#I’m excited for tour to officially start and I hope you are too!!

[hecetas]

I’ve got two more posts queued up and then I believe I’m fresh out until Cardiff! See you all on the other side <3

[mywritersmind]

I hope your requests are open. I had this idea of Lando dating either a singer or dancer. Mostly inspired how he said in a video that he would like to be a singer for 24h. Basically Lando surprises the reader on tour on a location of your choosing. The fans are freaking out about him being there, because they haven’t made it official to their fans and after the show they make it public. Maybe by a post where he is backstage with her being fluffy or something. It’s purely an idea so if you don’t like it then feel free to ignore it.

ROCKSTAR BOYFRIEND - LN4

listen up : kissing! cuteness! some smau! thanks for request!! i love lando x singer for some reason and even tho this is short, it’s adorbs!

word count : 1098

⋆｡‧˚⋆

I squeal as I jump into my boyfriend's arms, he spins me around while my head is buried in his neck, “I missed you!” Once my feet are back on the ground, I look at him. Taking every bit of him in, the face I have memorized. I look into my favorite eyes in the world, and smile.

“I missed you too.” He tugs at my waist a bit and kisses me softly. “I’m excited for tonight.”

“Great to see you too, Y/n.” Max fewtrells tone makes me laugh instantly. He’s staring at us like we’ve commuted some crime.

“Hi Max. I’m happy you could come!” I lean into my boyfriend, noticing the camera around his neck.

He nods, “I’m worried how much you like Lan but, you’re good so.” I laugh as he gets distracted by my manager walking by with food.

Because he’s gone, I drag Lando to my dressing room where he immediately falls onto the couch, smiling widely. “Look at you, all famous and talented.”

“Right!” I tease, “You have no idea what it’s like!” I walk closer and Lando’s hands slide up the back of my legs, staring up at me.

He stops them right before the hem of my skirt. “You look good. Not fair that I have to share you with the thousands of people out there.” He refers to my current packed venue just as the opener starts another song.

He tugs me a bit closer so I move down slowly until I'm straddling him, his hands now on my ass as he smirks at me. Lando has this look that he does, like everytime he sees me he just has to be as close as possible to me.

I rest my hands on his neck and kiss him. He mumbles, “I really missed you.” He tugs me closer and kisses me harder.

I laugh into him, “I do have to go out eventually so don’t get too excited…” He groans when I say it and moves his lips to my neck, “Lando…”

“Don’t all rockstars do this?” He eyes me as I laugh, his lips meeting mine again as there’s a knock at the door.

Lando and I end up backstage with my crew while my guitarist strums on his guitar and my manager Ally goes over tonight as if I haven’t done it a million times.

I’m sitting on Lando’s lap, a bit more PG this time, with his hand on my hip as I listen to Ally talk.

She’s pacing before she turns and sigh at us, “You two are adorable.” It catches me off guard a bit because she’s always been the one saying we shouldn’t be public because of our careers.

It makes me happy that she supports us, even if she does think he’s bad press.

She’s pulled away as I get a five minute stage call. “You’re going to be amazing and i’ll be front row!” Lando grins, pushing my hair back behind my ear.

I laugh, “Lan, you’re in a box.” I’ve sat him and Max in VIP for my friends and family with Gracie Abrams and Finneas so that should be interesting.

“I’m seriously so proud of you.” His smile is so contagious, “You’re so talented and amazing and beautiful and perfect.” I want to cry at his words. But there’s no time because my stage manager hands me my microphone and points at his wrist.

I kiss him one last time before he leaves to find Max and go to their seats. Before I can step closer to the stage though, I get stopped by Ally.

Her face is stern, “I need to talk to you after the show, about Lando.”

I frown, immediately, scared of what she has to say. But her face goes soft, “I think you’re right, you should go public. You’re sickeningly in love and if that’s what you want…” I wrap my arms around her so tightly that she has to pry me off.

“I love you!” I scream so loud that even the crowd can hear me.

“Yeah yeah, say it with a raise.” she finally cracks a smile and squeezes my arm, “Go kill it out there.”

⋆༺

I’m sweating by the time the show is over. I can still hear the crowd screaming when I walk off the stage, the same grin I started with, still plastered on my face.

I scream when I see Lando. I could see him watching me the whole performance and I’ve never been so happy.

“Hey, you did insane!” Max is first to talk as Lando hugs me again.

I let out a breathy laugh as Lando kisses my cheek, “Thank you, Max!”

“Lando is so lucky to have someone so cool because it really evens out his weirdness.” Lando eyes Max who pulls up his hands in defense and wanders away.

Lando kisses me again, “You did… I can’t even explain it! You fit so well on stage and I was singing every lyric!”

I raise a brow, “You know every lyric?”

He nods enthusiastically, “Me and everyone in my garage! I play nothing else before a race.” I shake my head, running my hands through his curls, “But you seem extra happy… is it because i’m here?”

I roll my eyes even though he’s right, “I have some news.”

His jaw drops when I tell him we’re going public. He doesn’t even consult his PR people before posting the pictures.

⋆༺

LANDONORRIS

liked by yourusername and 823,644 others…

landonorris SHES MY GIRLFRIEND SUCKERSSSS @//yourusername ily🙂‍↕️🫶🏻

username235 : OMFGOMFGOMFG THIS IS NOT A DRILL HE JUST HARDLAUNCHED

↳ username00 : IM CRYING SHE DESERVES THE WORLD

username44 : HOLY FUCKING SHIT YES

gracieabrams : Break her and i’ll kill you.

↳ landonorris : If I fuck this up, please do.

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landofan44 : I’m so single😆

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username12 : As an F1 fan, and a y/n fan, IM SO OBSESSED ILL GO TO WAR FOR THEM

carlossainz : No more lando norizz?

↳ landonorris : LOSER ALERT I HAVE A GIRLFRIEND HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

↳ yourusername : keep that up and i’ll dump you.

↳ landonorris : yes ma’am🫡

oscarpiastri : Finally you can talk to someone else about her. Y/n, you’re great and all but I know far to much about you.

↳ landonorris : shhh your ears are blessed

yourusername : my idiot 💗🫶🏻

↳ landonorris : my love 😍🧡

↳ carlosainz : WHIPPED

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↳ maxverstappen : WHIPPED

↳ georgerussell : am I the only one who thinks this is cute?

↳ lewishamilton : George.

↳ georgerusell : WHIPPED

↳ francocolapinto : WHIPPED🫵

[hayleythesugarbowl]

you should do a spencer agnew x reader but reader is the new smosh games PA and she has a slow burn / flirty relationship with spencer :)))

Cool Shoes || Spencer Agnew x reader

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ masterlist • smosh masterlist • part 2  ⋆˚｡⋆୨୧⋆

summary: when you join smosh as the newest addition to the games crew, you are immediately attracted to spencer. but will your little crush turn into something more?

word count: 3.7k

warnings: mild language

a/n: thank you so much for this request ml!! i love writing for spencer sm and honestly i kinda fell in love w him a little bit while writing this so ty 🤭 this isn’t superrr slow burny (i got to excited and eager lol oops) but there’s plenty of flirting and i hope you enjoy this!! 🎀

edit!! i have a part two now, so if you enjoy this fic go check that out 💋

<— some more spencer fics • next part —>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     “And this concludes your official tour of Smosh,” Shayne said, throwing his arms wide. “Any questions?”

     “Yes,” you answered, “Is that my ring?”

     “(Y/n),” Shayne whined as he slipped the ring that was definitely yours into his pocket quickly, “That’s what you got out of my tour?”

     “You’re right, I’m sorry Oh Wise Guide,” you teased, “You know I wouldn’t be here without you. Or if I was, I’d be really lost.”

     You had just officially begun your job at Smosh that morning. Shayne had immediately started showing you around and you really were grateful.

     You’d known Shayne for years and he was the one that suggested you try and get a job with Smosh when you’d moved to LA a few months ago. 

     You’d gotten a job as the Smosh Games PA and you couldn’t wait to get started. You already knew a lot of the people who worked there—either because you’d met them through Shayne outside of Smosh or from the multiple times you’d visited the studio before you’d applied for the job.

     Plus, this was the first job you’d had where you actually felt like you’d be doing something you enjoyed. 

     “Who’s lost?” You heard a voice from behind you and you spun around quickly.

     “Oh, (Y/n), this is Spencer, the director of our games channel,” Shayne introduced you to the man who had spoke. “Spencer, this is (Y/n), the new games PA.”

     You knew you should’ve said something to him along the lines of ‘hi, nice to meet you. i’m (y/n). i look forward to working with you’ but all that came out was “Cool shoes.”

    You didn't know why that was what your mind had landed on—he was wearing basic gray sneakers—but you were so caught off guard by how attractive he was that you’d kinda choked.

     Because damn. He had the most gorgeous eyes you’d ever seen on a person before. 

     Spencer smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Either you’re just trying to kiss ass already or you’ve got really bad taste in shoes because these babies are mid at best.”

     You smiled, looking down at your own shoes. “Definitely the second option—these are someone’s grandma’s shoes. Seriously, I scavenged them from my Nanna’s closet.”

     This got you a laugh from Spencer and you continued, “Unless I should be kissing ass?”

     “Nah,” Spencer waved the thought away, “most of your job’s just gonna consist of bringing me Mountain Dew. So unless you can screw that up…”

     “He’s not serious, is he?” You turned around to ask Shayne. “Because you said this wasn’t gonna be like my last job.”

     “You slung Mountain Dew at your last job?” Spencer asked. 

     You shook your head. “Just had a lousy boss who took the assistant part of my job a little too far. But I appreciate your concern for my employment history,” you teased. 

     You were surprised at how easy it was to talk to Spencer. Usually you wouldn’t feel comfortable enough to joke around with someone you just met—let alone your new boss. Your new boss who you had almost undressed with your eyes upon first sight. 

     “Settle down, I was just gonna ask if you had any cans left over,” Spencer winked.

     “Spencer’s kind of addicted to Mountain Dew Kickstart,” Shayne piped in. “And by kind of—”

     “He means I’ve already had four today,” Spencer finished.

     You made a face, “It’s 9:00am.”

     “Ooh,” Spencer winced dramatically, “Sorry, but I don’t think our values align. Go ahead and bring in the next one, Shayne.  (Y/n), it was nice meeting you—good luck with the shoes thing.”

     Now it was your turn to raise an eyebrow, “You already have another person lined up for my job?”

     Spencer leaned towards you and you felt your pulse pick up ever-so-slightly. “Shayne doesn’t know it yet, but it’s actually just him,” he whispered loudly.

     “Well then I may have to quit, just to see how this goes,” you said, turning to Shayne who crossed his arms.

     “Not when I was just starting to like you,” Spencer pouted and you felt your cheeks warm.

     “I was just starting to think you’re not so bad yourself,” you shot back.

     “Woah, I just meant ‘cause you have a secret stash of Mountain Dew.”

     “And I meant because you have cool shoes,” you teased.

     “Well, now that we’ve got that settled,” Spencer smiled, “I expect to see you here by 5:00am sharp tomorrow morning.”

     “Seriously?” Your job description hadn’t said anything about getting to work when it was still dark out!

     Spencer shrugged. “I guess I can give you a few more hours. Y’know, so you can shop for some decent footwear beforehand. See ya later, grandma shoes.”

      He began to walk backwards and you said a quick ‘it was nice to meet you’ before he turned around and walked back the way he came.

     You couldn’t stop the smile that was forming on your face. You could already tell this was going to turn out to be a great job. You couldn’t wait to get to work tomorrow. And you couldn’t pretend part of that wasn’t because you wanted to see Spencer again.   

     And not just because that’s what your eyes wanted. You had enjoyed talking with him. You felt like you’d really hit it off. You felt like you two could really become good friends and coworkers. 

     You turned to Shayne, aware that you were probably still smiling like an idiot. 

     “What?” He fixed you with a quizzical look.

     “Nothing, I’m just excited to start working here,” you said.

     Shayne raised an eyebrow.

     “And,” You added, reluctantly, and only because you knew Shayne would find out  eventually, “you didn’t tell me my boss was hot.”

     Now Shayne raised both eyebrows, “Spencer?”

     “What?”

     “Nothing,” he said, “I mean, he’s single, so go for it if you want. He seemed like he really liked you and—”

     “No,” you cut him off, “Definitely not. He’s my boss. I don’t want to ‘go for’ anything other than a good, friendly, professional relationship.”

     “Okay,” Shayne nodded. 

      You nodded back and he was silent for a moment before smiling, 

     “‘Course that’s what I said about Courtney…”

₊˚ ✧ ‿︵‿୨୧‿︵‿ ✧ ₊˚

You took a sip of your coffee from the mug you were holding as you made your way down the hall and towards your office.

     You’d been working at Smosh for approximately seventeen days and you had finally stopped getting lost throughout the building on a daily basis.

     Once Spencer had showed you the ropes and made sure you knew what you were doing, you had joined right in to the well oiled machine that was Smosh.

     Unfortunately, your sense of directions wasn’t as good as your work ethic and so it had taken extra time for you to remember where everything was. Much to Shayne’s amusement.

     You were deep in thought as you rounded the corner and you didn’t see the person right in front of you.

     You ran straight into Spencer and as you collided with him, your coffee drink spilled all down your front as you were knocked to the floor. You quickly picked yourself up off the ground. 

     “I am so sorry,” you rushed, “I wasn’t paying attention to where I was going.”

     “It’s all good,” Spencer said, standing up, “I am officially awake now, so I guess I owe you one.”

     You laughed with him but you felt your face getting hot in embarrassment. You looked down at your blouse and found it more brown than it was purple from the coffee. You tried in vain to wipe it off.

     “Damn, I hope that wasn’t a family heirloom too,” Spencer pointed to your shirt, “Here, take my hoodie.”

     He started to pull the sweatshirt over his head as you protested, “No, it’s ok—I’ll be fine. It’s not that bad—it’s kind of a look.”

     “Really, I insist,” Spencer said, handing you his hoodie. “Gives me a chance to show off my anime t-shirt anyway.”

     You took the sweatshirt from him, mumbling your thanks and pulling it over your head.

      Spencer’s scent engulfed you as you put on his warm hoodie and you tried not to get distracted by the way his cologne made you a little bit dizzy. 

      Over the last several days, as you’d been adjusting to your new job, you’d almost forgotten your tiny crush on Spencer. 

     Almost. 

     You’d been so focused on work that you hadn’t really had time to stop and think about your feelings towards your boss. 

     You really enjoyed working with him and he was quickly becoming your favorite person at Smosh—other than Shayne, of course. You sent a silent apology to him in your head.

      And then there were the moments when Spencer would laugh at one of your jokes or compliment you on a task you did or smile shyly at you up through his lashes and you felt all warm inside.

     Like right now—him giving you his hoodie. That brought you out of your reverie as you remembered where you were. Standing in front of the man you were currently lost in thought about.

     “Right, well, I better get back to—” You gestured in front of you, trailing off as you had honestly forgot what exactly you were headed to your office for. 

     “Of course, I wouldn’t want to keep you from—” He gestured in the direction you had, as if the nothing that you had indicated was what needed your attention. 

     You rolled your eyes at him amicably before heading in the direction you had been going. 

     After a quick stop in your office—you hadn’t found what you apparently had been looking for in there. And if while you were in the office by yourself you pulled up the collar of the sweater to your nose for a second or seven, who was there to see you?—you set off for the break room. 

     You saw Shayne sitting at a table with some other cast and crew members and you walked over towards him, plopping down across from him and Erin, an associate producer for Smosh.

     You had gotten to know her a bit throughout these past couple weeks and already felt like you had been friends for months.

     “Hey you,” Shayne greeted, “What’s up?”

     You shrugged. “Oh, you know, same old same old. What’s new with you?”

     “Well, we filmed a TNTL this morning, and I had this new idea for a character. So basically—”

     “(Y/n), is that Spencer’s sweatshirt?” Erin interrupted, her eyes fixed on your top. 

     “Oh, um, yeah,” you told her.

    At the same time Shayne asked, “How do you even know what Spencer wore to work today?” 

     “I’m a woman, we know these things,” Erin paused. “Come on, he wears that thing four times a week, like it’s hard.”

     She turned her gaze back to you. 

     You cleared your throat. “But, yeah, anyways, I spilled coffee on my blouse so he gave me this.”

     Erin raised an eyebrow, “Did he now?”

     “Why are you looking at me like that?” You asked her, trying your hardest not to blush. 

     “No reason,” she leaned back, acting casual, “It’s just Dude 101, a guy doesn’t give a girl his hoodie unless he likes her.”

     You scoffed, “That’s crazy, Erin. He was just being nice.”

     This you felt sure about. Whatever your feelings were towards Spencer, you were sure he only though of you as his coworker. 

     Right?

     “Well, it’s obvious you like him,” Erin added, as if that was an absolute fact.

     “What?” You spit out, probably faster and louder than was necessary or convincing.   

     You glanced at Shayne and he raised his arms as if to say, Don’t look at me, my lips have been sealed!

     “I’ve seen the way you act around him, (Y/n). And the way he acts around you.” 

     Was it that obvious that you had a little, tiny crush on Spencer? I mean, you guys got along really well. And we’re constantly making each other laugh. But that just meant you were friends, right? He definitely didn’t act any different around you than he did with anyone else at Smosh, did he? 

     Granted, you hadn’t even been working here three weeks yet and you weren’t one hundred percent sure how he acted around everyone else. But you had no reason to believe it was any different than with you!

     “You’re crazy,” you told Erin.

     “So you deny, it?” She folded her hands on the table in front of her, “You don’t have feelings for Spencer?”

     “Well,” you started. You didn’t want to lie to her, not when you were just starting a friendship. You sighed, lowering your voice so only Erin and Shayne could hear you, “I might have some feelings for—”

     “Spencer!” Shayne said loudly and awkwardly, as if to warn you of his sudden presence behind you.

     You spun around probably too quickly and found yourself looking up at him. 

     “Hi, Spencer,” you said, sincerely hoping he hadn’t overheard any of the previous conversation.

     “Hey (Y/n), long time no see,” he smiled, putting his hands in his pockets. “So, I was wondering, since we’ve got that big project coming up next Wednesday, do you think you’d be able to meet me outside of work to get a head start on it? We could go to a coffee shop or my place or something?”

     He almost looked…nervous asking you to work on a project outside of normal work hours. Probably just figuring you’d decline at sacrificing your free hours.

     You watched as Erin raised an eyebrow and you promptly ignored her. 

     “Yeah sure,” you said, “Sounds like a plan.”

     “Really?” He sounded relieved, “Ok awesome, I’ll text you some dates.”

     “Perfect,” you said, “And it’ll give me a chance to give you back this hoodie once I have other clothes to change into.”

     “Keep it,” Spencer shrugged, looking down “It looks way better on you that it ever did on me anyways.”

     You brushed your hair behind your ears. “I might take you up on that offer.”

     “‘Course you will have to give me something in return,” he said, “I mean, fair’s fair, man.”

     “Naturally,” you looked down at your body to find something suitable, your eyes landing on the scrunchie at your wrist. 

     You handed it to him and he took your offering, slipping the scrunchie into his wrist. 

     “Classy,” he nodded, holding his arm out at different angles to look at it.

     “Very,” you agreed, giggling. 

     You both fell silent and you looked back down at the table. Shayne said something to Spencer and they began a conversation—the chosen, something something—and you were silent until Spencer left the table, laughing at something Shayne had said.  

     Immediately after he exited the room, Erin pounced.

     “Okay what the hell was that?” She asked.

     “What was what?”

     Erin put on a high voice and then a low voice and back again, mimicking your conversation “Oh, hi, Spencer. Hi, (Y/n). Wanna come to my place? Oh, I’d love to. You look so sexy. No you look sexy. Wanna exchange wardrobes?” 

     “Okay, that’s not how any of that went,” you said, but you couldn’t help yourself from smiling.

     “That’s what it sounded like from over here,” Shayne added. “He invited you to his house, man. And he’s gonna text you?”

     You’d exchanged numbers right after you began your job, but you hadn’t actually had many text conversations. You didn’t really think it was a big deal.

     “Yeah, we’ve texted before,” you said, “But don’t think it means anything, so far he’s mostly just sent me memes.”

     “What kind of memes?” Shayne asked, as though this was severely important. 

     “Cat, SpongeBob, the occasional wombat.”

     “Trust me,” he said, “that means something. I’m a psychologist, so I kinda know these things.”                                

“Havingapsychologydegreeisn’tthesameasbeingapsychologist,” Erin coughed into her hand.  

     “You know what—” Shayne started, turning to Erin.

     “Guys,” you interrupted.

     “Right,” Erin agreed, “not the time. What I’m trying to say is, that was flirting Miss (Y/n), whether you like it or not.”

     Had you and Spencer been flirting? You weren’t exactly an expert on the subject, so maybe Erin was right. A part of you definitely hoped that was the case. 

     “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Amanda leaned in from the table next to yours, “But I also think there was definitely flirting going on.”

      You, Shayne, and Erin all turned to look at her.

      “Come on people, you know I like kissing scenes, why should this come as a shock?” She threw up her hands and you laughed.

       “Who’s kissing?” You hadn’t seen Courtney enter the room, but now she came and sat down next to her husband and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

       “We were just talking about how it’s just a matter of time before Spencer and (Y/n) are totally gonna ba—”

      “Erin!” You cut her off, definitely blushing now as Courtney giggled.

      “So you and Spencer, huh?” She asked, smiling. 

      “That’s what these two seem to think,” you gestured to your friends.

     “Not think,” Erin said.

     “We know,” Shayne finished.

     “Fine,” you relented a bit, “I do like him, a little. Well, okay a lot. I guess I like him a lot. He’s smart and sweet and funny and charming and so cute and has great cologne, apparently,” you gestured to the hoodie. You took a deep breath. “And I really really like him.”

     You realized as you said it, that it was true. You’d spent the past couple of weeks trying to convince yourself that you only thought of Spencer as a friend and a coworker. But you realized, the more you talked to your friends, that you really did have feelings for him. That were more than friendly or coworker-ly. 

     Maybe this was something that you really did want. And that could maybe happen. You had felt the connection between you and Spencer, so it was possible he might feel the same way about you.

     Unless you were reading this all wrong and—Oh God, what if you told him how you felt and he rejected you and then you had to work side by side with him in awkwardness forever? 

     “But so what? It’s not as if he feels the same way. I don’t want to make things weird between us,” you finished.

     “Trust me, my guy, he likes you,” Courtney contributed. “I’m married to a psychologist, I know these things.”

     “See!” Shayne crossed his arms triumphantly and Erin rolled her eyes. 

     “Stilldoesn’tcount,” she cough-spoke. 

     “And I’m taking this back!” You said, noticing the ring on Shayne’s middle finger and reaching over to grab it, once and for all. 

     “Anyways,” Courtney finished, “I say tell him how you feel, see where this goes.”

     “I concur,” Shayne said and his wife raised an eyebrow at him. “What? I’ve always wanted to say that!”

     “She’s right,” Erin said, “and by the end of the week you’ll be ban—”

     “Erin!” 

     She merely smirked as she picked up her soda drink and took a sip. 

     “So I just go up and ask Spencer out?” You messed with the drawstrings of your sweatshirt. You were encouraged by your friends’ words, and you really wanted to go up and just do it, but you felt doubt creeping in. 

     “What if I mess up what I’m trying to say?  Or fall on my face walking up to him? Or worse, what if he says no?”

     “He wouldn’t.” You heard his voice first. You looked up and found him walking slowly through the doorway as he kept speaking. “Say no, I mean. If I know him as well as I think I do—and I pride myself on knowing him pretty damn well—then he’d say yes.”        

     He was in front of you now. “Yes. Yes. A thousand times yes.”

     You tried to catch your breath as you processed what was happening. “Oh yeah? What else would he say?”

     “Well, uh, he’d probably that he’s attracted to you. And that he wanted to ask you out the moment he met you and is so glad you did it first because now he doesn’t have to continue his poor, pathetic attempts at making a move,” he said, placing a hand in the back of his neck.

     You stood up, coming to stand right in front of Spencer. “When did you come back?” 

     You’d thought he’d walked away a few minutes ago after your conversation had ended. 

     “Never left,” he said, “Bent down to tie my shoe, and then I heard way too many nice things about myself to leave.”

     You giggled, shoving his shoulder. “So humble.”

     “Hey, when you hear someone professing their love for you…” Spencer shrugged. 

     “Ok, that’s not what was happening,” you crossed your arms.

     “I beg to differ,” Erin piped in.

     “Not what it sounded like from our side of the table,” added Shayne. 

     You had forgotten both of them were there. You’d been so caught up in what was happening with Spencer, you’d forgotten anyone was there, actually.

     But as you looked around, you found that everyone currently occupying the break room was stopped to watch the two of you. 

     Angela whooped from a few tables over. 

     “Well since it’s unanimous, apparently,” you joked, “What do you say? Will you go out with me.”

     “I most certainly will,” Spencer said, smiling at you.

     You reached out and took his hand, linking it with yours. He looked at you for a moment before leaning in and giving you a quick kiss on the cheek.

     You placed your hand where his lips had touched yours. You couldn’t believe this was happening. And you couldn’t wait to see where this went—you and Spencer, you thought. You felt giddy with excitement.

     “Well, I’ll see ya later then,” Spencer said, beginning to walk backwards. “and I already have an idea for our first official date.”

     “And what’s that?”

     “I’m gonna take you to a Payless ShoeSource.”

     “I thought you liked my grandma shoes,” you crossed your arms.

     “(Y/n), I like everything about you,” he said, “but those things have to to go.”      

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~°~❦~°~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ˋ°•*⁀➷ hope you enjoyed this one!! have a lovely week all my spencer girlies 🤭🩰

<— some more spencer fics • next part —>

[alotofpockets]

Crazier things - Finding our way back | Katie McCabe x Reader

Where you and Katie take it slow to rebuild what you once had

A/n: part 2 to 'What if we're still meant to be?'

Woso masterlist | Words: 2.5k | Read part 1

-----

Putting on the Arsenal badge for your first training back felt like a dream. You could not wait to get back out there with your team. Stepping onto the pitch clad in your Arsenal gear felt like coming home. While Barca had been an incredible experience, and a place you felt very comfortable, a part of you had always belonged with the red and white. 

Your old teammates and current England ones greeted you warmly. Reuniting with them, even if you had met up with some yesterday, felt extra special while wearing the same badge on your chest. 

“Welcome back everyone!” Jonas started the first speech of the season. “It is great to see you all. I hope everyone had a good break and got the rest they needed. A lot of familiar faces, and also some new ones. Daphne, Rosa, and Y/n, welcome to the team, I hope your teammates will do great work in making you feel at home.” 

Then it was officially time for your first training back at Arsenal. Leah immediately claimed you as her partner, she of course wanted to train with you as the two of you were good friends, but she also wanted to know how things went with Katie. 

You updated her on where the two of you stood. While you did so, you glanced up to find Katie. A smile immediately on your face as you watch her laughing with Kyra at the end of their drill. 

With the players you had already played with around you, you quickly fell back into the familiar Arsenal rhythm. As for your new teammates, you made a point in getting to know them, and watch their playing styles closely. 

Between your first couple of training sessions, you spend some time with your family before you head off to America with the team. It was so nice to be able to just hop into the car and be with them within an hour. 

You had also met up with Katie over coffee again, spending a couple of hours talking and catching up some more. There was a lot to catch up on from the past four years, and you were interested in every bit of information that she had to share. 

When the team departed for the pre-season tour in Washington, the plane was filled with excited chatter. Match wise you were especially looking forward to the Chelsea game. You had recently faced off against them in the Champions League, but nothing compared to a London Derby. While it wouldn’t be on London grounds, still it meant a lot to you being a part of one again. 

Beyond the matches, you were excited to explore the city, and get to know your teammates better. The schedule was packed with training, and team activities, but also left time to explore on your own. You intended to use the time to connect with your teammates, and continue to figure out where you stood with Katie.

As soon as the team arrived at the hotel, the room assignments were handed out. When you found your name on the list, your stomach dropped. Katie McCabe. Without thinking, you rushed over to Kim. “Why did you room me with Katie?” Kim heard the panic in your voice, but raised her shoulders. “It wasn’t up to me.” You furrowed her eyebrows. “The pre-season rooming assignments were done by the staff, so no getting out of this one I’m afraid.”

You cursed whoever planned this, but picked up your key nonetheless. Since you did a little detour to complain to Kim, Katie was already in the room when you entered with your bags. “Hey,” She said from her bed with her bags still packed. “I can see if anyone wants to change rooms, if you’re not comfortable sharing.” 

With a shake of your head, you put your bags down on the other bed in the room. “No, it’s fine. It’s just a room, right?” Katie nodded and you both started unpacking your bags, before the team would head out on their first small training to make sure the flight didn’t take too much toll on their bodies.

After a long day of travel and training you found yourselves back in your hotel room. Katie pulled out a deck of cards, “Wanna play?” You spend a lot of hotel room nights, while travelling with the team, playing cards with Katie. The thought of playing cards again like old times, made your stomach fill with butterflies. You ignored them and plopped down on her bed with her, “Bring it on.”

The evening was spent laughing with each other and multiple wins and loses on both ends, all in all you had a lot of fun. Something you had really been craving, maybe rooming with Katie wouldn’t be as bad as you thought.

You could not have been more wrong.

Everything had felt so familiar. The games on her bed, the laughter shared, and then brushing your teeth side by side. It was something that had always been a part of your routine, and without thinking, after putting your toothbrush down, you pecked Katie on her lips like it was the most natural thing in the world.

You froze, “Shit, I am so sorry.” Your heart was racing as you realised what you had just done. Katie’s eyes wide in shock as well, not expecting it. Before she could respond, you bolted out of the bathroom, and out of the room, heading straight for Leah’s room.

You knocked frantically until someone opened the door. “Calm down, what happened?” Leah says as she pulls you into the room. “I kissed Katie.” You blurted out as you sat down on the closest bed to you. “I promised we’d take things slow, and now I’ve ruined everything. I kissed her out of habit and-”

“Take a breath.” Leah interrupted. “Wally, can you grab some water?” It was only then that you realised Lia was there as well. “Oh, sorry I didn’t mean to ruin your night.” Lia shook her head, “Don’t you worry, just drink up.” She says while handing you the water bottle. 

You ended up spending the night in their room, not yet ready to face Katie. Leah did send Katie a quick message.

Leah: Hey, I don’t want to come between anything, but I just wanted to let you know y/n staying here tonight.

Katie: Thank you for letting me know. Goodnight

Leah: Goodnight

The next morning you knock on your bedroom door. In your haste last night, you had forgotten to take your room key. Katie opened the door and let you in, to your surprise she didn’t look upset. Still you started apologising right away.

“I am so sorry Katie. I shouldn’t have kissed you, I promised we’d take things slow and I messed it up already. Everything felt so familiar and it just happened.” Katie let you ramble on while she was putting on her trainers. “Are you done?” She chuckles when you’re out of breath from apologising. You furrow your brow, “Yes, you don’t hate me?” She shakes her head and sits down next to you. “I didn’t hate you before, why would I start now.” She had a good point of course, but you still felt like you had messed up. “Look, I agree. It was probably too early to kiss me, but I understand it came from everything being so familiar. I don’t blame you, and I did not mind the kiss.”

You breathed out a sigh of relief, glad you didn’t mess up again. “But what now?” You asked. “We just keep doing what we’ve been doing. Taking it slow, talking, and spending time together. We’ll figure it out.” 

Her reassuring words combined with her calm demeanour eased some of the nerves you felt. “That sounds good, thank you.” Katie nods, “Of course, we’re in this together, remember?” You smile and nod, “Yeah.”

“Come on, get dressed. We’re gonna be late.” Your brow furrows. Your mind had only been on kissing Katie, so you had completely forgotten you had an actual itinerary for Washington. “We’re sightseeing with the team, remember?” The cheeky smile you loved so much now on full display. “Right.” You say nervously, quickly grabbing some clothes and changing in the bathroom.

The two of you were the last ones to enter the bus and already giggling over some joke that Katie made. Leah and Lia share a knowing look, the two of you were going to be alright. 

With the whole team you spend a couple of hours exploring Washington. You travelled from monument to monument and took in all the sights around the city. It really was a great way to bond with your new teammates. 

“Alright team, as I’ve said before, this pre-season tour is all about bonding so go out and have some fun. We’ll meet back here at five, and take the bus back to the hotel.” Jonas said and the bustling of your teammates making plans began. 

“Hey, do you have plans already?” She asked looking between you, Leah and Lotte, who were chatting together. “No, nothing yet. Did you have something in mind?” Her smile grew. “Yeah, my followers on snapchat gave me some restaurant recommendations, and I was wondering if you wanted to try one out with me for lunch.” 

You loved the idea and told her just that. “Ah, well looks like you two have plans then, we’ll see you later!” Leah quickly said and pulled Lotte away with her, making sure the two of you would get your alone time. She might be your biggest supporter right now, she knew how happy the two of you had made each other in the past, and wanted nothing more for the both of you.

Spending time with Katie was easy, and something you wanted to do forever you thought when you were sitting in a corner booth of the cosy restaurant that had been recommended to Katie by the fans. 

“Hey Katie, what is this?” You ask her out of nowhere. “Ehm, your food?” Her eyebrows raised and a chuckle left her mouth. “Sorry, I left the context in my brain.” Her smile grew, “Yeah, you always had a tendency to do that.”

“I mean are we just having lunch or is this a date?” Katie is quiet for a moment. “Would you be okay with it being a date?” She questioned shyly. “Yeah, would you?” She smiled, “Yeah, I would really like that.”

The rest of your stay in Washington, you went on a couple more dates. The two of you were figuring it out and you really liked the way things were going. On top of that, you got to play your first minutes for your club, and couldn’t be more proud to put on the Arsenal kit again.

On your last night in the States, you were watching a movie in your room with a couple of the girls. You and Katie sat together on her bed, while Leah, Lia, and Beth were sitting on yours. About twenty minutes into the movie, you started getting uncomfortable just sitting up against the headboard, so you started wiggling around until you were comfortable, which was leaned into Katie’s side. “Is this okay?” You whispered. In response she lifted her arm and put it around your shoulder, “More than.”

When the movie was over, you had already fallen asleep with the steady beat of Katie’s hard next to your ear. Leah, Lia, and Beth had said goodnight to Katie and left the room, all without you even realising. 

Katie woke you up with a gentle shake. “Hmm too comfy.” You said, still half asleep. “It’s okay, you can stay comfy. Let’s just lay down under the covers.” Katie moved the both of you down and pulled the covers over you. “See, way better.” She joked when you were already getting comfortable cuddling up to her again. 

You had laid in her arms for a few minutes, falling back to sleep when you felt Katie’s heartbeat raise. Just as you were about to ask if she was alright, she pressed a soft kiss to your forehead. The gesture made your whole body feel warm, you looked up from her chest and let your eyes meet. “Hi.” She said, and even though the room was dark, you noticed the light blush on her cheeks. “Hey.” You smiled.

“Was that okay?” You nod slowly in response, while looking between her eyes and lips. “Would it be okay if I kissed you?” Your heart was beating out of your chest at this point. “Yeah.”

Katie placed her hand on your cheek, and started leaning in. You smiled and closed the distance. Her lips on yours were soft and she kissed you slowly. It felt new and familiar all at the same time. One feeling you were certain about, was that you felt on top of the world. 

When you pulled away, you cuddled back into her chest, and she held you close. It wasn’t long until you fell asleep to the steady rhythm of her heartbeat again.

Back home, the two of you still took things slow. Just taking it step by step, in a way that felt right for the both of you. Which for the moment meant, going on dates, cuddling, sharing some kisses, and spending a lot of time together.

After plenty of pre-season matches, it was time for the first match of the season. You were playing Rosenborg at home in the first Champions League qualifying match. Like it was meant to be, Katie swung in a ball from the left flank to you on the right. You hit the perfect volley, and kick the ball into the back of the net. 

Your teammates surrounded you, and the crowd went crazy for your first goal of the season. The goal that put your team ahead in the qualifying match, but there was only one person you wanted to celebrate the goal with, and she was patiently waiting behind the group of your teammates that was celebrating with you.

While Katie had joined in on the team huddle as well, she wanted a moment for just the two of you. She lifted you up and spun you around. “My Gooner.” She whispered in your ear. The familiar words brought a big smile onto your face. 

“Yours?” You say when she puts you down. “Yeah, if you’d like that.” With a smile you nod, “Yes, I do.” With her arm still around you, the two of you made your way back to your starting positions. 

This time when the whistle blew, not only was the match starting again, but so was your relationship with Katie. A new start you couldn’t wait to explore more. You were hers and she was yours.

-----

💗 If you enjoyed this fic, please consider liking, commenting, and reblogging! You can also supporting me by leaving a tip 💗

[lives-in-midgard]

Superstar

(Musician AU Part 2)

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

Summary: Being the new band member of The Midnight Rockers is overwhelming but you're glad to have Bucky, Steve and Sam by your side.

Word Count: 1,745

A/N: Hey! This is part 2 of my Bucky musician AU. I hope you like it! 💗

Divider made by @firefly-graphics

Part 1 | Part 2

Masterlist | Musician AU

It was mid-afternoon when you heard Bucky singing on his balcony again. It’s been so long since you heard him sing. After you went home, you found out why he suddenly disappeared. It was because they were on tour and now they’re back in New York. You couldn’t forget what Bucky had asked Steve and Sam after you left. You listened to him for a few more minutes until you decided to go to him and ask him.

After you knocked on his apartment door, you suddenly weren’t sure if that was a good idea. A few minutes passed until you heard Bucky walk to the door.

“Alpine, no.” He said before opening the door. When he saw you standing there, he was a bit surprised but smiled at you.

“Hey.”

“Hey, Bucky.”

“Was I too loud?” He joked, and you chuckled but then remembered why you came here.

“No, that’s not why I came here.” You said and noticed that Bucky got confused but also worried.

“Is everything okay?”

“I heard what you said to the others when I left.” You confessed and saw Bucky realize what you meant.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry I didn’t want you to hear that.” Bucky said.

“Please, just tell me if you don’t want me in the band.” You nervously said.

“It’s not that I don’t want you in the band. You sing really great.” Bucky confessed and now you were confused.

“Then why did you say that?” You asked.

“Okay, let me explain.” Bucky said and you nodded.

“Do you want to come in?” he asked, leading you into the living room. The moment you sat down on the couch, a white cat jumped on the spot beside you and then laid down on your lap.

“Alpine, you have your own bed.” Bucky warned her.

“It’s okay.” You said and began to pet her with a smile and noticed how Bucky began to smile too.

“I guess I…I’m just a bit nervous about having a new band member. Clint was in the band from the beginning and when I saw that you hesitated before you said yes. I think that just made me more nervous…not knowing if you really want to be in the band. The band means so much to me and is so important to me.” Bucky explained and now you could understand why he said it. He didn’t say it because he didn’t like you, Bucky said it because he was nervous about someone new being in the band, and that’s completely understandable.

“Thank you for telling me, I can completely understand you. I’m sorry that I hesitated, but it’s a really big change.”

“Yeah, it really is.”

“But I can assure you that I definitely want to be in the band. Being a singer has always been my biggest dream.” You said and Bucky smiled at you.

“I’m really sorry I said that and that you heard it.”

“It’s already forgotten.” You said, Bucky chuckled and Alpine meowed. You looked at each other and began to laugh.

“Do you want to stay a while longer?”

“Sure.” You said with a smile. You stayed with Bucky for a while. You talked about the band, music, your dream of becoming a singer and then he also told you how he found Alpine. You had a great time with Bucky.

On the next day you all had the meeting with Tony Stark. He wanted to hear you sing and after talking and hearing you sing, he also thought that you would be perfect for the band. He started planning on how to introduce you to the fans and then came up with the idea that they would post an announcement on the official Instagram account and then the band would go on a talk show. They will have an interview and then perform there.

The time passed quickly, and you became very close to them. When the announcement was made public, there were mixed reactions from the fans. Some were excited and thought it’s cool that there is a woman in the band now, but of course there were also people who didn’t like this change, people who thought a woman wouldn’t fit in this band and would ruin their music. People who started writing hate comments and even sending you some very mean messages. You tried to stay positive, but that was very difficult for you.

“Please stop reading the comments.” Bucky said softly when he saw that you were reading through the comments again. The band was having a rehearsal, and you were taking a short break and saw that there were some new comments.

“I just want to know what the fans think.”

“I know you’re nervous, but reading these comments isn’t good for you, especially when you’re focusing on the mean ones.” Bucky said and took your phone to close the app.

“Bucky is right, how about you focus on the good ones.” Steve said, looking at his phone.

“Here, look at that one.” He said, showing you his phone.

“That one is also very sweet.” Sam said and pointed at a comment.

“See, not all fans are mean, they are excited to see us perform.” Bucky spoke and you nodded.

“Yeah, you’re right. Thank you.” You smiled at Bucky and then looked at Steve and Sam.

It was the day of your first performance as a new band member of the band ‘The Midnight Rockers’. You were so nervous but also excited. You were gathering around with the others behind the stage. Only a few more minutes before you would go on stage to have a short interview and then you would sing with them. You looked at your phone and got a comforting message from Kate, who was sitting in the audience.

“I know you will do great on stage, I’m so proud of you.” You smiled to yourself and then looked over to Bucky. He gave you a smile and was about to say something when suddenly a staff member came and said that it was time to go on stage.

“It will be okay.” Bucky whispered beside you and gently touched your shoulder. Steve and Sam smiled at you before going on stage. The interview went well, you only answered what you were comfortable with, like the boys told you. After a while you started to feel a bit more comfortable.

After the interview there was a short break before you went back on stage to sing. When you heard the crowd, you suddenly became nervous again. You tried to take deep breaths, but it didn’t work. You had to get away from there. So, you went back to your dressing room as quickly as you could. When you entered the room, you sat down on the floor and began to sob.

“Where is y/n?” Sam asked and looked around.

“She was right here. If she doesn’t come back soon, we will be late on stage.” Steve told the others.

“She will come back, I’ll find her.” Bucky didn’t stick around to hear what Steve or Sam had to say. He had to find you and make sure you were okay. He walked around the backstage area but couldn’t find you. When he walked near your dressing room, he could hear crying coming from inside. Bucky decided to knock on the door.

“Hey, it’s me, Bucky.” You didn’t say anything back, so Bucky slowly opened the door. When Bucky saw you sitting on the floor, crying, his heart broke. He came closer to you and knelt down in front of you.

“Hey.” Bucky saw that you were shaking and gently took your hands in his.

“Look at me.”

“Y/n?” He said softly, but didn’t get a response from you. Bucky pressed soft kisses on the back of your hands until you finally looked at him again.

“I can’t do this.” You stuttered and began to sniffle.

“I thought I could, but I just can’t.” Bucky gently placed his hand on your cheek and wiped your tears away.

“If you want me to go to Steve and tell him that we’re not coming, I’ll do it.”

“No, you…you can’t do that. It’s such an important performance and we’ve trained so much. Maybe you should go without me.”

“I know, but I’m not going without you.” Bucky confessed and reached for your hand again. You stayed in silence for a few seconds until Bucky spoke again.

“What are you afraid of?”

“What if I forget the lyrics or I suddenly can’t get any word out or– “You wanted to say more but Bucky cut you off.

“This won’t happen, and you will be great out there.”

“Why are you so sure about that?” You asked him.

“Because I believe in you and so do Steve and Sam. Besides, you’re not alone out there and I know what a great singer you are.” You started to smile, and Bucky pulled you into a hug.

“So do you want me to cancel it or are you ready to go on stage?” You shook your head but then began to smile.

“Let’s go on stage.” Bucky smiled and got up from the floor. Before you went to join the others, you turned to Bucky.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, doll.” He said and you began to blush as he suddenly called you by that pet name.

Steve and Sam were happy and glad that everything was okay. You got on stage a few minutes late, but that wasn’t a big problem. The moment you went on stage felt so surreal. You were nervous, but as soon as Steve started singing and Bucky started playing the guitar and Sam played the drums, your nervousness flew away. Before you started singing, you looked over at Bucky, who gave you a comforting smile. When you sang, the whole crowd was forgotten, and you enjoyed your time on stage.

After the performance was over, you all made your way back home. Bucky and you drove together and when you arrived, he walked with you to your apartment. When you hugged one more time and looked into his beautiful eyes, you suddenly felt sad that you had to say goodbye, even though you will see him tomorrow. You like Bucky a lot, maybe you even more than just as a friend. Yeah, you definitely have feelings for him, but does Bucky have the same feelings for you?

Taglist:

@marvelogic | @eviebuggg | @buck-star | @nicoline1998enilocin | @kandis-mom | @sergeantbarnessdoll | @noellez-best-life23 | @beaubbdoll | @sgtgarricks | @ratchildspartan | @scott-loki-barnes |  @mrs-bucky-barnes-73 | @mrsbuckybarnes1917 | @brnesblogposts | @rogersbarber | @jason-todd-fangirl-14

[ohmygawdyoufoundnemo]

She Plays Bass

Bangchan x reader

•Part 1•

(Brief mention of 'noona', which means older female sibling or older sister in Korean, only because I am a couple of years older than Chan. If you're not a noona, don't worry too much. I just hope you enjoy this read while you're chilling🙏🏻)

EDIT: I made a few changes to this part, especially when I messed up with the whole start of the DominATE tour thing.

Y/N has hit the jackpot when passing her audition and joins Stray Kids on their world tour. But what happens when the leader meets the new girl?

✨

With the adrenaline still pumping through my veins from this whole morning, my leg starts to jiggle up and down waiting impatiently for my mum to pick up her phone. I could scream right now.

“Hello, darling. Are you on your way home?”

“Hi. Yeah I’m on the bus now.”

“Well, how did it go? Did they like you? Did you get it? Actually, tell me when you get back, ok? I’m just shopping at the moment.” I honestly feel like I could burst into tears, one: because I’ve just been running, which I never do, and two: the best news I could get after trying so hard to discover myself and where I want to be. I’m going on tour! Little old me is going to be playing to thousands of people worldwide!

“Ok. I’ll be home soon. Love you ma.”

“Love you too sweetheart.” We hang up and I could literally scream the roof of the bus apart. It seems too surreal to be true. After stressing so much this whole week about this audition, not being able to sleep and wondering what to play, it’s finally come fruition and a weight has just been lifted from my shoulders. The company came to London from South Korea for the auditions for new touring musicians for their groups, and now I’m going to be one of them! But the thing is, I have no idea what band I’ll be playing for or even when.

Later on that night over dinner, I tell mum of the events and some mishaps of everything that happened. She almost broke a rib or two pulling me into a hug when I told her that I would be officially touring with a band once I hear back from my agent.

“That is so exciting! My baby going into the world. I’m so happy for you!” She gives another big squeeze, swaying us from side to side just as my phone vibrates in my back pocket. “Oh! Who is it?” she asks before pulling away and cleaning up the dining table.

“I think it’s them. I’ll be right back. Hello?”

"Hello Y/N, it's Anna." My agent’s voice rang through the phone, easing the butterflies in my stomach for a moment.

“Hi Anna, how are you?”

“I’m very good! I also wanted to congratulate you on your audition today, they absolutely loved you! And we have a position lined up for you.”

“That’s great!” Already? That was quick!

“I just want to give you some more information about the success of your audition and going forward, within the company all travel and accommodation expenses are paid for so you don’t have to worry about anything. And, of course, if you have any insurance with your equipment we can help with that as well.“ This really is too good to be true! “With that being said, we would like to join us in Seoul for the start of the tour.”

Wait. What? SEOUL?!

“When? Is there a date when I would have to be there for rehearsals? Sorry, I’m a bit jittery.”

“That is ok. Rehearsals will be on the twenty-third of this month but we would like you to spend some time with us and the rest of the band around the fifteenth.” My feet instantly carry me to my room where they stop in front of my calendar. That’s in six days! “You will have time to explore a little bit of Seoul with one of our guides, you will also have your own hotel room set up, you will of course have the choice to explore the city on your own but in regards to security it would be...” I think I blanked out everything else Anna was saying. My ears were ringing, I was getting light headed looking around at all of my stuff in my bedroom. I’m going to South Korea to start a world tour with a band I don’t even know. Six days. Six days until I leave my home to bed hop in hotel rooms around the world for god knows how long! “So, what do you say?”

Before I can even think about my answer, my mouth opens, “Absolutely!” Shit! How much stuff should I pack?!

“That’s great news! Before I go, do you have any questions you would like to ask?”

“Is it alright to ask, the band that I’ll be playing with or for...”

“Ah, yes! I thought you’d might ask. Usually we don’t disclose this information until closer to the time but since you signed a contract with the company and will be joining us very soon there are no issues. So you will be rehearsing and being a touring musician for Stray Kids.”

~

Six days came and went so quickly that I could barely focus on anything. I nearly forgot my carry-on luggage, headphones and even my iPad which has all the bass and synthesiser recordings on it. Luckily my mum helped me with the checklist, knowing very well that I will forget something, before leaving me at the airport with Anna. Speaking of whom, after a very long journey, we are on our way to the hotel. Each part of this experience is so fast-paced with no time to take in the huge shift this has made to my life that I almost cocoon myself in my hoodie in the backseat of the car, yet the sight of the KSPO Dome won’t allow me to stay slumped for too long as Anna points out the venue from where we’ve stopped at the traffic lights.

“It’s huge!” I say to her in Korean, turning to Anna like an excited child seeing Christmas lights for the first time. She laughs at me. The thing about Anna is she’s also my agent as I was struggling to find any gigs in the past three years. The audition was like a big break for me to finally do something I love. She had also been the one to encourage me to learn Korean, when we first started talking while I attended college she had only learned the basics in English not too long before. So to save her more hardship and to learn something new, I took up a side quest to learn her language and she’s just embraced me and shares her culture with me.

“Wait until we get inside in a couple of days.” She says just as she goes to answer her phone. As we get closer, I pull on my Dr. Martens trying my best not to get dirt on the seat as well as getting concussed by the front passenger seat.

The butterflies are throwing up in my stomach.

~

I couldn’t close my mouth as I gawked out the window overlooking the city lights of Seoul. Every day since I’ve been here, I’ve done the same thing, wake up early to gawk at the sunrise, have breakfast, message my mum for a little while, stare out the window whilst getting dressed or brushing my teeth for my scheduled day with Anna, taking picture after picture of the tourist attractions. My legs hurt so much but it’s so worth it!

How am I here? Well, I know how but it’s like an out-of-body experience standing here in a hotel room, in a dream, on the same floor as Stray Kids. Rehearsals are tomorrow and my stomach is doing somersaults.

~

I’m still rubbing the sleep from my eyes, my body is too tired from the adventures I've had so far in the past three days to lug around my bass guitar on my back. I’m being lead through the maze of a hallway in the arena by a member of staff. Plus I hadn’t slept too well last night, I miss my mum, my cat, now I miss Anna but she’s a busy woman but I’m now left to my own sleepy devises at rehearsals and meeting everyone. I had already met the rest of my band the other night over dinner. They’re so cool and so welcoming! I also met the stylists for tonight which woke me up a little bit more after seeing my outfits for the next week. Chef’s kiss!

The engineers help me with setting up my equipment and my ear pieces that there's no time to really take in the gargantuan size of the dome. I hear the drums, guitar and keyboard echoing throughout the stadium, the sound of the music reverberating against the walls finally made the realisation hit me. I am but one small person which by tonight will be playing to thousands of people.

As reality sinks in, the cluster of instruments being tested in my ear pieces seems soothing the moment I lock them in.

~

The members were getting ready to go to the stage, the stylists getting everything prepared for later on tonight, their manager rushing about making sure everything is all good to go for rehearsals, Bangchan was writing little messages to STAYS on Bubble with some comments making him smile and blush when out of nowhere, Han makes a noise in surprise which causes the others to look up at what he’s pointing to. Chan looks up to see Han gesturing to the TV that was switched on for background noise, it was filming live footage from the stage. Chan gulped down some saliva when he saw a new band member setting up, which didn't go unnoticed by other members of staff either.

Is it warm in here?

“Who’s that? Is that a new bass player NMixx?” I.N. asks while glancing between his phone and the TV. Chan knew the question was to no one in particular but he was taken back to respond. She was pretty, really pretty. The breeze flowing through her hair pushes some strands over her shoulder as the band plays a random tune, the boys stare in wonder only for a few seconds before the camera shot changes to a scope of the venue.

“She was pretty!” Han exclaims as he’s being set up with equipment for soundcheck and being handed a microphone.

“Stop staring!" Minho gently swats at Han, "You’re getting drool all over the carpet!” scuffing up Han’s bed hair, the member of staff helping Han adjust his monitor waiting patiently for them to stop slapping each other.

“Hyung,” Chan finally looks away from the TV too to see Felix holding his spare t-shirt. “Can I borrow this?”

“Sure, go ahead.” Who was she? He asks himself just as she comes up on the screen again. She looks over at the cameraman, shyly waving and smiling. Chan couldn’t help but notice the colour of her big round eyes. Uh oh.

“Wow! Never seen Chan-hyung with big heart eyes before.” Changbin says getting the boys attention, pumping his chest at his leader. Chan just glares at him, trying to keep him at arms length but ends up breaking into a red-faced laugh while chasing him around the room.

~

“If you need help with anything, give us a signal.” He says, making the gestures of signals but I get distracted when I feel eyes on me. I glance over the soundman’s shoulder to see the group of guy’s looking over at me. Through my ear piece just as one speaks into their microphone, I hear, “Hey! Hello.” One waves at me, followed by the others. I wave back as he walks closer with a huge smile. “I’m Han." They each wave again. "What’s your name?” I introduce myself in Korean which surprises them and makes me laugh. “WOW! Oh, are you our new bass player?”

I nod, just as a song starts he jogs away.

"Let's get it!" We start with S-Class and go into Superbowl. The flow is so good! Me and the boys are really happy with it. I sort out my bass synthesiser for the next song just as another member comes into my peripheral.

“Hi.” I feel my cheeks grow warm as he smiles at me.

“Hello.”

“That was really good but I can’t hear the bass so well in my ...”

“Oh, yeah. They said they’ve been having minor technical issues with it but it should be better for tonight.”

“Cool! Err.... I’m Chris, by the way.”

“Y/N. It’s nice to meet you.” Is it really that warm out here?

“Hyung! Stop flirting with our new girl and get back here!” Minho yells away from the microphone causing Chan to shy away but ultimately wave at me with a ‘see you later’. Bangchan tackles Lee Know into a back hug with much retaliation.

This is going to be fun!

~

It’s been a couple of weeks since starting tour and it’s been amazing! Crazy busy with non-stop moving and airport travels and hotel bed hopping but other than that I can’t knock this experience. Especially since Stray Kids have taken me in. Almost every night we play, either Changbin, Han or mainly Felix come over and rock out with the band, hyping us up and wordlessly letting us know we were doing a great job.

Almost a month ago, I never would have thought I would be hanging with any of them, but usually Han comes over to play guitar with me playing songs before or after rehearsals. The chaos is real and it’s heart-warming to have so many people around who are so supportive and bring out the best chaos in you.

“Y/N noona?!” I glance up from my iPad taking out one of my airpods, I’m sat on the carpeted floor adjusting bass tones for the songs for the set to see Changbin sitting across from me, all dressed up for later on, which only reminds me that it’ll be my turn soon. Restless, full of bounding energy which he’s been told to save for tonight.

“Dwaeki?”

“Noona! I’m bored.”

“Where are the others?” I’ve only just noticed it’s just me, Changbin, I.N. and a couple of stylists in here. “How long have I been working?”

“Too long! Pay attention!” his whining makes me chuckle, I try to hide it to not upset him but he notices and starts getting irritable. “Stop laughing at me. I’m serious.” He starts smiling, not taking himself seriously.

“What do you want from me? What do you want to do?” he ponders for a moment.

“I don’t know. Help me!” while slumping his head on the table, he quickly retracts it with a small yet dramatic yelp in pain. I reach over to rub his forehead. He slaps the table as if offended which makes me laugh harder.

“Be careful Changbin! You want to be able to remember lyrics tonight.”

“Ah!” he pulls away with a sneaky look on his face. “NMixx.” He points to the live footage of NMixx on stage.

“What?” I ask as he quickly gets up and dances to the start of ‘Love Me Like This’. “I saw the video. You know it. Come on!”

“Absolutely not.” How did he know about that video?

“Noona! Noona! Noona!" I.N. starts chanting. Changbin pulls me up and before I know it, he’s filming us both dancing to the song, all while I.N. sits and watches. The others walk in just as me and Changbin finally finish. I must have gone red in the face when I saw Han and Bangchan just grinning.

“What’s going on?” Chan asks as I quickly go back to what I was doing before.

~

Changbin shows them the video of him and Y/N dancing along to NMixx. Bangchan sneaks a glance over at Y/N who’s too caught up in the new bass system that she’s been obsessed with for days now.

There’s a niggling feeling he just can’t shake off when he’s around her. He likes her a lot! She’s cool, amazing bass player and has a great flow with the band, she gets along really well the Kid's too. It’s like they just clicked, she takes care of them when he's too busy which gives him time to work or gives him a breather even just for a moment. She has a cool sense of style, right now she’s wearing her classic pink beanie, crop hoodie and black denim shorts and barefoot while sitting cross-legged at the table bobbing her head along to what she’s listening to whilst taking notes, there’s just something warm and natural about her. Even when she’s playing to thousands of STAYS, he’s always noticed that glow in her eyes while looking out at them, and her personality never changes. He recently saw a video shared around on TikTok of fans who had been watching our opening acts in quite an unbearable heat and while our set was being put together, she handed out extra water bottles for STAYS.

“Hyung?” Chan pulls his gaze away, not realising he’s probably been gawking at her for a bit, hoping that she didn't catch him doing it. He helps Felix adjust his necklace. “Hyung.” Chan hums in response to Felix as Y/N brings Seungmin his water bottle as he does his vocal warm-up just as Hyunjin tackles her in a side hug. “You’ve been quiet all day. Everything good?”

“Yeah. Really good.”

“You sure?” Felix asks peering over his shoulder with a little smirk, Chan couldn’t help but glance over at Y/N again to see her taking selfies with Hyunjin and Changbin. His heart flutters a little as she smiles at whatever Lee Know said about their poses which gets more of a response out of Changbin. “Why don’t you just tell her you like her?”

This brings Chan back to reality like a smack in the face.

“What are you talking about?” Felix gives him a knowing look. “I can’t just...do that. It’s complicated.”

“It doesn’t have to be complicated." Felix turns around to see Y/N giggling at Changbin and Lee Know bickering, nearly breaking out into a play fight. "She won’t break your heart, if that’s what you’re worried about.” Of course Felix would say that. The Kids practically adore her.

Lee Know keeps her at arms length but respects her and is fond of her, and her comebacks to his playful insults catch him off guard most of the time, they're not mean but just as good. Changbin see’s her like a sibling, and now a dance partner or someone he challenges when he tries to tease her because she’s our noona which sometimes makes her feel bad yet they have a special bond. Hyunjin has shown her more of his artwork, he even made her a picture for her birthday which she adores and she’s shown him how to create his own music. Han adores her because she works hard to help us sound better on stage and how caring she is to us. Felix, well he isn’t shy to the fact that they’ve become close friends and dotes on her. Seungmin, like Lee Know, shows a lot of respect for noona. And I.N., if any one of them follows her like a lost puppy, apart from Felix or Changbin when he’s in the mood to bother her or simply wants her attention, it’s him.

But where does that leave him? Chan breathes out a sigh. They get along really well but something feels stagnant. He isn’t worried about her breaking his heart though, he’s more worried he’ll explode with professions of adoration and scare her away.

~

“Where are you going?!” Chan calls out as Y/N hurriedly takes out her earpieces and takes off her equipment. The Kid’s keeping a distance from the firing line.

“Out for a walk! Is that ok with you?! God!” Y/N storms off stage, snatching her jacket from it's place on the bass holder on the way out. The others stare cautiously between the two, seven pairs of eyes following Y/N as she disappears around the side stage, then over to their leader who is almost red in the face. Rehearsals just finished but throughout the set, things just kept going wrong which ended up with the soundcheck taking longer than usual. If Chan were to name a few, the boys were more chaotic as usual but for some reason it just got to him today, then the sound system kept messing up which messed up their queues and they had to restart the song, Han and Seungmin’s microphones kept glitching, then Y/N said she had forgotten her iPad backstage which has all pre-adjusted bass tones on it, that was the final straw in the span of the two hours since the minor late start to rehearsals, that’s when Chan snapped. Not at everyone or anything, but at Y/N.

This confused the Kid’s so much after the new revelation they had witnessed over the past few months between their leader and their new bassist.

The air was thick with tension and it wasn’t great to be around. The members were silent, waiting for Chan to make the first move. He took a few breaths before turning around as he removed his ear piece from under his beanie.

“Sorry hyung.” Some of them mumble as he takes off as well.

✨

*So that was Part 1, I hope you enjoyed it! I know it's looooong but I haven't written anything like this in 3 years so I may have gotten a little excited or enthusiastic to get this out of my system*

[katnisspeetaprim]

D-Day Japan Night 1 (Always, Us)

Min Yoongi/FemIdol!Reader Part 1 Here

Summary: You are finally able to join Yoongi on stage for his solo tour in Japan... Based partly on this request, but also part 2 of the Suchwita couple! There may be more parts to come to this, depending on how much you guys like this!

Warnings: Established relationship, fem!reader, idol!au, pregnancy, mentions of sex, mentions of marriage, happy tears.

Word Count: 1536 M.list

It had been a few months since the episode of Suchwita that got a little too personal. You and Yoongi had yet to have an official wedding ceremony for your family, but in all fairness, he had since started his first solo tour.

Yoongi had wanted you to join him from the start of his tour in the US, so that you could accompany him on stage for certain songs, but unfortunately that wasn’t possible.

You had schedules with your own group to fulfil, and when those were finally over you fell ill, so the earliest you were able to join Yoongi on stage was for his first show in Japan.

‘Now I’m very excited for this next song.’ Yoongi moved back to centre stage, sipping from his straw as he did so. ‘I have a special guest. Please welcome my beautiful wife, Y/N!’ He gestured to the back of the stage as you ran up the stairs. The crowd screamed loudly as you appeared, showering you with love and support. You jogged up to Yoongi and gave him a quick side hug, before taking your place at the second microphone.

‘Hello everyone!’ You greeted with a big wave. ‘Thank you for having me! I’m excited to be here!’

‘Y/N hasn’t been feeling well lately, so please show her lots of love.’ Yoongi announced, causing the crowd to gasp out and call your name.

‘Until she’s 100% better, she’s only going to perform one song. I hope that’s ok.’

Performing People pt.2 with Yoongi was a dream come true. Despite both being active idols for over a decade now, you’d never actually had the opportunity to perform together. You knew you had big shoes to fill by singing IU’s part, but the crowd seemed to be having a good time, and that’s all that mattered.  Yoongi was also being extremely protective, with only letting you perform one song. In truth you felt fine, just a bit of sickness here and there. But then again, maybe his worry wasn’t all unfounded...

When the last notes of the song rang out, the arena went wild. You once again hugged Yoongi, but also kissed him too, making the crowd go even crazier than before.

‘Ok that’s enough PDA.’ He spoke into the mic.

‘Thank you for having me tonight. I hope to see you again tomorrow!’ With that, you gave a bow and made your way off stage, so as not to hold up the show too much.

‘Y/N everybody!’

You’d met Yoongi in the car taking you back to the hotel, not wanting to be hanging round the arena for ages after the show. You knew what he was like sometimes.

‘Hey.’ You smiled and reached out for him as soon as he opened the door. He leaned in and kissed you with a smile.

‘Why didn’t you wait for me?’ He looked at you questioningly as the car pulled away.

‘Just eager to get back is all.’ Yoongi gave you a look, but just settled for taking your hand and pulling out his phone, so he could look up peoples thoughts about the show online.

‘This is just gonna be a quick live whilst we eat.’ Yoongi spoke to the camera as he arranged the food on plates for himself and you. He had taken to doing lives after his shows recently so he cold engage with his fans a little more, even if it was only whilst he ate.

‘Yes Y/N is still here. She’s just getting dressed.’ The chat started to move faster, really jumping on the implications of what he had just said. Yoongi was puzzled for a moment, before he started laughing, realising his mistake.

‘Please get your minds out of the gutter! She was in the shower.’

‘You’ve been live for two seconds and you’re already corrupting people.’ You joked, pushing open the bathroom door. You could hear him speaking through the wall as you freshened up.

‘It’s not my fault that’s how ARMY’s minds work!’

‘Bye guys, bye!’ You blew a kiss to the camera as Yoongi switched it off.

‘Ah, what a night.’ Yoongi stretched out as he tossed the garbage to the side.

‘I hope that’s a good sigh mister.’ You crawled over to your husband and straddled his lap on the small armchair.

‘Definitely.’ His hands came to rest on your bum, squeezing playfully.

‘Excuse you, that’s rude!’ You laughed. Leaning down and kissing him deeply. Yoongi moaned into the kiss and slid his hands under your shirt, squeezing your breasts. You broke away to lift your shirt over your head and quickly re connected your lips. He groaned as you rubbed against his growing bulge. Yoongi ran his hand across your body and round your back, about to unhook your bra, when suddenly there was a pounding at the door.

You quickly jumped away from him and ran into the bathroom to fix yourself, in case whoever was at the door needed to come inside. As you retreated, you heard Yoongi curse as he adjusted himself in his pants, before getting up to probably murder whoever was at the door.

A few minutes later, you re emerged from the bathroom fully dresses, just as Yoongi closed the main door.

‘Who was it?’

‘Just a staff member wanting to give me the schedule for tomorrow.’ He stalked back over to you and roughly grabbed you by the waist, causing you to gasp out and giggle. ‘Now where were we?’ He smirked against your skin.

You and Yoongi lay side by side, naked and tangled in the sheets. The room was dark around you, though neither of you were asleep. Just enjoying each others company.

Yoongi lay on his back, arm under your neck and fingers softly stroking your shoulder, as you lay on your side, hand resting on his chest.

You have to tell him. You thought to yourself. There’s no point waiting any longer and now’s a good a time as any.

‘Yoongi...’ Your voice was hoarse as you spoke, a reminder of your recent activities. ‘I need to tell you something.’ He just hummed in response. Taking a deep breath, you just blurted it out.

‘I’m pregnant.’ His fingers stilled on your shoulder. He was silent, almost as if he were processing your words, when he suddenly sat up, forcing you to do the same.

‘Are you serious.?’ He stared at you, mouth agape.

‘Of course I’m serious.’ You looked down, smiling as you pushed your hair behind your ears. ‘I know we didn’t really talk about it after Suchwita, but we haven’t really been careful, so maybe it was meant to be.’ Before you even finished speaking, his arms were flung round you and he was kissing the top of your head.

‘I can’t believe it! I’m gonna be a dad!’ He cried out, joyful tears already falling from his eyes.

‘And I’m gonna be a mom!’

‘Wait.’ He pulled back so he could see your face. ‘ does this have anything to do with you being sick recently?’ You laughed and gently wiped away his tears and playing with the ends of his hair.

‘Yes dummy. Morning sickness. I’m surprised you didn’t put two and two together.’ He smiled brightly and leaned in to kiss you. He suddenly pulled away and jumped out of bed, flicking the light on as he went.

You groaned out and covered your eyes at the sudden bright light. When you opened them, you were met with Yoongi pacing back and forth along the room, still with a wide smile plastered across his face.

‘What are you doing you doofus?’ You laughed at his antics.

‘I feel like I have a lot of energy to burn off suddenly!’ You threw your head back against the pillows and let out a hearty laugh.

‘Come back to bed, it’s like 2AM!’

‘You think I’m going to be able to sleep after getting the best news of my life!?’ He exclaimed, exasperated but still joined you back in bed none the less.

‘You need to be rested for the concert tomorrow.’ You snuggled back up to his side.

‘Will you still be able to perform with me tomorrow?’

‘I’m not made of glass Yoongi. I was pregnant when performing tonight you know.’ You chuckled lightly.

Just as you were about to fall asleep, you were jostled awake by Yoongi reaching for his phone and shooting off a quick text, before disregarding it back on the side table.

‘What was that?’ You asked sleepily.

‘I text the BTS group chat and told them you’re pregnant.’ He said nonchalantly.

Your eyes snapped open and you shot up with a start.

‘You told your members I’m pregnant through text!?’ You couldn’t believe what you were hearing right now.

‘It’s easier this way.’ You stared down at your husband in disbelief. This man was going to be the death of you....

One the side table, Yoongi’s phone was already vibrating none stop. Instead of answering, he just reached over and put it on silent, before dragging you back down to cuddle.

He causes chaos and then just ignores it, naturally.  

[kykyluvrr]

Hili could you do a Neymar x tall reader? Like she's a 5'11 supermodel and he takes her to the psg stadium to meet everyone (Mbappe, Messi etc) and everyone really likes her because she has her own money and fame and they're surprised by how tall and beautiful she is?

↻ NEYMAR JR ...

✽ content: as the request saysss, a loved 5'11 model dating neymar

✽ pairing(s): neymar jr x reader

✽ a/n: THANK YOU SMM FOR THE REQUESTS omg i got so many creative requests yesterday and im tryna write for them as soon as possible, it was so entertaining to read thru the requests loll, i hope you anon liked this aaaaa and thank you sm for requesting !!<3 not proof read,,,

ʚ♡ɞ everyone loved you, especially your boyfriend, neymar. the world adored your long legs, your sparkling eyes, your healthy, soft hair, your bright smile that made everyone smile, your bubbly personality, your confidence, and your gentle touch, everything about you was perfect.

ʚ♡ɞ you were a model for Dior. so, because of the active PSG x Dior collaboration, you got to see neymar quite frequently, and during runway shows the spotlight was always on your stunning looks. it was amazing to see how unproblematic and successful you were as a self-made model.

ʚ♡ɞ neymar loved having you around him, he had never felt more proud. he even loved to attend your runway shows, the way you walked with your long legs and stunning outfit amazed him and not only him, but the whole crowd. he would watch you walk with a wide smile plastered on his face. he also liked to scroll through the official Dior instagram to watch your photoshoot pictures.

ʚ♡ɞ when you first started dating neymar you both had trouble seeing each other. he had some international tours to attend on and you had photoshoots around the world too. but when you finally were in paris, you were excited to attend a psg match as well as to meet his teammates.

ʚ♡ɞ before the match, you met up with neymar, who was more than happy to see you. since you were taller than him, neymar's head would rest on your chest, and so he loved hugging you.

ʚ♡ɞ he then walked you to where his teammates were. it was a stiff and awkward tension. they were all admiring and taking in your beauty. they had only seen you on reels and pics on instagram. you waved with a smile and introduced yourself and they had introduced themselves too, still very stiff and you understood their reaction. seeing a tall, gorgeous model is jaw-dropping.

ʚ♡ɞ you had a quick talk with the boys but then they had to go to prepare for the match, you walked up to your boyfriend and gave him a “goodluck kiss” and so you all left. as soon as you got back to your hotel room, you changed into the neymar jersey he had given you, a pair of jeans with a birkin bag (georgina moment🫶🏼) and so the security followed you to the arena.

ʚ♡ɞ there were a bunch of cameras taking photos but you were used to it. you sat in the VIP lounge and watched your boyfriend play. at one point the camera was even directed at you and you could see yourself on the big screen.

ʚ♡ɞ PSG ended up winning the match but you had a late runway show to attend. little did you know that neymar had reserved a 5 star hotel near the eiffel tower to spend the night with you.

ʚ♡ɞ “is she your girlfriend? man you’re lucky!” kylian stated, changing his shirt in the locker room after the match. “i know, i’m extremely lucky” neymar replied with a smile. “i was going to ask for her number but then remembered that you’re dating her” kylian said teasingly and neymar just rolled his eyes. “she wouldn’t go for you anyway” neymar said, then daydreamed about what he would want to do with you at the hotel room,,,♡

[sitp-recs]

Hey! Hope you're doing good!! :) I'm wondering if you know any Drarry fics that have mythological elements / stories as part of the plot. For example, a fic based on Greek myths like Hades/Persephone?

Hi anon! I’m doing great, what about you? :) oh that’s a really cool ask, I hope you enjoy these! I strongly recommend checking khalulu’s stuff as they always explore different mythologies and cultures across their works. I’d love to get more recs on this theme, too!

Nordic:

Veðr by @shealwaysreads (M, 3k)

Norsemen have ranged far enough inland to find Harry, alone and abandoned by his kith and kin. But they bring far more than danger with them, they bring adventure, they bring magic.

Swedish:

Sweden | A Midsummer Night’s Dream by @drarrelie (M, 5.5k)

With the war finally over, you’d think Harry would finally be granted that “normal life” he’s always dreamt about. Finally free from the Dursleys, from that nose-less megalomaniac, from Horcruxes, Hollows, Death Eaters, Dementors, Prophecies… you’d think that he, for the first time in his life, would be allowed to be just a normal teenager. You’d think he’d deserve that much, right?

Russian:

S’Mitten by khalulu (G, 6k)

Harry and Draco aren’t enemies any more, but it seems their history will always stand between them – so let’s try some other histories on for size! The fickle finger of fate is muffled in one of Mrs Weasley’s mittens. Did I mention kisses?

Norwegian:

East of the Sun and West of the Moon by khalulu (T, 6k)

One stormy Thursday evening, a big white bear named Draco turns up to carry Harry away from the dreadful Dursleys. They get along fairly happily together until one night Harry’s curiosity gets the better of him, and Draco is whisked away to his wicked aunt’s castle, East of the Sun and West of the Moon. It will take a strong wind to bring Harry that far…..

Albanian:

What Country, Friends, Is This? by khalulu (M, 8k)

When Harry and Draco are paired up for a nebulous “capstone project” in 8th year, Draco suggests they use it as an opportunity to take a free Grand Tour of Europe. Harry isn’t interested in being grand, and they soon veer off the beaten path. The journey to find what (and who) you really want can lead to unexpected places. (As well as Bertha Jorkins’ aunt, Illyrian Serpent cults, heroic baby Draco tales, and Slytherins singing Motown.)

Hindu:

Birds of Dreams / Remover of Obstacles / Guardian of Waters by khalulu (G, 12k)

Harry is exploring his Desi heritage, and Draco runs into him in colourful circumstances. Luna has a penchant for puns and the Patils watch Bollywood. Paper is folded, a flying carpet takes an Indian road trip, and a phoenix is found. Love blooms along the way, a flower that’s free.

Finnish:

Sparks from the Fox’s Tail by khalulu (T, 17k)

Draco is frustrated with his career as a travel writer, when a mini-tirade from Mrs Weasley and an encounter with the portrait of an intrepid great-great-great-aunt lead him to Finland to study wandless magic. Harry is – just being contrary and following his sweet-tooth, or taking the subtle route to saving the world?

Multiple:

The Hardest Hue To Hold by @cavendishbutterfly (M, 17k)

Harry needs to get the hell out of England. So he sets up a teaching assistantship in America, hops on a plane, and heads off to a fresh start. Except there’s a familiar face among the university faculty, and it’s really not the familiar face that Harry wanted. Or at least, it’s not who Harry wanted at first.

Irish:

Offer Up Our Hearts by @tackytigerfic (M, 23k)

Harry Potter has a very nice life, thank you very much. He's a top Curse-Breaker with a lucrative Ministry contract, and exciting prospects ahead. Sometimes he does wish that he had time to pursue something official with Draco Malfoy - they're half in love with each other, after all, and a great team (in and out of bed), though Draco is still one of the most infuriating people he knows.

Egyptian:

Memory Lost | You Found by @maraudersaffair (E, 30k)

After his Auror training, Harry's assigned to guard the Department of Mysteries - specifically the room where Malfoy is being held in comfortable captivity. Yet no one will tell him why, and what's more concerning? Malfoy doesn't remember Harry at all. To uncover the mystery, Harry must travel all the way to Egypt where he discovers a magical community living in the great pyramids and a long held secret that is dangerous to anyone who knows it.

Arthurian:

The Compact by astolat (E, 64k)

Hermione frowned. “The real question is why the magic of Britain would be failing now, in fact.” “That is not the real question!” Ron said loudly; he’d woken up fully by now, and Harry had too; it was starting to sink in that they’d found the problem. “The real question is, how do we fix it?”

Brazilian:

A Sense of Scale by @fantalfart and dragontamerdrarry (M, 70k)

In which Draco spends an obscene amount of time thinking of new nicknames for The Living Git, lying to himself and using his charms to seduce an extremely uncooperative sentient school.

Celtic:

The Stars Have Courage by @fantalfart (M, 85k)

Draco waited five long years to watch his husband wake up from a coma. He's not ready to meet a Harry with no memory of anything that happened after he died at The Battle of Hogwarts, twelve years ago.

Greek:

Close Behind by @oflights (M, 134k)

To rescue Draco from the Underworld, Harry has to look forward. Unfortunately, Draco has to look back.

Bonus: dark fae AU 🧚‍♂️

Mushrooms of Wiltshire by @shiftylinguini (T, 5k)

There's no point unpacking―Harry's not staying long, and besides, there's just bundled rags in his valise. The illusion of belongings, of a man heading to a new position at a prestigious manor―one beset with rumours of old magic and of impish forest dwellers causing chaos and mayhem amid the phosphorescent toadstool glow. Bugger the job. Harry's here for the rumours. He's been chasing them for years.

[fyeah-chanyeol]

Chanyeol, a member of EXO under SM Entertainment, is set to reveal his first solo album ‘Black Out’ today, August 28, at 6 PM KST on various music platforms. The music video for the title track ‘Black Out’ will also be released simultaneously on SM’s official YouTube channel.

The album includes six tracks: the title song ‘Black Out,’ ‘I’m on Your Side Too’ and ‘Clover’—both of which Chanyeol contributed to as a lyricist—along with ‘Hasta La Vista,’ ‘Ease Up,’ and ‘Back Again.’ This album promises a mix of new genres and familiar emotional tones unique to Chanyeol.

In an interview accompanying the album release, Chanyeol shared his thoughts and experiences:

Q1. How does it feel to release your first solo album after 12 years of debuting? Chanyeol: It feels refreshing and joyful. It’s been 12 years since I debuted with EXO, and I’m excited to show a new side of myself. I’m thrilled to finally present my solo album to EXO-L (EXO’s official fan club), who have been waiting for so long.

Q2. How would you describe your first mini-album ‘Black Out’ in one word? Chanyeol: I’d describe it as ‘beginning.’ Since this is my first solo album, I see it as the start of something new. I wanted to create music that I’ve always wanted to make, showcase concepts I’ve wanted to share with fans, and present a variety of charms. Please look forward to it!

Q3. Can you tell us more about the title track ‘Black Out’? What should we pay attention to? Chanyeol: The charm of ‘Black Out’ lies in the combination of melody, lyrics, and emotions. It’s a pop-rock track with a fast tempo, minimal acoustic guitar, and a lyrical synth melody. The lyrics compare the post-breakup experience to a ‘Black Out’—a time when everything feels like a mess, much like a phone screen that’s turned off without any notifications.

Q4. You participated in writing some of the lyrics for this album. Did you try anything new this time? Chanyeol: I usually combine my experiences with imagination when writing lyrics, but for this album, I focused more on my cherished memories. Since this is a solo album, I wanted to share more personal stories. For example, I wrote ‘I’m on Your Side Too’ while recalling the happiness I felt looking at EXO-L during performances, and ‘Clover’ was inspired by spending time with my dog, Jjaru.

Q5. You explored various genres for this album. Which one do you like the most? Chanyeol: It’s hard to choose just one (laughs), but I really like ‘Back Again.’ It’s an old-school hip-hop track with a strong rock base, and I think it shows off a new side of me. It was the first song I recorded for the album, and although it was challenging, it made me want to push myself even further.

Q6. You filmed the album jacket and music video entirely on location in Hong Kong. How was that experience? Chanyeol: It was a lot of fun (laughs). I fell in love with Hong Kong’s beauty all over again. We filmed mostly outdoors, exploring everything from the city center to lesser-known alleyways. I especially enjoyed shooting on a double-decker bus, taking in the city views as we went along.

Q7. You’ll be holding a live tour next week after the album release. Can you give us a sneak peek? Chanyeol: You’ll see both the sides of me that you’re familiar with and many new aspects as well. I’ve been preparing hard every day, so I hope you’ll love the album and the performances.

Q8. What did your fellow EXO members think of the album? Did they offer any support? Chanyeol: I played the songs for Suho, and he said he could tell how much effort and thought went into it. He told me he’s looking forward to it and cheered me on (laughs). We often talk about music, and his support always motivates me to work even harder.

Q9. Is there a moment in your life that you never want to ‘Black Out’? Chanyeol: All the moments I’ve spent with EXO-L during our concerts. Those are precious memories I never want to forget.

Q10. Lastly, any message for the fans? Chanyeol: First of all, thank you for waiting so long. I’m so grateful for your constant support and love. Preparing this album was a joyful experience, and I’m excited to finally share it with you. Without you, this album wouldn’t have been possible. This is just the beginning, and I hope we can continue to share happiness together for a long time. I love you all so much!

Translation by Allkpop.

[pukanavis]

"Mystery on a Moonlit Cruise" Track 2

ーFlashback

Ryui: Toi, does three sugar cubes in your milk tea sound like enough?

Toi: Mhm, thanks, Ani-sama!

Netaro: Oh! I forgot that I mixed some of my newly invented ‘Wasabi Cubes That Look Indistinguishable From Regular Sugar” into that pot~

Ryui: BWURGHGH!!!

Muneuji: A tea party, hm? I suppose I could do with a break from studying.

Nanaki: …

…*Peek*.

Momiji: So what did you want to talk to us about, Yuki-nii?

Kafka: It must be awfully important to warrant you interrupting Chief and I’s tea time. Right?

Yukikaze: Yes, I have big news. I’ve recently had a new job opportunity for the company fall into my hands. 

Nanaki: (...What’s this about…?)

Yukikaze: The other day, I was approached by my dad along with a friend of his who runs a cruise ship company about my thoughts on possibly reviving their dormant ‘night cruise’ service.

Kafka: A night cruise, you say…! We have a couple tourism wards overlooking the sea so I’ve been meaning to breathe some more life into the cruising industry.

Yukikaze: After talking about it with my dad, I started wondering if we’d be able to help in some way…does it sound too difficult?

Kafka: Difficult? Do you know who you’re talking to? As long as they send over an official contract, HAMA Tours will offer its full support.

Yukikaze: Thank you. I’ll let them know.

Momiji: It’s not every day that you get to help out on a cruise ship of all things. Yuki-nii, did Uncle Sadayuki give you an idea on the type of assistance they’re looking for?

Nanaki: (Chief looks like she’s bursting with excitement…)

Yukikaze: The ship itself is already in working order but it’s been a while since it’s gone on a cruise so they’re hoping to get some advice on how to accommodate the passengers.

Momiji: I see…in that case, why don’t we have a sort of pre-opening where the employees of HAMA Tours act as passengers and come aboard for the night.

Kafka: Perfect idea ♪ After the pre-opening, we’ll be able to consult with them about our suggestions. 

Momiji: Yuki-nii, why don’t you ask Liguang-san about his opinions on this as well? The 4th ward has cruising services too so I bet that he’ll have some good insight.

Yukikaze: Good idea. Granted, Liguang has been rather busy as of late, so I have my doubts on whether or not he’ll be able to make it to the pre-opening.

Nanaki: (Their conversation is flowing so smoothly…those three have known each other since childhood, right…?)

Yukikaze: To think that I have the chance to sail the seas and admire the nighttime view of HAMA with you…I can barely wait.

Kafka: No one asked, Yukikaze.

Momiji: We can hold a meeting later to figure out the details… So! Is anyone here interested in coming to the pre-opening?

Muneuji: I’d like to expand my life experiences so I’d be grateful if I could participate. I’d also appreciate the chance to strengthen my core against the rocking of the boat.

Momiji: I’m not sure how helpful it’ll be for your core…I’ve heard that large passenger ships these days have implemented AIs that suppress the swaying of the waves.

Netaro: Oooh, I’d love to get a look at the inner workings of something like that! Count me in!

Yukikaze: Their pamphlet even shows a sun deck. Look, Ryui, it’s on this page.

Ryui: I don’t care.

Toi: I’ve never been on such a huge ship before. I’d love to see what it’s like…

Ryui: Give me that pamphlet, Kamina.

Momiji: What about you, Nanaki-kun?

Nanaki: Oh, uh…I’d like to come too.

(Gazing out at the night sea with Chief right beside me…it’ll be the perfect mood…)

(—Gosh, what am I thinking? Everyone else is going to be there too, there’s no way it'll be that kind of vibe..)

Nanaki: (This is the furthest thing from a good mood…!)

Chief, hang in there…!

Momiji: …

Nanaki: What am I even supposed to do in a situation like this…? Hey, Andy!

Andy: “...”

Nanaki: H-Huh…? But I had signal just a moment ago…?

Ryui: Toi…Toi! Shit…where’s the ship’s medic!?

Yukikaze: I’ll see if I can find them. The rest of you should stay here and keep watch over everyone.

Muneuji: Let’s all calm down a little.

Ryui: What the hell is here to be calm about…!?

Muneuji: Look closer. It seems that they’re only sleeping.

Ryui: Huh…?

Toi: Zzz…zzz…

Ryui: …Now that you mention it, that is the same angelic face Toi makes when he’s fast asleep.

Kafka & Kinari: …Zz…

Akuta: Yummy…pumpkin…ramen…pollock roe…corn beef…

Yachiyo: Mmnn…no more food…’m already stuffed…

Yodaka: Don’t rush yourself…take it slow…I know you can take more…if you try…

Muneuji: Fuefuki-san and Isotake have both fallen asleep with plates in their hands. It sounds like they’re continuing to enjoy the buffet even in their dreams.

Yukikaze: Yodaka-san's ability to communicate with Yachiyo in his sleep is amazing.

Nanaki: I-I think they’re having very different dreams…

Momiji: Zzz…zzz…

Nanaki: (I’ve been randomly blessed by the sight of Chief’s sleeping face…wow, those eyelashes…)

It doesn’t look like anyone is in pain. At least we have that to be thankful for…right?

Ryui: Are you stupid? There’s nothing to be happy about here.

Back | ★ | Next

[sarilolla]

Ooo yes, okay! @1-random-ideas555g Here you go :)

My Pop World Tour draws inspiration from some of the Evil Pop aus that popped up after the second movie, but I tried to make it my own as much as possible

During the first movie things are more tense. The Bergens are not actually redeemable, and after the Snack Pack tries to leave Bridget, she nearly betrays them, before “actually” doing so later (she doesn’t do anything to save them, but she doesn’t actually betray them). Creek still is a traitor (and dies lol, I don’t like him), and during the Trollstice meal many are lost. The Trolls not eaten are placed back in the Troll Tree, the Bergens not thinking about the tunnels in their happy and carefree state. Poppy, Branch, and the Snack Pack survives, leading the survivors out.

It takes time for them to exit that shocked state, and the Pop Trolls are not good with grief. Poppy and Branch have already have a sort of situationship going on, and as they became the de facto leaders, they decided to become official. Despite the horrid situation and how their minds have become a little twisted, they’re genuinely really good with each other and loves the other a lot. Once they feel a bit more stable, and after Putt Putt, they get engaged, going through this adventure as fiancés, planning to get married when all Trolls are united

Poppy finds the Pop String in the rubble of her dad’s pod, alongside history books and journals. While the history books say what they do in the movie, the couple piece together Pop might have had a bigger, worse part of the schism by the fact they have the original harp/lyre. Poppy also discover her dad’s journals from when he was a young king and the tunnels were starting to be built, she learns about Viva, and the loss of more Trolls than she had learned. She becomes desperate to find them, refusing the thought they died twenty years ago. She wants to reunite them all, in a safe place where no one will find them, but she also has to ensure no one will betray them like Creek did. She learns about the Ultimate Power Chord, which can hypnotize a Troll into another genre, but there’s also a weaker version where you can use the String to hypnotize Trolls of the same genre of the String.

With the help of the String, they find Putt Putt Village, and while Viva is excited to see her sister, she is also scared by the younger. Viva and Clay built the community so it would be safe from danger. Why is every instinct in her body telling her that her baby sister is dangerous? She doesn’t want to hear her sister out on the World Tour, why can’t the survivors not just stay in Putt Putt where it’s safe? That frustrates Poppy, who uses the Pop String to hypnotize her and the other Trolls in the small village.

Meanwhile, Branch is speaking with his older brother. They’re both happy to see each other, they were close as kids, Branch having many moments where Clay was the favorite. However, the older just doesn’t see the vision. He doesn’t see why this will help and protect Trollkind. Branch isn’t listening to reason either, and he’s angry too with his older sibling. While he isn’t as deep in the obsession as Poppy, he truly believes in their plan and in his girlfriend. Still, he loves his brother and when Clay manages to escape from being hypnotized, he turns a blind eye to it. Poppy lets him, and promises he will get to reunite with his brothers soon and everything will be fine.

Clay figures something as powerful as the Music Strings won’t go down on its own. He hates it, but the Perfect Family Harmony might be what he needs. It was rumored to be able to break Diamond, after all, maybe it would snap his people out of their hypnotized state. He just hopes Branch will see reason when they attempt to hit it again

—

After that I don’t have much planned yet, as this is a fairly recent au project. I’m imagining that after they figure out Cooper is from Funk, they agree to let everyone keep their music, they just need to hypnotize them under it. I’m thinking Poppy and Cooper have a family bond in this au, possibly adopted siblings, so she really wanna do right by him! She wants Trolls to be happy and feel safe, and if that means not everyone is Pop, she can live with that

[bohemian-rhapsody-in-blue]

hihi!! I hope you're having a good day and feel better soon : ) I know you're in college right now and I'm starting soon (this fall!!!) and I was wondering if you had any advice for finding roommates? Im pretty sure im also some flavor of neuro divergent and I'm kind of worried about finding a roommate for my freshman year and becoming friends with them.... what did you do when you were trying to find someone? did the transition feel okay? I really hope I find someone who likes me and im really worried that ill be too awkward when first meeting people

Hi, anon! (And thanks for asking about my feeling better—I am indeed recovering from my cold, slowly but surely!)

How exciting that you’re entering college this fall—congratulations to you, the Class of ‘28! You’re right that I’m currently in college—I’m a senior (and currently in Grad School Application Hell)—and it’s really nice revisiting all the excited feelings I had as I was entering college for the first time, too, and I’m so excited FOR you! It’s not an easy transition, and I understand if you’re nervous, but in the best of circumstances, it can be SO much fun—the new environment, the newfound freedom, the new friends, the endless possibilities of this new chapter in your life! (Do I sound like a cliché and/or some overly-enthusiastic person from an admissions office taking you on a college tour right now? Maybe. Sorry about that.)

I’ll start with the caveat that I’m by no means an expert on this, just speaking from my personal experience (in which I’ve been lucky to have two absolutely lovely roommates!), largely drawn from how my college functions and what worked well for me. I’ve done my best to make this explanation more general and inclusive of how other schools might work, though. (And if you or anyone reading this has any more specific questions, feel free to shoot me another ask or a DM!)

So, given my lack of qualification…I’ve put on my Advice Columnist Hat and basically written a LOOOOOONG-winded treatise on how to find roommates for your first year of college, especially if you’re some flavor of neurodivergent! That will be under the cut, so let’s go!

How To Find Roommates For Your First Year Of College, Especially If You’re Some Flavor Of Neurodivergent

An Unnecessarily Long-Winded Treatise By bohemian-rhapsody-in-blue

Part 1: Picking Prospective Roommates Based on Questionnaires & Compatibility

The way my school does roommate selection for incoming first-years is that you can choose either to “go random” (be assigned a totally random roommate, who I think will always be someone else who’s also chosen to go random), or you can fill out a questionnaire and be matched with people who’ve answered it similarly. If, for some reason, your school just assigns random roommates to everyone and you don’t have any choice in whom your roommate will be, then you can skip this whole part and scroll down to Part 2. (Sorry!)

The aforementioned roommate form/questionnaire has questions about how you prefer to live/what you’d like your housing situation to be like. Whether they’re part of an official form from your school or not, they’re all important things to consider when you’re deciding who would make the best match for you as a roommate, especially when you’re neurodivergent and have specific routines, sensory needs, socialization-related needs, etc. (but also just for everyone, because it makes accommodating the other person and their schedules/patterns so much easier if they’re already the same as your own schedules/patterns!) These will be things like:

Have you ever consistently lived in the same room with someone before (a sibling, a roommate at boarding/prep school or sleepaway camp, etc.)?

What time do you like to go to sleep/wake up?

Do you keep your room neat and tidy, cluttered but clean, or messy?

How often do you plan to be in the room? (As opposed to: in class, in extracurriculars, in OTHER people’s rooms, going out/partying, working at a job, etc. Some people hardly ever leave their rooms, and some treat their room more like a waystation.)

How often do you plan to have people over in the room?

Do you use substances (do drugs, drink alcohol, smoke, etc.), and how would you feel about a roommate who used substances?

How do you feel about roommates using your stuff? (what’s mine is yours / ask first / please don’t touch)

Do you need darkness to sleep, or are you okay with some lights being on?

Do you need quiet to sleep, or are you okay with some noise?

Do you want you and your roommate to be acquaintances, friends, or close friends?

The questionnaire for my college, as I recall, also asks some general questions about your personality, hobbies, planned majors, extracurriculars, etc.

If your college’s housing form has a questionnaire like this, hell yeah! Go ahead and fill it out, if you haven’t already! After you’ve done so, the program will match you with people who have answered similarly, in an attempt to create nice, concordant living situations. My college’s program provided a list of a bunch of possible prospects, with their compatibility percentage (91% compatible, 86% compatible, etc.), and showed their provided description and their answers to the questionnaires, so you could see where you agreed and disagreed. Kinda like this character personality quiz, but with, y’know, real people. If your college DOESN’T have a questionnaire like this (I think most do, but I’ll freely admit I’m not very up on how colleges that aren’t mine work…), you can use a roommate-finder website like Roomsurf or Diggz, or an app like Roomie. (Yeah, the names are kinda stupid…) Finally, some social-media profiles for schools’ incoming classes (like a Class of ‘28 Discord server or Instagram page) let you write up a little profile on your own, with your answers to these questions. When they post it, people can look at it determine their compatibility with you on their own, then comment/DM you expressing their interest in being your roommate.

Whatever method you choose, I’d suggest that if you’re neurodivergent, you do some sort of questionnaire like this—or at the very least find some way of expressing your preferences—instead of going random, if that’s at all possible. It reduces a lot of stress if you have at least SOME idea, going in, of what it will be like to live with your roommate, and it goes the other way around, too—you’re letting your roommate know what it will be like to live with you. And although a perfect, 100% match is next to impossible, it’s really nice to get a roommate who has similar habits to yours and is able to tolerate yours—if you go to bed and wake up at around the same time, if you both need quiet at a certain time, if neither of you wants people over in your room often, etc. I’d argue that this is almost more important than friendship based on things like shared interests (majors, fandoms, etc.). In fact, I’ve known people who are the best of friends, but who’d make terrible roommates! On the other hand, I’ve known people who were perfectly cordial, respectful roommates who got along well and liked each other fine, but barely hung out in other contexts. To sun up, living compatibility is important, and I’d argue that neurodivergence makes it even more important—when things like this are less “wants” than “needs”.

Speaking of which: in your answers to these questionnaires or in your profile, you might or might not want to disclose that you’re neurodivergent, or that you suspect you are. That’s totally your choice, and you don’t have to disclose anything you’re not comfortable with. If you specifically want a neurodivergent roommate, then it might be a good thing to disclose that you are or might be neurodivergent too. (Although, as the saying goes, if you’ve met one autistic person, you’ve met one autistic person. And that’s just one specific category of neurodivergence! Someone else might have totally different sensory needs and routines than you do—or they might be a different flavor of neurodivergent or have co-occurring physical/mental conditions. This is always a good thing to talk to them about more specifically and in more detail, if both of you are comfortable with it.) It might also be a good idea to say you’re neurodivergent as an explanation for why you need your living conditions to be the way they are and why you may be less willing or likely to budge on them—they’re not just preferences, they’re accommodations, things you NEED. However, if you’re uncomfortable disclosing this information—if you think that mentioning it might alienate potential roommates who are ableist or have misconceptions about neurodivergence, or if you’re just uncomfortable with saying you’re for sure neurodivergent when you’re not entirely sure (believe me, I get it; I’ve been there, and still kinda am!)—then you don’t have to say it. Another option is to see if any potential roommate matches mention that they are neurodivergent—then you can privately message them and say you suspect that you might be, too. This way you don’t have to disclose it to the world in your profile, but you might still find people who are wired the same or a similar way that you are.

Aside from that—my advice is to be as honest as possible when filling out these questionnaires. Obviously you can’t predict everything about how you’ll ACTUALLY turn out to live and behave in college—maybe you anticipate spending lots of time outside of your room for an extracurricular that you don’t even end up doing, or you liked to keep your room neat in high school, but with all the responsibilities and stress of college life, cleaning your room ends up falling by the wayside. You can’t predict that with absolute certainty, and the prospective roommates looking at your answers know that—it’s all preliminary guesswork. After all, they’re guessing how they’ll live, too! But given that, do your best to be as honest as you can. Don’t feel bad or ashamed, or like you need to hide/downplay any of your living habits! It’s not “bad” or “wrong” to have a messy room, go to bed late, or use/not use substances. It’s better to be upfront about things like this, so your roommate doesn’t feel deceived when your living patterns turn out to be different than how you made them out to be in the questionnaire—or so you don’t have to feel like you have to overhaul your own living habits. Self-improvement is a great thing to aspire to, but with all the changes that come with moving to college, it can just cause more stress—especially for neurodivergent people who need routines and familiarity. (Even if going to bed at 3 AM is your routine—*cough* me *cough*) And feeling like you have to tiptoe around another person or suppress your own needs can cause resentment to build up over time, and that’s not fair to you or your roommate. You don’t have to disclose anything you’re not comfortable with, but be as honest as you can.

To close out this section, here’s a quick, funny comic about how these questionnaires often go for people filling them out!

Part 2: Narrowing It Down Through Conversation

So! What next? If your college has picked out a roommate for you, or if you’ve got a list of contenders for your future roommate—people who have high compatibility scores with you on the roommate questionnaire or who have commented and expressed interest in being your roommate over social media—then the next thing to do is reach out to them! There might be a messaging feature embedded within the housing portal, or people might put their Instagram/Twitter/Discord/etc. info in the part of the roommate questionnaire that asks for a brief description of them. If you found someone through social media in the first place, you can just DM them on that account! Worse comes to worst, you can just Google “[person’s name] + [college name] + [‘28]”, and you’ll often get a social media profile for them that way.

What I did was take the top few people from the list of possible compatible roommates that the program spit out, then sent them each the same message I’d written beforehand. From what I can remember, I introduced myself, explained that the roommate portal matched us up/suggested that we’d be compatible, and said I was excited to get to know them more and see if we’d like to be roommates—and, if that wasn’t possible, if we could be friends as we both entered our college. I’d usually find a little detail from their profile and expand on that to start a conversation—things like: “I noticed on your profile that you like anime! I love it too—my favorite is Cowboy Bebop, but I like all kinds! What are your favorites? Do you have any recommendations?” or “I saw on your profile that you’re a fencer! That’s so cool, I’ve always wanted to learn that! Are you planning to join the fencing team or take classes at [School]?” (To be clear, I just made these up—I hadn’t watched Cowboy Bebop yet when I started college! I also hadn’t tried fencing yet, which is actually true to the message I made up—now I have taken a fencing class and can confidently say that I absolutely SUCK at it. But I digress.) 

The next few messages, back and forth, are where you begin to get to know this person and (hopefully!) establish a friendship with them. Beyond just the logistics of living, you get to see if you click. You don’t want to live with someone with whom you’d always have an awkward silence or feel on edge, or whom you just plain don’t like or find annoying—even if you have the exact same schedules and living preferences! A good roommate is someone with whom you feel comfortable—because, after all, they’re the person with whom you’ll spend the majority of your time for a year. Things like shared interests are a bonus, even if they’re not strictly necessary—it’s nice to have built-in ways to spend downtime with your roommate and bond with them. For instance, if you’re both into anime, you can watch it together; if you both like biking, you can go on bike rides together. Again, you don’t have to be best friends with your roommate—and if you don’t expect to be best friends with them, it lowers the pressure on both of you as you get to know each other!—but it’s nice to click with them, at least a little. (If you’re having trouble carrying on the conversation, I’ve written this guide to getting-to-know-you conversations and socializing, specifically for autistic people! Again, I’m by NO means an expert, but hopefully it can prove a little helpful!)

If you’ve messaged back and forth and are seriously considering the possibility of being roommates, I’d suggest at least one video chat before making it official, for a few reasons:

You can get a sense of how well you mesh in spoken back-and-forth conversations…which you’ll be having a LOT of if you’re roommates! Texts/DMs don’t always translate to spoken conversations (whether IRL or over video calls) the same way.

The two of you can see what the other looks like beyond their curated social media profile.

You can give each other a virtual tour of your rooms at home, to show them what your living situation is currently like.

If you’re comfortable with it, you can meet each other’s families—whom you might be seeing a LOT of during move-in!

And remember: if you message lots of people (who themselves are also messaging lots of people), it’s inevitable that some roommate relationships won’t work out! Sometimes the other person might ghost you, or find another roommate, or YOU might find a roommate and have to let the other people you messaged down easy, or you might decide that you’re better as friends than as roommates, or they might just annoy the hell out of you. That’s okay! Barring the first and last situations, just because you’re not roommates doesn’t mean you can’t be friends. And, in fact, by messaging a lot of people for roommate selection, oops—you’ve accidentally made lots of good, friendly connections for when the school year starts, and now you know more people you’ll see in your dorm, in class, in the dining halls, etc.! Even if someone’s not your future roommate, they could be your future study group member, or partner for meals, or person with whom to laugh at terrible sitcoms, or whatever.

Part 3: Maybe Not Even Having A Roommate At All?!?!?

One more thing to consider: if you’re worried about having a roommate, then, depending on your school, you might be able to get a single room to yourself and not have to have a roommate at all! The rules are different from one school to the next—my mom spent all four years of her undergraduate education happily in singles, never having a roommate, whereas my school requires you to have a roommate your first year. That is…unless you have medical accommodations that require you living in a single. If you’re really worried about roommates—if you think that the stress of having one might be sensory overload or detrimental to your mental health (and it can be a lot, being around someone All The Time!) and you need time to unmask & be truly on your own, then it might be worth looking into accommodations. These can look like: a “medical single,” an early room-selection slot to make sure you can pick a single before they’re all taken, etc. See if your school offers something similar; it’ll usually be under an office with a name like “Accessibility,” “Accommodations,” “ADA,” etc.

However, two caveats:

Accommodations like this often require some form of paperwork confirming an official diagnosis. Some accessibility offices aren’t very lenient about self-diagnosis or even diagnoses that are in progress. I assume, from your saying that you’re “pretty sure you’re some flavor of neurodivergent,” that you haven’t gotten an official diagnosis, and I can totally understand all the reasons you or others may not have one—lack of access, lack of permission, doubtful doctors, worries about how a diagnosis may affect other aspects of your life, just not wanting to or not being sure yet! I myself am just at the “maybe-possibly autistic” stage and only recently considered the possibility of a diagnosis as a Real Thing In My Future. But keep in mind that accommodations offices, ironically, might not be that understanding or accommodating.

Sometimes, unfortunately, accessibility administration can just be bad at their jobs and a hassle to deal with—so getting accommodations like this might be a long fight, and might not happen until you’re already in a room. Then you’d have to deal with the stress of having a roommate for a few months, compounded with the stress of having to pack up and move into a new single, sometimes in another building entirely!

This is where it’s good to look into resources for incoming students to your school, preferably ones where current students can answer questions freely and with candor—like those social-media pages for incoming students (if they’re run by students themselves), or groups on Facebook, Discord, Sidechat/YikYak, etc.—and see how good your school’s accessibility office’s track record is when it comes to granting accommodations quickly, helpfully, and fairly. People who have dealt with them before can answer and give you some insight. (I’ll admit, some of my rancor might be coming from experiences I’ve witnessed at my school, whose accessibility office can, to put it in the nicest way possible, be hit-or-miss…)

Part 4: My Personal Experience/Conclusion

Now for a bit of a tangent about my personal experience. Luckily, I’ve had really good luck with roommates the two years I had them. My first-year roommate, whom I met through the questionnaire, was really nice and made a good, respectful roommate. Although we haven’t crossed paths much after first year, we’re still friendly when we do see each other. Then, in my second year, I couldn’t room with that person again because she became an RA and was assigned a single, so I roomed with one of my best friends, whom I’d met at the beginning of first year! Unfortunately, they and I ended up sharing the world’s tiniest “dingle” (a single into which the college shoved two beds and pretended it was a double), where there was hardly room to move around without bumping into each other. But both of us proved very accommodating (at least, I hope I was!) and actually ended that year with an even closer friendship, instead of coming to blows and wanting to kill each other. I’m not sure I would have been able to share that single with anyone else but them! (Actually, I’m Tumblr mutuals with both of these people—to be clear, we followed each other here after knowing each other in real life; we didn’t meet on Tumblr and then happen to go to the same college—which I guess speaks to how we’re similar flavors of weird??? And if either of them see this post, I hope you know how wonderful you are and I apologize if I’ve misrepresented you!!) My third year, I was assigned a single due to an on-campus job I had, and I’ll have a single this coming year because I’m a senior.

I won’t lie and say the transition was easy—it’s never easy going to college for the first time, especially when you’re living in a dorm away from home. But when I followed the steps I outlined above, it made it a lot easier for me and gave me two lovely roommates; I’m so glad to have shared the experience with them. I really hope my super long-winded guide was helpful, and I hope you have similar luck and a great experience, both with finding a roommate and with college life in general! I’ve had so much fun in college so far—for me, it’s been worlds better than high school!—and I wish the same for you. 💖

[anotherwvba]

An Origin Story pt. 5

Gabby Jay was a respected man in the halls of the WVBA. At 67 years of age, he was retired from the ring. Despite his journeyman record, every fighter in the league respected his toughness and his wisdom. Just because his sole victory was literally one-in-a-hundred, didn’t mean he didn’t have the ring IQ of a world champion.

As the elder statesman and nowadays WVBA Official made his way to the front lobby, his eyes twinkled with the same excitement as when he was about to step into the ring. The next generation was waiting and this was his favorite part of the job.

"Ah, Nicole, it's good to see you," he greeted as he approached the receptionist’s desk, his thick French accent filling the air.

"Hi Gabby, always a pleasure," Nicole replied, smiling warmly.

“Is a shame about your loss Saturday, non?” Gabby offered, “But it was quite the scrap. You afforded yourself well. I know the German must be proud.”

“Thanks, Gabby,” Nicole blushed at the compliment, “He is.”

"Is this our new batch of hopefuls?" Gabby Jay gestured toward the group of would-be boxers gathered in the lobby.

"Yep, they're all yours," Nicole confirmed.

Mika took her place among the group, deliberately positioning herself near Reina, who seemed engrossed in sizing up Gabby Jay and paid no attention to anyone else.

"Mesdames et Messieurs," Gabby Jay began, capturing everyone's attention. "Welcome to the WVBA Atlanta Campus. I am Gabby Jay. As a WVBA official, I'll be leading your orientation today."

Mika continued to observe Reina, who carried herself with a casual disdain for everyone around her. It was as if she considered herself above the very air they all breathed.

"We'll start with a visit to the infirmary for full physicals," Gabby Jay continued. "Then, I'll give you a tour of our state-of-the-art campus, we'll head to your accommodations in the Campus Lodge, and we’ll end in the gym, surely the highlight of the tour."

One of Reina's entourage interrupted, "Excuse me, Mr. Jay, but my client will be departing immediately after the physical."

Gabby Jay raised an eyebrow. "It's customary for all new fighters to complete the tour and stay on campus the first night."

Before the man could respond, Reina interjected, "I am not subject to 'customary' anything. I am already under contract and have no desire to mingle with a bunch of would-be fighters who are unfit to lace my botas."

Mika stepped up to Reina, her eyes meeting the luchadora's masked gaze. "Hey! I'm signed, too. And I'm proud to share this room with these fighters, working hard and chasing their dreams, just like me. That make me unfit to lace your bota, babae?"

Reina looked at Mika and smiled, a menacing curl on her lips. "Ah, una estrella en ascenso. How cute."

Before the tension could escalate further, Gabby Jay reasserted control. "Alright, let's keep things professional. We have a schedule to stick to. Follow me to the medical facilities."

As the group began to move, Reina deliberately stepped in front of Mika, blocking her path. 

"Do you know who I am?" she asked, her voice dripping with both curiosity and condescension.

"I've been told a little," Mika responded cautiously.

"Scared, chica?" Reina pressed, her eyes narrowing.

"Takes more than you to scare a Filipina or a Bronxite, and I’m both," Mika shot back, her ire rising.

"So little respect," Reina continued, her tone probing.

"Respect is earned, not given," Mika replied, meeting Reina's intense gaze.

Reina's smile returned, more menacing than before, as she leaned toward Mika, their noses nearly touching. "I look forward to 'earning' your respect, estrellita."

For a tense moment, the air between them was electric, a silent promise of battles yet to come.

"Mesdames! Veuillez nous rejoindre!" Gabby Jay called, breaking the momentary standoff.

Both women turned to join the group, but as they did, their eyes met one last time—a mutual acknowledgment that their paths would cross again, and when they did, sparks would fly.

[mainstoryarchive]

Revolution - 44: Meeting Up

Translator: Creampuffs

Hokuto: Hm, the Transfer Student’s out.

[Read on my blog for the best viewing experience with Oi~ssu ♪]

Location: Grounds

Hokuto: Hm, the Transfer Student’s out.

Subaru: Heey, Transfer Student, over here~☆

Makoto: Surprisingly, they let out pretty easily. We were so worried~ What did you talk about with Kiryu-senpai?

Hokuto: We were on standby, so we could act immediately if anything were to happen, but… Fortunately, it seems we didn’t have to exchange blows.

Subaru: That’s a shame! I even prepared a metal bat~☆

Hokuto: Don’t swing that around, Akehoshi. You could seriously hurt yourself if you don’t know how to use it properly.

I’m glad we didn’t have to use it. Good grief, I guess we can breathe a sigh of relief for now.

Makoto: You know, Hidaka-kun’s been restless ever since you went inside the dojo, Transfer Student-chan~

He really does feel like a guardian, doesn’t he? It’s not like you’re a little kid going on an errand[1] or something.

Hokuto: Quiet, you.

In any case, Transfer Student… What did you talk about with Kiryu-senpai?

Your complexion appears to be somewhat fine. In fact, you seem to be even more motivated.

Subaru: Ohh, Hokke~ You can read people’s expressions now? Is this the result of your training with the twins?

Makoto: You’ve grown, Hidaka-kun! You could never take a hint before!

Hokuto: That’s the last thing I want to hear from you two.

…Hmm, so that’s what you were talking about. He won’t be able to directly help, but he’ll be supporting us.

It looks like you’ve gotten motivated after hearing his words of encouragement.

It’s not the best result, but I suppose it’s second best. Good job, Transfer Student.

It looks like you’re easily well-liked by others.

Subaru: Well, I’m just glad nothing bad happened. There’s nothing we can do by hanging out here, so let’s go see the Light Music Club!

We’re practising as a unit today, right? I’m so excited~☆

Hokuto: You only get to say that because you took it easy this past week. We’ve been trembling in fear, wondering what sort of hell awaited us, you know?

Makoto: It felt like we were touring around hell, didn’t it?

Come to think of it, since we’re practising as a unit, does that mean Isara-kun will be joining us too?

Hokuto: Of course. He’s a member of “Trickstar” as well. We can’t leave him out.

In fact, he’s late to the meet-up. We’ll need to think about his course of action since he’s also a member of the Student Council.

But we’ve already discussed with Sakuma-senpai and worked out a plan.

Isara will be playing an important role in our current goal of winning the “S1”.

He’ll be absolutely necessary for our victory. I have great expectations of him.

Mao: Hey… Could you not decide my fate while I’m not here?

Subaru: Ah, Sally~☆ What’re you doing here?

Hokuto: I called him here on my phone a few minutes ago. I thought it would be best if we met up quickly.

Makoto: You sure are working hard, Isara-kun. Is the Student Council doing well?

Mao: Nope, can’t say they are. Official dreamfests are managed by the school, so the Student Council handles part of the duties.

That’s why things are really busy right now.

Well, it doesn’t matter. I’ve always wanted to meet the Transfer Student that everyone’s been talking about. Oh, I don’t think I’ve introduced myself yet.

Hokuto: I suppose you’re right. You always have such bad timing, Isara.

Mao: Don’t say that~…

Anyway, it’s nice to meet you, Transfer Student. My name is Mao Isara.

I’m in the same Basketball Club as Subaru, the treasurer for the Student Council as well as a member of “Trickstar”. It’s nice to meet’cha.

Subaru: You can just call him "Sally~"☆

Mao: You know, it’s not a good habit to give people weird nicknames.

Hokuto: Agreed. Isara may be a member of the Student Council, but he’s also an important comrade of ours. I hope you’ll be on good terms with him.

Mao: Thanks for saying that. Well, let’s get along, yeah?

Our unit practice starts today, right? I’ll be doing my best to make up for the individual practices I’ve missed.

I hope you’ll go easy on me, Producer-chan ♪

Hokuto: Hm, there’s no point in telling her to go easy on you.

She may be from the "producer course", but she won’t be the one deciding the contents of our training.

Well, never mind that. Since everyone is here, let’s head to the Light Music Club.

I want to confirm something just to be safe, but… is it really okay for you to help us out, Isara?

Mao: Why are you asking that now? Even the Vice-President says we should be prioritising our unit activities instead of student council work.

That’s why it’s totally fine for me to attend practice.

(I dunno about the future, though. Oh, geez. What should I do?)

Hokuto: I see. I’ll be counting on you, Isara.

Mao: …Don’t trust me too much, alright?

Subaru: We trust you! You’re an irreplaceable comrade of ours, Sally~!

Let’s join forces and beat the Student Council black and blue! Hip hip hooray~☆

Mao: Uh, we really don’t know what’s going to happen, though…

(Hmm. I’m seriously stuck between a rock and a hard place.)

(The Vice President has also ordered me to check out "Trickstar’s" suspicious activity.)

(On the other hand, I’ve also been telling these guys about what the Student Council has been up to.)

(I don’t like living the life of a double agent! I just wanna spend my teenage days in peace and quiet…!)

[ ☆ ]

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This is a common tradition in Asian culture where parents will send children/toddlers as young as one or two years old to run a small errand (usually a trip to the nearby store to pick something up). There is also a Japanese TV show from 1991 that’s based on this tradition.

[skylarstark4826]

Okoye’s first day in Talokan had been remarkable, to say the least. She had an image in her mind from Attuma’s and Shuri’s descriptions, but it was truly something to behold the grand architecture, technology, and culture. After Shuri perfected the dive suits, Okoye and M’Baku became the next two outsiders to receive the privilege of visiting the elusive underwater nation. The three of them spent the day receiving an official tour through the city. M’Baku stayed in the plaza to watch a ball game, while Okoye and Shuri retired to the cave system to eat and wander. They had all been gifted Talokan clothes to wear. Okoye wore a sleeveless dress that was red at the top and shifted into gold past her hips. Shuri wore an embroidered shirt and pants. They were admiring the relief carvings in a tunnel when quick footsteps came echoing toward them. They looked behind them curiously – Okoye hoped it wasn’t an attendant telling them that M’Baku accidentally started another war.

Attuma rounded the corner with an excited grin on his face. He didn’t have a mask on.

“Welcome back to Talokan, Ix Ajaw Shuri! And welcome, in yakunaj.”

He closed the distance in a heartbeat, wrapped an arm around Okoye’s waist, and kissed her. Her eyes widened in shock. She glanced at Shuri, whose mouth was hanging open. Attuma leaned back, still wearing a pleased smile, and kept his arm around her. Okoye gawked at him, then at Shuri.

“It’s not what it looks like!” she blurted.

Shuri threw up her hands. “Hey, I’m not judging. You two look cute together.”

“We’re not together!”

“We’re not?” he said in an amused tone.

She shot him a look. Why in Bast’s name he thought it acceptable to kiss her in front of Shuri…

“We’re just…Ok, I’ve been seeing him, but it’s not like that.”

Shuri smiled sympathetically. “Seriously, Okoye, why would I judge you? Whatever makes you happy. I’ll just get out of your hair for now.”

“But –”

Shuri was already power-walking down the tunnel and out of sight. Attuma rubbed her back.

“Eek’e’, it’s a dream to see you here,” he gushed.

“Did you have to do that?” she said with a glower.

“Why are you embarrassed to be seen with me?” He fully faced her, but there was no annoyance in his features. “We’re both honorable. You divorced your husband. You could make me howl your name from the mountains of Wakanda, and I wouldn’t complain.”

He leaned down to her ear.

“Come to my chambers,” he whispered, “I have something for you.”

Her irritation was forgotten as curiosity – and a chill of desire – took its place.

“Alright. Lead the way.”

He took her by the hand and walked with her through the winding cave system. They came upon a small grotto with a hut. He pulled aside the thick curtain of reeds that served as a door. Inside was a cozy and practical room. There was a large hammock to the left, a desk draped in a beige cloth with a red border, and a shrine to the right. A curtain beside the desk separated some separate area. The air was close in here, and she felt it more with him right behind her.

“Look around,” he invited.

A framed drawing was propped up on the desk. She approached and picked it up slowly. It was Attuma, flanked by an older man and woman. All three smiled toothily.

“Are these your parents?”

He came up next to her. “Yes.”

“They must be very proud of you.”

His smile was laced with a private happiness. “They live in a neighborhood outside the capital. I moved them there after I made general. What of your parents?”

She smiled, too. “They’re in the Borderlands, still in the same house I grew up in. I asked them if they’d like a second one, closer to the Golden City, but they refused. At least they let me pay for renovations,” she chuckled.

He was giving her that look he always did when she smiled. His fond gaze softened his eyes so much. She looked away and set down the picture.

“Where’s this present for me?”

He stooped beneath the desk and lifted up a long wooden box. It made a heavy thud when he set it down. Okoye opened it eagerly. Inside was a macuahuitl. It was a meter long, and the wooden paddle was carved with a line of hieroglyphs. She carefully lifted it out and turned away from him to hold it to the light.

“It’s stunning,” she said in awe, “What do these mean?”

“They sing the praises of a mighty foreign warrior. I had it made for you.”

Okoye glanced back at him for a moment. She tested the weapon in her grip, swung it right and left, mimed a slash. It felt awkward in her hands, but she would get used to it.

“Will you train me with it?”

“Of course, my love.”

There he went again, saying things like that. She didn’t feel obligated to say it back, but she felt a weight on her when he did. She did care for him. She felt safe and respected and desired. He made her feel light, and she was thankful everyday that she didn’t have to go to war against him. Even if she wasn’t ready to commit to a serious relationship, she did want to know him in every way.

She glanced at the curtain in the back.

“Where does that go?”

He didn’t break eye contact as he stepped over and drew it aside. The room appeared to be empty, but when her gaze tracked to the floor, she saw an oval pool, about 7 feet across, embedded into the ground.

“Water, so I don’t need to wear the rebreathers all the time.”

Okoye put the macuahuitl back in the box while she waited for him to ask. He moved closer to her and tilted his head.

“Will you go in with me?”

“Is it cold?” she asked, more for show.

“No,” he insisted, then walked over to the pool and squatted to dip his hand in.

She smiled at his anxious eagerness and reached back to unclasp her dress. He was on his feet in a second.

“Let me.”

He stood behind her and undid the clasp. His hands stroked down her shoulders as he eased the fabric off. She was still wearing a bra. She stopped him from pushing the dress past her hips.

“Why don’t you take off all that crap you’ve got on?” she said.

He stepped around to where she could see him and lifted his chin haughtily.

“You mean my official adornments?” he asked, even as he started undoing his armguards.

She stepped out of the dress, leaned against the wall, and watched him hurriedly remove everything except his shorts, which really didn’t hide much. He smirked at her staring and nodded toward the pool.

“After you?”

She sat on the edge and dipped her legs in. It wasn’t quite room temperature, but it wasn’t unbearable either. She got all the way in, and Attuma followed her. He detached the rebreathers from his gills and set them beside the edge. Wading over to her, he pressed his lips gingerly against her cheek. His kisses were always soft to start off. So far, they hadn’t done more than explore each other’s bodies with their hands, and never the private areas. She knew him well enough now that she could tell he was holding back. She had an idea how he would be in bed, from the way he got excited when she wounded him and how much he loved pinning her at the end of a fight she lost. As for her sake, she’d never been one to give up control.

His lips were pressing gently to her neck now, almost tickling. To show she meant business this time, she pressed the side of her hand against the bulge in his shorts. He froze. She had no idea what he was going to do until he suddenly lifted her into his lap and pressed her close.

“Do you want me, in yakunaj?” he asked huskily, “I’m ready to make my offerings.”

She could feel his length against her pelvis. His eyes were dark and intense. For once, she was actually lost for words. Now that she’d made up her mind, though, she wasn’t going to hesitate. She rocked her hips forward, inviting him. She didn’t expect him to release her waist and sink below the water. She quickly understood when he stretched out and positioned his face beneath her hips. Looking down through the water, his skin was a light brown. The sudden change was miraculous and beautiful. She obliged his – and her – obvious want and grabbed his head. She ground directly onto his nose, though her panties were in the way. They both endured it at first, Okoye content to build the tension, but her lover was more impatient. He stopped her movement with a strong hand and tore her panties right off. She scowled into the water, but she forgot her displeasure immediately at the first stroke of his tongue. He was perfect and relentless. She let her head roll back and her groans fill the grotto.

She continued rocking gingerly through the afterglow, then lifted a leg and climbed off. He came up panting and grinning at her. He kissed her hungrily, sucking her bottom lip into his mouth. Two of his fingers abruptly curled inside her, and she flinched. She moaned into his mouth, and he echoed it in kind. He pulled his fingers back. Meanwhile, her hands explored the generous planes of his torso, tracing the shark-tooth scars to his shorts. She palmed him, and he bit her lip almost painfully. She made a sharp noise, and he released her, murmuring an apology. But she squeezed his dick, and he spat out a curse in his own language.

“Take it,” he panted, rolling his forehead against hers.

He pushed his shorts down and placed himself into her waiting hand. She stroked quickly. His cheek slipped past hers, and he bit the peak of her ear. She replaced her hand with her labia, sliding up and down his shaft. He gasped once, then demonstrated his strength again and swam them both towards the wall within the blink of an eye. He leaned his back against it and pushed down on her hips till she felt his girth pushing in. Her hands flew to his shoulders and dug in. When their hips were flush, he paused and exhaled. Okoye’s chest rose and fell heavily. Her fingers slid inward and brushed carefully over his gills. He shuddered.

“Does that hurt?” she asked softly.

He shook his head, then surged to claim her lips. They rocked together. She had no idea how long it lasted, only that it felt like an age. A misty, elemental age. She missed making love like this. She came twice under his persistent strokes and fingertips, tilting her head to the heavens each time. He spilled every adoration in his language.

She hated to separate their bodies, but in her excitement, she’d totally forgotten to ask about protection. She slipped off and ground against him. He shouted and went still, twitching intermittently and groaning. They clutched each other.

He whispered, “In yaakunale' permitir in ts'aik teech le yóok'ol kaaba' entero.”

“Attuma…”

“I love you. Completely.”

“I know.”

He was silent. Still, neither moved.

“Let’s enjoy this,” she whispered, “Let me be with you.”

He kissed her cheek in answer. After a few minutes, he reached for the rebreathers and put them back on. He lifted her out the pool and carried her into the main room.

“We’re dripping everywhere,” she barely protested.

He set her on her feet, then fetched a large towel and dried them both. He picked her again and placed her in his hammock. Her eyes widened in alarm when he started to climb in, too.

“Wait, wait! Will it hold?”

“Yeah,” he said carelessly.

He hovered over her and mouthed at her neck. She wasn’t really able to relax into it because of the hammock swaying gently beneath them. The ropes could snap any second and dump them on the floor. In the meantime, he continued tasting her skin, down to her pebbled nipples, which he flicked his tongue over. She ventured to caress her hands down his broad back. He pressed closer to her, maybe subconsciously. He slid back up and nuzzled her neck while his hips prodded against hers. She spread her legs wide enough that he could slide in again. She wrapped her limbs around him. The ropes murmured, but didn’t give.

He pulled out and pushed on her side in a way that meant he wanted her to flip over. She didn’t much like being told what to do, but if he was going to keep making her feel like this, she supposed she could compromise a bit. She rolled onto her front, cheek pressed into one of the pillows. He folded his arms beneath her and reentered. Her legs squirmed and squeezed together before she came hard. He groaned deeply, but pulled out. She felt the cum splash over her ass, then he was rolling her over again. His eyes were glazed over, and his hand was between her legs, two fingers inside, his thumb on her clit. She moaned and tossed her head, her right hand flying down to grip his wrist. She came again rapidly, hips lifting into the air. He still didn’t pull back. She gasped and tried to push his arm away. Her noise of protest wasn’t even a full word. He locked eyes with her for a second that dragged on in apprehension.

He took his hand away, and she exhaled in relief and satisfaction. She felt loose, like her limbs had been unscrewed at the joints. He lay on his side beside her and brushed his thumb across her bottom lip. She rested her hand over his and stroked down his forearm. He smiled softly.

Okoye fell asleep in his warm arms. Her mind was empty of any worries or responsibilities. She felt like she was home. Her eyes blinked open slowly, after a fashion. He was still there, embracing her. She smiled and snuggled into him. His lips pressed lovingly to her forehead.

“Did you have a good dream?” he whispered.

“Mmm…” She raised her head and was greeted by a gentle kiss. She nuzzled her nose against his. He chuckled happily.

“I’ll bring some breakfast. Or we can go out, if you like.”

Breakfast… Breakfast!

Okoye flew upright. He stared at her in alarm.

“Shuri!” she gasped.

“She’s fine. She’s in the city.”

“She was waiting for me last night.”

“I don’t think she was waiting up for you,” he said with a smirk. He reached for her. “Come, relax. I’ll bring you something.”

“No, I have to go.” She was already climbing down from the hammock.

She came to Talokan on official business. She was a personal guard of the queen, and she was an ambassador. She couldn’t spend all night and day frolicking in bed. Valuable hours had been wasted already. She pulled on her dress. She had to return to her guest quarters to freshen up and change into something for today.

Attuma was on his feet.

“Let me escort you back. We can find Shuri together.”

She looked at him, then nodded. As they strode out of his hut, he asked, “You won’t be embarrassed, will you?”

She glanced at him again. It was plain that this was important to him.

“No. She’s my friend. I suppose she should know anyway.”

“Am I your man yet?”

She laughed. She couldn’t deny the way she felt in the morning, before her duties came flooding into her mind.

“You seem up to the task.”

He grinned at her. “If you need more convincing, I’ll be around.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t wait for me. Go do your job.”

He did attend to his duties, but they met that evening for some quality time before the Wakandans departed. Just before she was about to leave, Attuma left his seat beside her on the hammock.

“Let me pack up your things for you.”

“My things?” Okoye asked in a mix of confusion and curiosity.

He flipped up the cloth covering the desk, revealing a heavy wooden chest underneath. He dragged it out and lifted out a tall, metal container with straps for carrying. He unscrewed the lid and put her macuahuitl box inside. Then, he reached back into the chest and produced an earthenware jug.

“This is chih, an alcohol made from the maguey plant. Drink it within the next few days. It goes bad quickly.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Then, he pulled out a soft package wrapped in paper.

“Some clothing...And this is a blanket I stitched myself.”

Okoye felt her cheeks warm.

“You do needlework?”

He smirked. “I have many hobbies. Talokanil are trained in every art form.”

He reattached the lid and shouldered the heavy burden. Okoye rose to her feet.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to carry all that…”

“M’Baku will carry it.”

She raised a brow. “I’m sure he agreed to that.”

After a moment’s hesitation, she walked over and embraced him.

“I’m sorry I didn’t bring anything for you.”

“You brought yourself. That’s all the gift I need. And I’mcourting you .”

He got his rebreather, and they walked together to the departure point. M’Baku and Shuri were there already with the dive suits, as well as K’uk’ulkan, Namora, and a couple attendants.

“Gorilla man,” Attuma called. M’Baku barely reacted. They had a certain rapport, and it was only fair since M’Baku called him “shark man.” “Will you carry Okoye’s things for her?”

He held out the pack. M’Baku grunted and took it without argument.

The Wakandans put on their suits, and K’uk’ulkan made a big to-do out of the farewell. Before they left, Okoye turned to Attuma, and they both moved in for a hug. M’Baku made a perplexed noise behind her. She turned just enough to cast a “Shut up” over her shoulder. Then, she turned back to hold her partner for a little longer.