#I’m having so much fun taking screenshots of him

[percivals-barrel]

Dr. Casper Darling - Control

[geminiwritten]

at first sight ; jake 'hangman' seresin

fandom: top gun

pairing: jake x reader

summary: the squad challenge hangman to charm any girl in the bar, and phoenix chooses you, but you end up making more of an impression on him than he's is expecting

notes: i asked for some inspo and i got some! i hope this is okay, i wrote it in a day and just had a bit of fun, so let me know what you think! (i also got another request for jake, and honestly if he's who y'all want, i'm so here for it)

warnings: swearing, alcohol consumption, text screenshots, and it's a little horny but otherwise fine (let me know if i've missed anything!)

word count: 3304

“Any girl in the bar?” Reuben echoes Jake’s words, disbelief saturating his tone.

Jake nods. “Any available girl in this bar.”

Bradley chuckles into the mouth of his beer bottle as he tips it to his lips while Mickey and Bob crane their necks to survey the busy bar.

“What about that one?” Mickey nods toward a high table where a woman is sitting by herself.

Jake rolls his eyes. “I said available. She’s clearly got a date and he’s just gone to get a drink. Do you see the keys on the table?”

As if on cue, a tall man with thick brows and a very square jaw places two drinks on the table before sitting across from the woman.

Javy chuckles as he subtly points toward the main door where two women have just entered the bar. “What about one of those two, Hangman?”

Jake’s green eyes dart toward the door before returning to his friend and narrowing. “Be kind, Coyote. I would prefer under the age of sixty-five.”

Natasha’s brows shoot up. “Prefer, but you’d be open to-”

“No.” Jake scowls across the table at her.

The group share a laugh before they all return to scouring the bar for an acceptable target. Jake Seresin makes big claims about his ability with ‘the ladies’ but the dagger squad are yet to witness such skill in action.

“Her.” Natasha says, brown eyes focused on someone at the bar.

Every single one of them turn to follow her gaze, and Jake’s mouth twists up into that signature smirk.

-

You sigh and slide your phone out of your back pocket, opening the text chain that made you leave the restaurant you’d been waiting at and order an Uber to the nearest bar. Another message pops up as you stare at the screen, asking where you are and if you got a table yet. You roll your eyes and take a screenshot before going to your text thread with your best friend and sending it to her.

You slide your phone back into your pocket just as the bartender places the beer you ordered in front of you. You glance up with a small smile and open your wallet to find your credit card, but someone beside you is quicker to hand the man some cash.

“It’s on me,” the stranger says, wearing an irritatingly gorgeous grin.

Your eyes narrow as you assess the man beside you. He’s wearing a well-fitting pair of jeans and a dark green button-up shirt, untucked. He’s effortlessly handsome, with sparkling green eyes and light brown hair that is perfectly combed into place. It’s almost as if someone cast a spell on a Ken doll to bring him to life. But you can tell by the way this man is grinning at you that he is much more devious than a newly animated children’s toy.

You pick up your drink and turn to face him, silently asking him to explain himself.

“Hangman.” He winks.

You frown. “I prefer Pictionary.”

His pretty smirk falters for a second before he fully processes what you said, and then he chuckles. “No, it’s my callsign. I’m a naval aviator.”

You’d figured as much – duh, you live on North Island – but you’re not in the mood for this guy’s bullshit right now. “That must be so fun for you.” You push off the barstool with your drink in hand. “Thanks for the beer.”

“Wait a minute.” He doesn’t block your path, but his words are enough to stop you out of sheer habit. “I didn’t catch your name.”

You give him a tight smile. “That’s because I didn’t throw it.”

Despite the dim, yellow lighting inside the bar, his eyes still sparkle like freshly tumbled jades. He doesn’t look as smarmy as he had a few moments ago, he looks more intrigued than cocky now. His smile isn’t quite as smirky, and his gaze is less predatory, but his eyes are still raking up and down your body. On any other day, you’d be willing to give this charming man a run for his money. You’d drag him into a booth and see if he could keep up with your verbal warfare before deciding whether or not you wanted to take him home. But not tonight.

“I’d be willing to earn your name if you give me a chance.”

You look down at your beer and sigh quietly before glancing back up at him. “Look, Hangman, I don’t doubt this routine – this charm – works on most girls, but you have really picked the wrong one tonight.”

He raises one challenging brow. “You look like the right one to me.”

“The right one for what?” You cock your hip and hold it with your free hand. “A good one-night stand or something real? Because you don’t strike me as a guy who’s looking for something real, and I’ve just about had it with one-night stands.”

His mouth pops open, but no words come out.

“And while I don’t doubt that it would be a really good one-night stand, because- well, I’m not blind, I’ve just had a really crappy day and would like to drink my beer in peace while I craft a careful and incredibly scathing text to the asshole who put me in this mood.”

You pause, waiting for him to respond or tell you that you’re crazy, but he doesn’t. He just looks at you with that same curious stare, like you’re a fascinating piece of art in a gallery.

“So, thank you for the drink, but could you please let me have my pity-party alone? You can go tell your friends you got my number, and we can just pretend that I reacted to this whole situation like any other normal person would have.”

His brows pinch as you offer him another tight smile before turning and walking toward a spare table. Once you settle in one of the chairs – your back to the room –, you have to resist the urge to turn around, because a tiny part of you wishes that you could have humoured him. He was hot, there’s no denying that, but he also seemed like an actual gentleman – an experienced gentleman, but one, nonetheless. Which is something that your life is sorely lacking.

You pull your phone out again and open up your text conversation with Declan – the guy you thought you’d been dating for the past three months.

You were supposed to have met for dinner at 7PM, and you'd been waiting at the restaurant since 6:45PM because you were so excited for your date. But after those texts, you threw your napkin on the table and walked right out the door. You hailed a cab and told the driver to take you to The Hard Deck, a bar you’ve only heard of from your friend. The same friend who you’d sent the screenshots of your conversation with Declan.

You shake your head and decide to compose a ‘get fucked’ message to Declan later. You're tired and a little upset, so you tip your beer to your lips and scull the rest of it, plonking the glass down harder than necessary as you stand up.

You call an Uber to take you home and when you slide into the back seat, you feel utterly drained and more than a little guilty about blowing off that gorgeous guy. You open your phone and tap on your text messages, pulling up your conversation with your best friend and typing out a few new messages.

Natasha’s ambiguity would usually make you nauseous with curiosity, but after the day you’ve just had, you can’t find the energy to be anxious about whatever it is she wants to talk about. You send her an affirmative text, accepting the boozy brunch, before tucking your phone away and staring out the car window for the rest of the drive home.

-

Jake has been lying awake for over an hour by the time his alarm goes off. It’s Saturday, which means he doesn’t have to be at the base, but he still likes to start his weekends early with a good workout. Normally, he’d jump out of bed at the sound of his alarm and slip straight into his gym gear, but not today. He’s barely slept, and he feels like his consciousness is on a completely different plane of existence.

He can’t stop thinking about you.

You’d caught him completely off-guard last night. When Natasha had pointed you out, he could clearly see that you were gorgeous, which is why he was more than happy to accept the challenge of ‘charming’ you. Then you had the audacity to be witty, and Jake Seresin is nothing if not a sucker for a woman with a sharp tongue. You didn’t fall for his smirk or his cheesy lines, but you weren’t rude about it either. You’d clearly had a bad day, and he felt bad for borderline harassing you, but now he feels even worse for not at least getting your name.

Jake has never believed in love at first sight, but last night is starting to prove him otherwise.

His workout today is half-assed, and he knows it, but he doesn’t bother pushing himself any further by the time his hour in the gym is up. Usually, he wouldn’t leave until his whole body was slick with sweat, but not today. Every time he closes his eyes, he can see your face, and then he doesn’t want to open them again. He’s worried that the details will start to fade, and he never wants to forget the face of the woman who has so thoroughly rocked his foundations. So that’s why when he gets home, he lays on the couch and closes his eyes, trying to burn your image into the back of his eyelids.

A couple of hours and a lot of unsuccessful internet sleuthing later, his phone rings, the screen lighting up with Natasha’s caller ID photo.

“Hello?”

“Bagman, you sound tired.”

“I’m busy. What's up?”

“Well, now you sound depressed.” He can hear the amusement in her voice. “Are you still bummed about striking out last night?”

He doesn’t care about striking out, he cares about the fact that he’s now seemingly obsessed with a mystery girl he might never see again.

“I’m not in the mood, Phoenix.”

“Alright, alright. I just wanted to see if you were coming to the beach barbecue tonight.” He can hear another muffled voice in the background, but he can’t discern who it is. “It was Payback’s idea, and everyone else is in, but you didn’t reply to the group chat. So?”

There’s a beat of silence. Jake is usually always down to hang out with his friends, but he has half a mind to spend his night scouring every bar and restaurant in town to see if he can run into you again.

“Come on, Seresin,” she presses. “One of my friends is coming too, and I really think you’ll like her.”

At that, Jake’s curiosity piques. Natasha has never offered to set him up with any of her friends before. In fact, she has distinctly threatened him should he ever try to go near any of them.

“You want to set me up with your friend?”

She scoffs. “Well, no, but- Look, you’ll understand if you come. Am I counting you in?”

He lets out a long breath as he falls back against the couch cushions. “Yeah, sure.”

- Three Hours Earlier -

You stare at your best friend in disbelief. You’ve barely taken a sip of your first mimosa, and she’s already telling you that not only was she at that bar last night, but she was the one who told the gorgeous man to approach you.

“Are you mad?” she asks, holding her champagne flute in front of her face as if it could protect her.

You take a deep breath before blowing it out through your nose. “Well, no, but I’m kind of hurt that you saw me walk into the bar and didn’t come say hi.”

She rolls her eyes playfully. “That would have ruined all the fun.”

You raise your brows. “The fun of sending one of your friends into a losing battle?”

Her smile is sheepish. “Look, if you knew Hangman like I do, you’d completely understand. And when I saw you sit at the bar, of course I wanted to come and give you a hug, but then I had this beautiful opportunity presented to me. You got to take out a little bit of frustration on the male species, and Hangman got a nice big bruise on his ego. It was a win-win.”

You take a generous sip of your mimosa and point a finger at her. “Win.”

She gives you a wink before taking a big gulp of her own drink. You spend the rest of the morning talking about Declan and crafting a simple but nasty message to send him before you block his number. After three mimosas and a shared croissant, you’re starting to feel a little boozy.

“Okay, I think we should stop.”

She nods. “Probably. I still need to go shopping for tonight. You’re coming, right?”

You roll your lips and avert your eyes, instead deciding to stare at the crumbs on the plate between the two of you.

“Come on, please.” She leans forward, doing her best puppy-dog eyes. “I know you don’t know my navy friends, but you’re never going to if you keep avoiding meeting them. Plus, Hangman should be there.”

Your heart begins to thump heavily against your sternum, which is ridiculous because you barely know the guy.

“I guess I should probably apologise to him.”

She scoffs. “You don’t need to apologise. I was kind of hoping that maybe you’d reject him again.”

You roll your eyes. “Nat, come on. I was rude to the guy, and he was perfectly-”

“Wait.” Her eyes go wide. “You actually think he’s cute, don’t you? Like, not in a flippant ‘that guy is hot’ kind of way, but in the way where you can’t stop thinking about him.”

Your pulse thrums even faster. “Pfft, no.”

“Oh, my God.” She holds a hand up to her lips to stifle her laughter. “You don’t want to apologise to him, you want to fu-”

“Nat!” you exclaim. “We are in public.”

She can’t stop giggling, her brown eyes like saucers above the hand covering her mouth, and it only takes a few more seconds before you dissolve into laughter too. You’ve definitely had enough mimosas for the morning.

It takes a few minutes, but eventually you compose yourselves enough to pay and exit the cafe. Neither of you had driven this morning, thankfully, so you decide to Uber to the nearest grocery store to get supplies for tonight’s beach barbecue.

You’re turning into the cold aisle where all the meat is cut and packaged when Natasha pulls out her phone and calls Hangman. It’s stupid the way your heart races when you hear his muffled voice, but you can’t help it. You’ve been thinking about this man nonstop for the past fourteen hours and now you’re going to see him tonight. You’ve never really believed in love at first sight, but the memory of those sparkling green eyes is starting to convince you otherwise.

Hours later and after trying on every bathing suit you own, you find yourself walking toward the gazebo on the beach where Nat’s location on your phone is pinging. There’s a fold out table with a portable barbecue on it and half a dozen beach chairs scattered across the sand. There’s also a volleyball net set up, where two very fit men are batting a white ball back and forth.

You’re starting to think that maybe you were doing yourself a disservice by not meeting Nat’s navy friends sooner.

“Hey!” Nat exclaims, yanking two beers out of the ice tub before jogging toward you. “I’m very impressed that you didn’t bail.”

You roll your eyes and try to be discreet about surveying the group for a face you’ll recognise. “Of course I didn’t bail.”

“Come meet everyone.” She links her arm with yours and leans in to whisper in your ear. “Hangman isn’t here yet.”

She points at the two men playing volleyball and tells you that they are Rooster and Payback. Then she pulls you into the gazebo’s shade and introduces you to Coyote, who is manning the barbecue, and Fanboy, who is second in charge. Harvard, Fritz, and Halo are occupying a few of the beach chairs, and apparently there are two more naval aviators on their way. One of which you’ve already met.

Everyone is super nice and incredibly fucking fit. It doesn’t take long for you to relax and enjoy the conversation with Fanboy while Nat argues with Coyote about what ‘medium rare’ looks like.

“Oh, and here’s another one,” Fanboy says, glancing over your shoulder with a grin. “This is Hangman.”

Your heart almost leaps out of your chest when you turn around and come face to face with those gorgeous green eyes.

He smiles, and it’s hot enough to melt your bikini bottoms. “Pictionary, right?”

You can’t help the smile that tugs at your lips. “Yeah, that’s right. Nat tells me you’re actually Bagman?”

He rolls his eyes and turns to your best friend, who is grinning like a maniac. “Jake Seresin, this is my best friend. Have you two met?”

Jake.

He says something to Natasha along the lines of calling her evil, but you’re not listening anymore. You’re too busy drinking him in, and oh my, is that a big drink.

He’s shirtless, wearing only a pair of khaki shorts, and his taut tan skin is making your mouth water. He has to have been sculpted by the gods, that is the only explanation for this man. Your eyes rake across his broad chest, the smattering of hair at his sternum, and down his defined abdominals. You can imagine licking every line, tasting every inch of his skin and following that V with your tongue below the waistband of his shorts.

Natasha nudges your ribs as she walks past, and you only just catch her wink before you look up and find Jake’s eyes on you. He’s smirking, and this time, it’s working. “Phoenix said you wanted to tell me something.”

Oh yeah, he definitely knows you were just checking him out.

You clear your throat. “I- um, I wanted to apologise for being rude last night. I’d had a bad day, but you honestly didn’t do anything wrong. Any other day I’d probably have jumped right into bed with you.”

Your eyes widen and you smack a hand over your mouth, heat crawling into your cheeks as you realise what thoughts you just let slip through your lips. Jake laughs, his smirk morphing into a genuine and breathtaking grin.

“I’m so sorry,” you say quickly. “I have no filter sometimes.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He licks his lips and looks you up and down, like a predator sizing up its prey. “You don’t have anything to apologise for, but considering this is any other day, why don’t you start by telling me your name? Then we can see about jumping into bed.”

You can feel yourself melting faster than a popsicle in the sun. It’s not that you want to be immediately smitten by this ridiculously gorgeous and charming man, but you can’t help it. Ever since last night, you’ve had a weird feeling about him. A feeling that makes you think he’s important to your story, one way or another.

All you can do now is hope that it’s in a good way.

END.

[katiascraft]

"You think you won 'cause you got the man. But honey, you'll always be a fan" | CL16

Parings: Charles Leclerc x ex!reader.

Summary: Charles is now dating a copy of you and you don’t know how to feel about it.

Now playing: "always be a fan" by Eva Grace.

Word count: +1,2k.

Warnings: angst. Not a native English speaker so there could be errors. Not proofread.

Author's note: I don’t even know if this is good but yeah. Remember to like or reblog! And follow me so we can be friends :3 (and drink mate together!)

MASTERLIST

You got to the party with your friend around 2 am in the morning. It was a hot autumn. You were invited to a private party. You didn’t know the people but as you were a public figure the invitation was sent.

Before coming you were kind of upset. You didn’t wanna come to be honest. You were so fed up with Charles’ new girl. She copied everything you did. Her hair is exactly the same. You posted your outfit earlier in the night on Instagram - to then see the screenshot one of your friends sent you of her story wearing just the same. You couldn’t believe it. You were angry and scared at the same time. Why was she so obsessed with you? And also, why did Charles choose a copycat of your person?

You were really triggered but tried to brush it off. It was a girl’s night. Or well, a girl’s night with franco colapinto and Alex albon included because they were boyfriends to Lily and Sara.

You hanged out at a bar first not sure if you wanted to go to the party in question. But after a few drinks we wanted to dance.

Franco and Alex in two different cars of course - drove to the party while listening to David Guetta and Lady Gaga. Or at least in Franco’s car where you were was like that.

You were having so much fun and made your mind so it could be the best night of your life. This was rare to happen within your friends because of your busy schedule. So you were grateful every single minute you spent with them.

Once you all got to the party, the dj was playing Latin music and franco was in his sauce. You danced around with everyone and laughed. Having fun with the people you loved. After dancing for a while you were thirsty so decided to go to the bar and order a drink. Sara went with you.

When you got to the bar you asked for a gin tonic and Sara for vodka. You joked around because of her selection.

The barman was really handsome and the drunk you started chatting and flirting with him. Eventually you got his number and an extra gin tonic for free. You felt victorious. And Sara was just laughing - you always got what you wanted… excepts for Charles.

Remembering Charles wasn’t the best stragedy to enjoy the night. You missed his voice so much. His smell. His grip. You needed to drink that glass already. And so you did. Bet you were gonna be drunker by the minute. But you didn’t care. You wanted to forget.

Forget him. And forget he changed you for a copycat. And forget the copycat. God she was like your fan. Like a crazy one. You were drinking with Sara and dancing the two together in the middle of the dance floor when you opened your eyes so big Sara thought you were gonna lose them.

There they were. Charles and your fan. Kissing on the dance floor. Just 10 people of distance. You almost choke with the gin tonic. You felt hurt. You wanted to run away from there and hide. But you were drunk and so furious you couldn’t think straight.

You walked towards them and started dancing next to them grabbing an unknown guy who was dancing there. You started looking at them so you could take their attention. Sara couldn’t believe her eyes. She knows you could go mad sometimes but not like this. She started dancing just to watch you and see you wouldn’t kill the poor insecure girl Charles is now dating.

“Oh I’m sorry I thought I was looking in the mirror!” I exclaimed when I purposely bumped into them, spilling my free drink all over her clothes. “You look just like me! Like you’re my fan! Do you want a picture?” You said like you were talking with some of your fans but cinical and the undertone was full of hatred.

“Y/n” said Charles surprised to see you and at the same time pissed for what you were doing. His girl looked at you without knowing what to do.

“Actually I think you’re my clone!” His girl said and you felt your anger grow. You just rolled your eyes and looked at Charles.

“If I knew you were leaving me for my copycat I would’ve killed you. You date her as she is better than me? What don’t I have that she does indeed? You’re so pathetic Charles. I wanted us to have a future and you just run scared. You are no man for anyone. I understand why now” you said spitting your words gritty.

“This is not the moment to talk about it y/n” he said making you roll your eyes again. His girl just fixed her outfit and left Charles to you heading to the bathroom. You smiled looking at her. Once you two were alone you could feel the tension. He was angry. Very angry.

“What’s wrong with you? Could you just ignore us? What you said it’s so immature! You’re so obsessed with me you need to seek help!” Oh god he was furious. Just as you were. But those words hurt you like hell.

“Me? Obsessed? Are you for real Charles? Don’t act like you wake up and look at her and you don’t see me! She has the same Brazil shirt I have! She has the same hair color! She even has lens with my eyes color! Or are you insane and you don’t see it? You once said I was the love of your life then one day to another you’re dating her who is obsessed with me as if it wasn’t a big deal or even obvious! You’re pathetic Charles. And you know what’s worse? That I still love you like crazy. And you don’t fucking deserve it!” You were so angry. In that moment Charles’ face changed with your confession. Because he was still in love with you but he didn’t have the balls to come back and talk about it. So he found her instead. He was so immature too.

“Wait y/n. I still love you too” he said, reaching for your face but you backed off. You just couldn’t do it anymore.

“No Charles. You don’t. If you did, you would have come like a normal person and talked about it. Forget about me. Hope you can be happily ever after with my fan. I have a life to take care of before getting destroyed again by you. I’m not letting you do that to me again. You had your chance. It 's too late now.” You said and walked out of the dance floor to the table your friends were in. Sara followed you. The adrenaline didn't let you even see she was there with you the whole time.

You really needed to forget about what just happened.

You drink whiskey from one of your friend’s glass. You didn’t like whiskey. But you also didn’t like to admit you still loved Charles but you couldn’t let him hurt you.

Ever again.

——————————————————————————————

Hope you liked it 💌 if you have any ideas my inbox is open so send your requests!

[formulafics]

★ BEST OF BOTH WORLDS | MV1

Scenario: the sweet chaos of dating max verstappen while you’re daniel ricciardos sister - the best of both worlds, right? (requested)

Pairing: max verstappen x fem!ricciardo!reader

A/N: one of my fav duos ❤️ and MY FIRST MAX FIC ��️ i love him. shoutout to anon for being the first person to request a silly little max fic. i had sm fun with this and i hope you have fun reading it!

ynricciardo.jpg

perth, australia

liked by maxverstappen1, danielricciardo, lando.jpg, oscarpiastri, and 232,627 others

ynricciardo.jpg home is where the heart is <3

view all 3,456 comments

danielricciardo another post without me included. day 456, it’s getting tough

⤷ ynricciardo.jpg i don’t want to mess up my feed with too many pictures of my brother

⤷ rizzciardo yn, the last time you posted daniel was on his birthday…nearly a year ago

⤷ norrisnation HELP ME

maxverstappen1 ❤️

⤷ danielricciardo ew

⤷ ynricciardo.jpg and that’s why there’s a total of 2 posts of you on this account.

f1waglover always a good day when yn posts

badgerofhoney I CANT WAIT TO SEE YOU AT THE RACE THIS WEEKEND

⤷ ricciardosiblingsgirlie ME TOO i’ve missed seeing her

maxverstappen1 and ynricciardo.jpg

liked by ynricciardo.jpg, danielricciardo, landonorris, redbullracing, and 456,734 others.

maxverstappen1 i got sunshine on a rainy day. i’m talkin about my girl.

view all 3,456 comments

ynricciardo.jpg when it’s cold outside, i got the month of may. i’m talkin bout my boy. ily ❤️

ynricciardo.jpg shoutout to @/landonorris for taking picture 1 & 3

⤷ landonorris thank you. this is why i like you more than max :)

danielricciardo get a room

⤷ ynricciardo.jpg BOOOO OVERDONE

⤷ rizzciardo LMAO i can literally hear this in yn’s voice 😭

ynricciardo.jpg

liked by danielricciardo, landonorris, maxverstappen1, alex_albon, pierregasly, and 243,456 others

ynricciardo.jpg were gathered here for the annual danny ric post from this account. happy birthday, brother - 34 going on 4! I love you and I hope you enjoy mine and max’s company as much as we enjoy yours.

view all 2,346 comments

danielricciardo a whole post dedicated to me? man, the waterworks are about to start. i love you too, thank you. ❤️

⤷ rizzciardo they can be so wholesome i love them sm

norrisnation god bless yn for that video of drunk max singing happy birthday to daniel

⤷ ynricciardo.jpg max just sent me a screenshot of your comment and said “what the fuck?” 😁

[n0vazsq]

Summer nights in Monaco | LN4 x Reader

pairing . . . lando norris x reader

summary . . . You and Lando meet during a night out in Monaco, starting a secret, undefined relationship somewhere between best friends and lovers

request . . . yes!! based on this request!

word count . . . 1.1k+

warnings . . . none!

faceclaim . . . N/A

alexavia yaps . . . this took ages bc i have a neck injury saur......ill finish a pau request then im done for today sorry guys but my neck is killing me

taglist . . . @barcapix ,, @f1lover55 ,, @ilovebarcaaa ,, @httpsdana (lmk if you want to join the taglist!)

. . . You met Lando on a warm summer night in Monaco, the kind of night where the air hummed with life and the streets thrummed with laughter. It was supposed to be nothing more than a brief moment; a connection formed under the shimmer of neon lights, the pulse of music, and a few stolen glances across a crowded bar.

Neither of you had gone out looking for something more, but when he leaned in and introduced himself with a smirk that could knock you off your feet, you let yourself get swept up in it.

One night turned into two. Then three. Somewhere in between, you stopped pretending it was a fluke.

"It’s not serious," you’d told yourself. And he said the same, more than once. "No strings, no pressure." You were just two people who fit together a little too perfectly. The energy was easy, the fun intoxicating.

Lando liked being in control of the night, steering the adventure, whether it was exploring empty Monaco streets at 3 AM or guiding you through the best moments of your time together. And you? You were content to be the passenger, trusting him to take you wherever he wanted to go.

It worked, strangely, perfectly.

Your dynamic sat somewhere between best friends and lovers. It wasn’t messy. There weren’t arguments or unmet expectations because there were no labels. It was about feeling good and living in the moment. And Lando made you feel amazing. He was attentive in a way that surprised you, always knowing what you needed.

Whether that was a quick getaway, a night in, or just his presence beside you, arms wrapped securely around you like the rest of the world didn’t exist.

For Lando, you were a drug. The kind he didn’t need a fix for every day, but when he got a taste, he never wanted it to end. It was the secrecy of it all that made it even more addicting; the fact that nobody knew about you, that you existed only in the quiet spaces of his life.

The two of you had carved out a secret little world, one where there were no prying eyes or judgmental opinions. It was yours, and he guarded it fiercely.

But secrets don’t always stay hidden.

It was a Sunday morning when it happened. Sunlight poured through the windows of his Monaco apartment, casting golden patterns across the sheets.

You were half asleep, curled into his side, your face buried in his chest as his arm draped lazily around you. Lando, hair tousled and still a little groggy, had propped himself up slightly, pressing a lingering kiss to the top of your head.

The picture had been an accident. He hadn’t meant to post it, hadn’t even realized he’d done it until his phone started buzzing uncontrollably minutes later. By the time he caught on, the damage had already been done. He swore under his breath, fumbling with his phone to delete the Instagram story, but it was too late. Screenshots had been taken. Twitter had erupted.

'Who is she???'

'No way. Lando soft-launching someone??'

'That’s 100% his girlfriend. I’m calling it now.'

You didn’t find out until you woke up, squinting at the screen of your own phone and the flood of notifications. Lando was perched at the end of the bed, elbows on his knees, staring at the floor with a sheepish expression when you finally looked up at him.

"You’re trending," you muttered, voice raspy with sleep.

He groaned, rubbing a hand down his face. "Don’t remind me."

You couldn’t help but laugh a little. "So much for being a secret."

Lando looked up at you then, his gaze softening, though there was something else there, something you couldn’t quite place. "I didn’t mean for that to happen. I’m sorry."

You shrugged, shifting to sit up and run a hand through your hair. "It’s not the end of the world, is it?"

He blinked at you, surprised by how calm you were. "You’re not….mad?"

"No," you said simply. "You deleted it. What’s done is done."

Lando let out a breath, his lips twitching into a small smile. "You’re handling this way better than I am."

"Well," you teased, pulling the sheet around your shoulders, "maybe you’re not as good at keeping secrets as you think you are."

He huffed a laugh, crawling back toward you and flopping down on the mattress. His arm snaked around your waist, pulling you into him as he buried his face in your neck. "You’re never letting me live this down, are you?"

"Never," you replied smugly, though you were smiling.

For a while, neither of you said anything. You stayed wrapped in each other, his thumb tracing slow circles against your hip as your breathing fell into sync. It was moments like this that reminded you why it worked; the comfort, the quiet understanding.

After a long pause, Lando finally spoke, his voice low and thoughtful. "You know, I kind of like it. The idea of people knowing about you."

You froze, glancing down at him. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," he said softly, lifting his head to look at you. "I mean, I’ve kept you all to myself this whole time, but…." He hesitated, like he was searching for the right words. "You’re not something I’d ever want to hide. I’m proud of what we have, even if it’s just ours."

Your heart stuttered at his words, your chest tightening in a way you didn’t expect. "Lando…."

He smiled, leaning in to press a kiss to your temple, then your cheek, then, finally, your lips. It was slow and deliberate, like he was trying to tell you everything he couldn’t quite say out loud.

When he pulled back, his forehead rested against yours, his voice soft. "It’s still just us. No matter what anyone else says, okay?"

You nodded, unable to stop the smile spreading across your face. "Just us."

Lando grinned, his boyish charm returning as he nudged your nose with his. "Good. Now come on, you owe me breakfast for putting up with all this stress."

You laughed, swatting at his chest as he pulled you closer again, his laughter joining yours, filling the room with the sound of something that wasn’t quite love.

But it wasn’t far from it either.

[gotta-winwin]

Wahhhh so excited for vernon x reader!!!!!!

Can i request something like idol!jun x reader, i really miss jun 🥹🥹🥹 maybe reader is on another hybe group and him surprising him, or anything HAHAHAHAH

actor!jun x idol!reader headcannons

a/n: wasn't exactly like the prompt you gave, anon, but i hope you still enjoy! we're all in our missing jun hours sadly :(( but it feels nice knowing he's thriving in the element he loves.

your shared google calendar is a hot mess.

The two of you have busy work schedules, as you juggle upcoming comebacks, award shows, reality and variety filming, meetings with the higher-ups - the day literally never ends. Jun is the same, always trying to balance his filming gigs and promotional side quests. It’s rare for the two of you to have a day off - let alone ALIGN your days together. Trust that your shared google calendar is a battlefield filled with colorful agendas and very minimal white space. 

bad wifi is your everyday lifestyle. 

Curse Jun and his gift of choosing acting gigs where their filming locations are always in the ass-crack of nowhere. You’re both well accustomed to facetime with spotty service, delayed speech and glitchy faces. It’s turned into quite the game, as you both attempt to screenshot the worst photo of each other possible, while still maintaining your own image and reputation. It’s a pain to communicate, constantly having Jun reply to something you had said minutes ago, but you two make it work. 

dating rumors are a joke. 

With both of you being well into the social media spotlight, you’re prone to many, many dating rumors throughout your career. It’s Ateez’s Mingi one day, then TBZ’s Haknyeon the next, Jun doesn’t even bat an eye at this point. He knows who he is at the end of the day - your boyfriend. On the other hand, it’s not the first time he’s gotten an earful from you about dating rumors with his pretty costars, although he knows it’s all in good fun. All it takes is one sweet sentence to get you to fold: “it’s you I’m coming home to lao po, besides, can’t you see how forced that kiss is? I kiss you with much, much more fervor than that.” 

you see his friends more than you see him.

His friends run in the same circles as you do, all talented idols that often share your stage in performances. It’s funny to think you see them more often than you see him, although they’re always ready to tell you just how much Jun complains about your distance in their group chat, exposing you boyfriend to be the clingy lover he really is. They’ve aided you many times in sneaking away from your job to visit Jun, covering your ass so you can spend even just a couple hours with your boyfriend in China. 

planes and airports are the ideal date spot.

It’s not rare to have the two of you go on a “date” at airports, using the special time your schedules cross over to spend time with each other. The airport buffets become your picnics, the lobby fountains hear all your well kept wishes and the seating area has seen…one too many things. 

your jokes are the world’s jokes

Jun loves slipping little tidbits of your shared life into his work, nudging the writer of whatever project he’s starring in to add a couple lines referencing something only the two of you would know. He loves your shocked expression when the project finally airs to the world, his phone blowing up with loving texts as you swallow the idea that your lover has included you in his work. It’s just his talent - Jun somehow finds a way to bring you everywhere with him. 

your love is the world’s love

You would never admit it on camera, but most of your lyrics and songs are either written with or written about Jun. While everyone else is scrambling to figure out just how you do it, you and Jun can rest easy knowing it’s your shared secret, along with your secret romance. 

[aldisobey]

OC Tag/Mood Game

Thanks for taaaags I’m in love with all your Rooks and will expound on it all later!!! @emmg @holdingontojupiter @ollypopwrites @thequeenofthewinter

I don’t have screenshots, enjoy this piece of Worne with his beloved necromancer by @qwiqwiaqwi instead. I’m combining two games and using ‘mood’ gifs because I've got a Foolproof chapter out coming later today that needs a little more work and gotta focus and I'm not gonna worry about it. Meet my rat. He loves Emmrich and also you. I'm answering these for the bodyguard AU Worne

General…

Name: Rook Worne Thorne

Alias: None really. Thorne is what the Kirkwall templars called him. Rook was given by Varric and he considers that his first real name. Worne was given by the Grey Wardens, drabble explanation here.

Gender: Male

Age: 32-34 he isn’t sure of his birthday

Spoken Language: Trade/Common, Dwarvish (He had a lot of Deep Roads duty)

Sexual Orientation: Bisexual - are you a consenting adult? He is keen.

Occupation: He’s been pickpocket, thief, mugger, prisoner and unwilling Grey Warden. He’ll tell you his real occupation is lover and he makes a great bodyguard.

Favorites…

Color: Greens, browns, if Emmrich makes him choose just one at dinner he’s pointing at those eyes.

Entertainment: Reading. Oral story telling, music, board games. Naps. He’d like and be good at offbeat sports like, disc golf, hacky sack, or yo-yo.

Pastime: Gardening. He has a greener thumb than Emmrich. Davrin says it’s because he’s part dirt. Also running. Loves to go on marathon type journeys for the feel of it.

Food: Literally anything. But he has a fondness for beer nuts and crab cakes you’d find at The Hanged Man, no one makes the crab cakes quite the same.

Drink: He’s a water man. Not much of a wine guy makes him sleepy. Enjoys his shitty beer. Polite about tea. Does not need coffee or care of it. And do not give him hard liquors it’s not a fun time for anyone.

Have they…

Passed University: He did not pass kindergarten. Never had a chance for schooling. But he is literate.

Had Sex: Yes. Plenty and more. He loves intimacy, loves pleasure, and he enjoys getting to know people. Enjoys discovering what they might like, slut for anyone that returns such favor.

Had Sex in Public: Weisshaupt is well aware of his ass. Minrathous has seen plenty. And the Necropolis doesn’t know what it’s in for.

Got Tattoos: Yep. He’s got the Kirkwall sigil high mid back between shoulder blades, and a rook chess piece somewhere he’s not telling.

Got Piercings: NO. He would end up hurt, they’re getting torn off somehow and it’s not his fault. A small wip showing why

Got Scarred: Yes. To a ridiculous degree. He’s been through a lot and uses his body as tool when he knows he has a healing mage around. Shivs, arrows, claws, teeth, spears, once a spoon, that was his fault. Those and more of all types have left marks on the scar latticed skin.

Had a Broken Heart: Maybe once. I think the Joining tried crushing it by taking a longtime friend he was warming to. But life has been so fast and violent he never had a chance to experience romance, never had an opportunity to give his heart to be broken. Honestly his heart is probably the strongest muscle in him. But has it been truly vulnerable yet?

Are they…

A Cuddler: One hundred percent yes, he’ll cuddle friends, he’ll sidle up to acquaintances that seem keen. He loves touch. Be it platonic or more sensual. He’d hold a hand forever, would never need encouragement to lean his head on a shoulder or pull someone into a hug.

Scared Easily: Conditional. Majority of the time no. Absolutely not. But he does have a fear of drowning and water. And necromancy. That’s a complicated affair. He kinda likes whatever that ‘fear’ is.

Jealous Easily: Conditional. He’s never had much, and doesn’t desire much. He doesn’t see people as ‘owning’ things how could he be jealous? If he needs it he’ll get it. Before Emmrich he never experienced relationship jealousy. Everything was surface level fwb, one night stand stuff. Once romantically involved with Emmrich he’s realized he’d be veeeeeery jealous if someone tried to take his place. He’s cool with consensual sharing but needs to know he’s foremost or he’s gonna look like a hurt puppy.

Trustworthy: Conditional. Around cheese? No. Sharp objects? Fire? Glass? Also no. But secrets and gossip and having your back? You won’t find better.

Family…

Sibling(s): None. But the Grey Wardens are his siblings. Every warden is considered family to him.

Parents: Dead before he could walk.

Children: Only if we’re counting Manfred. He’s a better uncle than primary parent, way too lenient.

Pets: He wants a griffon. Emmrich has tried explaining why that’s such a bad idea when they live in the Necropolis but the dream lives on and the flock consider him family.

Partner: I ADDED THIS ONE K Emmrich is gonna be family that's his husband right there. Okay they're not married and Emmrich might be accepting a betrothal to some young lady but that's his husband.

-----------------------------

and all y'all I want to see your Rooks link me to oc tag game and mood boards if you posted already!! @heylittleriotact @caffeinatedmunchkin @lavenderprose @thepalehorsevictoria @smoreofbabylon @xiomara42 @by-ilmater @razildor @draco-illius-noctis if I'm missing you shame me pls I will be contrite and give you pleasant words.

[loveforlukeynewts]

So I’m confused. And wondering if you can help me with more info in Luke’s defense. I’m new to this and was all in with Lukola but now I’m reading so much about Luke. All the posting that he and Antonia did on IG was obviously coordinated but she gets all the blame. And then it seems obvious he may have been in on the papgate since no one else was papped and the colors they wore were intentional and somewhat rude even if he hadn’t been papped. All of this would be insulting to Nic and the whole cast as well as his fans. Then all the HBS crap from the summer before seems pretty creepy. It’s like he has two sides to him. Nicola is always talking him up and complimenting him and he rarely reciprocates. It’s hard to ignore these things as they really did seem to happen. He ignores his fans and most all Nics posts and achievements right after the WT and didn’t help promote S3 after WT like Nic did. It’s just confusing to me. What are your thoughts on these things. I’m not trying to cause trouble I’m just curious. I’d really love for them to be together as it seems there are real feelings between them.

Thanks for the ask.

When it comes to Luke, unfortunately there are sides of the fandom that feel he is a creep, a jerk, riding Nic’s coattails, disrespecting her, involved in pap gate, a lazy bum who doesn’t try to get work…I could go on.

So here’s my thoughts on what you’ve asked:

1. Luke was not involved in pap gate. No one has definitive proof of this fact but like everything else with Antonia, just look at his face and his body language. Tense, upset, angry, like he’d rather be anywhere else. He did not set it up to be papped with her. He didn’t even want to take her hand.

The colour SHE wore was intentional. Luke is styled by professionals. And his shirt was barely yellow! What he wore gives no clues to indicate Luke had any involvement in setting up pap gate.

People who think Luke was involved are Luke haters IMO, and I have no time for that bs.

2. I have no issue with Luke taking time off and having a fun summer with his friends. He just spent 6 months working. And yes, so did Nicola but they are not the same people nor do they handle things the same way. She kept working. He took some time off.

3. Promoting S3 - I’m honestly tired of people saying Luke didn’t promote S3 as much as Nicola. Let’s remember the hate Luke got thanks to pap gate and HBS and for literally living.

Luke and Nicola are completely different in many ways and social media is one. Luke has never been as active as Nicola on social media. People act like he never promoted S3 but I guarantee there are fans who have screenshots of every single story and post he ever shared about Polin Season. Maybe it wasn’t as much as Nicola, but it wasn’t nothing.

The biggest defense of Luke in this regard is the fact that Jonathan Bailey didn’t do a lot of social media promo for S2, and Luke Thompson will do no social media promo for S4 unless he gets an account somewhere and that is doubtful.

Will the fandom turn on Luke T next and say he’s a terrible person and how dare he treat Yerin that way and disrespect his season like that? I can say with much certainty that will not happen because it’s ‘Hate Luke Newton Season’ all the time.

4. Re: Likes on IG, I will say only this - Likes don’t matter. Never have. Never will. Go through all of Luke’s posts - has Nic liked them all? No, she hasn’t.

These are people who are in regular contact. Social media means nothing in the grand scheme of their relationship (whether you believe it’s a friendship or love relationship).

5. I don’t know who is telling you Luke ignores his fans but they are liars and enjoy spewing crap about him. There are vids all over social of Luke interacting and taking pics with, even having convos with fans, as recently as during the night of the BAFTAS after parties.

Why is he said to not interact with fans? Because he’s not on social often and doesn’t acknowledge fan accounts? Nicola does that now and then on TikTok but it’s not a regular thing.

🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶

I think I covered it all. Apologies if I didn’t.

Now, I don’t know if you submitted this ask to draw me in to get my thoughts so you can troll me depending on my response or if you are genuinely asking me to respond because you don’t know.

If it’s the former, have at ‘er. Trolls don’t scare me and I will not waiver in my support for Luke or Nicola, or Lukola for that matter.

If it’s the latter, I really suggest you do some looking around on social media, see things for yourself and check out lots of the great fan-based accounts out there.

And by fan-based accounts, I mean the ones who wholly support both Luke and Nicola no matter what ship they’re on (if they’re even on a ship).

All in all, this fandom is very broken with all the different sides - anti Luke’s, anti Nic’s, Lukolas, Jakolas, Luktonias and anti Luke and Nicola’s as a duo (in general, not just romantically).

Find your place but always keep an open mind. And don’t jump to conclusions about anything. Ultimately this entire fandom knows absolutely nothing when it comes to Luke and Nicola.

We are all just speculating based on information that we have, which is very little if you think about how much of Luke and Nicola’s lives we do not see.

I will close in saying I created my Love for Lukey Newts account last summer after seeing all the nastiness going around about Luke.

I will defend him always unless he gives me a real reason not to (not because he enjoys his summers off, he vapes, he doesn’t give a like to IG posts, etc).

I was a fan of his long before Bridgerton so I’m not a fair weather Luke fan. He is a brilliant actor, from all accounts a wonderful person and is not deserving of the bad rap he’s been labelled with by some.

So don’t expect anything other than support for him from me!

[finelinevogue]

love in photos

summary - a sum up of love on tour with a few instagram posts

word count - 1k

pairing - boyfriend!harry x reader

liked by annetwist and 727,937 others

yourinstagram goodbye love on tour, you will always be famous <3🤍

view all 34,767 comments

harryfan1 THESE PHOTO YN HOW ARE YOU ALIVE

harryfan2 can’t believe harry spotted you in the crowd twice🙄

yourinstagram @/harryfan2 ik it’s almost like he loves me or something?!

harrystyles liked this comment

harryfan3 yn. respectfully. pls stop. i am now in tears.

jeffezoff Post some more!

harryfan4 i remember him wanting to hug you so bad yn omg🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹

•••••••••••••••••

“Babe…” Harry laughed at you crying.

“What?” You laughed back through your tears.

Harry moved from the end of the couch he was currently sat on and further over to you. He carefully picked you up and sat you on his lap, tucking the plush blanket back over you both.

You held your phone in your hand, running your finger through the photos from Love On Tour.

The tears stemmed from reminiscing of a tour that ended only five days ago. You couldn’t help yourself though. Love On Tour had brought you some of the happiest years and memories of your life and it was just sad it was now all over.

“C’mon, love. You know I’m going to cry if you keep crying.” Harry’s facial hair tickled your cheek with how close you were sitting.

You made sure Harry could see your phone screen as you continued to scroll.

“I know, but, i’m just emotionally reflecting.”

Harry budged your finger out of the way and paused to stop on a photo. He clicked on it and it immediately made you both laugh.

It was a photo of Harry creeping you behind you and scaring you. Your face is one of pure terror and Harry looks like he’s ready to pounce.

“You were such a twat for that.” You chuckled, tapping the screen and holding to make it a live photo.

Harry could be heard yelling and then you let out an ear piercing scream. So many people turned to look at you, probably because you sounded in pain. Then you collapsed to the floor with your head in your hands.

“It was Harryween though.” Harry justified.

You shook your head and continued to scroll. A few of the photos were ones you had screenshotted off your secret Twitter account. Fans constantly snuck to take photos of you and Harry, some of which actually turned out very cute sometimes.

You clicked on one of you and Harry watching Madi Diaz as the opener for Harry, back on his US leg of the tour.

Harry was stood behind you with his arms draped over your shoulders. Your hands held onto his and you both swayed to the music playing. Harry had his baseball cap on, but it didn’t stop fans noticing him.

“That’s a sweet photo.” Harry said, kissing your cheek.

“Mhm. Thank your fans for that one.”

“I always loved watching the opening acts with you.”

“Yeah? Why?” You turned your head to face his.

Harry couldn’t choose where to look, because of how much he loved everything about you. He watched your eyes follow his as they ran between your freckles and lips to your eyes and dimples.

“You always calmed me. Calmed the nerves, before a show. Was always more at peace after spending a few moments with just you.”

You smiled, not needing to say anything more, before leaning up and kissing his soft lips. He had been waiting for you to do so and cupped your cheek gently to guide you the way he wanted to kiss you.

Your cheeks flushed at how much you enjoyed kissing him, but you had to pull away before anything got too heated. Tonight you just wanted calm.

After getting back to your photos, you and Harry decided it might be fun to feed the fans and just post lots of content from tour - especially backstage.

liked by jeffezoff and 977,877 others

yourinstagram i’ve decided love on tour isn’t over until i stop posting hslot content. so here is a tiny instagram dump of some backstage shenanigans. we have h putting on his rings. a couple photos of me and h (tehe). and a photo of h that he sent me that i thought you might all like. 🫶✨🌙

view all 59,767 comments

harryfan1 NO YOU DIDN’T OMG QUEEN YN

harryfan2 this is why yn is harrys best girlfriend

harrystyles You’re trouble, you.

yourinstagram @/harrystyles why are you using punctuation like that?

harryfan3 i adore their relationship so much omg

harryfan4 the drought is un-droughting thanks to our saviour miss yn

••••••••••

“BABE!” Harry shouted.

“Yes?” You said sheepishly, hiding under the bed sheets as Harry stormed into the room with a smirk on his face.

He shook his head before, rising to stand on the mattress and loom over you.

“You are…”

“Amazing? Perfect? Beautiful?” You filled in the blanks for him, trying to get out of this silly situation.

“Well, obviously.” Harry rolled his eyes and mumbled quietly under his breath. “That photo is trending worldwide.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Lifting the sheets higher over your head with a giggle.

In reality you knew exactly what photo he was on about because you had only posted it twenty minutes ago. It was impressive it was already worldwide trending.

A shirtless photo of Harry was just what the world needed during this time of crisis - a.k.a. the post tour blues.

“Oh, no? Really?” He acted along.

“Maybe you could recreate it?”

“Oh, you’d love that wouldn’t you.”

Harry knelt down on the mattress and then proceeded to flop on top of you. You made a noise as he did and laughed as you struggled to regain the breath he had just winded out of you.

“Harrryy..” You laughed in complaint.

“That’s the last time I send you a shirtless picture.”

“No!”

liked by gemmastyles and 797,877 others

yourinstagram here’s another daily hslot dump. unfortunately this one does not contain any shirtless photos of harry :(

view all 29,837 comments

harryfan1 SHES SO REAL

harryfan2 this is everything i want this so bad

annetwist Lovely photos❤️

harris_reed My baby angels

harrystyles I love you🩷

[astermath]

"So? Whatever." Pt.2

pairing: dave lizewski x popular!fem!reader

summary: after closing a deal with dave to let you borrow his comics while he pretends to tutor you, he finally comes over to your house. he’s confronted with the fact that despite your reputation of being damn near perfect, you have your own insecurities and issues. you’re confronted with how much you enjoy his company, despite having your reservations about him before.

word count: 2.4K

♡ LANDING PAGE ♡

notes: thank you for the likes and the reblogs, I really appreciate it! I really enjoy writing for this reader, there’s something so fun about being able to be so playfully mean. Please let me know if you’d like a part 3, and comments are greatly appreciated too!

[unknown]: hi, it’s dave! hope I typed in the right number lol

You look at your phone as it buzzed, squinting to see if you recognized the contact as you dried your hair off from the shower. You sat down on your bed and swiped up, smiling at the name. At least he didn’t forget to text. You saved his number under a new contact and started typing a reply.

[y/n]: sorry, I know a lot of daves. are you the one from the party last saturday, or the one from the football game?

[dave]: lizewski? the one who lent you the venom comic? brown hair, glasses?

You grinned to yourself, laying down on your stomach on the bed.

[y/n]: I’m just messing with ya, nerd. I remember you, how could I possibly forget?

[dave]: right

[dave]: sorry

[dave]: could you send me the address? and what type of comics you want me to bring?

You sent him your location and a couple of screenshots of your favorite franchises.

[y/n]: think you can work with that?

[dave]: yeah, totally! I’ll be there at 2 on saturday, is that ok?

[y/n]: totes, see ya then x

Dave stared down at his phone, eyes fixated on the little “x” you added to your last text. Everything from that day had already felt surreal, and now he was actually texting you. Or, well, he assumed so. This could all very well still be part of some really shitty prank, but you did seem genuine in your request. And what kind of guy would he be to just assume you were out to get him, just like all the others?

A smart one, probably.

But it was too late for second thoughts now, as he stood in front of the driveway to your house. It was huge, nothing like the houses in his neighborhood. He guessed that’s what all that lawyer money was good for. He walked up to the front door, his hand shaking a little as he reached out to ring the bell. He heard footsteps, taking a deep breath in and mentally prepared himself to be met by you as the door opened.

Instead, he was met by the eyes of an older man, slightly taller than him, who seemed less than pleased to see him at his front door. He crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow as he looked him up and down. “Can I help you, son?”

Dave gulped, hands getting clammy inside his coat’s pockets. He was not ready to be confronted by your dad, especially because he’s the one you were primarily hiding things from. “I-I’m here to tutor—”

“My daughter?” He cut him off before he could say your name. “You the kid that’s tutoring her?”

“Y-Yes sir, that’s me.” He pulled out his hand, silently cursing himself for not wiping it on his pants before because of how sweaty it was.

Your father looked down at his hand, but before he could even shake it, your voice was heard from behind him. “Daddy, that’s for me!” You walked down the stairs, making eye contact with Dave as he tried not to melt right then and there because of what you were wearing. He usually saw you wear your cute, well put together outfits at school, but seeing you in your cute comfy shorts, with your hair put up… He only realized he was staring when your dad addressed him again.

“Alright, get inside. And shoes off.”

He obliged, quickly taking his shoes off as your dad walked back into the living room.

Not long after, he was met with the sight of your room. Shelves adorned with trophies, a vanity, a queen sized bed with a TV in front of it, a plush sofa, and a huge closet… He was pretty sure he’s seen whole apartments less nice than your room. But nevermind that, he was in a girl’s room, in your room. That was intimate no matter the scenario.

You sat down on your desk chair, legs crossed as you turned it on its wheels to face the boy scanning your room. He looked like he had landed in another dimension, eyes wide as he examined his surroundings.

“What’s so interesting?” You asked, not sure if he was looking for something or if he was just genuinely this impressed by your room.

“You have… A lot of trophies…” He fidgeted with the sleeve of his shirt.

You looked over to the shelf, smiling proudly. “All from cheering.” You pointed to the tiara on the shelf above it. “Besides that one.”

He remembers when you won prom queen in your junior year, though he’s not sure if he’d count that as a trophy. He’d never tell you that, though.

“So, you gonna give me my comics or are you just here to inspect my private property?”

Your comment snapped him out of his daydreaming and he quickly took off his backpack to take out a plastic bag filled with comics. “I-I didn’t know which ones you wanted specifically, so… I just took all the ones from the franchises you showed me.” He took the pile out of the bag and you got up to take them from him.

“Careful, it’s—“

Your arms almost gave out to the sheer heft of the pile before he caught them. “Jesus christ Dave!”

“S-Sorry, sorry, I didn’t realise they weighed that much combined!” He looks panicked, hoping you didn’t hurt yourself when the weight pulled you down.

“You carried these all the way here?” You looked at him in shock. There was no way he was that strong, not without you knowing about it. “What are you, some kind of secret body builder?” You watched him put the pile down on your desk, seeing the muscles in his forearm. Maybe you were wrong, you just hadn’t been paying as much attention to Dave as you apparently should have been.

He avoided the question, simply sitting down on the carpeted floor across you with his back against the side of your bed. Frankly, he knew he’d be better off saying nothing when it came to his physique, afraid it might reveal too much relating to his vigilante activities.

You looked through the pile, finding the sequel to the previous comic you had borrowed from him and pulling it out. Dave took his own comic book out of his backpack, and when he looked back at you, something had clearly changed.

Your face was now adorned with a pair of round, thinly rimmed glasses.

He blinked a few times to make sure his own eyes weren’t deceiving him, but no, he was seeing things right.

You look up from your page and raise an eyebrow. “Didn’t your mommy ever tell you it’s rude to stare?”

“You wear glasses.” He said, eyes fixated on your face. His usual aversion to eye contact seemed to have vanished all of a sudden.

“What?” You realized you hadn’t thought about it when you put them on. You didn’t usually have company over while you were reading stuff. “Oh.” Your face suddenly felt a lot warmer, embarrassment washing over you. “Yeah, I uh… I need them to read, at least. I get through the rest of my day without em just fine, they just look so… Stupid.” You paused, looking back at his face and realizing how mean that must have sounded to him. “Not that you look stupid! You look, uh… You look smart! Real smart, it’s just… They don’t suit me and I…His expression hasn’t changed one bit since you had put on your spectacles. You looked so different, in a good way. A really good way.

“Pretty.” He muttered.

“What?” You broke out of your embarrassed rambling.

“I think you look pretty. With the glasses. They suit you.” He smiled demurely, hoping that didn’t gain him some creep points.

You stared back at him. You’d been called hot before, sexy, gorgeous… But hearing him call you pretty, it was something else. There were no intentions behind it, he just needed to say it, like it felt right. You blink, trying to cope with the fact that the nerd you thought you had an upper hand on had turned your brain to mush with a single compliment.

“Yeah, uhm… Whatever…” You went back to reading. “…thanks.”

He smiled to himself as he picked up his own comic book again. You were surprisingly fun to talk to, it was almost as if he didn’t feel like he was getting judged for everything he was saying anymore.

And he could definitely get used to that.

A few hours pass as you both peruse through the pile. The silence is comfortable, only being broken if someone flipped a page or grabbed a new comic. He looked up and saw you holding the Spider-man collector’s edition he took a page out of, seemingly very immersed in the story.

“Do you like Spider-man?” He spoke up, hoping he didn’t annoy you by taking you out of the story.

“Oh, uh…” You adjusted the glasses on your face as they kept slipping down your nose a bit. “Yeah. He’s like… pretty cool I guess.” You had so much to say about him, so much you wanted to gush about, but you couldn’t help but still feel a little ashamed about your interest.

Dave looked at you expectantly. He knew that look, the same look he had whenever someone would call him any type of name at school for being a top shelf dork.

And in that moment, you realised you both had something in common. Except he lived his life unashamedly being a dork, and you were concealing it.

“Alright, so,” You got up from your chair and sat down on the floor next to him, your shoulders touching as you held the comic to your chest. The excitement nearly poured out of you as you couldn’t contain your words, going over everything you liked about him. His background, his personality, his originally handmade suit, his unique powers…

Dave watched you speak with a dreamy smile on his face, your face glowing with happiness. He never thought you’d looked more beautiful, just unapologetically being yourself in front of him. He didn’t once try to interrupt you, he wouldn’t dare to, you just looked so cute gushing about this comic book hero.

“And the fact that… He’s just some kid, right?” You looked into his eyes as he nodded along with you. “Like, he never got any special training, or fancy gear, or anything like that. He could have lived every day of his life pretending he never got bitten by that spider, and live happily ever after, but no! He took matters into his own hands, because he wanted to make a change, because he cared about the people around him.” You smiled, not realizing you had grabbed Dave’s arm and were squeezing it a little to emphasize your words.

He blushed, feeling like that description fit his own endeavors pretty well. He looked into your eyes and for a second, felt the urge to lean in. It took about as much strength as it did to carry those comics to not do so.

You let go of his arms and held your legs close your chest. “But that upside down kiss with MJ… That’s gotta be bullshit. There’s no way you can kiss someone like that.”

“I don‘t know,” Dave responded. “I feel like it would be kinda fun. It doesn’t look that hard.”

“Oh yeah? How would you know?” You turned your head to look at him and gave him a cocky grin.

His face flushed pink and he regretted saying what he said. He just gave you the perfect bait to tease the ever living hell out of him. “W-Well, I… I can imagine that… From my experience… It’s…” He stammered.

You let out a soft giggle, amused at his embarrassment. “You’ve never kissed a girl, have you?”

Dave gulped, words stuck in his throat. But you had opened up so much to him, it wouldn’t be fair to not do the same. “I, uhm… No. I haven’t.” He let out a bit of a defeated chuckle.

An idea sprung alive in your head, a dangerous but intriguing glint in your eyes as you bit your lower lip slightly.

“Would you want to?”

Dave had heard you say a lot of shocking things, but that might just take the cake. His cheeks burned hot as the blood rushed to his face, his hands staying steady on his own thighs to not show they were trembling a little. He didn’t know what to say, this was all happening so quickly.

Before he could respond, you were leaning in, eyes on his soft lips, only inches apart—

“Sweetie! Come down for dinner!”

Your eyes snapped open and you pulled back, looking at Dave before glancing over at the door. Thank god they didn’t come up to knock, that would have been the death of you. You take a deep breath and get up, gesturing with your hand for him to do the same. “You should uh… Probably head out.”

He sat there a bit longer than he should have, a million thoughts going through his head before the sound of your voice finally got through to him. “Right, sorry… Don’t wanna overstay my welcome.” He gathered his comics and went downstairs with you to put on his shoes and coat again.

You opened the door for him and he looked back at you to say goodbye. “Thanks for having me over, I had a good time. I hope you did too.” He smiled shyly, hands in his pockets.

You smiled back, reaching up to ruffle his brown curls. “Don’t mention it. And don’t die on the way back, shit’s dangerous out there these days.”

He nodded, giving you a quick wave before heading out, the feeling in his chest warming up his entire body. He felt like he could take on anything, a feeling that would absolutely come in handy later when he’d be face to face with New York’s criminals.

You went back upstairs and sat down at your desk, noticing he’d left something. It was the special collector’s edition you’d been gushing about earlier. You ran your fingers across the damaged front page, smiling to yourself.

Dave was looking in the mirror, adjusting his costume a little and checking if he had everything he needed with him. A buzz of his phone got his attention, and a giddy boyish grin spread across his face.

[y/n]: so, same time next week? xx

@nephilimsss

(lmk if you'd like to be added to the tag list for this fic and other dave lizewski works!!)

[fangswbenefits]

Breaking Point

𓂅 𓄹 Summary: You’ve teased Miguel beyond his already thin breaking point, and now you’re left to deal with the consequences.

𓂅 𓄹 Pairing: Miguel O’hara - spider-woman/reader

𓂅 𓄹 Warnings: 18+!!! Possessive and jealous Miguel. Love bites featuring his fangs. Sexual tension. Dark Miguel.

𓂅 𓄹 Word count: 932

Thanks to @sapphire-and-ruby for the request! Screenshot below.

“Oh, bloody hell… he’s starin’ at us.”

You didn’t have to ask who Hobie was referring to, because you knew. Everyone knew. Besides, your heightened senses had long alerted you to his presence.

Miguel O’hara.

You twirled the straw inside your spider-man themed tall glass and took a sip. “That’s his problem.”

Hobie, however, didn’t share the sentiment and clicked his tongue in annoyance. “Yeah, and he’s gonna make it everyone’s problem now.”

“Relax, Hobie,” you waved your hand dismissively, even though you were beaming inside from the sudden attention. “How’s Miles and Gwen?”

Hobie was known to be extremely chill even when the occasion didn’t call for it, but if there was one person he didn’t want to antagonise it was Miguel.

“Yeah… he’s comin’ over,” he said, leaning back on his chair as if the mere fact that he was too close to you was dangerous.

And it could be.

Miguel’s tall frame cast a shadow as he halted by the bar table.

“Can we talk?”

You didn’t even spare a glance at him, and kept smiling endearingly at Hobie who had visibly gone tense.

“Oye, I’m talking to you.”

You took yet another sip and paused before answering. “Is this work related?”

“No.”

“Then it can wait,” you shrugged, knowing fully well Miguel wasn’t going anywhere.

“It can’t.”

“I’m having a conversation with Hobie. Don’t be rude.”

No one would ever dare to talk to Miguel like that, and you took immense pride in knowing you could get away with it.

Or so you thought.

“I’m sure he won’t mind,” he said in his usual flat tone. “Right, Hobie?”

He straightened up really fast in his seat. “Huh… sure, mate! I was just leavin’ anyways. Wanna brush up on…” he adjusted the guitar on his lap as he prepared to take his leave. “… oh! On the rising dangers of capitalism, yeah!”

“Hobie, don’t you dare,” you warned, ready to hold him in place with your webbing if needed. “It’s our day off. Let’s chill.”

The man in front of you froze momentarily, unsure of what to do next.

“Yeah, you lot sort it out,” he ended up saying with a shrug. “I’m out.”

But before he could walk away you shot a thick string of webbing that landed on his guitar. To be honest, you had done it out of pure fun, but no one was laughing.

“Come here, Hobei,” you giggled.

“Oi! Not my guitar!” he huffed in annoyance.

At this point, everyone at the bar had shifted their attention to the rising commotion, and when a flash of red filled your field of vision you knew someone had finally reached their breaking point.

Miguel had cut Hobei free from your grip with his own digital webbing which earned a few gasps from the surrounding crowd.

The spider-punk shot you a final death glare before hauling himself from the ground and disappearing into the distance.

It was your turn to throw Miguel the best murderous look you could conjure. “Happy?”

“Not until you come with me.”

“Where?”

“Somewhere private,” he said, his handsome face twisting into something dark.

You went back to your drink and decided to push him a little further.

“Don’t. Ignore. Me.”

He then wrapped a strong hand around your wrist, careful not to apply too much pressure.

You noticed a few wary glances from those close by. “You’re making a scene.”

“Me?”

You nodded, sticking out your tongue at him, causing him to bare his fangs at you.

Fuck.

Miguel quickly lowered his head so he could level his lips with your ear. “I’m done with you. Come,” he tugged at your wrist, hoping you’d follow his command.

You should know better than to push Miguel O’hara. What he lacked in humour he definitely made up for in jealousy.

He had been circling you for weeks now. Waiting for you to finally give in.

But while he wanted you to fall for his not so subtle advances, you wanted him to crawl for you.

“What if I say no?”

You felt his breath fanning your ear once more. “Do you want to say no?”

Touché.

Truth be told, you didn’t want to admit defeat, but you also didn’t want to draw more attention to yourself.

A secret part of you yearned to know what would happen next.

“Fine,” you shot, unhooking his fingers from you.

You followed him through the exit door, flashing a few reassuring smiles at your fellow spider-men abd spider-women on your way out.

Miguel kept his determined pace in front of you as you both walked down a near deserted street.

As you were about to ask where he was taking you, you felt your body being shoved into an alleyway, before your spider senses could register what was happening.

Miguel O’hara had your back firmly pressed against a cold wall with only the dim light of a nearby neon sign allowing you to see his hardened face.

“What—”

He brought his covered hand to press your lips shut. “I’m done with your fucking teasing.”

Your eyes widened and your heart skipped a few beats as you felt him pressing his toned body against yours, effectively keeping you in place. His free hand gripped your wrist tightly.

“I’m done seeing you pay attention to anyone but me.”

You shuddered at his growl.

“Done seeing you not wanting to be mine.”

You briefly contemplated putting up a fight, but you knew silence could be equally effective.

“You’ve been hanging around Hobei too much,” his face was so close you could almost feel every word hit your skin. “Do you want him?”

Silence.

He removed his hand from your face, expecting a reply.

You gave him a smug smile instead, savouring the heat that radiated from his body. “What if I do?”

His fingers were on your jaw now. “He won’t satisfy you.”

There it was. His pride in full display. You had no doubts Miguel could be an extraordinary lover. All that pent up frustration had to be channelled somewhere.

“You’re too full of yourself, Miguel O’hara.”

His lips nearly brushed yours as his red eyes glowed in the dark. “You want me. I can feel your heartbeat. I know of your desire for me.”

“Really?”

“I can smell it,” he smiled wide, revealing his set of fangs.

He was a predator. His entire DNA had been accidentally modified and gave place to a cunning predator.

At one point, what pinned you against the cold wall wasn’t his physical strength, but rather the weight of his words.

“Let me have you.”

You shut your eyes as you felt his teeth grazing the skin of your neck. A rush of adrenaline made its way down to your clit and you soon felt it pulsing with each flick of his tongue.

“Miguel… I…”

Soon, you felt him instinctively bucking his hips against you and his tight suit left little to the imagination as his cock grew increasingly harder.

The grip on your jaw didn’t waver as he delivered open-mouthed kisses along your neck. You didn’t know what to do with your hands, so you ended up wrapping them along his forearms as if scared your knees might give up on you.

“You’re mine.”

All these weeks managing to keep your desire for him at bay had been for nothing.

“I’m done fucking my hands when I could be fucking you instead,” he growled in between kisses, pressing his clothed cock into you.

He brought one of your hand down his body and in between the two of you.

“Go on,” he nearly hissed. “Feel how hard I get for you.”

He rubbed your palm across his impressive length and you nearly moaned as he brought his lips closer to yours once more.

You wanted to taste him more than ever and tried to close the gap, but he kept you in place.

The heat from his body was suddenly gone and you watched him climb up and away from you.

“What the fuck, Miguel? You’re leaving?!”

He looked down at you, his face twisting into a devious grin. “Now you know how painful it feels.”

[cakesunflower]

lovelorn (and nobody knows) [rafe cameron au fic] chapter 5

Summary: Isla Carrera had planned for the summer before college to be focused on three things: helping out at her family’s restaurant (the helpful daughter), preparing for college (the good student), and having fun with the Pogues (the loyal friend). But one fateful night, where her car breaks down and her rescuer is none other than Rafe Cameron, seems to send her summer down a path she didn’t see coming–one teeming with a secret, illicit romance with the last person she expected. And if her friends and sister found out, Isla isn’t sure they’ll be so understanding, no matter what her feelings are.

Previous Chapters: Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4

Author's Note: I tried a little something different with this, in which there's a convo that happens in Instagram DMs so I made like an edit and posted the screenshots as a way for you guys to read them! But I also put the conversation in the image description for each screenshot if it's easier to read that way! Let me know if you guys like it and I should continue doing that!

The brief nap and unexpected conversation with Rafe had sobered Isla up by the time she joins her friends in the backyard once again, all of whom are tipsy or beyond. As soon as he spots her, JJ shoves a cup of beer in Isla’s hand, which she accepts without a fight as she settles down at the base of a tree where her friends are sitting. The party around them rages on, people dancing and chatting and swimming and playing games, the music drifting through the air but nearly drowned out by the noise of everything else.

As she stretches her legs out, Pope sniffs the air and glances at her questioningly. “Were you smoking?”

Lips on the rim of her cup, her gaze darts to Pope’s, mildly surprised, while JJ pipes up, “Without me?”

“Not weed,” Pope tells him with a roll of his eyes.

Isla slowly lowers the cup. “Yeah. Bummed one off some guy,” she answers with a casual shrug.

Pope purses his lips at her. “Those things will kill you, you know.”

Widening her eyes, Isla gasps. “Really? I had no idea,” she exclaims, feigning shock and dissolving into laughter when Pope shoves her.

“Don’t come crying to me if you get lung cancer,” he says, leaning back on his hands resting on the grass, wincing when Cleo smacks him on the chest.

“Don’t joke,” she tells him pointedly, looking up at him with a half-hearted glare. He leans down and presses a kiss to her forehead in apology, which seems to satisfy her. She lets out a long, content sigh. “This summer is going to be amazing, I can feel it,” Cleo  says from where she lays with her head on Pope’s lap. “The outdoor movies, boat rides, barbecues, concerts—I’m ready for it.”

Kie raises her cup of beer in cheers. “Back to OBX life, baby,” she grins.

Isla was of the same mindset, smiling into her next sip of beer as she thought of the coming months. It’s the last summer before college, and while in between all of the fun Isla and Kie will be working at their family’s restaurant, Isla is still looking forward to the summer.

They sat together, discussing their plans for the summer—most of them with each other—as the party continued on around them. Isla watches people jump into the pool, the group of them sitting far enough away from the splash zone, and she feels a smile tugging on her lips as she closes her eyes and leans her head up against the tree. The weather is perfect, warm with a cool breeze every now and then, and she lets out a long sigh of relief before taking another sip of beer.

“Midsummers is also coming up,” Sarah comments, prompting Isla to open her eyes while Kie groans.

“Don’t remind me,” her sister mutters, twirling a dandelion between her fingers, face scrunching in distaste. 

Isla gives a shrug. “I don’t mind it.”

Kie’s nose wrinkles. “You enjoy being surrounded by rich people who spend the night trying to one-up each other by flashing how much money they have?”

JJ snorts as he, Pope, and Cleo rearrange their sitting positions to engage in a game of cards. Isla rolls her eyes at Kie. “No. I just have fun dressing up and eating good food. Sue me.”

The food at Midsummers was always top tier, especially when Pope’s dad was running the oyster bar. “You’re such a girly girl,” Kie quips.

“Why is that a bad thing?” Isla retorts, arching an eyebrow. “Where else am I gonna get a chance to wear high heels and a dress? The Chateau?” She gets to her feet, feeling a little miffed at Kie’s comment. She and her sister share a lot of similarities, but they’re also plenty different; one of them being that Isla will never pass up an opportunity to dress up for an event. While she doesn’t particularly enjoy all of the events that they attend in Figure Eight, most of her joy comes from the process of getting ready, dressing up, doing her makeup. She’s always been that way, and no one has ever faulted her for it. Why should they?

But sometimes Kie’s distaste for all things Figure Eight gets the better of her, and she’ll get the tendency to make Isla feel bad for her not caring as deeply as Kie does. She’s a Pogue, just like her sister and friends, but is it so wrong to like some things about Figure Eight? Her friends don’t think so—of course, they don’t. If they did, John B wouldn’t be dating Sarah, who they all welcomed into their fold, nor would they be spending their Friday night at a party here, either. Kie can just take it too far sometimes.

“Where are you going?” she frowns up at Isla.

“I need some chips,” she says, which is only half true. She kind of doesn’t want to talk to Kie at the moment. It’s nothing serious, just some sisterly annoyance which she’ll get over in the next five minutes. She is kind of hungry, though.

John B pushes himself up, too. “I’ll come with.” Standing straight, he reaches down to brush some of Sarah’s blonde locks away from her face. “Want anything?”

She shakes her head, smiling. “I’m okay.”

“I’m good too,” JJ tells John B with a smirk.

“Same,” Pope and Cleo add, twin shit-eating grins on their faces. John B merely flips them all off and joins Isla on the trek towards the house, throwing his arm over her shoulders. 

“You good, buddy?” John B asks her as they walk by the pool.

Isla nods, chin lifting slightly. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” she responds, wincing only slightly as they pass by the speaker that’s blasting music. In a mumble, she adds, “Jesus, that’s loud.”

“Okay, grandma,” John B snickers, which results in Isla digging her elbow into his ribs while sipping the beer. “You looked a little ticked off at Kie.”

They walk into the house, weaving around party goers, his arm still around her shoulders in brotherly affection. Isla sighs, unsurprised that John B caught her expression or slight shift in demeanor. The guy is the Pogue-anointed leader of their group; he’s always had the ability to be in-tune with his friends. “You know her,” she says as they approach the kitchen. “She doesn’t mean anything by it, really, but she’ll make those subtle comments about me that almost make it seem like she’s judging me because some of my interests are different than hers.” With a roll of her eyes, she shoots him a look and adds, “Not Pogue enough, I guess.”

“Ah,” John B says with a sage nod of his head. “Whether she means anything by it or not, she loves you all the same, Isla. We all do,” he says with a smile, giving her arm a squeeze. “But if her comments bother you, just let her know. I doubt she’d ever want to hurt your feelings if she can help it.”

“You’re right,” she sighs again. He made the non-issue seem easily resolvable, which Isla’s sure it is. 

The kitchen counter is littered with snacks, a lot of which are opened already and have been dug through. There’s even a bag of marshmallows, and Isla pops one into her mouth as John B stands a few feet away, raising his eyebrows at her expectantly as he opens his mouth wide, silently signaling her. With a laugh as she chews the one in her mouth, Isla grabs another marshmallow and tosses it towards him, grinning widely when John B catches it in his mouth.

“Incredible,” she gushes exaggeratedly with a clap of her hands, John B taking a bow in response that only makes her laugh more. Turning to the several bags of chips on the counter, Isla asks him, “Which one should we steal for ourselves?”

John B hums thoughtfully, lifting his hat up to run his fingers through his hair before fitting the cap back down. “How about—”

“I was hoping to run into you here, Isla.” She freezes at the familiar voice, gaze flickering up to see Carlo standing on the other side of the counter, dark eyes fixed on her. Oh, fucking hell. “I wanted to—”

“Nope,” Isla cuts him off with a sharp shake of her head, lips pursing at the way he frowns at being interrupted. Screw him. “I have nothing to say to you, and I promise there’s nothing you can say that I’d wanna hear. So, no.”

Carlo’s forehead creases even more as his frown deepens. “Don’t you think you’re being childish?”

“Hey, buddy,” John B says from next to her, raising his eyebrows at Carlo. “She said she’s not interested. Take the hint and walk away.”

“Fuck off, Routledge, I wasn’t talking to you,” Carlo scowls and Isla’s stomach twists, dreading that getting him to leave her alone wouldn’t be easy. His eyes flicker back to Isla, and even the counter separating them isn’t creating enough distance. “Come on, Isla. We never got the chance to talk things out.”

She exchanges a look of disbelief with John B, who also looks pissed on her behalf as his narrow eyed stare goes back to Carlo. She half expects John B to walk around the counter and get physical with Carlo. “What the hell are you talking about?” she says to Carlo, exasperated. “What is there to talk about? You cheated. I broke up with you. End of story.”

Her pulse is quickening, wanting him gone, as John B crosses his arms and says to Carlo tightly, “Yeah. End of story. Now leave.”

Carlo’s jaw clenches. He’s around the same height as John B, their stare even as he glares. “This ain’t your damn house, John B.”

“No, but it is mine.”

Isla’s eyes widen, the air whooshing out of her lungs when she sees Rafe entering the kitchen. She’s pretty sure her pulse skitters when she sees the cold expression on Rafe’s features, his gaze on Carlo as he takes a few steps closer. No scowl, no glare, but a chilling look of indifference that contrasted to the hardness of his icy blue eyes. She can’t help but think this look on him is far more intimidating, in addition to how his six-foot-two height towers over Carlo, and even a little bit over John B—who tenses up next to her, like he doesn’t think Rafe’s arrival is a good thing.

When did Isla start thinking it is?

Because she finds herself relaxing upon Rafe’s entry, the tight knot loosening in her chest as he stands a few feet away from Carlo, who has the right mind to look a little frightened. It brings Isla more satisfaction than it should. 

Carlo finds his tongue. “I was just—”

“Leaving? Good choice,” Rafe cuts him off with a nod. When Carlo gapes at him, Rafe arches an eyebrow. He may look calm and collected, but Isla notices the muscle in his jaw jumping, like he’s grinding his teeth together. “She obviously doesn’t want to talk to you. Get the fuck out while your dignity is still intact.” He gives Carlo a slow once over, lips curling back into a sneer. “Whatever little of it there’s left.”

Isla claps her lips together, which had been parted in shock, in order to stifle back a gasping laugh. Her gaze darts to her left to John B, who is watching the whole interaction looking a helpless combination of bewildered, surprised, and wary. She can’t really blame him. Rafe Cameron, of all people, is coming to her defense, and while this isn’t the first time for Isla, it is for John B, and she can only imagine what’s going through his head right now. Probably a bit of the same of what was going through hers that first time.

Right now, though, she stands in the Cameron’s kitchen with her skin warming, watching as Carlo’s jaw works, looking as though he’s genuinely considering telling Rafe to fuck off or, worse, swing at him. She knows for a fact Carlo won’t win that fight. So when he looks at Isla, features tight and a contemptuous look hardening his eyes, she knows that he’s going to leave her alone for now.

He turns and stalks out of the kitchen, his departure making it easier for Isla to breathe as the tension eases out of her shoulders, which sink as she lets out a sigh of relief. Rafe finally turns to look at her, blue eyes meeting her brown, and she watches as the hardness in his gaze melts away, softening as he runs his eyes over like. Almost as if. . . He’s making sure she’s okay.

And then when he subtly arches an eyebrow, Isla knows he’s making sure. 

Heart fluttering erratically, Isla dips her chin in an almost imperceptible nod. Still, she finds herself saying, “Thank you for that.”

“Yeah, very decent of you.” Isla almost startles when John B speaks up, gaze snapping over to her friend. He’s watching Rafe with that same wary look, though there’s that familiar touch of patronization that her friends and Rafe always get when they’re talking to each other. Isla tenses up ever so slightly; she doesn’t think she can handle any sort of confrontation between them right now. Not when John B is her friend and Rafe has been so. . . Different with her. John B lifts his chin. “Very un-Kook-like.”

Rafe’s gaze slides over to John B and immediately his expression shifts, that smug smirk returning that’s always been so condescending. Isla knows she should only see it as that, and yet. . . She can’t help but find it attractive. Oh, God.

“It’s not like you were doing much to help,” Rafe says in return, arching an eyebrow.

John B scoffs while Isla takes a long sip of her beer. “I did the exact same thing as you did, which was just talk to him, by the way.”

Rafe cocks his head to the side, smug. “And who did he actually listen to?”

When Isla notes the narrowing of John B’s eyes, she steps in. “Alright, we’re not having a dick measuring contest, okay?” she says, cheeks flushing ever so slightly at the mere thought of Rafe’s dick. The heat only seems to intensify when his gaze touches her, something intense passing through his eyes in an instant. “Thank you both for your help. Let’s move on.”

She grabs the bag of barbecue flavored chips, grasping John B’s upper arm with her free hand to pull him out of the kitchen. He glares at Rafe until the second when Isla shoves him out of the kitchen, only pausing briefly enough to glance over her shoulder at Rafe. She doesn’t know why she does it until their gazes meet and she finds herself smiling as she mouths, thank you.

And then Isla sees his shoulders relax, the smirk turning into the smallest of smiles as he dips his chin in return, and the fluttering returns to her stomach once more.

“Well, that was fucking weird,” John B remarks as they walk through the back doors and step out into the backyard.

“A little,” Isla lies. She digs through the bag of chips and practically shoves a handful in  her mouth, hoping John B won’t linger on this topic of conversation.

Of course, that’s only wishful thinking, because the moment they arrive back where their friends are sitting, he announces, “Something weird just happened.”

Isla suppresses a sigh as she sits back down, back against the tree, while a chorus of “what?” sound from the others. As John B sits next to Sarah, he informs them, “Well, first, fucking Carlo was here.”

“Who the fuck invited that piece of shit?” JJ asks while Kie looks over at Isla. Whatever annoyance from before disappears as her sister silently, with her eyes, asks if Isla is okay. She just nods in response, giving a small smile.

“Don’t look at me,” Sarah says with a shake of her head, hands raising in defense. “He probably tagged along with someone.”

“Is he still here?” Pope asks, dark eyes darting around the yard, seeking out Isla’s ex.

“No, he left,” John B answers. “Which brings me to the actual weird thing.” Isla holds her breath as he briefly meets Sarah’s gaze before telling the group, “Rafe was the one who kicked Carlo out.”

“Rafe?” Cleo repeats, eyebrows shooting up. “Rafe Cameron?”

JJ shoots her a droll look. “How many Rafes do you know?” he asks, earning the middle finger from Cleo. “You’re telling me King Kook stepped in and helped you?” he adds, glancing at Isla in surprise.

Sarah tilts her head. “I thought my dad was King Kook?” she murmurs, almost to herself, unperturbed by the label. She shakes her head before saying, louder, “You guys, my brother isn’t some villain. He has his moments.”

“As rare as they might be,” Kie adds on with a pointed arch of her eyebrow as her gaze flicks back to Isla.

Their eyes meet and Isla tenses because she can see the clear question in her sister’s eyes, and can see where her thoughts wandered. And right now, Kie is thinking of when Isla had told her how Rafe had helped her out when her car broke down, which the rest of their friends still don’t know about. Adding what just happened now, her friends would have questions, suspicions, and Isla couldn’t honestly refute any of them because of her own changing opinion of Rafe. She couldn’t truthfully tell them it wasn’t a big deal, that it was just a one time thing—because neither of those things were true. At least, not for Isla.

So Isla gives a minute shake of her head, needing Kie to understand what she’s silently telling her. Kiara raises an eyebrow and Isla knows that though Kie remains silent, they will definitely be talking about this later. Isla isn’t looking forward to it.

*****

“So. Spill.”

Isla exhales sharply through her nose, bending down to spit out the toothpaste-tinted water in the sink. As she dries her face, she looks at Kie, who is leaning against the bathroom door frame, arms crossed. Trying not to be too rattled, Isla says nonchalantly, “There’s nothing to spill.”

“Fuck off,” Kie laughs, shaking her head. “You told me he gave you a ride the other week when your car broke down, and tonight he kicked out your ex? Those are nice things,” she emphasizes with a raise of her eyebrows. “And Rafe’s not that nice of a guy.”

Isla shrugs as she rubs and pats moisturizer on her face. “I don’t have an insight into his head, Kie,” she says with a slight chuckle, wanting to brush this conversation off. “I don’t know what he’s thinking. But—” She decides to be honest, meeting her sister’s gaze. “I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth, you know? He helped me both times when he didn’t have to, and I appreciate it. That’s all.”

Kie twists her lips to the side, not entirely looking convinced. “It’s still sus,” she says. “Like, at least tonight. Why step in at all? John B was there, it’s not like you were dealing with Carlo on your own.”

As Isla rubs lotion up and down her arms, gaze on the movement of her hands, a ghost of a smile tugs at her lips as she remarks, “Maybe it was his good deed of the month.”

“What?” Kie asks, puzzled.

Isla resists the urge to swallow, and instead chuckles. “Nothing.” She shoots her sister a smile. “Anyway, it’s whatever,” she says, moving past Kie to get out of the bathroom. “Who knows why Rafe does anything?”

Kie snorts, moving into the bathroom for her turn to get ready for the night. It’s a little after two in the morning, their parents fast asleep, and at this point, neither of them are too drunk. Isla hadn’t drank anything after the beer JJ had handed to her, and Kie knows her limits when it comes to drinking. “I guess so,” she muses, tying her hair up into a messy bun.

Isla goes to her own room, shutting the door behind her before climbing into bed, sighing as she slips under the cool sheets. The main room lights are off, but she keeps the colorful LED lights hanging in front of her curtains on, bathing her room in dim colors as she unlocks her phone.

The first thing she does is go on Instagram, scrolling through her notifications to see people liking and commenting on her posts and stories from the party tonight. But her thumb freezes when she notices the top notification, which came in just three minutes ago.

Rafe.Cameron1104 is now following you!

Her eyes widen, the breath stilling in her lungs, even as she tells herself this isn’t a big fucking deal. Because it’s not. Yet, she still clicks on his profile, and before she decides whether or not to follow him back—because she is damn sure her friends will notice—she does a little stalking, feeling heat pool into her cheeks as she does, like she’s doing something wrong.

Still, Isla can’t help but scroll through Rafe’s profile. He doesn’t post that much, but his posts are mostly what she expects them to be; on his family’s yacht, with his friends, some with his family. No selfies, which doesn’t surprise her, but Isla does find herself looking at the solo shots of him, biting the inside of her cheek when she stares a little too long at the shirtless photos that makes her blood heat up in her veins. He’s fit, which is known, with broad shoulders and lean muscles, his torso tight with prominent abs glinting against the sunlight. Enough to make her mouth grow dry.

God, what’s wrong with her?

Why did he follow her? More importantly, why is she freaking out like she’s a middle schooler with a crush? Despite her warring thoughts, Isla scrolls to the top of his profile, thumb hovering over the blue follow button. A bunch of people she knows follow him, though none are her friends—except for Sarah, of course. Isla hesitates before letting out a quiet huff, hoping her friends don’t weirdly check Instagram followings, and presses the follow button before exiting out of the app, locking her phone, and dropping it on her stomach, all in the matter of five seconds. 

She stares, wide eyed, at the ceiling while trying to slow down her foolishly racing pulse, chest rising and falling with every breath she takes. “What the fuck, Isla?” she whispers to herself in the dim lighting of her room, looking at the kaleidoscope of colors reflecting off the ceiling thanks to the LED lights. 

He’s literally just a guy. A guy that, admittedly, her friends don’t like and she shouldn’t, either. Too often have JJ, John B, and Pope gotten into fights, both verbal and physical, with Rafe and his friends. Granted, her friends sometimes instigate the fights just as much as Rafe and his friends do, but the animosity has existed for years now. Which should be reason enough why Isla shouldn’t be engaging with Rafe anymore than she already has. Hell, smoking with him in his room tonight could be considered crossing a line, where her friends are concerned. 

It feels like she’s playing a dangerous game—one where she has no idea what the rules even are.

Her phone suddenly buzzes and Isla’s throat dries as she lifts it, squinting against the bright screen. When she reads the notification, her stomach does a somersault, reading the message Rafe sent her on Instagram. God, why is he awake? Embarrassment floods her cheeks, knowing he received the notification of her follow back right away. Part of her wants to pretend she never got the notification of his message and just go to sleep, but intrigue wins out, and she opens Instagram and goes on her direct messages.

She rolls her lower lip into her mouth, reading those three words with a flutter in her belly, thumbs hovering over the keypad until she figures out how to respond.

Isla takes a deep breath, reading Rafe’s last message a few too many times before exiting out of the app, finding it a good place to let the conversation naturally end. The last thing she needs to keep doing is messaging Rafe Cameron in the middle of the night. So she plugs her phone into the charger and rests it on her bedside, turning away and burrowing herself deeper into her cocoon of blankets, needing sleep to take her away from the turbulent thoughts that surround Rafe.

[ttjisung]

back 2 u 𝜗𝜚

p. jisung x fem!reader smau - exes to lovers

in which jisung does his best to avoid you, his ex, until he realizes his mistake far too late cw: suggestive themes, bad angst, cheating, swearing

i'm not going back, back, back, back, back

masterlist

previous next

chapter viii. (wc: 1.6k)

Your nails dug crescent shaped figures into your palms as you waited for Jaemin impatiently. For some reason, you were incredibly nervous and it wasn’t because you barely talked to the man. 

The nerves formed more-so due to the fact that this was, in your eyes, your last chance to get your point across to Jisung. Obviously, even if he did understand and apologized, your relationship would be stunted yet fixing it was better than leaving it to rot considering you truly loved the man, so you had devised a plan. It was simple really - Jaemin would apologize (even if it wasn’t heartfelt) to get Jisung on his good side, and then he’d show screenshots that Yangyang and Dejun failed to realize proved your innocence until the night before your cafe meetup. 

According to Jisung’s words, you had snuck out the night before he broke up with you and got with other men, yet the crucial fact that you were with your best friends at the time was proven true by a dumb Instagram story that Yangyang had posted on his account, making fun of your movie taste. Being forgetful, he hadn’t remembered he posted it until Dejun was stalking his highlights like most people sneakily do and checked the dates, immediately messaging your group chat with the screenshots.

For the first time in a while, the constant weight you felt on your back was lifted slightly, and was replaced by a blossoming hope in your chest. You had even unblocked Jisung in case he messaged you after to talk.

Deep into your own thoughts, you hadn’t realized Jaemin had arrived until he called out your name, wearing a friendly smile which he always did. You waved your hand timidly, responding with a small hi before nodding at the seat in front of you. 

“I’m glad you asked to talk, Y/n. I hadn’t realized until you messaged me that this is the first time we’ve hung out one-on-one properly which is kind of wild, you know, since we’ve known each other for a while.” Jaemin ranted, scooting closer over the small table. “That’s true, but we haven’t ever really been close. I don’t think it’s too odd.” You tried to shut down his words with a kind tone, not agreeing. “Maybe we can be?” “Yeah… Maybe. So, Yang found some screenshots that are pretty much undeniable, and I was hoping you could maybe show them to Jisung?” Your hands shot down towards your pocket to get your phone, quickly unlocking it.

“I really would love to, but actually I have something to show you too.” Jaemin paralleled your actions, getting his phone as well and opening up a chain of messages. He cringed, re-reading them before sliding the device across the table. “I was checking their texts in our group chat with all the guys and Hyuck was sort of dissing you last night, and Jisung said some messed up shit.” His face could only be described as pitying as he saw you take in the words being shared.

I honestly wish we never dated. 

She was always so anxious about everything.

I missed her and all but it made me think and maybe it’s for the best.

I don’t want to be with someone like her.

You hadn’t even realized tears were falling down your cheeks until you felt a hand grip your chin, Jaemin’s hand to be specific. His other held a napkin which he used to dab your tears. The touch was intimate, yet you were too upset to take notice or say anything. You just let them fall, shutting your eyes and sliding his phone back to him. 

“I… I don’t get it. He was always so happy with me. He seemed happy with me.” “I’m sorry, Y/n. You deserve better, you really do. They’re all jerks - that’s why I stopped texting in there.” Jaemin’s words came out in a comforting whisper, finally releasing your face yet quickly replacing it with your hands that were shaking on the small table. “Would you like me to send the screenshots still?” “I guess… it’d be nice to clear my name, but obviously they won’t have the same effect anymore…” Your face was sunken, your lips wobbly as you responded. For the first time since your break up, you didn’t only feel sadness towards Jisung. You felt anger. Your whole pursuit for proof ended up useless, as he claimed to be unhappy regardless of your supposed cheating. It was truly as if his personality had switched completely, being rude and insulting instead of his usual lovesick self. 

“It’s up to you,” Jaemin stated, rubbing his thumb over yours affectionately, “I’ll do it, but I still think you could do better.” You nodded, although you felt yourself dissociating and not truly grasping his words. What you hadn’t realized through your teary, squinted eyes was the fact that he seemed concerningly happy at the news that you didn’t want to talk to Jisung anymore. In fact, his eyes quickly widened in pleasure and returned to normal when he heard resentment in your voice. 

You honestly made it too easy. Any other person would show clear suspicion as soon as they’d receive a text from a friend of their ex ‘siding’ with them. Yet you were too nice, not believing Jaemin was capable of lying. 

The first time you two had met was the definition of love at first sight, in his eyes. You didn’t even know Jisung back then - only Renjun, who unknowingly led Jaemin to you. You had visited your friend’s house, being invited to a small get together at his pool. It was only a handful of you, including Mark and Donghyuck as well as Kim Minjeong and Ning Yizhuo, who accompanied said friends. 

You had excused yourself to Renjun’s bathroom, going to change into your bathing suit, and as you walked out you accidentally crashed into Jaemin, causing him to spill the lemonade he was carrying outside all over you. In an embarrassed rush, he dragged you back into the bathroom and grabbed the nearest towel, wiping down the top of your two-piece bikini. The red on his face grew as he realized he was touching you too intimately, making him apologize and finally look up at you. 

Jaemin felt entranced, never having seen a face quite like yours. You shared the same blush as him, which he mistook as mutual attraction. Unknowingly to him, you simply blushed because you were shy and had never met him before. Sure, he was attractive and he seemed nice enough to help you clean up, yet your type was someone who resembled your personality much more, and his flamboyant actions proved to you he wasn’t the kind to. 

You quickly accepted his rambled apologies, telling him you’d just dip into the pool and it would come right off. He led you towards the backyard of the house, walking towards Mark and Donghyuck yet throughout the evening, he couldn’t keep his eyes from wandering to you. At the end of the night, he searched for you to ask for your number, feeling encouraged by the couple of shots he took with Donghyuck while the girls swam, yet to his misfortune, you had already gone home.

Not wanting to embarrass himself and ask Renjun for your contact information, he simply hoped a day would come where he’d meet you again at an event, giving him the chance to finally ask you out. 

The day came months later, when Jaemin was invited to a party by Mark. Seeing your familiar figure sitting on a couch, his mood shot up and a smile grew on his face, yet it was quickly wiped off as he saw your hand interlocked with a hand belonging to none other than Park Jisung, his own friend. 

It felt like betrayal, although Jisung wasn’t aware of his crush, that you had been swept off your feet by someone so close to him. You looked so happy, blushing and giggling alongside him, and Jaemin swore somehow he would end up being the one to make you laugh. He hadn’t expected you both to take your relationship so seriously though, going on several years, and he started to get impatient. 

Convincing Donghyuck to help him, although not purposeful, was easy. It wasn’t that he disliked you, in fact he really enjoyed your company, seeing you as a very close friend, yet all Jaemin had to do was take a blurry photo of someone who resembled you kissing a man in a club the two were at. Jaemin was aware of the protective nature he had over the younger boy, so as soon as he showed it to Donghyuck, the man did all the work himself, calling Jisung and telling him about the situation. 

It all worked in Jaemin’s favor, especially when you messaged him to meet up. It was as if all the years of waiting finally paid off, now presenting him with the perfect opportunity to sweep you off your feet, all the meanwhile convincing Jisung he wasn’t missing out on dating you. Of course, he’d probably lose his friendship once he got to his last part of his plan which was properly asking you out, yet he was willing to take that risk, considering he met you before Jisung did, and it truly was only right that he’d get you instead. 

After half an hour of comforting you while you cried to him at the cafe, he offered to drop you off, grinning ear to ear once he saw you enter your apartment. Pulling out his phone, he quickly deleted the screenshots you had sent him proving your innocence, knowing Jisung would never be seeing those since the second you brought it up. 

Jaemin wouldn’t let his plan go to waste, and he wasn’t ready to allow anyone to ruin it for the both of you.

a/n: omg! I'm so shocked! jp i knew he was going to be the villain all along. (it's not like i'm the author or anything >U<) hehe

Na Jaemin, i sincerely apologize... i love you... you are perf... my man truly. but someone had to be the bad guy and unfortunately i chose you... it was originally gonna be haechan having a sad pathetic one-sided crush instead but he was chosen to be jaemin's little pawn bc it makes him look more evil muehehe

things are gonna get messier soon but we finally got the backstory >:3 jisung redemption arc coming in the next chapters? NOPE! cause i love angst sorryyy... but eventually we'll get there. i think. maybe.

[cursedcatchild]

Ok, so I watched TOTTMNT and I am here to rant. Also, SPOILERS ahead!

So First of all, if I had to sum up my thoughts into a single sentence it would be: For the love of God, put those turtles back together, where they belong!!

I didn’t hate the show, but I didn’t come to like it either. And no, I did not have any prejudgment just because it was a new iteration. Honestly I was super hyped for this version, because the movie was a blast. Yea, I ended up being disappointed. But let me just elaborate on that:

First let’s take a look at our turtles from worst to best in my opinion.

Mikey:

Yepp, ladies and gentlemen so far I have never seen a single iteration where I didn’t come to like a Mikey. He’s always among my favs. But this version felt super shallow. He had just as much screen time in the series as his brothers and yet I still have no idea who this guy really is. His jokes were lame not really landing, I couldn’t really point out any particular goal or insecurity that anyone could relate to. Also, the guy is super oblivious. Like he took ten minutes to realize he walked into a robbery when he went for groceries. Heck he was having a casual conversation with the robbers. 

Leo: 

Another kinda shallow guy. Sure we seen a bit of insecurity, he literally quoted Rise Leo saying “ I’m nothing without them!” but it felt irreal. Because Rise Leo had a reason to think that, he wasn’t as much of a functional member of the team and he was always taken for jokes. But right from the beginning of TOTTMNT we see Tales Leo commanding his brothers, they listen to him  and even say it multiple times how planning is Leo’s thing. So at this point this Leo is just fucking blind. ( Also April slaps instant self confidence into the boy.) 

Raph:

Ok, this is also the first time, but I never really took a liking to a Raph before Tales Raph. Boy is filled with anger and sass, yet he’s not coming off as a total jerk like 2012 Raph. And of course he's not a super softie like Rise Raph ( I don’t hate Rise Raph for being a softie, he's my second favorite Raph) either. He had some fun pipe up and overall a personality I got. I think he’s the most perfect Raph I have ever seen. 

Donnie:

The best character of the iteration in my humble opinion. He was relatable, funny, honestly he was stealing Mikey’s job as the comic relief, but at the same time he’s the smart guy. The boy is ranting about not being the IT guy and then goes reprogramming an evil robot. Oh and he saved so many lifes, because he stopped a fucking train crash. He’s epic, I swear.

(My fave screenshot ever 🤣🤣)

Now story wise:

🔥What the fuck was this dumpster fire?! 🔥Who thought splitting up the turtles would be fine?! 😑Especially in a 12 episode season? Look, I don't mind solo or duo time. There were plenty of good ones, for example Rise. I adored the Mikey vs Leo cook off episode or the Gumbus one, but for the sake of my sanity Rise had twice as many episodes and the turtles were not split up for the majority of the story.

Like I'm not joking when I say they were together in 4 episodes intotal.😨😨

Now I heard rumors left and right that the fact that they need to make a show was thrown at the team at the last minute ( IDK how true is that) , but goodness gracious even if I was presented with the task with a “ Due tomorrow label” I could still write a better story. Especially with the goldmine what the writers decided to ignore.

Yes, something that would've made TOTTMNT be really unique….. School people! We were promised that we will explore the turtles from the teenage side. Ummm….Hate to break it to ya all but I think there is no better way to do that than putting them into school.

It would’ve been fire to see them trying to fit in, balancing all the cool hero stuff with school life, maybe wrecking the school, seeing how other teenangers adjust to the fact that now giant talking turtles are their classmates. It wouldn’t be some crazy mind blowing plot, but I swear it would've been amazing.

Now don’t misunderstand me. Despite the story feeling like being all over the place it wasn’t that super bad, but I’m pissed that it could've been better with ease.

Also another thing that bugged me, is the feeling of something missing. IDK if anyone else who watched it felt like this, but I legit felt like if we just grabbed the for example farm arc from 2012 TMNT and aired it as season 1. The fact that the turtles were split and they kept mentioning that they have always been fighting together made me feel like I should’ve seen them do that.

Anyways, If I did not take your will to watch it away, go and check it out. It's not horrible but not great either. I’m disappointed and I'm gonna need Rise back, thank you very much!

[lynzishell]

My 𝐓𝐨𝐩 24 30 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭𝐬 from 2024🎉 (because rules were made to be broken)

TYSM for tagging me @herecirmsims, @elderwisp, and @changingplumbob 💖 As per usual, I went overboard... oops!

Before I forget -- I am going to tag @honeyjars-sims, @raiiny-bay, @havenroyals, @likelyamused, and @dandylion240 (ofc, feel free to ignore me if you've already done it, or if you just don't wanna)

JANUARY

We started the year in Sulani where Phoenix and Dawn got engaged! Let us all take a moment to remember the glory that was Phoenix with a tan 😍

I call this - My Love Affair with Brindleton Bay (Part 1)

I love them. This isn't even the greatest screenshot, but it will forever be one of my favorites. One day I will put together a collage of forehead kisses for these two.

FEBRUARY

My Love Affair with Brindleton Bay (Part 2)

Mario, Luigi, and Yoshi were always happy to steal focus when I needed to blur things happening in the background... 😏

Atlas forever being the best uncle in the world... and fascinated with his niece having his eyes

MARCH

Me peeking through the foliage while Phoenix introduces his wife and child to his mom... the only way he knows how 🥺🤍

APRIL

😂 Ok so March and April are pretty sparse... I took a break in the Spring because I was going through a breakup and a move. I spent that time focusing on things that made me happy - like writing The Past arc for the boys and laughing at Dawn's ridiculous in-game expressions 😂

MAY

I'm so glad I took that break because I was able to come back and give Phoenix and Dawn the wedding they deserved! I also LOVE these last two shots... After the party ended, those three were goofing off and having so much fun... and then giving Phoenix the MOST thoughtful gift... it still makes me tear up! 🥹

JUNE

And so it begins... This nightmare sequence was so much fun to put together! And this shot is by far my favorite... it was totally by accident, but oh so perfect

The Past my beloved... I love this shot sm... the morning light, the fall colors, Ash and Lex being Ash and Lex while Atlas tags along behind them (he'd only known Ash for 24 hours and was already crushing... poor boy didn't stand a chance)

Oh yeah! Remember Chestnut Ridge?! The way I jumped around in this part istg... You're all incredible for putting up with me this summer 😂 Okay but I love this one because of how all the animals are turned to look at Danny... again, a total accident, but perfectly foreshadows what I have in mind for his future!

Back the The Past - What's perfect about this one is how the only thing in focus is where they are touching.

I’m acutely aware that his leg is resting against me now, and he’s rolling the fabric of my sleeve between his thumb and middle finger. Normally, I would have already scooted away from the sofa. Pivoted my body so the conversation could continue, but so that I could not be touched. But I don’t feel any need to do that. Not with him. His affection is so subtle and absent-minded; I can tell he’s just feeling comfortable with me. Something about that makes me feel comfortable with him too.

JULY

AHHHHHH!!! I still lose my mind over this moment!!! Like... the way physical touch plays such a big role throughout this arc, and getting to see Atlas evolve from someone who always kept his distance from people to being the affectionate teddy bear he is today... and the way Ash is so sweet and mindful and considerate through it all...

And then I look down, down to where I feel his hand come to rest on my leg, the heat of it warming my thigh. “Is that okay?” He asks, “Do you want me to move my hand?” I look up into his eyes and shake my head slightly, “No. No, it’s okay.”

THEIR FIRST KISS!!!!! The tippy toes pls!!! 😭 I'm not gonna lie.... I forgot the entire purpose of this post and am now lost to reminiscing... I already miss this arc so much!!!

Taking my time, I brush my lips lightly against his before kissing him softly. Holding myself back, not because I’m unsure, but because I’ve never been more certain of anything. I want to savor this moment, commit it to memory so I can revisit it tomorrow, and every day after.

A brief look into The Present as these two make plans for the future that I will inevitably ruin for them because I felt compelled to go into CAS and play around with genetics and rewrite the entire ending to this arc. Sorry not sorry boys!

aaaand back to The Past for our first peek at Ash's POV as he realizes he may be falling for Atlas

Y’know, my biggest fear is drowning, especially in the ocean, and yet, my favorite place is the beach near my parents’ house, sitting right at the water’s edge. Being with Atlas, it reminds me of this place. The bright blue of his eyes, the sandy color of his hair, and the dusting of freckles across his nose. And the way being near him makes me feel just a little nervous, like at any moment I could get swept away and lose myself completely.

AUGUST

Oh yeah! Chestnut Ridge and Joey's cliche dad-logic moment! Seriously guys... thank you for putting up with my nonsense... But OMG! Did you know you can set the horses to buck riders off every time they try to get on? 10/10 recommend if you need a laugh! I had so much fun with this scene... Phoenix, on the other hand, did not 🫣

This one. You have no idea. I struggled SO MUCH with trying to figure this scene out... and only those in our discord writing group will know how I lost my mind when these poses were released and gave me the inspiration I needed... I'm pretty sure I shot this scene a month before I even started this arc because I couldn't get it out of my head... I should also add that these two died in process of making it, and I fucked up this lot while trying to place all the lights and decos via TOOL and had to start all over in another save (which worked out because the Romance Festival spawned in the new one making it all so much better and more lively)... I went through a lot for this shot, and I will hold it near and dear to my heart forever as a result.

SEPTEMBER

Just them. Holding hands. In The Present. 🥹 I just like this one a lot... it's actually the desktop background on my PC lol

A hazy dream in neon pink

Don't worry... they're JUST FRIENDS (who are clearly in love with each other and on mdma and suddenly can't keep their hands off each other)

As he backs himself against the wall, pulling me into him, I finally understand. “Is this okay?” he asks. I lean in so fast that I practically breathe the answer into his mouth, “Yeah,” and before I know it, we’re making out again. But this time is far more intense, our kisses deeper, our breathing ragged, our hands grabbing fistfuls of hair and clothing and clawing at skin as though our desire for each other has grown into some kind of wild animal. Finally free from its cage, there’s no going back now.

💛🩵💛🩵 What am I doing again? I think I've lost the plot...

OCTOBER

Oh yeah... fave screenshots of 2024! We're so back! San Myshuno my beloved

The Proposal 😭 Spoiler alert... they were never "just friends" ajsdkakljs Also, I had to exit and go back in game three times to keep those bright red/orange skies for this scene... worth it!

NOVEMBER

A glimpse of The Future... and bb is confused af

DECEMBER

Things are different now in ways they don't quite understand, but they have each other 🥹🩵💛

For the rest of our lives, we're in this together.

[life-in-toontown]

I really wish Bambi was remembered more as a serious and mature drama about animals living in the woods instead of a cutesy little kids movie about cute baby animals.

It feels most people just remember Bambi as this:

-Bambi is born

-Bambi and his cute little animal friends do cute shit

- Bambi’s mom dies (only dark and sad part)

- Bambi grows up and finds love

-Bambi has babies

-The end

And yes I know the scenes with Bambi as a fawn are adorable but that’s a necessary part of the film. It’s his childhood, he’s learning about the world and having fun with his friends to show as children do. And even his childhood scenes have their dark and intense moments.

This example is way lighter than the later ones I’ll be giving but during the last half of “Little April Showers” Bambi experiences his first thunderstorm and it frightens him. Again, pretty tame but I can definitely see how this part could scare some kids watching.

Now this is a more intense one. When Bambi’s mother takes him on his first trip to the meadow she stops him from excitedly running out by warning him that there could be danger. She then slowly examines the meadow to make sure the coast is clear and it’s done very slowly is very suspenseful, especially if you’ve never seen it but know what happens to Bambi’s mom (which everyone does because it’s common knowledge now).

Then there’s much later in the scene where the Great Prince warns everyone about Man’s presence and during the panic Bambi gets separated from his mother before his father finds him and helps him get back to her

(I hit the image limit so sadly I won’t be using screenshots going forward)

And of course there’s the famous heartbreaking scene: Bambi’s mother’s death. The terror when Bambi’s mother spots Man and runs away with Bambi, yelling at him not to look back and to keep running (her telling him not to look back implies she knows there’s a chance she’ll get shot…I’m tearing up typing this I’m ngl). Bambi gets away but we hear a gunshot off-screen…

When Bambi gets to safety and realizes his mother isn’t with him, he goes on a long search for her, calling for her into the night. Suddenly his father appears and tells him those heartbreaking words: “Your mother can’t be with you anymore.”

Bambi’s in shock…then slowly lowers his head in mourning before looking back up at his father with tears in his eyes…

Bambi’s father takes him in, and from that moment Bambi’s blissful childhood days are gone.

Fast-forward much later after Bambi’s grown up and after he’s become “twitterpated” with Faline. His adorable little love-struck fantasy with Faline is interrupted when a rival Buck (Ronno) fights for Faline’s affection. Bambi and Ronnie have a pretty intense fight, and of course Bambi comes out victorious.

(As a side-note from the dark stuff, the scene afterwards of Bambi and Faline having a romantic night while “I Bring You a Song” plays is just so beautiful. This is such a gorgeous film).

Now’s when the film gets really suspenseful. Bambi wakes up and sees smoke in the forest, and his father appears and tells him Man has returned. His father tells Bambi to come with him, but he remembers that Faline is still sleeping and he needs to get her. Faline wakes up and notices Bambi is gone and goes searching for him, leading her to get chased by hunting dogs before Bambi shows up just in the nick of time to fight them off.

Meanwhile the forest animals all look for shelter to hide from Man, leading to this absolutely horrifying scene of a pheasant panicking.

Back at Man’s campsite, their campfire spreads which of course results in the forest fire. I don’t really need to analyze why the forest fire is terrifying, of course a forest fire is terrifying, but I will talk about how after Bambi successfully fights the dogs off he gets shot. He tries getting up but is too wounded until his father shows up and encourages him to get up. Once he gets back on his feet, he and his father escape their burning home and safely reach an island where all the animals have escaped to and Bambi and Faline reunite.

And finally the happy ending. It’s Spring and the forest may still be burnt but there’s flowers and plants growing on the burnt stumps, showing that even after catastrophe, the forest will still regrow. Friend Owl is once again woken up to news that fawns have been born, and among the animals rushing over to see the new fawns are Bambi’s childhood friends Thumper and Flower, now with children of their own (also I just wanna mention that I love that Flower named his son Bambi after his best friend).

We then see that there’s not one but TWO fawns (the original book Bambi: A Life in the Woods that the film is based on has a sequel book called Bambi’s Children where Bambi has a son named Geno and a daughter named Gurri, if you’ve ever wondered if those fawns have names).

The films ends with Bambi and his father standing on a cliff looking over the new prince and princess, Bambi and his father glance at each other and his father leaves Bambi to look over his children, symbolizing Bambi as the new prince of the forest.

So yeah, it feels like this movie is mostly just remembered as a sugary sweet movie about cute baby animals shitting rainbows where only one sad thing happens but I just really wish it was remembered more as the serious film it really is.