#I'm excited to dig in more and give them a listen because they both get into things I've never listened to

[trashlie]

lil anon here! it's ok ashlie take all the time you need 💗 i'm glad you found it interesting and it made you laugh, now i'm even more curious about your thoughts 👀 but again, no pressure ~ hope the headache gets better soon. good luck today! take care mwah - lil anon 😼

Your asks are ALWAYS a delight! Like! I just always feel like I'm reading messages from a really good friend because you put so much personality into them and everything you bring up is stuff thar is SO fun to talk about and leaves me with SO MANY thoughts to ramble about in response! So yes, please anticipate my response!

One lingering thought is: I'd never actually looked at the playlists before and first off, my music taste heavily vibes with Nol's playlist. But also, looking through Shinae's and seeing "Here Comes the Sun" made me LAUGH because ohohohooooo I SEE I SEE! ALSO the fact that they BOTH have Blackbird on their playlists?! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH my feels!!!!! (Actually to that thought, they both have Blackbird AND Yesterday aaaaaaahhhhhhhh)

But GOSH thank you 💕💕 I'm trying SO HARD to shake this headache 😭😭 it's been a while since I had one as enduring as this one 😤 it's ILY DAY, brain, get it TOGETHER!!!!!!!

As soon as I can, though, I'm gonna dig in!!!!! 🥰💕

[mwahsol]

Hot sauce makes me nervous

Description: You have been invited to go on Hot One's First We Feast. It was recently announced that you're releasing an album but when some were looking through the title names they noticed some were romantic names, there have been rumors of you and a specific Uconn basketball player, leading there to already be a lot of attention on the anticipated album. Later on in the interview, you get asked about a specific song already out asking you who and/or what was the inspiration for it. I am using Sabrina and her music as well from other artists as yours in this because I can't think of good song titles…enjoy :)

“It's the show with hot questions and even hotter wings. Today we’re joined by Y/n L/n, she is one of the most talked about artists. Her debut album from 2021 still to this day is one of the most played in the last four years, some of her latest singles being Please Please Please, Espresso, Nonsense, and The Diner. As well as her new album called Sort n’ Sweet. Y/n L/n welcome to the show.” Sean announces while turning to look at you during the end as to give you the greeting.

“Hi thank you for inviting me, this has been a dream of mine to be here so I am honored and nervous,” you reply a bit nervous since you're fangirling on the inside.

“We’re excited to have you, how are you feeling going into this, are you a fan of hot sauce or prefer to keep things more tame?” He starts with a simple question to try and get you a bit comfortable, keeping things light and steady.

“Umm, I wouldn't say I'm a fan.. when I'm out at dinner I don't go for the spicy flavors but like as a small snack like chips or something yes I'm a fan. Hot sauce makes me all sweaty and nervous if I'm honest.” You say giggling towards the end because you know if you lied your girlfriend's team would never let you live it down when they watch this. “Like one time I thought it was a good idea to try those hot soups filled with peppers and stuff I started to tear up by like the fifth bite.”

At your retelling of the event, Sean is also laughing with you before he starts asking you the question he's prepared and having to dig in.

“I never eat wings with bones in them so this is a little new to me,” you tell him while taking your first bit of the first wing.

“Really? I thought most ate them with the bone in.”

“Yeah I just have an irrational fear of my teeth falling out if I bite down on the bone, that's also why I hate eating with forks.”

Sean and the rest of the people behind the cameras can't help but laugh at your admission. In the background of everyone laughing with you both, you can hear her laughing as well knowing that what you're saying is very much true. Hearing her you turn your head subtly, thinking people wouldn't notice this when posted, looking at her laughing admiring her for a second. You would find out later on people could decently see you turn your head, and if you listened close enough you could hear Paige's laughter in the back.

As the show went on Sean asking you questions about your career, your opinions on your songs, and how you came to be a singer, he asks, “So your song Let the Light In is one of your more romantic yet darker songs. Is there a story behind it or how did the inspiration come to you to create a song like this?”

When hearing his question you started worrying a bit knowing the inspiration wasn't just yours but Paige's too. You look at her in a way asking if she's ok with you answering knowing that this involves a personal situation with her and yourself, when you see her nod and give you an encouraging smile you know she's giving you the go-ahead and will be supportive of your answer. “Well, I wrote the song from my girlfriend mainly, when she had a serious injury and was in a dark place at the time when I met her. As she slowly got better the day she was cleared to play again she told me that she was grateful to have me because meeting me was like a light coming into her life encouraging her to get better. When she told me that I cried because I admitted to her that when I met her I was also at a dark place in my life so meeting her was also like the sun shining after the storm for me. We are each other's lights so I wrote the song for her.” You answer tearing up at the memory but smiling remembering her face when you told her she's your light too.

“It such a heartwarming thing to see how you can take special memories like that and write something beautiful for it, thank you for sharing.” He replied also smiling fondly at you seeing how you made sure with Paige first and telling such a personal moment.

“Thank you too for asking,” you know some interviews would keep pushing for more details, and you're grateful he didn't seeing as how it's not just your story to tell.

By the ninth wing, you started crying while laughing, there were funny instances from you getting a wing and running to Paige telling her to eat it since she was dying by laughing at you, to you falling out of your chair from how fast you turned and reached to grab the milk from the table away from you.

“I feel like my makeup with melting off just by my sweat and tears,” you say struggling to just sit upright but still laughing at your situation.

“Yeah, you look like it.” You heard Paige mumble in the background teasing you knowing it would get a reaction out of you.

“Babe I swear I will go back there and pour this hot sauce down your throat.” Threatening her, not being cautious anymore, while you felt like your mouth was on fire. This makes her laugh even harder as well as the crew and Sean.

After most of the laughter settled down Sean gets ready to ask another question. “This past year you have been spotted at a lot more WCBB and WNBA games, when did you get into watching women's basketball, and why?”

“When I was younger I had brothers that played basketball, they would teach me to play, and tried to get me to watch the NBA. As most big brothers do I just never could get into watching men play but anytime I would find a WNBA game you could bet I was fighting for the controller to put on the game. This year I’ve had a bit more free time since the tour for my last album was done and I took a bit of a break before I started writing this new album so I decided to attend as many as I could.” You weren't technically lying but you did leave out the part where you would mainly go to Uconn games to see your girlfriend back on the court and support her.

“Do you still play?”

“Yeah, a bit nothing serious though,” which is true if anyone on the team asks you to play you would say yes. Paige, while you are both away from Connecticut, if she finds a court shell beg you to play. Even though they're very much significantly taller you'll sometimes land a few points.

“Alright Y/n last one,” he tells you while shaking the last bottle.

“Oh gosh ok ok,” You can feel yourself shaking a little with nervousness but you have to see it through, or else she will never let you forget it. Shaking the bottle as well you try to put a of hot sauce enough to get it but not too much where you're burn your tongue off.

“Before I do this I want the camera and people to see that I did put some on there so she can't say I wussed out,” you tell everyone holding up your wing and looking directly at Paige while she shakes her head laughing at your expression.

“Yes, no one can claim you didn't go through with it, going out with a bang,” Sean tells you backing you up.

When you bite down you can already feel yourself regretting this. You start sweating again, eyes tearing up, nosey runny, you're defiantly making her drive you to go get ice cream.

“So Y/n you stated that in you're elementary through middle school years you took ballet lessons,” as soon as he said those words you knew where this was going and started to mentally prepare yourself, “we wanted to see if you could choreograph a small routine to your song All mine.”

“Of course, I can't promise it'll be good,” you respond while laughing and sniffling.

“Alright let's move these tables and chairs,” Sean says while laughing with you.

When doing your routine you only got a few steps in before you stopped and could continue because of your laughter, “I'm sorry omg I can't do it.”

“Fanominal dance couldn't have asked for better. There it is Y/n L/n taking on the wings of death, living to tell the tale, is there anything you would like to promote.”

“Short n’ Sweet comes out August, listen to it please it'll make me feel better from this. Watch the WNBA they're really cool and watch WCBB they're really cool too.” Biding everyone goodbye while still panting a little.

“Those wings got you good hm baby?” Paige says while driving to a McDonalds to get you a ice cream you almost demanded for.

“Paige, honey, I love you but I swear on everything I love I will make this car crash if we don't get ice cream. I can feel my face melting off.” You claim not even looking at her too busy trying not to keep sniffling.

“Ok ok we're almost there,” she can't help but laugh. I mean can you blame her, you were excited to do this a few hours ago now you look light you lost a fight.

After finally getting you your ice cream it's like your mood did a complete 180. “Thank you my love,” you say as you kiss her all over her face showing her how much you wanted that ice cream.

“The switch-up is crazy,” Paige says while chuckling at your attitude and holding your waist.

“I can stop.”

“Now I never said that come here mama.”

I'm slowly defrosting y'all (I'm losing my mind.) ANYWAY, I hope you guys enjoyed this <3

Kiss the sun 🌞

[ssentimentals]

seventeen members as love tropes: jun

arranged marriage

'i looked into your eyes and wished all of this was true'

very few things can faze wen junhui - blank stares and emotionless facial expressions are on top of the things he mastered since childhood, because not letting anyone know what you're feeling proved to be an effective tactic in his family. which, he guesses, says a lot about his family but junhui is not someone who gnaws on the fate. it what it is, he's too self-aware of how many people would kill to be in his position to ever feel sorry for himself. but right now? when he stares at the name of his future wife neatly written next to his in a marriage contract? he thinks he's allowed to feel just a tad bit sorry.

'she's a lovely girl,' he hears his mother say. he then listens to multiple benefits this marriage is going to bring to both participants and while junhui is loyal and will never betray his family or the role they gave him in their business world, bitter taste in his mouth doesn't go away. he kind of wants to throw up or break something, but all he manages is a short: 'understood' and a curt nod to his driver, signaling him that they should go.

he meets you for the first time one week later and turns out that you are a lovely girl. obviously not thrilled at the idea of marrying someone your parents picked for you, but at least you're too polite and nice to lash it all out on junhui. he lets himself relax and open up a little, which then turns to a lot because there's something about you that makes him feel.. safe. secure. like he can actually say what he really thinks, talk about his feelings. it's equally freeing and scary.

'this doesn't have to become a nightmare for both of us,' you say quietly, looking up at him with serious eyes. 'we are both mature adults, we can work this out, right?'

junhui absentmindedly thinks that he hasn't seen you smile yet. he has a high suspicion that it suits you much more than this serious look and he suddenly really wants to see it. maybe be even the reason of it? 'i have no intention in making this horrible for you,' he answers sincerely. 'if anything, i'm really sorry that you've been dragged into this mess. i'll try my best to make it work for both of us, i promise.'

and ah, there is your smile. it does suit you way more and it did make junhui feel something funny in his chest. 'we have one week, wen junhui. let's make it count, yeah?'

and make it count you did. jun is nothing short of purposeful and he dedicated all of his planning to making sure this week before official wedding will be perfect. perfect in a way of it just being him and you without any distractions, learning more about each other. he watches you, listens to you, makes an effort to dig deeper and open up himself too and no one is more surprised than jun himself when week later he's actually excited to go and sign the papers.

'one ice latte and cinnabon bun for a beautiful girl with a sweet tooth,' he announces, carefully placing both items on the table in front of you. your eyes light up and light blush dusts your cheek and jun has never been more thankful for his attention to details and good memory. if he can make you smile like that just by doing such simple things, he's fine with doing them for the rest of his life. 'how are you feeling, my future wife? ecstatic?'

'almost fainting from enthusiasm,' you deadpan but smile you give him is real. 'what about you, my future husband? happy beyond belief?'

junhui pauses. answer comes out of his mouth before he can think it through: 'i am, actually.'

he watches your eyes widen at this and atmosphere changes from funny banter to something heavy and serious. and maybe he can take it back, but he doesn't want to. he is happy. god, he's more happy than he's ever been in his life, so excited of the prospect of having all this time to spend with you, to get closer to you, to maybe - just maybe, cause a guy can hope, right? - turn this arranged 'fake' marriage into something real. and it's probably so stupid to think this way, to be this attracted to the person you know for one week only, but he can't help it. you are good, and nice, and thoughtful, and funny, and oh so lovely - junhui is a strong guy, but he's not a robot, he couldn't not fall for you. his mind runs a mile in a second but it all quiets down when you reach out and take his hand in yours. slowly, like you're afraid to spook him, you interlace fingers together, clasping them in a tight lock. junhui stops breathing. could it be that you-?

'i am happy, too.' you say and you're serious and honest, he can feel it. 'i was so against this whole thing at first but then i met you and.. i'm happy, junhui. i'm happy that it's you.'

very few things can faze wen junhui - but you? you are the only one who gets past blank stares and emotionless replies, you get to see the real him and you somehow liked what you saw. just for that junhui is ready to give you the world.

'i promise we will work this out,' jun says, throat surprisingly tight with emotions. 'i promise this will not become a cage or a nightmare for you. i promise it'll grow into something...' beautiful just like you? lovely just like your smile? '..real.'

the smile you gift him is brighter than sun itself. 'something real?' you stand up and get closer to him. 'i'd like that very much, wen junhui.'

very few things can faze wen junhui - but you? his hand shakes when he signs the paper and for the first time ever he feels...hopeful. he takes one look at you and sees you already looking at him with a small smile on your face. with confidence, he reaches out and you meet him halfway, locking your hands together. for some reason, looking into your eyes, junhui is more than sure that this 'real' will work out just perfectly.

a/n: i know everyone is used to me being more poetic but my brain kind of shut down and this is what happened. hope you still liked it, let me know, come say hi! - nini

my other works can be found here

[rollinouttahere-writes]

And You'll No Longer Burn

Sanji x Fem Reader

6.1k words

Summary: Following the destruction of Germa Kingdom, the pirate crew you're part of is able to locate part of the remains of it in hopes of finding treasure. Instead of treasure, you are shocked to find a survivor among the ruins.

Warnings: takes place in an AU, reader is female but it's more so implied than anything tbh, graphic depictions of death and gore, insects, starvation, Sanji and reader are both teens in this, nothing romantic here this is purely platonic, spoilers from the wci arc

A little fic I made for Sanji's birthday this year. It's based on an AU I've had on my mind lately. This is definitely something I'm going to be adding onto and fleshing out more later.

If there’s one thing that you never tire of, it’s the air of adventure right before your ship hits land. The chattering of excitement as the island slowly comes into view, the way your fellow crewmates bustle around you as they prepare everything they would need, the fluttering in your heart as you think about what new discoveries await you. All of it is intoxicating and addictive.

“Land ho!”

A pang of thrill shoots through you as one of those things you love happens. You spring up from where you were sitting by the bow to look out at the approaching land. Well, you suppose it’s not really land. Germa Kingdom had been comprised of a series of platforms carried on the backs of massive snails. You dig out the telescope from the bag you had been packing and use it to get a better look since it was still too far out for the naked eye to see clearly.

When it comes into focus, the first thing that you notice is that you can’t see the snails supporting the platforms, which was admittedly a little disappointing. You can’t be sure if they’re beneath the water because that’s normal for them, or if they sank below the surface because they’re all dead.

“Alright everyone, listen up!”

The booming voice of the ship’s captain startles you and almost results in dropping the telescope overboard. You fumble with it for a moment as it bounces between your hands, then finally catch it. You sigh in relief, then quickly turn around to face your captain properly as he speaks.

Zeff moves to the center of the ship and does a quick look around to ensure that he has his crew’s attention before continuing, “We’re getting close now to part of the remains of Germa Kingdom. When we get there, all of you are to disperse and check the ruins for treasure or anything useful that might be left. Understood?”

A chorus of “yes, captain” echoes around the ship before everyone resumes their previous duties. Zeff, seemingly satisfied, nods and goes on the move again. This time headed straight for you. His feet create dull thuds as he makes his way to the bow, then stops and sits down on a nearby crate, crossing his arms as he stares at you.

His eyes flit down to your rucksack, eyebrows raised, and he looks back up at you, “You planning on parting ways here? You’ve got everything but the kitchen sink in that thing.” One of his feet hooks a strap and drags it closer so he can rifle through it.

You groan in annoyance and grab the other strap, trying to pull it back, “Dad! I just like to be prepared. Stop messing with my stuff, it took forever to make it all fit.” Your attempts to retrieve your bag are absolutely useless, Zeff’s leg doesn’t even budge as he starts pulling things out and dropping them on the deck.

A sleeping bag, some firestarter, and a first-aid kit are all discarded by him. With some effort, he manages to pull out a small skillet you crammed in there. He pinches the bridge of his nose and gives you a look, “You do know that we’re only going to be here for a couple of hours at most and not several weeks, right?”

“I already told you. I just want to be prepared for anything that might happen. What if one of the platforms comes loose and drifts away when I’m on it?”

Zeff heaves a sigh and rests his arm on the railing of the ship, then props his chin up on his fist. “If that happens, we’ll follow it and get you back. You won’t be lost at sea for more than a few minutes. You definitely won’t need to be starting a fire or taking a nap in that timeframe.” 

“Yeah, well,” your eyes glance downward to find something you can give a valid reason for needing. They settle on the first-aid kit, and you confidently look Zeff in the eyes again, “But I could get hurt and need to take care of myself. Or maybe I’ll find a survivor who needs help!”

A dry chuckle slips out of your father, “A survivor? There aren’t any of those after a buster call. It’s honestly a miracle that any of the platforms Germa Kingdom consisted of are still afloat.” Despite his reaction, he does lean down to pick the first-aid kit back up, “But I suppose it isn’t impossible for you to get hurt climbing around the destroyed buildings.”

“See? I-”

Before you can celebrate your perceived victory, he holds up his hand to silence you, “But you still need to unpack most of this. How do you expect to carry anything you find back if your bag is a hairpin away from bursting at the seams?”

“Oh, that’s easy.” You drop down and pull open another compartment, then yank out something, “I packed another bag.”

The bonus bag is snatched out of your hands instantly by a disgruntled Zeff, who then rolls it up and smacks the top of your head with it, “Just empty out the first bag! You’re going to tip over the second you try to put on the first one, much less the second.” He drags a hand down his face and levels you with a glare, “You’re giving me white hairs, you know that?”

You roll your eyes at his baseless accusation, “You’re blond, you can’t even tell if you have any.”

He glowered at you more, not that it did anything to actually intimidate you, “Don’t sass me, you snot-nosed brat.”

This makes you bristle. You put your hands on your hips and stomp your foot, “Ugh! Quit calling me that! I’m fifteen, I’m practically an adult!”

As per usual, your outburst left Zeff entirely unphased, “Only a child would think that being fifteen makes them “practically an adult”. A real adult knows that you’re still a child at that age.”

“Whatever!”

Now Zeff was rolling his eyes. He quietly grumbled under his breath, “Such a damn handful.” He shakes his head as he gets back up to his feet, “You’re lucky that I still keep you around. Now empty out that bag of yours so you’re only carrying what you actually need. I’m going to check before we split up.”

Recognizing that there was no point arguing with him, you sigh dramatically and acquiesce, “Fiiiiine. You win this time.”

His gruff expression breaks as he chuckles, then reaches out to ruffle your hair before walking away. You stick your tongue out at him behind his back as you fix your mussed hair. Your sight falls on your rucksack yet again. Perhaps you did over pack it. A little. 

By the time the purging of your backpack had finished, the Cooking George was right next to the remains of Germa Kingdom. The sails were lowered and a couple of your crewmates leapt onto the platform to tie some ropes to it to keep the ship from drifting off while you all explored. The now much lighter backpack is slung over your shoulders, and you hurry to join everyone else in jumping off the ship and onto “land”.

Once you're standing on the railing, you can't help but stare out in a silent awe of the destruction before you. You've never seen the aftermath of a buster call before, and while you knew it would be bad, you were still surprised by the pure devastation in front of you. Nothing was left intact. There wasn't a single building left standing. The once proud kingdom was nothing more than a desolate pile of rubble. 

But there was something else that caught your eye, a detail that hadn’t been noticeable through your telescope. Dead bodies were everywhere. Most of them were wearing identical uniforms, though there were a handful in your immediate sight wearing different attire. 

A hand grabbing your shoulder snaps you out of your trance, and you would have lost your balance if not for that same hand keeping you steady. 

“Having second thoughts?” Zeff is staring down at you with a neutral expression, neither pushing nor discouraging you. “You can stay here and watch the ship if you want to.”

The question makes you shake your head and meet his stare with one of your own, now filled with a renewed sense of determination. You were a pirate, a Cook Pirate. The last thing you wanted to do was shy away from something just because it was a little off putting. “No, I want to go. I was just surprised… I didn't think it would be this bad. Do you think we'll even find anything here?”

“Hard to say… If the Vinsmoke’s had anything in vaults, that may have survived. And that's me assuming we're the first people here. Every pirate in the area was no doubt looking for any surviving platforms in hopes of finding treasure.”

“The Vinsmoke's?” The name didn't sound familiar to you. Were you supposed to know who they were?

Zeff stared out at the destruction before you, “Never heard of them? That was the family that ruled this kingdom. The head of the family ran this country with an iron fist, but then he got too cocky and gave the Marines a reason to wipe out everything he ever worked for. Now this is all that is left, and with everyone dead, it’s only a matter of time before their whole existence is completely forgotten about.

“But enough about that,” you were abruptly lifted off your feet as Zeff grabbed you by your rucksack and jumped to the platform. It groaned upon impact, but ultimately held strong. You were set back onto your feet, and he gave your bag a shake. “Seems like you actually listened to me for once. Did you remember to pack a lunch for yourself?”

“Sure did. Made it myself.” You make an attempt to start walking so you can explore, but you're brought to a halt because Zeff was still holding onto your backpack. “What’s wrong?”

Before he even answers you, he unzips your bag and starts rummaging through it, “I just want to make sure what you packed is edible.”

You groan in annoyance, “Dad, I know how to cook! Have some faith in me!” You squirm in an attempt to get away, but his strength surpasses yours by a wide margin. 

Entirely unsympathetic to your protest, Zeff pulls out your lunch box and pops the lid off, scrutinizing it. He lets out a quiet ‘tsk’, then snaps it shut before pulling his own out of his bag, “Unacceptable. Here, just take mine.”

“There's nothing wrong with it, you're just being difficult!” Ignoring the one being offered to you, you lunge forward in an attempt to grab your own. 

Zeff easily side steps you and holds it out of reach, “I'm being difficult? That's rich coming from you. Just take the damn thing.”

His attitude makes you huff and cross your arms. “You know, I'm starting to think that the reason you keep swapping our lunches is because you like my food more than your own.”

“Oh, please. Now you're just getting full of yourself,” he rolls his eyes dramatically. Which is precisely what you wanted. 

As soon as his eyes leave you, you leap up and grab your lunchbox. Your feet hit the ground, and you immediately break into a sprint, running in a random direction. You can't help but laugh when you look over your shoulder and see your dad looking visibly startled. 

“I'll see you later! Love you!” With that said, you return your focus to what's in front of you.

All of the fallen structures makes it hard to decide where to even begin. You slow to a jog as you survey your surroundings, hoping to see something, anything, that sticks out and screams ‘There's treasure over here!’ to you. Alas, it doesn't seem like it's going to be that easy. 

What you were seeing, however, was more of the corpses. You were already able to get a whiff of them from the ship, but now you were in the thick of it. The grotesquely sickly sweet smell of death was assaulting your senses and threatening to make you lose your breakfast, but you managed to keep it down despite the rising bile at the back of your throat. Vomiting would only make this place smell even worse.

Despite knowing that it was a poor idea, your eyes couldn’t help but drift to the dead surrounding you. The bodies were bloated and a white foam was dripping from many of their mouths. Some of them had their organs spilling out, either from the attack or as a result of scavenging wildlife tearing them open. There was also a mix of disembodied limbs scattered all over from the bodies that weren’t able to stay together under the force of the buster call. Both bodies and limbs had insects swarming around them. Your stomach once again threatened to revolt when you saw maggots writhing in the hollowed out eye sockets of a nearby corpse.

You come to a stop after a while in an area where the bodies were more sparse and shrug the rucksack off your shoulders. If Zeff had given chase, he absolutely would have caught up with you by now. Might as well put your lunch away before you drop it and waste the food. That, and frankly you doubted that you would be having anything resembling an appetite before you returned to the ship. And took a long shower. You unzip it and put the meal away, but then you hear something. 

clang clang clang

The noise distracts you from the task at hand, and you pause to listen closely to ensure you aren't just hearing things.

clang clang clang

Okay, you definitely heard that. But exactly was ‘that’? Did one of your crewmates find something? Maybe they were able to uncover one of the vaults Zeff had mentioned. 

Regardless of what it was, it sounded like they needed help with it. You zip your backpack shut and put it back on quickly before hurrying in the direction of the noise. It didn't sound far away. You're pretty sure they're just on the other side of this pile of rubble. 

Climbing it is a little challenging. The crumbling bricks and stones keep shifting under your hands and feet as you scale the pile, but you eventually get to the top and look down. While you hadn't necessarily known what to expect, it certainly wasn't what you saw. 

Someone was at the bottom, but it wasn't anyone from your crew. You lower yourself, pressing your body down against the torched building materials as much as you can to avoid detection as you assess the situation at hand. 

The person- male, it would seem- was sitting down and holding a rock. On his head was what appeared to be an iron helmet that completely obscured his face, at least from your point of view; though you could see what appeared to be blond hair sticking out of the bottom of it. His clothes were torn and burnt, and what you could see of his body wasn't any better. He was covered in injuries from the neck down. Cuts, bruises, and burns littered his skin and left him encapsulated in a sheen of red. His chest is heaving, and you're able to hear his ragged breaths from where you're hiding. Then he raises the rock and brings it down on the front part of his helmet. He does this over and over again, seemingly trying to break it.

Was this… a survivor? It makes sense considering the severity of his injuries. But how did he survive a buster call? Your dad said that no one ever survived after one of those. But what your dad said doesn't matter right now. This person needs help, and you're going to give it to him. You push yourself up onto your feet and call down to him, “Hey!”

The stranger damn near jumps out of his skin, dropping the rock and scrambling back as his head snaps up to you. You're able to see that there's a slat in the helmet for his eyes, and they're wide and terrified. 

Oh, right. He's clearly been through a lot. Yelling at him probably wasn't your best call. You hold out your arms in a placating manner as you carefully begin making your way down to him. 

“Sorry about that, I didn't mean to scare you. I'm not going to hurt you, okay? I just want to help.” The voice you speak in is much more calm and soft now, but he doesn't look any less scared. You make it to the bottom, stumbling a bit when you make the final leap. 

Now that you're right in front of him, you pick up on a detail you had previously missed. This man was emaciated. It looked like he hadn't eaten in weeks. Looking at his helmet, you think you can surmise why. The slat in it is only wide enough for his eyes. Both his nose and mouth are covered. Even if he could find food in this wasteland, he wouldn't be able to eat it. 

Taking slow, steady steps towards the trembling survivor, you speak to him again, “It is stuck? Your helmet, I mean. Do you want me to help you get it off?”

He shrinks back more, but he responds to your question, “K-Key… I can't find the key.” His voice stuck out to you. He sounded so young. You had assumed him to be a man, but it sounded more like he was a boy.

It needs a key? Your eyes widened at the new information. Finding a key in all of the rubble would be next to impossible, and that's you generously assuming that it wasn't broken. But… you do know how to lock pick a bit. It'd be worth a shot. 

You pull out a bobby pin from your hair and hold it up for him to see. “I know a thing or two about picking a lock. Will you let me try? Please?”

For a moment, all that he does is stare at you, and you're worried that he's going to be too scared to let you help him. But then he nods slowly and turns around, presenting you with the back of his helmet where the keyhole is. 

A sigh of relief escapes you at the cooperation, and you mutter a quiet thank you as you approach him. The plethora of tears and burns in his shirt gives you an all too clear visual of how dire his state is. You can clearly make out every vertebrae in his spine from how underweight he is. The wounds on his back are severe and showing very obvious signs of infection. The sour smell of it makes your face scrunch up and you have to suppress a gag. If it weren’t for the rotting corpses desensitizing your sense of smell, you’re not sure you would have been able to.

What you need to focus on is getting this helmet off, then you can escort him to the ship and pray that doctor Chervil happened to stay behind. You start to jab your hair pin into the lock, hoping that it's simple and will click open easily.

It takes a few tries, but it thankfully unlocks without much hassle. First you hear the click of the lock, then what sounds like a metal plate dropping. The boy's hands jut up and grab the helmet. He hunches over as he frantically tries to pull it off, prompting you to leap into action to help him. You move to be in front of him and hook your fingers under the base of the helmet.

The damned thing is holding onto his head with everything it's got. You're about to leave to run down one of your crewmates to help when it finally gives. It pops off, sending you stumbling back and falling onto your rear. 

Landing ass first onto a bunch of bricks and stones is enough to leave you groaning in pain and needing a moment to collect yourself. By the time you refocus on the matter at hand, the boy is on his knees and hunched over. His hands are threaded through his lengthy, clumped together hair as he rocks himself back and forth. 

Your eyes drop down to the helmet in your hands. What's most striking about it is the weight. It was heavy. Carrying it in your arms would become uncomfortable after a short while. You can't imagine what it would be like to wear it. 

And how long had he been wearing this thing for?

The helmet is tossed away as you get to your feet. You carefully approach the boy, then sit down across from him, close but with a respectful distance. As much as you want to rush him back to the ship, he's so skittish that you're afraid he'll run away if you push too hard. You've already earned at least a little bit of trust from him, you don't want to throw it all away. It's obvious that he won't be able to survive much longer if left alone. 

His rocking stops as soon as you sit down. Through his shaggy hair, you can faintly make out his eyes intently staring at you, watching closely for any indication that he needs to act in the name of self preservation.

Slowly, so as to not spook him, you hold out your hand to him. “I'm (Y/N). What's your name?”

All that you get in response is his prolonged stare flitting between your face and outstretched hand. His own hands remained firmly planted in his hair and showed no signs of returning your friendly gesture. Understandable, you suppose. With everything he has going on, it's not hard to imagine why he might not be paying mind to things like social etiquette. Poor thing is seriously injured and starving. 

Starving…

That's right! You have food on you right now. Your hand is withdrawn and you hastily shrug off your backpack. The quick movement makes the survivor flinch, but you don't stop your movements, instead choosing to sooth him with words.

“It's okay, I'm just getting something for you. You're hungry, right?” The question was entirely rhetoric, but you were talking to fill the silence. The lunchbox is pulled out, and you smile as you crack open the lid and hold it out to him, “Here. It's all yours.”

Despite your words of encouragement, all that he does is stare at it, visibly dumbfounded. After a moment of inaction on his part, you take initiative and pick up the spoon. You scoop up a good-sized bite of food and bring it to his lips, “It's good, I promise. I made it myself.”

Finally, much to your relief, he opens his mouth, allowing you to feed him. The spoon is withdrawn and you focus your attention on getting another mouthful for him.

Soft cries catch your attention, and when you look back, you can see tears running down his face. His head is raised enough that you can finally get a good look at him. Not only did he sound young, he looked it too. Early teens if you had to guess. His sallow face served to emphasize how large and round his blue eyes were, and you could see some patchy attempts at facial hair growing on his chin and upper lip. You also couldn't help but take note of the way his eyebrows were… swirled? That's a first for you. 

He hiccups and lets out a sob, “It's so good…” 

There's a painful pang in your heart at the sight, but you force a smile onto your face while holding out the lunchbox to him again, “Well, there's more where that came from. Please, take it.”

After a moment of hesitation, his shaky hands reach for it, brushing against yours in the process. You keep your hands on it for a second to ensure that he has a good grip on it before relinquishing your hold. Now that you've seemingly gotten through to him, he's enthusiastically wolfing down the meal. You doubt that it'll last more than a minute or two. A part of you questions if giving him this much food is really a good idea given his current state, but your desire to get anything into him overrides that fear.

Movement under his shirt catches your eye and momentarily leaves you simultaneously confused and disturbed. Was he infested with insects like the bodies? But wait, that lump under his shirt is too big to be some bugs. What the hell is that?

Then, a small head pokes out through a hole in his shirt, by the shoulder. It was a small, gray rat. Its nose wiggles as it sniffs the air, then quickly climbs the rest of the way out of his shirt and scurries down the boy’s arm. You’re about to try to smack it off him when you see Sanji stop eating long enough to grab a piece of food, then hand it to the rat. He rubs the top of its head with his finger for a second before resuming his meal.

Is that rat his pet? Must be. You can’t help but be touched by the fact that he was willing to share his food with something most people, yourself included, saw as nothing more than a pest. It makes you feel a little bad for wanting to get rid of it.

While he eats, your mind is running in all directions as you scramble to figure out what to do? A part of you wants to leave him here and bring the help to him due to his weakened state, but you're afraid that you won't be able to find him again if you do. Given the state of this place, everything looks the same. And with the way he's nestled in what is effectively a valley between mounds of destroyed buildings, it would be really hard to spot him. 

Your attention flits back to the survivor. He already finished your lunch and was now licking the container clean. Maybe he'll have the energy to walk with you to the ship now that he has some food in him. It isn't too far away, and you're optimistic that he trusts you enough to agree to follow you. Yeah. That seems like the best course of action. 

With a plan settled on, you nod to yourself and reach down to unclip the canteen on your belt. You unscrew the lid and hold it out to the boy with a smile, “Thirsty?”

The smallest hint of a smile tugs at his lips as he takes it from you, then guzzles the water inside of it. His smile gives you more hope that he'll be willing to cooperate with you. He stops drinking momentarily, then cups his hand and pours a small amount of water into it for the rat who eagerly starts lapping it up.

Making conversation about his pet should help to get him more comfortable with you. “Is that your pet? Does the little guy have a name?” 

His eyes drift down to his companion, a small smile still gracing his lips as he nods. He gently pets the rodent again as he speaks in a soft, albeit scratchy, voice, “Yeah… his name is Choux.”

“That’s a cute name.” You scoot closer and reach out to scratch Choux’s head. The rat allows you to, even leaning into your touch. “He’s so sweet. You must have taken really good care of him.”

“I tried to… He’s all I have.” The somber statement makes your heart ache. You can’t imagine what he’s been through. Not just from surviving a buster call, but whatever he must have endured prior to that. Based off that weird helmet he was wearing when you first saw him, he may have been a prisoner. And if his cell was underground, that could explain how he didn’t perish with everyone else. 

The last thing you want is for his miraculous survival to be in vain. You need to get him some help as soon as possible. Just as you're about to ask him if he felt like he could handle a brief walk, you're interrupted by the sound of some bricks rolling down the pile to your right. 

Your new friend cowers immediately and snaps his head up in the direction that the bricks came from, and his pet scurries back into the safety of his shirt. You follow his gaze, and what you see is the biggest relief.

“Dad! I'm so glad that you're here! I found a survivor and he's hurt real bad! We need to get him back to the ship!” You jump up onto your feet and wave at him as if he can't already see you. 

Zeff is staring down at the two of you with an unreadable expression. Before you can make a move to climb up and tell him everything, the boy latches onto your arm and pulls you down. The move is unexpected enough to make you lose your balance and fall back with a yelp. The second that you're on the ground, his arms wrap around you, pressing you against his chest. 

When you turn your head to look at him, his eyes are wide and his teeth are bared. His posture reminds you of a terrified, cornered animal.

In an attempt to soothe him, you gingerly rub one of his arms, being mindful to not touch the many wounds on it. “Hey, it's okay. That's my dad. He might look tough, but he's nice. I promise,” your voice is low and you try to make it as soothing as possible so as to not rattle his nerves any more than you already have. 

“A survivor? Is that so?” Zeff is slowly making his way down to you, and the boy's hold tightens on you with each step. He scrambles back, dragging you along with him. 

It doesn't take long for Zeff to get to the bottom, and when he does, he effortlessly grabs your arms and wrenches you out of the boy’s grasp. He eyes you up, presumably checking for injuries. His next words confirm that, “Did he do anything to you?”

“No, no! Nothing like that! I found him when I was looking around. He had this helmet,” you point over to where it's laying, “on his head, so I helped him take it off. And then I gave him my lunch since he's starving. Which, might I add, he said was really good.”

“Look at the state of him. He would call dog food gourmet.”

“Be nice!” you swat at Zeff’s arm with a scowl on your face. You shake your head, reminding yourself to stay focused. “Whatever. We need to get him back to the ship. He needs help. Is the doctor still on board?”

Zeff doesn't answer at first, instead choosing to stare down at the boy. The survivor is pressed up against a pile with a rock clutched in his hand, but with how hard he's trembling it's hardly an intimidating display.

“What's your name, kid?”

You're about to admonish Zeff for focusing on such a detail right now, but he holds up his hand to silence you. You heave a sigh, but keep quiet. Admittedly, you are still curious about what the boy's name is since he refused to say it earlier. 

At this question, the boy bristles and shifts uncomfortably. He looks down at the ground and squeezes the rock tighter before quietly muttering, “I… don't have one.”

“Well, we have to call you something.” Zeff examines him, arms crossed and drumming his fingers on his side. You aren't sure if he's trying to think of a name, or if he's hoping that the boy will cave and fess up if he waits long enough. 

You decide to brainstorm a name for him as well. Whether he was being truthful about not having a name or simply didn't want to associate with his old one anymore, you wanted to give him a new one. 

Regrettably, it would seem that every name you've ever heard has evaporated from your brain. You stare hard at the nameless boy, hoping that you'll note something about him that inspires a name. Your gaze settles on his unique eyebrows that you had gawked at earlier, and it hits you. 

“What about Arlette?” 

The swirl of his brows reminded you of the buttery, cinnamon flavored pastry Zeff made with you a while back when you were sailing through a winter climate. You just hope that the boy won't be offended over being named after a dessert. 

Much to your relief, his blue eyes shine, and he perks up at the proposed name. He nods vigorously and you get another glimpse at his ghost of a smile. 

“Arlette… I'm Arlette.” His voice was just as hoarse as it had been before, but there was a glimmer of emotion to it now. A wide smile breaks out across your face at the sight of him being happy. But, happy or not, he was still in rough shape. There really wasn't time to waste. 

You tug on the jacket sitting on Zeff’s shoulders to get his attention, “Hey, is Chervil still on the ship? You didn't answer me before.”

“No, he isn't. He thought it would be best to be out walking around in case anyone hurt themselves while climbing on all this mess.”

Dammit. That isn't convenient at all. Who knows where he even is right now. You gnaw on your lip, feeling unsure of what to do now. 

“You're dead set on helping this kid, aren't you?” Zeff heaves a sigh and shakes his head, “You're too damn soft to be a pirate, you know that?”

His comment is eye roll inducing to you, and you're quick to retort, “Yeah, well who raised me to be this way, dad? Hm?”

You make your way over to Arlette and pull him to his feet. He wobbles a bit at first, then finds his balance, but his hands don't leave yours. 

“Didn't I just talk to you about sassing me, you brat?” He turns his head, pretending to examine the horizon or whatever excuse he would elect to use this time if pressed for one, but you can see the smile tugging at his lips. “Just worry about getting Arlette there to the ship. I'll go run down Chervil.”

There's the Zeff you know and love. “Thanks, dad! You're the best.”

“Yeah, yeah. I know I am. Just go.” He waves you off as he turns his back to you.

Not needing to be told twice, you keep a firm grip on one of Arlette's hands as you begin to climb. It's going to be a slow process, you can already tell, but you know better than to try and push him to go faster than he can handle. 

You've only made a few feet of progress when Zeff calls out to you again, “Wait.”

He quickly climbs up to where you two are and pulls off his jacket, then drops it onto Arlette's shoulders. “He's such a damn twig that he's going to freeze as soon as the wind hits him.” Typical of Zeff after doing a kind thing, he makes himself scarce, lest he hear someone (you) point it out. In the time it takes you to blink, he’s already scaled the rubble and vanished from sight.

A quiet chuckle escapes you, and you turn your head to look at Arlette, “See? Told you he was nice. He's just grumpy about people noticing that fact.”

Arlette is staring down at the jacket with a perplexed look on his face. His free hand comes up and his fingers ghost over it as if to confirm that it’s really there. Choux makes a reappearance, popping out of Arlette’s shirt yet again and sniffing at the coat. He climbs out, then scurries over to a pocket on the breast of the jacket before happily curling up inside of it with his head poking out just enough to be able to see.

Zeff probably isn’t going to be all too happy about you bringing a rodent onto the ship, but you’ll cross that bridge when you get to it. The last thing you want to do is separate Arlette from his dear pet.

You gently tug on Arlette’s hand to encourage him to keep moving, which he does, “So, Arlette, have you ever been on a pirate ship before?”

[strayrockette]

His Eyes on Me: Part Three

Masterlist/Part One-Part Two

Summary: The summer festival is in full swing, Natalie and Lacey try to encourage her to talk to Benny. She gets some practice later on in the day.

A/n: This chapter went through SOOOOO many drafts and edits. I'm so glad to get it out of my sight and excited to see your guys' response because yah girl over here could not STAWP gigglin'

The sound of our laughter echoed lightly around us, and the sweetness of vanilla ice cream melted on my tongue as I half-listened to Natalie and Lacey giving me what they called “The Benny Crash Course.”

It was their latest attempt to prepare me for any future run-ins with the guy who’d been on my mind a little too much since we’d met. Every day since our awkward first encounter, my thoughts had drifted back to his piercing blue eyes and the calm way he’d answered my question, like he had no problem just staring at me. It was disarming, to say the least.

"Next time you see him, talk to him," Natalie urged, her eyes serious but her lips twitching with a smirk. "Just be your normal, funny self. You’ll be fine."

I couldn’t help but snort into my ice cream, leaning forward and shrugging with exaggerated comical disbelief. “Or I could… you know… run away? Worked last time.”

Lacey burst out laughing, nearly spilling her own ice cream. “No, no! Talk. You will use words,” she teased, giving me a dramatic point with her spoon, her expression all mock seriousness.

I straightened up, tapping my chin thoughtfully as if considering something very serious. “Or…” I drawled, leaning back with a mischievous grin, “I could not talk to him. Save myself the embarrassment. That sounds pretty ideal.”

Both Natalie and Lacey stopped in their tracks, giving me the most synchronized deadpan expression I’d ever seen. “Absolutely not,” they said in perfect unison, their matching glares enough to make me crack up.

I sighed and playfully threw my hands up in surrender. “I don’t know, pretending he doesn’t exist seems like the best plan. Ignoring problems always works, right?”

Lacey shook her head, barely containing a smile. “Oh yeah, because pretending a tall, handsome guy who’s clearly into you isn’t real? Great strategy"

Natalie was a bit more direct. “You’re doing that thing again—acting like you’re not interested when we both know you’ve been thinking about him.”

I shot her a half-hearted glare but couldn’t hold back the smile tugging at my lips. They weren’t wrong, as much as I hated to admit it. “He makes me nervous"

“Sweet pea,” Lacey said, sidling up beside me and throwing an arm over my shoulder, “it’s okay to be nervous but trust me. The next time you see Benny, you’ll be fine. Just don’t run away like you did last time.”

Our conversation faded as we walked aound the park. Hopping around as we enjoyed the summer sun and the activities the festival offered. The park was alive with excitement—bright lights strung up along the trees, the sound of a live band playing upbeat tunes, and the sweet smell of cotton candy and caramel wafting through the air. The whole scene felt like something out of a postcard, the kind of night where you could forget about everything else and just get lost in the moment. Lacey and Natalie had wandered off to check out one of the game booths, and I had strayed from them, my eye on the cotton candy stand at the edge of the festival.

My stomach growling at the sight of the pink, fluffy treat. The line had dwindled, and as I stepped up, I fumbled around in my purse for some change. Of course, everything but money seemed to surface—lipstick, an old movie ticket, gum wrappers. I sighed in frustration, digging deeper as the vendor waited patiently. The music from the band drifted through the warm night air, and I could hear people laughing and enjoying the festival behind me.

Just as I found the coins I was searching for, someone slid in beside me. The movement was so casual, like they had been standing there all along, but it caught me off guard. Their chest brushed against the back of my shoulder, and I froze as the scent of cologne, leather, and cigarettes hit me all at once. It was familiar, intoxicating in a way that sent my heart into overdrive before I even looked up.

I knew who it was before I turned my head. Benny.

Benny didn’t say anything as I looked up at him, his expression unreadable, and cool. My brows furrowed slightly, caught off guard by the sight of him in a place like this. He didn’t seem like the type to be at a festival—too rough around the edges, too… out of place in a crowd full of families and kids. I hadn’t expected a guy like him to show up somewhere so bright, so cheerful. He didn’t exactly blend into the backdrop of laughter and neon lights. He dropped coins into the vendor's hands.

My eyes flickered to the vendor, who was holding out the cotton candy I’d ordered. His hand was expectant, and I blinked, shaking myself out of my thoughts. With a quick smile, I mumbled a quiet, “Thanks,” to the vendor and grabbed the candy, stepping away as I tried to maneuver around Benny.

“Thanks for paying,” I added quietly, not daring to look up at him as I said it. My voice came out a little too soft, the words awkward and uncertain. Something about him made me feel disoriented like I couldn’t quite think straight when he was this close. I tried to draw some encouragement from Lacey's earlier words, you'll be fine, just don't run.

Without a word, Benny fell into step beside me, moving as if it were the most natural thing in the world. His hand settled gently on my lower back, a touch so casual, so familiar like it had always been there. My heart raced at the contact, a mix of confusion and nerves surging through me. Why was he even bothering? He didn’t know me—not really—but he sure acted like he did.

I could feel the warmth of his hand through the thin fabric of my dress, and it made it hard to focus on anything but the steady thrum of my pulse. I didn’t understand what he wanted—why he was even here, walking with me like we had some kind of history. It felt… strange. And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to pull away.

I stopped walking, turning slightly so I could glance up at him, my heart still pounding in my chest. “Why are you here?” I asked, the question slipping out before I could stop it. It wasn’t accusatory, just… curious. I couldn’t figure him out. Benny seemed like the kind of guy who belonged in smoky bars or speeding down empty highways, not standing beside me at a festival, surrounded by kids and balloons.

He looked down at me, his gaze steady, cool as ever, but he didn’t answer right away. The silence stretched out, the sounds of the festival fading into the background as we stood there, just the two of us, the world shrinking around us.

Finally, he spoke, his voice soft but tinged with amusement. “I could ask you the same thing.”

His words hung in the air, and I hesitated for a moment, the weight of his gaze making my stomach flutter. A small part of me wanted to retreat, to let the nerves win and shy away. But instead, I found myself pushing through, the edges of a playful smile tugging at my lips. You'll be fine...

“Well,” I said, my voice trying for cheeky but betraying a bit of my nerves, “I’m wondering what a big tough biker guy like you is doing at a festival. Not exactly your scene, right?”

The moment the words left my mouth, I felt a surge of both relief and anxiety. I’d said it—teasing him, pushing back a little, trying not to get lost in my nerves. But still, I couldn’t shake the rush of heat that crept up my neck, the way my heart thudded against my ribs as I waited for him to respond.

Benny’s lips twitched into the faintest hint of a smile, and his hand, still resting lightly on my back, pressed just a bit more firmly.

“Maybe I just like cotton candy,” he said, his voice low and teasing, that playful glint in his eyes making my heart skip a beat.

I let out a soft laugh, shaking my head. “No, try again,” I said, my nerves starting to fade as I tilted my head slightly, my eyes twinkling as I looked at him.

Benny’s smile widened, just a little, but enough to show me he was enjoying this just as much as I was. He leaned in closer, his voice dropping an octave, his breath warm against my ear as he spoke again. “No,” he repeated slowly, his eyes locked on mine. “I didn’t want you slipping through my fingers again.”

My breath hitched at his words, my heart racing, but the smile on my face didn’t falter. I bowed my head attempting to hide away from his eyes.

“You’re cute when you’re nervous,” Benny said, his voice low, teasing, but with an edge that made my heart flutter.

The words sent a jolt through me, my cheeks flushing a deep pink before I could even think of how to respond. I tried to play it off, brush it aside, but the warmth spreading across my face was undeniable. The familiar nervous energy surged inside me, and an embarrassed giggle slipped out before I could stop it. Instinctively, I raised a hand to cover my face, as if that would somehow hide how completely flustered I felt.

His gaze—intense, unwavering—was too much. Too close. The way his words lingered between us left my mind spinning and struggling to catch up. I let out a soft laugh, more to relieve the tension in my chest than anything, and spun on my heels, desperately trying to regain some semblance of composure.

But Benny wasn’t about to let me slip away that easily.

I heard his footsteps behind me—steady, deliberate, as if he knew there was no point in rushing. Within moments, his long strides caught up with mine effortlessly, and suddenly he was beside me again, walking in step with me like it was the most natural thing in the world. His presence was magnetic, pulling me in despite my best efforts to distance myself. The space between us felt heavy, charged with something unspoken but impossible to ignore.

“You’re runnin' away again?” he asked, amusement dancing in his voice.

I shook my head, laughing softly despite the fact that my heart was still racing in my chest. I glanced over at him, the teasing smile still lingering on my lips. “What? A tough guy like you can’t handle a good chase?” I raised an eyebrow, adjusting my grip on the cotton candy, trying to keep my voice steady despite the wild fluttering of butterflies in my stomach.

Benny’s smirk deepened, and his eyes glinted with that playful spark that always made me feel both nervous and excited at the same time. “Oh, I can handle it,” he said, his voice low, smooth, as he stepped a little closer. “But you’re not making it much of a chase.”

His words sent a shiver down my spine, and I could feel the warmth of his body brushing against mine as we walked. Our steps fell perfectly in sync.

I laughed again, there was something so intoxicating about the way he moved beside me, the way he spoke, the way he looked at me.

“Now that you mention it,” I said, tapping my chin thoughtfully, trying to regain some control over the situation, “I think it’s about time for me to run away again. Catch me later?”

I flashed him a playful smile, my heart still pounding as I looked up at him through my lashes. It was a half-joke, half-challenge, and I could feel the heat rise in my cheeks again.

Benny’s smirk widened, his eyes darkening with something that sent my heart racing even faster. “You can try,” he murmured, his voice soft but sure, his gaze locking onto mine with that quiet intensity that made it feel like time had slowed down.

I swallowed hard, my breath catching in my throat as his words settled over me. I glanced down at the cotton candy in my hand, suddenly hyperaware of everything—the warmth radiating off him, the way our steps still moved in perfect harmony, and the fact that, deep down, I didn’t want to run. Not really.

“So what?” I stopped, turning to face him fully, standing even closer now. My heart pounded in my chest, but I didn’t pull away. “You gonna follow me around all night”

Benny stepped closer, his chest nearly brushing against mine, his gaze never wavering. His hand hovered near my arm, not quite touching, but close enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him. My breath hitched as his presence filled the small space between us.

“Maybe,” he said, his voice softer now, lower, the teasing lilt fading into something more serious, more deliberate. “If that’s what it takes to keep you from running.”

"You're serious" The weight of his words dawning on me. I laughed, "Why would you waste your time following me around?"

His lips curled into that familiar smirk, but it was softer this time, more genuine. “Who says it’s a waste of time?” he replied smoothly, his voice low and calm, like he had the whole thing figured out and was just waiting for me to catch on.

My heart was pounding so loud I was sure he could hear it. The air around us had shifted, pulling us closer together, and I couldn’t help but imagine what it would feel like if I leaned in just a little more if I closed the distance between us. My eyes flickered to his lips for the briefest second before I caught myself, but not quickly enough.

Benny noticed. Of course, he noticed. His smirk softened into something more real, more genuine, and his gaze held mine, steady and unwavering. My face flushed again, and I glanced down at the cotton candy in my hand, trying to gather my thoughts.

“What if I said ‘please, don’t follow me?’” I asked, tilting my head and biting my lip, hoping he’d let me off the hook. But Benny just chuckled, a low, warm sound that vibrated through me, shaking his head as if the very idea was amusing.

I laughed nervously, looking away from him and back at the carnival lights, trying to find some relief from the tension building between us. “You’re somethin’ else, you know that?” I muttered, shaking my head.

Benny just shrugged, effortlessly calm, like he had all the time in the world. “Maybe.”

“So what, you follow me all night,” I continued, turning back to him, still caught up in the strange, magnetic pull of this moment. “And then what? How does that end?” I asked, my voice soft, curious, but underneath, there was something else—a question I didn’t know how to fully ask.

He didn’t answer right away, silence thick with anticipation.

“Guess we’ll have to find out,” he finally said, his voice soft but firm, the promise of something more hidden in those words.

“No,” I said, my voice soft but steady, a smile curling at my lips as I shook my head. “Can we skip the whole following me around thing and just get to the point?”

For a split second, something shifted in Benny’s expression. Maybe it was surprise, or amusement, but it quickly faded into that calm, confident look he always wore. He stepped closer, and I held my breath, fighting the urge to run away.

His voice dropped, low and rough, like gravel under a boot. “Get to the point, huh?” His eyes flickered to my lips for just a beat before locking back onto mine, his gaze unwavering. “And what exactly do you think the point is, peach?”

The intensity of his stare, the unspoken implication behind his words, sent a rush through me that I wasn’t prepared for. My mind blanked, and for a second, I couldn’t think. His presence, his closeness, the way he was looking at me—it all felt like too much and not enough at the same time.

I glanced around, trying to gather my thoughts, the carnival lights blurring in my peripheral vision. My feet rocked slightly as I shifted my weight, searching for the words, for anything that wouldn’t make me seem completely out of my depth. But all I could do was feel the charge between us, my pulse racing in time with the chaos swirling in my chest.

“I don’t know,” I finally said, my voice breathy, my heart pounding harder as I looked back at him. A grin slowly spread across my lips, my pulse daring me to play along, to push back against the tension. “But I hope you can keep up.”

Before he could respond, I turned on my heel, my grin widening as I dashed into the crowd, slipping through the throngs of people. The sound of carnival games and laughter swirled around me as I moved, my adrenaline spiking with every step. I didn’t dare look back, but I could feel the heat of his gaze on me, feel the thrill of whether or not he’d follow.

A part of me hoped he would.

As I weaved through the crowd, the lights flickering overhead, I could feel my heart still pounding, a rush of excitement buzzing through my veins.

-

“YOU RAN AWAY AGAIN!” Lacey screeched, her voice echoing through the living room. I shrunk deeper into the couch, my cheeks burning as I fidgeted with my fingers, trying to suppress a giggle.

“…maybe,” I muttered, unable to keep the smile from spreading. But the memory of darting away from Benny had me both embarrassed and oddly excited.

“This is no laughing matter!” Lacey was losing it now, pacing in front of me like a storm about to break. “YOU LITERALLY HAD HIM RIGHT THERE, AND YOU RAN!”

Natalie, far less dramatic, swung her feet lazily in the air as she lay on the floor flipping through a magazine. Without even glancing up, she smirked and said, “I bet he’ll tie you down next time he sees you.”

I bit my lip, my stomach doing a flip at the thought. “That’s not... no, he wouldn’t,” I protested, but the way my pulse quickened at the idea told a different story.

Lacey stopped pacing long enough to level me with an incredulous look. “Oh, he absolutely would. After the stunt you pulled? I don’t think he’s going to let you slip away so easily next time.”

I hugged a pillow to my chest, my mind racing back to the way Benny had looked at me, the way he’d closed the space between us with just a look, how he was right there, and I still ran. “I panicked,” I mumbled, more to myself than to them.

“You panicked?” Lacey threw her hands up. “Girl, if he had looked at me like that, I’d have thanked him.”

Natalie chuckled from her spot on the floor. “I think you liked running. Adds to the chase.” She shot me a knowing look, and I sank further into the couch, burying my face in the pillow.

Maybe she was right.

Taglist: @prettybubblesintheair, @storiesfromafan, @aleemendoza2425-blog, bellesdreamyprofile (I figured you would like to blush some more 😉💕peachcobblerinmymumsbasement

[sp-growingpains]

"Hey dude! Wanna leave your Pokémon with me for a little while? I'll take good care of 'em! Just come back to check on 'em soon!"

The Pokémon AU has taken over my thoughts! I have very many ideas in my head and no time for doodling, so I'm just gonna info dump about Jean! (The others will get their own post!)

🧡 So she's the one who runs the daycare in my little AU

🧡 She tried to be a Pokémon trainer along with the Main 4, but she really didn't like listening to her Pokémon get hurt

🧡 Her Litten is named Captain, and it got poisoned one time by a Weedle, and Jean rolled up on it

You ever punch a bug and also get poisoned?

🧡 She got a few gyms in before she decided battling just wasn't for her. So she turned that big old house with all that land her parents gave her in their will into a daycare!

🧡 She's a little clumsy with it at first so she hires some people to help her! Heidi and David work with her!

🧡 Along the way, she ends up adopting a Grookey someone left behind. It lashed out at her a lot, often leaving a lot of marks from its stick! Eventually, they came to terms, and now he's a big ol' Rillaboom named Vinny! He and Captain are best friends and they have matching patch jackets

🧡 Oh! Captain does eventually evolve into Incineroar! Because I started an Ultra Sun playthrough and her starter was a shiny, I'm carrying that over. That's why Jean dresses in a lot of reds and whites

🧡 He is just as goofy as her. Say something that neither of them understands, and they'll both give you the same confused head tilt. Like - ❓️❓️❓️

🧡 I kept that she still grows up close to Stan so of course, those assholes have to have at least one similar Pokémon! They have Toxtricitys - Jean just has the Amped form while he has the Low Key form. (Their friendship makes me so happy. Sue me.) Her name is Viv!

🧡 Jean also raises a Houndour puppy into Houndoom! It's a little temperamental, and she loves her baby to death. She'll scoop it up and hug it, treating it like it's still her baby.

He secretly loves the affection, but he has a reputation to uphold. He will bite the top of her head, and it won't even faze her. She'll just sit there with a goofy smile.

🧡 His name is Brann, and he takes his job as the protector of the daycare very seriously. If there are any intruders, he's the first to deal with them. He also tends to the baby Pokémon with Jean, making sure they behave and are safe.

🧡 Captain will do something similar, but he's usually the fun one while Brann is the strict one. Captain also tends to the eggs more. He'll hold them and keep them warm. He'll fall asleep sometimes on his back and the other Pokémon will fall asleep around him for warmth.

🧡 This next one was a little hard because I couldn't decide between all the different snake Pokémon! I liked the idea of her having a Syviper, but she'd honestly have an Onix. Big rock baby. He tries to help, but he's a little clumsy. He's also very excitable, so sometimes he'll tear through the field. His name is Rolin. Rolin is the one who wakes Jean up by sticking his head in through her windows. He adores it when other Pokémon climbs on him and will trot around with them proudly!

🧡 Her last Pokémon is an Obstagoon she found digging through her trash as a Zigzagoon. When they first meet, he runs away from her a few times. She wins him over by playing music for him. The little Pokémon goes to run like it always does but stops when he hears her strum on her guitar. He ends up coming closer, and they sit together for a little while. He doesn't become her partner until he's already a Linoone! His name is also Jean. She giggles every time she tells people this.

🧡 She doesn't grow any of the berries herself. Instead, she supports the farmers around her and buys them! She keeps plenty of different types of food for the Pokémon left in her care. Luckily, Heidi is around to help. Jean (the person) and Captain are banned from the kitchen after a particular incident where she tried to cook with his fire.

🧡 David is the one who writes up the schedules and makes sure people stick to it. He's also the one who does inventory! He sends Jean out to retrieve it.

🧡 A lot of people think he's the one in charge of the daycare. Which he thinks is absolutely hilarious. Because you'll have this very mature, polite young man taking your Bonsley from you, and then there's this woman charging head first into a Taurus, playfully wrestling with it in the background.

"That's very sweet of you, but uh, no that's the owner."

- Honestly, there's so much more I could go on about, but I'm gonna stop for now! Maybe when I learn to draw Pokémon I'll doodle the shinangens, but for now, I wanna work on the others! Thanks for reading if ya did. Your meat is huge and I adore you.

[ivysangel]

in an alternate universe partition was written about dick grayson because it's so him i just KNOWWW he'd do that shit!! with his cocky smile and everything 🤭

NONNIE NONNIE NONNIE !!!!!!! saw this ask half asleep while checking my notifs and had to force myself to get some rest instead of answering it bc i got SO excited even in my delirious half asleep state. obviously i'm listening to it rn while writing this, like NONNIE ??? i'm smiling, literally not joking i'm cheesin like a fucking loser. quick ro lore before we get into the GOOD stuff: massive beyoncé stan, MASSIVE partition stan !!!! massive music lover and pop culture fiend too like this might just be my favorite ask ever. anyway.

who said in an alternate universe bc it's definitely this one. i literally ghostwrote the song with dick grayson in mind err? like i do just wanna be the girl he likes (everybody point and laugh). like the song, aside from being about super hot sex, is about being so into your partner that you'll give everything to them, do anything for them, put all this effort into catching their eye as if you don't already have it. 'take all of me i just wanna be the girl you like' (cassie in euphoria s2 is that u?) IS SOOOOOOOOOOO REAL TO ME !!!!! like i would do anything for him. (side note, why am i listening to partition and hearing jay on the bg vocals? like am i going insane orrr)

(everything under the cut is just smut)

'he popped all my buttons and he ripped my blouse/he monica lewinski'd all on my gown' and 'took forty-five minute to get all dressed up and we ain't even gon' make it to this club' ??? oh exactly. you put all this effort into looking good for him, and unlke CASSIE in eufuckingphoria season 2, it works out for you oh my god it does. 'driver roll up the partition please/i don't need you seein' yoncé on her knees' bc...car sex. but you're not going to a club, no it's a wayne enterprises gala and you don't even get there until hours later because you're almost fully naked in the back seat getting dicked down by dick grayson !!

'handprints and footprints on my glass, handprints and good grips all on my ass' ugh real music literally real fucking music. you're straddling him as he manspreads, cock buried in you, and your fingernails are digging into the black leather seats. his ties been loosened, shirt opened, and there's red smudged on top of blooming hickeys. the glass is foggy, the only semi clear parts being your handprints from when the pleasure got overwhelming. 'now my mascara runnin', red lipstick smudged/oh, he so horny yeah, he want to fuck' like it's dick grayson, he'd fuck you into next week on a normal day so ofc he'd do it when you get all dolled up. ofc everyone's wondering when pretty boy grayson's gonna make an appearence in front of the flashing cameras. 'over there i swear, i saw them cameras flash' rolls down the partition just a smidge, to tell the driver to park somewhere private so you're not caught in an extremely compromising position. not that he really cares, everyone already knows he gets play anyways, it's more about your comfortability. tits out and pussy facing the world, on the cover of tmz and shit bc he got just a bit too cocky. no never that.

'cheauffer eavesdroppin' tryin' not to crash' you and the driver both end up getting a tip that night. he's sorry, he really is. but he just couldn't resist you, not when you were dressed like that. your intention was to have amazing mind blowing sex with dick that night but not in the back of a moving car. 'driver roll up the partition, please/i don't need you seein' yoncé on her knees' bc it was just supposed to be some quick head and now his pants are ruined, your dress is torn, hair messed up on both ends, and the amount of hickeys between the both of you is concerning.

you'd do it all again tho, and he knows you would. shit, he would too !!! and that's so evident in the way he teases you for the next few weeks about it. asking if he should take the dress to the dry cleaners knowing it looks like you'd been in a fight, suggesting you wear the lipstick shade from that night, asking if you need a cheauffer anytime you have to go anywhere, and giving you knowing looks everytime someone asks why you guys showed up at the gala over an hour late. "wardrobe malfunction and car trouble." he says with a smile. it looks normal to whoever you're talking to but you know it holds a level of cockiness that is so completely unfathomable, a level of cockiness he only gets when he fucks you.

(got a little carried away nonnie my b. ughh how i love a good lyrical breakdown, even out of order lol. seriously, this made my day. literally woke up and got straight to it. did not proofread this bc i...just woke up lmao)

[live-laugh-lenney]

feeling ###nosy if you feel like telling what are your current works in progress 👀

i'll give you a few sneak peeks below of some current wips! hoping to get these out as soon as possible; some are just taking a bit longer than others to work through. <33

as well as getting locked in posted, i've got another lengthy arthurtv fic started off, in the early stages (and i've left a sneaky peek down below here) where the reader is george's best friend and falls in love with arthur so i'm excited for that one to take off!

a lot has been started so hopefully they'll be with you soon but enjoy these sneak peeks! the prompts are in bold and italics! x

George was having a terrible day (for any reason) and he’s down and gloomy about it, but the reader (a friend of his) takes care of him and makes sure he’s okay and long story short they fall in love and end up doing it on his couch while Arthur and Chris are away.

"don't be mad at me."

silence.

"yn, please."

he caught the lingering side-eye that she gave him and a smirk toyed at his lips.

"i'll get on my knees and beg if i have to," he states and the hollow of her cheek became a dimple as she chewed on the flesh inside her mouth, "oh, i see how it is. you want me to beg, don't you?"

the cushions move beside her and she's jostled around as he stands himself up from the sofa and, suddenly, a wave of cool air replaces the heat from his body that he emitted. the television being hidden behind his body and he adjusted the t-shirt that had ridden up his body and had become untucked from his jeans. and she really can't look away from him when he's kneeling before her.

she tries to keep the annoyed look on her face... except... it was hard when he knelt down in front of her, hands flat on her thighs, with a look in his eyes that held a lot more than apologies.

"please, stop ignoring me. i can't deal with it," he whispers, his eyes are level with hers and his orbs are a darker shade than normal, and she can sense her own mirroring his demeanour, "i need you to look at me, i need you to talk to me, i need you to stop being so annoyed with me because i'm an idiot."

his fingers were dangerously close to a zone that would have her like putty in his hands, melting into the cushions around her, completely at his disposal.

"jesus christ," he grumbles lowly, like he needed a pep-talk with his mind to confess what he needed to say, "i need you, yn."

please can you write something with arthurTV and reader going through a dry spell and putting an end to it !!

placing a hand on her back, he retracts it quick once he realised she didn't hear him enter the room, her whole body jumping at the sudden appearance of his touch.

"jesus, arthur."

"i'm so sorry," he laughs softly, setting her mug of tea down in an empty space on her desk and making sure it was away from any piece of paper that seemed important, "i thought you heard me come in."

"i had my music on," she says and slips her headphones down from her ears, letting them hang around her neck and she leant over to pause the song she was listening to, "honestly, i thought you'd have gone home."

"why?"

he moves to stand behind her so he could take in her desk; paper all over the place, scribbles and spider-maps on all of her ideas, chewed pen lids and ripped up post-it notes that weren't that important to her thought pattern.

"because i've been stuck in here all night with work on the brain," she frowns and he shakes his head, "you can go home, if you wanted. i'm not much fun right now and i wouldn't blame you."

"it's okay. i actually like being at your place as opposed to mine," he shrugs with a smile and presses a kiss to the top of her head, burying his nose into her hair as he laid both his hands on her shoulders and gave them a gentle squeeze, "but you should take a break, lovie."

"i can't."

"of course you can," he says softly, digging his thumbs into the nape of her neck and giving her shoulders a soft massage, feeling how the tension building up in her muscles disappeared at his touch, "come on, at least come and have a little nap if you're planning on pulling an all-nighter."

"arthur-"

"or, at least let me help you relax," he drops his head and he whispers the words softly into her ear and she can't help but let her head drop back into a position that collided softly with the back of her chair, "i miss you."

"i can't," she grumbles softly and looks at the way his face twists up in a quick look of frustration that was soon masked with a look of upset, "i want to, i'd love to, but i need to get all this done by tomorrow and i'm so close to being finished."

his lips press against her forehead and she closes her eyes at the soft touch grazing her skin, hands coming up the rest upon his hands that were still resting upon her shoulders.

for the last few weeks, she had been busy with meeting after meeting with brand-deal after brand-deal, talking with companies who were interested in her being the face of their products. spain, france and amsterdam had been places she'd spent three or four nights in, as part of a gifted trip she'd been invited on, and london had definitely been somewhere she had been excited to get away from.

she felt guilty.

she had been to all these amazing places for such amazing deals and opportunities, with new friends she'd met on the way, but she hadn't spent time with arthur. she hadn't been with arthur. and it killed her not to celebrate her achievements with him in a way they normally would.

"i've been really horrid, haven't i?"

i'm currently working on a best friend george x boyfriend arthur fic, too so here's a little something from that one!

“Do you ever wonder what life would be like if we never met? If I never came out that day?” George wonders, “I think my life would be quite boring.”

“I think my life would be even more boring,” YN laughs softly, “you’d still have all of this. You’d still have the podcast, the Tiktok, the Youtube channel, because the charisma that you have would have brought you this kind of life, anyway. The only exciting thing about my life is the fact that you’re my best friend.”

“That’s rubbish,” he shakes his head and sets his mug down on the table, “I think, one way or another, we’d have still ended up in each other’s lives. Just, not as soon as it happened. We were bound to have met eventually, whether it was that day or not.”

The office door opening brings YN’s attention away from George and to the brunette standing in the doorway, wearing a shirt that was almost identical to her own, a nervous look on his face once he realised he’d interrupted something. George’s head turned to follow where her eyes were looking, hand coming up top to wave the other guy in, allowing him to come and join them.

“Arthur, this is YN.”

“Hi,” Arthur smiles sweetly, extending his arm and his hand in an opportunity to shake her hand. To which she gladly mirrored, extending her own arm towards him and wiggling her fingers, their palms connecting in a soft yet hearty shake, “George has told us all so much about you, already. It’s nice to put a face to the name.”

YN couldn’t lie… Arthur was cute.

The handsome-kind of cute with the chiselled jawline hidden beneath the faintest amount of facial hair, shaggy brown hair with a fringe that covered his forehead, lips so pink and soft with brown eyes that held a lot of depth and emotion and she found it hard to look him in the eyes as she said her hello’s yet she found it difficult to look away from him when she finally gained the courage to make eye contact. 

“I mean, you’re all over George’s Instagram so it’s nice to finally meet the guy who he seems to enjoy the company of. I’m not sure whether I should be jealous or not,” YN teases him softly and Arthur lets out a breathy laugh, shaking his head and looking to his feet, “I love your t-shirt, by the way. Considering we don’t know each other, we’re matching today.”

It took Arthur by surprise when she stood up and he saw, in full, the same Natural History Museum logo printed across her chest which matched the same one printed on his own chest, just on different coloured cotton. 

“I seem to attract nerds, don’t I?”

and i also have a prequel started for this fic here!

“Meet me in the bathroom.”

YN felt his warm breath wash over the skin of her neck, the smell of orange juice hanging in the air from the Sex On The Beach he had clasped in his hand with a soaked straw that had been chewed upon with each sip he sucked up, a shiver running down her spine as butterflies bounced around the inside of her stomach. His arm snaking around her waist to pull her closer so he didn’t have to shout or speak loudly over the music bumping in the air, her black flush to his front, her body tensing underneath his touch.

All night, the two of them couldn’t stay away from each other.

From the moment she had walked through the door to Simon Minter’s birthday party, later than the time she told them she would be there, he was attached to her side. The first one to say hello to her, the first one to greet her with a kiss on the cheek, the first one to offer her a seat in the booth and the first one to take her jacket and place it with his so it wouldn’t get lost. He sat beside her in the booth that himself, George, Chris and Arthur Hill had taken their place in for the night and he brought her her drinks throughout the evening, refusing to take one off of her when she offered to buy a round. He kept a close eye on her everytime she got up to dance with Talia or Faith, watching every movement she made when a song they loved came on because he didn’t want anything to happen to her, always weary of where she disappeared off to when he took his eyes off of her for a brief second… only to let out a sigh of relief when he saw her standing at the bar as she topped up her drink.

No one else existed in his world when she arrived. His conversation with George dwindled out when he watched her walk over to them, his attention moved from making Chris the butt of his jokes when she joined in the conversations, and his behaviour changed now that she was amongst the four of them. 

The sexual tension between the two of them almost suffocating.

“Now?”

He nods and drops his hand from where he had placed it upon her hip, slowly dragging it down her body and letting his fingers trail slowly down her thigh and just beneath the hem of her dress, and she felt her knees wanting to buckle under his soft touch.

[spaceprincessem]

last day for robstar week and im pretty excited about this one. still set in that time of when the brotherhood of evil plot was going on. this is based around the song creatures in heaven by glass animals (which is such a good fucking song) and feels very much like a big robstar song so please go listen to it! also more robin angsat heh @robxstar

day 7 - playlist

it tears through my head, does it haunt you too?

never really said that i loved you, too

lucky, lucky you, 'cause i'm fortune's fool

such small words but they hit so huge

He’s almost there he’s almost there he’s almost there—

“You never said their tower shimmered.”

Robin’s hands come to rest gently at Starfire’s waist as he pulls away from the crook of her neck. There’s a mark in the shape of his teeth blooming beautifully against her tanned skin he desperately wants to trace with his tongue, but he tilts his head and looks out the small, attic window.

In the distance the Eiffel Tower is lit up in gold, sparkling against the Paris night sky. It’s memorizing to watch, even more so when Starfire is silhouetted in the light. She’s soft and warm beneath his touch, his fingers digging a little harder into her skin if only to hold onto this moment just a little bit longer.

He feels a little drunk.

Both from the champagne they bought and the taste of the alien space princess still hot and heavy on his tongue. 

It’s nearing three in the morning and their time is running out. Different missions on nearly opposite sides of the world hang over them like a cloud of doom. They were able to see each other only by chance and a little bit of luck and while Robin likes to follow rules when it comes to these sorts of things Starfire always seems to be the exception.

As soon as his ship lands his communicator is in his hand, the dial tone grating against his ears. 

It was a trap. 

All of their hard work — their sleepless nights and weeks apart — mean nothing now. The Brotherhood was always one step ahead, always lurking around the corner, and they were always going to beat Robin at his own game.

He has no one to blame but himself.

“Starfire,” his heart is in his throat, “are you okay?”

“I am,” she responds quickly, but slightly confused, “but I fear Argent is not.”

He waits for the rush of relief to wash over him, but it never comes. They are all in very real danger and he’s on an island in the middle of nowhere.

“Robin,” Starfire says after a moment, breath catching in her throat in the way it does when she’s nervous, “there is no one here.”

Stay where you are, I'm coming for you — is what he wants to say, but he never gets the chance. 

“I wish we had more time.” Starfire murmurs, finally looking away from the lights.

Her hands move to cup Robin’s face and he pulls her closer, the sheets falling into a messy pile around them. 

“It won’t be forever.” He says, has been saying the last couple of weeks.

Because they can’t keep living like this. It’s not good for them or any of the Titans. He knows they’re all ready to go home. He can see the light at the end of the tunnel and it’s the only thing getting him through the thought of leaving this tiny bed in an attic room in the middle of Paris with Starfire. 

“I know.”

Their foreheads touch, eyes fluttering close. 

They both have to go soon.

Robin thinks he should give them a better show. 

He should beat and pound at the glass until his knuckles are ravaged and his nails bleed. His blood should smear the prison they’ve put him in; a sign that he’s going to fight until the very end. 

Except, he’s alone right now. 

He can hear the fanfare going on through the wall and it won’t be long now, but he doesn’t really have the energy to give it his all, at least not until he’s out in the open. He’s always been a natural performer. 

Right now he lets himself fall apart.

He failed the Titans around the world. He failed his friends. He failed Raven and Cyborg and Beast Boy. He failed Starfire. And there’s some part of him, that deep aching part that lives right in the marrow of his bones, that tells him not to give up, but he’s tired. 

He lost.

Maybe he deserves this eternal punishment.

“I think I will be quite bored when all of you Titans are gone.”

Robin grits his teeth, hastily wiping at his eyes before Madame Rouge can see just how fragile he is. She waits for him to turn around, a knowing smile spreading across her face when he finally does. He’s surprised one of them has waited this long to gloat in private. He supposes the Brain wants a more public humiliation.

They don’t say anything for a while, the silence only broken by a chorus of insidious cheers from the other side of the wall. Robin’s not here to give her anything else, not that he has anything to lose anymore.

“She really was beautiful.” Madame Rouge says after another moment of heated silence. “Did you tell her that you loved her too?”

Robin’s jaw quivers with rage. 

This doesn’t belong to anyone but him and Starfire. 

He swallows back all his anger and hurt, but it doesn’t have anywhere else to go, so it sits like a weight in his stomach, threatening to drag him down to the core of the earth where he will vaporize into dust. 

“I love you,” Starfire says, kissing the corner of his mouth, “I love you.”

Robin kisses her back. He holds her tight and kisses her deeper, harder. The sweet taste of champagne mixes with the briny salt from the tears trekking down his face, but they don’t stop, they don’t stop.

“No?” Madame Rouge’s grin twists into something wicked. “Pity.”

She disappears before Robin can scream or fight or tell her to fuck off.

It’s not fair. It’s not fucking fair. Because he does love her. He loves her so much it terrifies him sometimes. It’s always been so dangerous to love another person like that and not just because they’re heroes. Robin knows grief; it follows him like a shadow. He knows what grief can reduce you to, the monster it can make you become.

But loving Starfire is worth it.

He loves her.

He loves her.

He watches her leave through the open window, their fingers intertwined until the very last second.

It’s not until the shimmer from the Eiffel Tower catches his eye does he realize he never said “I love you too.”

Robin closes his eyes, fate accepted.

He told them it wasn’t over. That he wasn’t giving up.

But he gave up the moment Starfire was gone.

I love you too.

[j3ff3rs0nhshdhsk]

True love

clarification: this is my first time here so... I hope you like it, I'm not a good writer but I'll try for you. tags: punishment and apologiesJonathan Davis, the vocalist of Korn, was your boyfriend, he and you had an unhealthy relationship, because he mistreated you when you didn't bring money home, you didn't make food, he was very abrupt with you in every way, to a point that one day he almost killed you, but despite everything you still love him because you are blinded by his false promises that have you stupid and clinging to himOne day he arrived drunk, kicking the main door of the house causing some of the edges to fall to the ground, he began to stagger without caring that he had left the main door of the house open, his red and tired eyes looking for you throughout the house to teach you a lesson without you having done anything to him.You were sitting on the bed sewing a tablecloth while you hummed a Beatles song, moving your head and legs to the rhythm of your humming, putting the needle in and out of the fabric forming a flower. You were so connected that you didn't realize that Jonathan was leaning on the door frame of his room with a frown, radiating anger.He uncrossed his legs and walked towards where you were, he quickly snatched the sewing from your hands, throwing it on the floor and then trampled it with his boots full of mud. You just covered your mouth and tried to hold back your tears since that tablecloth was not just a piece of fabric that you had been sewing for hours but it was also going to be a gift for your grandmother, you had seen that her furniture was covered in embroidered rags and you wanted to make them too. but to give it to the dear people, you couldn't contain your tears so you just covered your face, the more you showed your weakness the more furious Jonathan got, to which he took your wrists and folded your hands back making you scream in painJonathan: listen to me carefully, stop crying over a piece of tablecloth, who the hell wants a stinking cloth embroidered by your crooked hands? I will give you a very good lesson for being so weak and pathetic.He released your wrists to which you rubbed them carefully so as not to hurt yourself, you continued holding your right wrist until you heard the jingle of Jonathan's belt, you opened your eyes and turned slowly to see what was going to happen to you just now, when you stopped moving your head in the direction of his pants you had not realized that he no longer had his pants or boxers on, without hesitation you quickly got up from the bed, moving away from him as quickly as possible however. He was faster and caught up with you, taking your hand again, pulling you towards him, causing you to collide with the edge of my bed, falling flat on it.Just when you were about to get up, he immobilized you by putting his hands around your arms, which made the bed sag. He began to dig his nails into your soft skin, which caused it to quickly turn red. You tried not to scream, gritting your teeth, enduring that pain. Out of nowhere, he stopped digging his nails into your skin and took both of your hands in his big hand. He grabbed his belt that was on the floor and tied it to your wrists, keeping your hands. On top of your head he pushed you to the bed again, causing your head to crash on the floor, which made you close your eyes. Jonathan climbed on top of you and began to move his crotch with yours, making your pussy hard with excitement despite his blows and rough attitude. You had to admit that you always liked him treating you like that, something that he also liked despite having hidden loving feelings due to his careless behavior.

Be continue...

[crucifiedbymypriestess]

Hey, it's me again! As you know, I was excited to write Dark!Charles, and these are some quotes from before he drown in the darkness of his conscience, he is fr fr an absolute lost cause.

None of those works are published yet, but it'll be on AO3 soon. I'm also will posting about other cherik FICS.

Once again, forgive my English, I also translated it with Google this time. Feel free to correct any grammar/language misspells.

With a broken heart and a recent abandonment, Charles is tempted to be no longer fearing his own telepathy.

Some quotes:

"I keep asking myself if there is something about me that makes everyone abandon me. If my love, my emotions and my words always show that I'm so desperate, that my mind wants to grab his, dig in my nails and turn them both completely into one, because only then my love could be understood."

"...But I liked it. I liked that because only then I can feel a pain so deep, that I certainly call it mine, and only mine.

Only in that way I can feel my heart being only mine, my mind only listening to me, and for a brief moment I only..."

"It hurted me, but he left as if nothing had happened, with his figure upright. I remember crying and complaining about the sharp, dull pain in my back.

My mind was desperately trying to reach his, but his direction was empty and quiet. But my projections never stopped, they were transmitted loud and clear only to Erik. Just...

Please, Erik, turn around, please look at me. Don't go, Erik, please. I love you, I love you, I'm sorry. Please don't abandon me, I can resist more, I will never complain, but stay.

Erik disappeared leaving a trail of red smoke like everyone else next to him, but my heart felt that Erik turned into ashes until his body mixed with the sand of the beach in Cuba."

"Maybe if I resist, in the end there may be a reward for me, a little more and maybe something will shine in front of my eyes.

Enduring so much pain, I can't give up now, just a little more and in the morning I will have a happy ending, and I will only be able to hear myself, and I will feel my own hands, I will feel my own skin, I will be loved and kissed, and I will like it, I will. . I will love, and it will tickle me, I am so sure. Just a bit more of waiting."

"I hate him.

Why it has be so difficult? I'm tired, and I really wonder if this is really necessary, if the times I see the love of my life again, it will be to be judged and led into a fight that I don't want.

Maybe it's best for us to say our goodbyes and bury our love, stay with our good memories..."

"Help your people, Charles. If you owe anyone anything, it's us. You can't keep defending humans, Charles! They plan to exterminate us!

I don't want to be anyone's hero, Erik. I... I'm serious, I'm tired."

"I don't owe anything to you, or anyone else, Erik. Why is so difficult to understand that for once I would like to be the one who can choose himself? Are you going to steal my life and the decisions in it like you stole my sister?"

"I never asked about this, I don't want it. I don't want to be the one, to rescue anyone, please, just... everyone go on their own."

And that's all, lol. Me on my way to give old men abandonment issues. Still not satisfied with the writing, but I'm getting better time to time, I'm getting there!

[kazumahashimoto]

i do nooooooot have the energy to write a whole fic but i'm having aerith/cissnei brainthoughts so come along with me

> the whole thing starts with this scene i have in my head of zack and cissnei at costa del sol 👍 (NOTE: i don't really see zack and cissnei as being romantically involved with each other, but they have the same girlfriend and that gives them a warriors bond)

they're both in their swimsuits Chillen and talking but cissnei's sitting with her knees to her chest trying to subtly cover herself up a bit and she keeps looking at zack's top surgery scars. zack gets to make a "my eyes are up here" joke and cissnei gets a little embarrassed because she wasn't looking at him like That but zack laughs it off. she asks when he got them done and zack explains it was a few years ago now ("that's so young!" "does shinra care?" "well...").

she still looks a bit uncomfortable, so zack offers her his shirt from his bag. she gives him a deadpan look and he says he doesn't mean it like That, just that she doesn't look comfortable. she accepts the shirt and throws it on, explaining after that she DOES like the swimsuit she got, she just feels... and she trails off. zack continues, that you aren't allowed? cissnei looks a bit shocked and he laughs again, saying it took him a long time to feel comfortable taking his shirt off around other people too. just goes to show! anybody can feel nervous about stuff like that. cissnei feels a bit more comfortable now so she relaxes and lets her legs down. zack mentions aerith, ("actually, have you guys already met?" "no, i only know Of her, watching her has been tseng's job.") and that she might be able to help more than he could. he texts aerith to let her know he wants to introduce them, and aerith is very excited<3

> next time zack is in midgar, he brings cissnei below the plate with him to go meet aerith!

i like to imagine cissnei gets wrapped around aerith's finger pretty immediately LOL. aerith is such a little shit and a flirt, and she's got that captivating air about her that makes you wanna keep listening. cissnei is PUTTY.

i'm leaning towards the idea of zack and cissnei coming down in uniform? as much as i love my scene zack, i think aerith seeing cissnei all done up in her suit first is cute<3 she can call her dashing. and then getting to see her in her civvies becomes more soft and intimate. (note: i'm kind of on the idea that cissnei is a bit of a baby butch?? particularly i think her in like a baseball cap and a big shirt with cargo shorts is fun. like her and zack have similar fashion tastes, zack is just more alternative. the two of them wearing the same outfit just in different colors and accessories makes me laugh 😭)

later, aerith asks if zack minds that she was flirting and zack says "are you kidding? two of my favorite people getting along, what's to complain about?" aerith smiles and replies "good! then i won't complain about your little blonde friend!" and zack stumbles over his ass. I'M STRAIGHT. I AM STRAIGHT. (note: don't flirt with other people without asking/telling your partner first in real life 👍)

> jumping ahead a bit, when zack and cloud get captured, cissnei completely disengages from aerith without saying anything. i'm not sure how much the turks, but cissnei in particular, were clued in to what was going on with them Upfront, so i'm imagining cissnei does the digging herself. she finds some maybe some lab results from the experiments, gathering that SAMPLE S-Z can only be one person. there's nothing she can really do to get him out though, and she feels too ashamed to go back to aerith without good news, so she hides away, avoiding any job that could put them within proximity. aerith tries to ask tseng about her, but it's like talking to a brick wall. aerith of course is heartbroken even further, having lost TWO people here. maybe she writes letters to cissnei as well? switching off between the two of them? tseng collects them both and he Does deliver them to cissnei, but i'm not sure if she reads them. she does keep them, regardless.

> after zack escapes, cissnei still finds zack again. zack would be more immediately concerned about aerith, asking if she's okay, and cissnei stops him from asking a million questions, telling him she hasn't seen her either. zack is confused and asks why, and she tries to explain, saying she was ashamed she couldn't help, that she was part of the group doing this, that she still is, and what aerith would think of her. here, i think she would pull out her shuriken and fling it at him, saying she HAS to bring him back with her. zack slashes it away with buster and threatens her when she comes toward him. he does sympathize with her, he was following orders all the same before this had happened, but right now he needs to focus on getting him and cloud out of here. when cissnei follows zack back to cloud, i imagine it goes pretty much the same.

> the gongaga scene i think would be. a bit less jovial than it originally is. i don't know Exactly where zack was planning on heading ultimately, since he doesn't get aerith's final letter until banora, but i'm just gonna say he was heading to aerith anyway, and the letter only reassured his efforts with the idea that aerith had been waiting for him. so, he's still upset that cissnei left aerith behind intentionally, when he had no say in himself leaving her in the dark. cissnei reiterates that she COULDN'T see aerith again, not when she couldn't do anything to help, to protect zack. this strikes him, not having felt like he needed to be Protected since angeal. this is where cissnei tells him it was pretty dumb to come to gongaga, and the exchange goes mostly as normal, just a bit Less cheeky. zack requests cissnei keep him parents company, giving her a way to protect him in a sense. she agrees, and lets him go, still with the time limit.

> cissnei still gets tasked with taking zack back alive. i'm not sure what the turks want with zack, if shinra wants him dead i can't imagine it's to bring him back for hojo, but given the turmoil we see on cissnei's face when tseng tells her, i can't imagine it's good. she still follows the order though, the hope of keeping zack alive maybe outweighing the negatives, in her mind.

i picture reno and rude finding him first, since they're the last ones we see before the big fight happens. rude catches sight of all the blood and broken helmets and weapons first, followed soon by reno, grimacing and simply saying "shit." rude tells cissnei they found him, and the coordinates, and then him and reno land and survey the damage.

when cissnei gets the message, she flies over as quickly as she can. she similarly sees all the carnage and the dread quickly sets in. she sees where reno and rude are standing, their backs to her as they cover something awfully zack shaped on the ground.

as soon as she lands, she runs over and reno tries to hold her back from seeing, but she pushes past him to find zack's torn, shot to hell, bloody uniform empty on the dirt.

(when we see zack get pulled up to heaven, i imagine that was him being taken by the lifestream, which means his body should theoretically be gone by the time the turks find him, if i'm understanding the lifestream correctly)

she almost can't believe it, wanting to ask "where is he?" but she can't form words. i think she's still, for a moment, just looking in silence at how damaged everything is. she drops to her knees, hitting a patch of bloodied dirt, and searches the collar of the shirt for his dogtags. reno makes a sound of protest (they need those?!), but rude silences him. this is where she sees zack had been wearing angeal's tags too, and this is what snaps everything together. she snaps, crying and wailing, her free hand tugging her hair until rude kneels down to give her a hug and allow her to clutch his suit, still keeping the dogtags fiercely in her grip. reno rubs her back until she's calmed down.

she wipes her eyes and stands up with rude, clutching his arm and staring dead into his eyes through his sunglasses, demanding that she's going to gongaga, and he's coming with her so he can take her helicopter back. rude sputters, and reno says they can't do that, they can't just not bring cissnei back, and cissnei says she doesn't care. she has a promise to keep. exchanging glances, reno and rude concede, and they drop her off in gongaga.

> conceptually, i think the idea of avalanche meeting cissnei in gongaga is incredibly interesting!!!! it has the potential to create a LOT of gaps in the canon of the original game though, but so does cissnei knowing aerith personally, so. i'm fucking with shit a bit here. you'll forgive me.

i imagine when cissnei ambushes (?) them outside the town, she first sees cloud, how can you miss that dumb hair? she's shocked but happy to see he's still alive, but then she brings her gaze to the rest of the crew and she catches aerith.

aerith is too stunned for words. she'd already been anticipating the trip to gongaga would be rough, she knew this was zack's hometown, but she was in no way prepared to find CISSNEI of all people here.

cissnei quickly puts her wall up however, the stony turk exterior trying to block out the awful look aerith gives her when she ignores her in favor of showing them around town. she still offers her house as a place for the crew to rest, and aerith harshly tells cissnei how kind she is, and shuts herself in the guest bedroom.

cissnei feels hurt, of course, but she tries to ignore it by starting dinner.

EVERYONE can tell something is up with aerith, and tifa and cloud in particular exchange looks and then go to investigate. tifa goes to aerith, and cloud to cissnei, since she appeared to recognize him as well.

tifa tries to talk to her, but aerith hardly budges. "we used to see each other, it's a bit awkward is all," she says, but tifa can tell it's not just that. aerith says she'd like to be alone though, so she leaves her be, uneasy.

cloud is more harsh, asking upfront what cissnei did to aerith. cissnei tries to brush him off, but he's insistent, he can't leave aerith feeling like this.

cissnei does not explain herself to cloud, he has no right to her business, but seeing so many people at aerith's defense was really putting how much she had failed the two of them right in her face.

she enters the guest room and aerith says "tifa, i appreciate it, but i really want to- oh."

the two stand is silence before aerith huffs, "really? that's it? nothing?"

cissnei never was good at resisting aerith for very long, she apologizes profusely, and she tries to explain all what happened, she's crying and choking on words, and slowly aerith loses some of her anger.

i'm like SUPER hesitant to say cissnei tells her zack died, i think it ruins the flow of the story and i do stand by that, but. HOW CAN SHE NOT. she has to. this is fake and not real it's okay.

aerith can's say she's terribly surprised to find out, but that doesn't make it hurt any less. cissnei tells her she tried to help, she tried to get there first, she really did, but they were too late. she's so sorry. the two of them are both crying now, and aerith looks up at her from where she's sitting on the bed, and she lifts her arms to beckon a hug. cissnei runs into her arms and they cry together.

aerith doesn't forgive cissnei entirely, she thinks that was a stupid reason to leave her completely blind, and she's still angry, but at the same time cissnei is HERE. she can't take that for granted. cissnei promises she'll never do anything like that again. aerith accepts that. they kiss<3

> uuuyyyhhhyuyhh yea tifa and cloud gotta tell cissnei aerith died. getting aerith back and then having her taken away so swiftly again pisses her off. she's terribly sad as well, how could she not be, but she's also furious. MAYBE SHE JOINS AVALANCHE HERE. FUCK IT ALL.

and yea my phone is dying ok that's all i have for you now 👍

[ahungeringknife]

365: May 7

Cayde, rightfully, worried about the Guardian. That's how he thought about her in his mind because she couldn't figure out what she wanted to be called. At least not until recently and he was still wrapping his brain around it. But she still smiled. Had been in the Black Garden for days and still smiled. Pujari only dreamed of it between deaths and he never smiled. Not anymore at least. It was like the place sucked the joy out of you.

But she seemed... fine. Untouched by whatever was in there.

He heard her Ghost before he saw them. He was nagging her as he often did. Stand up straight, get some rest, eat something before you passed out. That kinda stuff. Cayde leaned casually against the table. Ikora and Zavala were gone for lunch leaving just him and the Lightless who coordinated the strike offensives. "Well if it isn't my favorite Hunter."

"Don't act surprised to see us, you told us to come here," Ghost said.

"Did I?" Cayde asked and Kassandra moved her helmeted head in such a way that was an eye roll. "How's tricks?"

'Fine,' she signed. The only difference between before and after the Black Garden was she signed more now. He was used to it when she was excited but now she just did it more. He'd messaged her mentor about it but Grey had just said it was fine, she did it all the time Cayde was just finally seeing it.

"When was the last time you ate?"

'Yesterday-

"It was a protein bar and that's it," Ghost tattled on her.

"You try any of the places around the Tower?" Cayde asked, not really waiting for an answer. "It's grub time. We should go."

'I'm busy-

"Of course!" Ghost said. She gave him a look Cayde could feel through her helmet even if it wasn't directed at him.

Cayde slid off the table and slung himself around her shoulders, hand grasping her far arm. "Well then I think you need to try some new food," he said, holding her firm enough that she couldn't dig her heels in and he just dragged her along. "My favorite shop only opens for lunch and since you're with me you'll actually get some food. They run out so fast," Cayde said.

"What is it?" Ghost asked.

"Ramen."

"What's that?" Kassandra asked.

"You don't know? Your mentor's been fucking up," Cayde scoffed as they left the Hall of the Vanguard. "Didn't even take you to a ramen place."

"We've been a little busy of late," Ghost said.

"Grey is a good mentor," she added, almost sounding annoyed Cayde would bad mouth Grey. Which was typical rookie behavior. Had to maintain your mentor's cred after all.

"Lacking if they didn't introduce you to the wonders of broth and noodles," Cayde insisted. Sundance transmatted them both down to a lower part of the Wall where there were eateries and shops along the top. Practically a neighborhood down here. He talked about nothing in particular just whatever came to mind and the Guardian- Kassandra- was a polite listener. You could talk her ear off and she'd just take it.

The eatery was fairly busy but they shoved some stools and tables around to give Cayde and Kassandra a spot. Standing room only at the ramen bar. "You're going to have to take this off to eat," Cayde said, rapping his knuckles on Kassandra's helmet. There were only four things you could order from the menu and Cayde ordered for them both when the waitress came over. He got the cosmically spicy ramen designed almost exclusively for EXO taste buds and for kassandra the normal which was still spicy but nothing too bad.

Kassandra signed, better in this place where it was so loud, after taking off her helmet. 'I was going to play Crucible, you know.'

'Shaxx will live with the disappointment of you standing him up,' Cayde signed back casually, his hands dipping into low hand on some words to make it read as more lackadaisical than normal. Kassandra laughed quietly into her hand. 'How are your friends?' he continued. He didn't normally keep up with every Hunter like this but this... he felt this was important.

'They're fine. Kaley and Rigel finally went on a date.'

'No way!' Cayde waved his hands erratically at that. He knew the two didn't exactly love each other what with Kaley being an upstanding Warlock and Rigel, from what he understood from Glitterbomb and Ikora, was a weirdo.

'Life and death situation you-

"What?" Cayde asked when she stopped herself.

"Uh..."

'What did you do?' he signed seriously.

'Nothing,' and it was so dismissive it made him upset.

'You can tell me. I won't tell the rest of the Vanguard,' he said and made a sign over his chest of a Hunter's Oath. One did not break a Hunter's Oath or it was a century of bad luck.

She grimaced. Then before she could say anything ramen arrived. Cayde let it go. "It's soup?" she asked.

"Ramen," he said.

He was not surprised she was immediately good with the chop sticks but looked at him to see how she should engage with this food. Cayde wasn't hungry exactly but he never missed an excuse for good ramen and this place was the best on the Wall; he dug in. Andal and Tevis had said the way he liked it was hot enough to temporarily damage the inside of their mouths from capsaicin. But by the Traveler it was delicious. He could taste it and that made it the best. Wasn't easy to season some food enough for an EXO to taste it but this place did. Next to him Kassandra mimicked him, using the chop sticks to scoop out the noodles.

She only had one bite before she stopped and looked down at the bowl. "What?" Cayde asked, despite his mouth being full perfectly understandable. "Do you not like it?"

She looked at him and he was taken aback that her purple eyes were almost wet. 'This is the best thing I've ever eaten,' she signed, too emotional for words.

"Right!?" Cayde cried, sucking down the noodles.

"I didn't know food could make you so emotional," Ghost said.

"Don't feel self conscious, Cayde always cries when he finds food he likes too," Sundance said to Kassandra.

"I do not!" Cayde insisted and Kassandra laughed, covering her mouth. "Don't lie to Grey's rookie, she'll believe you and I don't want that getting around," he scolded her. Kassandra was still giggling. "I'm the Vanguard, I don't cry about nothing," he said stoically.

Sundance gave Ghost a look and the two Ghosts rolled their eye. Cayde loved his Ghost. He really did. Sundance was always his better half. But right now he understood why some Guardians shoved their Ghosts into backpacks and pouches.

"This is so good," Kassandra said quietly, almost too quiet to hear in the din. She picked up the spoon and just drank the broth, her eyes closing in complete bliss, a soft sigh on her lips. "It almost-" she looked at her Ghost and Cayde saw a thought shared between them.

"Wow really? I wish I could taste then," Ghost said.

"Me too. It's so good," she said and gently tweaked one of his fins. Cayde wondered what that was about.

"Glad we finally got some real food in you," Cayde said. He then looked at Sundance and she knew exactly what he wanted. She nodded slightly. "Enjoy, it's on me," he added to Kassandra as she was stuffing more noodles and cutlet into her mouth. She just gave him a thumbs up, contently eating her ramen. He made sure Sundance had contacted Mr. Grey about Kassandra eating today and just in his mind Sundance played Mr. Grey's voice, almost like a comm in his head.

"You beat us to it. Grey was about to shove an entire steak in her mouth," Mr. Grey said. Cayde just chuckled and ate his own ramen.

[dtba]

Big Boss Vette is RESILIENT

Big Boss Vette exudes classic underdog hunger spiked with a fresh, fearless, and fiery approach to hip-hop. The St, Louis-born rapper toggles between airtight bars, slippery melodies, and irresistible hooks. The rapidly-rising St. Louis rapper and singer Big Boss Vette shares her anxiously awaited debut EP, RESILIENCE via Beatstaz/Amigo Records/Republic Records. Listen to RESILIENCE—HERE.

In celebration of the project’s arrival, she uncovered a personal short film that digs deeper into Big Boss Vette’s story of RESILIENCE. It opens with a powerful line from the hit-maker as she states, “the good shit yall see came from a million failures.” Then it proceeds to chronicle her success from the very start up until now. It’s a transparent and inspiring story of how self belief will unlock the doors to achieving your dreams.

With no shortage of quotable wordplay or massive melodies, RESILIENCE boasts seven brand new songs. The stand out track “Get It” is a multigenerational anthem fit for any backyard bbq. While other songs including the punchy “Another One” and club-ready banger “Lick The Cat” double-down on Big Boss Vette’s strong aptitude for creating memorable hooks.

Now, she shows her Resilience.

Follow Big Boss Vette on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, and Spotify.

FEATURE INTERVIEW

You’re more than a rap artist, how would you describe your sound?

I would describe my sound as authentically different, that's because I show up, and I shout out and I'm authentically myself. I don't want to sound like nobody, I don't want to be like nobody, I just want to be Big Boss Vette.

You are definitely giving authentic. When I think about a playlist that includes Big Boss Vette, I think of Azalea Banks, what other artists come to mind for you?

If we are going to mix and match Big Boss Vette, we gonna ass in some Latto, we're gonna add in some Cardi, City Girls, Maiya The Don, Foxy Brown, Lil Kim, Nicki Minaj... we gonna add all the girlies okay!

You're giving you're ready to be on go at any time. You’re hard at work promoting your debut project, Resilience, how did it feel to perform your new works for the Rolling Loud audience?

To be honest, I've been teasing these tracks for a very long time. To perform them I was ready! I already know I create great music and bring out great energy. When I hit that stage, I demand for my cousins to rock out with me, turn up with me, and give me their full, undivided attention. It's my time to shine. They loved it! I was grateful, it was an honor honestly.

I just heard that BET premiered your "Get It" video in Times Square -

In Times Square Baby!!! Ahhhh

Let's go! How does it feel to have your first ever billboard in Times Square?

It feels amazing! The whole time I was just screaming, I couldn't contain it, it's Times Square it's an honor. They actually tricked me, they said that we were going to be out there to film content, and then they had me turn around and look and I was so excited and I couldn't contain it! To have that type of support while I'm building means everything to me.

It's great that you got to start your day off with such a celebraroty moment!

Yes!

You also have an exclusive EP Release Playback tonight for Republic NYC Studios. I'm excited for you to pop out. My favorite tracks from the EP are “Fly Shhh”, “Get It”, “Can't FWM” & “Dollas”. If you could choose your top tracks which would they be?

I would do "Get It" because that song is everything, it's house, work out, family function, it's commercial it's everything. That record is so big and can be pushed so many places.

I like “Can't FWM” because when you're feeling down it's gonna snap you out of your bag. I would also say "Dollas" and "Another One". I love both of those because it's giving. we're in the club, hookah in hand.

You’re from St. Louis, Missouri, how would you say St. Louis is different from NY?

First things first, we don't have such a big scenery there. St. Louis is like an off market type of place. To be honest, if I didn't blow up off of social media, I don't know how I would be here today.

Our accents are also very much different, I'm country as hell.

I'm here for the southern girl accent!

Thank you, thank you!

What’s something you look forward to doing in NYC when you’re not performing and running press?

Eating. I be ready. I'm an open person so I will try any place. I also want to see the scenery and meet new people. Networking and creating content in this nice city.

I first discovered your song “Snatched” at a queer party in Brooklyn. What impact does it have for you that your music resonates in the queer community?

I love it because I am pansexual, so my love has no limits. To be accepted and streamed by everyone means so much. Not too many people can resonates with my cousins (her word for fans/supporters).

You are signed to Republic Records. In previous interviews you mentioned getting signed means things get harder (meeting deadlines, getting clearances, marketing yourself etc). Would you say things have gotten easier?

Now yes, absolutely. When I first started, absolutely not. You are starting over at the bottom in a new playing field. I had thought that when you get signed, you are Beyonce, and that's not what happens. You gotta get your name out there, having dates for drops, clearances if you use certain sounds or references in your songs. everything is different on a corporate level. They also reach certain points you can't reach if you was not signed.

What advice do you have for independent artists looking for more exposure?

I would say just keep posting cause I went viral off of being broke. I had propped by phone up. I had a Playstation 2 to have the beat and I was just posting, I didn't have a plan behind it I was just doing it. When I started going viral, that's when the money started to come. At one point I traveled fourteen hours via car for seven-hundred dollars. Just do it. There will be days you wake up and see certain things on blogs and you may feel like "why I'm not there?" Don't take the media serious. Just do it.

Some of your recent & upcoming festival performances include - ROLLING LOUD (LA, SAN FRANCISCO, MIAMI), LOLLAPALOOZA, AND SUNDOWN ALASKA. What’s one city you haven’t performed in that you look forward to performing in the near future?

I wanna perform in Jamaica. Every artist that I've seen go to Jamaica has had a ball out there.

To end with glam...

What is your favorite perfume?

Carolina Herrera, when I first seen it, it was the heel that caught my attention. I went to see what it smelled like and instantly I was obsessed. I just have her every where I go. I don't put her in my checked bag because she smells to good and I don't need anyone to steal her.

What’s your favorite fashion trend?

I like the 90s spice baby, pop star era, that kind of just sticks with me.

What are some beauty tips you can share with the Galore audience?

On a very hot day baby, don't do a full face baby. Get you a concealer of your choice, put it right up under your eye, your cheeks, your forehead, get some setting powder and that's it. You don't need nothing else cause it's going to melt off. Get you some setting spray and baby keep it with you. It's going to get you together I promise.

Now that I know that your face is glowing without the foundation, what's your night routine.

I use this black soap and then I go in with an oil cleanser.

What is your zodiac sign, and how do you feel that influences your creative process.

I am a libra, balance, and I just wanna say, if I can't figure it out, then I just won't do it. I need to feel good about what I'm doing. I don't mind doing new things, but if it just feels so foreign, I'm not forcing creativity because that's when you start putting out trash. I just wait for it to come to me.

Follow Big Boss Vette on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, YouTube, and Spotify.

TEAM CREDITS

Interviewed By: Shirley Reynozo @moyamusic_

Photographer: Down To Be Artsy @dtba_

Galore Art Direction: Carlos Graciano @sadpapi666 

Editor in Chief: Prince Chenoa @princechenoastudio

[viluvr-archived]

NOT SO INTIMIDATING PARTNER ?!

Azul , Jade , Floyd .

Gn!reader .

AZUL !

"Hey... Azul? What're we doin' here...?" Floyd was already shivering at the thought of him seeing you, hell he didn't even wanna repeat seeing you!

The traumatizing experience he experienced from you.. the first time he met you, you were visiting Azul and you've caught him slacking! You gave him a pinch on the ear while you were dragging him at a private place to not cause a scandal. He regretted answering back at you, he earned a traumatizing experience when you purposely spilled the drink he made because something was wrong with it, he didn't think you'd notice what he did.. he was just tryna be playful!

"What do you mean by 'what are we doing here'? Do you have a problem with my partner or something? Anyway, I accidentally forgot to remind them to bring their suitcase, 's why we're here." He forgot what now? Azul, he and Jade would be in trouble!

"What are you sweating for? They texted me to bring their suitcase, they were quite upset." You were upset. Why did Azul even bring him here, it could've been Jade!

"Hey Azul I think I need to go to the restroom.. I'll be back!.." "Floyd. You're acting weird, care to tell me what's happening?" Floyd gulped, "Nothin'! I swear.." Azuls' eyes squinted, but he lets it go, he didn't want to keep you waiting.

While they kept getting closer to your office, he already hears your shouts, his hands already shivering. Looks like you were making a project with Ace and Deuce, they too were no exception to your strictness.

"What did I say." "To not make too much mess..." the Adeuce duo were practically on their knees, Ace was about to respond in a snarky manner but Deuce hits him lightly afraid that you'd be even angrier.

"You even put the wrong ingredient in the potion. I've listed what you'd put in order, where did that go? Hm?" Ace spilled water on it. "It.. flew away and we tried to catch it..?" Deuces' brain was digging his brain for excuses. "Yeah! We.. um tried to catch it.."

You exasperatingly sighed, "no more mistakes, you wanna finish early don't you? I've just got back from picking more extra ingredients since I was expecting you two to mess it up." You say while rolling your eyes.

Before knocking at the door, Floyd was close to running away. "Hey, y/n, brought your suitcase, dear." After seeing Azul, Floyd swore you looked like an angel! "Thank you, Azul." Hell, was this you? Blushing, smiling softly at Azul?

"I apologize for forgetting to remind you to bring it, the Lounge was busier than usual." "No, no! It's ok.. I'm sorry for being upset.." You, you? Saying sorry?.. "Once you saw Floyd you immediately gave him a confused expression, he knew you somewhat signaled him to get out along with those 2 troublesome friends of yours.

"Thanks, Azul.." You kissed him on the cheek before getting back to work, "No problem..! I.. just call me when you need something, alright?" "Yeah, I'll make sure to." The both of you were blushing like two new high-school couples.

What you don't know is that the three of them are listening to your conversation.

JADE !

"Oh? Don't mind it, we're just going to y/n to give them something." Azul almost gasped. Jades' partner? He was trying to get a partnership trying not to scam but you rejected him brilliantly? Almost seeing the light to take him after that. You complained once that he give your boyfriend a rest for a week because you saw how tired Jade is! He was shivering with just the mention of your name.

"What are you even going to give them..?" "Their materials for a project, for next class. They asked me to give it to them since we're just one class away" right, your classroom was just near theirs. Floyd too was scolded by you because you claimed he gave Jade too much of a hard time..

"Jade! Here!" There you were, grinning happily at Jade, excited for his arrival.. wait, you're happy? "Hello there, dear. I believe this is yours?" You giggled at Jades playful tone "Yes, indeed." You took it from him shyly.

Jade signaled for Floyd and Azul to leave for a moment, "Now what is it that you want? Oh, don't bother lying, your eyes say everything dear." "Just missed you" Jade coos at you, has he been away for too long? He swears he doesn't mean it, the Lounge had just been too packed up. "If it makes you feel better, I'd ask Azul for a day off."

While Floyd and Azul were spying on the both of you, after Jade had said he'd ask for a day off, your eyes were brimming with happiness. They don't get it, was this truly you? Their jaw dropped, eyes widened, and almost even fell when they saw you kiss him while blushing.

"Bye, Jade! I'll.. see you." How upsetting, he didn't get to return the kiss, maybe next time. Jade knows his twin and Azul were spying on the both of you, he merely chuckled and returned to them.

FLOYD !

"Ehehe, I'm excited to see shrimpy! What could they be doin'.." Jade and Floyd were walking side by side with him going to the lounge

Jade and Azul were walking side by side with him, but let's not talk about how they were scolded for being too uptight with Floyd that he's being upset all the time by you.

Floyd spots you in the lounge the moment he enters, "Shrimpy! Shrimpy's hereeee~ what can I do for you!" Your face practically lits up when you saw your boyfriend, you're always on Floyd's mind. "I was about to leave 'cause you're not here, you decided to show up now, hmmm?" Leave? Shrimpy's about to leave? No! Please don't! He's gonna get upset, 'nd he isn't gonna survive his day.

"No! Don't leave! I'm.. I'm gonna.." "I'm not going to leave, and you're not going to throw a fit, 'Kay?" "Yeah!" He nods and grins widely like a kid who got a candy, you pinch his cheeks and hold it, you know how he loves it when you do that, it makes him giggle and there'll be an 80% chance Floyd's gonna behave! (Only because he thinks about what you did)

"You wanna know why I'm here?" Floyd was now putting up a confused face but he still smiled and nodded. "You left a mess at your dorm." No, his twin and Azul were now worried about their fate. "Ehh? I did? Promise I'll clean it up when we get there!" "Maybe I should lessen our cuddles and kisses? Hmm?" Floyd saw his life crumble apart when he heard that

"Hey, don't throw a fit." Your eyes soften when he pouts and his back slouched, "I cleaned it already, 'Kay? Don't worry. 'S ok, know you're busy." Was this a miracle? Jade was staring wide-eyed at the scene while Azuls glasses fell when his jaw dropped.

"Really?! Thanks, shrimpy! I love you so much, thank you!" You coo at him and swoon, staring at him with hearty eyes. "No problem Floyd," you kiss his nose.

What did Floyd feed you? You were intimidating! What happened thought Jade and Azul.

[fahye]

Hey! I really enjoyed the Last Binding books, and I am dying from impatience for A Power Unbound! I'm also a writer (unpublished), and I was wondering about your stance on posting info about WIPs on tumblr. I haven't done it yet, and I'm hesitating because I don't want it to be stolen. At the same time, it may be good to interact with others about my story, and maybe start to build a small community of potential readers. Do you think it would be a good idea, or that I should refrain until I have a contract with a publisher, or at the very least an agent?

oh boy. this one got long.

if you're mentioning agents and publishers then I assume you're hoping to be traditionally published, so my advice is based on that. (if you're looking into selfpub then that's a whole other ballgame, about which I don't know a great deal.)

it's very very normal and natural to want to interact with people about your WIPs. you want the story to feel finished and real. you want a tiny sip of a sample of how it might feel to have other people read your beautiful complete book and come and tell you their feelings and thoughts.

(it's also GREAT procrastination from the really difficult part, which is....writing the damn book, editing it, and grimly entering the querying trenches.)

but I don't know if tumblr, or any public social network, is the place for it.

I'm assuming you're not talking about putting entire chapters online. (bad idea. BAD. publishers are strict about what counts as prior publication of a story, and unless you were a viral selfpub sensation they usually don't want something that's been published - even in part - online.)

if you share all the details about the plot, or even a really killer hook of a premise that you're proud of: yeah, you do run the risk of it being stolen, and maybe that person writes faster than you and gets it out into the publishing ecosystem first. likely? probably not. possible? sure.

the other half of the argument is arguably even more important, albeit a bit depressing: you're not going to build a community on tumblr of potential readers of an original idea. especially one that doesn't yet exist. or that does exist, but perhaps will never be available for them to read, if the agent/publisher thing doesn't work out.

the exception to this might be if you already have a community of readers, and you're okay with your fandom and authorial personas being directly linked. perhaps you do! perhaps you're a fan writer with a following of readers! in which case I don't think there's any harm in being open & excited on tumblr about the fact that you're also working on original things and hoping to pursue publication.

here's my advice. you can make and post all the aesthetic boards and fun memes and spotify playlists your creative heart desires! do it for yourself, to keep yourself excited about the story. don't hang your heart on anyone else caring about your beloved blorbos yet.

and find a community of people at your career stage. I had a lot of friends who grew up in fandom with me and who were making the shift to original work at the same time. and one day a tumblr friend (hi @english-mace!) DMed me and offered an exchange of beta-reading for short stories, when we were both at the stage of being largely unpublished. and she then invited me into a small groupchat of early-career sff writers who became a great source of support and advice and indulgent listening to me enthusing about my blorbos and wailing about the tribulations of the tradpub process.

sometimes you're lucky. sometimes it's just a matter of asking your best one-or-two friends to let you bounce ideas off them and give you a little confidence boost. and sometimes you have to go looking. there are discords and slacks and facebook groups out there for aspiring writers: find a few, and go digging for your people.

I hope you find a community to share encouragement and joy with, anon. it's so, so hard to be at the stage of being halfway up the hill and bursting to share.

but you're still only halfway up the hill, and only you can get yourself to the summit. keep climbing. pause sometimes and make a beautiful gifset if it makes you happy. and then keep climbing.

good luck!