#I’m celebrating by going to ikea

[itgetstight]

Happy international holiday (charles birthday)

[forwhomthewordsflow]

Stars In My Eyes

(a part two to this fic!)

modern music teacher!eddie munson x art teacher fem!reader

18+ ONLY MDNI!!!

warnings: fluff, so fluffy, first dates, first kisses, some anxiety/stress, a little dash of coach!steve harrington, suggestiveness

author's note: i feel like this took me ages to write! so sorry for the wait...i do sort of love how this turned out :) writing a first kiss scene is hard!!!

please let me know what your thoughts are on this series!

word count: 7.7k

Eddie Munson couldn’t believe his luck.

Like, sure he’s gotten lucky a few times before.  There was that one time an officer let him off with a warning after he rolled through a stop sign, he’d played the “I’m a teacher during finals week” card and it had seemed to work out pretty well for him.  There were also a few times when a stranger in front of him at the Starbucks drive thru had paid for his morning coffee, only for him to turn around and see there was no one behind him to pay it forward to.  

And then, there was that time back during his final senior year where Stacy Cowell was going through a “rebel phase��� and decided to give Eddie a string of random blowjobs over the course of a week and a half to make herself feel like she was living on “the wild side.”  She quickly transitioned out of that phase when Eddie had asked her out on a date, he figured they should probably make an effort to learn a little about each other if she was going to be deepthroating him in the back of his van every other day after school.  She turned him down with a disgusted sneer, leaving Eddie a little heartbroken by the fact that a girl could be so offended at the idea of a date with him.  

But none of that even mattered to Eddie anymore.  All of those situations touched by a bit of luck have been reduced down to mere coincidences now that he has you in his life.  Even though it was only one IKEA date trip that the two of you went on last weekend, Eddie couldn’t stop himself from imagining a long, happy future with you because of how fucking perfect it all went.

- 

You don’t think you’ve ever been so nervously giddy over anything in your entire life.  There had never really been any boys that you were crazy for when you were younger.  Sure, you’d been in love a couple times before, but nothing was ever…”wow.” 

 You’d never felt any real sparks, never met anyone truly special enough to change your life like all of the women you’d seen in movies or read about in books.  

But Eddie…he was very much wow.

After you’d worked out the details for your IKEA trip that afternoon in your classroom, you found it hard to stop blushing for the remainder of the week.  The both of you decided that you’d go on Saturday morning, and Eddie had insisted on picking you up and driving there together.  He bowed his head and lightly pressed his lips to your hand in a dramatic and silly fashion before leaving your classroom.  Your knees felt weak and a bright red blush bloomed on your face as Eddie stood back up to his full height to face you. 

“You know,” he started, still holding your hand, "you're really cute when you blush like that.”

A tiny squeak is all that comes out of your mouth when you open it to respond.  

You struggle to put together a coherent sentence and settle for the smile and girlish giggle that bubbled its way out of your chest.  

“I’ll see you later.”

Eddie started to walk backwards, keeping your hand in his grasp until he was too far away and then turning around to exit your classroom.  There wasn’t much else you could do except stare at the hand that had just been held by him, while holding your other over your mouth in shock.  

Eddie waited the appropriate five seconds after being out of your line of sight before erupting into a silent “fist-punching-head-banging-fuck yeah!” celebration in the hallway.  He couldn’t believe he kissed your hand.  The thought to kiss your hand had barely graced his mind before his body had made the decision to go through with it.  Eddie was terrified that his nerdy qualities would cause you to run for the hills, or that you’d think he was weird or stupid.

But instead, you’d blushed bright red and blessed his ears with a giggle, and all of Eddie’s worries and fears were banished from his mind at the sound of it.  

Eddie decided he was going to really enjoy taking every opportunity to make you blush.  

-

There were only two days until your IKEA trip with Eddie, and somehow you kept missing each other in the hallways at school.  On the rare occasion that Eddie had a spare moment, you were at some kind of art teacher workshop.  Whenever you could pull yourself away from decorating your classroom and lesson-planning, Eddie was leaving early for the day to go look at different types of Tubano drums for his classroom.  

There were a couple of staff meetings that everyone had to attend, but the two of you never ended up sitting next to each other.  Instead, you would indulge in a game of eye tag, making yourself feel like you were in high school all over again with a big fat crush.  

While you were really looking forward to your day out with Eddie, a tiny part of you was glad that you weren’t running into him constantly.  You found yourself overpouring your coffee in the morning because of the way the deep brown shade of the coffee matched the color of Eddie’s eyes.  You accidentally took a sip out of your paint water cup instead of your drinking cup because you were staring off at the lamps in your room, wondering which one had been Eddie’s favorite.  Two days was just what you needed to collect yourself enough to act like a normal human being before you saw Eddie again.  You weren’t even allowing yourself the time to think about being in a car with him for the hour that it took to get to IKEA.  All of the workshops, lesson plans and other preparation for the start of school kept you calm and collected.

Eddie, on the other hand, was reduced to a pile of chunky silver rings and nerves.  He couldn’t stop thinking about everything he had to get done before your trip…date?  Was it a date?  Did you say the word date when you asked him?  Is it even a date when the girl asks the guy-

Eddie’s frantic pacing is interrupted by a shark knock on his propped open classroom door.

“Yo, Munson.  How’s the…” Steve trailed off as he took in Eddie’s disheveled state.  “Dude.”

“I know, I know, man.” Eddie responds, plopping down in a chair that was meant for one of his students.  He puts his head in his hands, tugging on the roots to try and get a grip.

“What’s goin’ on, Ed?  I haven’t seen you this distraught since One Direction broke up.”  Steve sits on top of a desk next to Eddie, jabbing him softly in the shoulder after his lame attempt at getting a smile out of Eddie.  

Eddie chuckles and shakes his head at the stupid joke.  He looks up at Steve with a deep sigh, then stands up and grabs him by the shoulders.

“If I tell you, it stays between us.”  Eddie fixes Steve with a hard look and raised eyebrows, not any different from the look he gives his students when they’re getting up to no good.  “I’m so dead serious.”

Steve’s eyes widen at the sudden seriousness, making a cross over his chest with his finger.  “Yeah man, cross my heart and all that.”

Eddie lets go of Steve, slumping back into the chair with a huff.  

“How do you know that a date is a date, and not just a friend thing?”

Steve smiles cockily and leans forward, always interested in Eddie’s love life…or lack thereof.

“Well, I don’t know…I think I might have to hear a little more about this special lady in order for me to provide some of my good ol’ Harrington Love Advice.”  Steve wiggles his eyebrows at Eddie, throwing in a wink for the sake of being annoying.

Eddie rolls his eyes, he knew it was a mistake to bring up girls around this guy.  Steve was always giving Eddie pointers on how to get chicks the way he did, but Eddie was in no way similar to Steve when it came to relationships.  Steve never had nothing to do on the weekends, always with a new girl, sometimes even the single moms at school.  He’d meet them out at a bar, woo them, take them to dinner and then even sometimes back to his place.  Despite his fuck-boy tendencies, Eddie knows it’s never that meaningful for either party.  Steve’s been pining after one of the English teachers for years, and these flings are only serving as a way to satiate his intensely flirtatious side.  

As annoying as he may be, it would be nice to rant about all of his pent up loverboy feelings for you to Steve.  Eddie knows he’s just giving him a hard time, it’s one of the many love languages they share as best friends.

“I-it’s just…she’s so beautiful man, like…holy fuck.”  Eddie shakes his head in disbelief, looking off into the distance as he rambles on about you.  “I mean just…she looks like some kind of Elven princess-angel-goddess-fairy–”

“Dude, Ed.  None of that nerd shit please, say it to me in English.”

Eddie chuckles and shakes his head with a sigh.  

“Okay.  I really like her.  I haven’t felt this way in years, maybe ever.  We met officially yesterday and just…clicked.”

Steve smiles at Eddie as he talks about you, happy to see his friend so excited about someone.

“We made plans to go to IKEA this weekend, but I don’t know what to make of it?  Is it a date?  Should I bring her flowers?  What if I do bring her flowers and she gets weirded out because it was actually never a date at all?”

Steve holds his hands up like he’s trying to calm down an animal.  

“Woah there, buddy.  No need to get all freaked out about it.”  Steve can’t help but to laugh a little at the helpless look on his friend’s face.  “Let’s just start with the details, okay?  Who asked who?”

“She asked me.  I said I liked her lamps and then she said she got them at IKEA and then I said that I needed some for my room and then she said that we should go to IKEAandshopforsometogether-”

“Okay, okay man.  Take a deep breath.”  Steve motions for Eddie to inhale for a couple seconds.  

“Then let it all out.”  Eddie expels the breath from his lips in a hard huff, looking a little calmer.  “Alright.  So, she asked you?”

Eddie nods.

“That’s good, it means she’s interested!  Not a lot of women are making the first move these days, it means that she definitely wants a slice of Munson.”

Eddie rolls his eyes at Steve, but still waits for him to go on.

“Are you picking her up for the trip to IKEA?”

“Yeah, I offered to pick her up and drive us both there since it’s about an hour away.”

Steve scratches his five o’clock stubble.

“Hmm…okay.  Did she like…jump at the chance for you to drive her or was there some hesitation before she agreed?”

Eddie thinks back to that moment.  How the two of you were standing slightly too close for new friends, the way your eyes seemed to sparkle as you looked up at him, how he was surprised you couldn’t hear his heart beating out of his chest.  

He remembers offering to drive the both of you to the store, surprising himself by saying it way calmer than he was feeling.  Your face lit up a little, like you were shocked that he’d even offer to pick you up and drive you there.  You smiled and nodded your head sweetly before agreeing out loud.

Eddie feels himself smiling at the tiny memory.

“It wasn’t like she immediately answered…but she definitely was smiling when she agreed.  She didn’t seem nervous about it or anything, it was more like she was excited or something.”

Steve’s eyebrows shoot up as a smirk emerges on his face.

“So let me see if I’m getting this straight.  She asked you to go to IKEA, probably knowing it was a long drive, and then she happily agreed to let you pick her up and drive the two of you there?  For a whole two hours there and back?”

Eddie nods, anxiously awaiting Steve’s opinion on all of this.

“I mean, it’ll probably be a good four or five hours that you spend together driving and shopping.”

Steve fixes Eddie with a look that says ‘c’mon man, it’s obvious.’

Eddie’s had enough of his edging.  “Will you just get to the fucking point please for the love of god?”

Steve sighs and claps a hand on Eddie's shoulder. 

“Ed, it’s a date.”

Eddie barks out a triumphant laugh and Steve does the same.  The two men high five and Steve wraps a beefy arm around Eddie’s shoulder to pat him on the chest.  Eddie can’t help but to let out a big sigh of relief now that he can stop worrying about how to act on this trip date.

-

On Friday, you could’ve sworn you went slightly neurotic.  

Since Tuesday you’d been considering your day with Eddie as a date, but it suddenly hit you that maybe he didn’t feel the same way.  What if you’d been doing all this worrying and freaking out for no reason?  What if he ends up calling you ‘dude’ the entire day?  What if he has a girlfriend already, and he just agreed to take you to IKEA so that you wouldn’t get your feelings hurt?

You’d been running circles in your head trying to prepare yourself for any and all possible outcomes that Saturday could hold for you, but none of it seemed to be doing you any good.

So, you did what you always did whenever you found yourself flipping out over something new.

You made a to-do list. 

Pick out an outfit.  Dress! too fancy…jeans?  Dress, definitely dress. not too fancy though…

Drink wine 

Watch movie

Clean house…again

Drink more wine

Possibly reconsider outfit…

After all was said and done, you plopped down on your worn-in couch, sufficiently drunk with a clean house and an outfit neatly hung up outside of your closet.  You decide to pour your third and final glass of wine for the evening, and to surrender your anxiety to the gods of love.  You hope and pray that they like you enough to let you have this one. 

-

It was finally Saturday.  Eddie stands in front of his closet furiously, wondering why in the fuck he can’t find a single thing to wear for his date with you today.  He’s got enough clothes to fill his entire closet, dresser, and a $20 clothing rack he picked up at Target years ago.  Steve said to just go with what felt the most like ‘Eddie’, but he’s suddenly unable to remember what his style even looks like.  

He wants to punch himself in the nuts for not taking the time last night to plan this all out like a normal person.  

He ends up settling for a fitted white tee, a pair of trusty black jeans, and black boots.  On a FaceTime call with Steve (so he could approve Eddie’s choice), Steve mentioned that the outfit was casual, but still fairly nice, and that the white shirt showed off his tattoos and muscles.

“Chicks dig the muscles and white tee combo, man.  Trust.”

Eddie chuckles at his friend’s ‘frat boy’ lingo, but the comment makes him feel better about his appearance anyways.  Last year, Steve had managed to convince Eddie to start going to the gym with him after school during the week, and it pains him to admit that he sort of really likes it now.  He likes how much stronger he feels, he likes sweating out all of his frustrations, and most of all he likes the way he fills out his t-shirts now.

After hanging up the call with Steve, Eddie flexes a little in his mirror before leaving to go pick you up.  He decides to do a few last minute push ups and to moisturize the tattoos on his arms so that he looks extra good for you.

-

Perhaps being slightly neurotic about this date was a good idea.

Thanks to all of your meticulous planning, you managed to get completely ready with a half hour to spare.  You decided against sitting on your couch until Eddie arrived since the nervous butterflies in your stomach made you want to throw up, so you opted to wander around your house for the remainder of the time.

You pass by your mirror, doing a final check and making sure your outfit and makeup are up to par.  You’d decided on a simple white dress, with a denim button up thrown over it and your pair of black chelsea boots that had yet to let you down.  You smile at your reflection, happy that you’d managed to choose a comfy and cute outfit that felt like you.

There’d been too many dates before this one where you’d gone out and spent insane amounts of money on brand new outfits that you weren’t even sure you really liked, all in the name of impressing your date and hoping he likes you enough to ask you out on a second one.  When prepping for those dates, you spent hours upon hours running around like a mad woman.  Shaving, plucking, tweezing, waxing.  Making sure your hair curled just right and that your eyeliner was sexy, but not slutty.

You couldn’t figure out why Eddie felt so different to you.  Even though the nerves of a first date had really freaked you out the night before, this morning was fairly calm.  Sure, you took plenty of time in the shower and doing your hair and makeup, but it didn’t feel like you were trying to morph into a different version of yourself to please a man. 

It felt more like you were trying your best to look like your favorite version of yourself. 

You want Eddie to know who you are inside and outside of work, and you really hope that he likes what he finds. 

-

Eddie stays parked outside of your house for a minute or two to try and settle his nerves.  

You lived in a small, red brick house in a family neighborhood.  There were flowers planted in the beds under your windows, and your front door was painted a deep turquoise color.  Eddie sucks in a breath when he sees your figure moving around through the gauzy white curtains covering your windows.  

How can a hazy silhouette still be so beautiful?

Looking into his rearview mirror, Eddie takes a deep breath.

“You got this man.  Be cool.”

He turns his car off and makes his way to your front door, knocking three times and then taking a step back to wait for you.

It takes all of two seconds for your front door to swing open, revealing you on the other side.

Eddie immediately feels weak in the knees.  You looked so cute in your little boots, and he couldn’t help but to let his eyes trail up the smooth skin of your legs.  He gulped a bit at the short hem of your dress, and then realized he should probably say something.

“Hey you.”

“Hi,” You smile up at him bashfully as he looks you up and down.  You take the opportunity to look him over as well, and damn.  You already knew he was sexy, but his tight tee shirt and pulled back hair made you want to drag him into your house and do things to him…

You only notice that he’s been holding a hand behind his back when he brings it out in front of him, revealing a beautiful bouquet of flowers.  

“These are for you.  I didn’t know which was your favorite, so I just asked the lady to throw together a bunch of different kinds and to make it look pretty.”  Eddie holds the colorful bouquet out to you and smiles sheepishly.  

Your mouth hangs open as you reach out to take them, being so careful for no real reason.  You look up at Eddie with those big, sparkling eyes.

“Thank you so much, Eddie.  These are so incredibly beautiful,” he watches you looking down at the flowers, gently brushing your fingers against their petals.  “Let me run inside and find a vase for them real quick.  Come on in!”

You wave him in behind you and hurry inside.

Eddie tries to suppress the excitement he feels at being invited into your home.  He felt like he already got a good glimpse at who you are and how you express yourself when he was inside your classroom, but he’s now getting to see where you spend the majority of your time, where you live.  As he steps over the threshold and into your house, he readies his brain to take mental pictures of everything he sets his eyes on, just in case he never sees it again.

Instantly, he’s hit with a sense of “home.”  The inside of your house is the perfect temperature and it smells so good and womanly, like your perfume and also like you’ve been baking something but somehow also like flowers…Eddie loves it already.

You scurry off into the kitchen, trying not to think about the fact that Eddie Munson is looking around your house right now.

Where in the hell have all of your vases run off to?

Eddie walks around cooly with his hands clasped behind his back, taking in everything about your space.  Much like your classroom, Eddie is able to spot at least four different sized lamps and light fixtures placed around your entryway and living room.  There were warm white Christmas lights hung up along the ceiling, multiple green-leaved plants in different corners, and Eddie even thinks he spotted a black cat sprinting under your soft looking white sectional.

Overall, he’d give your interior design skills an 11/10. 

He’s just starting to miss you a little when you come out from your kitchen holding your flowers in a sparkly glass vase.  

It’s an odd feeling, seeing Eddie in your house.  His ‘edgier’ look seems like it wouldn’t fit with your overall aesthetic, but to your surprise he looks like he belongs here.  You walk up to him almost in a daze, admiring the silver hoop earrings he’s wearing, the smile on his lips, and the way some of his hair has made its way out of his low bun to frame his face.  

The two of you stand there for a moment looking at each other, with you holding your flowers in between your bodies.  You engage in a staring match for almost a second too long before you break the silence.

“No one’s ever gotten me flowers before,” you sheepishly admit, looking down at them instead of at him.  Eddie grins at the blush that blooms onto your cheeks after your prolonged eye contact.

Eddie scoffs before he can stop himself.

“Seriously?  That’s a damn shame, sweetheart.”

You look up at him again and try not to faint at how easily the word fell from his perfect lips.  Unable to take another second of his eyes on yours, you retreat into your living room to find the perfect place for your new flowers.  You decide to put them on your coffee table, then turn around to find that Eddie had followed you in.  

He offers his arm out to you, “Shall we?”

This time, you can’t fight the smile.

You take his arm and swipe your purse from the coat hanger next to your front door on your way out.

-

Eddie was the perfect gentleman for the entire duration of the car ride to IKEA.  He had opened the car door for you, he let you pick the music, and he definitely did not sneak a glimpse at your bare, voluminous thighs when your dress shifted as you sat down.  The sweet smell of your perfume spread throughout the interior of his truck, he hopes that smell never fades away.

He couldn’t help glancing over at you every other minute, looking so beautiful in his passenger seat while you bobbed your head to whatever song you had queued up on his phone. 

“Would it be a total invasion of privacy if I played your On Repeat playlist?  I’m dying to know what the music teacher’s favorite music is right now.”  Eddie turned to see that you were smiling pleadingly at him, and how could he say no to that face?

“I suppose,” Eddie sighs dramatically.  “But, you are not allowed to judge me for whatever pops up.”  He playfully points a finger at you while keeping his eyes on the road.  You giggle girlishly.

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

You hit ‘shuffle’ on Eddie’s playlist and aren’t surprised when the first song that plays through the speakers is ‘The Unforgiven ll’ by Metallica.  You already knew Eddie was a fan of the band thanks to the music he always has playing a tad too loudly whenever you pass by his classroom.

“Oh, I know this song!”

Eddie’s face whips towards you sporting a shocked ‘you’ve gotta be kidding me’ expression.  He was definitely expecting you to be the ‘indie music’ type.  Your eyebrows furrow adorably angrily at the look on his face.  

“What?  A girl can’t like Metallica?” You fix him with a look that tells Eddie he should think twice about his response.

“W-well…I just didn’t expect you to be into them…that’s all.”  You roll your eyes playfully at him and cross your arms.  “But!  I’m very pleasantly surprised that you are!  Girls rule, alright?  Men like…totally suck and stuff.”

You chuckle at his frantic attempt at avoiding a lecture on gender inequality and feminism while settling back into your seat.  And because you actually do know and love this song, you start mouthing the words, which eventually evolves into singing them under your breath.

When Eddie thought he spotted you mouthing the words out of the corner of his eye, he was sure that his eyes were playing tricks on him.  But just barely hearing you singing the words to his favorite Metallica song just further confirmed a fact that he already knew.

Eddie Munson was totally going to fall in love with you.

The rest of the car ride consisted of sharing music, talking about work and life, childhood memories, and other random topics.  Eddie discovered that you love thunderstorms, your cat’s name is Pascal (after the chameleon from Tangled), and that you moved here at the beginning of summer from Chicago.

Eddie swears there’s never been a conversation in history that flowed as well as yours and his.  He felt like he’s known you for years, and he hopes you’re feeling the same way.

You totally are.

-

Once the two of you made it to IKEA and inside the giant store, Eddie quickly realized that he never really put any thought into what he actually wanted to buy for his classroom.  You swiftly came to his rescue and pulled out your phone to open up Pinterest.

Together, you found a couple pictures that matched the general vibe of Eddie’s classroom.  He grabbed a map of the store and a cart, and set off into the maze of furniture.  

You were back to being shy again, now that you were out in the wild with Eddie.  He found that making jokes about all of the funny names got you giggling, and so he didn’t miss an opportunity.

He made you laugh the hardest next to the Koppang drawers.

You bumped your shoulder into his around the Baggebo bookcases.

His hand brushed yours next to a Tornviken kitchen island. 

And Eddie finally worked up the courage to hold your hand next to a Klippan loveseat.

You gasped a little when you felt his warm hand slide into yours, interlocking your fingers together.  A red hot blush worked its way up your neck as you snuck a glance over at him, only to find that he was already looking at you with a smirk.  He knows exactly what this hand holding is doing to you.

He chuckles smugly as the two of you arrive at the lights section of the store.  As he pushes the cart through the aisles, you’re enamored by the twinkling lights that are draped overhead.  You’re lucky he’s holding your hand, or else you probably would’ve fallen flat on your face.  Eddie can’t help but to stare at you as you stare up at all the different light fixtures.  The different colors and hues of light shine beautifully onto your face, and the soft smile on your lips makes Eddie wish he could just grab you and kiss you right here in the aisle.  But, he figures that would cause you to explode after your reaction to his hand-holding.

He watches as you look further down the aisle at the lamps that are on display there, your face lighting up in recognition.

“Oh!  That’s one that I’ve got in my room!”  You point at an orange, donut shaped light called a Varmblixt.  Eddie recognizes it, you do indeed have one hanging on the wall behind your desk.

“I must have it,” Eddie says with a flourish ,”Never have I seen a more extraordinary donut lamp.”

You giggle and go to grab one to place in the cart, but the box proves to be way heavier than you remember.  Eddie notices as soon as you inhale to exert more effort, and he steps in immediately. 

 No fair maiden such as you should be forced to exert any effort whatsoever in his presence.

“I’ve got it, sweetheart.”

You try not to let the name affect you but once again, you fail.  You’re left blushing and biting your lip, speechless.  You stare unashamed at Eddie as he picks up the heavy box and goes to place it in the cart with ease.  The overhead lights were really doing him favors, every ridge and contour of his body was lit to perfection.  You could see the delicious bulge of his biceps, the ripple of his forearm muscles, and the outline of his chest in his shirt….why is your mouth watering?

Eddie easily places the box in the cart, turning to face you again.  He finds you blushing up at him with wide eyes, and is unable to contain the smug smirk on his face.  The sudden lack of distance between the two of you did not go unnoticed by him, he hoped you couldn’t hear his heart pounding in his chest.

The ‘normal you’ would’ve noticed that you were obviously in Eddie’s personal bubble, and you would’ve taken a step back like the respectable adult that you are.  But the ‘normal you’ was long gone in Eddie’s presence.  This version of you was not unlike the version that existed when you were an awkward teenager who was on the brink of passing out anytime a boy even breathed in your direction. 

While you were busy ogling Eddie’s physique, you’d failed to notice the close proximity between the two of you, which led you to your current situation.  

You and him were so close together, you could feel the warm puffs of air from between his parted lips gently hitting your face.  His gaze trailed down from your eyes to your lips, but you wouldn’t have noticed anyways because you were one step ahead of him.

His lips looked so pillowy and soft, you wondered how they’d feel pressed against yours.  Would he kiss you slowly, gently holding your face in his big hands and brushing his thumbs along the apples of your cheeks?  Or would he be rougher than that, grabbing you by the waist and tugging you into him, kissing you with fire and passion?

Eddie’s eyebrows furrow as he watches you suck your bottom lip into your mouth to bite it.  You’re so goddamn beautiful, and you looked like an angel in this aisle of lights.  A lamp from behind you lights up the silhouette of your hair like a halo, and he can see the lights above his head reflected in your eyes like stars.  

Eddie knows he shouldn’t kiss you right now, not in the middle of IKEA where he can hear kids whining to their parents and couples arguing over which shade of beige would match their living room better.  He knows this, but he can’t stop himself from reaching his hand up to gently grasp your jaw.  His thumb slides from your chin to your bottom lip, tugging it free from your teeth.

His hand snakes down to the side of your neck, and you can feel the slight tremor in his hand.  You’re glad that the situation is affecting him too, because you are freaking out.  

Is he going to kiss you right now?  

In IKEA?

On your first date? 

Is this even a date?  

Do you even want him to kiss you?  Idiot, of course you want him to.

Eddie’s eyebrows lift slightly, almost questioning you.  Asking you, ‘Do you want this? Is this okay?’

You answer him with a soft smile, and you feel his hand move behind your neck to pull you in.

It is at this moment that a baby starts to wail one aisle over, effectively ruining any sort of moment you and Eddie had been sharing.

He lets out a frustrated huff, and touches his forehead to yours with closed eyes.  

“Of course,” he groans.

You’re secretly giddy at the fact that he so obviously wanted to kiss you badly.  You bring your hand up to his arm that’s still resting on your neck to give it a reassuring squeeze, and in a surprising burst of confidence, you rise up on your toes to peck him on the cheek.

Eddie’s eyes shoot open at the feeling of your soft lips on his cheek.  He pulls back to stare down at you as his face turns red.

You giggle at him, then turn around to walk down the aisle.

“C’mon, I think I saw another one of my lamps down this way!”

Eddie snaps himself out of his daze with a shake of his head, he’s sure that he’s got hearts in his eyes as he watches you walk away from him.  Grabbing the cart with one hand, he holds his other gently to his cheek, touching the spot that’s still warm from your lips.

-

Eddie ends up purchasing five lamps from IKEA after an hour and a half of wandering through the aisles with you.  

He can’t help but to act like the loverboy he is when he’s looking at furniture with you.  He fantasizes about a life with you, imagining that the two of you are actually here to pick out items to furnish your shared house.  

He wonders which kind of wood floors you’d pick out and which backsplash you’d want in the kitchen.  You’d probably want to decorate with colorful rugs and throw pillows, and Eddie wouldn’t complain.  Not as long as you’re happy.   He’d live in a pink house decorated with bows and lace trim as long as he was living in it with you.  

Maybe he’s getting ahead of himself, it’s only your first date together right?

If only he knew you were having similar thoughts as you strolled up and down the aisles, hand in hand.  You thought about what kind of decorating he did in his house, you figured it was styled in some way considering the amount of effort he puts into making his classroom look as cool as it does.  Does he have shelves full of records or different posters framed and hung up on his wall?  Which side of the bed does he sleep on?  You hope he likes plants, there’s no way you could part with your beloved greenery if the two of you were to live together.

You’re quick to silence the random thoughts buzzing around in your head, it’s silly to think about these things on your very first date…you don’t even know his middle name yet!

You and Eddie both seem to snap out of your stupors at the same time, sighing simultaneously.  You both turn to look at each other and then begin to laugh, unsure on whether or not the ‘jinx’ rules apply in a sighing situation.  

-

Eddie pays for the lights, and soon enough you’re both back in his truck.  

It dawns on you that your date is almost over, but you’re quickly redirected when you hear the starting notes to the next song that starts playing when Eddie’s phone connects to his radio.

Is that…Taylor Swift?

You turn to him slowly, confused at why a Taylor Swift song is on his ‘On Repeat’ Spotify playlist.

Eddie’s already staring at you mortified.  He holds a hand up, pausing any words that might’ve come out of your mouth.

“Before you say anything,” he begins ,”I really admire her lyricism.  Girl’s a wizard with words.”

The two of you sit in a charged silence for a moment before you can’t hold in your reaction any longer.  A laugh breaks free from your chest, and Eddie can’t  help but to laugh along with you.

You’re wiping tears from your eyes as your laughter dies down, and Eddie just grins at you.

“I can’t believe it.  The rock and roll music teacher listens to enough Taylor Swift for it to end up on his ‘On Repeat’ playlist.”  You shake your head at him with a wide smile on your face that Eddie wants to take a picture of and frame.  

“Yeah, yeah…laugh it up.  As a music teacher, it’s my duty to appreciate all types of music.”

You nod along to his explanation, “Yes, of course.  How else are you supposed to connect with the teenage girls these days?”

“Right! Yes!”  Eddie exclaims.  “I do this lesson on lyrics and Taylor’s music is a great example of what storytelling in music can look like.  I respect her, hard.”

You stifle another laugh at his emotional Taylor Swift themed outburst.

“This stays between you and I alright?” Eddie points a finger at you playfully.  “If Harrington gets word of this I’ll never live it down.”

“Of course, my lips are sealed.”  You mime zipping your lips shut and throwing away the key.

Eddie settles back into his seat with a huff, boyishly smiling over at you.

“I have a very important question for you Eddie.”

He leans in, intrigued by your seriousness. 

“Which era are you in right now?”

Eddie scoffs, throwing his head back with a groan.  This sends you into another laughing fit, Eddie can’t help but to join in again.  He’s coming to find out that your joy is such an infectious thing.

“Hmm let’s see…,” he muses.  He turns to look at you with one hand on the wheel and a smirk on his face as he puts his keys in the ignition.  

“Right now…I’d have to go with ‘Lover,’” he says with a wink.

Your laughter is cut off abruptly as you gasp and bite your lip, attempting to subdue the cheesy grin that’s surely made its way onto your face by now.  

You stare unashamed as Eddie puts his right hand over the back of your seat to turn around and look through the rear window as he reverses the car out of its parking spot.  You can smell the cologne he must’ve sprayed on this morning, which immediately awakens the butterflies in your stomach.

As soon as Eddie is set on the route back to your house, he holds out his hand expectantly over his center console.  You look at it, then at him, then back at his hand before shyly placing your hand in his.  He’s quick to lace his fingers through yours, holding on tight and running his thumb back and forth.

You’re both thinking that you could get used to this.

-

Eddie (reluctantly) only lets go of your hand in order to rush around the front of his truck to open your car door for you after he’s pulled into your driveway.  He’s quiet as he walks you to your front door, wondering which way is the best way to ask you out on another date.  

You stop when you reach your door, looking down at your hand in his.  The silence begins to feel just a tad awkward as you both search for something to fill it.

“Thank you,” you start quietly ,”for today.  I had a wonderful time.”

Eddie lets out a relieved breath and grins widely down at you.

“I did too,” he begins, readying himself for his next question.  “Would you…I mean–would you like to…uh…shit, would you want to maybe do it again sometime?”

You know what he means, but it’s still so tempting to tease him when he’s blushing like this.

“Would I want to go to IKEA with you again?”

“N-no!  I mean, if you wanted to we could I guess…b-but I was thinking something more along the lines of dinner?”

You find it adorable how nervous he is to ask you out on a second date, as if you wouldn’t agree to go out to dinner with him tonight.

“I’d love that.”

Eddie’s face lights up with a triumphant smile as he lets out the anxious breath he’d been holding in.  

“Good, that’s really good.”  The way you’re smiling up at him right now is causing him to lose his train of thought.  “Um…how’s tomorrow night?  Around 7?”

“Tomorrow night is perfect.”

“Awesome.  Great, yeah I’ll just…I’ll pick you up, okay?”

You’re beaming as you nod your head, much too ecstatic at the idea of going out with Eddie again to form a coherent sentence.

Eddie finds himself smiling and nodding with you, you’re just too adorable. 

“Hey could I uh…c-could I get your number?” Eddie stammers the question out like he’s a prepubescent teenager, mentally face palming the whole time.

He’s relieved when you chuckle and hold your hand out for him to place his phone in.  He fumbles around trying to give you his phone as quickly as possible, he can’t believe how nervous he feels right now. 

He finally somehow manages to pass over his phone with a new contact page pulled up and ready for you.  You type in your number and name, making sure to add the artist’s palette emoji afterwards.  Eddie laughs through his nose when he sees it, then pockets his phone again.  

There’s a weird tension in the air that can only be brought upon by two people who so obviously want to kiss each other, but are too nervous to make the first move.  Eddie wracks his brain for a way to ask you if it’d be okay for him to kiss you without looking like a total idiot.  It’s really unfortunate that the way you bite your lip causes his mind to completely shut off and switch to autopilot.  

“I really wanna kiss you right now,” he blurts out.

You look up at him, shocked at his bluntness.  Eddie’s even more shocked than you are.

“Y-you probably should then,” you bashfully admit.

Eddie can’t believe that worked.

He steps towards you and softly places one hand on your cheek, the other going to gently grasp the side of your neck similarly to the way he had in IKEA during your almost-kiss.

Your eyes flutter closed as you feel his lips graze yours for the first time.  The feeling is electrifying, and you can’t help but to venture forward for more.  

Your lips were just as soft, if not softer, than Eddie imagined. 

You plunge forward to press your lips against his, instantly deepening the kiss.  Eddie found himself instantly addicted to the feel of your lips and the way you sigh into the kiss.  It’s a shy kiss at first, where the two of you slowly begin to figure out your shared rhythm.  But it wasn’t long before you sank into a synchronized dance, mirroring each other’s movements in a way that crafted the most perfect, earth shattering first kiss.  

You let Eddie Munson kiss you at your front door in a way that you had longed to be kissed for your entire life.  This was how the women you saw in movies or read about in books were kissed.  You’d read about magic and sparks flying, and you think you’re finally starting to believe in all of it.  

Eddie moves his hand from your cheek to your waist, gripping it and pulling you closer to him.  The gasp you let out gave him the sweet opportunity to run his tongue against your bottom lip, asking, pleading for an entrance which you of course granted.  You tasted like autumn and felt like home, he decided he could kiss you for hours on end.

You both stood there for a good five minutes at your front door, making out like giddy teenagers and feeling like them too.  Eddie finally pulls away from your lips, pleased to find you subtly chasing his mouth with your own.  You open your eyes and come out of your kiss-induced haze to find him smiling adoringly down at you with both hands now circling your waist.  

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he whispers, leaning in to kiss you once more. 

“Actually, I’m gonna call you tonight.”  He kisses you again.  “Is that okay?”  Another peck.

You're giggling as he places a final kiss on your forehead, “Yes, please.”

“Good.”

Eddie steps back, grabbing your hand to kiss it like he did on Tuesday.  He pulls you back in with that same hand to plant one last kiss on your lips, then jogs back to his truck.  He waves and quickly honks his horn twice as he pulls away.  

You’re left standing at your front door, watching his truck disappear down your street and reliving every moment of your first kiss with Eddie Munson.

When you finally make your way inside, you make sure to smell your brand new beautiful flowers before scurrying off to your bedroom to pick out an outfit for your second date with Eddie tomorrow night.  

TAGLIST:

@josephquinnsfreckles @the-fairy-anon @anukulee @littlebebebunny @meetmeatyourworst @lalalala-melmosworld @someantics @lokis-army-77 @loserboysandlithium @strangerstilinski @mystra-midnight @lesservillain @queenimmadolla @luveline @munson-blurbs @fairyysoup @urhoneycombwitch @oneforthemunny @rebelfell @taintedcigs @wroteclassicaly @eiightysixbaby @bettyfrommars @loveshotzz @lovebugism @carolmunson @rustedhearts @lonelysatellites

[outsideratheart]

A Return Worth Celebrating (Fridolina Rolfo x reader)

A/N: Here’s a little something to celebrate Frido’s return to team training!

Monday’s had the reputation of being terrible but not this Monday. No, today was a good day. Today was the day that Fridolina Rolfö, your girlfriend, returned to team training. 

“You ready?” You ask as you walk out onto the field together. 

“As I’ll ever be” the blonde wore a smile on her face but you knew deep down that she was nervous. The two of you had spent the night previous cuddled in bed discussing what the blonde was feeling and why she was feeling it. 

Before you reach the group you wrap your arm around her waist, pulling her close as you place a gentle kiss on her hairline. 

“You’ve got this. You are strong and you are powerful” 

“What? I’m not beautiful today?” Fridolina knows the mantra well, you had made her say it to herself whenever she was having a bad day. 

“You, Miss Rolfö, will always be beautiful in my eyes. Now let’s get going. I’ve haven’t been late once this season and I won’t have you tarnishing my impeccable record” you jog off towards your team mates. 

“Right because I’m the bad influence out the two of us” the swede says sarcastically. Everyone knew it was you who corrupted her. 

The session goes better than Frido expected. Her passes were accurate, her movement fluid and much to her surprise her fitness wasn’t far off from where it was before. It did come as a shock to find your cubby empty as she entered the locker room. She assumed you had gone for a shower until she saw a note sitting in her locker. 

I had to go. See you at home. 

I love you, always. 

Y/N. 

“What no celebrations for your return?” Ingrid asks. 

“Looks like she had a meeting or something. We discussed our schedules on Friday and she didn’t mention anything. It must be something last minute” Frido defended your actions even if they had hurt her. 

She had been so excited to be back on the pitch for numerous reasons but being able to play with you again was top of that list. You seemed so happy for her this morning and she automatically assumed you would do something together to celebrate. 

Little did she know you did have plans to celebrate. Your celebrations were a little bit more intimate than what was planned with the team. 

As on queue, Frido walks into your shared apartment just as you finish setting the table. 

When the blonde walked through the hallway she smelt home, more specifically a home cooked meal. Then, as she turned the corner, she saw you standing next to the candle light table. 

“Baby, i’m so proud of you” 

She was rendered speechless. 

“Say something, please” you ask politely. 

She says nothing. She lets her actions do the talking and you don’t complain at all. You loved moments like this when it was just the two of you. When you could express your love with kisses and other displays of affection. 

“Is that my —“

“Kött” you pull away from her hold to read the name of the meal of your hand “Köttbullar” 

Frido pulled your hand towards her to see if you had really written down the name of the meal. Lo and behold, you had. 

“I think I did it right. I was this close” you pinch your thumb and index thumb very close together “to going to Ikea and buying some” 

You follow to the take and pull the chair out for her. 

“For you, m’lady” 

“Why thank you” she kisses your cheek as a show of appreciation. 

You watch nervously as she takes a bite of the meatball. It mimicked the nervous energy you feel as you watch a team mate take a penalty. She takes her time and it feels like she chews it 100 times before giving any indication of whether it’s good or not. 

“5 stars” Frido does a little happy dance in her seat “who knew this is what you were preparing for when you ate my Mamma’s Köttbullar by the bucket full” 

“It was all apart of my master plan” you raise your eyebrows playfully. 

“Is that right? What else does this master plan entail?” Frido asks curiously. 

“Stick around and you’ll find out” 

You had a lot planned for you and Fridolina. Some things had been ticked off, some were in motion and others were due in the future. 

[cakerybakery]

Adam building furniture. Not like ikea. But deciding he needs a bookshelf but going out the door with an axe someone asks what he’s doing and he’s introduced to the world of hardware stores and lumber yards.

He’s now there every weekend. Has built his several book shelves, a chair, taken up wood working, and built several benches that sit around the hotel property. He’s been trying to get Charlie to agree to letting him build a patio and gets a thrill when someone blows up a wall cause it’s an excuse to take Lucifer’s debt card and buy drywall.

“What are you working on today?” Lucifer leans over Adam’s shoulder as he’s carving at his workbench in the shed Lucifer agreed to buy if Adam would stop getting sawdust all over their bedroom.

“Carving,” Adam tried to hide it, “now git.”

Lucifer tries one last peek before allowing himself to be shooed away.

It takes a few weeks but one day Adam gives him a box and a kiss on the cheek, “happy anniversary.”

“Oh fuck. I- sorry Adam. I didn’t realize you wanted to celebrate that sort of thing.” He held the box a little embarrassed to have nothing in return.

“Well, to be honest. I’m not actually sure when our “anniversary” would be. Neither of us have birthdays. As we were alive before anyone started keeping track of the days and years. And we’ve known each other for a long time. And I have no idea how long it’s even been since we got together. I just wanted to make you this and figured I’d call it an anniversary present whenever it was done.”

Lucifer breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank fuck. But I suppose today is as good a day as any. Maybe we should celebrate? Go out to dinner.”

Adam waved it off, “don’t matter. Just open the gift!”

“Okay,” Lucifer chuckled. He was excited to see what it was.

He pulled the ribbon off and opened the top. Lucifer pulled out realist carving of an apple.

“Oh that’s really good. Looks like the real thing.”

Adam puffed up with pride. “Figured you could use a new paperweight.”

“… what happened to my old one?”

“I might have broken it, a month ago. Which you would know if you were actually doing work like you said.”

‘Oh shit. This was a trap.’

“So, where have you been Lucifer? And for how long?”

No point lying now. “I’ve been down at the river feeding ducks again.” Lucifer pouted.

“Yeah. That’s what I thought.” Adam pulled Lucifer out of his chair and pushed him to the door, “go the fuck to work. Hell doesn’t run itself!”

“But it’s booorrrriiiinnnnggg!” Lucifer whined but he did actually go and do paperwork that day.

[thinkpink212]

I made myself giggle because how dare I say I’m not disciplined just because it’s taken me a few tries to get a healthy & balanced work-life routine down? As if I didn’t move out of my toxic home with nothing but 3 suitcases, one IKEA bag and 70$ to my name? As if I didn’t go plant-based and will be celebrating my 6th anniversary today? As if I haven’t made countless of commissioned design within a timely fashion ? As if I didn’t graduate my massage school with good grades and find a job immediately despite others doubts?I need to stop being my own OP! I’ve stayed being discipline, so let me give myself a minute to adjust, tweak and see progress!!!

[spidervee]

in which you and Bob celebrate the little things 🌻Bob Floyd x reader; 18+ only; implied sex

“I’m starting to think IKEA is just one big social experiment,” you huff, a thin sheen of sweat gathered on your hairline, the consequence of having to use a tiny hex key to tighten a dozen screws.

Bob makes a noise of agreement in his throat as he heaves the bulk of your brand new tabletop into an upright position. His arms bulge beneath the thin white cotton of his t-shirt and you’re struck by the thought that you didn’t specify exactly what kind of social experiment. To see how many relationships were furniture-building-proof? To see how turned on the sight of a man lifting a piece of furniture could make you? Check and check.

“Done,” Bob sighs, letting his arms fall to his sides after he readjusts his glasses. You both take a moment to admire the new fixture in your dining nook.

“This calls for champagne,” you giggle, hopping off the counter toward the fridge. You only make it two steps before Bob intercepts you with an arm slung around your waist, pulling your back flush against his chest.

“I think you deserve a reward for your efforts, baby,” he coos into your ear, making your legs quiver. “Something better than that cheap champagne.”

“What did you have in mind?” Bob replies by nipping gently at your collarbone, letting his fingers slip up your shirt and splay wide across your belly. He begins to tug you back toward the table but you dig your heels in. “Robby,” you laugh, “That’s not going to support our weight—not once you get going, hm?”

Bob contemplates your words for a moment before he’s lifting you as if you’re weightless and carrying you toward the bedroom, leaving the sound of your laughter echoing throughout the house.

[springw6ter]

Hi (nyfw thoughts)

Ok so first I just want to say that this fashion week was so boring and really sums up the kind of good idea drought we’re living in. BUT there was a fair share of discussion over some things so! instead of trying to fit my thoughts about everything on the app formerly known as twitter, I’m just gonna tell y’all here.

Shows talked about in this post; Proenza Schouler, Eckhaus Latta, AREA, Luar, Helmut Lang, Elena Velez and Tory Burch

Proenza Schouler

There’s no way Proenza was going to ruffle any feathers this season. They have a loyal following (which I’m sure has nothing to do with the celebrity affiliations of the brand) and a consistent history of people pleasing so they’ll always get their praise from Vogue. They dropped a new monogram which is the only “newness” they wanted to introduce. Jack McCollough said they wanted to continue last seasons narrative and they sure did! (Only thing different was no Sevigny). The clothes are obviously well made and evoke wealth in that special kind of iykyk way. Many people said this looked more like Helmut Lang than Helmut lang did (I’ll get to that later) and they’re not entirely wrong. Not gonna act like I wouldn’t wear this collection but definitely nothing groundbreaking.

Eckhaus Latta

Eckhaus latta is a brand that has always had a special place in my heart (maybe because I’m from the city that the two designers met and started the brand together in)(maybe). My style has definitely evolved since I first became aware of the brand but I’m always interested in what they’re doing. This season they got experimental! They worked with a 3D printing company named “Unspun” where they came up with jeans made from all different materials like hardware store twine and ikea plastic bags. The way they combined tech innovation and sustainability is not just commendable, it’s very forward thinking, which is a staple in the brands identity. With that being said some of the collection felt directionless in comparison to all of the innovation. The sheer (which dawned their new EL monogram) was very MNZ store to me but not in a bad way. I like that they’re not trying to be trendy and come up with new things however a-lot of brands were doing that so it makes me wonder if that’s a good thing or not.

AREA

I loved their modern Stone Age ladies. I think it was one of the only luxury focused shows where I was like wow! This is different. The fur printed coats were so gaudy and held its shape in the way good ol’ fur coats used to. I think this collection was really cohesive, adventurous, new. Everyone saw Saweetie wear it at the VMAs and even the unfashionable general public could see the yabba dabba reference. The prehistoric influence was chosen because as Piotrek Panscyzk said “pelts and bones were the first things humans had to build an identity around”. There’s definitely a case for a narrative about how much luxury (the hunger, the status) mirrors pre historic, pre civilized behaviors.

Luar

Raul Lopez is a diamond. This collection kind of came of as a continuation of last season as well but I like this brand so much that it feels good to me. I feel like Raul is constantly playing with this really restrictive, God-fearing way of being and an inhibition-less eternality. Padded shoulders, the top draped from the eyewear, perfect collared shirts, jeans and leather, it had all the perfect Luar moments for me. No notes.

Ok.. now on to the “controversial” shows

Helmut Lang

When Peter Do was announced as the new creative director of Helmut Lang, everyone rejoiced. Why? His strengths as a designer seemed like a natural fit for the brand. Expert tailoring, black and white as a main color palette, maybe a little overlap in philosophy.. but as the outfits came out people’s reactions… were… unfavorable to say the least. People saw the reference to key Lang moments like seat belt bondage, the use of Ocean Vuongs poetry (which I felt was terribly misunderstood), the classic button up and jeans as disappointing instead of nostalgic. For me, personally, I think everyone’s expectations were rooted in something that Peter Do could not have delivered. That expectation being Helmut Lang himself. People saw Do as the second-coming and that’s just the truth but where do we draw the line with our expectations on reliving the past and how do we honor the kind of openness necessary to evolution? I myself had to sit with the collection and came to the conclusion that maybe Peter is just defining a clear end to the Helmut era of yesterday and the start of his own journey now. After closely looking at the collection and it’s details you can see how wonderful the clothes really are. It is everyone’s responsibility to question and examine the things they “care” about and I think this fashion public is not patient enough for that. It wasn’t the greatest debut but it also wasn’t the worst. Anyway we’ll see what comes next.

Elena Velez

Mud gate ss24! Since her NYT article last year, people have been really fed up with Elena (I learned only after the mud fight started to circulate) and she doesn’t really seem to mind, she seems to like it actually. She argues online, she argues IN lines, she doesn’t pay people adequately and the list apparently goes on and on. This collection is called “the longhouse” and in her press release she says a lot of things about the commercialization, sanitization, condemning and control of womanhood, she talks about anti-heroines and contemporary female evil (which she loves to embody I guess) and she says that this show was ritualistic catharsis from oversocialization. I think it’s pretentious when someone has to use so many complex, institutionalized words to convey their message. She’s speaking in code. To be honest I like her clothes but I don’t think her designs are that original. I really want to raise the question who does her message benefit? We should all be allowed our multiplicity in this life, that’s true, but being a bad person in practice is something I’m personally not attracted to. I’m a little confused but it is what it is.

SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO TORY BURCH!!!!

Who I think should be receiving a cease and desist from Miuccia Prada any moment now. This collection is such a departure from the Tory Burch we all grew up with. This must be that post divorce clarity. I like it! It’s 60s. It’s Prada. It’s miu miu. It’s Tory Burch now too!

If you made it this far I really appreciate you ♡ this was just for ki’s sake. It’s not my most critical thinking to date but there was discussion and I loved that. I wanted to contribute and this was the best way I could think of. Lmk if I should do this again with lfw!!

[geonppangi]

now that we know that zb1 is getting a show, here are some variety content i want to see

one thing that i don’t really love about variety shows is sometimes they designate one member as the mc/judge because they have an odd number. which is fair! but also i like seeing everyone be able to participate, so i thought it’d be fun if they compete individually or in groups of 3 and then have an expert come in to moderate. so everyone can do it and it would be more educational for everyone too lmfao

also mnet if you’re reading this, feel free to steal these ideas. i want to see these happen so badly

art episode

yes this is because i want to see ricky kill it like????

but i’m also really curious to know how good the other members are at art

maybe like a the members draw each other?? and they can pair up the members who don’t know each other that well

or they can choose what medium they want to use and do like something that represents their upcoming debut like a collage or smth like that

i love mixed media can one of them pls do it

or!!!!! they can do a design contest for the fanclub mascot and we can all vote lmao

so like bts with bt21

would also be a really cute way to introduce the name like maybe the members find out at the beginning of the episode and then based on what they drew we can try to guess what our name is

the potential is endless i’m telling you

i could see them either inviting an actual artist in to help or just straight up letting them go wild

but ricky is their expert

so i just found out after writing this whole thing that jiwoong is also good at art?? ^^his art

so if he and ricky are the new experts now

i think it’d be cool to see them collaborate on a piece and it would be very chill

while in the bg you just hear the members losing it

cooking/baking episode

similar to the cake decorating they did during the finale

i’m also thinking like seventeen’s cooking segments?

we can do teams of 3

can be same format as when they were preparing for their performances on boys planet but instead of killing part, main vocalist, etc, it can be appetizer, entree, and dessert or something like that

to make it even more interesting, they can play a game to find out what ingredients they get or the secret ingredient that they have to work with

so either like the camping cooking segment or like the show mom vs chef where they get an unpopular ingredient and have to make it appetizing

OR no teams and everyone creates their own thing

and they invite a celebrity chef to come be their judge/mc

pls i need a gordon ramsay crossover

i want to see him and gyuvin interact like i cannot tell you why but yeah (also yes, gyuvin can speak english but idk how well)

halloween cosplay episode

i might be biased because i am a cosplayer

but imagine a halloween themed episode where they have to make their own costumes

maybe they’re given like different fabrics or random clothes to work with

and they can figure out their own hair, makeup, and props too

i want at least one member to try sewing like i need to see it

they could invite special guests to come and teach them how to work with stuff like worbla or a sewing machine

and then at the end they have to model all of the costumes and film a dance practice in them because ofc they do

AND THEY ALSO GO TRICK OR TREATING

dorm content

obviously we need some dorm vlogs!!

like if we could get an episode of the members balancing being idols and school for some of them

also a dorm moving in + bedroom decor episode

i’d love to see the members do challenges to win like a budget for their common space furniture

and then an ikea vlog of them trying to get furniture in a certain amount of time maybe??

or it’s a scavenger hunt for money inside of ikea while they’re simultaneously looking for furniture

also cooking vlogs or maybe the members try to host a housewarming party

i’d literally cry if they plan a housewarming and then invite their friends from boys planet to come

please i just need to see dog union and junrae reunite

and imagine if we can get wumuti, seo won, woongki, and hwan hee

this is purely wish fulfillment but i want it so badly

and i want to see their skincare + morning routines

closet tour?? the boys shared their clothes so often on the show that it was hard to tell who wears what normally

pc decorating episode

could be an album unboxing episode

and if the album itself has any sort of interactive element like how seventeen’s semicolon had the weaving kit then they could assemble that

they can also get toploaders to decorate

it can be based on the pcs they pull because i have a strange desire to know what their pc luck is like

also i know this is sort of blasphemy but it is their album so ig they get a pass

but imagine journaling but with the photobook and maybe stickers if they include any

in case you can’t tell, i want to see how artistic the boys are lmfao

amusement park episode

we all knew this was coming

why are we surprised

hear me out, it’s a combo of an escape room and an amusement park

so like to escape the amusement park they need to collect clues which are scattered all around the park

some of the clues require them to go on the ride first

they can also be split up into teams of 3 maybe?? to see who can get out first

and the team that gets out last has to go on a ride that the other two teams pick

school episode

i want yujin to be the teacher

and the rest of them are the students

and they all play some sort of character but like switched

watch sung hanbin and zhang hao switch

jiwoong and gyuvin

matthew and gunwook

this is purely because i need to see gunwook cringe while doing aegyo

gunwook our canadian oppa

tbh i think matthew can pull off the student president character

ooohhhh and he should debate too

and i saved the best for last

taerae and ricky switch, outfits and all

THINK ABOUT IT

LIKE RICH EXCHANGE STUDENT TAERAE

AND LOSER (AFFECTIONATE) FASHION TERRORIST RICKY

---

show and tell?? mini series

like i want each member to teach the other members a specialty of theirs

ig ricky’s was the art episode already so pretend that’s here

cafe episode

yes this was inspired by my idea of hanbin teaching all of the members how to tut and waack

but i feel like that’s too easy, so how about having hanbin bring the group to his family’s cafe and they run it for a day LMAO

or maybe help run it…

and hanbin’s mom can teach them (not hanbin bc cold injeolmi toast…)

i want gyuvin waiter like i cannot tell you why but

and taerae too bc the more i can see him smile the lighter my soul feels

and matthew waiter for the same reason ofc!!!

jiwoong making coffee, pls he has such barista vibes

hanbin on making hot desserts because i want him to redeem himself

and gunwook and yujin on decorating desserts because i also need them to redeem themselves for their cake

ricky on sodas and smoothies because his mocktail video was just too smooth like that’s what won me over

zhang hao on tea and tea lattes

idrk why but i feel like he’d be good on whisking matcha

like the violinist wrist yknow

strings ensemble episode

also zhang hao teaching them how to play violin

he can also play piano and gunwook said that one of his goals was to learn how to play

so what if they make their own little strings ensemble with gunwook piano solo

you cannot tell me that gyuvin doesn’t give off double bass and taerae doesn’t give off cello energy

as a cellist, i’m claiming taerae

ricky would probably play violin, like it has very expensive vibes

and hanbin too because haobin violin lessons…can you see the vision

i think yujin and matthew would play viola. i don’t have any reasoning but ik some violists and they all have that energy

jiwoong gives me saxophone vibes 💀 but since we can’t have that, i’ll also give him the cello

it has a really warm and deep sound?? idk i feel like it suits him but maybe i’m going insane

wouldn’t it be so cute if they played an arrangement of their debut title track

also not alone would be soooooo cute

learning english episode

with our canadian oppa matthew

i think it’d be so funny if ricky and gyuvin pretended like they didn’t know any english

ik vancouverites don’t really have a “canadian accent” but i want matthew to mess with them by doing like a newfoundland accent so badly

or he just starts speaking french but with like an english accent and we see how long it takes the other members to figure it out

i feel like ricky would know but not say anything

debate episode

so as we know, gunwook is a debate kid (i say that both lovingly and maliciously)

so essentially going seventeen’s debate night LMAO

i want the members to vote on something that they fundamentally believe to be true

like what way should toilet paper go

and then put them on the opposite team

BUT we follow actual debate rules so they have to do research and cite their sources

prepare objections, etc etc

all within like 15 minutes lmfao

---

musical episode pt 2

but i specifically want them to write the whole thing

one team can write the script, another can write the music and choreograph and another can build the sets and plan costumes

as the resident actor, i nominate jiwoong to write the script and help direct

maybe gunwook for writing too? he’s a nerd and a debate kid so i feel like his writing must be good

MUSIC TEACHER HAO WITJ DANCE TEACHER BIN AND SINGER SONGWRITER TAERAE

literally the dream team i’m sobbing

ricky on set design and costumes because he’s an art kid so i trust him

and matthew too because his cake in the final episode was actually really cute??

not sure where i’d put gyuvin and yujin? maybe gyuvin on script writing so he can be with gunwook because i will never get sick of watching them interact

and yujin on set design?? but also yujin and jiwoong (T ^ T) and i want to see the sheer chaos that is gyuvin trying to build a set

maybe they can play rock paper scissors to figure it out

actually just a whole school performance episode or mini series??

so each episode could be a different performance that they put on as a school recital

to perform for their parents LMAO (yes this is just the artist battle special star creator stage)

i need them to do a spoken word poem and or interpretive dance because i had to do that in elementary school and i need somebody else to share in my suffering

some ideas include: a poem about the importance of colours?? and a series of tableaus depicting the creation of the Canadian Pacific Railway

they could also do church plays but instead of stories from the bible they can be like korean folktales or disney ripoffs

and ofc they have to do the awkward singing and then doing hand movements that correlate to the lyrics of the song

could also be done with their debut track btw

i want fancams of all of this

sports day

you know i had to do it

isac also works!! but idk if they're doing that so um

so with the summer olympics coming up in 2024, i think it’d be so funny if they do some summer olympics sports

volleyball segment for gunwook our resident haikyuu nerd please

and they can wear the uniforms from the anime too

please please please wakeone think about it

also imagine a skateboarding episode?? idk why maybe it’s the north american but i feel like matthew would be surprisingly good at it?

also surfing?????

idk if the surfing scene in korea is good but if not they can always take a trip to hawaii or smth i certainly will not be complaining

esports + pc building episode

listen we have 3 whole gamers in the group, this is kind of perfect

the gamers can be the captains of each team

i want the lame ass esports poses and intros

and the stats too like imagine

ALSO if you guys have seen the trash taste pc building special but think about the potential

so it’s partly based on skill and also how well they can build a pc

so they build the pcs and then play using the pcs

there should be a separate prize or bonus for building it the fastest (but not necessarily the best)

also i want the editing thing where they have an expert build the pc properly and then every time that the boys fuck up, the clip of them messing up is played right after the expert does it the correct way

think about the chaos

mock trial episode

same sort of thing as the debate night but they have to represent their clients

i feel like sung hanbin would be the defendant like i have no evidence for this but i want someone to indict him

he just seems like he would be really good at pretending to have not committed a crime

and then 2 attorneys and 2 witnesses on each side

prosecutors: gunwook and zhang hao (imagine the haobin tension guys) (also gunwook just has major prosecution vibes idk what to tell you)

defence attorneys: matthew and gyuvin

prosecution’s witnesses: yujin and taerae

defence’s witnesses: jiwoong and ricky

i feel like gunwook and zhang hao would be really good and logical

but like how can you not want to trust matthew and gyuvin like they’re so sweet

also i need them for comedy

gyuvin would 100% object to random shit and i need that

i’m sorry but i can’t imagine yujin and taerae being very good witnesses so ig it balanced out gunwook and zhang hao?

and jiwoong and ricky would be AMAZING witnesses

like it took skill to not be evil edited so ricky would be able to keep his calm so well and jiwoong too like i would trust whatever they say

and the judge could be an actual lawyer they brought on as the expert for the episode

and the jury can be the staff lmfao

now what is hanbin’s crime you might be asking?

being too handsome tbh i have no idea maybe the fans can vote on it the week before or smth LMFAO

---

volunteering mini series!

it really warms my heart to see people give back to the community, especially idols because it inspires a lot of fans to do so too!

it’d be really nice if maybe as a holiday special? they went around to different places and volunteered to spread awareness for the causes

maybe it’d be better if they split up?

the members can choose what they’re passionate about too

my personal suggestions/ideas would be:

a retirement home (they can perform music for the elderly people there. i’m thinking zhang hao and taerae would be a good combo)

a hospital

a soup kitchen

a community centre (i’d love to see hanbin and gunwook teach after school dance lessons to children)

and the proceeds for the episode could go towards different charities or programs for these places (ie if they need more funding or renovations) as well as a link for fans to donate more to these places

---

[umilily]

Since I can't draw for shit, I sadly can't make one of those yearly lookbacks, but there's something else I'd like to put out there as a sort of year-in-review (and to celebrate a little):

Once more – true to my brand – I managed to time things so spectacularly that I’m proud (?) to say that today is actually my one-year anniversary of posting fic. To be fair, I doubt that this will become an international holiday like any other minor ones going on atm, but nevertheless I just wanted to take a moment to write down some thoughts on that (because ah, yes, of course, more rambling from me), even if it’s just for myself to look back on both an occasionally very unusual, weird year.

No pressure to read or digest any of this, I think the only thing I really want to say to anyone who’s bothered reading this far (both this post and the things posted over the last year) is a huge thanks. If you had told me last December that a decision made while under the heavy influence of Ibuprofen and caffeine to combat one of the nastiest colds I ever had, would snowball into a year filled with kind words from strangers and new friends, I would have probably written you off as a fever dream. Oddly enough, it wasn’t, so somehow now I’m here writing this post that already feels too pompous, but that I can’t help wanting to type out regardless.

My own corner of the vast internet unexpectedly became a lot more populated than I’ve ever known it to be. Which feels hilariously ironic when I think about that at the same time, living abroad essentially nuked my social life with friends and family many hours away. But even if I still am very much reclusive – a rare encounter I suppose – and have only talked to very few people who hang around here, I’m still so very grateful for all the kind words from everyone found for me and my writing. Thank you all for keeping me company through me essentially just going “fuck it we ball” continuously.

The last year had some stretches that have been exhausting and rough and I think sticking with something self-indulgent and light-hearted kept me from going nuts at times. I’m not the type to make new years resolutions and when last year I told people that mine was “Doing things poorly”, it likely was the most confusing one they heard so far. For me personally, it was the best one out there, so I will be renewing that and (as proudly as possible) continue to do things poorly in 2024 as well. If people stick around for a laugh or two, I will take it as the highest praise and compliment.

On a more personal front, there is a good chance that I will start working full-time within the next year, so I also just wanted to take this chance for a little heads-up. If I end up disappearing for longer than what you’re used to from me being chronically online, it’s probably because I managed to fool people into hiring me and sadly not because I finally made the smart decision to become a hermit in the woods or retire to the seaside. (Or well, I might end up reacting the exact opposite. Because when have I ever made responsible, adult decisions regarding how to spend my free time? Who needs sleep when you can contemplate the enigmatic, inner machinations of your blorbo’s mind on the topic of coffee or Ikea furniture?) I will do my very best to be as consistent as possible, because even if I do get busy, writing has been something that brought me much more joy than I could have anticipated, and I would like to keep that going.

With that, I think I’m finally done and all that’s left for me to do is saying thanks again and wishing you all a relaxing holiday season and a good start into the new year! <3

[jacksprimalfear]

I’m Empty ‘till he fills, I’m alive ‘till he kills.

[TW: KIDNAPPING, STOCKHOLM SYNDROME, TORTURE]

(this is a collaboration with @a3s1rxx )

.

And my condo is absolutely destroyed. Up in flames. The police and fire department are already on their way as I sadly walk over to the payphone.

Once in, I reach into my pocket, pulling out Marla’s number. I reach for the phone and slowly punch in the numbers from the paper.

As soon as she picks up, I hang up. Opting to call Tyler instead, the man I met on the plane. I have no idea why I called him, but I did.

I punch in the number on his business card.

Ring ring ring.

He doesn’t pick up. Crap. I slowly start to step out and away from the payphone before hearing it ring. I pick up the phone. Hello? I say.

I hear him eating chips on the other end of the line, “Who’s this?” He asks me. Tyler? I ask, to make sure it’s him.

“Who is this?” He asks once again. Uh, we met on the airplane, we had the same suitcase, I reply. The uh, the clever guy, I continue. He laughs “Oh yeah, right.”

I called…a second ago, I inform him. There was no answer I’m at a paypho- “Yeah i’m sorry I *69’d you, I never pick up my phone.”

I let out a little smile at that. “So, what’s up?” He asks. Uh..well, you’re not going to believe this. I say, looking back at my burning condo.

.

We’re now at Lou’s Tavern, a bar. I tell him about all the things I have lost. “Why do guys like us know what a duvet is. Is it essential to our survival in the hunter gatherer sense of the word? No. What are we, then?” I look at him, a bit puzzled.

I dunno, consumers? I answer. “Right, we’re consumers, we are byproducts of a lifestyle obsession.”

He goes on, “Murder, crime, poverty. These things don’t concern me. What’s concerns me are celebrity magazines, televisions with 500 channels, some guys name on my underwear.”

I start to become almost amused with his big ideas about consumerism. Martha Stewart. I add on.

“Fuck Martha Stewart, she’s polishing the brass on the Titanic, it’s all going down man!” He says

“So fuck off with your sofa units and Strinne green stripe patterns.” He sure is passionate about all of this “I say never be complete. I say stop being perfect. I say let’s evolve. Let the chips fall where they may.”

He’s very..intentional with the way he talks, like he’s trying to convince you. “But that’s me, and I could be wrong. Maybe it’s some terrible tragedy.”

.

We are now outside Lou’s. “Just ask” he says. Huh? I reply “Is it a problem for you to ask if you can stay with me?” Oh god. Oh, Tyler, really it’s fine. I say. “No seriously stay with me.” Seriously. I’ll go find a hotel. I respond.

“Stay. With. Me” I’m starting to get annoyed by his asking. No, I respond, I’ll go find a hotel, I’m not staying with a guy I just met. I go on. “Fine, guess we’ll have to do this the hard way, Ikea-boy.” What could he mea-

Punch

.

I find myself waking up, tied to a chair. I try to scream but i’m gagged. Some sort of cloth in my mouth. I start trying to remember what happened, and then it hits me. Tyler.

Tyler had knocked me out and brought me to some abandoned looking house. I try to squirm but it’s no use, I assume Tyler had heard me moving and walked into the room I was in “You’re awake.”

I look at him, rage in my eyes. “You didn’t wanna come with me so unfortunately this is how it has to be.” I tried to scream again. “Shut up. It’s no use, you’re gagged. You’re only wasting your breath.”

I squirm again. “And you’re only gonna give yourself rope burn with all that moving.” I sigh and give up, hanging my head low. “There we go, just let go, be good, and you’ll be fine.” He pats my head. Oh how I want to break his hand.

Oh how I want to just beat him into the ground a- He’s waving a hand in front of my face. “Come back to reality, Ikea-boy.” I hate that nickname.

“Don’t try and escape from this. Stay right in the moment”. You sick fuck. After looking at me for a moment he starts up again, “Well. I’m getting tired, I’m heading to bed, night.”

He leaves and i’m left alone with nothing but my thoughts. Torture.

I sit for hours, letting my situation sink in, I know nobody is going to look for me.

I start to panic, then I start to cry. Wondering how I ended up here. I hope my crying will make me fall asleep, but it doesn’t. It’s not satisfying, it doesn’t help me in any way.

I just sit there and cry, helpless. I see some of my tears hit the dirty and grimy floor, I start to wonder how old this building is. All I can do is look around and take everything in, to assess my situation. It’s definitely not looking good.

I stay like this until the sun comes up. I can hear Tyler getting up from his bed in the other room, I listen to each step as he makes his way to me. Opening the door I see him again.

“Good morning, sunshine, did you sleep well?” I refuse to give him any reaction. “I asked you a fucking question.” I still give no response, nothing. He walks up to him a swiftly slaps me across the face, I groan in pain. “Answer me. Yes or no.” I hesitantly shake my head.

“Awh, that’s too bad isn’t it. I slept like a baby.” He walks back over to the door. “I’ll bring you breakfast soon.”

He leaves and closes the door. I start to think of ways I could escape, my mind comes up blank. I’m tied pretty tight to this chair, it’ll take Tyler untying me before I even think about escaping.

.

Tyler finally comes back with my “breakfast” if you can even call it that, it was just a slice of bread and some water.

“Now I’m gonna remove the sock from your mouth. And you’re not going to scream.” He takes out the sock and it looks disgusting, grimy, dirty, I almost threw up now that I knew that was in my mouth.

“Open up.” I hesitantly open my mouth, he feeds me the bread and lets me sip the water, and then drink it all, I’m still very hungry. He leaves the room again and I’m left to think…again.

I’m at least grateful to have the sock out of my mouth. My jaw hurts from being propped open for so long.

I begin to think about my sad and pathetic life leading up to this moment, how I’ve wasted my time, my life really. About my childhood, my father, my upbringing.

I think about the support groups, how they’ll all think the worst when they realise i’ve stopped showing up, the looks on their faces. I think about how many sleepless nights ill go through, trapped here. About ho-

Buzzz..

There’s a fly. It lands on my nose. I begin to think about how jealous I am of this fly, he can move freely, and he doesn’t have to have the burden of human sentience, he doesn’t have any concept of time. He’ll probably die in a day or two.

Not me, I’m stuck here, for however long Tyler wants to keep me here, fully aware of everything.

I wish I could be as blissfully unaware as this fly. I shake my head, making the fly buzz away. I watch it fly around the room, bumping into the walls. Stupid thing.

I watch the fly zoom around for a while until Tyler comes in and kills it. “How’s it going?” He talks to me as if he didn’t kidnap me.

“Oh come on not this shit again.” I don’t respond to him. “I asked you, how’s it going.” I stare at him, mouth shut. He suddenly punches me

“I don’t like being ignored.” I groan from the pain. It stings, but then also feels numb. I…

I trail off, not knowing what to say “Spit it out already.” I don’t like it here. I reply.

“You’ll get used to it.” He stares at me “You have a really sad and sick desperation in your eyes. Like a war orphan.” A war orphan.

“Later tonight I have something to give you, consider it a gift.” I’m now wondering what my gift could possibly be. He leaves again.

.

It has been hours. I think I’m starting to go insane, I’m hungry, exhausted, and my cheek hurts, Ive been crying on and off thinking about everything. Tyler comes in “I’m gonna give you your gift now.”

He walks closer to me, untying me, I think of running but I know it’s no use. He grabs me by the arm and pulls me down the stairs and into the kitchen, lots of chemicals splayed on the counter.

“I’m making soap.” Will my gift be soap? He’s on the other side of the counter. He grabs my hand and licks his lips, he kisses my hand.

What is this? I ask. He suddenly grabs a tub of lye and pours it over my hand “This is chemical burn.” Immediately my hand feels like it’s on fire, the lye literally burning my skin.

Of course this is his idea of a gift. I cry out in pain and try to move away but he holds me in place. PLEASE PLEASE TYLER. I cry and scream. “Just take it.” I beg for him to please free me from this pain.

I try and zone out, but he slaps me “NO. Stay right with me Ikea-boy. Right here.”

I sob and continue to beg. “Just accept the pain. Shut up and accept it. It’s only after we lost everything that we are free to do anything.”

I try to shut up and take it like he says, and a few minutes later he pours vinegar on my hand to neutralise the burn.

I fall over and he walks over to me. He squats down to my level. “Now we’re matching.” He lifts up his hand and shows me his burn scar in the same place as mine but on his hand. “Lets get you back up to your room.”

He helps me up and brings me back to the room, but instead of tying me to the chair, he ties my arms and legs and leaves me on the dirty mattress in the corner of the room.

I look at my hand. Now every time I look at it, i’ll be reminded of Tyler and how he gave me this.

I will forever be tethered to Tyler through this scar. No matter if I make it out of here or not. It’s an absolutely sickening thought.

It’s almost like he’s branded me, like he’s trying to show me he owns me now. And no matter what I do, he’ll always own me.

.

It’s been 2 and a half weeks. I’m miserable, I’m frail, I’m exhausted, and I’m starting to grow an attachment to Tyler. Every so often he comes in here and talks to me, he’s the only person I can talk to. He’s almost sweet sometimes.

But other times he gets angry and takes it out on me, beating me. I have many bruises left by Tyler. He told me I should be grateful for every bruise, that it’s a gift from him, and I’m starting to believe it.

It’s starting to make sense to me. He treats me to little things sometimes, like instead of bread, I get a cupcake. Sometimes he’ll let me sit on the couch with him, that is if i’m good. And I almost hate to say it but I enjoy it.

I start to really like Tyler, but then I hate him again. Just to really like him again. I start to think I can live here forever and I can be with him forever, but then he starts to disgust me all over again. I start to loathe him. I end up in tears.

It’s a cycle.

“So, are you mad at me today?” I look over at him “Answer me, and be honest.” I nod. “Is it because I hit you yesterday?” I nod once more.

He walks over to my bed, where i’m sitting and sits next to me. “Come here.” He opens his arms and I almost jump into them, even though my arms and legs are tied together.

He gently unties my hands and I wrap my arms around him. He envelopes me into a hug.

“You know I only hit you because I’m mad. I just need something to help me blow some steam.” I nod, I feel happy that I can help him feel better.

“If you’re good today, i’ll let you have some reading time.” Ah my favorite.

Sometimes he gave me books to read. I’ve never appreciated a book more in my life than I have in here.

A couple hours have passed and I have gotten my book after all. Tyler had come back into my room and he laid down on my bed.

I’m reading the book to him. I am Jacks enflamed sense of rejection. I read.

I hear snoring.

He’s sleeping. Instantly my mind gets the urge to run, to make an escape, but I just look down at him. I gently run my fingers through his hair and he smiles a bit in his sleep.

I stay put.

.

I don’t even know how long it’s been anymore. The cycle of me hating and loving Tyler has gotten worse, I don’t know what to do.

He hurts me, then comforts me, he hurts me, then comforts me, he hurts me, then comforts me, he hurts me, then comforts me, he hurts me, then comforts m-

Tyler comes into my room.

“Do you wanna go out for a walk?” He asks. I look at him like this is the best offer i’ve ever gotten in my life. YES! I reply.

He walks over to me and unties my hands and feet and helps me to stand up, I get my shoes on and walk downstairs with him.

“Be good, okay? Don’t try and run.” I nod and we walk out of the house, we walk around for a couple of blocks.

He talks about consumerism and goes on his big rant about it. But then he asks me something. “Tell me something about yourself.”

I open my mouth and nothing comes out. I’ve been with him so long I no longer have a sense of self, it’s not like I had any hobbies before him either.

I have no life outside of him. I just stop walking and stand there.

“Uh, you alright?” I look at him and then I look forward.

I start running.

I don’t even know why I start to run, but I do, and instantly Tyler is yelling, running after me, I run like my life depends on it, which it sort of does.

Nothing on my mind but escaping the hell i’ve been trapped in for months, routine beatings, starvation, and isolation. I almost thought I could outrun him.

Until I ran out of adrenaline. I haven’t been exactly healthy, and Tyler works out almost everyday.

He caught up to me. He grabbed me and threw me over his shoulder, carrying me back to the house, angrily “You’re IN for it this time.” There was no escaping this.

.

Once we got home, Tyler throws me on the floor, getting on top of me and beating me like he usually does.

But it doesn’t stop, and the pain gets worse with each punch, I can imagine I look swollen and ridiculous at this point, with how often he beats me and how hard he does.

He’s yelling at me but I can barely hear him over the hard packing sounds of his fists meeting my face, it’s deafening. I can feel the iron taste of blood in my mouth, and I can feel it dripping into my eye.

There comes a point where you’re experiencing so much pain that it almost feels numbing. I’m fading in and out of consciousness. This feels almost peaceful, as if I’m feeling the sensation of falling asleep.

It almost feels like i’m having an out of body experience. Maybe this is what he meant about letting go. Just letting it happen.

As he said It’s only after we have lost everything that we are free to do anything. Maybe this is my freedom.

My vision is fading as he repeatedly beats me. I think I’m falling asleep, but I don’t think I’m gonna wake up.

The last things I hear are the shouts of Tyler as he beats me to death. To sweet sweet death. Please, Tyler, tear me apart, let me never be complete. Now I can finally let go and be free.

[AN: I did not spell check any of this. Also. Gonna make Narrator and Tyler fluff later to cope with this]

[wolfiemcwolferson]

LOVE a lil Grace and Joe cameo in the Carlando chapters.

Would you be able to write a little Maxiel interaction with the Riccardo's during that trip? I just love Grace and Max together

How about a phone call??? Max and Grace gossip on the phone.

“Hi, mom.” Max is walking across campus to meet Charles for lunch. “I’m not with Danny -“

“Max,” Grace cuts him off. “I called to ask you about graduation gifts for the rest of the boys.”

“Oh.” Max stops and sits down on the bench he just passed. He should have known Grace would be thinking about them all and that she wouldn’t - “it’s not for months?” He can hear noise in the background, people.

“You know those dishes Danny has? I was thinking about getting each boy a set and they need three months notice - not like it matters since I can’t have them shipped until the summer, but I’d like to have to mockup’s to give them in March.”

Max…melts. Those dishes…Danny loves those dishes. They’re traditionally given for weddings, but Grace had said it’s a celebration to finish school, isn’t it? A big life event.

“I know obviously to have them done in coordinating colors for Pierre and Charles and Alex and George, but I wanted to ask after Lando? You know he’s…”

Max laughs because Lando is a source of great worry for Grace. She asks about him every time they talk - which is weekly, at least.

“I just don’t want to get it wrong.” Grace sighs. If Max closed his eyes, he could picture her walking around the grocery store, picking produce or loading cans of stewed tomatoes into her cart.

Max knows it’s a little for him too though. A thing for him to talk to her about that’s not Max. Because Max doesn’t really want to think about it too much - wants to talk about it less, but he knows that Grace calls and asks about Charles and George and Lando but she’s really asking about him.

“I think Lando would appreciate them. Not that he cooks, but last week he ordered an entire roast duck and put it on a cookie sheet like it was a serving dish, so.” Max starts laughing before Grace has time to react because he knows.

“Oh,” Grace sighs. “Bless him.”

Max thinks about telling her to get something neutral. Danny’s set is red and it’s beautiful, but he can’t see that in Lando’s kitchen of gray plates he bought at IKEA.

But -

But.

Well. It’s probably…

“Blue.” Max finally says. “His set should be blue. I’ll send you a picture of a couch?”

“A couch?” Grace asks flatly.

“It’s Carlos’ couch.” Max tells her and waits.

He hears something rattle over the phone, like Grace has just dropped something large into her cart. “Max darling. I like the way you think.”

“You know he’s going to Scotland for Christmas and Carlos is going to be in London for the holidays - he’s not going home.”

“Well, holy shit.” Grace laughs. “You think it’s finally going to happen?”

Max thinks it might. He hopes.

Charles is suddenly in front of him, waving his hands wordlessly. “It’s Grace.” He mouths to Charles. “Sorry, mom. Charles and I - “

Charles waves him to sit back down. “I’ll go get you a sandwich. Talk to Grace. HI GRACE!” He shouts before turning and heading to the cafe.

Max watches him skip away.

“Ok,” Grace laughs. “I think I have about 20 minutes of shopping left. Tell me all about Lando and Carlos.”

Max settles back on the bench to get comfortable, tipping his face into the sun.

Yeah, definitely what having a mom is like.

[ok-ak]

AHHH HAPPY BIRTHDAY AK MY WONDERFUL WIFE 💕✨💕✨💕✨💕✨💕 where do i start! you’re the personification of a slice of apple pie served with vanilla ice cream. you’re cozy and warm and comforting and inviting and everything good in the world. magic in a person. you’re endlessly magnetic and exude such a contagious energy that never fails to make me go !!!!!!!!!!! anytime i see your name pop up. you are so witty and clever and i fully wish i could snatch up your brain because it is genius and precious tbh you are a fucking jewel. you’re so naturally hilarious and compelling and charming. and you have THE single most kind heart in the world and you’re the most wonderful friend?? you are SO compassionate and thoughtful and always make the people around you feel so loved and heard. i can’t even count the number of times you have made my days infinitely better just by seeing you pop up with a little ask message. like literal happy tears have popped out of my eyes multiple times because of how much love you pack into our interactions and your friendships, and i’m SO thankful to be able to call you a friend and that this weird little fandom made our lives collide. i feel so stupidly lucky that you followed me and chose to talk to me because you have brightened up my life in numerous ways. i’ve said some version of this before to you but it still remains wildly true- your presence in my life is a wonderful reminder that the universe is occasionally kind because sometimes it will bring the most beautiful special people into your life in the weirdest of ways and that is something to celebrate! i know one day we will do our h*livia style walk-a-thon across canada and go to ikea and the farmer’s market together before, ofc, returning to our cabin with our five cats (stocked with a moat that we have to kayak through to get to)! because of you i will probably always think “kayak <3″ when i see any and all imagery of cats snuggling forever and always amen. i hope this year brings you endless amounts of joy, love, and wonderful new memories and experiences. you deserve all of that and more, and i can’t wait to see what great things life has to offer you (and this is a DEMAND to the universe to give you everything good 🔪)! I LOVE YOU SM 💕💕💕

oh my god 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 this is the kindest message i have ever received you Literary Poet. you wordsmith!!! you!!!!/$/&-&/$:$:&-&:&:&:&:9;7&/ scream im!? scream

i love you so much 😭 i can only hope i show you half as much from telling you so much but that’s NOT ENOUGH. I am so so grateful to have you my WIFE. i love you so much i’m speechless tbh😭 i just 😭😭 ya know when you 😭😭😭😭😭 and then 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 thank you so much for this my day is drastically better because of it.

giggling so hard at our moat alsldjdk. let’s get marching cat tattoos. walking around the entirety of all of canannanadia with forever and ever. love you 💕💕 kay(ak) forever 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👩

[t-bombs]

End of Year Fic Wrapup

This year I published 24 fics, including:

15 DC Comics fics

5 DCTV fics (3 The Flash and 2 Stargirl)

4 DCEU Black Adam fics

The comics fics I posted this year are:

Luck

James and Selina share a quiet moment together.

Boo

A little Valentines drabble with Axel and Lashawn!

Sap

Some paternal fluff with Mick!

Like Bacon With Eggs

A look at James & Hartley and Axel & Jerrie's friendship!  

Nap Time      

Four men and their resident terrible, terrible teenager.

Midnight Pick-Me-Up

Jerrie gets a midnight visitor.

I'm Not A Little Spoon, I'm A Knife 

James learns something unexpected about Copperhead.

A Hug By Any Other Name (One! Of! Us!)

The baby Rogues can't hug Lashawn. They compromise.

Ikea Woes 

Mark and Roscoe attempt to build a crib.

Rocky Road

Someone gave Len an ice cream machine.

A New Star | Golden Glider & Triple Axel AU 

Lisa Star, Central City's resident figure skating champion has taken on a protege, sources confirm.

As Good As Their Word

Len said Axel knew what he was doing when he took the fall for Turbine's death. Len was wrong.

....And Now You're Mine 

The Rogues head out to a bar to try and celebrate a normal Halloween.

you go boom, I go boom

Axel falls in love.

Ring Ring 

Roscoe and Len need to work out their differences.

Here’s to 2023! :D

[sourkitsch]

tagged by @witchstone

Rules: tag 10 people you want to know better

relationship status : Single which is the wisest choice for everyone.

favorite color: yellow! I have a yellow ikea couch and a yellow ikea armchair

favorite food: it used to be sushi before I worked at a sushi restaurant & now I’m kind of just…. Not eating it for a while. Let’s say for the near future it’s samosas.

song stuck in your head: Always by Saliva. Angsty dad rock is my guilty pleasure

last thing you googled: cheap hotels in Philly December 14th-18th (planning my birthday trip . Celebrating with Lingua Ignota & Marcel Duchamp & that giant intestine at the Mütter )

time: 10:52 am

dream trip: I mean I’m always talking about going to Florence one day but honestly that’s very manageable. Maybe elsewhere In Italy? Seeing the Biennale would be a really great experience

last book you read: The Dancing Plague by Gareth Brookes! It’s a graphic novel done all in pyrography & embroidery and it follows the life of a fictional medieval mystic at the heart of the 1518 dancing plague. A bit of a dry read but I read it for the art mostly!

last book you enjoyed reading: Mystery of the Blue Train by Agatha Christie. Agatha……….. your mind.

last book you hated reading: Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. I didn’t hate the book but the experience was really unsettling + uncomfortable. Definitely not the best choice for my own mental health.

favorite thing to cook/bake: I keep ratatouille in pretty heavy rotation in my meal planning!! It’s so easy to make & its so yummy and there’s really not a whole lot of dishes or prep and it’s very versatile you can eat it for like every meal (and I do)!

most niche dislike: people who are incapable of having thoughts that are not about whatever fandom they’re in.

opinion on the circus: I mean in America certain states have laws regarding animal welfare in the circus and I hope that becomes more of a trend. Circus history, specifically the sideshow, has always fascinated me both just as a person as well as an artist (I have read a lot about sideshow posters). I think circuses have been and continue to be ethically complex spaces. Sorry no childlike wonderment here.

do you have a sense of direction: yes, absolutely. I’ll get turned around the first time I visit a place bc google maps is not my friend, but after that I’m pretty good! I’m the best with indoor places, I have several museum layouts memorized. Someone hire me as a docent.

Tagging @spirithalloween @girllestat @blood-and-breath @itcannothold @holyfoal @letitbeafairytalethen @orpheuslament @aidaughter @good-as-dead @midnightsbytswift

[deus-ex-mona]

i hope y’all had a great weekend!!!

i say, rambling about my strangely unrestful weekend under the cut because i have no friends to hear me out lmaooo

i’m only rambling here because the character limit in the tags is really annoying, and also because i really wanna remember all of the weird ideas that i threw out for my room planning in spite of my innately terrible memory, so here goes—

so, saturday! a day of rest for many, just a regular day at work for me :( but the one good thing about going to work yesterday is that i finally managed to eat this one specific food item that i’d been craving lmaooo.

on friday, this coworker dude offered to buy me (and everyone else too, really) some food to “celebrate” the weekend i guess? so i just told him that i wanted that food item (only because i’m unable to find it easily and stuff :(), and the dude actually managed to get it for me!!! granted, he bought it from a different country on his way to work, but still!!! the best part is that when the price of the stuff he bought was converted to local currency, the food came out to being literally 10 cents apiece, which was pretty funny ngl.

also, i got to hear some pretty 👀👀👀worthy work gossip, so that was fun~

and then came today. aka sunday!!!!

i found out that the apartment that my family and i would be moving into was almost ready(!!!!) and that i’d finally be getting my own room(!!!!!!!!).

so, naturally, i dragged my mother down to the apartment with me (despite her literally just coming back from visiting it with my brother) and took a gander for myself.

apart from my tiny room, the place was kinda insane ngl. they had some kind of built-in pulley system(????) for the overhead laundry rack, which you have to lower by yourself to hang your stuff on.

and also!!!! there seems to be sinks installed in the tank of the toilet bowl??? just look at it yo

that’s definitely a sink, right?

it befuddles me to no end… i asked my mother what it’s for, and she told me that i could gargle my mouth there, so that was rather unhelpful. ಠ‿ಠ

and after that, i dragged my mother off to ikea to look at the showrooms and stuff for ✨inspiration✨ and inspiration did strike!!! i managed to get great ideas about to how to maximise my space in my tiny room and even made weird doodles to illustrate my vision for posterity!!! hint: ✨shelves✨. tons of shelves!!

…but sadly, my mother rejected my suggestion of skipping the dining table entirely to attach a huge shelf to the wall instead, so we could eat like we’re at a noodle bar :( sads. home noodle bars could definitely be a thing, right?

but in the end, i guess i’ll end up missing this current tiny temporary apartment that i’ve been staying at for the past few years… i’ll definitely miss the wild chicken family that lives at the ground floor though… despite how noisy the rooster is… but oh well! life has to go on, right? may the rooster terrorise the next inhabitants of this temporary flat as well…

but aside from that, i’m definitely not looking forward to dealing with my storaged nonsense, especially my love live merch collection from ages ago. i don’t even like love live anymore, man… what the heck was past me thinking?

aaaa i hope no bugs got into my pokespe manga though… those were my treasures for sure. maaan do i have so many memories of writing/drawing bad fanfiction for pokespe. and also of n harmonia. my former friend and i obsessed over the poor dude for ages. we drew so much bad fanart of him, turned him into a frog hybrid of sorts, and even made small replicas of his waist cube during class one day… man, now i feel old lmao

sorry if you read this~! uhhhhh happy sunday (if it still sunday for you)!!!!

[digitalis-obscura]

Ask Game To Get To Know You

Tagged By @tea-em0 🖤

What book are you currently reading?

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix, which seems to be about a curse ikea ripoff, which i’m thrilled about

What’s your favorite movie you saw in theatres this year?

I don’t think I went to the theater to see anything this year, the last movie i saw in theaters was the second venom movie

What do you usually wear?

i work a lot so technically work scrubs but if i am at home it’s almost always jeans and a band t shirt

How tall are you?

5’4

What’s your Star Sign? Do you share a birthday with a celebrity or a historical event?

i’m a taurus and i feel like there’s someone important i share a birthday with but fuck if i can remember who

Do you go by your name or a nick-name?

My name is not my legal name but it is my name, yknow. sometimes people call me greg.

Did you grow up to become what you wanted to be when you were a child?

god know, baby grey wanted to be a veterinarian and now i cook food for a living. how far we’ve come

Are you in a relationship? If not, who is your crush if you have one?

as of almost exactly one month ago i have a lovely partner 🥰

What’s something you’re good at vs. something you’re bad at?

i am good at working under pressure, but i’m very bad at staying sane under pressure

Dogs or cats?

Cats. There is nothing wrong with dogs but if i don’t say cats my cat will somehow know and won’t cuddle me anymore

What’s something you would like to create stuff for?

I want the write more Malevolent fic, I’ve still got so many ideas on deck that haven’t seen the light of day

If you draw/write, or create in any way, what’s your favourite picture/favourite line/favourite etc. from something you created this year?

there’s not really a specific line but the entirety of my malevolent fic “drowning in a dream (that i can’t escape)” is some of the best writing i’ve ever down and if you know what song the title is from please marry me

What’s something you’re currently obsessed with?

i’m rewatching black sails with my partner and a few friends and it’s still the show of all fucking time. also as always, malevolent my love

What’s something you were excited about that turned out to be disappointing this year?

i don’t think i’ve really had any disappointments this year, it’s actually been a pretty good year

What’s a hidden talent of yours?

apparently i can do amazing things to potatoes. also i can lift a grown man which is apparently shocking lmfao

Are you religious?  

no in the slightest

What’s something you wish to have at this moment?

free train ticket to california and a nap

tagging:

@willowchord @voidofthestars @shorter-than-her-tbr-pile @romanticslimecreature @ohboywonder @keynoi @annebonnydyke and anyone else who would like to do it, because i forget i have friends the second im asked to name them