your secretary job at ANVIL, and just wanted to focus on doing your job well. 

Chloe and Mackenzie, your two new friends from work, had other ideas for you this evening though. Tonight was the company Christmas party, and the girls begged and begged for you to join them tonight until finally, you caved and agreed to go for a couple of hours. 

“I promise you’ll have fun! Just wear something cute and meet us in the lobby around seven!” Chloe said excitedly as she smiled from ear to ear. 

After the work day was over, you rushed home to figure out what to wear tonight. Chloe and Mackenzie had both shown you pictures of the dresses they planned on wearing, so you knew that you needed to find the best dress you own. You were extremely nervous about going out tonight, but felt like maybe with your friends there with you, it wouldn’t be so bad.

An hour had passed and now you only had about 45 minutes left to finish getting ready and make your way to the high-end hotel that was rented out for the evening's event. You had settled on a knee length gold sequin dress that you wore to a cousin’s wedding once. Paired with your outfit, you chose to wear a pair of red heels and put just a tiny bit of makeup on. 

All of a sudden as you were finishing the final touches on your hair, your phone began to ding.

Chloe: Guys, I am sooooo excited for tonight! Maybe Xander will finally give me a chance!

Mackenzie: Chlo….Xander is such a player! You deserve way better!!

Chloe: Ugh! Don’t be such a downer! 

Chloe: Y/n you ready for tonight!?

Y/n: I think so! I’m almost done getting ready and then I’ll be heading to the venue. Seven still right?

Mackenzie: Yep!

Chloe: Yesss! See you both soon!

You arrived about five minutes early to the party and were relieved when you turned around to look out the door to see Chloe and Mackenzie walking in together to meet you. They greeted you with a hug and the three of you made your way upstairs to the party. 

There were so many people. It made you feel a bit uncomfortable, but knowing that your new friends were close by and had your back if needed made you feel a bit better. You looked around to see who all came and recognized a few others from the same floor you work on. You hadn’t met too many people because you’ve only worked at ANVIL for about three months. 

The girls decided to go talk to a few of their other friends, leaving you alone on the floor. So, you decided to go to the bar and grab a cocktail. After finally getting the bartender's attention, you ordered yourself a whiskey sour and walked out onto the balcony to look at the view of the city and get some fresh air. 

“Mind if I join you?” a deep voice says from behind you making you jump slightly.

You turn to see a tall, sexy, brown haired, and dark eyed man speaking to you, “Um, sure!”

The man walks up and stands beside you. You both gaze across the night sky taking in the beautiful lights of the city and feeling the brisk air blow on your faces.You feel a huge knot in your throat and your stomach is filled with butterflies. You think this man could very well be the most handsome man you’ve ever laid your eyes on. Is he really talking to me? Keep it together!

“Kinda chilly out to be standing outside by yourself.” he says looking down at you with a grin and a whiskey in his hand.

Your cheeks flush, “Yeah, it’s a bit cold out here I suppose. I just needed some air and to get away from all of those people. I’m not a huge fan of crowds.”

“Yeah, same, but I kinda have to be here so…” he says just before taking a sip of his drink.

“Why’s that?” you question.

He smiles and locks eyes with you, “Because I own the company, so if I don’t show then I’d look like an ass.”

It dawns on you that you’re speaking to THE Billy Russo himself. You’ve yet to meet him because of his busy schedule and huge involvement with training his own men. The butterflies in your stomach turn to a nauseated feeling and all you could focus on was to make sure not to say the wrong thing or sound like an absolute idiot.

“Oh! Y-You’re…” is all you manage to get out before Billy cuts you off.

“Your boss?” he laughs.

“Y-Yes, my boss.” you giggle.

“Billy Russo.” he reaches out to shake your hand.

You take his hand and introduce yourself to him. You can’t help but tremble a bit when his soft lips place a gentle kiss on the back of your hand. He notices your hand shaking a bit and grins as he looks back up to meet your eyes. Your eyes widen at this realization that he’s caught you.

“Don’t worry sweetheart, I won’t bite. Hard” Billy smiles and winks.

You let out a small nervous chuckle and the two of you stand and talk for a while. After a few more drinks and hours of chatting, Billy offered to give you a ride home, you happily agreed. There was this charm about Billy that made you swoon and give full trust to him. 

A few days have passed, and you haven’t heard from or seen Billy since the night of the party. You didn’t really think much of it because he is a very busy man after all. After lunch, you returned to your desk to find a single red rose lying on your keyboard with a note underneath that read, “A beautiful rose, for a beautiful girl. - Your Secret Santa.”

This was a joke right? Never in your life had this happened to you. Your face immediately flushed and you looked around to see if anyone was looking. 

You finished your shift and could not stop thinking about the rose and note. Surely this wasn’t Billy, right? He would NEVER be interested in someone like me. You tried to chalk it up to being some sort of prank that Chloe and Mackenzie have played on you. That’s got to be it. 

Once you got home and were fixing yourself something to eat, you were suddenly startled by a knock at the door. You sit your glass of wine on the countertop and walk over to peak out the peephole of your front door. Billy?!

Opening the door, you look up and meet Billy’s dark eyes, “Billy? Wha - What are you doing here?”

Billy smiles and pulls a red rose from behind his back and hands it to you, “I wanted to give you this one in person.”

Your heart skips a beat and your eyes widen, “I - I thought Chloe and Mackenzie left me that rose?”

“What?” Billy laughs.

“I just thought they were playing a prank on me. I mean, I thought that maybe…”

“Maybe what?”

“Well, I thought that maybe it was you, but then I thought that there was no way that you would like someone like…well like me. I’m nobody. I -”

Billy cuts you off by swiftly cupping your face and gently kissing your lips. Your eyes fall shut and you drop the rose on the floor as you bring your hands up to run your fingers through his soft hair. When he pulls back from the kiss, you realize that he is holding onto you tightly around your waist.

“I hope that was okay for me to do. Y/N, you’re not nobody. Don’t ever think that.” Billy says to you as he lifts you off the ground to have your legs now wrapped around him.

You look deeply into his eyes and nod your head. You lean back in to kiss him again. Billy carries you inside and kicks the door shut with one of his feet.

He sits down on the couch with you on top of his lap. Your mind is racing. You’ve never done anything like this before, but for whatever reason, this felt right. Your panties were soaked with arousal, and all you could think about was riding his cock.

As you straddle his lap, you sit back, stare at him for a moment, and smile, “So, Secret Santa huh?”

Billy chuckles as he runs a hand through your hair and meets your intense gaze, “Kinda cheesy I know.”

You shake your head, “I think it’s cute actually.”

He grins and runs his fingers down the length of your back and grabs hold of your ass, “Oh yeah? What else you thinkin’ about sweetheart?” 

You lean in and whisper into his ear, “Unzip those pants of yours and find out.”

[rien-maz]

And so I, avoiding all spoilers, finished my business and finished watching the "miracle" called "Acolyte". This post will be a subjective point of view, i.e. mine.

Make some tea, because this is going to be a BIG post.

Where do I start? Oh yes, the one that angered me the most - let's start with the characters, specifically their roles, backgrounds, and everything else on the list:

First off, the main characters are flat ( and I don't mean their shapes, they're fine).

One of the main characters, Osha, is striking in her lack of emotion. In the first episode we can still see her surprise at being accused of killing a Jedi, and we also see the changes between her child version and the adult version, but then she doesn't develop emotionally, sensually or physically. She doesn't learn anything throughout the 6 episodes. It feels like all the events pass her by and all we learn from them is that she hates her sister. But then again, she has no reaction in the first episode where she learns that Mei is alive and has killed a Jedi.

She also doesn't have much emotion for Saul, her old teacher, as if she doesn't care if he's there or not. When she sees the deaths of her two friends Jackie and Yord, Osha doesn't change a bit. You could write it off as all her thoughts being preoccupied with her sister, but no. These are the people closest to her, the ones she referred to in her conversation with Mei in Episode 5 as her family.

Throughout the 6 episodes we don't see an ounce of bitterness of loss for her family, although in episode 3 we are shown that she was very close to her mom emotionally. Osha doesn't develop as a character in any way. She was the same in both series 1 and 6. By the way, the same goes for Mei, but at least there's some character growth there

Mei, both as a child and as an adult, looks out for her own interests and that doesn't change even in Episode 5. Unlike Osha, Mei reacts to events around her, but most of them have no effect on the character herself. I can basically say the same thing about her as I can about Osha, but at least she has a small step of development: leaving the master and deciding to surrender to the Jedi. Subsequent events after that decision drive her into conflict, but Leslie Hadland killed those saplings of development in a scene where Mei changes into Osha's clothes and continues on her original path.

Jackie was in my opinion the most adequate character in this product, but just like with Osha, she doesn't react emotionally to the events that happen around her. She just acts as a supporting or supporting character because she doesn't play any special role in the main character's life. Jackie is not revealed as a character in any way. Other than her name and her affiliation with the Order, we don't know anything about her. We don't know her motivation, her principles, and so on. Just a character created for the crowd.

The same goes for Yord, who dilutes the plot with his goofiness (more on the plot later, for it is so raw that it is "bursting at the seams"). Like Jackie, we don't know anything about him. No, we know that he's an old acquaintance of Oshi's, who apparently doesn't care about the main character either, and that he has a great athletic body, which is so important to the plot. He's also just like Jackie a character for the masses and nothing more. He as well as the padawan don't play much of a role.

Saul. This grandfather is only pitiful because he is constantly "whining" and apologizing. He doesn't evoke, at least for me, any emotion other than pity. I don't know what Leslie Hadland was trying to achieve by creating such a character, probably she wanted to make a "martyr" in his image, which is either the image of a "little man", like Nikolai Gogol in the story "The Overcoat", or Alexander Pushkin's "The Station Keeper", where, like the main character of the story, Sol finds joy in his former padawan Osh.

The main antagonist of this product single-handedly saves the picture, out of a total of 6 episodes so far. Throughout the 5 episodes this character acted as a mystery to many, but to me, as soon as I saw him on the screen in the form of Mei's assistant, it was immediately clear who he was (thanks to the documentaries about maniacs from "Criminal Russia"). In fact, he was the only one who kept the intrigue going for 5 episodes.

And yes, the scene where he bathes naked in the water was very necessary in the director's opinion, because look how handsome Sith is. And cubes, and breasts and charisma in general hot man. And seriously, unlike with naked Yord, this scene was acceptable, because the main villain was unarmed, but still showed his power of persuasion. you could do without it, of course, but thank you for the beautiful man in the frame, who is the only one who carries the plot on his shoulders.

And so, we've dealt with the characters, let's move on to the next thing - namely the plot. This is an interesting thing, because I've never seen such predictable plots in my life.

So here it is: the plot is bad in that it is not finalized. It feels like the authors of this product came up with some super duper ending, and then remembered that it turns out it is necessary to write the whole story for this. But about everything in order. Let's go by series, because the first two episodes are the worst in this series at the moment.

The first episode starts by introducing us to the events, i.e. a lone assassin that has come to take revenge on a Jedi. Well, you decided to show us a killer that is ready to take someone else's life, but you chose a cool outfit: hair is open, face is covered by a mask only half, the hood she throws off, allowing people to see herself, and also leaves a witness at the scene of the crime. Well done, good killer. The bar fight scene itself I could describe as "what is this?", because the Jedi just stands and watches Mei scattering the customers, although we know from the same movies and clone wars that the Jedi immediately draw their swords and try to calm down the troublemaker, but no, we had to demonstrate Mei's strength, to show how cool she is.

We'll come back to the scene with the blade in his chest later because it made me laugh, but for now let's move on to the Osha indictment scene:

First point: how fast your ships fly. In the clone wars, poor guys spent cycles to get from one planet to another, and you're teleporting at plus ultra. What's my point? Yord himself said that Osha was VERY far from Coruscant, but they miraculously got there in a matter of minutes. Reminder: the actions of the first two episodes are 3 days apart in the story, so either I'm missing something here, or they abruptly lost such powerful ships during Palpatine's reign as Chancellor.

The second point: how accurately everyone remembers the face of our lone killer, although, if we take real life, people in stress can tell about the appearance of a person only in general features, to how few can identify the attacker in the exact features of the face, but we will omit this point.

The third point: physics comes out of the chat room or, to be more precise, out of Acolyte. Shchas will be a bet from the Internet, because I was not lazy to google it to convince myself of its correctness: "During experiments with fire on board the ISS, astronauts realized that fire does not behave exactly the same way as on Earth. Fire in space burns very differently. It burns with great difficulty, and it is even more difficult to ignite".

So, "F" for physics Leslie Hadland. And one more "F" for the living and not wounded protagonist, because the ship exploded into wreckage, and Osha was sitting near the nose of the ship, and not a single scratch on her. She was running away from the Jedi so vividly that no one would have believed she had just survived a spaceship crash. Another "F" for the equally lively Osha, who lay all night on a planet of snow and ice and didn't freeze her limbs off, even though she should have gone to the Force from being in light clothing in the cold for so long. Now I've led you smoothly to the technique that our "dear" Leslie used: the unkillable protagonist. Of course, she's the protagonist, we can't kill her, even though she should have died several times already for obvious reasons.

Fourth point: we haven't had a chance to get to know the character, and they dump his whole life story on us. Why? Why? There are no answers to these questions, but I'll explain the disadvantage, which is probably obvious to you already: we can't sympathize with the hero in his pain and loss, because we haven't had time to feel for him. We've literally been dumped a "heartbreaking" story and told to "sympathize with Osha, she's so miserable." No, Leslie, it doesn't work that way. With both Osha and Saul, we're immediately laid out the characters' pasts when we first learned their names. And while we can still sympathize with Saul in Jackie and Yord's murder scene, I'm sorry we can't, because as previously stated, she's a "flat character."

Fifth point: the writers of the product forget what they wrote originally. In the first episode, we are shown Mei killing a Jedi with a dagger, and later, our beautiful antagonist tells us that "Jedi cannot be killed with blade or sword." Okay? Okay? That's interesting, wow.

Sixth point: as mentioned in the first point, the plot runs at breakneck speed. Combined with all of the above, it's already hitting the plot pretty hard, which is as cliched as possible: two sisters were separated in childhood by events and now one is trying to reunite and the other to kill.

Seventh point: the Jedi have forgotten all their skills and only one of them uses the force normally and that's Saul. Why would I say that? Because the Jedi forget that they can sense other people with the Force. If they remembered that, Mei wouldn't have been able to kill two Jedi so easily. Oh yeah, Jedi do have telepathy, but Mace goes to hell with saying that they can only read minds and memories by diving into someone else's head, which requires a good ability to use the Force. And also that Jedi can only hear out loud thoughts and feel emotions and then empaths or telepaths can do that.

And if we remember the scene in the Clone Wars where Mace, Anakin and Kenobi "talk" to Cad Bane, the immersion into someone else's mind for a person who doesn't want it is accompanied by pain for the person to whom the action was directed. Yes, Leslie, it's worth familiarizing yourself with the universe you're doing the series in.

Eighth point: Leslie Hadland attempted to use the Chekhov's Gun technique, which refers to the dramaturgical principle that every element of the narrative should be necessary and non-essential elements should be removed. This can be seen in Osha's vision scene in the first episode, where she sees her sister, who says that she is alive and that she is going to kill more Jedi. This hints to us of the two sisters meeting after 16 years apart. Yes, you're good, but with the fact that the story asks the viewer a question and then answers it a couple seconds later, it doesn't work. I mean, the scene where Osha is led to the Prison Ship in handcuffs, followed by the scene with Saul's monologue about how what our eyes see isn't always the truth. In other words, in the first two episodes we have already been told the story that will go on, because of which we can watch further only because of the handsome Sith, nothing more.

I could say more about swords, but I've said too much already, so we'll summarize.

As I said earlier, the plot is as predictable and, frankly, raw as possible. It has many moments of incomprehension and outrage. This is especially outrageous for me as a Star Wars fan (I've been watching since I was 6 years old, even though I'm of legal age)

As a result, what we have: a predictable plot with flat characters, sexualization of men and a bunch of clichés. Oh yes, and physics, which was sent far away.

Remember that in this post I only wrote my opinion on the series. If you like it, that's strictly a personal matter and each of you is fully free to have an opinion that differs from mine. I just wanted to express my indignation and point out the mistakes that I saw in the series while watching it.

That's all.

[kitsumidori]

An assortment of Borderlands headcanons that I have saved up and I'm on when I'm going to ramble about these, but I'm doing it now. LET'S GOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tina would sometimes crochet whenever she fidgets, these would result in cute little yarn plushies that she would give to her friends.

Despite being one of the smarter vault hunters, Maya has shown to be a little dense at times (like one time she asked Lilith if she has extra closet space for her books, Lilith only responded with the most deadpanned face ever imagined while Maya was waiting for an answer) You can blame the monks for that.

Ironically despite being called “The Firehawk” Lilith has a mild phobia of birds (huge ones specifically) She’s ok with small ones like with Bloodwing and Little Talon, though she was taken off once she’d noticed Talon grew way bigger than Bloodwing did.

Hammerlock likes to collect novelty nick-nacks (tea/coffee cups, souvenirs from gift shops, those singing animatronic fish trophy's ECT) and has also dragged Wainwright down the rabbit hole into collecting little trinkets they’ll find while on holiday (One being a paperweight that looked like a eldritch squid god that he keeps on his desk)

Gaige having ADHD is something that everyone agrees with. But I like to add that while she can spend hours reading multi chapter fanfictions on the ECHOnet, she however can’t finish an actual book and would spend hours skimming the same two pages and getting a headache from it. However give her a comic book/graphic novel (something like The Bone series) literally anything with pictures and she can easily get though those in an afternoon.

During her recovery, Angel has taken to age regression to cope with what Jack did to her. Lilith and Gaige understand and would help with her coping.

Clay is definitely the type of guy that can’t be labeled (sexuality wise). But at the same time he’s not too picky on who or what he likes and is open to whatever.

Wainwright and Alistair would host the best house parties hands down, especially during the holiday seasons.

Example: On Bloody Harvest, The Jakobs Manor would become a haunted house attraction filled with all sorts of spooks and treats and during the summer season, the two would invite the Raiders for a big cookout/pool party.

Moze has Hirsutism (excess hair growth in unexpected areas of the body) though it is hardly noticeable because

1. It's usually around her chest and stomach which she would shave off (just because she's a soldier doesn't mean she has to give up personal care and it's really itchy)

And 2. She's been taking hormone medication so it does reduce it

However she'll have some days where she would forget to do either due to mental shutdowns.

Despite Outer Krieg's violent tendencies, he is no moron. He has a very strange patchwork of knowledge, it's anyone's guess what he knows about any given topic.

Tyreen has a deep fear of dating/romance, this mainly stems from the idea that it'll end up like with her mom and dad.

Maya has a very soft spot for children. She really hates the idea that adults would use and abuse one for their own personal gain (like what happened to her)

There have been some days when Maya would use her powers to do the most stupid and mundane things, like phaselocking and feeding herself a pizza because she's too lazy to use her hands.

Unknown to herself and everyone else, Maya has the ability to sense ghostly/supernatural presence. She gets a feeling like she's being watched at times.

Contrary to popular beliefs, the Handsome Jack and Typhon DeLeon vaultlander figures are nowhere near valuable. Ironically it's the Claptrap figure that's the most valuable and most rarest.

Typhons """"""fame"""""" has been dwindling ever since it's been reveled that he's nothing more than a gross deadbeat that took other people's credit, and newer generations of vault hunters see him as a poser

Maya has Astraphobia (fear of thunderstorms). This stems from when she was a kid back at Athenas, if a storm comes by the temple, she would hide and freeze up, praying for it to end. This trauma stems further with the fact that back then she didn't have anyone to go to for comfort.

While thunderstorms are very uncommon on Pandora (at least in the part's where the Raiders reside) when they do come, Krieg is right there to comfort her throughout the storm.

(more TBA later)

[marie-swriting]

School Pictures - Emily Prentiss

Drabble Masterlist

Summary : You meet Emily's team for the first and Garcia has something important to show you.

Warnings : fluff

Word count : 949

French version

Upon arriving near the bullpen area at the BAU, you try to see through the glassdoor if Emily, your girlfriend, is there. You don’t move, looking around for a few seconds until Derek Morgan comes to you. You recognise him in an instant, Emily has already shown you several pictures of the team, even though you haven’t met them in person yet.

“Hello, you’re looking for someone ?” he asks you, startling you.

“Oh, hey, yes I am. I’m here to meet SSA Emily Prentiss.”

“She’s currently talking to our chief. She should be finished in a few minutes. You can wait for her by her desk, if you want.”

“Thanks.”

Derek opens the door for you, letting you go in first. He guides you to Emily’s desk which is close to his. With an awkward face, you stay on your feet next to your girlfriend’s desk, not knowing if you’re allowed to sit on her chair. If her team knew you, you’d probably already be sat, but as it’s not the case, you don’t want to create an awkward situation for Emily. You’d rather have her make the introductions.

“Is it urgent what you need to talk about with Agent Prentiss ?” Derek inquires after a few minutes. “I can call her or give her the message.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I just need to meet her here.” you answer him, trying to stay vague.

Derek is about to add something when a high-pitched scream interrupts him. You both turn around and see Penelope Garcia with her mouth wide open.

“Oh my God ! Are you the Y/N Y/L/N ? Emily’s Y/N Y/L/N ?”

“Huh... yes.” you confirm, embarrassed.

“I am so glad to meet you ! Emily’s talked so much about you.” Garcia exclaims, hugging you tightly.

“So you’re the infamous Y/N who makes our Emily blush ?” Derek adds with a smile.

“I guess so. I didn’t know you knew me, I mean, maybe my name, yes but not my face.”

“Honey, I did a background check on you the day Emily admitted why she was being so secretive.” Penelope confesses, making you frown.

“I don’t know if I should feel touched to see you want to protect Emily or worried you background checked me.”

“My God, don’t you move, I need to get a file in my lair.”

“She really has as much energy as Emily told me.” you laugh when Penolope isn’t there anymore.

“That’s why we love our baby girl.”

Two new people come to you after hearing the enthusiasm of their colleague.

“I’m JJ and this is Reid.” Jennifer introduces shaking your hand.

“Nice to meet you, I’ve heard so much about you all.”

Before you can talk any further, you see Penelope running to you, shaking a file in her hands. She orders you to close your eyes, which you do without asking why. Once the file is opened, she informs you you can look. When your eyes land on the picture in front of you, you’re stunned. In front of you, there’s a photo of Emily with black makeup on her eyes and lips. Her hair normally straight has been styled to get as much volume as possible. Finally, her dark outfit is a perfect contrast with her pale skin. The more you look at the image, the more it’s complicated to not laugh. The BAU members are giggling as they discover this picture of Emily again but they’re especially chuckling at your shocked face.

“Don’t tell me it’s-”

“Oh it is !” Penelope confirms to you, “It is your Emily when she was in school.”

“Please tell me, you have other pictures.”

You take the photo in hand to detail it more when Emily comes to you. As soon as she notices you, a big smile takes a place on her face. She goes to take you in her arms but stops in her tracks when she sees what you’re holding. She tears it off from your hands and puts it back quickly in the file before squeezing it against her chest.

“Garcia ! I told you to not show this photo again.”

“Hey ! I told you everything you need to know about Y/N’s past, it’s only fair I do the same for her. Besides, this pic is too cute to hide it from her.” Garcia laughs.

“Anyway, we’re gonna go before they tell you embarrassing stuff. We’ll see each other tomorrow, goodbye.” Emily exclaims before taking her purse and dragging you to the exit.

“Again, happy that I met you all.” you scream.

“I’ll send you the rest by mail !”

Emily keeps guiding you until you’re in the elevator. When the door closes, she sighs in relief. Despite yourself, you can’t help but laugh again.

“If it can make you feel any better, it didn’t change my mind about you.”

“I hope so ! Or I’ll be the next UnSub the BAU will have to stop.”

“At least, it confirms what you were asking me yesterday. If we had met in school, we would have never gotten together.”

“Hey ! It’s not because I had this look, I was mean.” Emily offends.

“I didn’t say that ! I just said in school, I usually went to people with a… sober clothing style. But the more important thing is that, now, we’re together.” you smile but Emily keeps pouting.

“If they haven’t ruined anything !”

“If it can make you smile, I’ll show you my awful school pictures too.”

Emily seems to consider it for a few seconds before taking your hands and kissing your cheek.

“I’d love that but first, we’re going to the restaurant and then, we’ll show each other our childhood pictures.”

Drabble Masterlist

{This is my side blog so I'll be answering comments under the username @marie-sworld}

[lara635kookie]

My Ship Ranking:

Okay so a few warnings about this:

1-I added all the ships I could find. If there is any missing, let me know and I'll add later.

2-This is my opinion and it isn't meant to be offensive to anyone. You can agree or disagree and it's totally fine. If you wanna do your own rankings, I would love to read it.

3-It's a long post that I've been writing for weeks. I made revisions but if something passed through me and you guys notice, you can tell me.

1-Red Crackle:

Is that even a surprise to anyone? Red Crackle is my whole life and owns my entire soul lol. But jokes aside, these two are just so linked and have a foundation not even time and space can separate. Even when they're apart by circunstances, they meet again. They always comeback to one another. Duane Capizzi said in this interview Carmen and Gray "will definitely meet again":

https://youtu.be/PIjX9rGvUmk?si=4paV3k7alKrt-B4f

And I haven't seen other interviews yet but in this specific interview the person just says Duane said Carmen doesn't see Gray in a flirty light and brushes it off asking about Carulia. Then Duane just talks more about Julia's character and then says, "if it's there, it's intentional" which indicates, from what I got, that the double meaning is there, you can choose how you see and interpret it. They could have made the carulia interactions more clear and chose not to do so on purpose. So I imagine the same thing applies to Red Crackle, Carmivy, Jeantonio, etc. The show ended so now is up to us to interpretate with what we have. Even if Duane, and the whole crew of the show overall, ship something, we can ship something different. As the show is not romance focused, we can choose from what we have. And no way there's no people who ship Red Crackle among the show staff. Michael Goldsmith(Gray's voice actor) seemed to ship. This guy seems to as well(not sure tho) considering the way he directed the holy trinity of Red Crackle episodes:

Gray's character is fundamental for Carmen to be the person she is. Can you picture Carmen jumping from the plane with El Topo, Le Chevre or Tigress? She trusted only Gray enough to do that. Without him she wouldn't have jumped, and would not realize what V.I.L.E. truly is about. And if so, a lot later, maybe too late. And at the end, they could have chosen Devineaux, Zari, Julia, or even Ivy to save Carmen with the A.C.M.E. machine. I think it would be kinda nice if it were Ivy so she would have an interaction with evil Carmen, like Zack had at the ferris wheel, and would impress A.C.M.E. instead of just randomly joining it with Zack out of nowhere at the end. But I'm glad it was Gray and then Shadowsan finished the job. The thing that gets to me is that she looks to the crackle rod on the floor and screams:"Gray!". The person she always prioritized the safety of the most was "dead", by her. Then she asks what has she done and I think here she could have also shown some concern for Devineaux and Julia. Specially Julia. Because Devineaux was there, standing, and depending on the impact of the thing that fell on her head, she could have died. And she seemed to faint under a curtain that also could kill her by asphyxiation if she didn't wake up on time. But the only thing she cared about was Gray. She could have remembered on screen she hurt other people too by seeing the crackle rod, but she only remembered Gray and I was like:"But what about Julia? Aren't you worried about her? Carmen is not gonna care about her at all? Really?" "That's it? That's the ending?" I believe that if there was no red crackle shipper there, the show would be a lot different. Gray's character wouldn't be so important as it was if that was the case. Speaking of which, I want a red crackle week because I never participated in one and I want to write an AU about what would have happened if Gray decided do join Team Red on the train to Paris and on the Himalayans and red crackle week is the perfect excuse for that. Also one if Carmen decided to go back to V.I.L.E. on the train to Paris to destroy them from the inside. If we have a Red Crackle Week it could be in December with a Christmas-themed vibe, @redcrackle-week ? Christmas is my favorite holiday and Red Crackle is one of my favorite ships, perfect combination.

2-Carmivy:

Again, no surprises. I've got nothing to say about this two that I haven't said before. They are so in love and they have my heart. I'll never understand why they are so underrated, they deserve more appreciation.

3-Jeantonio:

It's almost a crime that they aren't first place, but they were so close. They are like, the only ship the whole entire fandom agrees it's canon and I got mad respect for them for being able to unite the shipers because everyone likes them and wants to protect them(specially El Topo). They were clearly dating and were romantic boyfriends and I would do pretty much almost anything for them.

4-Cleobellum:

The same thing with Jeantonio, they are just a little bit lower because they don't have the general consent and less moments but to me they are a married couple.

5-Chasari/Zarineaux:

I think they would be the greatest girlboss and malewife ever. Devineaux is a dumbass but he would be Zari's dumbass. The little they interacted I could tell they would be an amazing couple. I just can see it. I can picture all their interactions perfectly in my head. When Zari fell into his arms, and the way Devineaux held her. Zari telling Devineaux not to be in her way and slowly getting softer to him with time, like, they would be such a good storyline. I wanted them together so badly so they deserve this place at my top 5.

6-Chasulia:

These two are a little bit lower because I'm not sure about them. At the start, they are a definite no. But after the fourth season Devineaux was prasing Julia the way she deserves to be praised and treating her better, redeeming for his past actions towards her and actually listening to her. He admited that he was wrong with Julia and did better. They are such adorable dorks together and while I love them as a platonic ship, I feel like they could also work romantically. It would be an interesting plot. I feel like most people think romance and friendship can't coexist but it can and it should. These two combined are one of the factors that make a good and healthy relationship and I feel like Devineaux and Julia have potential to be that way. I would like to know more about their Interpol days like why they were partnered together and how did they got to Carmen Sandiego, etc. So because of their wholesome platonic relationship that may or may not be affected my romance, they are a little bit lower but they are amazing and I love them.

7-CarChase:

This one, I did not expect to be this high up. First, the ship name is just as funny as "Red Crackle". Carmen and Devineaux did have quite a few number of car chases. Second, I'm aware that they have a 12 years age gap but I have a pretty high tolerance for age gaps. While I would rather not have an age gap too big for romantic relationships, 17 years age gap or less I don't mind. It bothers me a little, but it's not that big of a deal. If it's 18 years or more, it bothers me because I go like:"They could be their dad/mom." I just think they would be so funny together. The idea of them is surprisingly good. It makes me laugh when I think of Coach Brunt calling him handsome and Carmen being so done and after maybe going like:"He ain't ugly"(Carmen Sandiego is that kind of show that the animation is so pretty nothing and no one is ugly). And Carmen not wanting to see Devineaux because it's "really not a good time" and then seeying him even more to the point she doesn't mind it and even starts appreciating it. They would be a hell of enemies to friends to lovers story. They interact more than Carulia, but not as much as Chasulia so seventh place sounds about right for them. Not my favorite but I approve.

8-SpinTrap/FlyKick:

I don't know what their official ship name is but they are assigned partners and that, by V.I.L.E. standards, for me, usually means they make out. I wanted more development for both of their characters, which we don't know much about, so eighth place sounds nice. They clearly work well together and have a great harmony so I would say they are a cheaper version of Red Crackle. Like: "Kid:Mom, I want Red Crackle. Mom:We have Red Crackle at home." And they are the Red Crackle at home in question. Still, it works. Of course they are nothing compared to Red Crackle, but they still work. In the, idk three times we saw Spin Kick and Flytrap, you can tell they have the chemestry to convince people they are a romantic couple so this place is well deserved for them.

9-Dokusan:

No, you haven't read wrong, it means Shadowsan and Lady Dokuso. Just hear me out:I can picture it perfectly:They meet at V.I.L.E. academy, they fall in love, they start dating. But then, Shadowsan is promoted to a member of the faculty, a position Lady Dokuso also wanted, but she was happy for her boyfriend anyway. Then, it ends up not working out a faculty member dating a mere operative and then they break up but still love each other, but their relationship was full of ups and downs and they are both bitter and salty about it. Then, Shadowsan backfires V.I.L.E. and joins Team Red and Lady Dokuso can finally have a chance as a faculty member but at the cost of destroying Shadowsan. The drama, the angst, the complexity of loving each other but being different and being in two sides that can't collide or meet in the middle. If you stop to think about it, they are basically a toxic version of Red Crackle that went wrong(Yes, I use Red Crackle as a parameter to measure other couples because they are the standard). So why are they so high up? Because a sad ending love story can also work. Representativity matters and tragic love stories deserve to have some spotlight sometimes.

10-PaperTiger:

It wouldn't be me if these two didn't make it to the top 10. I know Paper Star is a psycho so she can't actually feel love or empathy for anyone other then herself, but hooking up without commitment works for these two. It would also hold some drama like:Paper Star and Tigress start being passive aggressive to each other, then they start being assigned to even more and more missions together and get to know each other better, Tigress falls in love for Paper Star and Paper Star starts caring for her a little bit more than the others and they start confiding in each other and telling things about themselves they wouldn't tell anyone else, and they try a secret relationship because Tigress accepted Paper Star's condition, but they end up not working out because of the V.I.L.E. work and the missions that they put in first place other than the relationship because they aren't El Topo and Le Chevre, unlike them, Tigress and Paper Star have other priorities and other things to worry about than each other. As you can see, I really love some angst, and they had the chemestry for that. Their versatility could also hold some fluff and funny moments like:Tigress judging Jeantonio for cuddling then doing the exact same thing with Paper Star, Tigress saying Paper Star isn't that bad to them(she is bad to everyone else tho, she would only be "soft", in her strange way, for Tigress), them trying each other's clothes and weapons, them teaching each other stuff, going out on dates, they would be V.I.L.E.'s IT couple like evil Carmen and Crackle were people, there's no way around it.

[hollow-prior]

Hurt People, Not Pets (The Rules of Vigilantism)

This is part four of a planned five-part mini-series involving Daredevil and Deadpool teaching Spidey about the unspoken rules of vigilantism. I started the series years ago and currently, this is the only part I ever finished. Ah well. Part of it might as well see the light of day

Fandom: Marvel (Daredevil, Deadpool, Spiderman)

Warnings:

Canon-typical violence/fighting.

Descriptions/mentions of dog fighting and animal murder.

There was a new vigilante on the scene.

That in and of itself was hardly cause for concern. Every so often some newly-enhanced shitbag showed up on the scene, wearing a handmade costume and bearing an alias that could only have come from a random word generator. 

Darkwar, Redfuel, Gangrene. They were all terrible.

Though, as Foggy liked to remind him, somebody named Daredevil didn’t exactly get to judge. Let those without sin cast the first stone and all that.

As far as Matt was concerned, that was different.

Matt had gotten stuck with a name he didn’t particularly want; they did their damned hardest to choose their own. They got their asses handed to them by common criminals and were sure to let whichever mugger or thug it was know their ‘superhero name’.

In the long run, though, he supposed it didn’t matter who chose their name. These new vigilantes popped up occasionally to bumble around and play hero. They didn’t last long. 

They never did.

Apart from getting in the middle of an important mission and screwing the whole thing up occasionally (Yes, ‘Jem Spell’, he was still mad about that), they weren’t a big problem. For the most part, they stayed off of Matt’s radar which, let’s face it, was better for everyone involved.

This person, though? He was different, at least according to Peter.

The teenaged wallcrawler had shown up during one of his fights, jumping in and taking on his share of the crooks with a cheerful, “Hey Double D!”

All throughout the fight he kept up a steady stream of chatter, his words going in one ear and out the other. After so many fights alongside him, Matt was used to filtering out his voice until it was little more than background noise.

The majority of the scumbags were already scattered across the pavement in various states of consciousness and, with Spidey’s help, the last few were quick to join them. Spiderman webbed them up and called the police and, despite Matt’s better judgement, he let him.

Something more important had caught his attention.

With the adrenaline of the fight wearing off, everything started to come into focus again, his senses spreading further throughout the secluded alleyway. A pipe in one of the buildings adjacent was leaking, a steady drip, drip slowly coming into focus as another sound began to make itself known.

Thump, thump, thump.

The heartbeat wasn’t the quick-paced thump-thump-thump of Peter’s or his own steady beat. It was something else entirely. Before he could move or say anything at all, Peter looked over.

“Wade,” he complained. “You could have helped!”

Wade hummed in acknowledgement and Matt could just picture the shit-eating grin he wore under his mask. “You and Red had it covered."

The sound of sirens came from a few streets over and without saying a word, the three made the unanimous decision to relocate. After all, bashing heads in the name of vigilante justice was generally frowned upon by officers of the law. They'd already learned that rule, thank you very much.

Once they were up on the nearby rooftop, Matt turned to them. “What are you two doing here? Talk.”

Peter was the first to speak. “We have a new target.”

That news was met with a raised eyebrow and threatening silence. Wade took over. “Red, dearest, there’s a new fuckhead to kill.”

“No! No killing,” Peter admonished, shoving Wade out of the way to take over once more. “Double D, I know you’re picky about who we uh- work on but this guy is terrible.”

“Everyone we deal with is terrible.”

Peter made a noise of frustration and finally, Matt conceded. With a sigh, he motioned for them to speak. “Fine. Who is it?”

There was a pause as Peter and Wade looked at each other, like they hadn’t expected him to give in so easily.

“He goes by the name Predator. You know the human trafficking ring? Well, some of them are involved in a dog fighting ring too. That’s what Predator’s been tracking down.”

Deadpool took over from there, pushing Peter aside with a gentle shove and taking his place two inches from Matt’s face.

“Mr. Predator-What’s-His-Face is taking down the dog fighting ring. Only problem that poor, sweety Petey has with this is that he’s taking down the people and the dogs.”

“He kills them, Red!”

While his teammates were perfectly capable of making complete sense on their own, their words might as well have been gibberish.

It took him a moment to piece the puzzle together.

Well. That certainly wouldn’t stand.

“What kind of intel do you have on him?”

—-—

Two nights later saw the three of them up on a rooftop, a fair distance away from their usual spot. It had taken hours of dedication and a lot of patience but, finally, they had gotten the information they needed.

Of course, most of Matt’s time had been spent corralling the other two rather than actually interrogating his informants, but it didn’t matter.

They’d gotten what they needed in the end.

In just short of an hour, there would be a group of the city’s worst thugs arriving for a show. Already, Matt could hear the dogs snarling and growling within the run-down warehouse.

It didn’t take long for Predator to show up.

The first thing Matt noticed was his heartbeat. Loud and fast, pounding away with a barely concealed anger that coursed through him.

Matt was familiar with the feeling. 

From the snickers and snarky comments coming from the left of him, he could gather that the guy had a pretty… intense costume. Black and covered in silver spikes, with a mask straight from a low-budget horror movie if Spidey and Deadpool were to be believed.

Just as he opened his mouth to tell them to shut up, there was a sudden commotion from the building next door.

All previous amusement was forgotten as the sound of shattered glass rang. Matt didn’t need his enhanced senses to hear the piercing screams that followed.

The three of them took off like a shot from a gun.

What remained of the window pane shattered as Matt crashed through it, followed closely behind by Spidey.

Deadpool chose a more… ostentatious entrance.

He came in through the front, kicking the door down and practically screaming the words to some 2010s pop song. The singing – if you could call it that – continued throughout the ensuing fight and, annoying as it was, Matt couldn't help being impressed with Deadpool's lung capacity.

Matt ducked to avoid a flying fist, popping up to deliver his own blow immediately after, and was met with the chorus of some god-awful sailor song.

After the fight, he would tell Deadpool that he hadn’t known he was there. He would say it was an accident, he got too caught up in the fight. But in the moment, he was all-too-glad to shut him up with a fist to the mouth.

The three of them ducked and weaved, working like a well-oiled machine, as their opponents began to drop like flies around them.

While Spidey was more acrobatic, jumping and flipping over whoever was in his way, Deadpool was all muscle and sharp blades, cutting down anyone brave enough to stand in his way. The two of them were complete opposites, with Matt's style falling somewhere between the two extremes.

By the time the fight was over, the three of them were breathing heavily. The sound of loud barking pierced through the post-fight haze and, as his senses returned to him, Matt’s focus shifted to the reason they were here in the first place.

Predator.

The man in question was standing just feet away, a slight wheezing coming from his leather-clad chest as he heaved in breath after breath. He wasn’t as used to this as the other three and it showed.

Without a glance at the them, he began to approach the dogs tied up in the corner, serrated steel blade in hand.

Deadpool was the first of them over there, throwing an arm around Predator’s shoulders and pulling him in for a side hug. Given the height difference between them – Predator was about five seven to Deadpool’s six three – it made for a bit of an awkward maneuver. 

“Somebody’s been a naughty, naughty boy,” he said, swaying from side to side and pinning the guy’s head against his chest, wrenching his neck with each movement.

To his credit, Predator fought tooth and nail to get free, cursing under his breath all the while. Against Deadpool’s hulking form, it was no use.

The other two watched the proceedings, making no move to intervene. Matt had been on the receiving end of that treatment far too many times, he was more than happy for it to happen to someone else this time.

When Deadpool finally released his captive, shoving him towards Matt and Spidey, the two were on him like white on rice.

Spidey caught him as he stumbled, steadying him quickly before letting him go as if he’d been burned. Not seconds after he had released the man, Matt was in his face, teeth bared in the Daredevil snarl that had sent much braver people running for their lives.

“What the hell!?!” The man took a staggering step back, his back slamming into the support pillar behind him as he tried to put some distance between him and the devil. “What's this 'sposed to be?”

Daredevil moved, pinning the man against the pillar in the blink of an eye. He leaned in close, his voice barely a whisper as he spoke. “A little arachnid told me you’ve been picking fights with the dogs."

Predator tried to protest but a quick slam of his head to the stone pillar shut him up.

"Now, here’s what you’re going to do. You’re going to go home, pack up that costume, and forget you ever wore it.”

"And? What if I don’t?”

His question was met with a thoughtful hum, as if Daredevil was simply pondering the question.

Out of nowhere, he slammed Predator against the pillar once more, a loud crack ringing out.

Leaning in close, he hissed something far too quiet to hear. Whatever it was had Predator blanching, frantically shoving at the devil’s chest with all his strength.

Matt just grinned, a feral bearing of teeth. The action was designed to intimidate and by God, it worked.

Daredevil released his prey, allowing the man to stagger back a few steps until he hit the wall. Predator took a few seconds to gather his senses before he was off like a rabbit, scrambling away from the run-down warehouse.

With that dealt with, Matt turned.

A little ways away, Spidey sat crouched on the ground, trying to convince the dogs to accept some belly rubs from him.

Given that said dogs were snarling giants, straining to escape and just barely held back by only the chains around their necks, he wasn’t making much progress.

Matt found Deadpool over in the opposite corner of the room, cooing and speaking to something on the ground.

A step closer revealed it to be a rat.

A hulking, beefcake of a rat.

Such a creature was a staple in New York, as fearless as Daredevil himself. Which may explain its tolerance of the massive, masked human looking back at him. As Deadpool chattered to the rat, telling it all about his day, the creature simply stared at him, nose twitching.

Standing in the middle of the abandoned warehouse, listening to Spidey coo at the dogs and Deadpool monologue to the rodent, Matt was hit with the realization that these were the people he worked with every night to keep his city safe.

...

Dear lord, New York was screwed.

[that-one-anxious-mango]

Hi love your stories!! Do you have any more??

Summary: When a news outlet puts out some compromising pictures of Austin and his co-star, you could feel yourself wanting to crumble. And in your time of need you turn to four of the people who know you best.

Contents: Pretty good amount of angst. Sad and worried reader. Introduction of reader's friends. Mentions and insinuations of infidelity. Supportive friends. Eventual fluff toward end.

Pairing: Austin Butler x Black Reader.

A/N: Hello beautiful humans. I hope you're all doing well. I figured that we haven't had a good taste of angst yet with our lovely couple. So here's a sample of more to come. I hope you all enjoy. Side note: A debrief on the friend group will be posted separately for fun.

And thank you anon for your sweet message. This is dedicated to you :) Happy reading.

Much Love *hugs*

" Maybe this isn't what it looks like babes. They're probably just hanging out as friends." Your friend, Beatrice, reasoned from her spot on your couch trying her best to diffuse the impending situation.

A snort could be heard from the love seat across from her, " Yeah right. Fat chance. The proof is in the pudding. And by the looks of it, the main ingredient is deceit. I really don't know why we're even considering the latter." Alana, your other friend countered making sure to point feverishly at the images shown on the iPad you were holding.

" Because she loves him Alana and this is about the last thing you'd wanna hear about your boyfriend while he's thousands of miles away in a different country." Beatrice snapped not really liking how seemingly okay her friend appeared with just writing off their friend's relationship.

Alana went to raise a pointed figure but was stopped, " Alright guys let's take it down a couple notches. Okay? " Your bestfriend Phoebe proposed earning two nods and a begrudging whatever. " No one can be for sure what the context behind these pictures are. Let's just try and piece together what we're for sure we know." She said turning to look at you next to her.

Even between all their bickering and antics. You still hadn't let your eyes stray away from the pictures displaying on the screen. You felt sick at what you were seeing.

What were you seeing?

There were three pictures.

To the average person what it looked like was two people, ( possibly lovers or possibly friends) lying together on a blanket, on a beach, enjoying each other's company.

But to you what it looked like was, your boyfriend and his co-star whom you'd before caught mindlessly flirting with said boyfriend, lying both their sweaty half naked bodies together. Closely on the beach.

When you'd been out this afternoon taking Magnus for a walk around the block while you thought of different things to bake for Austin when he got home for a upcoming filming break. You'd gotten a text from your co-worker pretty much saying that she didn't know that you and Austin had split. And that she was here for you if you needed.

Laughing it off as a weird random idea, you replied telling her that not only were the two of you still together. But you were also doing quite well as a couple.

After that text you just continued to stroll along in slight uneasiness, until minutes later her text of the pictures came in and your heart dropped to the soles of your feet.

There they were.

Clear as day.

Soon after many friends, family members, and other nosy people that probably still shouldn't have your number began texting and rolling in with a thousand questions you just didn't have the answers to.

You could feel the tightness in your chest begin, and water sting your eyes.

You'd let Magnus finish his due diligence in peace before quickly ushering you both home.

Going to the kitchen pantry you grabbed Austin's jar of smooth peanut butter and Magnus's favorite treat toy filing it up to the brim. Once you set it down in front of him you'd figured it would keep the usually aware pup occupied while you slipped upstairs.

Your head felt oddly heavy and your chest was beginning to tighten as you made your way to your down the hallway.

Going into your bathroom to try and calm yourself down, you called the only four people that you knew could help you see the light at a seemingly long, dark and scary tunnel.

Your girls.

Phoebe Wesley, Beatrice Cortina, Alana Montgomery, and Alexandria Kross.

It took them all of two rings for them all to answer the conference call. They immediately began asking if you were alright and to know what was going. Unfortunately though, they weren't able to get much coherent information due to the sobbing that ensued from you.

You felt overwhelmed.

Frantically informing you that they were all on their way! You waited for a quick twenty minutes before Phoebe appeared at your home first, taking you into her arms and guiding you to sit on the long sofa. Not long after Beatrice joined, Alex notified you she had a work meeting and would be updated via Beatrice. And finally, came Alana who told you that'd she would have made it sooner but she'd stopped and got a bacon pizza with feta bread. 

One of your favorites.

But you weren't hungry.

And now that takes you to the current moment of madness, " Y/N did you talk to Austin last night? He didn't mention anything about him and Olivia going to the beach together? " Came a question.

You just shook your head still not completely in the moment.

" Not a thing. We talked about each other's day. He talked a little bit about some of the new prosthetics makeup he was going to be wearing now that they had started to shoot different scenes as older Elvis. I told him about the new book I had started and the incident with Magnus and the neighbor's yorkie. That was pretty much it." You uncomfortably recalled the phone call last night.

Everyday you and Austin made the effort and commitment to call and talk to each other about whatever for some time.

It was always around five pm your way in California and eleven am his all the way in Australia. So when you were telling him about how your day went, he was telling you what he had up with his.

" Well again let's not get into too deep." Beatrice reiterated, " Let's just take it a minute at a time. Okay."

A text could be seen popping in from Alex.

Kriss Kross Boss: I agree. Let us stay rational until we don't need to be..

You nodded.

From there they all went around the room one by one saying different things to reassure you of your situation.

Phoebe started first, " Y/N you know this man is absolutely crazy about you in the best way. I don't really believe that he would ever do something that would purposefully jeopardize his chances with you. I mean have you seen the way that man looks at you! It's..intense."

Beatrice nodded, " Yeah, like it gives Edward Cullen vibes minus the violence, manipulation, gaslighting, and overall icks." She clarified.

You grinned a little at her reference.

" I would have compared it more to like Phantom of the Opera tease. But I see you point." Alana pointed out playing with a eager Magnus.

Kriss Kross Boss: I could see that. The room continued to compare your relationship to famous fictional pairings until you heard a familiar ringing fill the room.

It was your phone.

And in that moment you knew it was Austin, and you knew you couldn't answer it.

Like something out of a movie the four of you stared around at each other. No one moved a inch. The air was unchanged.

Of course it had to be Alana though who broke the pregnant pause, " So...no one's gonna answer it? " She questioned looking between her friends and the buzzing device on the coffee table.

Barely above a whisper came from you ," I can't."

It was true. You didn't know how to face him at this exact moment of time.

If the mere mention of his name was enough to make you almost create a whole new ocean of tears to add to the world map.

Imagine what actually hearing his voice and speaking to him would do.

" So it's settled we just let it go to voicemail." Phoebe clapped allowing the buzzing noise to again become background noise in the room, " As we were saying..."

Once it stopped you felt a good five seconds of slight relief before it's started buzzing again

This time you felt your eyes water. You knew he was probably gonna call at least one more time after this one.

After that he more than likely would wait a bit and then start up with the texts asking where you were and how you were.

Sure enough after that buzz session ended another one ensued earning the same result as the last.

Nothing.

Finally after about seven minutes of Beatrice and Alana now beginning to butt-heads about theories pertaining to if he knew you knew yet, is when you seen the messages begin to flash across the screen over the course of the following thirty minutes.

Sweet Baboo: Hey love. Was just calling to talk to you about something.

Sweet Baboo: Call me when you get this baby.

Sweet Baboo:  Please.

Sweet Baboo: Y/N  I don't know if you're getting these but if you are baby please say something

Sweet Baboo: I love you.

Sweet Baboo: Y/N seriously I need to talk to you. Please don't ignore me.

Sweet Baboo: Just answer the phone sweetheart.

As soon as you finished reading the message his face flashed across your screen , only this time you reached only to suddenly stop your own self.

Noticing and watching, Beatrice asked , " You gonna pick it up, hun? I mean maybe it'll be good to just hear him out about what he might have to say. Maybe it's all a big misunderstanding." She encouraged.

" I agree." Chimed Phoebe, " I mean hey...it's Austin. I'm sure he's probably gonna sort this whole thing out. Like BB said, it's more than likely a big misunderstanding."

You nodded hearing both of their words and acknowledging them, but oddly their friendly support and optimism didn't ease the achy feeling you felt swirling around in your chest.

Instead you felt it amplify until you once again felt your eyes turn into mini sprinklers as you broke down in tears, " I-I *sniffle* I d-don't think I c-can do it." You nasally spoke out looking down at the picture of Austin's face across your screen causing you to cry all the harder.

It was of him laying on the backyard ground of his condo next to you. He was smiling really wide because had had just asked you to officially be his girlfriend to which you of course practically screeched a yes for all of the poor neighbors to hear. In the picture your newly promise ringed hand was cupping his face while he happily gazed at you. You guys had, had the best day!

He was so happy!

So, when did he stop being so happy to the point of going as far as cheating!

Your heart sped up at the " C " word entering your mind, but you quickly placed a hand on your chest in efforts to try and slow it down. I mean the two of you had talked about this. And he knew that this was a definite dealbreaker for you. So there was no way he'd take a risk like this...right?

You knew you were getting ahead of yourself.

But part of you started to feel even worse.

In the beginning you had feared this. Getting into a relationship with Austin, only for him after a while to come to his senses that him being with you, the normal quirky black girl, was a phase he now found himself out of. And then he would decide to leave you for someone who would usually be more his speed.

Someone like Olivia DeJonge.

You were unfortunately about to start the long list of comparing yourself to her in your head when your pity party was suddenly interrupted by Phoebe's loud gasp.

" Oh shit. Austin is calling me." Phoebe panicked looking down at her phone.

"Um...what should we do." Beatrice puzzled.

Kriss Kross Boss: I say answer it

Seeing this now you felt your heart strings pull. On one end, you felt like you didn't wanna hear his voice let alone what he had to say right now. But on the other hand, you felt you owed to him to hear what he had to say since before he'd never given you any reason to suspect cheating or doubt his honesty.

So you simply said, " Go head. Answer it. But put it on speaker."  While wiping away the tears from your overflooded cheeks.

" Are you sure?" Phoebe asked for confirmation holding the device.

Hesitant you nodded, " Yeah go head."

Nodding Phoebe answered putting the phone on the coffee table, " Hello? "

And then his voice filled the room, " H-hey Phoebe. How are ya' ?" He greeted. You could sense his nervousness even a ocean away through the phone. His words sounded rushed and a bit strained not the usual calm and collected tone you were used to.

He was stressing.

" Doin' alright Austin. Can't really complain....much. What do I owe the pleasure of this call? ."

" Oh..I..uh.Mmmm." He cleared his throat obviously trying to form the words, " I was.. uh.. calling you because I've been trying to reach Y/N for the last couple of hours and I haven't had any luck. I was wondering if you had talked to her at all today? "

Phoebe looked to you only to gain confirmation when you shook your head no, " Uh. Nope I actually haven't really talked to her since this morning after she told me about something with Magnus. I've been spending the day with Noah at home while he's here from deployment." She white lied.

And it was partially true. Her intention was in-fact to spend the day with her darling military captain hunk. But her friend was in need, and him being a army captain of all people, he understood that.

" Oh wow. Happy to hear that. I think I remember Y/N telling me he was coming home sometime soon.  Glad he's back safe." Austin congratulated.

" Yeah. It's only for two months but rather that than nothing so I'm grateful."

" Right, I completely understand. Wish I could come home and visit Y/N. " He sighed, " Man that girl just makes my entire world spin. I hate working away from her like this. Rather be home with her." He said.

You felt your cheeks heat.

Kriss Kross Boss: Hmm

" Hmm I see." Phoebe sounded looking over to you who'd instinctively grabbed the pillow next to you to clutch. " So Austin being yours and Y/N's friend. I have to ask while you're on the phone. Have you seen the pictures that the DailyMail put out of you and Olivia DeJonge today? Because I've got to tell you buddy, that they don't exactly look good." She prodded looking around the room at you all.

A tired groan escaped through the phone, " Yeah Phoebe, I have. And I've had my team working overtime to try and get a handle on this thing. Because it's everywhere in the media right now. And not a lick of it is true. All these cheating allegations and break up rumors couldn't be farther from the true. But I know you know that."

" I get that. I do. Things aren't always what they seem. But Austin I can't lie and say I wouldn't appreciate if you'd please give me some type of context to what's going on here. Because the amount of messages I've gotten in the last two hours from our other friends since this whole thing appeared is absolutely ridiculous." Phoebe furthered.

" Tell me about it, " He nervously laughed, " I've got people calling and texting me up the ass wanting to know what's going. Ashley actually called me about twenty minutes ago to chew me out. She's pretty upset with me like I imagine you might be unfortunately. But like I told her, nothing happened. The weather out here spiked, and we had to shut down filming due to heat hazards. So, some of the cast got together and thought it'd be nice if we all went to the beach. Which I thought was all fine and what not'. Until I got there and found out that everyone else had backed out last minute and only Olivia and I showed." 

Seemed reasonable enough to you.

Just then a text from Alana lit up your phone:

Mrs. Reynolds: Sounds fishy tbh

Kriss Kross Boss: Let's let him finish...but yeah little bit

" At that point I didn't just wanna be rude and leave her out there by herself, so we hung out a little bit. Got in the water. Laid around and talked awhile. And then we both left. Separately. The end." He finished making sure to put an emphasis on the last part.

Even though Phoebe said that she was by herself Austin knew she wasn't. Not only had he heard glasses slightly clinking in the back and the familiar whine of a puppy named Magnus, and what sounded like muffled bickering which he could guess was Alana and Beatrice.                              

He also knew his girlfriend's friends well enough to know that they wouldn't just let her be at home by herself during a time like this.

He could bet his bottom dollar that Beatrice, Alana, Alex, Phoebe, and his lady were all crowded right around the phone listening to his every word. And that's exactly what he needed. 

You to hear the truth.

And if this was the only way. So be it.

Phoebe hummed, " Sounds alright to me. Only.." She paused looking to you for silent conformation to which you nodded her forward, " I have to ask why you guys were like..kinda..super close laying on that towel together. Like you two looked quite comfy...like really comfy." Phoebe questioned looking to a Beatrice who threw up a thumbs up waiting to hear the reaction.

" Yeah about that. Olivia forgot to bring a towel with her and I had mine. She said she didn't wanna get sand in her hair and I tried to be a gentleman and offered for us to share. I just was trying to be nice is all. Was a bit awkward tell you the truth..." He trailed.

" Understandable." Phoebe concluded

"  Ask about the restaurant rumors." Alana whispered grabbing a disgruntled Magnus and setting him on her lap in efforts to quiet him.

" And finally...and I promise this is the last question. What's the deal with people saying they've seen you and Olivia out at restaurants looking rather friendly with each other recently. Couple late nights out there..." Phoebe inquried perring over to you as you slowly and quietly inhaled a tiny breath to hold.

" It's nothing to it. " Austin quickly affirmed, " Just two co-stars running lines with each other at times that worked for the both of us. Being with the schedule constantly moving around due to covid and whatever else its a get in where you fit in situation. ya' know. Most happen to be nights unfortunately. " He finished.

" Honestly..I-" He started but stopped short, contemplating if he should even say what he was about to. But fuck it she needed to know, " There.." He cleared his throat, " Had been a couple of times she tried to invite me back to her place. BUT I've always declined. Out of respect for not only myself and her. But especially out of the respect and love I have for my relationship with Y/N...I could never do that to her." He finished feeling like a huge weight had been lifted knowing everything was all out.

Your ears rang.

She'd done what? WTF.

Now you couldn't lie. The short amount of times Austin had brought you around the cast before he'd left you'd noticed Olivia's abnormally friendly behavior. But you hadn't ever thought it'd got that far. Because all in all you trusted Austin.

Your palms got hot as images flashed through your brain of Olivia brushing her hand against his, rubbing his forearm, she'd even slickly called him babe in the ' non-friendly ' manner a couple of times. But never did you think she'd go this low.

Just then your phone buzzed, 

Kriss Kross Boss: THAT HEIFER! How tf dare she! 

Mrs. Reynolds: THAT PART! DONT GET GOT BLONDIE

Phoebe cleared her throat, " Wow! I mean...man I get it! And honestly Austin....I believe what you're telling me is in-fact the truth. I just hate that this presents the way it does. It's not a good look on your part, and it certainly isn't a good look on Y/N's " She added & looked over to your expression.

You sat up pacing yourself.

He took a deep breath, " I know...I know. And that's why I've been trying to get ahold of her, but her phone keeps going straight to voicemail and my messages all still say delivered. So, that makes me think that she's already seen it. And it worries me because the last thing I wanna do is have her thinking that there's anyone other than her. I couldn't imagine my life without her at this point. That woman is just about one of the only things that makes me wanna get up in the morning. She's it for me. She's mine and I love her."

she's mine and I love her.

That's what he said.

He said that you're his and he loves you.

As stubborn as were, you couldn't help the warmth that filled your heart. It was like a million little embers setting off at once. Sure you guys said I love you to each other all the time. But it still never got old hearing him say it. Especially when you weren't 'technically' around.

Just then you seen your phone light up with texts for Alex, Alana, and Beatrice:

Kriss Kross Boss: PERIOD! IKDR! Look at that man all in love and junk!

Mother Bea: YOU GUYS THATS SO STINKING CUTE! I CAN'T

Mrs. Reynolds: *sighs* I agree. the fucker sounds genuine.

You looked to the other side of the couch to see Beatrice fighting off tears while Alana offered her a tissue with disgust plastered on her face.

You loved your friends.

You glanced over to Phoebe who held a somewhat content smile on her face looking at the group chat messages. Turning to you she mouthed a " Call him please." To which you nodded.

" Phoebe you still there?" Austin sounded making everyone snap out of their emotional moment and return their attention to the phone.

" Yeah, I'm still here. Was just reading something. But,uh, Like I said Austin. I really do think you sound sincere and I'm sure that with the right conversation so will Y/N , trust me." She motivated shooting you a wink.

Austin sighed, " Right. If I can get her on the phone." He pointed out.

" Well. I'll tell you what. I actually have to go do this thing for Noah so after we hang up why don't you try her again. Maybe you'll have better luck this time." Phoebe  coyly suggested motioning for you to pick up your phone and shoo you out the room.

Doing as you we're directed you skeptically picked up the phone slowly backing out the room toward the kitchen being quietly cheered on by your friends. It was all of forty-five seconds after Phoebe yelled to you that they hung up, that you're phone buzzed.

Staring at the screen you couldn't help how your thumb hesitated over the bright red button.

But you couldn't do that.

Not after what you'd just heard.

You owed it to yourself and him to pick up.

And in a split it second you quickly tapped the button answering.

It was sheer silent for a moment, nothing but small breathing could be heard until the voice came through the receiver, " Y/N. Baby you there? "

You took a deep breath, " Y-Yeah I'm here."

You heard the large sigh he let out of relief, " Hey, baby?" You could hear him trying to even out his breaths so he continue talking, " So, how much of it did you hear?" He questioned.

" Enough." You simply replied.

On the other end the man was running his hand down his face for the thousandth time it seemed trying to formulate words now that part of this burden had been lifted: The not speaking to you part. He now had to figure out how he was going to say all the things he wanted to say while fighting the urge to hop on a plane to be with you.

" Listen. Baby-" 

You cut him off, " You don't have to re-explain I pretty mu-"

" Yes. I do, though bec-" He tried countering but still you cut in.

 Aus I-" But he cut you of again putting on a more stern front this time.

" No baby. Wait a minute. I'm trying to say something that is super important to us both so I want you to listen to me. Can you hear me alright? "

" Yes, Austin ." You replied.

" You sure. Sweetheart cause you can't miss not even a syllable of what I'm about say." He solidified dropping the octave in his voice .

" Yes." You anticipated.

" Y/N. Baby. I love you. And I love you something serious. You are amazing and  mean more to me than I could have ever fathomed imaginable. And I'm so happy that you're mine." He started. You could few your cheeks starting to heat up.

" Words can't explain how sorry I am that I ever put you in a situation like this for you to feel embarrassed, but more importantly for you to question whether or not I love you and I'm faithful to what we're building."

" I made a promise to you when I gave you that ring that I hope to god is still on your finger. The promise that I love you and only you, baby. And it will only ever be you. Always, Forever, and Beyond." Austin continued. " You're it for me Y/N M/N L/N. Only you. And I want only you." He confessed.

By now your face for what seemed like the umpteenth time was damp again. But at least this time it was all for the right reasons. In your mind you now felt silly about the assumptions and idea that you had earlier. How could you think any of that after hearing this declaration.

" Did you get all that? " He asked while you carefully wiped tears for the corner of your eyes.

" Yeah I did." You sniffled.

" And do you believe all that? Truly believe it?" He furthered with a tinge of desperation that he was trying to mask. He needed you to know how he felt.

" Yes I do. I know that you love me." You affirmed putting more confidence in your voice.

Feeling as if the weight of the world had been lifted off his shoulders he said, " Good. Because like I told you before, I don't know many times I'll have to tell you I love you before you realize that I'm absolutely crazy about you and only you." Austin said running his fingers across the green pattern crotchet blanket that was laid across him.

About a month before he was set to move to Australia to start filming Elvis, you'd enlisted Beatrice to help teach you how to crotchet a blanket for Austin as a six month anniversary gift. And when it was time for him to pack for a small trip one weekend, you slipped it into his luggage for him to find later. And when he did, he couldn't erase the fuzzy and gooey feeling that consumed him.

Always thinking of me. He thought before bringing the item up to his nose to take whiff. He was beyond satisfied when the scent of mangos and vanilla entered his senses.

It smelled like you.

From there, Austin brought the blanket with him to Australia and pretty much slept with the thing almost every night. It was so special to him.

Nodding to yourself you replied, " Yeah I'm crazy about you too Austin. " You giggled knowing what you were about to say next would make him laugh, " You almost made me find a flight to Australia just to show you how CRAZY about you I really am." You tease thinking back to all of the more cooky musings you'd had when you believed that he may have been creeping around on you earlier.

Spoiler Alert: They weren't good...or legal.

Just as you thought would he did laugh running a hand down his face, " Oh man. I wouldn't have minded. Even if it would have meant seeing you set a blaze to half of the set." He said as a eerily scary imagine of you entered his mind.

You smiled" Nah. Never that. I'm not really a fire kind of girl. There are more effective methods than that. Plus no reason to punish everyone else working to feed their families. They may just have had to have found two new leads for the movie..that's all." You played with him. Austin laughed, " That's my girl. Always thinking of others." He commented, "But really. If you can have all of your work things fixed I'll arrange to have a jet come and get you out of LAX for you to come visit. All you need to do is give me the earliest convivence of when you can come, babe. And I'll take care of the rest. Because I really wanna see you." Austin explained already going to grab his laptop to start curating emails as he spoke.

You grumbled, " First off I'd love to come visit you so I'll see what I can push around. But secondly, you don't have to send a jet for me. I'm a big girl and I am more than capable of buying my own ticket to come see you." You cemented.

Austin smiled to himself, " I know you are, baby. But that doesn't mean that I can't do this for you."

" Austin I know b- " You began before being cut off, " But you're gonna let Daddy take care of this, alright. He messed something up and now he's fixing it. So pack your things up and when the time comes have your little pretty ass ready to take a prearranged flight, okay. " Austin voice husked now sporting a lower and sexier octave.

You could the trickles of something begin round yonder against the better judgement of your mind you from hearing his tone, " Okay." You peeped feeling every bit of feminism you had leak from your body.

Pathetic.

" Okay." He parroted back, " Now that we have that settled. How about you grab the journal, honey. So we can write all this down. " He suggested. You smiled.

Something unique about yours and Austin's relationship was the journal.

The journal was something that was used as a healthy relationship exercise. The two of you together would write down the triumphs and hiccups of your romance to be able to look back at for reference going forward as you both tried to always continue to better your relationship. Everything from recollections of your first meeting, to your first fight, and even some details of the first time you made love were written in it's pages.

For privacy reasons it stayed with you in a special place for when it was needed while Austin was away. Otherwise he was the usual keeper of the journal.

" Yeah we can do that." You said moving through the halls past your friends. Once you seen them you gave a thumbs up and motioned for them to put on a movie or something if they'd like before you proceeded upstairs to have a in-depth talk about everything from today with your man to put it all on paper.