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system-to-the-madness · 9 months ago

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Secret Notes and Misunderstandings - Sugawara Kōshi x Reader

Pairing: Sugawara Kōshi x Reader (can be read as any gender, no pronouns used) Genre: fluff Word Count: 3 420 Warnings: Use of y/n, Tanaka and Noya Summary: You receive secret notes from someone. If only they were from your crush Suga A/N: I’m not really happy with the style of this one…

Masterlist

It had to be every schoolgirl’s dream, receiving cute notes written by a secret admirer, pushed into her locker every morning. And the notes were cute, they really were. Never creepy or offensive, just sweet.

It had started almost a month ago. One morning you had opened your locker, only to find a small note fluttering out. Not recognizing it, you had unfolded the paper that seemed to have been ripped from a Kanji exercise book. In an unfamiliar handwriting, using what seemed like a fine 0.3mm black ink pen, a few words had been scribbled down, making a smile pull at your lips.

“I’m too shy to tell you this in person, but your presentation on the United Nations yesterday was crazy good.”

You had folded the note back together, and placed it in your pencil case, where it made you smile every time you glanced at it.

“You’re in a good mood today,” Sugawara, your classmate, had grinned when he had passed you during lunch break on this way to the sink.

You had shrugged, your heart beating faster when you had realized that Suga had addressed you. The feeling that ran through your body at every interaction with him was so different from the feelings the note had sparked, so much better.

The notes had started that day, and there had not been one day of school since then, that there hadn’t been one shoved into your locker in the morning. Over time they had gotten more personal, leaving less and less doubt about the author’s attraction to you. He (and you knew it was a guy by the words he used), was never offensive or creepy, just plainly sweet, complimenting the hair clip you had worn the other day, or sometimes even admitting how he wished he would be brave enough to talk to you normally, without these notes.

And the more he revealed his own thoughts, his own insecurities and wishes, the more he revealed of his heart, the worse you felt. The notes were cute, sweet, and normally you would have been dying to know who went through all the effort just for your sake. Maybe you would have been trying to find out who it was and asked them out, just because you felt like after all the effort he had made, he deserved you take a risk too.

But no matter how much you wanted to feel excited and honoured by these notes, there was still Suga. Suga who was in the same class as you and your mysterious admirer, Suga who was working hard in every subject, who helped the other students when they struggled, who laughed loud and unashamedly in the breaks, who’s smile was warm like summer sun beams, even when it was only late February. So really it was Sugawara’s fault, you thought to yourself, that you couldn’t reciprocate the feelings these notes conveyed. If it weren’t for your stupid, stupid, unrequited crush on him, you’d have tried to get into contact with the author of these notes weeks ago. But your heart was hopelessly hung up on someone else, no matter how much you tried to convince yourself to let these feelings go.

So, when you stared down on what had to be the boldest note yet, you felt a little sick.

"I've been trying to work up the courage to ask you to sit with me for lunch for weeks now, but every time I think about getting up and asking you, I get so nervous that I can't even think properly anymore. Maybe I’ll ask you tomorrow. I want to make salmon onigiri, I know you like those. What do you think?"

The nervousness of the author as he had written these words and then pushed the note into your locker was basically seeping out of the paper into your hands, pleading you to be as nervous about him as he was about you. But instead, you knew he was just setting himself up for heartbreak. This had to stop. Now. You had allowed this boy to bring up his hopes for far too long now. You had to end this. Even if it would hurt him. Even when you would feel awful for breaking his heart. But it was better to end this now than to have him work up the courage to face you and then tell it into his face.

Although he did deserve a gentle let down, he didn’t deserve to torture himself before it. So, after your last class, you ripped out a page of your notebook and grabbed one of your pens. During class, between paying attention to the teachers’ words and the way Suga was bouncing his leg under the table on the other side of the classroom, you had mentally prepared what you wanted to write.

“Dear friend, thank you very much for all the notes over the past weeks. I have enjoyed reading them, but I’m sorry to tell you that I can’t reciprocate your feelings. I already have someone I like, and it wouldn’t be fair to let you keep hoping I will return your feelings. In fact, I should have told you this a lot sooner, and I’m sorry for the pain I’m causing you now. Let this be the last exchange.”

You had been tempted to add words of reassurance or comfort, but you were worried they might make him hope against hope that you would eventually return his feelings. When the last class was over, you used a thin strip of washi-tape and stuck the note to your locker so it was blocking the little gap in the door. This way the note couldn’t possibly go unnoticed by whoever had sent you the others.

The next morning rolled around, and you were almost nervous, when you took off your shoes and placed them in the rack, going to your locker to grab your books for the day. The note you had stuck to its door the day prior was gone, and you already feared someone else might have removed it, but when you opened the locker, no new note came sailing out. You were almost a little disappointed. But you had asked him to stop writing, so you had gotte what you wanted. This was for the best. Let him be disappointed or maybe even a little heartbroken, and by next week he would have moved on.

When you entered the classroom, you found, much to your surprise, that yesterday’s note hadn’t been the last. Instead, someone had placed two wrapped onigiri on your table, and a note underneath. Up until now, the paper had always been torn neatly out of notebooks, the signs evenly paced and written with precision. This time, even though it was the by now familiar handwriting, the page seemed to have been ripped out in haste, the words smeared over the paper, smudging the ink.

“I already made these, and I thought you should have them. If you don’t want them, leave them on the desk during lunch break and I’ll take them back. This is my last note. Thanks for your honesty.”

You bit your lip, staring down at the paper. You could tell his hand had shaken when he had written this note. While nervousness had seeped out of the other notes, this one seemed to ooze pain. He’ll get over it, you thought to yourself, over me.

Quickly you crumbled the note in your hand, pushing the onigiris to the edge of the table, not intending to eat them. With a few steps you made your way to the paper basked, discarding the final note of your secret admirer. On your way back to your desk, your eyes skipped over to where Suga was sitting, as always when you got the chance.

He sat backsided on a chair, arms crossed over the backrest, chin propped on his lower arm. He had taken off his jacket, leaving him in the short sleeved, white button-up of the uniform. Warm spring sunlight flitted in through the window, catching in his silver hair and making it gleam like star light. He looked angelic, you thought to yourself. Even though Daichi was telling him something, and laughing at his side, Suga barely seemed to listen, his gaze absentmindedly directed into the distance. He looked pale, you realized, pale and tired. Hopefully he wouldn’t get sick in the last weeks of the school year.

Suddenly his gaze drew away from wherever he had stared of to, and directed itself to you instead. You felt like your heart almost stopped at the way his coffee brown eyes bore into you, and feeling your cheeks heat up, you lifted your hand to wave at him with a smile. Instead of returning the gesture, he only seemed to tense, before tearing his eyes away from you and sitting up, saying something to Daichi instead.

Confused at his unusual reaction, you walked back to your seat, sitting down. The onigiri in front of you seemed to mock you, and far more frequent than usually your gaze flickered over to Suga during the day. His mood didn’t seem to better though, and in fact it grew only grimmer when he caught you staring at him once.

You were not the only one who seemed to pick up on his unusual behaviour, because as the bell rang for lunch break, you overheard Daichi ask him if everything was okay. Suga only answered he was fine, even though he sounded upset and annoyed, but the rest of the conversation got drowned out by the voices of other students.

Like every day, you left the classroom at the beginning of lunchbreak to refill your bottle at the water fountain in the hallway. Today you made sure to take an extra few minutes; hopefully giving the author of the notes you had received enough time to retrieve the onigiri from your desk. And sure enough, by the time you returned to the classroom, they were gone.

The rest of the day went by without any other incidents, unless one counted Suga’s terrible mood. Even across the classroom it seemed to rub off on you. Originally you had wanted to pay closer attention to the other boys, trying to see if anyone’s behaviour differed from usually which might give them away as the author of the messages, but instead your focus was entirely on Suga and what you could do to cheer him up.

When the last class ended, and you still hadn’t thought of anything useful to say to Suga, you just opted for a wave and a smile, as you usually did, bidding him goodbye before heading off to your club. But unlike all the other days, he ignored you completely, leaving a bitter taste in your mouth and your heart heavy.

It was already growing dark outside when you hasted through the corridors of the school again. Your club had finished only a few minutes ago, when you had remembered there was a book you needed for homework, so you were on your way back to the lockers. You had almost reached them, when suddenly the voices of two students made you stop.

“He explicitly said not to get involved,” the one nagged.

“But have you seen him? Can you really just stand by and watch him suffer like that,” the other voice replied.

Carefully you snuck around the last corner, finding two boys standing in front of your locker. Even in the dim light you could make out the one’s buzzcut and the other’s unruly hair. They were both in the year below you, you realized, and members of the volleyball team, teammates of Suga’s. The one with the unruly hair was trying to push a piece of paper through the gap below the door into your locker.

You were about to ask them what they were up to. After all, neither of them couldn’t have been the one writing the notes you had received; that person was in your class. You knew that from the references to your classwork he had been making.

“You know, he’s gonna hate you when he finds out you got involved.”

“So what, let him hate me! As long as he gets his girl! (Y/n) just has to give him a second chance!”

“Who am I supposed to give a second chance,” you asked out loud, stepping out from behind the corner.

The two boys jumped in surprise as your presence, the one with the unruly hair, quickly hiding a piece of paper behind his back.

“Well, you see, the thing is our set-,” he started, immediately receiving a harsh nudge from his friend.

“And what were you trying to push into my locker,” you added. Usually you were not very intimidating, but being a year older than them had its perks: they had to respect you. Demanding, you held out your hand.

The boy with the blond streak in this dishevelled hair shot his friend a side glance before stepping forward and dropping the paper into your outstretched hand.

“Have you been the ones putting notes into my locker,” you asked.

“Yes, well, no. Maybe. Sometimes,” the boy with the buzzcut answered. Tanaka, you remembered.

“What is it now. Have you or have you not?”

“Sometimes,” the other one – Nuka? Nayo? Noya? Oh yes, Noya was his name – answered. “Sometimes we delivered them for our friend, when you had club late and there was the chance of you running into Su-“

He got interrupted by another shove between his ribs. He coughed.

Biting your lip, you twirled the paper between your fingers. You could find out who had sent you all these notes, you realized. You just had to ask now. Tanaka would probably be quiet, but Noya seemed eager to make you like whoever had sent them to deliver them. But did you want to know? Did you really want to go to class tomorrow, look at the person who had written these notes and pretend you didn’t know?

“Please,” Tanaka interrupted your thoughts. “Can’t you give our friend a chance? We know you like someone else, but you’ll forget about that guy in no time, I promise! Our friend is like- he’s the best guy there is really. He’s smart, and patient, and funny-”

“Charming, good-looking, athletic,” Noya continued. “A little chaotic sometimes maybe, but he has like the biggest heart-”

You shook your head. “Listen guys, Tanaka-kun, Noya-kun. I appreciate your effort and I know you just want to see your friend happy, but as I already wrote him: there is someone else I like, and it wouldn’t be right to let your friend hope that my feelings will change eventually. That’s just not fair.”

“But you should’ve seen him today during practice,” Noya continued. “He was not himself! He was devastated! And Suga’s ready to let you walk away because he respects you, but I- we think-”

“Wait, wait,” you lifted your hands in the air, signalling him to stop talking. Your heart was racing. “Say that again.”

“He respects you and-”

“No, you said his name,” you disagreed.

The boys exchanged glances.

“He’ll kill you,” Tanaka mumbled to Noya.

“Did you say Suga,” you asked.

Their silence was answer enough.

All this time you had wanted Suga to notice you and all this time it had been him who had sent you these notes? And then you had rejected him? Was that why he had been so pale today, why he hadn’t smiled at you today? Because you had rejected him, not even knowing who you had rejected? Your heart dropped and the floor felt like it was giving way beneath your feet. You had to fix that. Somehow you had to fix this stupid, stupid situation.

“Do you have a pen?”

Tanaka rummaged around in his pocket, before handing you a blunt pencil. You took it anyway. Unfolding the paper you had taken from Noya, you placed it against the closest locker, flipping it to its empty side.

“What’s Suga’s favourite onigiri filling,” you asked, glancing at Tanaka and Noya from over your shoulder.

“Salmon,” they answered at the same time without hesitation.

You furrowed your brows. “Are you sure?”

“We talked about it just the other day,” Tanaka assured you.

“He said, he likes them because you like them,” Noya added. You exhaled slowly, trying not to laugh. This sounded so much like something Suga would say.

Putting the pen down, you began writing.

“Noya and Tanaka ranted you out. Don’t be mad at them, I made them tell me. Let’s eat lunch together. I’ll make salmon onigiri, I know you like those. We can eat outside under the plum tree. The blossoms are your favourite, aren’t they?”

Quickly, before you could change your mind, you folded the paper, and pushed it into Suga’s locker, making the two boys exchange wide eyed glances.

“What did you write,” they asked excitedly as you returned to your locker to retrieve the book you had come here for.

“Are you giving him a second chance?”

“You’ll see,” you answered with a smile.

The next morning, Suga was already sitting in the classroom when you entered, like he did every morning. When he saw you sitting down behind your own desk, he quickly exchanged a few words with Daichi, before walking over.

Pink was dusting his cheeks, the colour almost matching that of the plum blossoms outside. He was nervous, you could tell, fiddling around with a piece of paper between his fingers. Watching him walk over, your own pulse spiked. Yesterday you had been filled with confidence when you had written the note, but today it all seemed unreal. That was until he dropped the small piece of paper on the desk in front of you, leaning against the table.

For a moment you looked up at him, his chocolate brown eyes nervous but also filled with warmth as he glanced down to you, then you reached for the paper. He had rolled it into a tight scroll, probably an act of nervosity while he had waited for you. For the first time the note didn’t contain any words, only a doodled Smilie. The smile on your face was instantaneous, and quickly you looked back up to Suga, who was full on blushing now.

“I know, I said I’d stop it with the notes, but…” he shrugged bashfully, making you laugh quietly.

“No, that’s okay,” you let him know.

“I do gotta ask though- not that I’m complaining, just curious – what changed your mind?”

He’s still smiling, but you could hear the insecurity in his voice as well.

Inhaling deeply, you settled for the truth. “Turned out the guy I rejected was actually the guy I was rejecting him for.”

Suga just furrowed his brows in confusion.

“What I mean is,” you shuffled in your seat a little, wondering if the words would come any easier if you sat differently or if Suga weren’t nailing you to the chair with the intensity with which he was considering you now. “You’re the guy I was talking about in that note, the person I like. I didn’t know you were also the person sending me these notes.”

Finally, the last bit of hesitation seemed to melt away from Suga. “Lucky then, that I like you, too,” he teased, making your heart stutter and his cheeks tint an even deeper pink. “Sooo, are we eating lunch together?"

You nodded. “I made onigiri, like promised. Is salmon really your favourite filling?”

Suga laughed. “Yeah, it is. Always has been, since I was little.”

He was about to say something else, but was interrupted by the teacher, calling the beginning of the class.

Quickly he pushed away from your desk, winking at you mischievously. This Suga was so very different from the disappointed, heartbroken Suga from yesterday. You knew exactly which one you preferred. He turned around and hurried back to his desk, but not before dropping another note to your table, this one folded several times.

As the teacher began the class, you quickly unfolded the paper under your desk, reading the few words Suga had written down. This time they were a lot neater than the note he had left with the rejected onigiri the day prior.

“I mean it. I really like you too.”

And underneath he had drawn a tiny, almost hesitant doodle of a heart.

585 notes · View notes

pauking5 · 11 months ago

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New Year, New Me

Pairing: Roronoa Zoro x fem reader

Genre: mutual pining, flirting, some jealousy (if you squint), a shitload of banter, teasing

Word count: 5.7k+

A/N: I told you more Zoro is coming 😉 All I'm gonna say is that it's one of my favorites. Might have a part 2 planned but we'll see. Enjoy!

Part 2

The deep bass rocked your body with every move, heart beating in sync with the music blaring from the speakers in the club. Alcohol coursed through your veins, relaxing all your nerves and worries. Only heavens above knew how much you needed this.

To let go of everything for one night.

Especially if that one night was New Year's Eve and you dreaded it a shit ton.

This year was pure torment for you on the love frontline. There were some dates, a lot of situationships and even more failed talking stages.

It felt like your heart was just a hotel for people to stop at for one night. You left the doors wide open for anyone to come in and occupy a room. They would get whatever they wanted from you, whether that was sex or just talking the night away, and leave their trash at your doorstep for you to clean it up as if it was yours.

And it left you emptier and emptier the more you let the latch open.

Not one of them wanted to truly get to know you or let you talk for that matter and it was driving you nuts. You tried hard to convince yourself it wasn't a you problem. It was just hard seeing everyone else so happy and in long-running relationships while you were there struggling to have just one normal conversation with someone.

Before you let it get worse and have another storm wracking your heart you found yourself hitting the club a lot more often. As bad as it was, at least it covered the self-deprecating your sober mind was up to the minute your mouth touched the rim of the glass of mixed alcohol in your hand.

When the city clubs stopped doing it for you, you took to the beach club nearby. The tropical house genre wasn't really your style or the club itself, but it grew on you the more you visited it. Not for the good cocktails or the fun atmosphere the club induced in you. But for the green-haired man sat at the far back of the club that captured your eye.

From the looks of it he was a regular. Every night you were there, he was there too. You didn't think anything of it until it's been a few weeks and he was still present.

The only thing that changed the more you went there was that he took notice of you too.

The most he did was glance your way as you were dancing thinking you wouldn't notice but you caught him every. single. time.

There was something about the way he looked your way that sparked something in you. Every time his eyes laid on you it felt like your body would set on fire and that feeling only grew stronger over time.

He would be the only thing occupying your mind both in your waking hours and the intoxicated ones. Besides the obvious attraction you felt for him there was also this weird sense of connection that drew you to him. You hoped he would make a move to you but all he gave you was that unwavering gaze turning your insides to mush and your head into a mess.

You took it in your hands and decided to make the first move a few weeks ago. It was one of those nights you were feeling the loneliness a little too hard and thought some sort of action would have done you good. You scanned the club for him and found him in his usual spot, nursing a glass of what looked like whiskey.

The moment you set your eyes on him his dark eyes lifted from the glass to you, as if sensing that you were looking at him. His lips were placed on the rim of the glass, but his gaze was solely trained on you.

You moved your body to the rhythm of the music without breaking eye contact. He watched your every move from behind that glass like a hunter observing its prey, dark eyes roaming over you with an expression you couldn't quite read.

The beat of the song playing intensified and so did your moves, rolling your hips in sync with it. That caught his attention since you caught him licking his lips. He was definitely interested but he didn't make a move to you that night.

So, you tried luring him in more the next time you went. You danced a but more provocative this time, a result of the combination of liquid burning down your throat. You threw your hands in your hair messing with it as you exposed your neck, all whilst narrowing your eyes on him.

The most that did was halt the glass that was halfway to his lips, hand gripping it tightly as if to preserve his self-control. You continued the teasing, this time letting your hands wander down your body following the way his eyes trailed down. That had him throwing the contents in his glass down his throat rapidly, tongue poking against his cheek. You smirked in victory at the reaction. But even that wasn't enough to bring him closer to you.

Last week you decided that it was going to be your final try. You would drop it if he still didn't understand your intentions this time around. After all, you had your pride to preserve too.

He could be God's favourite for all you cared but if he couldn't grasp the concept of a woman wanting him this badly it was his fault.

Your last resort was provoking him. You wore a shorter dress revealing just enough to get any man howling to rip it apart. But it turned out, he wasn't just any guy.

After scanning the crowd you grabbed a random guy and danced with him for the majority of the night. You let him move you along to the music, holding your body flush against his. He placed his hands on your waist and dipped his head in your neck leaving rough kisses down your neck. You tilted your head back and looked at the green-haired man only to see his jaw twitching, eyes narrowed to slits in your direction.

Smirking at his reaction you turned around to the guy, glueing yourself to him impossibly close. You leaned up to whisper in his ear, eyes still set on the man at the back. His fist tightened dangerously next to the glass on the table.

Even with those obvious responses it still didn't get the point across to him.

You didn't understand him. You literally gave him every basic hint that you were interested and he reciprocated the gestures only to keep himself in that damn darkened corner.

He gave you the attention. The intensity of his gaze couldn't lie on that. One look from him kept you wanting more and more. You craved to know that connection wasn't just a lucid dream induced by alcohol and strobe lights. You lost yourself in the need for him to want you the way you wanted him.

And you did all that for a stranger.

The pursuing ended tonight. You weren't going to wait for anyone. Tonight would just be about you and you only.

But your excitement to drown in liquor and dance the night away into the new year was short-lived as the dance floor was suddenly flooded by couples of all people.

Blocking the laughter and sweet nothings whispered way too loud around you became harder. You ordered more and more alcohol to neutralise your senses and keep your emotions at bay. But no matter how much you drank and danced, you couldn't prevent that lonely feeling from seeping into your bones once again.

The closer it got to midnight, the worse you felt. A couple to your right was making out quite grossly, hands grabbing at each other's faces like it was a hotdog eating competition. Another couple to your left were humping each other like they were the only ones on the dance floor. You were pretty sure someone already had their junk out and it was just a matter of time before it sat in your line of sight and you got scarred for life.

Ah, fuck this. I'm leaving.

There was no point in staying here longer only to make yourself hurt more than you already did. The universe wanted you to suffer till the remaining last seconds of the year and you weren't going to give it the satisfaction.

You emptied what was left in your cocktail glass and placed it on a nearby table. Grabbing your bag and hoisting it up your shoulder, you turned for the exit. You wanted to get out of here before it hit midnight and all these couples would be getting it on.

But someone had other plans for you.

You barely took two steps towards the exit when a strong arm locked on your arm and pulled you backwards. You crashed into a hard chest, world swaying around you from the rapid movement. A woody vanilla scent surrounded you, sending you into a deeper daze than you were already in.

"Leaving so soon?"

You turned your head back only to come face to face with the green-haired man that occupied your mind for the past few weeks. The same man that annoyed you to the world's end as your attempts to show your interest for him seemed in vain.

Your mind was working on overdrive to make sense of what was happening. You didn't even look for him tonight and he was here, holding your hand. It wasn't helping that he was sat right behind you, body so close that you found it hard to breathe like a normal person. What was worse was that his eyes were focused on you, a relaxed smirk dancing on his lips.

The more you gazed into his eyes the more he took your oxygen away. And you couldn't help staring at him just a little more too entranced in his presence.

He looked even more breathtaking up close, strobe lights bouncing off his features enhancing them even more. His eyes appeared a lot sharper than they looked in that poorly illuminated corner.

He had this weird way of putting you in a trance every time your eyes locked with his. It veered you away from the fact that he lead you on for the longest time anyone's ever done before.

Upon remembering why you had every reason to be sour towards him, you turned your head away from him. You also did it to gain some stability in your mind, narrowing your eyes on the blurring crowd of dancing people in front of you.

"Didn't really have anything keeping me here," you spat out.

The music changed to a slower rhythm, still bouncy enough to keep people dancing.

His hand let go of your arm and you breathed a sigh of relief, until he wrapped it around your waist instead. You prayed he couldn't hear or feel the way your heart was racing, considering your back was pressed firmly against his chest.

"Wasn't going to let you go without a dance," he whispered in your ear.

There was no telling if the shivers dancing down your spine were either from him or from how buzzed you are. But you could feel the deep tone of his voice even with the loud bass thumping through you, louder than your own heartbeat.

"Oh, really?"

You turned around to fully face him. He was a head taller than you, shoulders extending beyond your field of vision. Your eyes lingered on his bulky arms, lined with muscles upon muscles, wondering how it would feel like to be squished between them.

The relaxed dress shirt he wore tonight looked divine on him. It was unbuttoned just enough to give you a sneak peek of his pecs, the rest of the material stretching over his toned body perfectly.

Okay, maybe he is God's favourite.

Beyond his looks, he was also emanating this oddly comforting energy. It was what drew you to him in the first place. You felt it the minute he laid his eyes on you the first night you came here and you felt it now as his eyes bore into you.

He took his time checking you out too. He was finally standing this close to you and you rendered him absolutely speechless. He thought you were beautiful from that corner, but you were even more gorgeous up close.

Your hair was put up in a messy bun, a few hair pieces falling around loose, framing your face. Your eyes twinkled with the changing colours of the lights, curiosity and interest dancing in your eyes.

The white silk dress you wore fell just below your knees. The straps around your shoulders did little to keep the dress on you as they circled behind where a deep back line exposed you fully to him. That cutout of the back line stopped way too low for his liking and your chest was covered just enough to not give him a heart attack.

What surprised him was that your outfits matched. If anyone asked the two of you if you were a couple they would hit the nail beside the head, so close yet so far.

Wrapping up the staring contest, his eyes settled on your lips. They were slightly parted, eyes seemingly just as lost in him as his were in you mere moments ago.

He chuckled at you which brought you out of your own spiral of thoughts and back to the blaring music and chatter around you.

"What are you really looking for out here?" he asked, stepping just a little closer to you.

Well, for starters, you weren't looking for commitment. But you also weren't looking for a one night stand. As contradictory as that sounded.

But it was a new year, which meant you could give into that new year, new me bullshit without thinking too much about the consequences for once. Who knew, maybe something would change.

The green-haired man sitting before you did not look like the type to commit or have just a one night stand either. So, he might have been just as conflicted as you were on that topic.

"Tell you what," you stepped closer to him and traced his shoulders with the pads of your fingers. He followed your movements until your hands stopped at the collar of his shirt, palms laid flat on his chest. "We can cross that bridge when we come to it."

Your eyes moved to his lips for the millionth time tonight. They looked so plump and inviting. You wondered how they tasted. Were they soft, with a tinge of his cologne that was already getting you addicted or were they rough, tasting just like the alcohol he normally drank?

He noticed the way you eyed his lips hungrily. His eyes moved from your hands on his shirt to your own lips. He couldn't deny yours looked just as inviting.

"20 seconds to the New Year!" said the dj through the mic, gathering everyone around for the reverse countdown to the new year.

He could consider himself fucked if he didn't make a move now.

"10 seconds!"

His eyes darted between your eyes and your lips unsure if he should indulge and plant a kiss on them.

"5!"

With uncertainty still dancing in his irises he leaned in, eyes moving to your eyes to search for any sign you didn't want this. But all he found was a fire ardently raging in your eyes. It was him that started it after all.

"4!"

The look on his face made you nervous. Any moment now his lips would finally press to yours.

"3!"

He glanced at your lips, getting closer but moving so infuriatingly slow that you decided enough was enough.

"2!"

Fuck it. I'll do it myself.

You fisted his shirt harshly and pulled him down to you, unable to wait anymore.

"1!"

You smashed your lips on his just as the countdown came to an end.

"Happy New Year everyone!"

Gold confetti rained down on you from all sides, getting stuck in your hair. The song playing on the speakers accelerated and so did your heartbeat the more your lips moved in the same rhythm with his.

Your hands locked at the nape of his neck pulling him closer to you. One of his hands wrapped around your waist, while the other grabbed the side of your face.

"May this new year be filled with fun for all of you," boomed the dj through his microphone before putting up the volume on the music.

New year's wishes could wait a little more. For now, you were too busy exploring the lips of the man that started a fire deep inside of you. He bit your lower lip, eager to take the kiss somewhere else.

You've been kissed before but never like this. It felt euphoric, like you reached the seventh heaven with the help of his lips alone. You were thankful he held onto you because your knees shook dangerously. And this time it wasn't from the damn alcohol.

You pulled apart trying to will some air back into your lungs. A lone hair strand fell in front of your face and you lifted your hand to brush it away but he was faster. He took it and gently put it behind your ear, letting his fingers ghost over the side of your neck. You couldn't help the smile pulling at your lips.

"Give me a second."

He let go of you and rushed off somewhere. You waited for a bit then scanned the crowd, unable to find him anywhere.

He couldn't have just left me here after that, right?

Did I rush him into it?

He probably left, didn't he?

Oh, lord.

I scared another good guy away.

This one was special too.

Great way to start the year, doofus.

Before you could wallow into self-pity and rethink your exit plan, he came back. Turns out he just went to get his jacket.

New Year's resolution: Stop overthinking shit.

He moved his jacket to one hand and let the other one find yours again, fingers lacing with yours delicately. The same fingers you studied for nights on end wishing they were wrapped around yours were now actually interwoven with yours.

"Do you have your things with you?"

You nodded, motioning to your bag as you fixed it on your shoulder, slightly confused at the question. He started walking to the bar, dragging you with him and hastily waved over a bartender.

"Give me the best bottle of champagne you have, a bucket of ice and two glasses. I'll take one of those platters too."

"The what-," you stuttered, shocked at his detailed request. He just smirked and you felt warmth rush to your cheeks.

How is a literal stranger making me blush and feel like I'm gonna explode at the same time?

Once he received the bucket with everything he asked for stacked neatly, he paid the bartender and led you outside to the beach. Fireworks were still going on from the looks of it. You could see the displays on either side of the beach you looked at. There were a few groups gathered around bonfires on the outside extension of the club, clinking glasses together and wishing for a better year.

You got a feeling he wasn't keen on hanging around others considering the fact that he mostly drank alone. Spotting a blanket and a few cushions on a couch you grabbed them, securing them under your free arm before you linked your hand back with his.

He started walking and true to your assumptions he led you further away from the crowd. He finally stopped at a spot that was illuminated enough to see each other. It was rather reclusive, but still in the vicinity of the club.

"Is this the part where you kill me or something?"

"I try to act like a gentleman and you take me for a psychopath," he deadpanned.

"Well, are you a psychopath?"

He just chuckled at your remark and shook his head.

"If I was, I wouldn't have asked the bartender for the best champagne they had."

"Fair point," you giggled.

He took the blanket from you spreading it out on the sand. You placed the cushions down while he placed the platter in the middle and motioned for you to sit down first.

"So, why did you bring me out here, stranger?"

"I've been meaning to talk to you for a while, but I guess tonight was a better time to do it than any. And name's Zoro."

He placed the bucket down and took a seat next to you. Grabbing the bottle of champagne he worked on opening the aluminum seal. Your eyes wandered over his arms, mindlessly stopping at the label and you felt your heart fall to your ass.

"IS THAT DOM PERIGNON?!"

You covered your mouth surprised that your voice came out so loud. He chuckled at your reaction before he moved to open the wooden cork.

That champagne costs a fortune. The selling a kidney or two kind of fortune. Fortune that you will probably never reach in your lifetime to just blow away on champagne regularly.

"Yeah, it is," he smiled. "I asked the bartender for the best they had and it's safe to assume he delivered."

"And you want to drink that... with me?" you asked pointing between the bottle and yourself.

He nodded, busy fighting with the bottle. He almost had it open but the cork just needed a little shimmying. An idea seemed to pop into his head judging by the way he snickered at you.

"Wanna see a trick?"

"Sure."

He picked up one of the champagne glasses in the bucket and held the bottom to the mouth of the bottle. He wiggled it a little on its neck until he found the perfect balance, moved it back and thrusted it forwards with force.

You expected the glass to break and fly everywhere but that didn't happen. What did happen was that the cork flew towards the small waves washing up on the shore with a safe pop sound. The glass was unharmed and the bottle was at last open, cold steam escaping it.

Your mouth was hung open in surprise. So he has several tricks up his sleeve, besides the gentleman act.

Satisfied with your reaction at his trick, he smiled again, this time more widely. He poured you a glass first and handed it to you before pouring himself one.

"Happy new year, stranger," he smiled, tilting his glass to you.

"Happy new year, Zoro," you returned the smile and clinked your glasses together.

You sipped the champagne surprised at the taste. It had a rich apricot flavor, a little sweet but not too over the top. You took your time savouring it. Who knew when you would get to relish in luxury like this ever again so might as well enjoy it.

You leaned back watching the remaining firework display. He moved to get comfortable, leaning on his side with his head on his palm. He had your exposed back in full view. Your skin looked so soft that it took everything in him not to trace his fingers down your spine.

"You're an interesting man."

"So I've been told."

"You had me running circles around you for weeks, you know."

"I know," he swirled the liquid in his glass, staring at it. "I'm not exactly a pro on the dating field."

"You don't look like a beginner either," you said before throwing back the champagne in your glass down your throat for some more liquid courage.

"What about you?" he asked as he got up to pour you another glass. "Should I be wary of any male alphas that would like to smash my face for kissing you?"

You laughed heartily at that. He's been around you for half an hour at most and he already made you feel giddy inside.

"Nope, not a single soul. Main reason why I've been hanging around at the club more than I do around my own house."

That was an exaggeration but there was some truth in it. You did it hoping to find someone that you could connect with in some way. And you did, considering the green-haired man currently laying next to you. It was just a question of whether he felt that connection too.

"And I thought you were coming to see me."

"Of course I did!"

His eyes shot up from his glass just as you registered what you said. The blush on your face expanded and you probably looked like a tomato by now.

Stupid alcohol.

"Sure you did," he chuckled.

You leaned back to smack his chest and he threw his head back laughing at the sight of your red face. As annoyed as you felt, his laugh was quickly growing on you.

"Tease," you tsked.

"Can't help it," he scoffed with a tight-lipped smile, taking another sip from his glass.

"I guess it's good," you mumbled mostly to yourself.

"What's good?" he asked.

"Letting go of the past. Living in the present, as they say."

"Losing control every once in a while can do you good," he stated.

Maybe he was right. Maybe tonight wouldn't turn out so bad after all.

Watching the sea at night when it was the calmest, with the moonlight glimmering on the waves put you at ease. Just as much as the man beside you did right now.

You dove in the charcuterie platter, laying on the blanket with your heads propped on the cushions, talking about anything and everything. You learned more about him and the fact that he could handle a shit ton of alcohol seen as he was downing champagne glasses faster than you.

Telling him about yourself and what a shit year you've had in terms of dating to get him off your case a little was supposed to be just light-hearted banter. But he just took that as a sign to tease you more.

"How to lose a guy in 10 days was definitely made about you," he howled laughing, after you told him about one of your situationships.

"Really funny. As if you've seen the movie," you said, popping a grape in your mouth.

"Try me," he taunted, adjusting his position to sit above you.

You mentally searched the movie for a scene that was iconic but could have easily gone unnoticed. You found the perfect one. Suppressing your giggles to not give it away, you cleared your throat to get in character and recited the scene word for word.

"Little, big, little, big... I don't know... I guess we will find out!" You made the grabby hands and pulled on a silly face, embodying the character.

He sat thinking for a few moments until the colour drained from his face at the realization of what scene it was.

"I am not saying that line even if you shoot me."

"Come on. I did it so it's customary you do it too."

He face palmed, releasing a sigh of annoyance. He just had to put himself on the spot like that. But he was a man of his word.

Looking around for anyone that could possibly hear him and become a collateral victim, he let out an exasperated breath and got into character.

"You-You can't name my member... Princess Sophia."

You rolled around laughing as he dug his face in his cushion in shame. The look on his face was priceless and you decided to pay back his earlier teasing with even more teasing.

"I have a question."

"What now?" he mumbled, voice muffled by the blanket.

You got closer to him and tried to keep your laugh in as you whispered your question in his ear.

"Does your member have a name too?"

His head shot up, eyes squinting at you dangerously. The earlier embarrassment was gone from his face and if the twitch in his jaw wasn't a clear indicator that you were in deep shit, the hand gripping your cushion was a good sign that you should run away.

"You're so dead."

Before he could lay his hands on you, you got up and ran out towards the shoreline. He followed, rushing to catch up with you.

You lifted your dress a bit to avoid stepping on it and bolted as fast as you could. He almost had you when you took a turn to throw him off, running back to the spot your blanket was on.

"Catch me if you can," you laughed.

"There's nowhere for you to run."

"Watch me."

You slowed down on purpose, letting him get close to you again only to dash out back to the sea. The soft sand under your feet turned from smooth to damp and soon enough your feet were submerged in cold water. You thought he wouldn't follow you to avoid getting his clothes soaked but he proved you wrong again tonight.

He ran towards you at full speed and you really had nowhere else to run this time. The bottom of your dress got drenched, sticking to your legs the further you went in. The water only slowed you down, giving him the opportunity to catch up with you.

You were waist deep in the water when his hands sneaked around your middle pulling you to him. You tried to break free but it was no use. The grip he had around you was as strong as steel.

"Let me go."

"Only if you say sorry."

"What if I don't? You gonna make me?"

"Huh, so she's got guts too," he chuckled.

"Why don't you fuck around and find out just how gutsy I am?"

You refused to give in. Splashing water at him only made the grin on his face widen because he started tickling you. And everyone knew tickling was a low belt move. You roared with laughter thrashing around in his arms.

Suddenly, retreat sounded a lot better than being tickled to death.

"Okay! I'm sorry!"

"Are you really?"

"No, but stop tickling me."

Reluctantly, he let go of you. He knew you had a surprise attack in store. His suspicions were confirmed true when you ran behind him, trying to push him into the water. He lost his balance but he wasn't planning on going down alone, hand quickly clamping down on yours to pull you with him.

You gasped as the water enveloped you fully. Sitting back up, you were fully drenched. Most of your hair was wet too, water dripping out of it like you just stepped out of the shower. Zoro, on the other hand, was giggling at you like a fucking school girl proud of bullying her friends.

Annoyed with his antics, you turned around and walked back to the blanket, plopping yourself down. He walked out too, that devilish smirk plastered on his face.

He stopped in front of you. You tried to look away from him but you couldn't. Especially when his shirt was so soaked that it stuck to his body in a way that let you see all of his toned muscles.

"Like what you see?"

You snapped out of your delusions, putting your annoyed face back on.

"Go away," you waved him off.

A sudden gust of wind blew reminding you of just how exposed you were. You looked like a wet dog. Your dress was wet and stuck to you uncomfortably, increasing the cold seeping inside your body at a faster rate than you liked..

You let your hair down placing it around your neck to get some sort of warmth from the parts that weren't soaked. Covering your arms in an attempt to wash the cold away, the breeze only persisted, blowing even more harshly as if to spite you. Zoro noticed you shivering.

"Are you cold?"

Still irritated with him, you shook your head no. You didn't want his help after the stunt he pulled. But the way you held tightly onto your arms and rocked from side to side told him otherwise.

Out of nowhere, warmth enveloped you. You turned to see Zoro right behind you, hands on top of your shoulders to make his blazer jacket cover as much of your body as it could to keep you warm. It was big enough to look like a blanket on you. You sighed at the comfort, pulling it closer to snuggle into the warmth of the fabric, feeling some of the cold dissipate.

"It might be hot out here but it's still December."

"It's January now," you stated.

"Okay, smartass," he boomed.

The night sky got darker and stars twinkled brightly as you talked until you finished the bottle of champagne and the platter. As much as he liked to tease, you loved his company a lot. The more time you spent with him the more you wished tonight would never come to an end.

He suddenly got up from his spot beside you and went to stand in front of you. He scratched the back of his neck looking at you which made you confused until he spoke up about his intentions.

"May I have this dance?"

He extended his hand out to you and you hesitated. Not out of the nervousness you felt yourself, but in a ploy to push his buttons. He deserved a little more teasing after making you wait for it for so long.

"Come on. I told you I wasn't gonna let you leave without a dance."

The way he looked at you changed your playful plans. It looked like he was really trying to be more into it and you couldn't say no to those eyes.

"Okay," you gave in, letting your hand slip into his.

His eyes lit up like moon crescents as he pulled you up and brought you closer. This must have been the softer, drunken part of him.

"What about music?" you asked.

"Music?"

He moved from one side to the other until he settled on a spot a few feet away from the blanket, tugging you with him. You were about to question his actions when you heard it. The faint sound of music playing from the club mixed with the sound of the waves breaking at the edge of the shore. It wasn't too loud or too faint but just enough to be peaceful and rhythmic background noise.

"You're unbelievable, in a good way," you giggled. He just smiled at you like a fool, most likely gone on the bouts of alcohol induced giddiness.

He pulled you closer, one hand holding yours out while the other curled around your waist, similar to a fancy dancing pose. Stepping left and right he pulled you with him into something that resembled a very weird tangled waltz.

You danced a combination of everything. He twirled you around, bottom of your dress swirling around you. Then he spun you out and brought you back in to hold you close as your hands settled back on his shoulders. He even lifted you up like one of those ballerinas you see at the opera, paying attention not to drop you face forward in the sand like a true dancing partner. You couldn't deny you had chemistry.

Twisting you around again, he stopped to dip you down on your back, hands secured tightly around you. He leaned down to your face, just a small distance away from putting his lips on yours. You closed your eyes in anticipation, expecting him to kiss you.

You wanted to feel his lips against yours again, missing the way they fit just right with yours back at the club. But just when you thought he would kiss you, you felt his lips elsewhere on your face - in a small peck on your cheek.

He brought you back up and grinned as your cheeks flushed pink. You brought a hand up to your cheek to touch it, feeling the faint brush of his lips burn into your skin as you processed it. He took your hand away from your cheek and laced his fingers with yours, leading you into yet another dance.

It was ridiculous. You were dancing to faint tropical house music on the beach in the darkness of the night with no sense of rhythm. But the soft sand under your feet felt better than any rigid dance floor you've been on and your dance partner was gentler than anyone you've ever danced with. You wouldn't trade this for the world.

The side effects of all the alcohol you drank was slowly kicking in and thankfully, the pace of your swaying got slower. You laid your head on his chest and let him rock you back and forth, listening to the beating of his heart that was more music to you than anything else.

"Thank you."

"What for?" he asked, looking down at your small form in his arms.

"For tonight," you sighed. "I haven't felt this good in a while."

"You're welcome," he said softly.

He was still trying to process things himself, mostly the fact that he was finally holding you after playing hooky for so long. You curled up closer searching for more warmth in his arms and he couldn't help but smile at you once more. It wasn't like him to show his inner happiness to people, but it seemed like his smiles were limitless for you.

The high of the alcohol you consumed was long gone, replaced by a drowsy feeling overtaking your senses. The music stopped playing telling you it was way too late for the world to keep going at it. All you could hear were the waves lapping each other in close distance, accompanied by a peaceful silence and the soft breaths coming from your human pillow.

You cuddled into him, sighing at the warmth he radiated. An arm was draped around you, drawing random patterns on your back that lulled you even more towards sleep though you didn't want to give into it just yet.

His other hand busied with yours, tracing up and down your fingers one by one. He turned them on all sides, then moved to your knuckles, inspecting each ridge and mound, each fading scar evidence of your rebel childhood. Once he was satisfied with his findings he intertwined your fingers together, bringing them closer to his chest.

Your hand looked so frail in his bigger one, encased like a precious jewel in a locked treasure chest with a lost key. But that key wasn't lost. It was just waiting to be found. Just like the latch on the hotel in your heart was waiting to be put back on the door by a person who wanted to stay all year around. Could he be that person for you?

He was the only thing turning in the tides of this endless night and you couldn't take your eyes off of him. Meeting him felt like some kind of blessing was bestowed upon you. Like all the pain of the previous year and the endless waiting was finally rewarded the way it was written to happen from the start.

By the looks of it he felt that connection too. It might have been just a one night adventure but only your sober minds could decide that in the fast approaching morning. But for now, being in each other's presence was enough to calm the tempest that's been swirling in your heart for so long.

He noticed you doze off when your head felt a little heavier on his chest. Taking his eyes off the sea and the few boats popping up and down the waves in the distance, he looked at you. Your cheeks turned a rosy shade, most likely from the amount of booze you had. They puffed up against his chest, light snores escaping through your opened lips. There was a little trail of drool pooling at the edge of your lower lip. He chuckled and wiped it away, making a mental note to tease you about it when you wake up.

Truth is that he's been waiting around for you all night back at the club. Time was flowing way too slow and his patience was running thin. But once you finally walked through the door his inner clocks froze over. His breath got caught in his throat, so much that he couldn't find it in himself to make a move to you yet again.

So, he just watched you from his usual spot, hoping he could get some liquid courage if he drank a little before coming to you. But he wasted way too much time wallowing in self-pity.

When you got your things and slammed the glass on the table enraged, he knew you were about to leave. If he let you leave back then he was sure he wouldn't be able to face you again. So he finally made a move to you, running through the crowd to catch you.

The fact that you were now tucked safely in his arms, wearing his jacket, told him he made a move at the right time. Who knew what other man would've stolen you away if he waited for too long. Or if he ever got to see you again.

From what you told him, he could sense how much you craved to find someone. To stop opening up to people who didn't even want to hear about anything other than bodily pleasure. Because he craved a deeper connection with someone too. He was just bad at showing it most of the time.

"I'm so glad you didn't settle," he whispered, laying a soft kiss on the crown of your head.

He spent the remainder of the night watching over you, until the dark sky turned into the early haze of dawn. He closed his eyes for a bit, waiting for you to wake up and unknowingly, he doze off in the comfort of feeling you close.

The comfort you were wrapped in was so cozy that you found it hard to open your eyes. Once you did, you took in your surroundings, surprised to see the green-haired man still at your side. The longer edges of the blanket were wrapped around the both of you, providing some warmth in the early morning breeze.

You half expected him to leave you here on the beach. To wake up and think of it as just another drunken night out that others normally wanted to take back. But he didn't.

You looked towards the sea. The previously dark night sky that was illuminated by the glow of the moon was now a myriad of orange and pink. It was brighter than any sunrise you've ever seen.

The start of a new beginning, you smiled to yourself.

The sun was still on his way to fully light up the sky, but the rays were already bouncing off the waves in glimmering gold and the sea looked so crystalline and blue, like you were watching a movie scene unfold before you.

Turning back to the man beside you, you took your time taking him in. He was sound asleep judging by the way his chest rose up and down slowly and had one arm under his head, propping it higher than the cushion could. The other one was still wrapped around you, in the same position you remembered it to be before you fell asleep. Small chimes came from his golden earrings as they dangled on the breeze of the wind.

He looked so at peace, a close-mouthed smile on his lips. The urge to lift your hand and trace the outlines of those lips grew the more you looked at them.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer," he spoke, taking you by surprise. His voice was way deeper than last night, resounding a little raspy in your half-asleep ears.

"How long have you been awake?"

"Enough to feel you staring at me like I'm made from tempered glass."

"I wasn't staring."

"Sure you weren't."

"Okay, you caught me."

His eyes crinkled in pride at getting you to admit it before opening up to look at you.

"How did you sleep?" he asked, a hint of amusement present in his voice.

"I slept fine," you replied, eyeing him with a raised eyebrow.

He looked too pleased with himself in the early hours of the morning. As if he knew something you didn't.

"Did I do something weird in my sleep?"

"I wouldn't say weird. But I'm glad you were comfortable enough to do it with me," he smirked.

What the fuck did I do? Did I snore? Did I kick him? Wait. He said I did something with him. Did we do something like-

Your eyes widened as the thought crossed your mind. The look on his face could only say that you did exactly what you thought you did.

"DID WE FUCK?" you whisper shouted.

His grin just widened and he started laughing hysterically, slapping the sand beside him like a maniac.

"Why are you laughing- YOU LITTLE SHIT!"

"Your face! That was priceless."

The daggers you were throwing at him told him you weren't in the mood for ridicule you this early in the morning. Too bad he had other plans.

"But you did do something."

"JUST TELL ME ALREADY," you shouted, getting ready to strangle him.

He seemed deep in thought on whether he should tell you.

"What are you willing to do for this important information?"

The way he wiggled his eyebrows at you told you he wanted to negotiate some terms first, as if he was withholding national secrets or some shit.

"I'll do anything," you sighed, playing along with him.

"Anything?"

"Zoro, I swear to god I'm going to put my foot through your face."

"All it takes is one kiss."

"One kiss? What are you, five?"

"Rules are rules. Kiss or I'm not telling you."

Your tongue poked your cheek in annoyance as you looked out at the sea debating your choices.

You could either run away and live with the humiliation that you'll never know what you did that had him make fun of you this bad. Or you could just humour him and find out what it was quicker. The latter seemed like the better choice.

"Okay, fine."

You decided to go for a kiss on the cheek, to pay him back for the almost kiss he gave you while dancing. You leaned down to him, cheek in your direct line of sight. You were about to plant the quickest peck on it when he moved his face so your lips landed on his instead.

They tasted like a glass of freshly opened champagne, just like the one you drank with him last night. You felt him smile against your lips, holding onto the nape of your neck to pull you closer. When he was satisfied enough with his kiss, he let go of you and you separated, breaths fanning each other.

"Are you gonna tell me now?"

"Did you know you drool in your sleep?"

"I DID WHAT-"

"There was like a whole lot of it on my shirt. Like a newborn baby's."

You burried your head in his side, trying to hide the blush rising on your cheeks. He just laughed at you squeezing you closer.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of. I think it was adorable."

"You're just saying that," you mumbled.

"I mean it."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever."

He moved away from you and you thought he got up. Turning your gaze upwards you found him standing above you, hands on either side of you.

The playfulness in his eyes was exchanged for dark eyes staring down at you with hunger. The smirk on his lips told you that nothing remotely good passed through his mind at the moment and it made you gulp.

He leaned down to you and your breath hitched. No man made you this nervous before and you didn't even do anything together to feel this way. Like you sinned a thousand sins or something.

His lips brushed your ear, chest almost pressing against yours.

"Am I making you nervous?"

"Yeah. No. I don't know."

He looks like a sculpture and I'm supposed to not get turned on by it? Yeah, right.

He took you by surprise pressing his lips on the side of your neck. It made you forget where you were in the first place, mind entirely focused on the fluttering feeling he instilled in you. He moved the kisses all the way down to your jaw, with the goal of getting to your lips.

Just before you could feel them again, your stomach grumbled loudly interrupting your moment. Turns out the flutters were from being hungry.

"You have great timing," he shook his head at you.

"It's not my fault I'm hungry."

"Then, how about we grab something to eat?"

"I would love that."

He sat up and helped you up, starting to gather the stuff that needed to be taken back to the club in the bucket. You grabbed your heels, putting your arms through the sleeves of his jacket. Once you had everything you started making your way back.

"I'm craving seafood," you recommended. "What do you wanna eat?"

"You."

"EWW DONT SAY THAT."

"I'm joking."

"I am never kissing randos on new year's ever again."

"Only if I can become the only rando you kiss on every new year's."

"You're impossible," you smiled.

"Only for you."

Part 2

Thank you for reading! As always, comments, likes and reblogs are welcome :)

#roronoa zoro #roronoa zoro x you #roronoa zoro x reader #opla zoro #one piece #one piece x reader #i don't know about you but i am wrecked after this one

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oxymorayuri · 25 days ago

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i love your style, can i request a one shot hurt/comfort with doflamingo please 💖💖💖 i would also love if you did with rest of the characters too, thank you so much ✨💖💖

A/N: Hello my dear, thank you for waiting :3 Let's start with our pink feathered guy. I struggled hard with myself whether to finish the other guys first, to upload and link everything together but I couldn't help it… :x So please be patient until I have finished the others :3 [Law ✦ Kid ✦ Ace]

word count » 3857 genre » hurt | comfort | angst summary » Lately, Doflamingo has been doing only his own thing… You hardly see each other. He rarely takes you to parties and generally doesn't take you out anymore…

❝ 𝐻𝑖𝑠 𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑡𝑙𝑒 𝑔𝑒𝑚𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑛𝑒❞

𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐈𝐒𝐓: gremlik

𝐷𝑜𝑛𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑥𝑜𝑡𝑒 𝐷𝑜𝑓𝑙𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔𝑜

It's a morning like any other. Waking up in the huge bed between expensive pillows and covers made of silk. The early sun beams in through the large windows and as your eyes fight against the morning fatigue, you feel with one hand the side where Doflamingo is lying only to realize that he is no longer lying next to you. Again...

You should be used to it, but you leave the cozy bed pouting and slip into your slippers.

"He seems to be quite busy once again…" You mutter to yourself unsatisfied in front of your dressing table while you clean your face. You're not even sure if he spent the night in bed with you.

Maybe he has a new woman?

No, he would have dumped you long ago if he did. You put on the necklace, the last gift he gave you, and gently stroke the gemstones.

Doflamingo has an extraordinary taste and every piece of jewelry is the perfect accessory for your fine appearance. You don't miss the jewels, you miss the effort he made to find jewelry that complements your beauty.

You reminisce as the sunlight shines through the expensive designed room.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

"Look at me beautiful, the moment I saw those jewels, I thought I was looking into your pristine eyes." He gently guides your chin upwards and studies your shining eyes.

"I tend to believe that your eyes are real gems, but you can't put a price on them."

With his thumb, he gently strokes under your eye and holds the side of your face. You lean into his touch and place your small hand against his, not wanting him to let go of you.

“You don't have to pay, my eyes are yours alone...”

He smirks at you with satisfaction. He likes to hear that you belong only to him. And he will do everything to make sure you give him everything you have...

“You belong by my side.” His lips brush gently over yours as he speaks such firm yet loving words. A smile slips from your lips and you wrap your arms around him to kiss his lips.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

Those were the days when you spent time together in the palace garden as if you had just fallen in love. Just the two of you, sometimes all day. Not even work could distract him when he wanted to spend time with his precious girl.

Such days started with Doflamingo watching you sleep until you woke up and not leaving the bed before your lips met. And now? Now you wake up every morning, alone…

You feel like you've been thrown to the side.

In a bad mood, you get ready for breakfast with the family. You strut down the long corridor, your heels echoing in the heights of the palace.

You have deliberately chosen to wear a short pink dress combined with a matching fur coat that Doflamingo gave you. This will definitely bring out a reaction in him.

The massive doors open to the dining room and you enter the hall. A few of Doflamingo's people have already taken their seats. Luckily for you, you discover Baby 5 sitting in her chair.

"Good morning, lady y/n!" Beaming with joy, she waves to you. Without giving it much thought, you take the chair next to her and have a chat with her as the empty seats at the table fill up.

Your cheerful banter is interrupted by Buffalo speaking up.

“L-Lady y/n?…” He stammers a little uncertainly with reddened cheeks.

“Why are you sitting in my chair?” - “Huh? Ohh, I just wanted to sit next to Baby 5 today.” You smile at him with your irresistible lips. He immediately turns bright red like a tomato, since your body language is as seductive as it is beautiful. His awkward behavior makes you chuckle a little.

"Feel free to take my seat, Buffalo." you say gracefully as you turn away from him to continue chatting with Baby 5.

The hall falls silent for a moment as Doflamingo finally enters the room and you wonder where he was, when he was neither at breakfast nor in bed with you…

You grind your teeth in anger and Baby 5 notices your grumbling. Concerned, she gives you a little nudge with her elbow and looks at you with friendly eyes.

"Lady y/n, what's wrong?" - “I'll tell you later…” You say in a composed voice while your eyes follow Doflamingo. After Doflamingo takes his seat at the short end of the table, he looks at Buffalo sitting next to him at the side.

While Buffalo looks at him somewhat uncertainly, Doflamingo looks down at him rather coldly. His gaze goes straight to the seat where Buffalo is normally sitting, seeing you but there is no trace of any emotion on his face.

You swallow a little as you consider whether it was such a good idea to swap chairs. But you quickly dismiss any doubts on the grounds, that he doesn't pay much attention to you either. Why should you play his little darling?

With a little huff, you turn your eyes away from him and talk to a few people at the table.

Nevertheless, breakfast was quite pleasant up to a certain point… With one ear you followed the conversation between Doflamingo and Trebol, as they talked about a small banquet with his underground customers.

Your ears perked up when it came to who would be accompanying him. Normally you would stand by his side at such events...

Ohh, how you miss the times when you two were admired from all the sides, while dancing or socializing together...

Doflamingo not only likes to have you by his side, but also likes to involve you in important conversations. Of course, such parties are not just for entertainment, they are the perfect place to put things into motion...

Whenever one of his business partners brought up suggestions or ideas, he always asked for your opinion. Besides your beauty, your sharp mind arouses him.

And you? You feel strong at his side...

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

"What do you think, beautiful?"

He leans slightly towards you and examines your brooding face with a broad grin. With a finger on your lip, you smile seductively at him as his sly smile comes into your field of vision.

You turn your head to the gentleman in front of you.

"You know, you're asking for a lot of money from us investors for such cheap material…" Your eyes, usually so seductive, look down at him with hostile confidence.

The man starts to explain himself, stammering and beads of sweat gather on his forehead.

“I don't need to have another conversation with you, we'll decline and I'll remember this stupid talk and check out the other deals we have…”

His offer was not unusual, but you wonder why Doflamingo should invest so much in him again, when the other projects are running well...

Doflamingo's laughter echoes beside you. He is always amazed at your sharp tongue and proudly pulls you towards him.

"How about we just cut all the deals? This guy is cheeky and greedy, a real snake." - “That would make it a lot easier.” You smile lovingly at Doflamingo.

Together you leave the frantic gentleman behind, without even responding to his pathetic pleas.

✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧

“Violet will accompany me again.” His words make you freeze and you look at him with narrowed eyebrows.

She's going to accompany him again?

You clench your fists under the table and look over at Violet, who glances a little anxiously into your eyes.

You try to think clearly, Violet is not someone who would betray you. She's your friend, but you have to confront her.

After breakfast, you catch her in front of her room and question why she's his date and, more importantly, why she didn't tell you!

“I'm sorry y/n but I wasn't allowed to tell you anything, he's still the king…” With guilt covered eyes she begs for forgiveness and with a deep sigh you cave in.

“I forgive you… Actually, I'm glad you're accompanying him and not some other girl." You let your arms hang down in frustration.

"Believe me when I say, that he doesn't even pay any attention to me... I don't even know why I have to accompany him."

She pouts a little and you giggle in response. She doesn't seem to enjoy being by his side so much and even though you feel sorry for her, you're glad it's the opposite for you.

Your mind is made up, you have to confront him. According to Violet, he's down by the pool, so you go back to your shared bedroom and put on something exciting.

With your feminine hips swinging, you show up at the pool in a sheer beach robe, only to see a couple of cheap sluts from Senor Pink clinging to Doflamingo.

You freeze in the middle of your walk and watch the spectacle of the girls dressed in their bikinis, fussing over him and fondling his chest... Even though Doflamingo seems to ignore them, it drives you crazy that he lets them touch him like that.

Angrily, you stomp over to them. With your hands on your hips, you stand in front of Doflamingo, who is lounging in the sun and enjoying a drink. He turns his gaze to you, his attitude towards you is rather indifferent and that makes you feel confused. Why is he behaving like this?

“And... are you enjoying the sun, Doffy?” The words come from your lips more mockingly than being a genuine question.

The girls giggle outrageously but you don't really know what's so funny… you just try to ignore them completely.

Somewhat annoyed, Doflamingo straightens up and pushes the ladies away from him.

“Fufufu ... you're acting quite sassy considering your position, aren't you?"

Position? His words make you angry.

“My feelings are neither a position nor a status in this castle. I thought we shared feelings, but the way you're behaving, I seem to be the only one who cares!” You turn your gaze away from him, tears already threatening to well up in your eyes.

“How I behave?” His voice takes on a threatening tone, a tone that you are familiar with but which has never been directed at you.

You gulp a little as he towers over you, drawing a sickening laugh from Doflamingo.

“Yes, the way you behave. You're dismissive, always gone and now? Now you're letting yourself be touched by these cheap whores…" You look hurt yet disgusted and Senior Pink's girls hiss and spit insults at you. But they don't interest you much and your gaze is fixed on your reflection in Doflamingo's sunglasses.

“Fufufu - look at you beautiful. Do you miss me?”

He runs his fingers through your silky hair, as always, but it feels wrong. There's something nasty about his aura. It's not his usual sly demeanor that he shows you and which you love, he doesn't take you seriously... and he's playing with you...

But you don't allow yourself to be bullied. Your eyes are fixed on his, at least wherever you guess his eyes are, without letting your unease become obvious.

“And what if that were the case?”

His hand glides along your shoulder over to your little neck, where his thumb presses lightly against your throat, before forcing you towards him. As the tips of your noses touch, you see the faint outline of his pupils but you remain calm and composed.

"I couldn't care less. Not after what you have done!" He squeezes and cuts off the air you breathe.

You reach for his hand in a panic, but you can't even move a finger. You are far from physically strong and you feel yourself losing your footing as Doflamingo lifts you into the air.

"…What I did?!" puzzled, you try to push the words from your lips.

Doflamingo throws you on the floor, his eyes wander over your exposed body and instead of being attracted to you, the arousing sight of you makes him mad.

“The way you act towards others, the way you dress… I would have expected more elegance from you!” You don't understand a thing. How I look and behave? But you thought that was the most important things for him?

“You're crazy!” You snap at him and grit your teeth. Doflamingo crouches down to you and laughs over you.

“Me and crazy? Fufufufu…” He shakes his head and grabs you by the chin. His lips brush gently over yours but you don't feel love, you feel fear.

“I'm rather generous towards you…” Tears well up in your eyes, he has never treated you so worthlessly. He has treasured you like his most valued possession and now he grumbles words you don't understand.

Doflamingo's eyes flicker briefly, and his chest tightens as he sees the tears rolling down your cheeks. Irritated, he lets go of you and steps away, giving you the chance to escape. What remains is a blonde king who suddenly doesn't understand what he's feeling.

Is it remorse?

But you don't have time to pay him any attention and run away. On the way to your bedchamber, you bump into some of the family, who all seem quite worried when they see your sad expression.

But no matter what they say to you, you just keep running while hot tears flow down your cheeks.

You cry yourself a river on the bed, your makeup all smudged but you don't care about messing up the expensive sheets. They have no value to you if you don't share them with Doflamingo.

All you can hear is the door to the room closing with a bang and the clacking of Doflamingo's shoes coming closer to you… You look at him briefly, but his cold, unaffected gaze makes you feel completely worthless. How can he look at you like that?

“You look pathetic.” His words are dry and pierce through your heart. You can imagine that you don't look very presentable. Your clothes are out of place, your hair is messy and your makeup is smudged all over your teary face

You squeeze your eyes shut and suppress your tears, you don't want to let his words hurt you even more. You're fed up with him punishing you for something without even talking to you. You still have no idea what the hell his problem is.

"Maybe I wouldn't look so pathetic if you treated me like an equal and told me what your fucking problem is!" you point your finger at him angrily.

Compared to Doflamingo, you look tiny and frail, but your frustration has turned to anger and you're not going to let someone who's supposed to love you talk down to you.

He grabs your finger and pulls you towards him in a blink of an eye. A devious smile forms on his lips.

"Looking so angry, you're quite cute." You turn your head to the side, away from him and Doflamingo grinds his teeth in dissatisfaction.

“You said you were mine, but you lied!” - “No! I didn't!" Frustrated, you slam your fists on his chest, trying to push away from him but his hands hold you tight.

“I'm all yours Doffy… please believe me…” Realizing that escaping Doflamingo's tight grip is pointless, you surrender and hide your tears by burying your face on his chest.

Unexpectedly, Doflamingo grabs your chin tenderly and pulls your face up to look into his eyes. You refuse a little, embarrassed at how unflattering your face looks.

“Look at me.” His voice doesn't seem affectionate, but you can't hear the spiteful undertone and obey his words. With tears filling your eyes, you try to maintain your gaze.

"If you're all mine, why do the others feel so free and hit on you right under my eyes?"

Your eyes widen. This has nothing to do with you. Not directly. It has to do with him being irritated by other men who are literally drooling after you.

You are delighted that it is not entirely because of you but it is not fair to make it solely your fault. If he blames you, it will be difficult to convince him otherwise, but after all these years at his side, you have some kind of feeling about how to talk to him.

“Doffy, do you love the way I look?” - “Of course.” His answer comes fast. You take a deep breath and wipe the tears from your face.

"And you love the way I act too… don't you?" - “Without a doubt, you're everything a man could wish for.”

“See? If my humble self can live up to a king like you, what do you think other men see in me?" His veins show on Doflamingo's temple. Clenching his teeth, he grumbles.

“I don't care about that!” - “And neither do I!” You stare silently into each other's eyes until Doflamingo sighs a little exhausted and lets go of you.

He takes off his shirt and lies down on the bed, his arms folded behind his head and his gaze fixed on the ceiling.

He thinks hard about your words, because you're right. It's only natural that other men turn their heads towards you when the sight of you catches even his attention.

If even you could get hold of his heart, of course you'll get hold of everyone's hearts. You are perfect in his eyes.

Never has he seen you even come close to responding to the wretched creatures… Actually it is the opposite, but he doesn't like the fact that all kinds of eyes can look at you so shamelessly.

You carefully take a seat on the edge of the bed and give him a moment of silence.

"…It all started when Crocodile praised you excessively when you were talking to other guests…" You remember. It was a gala party like any other, but you remember very well how differently Doflamingo treated you when you returned to his side.

You feel a little sad that he has such distrust in you… Everything you do, you do only for him.

Not to mention it's a bit ridiculous, since some of the clothes were personally chosen for you by Doflamingo. All your efforts only serve to live up to his image of the "perfect woman" and so far, you have been rewarded with everything you could wish for…

Knowing that Doflamingo is a very demanding man, you have made it your personal goal to live up to his expectations, but this seems now to be your undoing...

You can tell from Doflamingo's tense expression that he is still quite angry as he remembers Crocodile's words. In his eyes, it is more than impudent that someone would dare to say such words to him.

“I've never noticed how greedily the eyes of others follow you. At one point I thought about taking the lives of everyone who lusted after you, until I realized that would have been everyone…"

You reach for his hand without giving much thought to whether Doflamingo would allow it or not and stroke it gently.

"Keeping you away from everyone's prying eyes is the only option left to me." You know his actions are not right, because the ones who suffer are only the two of you, but nevertheless you can understand his actions.

He takes off his glasses and touches his nose between his eyes, lost in his unexpected feelings. He's not quite sure why he's telling you this at all…

You should obey him, but seeing you cry has triggered completely different feelings in him. Before you, there were numerous women who adorned his bed and no matter how much they cried and begged for his attention, nothing had stirred in him.

"If you want, I can stay low… I dress differently and avoid men… I just want to continue to be by your side...” - “No. You should be able to show off your beauty.”

Your heart skips a beat as he looks into your eyes with seriousness, but you don't know what other compromise you can make.

“I see…” You look sadly at the covers. There must be another solution than locking you up in the castle like a bird in a cage. Doflamingo's fingers intertwine with yours and he gently pulls you close. He lifts your chin with one finger and his usually hidden eyes show you the love he has suppressed all this time.

"However, seeing you cry like that made me realize how much I missed your smile." Are you dreaming or is that really your Doffy talking? You are at a loss for words. Even if the situation isn't resolved yet, a hint of a smile comes to your lips.

"Doffy, I'm just crying over you!" You give him your most genuine smile as you look into each other's eyes before continuing with your words. After he has revealed his true feelings to you, it is your turn to express your own thoughts.

"No one else could ever make me feel this way… I long to be with you… And I can understand your feelings... There are enough women fighting over you, but I never thought you could replace me." - "And I can't anyway, because you're the only one worthy of being by my side." He interrupts you in a lower voice.

“I know and the same goes for me. No one can take your place. Not even by force, because I know you wouldn't let them.” You snuggle up to him. You let out a sigh of relief knowing that you can finally be close to him again, that you can finally smell his intoxicating smell and feel his warmth.

His hand strokes along your fine curves, up to your shoulders and back down to your hips. You don't know how to solve this problem, but now you're sure that Doflamingo hasn't forgotten about you.

"I didn't know you feel the same way I do y/n." You shake your head with a smile, while he caresses your cheek.

“Imagining someone else standing by your side is already painful but not being by your side is hell, Doffy…” After longing for his tenderness for so long, you dare to allow yourself to kiss him.

After you shared a slow kiss, filled with longing, he nudges his nose against yours.

"Even if your makeup is all smudged, you're still the most beautiful woman in the world…"

That's it for today, my beloved ones. I hope you enjoyed it, kisses to you <3

𝑊𝑖𝑡𝘩 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒, 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑦𝑢𝑟𝑖.

#doflamingo one piece #doflamingo #donquixote doflamingo x reader #doflamingo x reader #one piece fanfiction #one piece oneshots #Doflamingo one shot

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tzyuki · 1 year ago

Note

enhypen reaction to idol!reader being their groups main dancer ? either like enha’s crush or s/o i don’t mind :) maybe for a scenario like their partner wins the random play dance during HYBEs game caterer thing ?

- 🎐 anon :)

— (05.20.23) ENHA-QUESTS

IN WHICH ✶ enha admires their s/o’s dance skills!

genre 𓏸 ͘ ࣭⸰ enha x reader. fluff fluff fluff!!!

warnings 𓏸 ͘ ࣭⸰ swearing, if any more please tell me!

ej note 𓏸 ͘ ࣭⸰ hi🎐 anon !!! srry i got to this one so late, i hope you like it! guys stream dark moon 🤗 JAYS IS SO LONG LMAO 😭

⏤ ☆ yang jungwon / 양정원

jungwon enjoyed practicing with you, especially since you two were under the same company you guys got to see each other almost everyday at the company building. when you guys heard you’d be doing an end of year collab performance you guys were happier than ever, you’d be on stage performing together and be in the same room all day everyday practicing!

͏͏⏤ ☆ lee heeseung / 이희승

heeseung was in awe watching you dance at the random play dance while you guys were filming the HYBE’s game caterer. He didn’t know you knew so much dances and was smiling at your competitiveness.

͏͏⏤ ☆ park jongseong / 박종성

before you debuted, when you were still a trainee, jay was someone you looked up to dance wise. you loved his dance style sm and idolized him for it. when you had gotten casted for hybe you had actually debated on taking the offer or not, you had been in a good place at your current company, almost getting put into the debut lineup. you didn’t want to take the offer just to meet your favorite dancer, so you thought long and hard about your decision and ended up staying at your company. you and jay would see each other and briefly talk to each other when your promotions overlapped and such. when you guys had done the ‘future perfect’ tiktok challenge fans pointed out how you guys had similar dance styles, you talked about it on live and about how you looked up to him a lot as a trainee and you’ve stayed in his mind ever since.

͏͏⏤ ☆ sim jaeyun / 심재윤

jake likes making fun silly goofy ass tiktoks with you, the videos are either in his drafts bc they are too risky to post (yall literally staring into each others souls dating rumors would spark) or posted onto his secret tiktok account where his friends were allowed to see. as much as he admires your dance skills he would rather make the silly dance ones than do his or your groups dance challenges.

͏͏⏤ ☆ park sunghoon / 박성훈

you specialize in ballet and used to do it for years long before debuting in the idol industry and sunghoon likes testing your skills with doing random ass pirouette battles. you’ll be hanging out and then “okay battle right now.” and then you guys get tired but pretend you aren’t.

͏͏⏤ ☆ kim sunoo / 김선우

sunoo likes watching your fancams and has no shame in admitting it. he admires your stage presence and skills in dancing. he’s your certified fanboy.

͏͏⏤ ☆ nishimura riki / 西村力

you and ni-ki bonded over dancing ever since you guys first met at the company. you guys helped better each other whenever one of you were struggling mentally or physically. everyone knows he teases you a lot and your relationship with each other is like cat and mouse but he truly likes caring and spending time with you mostly by practicing together.

enha-masterlist — permanent taglist (open) ; @jangwonie @cwsana @luvyrin @amara-mars @ineedaherosavemeenow @mintydayeon @love-4-keum @kpopx-xlover @abdiitcryy @beepjeongie @ox1-lovesick @ja4hyvn @shinsou-rii @winkura @ddeonudepressions @tnyhees @wannabeyn @kpoprhia @svnghoonsonly

#enhypen fluff #enhypen #enhypen scenarios #enhypen x reader #jungwon scenarios #jungwon x reader #heeseung scenarios #heeseung x reader #jay x reader #jay scenarios #jake x reader #jake scenarios #sunghoon scenarios #sunghoon x reader #sunoo x reader #sunoo scenarios #ni ki scenarios #ni ki x reader

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khunyuki · 5 months ago

Text

"I've lived my life with blade and you always in my mind"

ꜱɪᴅᴇ ꜱᴛᴏʀʏ: 𝚌. 𝚆𝚎 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚒𝚜𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚊𝚔𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛, 𝚍𝚒𝚍𝚗'𝚝 𝚠𝚎?

Synopsis: After their very first mission as Defense Force Officers, Kagami and Soshiro promised to take care of each other when they got injured. That means taking the entire day/week off just to nurse them back to health. A few years have passed since then without any significant injuries, that's why it came as a surprise to Kagami when a certain someone came knocking at the First Division's front doors.

Pairing/s: Hoshina Soshiro x Fiancee!OC

Note/s: I'm posting this first cuz jealousy, jealousy was hard to write hahaha. It might take long but i'll definitely be posting that later tonight. Don't worry cuz reading this first doesn't affect anything hehe. Also, I changed the synopsis so readers won't be confused hehe. Enjoy <3

Genre: Fluff

Masterlist: TOC, Previous, Next

A few years back, when Kagami and Soshiro were still in the same division, they made a promise to each other.

"You were pretty reckless"

Kagami scolded the purple haired guy laying on the hospital bed with a bandages on his legs. Her words, heavily laced with concern.

"I could say the same with you"

Soshiro side eyed the black haired girl who was laying on the hospital bed besides his own. Her injuries were as bad as his, with the bandages on her head instead of her legs.

Kagami just averted his gaze, focusing instead on the fruits basket placed atop the drawer besides them. She picked up an apple, along with a small knife and plate, and started cutting it.

Soshiro could only sigh at his fiancee's evasiveness, though it did bring back the smile on his face. It wasn't unusual for them to be injured during a mission given their line of work. Most of the time, they'll get a few minor scratches here and there but not enough to guarantee a hospital stay. He was glad she only required a few stitches and that there weren't any lasting effects to her head.

"That, I want mine cut into bunnies"

Soshiro noticed that she finished cutting and requested for her to style it into bunnies. Without question, she did just that. He watched as she struggled to peel only the skin and not the flesh, laughing when she failed to do so.

"It's not funny"

Kagami complained with a pout, knowing full well that her struggling gives him joy. She once again heard his chuckle as she successfully massacred another slice. She looked at the mess in front of her and frowned. Cutting things was easy but peeling them was harder, especially if it's as small as this apple.

She can't complain though, this was one of her duties as his future wife. She's been practicing for this her whole life yet continued to fail over and over again. It didn't mean she'll give up as she uses her failure as her drive to do better.

"Want me to do it?"

Soshiro offered his help, still smiling in amusement as she shook her head no. Every little things she does brings a smile on his face, even something as small as failing to peel an apple properly. He'd find her words and actions as funny no matter how she thinks it isn't. Her reactions are so amusing to him, causing him to not stop trying to tease her.

Thank goodness she was skilled enough not to cut her fingers though or else he would've snatched that knife faster than she could react. No way he'd allow her to be hurt on his watch. It was already unfortunate enough for them to be in different squads thus resulting in their current situation, had he known he would've done better.

"I'm done"

Kagami declared and ate the massacred apple slices by herself.

"Wait, wait! I thought that was for me?"

Soshiro tried to stop her from eating it all and not leaving some for him.

"It was... but it's ugly so I can't give it to you"

Kagami was kinda upset she didn't get to make apple bunnies properly so she decided to eat it as to not waste food.

"Feed it to me"

Soshiro, in all seriousness with open eyes, demanded she stop and feed it all to him. No way he's letting all her hard work go to waste. She cut and peeled it for him so he'll eat it no matter what.

"W-what?"

Kagami was surprised at his sudden demand. She couldn't resist him, especially not when he opens his eyes to show her how serious he is.

"I said feed it to me~"

With a mischevious grin, he was back to his foxy attitude. He opened his mouth in an 'ahhh', showcasing his want to be fed.

"Y-you can do it yourself!"

Flustered, Kagami tried to look away. Offering him the entire plate so he could eat by himself.

"But my legs are injured and I can't move"

His eyes were closed but how was it possible to see him making puppy eyes at her? Paired with that pout, a fox like him acted like a sad dog.

"You can move your hands though"

Resist. Resist the temptations Kagami! Do not move your hands! Stop moving your hands!

"Ahhh~"

Opening his mouth, Soshiro was successfully fed by the red faced Kagami. His purple eyes bore holes into Kagami's own as he teasingly licked his own lips as an expression.

"Yum~"

Uzui Kagami.exe has stopped working.

"Excuse me but can you do your flirting elsewhere? The rest of us wants to sleep in peace"

A random officer mustered his courage to speak up. He tried to hide his flustered face by pretending to cough. The rest of the officer were looking away from them, red in the face, yet still nodded in agreement.

Kagami dropped the plate she was holding and teleported inside the blankets of her own bed. The plate of apples was fortunately caught by cackling Soshiro who was well aware of their audience.

Nobody said they were the only ones in the room hehe.

"Kagami? Why are you still here?"

Kagami, who was discharged yesterday, came back the next day to take care of her fiance.

"I took a day off"

"Why?"

Surprised by her actions, Soshiro couldn't help by ask why she would specifically ask for a day off when she's never done so before. Also, he was supposed to be discharged later today.

"I want to take care of you... because you're my fiancee"

"Then next time, I'll be the one to take care of you"

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~~•~•~•~

Whenever Soshiro visits the hospital, he thinks of that moment fondly. When they were still rookies, they would sometimes end up getting injured thus resulted in taking care of each other. Now that they were a bit more experienced, they no longer had to take care of each other in the hospital. It was better that way as it signifies that they were healthy and safe.

Still, as he reads the newspaper on his hospital bed, he couldn't help but let his mind wander in his wish to have his fiancee be there to take care of him. It was fine though, cause he didn't know how to break the news of him moving to the Third Division to her just yet. Also, he never really told her he got injured during his visit there.

When Captain Ashiro and Platoon Leader Ebina visited him earlier, he thought it was her. He was a bit disappointed but the offer they brought was enough to lift his spirits. He'd been wanting this for a long time. Someone who recognizes his efforts and need his strength. Somewhere he would be needed and not be treated like a tumor.

Kagami had always been by his side, supporting him, and finally there was someone else who believes in him like her. He wants her to join him there so they could leave the past and look forward.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and a familiar head peek inside. Soshiro saw the face of the person he'd been expecting to see the whole time. His heart fluttered when he saw her after thinking about her like he manifested her visit.

"I'm sorry I'm late. There was a long line at the cafe so it took a bit too long to buy this"

She headed inside and showed him something she was hiding on her back. In her hands was a small box with a dessert inside.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Yeah. Mont Blanc!"

Kagami mirrored his excitement and confirmed his thoughts. She immediately prepared it for him, getting a plate and taking the dessert out of the box. She carefully placed it so as to not destroy its looks and offered it to him, which he accepted gratefully.

"By the way, I saw Captain Ashiro exiting the hospital earlier. Who do you think she visited here?"

Once she passed him the dessert, she took a seat at the chair beside him. He also took a bite before answering.

"Oh that, Remember how I went to the Third Division for a meeting? This and that happened and Captain Ashiro asked me to join the Third Division"

Soshiro recounted the story of what happened as soon as he got to the Third Division, the sudden appearance of a kaiju and how he helped with it, how he saved that kid and them being saved by Captain Mina, then the lastly, the offer given to him by the captain. Kagami attentively listened to his tales, reacting appropriately during significant parts. Soshiro greatly appreciates her lending an ear.

"Oh really? What was your answer?"

Finally, Kagami asked him what his answer to the offer was. It was something he had to prepare himself first before telling her as it was a big decision.

"I said yes"

Soshiro was filled with certainty at his decision. He didn't know how she'd react but he wanted to ask her to be with him as he moved too.

"Kagami, do you--"

Soshiro was cut off by an excited Kagami.

"Congrats! That's amazing! I knew there would be someone else who will recognize how great you are! I didn't think it would be THE Captain Ashiro Mina herself!"

She was so hyped up, so happy for him that he couldn't help but chuckle fondly. The tension he felt earlier disappeared and was replaced by fondness, feeling incredibly light.

"I'm sad that you'll be leaving but this is your chance to show the people from our division that they never should've underestimated you"

Her smile dropped once she thought that him moving was him leaving her alone. But still, she was smiling.

"Do you want to come with me? Captain Ashiro said her offer extends to you, as well"

Soshiro with greater courage now, seeing her smile drop, wanted to lift her spirits up. If he's moving to a better place, he wanted her to come with him too. At least they'll be together and won't be sad.

"Ehh? Really?? She's offering me to join the Third Division too???"

Surprised, Kagami couldn't believe her ears. Even her eyes as he nodded to affirm her words were true.

"Yeah, so what do you say?"

Soshiro turned back to his Mont Blanc to finally finish it as there only a few bites left. In doing so, he couldn't notice the storm brewing in Kagami's eyes.

"I'm sorry but I will have to decline"

Soshiro almost choked at her flat-out refusal. She offered him water in which he gratefully drank. He didn't think she'd refuse him like this. Sure she'd have doubts but usually she's agree with him.

"Why?"

Kagami took her time to answer and Soshiro found it hard to read her in that moment. Just when he started to think that something might be wrong, she looked him in the eyes with a determined expression.

"I also want to be recognized by my skills and not just because of goodwill. I want to prove myself to her so she'd be the one asking me to join herself"

While he didn't think she'd refuse him earlier, her explanation made a lot of sense. He'd refuse her too if it was him in her position. He only got this far because she and he believed in himself. They've both been doing their best to be the best version of themselves hoping someone will notice their efforts. So he wanted to believe she can do the same too.

"If it's you, I know you can do it"

Filled with the confidence that she shared with him, he ruffled her hair as they shared a hearty laugh.

They spent the entire day with each other. Kagami taking care of him until it was time to leave and Soshiro not wanting her to leave at all cuz he's such a baby when it comes to her. He didn't have to worry though cuz her days off lasted until he got better.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~~•~•~•~

True to her words, Kagami finally got someone else to see just what she is made of. While it may not be the captain of the Third Division that she caught the eye of, it was still a significant someone. That someone being the previous captain of the First Division and now the Director General of the Defense Force, Shinomiya Isao. It took a long time but she was finally there.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that being in the First Division was hard. With everyone exceeding expectations by being capable of eliminating honjus on their own, the stakes are really high. Especially for a recently promoted Platoon Leader like Kagami, who didn't know just when she'll be kicked out. She wonders why she got promoted at all despite there people being stronger than her in the First Division.

It also wasn't an exaggeration that the kaijus appearing near the Ariake Maritime Base were stronger than most. So when the new recruits in her squad finally had their first mission, she had to be more alert than ever. Cuz new recruits are prone to danger, like the one she just saved from accidentally killing himself. Unfortunately for her, being around danger means she's also prone to getting injured.

"I'm really sorry, Platoon Leader Uzui!"

The new recruit she saved once again bowed down in front of her. He was the reason her left arm is in a cast, letting it heal naturally. It was an accident where a hidden yoju suddenly appeared catching them off guard. Kagami chose to prioritize her subordinate's safety than hers which lead to the current situation.

The application of using the regenerative ability of the kaijus in medical treatments was still being researched and is currently in its experimental stages, thus making it exclusive only to Defense Force higher ups.

Being a Platoon Leader, Kagami was lucky enough to be able to take part in it. Instead of suffering from a mangled arm requiring surgery, the treatment made it possible for her arm to heal quickly by mending her broken bones. In the end, it is still required for her to heal naturally and not move it much.

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you're safe. I don't want my subordinates to get hurt under my watch"

Kagami reassured the officer in front of her by placing her right hand on his arm. The officer was overwhelmed by the kindness she's showing that caused him to be emotional.

"Platoon Leader..."

"If you're really sorry, make sure you work hard to get stronger from now on"

Knowing what she said wasn't enough to remove his guilt, she encouraged him to be better.

"Yes, ma'am!"

The soldier saluted and finally left her alone. Kagami was about to leave as well when Vice Captain Hasegawa approached her. She greeted him with a salute and he nodded in return.

"You are as kind as ever, Platoon Leader Kagami. I know you want to save as many people as possible but you should not sabotage your health"

He complimented her, referencing about her interaction with an officer. He also scolded her for getting injured badly in concern.

"My apologies, sir. Umm... Is there something wrong? Is Captain Narumi causing trouble again?"

She gave a sheepish smile knowing she'll do it again if it mean saving someone. Though she couldn't help but noticed the troubled expression on his face which only means one thing: Captain Narumi.

"Somewhat. It has something to do with your visitor"

"Eh?"

Captain Narumi was causing trouble because of her visitor? But she wasn't expecting anyone to come visit her? Also, she didn't understand why the Vice Captain himself would tell her the news.

"You'll understand soon enough. Follow me"

Noticing her confusion, Vice Captain Hasegawa led her to where Captain Narumi and her visitor were.

As they got closer to the meeting room, she could hear Captain Narumi's boisterous voice. It was so loud that she didn't have to strain her ears to know that it was him. And there was also a familiar laughter coming inside the room. There's no way...

When Vice Captain Hasegawa opened the door for them to enter, she finally understood why Captain Narumi was reacting that way. Her fiancee, Vice Captain Hoshina Soshiro, was sitting in front of her Captain. His smug smile and foxy expression was clear enough for her to know that he's been teasing the guy the whole time.

"Vice Captain Hoshina?"

"Ahhh, you're here?"

Soshiro averted his gaze at his self-proclaimed rival to look at his fiancee, pointedly staring at her casted arm. His smile, straining a little bit with a frown.

"Today, I am here to request that Platoon Leader Uzui Kagami take a day off from work while she heals"

He finally revealed his intentions after seeing the two sitting down. Captain Narumi and Vice Captain Hasegawa were shocked at his request. They were expecting something else and didn't stop to think of such an absurd reason.

"Haaaa??? Who are you to ask for that with my Platoon Leader, haaa??"

Captain Narumi, having composed himself first grew more irritated. How could his rival talk for his Platoon Leader like that? His friend has a mind of her own and can request to rest by herself. He knew she was injured and wanted her to rest himself but having his rival demand that bring a bad taste to his mouth. It's not like he's forcing him to work, damn it.

"I'll say it in word you can understand. My fiancee is hurt and I demand you let her rest"

Fiancee?? They turned their heads to look at the blushing woman, embarrassed for being the source of this mess and the attention she's getting.

"Don't tell me you specifically came here just to ask that?"

She tried to compose herself by looking his way. Surely that wasn't the sole reason he came here?

"Of course, you wouldn't do so otherwise. Ah don't worry, I got permission to leave from Captain Ashiro so I could take care of you"

That's it. That's the end of her. How could he say such things so calmly in front of her superiors? She's sure as hell this would reach the ears of the whole division and they would not let her live it down. She couldn't even hide her face cause her free hand is too small to cover it.

"I have paperwork"

"That's fine. You can just bring it home and I'll help you"

Kagami can't do this anymore. Her superiors are digging holes into her and her fiancee's finds it too amusing to help her.

"Captain, Vice Captain, can I request for a leave until I heal enough to get back to work?"

Kagami asked for permission herself, trying to save herself despite it being a futile attempt. There's no stopping Soshiro when he's this stubborn.

"I'll grant you paid leave"

Vice Captain Hasegawa felt pity for his subordinate, who clearly want to bury herself in a hole, thus granting her wish.

"Thank you, sir"

Kagami stood up as fast as she could and left to go to her room. She ignore the curious glances thrown her way by confused onlookers, who rarely get to see her running and flustered.

Soshiro who was left inside the room stared at his rival, who was uncharacteristically quiet. He felt pity and at the same time doesn't for he knows what the male in front of him feels for his fiancee.

His phone vibrated indicating that he received a message.

"I'm heading down soon. Meet me at the lobby. Also, please stop torturing my Captain"

"Well then, i guess I'll have to leave now too"

Soshiro stood up and said his goodbyes and thanks as he pocketed his phone. He's looking forward to the spending the rest of the day, and the days after that with his fiancee.

<- Previous Next ->

#kaiju no.8 #hoshina soshiro #soshiro hoshina #hoshina soshiro x oc #hoshina soshiro x reader #soshiro hoshina x reader #soshiro hoshina x oc #yukikhun

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chimcess · 2 months ago

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Nachash || jhs (Halloween Fic Teaser)

Pairing: Hoseok x Reader (ft. Taehyung) Genre: Supernatural AU, Demon!Hoseok, Doctor!Reader, Smut, One night stand, Angst, Horror AU, Incubus! Hoseok, 90s AU, Yandere!AU (that's putting it lightly) Rating: 18+ (don’t interact if you’re a minor) Word Count: 18.9K+ Summary: After the loss of both of her parents, Y/N decided to sell their home in Florida and move back to New York City, a place that she has little memories of despite 10 years of living in Harlem. Her world begins to shift, and she starts to lose sight of dreams and reality, and at the center of it all is Hoseok, a sweet man who gives her a strange sense of deja vu, but she can’t help but wonder if he is who he says he is and why a strange bar keeps popping up in her nightmares.

I shivered in his arms, my own conflicting desires mirrored in his touch. A soft moan escaped my lips, my breath warm and fragrant with a heady mix of desire and nervousness. His smile widened, a predatory glint in his eyes as he encircled my waist, his touch moving lower to the curve of my hips and thighs. The tension of indecision between fight and flight only heightened the charged atmosphere.

His eyes traced the flush of my lips, a reflection of the flush between my legs. The scent of my arousal mingled with my anxious heartbeat, calling to the beast inside him. His senses were overwhelmed by the promise of my warmth, the floral sweetness of my skin, and the earthy musk of my desire.

“You don’t want... a drink?” I stammered, struggling to comprehend the situation.

“Oh yes, Y/N. I very much desire a... drink.” His smile was amused, his lips hovering just above mine. The taste of his breath kindled a fire in my chest, awakening a deep, primal hunger within me. I was alive with all these unfulfilled needs.

I inhaled shakily, still clinging to his words. “What... would you like?”

A low laugh rumbled in his throat as he brushed his mouth over mine, savoring the teasing trace of my flavor. “I want you, Y/N. I want to drink you.” His honesty was tinged with need, a plea wrapped in the mounting desire I felt as well. It was clear he didn’t want me to run—not now. He licked the corners of my mouth, his body molding to mine. My heat seeped through every layer of fabric between us.

A/N: I've struggled writing this one-shot for two years now. Every Halloween since deciding I wanted to write this has been disappointing because I struggle writing regular smut. Imagine writing evil demon smut with blood drinking surrounded by just layers and layers of dubious consent and him just being a terrible little creature. It was a hard task, but I finally bunkered down and finished it! Of course, I had to change my normal writing style and go all out for Demon Boy Hobi, but I did have a lot of fun with this one. There's going to be so many warning for the official release of this bad boy (October 31), and I'm worried I still dropped the ball with the smut part. Hopefully the plot makes up for it????

See you Halloween Night, loves!

I have taglists for all of my works. If you're interested in being tagged comment, message, or ask me and I'll happily add you!

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miumura · 11 months ago

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( 📍 ) UGLY CHRISTMAS SWEATERS — BEOMGYU

[ DAY SIX ] of the advent calendar !

( 📍 ) SYNOPSIS . convincing your boyfriend to wear ugly christmas sweaters with you might not be that hard after all..

( ᥫ᭡ ) PAIRING . bf!beomgyu x gn!reader

( 📍 ) GENRE . fluff ~~ WORD COUNT 0.5K+ ( 545 )

( ᥫ᭡ ) WARNINGS . gyu got a little attitude (sassy men) BUT its tolerable .. imo .. other than that, nothing else ?

( 📍 ) NOTE . i heart beomgyu 😊🤍

“You’re telling me that we—no, I’m gonna be wearing that?” Beomgyu gingerly lifts one of the sweaters, holding it as if it were a bag of 2 weeks old garbage. “For our friend’s Christmas party?” The clash of colors and patterns really confused him; it seems like the designer operated on a whim.

"Come on, it’s not even bad! The theme was ugly Christmas sweaters, and I picked out the best onesI think they're cute," you retorted, defending the sweaters you'd ordered weeks ago.

"This is far from cute! Your taste in fashion must be questionable," he scoffs, nonchalantly returning the sweaters to their initial resting place on the chair.

"I've practically styled your entire wardrobe, and you've received so many compliments because of me!" you argue.

"Alright, but your sweater choices are still terrible!" Beomgyu counters.

Ignoring his protests, you insistently hold the sweater in front of him, trying to picture the look despite his puzzled expression.

“Not in a million years will you catch me wearing that,” Beomgyu declares, hands up in protest.

But, you didn’t care whatsoever as your determination knows no bounds. “Stop moving, you're making this harder.”

“What—” he starts, but you're already on a mission, determined to make him at least consider the sweater.

“It does suit you.”

“Thanks for the compliment, but you can't just say that by imagining how I'd look in it!”

“Why don't you try it on?” You extended your hand, catching him off guard. His reaction was too slow, and you ended up tossing it at him. “I'll wait.”

Beomgyu sighed, unfolding the sweater and eyeing it with skepticism. “Fine, but don't get your hopes up.”

As he struggled to put it on, you couldn't help but laugh at the sight. The vibrant colors clashed with his usual style, making it even more amusing.

“Ta-da! Happy now?” Beomgyu struck a pose, a mockingly exaggerated smile on his face.

You chuckled, "Look! It doesn't even look that bad! You can totally pull it off."

Rolling his eyes, Beomgyu played along, "Sure, sure. It looks fantastic on me. Just a bunch of silly trees and tiny elves on this sweater with squiggly lines—seriously, what were you thinking when you added this to the cart?"

You shrugged, unfazed by his words. Beomgyu often exaggerated things, and you were accustomed to it. “I expect you to stick with this—we've got just an hour until the party.”

“But can’t we switch—” His complaining tone faded as you rushed down the stairs with the matching sweater in your hand. Quickly draping it over your white shirt, you settled on the couch in the living room. As you scrolled on your phone to pass the time, you later heard shuffling in the background.

“Ready to go?” you looked up, seeing your boyfriend in the sweater you bought—he hadn’t changed it. You gave him a big smile, rising from your seat.

“Looking good there, Choi.”

“Keep it up and I’ll run up the stairs to change,” he teased, soon linking arms with you as you headed towards the door.

“Honestly, though, I don’t think I look too shabby in this,” he asserted, eliciting a giggle from you.

“What can I say? I have an eye for what works.”

“Maybe you're onto something.”

SEND AN ASK / COMMENT TO BE ADDED!

TXT PERM TAGLIST — @flwoie @haruavrse @bearseulgs @ilovewonyo @bubblytaetae @ineedaherosavemeenow @ml8dy @wonioml @xiaoderrrr @neozon3nha @ja4hyvn @thia-aep @vampcharxter @sleepymoon27

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bcdrawsandwrites · 3 months ago

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[ID: A Team Fortress 2 fanfic banner in the style of the game's achievement icons. On the right, Spy's hand is shown holding a lit lighter, while on the left, Pyro's hand reaches for it. Everything is in slightly warm grayscale, except for the lighter's flame, which is orange. On the bottom left is the chapter's title in yellow-white, reading "CHAPTER SEVEN: PILOT LIGHT" /end ID]

Flickering

Fandom: Team Fortress 2 Rating: K+ Genre: Hurt/Comfort, Friendship Characters: Spy, Pyro, Engineer, Medic, Heavy Warnings: General references to trauma, panic attacks, self-harm Fic Description: After the events of the comics, the mercs try to go back to how things were, but it’s never that easy.

Spy can see his teammates going through their own struggles… but something seems to be very, very wrong with Pyro in particular.

And since no one else seems to be doing anything about this, Spy makes it his mission to get to the bottom of what is troubling Pyro. For no particular reason. Beta Readers: @mechmolar, @gonturan0, @junuve NOTE: One of the books mentioned in this chapter is real book! Sandvich goes to whoever guesses what book it is.

---~~~---

Chapter 7: Pilot Light Summary: In which Pyro goes on a shopping trip with Spy.

---~~~---

Spy lost sight of Pyro soon after they left the lab. That was fine by him—if it didn't want his help right now, then he was going to take a break from this nonsense.

Thus he found himself in his smoking room, settling into his armchair and lighting a cigarette. He took a few moments just to let himself rest, focusing on blowing smoke rings up at the ceiling. This is what he should have been doing all along—what he would have been doing today had it not been for this stupid self-appointed mission.

Well, this, and reading more of his current book, which he was unable to do given the Pyro had tossed it into the fire. The memory made him shudder, but of course, he knew now what the Pyro had been trying to do. It had been trying to show him the colors—or lack thereof—that it saw.

What a strange mind this creature had.

Ah, but there he was again, with his mind on his mission when he should be resting. Sighing, Spy grabbed a nearby magazine and began flipping through it. He's already perused the articles that had interested him, so he settled for reading through the ones he'd overlooked. He read for several minutes, near dozing as he flipped to the next page, only to jump at the sight of fabric, dark red against bright red, and his heart pounded as the scent of blood filled his nostrils. His arms felt as though a heavy weight had been placed within them.

He shook his head—no, it was merely a photo of a woman's dress, its colors hideous and tacky. With a snort he tossed the magazine aside.

This was stupid. It was a day off, and he was going to the bookstore to acquire another copy of his book. But just as he rose from his chair—

Knock, knock.

Groaning, Spy approached the door and opened it. "What is it, I—oh."

The Pyro stared at him.

"If it's nothing urgent, it will have to wait," Spy said, squeezing past Pyro and shutting the door behind himself. "I'm heading into town for a quick errand."

At that, Pyro perked up, and held up its hands in the universal gesture for "wait." It then hurried off, and Spy raised an eyebrow as he heard it clomping up the stairs. A moment later it returned with a pink handbag over its shoulder.

"You wish to join me?" Spy guessed, and the Pyro nodded. He wanted to protest—it didn't even know where he was going, and could it even read to begin with?—but stopped himself. This creature lived in the base, so perhaps getting away from this place for a while would do it some good. "Very well. So long as you do not set fire to anything."

The Pyro gave him a hard stare, but made no protest.

"Come with me, then."

Spy led the Pyro out to where his car was parked, and unlocked the door so it could enter. Once it was in the passenger seat, Spy pulled away from the base, taking the long desert road out into town.

Of course, they wouldn't be stopping at Teufort. While it was the nearest town, it lacked a bookstore (and the intelligence required to be able to run one). Instead he drove them through it toward the next town over—a longer drive, but a necessary one.

Pyro merely stared out the window, making no attempts at communication. Not a surprise, Spy supposed. They had yet to figure the cause of its muteness outside of general shellshock, and while a change of scenery might help, he doubted it would magically cure it.

Before them stretched the vast desert, its warm red earth zipping past the bright red sports car. Spy hummed in thought before proceeding to break the silence: "All of this is gray for you as well?" He sensed Pyro give a start, and out of the corner of his eye saw it nod. "I suppose it's not much to look at to begin with."

He turned to steal a quick glance at it—it had gone back to staring out the window again, though its head was slightly lowered. "Perhaps we will find something at the bookstore that will inspire some color for you." Pyro finally turned away from the window to look at him, and Spy realized he hadn't told it where they were going. "I'm replacing the book you destroyed," he said, a growl edging into his voice.

When he glanced at the creature again, it showed no signs of remorse, or signs of any response at all, save its continued gaze on him.

Spy frowned, keeping his gaze on the road. Normally trips like this were a good time for him to think, but the silence from his passenger was not a comforting one, and certainly not one conducive to meditation. It would be better even to listen to what had once been Pyro's meaningless babble.

He opened his mouth, only to close it when he spotted the sign for the town. He would discuss things later—or attempt to, anyway.

Once they had pulled into the parking lot and stopped, Pyro eagerly leaped out of the car, looking up at the bookstore. Spy hoped it wasn't imagining the place going up in flames, and decided to stick close to it just in case. Once he was done finding what he came for, perhaps he could let it look at picture books for a while or something.

Stepping inside, Spy was unsurprised to see and hear the customers and staff immediately staring at Pyro and murmuring to each other; the populations outside of Teufort were less used to the eccentricities of the RED team. But, to his surprise, they did not seem to be afraid of the Pyro's appearance, but rather, were remarking that it was strikingly similar to some "famous CEO." Interesting.

Still, Spy had not come here to gather intel, and waved Pyro over to the new books section, where he sought the replacement for the book Pyro had destroyed. It took only a few moments to locate, but as he grabbed it, another book caught his eye. It was a new release by another author he enjoyed, and he found himself flipping through it. He may as well grab a few more books while he was out.

As he was looking over a third book, he abruptly realized that Pyro was no longer standing beside him. With a few choice French and Spanish curses, he whipped around in search of the missing mercenary. First he looked toward the children's section, but did not immediately spot it there. He began to sweat as the thought of the creature causing property damage here crossed his mind.

A search through the children's section came up empty, and he nearly swore again before spotting a familiar black and red figure by the fantasy shelves. Sighing, he hurried up to it to find it had picked out a book and was looking it over.

"Find something you like?" he muttered, and the Pyro lifted its head and nodded at him. "I hope you don't expect me to pay for this." Frankly, it should be paying for his books.

Pyro stared at him for a long moment before giving a quiet huff and turning back to its book.

Well, that was more of a response than he'd expected. Making note of where the Pyro was, Spy went back to look through more books himself. He occasionally looked up to make sure it wasn't causing trouble, but at most it created a mild inconvenience for other customers, who carefully squeezed around it.

Once he had gathered a small armful of books, Spy approached Pyro again. "We're leaving," he announced, and the Pyro stepped away from the bookshelf, still carrying the book it had selected. Spy barely kept himself from grimacing at the sight—he hoped he wouldn't have to fight with the creature when it realized it had to pay for the book.

The cashier quirked an eyebrow at Spy's mask, but otherwise said nothing as she rang up his books and he wrote out a check to cover the payment. Behind him, the Pyro seemed to be rifling through its handbag.

Once Spy had completed his purchase, he stepped back to watch the Pyro. His eyebrows raised when he saw that not only had it retrieved money from its bag—it had already counted out exact change. The cashier smiled upon checking it herself, and handed Pyro a receipt and a bookmark with its new book. Pyro accepted these and turned back toward Spy expectantly.

Spy realized he'd been staring, and gave a shrug before heading back out to the car. As the two settled themselves inside, he couldn't help but glance curiously at the cover of the book Pyro had purchased. Once he spotted a plump unicorn running across a stylized forest at sunset, he couldn't help but remember the plush unicorns he'd spotted in Pyro's bedroom, and rolled his eyes. Of course that would be the book it would be drawn to.

They continued their drive back to the base in silence, at least for the time being. Rather than looking out the window, Pyro was absorbed in reading its new book. While Spy knew better than to take his eyes fully off the road, he did cast a few glances at the pages and was surprised to find no illustrations. "I must admit," he found himself saying, "I did not know you were literate."

The Pyro slowly looked up at him. Though he could read no expression on its mask, he got the distinct impression that it was glaring at him.

He shrugged. "Not all of our team is. It's a fair assumption."

Recalling something he'd wanted to bring up earlier, he gave a thoughtful hum. "Why do you keep silent?"

Pyro froze, its head facing forward, staring blankly at the road ahead.

This could potentially end badly, but Spy pressed on. "The Medic did say there's nothing physically wrong with you, as far as he could tell. So what is it that keeps you from making noise?"

Pyro shook its head.

"You do not wish to tell me? Or you do not recall?"

It nodded.

Heaving a sigh, Spy continued to stare out at the desert road, considering his words. "Whether you wish to tell me or not, it would not be possible for you to do so under the present circumstances, regardless, so I can force nothing out of you."

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the Pyro tip its head slightly.

"Something is holding you back," he went on, keeping his tone calm. "You may not recall exactly what happened in the depths of Gray Mann's base, but perhaps you can identify the feeling or thought that prevents you from speaking."

The Pyro lowered its head—avoidant or pensive, Spy wasn't sure.

"Is it a memory of pain that keeps you silent? Fear, perhaps?"

Pyro crossed its arms. Spy wondered if it was offense, a confirmation, or both.

"If it is fear," he continued, "consider that no one here would harm you."

At that, Pyro did look at him, and grabbed its right arm.

It took Spy a moment to connect the dots. "That—that was not the same thing!" he sputtered. "I thought you were trying to attack me!"

Pyro stared for a moment, tipped its head, and looked away.

Sighing, Spy shook his head. "It was... a misjudgment on my part. But you—!" He bit his tongue, then gritted his teeth. "I'm..." The word lodged in his throat, and he fought to regurgitate it like a poorly-cooked dinner. "...sorry."

The Pyro looked back at him, and gave a slow nod.

Spy went quiet, letting the moment settle (and his pride attempt to recover), and considering his next words. "With... that out of the way... I assume you trust me, no?" Goodness knew why, when so few people did, but he wasn't going to question it right now.

But when Pyro neither shook nor nodded its head, Spy snorted out a laugh.

"Well, I do not blame you there. It is, after all, in my nature—and job description—to be dishonest, as it is in your nature and job description to burn people alive." He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel. "I suppose there is little reason for you to trust what I say. Though you did seek my help." For a second he looked it in the lenses before turning back to the road. "And if you still seek that help, then you must trust me when I say that I, nor any of the others, will seek to harm you if you speak."

He waited to see the movement of its head out of the corner of his eye—whether nodding, shaking, or turning away entirely. When nothing happened, he glanced over curiously to find the Pyro facing forward, staring blankly at the desert road ahead.

Frowning, Spy faced the road again. Perhaps this was too heavy of a question to ask at this—

"Hm."

Spy nodded, initially only recognizing it as a sound of confirmation, when realization hit him like the strike of a bat to the back of his head.

At the same time, Pyro's breathing became shallow and hurried, its hands rising toward its throat.

Swearing under his breath, Spy fought to recall what Heavy had done earlier that day—the calming words he had spoken, the actions he had taken. He cursed again when he remembered how Heavy had actually taken both of Pyro's hands in his own—an action Spy could not perform in their current situation. His mind raced, flitting back and forth over different concepts while his passenger's panic grew. He couldn't threaten to crush any invisible enemies like Heavy had. Pyro liked fire, but that wasn't a reasonable thing to have in his car at the moment, and it could only see it in shades of gray anyway, so would that really do anything? Merde, he needed a smoke—

His eyes widened, and with one hand still on the wheel, he reached into his coat pocket. Quickly he found what he was looking for, and flicked the lighter open and on, holding it out to Pyro.

The Pyro, who had begun clawing at its throat again, gave a strangled gasp at the offering. It stared at it, still fighting for breath.

"Take it," Spy said, waving the lighter impatiently.

With a shaky hand, Pyro reached out and took the lighter, holding it gingerly between its gloved fingers. Its other hand was still on its throat.

Grimacing, Spy glanced over at the Pyro and knocked the book out of its lap and onto the floor—should it drop that lighter on anything other than its suit, it would set the car ablaze. The action startled Pyro enough for it to move its free hand away, and Spy took the hand in his own, drawing it down and further away from its throat.

He did not give any promises of protection, or threats toward any enemies; he would not have trusted such words from a spy himself. Instead he stayed quiet, keeping a hold on Pyro's hand as it continued to stare at the lighter held in its other. All the while, he kept his other hand on the wheel and his eyes on the road, willing this moment to end.

It did, eventually, after an awkward silence on the remainder of the empty stretch and an unnerving drive through Teufort (which was holding a 5k, in the heat of the day, on a road it had oh-so-helpfully not blocked off). As they pulled back up to the RED base, Spy noticed that Pyro's breathing had returned to normal, and it was still staring at the lighter.

Sighing, Spy slipped his hand away from Pyro's grip and removed his key from the ignition. "You see, then?" he said, and the Pyro looked at him. "You're home now, safe and unharmed." When it continued to stare, he went on, "In spite of breaking your sudden vow of silence, no harm has come to you."

It continued to stare for a moment before looking down at the lighter in its hand again. It drew in a breath, heaved a long sigh, and snapped the lighter shut.

"I hope this trip was helpful for you, friend," Spy said, unbuckling himself and reaching back to grab his books. He stepped out of the car, and the Pyro did the same, grabbing its own purchase from the floor of the car. It said nothing this time, but nodded, and Spy hoped he wasn't imagining the slightly more relaxed air around it.

The two made their way back into the base before parting ways, Pyro heading back up to its own room and Spy heading for his smoking room to put his books away. One book was set upon the arm of his chair while the others were placed on the bookshelf.

A more productive day than he'd anticipated, he mused as he settled into his armchair and retrieved a cigarette. Perhaps now they would make some progress with this—

He reached into his inner pocket again, and fumed.

The Pyro still had his stupid lighter.

#tf2 pyro #tf2 spy #team fortress 2 #my art #my writing #fanfic #flickering fanfic #I'M STILL HERE #also this fic is completely finished #I just need to ... actually post it

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mymblesbuir · 7 months ago

Text

Kalluzeb Playlist

I've put together a playlist, on Spotify [here] and YouTube Music [here], following Kallus & Zeb's relationship from bitter enemies, through Kallus joining the rebellion, them falling in love, all the way to their happily ever after on Lira San. The majority are from Kallus' POV but not all. There's a very wide range of genres and styles haha

Here are the tracks (with individual YouTube video links), some relevant lyrics from each and my thoughts on including them!

1. 1000 Points of Hate - Anthrax "I hate you and you hate me"

Pretty much self explanatory, this is where they just plain hate each other.

2. Love the Way You Hate Me - Like A Storm "I'd rather be a sinner than a slave / I'd rather be an outcast than just bow down and obey [...] I love the way you hate me"

Still about hating each other, with a hint of why this time. This one's more from Zeb's POV as a Rebel.

3. Bitter Rivals - Sleigh Bells "You are my bitter rival / But I need you for survival"

Obligatory 'Honorable Ones' forced-to-work-together track.

4. Violently (Your Words Hit Me) - Hue & Cry "Wrapped in a cold world of my own devising [...] Violently, you came to me / Said I could be / A different man, a different man [...] A frozen survivor [...] But you chipped away until some poor soul appeared"

Okay, this whole song is so them, it was really hard not to just paste the entire lyrics here. If you don't listen to any of the rest of these please listen to this one.

5. Dare You to Move - Switchfoot "Welcome to resistance / The tension is here / Between who you are and who you could be [...] Maybe redemption has stories to tell"

Another Zeb POV one. Switchfoot are a Christian band so this is probably meant to be about Christian salvation but I don't care, it fits.

6. Metalingus - Alter Bridge "The time has come to change my ways [...] Could you set me free"

I came across this one on a tumblr post by @mayawakening saying what a Kallus song it is and she's so right about it!

7. For Good (from "Wicked") - Collabro "Because I knew you / I have been changed for good [...] And now whatever way our stories end / I know you have re-written mine by being my friend"

I mean come on. I couldn't not put this one! (I picked this cover just because I particularly enjoyed the sound of it.)

8. Stray Italian Greyhound - Vienna Teng "But you had to come along, didn't you? / Tear down the doors / Throw open windows [...] This feeling calls for everything I can't afford to know / Is possible now"

Here we have Kallus realising he has deeper feelings for Zeb but not being at all prepared for them!

9. Hanging By A Moment - Lifehouse "I'm desperate for changing / Starving for truth [...] I'm falling even more in love with you"

I struggled with where to place this in the order — the opening lines feel like they should come earlier, but the chorus has to come after the Feelings Realisation, so I put it here.

10. Beautiful Surprise - India.Arie "Whatever it is you came to teach me / I am here to learn it [...] You are inspiration to my life / You are the reason why I smile / You are a beautiful surprise"

Kallus definitely never expected to befriend Zeb, let alone fall in love!

11. Don't Deserve You - Plumb "Your heart was golden, how am I the one / That you've chosen to love? / I still can't believe that you're right next to me / After all that I've done"

Another one I think is supposed to be about God (all the "you"s are capitalised in lyrics listings), but hey, Kallus pretty much worships Zeb, right?

12. Gravity - Vienna Teng "Hey love / That's the name we've long held back / From the core of truth [...] This is the fate you've carved on me"

I don't know, this one just makes me think of them early in their romantic relationship somehow.

13. Head Over Feet - Alanis Morissette "You've already won me over in spite of me [...] I've never felt this healthy before"

Probably neither of them have ever really had a happy healthy relationship before... Kallus certainly hasn't!

14. Too Good to be True - Kacey Musgraves "Please don't make me regret / Opening up that part of myself [...] Please don't be too good to be true"

I think it would take Kallus a long time to stop being in disbelief at Zeb actually loving him back.

15. If I'm Unworthy - Blake Mills "My time before was wasted [...] What if I'm unworthy of the power I hold over you"

Poor Kallus still feeling undeserving.

16. Music of My Heart - Gloria Estefan ft. *NSYNC "Helped me to free the me inside [...] You opened my eyes / You opened the door / To something I'd never known before [...] You got through when no one else could reach me"

Another pretty self-explanatory one I think!

17. Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now - Starship "Let 'em say we're crazy / What do they know? / Put your arms around me / Baby, don't ever let go"

I'm sure a lot of people thought Zeb was crazy to ever fall for Kallus, but that's not gonna stop him.

18. We've Only Just Begun - Carpenters "Sharing horizons that are new to us [...] We'll find a place where there's room to grow"

Married life on Lira San time <3

#kalluzeb #alexsandr kallus #agent kallus #zeb orrelios #garazeb orrelios #rebels #sw rebels #swr #kallus x zeb #zeb x kallus #kallus #star wars rebels #ship playlist #otp playlist

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heyftinally · 6 months ago

Note

Swifties do love setting Taylor up.

Just what I saw on Twitter Yesterday:

1989 is a pop Bible that everybody knows. - Well if it's trash maybe.

Reputation is hip hop ??? - What?

Reputation is goth Rock ?? - Lol

That Reputation is also supposed to be R&nB - like where?? wtf?

And her new album the Treacherous Dead Poets Default is an album with a new sound.

Or this yt lady on tt that was claiming that no other artists has transcended genres as successfully as taylor did. 😭 And she mentions Rock? Girl where? And literally there are tons of artists who did it way better than her.

Or that one video which they have now deleted bc taylor was getting dragged. It was a video of her just walking on stage and singing (not live) and the caption was like: I can't believe she was doing that for the first time. ' - Some small part of me does feel sorry for these delusional fanbase. Cause she has the highest grossing tour right now. Big emphasis on right now cause that record is not forever. Anyways they can not post much about her performance anywhere without people using it to drag her. Cause let's face it. She can't perform. She's not serving. She's giving nothing. Her dancers slay more than she does.

Pffffft Taylor went from pop country to pop and never changed again. Slightly different vibes? Sure. Still pop. She wouldn't know rock if it smacked her in the head.

Missy Elliott is hip hop. Early P!nk (ie Most Girls) is R&B. Sumo Cyco is goth rock (+ others, but still). Taylor Swift wouldn't touch any of those genres with a 10ft pole, and quite frankly she'd suck at them if she tried lol.

She doesn't "transcend genres", and considering she can't even make different versions of pop sound good, I think we know why.

And no, she can't perform. Let me flex my expertise here: I'm a trained dancer. Specifically with 26 years of training in tap, jazz, ballet, theater, and contemporary, with additional training in commercial/street jazz (aka music video and tour choreography) and various other styles in sporadic classes. I've literally been choreographing since I was about seven years old, and have been analyzing commercial choreography since I was 15.

That said,

Her performances are not only weak, but they show me that her tour choreographer either

Doesn't exist and she created all of her own "dancing" herself

Doesn't know how to adapt choreography for someone with virtually no dance technique

Actively has something out for Taylor and is trying to make her look bad

I'm going to reference "Look What You Made Me Do" from the Eras tour, because that's the most recent and clearest to illustrate my point

A video of the performance in question, for reference.

Okay, first off, right off the bat, her hand floating on her hip looks awkward and uncomfortable. It's giving "over-excited 8yo at recital". For someone with as much experience as she has performing, I'd expect her to look more settled in her beginning pose. She looks like she's overthinking, and thus it looks under rehearsed.

Then we have that flexed hand - yes it's a nit pick, but that pose belongs very few places outside of a 6yo's tap dance.

Movibg on, her robotic movements look messy as fuck. Sharp isolations like that are HARD. A lot of dancers with years of training struggle with getting the kind of sharpness you would expect to see from that choreography. And on the scale of a stadium like she's in, everything is amplified. If it's messy, it's going to look five times as messy as it might on a smaller scale, because the further away the audience is, the more detail gets lost. So you're movements need to be SHARP in order to translate to the audience. Add to that that this is clearly filmed professionally/intentionally, and it really just looks unprofessional/poorly planned.

Meanwhile the things like the "don't like you" scolding (besides looking childish) are so small that you wouldn't see them beyond the front row. When you're choreographing even for a normal stage, the #1 rule is make everything BIG and intentional. If you're kicking, you're hitting AT LEAST a 45° angle, and with the force of trying to kick the winning soccer (football) goal. Taylor doesn't do that. Those movements are small, sad, and weak, and it honestly looks lazy. I know a 10yo currently doing a competitive dance solo to this song, and I shit you not that 10yo is 50x more interesting to watch perform than Taylor.

So yeah, her music has been one note since Fearless one note (uninspired pop), and her "stage presence" is about on par with an 8yo who doesn't want to be here.

#anti taylor swift #taylor swift critical #ask #anon

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welcometothedopeworld · 1 month ago

Text

Absolutely (NOT)! ~ *Hajun Yeon*

Summary: You're the head of a very important fashion house. Hajun is one of your top models. And he isn't satisfied with the work your designers are putting out...

Pairing: Hajun Yeon X G/N!Reader

Genre: Fluffyish Drabble

Word Count: 817

Warning: N/A

Masterlist

A/N: I found this again after going through some old fics. Thought I would spruce it up before reposting it.

You shook your head. No, no, no. Absolutely not!

“The colors are all wrong and the shape doesn’t fit this body type at all! Try again!” You snapped at the designer before moving on.

The rest of the designers that had assembled before you also had barely passable work. Your critiques were harsh, but you didn’t like to sugar-coat things. If there was something wrong in their designs, you were going to tell them. Besides, you still had faith in their skills. They just needed that little extra push to be absolutely perfect.

In your office, you went over numbers, designs, and invitations to different parties and shows. It was hard work being the CEO of a famous and successful fashion house. But you enjoyed it. All the work kept you on your toes and you loved being at the forefront of the fashion world. You wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“L/n?” Your secretary called over the intercom. “A Hajun Yeon is here to see you.”

You scowled, debating on whether or not to tell her to send him away. Hajun was the only thing that actually made your job truly difficult. It was always a struggle working with a diva like him.

Despite the headache you knew you were in for, you flicked your intercom on. “Alright. Send him in.”

Not even a second later, Hajun strolled into your office like he owned the place and flopped onto a chair in front of your desk. You surveyed his attire, a habit you unfortunately picked up from your career. It was a sort of street style that you wouldn’t be caught dead advertising out of your fashion house. However, he unfortunately wore it well and looked downright handsome. That still didn't mean you were going to go easy on him.

“I’d like a new designer.” He asked, completely void of sympathy or concern.

“Absolutely not.”

He raised an eyebrow at you. “Oh? And why is that?”

“Because I said so.” You frowned at him before returning to the papers littering your desk. “Besides, I’m the boss around here. What I say goes.”

“You know if you don’t give me what I want, I’ll quit. I’m your best model, and you know it! Without me, you’re nothing!” He snapped, crossing his arms over his chest.

Rolling your eyes at his little temper tantrum, you leaned back in your chair. “Come up with a better line already. You use that same excuse every time I deny one of your requests.”

Hajun scoffed. “It’s the truth though. You need me, whether you like it or not. Besides, there’s nothing keeping me here. I didn’t even want to be a model.”

“Then why are you here?”

“Because…” He trailed off, realizing he had just been caught in trying to play tricks. You tried your hardest to keep your smug smile off your face as he tried to think. Eventually, he muttered, “Because I like your designs, that’s why.”

The smug smile slipped free and you didn’t even try to hide it. You knew it. He always told you how much he liked the designs that came out of your fashion house. He had practically begged to be your top model a year ago because he was so obsessed with your work. Still, it was nice to know that after all this time he still appreciated it, even if he was complaining like a diva. It was why you were so hard on your workers. They had great ideas and great work, they just needed the right kind of pressure to put forth that kind of work.

“Where is all of this coming from anyways?”

“Well I heard you talking to your designers today, saying everything they made was awful. If you don’t even believe in their work, I don’t want to wear it.” He exclaimed.

“First of all,” You responded, your deathly serious tone causing him to narrow his eyes. “Those designers I was talking to are new. I keep them near my office so if they have any questions or require assistance, I’m right here. Second of all, you've been assigned to Brigitte and Damian. They’re the two best designers here. Everything they make is flawless, so if that doesn’t sound like I believe in their work, maybe you should leave.”

He shook his head. “No, that’s alright. I’m fine with Brigitte and Damian. They’re good. Besides, your fashion looks perfect on me. Why should I leave? You need me to stay. I got a good gig going on here. I shouldn’t give it up because the new designers aren’t perfect yet.”

You shot him a cheeky grin. “Exactly. Now get out of my office if you’re just going to bitch and moan about nothing.”

As Hajun started to leave, he paused at your door. With a shit-eating smile, he added, “Also, I would like a raise.”

“Absolutely not.”

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pathetickuroo · 2 years ago

Text

a ranking and analysis of “epic: the musical” songs so far, from someone who knows a lot about theater and not a lot about mythology

RANDOM DISCLAIMER: to reiterate from the title, i know a lot about music and theater, but NOT a lot about greek mythology. i'm trying to slowly read the odyssey as sagas release so that i'm never too far ahead but i can still have a sense of where things are going. aside from that, i have very basic foundational knowledge from vague exposure to pjo (but i never got into pjo myself LOL)

(also no one better spoil the odyssey for me in the tags or the comments i swear to god this is supposed to be about the SONGS)

putting it under the cut so people can scroll past if they want; this is long as fuck and i'm not gonna pretend it isn't.

9. the horse and the infant

i almost placed this one higher SOLELY BECAUSE OF "PENELOPE… PENELOPE, AND TELEMACHUS". (side note: low placement absolutely does not mean bad. i love every song in epic. like, excessively.) i'm probably going to talk about odysseus's voice A LOT. i love it. the reason i got into this in the first place is because back when early auditions were happening, one of the demos came up on my fyp and i was baffled by the vocals. from a plot standpoint i really like what this song does lyrically and what it shows of odysseus in particular but also how the gods interact with the mortals. zeus is immediately talking down/condescending to odysseus (which is fair because. it's fucking zeus, and also a detail that was pointed out to me by my friend), who reacts saying he "knows" he's ready for, essentially, whatever zeus throws at him… until he finds out zeus is making him kill a baby. the first two songs in the musical (this and "just a man") both reveal so much about odysseus, which is of course good because that's who we're supposed to sympathize with.

anyway. love this song. fuckin bangs.

8. just a man

normally with these early character-establishing solos i like them a little at first and then always skip them after that first listen. that's just a Thing for me. like, i know who you are now, i don't need to hear it again. but not this song. this was the first song that really told me i was gonna obsess over this musical for a long time and that it was going to ruin my life. my ONLY criticism, and it's not even a big one because it doesn't truly bother me/disrupt my listening experience at all, is that it's hard to hear any distinct emotion from odysseus for most of it. BUT I CAN'T EVEN BE MAD BECAUSE HIS VOICE IS SO STUPIDLY GORGEOUS. maybe that's hyperbole but i feel like you can't blame me for that. again as far as plot hearing odysseus's internal struggle about killing the baby is very foundational for our understanding of the character. also, the dual meaning of the lyric "when does a man become a monster" which as others have pointed out refers (most likely) both to odysseus wondering if fulfilling his end of the prophecy will make him a monster and also wondering when, if this baby grows up, it will cause whatever destruction zeus foretold… i have a lot of feelings. i like this song a lot. a LOT.

SECOND RANDOM DISCLAIMER: at some point, you will probably start to think i sound pretentious. i like my own funny words and think i am a magic man. you are allowed to not like my funny words.

7. open arms

i would like to briefly touch on how much i love steven dookie's voice before we proceed. ok thanks. ANYWAY, this to me is our first real shift away from the musical theater genre-sound, something that i love about modern theater and particularly composition. the vocal style is less theater-inspired to me, too--until the lotus eaters show up--which really speaks to the message of the song in my opinion. the laid back sound after the sort of chaos and pain of the past few songs is refreshing to me. as far as characterization it solidifies what i feel we already knew about polites just from that little bit of him we heard in full speed ahead, but shows the more caring side to his positivity (the "you can relax, my friend" refrain and variations). i also love what it shows about the dynamic between odysseus and polites, establishing further that polites isn't just a soldier but a friend. this is one of the songs that i don't have a lot to say about, truthfully, but mostly because every time i listen to it i'm just enjoying the sound LOL

6. full speed ahead

SIX HUNDRED MEN. SIX HUNDRED MEN UNDER MY COMMAND…. this is where we really meet some new characters, and their introductions--true to form for the show--show a lot about them, both right away when they show up and all the way through the end of the song too. eurylochus, the battle-minded second-in-command to odysseus, and polites, the kind-hearted best friend to odysseus, both make their positions very clear not only in their verses but i feel also in just the way that they greet odysseus/each say "captain" (but that could also just be the different qualities of their voices). re: vocals, more vocal excellence from odysseus (have i mentioned "and ithaca's waiting etc" yet?), and polites sounds so fucking good constantly, and eurylochus has such a consistent tone through his whole verse. re: polites, a lot of the other voices in this musical are kind of standard fare (respectfully! i love theater voices genuinely) for what you imagine theater actors to sound like, but polites (played by steven dookie) has such a unique tone for this medium and i love it so so much. the soldier ensemble is insane too. from a compositional standpoint i LOVE the call and response, particularly on "so, captain, what's the plan? (captain, what's the plan?)" + that section where the soldiers echo odysseus that comes right after that. i didn't think this would beat just a man when i started this, but i was very wrong. very very wrong.

5. polyphemus

i don't want to talk about plot OR musicality, first. i want to talk about sound design. the choice of the particular sound effects that were used with the reverb and the overlapping noises from the sheep paint a very clear picture indeed of polyphemus's cave. (something that definitely did not hurt to accomplish this end was the teaser video where odysseus, eurylochus, and polites were in the dark holding candles (? i think, some kind of small light sources at least).) audio panning was also present in the intro for this track, i would say up until polyphemus starts to sing it's pretty prevalent, and audio panning is my favorite thing you can do to establish spatial understanding in non-visual media. okay, moving on. in this song, odysseus directly parrots polyphemus's words and melody, and this is a theme that continues in the other songs the two are both in. this also, to me, shows that one of the layers of his plan is to make himself seem more agreeable to polyphemus (which in itself as a fact i think is rather clear in terms of plot, but i think the specific methodology from a compositional standpoint is fun). AND JUST TO SAY: the moment at the beginning where this suddenly becomes a horror musical made my heart drop through my ass in the best possible way. i had to stand up for the rest of the saga because sitting down limited my range of motion too much and i had to go insane. in terms of characterization, we know that odysseus is smart and resourceful mostly from what we hear about him from others, but i feel like this song is the first one where we see that firsthand. i love this song.

4. warrior of the mind

the first song i had to just sit with and loop for a while (i did the same with just a man, but several days later upon relisten). athena's vocals never fail to astound me, teagan earley's tone is so clear and strong, and this is kind of specific but i like the choices she made on vowel placement, particularly on that last "mind" in the first chorus. also, i'm not even going to beat around the bush: i'm a trumpet player, i've been playing trumpet for theater and in other contexts for almost a decade now, and when i heard that low trumpet line underscoring the first establishment of the melody in the chorus, i KNEW an octave kick was coming and i was THRILLED when it delivered so perfectly. i don't know if it's synth trumpet or a live musician, i assume synth just for ease of production, but either way, i'm obsessed with it. absolutely a fantastic composition choice when it comes to ramping up the energy of the second half of that chorus. again in regards to composition: obsessed with odysseus's harmonic line in the second chorus. it took me a while to pick the notes out because i go a little harmony-blind sometimes when i'm too busy ooh-ing and ahh-ing but once i got that line in my head i was all about it.

(did not think this section would be so wordy, but) what this song shows about athena in my eyes is her fondness for odysseus--which sounds obvious until you remember how zeus interacted with him vs how athena does. athena gets close to talking down to odysseus sometimes, yes, but in more of a human, sarcastic way ("you'll see where it ends"). one could argue that the entire intro is her condescending to him in some way, certainly, but when she almost immediately also establishes that she sees the merit in his skills and his mind and has for some time now, it takes away the sort of preachy sound that was there when zeus was doing it. again in the characterization vein it shows odysseus's spirit, the more childish side of him (of course, because he was younger for much of this song) that we don't get to see in the songs that are set in the "present" period. in warrior of the mind, we see odysseus, the boy. in all the other songs, we see odysseus, the king.

anyway. i adore this song. if that wasn't, like. clear.

3. survive

THE ECHO OF THE HORSE AND THE INFANT. MY JAW WAS ON THE FLOOR. people other than me have said that this could be a way of showing that the fight with polyphemus is the will of the gods and i can see the merit in that standpoint but i also think that this is, in this telling at least (which is a distinction i make because i started the odyssey literally today and read maybe 10 pages before i had to go to class so i don't concretely know the details), showing that this is the first real conflict odysseus and the soldiers have been in since the seige of troy. also interesting to note: this song, if i'm not mistaken, is actually in compound meter at least in certain parts (before u fight me on this take a second to count it both ways, i'm not even entirely sure because of how i've been feeling the pulse). also, this reestablishes what i said earlier about polyphemus and odysseus parroting each other, but in this case i think it's polyphemus trying to do as much damage to odysseus and the soldiers as possible, certainly more like mocking them than trying to communicate on their level. (but also, melodic repeats are kind of just how music works, lol. remember when i said u might start to think im pretentious?)

now, maybe this is my sympathetic lens for odysseus showing, i fully admit that bias and own up to any way it may skew my judgement, but in that first chorus, i feel like odysseus isn't just trying to rally his men but to find the will in himself to fight as well. after the long war in troy and being confronted with polites's ideology, i would certainly be weary and sick of fighting. something about "it's just one life to take / and when we kill him then our journey's over" sounds so self-consoling to me. idk! maybe just me!

i'm, uh. not gonna talk much about the plot at the end, there. for obvious reasons, as someone who foolishly got attached to polites. we're gonna gloss over that. (fellow polites likers, how we feelin, though? we all coping?)

2. remember them

if you'll recall from many many paragraphs ago, i mentioned that in "just a man", i felt like there wasn't much emotion in odysseus's voice. this? the intro of this? this, to me, kind of makes up for that. and i mean the VERY beginning, the anger/intensity in that first verse. something that i noticed, that the fellow polites likers will be upset with me for pointing out, is that starting on "mark my words now" and through eurylochus asking "but captain, what'll we do with our fallen friends?", the guitar in the back is playing the melody of "we're up, we're off, and away we go" from "full speed ahead", the first song we hear from polites in. (sorry guys, if i was burdened with this knowledge you will be, too.)

this song and "polyphemus" both do a really good job of establishing horror-style tension. eurylochus's "there are more of them?" and what i would call horror sirens on the strings in the beginning of polyphemus are what i mean, here. it gives that nice stomach-swoopy feeling that recreational horror is so fond of. the ramping tension when eurylochus is pleading with odysseus to order them to run is fantastic too.

re: odysseus vocals. "my friend is dead! our foe is blind! the blood we shed, it never dries! is this what it means to be a warrior of the mind?!" will never NOT make me insane. it makes me want to scream, genuinely. and via the lyrics and instrumental sound we understand the ruthlessness of odysseus's vengeful side as well. again, possibly my sympathetic lens, but "let's grab the sheep and away we go" and during the argument up to that aforementioned point, odysseus just sounds tired to me.

also, i'm sure we all collectively shat our pants when we heard athena. i don't have much to comment on the matter further than that, but know that i was losing my fucking mind as soon as i heard her voice.

last thing: odysseus's choice of words when revealing his name is interesting to me. the "infamous" odysseus? infamy has a very negative connotation and maybe that's just him acknowledging that to polyphemus he'll always be painted in a negative light due to his actions in the cave, but it's an interesting choice in verbiage to me.

1. my goodbye

you were a fool if you thought this was ever gonna get anything other than first place of all the songs that are out so far. hearing athena and odysseus tear each other to pieces was so satisfying on the second listen with the new understanding that the partnership was sort of exhausting on both ends. i confess that my first thought right after i finished this song the first time was "HOLY FUCKING SHIT" but my SECOND one was "bro really wrote a breakup song and thought we wouldn't notice (but said with a positive connotation)". as far as i understand it, and i've asked questions about this so i'm fairly certain, there was nothing romantic in nature about the relationship between athena and odysseus (which i see as a good thing), and the song sounding like a breakup song is more a fun creative choice. and i DO think it's fun, in that case! so with that interpretation in mind, when i go back to the lyrics now, i think about how odysseus's original idea that he and athena would be friends was shot down and in this song i start to feel that maybe despite athena's best efforts they DID consider each other as friends. and of course i think that's intentional--that's why "you're not looking for a mentor, i'm not looking for a friend" cuts so deep.

there's also something in the way the two characters argue with each other that i find so compelling. i feel like athena is really trying to be right, or maybe not that she's trying to be right per se but that she's trying to make odysseus understand why he's wrong. odysseus, on the other hand, seems to be trying to hurt athena as much as possible, in as few words as possible. athena's argument has one core idea, and it's that odysseus is reckless/unfit to be her disciple because he's too emotional. odysseus, on the other hand, brings up several points, like 5 or 6 different little gripes about athena that he's probably been holding onto for who-knows-how-long. it just shows how the focus is entirely different on both parts and i like it a lot LOL

vocals absolutely deliver of course, that goes without saying. and i made that point earlier about how i felt odysseus didn't show much emotion in voice, and maybe this is just me being the #1 jorge rivera-herrans defender or something but i feel like a sort of detached-ness was intentional this time. like odysseus saying, "you can't fire me, because i quit." that's not entirely me being biased, i think the language reflects it too: "this way, you'll close the door and have your damn goodbye." that sounds dismissive to me, and the way that he previously frames athena leaving as something that would be good for him ("this way, you won't plague my life").

anyway….. less of a ranking and more of a song analysis where the songs just so happen to also be ranked. this was originally gonna be on my priv twitter, but the character limit was driving me up the wall, so. here.

#epic the musical #epic the troy saga #epic the cyclops saga #momo this one's for u. HEARTS4MOMO

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morb-untamed · 1 month ago

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Writer Interview Tag

I was tagged by @tavyliasin a pretty long time ago to do this, but I figured I'd finally get to it. Thank you so much for tagging me Lia, I'll try to answer these questions to the best of my abilities! Your interview was as delightful as it was insighting to read. I tag @miradelletarot and @likethelightfromorionabove. But no pressure to fill this at all! This text contains some descriptions of mental illness, and some pretty personal stuff. I don't get into the nitty-gritty of these subjects, but I still wanted to give a heads-up.

When did you start writing?

I cannot really put an exact date to when I started to write to be exact - as I have been imagining and writing stories for as long as I can remember. I know when I was a little child I was writing down stories even though I could barely make an interesting string of words. Unsurprisingly enough, they were about horror and fantastical creatures. So not much has changed in that regard.

Although writing has never been my #1 passion, that goes to drawing. But it has been a constant in my entire life with intervals. Before I actively started writing fanfiction I hadn't written anything creatively for over 6 years I believe! Before that I always tried to create original stories with original characters.

Are there different themes or genres you enjoy reading than what you write?

This is a hard question to answer, as I have such a hard time reading in comparison to writing. I have ADHD, and either have to struggle to even attempt to finish a page in a book, or read a 500 page novel in one go. There's no in between! Although I have noticed I like to read the same themes and genres as I write about, even if it is to learn about said themes and genres and how to write them. I do have a whole collection of books, but they're mostly about art, art history, plants, nature, flowers, and some comics. Other than that I really like to get more into Warhammer 40k novels, mostly because I really like dark fantasy/sci-fi. I also really want to read more fantasy erotica books, horror (gore, paranormal, and anything that sends chills down my spine), and anything about real life mysteries!

Is there a writer you want to emulate or get compared to often?

Sometimes I say that the things I want to write about are far above my actual writing skills. This rings true for this question as well - as many of my writing friends know, English isn't my native language even though that's the language I write my stories in. I feel like I am far better at conveying my thoughts and emotions into writing in the English language rather than Dutch (and I think it's kinda cringy to write fanfiction in my native tongue to be honest). But this does mean my vocabulary can be lacking any diverse words at times, and grammar can be confusing at times. Thankfully I have a space where people want to help me out, and that thesaurus.com is free.

With that being said, I don't really aim to emulate any other writers. I have come across some amazing writers who post on AO3 who inspire me, but for now I'd like to hone my writing skills and see where my style takes me.

Can you tell me a bit about your writing space?

I have my own 'work' room in my home I used to write from, but ever since busting my knee even further last May I have found myself to be far more comfortable on the couch so I can keep my leg straight. It also happens to be the calmest place during the times I tend to write the most - which ranges from 8 pm to the early morning hours. But for my own sake I try to not keep it as late as I used to the past few months. Mainly because I don't want to mess up my biological clock too much while I'm stuck at home healing from surgery as of right now.

What's your most effective way to muster up a muse?

It really depends on my mood, what's happening in my personal life, and how inspired I feel at the same time. I always try to make myself as comfortable as I can, and tend to my needs first; am I too hot? Too cold? Do I have coffee, am I hydrated enough, and aren't there too many distractions around me? Sometimes, when I really want to write but feel like I can't I sometimes take my ADHD medication which does the trick. But I only take it if I am sure I feel good both mentally and physically as it can have averse effects if I don't.

Are there any recurring themes in your writing? Do they surprise you?

Trauma, angst, inner conflict, and even more trauma! Trauma comes in many forms, expressions, and manifestations. And I am not surprised at all I am writing about it. I am surprised about how much catharsis I experience from writing it, and how often I ended up writing about these themes. You might not be shocked to read that I suffer from C-PTSD and anxiety with some depression on the side. I have dealt with mental illness and traumatic events for most of my life, and it feels like I have some form of control and acceptance if I write about them in my own writing, especially in my fanfiction. With that being said, I have never really written my own specific traumatic events into my writing as that's a bit too much. But they often fall in the same themes, like SA, physical and emotional abuse from family, witnessing horrible events, self-destruction, manipulation, and having to make awful decisions in order to protect yourself. I relate heavily to them, and in some ways it gives me some closure.

What is your reason for writing?

The biggest reason is that I felt this growing need and compulsion to write something specifically I wanted to read about. I have always written for myself, and will continue to do so. This rings especially true for fanfiction, which is also a reclamation for my own wants and needs. I have always wanted to write fanfiction, but for the longest time it was labeled as cringe and stupid in the circles I found myself in. I was so shy and embarrassed of what I wanted to write (and draw) about, so I have never truly been active in a fandom. I was a lurker at most, too scared to show where my imagination and creativity takes me about certain characters - let alone about my own OC's. But thankfully I grew far more comfortable in that ever since stepping foot in the BG3 community, where your OC is literally a part of the story if you want them to be! I remember @tavyliasin and some others literally had to beg me to link them to Weeping Willow as I was so scared of judgement even though I very well know they wouldn't ever make fun of me. Ever since then I have become what one might describe as unhinged in a sense. I have reclaimed being cringe, and happily yap about my oc's, canon characters, in any smutty, angsty and dumb scenario I can come up with. I am not hurting anyone, and I am having fun. And that's what's most important.

But I do admit I still sometimes struggle with the embarrassment of writing fanfiction. I still sometimes get laughed at by friends outside of the internet when I tell them about it, along with being made fun of because of it. But I try to stand my ground, always saying that they can laugh what they want, and rather make them feel weird for making fun of me having fun. It is still a process, but it is a part of reclaiming my love for myself and thus claiming space for myself.

Is there any specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating?

Honestly? My work doesn't get that much attention at all, so when it does I am beyond elated and often screenshot and save any comments I get on AO3, discord, or tumblr to look back on. But I especially love any comments from readers who are as unhinged about my writing as I am - give me all the caps lock and keysmashing!!

How do you want to be thought about by your readers?

Like I said before, I don't have a lot of readers. But I do hope that those who do actively read my work think "Wow, this person really cares about the characters they write about.". I want them to remember me by my passion, weather that's from a heartbreaking scenario, an insanely detailed smut chapter, or something that sparks fire of anger within them as they read about it. That despite my shortcomings in language and ability to describe what I see in my head, they see the love and effort I put into it.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Like I mentioned in the previous question, I truly believe my passion for wanting to put the images I have floating in my head into words to share it with others is what I think is my greatest strength. I never really try to leave anything for the imagination. Aside from that, I think my other strength is that I try no matter my shortcomings. I have heard before that I am very much persevering when it comes to my goals.

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely for yourself, or a mix of both?

While I always try to keep in mind what a potential reader might like to read, I usually stick to what I want to read about. As I mentioned before, I started writing again for me, and to reclaim it as a form of self-love.

How do you feel about your own writing?

Honestly? I often feel like I suck at writing, no matter the love I put into it. Even though I know I have improved massively (sometimes I reread the very first chapter of Weeping Willow to see how far I've come), I never feel good enough. I am aware that that's because I'm insanely critical of myself to a torturous degree - something I have to overcome as well. I often feel like I "might as well not do it if I am not the best at something" knowing very well I am never going to be the best at anything as that's not how the world works. But that takes me back that I'm doing this for myself, not for a prestigious title, an award, or recognition from those at the top in this field of writing. Although I do admit I love any validation I get. But reminding myself that I'm doing this for myself, that there is no repercussions if I quit except for regret and that same need to realise my stories into actualisation that made me write in the first place. So I have to keep going, so I won't drive myself crazy with the sense of unfulfilment.

Thank you so much for reading if you've come this far, I feel like these questions were very much needed to remind myself why I'm writing and received motivation to get over any blockades I have as of now. So sad I'm too tired to write right now though :')

#tag meme #personal

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oliverreedmasterass · 4 months ago

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Starcatchers 1x4 - Fate of the Faithful

Synopsis: It's media day for the GVF guys! What could go wrong? (everything) Danny struggles to hold back the truth, Jake takes advice from a higher up, and Sam and Josh can't stop saying the wrong thing. Their manager has never been more stressed.

Words: 5.8k

Warnings: mentions of physical harm (brief), caffeine addiction, Keith Richards

Notes: Thank you, as always, to @feelslikejakey for the original concept, and @jmkho for literally writing the ending for me because my writer's block was so unbelievably bad AND making the incredible title/gif!! 🫶🫶🫶

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Jake, Josh, and Sam are in an old-fashioned diner, eating breakfast and sipping on tall mugs of black coffee. Sam sets down his fork with a clatter and leans closer to his brothers so he can conspire.

SAM: Something’s different with Daniel.

JAKE: (raising an eyebrow, mouth full of bacon) How so?

SAM: It’s like he’s more gullible or something. Usually he’s the most headstrong one in the band, but I’ve been messing with him a lot more recently, and he’s falling for it.

JOSH: You might be onto something, I convinced him that Genovia is a real country yesterday and he didn’t even Google it to double check.

JAKE: I can’t see that happening. I bet he’s the one screwing with you both.

SAM: No, trust me, watch this.

Danny comes back to the table from the bathroom, wiping his wet hands on his jeans.

DANNY: Some guy was styling his hair with the hand dryer. Can you believe that?

SAM: (ignoring Danny’s interesting story) Daniel, did you know that it gets so hot in the summer because the sun doubles in size between June and September?

DANNY: I guess that kind of makes sense.

Jake and Josh exchange amused looks. This is gonna be fun.

JOSH: Well, I read yesterday that pisces can read people’s minds.

DANNY: Really? That’s kind of spooky.

JAKE: The pyramids were built from the top down.

DANNY: I knew it. (beat) You guys are throwing a lot of information at me. It’s kinda making my head spin a bit. Not gonna lie, I’ve been all over the place since I stopped drinking caffeine. Like, I really can’t think straight.

SAM: (obviously not feeling bad at all) Oh no, that’s horrible!

Sam, Jake, and Josh share malicious grins. Danny is entirely oblivious.

SAM: (to the camera) I can tell this fool whatever I want.

Starcatchers Theme/Opening Titles

[acoustic theme song with a harmonica]

From the fires we emerged anew,

Singing, playing rock and roll,

Reviving a genre just for you.

Across the globe we traveled far

Recruiting an army of peace,

Enchanting crowds with our guitar.

A battle ensued at the Gardens Gate

And we preserved the gift of nature,

Standing up against a culture of hate.

We are the Starcatchers, reaching for the sky,

Discovering words of wisdom to live by.

We deliver a message from the heavens above:

Live your legend through the intelligence of love.

[end theme]

Jake, Josh, Sam, and Danny sit in their manager’s office. Danny is balancing a pen on his forehead while Sam times him with a watch that looks like it came from a Happy Meal. Jake and Josh try to focus on their manager, but it’s pretty hard with all the commotion Sam and Danny are making.

SAM: Twenty seconds away from the world record!

DANNY: Wooooo!

MANAGER: (trying to talk over Sam and Danny’s shouts) Today is a big press day. We’ve got a calendar full of interviews for you to get through. I know it’s going to be exhausting work, but we really need to start spreading the word about your upcoming single, ‘Meeting the Master.’

JOSH: We’re more than happy to talk with some kind journalists, right guys?

Danny sneezes and sends the pen flying across the room so it hits their manager square in the face.

SAM: Shoot! You were two seconds away!

Danny struggles to find a kleenex to wipe his nose, so he opts for a piece of paper sitting on the manager’s desk instead.

DANNY: Ugh, this tissue feels awful.

Danny crumples the snot-covered printer paper and discards it out the window.

MANAGER: (nodding towards Danny) What’s up with him? He’s usually the sane one.

JAKE: Caffeine withdrawals.

MANAGER: Say no more. (shudders) Been there.

JOSH: So, who do we get to chat with today? Rolling Stone? The New York Times Art and Culture columnist? Kelly Clarkson?

MANAGER: 98 Rock outside of Clearwater, Florida.

JAKE: Oh, come on.

MANAGER: And a few others. Sam and Josh, you’ll pair off and take this schedule. (hands Josh a sheet of paper) Danny, since you just blew your nose on your schedule and chucked it out the window, you and Jake are gonna have to figure things out. I don’t feel like printing another one.

Manager then slams a gavel down on his desk, making the guys jump.

MANAGER: Let’s get marketing!

The manager rushes out of the room, whooping and jumping around like he’s about to take the field for the Super Bowl. Jake, Josh, Sam, and Danny slowly follow behind him, unenthusiastically.

SAM: (falling in line with Danny) I need to tell you something.

DANNY: What’s up?

SAM: (obviously lying) I put truth serum in your water this morning at breakfast.

DANNY: Now why’d you do that?

Sam shrugs.

SAM: A guy sold it to me on the street. I wanted to see if it was the real deal or not.

Danny nods like he understands where Sam is coming from. Then he stops.

DANNY: I think you might have been scammed, Sam. It’s not like I’ve been spilling a bunch of secrets left and right.

Sam pretends to look disappointed.

SAM: There’s five bucks I’ll never get back.

Danny stops in his tracks. Sam stops with him. Danny turns to face Sam and puts his hands on his shoulders, looking deep into his eyes.

DANNY: I was the one who spread the rumor in third grade that you wore a wig.

Sam gapes at Danny.

SAM: DANIEL!

Danny looks horrified that he shared this information with Sam. His mouth hangs open in shock and, after taking in Sam’s progressively angrier face, he snaps back to life to do some major damage control.

DANNY: I don’t know why I said that, I’m so sorry, Sam. I was young then, I thought it was a funny joke, I didn’t mean for it to get out of hand.

SAM: Kids called me Mr. Clean for years, Daniel. Years. I had to grow my hair long to prove a point, but they just kept telling me that I had a nice weave.

Danny doesn’t know what to say. In a silent panic, he runs away from Sam. Sam watches him flail down the hallway and then shakes his head. As he does this, Josh retreats back to Sam’s side and places a hand on his shoulder, not noticing Danny running away.

JOSH: I was instructed to relay the message that we need to be on our best behavior today in front of the press. Management threatened to subtract twenty bucks from our upcoming paycheck every time we make ourselves look bad.

SAM: (focusing on Josh) How can they fairly keep track of that? It’s an entirely subjective thing.

JOSH: I don’t think this is something we can negotiate.

Sam shakes his head with discontent.

SAM: I can’t help that I enjoy riffing.

JOSH: I’m right there with you, bro, but it’s a challenge we’re gonna have to overcome.

Josh guides Sam past Jake, who is waiting outside a door labeled “105.4 KSCR: The Singles” where he and Danny are expected to take their first interview. Jake is pacing back and forth in front of the door, practicing his lines.

JAKE: Hi, I’m Jake Kiszka from Greta Van Fleet and I’m here to promote our new single, Meeting the Master. No, not quite it. Hey guys! This is Jake from Greta Van Fleet, spreading the word about our new single! Gross. What’s crackalackin my bros? I’m excited about my new single!

A deep and booming voice reminiscent of Samuel Pack Elliott appears from seemingly nowhere.

MYSTERIOUS VOICE: Become one with the essence of your being.

Jake suddenly stops in his tracks and spins in a tight circle, searching for the source of the mysterious voice.

JAKE: Huh? Dad?

MYSTERIOUS OVERHEAD VOICE: Soar above the constraints of possibility.

JAKE: Is this a prank? Because we already covered that in the pilot episode.

MYSTERIOUS VOICE: Your destiny lies in standing apart from the rest.

Jake’s face scrunches as he finally begins to consider what the voice is telling him. He looks back at the sign on the door. The words “The Singles” especially stand out to him, and he’s staring at the words while whispering “single” under his breath. Danny approaches Jake, looking turned around, and Jake stops whispering to himself, straightening up when he sees his bandmate.

JAKE: Daniel, I wanna fly solo with the interviews today. Why don’t you go somewhere else?

DANNY: I mean, I guess I can do that?

Danny turns back on his heel and wanders away back down the hallway, accidentally bumping into stuff left and right. He finds a door and slips into the room, leaving Jake back on his own. Jake sighs a breath of relief, like he’s off to a fresh start, and lets himself into the KSCR room.

The perspective of Jake entering the room swaps to a shot of Danny entering into a room of his own, which is entirely dark except for a single light. Danny gazes around and finally spots the interviewer, who is a woman around his age, giving him an eerie smile from the shadows. As he moves closer to her, it becomes clear that she’s using a screenshot of the Pixar lamp on her phone with the brightness turned all the way up as a substitute for an interrogation lamp.

INTERVIEWER: You’re early.

DANNY: My bandmate ditched me and told me to take some interviews on my own. I don’t like talking to people I don’t know, especially when there’s a camera around, but I am getting paid for this, so I might as well get it over with.

INTERVIEWER: Your honesty is refreshing.

DANNY: I’m so sorry, that was rude to say. I have no filter.

INTERVIEWER: Like a geriatric patient. Excellent.

DANNY: What’s with the dark room? I feel like I’m on the set of Hot Ones.

INTERVIEWER: I like my interview space free of distractions, so I can focus on only you, and you can only focus on me.

Danny points to the photo of the Pixar lamp that she’s still holding up.

DANNY: That’s pretty distracting.

INTERVIEWER: (adamant) The lamp stays.

DANNY: You’re making my spine tingle. That’s what happens when I’m around people who intimidate me.

INTERVIEWER: That’s exactly what I was going for. Now, shall we get started?

DANNY: (still evidently uncomfortable) I feel like I have to. (beat) I really hope I don’t talk about how I stole Dave Grohl’s drum sticks that one time we played at the same festival or how I used them afterwards to build a piece of IKEA furniture because I lost my hammer.

INTERVIEWER: Hold on, say that again after I start the camera.

Danny’s face pales with worry.

The interview room transitions into the room where Josh and Sam are currently on a Zoom call with a couple of cheesy DJs wearing Led Zeppelin band tees.

DJ 1: So I have written here in front of me that your band name has an interesting story behind it.

JOSH: Oh yeah, we actually came up with the name as an homage to our 3 main inspirations.

SAM: Greta Thunberg.

JOSH: Vanderpump Rules.

SAM: And Adele!

Josh flashes Sam a disappointed look.

DJ 2: How fascinating. I could have sworn I read somewhere that the name came from a town elder in your hometown of Frankenmuth.

SAM: If you knew that, then why did you ask the question?

Josh’s phone pings, he looks down at it, and immediately frowns.

JOSH: (to Sam) That’s a $20 deduction for both of us.

SAM, DANNY: Darn it!

Back in the darkened room with the interviewer, Danny is heard yelling the same thing as Sam, holding his head in his hands. The interviewer is flipping through her notes.

INTERVIEWER: So, in the past five minutes, you’ve shared your social security number, list of allergies, all of your phobias, your home address, how you’re oddly attracted to the pink Stitch, that you think you’re better at guitar than Jake, and, just now, your iCloud username and password. Can I include all of that in my article?

DANNY: (still into his hands) Please don’t.

INTERVIEWER: My interrogation - uh, I mean - my interviewing skills have really improved since I did my blood oath - I mean - my Masterclass course on journalism. I didn’t even prompt you to tell me any of that stuff. You offered it all on your own.

DANNY: (groaning) That stupid truth serum. I’m gonna kill Sam.

The interviewer is intrigued by this. She leans closer to Danny.

INTERVIEWER: Truth serum, huh? I didn’t know that stuff worked.

DANNY: Well, here’s all the evidence you need. Sam bought it off some guy on the street for, like, five bucks. It seems kinda cheap for something like that, though. I wonder if he had a coupon.

The interviewer is on her feet now, looking energized.

INTERVIEWER: Where’s Sam now? This could be my shot to finally get one of those big Hollywood hotshots to fess up to the existence of the Illuminati. It’s my time to expose those lizard people.

DANNY: I thought the lizard people and Illuminati were two separate groups?

It’s no matter, because the interviewer is already gone. Danny sighs and starts to play with the microphone that the interviewer left in front of him. Across the hallway Jake is sitting with the KSCR interviewer, a kind woman who looks like she’s got years of experience under her belt.

KSCR INTERVIEWER: It said on the call sheet that your drummer, Danny, was going to be joining us today.

JAKE: I’m flying solo today, hun. You see, Greta Van Fleet has been around for quite some time now. We’re veterans in the field, you could say, which means it’s time for us to explore new avenues. One of those avenues, as you can see, is that I get to take some interviews by myself. You know, test the waters a bit to feel what it’s like to be on my own, running the show.

KSCR INTERVIEWER: Are you implying that you’re going to leave the band?

JAKE: I’d be lying if I said the idea didn’t pique my interest. I keep seeing signs, like a higher power is pointing me in the right direction. Have you ever felt like you’ve been trapped in a cage your entire life? Don’t answer that; it’s a rhetorical question. What I crave is so much bigger than the confines of this little rock group. I want to move mountains with my song, to travel the world as a nomad, to become my own master. (without missing a beat) Speaking of which, our newest single, ‘Meeting the Master,’ will be available to stream on April 7th.

KSCR INTERVIEWER: This is frankly shocking to hear from you, Jake. A lot of people would argue that Greta Van Fleet is in their prime now. You’ve found your sound, gained your following, and are dominating the rock world. Why would you want to walk away from that?

JAKE: The loner’s path calls me.

Jake pulls a steel guitar out of nowhere and starts to play a tune that sounds similar to The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly theme. The KSCR interviewer gives Jake a blank stare. That blank stare is shared by Josh and Sam, who are sitting in a room with their manager, who looks like he’s on the brink of exploding.

MANAGER: You know how much money we’re deducting from your paychecks?

SAM: I dunno, like 17 bucks? We’ve been on our very best behavior today.

MANAGER: $10,680! Each!

Sam and JOSH both wince at his words.

MANAGER: (continued) You’ve only done three interviews. It’s like you’re trying to make yourselves look bad or something.

JOSH: It’s just our personalities, I promise. We aren’t being deliberate about this.

MANAGER: It seemed pretty deliberate when Sam screamed that he was going to strangle the next artist that used a drum machine.

SAM: That came from the heart. I thought you told us to be authentic and likable.

MANAGER: What’s likable about that?

JOSH: Sam’s statement resonated very deeply with me, personally. He has my vote. I mean, he’s the kinda guy I could sit down and drink a beer with.

Sam and Josh fist bump. Manager stares between the brothers, his eye twitching, obviously contemplating if he should rip out all of his hair in a blind rage and run through a wall. By some miracle, he swallows his strong emotions and the storm in his face disperses.

MANAGER: GQ’s up next to shoot your 10 Things I Can’t Live Without interview. Please, I beg of you, don’t blow this.

JOSH: I can’t live without Cheez-Its.

MANAGER: Perfect, be sure to say that in front of the camera.

Manager leaves the room and slams the door shut. In a match cut, Danny closes the door behind him as he enters the Buzzfeed media room.

BUZZFEED INTERVIEWER: Danny! How’s it going?

DANNY: I can’t believe I have to chat with the stinking Millennial Disney Adult Top 10 List Toxic Work Environment Buzzfeed.

BUZZFEED INTERVIEWER: Thank you? Uh, why don’t you take a seat right there, yeah, cool.

DANNY: Please, for the love of all things holy, tell me you aren’t gonna make me take one of your pointless quizzes.

Buzzfeed interviewer gives an apologetic smile as he hands over a Buzzfeed laptop.

BUZZFEED INTERVIEWER: It’s ten questions, it should go by fast. Just make sure to share commentary and, if you can, include some good sound bytes that we can use for social media.

DANNY: The only commentary I’ll have is how much your stupid quiz sucks.

Danny sighs and turns his attention to the laptop to complete the quiz, Which Greta Van Fleet Member Are You? The first question, of course, is the classic: What’s your favorite color? Danny studies the options, shuts the laptop, and gives the interviewer an exhausted look.

DANNY: I’m Daniel Wagner. I don’t have to take a quiz to tell you that. Plus anyways, there’s no way a set of ten questions could possibly define who I am as a person, and how I distinguish myself from my bandmates. I’m an excruciatingly complex man with a deep history like you’ve never seen before. You’d need 6 seasons and a movie to even nip at the tip of my iceberg, sir. (beat) I think what I’m trying to say is my favorite color is mauve, which wasn’t an option.

BUZZFEED INTERVIEWER: Now that’s what I call a sound byte!

A commotion can be heard through the wall. The camera pans over to investigate, and we learn that Jake is in the next room at a table, leaning in close to the camera with a look so intense, it’s a miracle the lens hasn’t combusted.

JAKE: (on the brink of hysterics) Do you know how many songs I wrote for our last album? Enough to make Sir Paul McCartney poop his pants! And what did my bandmates do? They looked over my songs and were like, “wow, Jake, these are really good, but I don’t see where a song called ‘Walk the Plank Me Hearties’ would fit in our album’s tracklist.” Can you believe that? Turning down a banger like ‘Walk the Plank Me Hearties’? And it had a 38 minute long guitar solo too, perfect for radio. It’s like they’re digging their own grave in real time. What a joke. What an absolute joke. See how hard I’m laughing, guys? See the tears streaming down my face, pals?

AMELIA DIMOLDENBERG: I just asked if you liked ketchup with your tendies.

Camera zooms out to show that Jake is on a Chicken Shop Date with Amanda Dimoldenberg. Jake’s face is red from his rant, and he takes a break to shove a chicken tender in his mouth.

JAKE: (somehow managing to chew really loudly on chicken tenders) Now, if you were in my shoes, you would leave the band, right?

AMELIA DIMOLDENBERG: Absolutely not.

JAKE: I don’t think this is going to work out.

Jake takes three more chicken tenders and crams them all in his mouth before standing from the table and powering towards the door. Before he leaves, he turns back to face Amelia.

JAKE: This chicken is delicious, by the way.

AMELIA: Thanks, I didn’t make it.

Jake leaves the room and hustles down the hallway, past a door where Sam and Josh are sitting with some people from NPR.

PETER SAGAL: Welcome to Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! This is Peter Sagal, live here with a couple of members from the rock group, Greta Van Fleet.

JOSH: Hiya, Peter.

SAM: What’s hangin’, DJ Swaggin?

PETER SAGAL: As you may know, this is a show that covers current events. Now, usually when we have guest stars, we take the majority of our time to discuss your career and craft. However, a story recently broke in the news that I would love to discuss with you.

SAM: By all means. Is this about the soaring gas prices?

JOSH: War?

PETER SAGAL: Your brother, Jake.

SAM: Oh god, what did he do this time?

PETER SAGAL: Take a listen, guys.

JOSH: I’ll bet you anything he turned into Oliver Reed and started threatening the people at Apple Music again for putting that U2 album on his phone.

PETER SAGAL plays an audio clip that Jake recorded recently.

JAKE: You know what? From here on out, Greta Van Fleet is a trio for all I care. I’m breaking free, baby, just like Troy and Gabriella. I don’t need them, I’m as single as a Pringle. (beat) By the way, our new single, ‘Meeting the Master,’ is available to stream on April 7th.

Sam and Josh are having trouble hiding their shock. Sam looks to Josh for a cue, trying to figure out how he should react to this news in a way that won’t cost them more money from their paycheck. Josh clears his throat and stands from his seat.

JOSH: It’s been a pleasure speaking with you, but I need to attend a very important meeting. About, uh, drum machines.

SAM: (attempting to follow Josh’s lead) Yeah, we like to strangle people who use them.

Josh and Sam both rush out of the room. Just as quickly as they leave the NPR room, they enter the room where Jake is currently sitting with a reporter from MSNBC, for some reason.

JAKE: (to the reporter, oblivious to Sam and Josh’s recent entrance) All the greats go solo. Art Garfunkel, Michelle Williams, Liam Payne.

JOSH: Jake!

Jake turns around and stands to face his brothers. While he at first looks shocked and afraid to see them, he quickly masks his emotions with a smug smile.

JAKE: Come to negotiate keeping me in your shackles?

SAM: Dude, what’s gotten into you? You’re seriously killing the vibe.

JAKE: I got a whiff of the sweet smell of independence, boys. I’m afraid I’ve gotten hooked.

JOSH: The only thing I smell in here is your BO. And french fries. Hey wait - did you get Mickey D’s without me?

JAKE: That’s the perk of going solo.

Sam looks like he’s starting to consider leaving the band as well.

JOSH: This is insane, Jake. You can’t leave Greta Van Fleet.

The mysterious deep voice returns again. It’s apparent that only Jake can hear it.

MYSTERIOUS VOICE: Challenge the non-believers.

JAKE: I’ll show you insane. God just told me to challenge Josh to a duel.

SAM: (shock) Oh my god! (confusion)Oh my god? (realization) Oh my god??

JOSH: (cutting Sam off) You’ve got yourself a deal, pal.

SAM: No!

JAKE: High noon, bud.

SAM: It’s 3:07.

JOSH: It’s high noon somewhere.

SAM: I don’t think it is?

JAKE: Parking lot.

JOSH: Right.

The twins exit the room in a silent rage, leaving Sam behind with the MSNBC reporter.

SAM: So, how about that economy, huh? What are stocks and why am I so afraid of them?

The scene shifts to the parking lot, at not-really high noon. An instrumental version of ‘Fate of the Faithful’ plays in the background. Jake and Josh step into frame. Jake looks like Woody from Toy Story while Josh wears a cowboy suit with inflatable horse legs. Sam stands in the middle, dressed like a NASCAR flagman in a checkered suit, holding the starting flag up.

SAM: Please don’t make me do this!

JAKE: Wave the stinkin flag, Samuel! It’s a direct order from God!

JOSH: I bet he’ll smite you if you don’t. All that’ll be left is the memory of how annoying you were.

Sam squeezes his eyes shut in fear as he holds the flag up, and Jake and Josh curl and unfurl their fists, preparing to grab for their weapons (plastic cups filled with boba). Sam slowly starts to move the flag downwards as the instrumental music crescendos. The camera zooms into Jake and Josh’s eyes to show just how serious they are about this whole boba shootout. Sam lowers the flag in full, his eyes still shut. As the twins stick their straws in their mouths and prepare to fire the boba at one another, Danny suddenly wanders past Sam, blocking Jake and Josh from each other. Danny appears dazed and confused, and gazes around with a sleepy look on his face.

DANNY: Which interview is this? Why didn’t I get a fun costume?

JAKE: Oy! Checker boy! Move your curly friend out of the way so I can pelt my brother with these tapioca pearls!

SAM: (to Danny) Now’s really not a good time to be here, buddy. Why don’t you lay down and drink an ice water? You look awful.

DANNY: (speaking to no one in particular) I said so many things on our no-no list. But I couldn’t stop myself. The words melted from my mouth like butter fresh out of the microwave.

Jake and Josh are now standing upright, dumbfounded and trying to decipher what the heck Danny is talking about.

DANNY: (continued) They know that I used a night light until I was 16. And that Josh has an irrational fear of George Costanza. And that Jake stole one of Chicago Music Exchange’s most expensive guitars back in 2019 and blamed it on Keith Richards.

JAKE: Bollocks!

DANNY: And I can’t speak a lick of Spanish. And Sam lied about being vegetarian during the pandemic.

SAM: Oh no, my brand!

DANNY: And Josh has a crush on Dev Patel…

JOSH: I’m actually okay with that one. Maybe he’ll hit me up?

DANNY: (continued) …and a young Rasputin.

JOSH: How do you know about that!?

JAKE: Okay, change in plans. I don’t need to duel Josh anymore. Let’s circle the traitor!

JOSH: Yar!

DANNY: (continuing) That truth serum Sam gave me is seriously strong. Like, it’s kinda freaking me out how powerful the stuff is. I told a poor reporter with Spin that I haven’t had a bowel movement in 4 days and he referred me to a fiber specialist.

Jake and Josh turn to look at each other. It’s mutually understood that Danny is not the cause of this mess; Sam is. Sam has already caught onto this, as made apparent by the fact that he is already halfway across the parking lot, booking it as fast as he can from harm’s way.

A steel guitar theme plays in the background as old-timey title cards flash across the screen, reading: Samuel Francis Kiszka was forced to go through robust media training as penance for his tomfoolery and despicable interview responses. Daniel Robert Wagner was given a doppio espresso with 20 shots of espresso and 10 pumps of white mocha to cure his caffeine withdrawals. He was back to normal within seconds. As for the twins, Jacob and Joshua…

Camera shows Jake and Josh. They are sitting across from each other in the room where Josh and Sam did their GQ 10 Things I Can’t Live Without interview. A box of Cheez-Its, toe nail clippers, a trucker cap that reads I’M NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS I’M WORSE, a ping pong paddle, and The Communist Manifesto are sprawled across the table. It can be assumed that all of Sam’s submissions were non-tangible.

JOSH: I can’t believe Sam has to go through the same media training program that Disney Channel child actors do.

JAKE: You and I both know it’s what the kid deserves.

SAM: (voice calling from down the hall) WHAT DO YOU MEAN I CAN’T THREATEN PEOPLE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERAS? THAT’S MY BIT!

Josh looks like he’s mulling over whether he should mention something or not. He starts to play with the toenail clippers, but then stops himself.

JOSH: You know how you were talking about leaving the band?

Jake seems uncomfortable that Josh is bringing this up.

JAKE: Hmm? Oh yeah, that. (beat) Between you and me, I think Sam must have slipped me some “Tendency to Learn Towards Breaking Up” serum earlier today. Man, that stuff got me good.

Now Jake is the one nervously playing with The Communist Manifesto, trying to read it upside down.

JOSH: Is any of that serum still in your system?

Jake mulls Josh’s question over.

JAKE: I think it must have cleared out. I mean, I haven’t heard from God in a hot minute.

JOSH: I am curious, what does God sound like?

JAKE: Like the most darn tootin’ cowboy you’ve ever heard in your life.

JOSH: Huh.

JAKE: It is a little strange though, I swear I’ve heard his voice before. Maybe he regularly checks in on me.

Jake shifts around a bit in his seat.

MYSTERIOUS VOICE: Our duty is to build trucks.

Jake jumps out of his seat with a shout.

JOSH: What?!

JAKE: He just came back to me! He said it’s our duty to build trucks?

JOSH: Are you sure he didn’t say ‘trust’?

MYSTERIOUS VOICE: It takes the new 2025 Ram 1500 to move Heaven and Earth.

JAKE: Huh?

JOSH: What is it, brother?

MYSTERIOUS VOICE: Guts. Glory. Ram.

JAKE: I think God just recited a Ram Truck commercial to me.

JOSH: You said he sounds like a cowboy?

JAKE: Mmm hmm.

Josh looks at Jake closer. Although his hair is covering his ears, Josh spots something. He reaches forward, brushes Jake’s hair out of the way, grabs something, and holds an AirPod out to Jake to see.

JOSH: Do you think this was maybe where the “Voice of God” was coming from?

JAKE: Did you pull that out of my ear? I didn’t realize you knew how to do magic tricks.

Josh inserts the AirPod into his own ear and takes a pause to listen.

JOSH: Your “God” is telling me about Dairy Queen’s 2 for $5 deal right now.

JAKE: Sellout.

JOSH: You’re playing ads on your phone, dude.

Jake pulls out his phone and studies it.

JAKE: So I am. Perhaps I’m not important enough for divine intervention.

JOSH: (cautiously) You know, sometimes we apply meaning to things based on our subconscious without even realizing it.

Jake doesn’t seem to be following what Josh is hinting at. With a sigh, Josh continues.

JOSH: (continued) All of today you believed you were following the word of God. But, in actuality, I think you were doing what you wanted.

JAKE: I was doing what Ram Trucks wanted.

JOSH: Jake, I want to know if we’re okay. You know, as a band.

JAKE: Oh yeah. Saying we’re A-okay isn’t even accurate. We’re more like A+ okay.

Jake lets out a small cough, rubs his nose on the bottom of his dress shirt, hocks a loogie into Josh’s box of Cheez-Its, and stands.

JAKE: I’m gonna grab some more chicken tenders from that British lady. Those made my stomach happy.

Jake leaves the room, whistling the “Cha Cha Slide” to himself.

JOSH: (to himself) I wish I had some of Sam’s truth serum to crack into that chestnut of a brain.

The episode ends with a flashing series of national headlines that were produced as a result of the media day, like Greta Van Fleeing: Jake Kiszka on the Move? and 192 Secrets Daniel Wagner Probably Should Have Kept to Himself. The camera shifts to show that the members of Greta Van Fleet are doing more media, chatting with a couple of DJs over a Zoom call.

DJ 1: You boys really took the world by storm last week with your, let’s call it, buzzworthy press. We’re glad to have you here with us today to shed some light on what happened, and why you’re currently at the top of the news cycle for every major outlet.

DANNY: A word to the wise, don’t go off the bean.

DJ 2: Noted.

SAM: We’re so thrilled to be speaking with you both today. To answer your question, I went into the Disney Channel building and I sat down with the president of Disney Channel, and I said, ‘I wanna make history,’ and that’s what this is.

DJ 2: Not the answer we were expecting, but very informative, Samuel.

JOSH: You should congratulate him, he’s been taking his media training very seriously.

Danny takes a break from chugging his venti coffee to chime in.

DANNY: We’re a band who obviously doesn’t take ourselves too seriously. What happened last week was unprofessional, I will admit that, but it was a way to capture your attention so we can spread the word far and wide about the first single off our upcoming album, Starcatcher.

SAM: Create a playlist with ‘Meeting the Master’ on repeat and stream it. Don’t mute it! Play it at a low volume and let it play while you sleep.

DJ 1: Should we even be anticipating a new album from you guys if Jake’s so dead-set on quitting the band?

SAM: I am not contractually allowed to speak on that matter. No comment.

JAKE: That was an accident. False alarm. I was taking advice from Ram Trucks.

DJ 2: How does that happen?

JAKE: You forget to watch your back.

DJ 2: I want to steer the conversation back to Danny about a certain someone that he expressed romantic feelings for last week.

Everyone stares at Danny with concern. Danny looks mortified.

DJ 2: Anything to say about Pink Stitch?

JAKE: Oh, I bet he does.

JOSH: (to Jake) You know who has something to say about you?

Josh retrieves his phone from his pocket and opens a voice note.

VOICE OF KEITH RICHARDS: Ello, this is Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones. I have a message for a kid named Jake who screwed me over at the Chicago Music Exchange. Now, IF I SEE DAT BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP I’M GONNA BLEEP BLEEP THE GODDAMN BASEBALL BAT BLEEP BLEEP BLEEP ZEBRA CROSSING BLEEP BLEEP ICE CREAM BLEEP BLEEP FRENCH WINDOWS BLEEP -

JAKE: (trying to call over the continued voice note of Keith Richards cussing him out to no end) MEETING THE MASTER. STREAM IT NOW, STREAM IT FOREVER.

END OF EPISODE.

#greta van fleet #gvf #greta van fleet fanfiction #gvf fic #gvf fanfiction #sam kiszka #josh kiszka #danny wagner #jake kiszka #greta van fleet fanfic #greta van fleet fic #starcatchers #gvf fanfic #sorry it's been a hot second since I wrote one of these #this one's been sitting in my drafts for way too long

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