#I remember a friend threw a Halloween party when we were kids and we did cute little homemade vampire looks

[starlene]

I've been seeing a post on my dash where some USAmerican tumblrina feels sorry for the rest of the world because we don't have Halloween, and that we should steal it for ourselves, too.

I just... uuuugggghhh. Dear worried USAmerican tumblrina: please do not feel sorry for us, at least not about that particular issue.

Like. As far as Finland goes (but I'm 100% certain this applies to a bunch of other countries all over the globe too), our supermarkets and our shopping centres are trying their absolute hardest to shove Halloween down our throats. They really, really try. From Halloween themed doughnuts to Halloween balls and Halloween garlands (for our Halloween trees?? I really have no idea), it's all over the place. It may not actually be celebrated to the extent it is in the US, but it certainly cannot be escaped, and as long as there's plastic crap to sell, it's not going away.

If I could, I'd shove all that nonsense into a cargo container and return it to where it came from. But I can't! You'll catch me dead before you'll catch me buying a Halloween themed Runeberg torte, though.

[pepperonidk]

i. i wish that you and i lived in the sims || to.you

↳ "... but instead we're both at some trashy halloween party downtown.''

Pairing: Jeon Wonwoox gn!Reader Summary: When your friend Chan invites (bribes) you to come watch his band play at a stupid frat party, you're surprised to see that Jeon Wonwoo from your social psychology class is the lead singer. Warnings: alcohol mentions, cursing Songs Mentioned: about last night - monsta x, sims - lauv

A/N: hehehehe I'm back for another Jeon Wonwoo autumn/winter rom-com. buckle in folks, this one was so cute to write. My last wonwoo series was for the bookworms, this one is for the keshi simps.

let me know if you'd like to be tagged! comments and rb's are appreciated :)

back to playlist || next track ⏭ 

“Chan, why the hell are you dragging us out to this party?” you complained to your friend as he threw himself down onto your sofa. He reached over to grab some candy from the bowl you had on your coffee table. You sent him a sharp glare and he swung his feet off the couch with a sheepish smile.

He simply shrugged in response to your question, the movement of his shoulders barely recognizable under the giant pumpkin costume he wore. “The band’s playing at some pre-Halloween party, Mingyu and Seungcheol told me to invite all my friends.”

A scoff came from the other side of the room, where Soonyoung, in his “sexy cowboy” costume, was leaning against the wall. “Do they know that you only have two of those?” You heard a laugh beside him as Chan glared at him.

“You’re here too, aren’t you?” Seungkwan raised an eyebrow at Soonyoung. “That makes four at least.” He put up each finger on one hand as he listed off everyone, besides Chan, present: himself, you, Soonyoung, and Hansol.

“I’m not his friend,” Hoshi rolled his eyes before looking away. “And Hansol is Seungcheol’s cousin, he doesn’t count. So yeah, smart-ass. Two friends.” He pointed at you and Seungkwan, who were dressed in matching pumpkin costumes with Chan. Hansol, who was dressed as three-hole-punch Jim from the Office, nodded in agreement. 

Soonyoung, to some extent, was right. He sat by Chan in the psychology class you two shared (often asking if the two of you could share your notes with him) and Hansol comes to the band’s shows all the time.

“Hey,” you pointed out. “The pumpkin costumes were not my idea. I wanted to be Pitbull.” You attempted to cross your arms over the orange felt encasing your body, to no avail.

“Not fair,” Seungkwan countered. “We’ve been matching pumpkins since the fourth grade.” 

“Why is Hansol exempt this year then?” You huffed.

“I told you guys I’d be a pumpkin on Halloween,” he shrugged. “It’s October 17th.”

You rolled your eyes. He had a point. And it was far too late for you to find a different costume now. Soonyoung scoffed at your playful bickering. “At least you’re a hot pumpkin,” he joked. You were used to Soonyoung’s flirtatious comments by now, but you never really took them too seriously. He didn’t either. He seemed like he only did it to get a rise out of Chan, who’d come to fill some sort of brotherly role in your life since you were kids.

“Yeah?” Chan spoke with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Glad you think I’m hot.” He and Seungkwan exchanged a laugh as Seungkwan walked to comfort a sulking Soonyoung.

“Not you,” Soonyoung turned away, swatting an arm out at Seungkwan who pat him on the back pitifully. “Ugh I don’t even know why I agreed to come along.”

“Because you needed my notes to pass class, dumbass,” Chan retorted.

Remembering your psych class, you cleared your throat before speaking. “Anyway,” you began. “The point was that we have a psych exam tomorrow and Halloween is still well over a week away.”

Chan mumbled something about the frat wanting to beat all the other frat parties happening and promising free coffee for you tomorrow in exchange for coming out tonight. You rolled your eyes in response. You couldn’t be begged to come, but you could be bribed, apparently.

With that, three pumpkins, a Jim looking for his Pam, and a sexy cowboy made their way to the local frat house. It felt pretty ridiculous really, to see the five of you (especially the pumpkins) all pile into Chan’s beat up Camry on a random Sunday in October. 

The blue and white house that sat at the end of Greek row still seemed relatively untrashed, save for the (decorative?) shopping cart filled with empty cans of beers and seltzers on the front lawn. The party had yet to hit its full swing and you internally groaned at the thought of being here all night. Upon entering, the four of you followed Chan to where his band was beginning to set up. Somehow, they had managed to set up a stage in the cramped first floor of the house. 

Chan’s band, No Name, consisted of him, and three other students from various departments of the school who were all also somehow academic weapons: Mingyu, a rather popular computer engineering major on lead guitar; Seungcheol, a finance major on drums; and Wonwoo, a biomedical engineering major, was their bassist and lead singer. Chan himself played rhythm guitar as well as keyboard, and was a junior in music education.

He started in the band around the end of the spring semester when Joshua, the previous guitarist for the band, and the others came up to him after one of his recitals to invite him into the band. Chan talked about his band members a lot, but this was the first time you were going to meet them in person. 

The rest of the band was already on stage, tuning their instruments and messing with the amps and wires that were scattered around. They looked up at Chan as he hopped onto the platform to join them. Mingyu gave him an excited wave as he played a few test notes on his guitar. Seungcheol gave him an acknowledging nod, before turning his attention back to his drums.

The third member, Wonwoo, looked up and nodded at Chan before glancing at the rest of you. He seemed surprised to see you there because you watched his dark eyes flicker back to you. His gaze was intense, but cautious. You turned your head in confusion until you realized you’d seen him in class before. You hadn’t really spoken to him before, but you gave him a light wave anyway and he returned with the same nod he gave Chan. 

“Hansol,” Mingyu greeted him with a kind of friendliness that reminded you of a puppy. “Jim from the Office?” Hansol gave him a nod, appreciating that he got the reference and gave him a high five in response. Seungcheol was not in costume, but Mingyu and Wonwoo seemed to have a matching motif – Mingyu was wearing all white with a halo headband atop their head, and Wonwoo was in all black with devil horns on his head. Mingyu turned his attention to the rest of you and hopped off the stage to meet you. “Hansol, you’ll have to introduce me to your friends.”

“Right,” Hansol started. He introduced you and Soonyoung to Mingyu and to Seungcheol and Wonwoo who were listening while finishing up. Soonyoung nodded to Wonwoo who looked at him with a raised eyebrow. 

“Hey bro,” Soonyoung greeted. Wonwoo scoffed in return with a shake of his head.

“Not your bro,” he replied curtly. His icy stare and stoic demeanor was not the type you’d expect from the lead singer of a beloved campus band. You’d heard girls and guys in class swooning over him, but to be honest, he wasn’t what you expected. He seemed like the type to want to be far, far away from a party, let alone perform at one.

Mingyu raised an eyebrow at him in amusement. “Sorry about him, he’s not good with strangers,” he said with a laugh, as if this was something that happened often. Icy… but with a bite, it seemed.

Wonwoo rolled his eyes behind his glasses. “This is that idiot who sits in front of me and watches Fortnite streams during class.” Mingyu hummed in recognition as Wonwoo explained. You couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at Wonwoo’s dry response, earning his gaze.

“He’s right Soonyoung,” you agreed. “You are a bit of an idiot.” Wonwoo’s lips twitched at your agreement.

“And you’re the one who shares notes with the idiot so he passes,” he raised a challenging eyebrow at you. There was a glint in his eyes that you couldn’t quite read.

“Yup,” you affirmed with a grin, meeting his eyes. “His savior, if anything.”

Soonyoung opened his mouth to retort before a voice caught everyone’s attention. Jun, the president of the frat called out to Wonwoo. He was dressed as a minion. “Hey Wonwoo,” he greeted. “Are you guys ready? More people are starting to show up, so I figured I’d ask if you guys were ready to start your set.” Wonwoo nodded and Jun turned to the rest of you. “There’s snacks and drinks in the kitchen.” He leaned over and lowered his voice conspiratorially before adding, “I’d go ahead and dig into the charcuterie before Seokmin gets here and gets a whiff of the prosciutto.”

The group of you moved away from the amps by the stage and towards the kitchen where, sure enough, enough alcohol and snacks for an army were haphazardly layed out. A strum from the guitar and a tap on the mic caught your attention as Wonwoo introduced the band. “Hey everyone, we’re No Name. Enjoy, I guess.” Without any more fanfare, he turned to Seungcheol and nodded as they began their first song, a rather upbeat song about partying. The cheers from the now crowded living area spurred them on. With a fresh drink in your red cup, you made your way back towards the stage to watch the group.

Honestly they were pretty good, and you wondered why it had taken you so long to actually see one of their shows. Mingyu had an upbeat and charismatic aura on stage, constantly bouncing on his feet and even sending an occasional flirty wink to people in the crowd. Seungcheol seemed to get lost in the music and you watched as his eyes shut and he seemed to be in his own world. Even Chan, who looked focused on his instrument, nodded his head along to the music and you could recognize his voice ever so often in a harmony. 

And there was Wonwoo.

 Although he didn’t look it… or particularly sound like it from his cold and short manner of speaking, had a melodic tone to his low voice. He was much different on stage than what you had gleaned from him in the short interaction you had with him. Then, he felt intense and closed off, as if he had already placed himself at an emotional distance from those around him. His stage presence however, was magnetic – the way he leaned into his microphone and would turn to face the band every so often to give cues, he seemed so in command, The way he’d smirk every so often or scan around the audience, it made you want to be the object of his gaze. it was impossible not to stare. 

About last night, I was undone God it feels right, being so wrong And I realized, all the blurry nights are when I feel alive.

You looked around at your friends as you began to dance. Hansol gently bobbed along to the music. Seungkwan stood beside him, taking a sip from his red cup. Soonyoung was talking animatedly to Jun and a guy whose plate was full of cheese and prosciutto – Seokmin, you remember. This was fun, you concluded.

Back on stage, Mingyu hit a high note that caught your attention and the fanfare told you the song was coming to an end. You watched mesmerized as Wonwoo stepped away from the microphone to pluck a string of notes on his bass, head nodding along to the music before returning to the mic and gripping it with both hands. “About last night…” he trailed off and ran his hands through his jet black hair. The rest of the band continued on with the last measures of the song, Mingyu’s fingers flying up and down the neck of his guitar and Seungcheol running through the end of a drum solo. 

You found yourself grinning as you clapped and cheered along with the crowd. After a brief pause, Wonwoo’s bass kicked off the next song and you scurried off to the kitchen to top off your drink and grab a snack. With the light buzz of alcohol in your head, you began to realize you didn’t seem to particularly mind the growing crowd dancing alongside you. Time seemed to pass quickly as you found yourself eagerly waiting for each new song the band played. The energy on stage felt electric and contagious, and you found yourself locked in on one member in particular – Wonwoo.

There was something about how he sang each lyric with a raw rasp in his voice and the way his fingers slid down his fretboard with ease that made him so good to look at. The music they played was fun and upbeat, but when they slowed down for a final song, it surprised you enough to snap you out of your trance as Wonwoo spoke in the mic again, leaning in enough that his lips touched the cold metal.

“It’s our last song of the night,” he began with a sigh, catching his breath from the last song. He grabbed his water bottle that was by his mic stand and took a quick sip before wiping some sweat off his brow and continuing. He set his own bass down and reached for the acoustic guitar that was set between him and Chan. “Let’s chill the fuck out and slow things down. For the last time, we’re No Name.” 

Wonwoo’s voice came out over a smooth melody on the keyboard. As people began to gather in pairs or move away from the dance floor, you found yourself close to the stage once again. Wonwoo seemed to catch your eye as he continued to sing and strum gently. His voice had a gentle vibrato to it and it was mesmerizing.

It wasn’t till you felt a tap on your shoulder and you saw Wonwoo’s eyes flicker to a figure beside you that you turned to see Soonyoung offering his hand out to you. “Wanna dance?” he asked casually. You shrugged as you slipped your hands around the back of his neck. His hands awkwardly found your waist, squishing your pumpkin costume in the middle so you looked a little bit more like a squash instead.

“What happened to Jun and Seokmin?” you asked Soonyoung curiously.

“Ditched them so I could dance with you,” he shrugged.

 You had hung out with him a couple of times outside of class, mostly to study, but Soonyoung never seemed very interested in you past being a study buddy turned friend. You raised your eyebrow at him skeptically.

“I tried to ask another girl to dance,” he admitted with a sad chuckle. “But she was definitely more interested in other girls than she was in me,” Soonyoung chuckled quietly. “Plus you looked kinda silly, a giant pumpkin standing by itself in front of the stage.” You turned around, eyes wide, to realize that you were in fact the only person who was on the dance floor alone. Hansol had gone off to the kitchen to find Seokmin and Seungkwan was somewhere outside playing a drinking game. Soonyoung must have noticed your embarrassment because he was quick to continue speaking. 

“Don’t worry,” Soonyoung continued. “I too would be transfixed if it seemed like a hot singer was singing right at me.” You felt yourself blush at his comment. 

“Shut up Soonyoung,” you chastised. “Or else I’ll tell Wonwoo you think he’s hot.” “Game respects game,” Soonyoung chuckled with a shake of his head and leaned in to speak near your ear. You could hear the smirk in his voice. “Don’t believe me?” You shook your head no in response. “His eyes haven’t left you since we started dancing.”

Sure enough, Wonwoo was still watching the pair of you as you gently swayed to the melody. The song came to a close soon after and Soonyoung jokingly twirled you away from him before whispering “Go get ‘em, tiger.”

You found yourself stunned as he walked away and turned back to the stage just in time to see Wonwoo set his guitar in its case before hopping down in front of you. Without his guitar slung in front of him, you could see his outfit better. He wore a black turtleneck that clung nicely to his toned chest and arms and black slacks. Wire framed glasses sat on his face and from here you could tell how thick the lenses were. The only Halloween-y part of his outfit were the devil horns that sat on his head… which he promptly removed. Even with his hair disheveled and the glow of sweat on his skin, he looked good. He ran his hands through his dark hair and took a sip of his water, not once breaking eye contact with you. It felt a little intense, really, and even more so when you realized you couldn’t read anything from his gaze.

“You guys are really good,” you offered with a smile that you hoped didn’t come off too eager, afraid to scare him off. “I really liked that last song.”

The corner of his lip twitched upwards in a flicker that you might have missed if you weren’t studying his face so closely. It felt satisfying, in a way, and almost like a challenge. How could you get a full smile? His quiet “Thanks,” lingered in the air between the two of you. Was he this reserved around everyone else, or was there something about you that made him feel as nervous as you did? 

“You’re in my psych class, right?” Did he already forget or was he just looking for a way to continue the conversation? You played along, wondering if his cold demeanor was just hiding a nervous guy.

“Yeah I am,” you confirmed, recalling the conversation from earlier. “I sit next to the idiot.” Wonwoo’s lips turned upwards in amusement as he processed your reference and he nodded.

“Cool,” he said simply. He didn’t say anything else, but he made no move to leave either, so you tried your best to continue the conversation.

“When–”

“We–” 

Wonwoo finally let out an amused scoff. You figured that’s the closest you’d get to a genuine laugh, and it was enough to put your nerves at ease for the time being. “Go ahead,” you said.

“We’re playing at another party here in two weeks if you want to come,” he said cooly, but the way his fingers fidgeted around the plastic water bottle as if it was the neck of his guitar made you think he might be thinking about this conversation as hard as you. 

“Sure, I–” you paused as you thought about the date. “Wouldn’t that be November already?”

A scoff escaped his lips again. “Yeah, some stupid shit about a post-Halloween soiree leading into no-nut-November. A gig is a gig, I guess.” He sounded less than amused about the theme of the party but shrugged it off.

You laughed at the stupidity of it all. “Sure, yeah, I’ll try to come by.” 

You smiled at him. He smiled back at you, well, smirked more like. “Cool,” was all he said.

A buzz from your wrist caught your attention, reminding you that it was nearing 1 a.m. and that you had told yourself to go home to study for your exam. You looked back up at Wonwoo apologetically. “Sorry,” you began. “I have to get home, I want to study before tomorrow.”

Wonwoo hummed in acknowledgement and you wondered when he found time to study for his own classes. He nodded towards the door, offering to walk you out. He didn’t really say much until you were both at the front porch of the house, with the cool autumn breeze seeping through the felt of your costume. “I’ll see you around?” he asked.

You nodded in response. “See you around.”

“Cool,” he said again. You moved to begin walking home but turned back with a smile and a two finger salute when you heard him say “Nice costume, by the way.” You had a feeling he wasn’t going to say that to Seungkwan or Chan.

Sure enough, the next time you saw Wonwoo was after your psychology exam the next morning. 

You had woken up at your desk after falling asleep studying with only 20 minutes until class began. With no other options, you quickly brushed your teeth and washed your face but ran out of your apartment without bothering to change out of your pajamas.  

Last night after coming home from the party, you found it difficult to focus on your notes. All you could think about was Wonwoo and his piercing stare. You’d definitely seen his eyes before, but being the subject of their gaze was something else entirely. You recalled the feeling in the pit of your stomach the first time he looked at you. It wasn’t until your phone buzzed with a text from Hansol stating that he made it home safely that you snapped out of your daze enough to begin studying. 

You arrived just in time for the test to begin, but too late to sit in your usual seat by Chan and Soonyoung. Panting, as you slid into the first available seat, you grumbled at the way you could feel your pajama pants awkwardly riding up your calves and the slight glimmer of sweat that seemed to now layer over your forehead. You’ve definitely seen better days.

Even now, in the middle of the exam, a question about the misattributed signs of attraction had you thinking back to Wonwoo. Talk about real life applications. Elevated heartbeat, shortness of breath… it definitely wasn’t stress or fear that had you feeling that way around him. You let out a sigh as you circled the letter C.

When the exam was finally over, you met the two of them outside of the classroom.

“No, you idiot,” Soonyoung argued. “You’re thinking of the halo effect, the answer was the reciprocal liking effect.” They were in the middle of arguing about what the correct answer on a part of the exam was and you watched Chan scramble to pull his messy notebook out of his backpack to find it in his notes. Before you could interrupt and correct them, a low voice beat you to it.

“It’s the mere exposure effect, you dumbasses,” You turned around with a chuckle, turning to see Wonwoo, standing a little too close, right behind you. You could smell the cologne he wore, something that must be out of your price range. He wore a crisp white t-shirt and black sweatpants and you felt slightly embarrassed at your own pajama pants-hoodie-bedhead combo.

“Huh?” Chan asked as he tried to skim through his notes. “But isn’t that–”

“Mere exposure suggests that the more times we encounter someone or something, the more we tend to like it,” you explained. Wonwoo nodded in agreement. Something about getting his validation made your heart skip a beat.

“Looks like the studying paid off,” he commented, turning to face you with the faintest hint of a smirk. Was he teasing you?

“Sure did,” you replied with confidence, though you found yourself blushing under his gaze.

“Take a nap,” Wonwoo suggested, looking you up and down. “You look like shit.” His deadpan tone almost made you miss the mischievous glint behind his eyes. You turned to him with a sharp eye before you realized that was his attempt at witty banter. Instead of a scowl, you rolled your eyes instead.

“What every person wants to hear at 9 in the morning,” you shot back. “I’ll nap after this one buys me a coffee.” You gestured to Chan who had now turned back to Soonyoung to argue about a different question. Wonwoo scoffed as he watched the two bicker before turning to the voice that called his name from behind. It was Mingyu and Seungcheol.

“See you around,” he said before heading in their direction. You watched as Mingyu clapped a hand on his back and Seungcheol offer him some of his pack of Oreos as they retreated down the hallway. What an interesting friend group, you thought to yourself.

You didn’t see Wonwoo much after that day. Or Chan for that matter. 

For the next few classes, Chan and Wonwoo left rather promptly to have band practice in preparation for their early November gig. So those days, you found yourself walking to the library with Soonyoung.

“I haven’t seen Chan have to go to practice this often since the summer,” you had remarked to him as you walked. The party was tomorrow night, and Chan and Wonwoo skipped class altogether for rehearsal so you promised to send Chan your notes.

“Yeah,” Soonyoung agreed as he brushed a fallen leaf off the top of his hair, ruffling it in the process. “But apparently they have a new song on their setlist, so I guess that’s why.”

“A new song,” you echoed, half listening. Your mind wandered back to the image of Wonwoo on stage, the way he played, how he held onto the microphone. It must be some song if they’re practicing so hard. If he wrote a song would it be as complex and enigmatic as he seemed to be? Or would it be something completely unlike him?

“You’re doing it again,” Soonyoung’s teasing tone cut you out of your thoughts. He snapped a finger in front of your face. “You’ve been spacing out a lot lately. It was cute at first, but now it’s concerning.”

You groaned at his accusation. “I’m not spacing out,” you huffed.

“Right…” He grinned mischievously. “So who is it? Tell me so I can give you my stamp of approval.”

Something flipped in your stomach as you rolled your eyes at your friend. “Focus on your own love life, Soonyoung. Anyway, you said Chan told you about it?”

He raised a teasing eyebrow before raising his hands in defense, allowing you to change the subject. “Yeah, he did,” he confirmed. “And what about it?”

You were surprised to learn that Soonyoung had a conversation with Chan past arguing over class notes, and you noted the shade of red that dusted the tops of his ears when he saw you look at him inquisitively. “Nothing,” you replied coyly. “Just glad to see you guys are friends now.” Soonyoung rolled his eyes and you shoved him playfully. He shook his head with a soft laugh.

“I guess if I have to see him every day, we might as well be friends,” Soonyoung admitted. “Mere exposure effect or whatever.”

“Aw, you are learning, Soonyoung.” 

The next evening you found yourself at yet another frat house in front of another stage. At least this time you weren’t in a pumpkin costume, but rather in an actual outfit that you felt good about (One that wasn’t picked out by any of your friends).

You managed to arrive in time to catch the band setting up, wanting to offer help, but not really knowing how. Instead you sat on the couch beside a bored looking Hansol as he fiddled with the cup in his hands. 

“Most people don’t show up to parties until they’re actually parties,” Hansol sighed as he rested his chin in his hands. You watched as Chan fiddled with the tuning pegs of his guitar in front of Wonwoo who played him his pitches on the keyboard. You chuckled in agreement. There really wasn’t much going on quite yet as the party had yet to truly begin.

“We could have come by later in the evening,” you replied.

“Nah,” Hansol countered. “I’m bored, but I’d rather be bored here with you and the band than bored alone at home. Plus this way everyone knows I’m ‘with the band’ or whatever. Keeps weirdos away from my cousin.” As if to prove his point, he sent a glare towards the poor girl who walked up and offered Seungcheol a water bottle. He had a point. He at least had a loose reason to be here early, but did you?

You could say that Hansol dragged you here with him, but he didn’t really. You weren’t really “with the band” either. You looked back over at the stage and caught Wonwoo’s eye. He gave you a single wave. You’d leveled up from last week’s curt nod, you realized with a soft chuckle. You continued to watch as he returned his attention to his microphone stand. Maybe, you thought, it was reason enough that you liked seeing the band set up.

By the time No Name got to the middle of their set, you were having a great time dancing with Hansol who was more than buzzed. You also felt a little tipsy, but you were nowhere near Hansol’s level. One of you had to be sober enough to care for the other. Wonwoo cleared his throat into the mic before speaking. “This is a new song. Happy Halloween and no-nut-November.” Although his face remained passive, you could tell now that Wonwoo was poking fun at the drunk frat boys that were scattered about and cheering loudly.

Hansol leaned over to you as a keyboard melody began to play. “Chan said you’d probably like this one,” He slurred into your ear. You winced at the volume of his voice and the smell of beer. He’d regret this in the morning.

I wish that you and I lived in The Sims We could build a house and plant some flowers and have kids But we’re both at some trashy Halloween party downtown

Wonwoo let his bass hang around his neck as he wrapped both of his hands around his microphone and leaned in close, as if his proximity to the microphone could fill the room with a sense of intimacy.

I wish that we lived on a VHS I'd erase the things I said and that I'll probably say again Hit rewind on all the times I got lost in my head

Hansol was right, and you were pleased to know that your many years of knowing Chan paid off in him knowing your taste in music. You wondered if he had any influence in writing it and you made a mental note to ask him about it some other time. It was a different vibe than some of the songs the band played last time you saw them, but the crowd seemed to enjoy it and so did you.

The rest of the set was filled with songs that were familiar to you – songs you heard at the last show, and songs that you’d heard Chan practice when you came to visit him, Seungkwan, and Hansol at their apartment. Same as last time, the set closed with a slower song, but with no real interest in slow dancing with each other, you and Hansol stumbled out to the backyard instead, opting for some fresh air. In the moonlight, you could see the red glow that rose in his cheeks, a side effect of the alcohol. Knowing him, he was on the verge of falling asleep and you were thankful that Chan would be finished with his set soon and could deal with him instead. Seungkwan had cleverly avoided going to this party, leaving you and to care for their roommate instead. As much as you loved your friend, Hansol became a deadweight when he was drunk, as if all his muscles became laced with actual iron. 

As if on cue, the final strum of the song rang out and soon after, Chan plopped down between you and a sleeping Hansol. He scoffed at the sight, laughing at Hansol’s soft snores. He pulled out his phone to take a photo of him in his peaceful state and you laughed softly.

“You know he’ll kill you tomorrow morning once he sees that,” you warned him. Chan chuckled and shook his head as he reached under Hansol’s back to pull him into a more comfortable sitting position and he murmured a quiet thank you. It was hard to believe that in any other square inch of this party there were frat boys throwing up on the grass when a scene as soft and gentle was playing out right in front of you.

“Eh,” Chan shrugged carefully, assessing his friend’s state. “I think I can take a hungover Hansol.” He smiled as he patted him on the crown of his head before looking back towards you. “Did you drink tonight?” Chan asked curiously.

You nodded and reached your hand up to feel how warm your cheeks had gotten from the alcohol. “Not nearly as much as Sol,” you answered.

“Do you have a ride?” Chan asked, concern lacing his voice. “I didn’t drive today.”

“I was just planning on walking back,” you shrugged your shoulders. Chan’s brows furrowed together in thought.

“If Seungkwan’s around, you should ask him to walk with you,” Chan suggested. “Or I guess that tiger-wannabe dumbass. He’s fine, I guess.” You laughed at Chan’s mention of Soonyoung.

“I didn’t even know they came,” you admitted.

“They showed up kinda late,” Chan explained. “I saw them show up towards the end of the set.” You hummed in response.

“I’ll keep an eye out then,” you promised as you turned away. “You sure you don’t need my help?” You glanced at Hansol who was now starting to tip to the side as Chan shook his head and waved you away.

“Text me when you get home!”

Back inside the house, the sounds of the band had been replaced with someone’s playlist blasting over the speakers. After doing a lap around the house, your two other friends were nowhere to be found. You knew you were hitting the end of your own social battery as you approached the kitchen in search for a water bottle to take with you before heading out. Although you didn’t drink as much as Hansol did, the warmth in your throat reminded you that it would be a smart idea to start hydrating. You immediately headed for the cooler that was propped on the counter and dug through the ice and cans of beer until you found what you needed. You wiped your hand against the fabric of your top, trying to regain feeling in your cold fingers before you heard a familiar voice call your name.

“Wonwoo,” you smiled at him in greeting. Today he wore a simple gray sweater with black jeans, and you wondered if he owned anything colorful in his closet. “You guys killed it today.”

Wonwoo’s eyes lit up ever so slightly at the compliment. “Thanks,” he began, and you wondered if that’s all he’d say. “We practiced a lot.”

“And it paid off,” you agreed, opening your water to take a sip. “I really liked that new song.”

You noted how Wonwoo’s mouth twitched into a small smile. “Really?” he asked.

“Yeah,” you nodded enthusiastically. “It’s right up my alley, and I liked the lyrics too.”

That answer seemed to please Wonwoo who turned his head to hide a gentle blush that crept up his cheeks before clearing his throat to change the subject. “Not drinking tonight?” Wonwoo nodded at the water bottle in your hands.

“I drank plenty,” you chuckled. “It’s for my walk home.”

“You’re walking home?” Wonwoo repeated. “Where’s Chan?”

“Chan?” you echoed as Wonwoo nodded. “He’s dealing with a drunk sleeping Hansol. I told him I'd go with Seungkwan or Soonyoung, but I can’t seem to find either of them.”

Wonwoo hummed as you explained. A beat of silence fell between the two of you as he looked around, lost in his own thoughts. “I’ll help you find them,” he offered with a quieter voice before nodding towards the stairs. For a moment, you hesitated and wondered why he was offering at all. Wonwoo didn’t seem like the type to go out of his way to help someone who was effectively still a stranger. Maybe he wasn’t as cold and distant as he tried to make himself out to be.

You followed close behind him struggling to shove your way through the crowd until you realized Wonwoo had stretched his hand behind him to grab hold of your wrist. “Stay close,” he called to you. You wished you could read the stoic expression that remained fixed on his gaze, but everything about him seemed so… calculated, down to the way his fingers lightly brushed against your wrist as he guided you through the crowd. 

Honestly, It was a pleasant surprise that he had offered to help you at all. Half of you expected him to just reply with a simple “cool,” as what seemed to be his default response, and be done with it. Instead, he was dragging you up the stairs and shoving people out of the way on your behalf. You blushed as you realized what this might look like to the random onlooker. The two of you must have looked like any other couple at a frat party, headed upstairs to do something unsavory.

Before you could relish the idea any longer, Wonwoo dropped your hand as he found a clearing by the railing at the upstairs landing where there was a decent view of the party going on downstairs. “It’s easier to find someone when you have a bird’s-eye view,” he explained as his eyes scanned over the sea of partygoers.

You turned your attention to where he was looking before spotting Seungkwan’s blonde hair and Soonyoung’s silvery white hair, both unmistakable from your point of view. “There they are,” you noted excitedly. Wonwoo scoffed in amusement at how a simple observation got you so excited. “It looks like Seungkwan’s… occupied,” you chuckled to yourself. Seungkwan in the middle of belting out a Whitney Houston song by a karaoke machine. You decided you’d best not bother him and sighed in relief when you saw Soonyoung was just chatting idly with Jun near the door. 

Wonwoo walked with you back down the stairs until you found Soonyoung, who smiled and greeted you with a hug. “Hey, stranger.” He turned to Wonwoo with a polite, but distant wave. “Hey b-” he cleared his throat, correcting himself. “Hey Wonwoo.”

A scoff escaped Wonwoo’s lips as they formed into a smirk. “Hey, Hochi-Mochi.” Soonyoung’s face immediately fell into a frown. 

“Only my mom– how do you even know about that?” Soonyoung ran a hand down his face as Jun laughed beside him.

“You leave your brightness all the way up when you text your mom from your laptop in class,” Wonwoo explained with a casual shrug, much to Soonyoung’s dismay. “And you have the default font size of a billboard ad.” 

Jun put a hand on Soonyoung’s shoulder and shook his head in laughter. “I’m gonna go ahead, Hochi-Mochi. See you around.” He waved goodbye at the three of you before disappearing into the crowd.

“Et tu, Brute?” Soonyoung grumbled as he watched you laugh along. “On that note, I think I’m gonna go too,”

Wonwoo watched your hand as it flew up to grab Soonyoung’s elbow as he turned away. “Wait,” you sighed as your laughter died down. “I was gonna ask if you could walk me home, since Chan and Seungkwan are otherwise occupied.”

Soonyoung’s eyebrow shot up as his eyes moved between your hand that tugged at his sleeve and the steely dark eyes that seemed to be intensely watching his next move. He paused for a second before finally answering you. His face had slipped into an expression that you couldn’t quite read. “I don’t mind but–”

“I’m Mingyu’s designated driver, and he lives like a half hour away,” Wonwoo seemed to answer Soonyoung’s question before it even came out. Would he have offered otherwise? you thought to yourself. You turned your gaze to Wonwoo, still unreadable as ever, and wondered why he answered so quickly.

“I see,” Soonyoung replied skeptically before turning to you with a shrug. “I’m ready whenever you are.”

You nodded to Soonyoung and the three of you walked towards the door where Wonwoo hung back and leaned against the door frame as you moved past him. You weren’t sure if you were on hugging terms with Wonwoo yet (or if he even had hugging terms for that matter), so you opted to give him a wave instead.

“See you around?” you smiled at Wonwoo warmly, hoping to mask the rush of nervousness that seemed to flood through you every time you were the subject of his gaze. His eyes lingered on yours for a moment longer and for a brief second, they softened, in a way that seemed to melt away his icy exterior that you’d thought was unbreakable. 

“See you around,” was all he said, but the three words seemed to carry more weight – a promise that something was beginning. This time, there was no mistaking it. 

His eyes definitely softened.

[herogoose]

Heartskipping Halloween (Sean Diaz x F!Reader)

“Hey Diaz, wake up!” Lyla’s voice muffled through his window, and her shouts were followed by many loud knocks on the glass. “You better be at the door like, yesterday!”

Sean’s eyes opened against his will, and he saw his friend’s silhouette walk away from the window, towards the front door. He grumbled, rubbing his palms over his eyes as sleep fought to take over again. It was about to win, up until the front door was brutally attacked by Lyla’s knuckles.

He reluctantly rolled out of bed, pillow in hand, not bothering to cover up the blue seagull-patterned boxers before he let her inside. Daniel was sitting in the living room, a soda on the coffee table in front of him. He was talking loudly into the headset. As usual.

Some music was faintly drifting in from the garage door, so Dad must have been working on his new client’s truck.

Sean opened the front door, chucking his pillow at Lyla’s head with a grin. “Tú es una perra.” She caught it and gripped it tight.

“Uh-huh. Morning sunshine,” she grinned and got ready to throw it back in Sean’s face. “You ready to-”

“Lyla!” Daniel jumped off the couch and all but pushed Sean out of the way.

“What’s up little bro?” She raised a fist, and Daniel reciprocated the motion, ending the bump with a dramatic explosion.

“I was just playing Minecraft with Noah. We’ve been building this huge castle, wanna see?” His eyes gleamed with excitement to show off to her.

“Wish I could, but I gotta get your brother ready. Maybe later, if we’ve got time?” She always made time for Daniel. More than he did, but he already lived with the kid. He got more than enough Daniel time.

Frankly, Sean thought he had too much Daniel time.

“Aw man… okay.” He trudged back to his spot on the couch, returning all his attention to the screen.

“And just like that, Lyla loses 10 cool points.” Sean remarked, earning a thump on the back of the head. They headed toward his room so they could get ready for… uh. What was Lyla here for?

“Not likely. You know I’ll always be his favorite.” She threw his pillow across the room and it landed haphazardly on the sheets. Lyla took a seat at the desk while Sean retreated back to his bed, fighting every urge to lay down and sleep again.

She put her hands on her knees, leaning towards him with excitement. “So, you got everything?”

“Uh, yeah. For sure.” His bluff did not land on Lyla. Her face dropped, the usual unimpressed stare landing on her eyes.

“You have no idea what I’m talking about.”

Sean sunk back in his seat, drumming on his thighs. “Yeah… I’m not even going to pretend like I do.”

“The party, Diaz! It’s Halloween, remember?” Lyla jumped up, pushing his shoulder. She turned around to open his closet, seeing the mess of clothes strewn inside.

“Oh yeah, right.” He smirked. Maybe it was the fact he just woke up, but he just wasn’t all that excited.

Usually, he loved Halloween. Maybe it was Dad’s extreme love for the holiday rubbing off on him, or Daniel’s childlike wonder when it came to any holiday that involved candy or gifts.

But this year, he just wanted to stay home. Maybe put on a movie when Daniel and Dad got back from trick-or-treating.

He just wasn’t in the spirit. “Do we have to go? I don’t know Lyla, I’m just not really feeling it tonight.”

She turned around as quick as a whip and dropped the assortment of t-shirts she was holding. “You’re kidding.”

Sean simply shrugged in response.

“Come on dude. You can’t bail on me day of. If I’m going, so are you. We’re supposed to match!” Lyla reached behind her, grabbing an off-white poet shirt with strings holding the neck together and waving it in front of her.

He sighed, pushing off the bed. “I know, sorry. I’m just-”

“ ‘You’re just’ going with me and that’s that. You try to do this for almost every party, and I’m not letting you start this early. We. Are. Going.” She paused momentarily, wiggling her eyebrows and biting her lip. “And you know that Halloween equals girls in slutty costumes.” Sean rolled his eyes. She knew him better than that. “There’s just so many people, everyone’s wasted…” He trailed off. Lyla’s face turned stern, and she threw an assortment of clothes at his head for him to catch.

______________

The next thing he knew, he was standing in front of the bathroom mirror, adjusting the black fabric over his right eye. His gaze turned downward, and he looked at his costume for about the fifteenth time.

“God damn it Lyla,” he mumbled under his breath. The poet’s shirt hung low on his thinner frame, whereas the blue-gray vest sat uncomfortably tight around his shoulders. The brown breeches were baggy, trying to ignore his belt and obey gravity.

He looked at the cheap knee-high boots that sat by the tub. Hell. No. Sean grabbed the pirate hat from the counter and centered it on his head. He reluctantly opened the bathroom door and headed into his bedroom where Lyla had gotten dressed.

She donned a red bandana that hung much lower than her short hair. Her own white shirt was mostly hidden beneath a black corset, with gray and black striped leggings tucked into her own boots. A tacky Jolly Roger flag was folded and pinned into the belt that hugged her waist, giving her a long half-skirt on the right side of her body.

“Argh.” He lazily curled a finger, grinning when he saw Lyla’s own smile.

“Lookin’ good Captain Diaz. Now where the hell are your shoes.” she asked bluntly. He felt bad, as she sounded somewhat disappointed. However, she’d convinced him to even get in the costume and attend this party, so he was going to stick his ground for this one thing.

He lazily motioned toward the bathroom. “No way in hell I’m wearing those. This is fine.”

“Ay, where is your sense of immersion, matey?” She nudged him in his side, a goofy grin plastered on her face. “These seas need a fully dressed duo before we set sail!”

“This Captain has some self-respect left. I think my crew will forgive me.” He joked, while still laying the law.

“Your first mate might be annoyed,” Lyla grumbled, crossing her arms. Sean heard Daniel’s bedroom door open, and his small silhouette appeared in the doorway, arms behind his back.

Sean felt his anger rise almost instantly. “Daniel! How many times do I have to tell-”

His little brother couldn’t hide his huge smile. Daniel smiled wide, practically from ear to ear. He took a deep breath before cutting Sean off. “Avast, Captain! Before the ship departs the bay, your swabbies wanted to leave you with a gift.”

He unfolded his arms from behind his back, one foam cutlass in each hand. One’s handle had been hastily painted black, and the other was a messy marine blue. Daniel stepped into Sean’s room, delicately handing the blue-handled sword to Lyla, the black one to Sean.

“Shit, thanks enano,” Sean wrapped Daniel into a side hug, taking the toy sword out of his hand and examining it.

Sure, having a kid’s toy tucked into his belt loop all night will be pretty embarrassing. But, it was pretty sweet that he had painted these just for him and Lyla. He appreciated it a lot, though he’d die before admitting that to his face.

Lyla all but ripped the sword out of Daniel’s hand, an enormous grin across her face. “Yes! Thank you Daniel!” She immediately sheathed it into the left side of her belt, her outfit finally complete. She posed with her hands on her hips, chest puffed out and chin high.

Sean fit the toy into his belt loop, the same side as Lyla’s. “My first mate, ye be lookin’ great. Thank you, laddy.” Sean joked, slapping a hand on Daniel’s shoulder.

Daniel smiled before awkwardly stepping out the door and back into his own room.

“So, please tell me he’s convinced you to finish off your own outfit.” Lyla started.

Sean smirked evilly. “Nope.” 

______________

“Half cabs.” Lyla groaned, standing outside of the party house. “We’re pirates, and you’re wearing fucking half cabs.”

“And I will be so much more comfortable than you in an hour, with that cheap fake leather shit you’re wearing,” Sean remarked.

Lyla grumbled but gave up the fight. They walked up to the front door, people in various costumes scattered around the front lawn. Sean noticed two guys wearing some half-assed skull makeup practically blacked out already, lying on their backs in the grass.

Not even an hour into the party and some people couldn’t even enjoy the rest of it. Sean enjoyed feeling buzzed of course, but sometimes people got a little obnoxious with their drinking habits. It was a bit much.

They managed to get through the door with little issue, the house crammed wall to wall with people fully decked out in makeup and costumes. Sean felt a little claustrophobic, but he was sure that a beer or two would help him not notice the amount of people anymore.

He and Lyla met up with her friends to talk and drink. They’d all danced around a few times, Sean less than the girls. He’d gone to grab another drink from the extremely crowded kitchen.

A small shadow moved towards him that he ignored, but a soft voice spoke in his direction, piquing his interest.

“Nice boots there, captain,” a girl spoke, long plastic vines and white glitter twisted in the tight waves her hair held, likely from being in braids.

“What? Oh, I uh- lost them overboard. Had to find replacements,” Sean was taken aback by her, stuttering over his words. She wore a short, puffy lavender dress, and white fairy wings were strung around her shoulders. Glitter adorned her arms and legs, and she had on white Converse with a floral pattern.

He was pretty sure she saw him give her a good look over, since he noticed her eyes flick to the ground and grin. “I guess the water gets pretty rough, huh?” she asked, Sean handing her a beer and picking up one of his own.

Sean exhaled through his nose, shaking his head with a smile. “Yeah, it’s a dangerous life on the sea.” he said, glancing at the girl again. He felt so stupid. He was barely able to hold eye contact or speak without tripping up his words.

He was never one to have much game in the first place, but god damn, why did this stranger have such a huge effect on him? His heart felt like it was stuck in his stomach. He lifted the can to his lips, taking a long swig to mute his brain.

“Well that’s a shame. I was hoping maybe you’d offer to take me on your ship.” she took the tiniest step forward, her arms held behind her back. Sean’s uncovered eye shot wide open, some of his beer spitting across the room and some going down his trachea.

He started coughing nonstop, this random girl immediately asking whether or not he was okay as he fought for some air. Within a few seconds he’d recovered, looking back into her eyes and smiling sheepishly.

“God, are you okay now?” she asked, her hands outstretched towards him. One simple move and he’d know how soft they’d be in his own. How delicate they felt against his calloused palms. He had to shake the thought from his head, literally, before answering.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. I was just uh, caught off guard. Sorry.” Sean’s felt his face heat up. The urge to drop dead and wish the last 30 seconds hadn’t just happened was stronger than ever before.

She smiled, so gentle and sweet. “No, I’m sorry. That was…” she drifted off, her cheeks dusting pink. Her eyes conveyed so much of who she was, what she was feeling.

“Do you want to go outside?” Sean blurted out, sick of having to shout their conversation over the dozens of people and loud music surrounding them. He waited for her reaction, nerves flowing all throughout his body and settling in his stomach.

“Yeah, I do actually.”

______________

Sean leaned his back against the porch, breathing in the cool air. He flipped up his eyepatch, reveling in the feeling of using both his eyes again. He looked over at her, leaning over the railing and looking up at the night sky surrounding them.

His heart nearly exploded out of his chest as he guided the girl through the party and out the back door. Mainly because she decided to hold onto his wrist so she didn’t lose him in the crowd. Sean was pushing through people, trying his best to apologize while his neurons short-circuited.

He had a revelation while standing beside her in this silence, though. What the hell was her name? He pursed his lips, wondering if it was too late to ask now. Did she even know who he was?

Sean cleared his throat, turning so only one arm rested on the porch and he could look at her delicate features closer. She really did look like a fairy, as her costume suggested.

“I realize it’s kinda late for introductions,” he started and she turned to meet his eyes. “but uh, I don’t think we even really introduced ourselves.”

She huffed a laugh through her nose, a dimple forming on her cheek. “Right. I’m Y/n.” God, even her name was beautiful. And the way she looked in the moonlight, staring up at him. Fuck.

“That’s really pretty,” he said, causing her to smile shyly, averting his gaze momentarily. He nodded his head once before speaking again. “Sean.”

“Well Sean, it’s nice to formally meet you,” she stuck her hand out towards him. He was all too quick to push away from the railing, clasping his hand around hers. Her skin was so soft, so plush.

She shook his hand, then somewhat reluctantly pulled her hand back, returning to the railing and leaning over it once more.

Sean tried so hard not to make it obvious that he was looking over at her. He just really loved the way the moonlight reflected in her eyes. And how relaxed her face looked, like she was actually comfortable being out here with someone she didn’t know.

The silence they were in was comfortable as well, he didn’t feel like he needed to fill the air with awkward small talk that no one enjoyed. He was just a little stunned–more like very stunned–at how this beautiful girl came up to talk to him, and somehow he had the balls to actually get her alone so he could talk to her.

The only downside was how badly his heart was racing. How his stomach felt like it was in knots. How much his hands were trembling. God, why was it so bad this time? Sean had been interested in plenty of girls before this, but his body reacted as if it was the first time.

“You’re not too big on parties, are you?” she asked, her tone sounding more like a statement than a question. He met her eyes briefly, then turned around so he could look at the lawn.

“You got me there. There’s just a lot of people… I really only come because my friend wants me to.” He then remembered Lyla in the living room, in which he’d told her he’d be back in just a couple minutes… fifteen minutes ago. Shit.

“Yeah, I get that. I feel the same way sometimes. But I think it’s sweet that you come along for them, even if you don’t necessarily want to.” Her dimples showed, in what felt like was just for him.

Sean plucked at a splinter in the wood, trying to free it from the railing. “I guess so,” he paused for a few moments, shakingly conjuring some sort of conversation topic in his mind. “So, do you go to our school? I’d remember your face if I’d seen it before.”

She blushed, a sight that he was coming to love all too much. “Sean… no. I don’t. But I have been thinking about transferring; one of my friends goes there, and I kind of like, really hate my teachers.”

“Well, uh, I think transferring is a good idea,” he scratched the back of his neck. He waited a moment before looking back into her eyes, only to see a downturned smile splayed on her lips. “...What?”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you might like me there, Sean.” she stood up straight, taking a step towards him with her hands behind her back, just like before. His breath hitched, his heart dropping.

His legs froze completely, wanting to take that instinctive step back but unable to. “Wh- uh, I mean, well-” Sean didn’t know what to say. He felt as if he’d been caught red-handed, doing something he wasn’t meant to.

She smirked, chuckling slightly. “Relax. I’m just giving you a hard time. I… well shit. I think you’re pretty cute.” Her demeanor shifted, blushing once more and turning her head away from him.

Sean bit his lip and took a deep breath. It was now or never, and he wasn’t just going to lose an opportunity to get to know her. He leaned to the side, getting within her line of vision.

“Do you want to get out of here? I- I mean like, get food, or something.” He smiled a little awkwardly. His heart was racing in his chest.

She turned her head, smiling that sweet smile at him. She didn’t say anything, but she nodded her head. Sean held out his trembling hand, and her fingers were intertwined with his just a second later.

They pushed their way back inside, Sean trying to find Lyla. He dragged his little fairy through the dozens of people crowding the hallway, trying to remember the path back to the living room.

He saw Lyla’s red bandana reflecting the multicolored lights and waved his arm to get her attention. She didn’t notice him at first, too busy downing another beer and dancing with her friends.

Her dazed eyes finally caught wind of him, so he finally pointed toward the front door to let her know he was leaving. As he walked away, Lyla saw the girl being dragged behind Sean, and she grinned all too knowing.

______________

As if Sean couldn’t have faced enough embarrassment tonight, the young bouncer–no more than a year older than himself–stopped them both as they exited the front door.

He was convinced Sean had ill intentions, though neither of them looked wasted enough to deserve questioning. The bouncer and Sean got into a near-screaming match before Y/n had to step in, swearing up and down that she was mostly sober and the two of them were leaving to get something to eat.

Sean had to drag a palm down his face, dying internally as she was practically begging him to let the two of them just leave. He eventually conceded, letting them off the property with no other issues.

They walked down a couple of blocks to a little diner on a street corner, swinging their interlaced hands the whole way. His heart was thrumming with… something. Adrenaline? Nerves? Excitement, maybe admiration? He wasn’t quite sure.

The two of them sat in a small booth, the retro navy and white interior giving a comfortable atmosphere for their late dinner… date? The overhead lights brought a low, warm tint to the diner, with purple LEDs lining the ceiling, embellishing her costume and softening her features even more than they already were.

“Alright,” she started, placing her elbows on the tabletop and resting her chin on the back of her hands, “now I get to interrogate you. What are your most vital hobbies?”

Sean smiled, lightly drumming on his thighs. “Well, I skate. Not as often as I’d like. I’m almost always listening to music, I draw, and sometimes-”

It was impossible to miss her eyes lighting up, then cutting him off. “You draw? So you’re like, really good?”

He chuckled, examining all her features. “I guess. But it’s all pretty subjective.”

She leaned in just a touch. “Can I see any of them? It’s fine if you don’t want to share, I get it.”

Sean smiled at her eagerness. God, she really did have such a beautiful smile. If he wanted to, he could lean over and know what her lips tasted like against his own. Maybe that would be too soon. He couldn’t risk fucking this up.

“I left my sketchbook back at home. But, uh…” he began fidgeting around himself, feeling in his pockets for his pen. He pulled it out, reaching over to grab a napkin from the dispenser and flattening it out on the table.

Sean’s eyes scanned their surroundings for the perfect picture. He was about to get the side profile of a lone man sitting a few tables away from them, when he realized this would be the perfect opportunity to just draw her. Though, his sketchbook was probably going to be full of sketches of her later.

He was pretty positive she didn’t need impressing after her confession on the back porch earlier, but this was a damn good excuse to put this perfect image of her out for her to see.

He drew her exactly as she was already sitting, her arms nicely crossed under her chin. She’d look him directly in the eyes every time he’d look over her, causing his heart to strain while he’d go back to carefully dragging the pen along the cheap napkin. Her cute, wide eyes that looked right through all he was, reflecting everything she saw back out to the world.

Sean was finished a few moments later, the picture small no thanks to the limited canvas. He unhid the view of the napkin from her perspective, sliding the paper over to her side of the table. She eagerly picked it up, bringing it close to her eyes to examine.

“My God Sean… this is-” her mouth sat ajar as she examined it, her eyes flicking over every small detail he was sure to add.

“Not the best?” He laughed. He was used to people looking at his drawings constantly, but it was as if this was the first time it ever mattered that someone truly saw his art. He felt a little nervous as she looked over it so closely.

“Shut up. This is so fucking good! It looks just like me!” she exclaimed, virtually jumping in her seat. Next thing Sean knew, she was running out of the bench, rounding the table to sit on his bench and squeeze the ever-loving God out of him. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve never had someone draw me before.”

“It’s no- ack- problem,” he forced out, his voice strained from her arms crushing his torso. She stood, returning to her side of the table with a huge grin on her face, which of course only brought a smile to his.

He fidgeted with his hands under the table as they spoke, learning about each other as the night slowly passed them by. It was around one in the morning when he paid their check and they walked out of the diner the same way they went in, hand in hand.

She stopped them only a few steps away from the door, looking deep into his eyes and smirking. “Well, it would definitely be a tragedy to part ways tonight without you asking for my number.”

“Yeah, uh,” he dropped her hand, patting around his pockets for wherever he dropped his phone. He slid it out, hand shaking like crazy. “I like, really want your number.” Could he have sounded more stupid?

She took it from his hand, typing in her name with a <3 beside it. Sean bit his lip, trying to force down the grin that pulled the corners of his mouth up. “Now, I can only hope I’ll hear from you soon.” she said, handing his phone back and holding such hard eye contact he felt like he was going to snap.

“ ‘Course you will,” his stomach felt like it was doing cartwheels, his heart clenching as tight as possible in his chest. He scratched the back of his neck, trying to form a way to ask this without sounding like a complete idiot. “Y/n, I uh, I really want to uhm, can I-”

“Yup.” she slithered her hands to his jaw, pulling him down to her level. As their lips locked–as he’d been craving to do since the moment she walked up to him–he wrapped an arm around her waist, the other hand holding the back of her neck.

And fuck, was she the sweetest thing he’d ever tasted. Her lips were soft and plush with a hint of strawberries on them, perhaps from her worn-off lip gloss. Sean pulled her in closer, forcing her to rise even higher on her toes as he deepened the kiss.

It felt like fireworks were taking off in the distance, that they were the only two people in the world that mattered anymore. His heart rate felt like it was going a million miles a minute.

They slowly pulled away, catching their breath and fluttering their eyelids open. Sean huffed a short laugh out, completely in disbelief at this entire night.

“Now I can cross kissing a cute pirate off my bucket list,” she smiled as she joked, her cheeks flushed. She was so stunning.

“Ah, but I get to say I kissed the most beautiful fairy, so I think I win.” Sean held her hand as they returned to the house, her bumping his hip with hers as they walked.

[smutinlove]

Alexandrian Christmas │ Carl Grimes Fluff

Description - An Alexandrian Christmas was always fun. But now it was a day to be remembered.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

This night is sparkling, don't you let it go I'm wonderstruck, blushing all the way home I'll spend forever wondering if you knew I was enchanted to meet you

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

You had always favored Christmas over Halloween. As a kid, you'd always look forward to getting gifts over candy. And you preferred a nice Christmas dinner prepared by your parents instead of a cold and chewy turkey on Thanksgiving.

But everything changed when the world ended. You still remember that night. You were alone, running away from walkers as fast as you could. Then, a man named Glenn found you and took you to a place called the quarry. There, you met a lot of kind people. You also met your best friend there. Carl Grimes.

But all good things come to an end. Walkers. Death and screams.

And now you find yourself in a town called Alexandria. It was a beautiful place. It was safe for you and for your group.

But it wasn't safe enough for Glenn and Abraham.

"Nice hair, idiot," you heard. Someone threw a pea at you, hitting your eye. "You asshat! I'm gonna get you, Grimes. I swear!" You yelled. Where did he even get that?

"I love you too," he teased. Carl grinned before he quickly ran away. That was your husband. Well, not really. You had a crush on him but never did anything about it. Deep down, you knew you weren't good enough for him.

He was everything to you. And you were just Y/N Y/L/N.

You sighed. You looked out the window and realized it was snowing. It was snowing! You hadn't seen snow in so long that you almost forgot what it looked like.

You ran to the door, put on your boots, and grabbed a coat from the coat rack. Michonne wouldn't mind, right?

You opened the door and ran outside. "Oh, my God!" you squealed. You felt something hit you. "Hey, what the fuck!"

Snow.

"Carl!" He winked. You grabbed a handful of snow and aimed it towards him, hitting his head. You grinned when you saw Carl wince. "Sorry!" You yelled, but he disappeared.

"Carl?" you called out. You sighed. "Carl, this isn't funny." Your soon-to-be boyfriend could sometimes be annoying.

You heard a scream coming from behind you. You turned around and saw Carl. He tackled you to the ground. He was on top of you. "Well, isn't this a sight?"

Carl looked up, finding a very amused Michonne. "Michonne. Hey!" Carl chuckled. He got up and extended a hand to you. You grabbed it, and he pulled you up.

"Michonne, it was not what it looked like. I swear!" Carl tried reassuring her. "I know," she said calmly. "You do?"

"And isn't that my coat?" Michonne asked. "Uh, no?"

Michonne narrowed her eyes, and that's when you knew you were done for.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Carol had decided to throw a Christmas party. And you loved that for her. Carol was the sweetest woman you had ever met, and she deserved the world, as did Carl Grimes.

As you entered the house, you could smell the warm cookies and cakes. You smiled. And it made you so happy.

There was booze too. Enough for everyone on Earth, including the walkers. You grinned at the thought. You poured a glass for yourself. Hey, it wasn't like anyone was going to arrest you or anything.

You took a sip, and it sucked. "It's expired, by the way." You looked to your left and saw Carl standing next to you. "Great. Adds more flavor." You two burst out laughing.

You put your glass down. "Y/N, I want to show you something," he said with an innocent smile.

"Okay," you replied. "Close your eyes." You closed your eyes, feeling excited. After a few minutes, Carl told you to open your eyes. He was holding a small box.

Carl blushed. "So." He opened the box, revealing a ring. He got down on one knee. "Y/N, I have loved you for years. But I was shy and scared. But now I'm not. It took me awhile to admit it to myself, but I really love you. Now, I only have one question, and although we aren't dating, will you marry me?"

A tear rolled down your cheek. "Yes!" He got up and slid the ring on your finger. Carl looked up. "Mistletoe," he whispered.

You grinned. You and Carl got closer to each other until the gap between your lips closed. He kissed you softly. And it was like everything you had ever imagined, but it was even better.

This was an Alexandrian Christmas that was going to be remembered for years.

To fall in love is one thing, but to fall in love with your best friend is beautiful.

───── ❝ authors note ❞ ─────

How'd y'all like my Christmas special?

(I made it silly on purpose!)

Thank you to everyone for the most momentous year ever! Especially @jas2010 @carlsdarling @taylormarieee I love you all so so much!!!! This year has been wonderful and I hope 2024 will also be fun and exciting. Thank you and Merry Christmas!!

[bloodyquillink-blog]

Sugar and Lemon, Chapter 5 “Everything is Alive”

A/N🪶: I’m back, school kicked my ass and then I did summer school and that threw me into a pit resulting in me not updating for… ALMOST A YEAR??? Sorry about that, friends. I hope this next chapter makes up for it and helps me want to finish this fic. We still have a bit of a ways to go before that happens ad school starts up again in less than a month so we’ll see what happens. Sugar and Lemon Masterlist here

BIG WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER (I’m not sorry): PTSD flashback/Panic Attack, descriptions of injury, blood, anxiety, uncomfortable eye-contact. If I missed anything for this chapter, please let me know and I’ll rectify it when I can!

Word Count: 3.4K

The same night, Keegan and Logan had been talking over possible “plans” to see you again and hopefully get your number as they sat outside under the dark sky. It was mostly Keegan coming up with one-liners and Logan rejecting all of them. 

“How about ‘you gave me your number in a dream but I wanna make sure it’s right’?” Keegan offered. Logan could only stare at the man. 

“What’s wrong with just asking for it?”

“It needs to be something memorable, something that makes them blush. That’s how you get them going home thinking about you.”

“I think anyone can remember being asked for their phone number.”

“I gave you all my best advice and you’re ignoring it.”

“You shoved your advice in my face and I asked one reasonable question about it.”

Logan’s phone rang, it was David. Logan put it on speaker after answering.

“Yeah?”

“Is Keegan giving you advice that he’s never used in his life?”

“That is exactly what’s happening.”

“That is not what’s happening.”

“I can hear both of you. You guys are like unsocialized dogs trying to do tricks but you don’t know what a treat is and you’re too anxious to take it from someone’s hand.”

“Like your advice is any better, kid.”

“It is.”

“Can anyone vouch for it?” Keegan paused. “Besides Logan.”

“Some of the nurses, the old therapist, Kick, he can send you screenshots if need be.” Logan looked at his comrade, who rolled his eyes. 

“Because you were flirting with him or because you were helping him flirt?”

“Could be either one really.” Logan snorted. “Practice is a helpful learning tool, Russ.”

“Okay, Mr. Suave-”

“I prefer Bond, James Bond.”

Keegan exhaled through his nose. “You are not worthy of the title of James Bond.” A brief silence followed his comment.

“Better than ‘Golden Gun himself’.”

“That was for a halloween party Ajax forced me to go to.”

“And you were so handsome in your getup, weren’t you?”

“Look, kid, it was that or Austin Powers.”

“I’ll keep that in mind for this year’s Halloween.”

Logan could’ve sworn he saw Keegan’s eye twitch. The man stood up and stretched.

“Logan, talk to Kick.”

“Why Kick?”

“Because David needs an ass-beating and Merrick’s too old-school.”

“He can hear you, y’know. I’m not the only one on speaker.”

Merrick’s voice came through the phone, “Meet us in the gym, Keegan.”

“Yes, sir.” Keegan walked back inside, Logan followed him to the gym within the base where they met with David and Merrick. David looked excited for the upcoming sparring match, and with Keegan, it wouldn’t end quickly or cleanly.

“Good luck.” Logan called as he began to walk towards Kick’s room.

“Won’t need it, kid.” The sergeant responded without turning back to him. The door to the gym closed and Logan could hear the sound of scuffling and Merrick’s voice. As Logan passed by David’s room, Riley noticed him and got up to walk beside him. Riley never liked being in rooms alone, especially not after everything that had happened after his father was killed. Logan wondered if Riley ever felt a similar guilt to what he and David felt. Maybe it was just Riley being protective – he’s always been protective, just like any of the other soldiers on base. Logan walked through the halls with only muscle memory guiding him as his thoughts swirled. It was like he was moving, walking  with only a void surrounding him.

“Logan.” 

Logan snapped back to reality, the void was gone. It was Kick talking to him, he nearly passed his room.

“Off in space again? I could hear you coming down this way.” 

One of the things only Kick seemed to notice. When Logan was dissociating or daydreaming, he would forget about the world around him. He wouldn’t try to be as quiet as possible, like the ghost he was, he would let his boots echo. His footsteps weren’t as gentle and he didn’t walk with his heels slightly raised, which he would normally do to avoid his feet thudding against the ground.

“Yeah, just thinking.” He fidgeted, another tendency of his. Kick kept watching him. “Keegan was trying to give me advice on one-liners.” Kick grimaced.

“You should talk to Hesh about that.”

“That’s what David said, they’re sparring at the gym now.”

“And you aren’t with them.”

“Keegan said to talk to you.”

“Why me?”

“I thought it was because David had given you some ‘practice’ but then Keegan said it was so he could beat his ass.” Logan smiled a bit as he mentioned the supposed practice. Kick opened his door and invited Logan and Riley in. It wasn’t often that Logan was in here, but he was more familiar with the room than the others.

“Honestly, Hesh’s advice works with Hesh. He’s good at smooth-talking and being… normal.”

“And Keegan isn’t–”

“Unless he’s drunk, which takes a lot of time and alcohol.”

“And Merrick?”

Kick paused, thinking it over, “Merrick’s flirting only works with very specific people.”

“Not my people.”

“Probably not, no.”

Logan was about to sit on the floor, as he usually did when Kick stopped him and patted his bed.

“Thought you didn’t like it when people sat on your bed.”

Kick shrugged, “I’m not worried about it today,” Logan nodded. “And you look uncomfortable.”

“I’m not uncomfortable.”

Kick didn’t need to say anything, he and Logan both knew there was more. Logan took a breath.

“I really want to talk to them more.”

“And?”

“And I want to be able to talk to them on my own.” 

“You’ve already done that. I mean, today before we left–”

“Yeah, but I mean without you guys there.”

“Go tomorrow!” Logan almost spoke but closed his mouth. He couldn’t find his words but he knew what he wanted to say. Kick was confused on the issue until– “You’re worried something’s gonna happen.”

“When David and I were out, that was my first time in a while just being around civilians living their lives, when we went to their cafe. I was trying to relearn how to just exist with people, not soldiers.”

“You still talked to them right?” Logan explained that you had an area where people could write their own orders down without having to speak. Kick hummed, thinking. 

“I’m busy tomorrow, I think Merrick is too, but you could check in with Hesh or Keegan. Maybe one of them could come with.”

“What do I do if I see them?”

“Do what you’ve been doing,” Logan looked at Kick, “Be yourself, try your best, all that stuff. They’ll at least be nice about how awkward you are.”

Logan playfully shoved Kick, trying not to smile. It was true. You probably would be. You already have been. Why would that change now? Logan sighed and nodded.

“I’ll go tomorrow.”

“With Hesh?”

“If he’s free, yeah.”

“Good,” Kick pat him on the back, “Lemme know how it goes.”

“I will.” Logan whistled for Riley to follow him out. As Kick was about to close his door, he called out to Logan.

“Remember to get their number!”

“How?”

“Hack into their phone– how do you think? Ask!” Logan chuffed and kept walking, his footsteps once again silent as he made his way to the gym to see if the sparring was still happening. The sounds echoing through the closed doors told him enough, but this time there was… more? He peeked into the gym and saw a sight that nearly made him fall to the floor laughing. The only reason he hadn’t was because of utter surprise and curiosity.

Merrick had managed to pin both Keegan and David at the same time. Keegan was on his stomach and David sat his lower-back with Merrick on Keegan’s legs and David’s arms pinned behind him. Despite how slippery he was, Keegan couldn’t squirm his way out with their combined weight on him and David couldn’t get up with Merrick’s hold.

“This is one of my ‘old-school’ moves, Russ. Maybe you should learn it.” The captain taunted. Keegan craned his neck back at his superior.

“We weren’t even talking about combat, old man, we were talking about your flirting skills–”

“More like his lack thereof.” David grunted as Merrick pulled his arms back tighter. The action was cut short by a bark that had the men turning their heads as much as they could. They saw Riley just in front of Logan who was still holding the door open, the corners of his mouth twitched watching them.

“Don’t stop on my account.” His voice was smug as ever. 

“You talk to Kick?” Keegan asked, to which Logan nodded, “Get any good advice?” Logan nodded again, “Are you gonna tell us what it is?” Logan inhaled.

“Not yet, but I was gonna ask if either of you are free tomorrow.” He looked back and forth between David and Keegan, half expectantly, and the two voiced their availability.

“Yeah, after 3. That work?” Logan nodded again, said goodnight, and began walking back out from the gym while Riley opted to stay with the three. There was a single grunt that sounded like it came from Merrick and the sounds of scuffling restarted. The playfulness of his fellow soldiers was always refreshing to hear. 

As Logan stepped into his bedroom, his footsteps a mere whisper, he got ready for bed and wrote in his victory journal.

“I saw them again today. Everyone else got to meet them too, including Riley. The food was delicious and I finally talked to them. They seemed like they enjoyed talking to me.” Logan’s heartbeat steadily increased as he wrote about you. “They’ve been so nice…” He paused his writing, “I wonder if they like me too. I’m gonna see them again tomorrow and ask to go on a date. Or get their number, whichever comes first.” 

He wrote a little more about his plans, bringing David and Keegan with, and closed his journal. Logan flicked his lamp off and settled in for the night. Sleep came a little easier after a few minutes of carefully breathing.

~time skip~

Today, Keegan opted to drive to your cafe rather than walk. He drove an old Jeep Wrangler, the typical green so lovingly adorned with dried mud on the tires and fenders. Neither David nor Logan could try to explain the reason behind the dirt aside from the “personality” it gave the car. Whether that was a joke of an answer to explain they were just too busy to keep it clean or perhaps the real reason, no one could tell. 

The trio arrived at Morning Routine and parked in the public lot that was just off to the side of the cafe. As much as Logan wanted to bring Riley along, even the canine soldier had duties. He hoped internally that you wouldn’t be too disappointed. As they walked in, Keegan picked up a flyer from a nearby stand that advertised the same music event you had talked to Logan about before. He read aloud the details to the brothers, “So there’s a prize for the best performances and people get to vote online for who they like the most.”

“Is there one genre or is it open to everything?” David asked. Keegan continued reading ahead.

“Let’s see… Rock, dubstep–”

“Kick would love that.”

“Jazz, hip-hop, pop…” Keegan’s voice faltered, bringing the attention of the brothers back to him. “What the hell is ‘noise music’?”. David was quick to pull out his phone, Logan peering over at his brother’s phone as he typed.

“‘A genre of music that is characterized by the expressive use of noise.’.”

“Thanks, Wikipedia, for being so specific.” Keegan’s voice laced with palpable sass.

David continued, “‘This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical sound.’.” 

As David and Keegan kept trying to understand the new concept, you walked from the kitchen door to the register, not noticing Logan just yet. He debated, and walked up to the counter. You didn’t spare him a glance as you moved around, fixing up the area, a pile of receipts held in one hand while the other reorganized. 

You spoke as you kept moving, “I’ll be with you in just a second!” about to walk back to the kitchen.

“Take your time.” Logan’s voice was calm. At the sound of it, you whipped your head around and grinned seeing who it was.

“Well, well, welcome back. I didn’t realize it was you,” You scratched the back of your neck with your free hand, “I have some, um, things I gotta take care of but I’ll be out in a flash, ok?” He nodded as you once again retreated. Hearing the door swinging back and forth, he noticed the silence had returned to the cafe. Logan turned back, unsurprised at David and Keegan both watching him. He rolled his eyes and turned back upon hearing the door swing again. He noted the lack of receipts and the addition of what seemed to be flour you wiped on your apron. 

“Sorry about all of that, business has been picking up a bit the past few days.”

“Nothing to apologize for,” Logan softly laughed, “I guess that means you have a good business going.”

“That just might be true! Something any business owner should be grateful for.” You shook your head, “But anyway! What can I get you?” You looked past him, “And your friends, too?” Logan gave the orders and paid. As you wrote down more little notes, an employee walked up to your side and collected the notes.

“I got it!” And they went through the door to prepare the meals.

“Thank you!” You called after them. Always so sweet, Logan thought, like honey. “So, Logan,” God, he loved hearing you say his name, “You’re coming to the music, talent-show thing this week right?”

“I plan on it,” You were beaming, smile bright as ever upon hearing the news, “I’ll bring some of my friends along.”

“Oh yeah, we have a bunch of different music that’s gonna be played. I’m sure your friends will like something.” He gave you a look, confused but curious, “I heard you guys talking about your music tastes last time. Definitely got some variety going on.” 

“Heh, maybe a little,” Logan rubbed his forearms, feeling a bit shy as he kept talking. You heard them, you remembered it too, it seems, “I never asked, what kind of music do you like?”

“Well, that’s a bit hard to explain but I’ve been really into jazz lately. There’s just so much that goes into it, y’know?”

“I saw that there’s supposed to be a jazz performance on the flyer, you must be excited about that.” You sighed and leaned onto the counter a bit.

“I am but I’m still gonna be working when it’s going on so I won’t be able to listen very closely, assuming I’m even out here,” You gestured to the area around the two of you, “Baker’s gotta bake.”

“Maybe I can keep you compan–”

Multiple glasses shattered not too far from you and Logan. He flinched hard, eyes snapping shut before widening as his head jerked to see the commotion. A different employee had tripped on a child’s toy and everything they were carrying fell, spilling contents over them and the ground around them. The sharp glass pieces twinkled in the light. 

“Oh shit, Casey, are you okay?!” You exclaimed as they got up.

“Yeah, I’m alright, just bruised,” They looked at their arm, which was now bleeding, red dripping down to their wrist. “Um, it’s alright! I’ll get the first aid kit, it’s not too bad. Can you clean this up?”

“Yeah, yeah, hang on! Logan, I–” You looked back towards Logan and stopped everything. “Logan?” He was staring at the mess, hands shaking and aggressively rubbing at his forearms.

“Logan? Are you okay?” You kept trying to talk to him but your voice was drowned out. 

The blood. 

The broken glass.

The cut on their arm. 

The sound of the shattering replayed in his head as he heard painfully familiar voices.

The room felt cold and hot at the same time, Logan felt isolated, having forgotten the presence of everyone for the moment. His breath quickened as he began stepping backwards. He wanted to be away from all of this. He remembered the sting that was in his arms and legs for so long. He didn’t hear David calling to him, nor did he notice the older man that was approaching him.

“Excuse me, son, are you alright?” The old man put a hand on Logan’s shoulder and he flinched backward, arms wrapping around himself. 

“S-stop, please, stop…” His voice was scratching out of his throat, nearly a mumble as his eyes flit around trying to identify the faces that now looked at him. There were so many eyes on him and he couldn’t recognize anyone. His arms hurt, his heart wasn’t beating but he could hear blood pumping in his ears, people were so close, he felt so weak but the need to get away was so strong in his bones. As his back hit the door, he made eye-contact with you. 

You could see him. You were seeing him. You saw his scars, didn’t you? You saw everything he had been through. You saw the blood on him. His emotions irrational and boiling over, he put his hand to the door handle and ran outside. He ignored the sound of you calling after him, he ran to the car and collapsed against the door, hidden from anyone that would’ve been on the other side. He sobbed, hyperventilating as he tried to fill his lungs. Despite the air he was taking in, he couldn’t feel the way his chest expanded. Oh god, he was gonna pass out, he was gonna die here. He didn’t want to die, he didn’t want to feel himself dying again. He scratched at his arms, at the scars under his shirt sleeves that still stung despite the wounds having healed so long ago. He curled into a ball again, trying to protect himself from a threat that only lived on in his head. Logan didn’t notice David coming towards him.

“Logan?” David had heard his crying and hiccups and approached slowly. His heart broke seeing Logan. He had seen Logan’s episodes and panic attacks before, back when his little brother was still in recovery after being rescued. He recalled the advice his therapist had given him about helping him through the panic attacks. David sat down near Logan on the parking lot ground, careful not to touch him. David’s voice softened as much as he could make it, “It’s okay. There’s no one else. I’m right here with you, I always will be.” Logan sniffled and continued crying, though he quieted down a bit. As this happened, Keegan came out to check on them. He and David exchanged some words, before Keegan looked over at his friend.

“It’s alright, kid, you’re okay.” And Keegan walked away.

 David continued verbally reassuring Logan of his presence, every once in a while giving him soft reminders to try to breathe and to slow down the breaths he was taking. After a few minutes, Logan brought his head up and let it thunk against the car behind him as he looked towards the sky, eyes still watery. He continued his deep breaths and slowly rubbed his arms up and down.

Keegan approached the pair again, both sitting on the ground. David looked over, “Do you wanna head back home?”.

Logan could only nod, his voice gone once again. The two got up, David taking the front passenger, Keegan back in the driver and Logan behind him. Logan noticed the paper bags on the seat beside him. Their food. He had run out before the order came. He sighed in quiet frustration. It was glass, he mentally reprimanded himself, just fucking glass and you ran out like… like… He couldn’t think. He just wanted to be back in his room. Logan held his head with his hand, blocking the light from the window and his eyes from civilians. 

As they went back to base, Logan immediately walked to his room. No words to anyone he passed by, no headpats for Riley, he hardly even acknowledged Merrick. His door closed silently, the shades were drawn and he laid in his bed, more tears shedding with no one else to see them.

A/N🪶 Part 2: The title of this chapter is inspired by the most recent Slowdive album of the same name. I’d recommend Alife and Kisses, but Sugar for the Pill (way earlier song from a different album) would also fit this chapter well.

Also, feel free to check out the whole fic on Ao3 @ RiversSong82 ! Let me know if you enjoyed this chapter, have a lovely day!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

aita for ghosting 2 of my closet friends?

TL;DR: 2 of my closest/longest friendships ive had were ended by me stopping any and all communication, either unprompted or prompted. i dont feel any urge to talk with these people again, and i do not want to rekindle these friendships.

i (19ftm) have had only 2 friendships were i would consider the other person a "best friend". the first one was when i was in middle school (12-13). this other person, we'll call K(at the time 13F). now back in middle school i was what would be considered as the cool kids say: Cringe. super obsessed with undertale AND homestuck, a big 1-2 punch.

i met K through our homeroom class, and we really hit it off well. she was funny, great at art, and also loved undertale (she was the one who actually got me into homestuck, but thats besides the point). we hung out constantly, always chatting and swapping art tips, that sorta thing.

when i moved schools in 7th grade we became distance friends. not long distance bc we lived 30 min. away from each other, but we didn't get to see each other everyday anymore. eventually we started dating, but i didnt really feel content w the relationship at the time (i didnt know i was trans/gay yet lol).

one day i told her i was taking a break from social media/discord for a while until i sorted myself out, and then i would be back. i never spoke with her again after that and i felt like shit for years for ghosting my at the time girlfriend. i didnt take the break with the intention of ghosting K, it just kinda happened. she deleted her discord and i don't remember her tumblr so i have no way of communicating w her anymore. we knew each other for about 3-4 years, and dated for about half of that.

my other friend we'll call T(ftm). I met T my freshman year, when i was 14. T is 2 years older than me, so he was 16 at the time, a sophomore. T and i really hit it off well, and we hung out all the time after school, and talked over discord daily. he did a lot for me ill be honest, and helped me through an identity crisis when i realized i was trans and also gay.

however, when T graduated he started to drift away. i was still a junior at the time but we stayed in contact the best we could. i started driving so i would visit him in his apartment on weekends. however things really nose dived my senior year. i was 17-18 and all my friends had graduated, so i was already feeling pretty alone.

i kept trying to find comfort in T but he just kinda faded away. he found a new friend group of ppl closer to his age and they started hanging out more. i knew some of these people from our school, and was even friends w one of them, but for some reason he insisted on keeping me separate from them.

things boiled over when our mutual friend from this new friend group decided to throw a halloween party, but had to cancel last minute. time skip to november 1st and im picking up T to go rollerskating, and to my surprise he hops in my car out of breath and says "sorry it took so long, i was cleaning up after a halloween party!" and went on about this party he threw the night before with all his friends from the other group. T explained to me that he didn't invite me bc "i wouldn't know any of them".

i was pissed. really pissed. i stopped making plans to hang out with him, but to my surprise so did he. we stopped chatting daily, and the last time we spoke was april of last year. i sent him a final message in may trying to spark another conversation but he never replied. so i gave up. i stopped talking to him.

then i realized the pattern of me growing extremely close with someone only to ghost them. i know T basically ghosted me but i also stopped putting in the effort so i feel i still hold some of the blame. even when i last saw T in person i avoided him like the plague, and i just pray that if we do see each other again he does NOT recognize me.

What are these acronyms?

[hotheadrednecksimmer]

New Life In The City - Struck By Love Legacy Challenge - Episode 7

Maeve took the kids to Central Park in San Myshuno, near their new apartment. Maeve explained why they were moving to the best of her ability.

Maeve: I heard your new school has an ice cream bar that your classes get to go to once a week! That's exciting!

Naomi: Yeah, that's cool mom.

Kaito: What if I don't make any friends in my class? I won't know anyone at this new school.

Maeve: Oh, sweet pea, you'll make lots of friends. Who wouldn't want to be friends with a sweet boy like you?

Naomi: Yeah, so sweet you have cooties!

Kaito lightly pushes Naomi: Hey! I don't have cooties!

Naomi: Sure, sure!! That's what people who have cooties say!

Maeve chuckles quietly: I heard that cooties are super easy to get rid of! All you have to do is brush your teeth twice a day!

Naomi: Oh silly mom, that's not how you get cooties! The kids at my last school said you have to swing the highest you can go and jump off and land on your feet! If you don't land on your feet, you still have cooties!

Maeve: If you say so, hun.

The kids run off and play while Maeve cleans up their lunch.

A little while later, Maeve and Kaito playing Chess while Naomi plays in the fountain!

Kaito: Are you happy mama?

Maeve holding a fake smile: Of course, little duck, I'm happy to be you and Naomi's mama.

Kaito: Don't forget about Salem and Lily Pad!

Maeve: Yes, yes how could I forget our little kitties!

Kaito: When is daddy moving here with us?

Maeve: Remember how I said that we got a divorce? That means that daddy will stay at his house in Copperdale and mama stays at the apartment in the city.

Kaito: So, you stay here and daddy stays there? When do we see daddy again? I miss him.

Maeve: I'll ask daddy when he's available, okay? And maybe we can call him later if he isn't busy.

Kaito: Okay mama!

A couple weeks go by, Maeve and the kids haven't heard from Akira at all. Maeve texted Akira multiple times with no response about their children. After walking the kids to school, Maeve checked the mail before she went inside.

Samson: Oh, hey! You're the new move in! You live in 4, right?

Maeve not looking up from the mailbox: Yeah, we just moved in a couple weeks ago!

Samson: I live in 2, Are you new to the city?

Maeve: The kids are new to the city life, but I grew up in Uptown.

Maeve finally looks up and their eyes meet. It felt like time stood still, or the whole world was quiet just for them. Samson's lips were moving but Maeve only noticed how attractive he was, how easy going it was to have a conversation with him.

Samson stares at Maeve: Did you hear me?

Maeve: Oh, I'm sorry, I, uh, lost focus for a second. What did you say?

Samson: I asked if you liked Spice Area?

Maeve: Oh, It's lovely! We've enjoyed the farmer's market and the kids have been begging me to take them to the karaoke place, but I don't have the heart to tell them that it's a bar and they might not be allowed.

Samson: I think they let kids in? I'm not exactly sure.

Maeve: I don't wanna get their hopes up! We've traveled across town to Central Park. They seemed to enjoy that!

Samson: It was lovely meeting you, oh I didn't catch your name?

Maeve: It's Maeve, I didn't catch yours either.

Samson: Samson!

The next couple of weeks, Maeve and Samson were flirting and getting to know each other. Things were heating up between the two. Over coffee, they started talking about going on a date.... but Maeve decided she wasn't quite ready for that step. It had only been a couple months since she had gotten divorced.

Halloween - Maeve threw a Halloween party and invited her neighbors including Samson.

The party was going off without a hitch! Everyone having a good time, even the kids invited some kids from their new school to come to the party!

During the party, Maeve and Samson got to talking and Samson began flirting with her. Maeve suddenly wasn't feeling it anymore.

Samson: Your the cutest witch at this party.

Maeve: And what are you supposed to be?

Samson: I'm a sexy zombie!

Maeve: How is a zombie supposed to be sexy?

Samson: Because I'm sexy.

Samson wiggles his eyesbrows. Maeve laughs as she takes another bite of her pizza.

Samson: I know you've been putting off our date, but what about tomorrow night? Does that work for you?

Maeve set her plate down to give Samson her full attention: Samson, I really like you -

Samson: But?

Maeve: But I just don't think I'm ready for a relationship, not saying that's what you would want but I'm just ready for all of that. I have to think of my kids, my career, the age difference alone.

Samson: I don't care about the age difference. Everything else we can work through. I don't mind waiting as long as you need.

Maeve: You are young and you have a lot of life left, you should be able to do that without worrying about a woman with kids.

Samson: I won't push anymore, I understand. But know this Maeve, You'd be worth it.

Maeve: Thanks Sam.

Also, at the party is another next door neighbor named Star...

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[draiochtoaksacademyrp]

Post MoonFall

Thunder bunny Amber reporting in…

Under the Hunter's Moon Eerie orange glow the final attack of Moonfall was held. 12 Students: Verity, Steve,Otha,Celsa,Honey,Sen,Nisa,Kylona,Azel,Vanie,Ryker and Rowan were all taken in the middle of the night. Last seen walking into the forest under a daze.

Not for a lack of trying, Every adult that attempted to follow were placed under a nightmarish illusion of madness. What could they do but watch as a group of their students play hero and follow them through the barrier. The "Hero" Party consisted of 8 students that were desperate enough to go after their loved ones and friends. Myself, Gora,Aurora,Sara,Karenos,Lorelay,Krul and Ryo set our sights for our friends only to be met with a ghastly sight.

Not so soon after we entered the forest were we hit with the atrocious scent and the full view of the previously missing and pressumed dead students strung up on a tree and completely charred. Urgrad, Sylvana, Dagormith, Theo, Cerana, Nar Hadia and Sleazius. But with everyone focused on the mission, only Karenos could look in horror and pain. I couldn't leave them up there like halloween decor so i had my Familiars Ginger and Rouge take them down and cover them til the mission was over. But since that sight… Karenos looked lost.

After traveling deeper into the forest we finally saw them! But they were all in a trance, markings binding them to a circle, so even if we wanted to we couldn't grab and dip. According to the others there were four figures ready to fight them. But thanks to the fact illusions never affected me. I could see the villain for who they truly were… Sienna Graves. Once she revealed herself to the others i couldn't help but noticed the newest student, Gora, seemed shocked and out of sorts. Even Ryo who was normally always ready seemed a mess. He really just wanted my sister Honey safe.

Seeing that i could see her clear as day i struck her with a lightning bolt, as it hit Sienna yelled to me that it was a cheap shot. Ill admit it. It was. Gora stood aimlessly as she looked at the wisp. Dammit why wasnt she moving?? Aurora tried but seemed to see something unknown and hit that instead. Fuck. Sienna then turned to the captives and hurt that star kid. Why??? But shortly after she tried to hit sara but it only grazed her. What was strange was that blood slowly trickled down her nose… then Sienna started to cough… what was going on? Sara, while Sienna was coughing attacked her with her axe. Making a good amount of damage. Karenos, still shaken from the sight previously tried to attack sienna but made no contact. It was ….pitiful. Upperclassman Lorelay also let her emotions get the best of her, not that i can really blame her, but slipping on a pebble was…. damn. Krul finally arrived and threw his prefects door at her and missed…. was … was he taking this seriously??? Sienna then tried to attack me, it made sense but again… i could see so i just. Moved to the side. She on the other hand started to cough blood. Was she dying? Ryo kept clawing at the illusions, i could feel his rage, and desperation to save my sister, granted he tried to wake Gora from her daze soon after. During this…. Bunny Houses Prefect Vanie died…. apparently Sienna poisoned her to keep her weakened. It just followed due course… Saras cries must've been heard, because kylonas controlled body began to cry. After being attacked i tried to hit back but she was a wisp and remembered she could poof out of the way. Gora seemed to fall apart and did nothing as she fell into darkness. Did sienna feel for her? Seeing Kylona cry set something off in Aurora, she ended up slugging Sienna in the throat. Ouch. Krul ended up going super saiyan when he realized Vanie died… she must've been well liked. Irritated, Sienna tried murdering Steve but Lorelay said no and shielded him with her body. I don't think she will make it. In fact, i don't know how much longer sienna will last either, She looked like shit. Good for us, bad for her. After hitting Loreley Sienna aimed at the Naga. Fuck is he okay??? Seeing Sienna aim for Steve set Sara off as she literally bashed Sienna's skull. The wisps blood was everywhere. Damn. Karenos still attacked at nothingness. Why cant he snap out of this?? I can see Lorelay laying down. She's not getting up any time soon. Despite that head reeling from the recent bashing, her illusions saved her from Krul's wrath it seemed. Lore spoke to the concerned sara. But i cant focus too much there. My ears were filled with Ryo trying to knock some sense into Gora. We need help. We were dumb to come with just 8 people. Sara spoke through tears while sienna attempted to attack Aurora which failed. Ryo finally got up to fight but he missed because of her swaying. Dammit.

Soon i could see that the phoenix gave out. Like Vanie she succumb to death. I tried to attack sienna but she poofed away. HOW?!?! Gora just stared into the nothing. There's no way she fell that hard in like….24 hours!! I can hear Sara screaming out for the phoenix. Lore was dead. Aurora, her anger was palpable. She …hugged? Sienna and engulfed her in the flames of hell til sienna finally died. I think we all know she's with sun now… I felt her magic spells break as we were all freed. But at the cost of two of our own…. Lorelay Polly and Vanessa …well i don't really know her so i'm not sure. Hearing My sisters voice was sweet music. But she wanted Ryo… so i stayed back. Only the gods know what will happen now… Now that the Moon finally fell…..

Art belongs to @monstermarquis of their character Sienna Graves