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#I'm like half way through the show now so if anyone actually wants to spill their brains onto the table I'm down
shadow-lag · 2 years
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Well let the teenage mutant ninja turtles brain rot begin ! (Should probably add this- !!!!contains spoilers!!!!)
Edit: sparing partner is the best episode I don't think my mind is changeable. Buddy ftw!! And Tod, they are perfect in everyway.
Edit but again: Mystic library is also the best episode (and there may or may not be a common denominator between the two and there is totally no way of telling if I have a favorite between our green boys)
Edit 3.0: ON THE FINAL EPISODE!!!! I've literally been at this all day-
(SPOILERS BEGIN)
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EDIT: THE SHREDDER IS BACKKKKKK?!
Well I guess it's time to sacrifice more sleep to watch the movie! (God please tell me this all has a happy goofy ending I can't handle bad endings-)
Edit 27: so apparently Netflix only has 1 season and not both- (fuck you netflix) I have tapped into another streaming service to cry over the season 2 finale don't worry B) (fuck you netflix)
Editttt: PLEASE TELL ME SPLINTER DOES NOT DIE WHAT THE FUCK
Edit Edit Edit: IS CASEY JONES A TRANS ICON????????
EDIT!!: SCREAMING THAT ENDING WAS SO INCREDIBLE!!!!
Okay nowww it's time to watch the movie.
Edit (betrayal): Cassandra is his mom or something isn't she :( they aren't the same person are they? I mean how else would the Casey Jones from the future guy not know April well or where to find the turtles? Disappointed, betrayed, and still full of headcanons so no one can truly stop me-
EDIT NUMBER WTF: EXCUSE ME RAPH YOU GAINT DINGDONG YOU BETTER NOT DIE IN THE FIRST PARTS OF THE MOVIE OR EVER ACTUALLY
I NEED A EPIC FINAL FIGHT SCENE WITH EVERYONE AND THEN A HAPPY ENDING HERE!
Edit 10: can the krang explode and die like right now please. EW die die die die
Editing: okay so he's not dead yay! Cool! (I also spoiled the ending for myself bc I'm not wasting time on an unhappy ending-) yay!
Edit finale part 1: Okay listen,, I KNOW GREAT WRITING MEANS GREAT PLOT TWISTS BUT HOW THE HELL DOES LEO ESCAPE???
EDIT FINALE PT.2: LET'S FUCKING GO MIKEY!!!!!!!!!!! THEY DID IT BOYS LETS GOOO YIPPEEEE
Edit finale part 3: yep she's his mom. Can't have shit in New York City /lhj
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(SPOILERS OVER)
Edit finale part 4 (the finales finale): okay the series and movie were totally off the hook! The animation style/overall art style was fantastic and I'm so glad I decided to watch it all despite my doubts. I think it was a pretty good balance of goofy, funny, character building, seriousness, and happy endings:) definitely a whole ass roller coaster I would love to see more of. So many thoughts and yet so little words. 10/10 would recommend:]
Cowabunga!!!!
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I am listening to it on audible and am still only half way through but so far have a few thoughts
1. ⁠It is actually very boring
2. ⁠You can feel the treachery, spite, vindictiveness, deceit, victimhood, maliciousness, envy, paranoia, delusion and manipulation in every sentence, Its oozes into my pores and makes me feel unclean just listening to it. I cannot think of a book I have enjoyed less.
3. ⁠The weird and constant mentions of his mum are just bizarre. I understand the tragedy of him losing her so young, but I am sure his reactions to it are not typically normal for what is now a grown man. He is batshit crazy.
4. ⁠He has long gratuitous sections about killing rabbits, deer, pheasants, and talks at length about the blood, gore and disembowelling. It literally made me feel sick.
5. ⁠He has a grandiose sense of self-importance that is utterly delusional.
6. ⁠His constant references to his drug taking are over the top. He acts like it is totally normal. I understand why this plays a part in his autobiography since he seems to have spent so much of his time taking them. But he seems to glorify it with no introspection on the dangers, and revels in spilling all the details with no cares for the people who have loyally tried to cover up for him over the years. Despite the fact he talks about leaking and planting by his family it is obvious how much they have covered for him.
7. ⁠He doesn't seem to give a damn if he destroys the monarchy, and after reading the book that is what I think he is intent on doing. He misses no opportunity to add in any malicious adjectives, unnecessary anecdote, unflattering (and unlikely) quotes about his family and throws shade and blame on to them whenever he can. He comes over as so petty and malicious. You get the sense that he feels that if he can't be king he will blow the whole thing up.
8. ⁠It is abundantly clear he has no real love for his dad, brother, or grandfather from the way he talks about them, and it is questionable that he even loved the queen. He shows no empathy or respect for them and makes them look bad whenever he can. He can talk all he likes about reconciliation but he has burnt every bridge and if he were my son or brother, he would be dead to me. There is no purpose to a reconciliation - if it is not for love then it is for his own self-serving purposes.
9. ⁠When you read the whole book rather than listening to excerpts, some stories fade into insignificance. For example the losing his virginity story is a minor mention in passing. But what you don't get from the excerpts is the whole sense of nastiness pervading every paragraph. Before reading it I really didn't like Harry, but blamed Meghan far more. Never before have a read an autobiography where someone has the chance to write the narrative of their own life in a way that is supposedly flattering, and I have found myself liking them even less, despising them in fact. He is an utterly nasty piece of work......and I am still only half way through the book.
I'm so glad you wrote it up. Thank you.
I think part of the sense of boredom is that the writing gets monotonous after a while. Also, you are immersed inside Harry's head and he really has no empathy for anyone. When I finished the first few chapters, I felt like I was reading one of those 80s anti-hero novels like American Psycho, where you are looking at things from the viewpoint of a sociopath. The way he focuses on the bedroom sheets and the hole in his shoe and even the way he spoke of women ("she was perfect, perfect, perfect") struck as very Patrick Bateman.
I agree as to the nastiness, hence the American Psycho reference above. One of the passages that most struck me was when the Diana Ghost Leopard shows up and his bodyguards are alarmed. He explains that they were alarmed because if the leopard mauled him the headlines would be horrible. It didn't seem to cross his mind that the bodyguards were scared because they did not want him hurt. He only thought of the headlines. That, to me, shows how warped his mindset is.
Ditto on the Diana segments. It feels almost sweet at first because the first chapters of the book deal with his childhood, but then it turns weird really quickly.
I'm surprised not that many people have talked about the hunting gore. It's very striking and, frankly, alien. I know hunters (at least in the US) and I've never heard of any describing the kills like this. It was truly disturbing, and I'm not anti-hunting. It's just that he seemed to enjoy the gore a little too much.
He is very arrogant, particularly for someone who was supposedly raised with an inferiority complex for being a spare.
Drugs seem to be a part of his identity, which surprised me since I'd bought into the "Hero Harry" image. I don't know if that was always the case, or if he bought into the California drug culture when he arrived there, but it's striking.
He does want to destroy the monarchy. That comes across very clearly.
He seems very detached from everyone in his family, and yet passionately attached to the image he has built of his mom (a tabloid-based image!). It's an interesting contrast. He has no empathy for Will's position at all or for his dad's struggles. His family relationships seemed to be stuck at a childhood developmental level--mom is the perfect nurturer, father is all-powerful, and brother is a rival.
It is all very nasty, and I'm surprised someone didn't step in to explain that to him.
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sh0ek0 · 2 years
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after hours (part 2)
please find the other parts via my masterlist or the #sh0ek0 tag, I'm having some trouble with my posts not showing up in the tags and I think the links are messing this up
genre: angst, smut, dark content, kinda all over the place content warning: 18+ !MINORS + AGELESS BLOGS DO NOT INTERACT! mentions of alcohol and drug use, name calling, toxic relationship, abusive relationship, violence, emotional abuse, choking, rough!megumi, slapping, threatening with a gun, Russian roulette, manic kinda episode, I should honestly stop romanticizing this kinda behavior, still: probably more but I am new to this pairing: Megumi x Reader word count: about 6.5k
summary: After Megumi beat up Choso at Yuji's and his houseparty, you're left drunk, high and confused. You start looking for him and remember an incident from your past before you sneak out of the apartment to meet up with your abusive ex, trying to rekindle your toxic relationship.
I'm so sorry this second part took me so long. Again: I don't want to talk myself down and I love writing, it's so much fun but I am very critical of myself and I really think this is trash compared to all the other amazing writing on here. So, THANK YOU SO MUCH for bearing with me and hyping me up. Every single like I got on 'heartbeat' really made my day <3 (I am terrified of posting so brb logging off for a few days help)
recommended songs: Formula - Labrinth / The Hills - The Weeknd / After Hours - The Weeknd / The Zone - The Weeknd / Streets - Doja Cat / Wicked Games - The Weeknd
You stumble through the open door onto the roof terrace. There are people staring at you and some of them seem to recognize you - you knew people were talking and you were old enough to just not care about that kinda shit anymore. They haven't been through what you've been through and if they decided to judge you? Well that was on them.
Right now you needed to find him. Megumi reacted the way he did because he loved you. You knew that. You pass by a table and a few lounge chairs and recognize the people sitting there from your college lectures. A girl, you remember her name to be Yue, waves you over. 
"Y/N! Hi, are you alright?" she asks and you can hear a tiny bit of concern in her voice as you stumble and bump into one of the chairs. 
"Hi, uh, yeah 'm fine." you answer and shoot her a smile, fumbling with the sleeves of your dress before you drop into the chair you just bumped into. Your head was spinning while you were desperately trying to process what had just happened inside but it was too much, it was too loud, too many people, too much booze. Everyone around you seemed to have the time of their lives while you were stuck inside your mind.
You reach for the half-empty bottle of vodka that was on the table in front of you and pour yourself a glass. It would definitely not help you to get any clearer in the head, but it would calm your nerves. Or at least you could just escape this mess for a few more minutes.
You put the glass to your lips and down its contents before filling it right back up. You can feel the stares of the guys sitting next to you. You never bothered to speak to anyone in your lectures and you didn't even know their names but apparently they seemed to enjoy seeing you in this state.
Under normal circumstances you wouldn't give them a single glance and you would’ve snapped at them for staring at you like this but now, as drunk as you were, you didn't even notice how far your dress had ridden up, or the spilled liquor on your cleavage. The wet fabric clung to your boobs, exposing you without really exposing you.
"Hey, slow down." Yue laughed as you down another shot, taking the bottle out of your hand. You look at her before leaning back in your chair, closing your eyes for a brief moment. 
"Listen I actually don't want to bother you any longer," you frown, unsure what to say next "just 'wanna know if you saw Gojo or Megumi I- I am looking for him." you say, unsure if Yue could understand you over the music.
Yue looks at you. You know she understood you because you can see pity in her eyes and you immediately regret asking her in the first place. You told yourself that you didn’t care but you still hated that everyone around you had their opinion about you and your relationship. No one dared to say it out loud, but everyone thought the same. Even your friends. 
"Well, I don't know where Gojo is but I saw Megumi passing by just when I came out here," She moves closer to you to pull your dress down, glaring at the two guys that were staring at you. 
"I think he left." She looks at her hands, obviously searching for the right words to say to you.
Yue leans over to you. You weren't exactly close but apparently most people on campus knew about the ups and downs in your relationship. People really liked to talk. 
"Y/N I guess your friends are really worried about you," she says gently, trying not to cross your boundaries. "You should really stop looking for him - I mean everyone saw the bruising on your neck-" 
Well, so much for not crossing boundaries. 
"Megumi would never hurt me." you protest, cutting her off.
"-people say he threatened you with a gun after an argument escalated." Yue carefully put her hand on your leg and you flinched.
"That's bullshit." you laugh, getting flustered. How could this even have spread around? You told nobody except Maki. 
"That’s not what happened." you whisper.
"You don't threaten someone you love with a gun." Yue said in a sharp voice. You look at her, completely thrown off guard. 
"Yeah and I guess you don't stick your nose in other peoples fucking business." you hiss and lean on your hands to lift yourself up out of the chair, a little bit wobbly on your feet. You grab the bottle of vodka from her hands and stumble in the direction of the terrace door.
You feel tears well up in your eyes as you remember that day a few weeks ago. It happened in your dorm room again, you just came home from another lecture. Grabbing you from behind in complete darkness, Megumi covered your mouth with his hand to keep you from screaming as he pressed cold metal to your temple. You will never forget how utterly and absolutely terrified you were. 
You will never forget the look he had in his eyes when he threw you against the wall and made you face him. You could see on his face how much he enjoyed having absolute power over you.
***
"You fucking stalking me now?" he spat at you, holding you against the wall of your dorm room by your neck. Your throat still hurt from the last time he did this to you. 
Megumi had an old revolver in the other hand and pointed it at your head. "What the fuck did you think you were doing last night? You are fucking crazy, Y/N." Your body was shaking, he sounded so angry it completely scared the shit of you.
Would you let him treat you like this for the rest of your life?
"You were fucking some other bitch last night you fucking asshole," you screamed out, cutting him off. "I fucking know it! Stop bullshitting me I fucking heard you through that door." You started crying.
"You telling me this after you sucked off some random guy at the party you were at? You fucking kidding me?" - "We just kissed an-and I was drunk-" you started explaining but got cut off as Megumi pulled you towards him by your neck before slamming your head against the wall. You let out a muffled groan.
He was still holding the gun to your temple and you were scared shitless that it would go off. 
”'We just kissed and I was drunk'” he mimicked your voice and you cried out in pain. Your head hurt, your face was scrunched up and your eyes closed. 
”You are a fucking whore, Y/N, and you don't fucking own up to your actions. You’re a fucking slut and you think you deserve to get treated like a fucking princess.” Megumi spat at you.
You started bawling. 
"At least that bitch wasn't as fucking annoying." Megumi huffed. 
"I really fucking hate you." You yelled at him. 
"Leave me alone, stop touching me." You felt a headache coming on, your head was throbbing and tears were flowing uncontrollably down your face. "I hate you."
How could you keep on doing this to yourself? You slowly came to the realization that nor you were scared of him neither you were scared of him being violent. You were simply scared about the fact that no matter what he did to you, you couldn't stop loving him.
"I know you do." Megumi answered.
He took his hand off from around your neck and you felt the cold metal leave your skin as he slowly lowered the gun. Your pulse pounded against the spot where the barrel had just been pointed at and you see the usual blank stare returning to his face. 
"You're abusive and a fucking psychopathic maniac." you cried, trying to catch some air.
He just kept staring at you with emptiness in his eyes, watching tears stream down your cheeks. 
"I hate the way you're making me feel, Megumi." you added quietly, staring at the ground.  
"I know." he said. 
You sniffled, tears still streaming down your face.
"Can't you just leave me alone already?" you said, rubbing the bruising on your throat with shaky hands. You didn't even believe yourself and the words that came out of your mouth seemed so far away. As if you were standing next to yourself and listening to some other person talking.
"That's what you want me to do?" he asked in a calm voice and lifted the gun that was still in his hand. 
No you didn't. 
Megumi opened the chamber of the revolver in his hands. You saw that it was indeed loaded when he dropped the six bullets into his hand and slipped five of them in his pocket. He then placed a single round back into the gun and spinned the cylinder with his thumb.
You stood there in silence and watched what he was doing.
He lifted the gun and held it against your forehead. You closed your eyes, unable to stop your body from shaking. You begged him to stop.
"Megumi, stop, you’re scaring me, please stop that." you pleaded. "Just leave me alone, please stop-"  
Not until you felt him pull back the gun did you dare to open your eyes. Your cheeks were wet with tears and as soon as you opened your eyes, his gaze met yours. His dark eyes looked so empty as he put the barrel to his own head. 
Your heart stopped once again.
And then he pulled the trigger.
You squealed and instantly flinched but you could only hear a silent click! - the gun didn’t go off. 
Suddenly it dawned on you what he was up to. Even if you didn't quite want to believe it, in the condition he was in right now he would have been capable of anything. Even of something as crazy as this.
And you were so fucking scared of how far he would go this time.
"Megumi- stop p-please STOP." you sobbed.
He was manic. Completely out of his mind. 
"You asked me to leave you alone." His voice eerily calm, as always. He closed his eyes and grimaced, pulling the trigger again. 
Nothing. No loud BANG! just a faint metallic click!
Watching him almost put a bullet in his head a second time had traumatized you. If he hadn't managed to do that by now, he certainly did at that moment.
"Megumi- PLEASE- please stop this." you screamed hysterically and reached out to him, your hand now touching his chest. 
"Please stop, I-I love you- I love you so much- p-please stop I don’t want you to leave me, please-" you wailed. Your body followed your hand and you leaned against him, head buried in his chest. You felt so weak, barely able to hold yourself on your feet. You sobbed and cried into his chest, staining the fabric of his sweater with salty tears. 
And you could feel that his body was shaking as well. 
You didn't dare look up at him. After a minute that felt like an eternity you finally felt his arm wrap around your waist, stone-cold metal now pressed against your back. 
Megumi’s chin was resting on top of your head and he slowly pressed his lips to you hair, inhaling your scent while planting kisses.
"Next time you ask me to leave you I’ll kill us both." he whispered in a cold voice and you nodded, barely noticeable. 
"I love you." he added and you closed your eyes.
He loved you. That was all that mattered to you. 
You could never love another man, not even if you wanted to.
***
You made it back inside on shaky legs, your heels were way too high for the amount of booze you had in your system by now. You screw off the lid of the bottle in your hands and take a sip. Looking around you spot none of your friends except Yuta but he didn’t seem to notice you. 
He’s sitting on that very couch you were sitting on with Choso just a while ago and at a second glance you can see that he’s making out with your roommate. Maki didn’t seem to notice you either, as she was completely distracted by Yuta’s lips and his hands all over her body.
Under other circumstances you would have been quite excited about this turn of events - you knew how long Maki had been crushing on him. And you also knew that Yuta was the one who fell first, given how he acted around her and how he looked at her like she was the only woman on the planet. 
But now you were way too drunk and way to invested in finding Megumi to care about anything else. You push past a few people while drinking from the almost empty bottle, trying to find the front door.
After taking a few wrong turns you eventually find yourself standing in front of the door through which you had entered the apartment a couple hours ago. And just as you put your hand on the doorknob, you feel someone snatch the bottle from you.
"What the-" you start and turn around, looking at pink hair and a deeply concerned face. 
"What are you doing? Let me get you home." Yuji was completely sober again, looking at you with a raised eyebrow. 
"I really need to get som' fresh air Yuji, please jus' leave me 'lone" You slur, struggling to stay on your feet.
Yuji held the empty bottle in his left hand and grabbed your wrist with his right to keep you from falling. 
"Y/N, please, don’t go out there by yourself. You can either sleep in my room or I’ll get you home." He tries to pull you away from the door but you stand your ground.
"Please just let me gooo." you beg, impatiently stomping with your feet after finding your balance again. "Let me go." you insist and try to pull your arm away from him.
"I just don't want you to get hurt, Y/N" Yuji says and you have literally no idea on how to get out of this situation. It was not like he would just let you leave like this.
"Listn' I really don' need a babysitter and I have an Uber waiting for me, so please just lemme' go." you lie to him, hoping he would be satisfied with that. 
"Bullshit, you did not call an Uber. That’s like a five minute walk, we’re right next to campus." he busted your lie. "What are you really up to, huh?" Yuji asks.
Choso and Yuji indeed lived right next to the campus. You had always asked yourself how they were able to afford this huge apartment and you figured that Choso not only consumed the drugs he hid here by himself - but also dealt them. That would explain at least a few things, for example all the people who constantly went in and out of here.
After a while of not answering him, Yuji finally lets go of your wrist and looks at the ground. 
"You're looking for him, don't you?" he asks after meeting your gaze again. The look in his eyes made you feel so terrible and ashamed. 
"Listen, he’s my best friend too, but he just beat up my brother and that look on his face? I don’t know Y/N, he looked like he was capable of anything in that moment." You tried to avoid his gaze, but no chance. It seemed like he pinned you to the wall with his eyes alone.
"I'm not looking for him- I'm-" you start when suddenly you get cut off by a few guys that were calling out for Yuji. As he turns around for a split second you immediately take advantage of him being distracted to open the door and slip outside. 
You quickly walk in the direction of the stairs, your head spinning but you try to stay composed and take one step after the other before finally stumbling through the door downstairs onto the street. 
The sky was completely black, not a single star in sight and the only light was coming from a few dimly lit street lamps. Thankfully it was still relatively warm outside.
You take a few shaky steps away from the building, still a bit afraid Yuji would follow you. You were in no condition to run from him. 
For a while the sound of your heels on concrete is the only thing you can hear until you notice the faint buzz of your phone in your purse. 
MEGUMI: "Meet me outside. I'll wait for you." Your heart starts beating faster. 
The text was from about 30 minutes ago so you figure that you didn't have a signal upstairs in the apartment. You look up from the screen and turn around, trying to find where Megumi was waiting.
You flinch a little when suddenly a parked car on the side of the road starts its engine. 
You recognize the black pickup truck and as the lights inside light up for a brief moment, you see Megumi sitting in the driver's seat. Your vision is still a bit blurry and your head’s dizzy but your legs are already carrying you towards the car. 
He really expected you to come looking for him.
You open the car's door and slip into the passenger seat without saying a word. The lights inside are dimmed and you can only see his pale, slender fingers on the steering wheel. His dark clothes swallow him up and the hood of his sweater is pulled down over his face. 
Megumi did not say a single word either, his face turned towards the windshield in front of him. 
"Y/N!" you hear someone call out for you as you close the door behind you. Looking through the window you spot Yuji at the entrance door of the apartment building. He's holding the open door and watching you get into the car. 
"Your dog’s already looking for you, huh?" Megumi asks without expecting an answer and starts the truck. He drives off before Yuji could even think about running after you. 
Yuji's eyes were full of concern and yours were full of guilt as you turn to face him, but you quickly lower your gaze. You couldn’t stand looking at him. You knew how desperate he must feel right now.
At this point you wouldn't blame your friends if they never spoke to you ever again. The hours they spent worrying about you, the evenings they spent trying to talk you out of your relationship with Megumi. 
It was all for nothing.
You slip out of your heels and throw them to the back of the truck. Megumi looked at you, one hand on the steering wheel. He watched you while you were rubbing your aching feet, trying to ease the pain from walking in these goddamn high heels for hours. 
With his free hand he stroked your thigh, motioning you to put your legs in his lap. 
"C'mere." you hear his deep voice and you hesitate for a second before you stretch your legs out towards him. He starts massaging your freshly pedicured feet with one hand, the other one gripping the steering wheel tightly. His eyes were focused on the road in front of him. 
You close your eyes for a moment and enjoy the sensation of his touch, your whole body was aching and this right now was a blessing, no matter how awkward the situation was.
After a few minutes you feel the car speeding up. You knew that Megumi was probably still drunk but you also did not really care about it. It was not a big surprise to you that he would drive drunk and it was also not the first time he did this. 
For a really long time neither of you said a single word and you were just enjoying his touch on your skin, without having to fill the silence.
"What were you thinking?" Megumi was the first to break the silence, eyes still fixated on the road. His voice was icy and it made you shiver.
"What d’you mean?" you ask, pretending to be clueless. Your head starts spinning a little as you open your eyes again.
"Don’t play dumb." Megumi huffed, looking over to you, directly into your eyes. "I mean you, sitting in Choso's lap, behaving like a slut in front of everyone." 
"Mhm." you answer, turning your face away from him. You switch on the radio. 'After Hours' by The Weeknd starts playing, probably from some playlist you made for him. 
"Technically, I wasn’t sitting in his lap." you say. You're not sure you would have had the courage to say that if Megumi hadn't been busy driving. 
Even though you’re unsure of what to say next, you didn't want to submit to him again. You did not want to make yourself so small anymore.
"Shouldn’t the question be: Why the hell do you even care?" You shift your weight and put one foot up on his thigh, stroking his crotch through the fabric of his pants. 
The last bit of alcohol in your blood gave you at least a little courage.
"It’s not like we are together anymore." you say teasingly as he looks over to you again. 
Megumi grabs your leg, pushing it back down roughly. You wince, as his grip on your ankle is a bit too harsh. 
"Ouch." you protest and he lets go of you. You send him an innocent smile and tilt your head to the side, as you continue to stroke his thigh with your foot. You feel a bulge growing in his crotch just seconds later
"So why does it matter to you?" He doesn’t answer. You see the grip of his hand tighten around the steering wheel, but he doesn’t say anything. Instead he keeps on caressing your feet and legs, trying to push them down or hold you still but you don’t let him.
The two of you just sit in silence again, listening to the music without talking to each other.
"It matters because I don’t want to see that fucking bastard all over you, acting like he owns y-" Megumi says after a while but you cut him off.
"We’re not together anymore and you don’t get to beat up anyone I am involved with," You snap at him. "Cut your fucking bullshit Megumi, I am sick of this." 
You don’t know how to feel. This is all so confusing - a big part of you is annoyed with him and so hurt and heartbroken, but the other part, probably even bigger, wants to nestle in against his chest and leave as little space as possible between the two of you. 
And he knew that, too. That smug piece of shit knew you inside out, and acting was not exactly your strength.
"Then why are you here?" he asks and glances at you, both hands on the steering wheel again. 
You think for a moment, look over at him, then out the window again. You skip to the next song and loll your legs in his lap now sitting on your side and resting against the back of the car seat.
"I guess I make terrible life choices and besides, you almost hospitalized my one chance at some superficial sex tonight so you have to deal with me now." You say, trying to sound almost bored. Or  at least unbothered.
Megumi swallows, eyes still fixated on the road. You figured that this was not what he wanted to hear but to your surprise you hear him chuckle seconds later. 
Well, as you had already noted: he knew you too well.
"Nah, don’t bullshit me." he sneered. "You started looking for me as soon as you arrived at that party. I saw you disappear with Yuji immediately after." 
Megumi ignored your little show of pretending that all of this left you completely cold and you just wanted to end up in someones bed. It was a show after all.
"And I saw you getting out of that bathroom, holding hands with my best friend." You cross your arms. "Wearing the dress I bought for you. " 
"I doubt that you wanted Choso to fuck you tonight." Megumi huffs, his deep voice making your heart race. 
"I doubt that you wanted anyone else’s attention than mine." He was so right.
After a few more minutes of sitting in silence with the music playing softly in the background and Megumi driving off into the darkness, you roll the window all the way down. He looks over to you as you lean your head out slightly, hair waving in the breeze. 
You take a deep breath and lean out a bit further, supporting yourself on the window frame. As you arch your back a little, your breasts start to perk up and you close your eyes to fully enjoy the cool night air blowing in your face. Besides the music and the sound of the engine it was so quiet outside. The world was asleep and somehow that comforted you.
You feel Megumi’s gaze on your body. His hands act upon his thoughts as he starts stroking up your calves, over your thighs and further up under your dress. You lean back inside and your eyes meet, but as always you couldn't quite read his expression. 
You slowly pull your legs out of his lap and rest your feet on the dashboard. Without breaking eye contact you lift yourself up out of your seat, pulling up your dress a little and taking off your panties. His eyes widen for a second but he seems to try his best to stay composed.
In your perception, you didn't have much power over him. Not after he managed to read you like an open book once again. He was right about everything he said, even if you wish it was different. 
You only went to that party because you hoped something like this would happen.
Megumi would probably not make that statement - even if it didn't seem like that to you, he knew you could bring him to his knees with the blink of an eye.
He swallows hard, turns away for a moment to look at the road and looks right back at you again. You feel his hand run across your thigh, squeezing gently.
You meet his gaze with the most innocent smile on your lips before you throw your panties in his direction. 
Megumi's lips twitch as he takes a look at the pair of panties lying in his lap. 
"I knew I was right." he says with a smug grin on his lips. You notice his eyes immediately scanning the road for an exit and you giggle as the car takes a sharp turn off into some run-down construction side.
"Well, you better hurry up, so you can make up for the amazing sex I would’ve had if it wasn’t for you." you purr and look up at him from big doe eyes. 
He glances over, looking you up and down 
"I will definitely make you regret saying that out loud." Megumi hums before he brings the car to a halt in the shadow of an unfinished building. 
You roll the window back up and climb over to him without thinking twice, straddling his lap in the drivers seat. He grabs your hips to bring you into the right position and you smile down at him before you lower your lips to his neck. 
"Promise?" you ask and feel his hands move all over your body before sliding under your dress, pushing it up and squeezing your ass with both of his hands while you’re leaving hickeys on his pale skin.
"God, I missed that feeling." he groans as you grind down on his lap. You can feel how hard he already was while dampening the fabric of his pants with your soaking wet pussy. You pull back for a moment and look into his eyes. Just seconds later your lips crash down on his, wet and sloppy as you hold his face with both of your hands.
His hands move further down your ass and you moan into his mouth when his fingers reach your slick heat, sliding through your wet folds. He teases you, circling your clit and your clenching hole lazily with two fingers. He deepens the kiss before your lips part with an audible pop! and you’re left to catch your breath. 
His lips wander along your jaw and the side of your neck while your hands move from his face down his neck and over his chest, further down to his pants. Megumi’s hands are back on your ass to lift you up a little so you can try and open up his belt to pull down his trousers. With a hasty movement you relieve him of his pants and grind down on him immediately after.
You flinch a little when you feel his leaking tip brush against your sensitive clit. Letting out a quiet whimper you start grinding on him again, sliding his hard dick through your wet folds. He pulls you into another kiss, gentle at first before he nips at your bottom lip and then bites down hard. You pant and slide your tongue into his mouth, making him groan in return.
You pull away and look deep into his eyes, arms now wrapped around his neck. Megumi pulls you up again by your waist, positioning his cock at your wet entrance. You cry out in pleasure just as he pushes the fat tip of his cock inside you without giving you any time to adjust. 
"Ahh, 'gumi! Fuck-" you moan. You lift yourself up again, the sensation of his dick filling you out being just too much to handle for you right now. Megumi looks at you, a crooked smile on his lips. Hands on your hips and lower back he pulls you closer to him, you can feel his hot breath against your neck.
"Too much?" He breathes into your ear. "Guess you didn’t fuck around after all." 
"Good girl 'been waiting for me." he whispers, caressing your back with one hand before he thrusts up deep into your tight pussy, bottoming out completely. You squeal but have no chance of escaping him as he holds you in place with both of his hands.
"Ah- Fuck! Fuck- Megumi-" you whine, throwing your head back in pleasure. 
"Shit- How are you so fucking tight?" you hear Megumi growl though clenched teeth as he holds you down for another moment to keep you from moving. Finally his grip on your hips loosens a little and you start grinding up and down, picking up the pace. Still, you felt how much he hated not having full control over you so he kept on guiding you with his hands. 
He watched your pussy swallow his cock whole, going so deep and hitting spots inside you that made you cry out in pleasure and pain, his thick girth stretching you out just right. 
Megumi is quick to push your dress further up your waist to expose your boobs, watching them bounce up and down as you keep on riding his dick. You moan out in pleasure while picking up the pace of grinding on his cock, making him pant and groan against your soft skin.
His gaze and hands wander all over your body, having your soaked cunt crush down on his cock even harder now that you were free to move however you liked. Megumi’s getting lost in watching your cute pussy bury him deep inside, creaming and slowly forming a white ring around his shaft. 
Your head’s still thrown back in pleasure, eyes rolling to the back of your head from the sensation of your tight hole clenching around his thick girth, your moans and gasps and groans and the sound of skin slapping against skin fill up the car. 
He watches you in awe as you fuck yourself on his cock exactly how you need it, whimpering, moaning and breathing so hard as he puts a thumb to your clit, drawing harsh circles that make you flinch. 
"You’re so fucking beautiful-" he groans, trying to catch his breath and coming back to reality as he notices your moans getting needier and your breathing getting harder. 
"'Please 'gumi- need you to-" you babble, your grinding on his dick gets sloppier and after a few more lazy circles Megumi's hands move to your waist, squeezing the fat on your hips on his way up.
One hand on your waist, the other moving up, grabbing and squeezing your boobs before wrapping around your neck, he holds you in place as he roughly starts fucking up into you. 
Your thighs were already shaking, his hand around your neck still squeezing tightly. You’re gasping for air while now being fucked at a brutal pace.
"Oh- Fuck- just like that Megumi-" you moan. "Please d-don’t stop- Just like that-" The quiet pleads leave your lips and you close your eyes, desperately trying to hold yourself up by supporting yourself with your hands on the window frame and steering wheel.
"You think Choso would’ve made you feel like this?" Megumi sneered, already leaving bruises on your neck by how hard he was squeezing down his hand. You try to shake your head but instead you can just let out a quiet whimper.
"Huh? You think he could’ve fucked you like I fuck you?" he spat, loosening his grip just as you begin to see stars forming in the corners of your eyes. You feel his hand on your cheek and a second later you hear a loud slap! followed by a stinging sensation on your face.
"I asked you a question." he growls, his thumb on your lips, pressing into your mouth. You begin to suck on it instinctively, your eyes half closed and your strength slowly leaving you because he was pounding so hard up into you.
"N-No- only you-" you whimper, voice breaking.
"Good girl," he praises "be a good little slut and keep squeezing me so tight." His thumb leaves your mouth and you fall forward a bit, losing the support of his hands. Your walls clench around him, turning you into a moaning mess against the hot, sweaty skin of his face.
"Fuck- such a good little whore for me, huh?" Megumi growls into your ear while your head rests against the side of his face. He’s still at a brutal pace, his thrusts getting even deeper and you can’t help but whimper and cry on top of him.
"P-Please- Can’t take n’more" you sob while he fucks into you relentlessly, making you cry out in pain and pleasure. 
"Please- Please let me cum-" you whimper, tears starting to form in the corners of your eyes. 
"Look at me." Megumi orders and you try to lean back again, supported by his strong arms holding you upright. 
"F-Feels so good." you cry, squirming and wiggling under his touch, overwhelmed with the delicious feeling of his dick pumping in and out of you. He’s hitting all the right spots while your walls are squeezing him so tight. Megumi holds you in place, hands on your hips and lower back, not letting you move a centimeter to the side. 
"Fuck- doing so good- now cum on my dick, be a good girl for me." Megumi groans, not taking his eyes off of you for even a second. Tears roll down your cheeks while you look deep into his dark eyes, black strands of hair sticking to the damp skin of his forehead. 
With every thrust you feel the knot in your stomach getting tighter, with every brush of his shaft against your puffy clit you feel yourself getting closer to the edge until you feel that sweet release washing over your body with a final harsh thrust. Your lewd moans and your tight pussy clenching around his cock throw him over the edge just seconds later and you feel him pumping his load deep into you with a few feral groans escaping his lips.
"F-fuck- keep squeezing me so tight," he breathes into your ear, pressing your body as close as possible to his while you lazily continue to move up and down on his dick. "Good girl." Megumi moans. He holds you tight and you bury your face in the crook of his neck.
For quite a long time you both are just trying to catch your breath, entwined in each others arms. The truck’s windows are steamed-up and only the shallow light of the moon falling through the windshield makes it possible for you to see anything at all.
"You’re something else." Megumi whispers after a while, his soft cock gliding out of your sticky cunt and his hot breath hitting your skin. He quickly pulls up his pants and pulls down your dress before he pulls you back into his lap, your body trembling under his touch. 
"I missed you." he says and you feel so exhausted that you can only nestle into his chest, listen to his heartbeat and close your eyes, while he strokes your back gently. 
"Let me stay the night. I’ll get you home." he whispers and plants a kiss on top of your hair. 
"Not if you’ll leave me again." Your voice sounded so delicate and fragile, he had to pause and swallow before he could answer.
"I won’t." he says quietly. 
"Please don’t leave me again." you repeat yourself and you feel a single tear forming in the corner of your eye that gets wiped away by Megumi’s hand caressing your cheek. 
"I promise." You look up at him and he pulls you into a deep kiss. "I love you." you say quietly.
He doesn’t say anything.
"I still love you." You feel so vulnerable, it’s almost making you sick. "I don’t care about us fighting or fucking or obsessing over each other - deep down I know that I’m only capable of loving you."
"You’re the only one I want." You add in a low voice.
"I know." You hear Megumi’s muffled voice, his face is buried in your hair.
If only he could see the damage he did to you. How dependent you were, how much he was hurting you. 
If only you could see how much you were pouring oil on his fire, how obsessed you were with him. 
There was no happy end for the both of you and deep down you knew that.
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beloved-daydreams · 11 months
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Folktober2023 Prompt: "My sister, the serial killer." 🔪🌼
An attempt by
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Hosted by @jurdannetrevels and @jurdannet
📘 1 400+ words
😎 Characters: Taryn, Jude mention, Myriadh, Tatterfell, The Ghost/Larkin
✒️ Tags: self-reflection, sharing, sweet
📢 Summary: Taryn has made it to her sister’s place along with her attendant Myriadh. As she learns that Jude’s not home, Taryn decides to take a stroll in the palace's "garden", which is also the graveyard of Elfhame's enemies. More specifically, the ones who have fallen under Jude’s sword.
🧐 Author’s Note: Part 2 of the Taryn 3-parter I have prepared for Folktober! First part was for "Corn maze" and the third and final part will be out for "graveyard meet-cute"!
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As we arrive at the palace, I'm immediately recognized to be the High Queen's sister. Before, clothes and crown aside, it was still sometimes a bit harder to tell, but now with the size of my belly, we are unmistakable. Myriadh extends her hand to me as I'm about to jump out of the carriage, I politely hold it, not actually putting any of my weight into it.
We pass through the front garden that is used to make all visitors fear for their life. Each spot of the garden is covered in a different type of flower which gives it a strange charm, yet knowing the reason behind such an arrangement makes the fae sweat from anxiousness. It has only been 6 months since Jude and Cardan are both reigning over Elfhame, yet all those flowers show the amount of fae Jude has killed.
All traitors and enemies. Jude is now known as the mortal high queen who ends the fae's immortalities. She has already outlived all the fae in this beautiful graveyard by killing them. This graveyard that everyone has to pass through in order to enter the palace. She was now a Queen but still very much with the spirit of a killer. Though maybe it sounds too harsh, I should say assassin since her killings supposedly have meaning. "Don't fuck with me." That's the meaning. I breathe the scent in. I love it. Myriadh is trying to keep a straight face but I can tell she feels a bit uneasy by the sight.
Well, to be fair, I also feel a bit uneasy at the sight but for a different reason. Witnessing how beautiful the fae are even after their death. Not like us, rotting corpses with no pretty flowers to grow from our bodies. The only flowers on top of our graves come from those who miss us. And by how inconsequential I am, I'm not sure if anyone other than my siblings and child will leave flowers on where I will rest. I sigh at the depressing thoughts. Pregnancy mood swings be damned. Pheromones be damned.
"Are you feeling okay, my liege? Shall we go back after all?"
"No need. It won't take long."
I make my way to some guards, they inform me that my timing is unfortunate, that my sister has left just a little while ago. Thus I ask for Tatterfell. When they invite me in, I turn them down. We make our way through the garden, I catch so many new flowers that weren't there 3 weeks ago, last time I visited. I like finding new flowers, wondering from what type of fae they're growing out of.
And before I can stop my big mouth from spilling the words, they're already out.
"I'm so envious, you know."
Myriadh blinks at me, not sure how to answer since my words are so half-assed and nonsensical. So I continue.
"Of you. The fae. You're all beautiful from the moment you're born, magnificent while you live, powerful when you die and still beautiful after death. I mean, you've been living with me for the past 4 months Myr, you've seen how bad I look in the mornings."
I think back to how Locke looked when I killed him. When yellow roses grew out of him as I tried to dispose of his body. I thought it was so unfair, he was still flaunting his superior beauty at me even from beyond the grave I wanted to put him in. I think of how I would eat those faerie fruits at his revels as if I'm a pet of a wife, a fun little human who will obey the whims of her caring husband. Oh so benevolent for marrying a human who's only redeeming quality is being agreeable. Pleasant to spend time with because she'll listen and laugh, and agree.
Myriadh gathers her thoughts, probably trying to find a proper way to answer me. I like that about her. How careful she is with words and etiquette, maybe just as much as Oriana was. I miss her.
"Although you are right, I believe humans have things that may stir up envy from the fae's side as well."
I fake a laugh like I always do. I hope it doesn't sound too bitter.
"Is that so? Tell me."
We're now standing in place, I realize this might take some time so I sit at a bench and gesture to her to do the same. She sits next to me, but not too close as a sign of respect for my personal space.
"Do you know how old I am, my liege?"
Of course I know, I remember everything I'm told.
"If I remember correctly, 120 years or so?"
Rhetorical question, I know I'm right.
"Yes. I've been trying to have a child my whole life." She pauses. Probably measuring her words again, trying to not make it sound like she's accusing me of being too ignorant, too unaware of what they might go through in their long lives. "It's something I've been yearning for, giving life. Twenty years ago I gave up and made my way to the human world where I worked at a daycare for a while, putting the little ones to sleep."
I turn my head towards Myriadh, my eyes that were focused on the garden are now observing the faerie woman who looks like she can't be older than 25. She spares me a glance, seeing that I don't look offended but rather shocked, she continues.
"Homesickness got the better of me in the end, I came back recently. And, well… my coworkers started to wonder why I didn't seem to age at all despite having worked there for 20 years."
I chuckle, this time a real laugh.
"I guess you didn't think that far ahead." I smile kindly.
"I guess not. I should've glamored myself to slowly look older and older through the years. If I had made myself suddenly look older after hearing them gossiping about it, it would've been strange." She agrees.
I see now. To her who tried to have a child for a century, I must sound quite small-minded with my beauty talk. It's not like my envy has dissipated but it's good to put things in perspective.
Far away, I see a familiar figure approaching us. Tatterfell.
I tell her about my request to have the maze around my house be eradicated. She doesn't ask me why but she notes how, although Jude isn't home at the moment, since the request is coming from me, it can be done easily. Before going back to work, she shares with me something unexpected.
"Consider visiting us more often. Although Ju- Her Highness is often busy, I suspect she misses you. I have no answer to give her every time I'm asked about your whereabouts and she has seriously considered sending some of her people to guard your household."
"... Are you sure you're allowed to tell me this?"
Tatterfell shrugs and smiles.
"So you're still more preoccupied about etiquette than your sister's care for you. That's good to see, Oriana would be proud of the consistency."
I blush. I know this is not a jab at me since Tatterfell isn't the type to do so and she must truly believe the words she's saying, coming from her mouth this is not sarcasm. Yet I feel embarrassed at the idea that I haven't changed all that much.
Tatterfell leaves us be. I suppose it might be good to go back now.
As we're walking back to the carriage with slow steps, Myriadh looks as if she wants to tell me something. I welcome her to do so.
"Well, about before-"
Her sentence is cut short as a figure is suddenly in front of us. As if it materialized out of thin air. Myriadh jumps in front of me in a protective manner, she's about to open her mouth, letting her voice put the creature to sleep. But having the time to process the sight, I quickly realize it's not a creature.
"Wait!" The indistinct voice begs. I hold Myriadh's arm, a sign for her to hold on.
Hood down, mask off, the individual suddenly becomes recognizable to us. Jude had gifted the court of shadows some masks that can blur their presence. I realize now this is what it was. The faerie, or rather, the half-faerie standing in front of us is actually Larkin. Better known as the Ghost amongst his "fellow colleagues" if we can even consider spying and killing as work.
He shoots a smile at me, a tense one. And suddenly, I’m not so sure on how to act anymore.
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I’m excited about the next and last part!!! (For obvious reasons at this point.) Let’s say that the "character interactions" I wrote for the next part were... interesting to figure out? 😂 I’m quite pleased with it although I know it won’t get much traction since the central character in this is Taryn 🫠 It’s okay girlie, if no one’s here, I’m here!
Please leave comments/tags!!! 💖
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animebw · 1 year
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Re-Watching: Kimi ni Todoke Season 2
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In which my opinion has flipped so completely on its head that I'm un-retiring for a single post to talk about it.
Return of the King
It's been almost two years since I've made a post like this.
For those of you who've only joined me after my semi-retirement on the tail end of 2021, The Anime Binge-Watcher used to be one of the most extensive anime analysis projects I've ever seen in Western fandom. I would consume anime at ridiculous rates and blog my thoughts in chunks of 3 or 4 episodes, piecing together all my observations and opinions in nice structured paragraphs like the ones you're reading now. In my glory days, I could get through two, three, even four posts a day. Heck, when I first watched Kimi ni Todoke five years ago, I tore through all twelve episodes of season 2 in a single day, writing no less than five separate analyses of my developing thoughts along the way. My long-term readers can attest to what a wild and wonderful journey it was, and even though I've since transitioned into a much looser and low-key blogging style, I still miss those days when I could spill countless words about the countless stories I consumed.
But of course, life moves on, and there was only so long I could dedicate that much of my free time to a hobby when real life was knocking at the door. I started this project as a college freshman with way too much free time on his hands; I'm an actual adult now, overseas job and everything. Not to mention all the other hobbies and creative pursuits taking up my attention. I just don't have enough time anymore to spend on truly in-depth analytical writing like I used to. And that's okay; the three-and-a-half years I dedicated to The Anime Binge-Watcher in its true form were more than enough to say everything I needed to about this medium and my relationship to it. This project is as complete as it could ever meaningfully be. So while I certainly miss those days, I'm more than happy to let this be my casual anime watching blog from now on.
But I'm making an exception today.
Because re-watching the second season of Kimi ni Todoke has so thoroughly upended my opinion on it that I have no choice but break my thoughts down just as extensively and in-depth as I used to do on a regular basis to explain why.
God, it's so fucking good to be back.
Sympathy for the Devil
So, since it's been... god, it really has been half a decade at this point, huh? Since it's been five years since I first watched and blogged about Kimi ni Todoke, here's a quick rundown of my thoughts for the countless among you who weren't around for it: I fucking love this show so much. Not only is it one of the most achingly sweet shoujo rom-coms out there, but the protagonist Sawako Kuronoma so perfectly captures my experience of teenage awkwardness and uncertainty that I swear the author was taking notes from my life. It's a story about growing up on the spectrum, whether it realizes it or not, about the difficulty of communication when you can't grasp the norms everyone else takes for granted. But it's also about how those seeming walls between you and everyone else barely exist at all, and as long as you have the courage to reach out, you'll forge connections wherever you go. It's a feel-good masterpiece the likes of which we so rarely see, and I recommend it to anyone with even a passing interest in anime.
And when I first watched the second season all those years ago, I absolutely hated it.
Okay, to be clear, what I hated was the first half of season 2. I hated the miscommunications, I hated the contrived misunderstandings, I hated how the very fabric of the show seemed to be conspiring to force Kazehaya and Sawako apart. By the time we reached the point where they both confess to each other and yet somehow think the other only means "I like you" as a friend, I wanted to rip my hair out of my skull. Mercifully, the second half won me back by finally letting them get together as a couple and indulge in adorable puppy love awkwardness so mind-numbingly sweet I needed an industrial warehouse full of epi pens to make it through unscathed. And I'm not exaggerating, god the final stretch here is some of the cutest shit I've ever seen. But it was really rough going to reach that point through what felt like the absolute nadir of forced misunderstanding plotlines. Nothing but contrivance after contrivance piled on top of each other to force the couple apart long past the point they should have gotten together for the sake of dragging out the will-they-won't-they as long as it could possibly be milked.
And yet, as I got to re-watching this show in preparation for its shockingly announced third season (my excitement is through the goddamn room), dreading the moment I reached season 2 and would have to suffer through this bullshit again, something truly remarkable happened when I finally reached this point: I didn't hate it.
And then something even more remarkable happened: I started to like it.
And then something truly impossible happened: by the time it was over, I couldn't imagine this show without this arc anymore.
Readers, I have never turned around on a show like this. I've had shows I disliked but softened on as time went by, sure, shows I liked but came to love more and more as they lingered in my mind. But this is the first time I've returned to a story arc I actually hated only to end up loving it by the end. And that's the reason I'm returning to my old in-depth analysis blogging to talk about it. Because there's no way to discuss the 180 I've done on Kimi ni Todoke season 2 without breaking it down in as much detail as humanly possible. I don't just want to write a couple paragraphs and be done with it: I want to memorialize this moment. I want to really, truly express why I came around on this arc and why I think it's so meaningful now. Because there's a real conversation to be had here about the the power of storytelling in general and the power of this story in particular. And for a show that's meant so much to me for so long, I can't think of any other way to do it justice.
So let's dive in. Because good god there's a lot to talk about.
Right on Time
So the first question I want to ask right off the bat is: was I wrong to hate this arc the first time around?
Well, I'm not gonna tell you it's free of contrivance. Kazehaya and Sawako's building misunderstanding requires so many different people to misinterpret so many different things in so many carefully staged situations. Not just the lovebirds themselves, but Kent's ill-informed meddling, Kurumi's intentional sabotage, and especially Chizuru's completely oblivious worsening of Kazehaya's insecurities at a critical moment. And that dual-misinterpreted confession scene is still some buuuuuuuuullshiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit. There's a reason this arc gets so much shit from me and others; you can practically taste the hand of the author as it shoves all the pieces around to keep this misunderstanding growing well past the point someone should have realized things were getting out of control and stepped in to clear the air. And when you're as anxious as me for these two dorks to just ask each other out already, it's hard to see this as anything but cheap, forced drama from an author desperately trying to stave off the inevitable.
But here's the thing: what if there's an actual point being made here?
See, this arc is such a frustrating experience your first time through that it kind of shuts down any attempts to analyze it on a deeper level. You're so pissed off at being denied the confession that's dangling right in front of your face that you write off the whole thing as nothing but empty delay tactics. And yet, Kazehaya and Sawako get together literally right after this. If this was just a case of dragging out the will-they-won't-they, this misunderstanding would have lasted much longer and done much more damage. But no! They confess properly, they clear everything up, and they're officially going out mere episodes after you're left fuming at their double misinterpretation of each other's "I like you." So while it feels like nothing more than cheap delay tactics in the moment, a full view of the story's trajectory rejects that theory pretty firmly.
And that's the big thing that changed in this re-watch: I already knew this wasn't going to last. This wasn't going to force them apart forever, it was going to get fixed, I didn't have to worry about this relationship I loved so much getting screwed over by coincidence. And without that worry of endless delays, I was able to do what I couldn't my first time through: actually think about what this arc was trying to say. What was the point being made by this part of the story? What was it trying to communicate about Sawako and Kazeyaha's relationship by putting them through the wringer? Was there, in fact, a reason things needed to play out this way?
And believe it or not, the answer turned out to be yes.
End of the Fairy Tale
Sawako and Kazehaya's relationship starts like something out of a fairy tale. Sawako, the lonely rejected girl who can't connect with people and scares off everyone she tries to get close to. Kazehaya, the ever-cheerful prince who sees her plight and reaches out a hand to pull her into the light. And with his endless support and supportive charm, she's able to find her place in the world with friends who love her and a handsome admirer who will always stand by her side. It's every lonely girl's romantic fantasy brought to life in dazzling colors, fully earned by how human the characters feel and how well-realized their growth is. Small wonder we all got so swept up in it we fully bought into the fantasy ourselves.
But people aren't princes and princesses. We're not perfect fairy tale archetypes. We're people; flawed, imperfect people who make mistakes and don't always see things clearly. And as impatient as I was for Kazehaya and Sawako to just get together already, what re-watching season 2 made me realize is that as of season 1, they were not yet in a place where getting together would be a good idea. Season 2 isn't delaying for the sake of delaying, it's holding up a spotlight to these lovebirds' biggest flaws and pointing out that if they don't find a way to overcome these weaknesses, any relationship they start is doomed to failure. It's pulling the curtain down on the fairy tale and forcing you to realize that this sparkly, shiny portrait of two young lovers actually has some deeply unhealthy undercurrents that would shatter their attempts at a happy life together if left untreated. And all the drama and misunderstandings that spring up as a result of those undercurrents are what force Kazehaya and Sawako to truly confront those issues head-on, move past them, and grow into stronger, more self-assured people who can actually be with each other without messing it all up.
Girl in the Gutter
To start with Sawako, because she's much simpler to understand, her problem is the same problem she's had from the start: a complete lack of confidence in herself. As much progress as she's made, she still sees herself as inferior to the people she loves, someone who has to earn their affection by proving she's worthy of it. A life lived isolated from her peers has left her incapable of seeing herself as part of them; they're all so much smarter and kinder and braver than her. How can she consider herself their equal when they're clearly not? And because of that inferiority complex, she's completely incapable of considering the fact that other people might care about her just as passionately as she cares about them. Not just Kazehaya, but Yano and Yoshida as well. She can't picture a world where the people she loves return that love with no caveats or expectations; how can she, when he doesn't consider herself on equal footing with them?
And in Yoshida's beautiful rant to Sawako in episode 6, we see just how painful it is to be on the opposite end of that self-loathing. Sawako isn't just hurting herself by putting herself down, she's hurting everyone who loves her by implying their love is, in some way, untrue. Imagine how it must feel to care so deeply for someone, to devote so much of yourself to them because they mean the world to you, only for them to assume you can't possibly care that much because they don't deserve it. It's legitimately gut-wrenching. And if Sawako had tried to start a relationship with Kazehaya still under that impression, it would've been a disaster. She would've spent the whole time thinking he was just doing her a favor, being nice and helpful like always, hating herself for forcing him to become someone he didn't want to be just for her sake. And Kazehaya would've spent the whole time hurt and frustrated that she would think so little of the feelings he's cultivated for so long. They would've lasted a couple months at most, and it's a genuine question whether they'd even be able to talk to each other anymore when it was over.
In short, Sawako could never be in a healthy relationship with Kazehaya, or anyone, really, until she finally got it through her thick skull that she is exactly as worthy of love as the people around her. Only after Yoshida's rant does she finally realize how much she's been putting everyone else on a pedestal, that the only one who considers her lesser is, well, herself. Kazehaya is no god, Yano and Yoshida are no angels; they're people exactly the same as her, flaws and fears and wants and all. And there is nothing Sawako can give them that she doesn't deserve back from them in return. Then, at last, she's able to truly accept that Kazehaya might love her just as she loves him- and more importantly, accept that it's okay for someone like her to be a part of his life. Because this glittering boy who seemed to stand so far above her was, in the end, just as normal as her. And if someone as wonderful as him was just an ordinary person like any other... than maybe she could be just as wonderful.
Boy on a Pedestal
And speaking of Kazehaya, something else this re-watch made clear was that I did not understand his character the first time around. I remember being so annoyed my first time through by how much he started waffling on his feelings in season 2 when he seemed to clear-eyed before. You're a sparkly shoujo pretty boy, what business do you have getting all angsty out of nowhere? But going through it again, no, Kazehaya was fully justified in his concerns. His seemingly effortless cheer is just as much a social mask as Kurumi's pretty popular girl shtick; he just does a much better job of turning it on naturally. But underneath that cheery exterior lies a boy who's riddled with sharp edges. He's impulsive, he's quick to anger, he gets jealous easily, and he's got a genuine possessive streak that flares up basically whenever he thinks there's even a chance Sawako might be in the sights of another guy. The boy is as sweet as they come, but there's a real darkness to him that I didn't really pick up on my first time through because that sweetness was so incredibly blinding.
So when they move into their second year classes and Sawako starts forging new connections well outside her comfort zone? Kazehaya feels that darkness gnawing at him stronger than ever, and it scares him. It scares him to think he might lash out and hurt Sawako with the force of his feelings for her. More than that, though, he's scared of the thought that her lack of feelings for him (by his own thoughts) will only make that possibility an eventuality in time. She's making so many friends and finding so many connections beyond him, and as much as he wants to be proud of her, he also feels like he's losing something precious, something that used to be just between him and her. Something that Kent touches on early in the season is that Kazehaya can't leave people alone when he thinks they're in trouble; he swoops in and lends a helping hand because it's the right thing to do. But there's a world of difference between helping someone in trouble and building a life with them. And the more Sawako finds connections outside of him, the more jealous and uncomfortable he becomes... which only makes him all the more concerned that his gestures of kindness were little more than an attempt to bind her to him like a baby chick to its mother.
The fact of the matter is, Kazehaya and Sawako's relationship as of the start of season 2 is incredibly unbalanced. He's essentially been something like a teacher throughout her first awkward high school year as she began to develop her sense of self, and he's been a wonderful guiding light. But because of that, she puts incredible amounts of trust in him... trust that would be painfully easy for a less well-intentioned person to abuse. Sawako thinks so little of herself, and so highly of Kazehaya, that he could probably ask her to do anything and she would do it, no matter what it would mean for her. And because Kazehaya is so aware of his own demons, he's also aware of how easy it would be for his jealousy to spike out of control and hurt her. He's torn between wanting to hold her fast and never let go and wanting her to leave him behind. Wouldn't it be better for her to stop being so dependent on him, to find happiness in a broader community of people? Wouldn't she be happier- safer- if she could carry her happiness as far away from him as possible?
Golden Goose
Of course, the problem with Kazehaya's perspective is that he's making exactly the same false assumption as Sawako; thinking there's no way they'll be able to see eye to eye because he puts her on too high a pedestal. He's so consumed with thoughts of how much he could hurt her that he's incapable of seeing how much good he brings to her life. There's a great moment where Pin calls him out for this kind of selfish thinking; for all his claims of wanting to do the best for her, his own feelings are the only things he's really taking into account. He's so obsessed with his own way of seeing things that he never stopped to consider what Sawako thought of their relationship, never considered that someone as honest and straightforward as her might also have feelings she was too scared to talk about. So while Sawako needed to realize she was just as worthy of love as everyone else, Kazehaya needed to come to terms with the fact that everyone else is just as flawed as him in their own ways. Everyone else has doubts, hidden desires, questions on how to move forward with no easy answers. But just because you can't be sure of everything is no excuse not to try.
On that subject, something else I really came to appreciate on this re-watch is how Kent serves as a foil for Kazehaya. He's essentially the person Kazehaya is afraid of becoming: someone who does good deeds and helps people not out of a genuine love for the people he cares about, but as an ego-boost to fuel his sense of self-importance. Yes, maybe Kent has good intentions, and he certainly did some good for Sawako helping her settle into her new class, but when push came to shove, his sense of self-righteousness won out over his desire to do the right thing, and thanks to his own misinterpretation of Kazehaya's feelings, he meddled in ways that almost drove Sawako and Kazehaya apart for good. He was so convinced his perspective on what was happening was correct that he never stopped to wonder if he was doing more harm than good until he'd almost ruined everything forever. And Kazehaya is so terrified of becoming that kind of person- or the thought that maybe he already is- that he pulls farther and farther away from her rather than try and fix things upright. It's only when he finds the courage to be as honest and straightforward as Sawako, doubts be damned, that he's able to meet her on equal footing, see her clearly for the first time, and embrace the love he was so scared of losing with all his heart.
Hearts Wide Open
And it's that incredible catharsis that officially turned me around on season 2. Seeing that incredible confession scene and all the sugar-bomb adorableness afterwards not as an apology for a season wasted on delay tactics, but the culmination of a genuinely beautiful coming-of-age for both of them, made me realize just how damn important this arc I thought I hated was. Kimi ni Todoke needed to let its characters face their flaws like this. It needed to confront their worst aspects to they could grow beyond them. It's only now that they're truly self-assured people, confident in themselves and each other, that their relationship is able to be so unspeakably, unfathomably delightful. And while there's definitely more than a little narrative railroading to force them into that situation, the payoff is so spectacular than I genuinely don't mind anymore.
So I guess, if you, like me, found yourself groaning throughout Kimi ni Todoke season 2 the first time you watched it, rolling your eyes at the contrivances, yelling at the screen as they kept misunderstanding each other and hating the writers for putting you through such bullshit... give it another look. See it for what it is. I can't promise it'll win you over as fully as it did me, but with the benefit of hindsight, you may just find yourself a new light in what you thought was the darkest corner of the sun.
And with all that said, I'm bumping my season 2 score up from 6.5/10 to:
9/10
God, I'm so fucking happy I decided to rewatch this show. To my old fans, I hope you enjoyed this nostalgic return to form. To my new fans, I hope this was a fun change of pace! If you want to see more writing I've done like this, I've got an enormous backlog of shows I've analyzed like this, so feel free to check them out! And now, let's all wait with fingers crossed that season 3 is just as wonderful as what's come before...
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violettranslations · 8 months
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Please Subscribe to My Channel (チャンネル登録よろしくお願いします)
youtube
はじめまして! ぼくはずんだの妖精 ずんだもん!
Nice to meet you! I'm the soybean fairy, Zundamon!
ZUNDA!
配信活動ってやつを始めてみたいのだ おまえら! チャンネル登録 よろしくお願いします!
I wanna try this streaming thing. Hey, you! Please, subscribe to my channel!
ZUNDA!
ZUNZUNZUNDA!
何をすればいいのか考えてみる みんなが見てみたいことやってみる ありきたりじゃ見てもらえないから ぼくのパワーで強化効果バフをかけ盛り上げる 準備は完了 完璧な計画 必要なもんは少しの勇気だけ 刮目せよ 伝説の始まり いくぞやるぞ ホントにいくぞやるやる あっあ〜
Let me take a moment to think about what sort of things I should do. I guess I'll just do whatever everyone wants to see. But nobody'll watch if it's just the same old stuff, so I'll use my power to cast some crazy buffs and really get this party started! Preparations complete! The plan is perfect! All I need now is just a little bit of courage. Witness the birth of a legend! Here I go, I'm really doing it! It's actually happening, I'm doing it, I'm doing it! Aaaaaah~
チャチャ チャンネル登録 チャンネル登録 よろしくお願いします なのだ 高評価 拡散 いいね よろしくお願いします なのだ
Plea-plea- Please- Please, subscribe to my channel! Yeah! Please, rate highly, share, and like! Yeah!
さあということで今回はこの企画 与えられたミッションを成し遂げる 熟練の技 巧みな身のこなしで 百パーセント 実力を発揮する ぼくの手から零れ落ちないように 一人残さず救いあげて見せる 慌てず騒がず落ちちちちついて いくぞやるぞ 一気にまとめガバーっと あっあ〜
And so with that in mind, here's what I've got in mind for this time: I'll be taking on a special mission! With skillful technique and an adroit bearing, I'll display 100% of my true strength! Just watch me scoop up every last one without a single drop spilling out of my hands! Don't panic, don't lose your cool, caaaaaalm down— Here I go, I'm really doing it! All in one go, in this one fell swoop— Aaaaaah~
チャチャ チャンネル登録 チャンネル登録 よろしくお願いします なのだ 高評価 拡散 いいね よろしくお願いします なのだ
Plea-plea- Please- Please, subscribe to my channel! Yeah! Please, rate highly, share, and like! Yeah!
さあということで今回はコラボレーション 対戦よろしくお願いします お願いします ぼくの強さ見せつけて理解わからせる ボコボッコにして あのちょ あのえ あの あっあ〜
And so with that in mind, this time we've got a collaboration! It's a pleasure to battle here today. Likewise. I'll show off my strength and make you realize how epic I am! I'll beat you to a pulp— Uh, wai- um—huh? Uh... Aaaah~
チャチャ チャンネル登録 ※きりたんを チャンネル登録 ※きりたんを よろしくお願いします とーほく 高評価 ※きりたんを 拡散 いいね ※きりたんを よろしくお願いします たんぽ〜
Plea-plea- Please- Please, subscribe to *Kiritan's channel! Tohoku! Please, rate *Kiritan highly, share, and like *Kiritan! Tanpo~
さあということで 今回はこの企画 洗練された無駄のない走りで 誰より速く 美しく華麗に進んで〜
And so with that in mind, here's what I've got in mind for this time: with polished, lean movements, I'll speed through faster, more beautifully, more elegantly than anyone ever—
チャチャ チャンネル登録 チャンネル登録 よろしくお願いします なのだ 高評価 拡散 いいね よろしくお願いします なのだ
Plea-plea- Please- Please, subscribe to my channel! Yeah! Please, rate highly, share, and like! Yeah!
おはようございま〜す ということで 今回は寝起きドッキリをするのだ 只今の時刻は午前5時半なのだ いまぼくはきりたんの部屋の前に来ているのだ 寝ているところを直撃して 寝ボケたきりたんを大公開してやるのだw あられもない姿が見れるかもなのだwww みんな準備はいいか? いくぞやるぞ いくぞやるぞ はっわ〜
Goooood morning! With that in mind, this time, I'm doing a wake up prank. It is, at present, half past 5 in the morning. I am just about to head into Kiritan's room. I'll land a direct hit while she's asleep, and reveal her derpy dazed expression to the world (lol). We might get to see something totally unladylike (lololol). Are you ready, everyone? Here I go, I'm really doing it! Here I go, I'm really doing it! Howwuhhh~
チャチャ チャンネル登録 やめろー チャンネル登録 するなー やめろー よろしくお願いします なのだ 高評価 やめろー 拡散 いいね するなー やめろー よろしくお願いします なのだ
Plea-plea- Please- Stop— Please, Don't you do it— Stop— subscribe to my channel! Yeah! Please, Stop— rate highly, share, Don't you do it— Stop— and like! Yeah!
面白かったら 楽しかったら 応援よろしくお願いします
If you had fun or otherwise enjoyed this video, please consider supporting us!
(Tohoku Chorus Time)
たまに辛いことも あるけれど 見てくれる人がいる限り ぼくたちは 歩いてく だから おまえらの 支援 待ってるぜ!
It gets tough sometimes, but as long as there are people out there watching our videos, we'll be able to keep going. That said, we're both eagerly awaiting your patronage!
チャチャ チャンネル登録 チャンネル登録 よろしくお願いします 高評価 拡散 いいね よろしくお願いします もっと! チャンネル登録 チャンネル登録 もっと! チャンネル登録 チャンネル登録
Plea-plea- Please- Please, subscribe to my channel! Yeah! Please, rate highly, share, and like! More! Subscribe to my channel! Subscribe to my channel! More! Subscribe to my channel! Subscribe to my channel!
いつも見てくれて ありがとね なのだ これからもどうぞ 末永くどうぞ 宜しくお願い致します なのだ
Thank you all for watching all this time! Yeah! We're very glad to have you here from now throughout the many years to come. Yeah!
ZUNDA!
ZUNZUNZUNDA!
ZUNDA!
ZUNZUNZUNDA!
今日という記念日を忘れないように 誕生日に設定しておくのだ あ〜
Ooh, how about I mark this anniversary by setting today as this channel's birthday, so I don't forget— Ah~
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bookshelfdreams · 2 years
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@0xjuro left and addition on the meta abt miscommunication and bullying and I just want to reply to it here since that post is already long enough as is.
They said:
But - and here’s the rub - Ed is all about avoiding conflict. There’s been loads of meta about Ed’s abusive background that were way better than anything I could manage (...) So what he’s doing is trying to deescalate Jack - and the whole situation - as much as he feels is safe, while not making himself a target at the same time.
hmm. And I would agree with that if it weren't for this scene from ep5
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Forgive him, forgive my friend here, okay.
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It's impossible to shut him up! Seriously, half the time I'm like "Oh Godfrey, will you stop fingering my dents and get back to some accounting!"
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Hilarious.
What's happening here?
People have said this before, but Ed is incredibly good at reading a room. He has people skills. He knows how to make people like him. Right before that little interaction, someone has just insulted Stede, and Ed feels the mood sway. So he makes a joke. At Stede's expense, yes, but it's not (I think) that he's trying to throw Stede under the bus here. He's getting close to him, hand on his shoulder, putting his body in front of him: this is him, signalling to Stede that they're allies, he has his back, he's just doing what needs to be done to keep the crowd's favour. It's not personal.
And Stede, of course, doesn't say anything or do anything - he's laughing along! - so Ed feels like he can double down.
In Ed's world, interpersonal conflict is a physically violent thing, always. Insults and verbal aggression are just the posturing that leads up to it. If someone calls you a name, it's either a joke or you take their fucking eye for it, and there's no inbetween. You don't let yourself be abused and debased, because then the next attack will be with a literal knife. An insult is a threat to your reputation; if you don't do something about it immediately, people will think you're weak and exploit that. In his own way, he's diffusing a conflict here; he's making everyone laugh, he's preventing it from spilling over into physical violence.
For Stede, it's fundamentally different. The subtly insulting jokes, the cutting remarks: That is the actual conflict, and you lose as soon as you let on that you've been hurt. It is exemplified in another scene from ep5:
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It means a rich donkey is still a donkey.
And how does Ed react? Yelling. Hitting the table. Getting up, making himself bigger. He's immediately going for physical intimidation. He's taking respect by force; disrespecting him comes at the cost of violence, and he can't let anyone doubt that for even a second.
Stede, however, reacts completely different. "Don't debase yourself for a man who hasn't got a single tureen on board!" To him, this shows a lack of self-control. Ed let the french captain know he's hit his mark; he lost the interaction. Losing his temper like that means Ed can't actually defend himself because Stede doesn't expect conflicts like this to get physical. To him, Ed is just bluffing.
Except, of course, he isn't. Ed is making a threat he has every intention of following through on.
It's two fundamentally different approaches in dealing with bullies: Ignore them, they just want to get a rise out of you vs Break their fucking nose, see who's laughing now. In Stede's world, if you debase yourself (as he puts it) into using physical violence, there's gonna be an authority who punishes you for it, and you lose. In Ed's world, there isn't, and you win.
So. What I'm getting at: Ed would expect to be told - immediately and in no uncertain terms - when he's overstepped a line. But Stede would never do that. He has learned that telling someone "It hurts my feelings when you do that" (in any way at all) is the absolute worst mistake you can make. He has learned that he can't defend himself, so the best bet he has is just ignoring every insult hurled his way. If you don't react they'll get bored eventually.
Another thing that plays into it: Ed isn't used to looking for insecurities he can exploit because (contrary to Jack) Ed isn't a bully at heart. He doesn't get a kick out of putting people down. Yes, he's gonna use violence to get respect, but he's not someone who needs to abuse other people to bolster his own ego. @0xjuroo said in their reply
What I mean is that Ed might not have experienced this kind of constant ostracizing himself, but that was because the people who were around him who did experience it didn’t make it.
And I agree with that! "Most pirates I know, they're dead. So you're doing a hell of a lot better than them". Stede is still around, and he wouldn't be if let himself be constantly disrespected (that's gotta be the subconscious assumption here, I doubt that's Ed's actual thought process).
The beach scene in ep8 - "I don't like who you are around this guy" - is probably the only time we see Stede trying to articulate "You hurt my feelings, please don't do that". Of course that's not what he's actually saying (I'm not even sure he would know that's what he'd need to tell Ed here) and he fails at getting this point across.
idk how to tie this off neatly, but yeah, basically, their respective histories & experiences mean they have very different styles of communication & that's how you use miscommunication as a source for conflict without being lazy about it :)
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aikoiya · 2 years
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I see a lot of people saying that Danny is trans or gay or some other member of the alphabet mafia & that they're reasoning involves him being half-ghost.
But, I can't help but feel like that's a very poor reason.
For one, you choose to transition. It can't be an accident unless you're coerced, but even then, a choice was made to change your body.
Like, of course you don't choose to be trans, but you do choose to go through with the actual transition itself.
Danny did not get to choose to become a half-ghost. It was an accident where he fucking died! Then he was ripped back to life!
Like, don't get me wrong. I do see the parallels of hiding a major part of yourself from your parents, but it's still not a very good comparison.
In fact, when he first did get the chance to choose, he chose to go back to being what he was before. Then, for everyone else's sake, he chose to help anyway which resulted in him becoming Phantom again, but even then, he still didn't choose to become Phantom, it just sort of happened.
The closest thing I can compare that to is a doctor botching something at the hospital like spilling acid over Danny's genitals at a young age, then he transitions the kid against his will. Danny's miserable & tries to hide this fact for 2 years because, suddenly, he's lost something of himself; before deciding for himself to detransition, then deciding to help the doctor who essentially ruined his life anyway, only to be forced back into transing again, but this time, he's just gonna give up & live with it.
That's like saying, "Transition even if you don't want to & if you detrans, we'll force you to transition again until you give up & just decide to live with the consequences!" 8D
Do you really want that to be the message of your movement?!
Like, sure, Jenny from My Life As A Teenage Robot makes sense to be trans, especially by today's standards. Why? Because she WANTS TO BE HUMAN DESPITE BEING A ROBOT BY NATURE!!
Though, I don't think anyone can rightly say she's transfem because all her mother's other XJs appeared to be female too, so why just suddenly change that?
But she actually is canonically transpecies. Literally, she's transhuman. Canonically!
Not to mention, the creator of MLaaTR went out & said that they were flattered by the comparison, making it more than okay to headcanon it!
Like, it was okay before anyway because headcanon doesn't need to follow canon. But, now it's okay to regard it as canon too!
And that's the difference! Hartman denied it, making it noncanon!
As for being gay canonically? Not once have I ever seen him be interested in a guy! He's been plenty interested in girls, but no guys in that way.
Like, I could maybe flex enough to see him as bi, but I cannot see him as gay because it doesn't make sense as far as his character goes. He likes girls. Full stop! That is canon & you can see that in the way he interacts with them!
You can say he's gay in your headcanon & I may not agree with you, but that wouldn't matter because it's your headcanon & you can do whatever you want in your headcanon! You could make him a 6 foot blue alien with purple spots if you wanted!
So, as you can see. There is a difference!
Like, it's just fine to hc these things. It isn't okay to present them as canon when they aren't though!
You can make your own opinions, but you can't make your own facts.
Truth is truth. Reality is reality. Fiction is fiction. And Danny is not trans canonically.
Like, you can't just say that the sky of Galifrey is canonically green because it's not. The skies of Galifrey are red! Canonically!
You can write a fanfiction where Galifrey's skies are green, but don't say that they're green in the show & try to pass it off as fact because they're not!
That's called lying!
As for you jerks getting onto me about Word of God. I'm an aspie! I find comfort in rules & structure & the rules are that the creator defines canon, fans define fanon, & the individual defines headcanon! By picking on me for that, you're being ableist bigots!
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husbandohunter · 4 years
Text
Moments of Despair #1 [Genshin Impact/Diluc x Reader]
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Synopsis: “The man who was on fire and realized it too late.”
(A series of works where the boys deal with the passing of their beloved).
Albedo's despair
Warnings: angst, tragedy, major character death, graphic depictions of violence perhaps
(A/n): Had these ideas for a while after reading @/serensama To Mourn series of another fandom. So much sorrow and feeling I just was inspired to write 😫
_______________________________________________
The moment you fell lifeless in Diluc's arms, he wanted to disappear.
It was raining again, he had always despised the rain. How it trickles down the slope of your cheek, like tears falling from the heavens. The sight of it mixing with your blood creating a thin stream of red rivers flowing beside him. They patter down obnoxiously because time didn't care, the gods don't care, the world didn't care. You were just a small fragile person to their eyes but to him you were his light. A candle that used to shine in his dark world was now dissipitated by the waters of reality.
Many droplets have passed and he was still holding you. Diluc could do nothing but stare. He hadn't shed any tears nor could he make a coherent sound. Perhaps it was because his tears have long run out when his father was held in the very same way. Or it was because he was heartless. He's usually told for being cold and indifferent. But the pain clenching in his chest was proof that he still had one (proof that it was still beating), much to his dismay. It would be better if he didn't.
So why can't he just look away? Your wounds, your bruised features, everything now etched so deep into the back of his conciousness that is was starting to awaken his worst nightmares. They were the source of the bile growing in his stomach. The irony stench filling up his nostrils felt so sickening. He couldn't turn away. You're dead. You're dead. You're dead. As if reality had yet to register, or maybe he refused to accept it, Diluc helplessly gazed down your body with blank and empty eyes.
"Master Diluc..."
Jean's voice called out to him pitifully. He rises up with his back turned, ignoring the stares given to him, "Leave. The knights of favonius are not needed here."
"But she's a Mondstadt citizen," The anemo user retorts, slightly taken aback by his impassive reaction, "It's my responsibility to ensure this case doesn't go unnoticed."
Unnoticed. Diluc scoffs in his mind, what a tasteless joke.
"It seems you weren't listening," he announces as his head was turned ajar so they could see the deep hatred glowing red in his eyes, "Leave. Now."
Jean's lips trembled before barely being able to say, "Alright" and retreating her knights back to the city. Kaeya narrows his gaze at his bother, the sorrow was evident through his pupils. He steps forward until he was arms length away from his brother. Too little too late, another failure was added to the belt.
Kaeya was a man of many words but for once he was at loss of what to say. No underhanded suggestions, no ideas taunting him to spill his thoughts, he simply asks Diluc, "What are you planning to do now?"
Silence. Kaeya couldn't predict what sort of expression his brother was making as he looks at your corpse. It brought a heavy weight of unsettlement upon him and here he thought he had already grown used to his brother's quietness.
Slowly, he turns around while letting the water pour down his face. Kaeya tightens his jaw as Diluc drags his feet towards him, stopping when their shoulders were parallel, "It's none of your concern."
"You're just going to leave her here?"
There was a slight pause which was enough of an answer. The Cavalry Captain sighs when he watched him walk away, what was the point of asking when Kaeya knew Diluc so well? He glances at your form before swiftly shutting his eyes.
It was his concern.
-------
A week later, the staff of the Ragnvindr household could hardly recognize their Master's appearance. They knew not to bother him when he decides to lock himself in his chambers. Diluc drowns himself with work from hours to no end as he connects the findings of the person that took your life. As expected, it was one of his enemies- a fatui member. The question was, which one?
"Master Diluc, I beg of you, please take care of yourself," Elzer pleads.
The pyro user didn't bother to spare him a glance or look at the tray of food he carried.
Food...you always brought them whenever he had to work overtime.
"I do not remember specifiying anyone to be allowed in my office," he voices aloud, "If it's related to business affairs simply leave that with Adelinde and I'll take a look at it tomorrow."
"I understand. But you've been working all day and night yet refusing to take any breaks in between. At this rate, you'll harm your health."
The feather pen in his grip kept dragging it's course, "This is beyond the duties assigned to you Elzer."
"That's because it was a request sent by your father," he adds, knowing that stepping over his boundaries may cost him, "If Master Crepus was still here, I'm sure he would have said the same thing."
Taking a deep breath, Elzer lays out his last card, "And also your wife."
The pen slows into a halt.
No one had brought you up until now. Elzer anxiously watches his Master shifting in his seat, his red bangs covering half of his face but he could still see the frown pressing firmly on his lips. It wouldn't be a surprise if Diluc suddenly bursted at him for mentioning such a sensitive topic, all that matters was his master's well being and Elzer was willing to risk everything for it. But nothing. Diluc turns his attention ever so slightly at the tray he carried.
"Fine, but I'm not eating that."
"What? Wasn't this was her favourite-"
"Do I need to repeat myself?"
Elzer furrows his brows before sighing, "...No, Master Diluc."
He exits the room while carrying the fresh dish of Once Upon A Mondstadt that you loved so much. The door closes with a soft click and he was alone again.
People found it strange how Diluc seemed so vacant to your passing. He didn't even show up at your funeral. Instead, he continues his duties as a Mondstadt nobleman like usual while taking care of business matters associated with the winery. Except those who were close to him could see the difference in his actions. Apathy, he was so mechanical in every task he did. Like a marionette attatched on strings, a doll without a soul. After all, his soul died the moment when yours did too. What remains was a shadow of Diluc and a being existing solely for revenge and duty. He was nothing but a remnant.
Fatigue begins to wash over him and he fights to stay awake. Because once he gives in it will all be over. Once he closes his eyes, he would see your face with a multitude of images from the past. He would hear your voice calling out his name from a distant space as it echoes off the walls of his mind. He would fall into a dream where you were still with him and as always, waking up to see that it was never real.
I should have pushed you away.
Because what hurt Diluc the most wasn't that you were gone, rather, it was how you were still here.
Then you'd still be-
Something breaks and it turned out to be the pen he was holding so tightly. Only now Diluc realized how fast his heart was thrumming as beads of sweat began rolling down his forehead. Focus. Don't waste time. He won't grant himself the liberty of anything when your murderer was still on the run. Every wound they inflicted on you was going to be returned in tenfold. He'll make sure of it. That's why, he refuses to think about you at all. Diluc occupies his mind with other matters since at this point, work was the only efficient method of keeping his sanity in tact.
She needs you to focus.
The door opens and Kaeya enters the room while holding a document, "We found the guy."
His reaction was immediate, "Where?"
"Hm, now that we meet, it's actually quite debateable," The captain notes wryly, "When was the last time you've gotten proper rest?"
"I don't have time for this, either you tell me or I'll do it by force."
Kaeya couldn't help but sigh, "Apologies but you don't seem to be in any state for a fight. I'm sure you know how it would end up if you were to face your enemy right now."
"..."
"Diluc, this isn't healthy," Kaeya asserts, it's been a while since he sounded so sincere, "I'm not here to prevent you from doing what's necessary however, perhaps it would be better if I finished it in your stead."
"No," Diluc stubbornly answers, "Hand that over."
"...Heh, then there's really nothing I can do to stop you it seems," he whispers with a sad smile, "At the very least, be careful."
"I intend to," The pyro user snatches the paper parchment out of Kaeya's hands before opening the window, "Also, if Elzer returns, tell him there's a few errands I have to take care of."
The night was a full moon and the sky was empty, Diluc leaps off the edge and disappears into the darkness. There was no telling of what could happen next. Since you weren't here, it was up to Kaeya to watch over him.
-------
The claymore dropped to the ground with a clang as it soaks up the blood of the fatui he just killed.
Diluc was tired, so tired.
He slumps down against the wall from pure exhaustion, all that adrenaline and hatred went up in fumes, leaving behind whatever was left in his heart: nothing. Two hours, not even that far from Mondstadt, the fatui hid in an abandoned building as he cowarded for his life. When Diluc arrived, he never expected this monster to be so weak. This was the person who murdered you? A pathetic nobody that was simply following orders? This was the reason why he lost you forever?
In the end, the only one to blame was himself, for being weak and unable to protect you. He was supposed to be your hero ("Darknight hero," you'd always tease), the rock that shields you just as you had been the warmth he longed for many years, did he give you enough? Was this enough? He thought avenging your death would grant him a peace of mind and the justice you deserved but deep down, he knew it will never be enough when it comes to his love for you.
"Diluc."
He closes his eyes, he hears your voice. He was so tired, it wouldn't be a surprise if he started hallucinating.
"Diluc."
"I'm sorry..."
The man lets out a trembled breath as he apologized to the image of you in his mind. I'm sorry I failed you. They were repeated like a mantra in hopes to reach you somehow. Of course that was impossible, his feelings, his emotions, love and sorrow altogether will never reach you again. And your arms that once comforted him and brushed his hair with a soothing voice, saying everything will be okay, where are they now?
"Diluc."
"Stop," he didn't want to hear your voice.
"Diluc, I'm here."
"Stop..."
"Diluc..."
He jolts his eyes open and lets out a yell, what was he saying? He doesn't know. All he needed now was to drown out the fake voices mocking in his head. Diluc grabs the nearest object and shatters it against the floor, the dam was broken and it flooded uncontrollably, breaking everything in it's way. The abandoned house was filled with loud cries of a man sobbing with agony like a broken-hearted child. He crumbles to his knees and falls to his side, lifting his forearms while clutching his face.
And screamed.
Archons, what did he do to deserve this? Why do the people he cherish get taken away from him? Diluc never wanted to be the Darknight hero if it meant having his father perish in his arms. He didn't want the feeling of stabs against his chest with every breath he took. He didn't want to feel cold while knowing it was because you weren't here to hold him. He didn't want your voice, your pictures or your memory.
He wanted you.
"(Y/n)..." he chokes. Rolling to his back, Diluc moves his arms to cover his eyes, letting the tears run down to his ears, "(Y/n)..."
For who knows how long, he lays there in the abandoned building and mourns. Diluc doesn't have the strength to move from his position, he found himself staring mindlessly through the cracks of the roof when his voice had gone hoarse. The corners of his eyes still burned and his head was throbbing with so much pain. Maybe he should just stay here but the thought of being in the same room as your murderer was unfathomable.
Picking up his claymore once again, Diluc drags himself out of the door. Where would he go? It's not like he had a home to return to because home was when he was with you. A doll without a soul, the marionette moves as if the strings have commanded him to do so. Where ever it takes him, he didn't care. He just knew he had to go.
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rommahh · 3 years
Text
I Carry Your Heart
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Harry Styles x Reader
Word Count: 4k
{Ahhhh ok so this is my first work like ever. There will definitely be a second part because ive got more to say and it needs a second part. I hope whoever sees and reads this imagine enjoys it. I appreciate comments, likes, reblogs, ideas on what could go into the story, and any form of help and redirection as to how i should write things. Much love, R.}.
Part two
All Y/N wanted tonight was to hang out with her boyfriend, eat a mass amount of junk food, and watch a marvel movie or two. That was all she wanted and that was all she asked of her boyfriend. Instead of any of that happening, she found herself sitting on the nasty kitchen island of her boyfriend's frat at a party that she was trying to avoid going to.
This party was supposedly ‘the party of the year.’ The last rager before finals and then christmas break. Y/N had spent the whole week studying and finishing up end of semester projects hence the want for a chill night. When Harry came to her saying his frat was throwing a party tonight and that he just HAD to be here, Y/N didn't feel like she had a choice but to let him go. She came because she thought this would be the only time she would be able to have some time with Harry after a long week of barely seeing each other. With two vastly different majors, the couple wasnt able to find a lot of time in the middle of school work to make time for just the two of them. Obviously her hopes of quality time with her man were futile because here she was sitting by herself in the kitchen of the frat while Harry drank and got high with his friends in other parts of the house.
Of course she was disappointed. She felt a knot in her throat and a weight on her chest just sitting there in that kitchen. Her white claw was warm now- not that it was any cold when she opened it. She was starting to form a small headache from the too loud music and the ache in her heart was growing.
She stood from the countertop on the search for her boyfriend, hoping he wasn't too far gone from sober. Wiping the back of her jeans from anything that was left on the island, she began walking around the house. She doesn't remember the last time the two of them spent time together by themselves. Of course they occasionally ate dinner together in the dining hall but they were normally surrounded by friends. Y/N wanted to be alone with her boyfriend to talk and bask in his presence.
After pushing through groups of partying humans, she found Harry and at least ten other people sitting around playing some sort of drinking game.
“Y/N! Where have you been?” Luca, one of Harry's frat brothers yelled out to her from the circle. Luca was cool, he was one of the only tolerable boys in this frat aside from Harry. Hearing his girlfriend's name, Harry turned around from where he sat on the ground and reached out for his girlfriend to sit beside him. Much to Y/N’s dismay, Harry was wasted. His eyes were half mass and his words bumped and slurred together. “We are playing truth or dare, wanna play?” Luca asked.
“I don't wanna play but Ill sit and watch.” Sitting next to her boyfriend, she grabbed one of his hands holding it in her lap. She was annoyed at him but it did her no good to show it when he was this drunk.
This game of truth or dare was childish. Dares of licking people's shoes and taking multiple shots had been done and truths about money and relationships were being spilled among the group. It had finally become Harry’s turn to do something, making Y/N tense.
“Ok Harry, I dare you to…” One drunk frat boy started looking around the room trying to come up with something clever. His eyes landed on a pretty girl in the room, Yara, a stuck up girl who for sure got her way no matter what. “I dare you to kiss the hottest girl in the room- obviously not your girlfriend because that defeats the purpose.” The frat boy smirked knowing what his intentions were. Everyone in the group giggles and gasped shocked by the dare but ready to see what was going to go down. Y/N’s brows furrowed as she became angry with the stupid dare.
The ache in her chest seemed to tip over the edge when she felt her boyfriend in the room move to stand up. She grabbed at the bottom of his shirt as a way of stopping him. Harry halted his movements to look down at his girlfriend. He giggled a little.
“You’re not actually going to do this right?” She asked Harry with wide eyes of shock. Harry laughed at her like she made a joke, making her heart hurt even more.”Harry I do not want you to do this just take the shot and lose the dare.” Her tone held warning.
“Don't be silly of course I'm going to. It's just a dare, nothing serious. Don't be so clingy.” He stood walking over to Yara and planted a wet kiss on her mouth. Yara gripped Harry’s shirt and kissed him harder. The kiss went on for a few more seconds, the room absolutely silent out of shock. Harry stepped back from Yara slightly sobering up from his actions. Yara smirked at Y/N, hand gliding down the front of Harry's shirt.
Y/N stood from the seat she was in and scoffed. Scoffed because she should've known Harry would do something like this. Scoffed because it hurt to see her boyfriend do something so careless without any regard for his girl's feelings. She pulled herself together, feeling her throat tighten once again. She was quick to leave the room and down the hall of the frat.
Harry's clumsy steps could be heard from behind her as he mumbled her name. Or at least he tried to. He was still so out of it, his words not making much sense. Y/N was crying now, the strength that she had slowly dissolving as she walked further away from her boyfriend.
“Y/N wait. P-please wait. I cant-” Harry stumbled over his legs behind her falling into the grass of the front yard. The girl couldn't help but turn around looking at her stupid boyfriend. She was choking on sobs now. She wasn't crying over a measly little kiss but over an extreme amount of burnout from school and exhaustion from simply existing. She was crying because her boyfriend ignored her boundaries, crushing and erasing the boundaries she had set in their relationship. Harry tried reaching for her once she had stopped walking. His hand clasped around her wrist, he laid his head down on her shoulder. He hated seeing her cry even if he was too drunk to see why.
“Baby don't leave, Im-Im Sorry.” He hiccuped and burped due to the alcohol. Y/N felt her rage build. Shoving Harry off of her, she crossed her arms across her chest as a way to shield herself from Harry physically. He was hurt by her distance and the wall she put up around her.
“You're an idiot Harry. An idiot!” her sobs grew louder, some stray party goers watching in amusement- some even snapchatting it for shits and giggles. “I didnt want you to kiss her and you did. What provoked you to think that was ok? All I wanted was for us to hang out tonight and just be us and you did this!” She was yelling now. Her hurt is beyond her now. Anger and rage simmered throughout her body making her head dizzy and her fingers curl within themselves. She didnt like being angry. It wasn't an emotion she liked acting on, it felt impersonal.
“Baby I don't under-” Before Harry could finish his sentence he was barfing at his feet. Y/N stepped back disgusted with her boyfriend. She couldn't even feel remorseful because of how angry she was. Luca, the frat brother from earlier, caught up with Harry and his girl only to find Harry doubled over heaving. Luca wrapped his arms around Harry's shoulders.
“I'm sorry Luca but I can't do this tonight. Can you please make sure he gets some water and goes to bed. I-I can't do it tonight, I wish I could but I can't.” Y/N didn't want to leave her boyfriend in this state but she didn't deserve this. She wasn't going to care for her drunk boyfriend when all she wanted to do was care for herself. Selfishly, she enjoyed seeing him this way because of the anger he caused her.
Luca shook his head in understandment. “Of course, I'm really sorry for tonight. He's going to seriously regret this in the morning, especially since it will be circulating all over snapchat in the morning.” Luca waved to Y/N then proceeded to pull Harry into the house. Harry called out for Y/N not wanting to be away from her but Luca pulled him harder.
Harry woke up the next morning feeling like the bottom of a dumpster. He wasn't shocked by that. He knew he got trashed last night, he had planned to. He, just like Y/N, spent all week studying and completing projects while also fulfilling certain responsibilities for his frat. He wanted one night to be a normal teen. So he drank and drank and drank and maybe even smoked some weed. As he tried to recall last night's events he came up with nothing. He didn't understand why Y/N wasn't here with him like she normally would after a party on the weekend. They were normally always together during the weekend. A bad feeling loomed over him. He could tell something wasn't right but decided to put his feelings to the side.
He saw a bottle of water beside his bed making him think she was probably here and left early. Chugging the water he started to go through his socials to see if anyone had posted about the party. He had multiple tagged pics and videos in his notifications from snapchat. Way more than he normally would.
The first video he saw was a video of him and Y/N standing in the front yard of the frat house. Turning the volume all the way up he could hear Y/N yelling, it shocked him. She doesn't normally raise her voice, especially not at him. The angle changed showing her face which was red with anger, eyes filled with unshed tears. He could hear her yelling about him kissing someone else. He felt his heart stop. He had kissed someone else? On the next snap was a picture of him keeled over vomiting on his shoes with the caption saying, ‘are yall seeing this shit?’ Harry was embarrassed but he was more concerned than anything.
His head was hurting but it didn't stop him from rolling out of bed, washing up, and putting on a fresh set of clothes. He checked his phone hoping Y/N had messaged him but nothing was there. He walked into the kitchen only to see luca sitting at the counter eating cereal.
“Hey Harry….” Luca said warily. Luca pushed the cereal around his bowl feeling the tension begin to rise in the room. He felt horrible about his friends.
“Luca...what's up?” Harry was confused by Lucas' wariness.
“So do you remember anything about last night?” Luca asked, setting his cereal down in the sink behind him. Harry started playing with the frayed edges of a bracelet Y/N made for him. It had little beads with her name on it. They made them together at an event on campus.
“I don't, I only saw the videos of Y/N screaming at me. I think I fucked up but I- I don't know what happened.” Harry's cheek flushed with even more embarrassment. Luca awkwardly chuckled scratching the back of his neck.
“You got dared to kiss the hottest girl in the room and um actually did it in front of Y/N...even though she didn't want you to. Which led you guys outside and yeah you know the rest...Im sorry dude, I wish I had stopped you.”
“Who- who did I kiss?” Harrys stomach lurched when he heard Yara’s name come out of Lucas' name. Y/N didn't like Yara and it was understandable. Yara has been pining after Harry since their first year of college. Harry couldn't breathe. He felt disgusted with himself. He could only imagine how Y/N was feeling.
Y/N woke up the same morning, eyes puffy and crusty from tears and head hurting. She probably cried herself into dehydration. She was lucky enough to have no roommate because she wouldn't have wanted someone else to see her breakdown. She still couldn't believe last night went down the way it went down. She couldn't tell if she was just being overdramatic or if her emotions were in the right place. She didn't want to be mad at Harry. He was everything to her, she had an odd connection to him. Meeting him during their freshman welcome week they quickly became best friends with a growing romantic connection in the mix. They started dating before Christmas break. They had grown close so fast that he even came home with her to meet her family for the first few days of break.  Even though they were in their junior year of college, Y/N could see them beyond college. She's imagined them getting married, travelling, sharing a home. She saw the whole future with him. She had her doubts though. He was immature just like every other boy in college. He was dumb with his actions and tended to only do things if they benefited him. He had a lot of growing to do as a person, so did she but she wanted to grow with him.
She heard a knock on her door hesitating to answer it because one, it could be Harry, and two, she looked like a wreck. Answering anyways, she was met with a very sorry looking Harry holding a small coffee and bagel from their cafe.
“Hi baby…” He sheepishly said holding out the items. She silently let him through the door not once looking him in the eye. He stepped into her room, setting her treats on her desk. He could see that her bed was messy meaning she recently woke up. Y/N never went about her day without making her bed. He turned back to her and finally their eyes met. He took in all of her facial features, from her puffy eyes, to her downturned lips that looked chapped, to her flushed cheeks that longed to be held for warmth. He hated to see her like this, the last time he saw her so upset was when her parents moved out of her childhood home. It took alot to make Y/N this upset. She was normally really headstrong and vigilant. She knew how to ease her way out of problematic situations and could talk her way through anything.
Harry opened his mouth to speak but was cut off by Y/N holding her hand up in front of his face. “Don't talk. I'm really hurt Harry, so if your plan was to come over here and apologize over bagels- think again.” She snapped, backing up to put space between the two of them. She sat down on her bed while Harry pulled the desk chair out and sat down. He much preferred to be on the bed with her holding her tight but he didn't want to overstep boundaries.
“Love, I don't know where to begin. I'm really sorry for what happened last night. I was really drunk and obviously wasn't in the right headspace.” Harry reached out and touched the tips of her fingers with his. She wanted to move but it felt good to be touched by Harry.
“I told you that a measly little apology won't do Harry. I didn't want you to kiss Yara and you did anyway. You know how Yara feels about you and you just let it happen!” She pulled her hand away remembering the prior night's events. Harry felt himself getting angry too. He felt like he needed to defend himself- even though it would be a very bad idea.
“I think you're being over dramatic.” Wrong move Harry. “It wasn't like I was making out with her!”
“You're joking right?” She scoffed and scooted further up her bed to create more distance. “Harry it's the simple fact that you did something that made me uncomfortable that shouldn't have even happened. I see myself getting married to you and it makes me worry that right now in our relationship you can't respect my boundaries!” She yelled. Harry’s eyes widened as he laughed sarcastically.
“Married? What the fuck are you on about? I'm a junior in college. In what world would it make sense for me to be prepping a relationship for marriage? Once again I think you're being over dramatic.” Her eyes watered hearing Harry's statement.
“I- I guess I'm the only one in this relationship thinking about the future? I thought we were on the same page. I'm not planning our marriage now, obviously. I'm thinking about how elements of our relationship now could play out in the future when we do want to get married. You cheated on me last night. I went to a party you begged ME to go to only to be there for you. I wanted to be here cuddling with you, pigging out on fast food but I was at a party with you and got cheated on!” Her volume rises once again, making Harry shove his chair from underneath him when he stands up.
“You're doing too much right now. I'm not planning a future right now because I don't want this future! I want to be myself without thinking about how to appease my girlfriend. I invited you to the party so you could lighten the fuck up. I love you, I do, but I'm not thinking of marriage and futures. I'm thinking about my life right now and having fun.” Harry snapped right back at her. Her chin wobbled. Obviously her and Harry were on different pages. It hurt so much to hear him say that he didn't want a future with her. Harry didn't mean it though.
“Ok, well I guess that's my fault for assuming we were thinking along the same lines. Um, I don't want to hold you back from being yourself so with that being said, you are a free man Harry.” She pushed herself up from her bed walking to the door ready to escort Harry out.
“Huh? Love, what?” Harry was confused on how they got to this point. Just a few days ago they were in love, meeting in the library to share a lunch and exchanging sweet words determined by their love.
“Listen I have a day full of exams tomorrow so if you could just leave that would be best. You don't really want this so I'm letting you go, Harry.” She had tears rolling down her face, falling from her eyes down to her chin where they fell to the ground in droplets. Harry’s eyes welled up watching his love cry before him.
“I don't-”
“Harry, leave, please.” She opened the door making room for him to go through. He walked through the door turning to look at her. She turned her face away from him whispering a small goodbye before shutting the door. Harry was left in the silent hallway, so silent he could hear his thoughts and the tears hitting the tile floor beneath him. He thinks he stood there for at least thirty more minutes before accepting what had happened and walking away.
Leaving Y/N in her room sobbing like she had never done before. Her tears coated her face and she thought her head could explode right then and there. She didn't want to accept what had happened but she had priorities. She composed herself enough to start studying for her exams.
The week rolled by quickly, Monday meeting Friday in a flash. Exams were done and Christmas break was on the horizon. Students were piling off of campus in a hurry ready to get home to their loved ones. People were outside by cars loading up their winter necessaries and saying their goodbyes to their close friends.
Harry cried everyday this week. He wasn't normally a crier. He hated crying, he hated the feeling of crying and the headache that came from it. He cried because he realized how wrong he was. He missed Y/N. He missed finals week dinner together where they tried to get off campus at least once and be alone for a moment. He missed watching her relax while eating food that wasn't from their school's cafeteria. He would pay for their meal just so she could have one less thing to worry about. They would normally get frozen yogurt right after too, Y/N getting as many toppings as she wanted because Harry would be the one paying. He missed her tight after exam hugs. She would squeeze his shoulders tight, smiling into his neck, telling him how proud she was of him. She would bring him tea in the morning when they met for breakfast. Sometimes they would spend the night in one or the others room so they could have time together to destress and just talk.
Y/N wasn't doing any better. She normally went into exam week feeling confident. She studied too hard not to. But this week she felt like shit. Her heart hurt and she kept thinking about the fight. She feels like she overreacted but hearing Harry talk about their lack of a future hurt nonetheless. She really assumed that they did have a future that included marriage and a life together. She didn't understand where his sudden lack of commitment came from. She regretted dumping him but at the same time she wished he did more to get them back together but he was silent. He hasn't contacted her at all and avoided all of their spots on campus all together.
She stood by her car prepping for her six hours car ride back home. Packing away her clothes and some essentials in the trunk of her car, she heard light footsteps behind her. Closing her trunk she turned to see Harry standing with his hands in his pockets.  
“Hi.” He said. She looked at him, putting her own hands in her pockets. It was cold outside, the nippy air hinting at a possibility of snow.
“Hi Harry.” They shared a moment of silence together. Just staring at each other. It felt good to be near each other again. They felt like they could breathe again.
“I had to see you before you left. I know the break is only a month but I didn't want to leave without seeing you.” He replied quietly. She made him feel so shy. Her beauty always made him awestruck. Even in a hoodie with their college's logo and some large sweatpants and some fuzzy crocs, she was the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.
“I don't know what to say harry.”
“It's ok. I don't deserve anything from you after what I said. I just wanted to apologize and wish you a good break before you left. I also wanted to give you this.” He pulled a small box and envelope out of the front pocket of his backpack. “I know we agreed on no presents but I think thats a dumb rule and I love you too much to not get you something.” She smiled at his words, taking the gift from his hands.
“Thank you Harry, it means a lot to me. So what are your plans for a break?” She asked him, the tension that was in the air slowly dissipating.
“I couldn't get a flight home until next wednesday so i'll stay here on campus until then.” He shrugged.
“Oh ok. Well tell Anne I said hi. I have to go Harry but I'll see you after the break, ok?” She didn't want to leave him but she didn't want to drive through the dark.
“Ok, love. Drive safe. I lov- I mean have a good break.” Her chest tightened at his hesitation. She wants to hear him say the words but she knows he won't.
“Have a good break Harry.” She whispered. Before getting in her car she stood on her toes placing a kiss on the corner of his mouth. Rubbing her thumb across his cheek and turning away and into her car.
She drove away knowing that her heart was left in that parking lot in the hands of someone she loves way too much.
Harry stood in the parking lot watching his heart drive away for winter wanting nothing more than to be with her.
Part two
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poisonouswritings · 2 years
Note
im going through baby fever again...<\3. And I'm literally in love with sage and I think he deserves so much love and KISSES. Anyway what do you think sage would be like with a pregnant MC? Or if they're about to adopt a kid. Ultrasounds<33 sage crying when he first sees their baby. Yeah he gets emotional that MC wants to start a family with them. ALSOOMGG IM SORRY IF THIS IS A WEIED REQUEST IM JUST WATCHING THE MOVIE JUNO AND I TENS TO GET OBSESSED WITH THINGS
Y'know I've never actually seen Juno. I always hear how good it is but I just haven't gotten around to watching it. Is it really that good?
Also again? Are you the same anon that asked for this one?
First part is AFAB but GN!Reader, bullshitting my way through birth (and vague birth things therein), second part is GN!Reader, bullshitting my way through the adoption process, I'm in the US so I'm kinda using vaguely American standards/procedures because that's what I'm semi-familiar with, Disclaimer - I know very little about either of these topics!!, Modern!AU
Part One
Personally, I think the pregnancy was a surprise.
Sage might have wanted kids but he definitely didn't think he was ready for them. He never thought he would ever be ready for kids.
But he likes having sex, and he certainly likes having sex with you, and I just don't know if Sage uses condoms
God I miss the old team so much
Anyways one way or another, you're pregnant now.
Would you be nervous to tell him? Sage has made no secret that he gets antsy about commitment, but he's also head over heels in love with you so??
Once you show him the positive pregnancy test (or the several, if you wanna be sure), h o l y s h i t he is so excited actually!!! He's about to pick you up and spin you around but,, he's big and stronk and worried about accidentally hurting you so
He hugs you against him but just avoids squeezing your stomach in any way.
Starts getting like,,, a million baby-raising books but also doesn't have the patience to read them so he tries to flick through them but even that takes too much concentration so he just kinda. One time it's three in the morning and you go into the kitchen for water and he's just sitting at the table holding the book against his head,,, and you ask him what he's doing and he says he's learning through osmosis,,,, plz send his ass back to bed.
He tells Tulsi, Lucan, and Balsam right away (he got too excited and forgot to ask you if that was alright), but I think he waits a little while to tell the others. Probably the first 2-3 months (typically the riskiest period) or when you decide you're ready. But Lucan might have already spilled the beans so.
Y'know.
He goes with to all the appointments if you let him. He always asks the doctor a thousand questions. Takes notes. A baby is a very delicate and fragile thing and he wants to make sure he's doing everything right.
Side note if anyone - and that includes medical professionals - misgenders you, he'll correct them and clearly be a little annoyed. If they continue doing it he will 1,000% get in their face about it.
Ultrasounds,, just stares at it in fascination because Holy Shit!! That's a little person!!!! You have a whole ass little dude in you!!!!!! And that little dude is half him!!!!!!!!!!!! Mind-blowing.
If he hasn't gone to therapy yet I think he might start now! He has a lot of conflicting emotions (fear that he'll be a shit dad, anxiety that you'll regret this, an awareness that he can't just up and leave if something goes wrong, etc etc.) and he doesn't wanna burden you with them or risk letting them out in the wrong way and accidentally hurting you. Also cutting back on his drinking is,, more difficult than he expected,,,
He and Tulsi are out at a bar,, they've been there for over an hour and he's only had like two beers and that's pretty low for him!! They're playing darts. And she points out that he's grown up a lot. And then he promptly manages to throw a dart into someone's shoulder and it's like. Well. Alrighty then.
He's so good at accommodating your food cravings,, constantly looking up new recipes for you. If it's something he can't cook then he'll run to the store even if it's 3 in the morning.
Kitty is overprotective! Worries about you working too hard. Doesn't like you helping with chores because he doesn't want you overexerting yourself. Legit will carry you around if you ever hint that your feet hurt.
He is a vibrating heating pad!! Very good for when you're sore.
If you're over-emotional from hormones then he walks on eggshells to try and avoid upsetting you. Will tell stupid jokes to make you laugh.
As your due date gets closer, you guys put a birthing plan together, carry around a go-bag all the time, etc etc. He wants to be prepared!! It helps him keep calm. He also makes sure everyone else knows the plan just in case he's not around.
Would be hilarious if like,, you're out with Tulsi and Elowen when your water breaks/contractions start and Tulsi has to stunt-drive you to the hospital,,, fucking drifting,,,, badass woman. I love her so much. Elowen is trying to time your contractions but cannot focus beCAUSE TULSI THAT IS A FUCKING RED LIGHT!!!
Anyways you manage to text Sage (he was out with the bois picking up a crib and they'd stopped to get lunch) and then pull up at the hospital and get rushed around everywhere and lose your phone, so who the fuck knows where he is!!
Luckily the boys wasn't too far away (the baby store was near the hospital anyways) so they're able to get there in like,, ten minutes. Balsam has to ask where you're at because Sage is way too frazzled to form words rn. He was [] this close to just tearing down various hallways until he found you.
All hail Balsam, holder of the Holy Braincell
The rest of the Griefers hunker down in the waiting room while you and Sage are in the,, idk,,, labor waiting room? Wherever they take pregnant people idk. I tried Googling stuff but I'm getting a bunch of different answers so
Um. Idk. Waves hands vaguely. Birth things.
Actually I'm gonna tell you guys a story about how I was born!
So I was apparently a big ass baby, right? And the contractions were really really painful. So my mom was massaging her stomach and she somehow managed to turn me sideways. And then she tried to push me out but guess what!! It was like trying to shove a log through a Cheerio!!! So the doctors had to turn me so I could come out normally, and my mom said it was the most painful thing she's ever experienced.
Y'know the iconic chestburster scene from the original Alien? I like to say I did to my mom's vagina.
Anyways!
You give birth, hopefully less traumatically than that. Sage is next to you the entire time, squeezing your hand and trying to keep you calm and praising you for doing so well and 'Holy shit it looks like you're shitting out a watermelon!!! Babe-! right, not helping!'
Baby comes out. Once the doctors have cleaned it up and whatever else they do for a new baby, they ask him if he wants to cut the umbilical cord,, his hand is shaking a little as he does it,,, holding your child - his child, it hasn't sunk in yet - like they're the most precious thing in all of reality, because they are!! He doesn't even realize he's crying until you tease him for it. Very softly sits down on the edge of the bed next to you,, once the nurse takes the kid to go do final information and clean it up and put it in the baby room or whatever, Sage is hugging you and bawling his eyes out.
Meanwhile you just shat out a fucking watermelon so. Idk. Hope someone gets you an ice pack or something.
Part Two
I think Sage would like being a foster parent actually! But we'll stick with adoption for this post.
I think,, that,,, he would want to adopt an older kid. It's emotionally weird for him because he's been in that position and he knows how frequently the older ones get neglected and forgotten.
Idk. You guys can talk about it.
Adoption is like,, a whole ass process,,, apparently it can take between 6-18 months?? And all I can think of is the Stuart Little movie where they picked a whole ass mouse and then brought him home the same fucking day. Like. Okay. I guess. House mice only live like 2 years on average so presumably they got to skip the process cause he woulda been fucking dead by the end of it
Also can we talk about what a weird movie that was??
Anyways this is also a good time for him to start therapy!!! You gotta go through interviews and tests and shit and this is a weird emotional thing for him for obvious reasons so.
He is so terrified of fucking something up. Please hug him tight and smother him with kisses and reassure him.
The further you guys get in the process, the more confident he (gradually) becomes. As long as you're by his side, he knows everything will work out.
If my Googling is to be believed, typically there's several interviews/get-togethers with the child to make sure it's a good fit and everything? Sage is so nervous about making a bad impression oh dear. Luckily he kinda has a natural charm that makes kids like him so that works out pretty well. He's honest about his background and I think that helps them bond a lot.
When he tells Tulsi that you guys are gonna adopt, she cries a little. Refuses to admit it and swears something just got in her eye. Meanwhile Balsam is squeezing the life out of you. He gives big hugs.
Sage finds out the kid's interests and starts tentatively decorating the room,, wants the kid to have an input but also knows something needs to be set up for the groundwork.
Everyone starts referring to Sage as a dad and he tears up a little bit.
Kitty cat settling down and starting a family
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yourmidnightlover · 4 years
Text
never stop loving me
Summary - Spencer lashes out at y/n after being upset for a while, only to be far too harsh and push her away.
TW: mean spencer, swearing, bomb, injured reader, kissing
WC - 5,647
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spencer had been acting weird lately.
and it wasn't his normal, quirky, adorable weird self. it was quiet. too quiet. he didn't ramble like he usually did when you brought anything up.
he was distant. he didn't sit beside you on the plane ride home, or hold your hand as you drove the both of you to your shared apartment.
you didn't want to push him to say anything he didn't want to, but you were getting worried. you rarely had to corner him into talking, but there was the occasional time where you knew he wouldn't get through whatever it was eating himself up until he spoke up and voiced the words in his mind.
so when you both entered the apartment, you hung your coat up on the hook and placed your bag beside the couch as you plopped down.
"spencer?" you asked quietly as he hung his coat up. he turned to face you as you began to pat the seat beside you, wanting him to sit down. he complied with a huff as you took note that he sat at nearly the other end of the couch.
"what?" he asked without looking at you, you could sense the attitude in his voice.
"i'm worried about you," you whispered. "can you open up? what's bothering you right now?" you moved closer to him and placed a hand on his lower thigh comfortingly.
"you're worried about me?" he spat out, looking at you incredulously. "i'm sure that's true," he scoffed sarcastically, rolling his eyes as he flicked your hand off his leg.
"spencer why would yo-" you started as you scooted closer to him on the couch.
"why would i what? why would i not believe you when you ask me that? you're a smart girl, y/n. figure it out," he nearly yelled at you as he began to get up from the couch. you grabbed his hand with both of yours, not wanting him to leave you like that.
"please, spence. i just need to kno-"
"you should be able to figure it out yourself!" he shouted. "and stop touching me! oh my god all you ever do is touch me! did you ever think that maybe something's wrong with you if you have to always be touching someone? god! just don't ever touch me! you're so annoying! what the hell is wrong with you?"
"i-i'm sorry. i didn't think it wa-" you started apologizing.
"exactly! you didn't think! you never think about anyone but yourself! you never stopped to think about how fucking uncomfortable you touching me is! i hate being near you. i can't do it," he started shaking his head as he ran his hands over his face.
"wh-what?" you asked as the teas you didn't know were gathering in your eyes began spilling down your cheeks.
"you heard me," he said as he started to turn around. "i'm just gonna sleep alone tonight," he started walking towards your bedroom.
"i'll sleep on the couch," you spoke up before he made it to the room, he stopped in his tracks. "your back's been hurting lately, and you're too tall to fit on the couch comfortably. i'll sleep on the couch," you whispered, partially afraid that he wouldn't be able to hear you, wiping at the tears.
"whatever," he said as he finished his journey into the bedroom, not bothering to look at you.
you wanted to wait until he was asleep to get any blankets or anything, so the only things going through your mind were his words to you.
what the hell is wrong with you?
i hate being near you...
just don't ever touch me!
you weren't sure what was bothering him this much, but if you knew anything about spencer it was that that man could hold a grudge.
when emily had 'come back from the dead' it was like it was a different kind of person. it wasn't the spencer you fell in love with and you knew it, but that doesn't excuse his words.
so, you did what anyone in your position would do. you gave him space. you dialed the number of a trusted friend and colleague, praying she would pick up.
"hello?" the groggy voice rang out from the phone speaker.
"hi," you meekly replied. "sorry, i know it's pretty late. i umm," you sniffled, "i just didn't know who else to call."
"what happened, y/n? are you hurt? is everything okay?" she asked worried.
"yea, yea. everything's okay," you sighed. "i think spencer might just need some space is all."
"ummm, okay. is there anything i can do?"
"actually, yea? i hate to ask you this or put you in a weird position, but i was wondering if i could stay with you for a while?" you rambled out.
"of course you can. do you even have to ask?" she replied quietly.
"oh my gosh, you're a lifesaver. i-it might not be for long, i'm not really sure," you began. "it might be until spencer is ready, o-or maybe until i umm," you sniffled again, "until i find my own place?"
"that's okay, honey. i promise," she answered sweetly.
"thank you so much. i owe you, em," you sighed as you wiped the tears from your cheeks.
"don't even worry about it, y/n. i'm glad you came to me. are you coming here tonight?"
"if you don't mind... i'm not sure if spencer would want to see me when he umm, when he wakes up," you nodded even though she couldn't see you.
"okay. i'll be waiting."
"alright. i'll probably leave in like half an hour. bye."
"bye," she replied before you hung up.
you snuck into your bedroom, and noticed how spencer was sleeping peacefully.
you had began as friends at the bureau. you didn't even think of him in a romantic way until he admitted his feelings after one drunk night out with the team. it was sweet, a bit sloppy, but sweet.
he kept rambling about how beautiful you were, and how good you smelt when you would lay your head on his shoulder to fall asleep or when you were cuddled up on your couch watching movies. he told you about how you made him feel like less of a weirdo when he would ramble about things he knew, just wanting to be liked by others.
he mentioned how he loved that he could come to you for anything at any time. he also told you about how he appreciated that when you met him, you didn't try to shake his hand. you knew how uncomfortable he was with touching a stranger and allowed him to make the first move. you let him be the one to cross the bridge that was physical touch because you were just that caring for others, and that's truly what he loved about you from the beginning.
then he said that he would never tell you how much he liked you because he never wanted those things to stop.
by that time, you had already driven him back to his place, and helped him into bed. he begged you to stay, so you obliged kindly and opted to take the couch. he told you to stay in the bed with him. he was the one to pull you closer onto his chest. he was the one to stroke you hair as you fell asleep to the rhythm of his heartbeat.
he didn't even remember that night. he woke up with you in his arms, content with the warmth you provided him. he loved the way you instinctively curled into his chest even more.
you never brought it up.
then you realized that you felt the same for him on one of the later cases. you wanted to hold him while he cried, and rejoice with him when he had his wins. you wanted to hear his stupid rants about something as miniscule as sprinkles on a birthday cake. you wanted that closeness he graced you with. you just wanted him.
and now, as you picked a few more pieces of clothes to pack, you heard rustling coming from the sheets. you turned to see spencer now sitting up in bed, looking at you.
"...hi," you whispered with tight lips.
"what're you doing?" he asked. you couldn't tell what he was thinking since it was still dark.
"i'm umm, i was gonna stay with emily for a while," you said as you wiped the tears from your cheeks for the thousandth time. "i um, didn't think you'd want me to be here when you woke up," you nodded as you folded the clothes in your hands. "i was going to leave in about 20 minutes, so i'll be out soon," you felt your lip quivering.
you didn't want to cry in front of him. maybe it was that you wanted to have a sense of dignity, but if it came down to it you would bet that you just didn't want him to feel bad. even after he basically said he hated you.
because that's who you were.
you were a touchy person. that's how you show love to others. that's how others know you care for them.
but now he said he hated that about you.
he hated the way you would gently graze his hand with yours when you could tell he was upset. he hated the way you ran your hand through his hair when he was stressed. he hated the way you placed your hand on his shoulders when he was sad or frustrated.
he hated you.
and he just looked at you standing there. he didn't say anything. he looked at you as tears welled in your eyes from his words.
the words that felt like a burning blade being dragged along your spine. the words that felt like bile rising from your stomach.
"i'll just go now," you said as you ran out of the room and into the living room, not noticing the way that spencer followed you.
"hey," spencer spoke up as you piled the clothes into your go bag that was still beside the couch.
"yea?" you sniffled, not bothering to look at him while pulling on the sweater that was keeping you warm.
when you finally turned to see him he was looking at you with a blank expression. he was looking at the sweater you were wearing. you looked down at it, not remembering it was one of his he had let you worn during the case in north dakota. it was the one you wore when you realized your feelings for him, almost a month after he admitted them for you.
the one you wore when you shared your first kiss in the snow.
"oh," you said as you felt the tears build up again. "you... want it back?" you asked as the tear fell down your face, leaving a burning sensation that felt far better than what you felt inside.
he didn't say anything. you couldn't even see him since the tears were blinding you. so, you slowly unbuttoned the sweater and folded it nicely as you handed it to him.
"i-i'm sorry," you sniffled. "i didn't um - i didn't want to make you un-uncomfortable," you said as you zipped the bag up and grabbed your keys, heading to the door. "just know that i um, i love you."
and you were gone. you rushed out of the door. you didn't want to wait to see if he would tell you he loved you back, scared that you'd be waiting for a lifetime. so you ran to your car and drove off to emily's place, leaving spencer standing in the living room, frozen from what just happened.
but you couldn't see his heart breaking in return. he pulled his sweater up to his face and recognized the sweet scent of you on it that made him break down.
when he noticed how cold you were from the snow from forgetting your jacket at the hotel, he automatically gave you his. he didn't even care how cold he would get - just that you'd be a bit more comfortable.
he draped the sweater over your shoulders to help you put it on, and rubbed your arms for more friction to get you more warm. then, when you turned to look him in the face, you leaned in slowly and grabbed his face.
"can-is this okay?" you asked kindly.
he didn't even respond. he just connected his lips with yours after giving you the brightest smile. he relished in the moment of feeling content, whole, peace. you.
and now you gave him back that very sweater.
in reality, he was looking at the sweater you were wearing as a sign of hope. he thought that maybe since you were still wearing it, he hadn't completely squandered his chance of forgiveness with you.
but you gave him his sweater back with tears in your eyes.
he made you cry.
he drove you away.
when emily answered the door, you broke down in her arms, which was quite the role-reversal.
you were always the one to comfort the other team members. you never really went to anyone for help, you never wanted to burden them with your problems when they all had lives. you just wanted to help them. that's just how selfless you were.
"i'm here, y/n," emily consoled you. "let it out, sweetie. that's it," she stroked you hair as she led the two of you to the couch so you could cry in her arms.
when you finally calmed down a little bit, you started apologizing.
"i'm so sorry. i know it's really late, i just didn't know who else to go to and i'm just so..." you sniffled.
"don't worry about it. i'm glad you came to me. now, care to tell me what happened?"
so you told her. everything.
okay, so you made him seem like less of a douche bag, but you told her. you just tried to explain to her his side of the story, trying to be more understanding.
"and you feel bad? you aren't mad at him?" she questioned in disbelief.
"yea, of course i feel bad. being myself has made him uncomfortable, em. how could i be mad at him when i'm so hopelessly in love with him?" you asked in question.
"oh, sweetheart," she said as she pulled you back into a hug.
she had a plan.
okay, it wasn't much of a plan.
it was more of just chewing him out.
but she knew that would work.
because she also knew how much he loved you. and she knew there had to be a reason he was treating you like that.
the next day you had gotten called in at 4 a. m. with a new case. you drove to the office with emily and walked in behind her. once you saw spencer sitting at the round table in his normal seat beside yours, you felt a kind of rage boil inside of you.
he was just sitting there with a gloom look on his face, not trying to apologize for what he had said to you or anything. you'd thought that maybe he'd even look at you by now but he hasn't even noticed your presence. nothing.
you huffed, walking over to sit in a chair you normally wouldn't be in. spencer finally turned to see it was you who sat down, so you looked him up and down before turning your eyes towards hotch who was giving you all the briefing.
there was a bomber in charleston, california. he would send bomb to local corporations that had a history of animal testing. He was essentially trying to rid the world of those who harm animals, which is quite ironic since that involved killing humans.
each of the buildings were two stories, yet the bomb didn't level it. that's how you knew the bomb was meant to send a message rather than kill more people.
so until his message was spread and out in the open for all people, he'd continue to kill people without hesitation. human life wasn't valuable to him, so it was your job to stop him.
once you had gotten to california, you had all been divided into teams. you went with morgan and spencer to the most recent bomb site to analyze anything they might've missed.
the entire scene smelled like burnt papers, no surprise there. aside from the fact that people had previously died where you were standing, the tension in the air was so thick it felt as though the smoke had remained from the explosion.
you had avoided spencer, tried to talk to him as little as possible when you had to. unless it was for the case, you didn't speak. until hotch decided to room the two of you together.
you had asked the girls if you could room with them, only for them to refuse and make you 'work things out with your beau.' so essentially, you were screwed.
you trudged into the room before spencer had made it, being sure to lock the door behind you just to annoy spencer. was it petty? sure. did he deserve it? yes. would you apologize? absolutely not.
once you turned around, you realized there was only one bed. of course hotch would do that. what a dick. you sighed before placing your things on the couch, deciding that spencer's back pain is completely different than being temporarily locked out of your room. you were truly doing it for yourself so you wouldn't have to hear him complain the next day about his back hurting.
after you had gotten out of the shower, your body in only a small towel, you heard the door knock. you knew it was spencer, his signature knock giving it away, and decided you could open it for him. when he realized you were practically naked and everyone had a view of you from the hallway, he quickly pushed you further inside along with himself and slammed the door shut.
"what the hell, y/n?" he whisper-yelled at you, gesturing to what you were wearing. "anybody could've seen you and you're practically naked!"
"and?" you crossed your arms over your chest. "i don't see why you should have any say so in what i'm wearing."
"you're wearing a towel," he stated as if you hadn't already known.
"and?" you shrugged. "is my body making you uncomfortable? is that why you don't want to touch me, spencer?" you rolled your eyes before turning to get your clothes from your suitcase.
you decided to just strip right in front of him, just to tease him a bit more. you slowly slid the towel down your body, your back still towards spencer as you shimmied into your shorts that barely covered anything. you turned around to get your shirt, revealing your bare chest to spencer who stood in awe of what was happening in front of him. you put your thin shirt on tantalizingly slow, aware that he could probably see your nipples through the fabric, but that was the entire point.
spencer walked over to you slowly, you smiled at him happily as he approached you. when he brought his hands up to cup your face gently, you swatted his hands away from you.
"ah-ahh," you shook your head no. "there's no touching allowed," you rolled your eyes one last time before getting comfortable on the couch, pulling the one extra blanket in the room over your body in an attempt to keep warm.
as the minutes turned into an hour, you felt yourself becoming more upset. his words, even if he didn't mean them, had an impact on you. he couldn't just unsay the words or take them back, that's not how it works. instead, he made you live with the thought and constant worry that you made him uncomfortable by touching him.
and that pained you. that pain turned into tears, which ensued sniffling because of your runny nose. and your tears and sniffles pained spencer even more. he listened in wait as you cried yourself to sleep once more, the sniffled slowing down which told him of your slumber.
when you woke up, you had realized you were awake before spencer. you quickly got ready and made your way downstairs to retrieve some mediocre coffee. deciding to not be a complete asshole, you got spencer his own cup as well just how he liked it and placed it on the bedside table for when he would wake up.
when he did wake up, it was to the smell of coffee beside him. he had obviously realized you had gotten it for him, he wasn't a complete idiot other than the fact that he had hurt you in the first place. when he took a sip of it, it was just as he liked it.
of course it was, he thought, it's you.
since there were so many animal activists that were recorded online, you couldn't really narrow down the suspect range. once you had all made it back to the precinct that morning, they had widdled down all the companies that have ever used testing on animals. there were four companies in total, so you would all split up and investigate each one.
you, of course, had been paired with spencer once again. it was obviously the rest of the team conspiring to get you two to make up, but he hadn't even apologized. and you refused to make the first move.
so as you drove to the company you had been assigned, there was yet again that irritable tension in the air that made it seem like someone could choke on it. you pulled into the parking lot and got out as quickly as you could.
making your way inside, you asked where the owner of the company was while flashing your badge, spencer making his way inside just in time to catch where you were going and follow.
"hi, ma'am," you introduced yourself, extending your hand for her to shake. "i'm here in regards for the-"
"recent bombings? yes, i figured you would be," barbara cooke sighed as she released your hand.
"yes, i'm agent y/n yl/n/ and this is dr. spencer reid," you motioned to him as he gave her an awkward wave. "we were wondering if you've received any recent threats concerning your history in-"
"animal testing? we get those all the time, agent... what was it again?" she asked disrespectfully.
"y/l/n," you informed her once again.
"right, well we get those too often for it to be significant. in fact, we get those almost weekly," she rolled her eyes before turning back to the computer on her desk.
"ma'am, if you wouldn't mind just trying to think of a threat that stuck out to you. one in particular that made it seem as though they might follow through?" spencer asked kindly.
"i actually do mind. i have a company to run and don't need to waste my time on something that won't ever affect me. so please, see yourselves out," she motioned to the door with a sigh.
you and spencer looked at each other before turning around and leaving her office. instead, you decided to ask the employees if they saw anyone that seemed as though they were landscaping the office.
"no, not really. i'm too busy trying to finish the work cooke gives me."
"i'm sorry, no. i try to just ind my own business around here."
"i'm sorry, there have been bombings?"
there wasn't much luck.
you were making your rounds right back to the front of the office, asking nearly everyone that you passed if they noticed anyone suspicious until you noticed a mailman near the front of the room.
he was dressed in an all-brown outfit, but with no logo of what company he worked for. not even a hat to display the name. all the companies that delivered had company logos displayed on the outfits, just to display for publicity.
when you looked around at who was near you, your eyes locked on spencer who was walking towards you, his head down. once you saw the mailman walk out of the office and saw the lady at the front desk begin to open the tape, you grabbed spencer by the arm.
it all happened so quickly.
you pushed spencer out of the door and locked it, blocking him from the blast that would surely ensue, and ran as quick as you could to drag the woman away from the box. you shielded her with your body, turning your back to where the bomb would go off to lessen the impact on her body. before you could even register what happened, you were pushed into the wall cati-corner the desk, knocking you unconscious.
-
spencer didn't know what was happening until he heard the bomb.
he assumed the blast wasn't as intense as it was previously by the fact that the second story was still standing. the blast from the other bombs at least made a bit of a dent in the second story.
in an instant, he realized that he might've lost you forever. the love of his life. gone.
and you were still mad at him. you hated him. you thought he hated you.
once he was able to form a coherent thought, he pulled his phone out and called 911, being sure to tell them there was a possible agent down in an explosion. once he hung up, he mustered up his inner derek morgan and kicked the doors in, it helped that they were already frail due to the explosion.
with the doors now open, smoke flowed out of the now open space, looking for an escape as spencer was looking for his love. all he could hear were coughs and whines of the employees around him. then he felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked to see the face of the lady from the front desk.
"she-she saved me," the woman told spencer in reference to you. "she's over here," spencer helped her navigate himself to where your body lay limp on the ground, drywall covering your face and body.
"oh my god, y/n," he called as he moved the rubbish from your body before looking for a pulse.
he found himself whispering a series of pleas that you were okay, that he would find the pulse in your neck or wrist. that he would feel the warmth off your body against his, be able to touch your skin and have you grab his hand when you were nervous. he wanted you to never stop touching him.
because ever since you had joined the bureau, you had been a touchy person. you were the person people went to when they needed comfort because they wanted a hug. you were the person the team counted on when comforting the mothers or children because you had a comforting touch.
and he wanted that comfort. he needed that comfort right then. but the one person he needed the comfort from didn't think he wanted it from them. you didn't think he wanted you anymore.
so you had to be okay. because he couldn't imagine a world where you weren't his, which sounds so cliche but couldn't be any more true.
ever since you waltzed into his life, he could never remember what it was like without you. what it was like without your hand running through his soft hair. without your hand on his knee underneath the bau table during a meeting. without your face buried in his neck while you were cuddling at night. without your kiss...
without you.
he needed you.
and he found the small, faint, minuscule pulse that beat throughout your body. a gentle but safe way to know you were alive and still with him. maybe you'd still want to be with him.
when the ambulance arrived, he didn't hesitate to hop in the back of the van, opting to call the team to inform them of what happened.
they had put an oxygen mask on you to ensure your safety and had told him that you had a concussion from the blast. they would do further tests once they got to the hospital, which felt like it took forever, according to spencer.
once they had wheeled you away, spencer sat in wait once again. the team slowly trickled in, trying to comfort spencer but ultimately failing. when the doctor finally came in, spencer was the first to jump up and ask how you were.
"she'll make a full recovery, she's rather lucky," he nodded at spencer before checking his chart. "she has three bruised ribs and a minor concussion. she'll be able to fly in a couple of days, but will have to stay out of the field until her ribs are fully healed. she shouldn't be doing any strenuous activities until then as well," he informed the doctor. "other than that she's healthy as a horse."
"thank you. can i see her now?" spencer asked eagerly.
"yes, of course," he nodded before turning around. "right this way."
when spencer came into your room, your eyes were barely open. it looked like you were struggling to stay awake. your face and arms were littered with an occasional bruise, which he's sure were worse on your stomach and legs. your skin was a bit paler than usual, it didn't have that glow you normally had, that liveliness.
but you still looked like you. you still looked beautiful.
spencer took the seat beside your bed and moved it closer to you, taking your hand in his before you snatched it away, turning on your side to face the wall opposite of where spencer sat.
"y/n, please..." spencer pleaded, feeling his eyes well with tears. he thought you were just angry at him until he heard your soft sniffles. "darling, please look at me," he placed his hand on your shoulder, gently pulling you back to face him. you turned yourself back around to face him, eyes red and swollen as your lip was quivering.
"what?" you spat out, trying to maintain your own composure until you saw he was crying himself. you raised your brows in shock before asking him, "what's wrong?"
he laughed, "you're asking me what's wrong?" you nodded. "i'm just so, so sorry i'm sorry i said all those things about you. i'm sorry it took you almost dying for me to apologize. and i'm sorry for ever making you feel like i didn't love you, y/n. i love you so much. every part of you, your touch included. it's anything but annoying. it's comforting, and sweet, and calming, and does so much more to help me than it does hurt or annoy me," he took your hand in his once more, placing a kiss to your knuckles. "i love you so much and i'm so sorry."
"and i'm sorry i had to touch you to push you out of the way of an explosion," you rolled your eyes with a chuckle so he knew you were joking.
"thanks for that, by the way - saving me," he shrugged. "which brings me to my next point... do you know how reckless that was? how dangerous and stupid and how you could have died? because you could have died and if you died i don't know what i'd do with myself. especially knowing you were mad at me when you died," he held your hand to his chest so you could feel how his heart broke in those moments he didn't know if you were alive. the moments he thought he might've lost you forever.
"but i'm alive. i'm right here," you assured him, bringing his hand to your lips this time to press a kiss before holding the one with both of yours. "why'd you say those things anyway? why were you so upset?"
"well remember the officer that was on the case?" you nodded. "remember how he kept touching you?" you rolled your eyes with a nod.
"god, it was so annoying," you interjected.
"well it didn't seem like you thought it was annoying," he avoided eye contact with you, you pulled his arm to get his attention once again.
"are you saying you thought i wanted him to be so handsy?" you questioned, he nodded guiltily. "spencer, are you kidding?" you chuckled. "i had to do that because if he knew i hated him he wouldn't have been so cooperative. i promise, you are the only one for me. you're the only one i want to touch me like that. but that doesn't excuse you talking to me like that. you saying those things hurt me, a lot."
"i know, i know they did... and i plan on making it up to you. i will make it up to you, i swear," he nodded along eagerly.
"yea, you better dr. reid. i'm holding you to that," you huffed out a laugh, spencer following suit as he leaned forward to press a kiss to your forehead.
then to your nose. then right and left cheeks. then your lips. it wasn't a kiss that demanded anything. it wasn't hostile or passionate. it was content. it was a way of showing you love and saying that your love was enough. that you were enough.
"i love you, spencer," you whispered as he pressed his forehead against yours.
"and i love you, y/n," he whispered back. "please never stop loving me the way you do."
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soyouthinkucanwrite · 3 years
Text
July 2nd - Daniel Ricciardo
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Based on New Year's Day by Taylor Swift and this request by @spikejonzed
Fluffly, mentions of sex, banter, nothing graphic.
BTW, I don't know how I've never paid attention to this song, it's so so beautiful and honest. I've thought about this concept before though: the "Sunday afternoon effect", when all the excitement of the weekend wears off and you're just hanging out with your friends, laughing about silly stuff, or cleaning up the house after the party. The thing is, the friends that stay till then are the ones you wanna hold on to, and the same goes for lovers. I feel kind of bad... well not BAD but you know, must be hard... when you're famous and rich, to recognize the good ones from the beginning before you give yourself too much away and it's too late.
To be honest with you guys, I think Daniel must feel a bit lonely sometimes. We all do, but to think that people are only interested in you for your fame and money must be tough... something you worked so hard, that you keep dedicating your life to, to think that that thing is the reason for your heartbreak, to your loneliness... It's a two-edged sword, isn't it? Anyway, I wrote this little something with Daniel in mind, hope you guys like it. Hope he finds someone to be like this someday. Hell, hope I find someone to be like this someday. I think everyone deserves that.
Daniel woke up in his bed, no shoes, but jeans and party shirt still on. The light coming through the windows, shining directly on his face, threatening to make his headache even worse. He let out a groan and turned to the side. There's someone on his bed with him. Shit. He just remembered. Last night was the first time he was introducing (y/n) to his friends. His birthday "small get together" (or at least that's what it was supposed to be) was the perfect opportunity for testing the waters and giving the "next step" without making too much fuss about it, after all, they've only been going out for a couple months and with his tight schedule it meant a lot of facetime calls and weekends, but almost no weekdays and routine stuff.
Yet, he was absolutely smitten with her, she was fun and easygoing, passionate about her own work and friends, but still caring and interested in him. They had amazing chemistry, mind-blowing even. But Daniel had lived enough to know that hanging out with someone on the weekends and knowing their best side was one thing, living through daily and mundane stuff was a completely different thing. Where this could go was still a mystery to him and he didn't want to raise too many expectations before he was sure. Still, she looked so beautiful sleeping, a true vision. He tried to remember if something had happened last night, but judging by his clothes still on, and hers as well, he guessed not. As if on cue, she smiled, with her eyes still closed.
"Stop being creepy" she said smiling. "I can feel you watching me sleep"
"You're not even asleep anymore" he smiled and she opened her eyes. He was taken back by her eyes staring directly into his.
"Still creepy though" she laughed, getting closer to him. He held her and they stayed like that for a while.
"Are you ok?" he asked her.
"What do you mean?
"Aren't you hungover, or sick?" he asked again and she laughed.
"Not at all. I have this really weird superpower, you know, I don't get hungover. Ever, actually" she laughed.
"I don't believe you. I have the headache"
"No, it's true. We did drink a lot yesterday, though" she commented.
"Yeah, well, welcome to having Australian friends. No such thing as light drinking with those guys" he laughed but grimaced at the pain in his brain.
"I'll get you something"
"Huh?"
"For the pain" she explained getting up from the bed.
After a while she returned with a pill and a glass of water, passing them to him.
"Thank you, baby" he took the glass, finishing it. "Come back to bed now"
"Your house... like, I'm not even sure if I should tell you to take a look or just pack your essentials and abandon it" she smiled.
"Uhh" he groaned. "I'll call someone later"
"Like a constructor with a wrecking ball?" she laughed.
"It can't be that bad"
"It's bad" she started. "But we can manage it" He looked at her intrigued. "After a shower" she pulled his hand. "Join me?"
"If I ever say no to that question, just put me in an asylum" he said. "I need a kiss though, as motivation" he smirked.
"Noo... I have morning breath"
"What? Me too" he said pulling her down and kissing her anyway. "Uh, no. You're right. Yours is worst" he said laughing while getting up and walking into the bathroom.
"Asshole!" she laughed following him.
They stripped and got into the shower, taking turns in letting the water run through their bodies.
"Come here" Daniel said, putting some body wash in his hands and spreading them over (y/n) body.
"Hum... this feels nice" she said.
"You're so beautiful" he said kissing her shoulder.
"You're so wasted" she laughed lightly.
"Hey! I'm sober. I'm just too tired. Give me a couple hours to recover, and I'll claim my birthday privileges"
"Birthday privileges? It's not even your birthday anymore" she laughed.
"Okay, but first, it's the weekend of, and second, I didn't get any time alone with you yesterday"
"Fair. And what will be your requests, may I ask?" she asked teasingly.
"Humm... you're so creative" he said kissing her. "I'm sure we'll think of something"
They finished the shower after a while, enjoying each other's company and the comfortable silence.
"Did anyone crashed here?" (y/n) asked when they were stepping out of the shower.
"I have no idea" Daniel answered. "I just remembered going to take a nap and waking up this morning. Shit, we didn't... did we?" (y/n) laughed out loud at that.
"Wow! Really, Dan?"
"We did not. I would've remembered"
"Good save. Such a gentleman" she laughed.
"I drank way too much. Sorry. Don't be mad"
"It's fine. I'm messing with you, I don't remember anything either. To be honest, I don't even remember joining you on your 'nap'" she said making air quotes.
"We're the worst hosts" he said getting out of the bathroom and going into the closet to get some clothes.
(y/n)'s heart swelled at the thought of hosting a party with Daniel. There was something so intimate about that statement, so homey.
"You want a shirt?" Daniel asked from the other room, waking her up from her daydream.
"Yeah, sure" she took the shirt, some underwear, and some sweats. Then brushed her wet hair and looked in the mirror. Not a trace of makeup left. She sighed thinking about how falling into a routine with Daniel meant letting the barriers down.
"Alright, snap out of it" she said to herself, getting out of the bathroom and walking outside, to the living room where Daniel was standing rubbing his neck and looking around.
"This is bad" he said when he saw her joining him. There were empty beer bottles and cups all around the living room and balcony, pizza boxes (with half-eaten slices left behind) in the coffee table, party decorations hanging from the ceiling, and the kitchen was even worse, with liquid spilled on the ground and bottles everywhere. There was glitter all over the floor and the couch - someone had brought some of those party poppers, which looked so much fun yesterday, but no so much now. But the best part was the polaroids, left all over the house with the craziest poses.
"Pack your stuff, we're deserting this goddam hellhole" he said and she knew he was joking, he said that about everywhere, but she still shook her head and rolled her eyes, picking a polaroid photo from the ground.
"Everyone had so much fun" she showed it to him. "I loved meeting your friends"
He took the photo from her hand, it was one where (y/n) was sitting on the couch with two of his buddies from Australia, making funny faces while holding cups. He remembered the moment because he was the one who took the photo.
"How's the headache?" she asked him.
"Almost gone"
"Good. So you don't have an excuse. Move your ass, where are the trash bags?" she laughed going into the kitchen.
"Hey! That was very sneak of you" he laughed but followed her anyway.
They spent the next hour collecting bottles, vacuuming glitter, and just cleaning the whole house. Daniel complained the whole time, but in truth, he was very glad to have her there. Sure, he could just ignore the whole mess and hire someone on Monday to clean everything (he probably would still do that anyway, for the heavy cleaning like bathrooms), but it was really nice of her to just stick around, seeming unbothered by the housework. When she finished tying the last trash bag and putting it on the entry hallway she flopped on the couch besides Daniel, who had called it a day some good 10 minutes ago.
"Done?" he asked her.
"I feel like punching you for asking me that" she answered playing annoyed. He lifted his hand in defense.
"What? I did my part!"
"Men" she shook her head. "I'm surprised you haven't complained about being hungry yet"
"Well, I'm starving! Was just waiting to suggest going out, or ordering in"
"Ordering in, please. I don't want to get off this couch any time soon"
Daniel got his phone out to order some food. It was almost noon, so he thought about something like pasta, some carbs would be nice right now. Then he felt (y/n)'s head drop on his shoulder, her hand caressing his arm. It was such a sweet gesture, so understated, he just stopped what he was doing and looked at her.
"What?" she looked at him.
"I'm really glad you're here. Thank you"
"It's nothing" she smiled.
"I don't mean the cleaning. Well, that too. But just, thank you for being you and wanting to hang out with me, you know, after the party"
"I'll always wanna hang out with you, partying or cleaning bottles" she said and leaned in to kiss him. "Happy birthday old man" this made him smile through the kiss.
"Thank you, young lady" he said still smiling. "Let's feed you now, yeah?"
"Please! Let's get some carbs on this house!" she smile.
"Hey, guys!" (y/n) and Daniel looked up to see Luke, one of Daniel's buddies walking out of the guest bedroom.
"Dude! I didn't know you were here" Daniel laughed.
"Yeah, just woke up. Definitely wasn't hiding in the bedroom waiting for the cleaning end to get out" he grinned making (y/n) and Daniel laugh.
"You know what? Just for that, you're going downstairs to pick up the food when it gets here, and taking out the trash!" (y/n) teased him, tossing a pillow from the couch at him.
Daniel just observed while his friend and his girlfriend joked and laughed. He thought about how right now he was enjoying a feeling of contempt that wasn't really natural or much appreciated by professional athletes, but this time felt right to indulge in it. He felt safe like someone's got him, finally. He took (y/n) hand on his and squeezed it three times, he knew this was already a good thing, something to last. She looked at him, she knew exactly what he meant.
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cosmiclatte28 · 3 years
Text
Friendship, Love, Courage
MY FIRST EVER COLLAB!! HOSTED BY THE WONDERFUL @danishmiilk
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Characters: Renjun x reader, NoMin!
Fluff romance
Warning : mentions of “stealing”, quite a broken trust but its ending nicely
TW : Stress (?)
HERE WE GO!! I worked so hard on this (even had 2 other friends checked on this and they approved this thanks to both of you #they’re_not_in_tumblr
word count : 12 pages idk how much but come on finish it for me 🥺🥺🥺 thanks
tagging @yutahoes @neopalette @full-hd-sun @swagmonsterofficial @nini-eexxo @hen-marks99 At this point I'm just tagging my moots coz this was my first attempt of collab and i deadass worked so hard on this... it better be read by someone even if they don't like it but they read it 🤭💖 @superm-net @multifandomnet @trashlord-007 @ahsshilee-me @charmingyong
You smile shyly when the cute prefect in blue robe tosses a small smile to you when you pass by him on the moving stairs. He continues his tour of guiding the new wizards and witches into the magical castle, telling them stories, showing them the common room, and helping them adjust to the new living area.
You gasp when you feel a slap on your shoulder, quickly you turn your head to face the now annoyed friend standing beside you.
“Really (y/n)? You’re once again frozen in place when that honey boy you adore walks by.” Jaemin, in his green robe, slicks his blonde hair away while throwing some flirty smile to the younger girls passing by the two of you. They chuckle and blush at his action, unaware of the fact that Na Jaemin already has his eyes on someone.
You glare at him, quickly covering his mouth before catching attention of the living paintings hung on the walls. No, not even the paintings should know about your feelings to that cute Ravenclaw prefect.
“Shut that big mouth of yours please. Don’t you know the walls have ears here?!” you dust off your red robe and continue walking to the dining hall. Shaking aside the cute smile of Huang Renjun away from your head. You’ve met Renjun from the first day of school, he was pure blood with the Hatstall incident at his sorting ceremony. The sorting hat spent a good five minutes pondering if he should be in Ravenclaw or Slytherin. Alas the house of the witty won the cute half-blood. As much as you wish to get sorted into the same house as his (mainly because he is cute), once the hat is on, it sorted you to the house of the brave. You’re still happy though to be one of the brilliant half-bloods in the Gryffindor house.
Renjun was very nice of you, when you first felt lonely in the big school (funny how you, a Gryffindor can feel lonely eh? But that’s your life). When you were struggling to find your way through the halls you had to thank Renjun for accompanying you whenever you had to move classes. But your relationship with him is purely just as close as a stranger. Renjun never sits beside you, nor does he hang out with you, he sits with his own smart gang. For two years he purely just helped you get around the halls. Instead of befriending Renjun, you become friends with the two wizards in your batch, the generous Hufflepuff who helps you ace your Herbology class: Lee Jeno. He is your first bestie, and since he enjoys your loud and fun personality, he calls you one of his friends.
The handsome blonde in green robe by your side earlier is your other best friend, Na Jaemin. A pureblood descending from the Slytherin family. You don’t know how Jaemin wants to be friends with you, a Gryffindor, but here you are. If Jeno helps you with herbology, Jaemin is there for you in potion classes. Though at first you think Jaemin is just using you to help him pass transfiguration and magical creatures. Turns out it was the total opposite, Jaemin is interested in Jeno, and the only person he sees is nice enough to be his wingman is you.
You don’t mind this though since you’ve seen how sincere Jaemin is when it comes to defending you and cheering you up. You know it’s just his ego that doesn’t let him say he is being friends with you because you two click. Screw anyone who made the unwritten rules that a Slytherin and Gryffindor cannot be friends. Well you understand since he is a Pure Slytherin. No one expects Slytherin to befriend Gryffindor even worse a half blood.
Back to the mean time, you walk with Jaemin on your side to reach the library where Jeno has reserved a place for you two. It’s your fourth year in Hogwarts which means you and your friends have to start preparing for the O.W.L test to be taken in your last fifth year. Although the three of you are gifted with brilliant heads, no one can slack their O.W.L and expect to pass. Here you are, limiting your free time and getting your ass dragged by Jeno to always study when you have free time.
“I miss playing quidditch.” You whisper after one hour of sitting down in the library and sticking your nose into the lines and lines of scribbles.
Jeno snickers, “You miss quidditch or you miss being in the same air as Renjun?”
You slap his hand that lays on the table and the young boy groans, “You’re evil! You could be in Slytherin, gosh thank heaven you’re not there or you’ve turned me into a stone.”
Jaemin just smirks, well he likes this side of you. The semi-evil part in your innocent-like façade.
“Dramatic, Lee Jeno. I love flying on the broom and chasing the balls.” You lied and if someone had given you the Veritaserum, Jeno’s guess was right. Your team likes to practice with the Ravenclaw’s team; don't ask why when your team captain is clearly flirting with the Ravenclaw’s captain.
“Come on, no one will buy that lie. It’s been four years of secretly crushing Renjun, why don’t you try to at least “befriend” him.” Jaemin sets aside his book and rests his chin on one of his hands.
You focus back on your book, trying to not fall into Jaemin’s hypnotizing eyes that can make you spill truths. “I am his friend. He never calls me an enemy.”
“Yeah not like that, I mean bring him here to our group study, ask him to sit with you during mealtimes. Invite him to join us when we’re strolling around Hogsmeade.” Jeno whispers.
The three of you shut up when a shadow appears on your table and drop a pile of books.
“Excuse me, mind sharing the table? The place is full and yours is the only one available.” A soft voice greets three of you and like robots, you turn your heads slowly to widen your eyes and gasp when the guy of your gossip is standing here.
“Oh Renjun, yes you can. Please,” Jaemin kindly brings his books to his side and you throw him a death glare. Well, the available space is the one on your side.
“Thank you, hey (y/n)! It’s been a while,” Renjun smiles at you. You just smile and nod, well yes you rarely see him in class, mostly because your schedule didn’t match his and both of you stopped playing quidditch.
You swear, that was the longest one hour in your life. Renjun’s soft sweet fragrance of sweet baked vanilla from the side is enough to make your heart beat faster, not to mention how cute he looks with his glasses when he is focusing on the charm textbook. You know if this guy is going to sit here all day, none of the materials written in the book will be planted in your brain. Still, Jeno and Jaemin had the audacity to invite Renjun into your small study group.
“Hey Renjun, next time why don’t you join us to study for O.W.L?” Jeno asks when all of you clean up your belongings and head for dinner.
Renjun’s smile lights up and he laughs nervously, “Well if that is okay with three of you, I don’t have any friends to study with yet.”
“You’re most welcome here! Just ask (y/n) later about our meeting times. Jeno can help with herbology and I can help with Potions. You can help us with charms! (y/n) here is the queen of transfiguration.” Jaemin welcomingly says all of this. Though most people may be blinded by his sweet words, you want to smack the life out of him when you see his glinting eyes taunting you.
You want to object, saying that his schedule won’t work with yours, but the cat has your tongue and all you can do is stay quiet as Renjun thanks Jaemin for inviting him to the group.
With that, Renjun chooses to walk around the grounds for a while before dinner. Your heart is bursting any second whenever he looks up to glance at the sky and you can see his perfectly sculptured face. No, it is not awkward, he casually talks with you about how he also misses quidditch, he also shares funny stories of the first-year students getting lost in the hallways just like you. Is he teasing you about getting lost in the hallway? Well since it is Renjun you just smile, had it been Jeno or Jaemin their hairs would already be in your hand.
“They’re just like you. Looking so cute when they’re lost and confused, afraid to miss their class.” Renjun stares at you and you laugh.
“I know, it was hard okay memorizing this big hall! Not to mention the moving stairs.” You finally feel less nervous and you can start talking with less stuttering.
“Well, if you’re ever confused just call me. I’ll assist you again like back then.” He chuckles and you laugh.
Well, you sort of have to treat Jeno and Renjun for a butterbeer maybe, thanks to them you finally get to walk around and talk with Renjun on the ground after four years.
That night on the paved grounds. You sit down while playing with your wand, swishing it while practicing some chants (without actually doing it). You sit on one of the grounds, leg straight while you lean on one of the pillars there. There is a soft footstep coming to you and someone took the opposite part of the pillars. You turn your head to catch Renjun’s body mirroring yours, but he is holding a book.
“Complicated.” He shrugs coyly.
You toss your head to the side and smile "Renjun, how did you find me? " Your easy-going Gryffindor traits show up and Renjun calmly looks up from his book to look over his shoulder to you too. “Maybe from this?” he offers you a Marauder’s Map and you gasp.
“How can you have one?” you want to take it from his hand, but he is faster.
Before you can ask more questions, Renjun diverts the topic and asks you about the group study. "So, are you sure your Slytherin and Hufflepuff boys want me to be in the group?" Renjun bashfully asks you this.
You laugh "They're more than happy when you accept their offer. Truth is we all suck at the hard charms. We need a tutor and we also need one more friend to make the space full. You're on our first list."
"I am honored to be first in the list, and I also like having friends to study with. So, tell me what the schedule is." With that, you wave your wand to bring you a piece of paper. "Accio schedule." The schedule paper lands on Renjun's slender fingers from your small pocket and the soft looking boy runs his eyes through the timetable. "Great, I can adjust my classes for this." You feel your heart can't take it anymore when he looks into your eyes deeply.
"So, see you tomorrow afternoon." You stand up trying to leave the ground, since the sleeping hours are coming, but his hand reaches for your wrist. "Sorry, do you want to go watch the quidditch practice between our team tomorrow? It's after lunch." Renjun scratches his neck. You nod "I will!" He smiles "Great, see you! Good night."
You raise your eyebrow "My hand" And he gasps as he lets go of your wrist. "Sorry" Both of you laugh and you finally go back to your room. Things were great, you and Renjun slowly became closer.
You hate the silly rules of staying over your own common room. Like dang you want to meet Renjun in his common room, but you know you’re not the smartest one to unlock their password. Not to mention you are not ready to have eyes pierced on you as you enter the room (if you ever succeed)
So, you end up only able to meet Renjun when he sees you on the hallway and with Jeno and Jaemin. He sometimes appears to you in the garden and you once found him chilling on the school’s astronomy tower in the middle of the night. He’s daring enough to leave his bed and you found him stargazing.
After your one encounter on the astronomy tower, that becomes your regular meeting place with Renjun.
Like tonight, both of you sneaked out of your beds, tiptoeing perfectly through the stairs. Somehow escaping the ears of Mr Filch and voila both of you are smiling ear to ear as the moonlight glows through your faces.
You sit on the porch, suddenly regretting your stupid head for forgetting the scarf. The wind is pretty harsh, and you try to hug your body. Renjun is busy watching the sky through his binoculars. You gave him your binoculars when you discovered he also loves space and the galaxy.
“Want to look at the stars?” Renjun looks at you and hands you the binocular. You nod your head while trying your best to not shake from the cold, but it is cold.
“Silly, forgot your scarf?” he unwinds his own blue silver knit scarf and steps closer to wrap it over you.
“What about you?” you feel worried about his condition. Renjun only shakes his head, “I wore warmer clothes. Also, you shouldn’t fall sick. You need to prepare for your O.W.L tomorrow. Just watch the sky.” He quickly changes the topic when he sees your annoyed face of bringing up O.W.L
You take his advice when he pushes your body to face the sky and you bring the object to your eyes. He was right, the night sky is always mysterious and calming, somewhere out there two of you believe another universe with aliens exists.
Renjun secretly watches you in admiration. He never expects to get this close with you, physically and mentally. By now, he knows your most embarrassing story, your favorite food, and your favorite star.
“Renjun! Quick make a wish!” you tug on his sweater and pull his hand when your eyes catch a shooting star.
Renjun is quick to realize your hand is still squeezing his arm, but he closes his own eyes and makes his own wish. You wish with all your might, things will be better for you and Renjun. You want him, you love him and basically, you’re so ready to risk everything just to get him. Creepy? No, that is love.
“So, what did you wish for?” he whispers near your ear, you see him shivering so you naturally take off the scarf and try your best to share it between both of you.
Renjun’s cheek blushed, “Didn’t think of that. You sure are smarter at things like that.”
You giggle “About your question, don’t you know a wish should remain secret or it won’t work.”
The young man scoffs, “You believe that?”
You nod “Well I thought you do too.”
Renjun smiles, “Fine. I will also keep mine.”
You can no longer hold back your yawn and you realize if both of you stay in this cold air, you’ll need to call in sick and that is not happening. Not when you need to catch up on all class materials.
“See you Injun-ah,” you wave as you drape the scarf back on him. He smells your sweet musk perfume and something tingles Renjun’s mind.
He remembers he had smelt that same hint of scent somewhere, but where. In confusion, the Ravenclaw walks back to his room. Only when his head hits his pillow does he finally remember where he encountered that smell. None other than that silly amortentia potion class. Take a whiff and you’ll know who that special person is.
“Tell me again how he always managed to find you?” Jaemin asks you about how Renjun always finds you. Both of you are sitting in the garden, taking a whiff of fresh air.
You sigh, you know you shouldn’t be telling him this, but you think Jaemin can keep secrets.
“He has a Marauder’s map.” You whisper under your breath.
Jaemin’s eyes lighten and his jaw drops. He really looks glowing with happiness like he won a lottery.
“(Y/n)~” his sing-song tone comes out and you mutter a curse under your breath. Oh no, he is going to ask you something. Which is true.
“Is it possible if you borrow the map from Renjun? Just for a second.” He pouts and draws random lines on your arm. You pull your hand away and slap his hand “What are you thinking? Go borrow by yourself.”
He drives his eyes to his feet, “I really need it, but I guess Renjun won’t let me borrow it.”
You scoff “You know it already. I never even touched it Jaem, it’s really precious after all.”
Jaemin, a total charmer, looks you in the eyes with his sickening puppy eyes “Please, I need it to meet Jeno secretly too! He seems tired but he is hiding it from us…”
“Your point?” you cut the crap out of him.
Jaemin smiles and you see his cunningness really popping up when he bribes you to help him “Point is, can you just take the map from him for a while and then I’ll use it to find Jeno, then you return it to him. Simple!”
You groan “How is that simple? That’s stealing!”
“Borrowing, just that he won’t realize it’s ever gone from his hand.” Jaemin shrugs his shoulder
“It’s not an honest game. You said ``borrow not steal and return.”
“Then try borrowing it from him, he doesn’t talk to me about the map so it’ll be weird if I ask him about that. He will be mad at you for spilling secrets and I know you love him so much.” He smirks, knowing that he won your internal battle.
You sigh, Jaemin really traps you in the mouse trap eh?
“Fine, let me try to borrow it from him. What will I get in return?”
“Woah you're so calculative! I thought we are friends and friends help each other?”
You really regret not joining Jeno to study with Renjun, this Slytherin man is really cunning… luring you to leave the library to “take in the fresh air” but ended up dealing with a dangerous project.
“Okay if you insist, I’ll say if the map worked, I’ll be able to accompany Jeno and he will be happier and you want to see Jeno happier right? Also you’re my best greatest courageous friend, isn’t this like a challenge?” he stares at you with great compassion plus hitting your chivalry ego and since no one is there to slap you, you nod your head.
“Okay Jaemin.” The Gryffindor spirit of not thinking about an action carefully is here.
Jaemin smirks and waves you goodbye after slipping a small tube of potion to your hand. He disappeared like that and you start to think of a way to talk with him about the map, while staring at disbelief for the Felix Felicis in your hand. Dang that Slytherin boy really is questionable.
You spend the afternoon thinking of a way to get Renjun’s map and you finally choose to ask him slowly.
“Renjun! What are the things you always keep in your bag?” you ask randomly but Renjun and you did this a lot of time, so he doesn’t smell your smoke.
He thinks for a while, “Nothing much, books and the map, some quills and chocolates? Why?”
You nod “It’s okay, just curious.”
He doesn’t pester you about it, only talking more about different things.
“Hey, tomorrow is Sunday. Mind to just sit and enjoy the day off? We sit in the fountain courtyard.”
Your brain finds a chance to take his map and so you nod your head.
--
You drop the Felix Felicis potion on your breakfast tea that Sunday morning and you meet Renjun who is looking so good in his casual outfit.
You’re nervous, though luck is favoring you, you are still battling yourself whether you should just snatch the map or ask him nicely.
After talking about different things and driving his attention to other things, you inch closer to Renjun and stare at his lips. Somehow your brain is focused on his lips and oh did you forget you took a potion this morning?? Because your silly head wants to kiss his lips so bad and luck is really on your side.
“Why are you staring at my lips? You really like them don’t you?” Renjun boldy asks, something so uncommon about him.
You gulp and blush, but your heart secretly wants to kiss him.
“Come here,” he pulls your hand closer and once your shoulder crashes with his, he kisses you right in the middle of the day when everyone can see you two sharing a slow kiss.
Your head almost stops working but suddenly Jaemin’s shadow appears in your mind and you quickly put your hand into Renjun’s bag. You didn’t know the lucky potion could be this wonderful because once your hand enters the bag you find the paper already.
Renjun was so focused on the kiss that he didn’t notice your hand slipping the map to your pocket. Only when you’re done did you finally break the kiss.
He blushes and you chuckle “That was intense.”
Yes the kiss was intense but the reason your heart beats super-fast is because of the action you just did. Stealing.
“I love you Renjun,” you whisper, feeling a bit sad for lying to him… but you don’t want to be embarrassed after what you did go well.
“I love you too, I didn’t know our feelings were mutual.” He innocently rubs his burning face and you want to die from lying with him.
“Renjun, sorry for suddenly leaving, but I have to go, I got something to do.” You stand up from the grounds.
“Huh? Oh okay I guess you look rushed.” He stands up too, “Where do you have to go? I can walk you there.”
You shake your head and reject his offer, “No, it’s personal. If you don’t mind, I’d rather go by myself. Bye Injun! See you!” you run away from him and disappear before he can even bid his farewell.
The ravenclaw just shrugs his shoulders and returns to his common room. When he kisses you earlier, he feels so fuzzy and fireworks are popping in his heart. As weird as it sounds, the kiss made him come up with a new imaginative creature.
Yes, Renjun is a ravenclaw who enjoys imaginative creatures. He is talented in drawing, so he spends his time sketching and naming creatures he has in his head. Though you may ask how a Ravenclaw believes in uncertain things with no concrete proof, Renjun has been hiding this guilty pleasure from anyone.
He hums as he sits on his chair and starts arranging his paints. The sun is angled perfectly at this time and he is more than excited to paint the new love creature he has in his mind.
On the other hand, you are running to meet Jaemin.
“I solemnly swear I am up to no goods.” You tap your wand and open the map to quickly find Jaemin.
There he is, somehow lurking in the dining hall. Weird.
You pocket the map and make your way to him.
“Use this quickly. I don’t know how long it takes for Renjun to notice.” You stuff the map into Jaemin’s pocket.
His eyes twinkle “Oh gosh you did it. You do this for me? Thank you!” he taps your shoulder and flies away “I’ll return it to you once I am done. Promise.”
You just wait for him with anxiety crawling in your heart. Something about stealing, lying, and using potion is just not settling well in your Gryffindor heart. You let out a deep breath, and relax a bit.
Only that it didn’t even last long and things are going downhill from here.
While you wait nervously in the dining room, you find yourself face to face with a fuming and disappointed Renjun. “You stole the map, didn’t you?!” he holds back all the anger inside to avoid reaching for your collar.
You gulp, of course he noticed. It’s been almost two hours. Couldn’t Jaemin find Jeno, bring Jeno to return the map to you then go disappear somewhere. Why should you wait for this long.
“I-“ you stutter “I’m sorry.” You apologize, your heart tells you lying more will just bring you to a deeper pit.
Renjun shakes his head, “You stole but I’m hurt you tricked me! Did you mean the kiss or not?”
Your eyes widened, he was just confused about the kiss? Oh how cute. You want to open your mouth, but it looks like the cat got your tongue again and Renjun was faster in assuming things when he is angry.
“You know what? I don’t care about your kiss, I don’t even care about your explanation. Give it back.” His palm opens up to you and you bite your lips “It’s not with me.”
His eyes would pop off from his head “You what? You lost it or gave it to someone?”
Damn Ravenclaws and their quick brains.
“I’ll give it back to you, I promise.” You reach out for his hand, but he snatches his hand away to his chest before you can appeal to him.
“You know what? I found it already.” He looks over your shoulder and sees Jaemin coming to you with a troubled face.
“And by the look of Jaemin’s face, I guess this is not my day.” Renjun sounds super sad and you hate yourself for actually starting all of this. He was in a super good mood earlier and you ruined everything. Now will you ruin your friendship too? and love interest.
You heard Jaemin apologizing (something so uncommon) about something and the next second, you don’t hear anything from Renjun’s lips, just an eerie silence between them and suddenly the man in blue sweater runs away from you and Jaemin.
“I may or may not have accidentally been caught by some other Slytherin, and they wanted to see the map. It ripped.” Jaemin mutters slowly and you feel your world has stopped turning and you should just leave Hogwarts before facing Renjun.
--
Renjun left both of you and there’s nothing you can do. There is, but your brain stops working and your Gryffindor heart cowers and runs away. You sit devastated on the ground and Jaemin copies you.
“We can try to fix this map,” Jaemin tries to cheer you up but you shake your head “We can’t. Even if we can, I don’t think the bond of our friendship can be fixed.” you pull your knees to your chest and put your chin on them
“I’ll find a way to fix this. I promise, I broke the map so let me take the blame for this.” Jaemin stands up with the ripped map and he casts the repair charm.
You just stare at it soullessly. Well the map did come back into one piece, but Renjun’s disappointment can’t leave your head.
“I am sorry (y/n).” Jaemin sincerely apologizes to you and you just hum a silent reply
“Look, I believe Renjun will forgive you. He might not forgive me, but I deserve this. This is not your fault. I made you trick him. I am the guilty one.” your best friend tries to cheer you up, but your mind keeps on thinking Renjun.
--
That young ravenclaw did come into dinner, well he has to as he’s the prefect. But when you leave your chair to tap his shoulder and talk with him, he already leaves with the big group and you find yourself alone, losing your chance.
You ask around where he is, and everyone says he’s in the prefect bathroom enjoying a long bath. You hate how he has a hideout you can’t come to. So, the only thing you can do is wait.
You think of ways to apologize and how he can forgive you. Should you do his chores? Should you do his essays? gosh no he’s smarter than you. Should you buy him some new paint and drawing books? He likes to draw right, but you bite your lips when you remember your allowance this month was finished for good when you bought that new broom.
You go to the toilet, and come back to ask where he is on a passing Ravenclaw, only to curse when they said he is already in the common room.
Great, now you really won’t be sleeping tonight.
“Hey (y/n), I handed him the map already and asked sorry.” Jaemin suddenly taps your shoulder when you are walking to your room.
You just nod “Lucky you, looks like he is not that disappointed at you. Must be because he is afraid you’d turn him into a frog.” you try to tease Jaemin but even your own joke doesn't taste good in your tongue.
Renjun tries his best to avoid you, or more likely avoid hearing your apology or explanation about what happened that day. It’s as if you’re a deadly plague! He did show up a couple of times to the group study meetups, but he never talks to you about anything other than asking your question about the lesson or when the boys ask him about his nerves about the test.
You feel sick from all of the studying, but most of your stress comes from Renjun’s constant ignorance towards you. He did talk to you about other things, he explained to you the lessons you’re still struggling with but he never speaks of that day as if it never happens. Though some people like that better and just brush it off, like Jaemin for example. You’re not satisfied with this. You need his real acceptance of apology or you can’t feel ease in your heart.
You tried all you can, sending him a message filled with handwritten apology, a chocolate of his favorite brand, a chocolate frog, some badly drawn apology painting, a poem, and even try to bring up the conversation whenever you meet but he always finds a way to smile and drive the topic to another thing.
His playful gaze can still be felt by you and he still helps you occasionally in classes you struggle in. He even helps until the last days of the O.W.L test and the guilt in your heart is just piling up.
--
“Good luck on your O.W.L '' Renjun one night smiles at you after cleaning up the books and quills. You gasp “Thank you, you too and Renjun I am sorry.” you finally get the chance to utter your apology intimately without anyone else near you.
Renjun sighs “You’re still sad about that?” you bite your lips and nod “I can’t take it off my head.” The man in blue robes chuckles and messes your hair “Silly. Stop worrying about that. Just focus on your studies okay so that you can pass this O.W.L” you turn red from his action, heart beating super fast upon seeing his cute smile and hand touching your head.
“Alright, I need my sleep. You go to bed too okay, see you for breakfast tomorrow.” he tucks a hair away from your face and bops your nose. You see him walk away after saying good night and when you want to go to your room, you notice a blue scarf he left on the chair.
“Renjun forgot this.” you wrap it around your neck because you have lots of stuff to bring back and slowly you walk to your room, enjoying how his scent softly brushes your nose when the wind is blowing in your direction. You feel calm now that Renjun told you not to worry about it and seeing how he’s back to playing with your hair makes you feel less guilty.
“I’ll return this tomorrow,” you mumble to yourself only to wrap it tighter to your neck when you sleep.
--
The O.W.L this year is nerve consuming and stressful. You and the other students are all squeezed and no one is having their energy other than studying, eating and sleeping. You’ve talked less with the boys, you’re busy isolating yourself in the study room or just in the garden to study and focus on yourself. You also forget about Renjun’s scarf and he seems to forget it too, judging by how he is using another scarf.
All of you made it through the excruciating exam and finally you’re packing your suitcase.
“Are you ready to go home?” Jeno puts his face into your face on the morning of the beginning of the holiday. You have a beaming smile on your face and you happily hug him “Thank you for your help! I did my O.W.L nicely because of your help!” Jeno only chuckles and laughs at your remarks. He only plays with your hair and pushes you away only for you to hit Jaemin’s chest and the cheeky guy is not ready to catch you. You close your eyes, preparing yourself to hit the hard ground and be embarrassed for the rest of the year in Hogwarts, but you didn’t hit the ground. You open your eyes and see Jaemin already standing next to Jeno, eyes running through the hall as he winks and waves his hand to the passing students. So, who is holding you?
“Hoah easy Jeno, you pushed her too hard!” A soft voice you missed. A voice that sounds so cute when he whines or complains. A voice that has been whispering all day all night in your head. Renjun.
“Renjun! Sorry.” you brush yourself as you stand up and tidy your looks. Suddenly feeling conscious if you’ll look good. Renjun smiles, he has his trunk by his hand too, looks like every one of us is going home this Christmas.
“It’s great to see you before the long holiday, (y/n)!” Renjun pushes a small smile and you are busy reaching into your backpack for something. “I need to return this! You left it in the library last time.” you hand Renjun the neatly folded blue scarf which surprises him. “Oh it’s with you! I thought I lost it.”
You laugh “Sorry, I forgot to return it to you.” you extend your arm to him. Renjun quickly takes the scarf and opens it, the next thing you know is that he inches closer to you, wraps the scarf softly on your neck and his lips hover above your own lips. When you look into his orbs, you see how he’s waiting for your permission and while Renjun still has his hand holding on to the scarf on your neck, you close your eyes and feel him pull you by the scarf and seal your lips with a long quiet kiss.
You feel butterflies in your stomach as he gently keeps his hands moving to secure your neck and your heart is thumping so hard.
“I forgive you, go enjoy your Christmas.” Renjun sincerely laughs and kisses your cheek “So, from today is it day one?”
You nod “Day one!” Your heart feels light, the heavy guilty feeling in your heart is gone, his kiss shows how he is not angry at you and you feel his passionate and sincere desire to have you as his significant other.
Jeno and Jaemin pretend they don’t see both of you, just waving their hands to any passing students, telling them to send owls, saying they’ll see them next year and all the season greetings.
“Alright, my train is leaving love. I’ll see you next year. Send me an owl , okay!” Renjun pinches your cheek that’s super red from his sudden actions. You just have a big smile on your face as you nod and wave “See you soon!”
Jeno and Jaemin help you put your stuff into the car your brother has sent to pick you up. You thank the boys, hugging them for being here with you through ups and downs and you’ve made peace with Jaemin. That guy promised you he’ll bring you back your favorite candy from his hometown.
As you sit down in your car, head looking back to the majestic and mystical castle, you smile when you remember how Renjun pulls you into a very sweet kiss and that’s enough to show you how he’s not mad or disappointed at you. You were overthinking, but that’s you. That’s something about your gryffindor heart, always wanting to be responsible for your faults and it feels good to finally see Renjun saying he forgave you already.
Magic and love. Might work side to side, might not. Whichever that is the potion or your attitude, Renjun loves you the way you love him too and that’s what matters.
end
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cocochannel00 · 3 years
Text
The Azoff Family: A Case Study on one of the Music Industry’s Most Connected Families
(ft. a breakdown of the Grammy voting process and problems)
This is very long so I will try and split it up into categories for everyone (sorry I got carried away- I spent like 2 hours writing this) but enjoy!
*Disclaimer: I want to preface while the majority of this is based in research, some parts may be speculation. I don’t know the family personally so I can’t tell you what goes on behind closed doors but I can tell you how parts of the entertainment/music industry work. I’ve had 5 internships in the industry (one in marketing at one of the big record labels) and the rest of my work is publicity (what I enjoy) and events and a former advisor used to run in the same circles as Irving Azoff (and he spilled some tea last year) I’m not out here to diminish the hard work of any artists or their teams, I’m simply here to showcase parts of the industry that aren’t always shown.*
Please also see: Story Time: How Fan Pages Directly Impact Columbia Records Decisions and Harry Styles Image
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IRVING AZOFF: NEVER STOP THE GRIND
Let’s begin with the great business man himself Mr. Irving Azoff Irving Azoff is the literal posture child for connections and power in the music industry (he was also inducted into the 2020 rock and roll hall of fame class which is like a huge fucking deal for a manager to be inducted so you know he's the real deal)
In conclusion, I love Irving Azoff and his drive.
Irving Azoff: Early Years Run Down:
He came up middle class (dad was a pharmacist, mom a bookkeeper) in Danville, Illinois
He dropped out of college to run a small Midwestern concert-booking empire and managed local acts in the era
Opportunity came knocking and he got the chance to manage the Eagles and the rest is history
He's one of the best negotiators and has negotiated business on behalf of stars like Stevie Nicks, the Eagles, and Jimmy Buffet
Azoff has been an incredible manager and his drive to always advocate for his clients while basically not giving two sh*ts about what people think of him has gotten him the incredible reputation he has today.
All of Irving Azoff’s Major Job Positions:
Former President MCA (major label)
Former CEO of Ticketmaster and executive chairman of Live Nation Entertainment, the behemoth formed from Ticketmaster’s merger with Live Nation.
In 2013 he and Cablevision Systems Corp. CEO and New York Knicks owner James Dolan formed a partnership, Azoff MSG Entertainment (Currently still CEO)
----> Azoff also ran the Forum in Inglewood under Azoff MSG Entertainment after MSG purchased it in 2012 (it was sold in 2020 to the owner of the Clippers) — why do you think Harry played the forum for the Fine Line show? Azoff connection
Azoff MSG Entertainment encompasses all of the other companies including Full Stop Management, Global Music Rights (performance-rights org), and the Oak View Group (arena developing company)
He also is the co-founder and manager of the lobbying group Music Artists Coalition, a group that helps lobby for artists-rights issues such as royalty rates, copyright issue and healthcare insurance (see he's not all bad)
Essentially what I'm getting at is this man knows anybody who's anybody. He's the man you want on your team to help promote your music, plan your tour, and get you on that Grammy nom list.
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JEFFREY AZOFF: THE CHILD OF NEPOTISM
So for those of you that don't know, Jeffery Azoff is Harry's current manager and the son of Irving Azoff (the third of four kids). He's currently a partner at Full Stop Management, the company owned by Irving and the one artists such as Harry, Haim, the Eagles, Kings of Leon, and Meghan Trainer are signed to.
Jeffrey graduated from the University of Colorado's Leeds School of Business and started working fresh out of college at his father's old Management company (Frontline Management) working under Maroon 5's manager Jordan Feldstein (the only way you get that kind of internship/job as a 21 year old fresh out of college is if your family or family friends gives it to you). He worked here for 5 years.
Direct Quote from Irving Azoff to Jeffrey (really tells you a lot): "Listen carefully, because I’m going to say this one time. You have a phone and you have my last name. If you can’t figure it out, you’re not my son."
After working for his father, Jeffrey moved on to the talent agency CAA (Creative Artist Agency) where he worked for roughly 3 and half years before joining his dad in forming Full Stop Management in 2016.
While he was at CAA, Irving moved over clients like Christina Aguilera and the Eagles to the talent agency to help with tour booking instead of doing it internally through LiveNation (he was CEO).
Even though I'm sure Jeff has had to work somewhat hard to get to where he is (or at least to mess up his dad's work as he doesn't seem like the type to take laziness well), the door into the industry and every job was basically handed to him on a silver platter.
Not to mention if you watch episodes of keeping up with the  kardashians (like myself) you can actually see Jeff hanging out with kendall and the rest of the fam at their Palm Springs house (you know you're a nepotism kid if you have an in with the Kardashian crew). Invite me next time Jeffrey!!!
Think of the Azoff's as the mafia family of the music industry, you don't mess with the mafia
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THE GRAMMY AWARDS: STUDENT COUNCIL ELECTIONS ON STEROIDS
Ok so here's where we’re going to get into a bit more of the speculation/grey area. I don't need to tell you that award shows are corrupt (See the Golden Globes Emily in Paris scandal) and the Grammys are not an exception. Think of the Grammys as one big student council/government elections where despite the fact the teachers tell you six times to vote for the best candidate, you're still going to vote for your friends even if they aren't the best.
A simplified break-down of Grammy voting:
1) Recording Academy voting members (artists, producers, musicians- anyone involved first hand with the creation of music; All voting members must have been producers, performers or engineers on six or more tracks of a commercially released album (or 12 or more digital tracks) and record labels will submit nominations in various categories to the grammys (songs need to be released commercially between October 1 of the previous year and September 30th of this year). You can also become a voting member by either winning a grammy or being endorsed by a current voting member (hint hint)
2) Once received, the recording academy with have the academy of trustees and its reviewers organize them and approve any changes to the 30 categories/fields (aka they can add new categories or remove old ones; so no best ukulele album of the year -- this is where things get funky)
There's speculation that during this stage when these special groups of 8-10 people are organizing genres, there's an "unwritten rule" that you need to be careful what album you green light (especially for famous artists) if you don't want them to win) (Rob Kenner said this- he used to be on one of these committees). Famous people tend to get more votes from clueless or lay Academy members that don't know the specialized categories or don't care enough to listen to songs that aren't radio trending.
3) After the nominations occur, Voting members begin their first voting. Members can vote for the four general categories of record of the year, album of the year, song of the year and best new artist and a maximum of 15 categories, all within their areas of expertise. Now the interesting thing is that while these are the guidelines there is literally nothing stopping them from voting in whatever categories they want (i.g. a rapper voting in the opera category despite not listening to opera). Theses ballots are all tallied and the top 20 entries are determined in each category (funky moment #2)
In 12 of the 84 categories those top 20 go to the ballot and it's done; for the rest it’s not like that. 59 categories including the big four go to a "nomination review committees" (identities are protected so they can't get lobbied... sure) who take a look at the top 20 and narrow it down to 7 or 8. (these are the special committees the Weekend talked about when he was snubbed). They're supposed to choose the nominees "based solely on the artistic and technical merits of the eligible recordings" which lets be real if that was the case Watermelon Sugar (along with most of the others in the category) I don't think would have been nomimated as they are very generic pop (none of them are special... sorry to the WM lovers out there).
This committee is basically held to THE HONOR CODE SYSTEM... I mean tell me when the last time the honor code system worked in literally any scenario (literally wtf). Don't take my word for it though the former CEO of the Academy Deborah Dugan (a queen) filed a complaint against the Recording Academy basically claiming that the nomination review process was rigged (she was fired after 5 months on the job).
Quote from Deborah Dugan "Members of the board [of trustees] and the secret committees chose artists with whom they have personal or business relationships... It is not unusual for artists who have relationships with Board members and who ranked at the bottom of the initial 20-artist list to end up receiving nominations."
These review committees can also exploit there power by adding up to two nominees that don't appear on the top 20 list to the final voting ballot (except in the 4 big categories - which watermelon sugar that one wasn't nominated for)
They also have craft committees for like non performance stuff (like album notes, engineering and arranging) that don't even get voted on by the academy voting members
4) After all of that fucked up mess, the grammy's decided is ok, the ballots go back to the voting members for the final vote. Deloitte (an accounting firm) then counts all of them, seals them in envelopes, and delivers them to the Grammy award show.
** The Grammy's just announced this year they're removing the "secret committees" so let's see how things shift in the next couple of years**
So obviously I'm not saying this to discredit Harry's nomination or his win as Fine Line was in the US top 20 albums for the majority of 2020, however, we must acknowledge privilege. Harry has a big name to him and a huge following, and while all of that shouldn't be taken into account, it does. He also has the Azoffs, a very well connected family with friends in lots of places that would be able to put in a good word here and there to get support behind Harry. Harry won best pop solo performance for Watermelon Sugar in a category with Doja Cat, Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, and Dua Lipa. Look at the names there, the songs (ya'll can try and remember them cause I'm too lazy to write it out) and tell me that those top names with all of the music produced didn't get there through some connections.
Do with all this information what you will and if you are interested in learning more about the entertainment industry on your own Endeavor (owners of WME, a big talent agency like CAA) is hosting a free online program called the Excellence Program to help guide the future generation of industry executives. The program is a-synchronous and starts on July 12th. Highly recommend giving it a go if you're interested!!!
Alright ya'll that's it. Feel free to message me with your thoughts!
Extra Sources if you'd like to read:
https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkdndn/how-grammys-voting-actually-works-and-where-the-alleged-corruption-lies
https://www.grammy.com/grammys/awards/voting-process
https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2020-11-05/irving-azoff-eagles-manager
https://celebrityaccess.com/caarchive/jeffrey-azoff-exits-caa-to-launch-new-management-company/
https://www.rollingstone.com/pro/features/grammy-awards-secret-committees-945532/
https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/grammy-awards-eliminate-secret-committees-voting-changes-1163887/
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fairestwriting · 4 years
Note
Hi there and Happy spring! I'm new to your blog, so I hope I'm doing this right- anyway, can I request some fluff/romantic headcanons for Malleus, Silver, Sebek, Vil, and Epel sharing their first kiss with their fem s/o on a picnic please? Thank you!
happy spring to you as well!! i hope you enjoy your stay in this blog ^_^
as a side note, i just noticed i write so much stuff set outside the pomefiore building...and the diasomnia boys have picnics around ramshackle because near their building its just. thorns.
(by the way, i have a ko-fi now, so if anyone feels like supporting my writing you can do it there!)
Malleus Draconia
You’ve known that Malleus liked outdoor dates since you two started going out like this, so you decide to surprise him with a picnic date.
It wasn’t anything too...fancy. You ask him about his favorite snacks and do your best to prepare them, then lay down an old tablecloth near the Ramshackle building, somewhere you two could see the moon well.
It’s the evening when you’re bringing Malleus to the spot you’ve picked, chirping about your surprise for him, and when you get there and tell him about your picnic plans, he’s a bit confused -- You’re nervous, thinking he might not have liked it, but then you realize he just didn’t know exactly what a picnic was.
It’s up for you to guide him through the motions. You explain to him that it’s just eating outdoors, really, usually on the ground like this. He follows you curiously as you instruct him to sit down, and you go on about the things people commonly did during them like storing the food in a basket, and the tablecloths...
“I thought you might like it, since we go for walks here so much.” You explain, nervously fidgeting with your hands a bit. Malleus hadn’t said much yet, just watched.
He’s inexpressive enough you’re afraid he really didn’t like it, so you ask him about it, but then a small smile appears on Malleus’ lips.
“I must say I’m surprised." He admits, with a tenderness in his eyes that you haven't seen before. "I'm sorry for the silence, Child of Man. I was thinking about how to thank you. But I believe I've figured it out now."
You're about to question what he means -- But then Malleus kisses you softly, your thoughts leave your mind as your eyes flutter shut.
When he pulls away, he's still smirking. Maybe he had been planning that, somehow...
Silver
After a couple of dates with Silver, you had noticed you needed to come up with more... low-energy ideas, at least for a while, because his perpetual sleepiness seemed to have gotten especially bad.
You two brainstorm a bit over lunch, when Lilia butts into your conversation and suggests a picnic -- And it's actually a good idea, especially now that the spring weather left the outdoors feeling more pleasant than usual. You two agree on meeting up next afternoon near Ramshackle for it, where maybe it wouldn't be the prettiest date spot, but you'd definitely have some time for yourselves.
Each one of you bring some snacks that you like, you arrange a tablecloth, and soon you were ready for your quaint picnic date -- Silver sits next to you over the cloth, head leaning against your shoulder, and you eat some cookies he bought while chatting idly about school.
When he falls silent in the middle of you telling a story about what one of your classmates did yesterday, you already know what to expect -- And when you turn to look at him, your suspicions are confirmed.
Silver is asleep, leaning against you cutely. You know it's not because he's bored, by now, and you planned this date so it's okay if he dozes off, so you don't mind.
But he looks so cute like this, eyes fluttered shut and expression so peaceful. You set the cookie down on the container, letting your hand pet at his silky hair for a while as you stare. He really was so pretty -- You leave a gentle kiss on his forehead, letting your fingers sort through his whiteish locks, and he stirs, eyes beginning to open.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty." You tease, smiling. Silver, still a bit half asleep, looks at you with half-lidded eyes. You're just about to assure him there's no issue he's dozed off -- Then suddenly his lips are on yours in a chaste, yet slow kiss.
"Retribution for you kissing me before." He explains, voice and smile drowsy as he does so, and returns to cuddle up to you.
Sebek Zigvolt
The picnic date is a product of your and Sebek’s current situation -- You’re his first girlfriend so he doesn’t know a lot of interesting date spots, it’s been exam season lately and you’re both tired, so something easy and simple seems ideal.
Today at lunch, right after your last exam, you tell him you have a surprise for him after all his activities. Sebek gives you a lecture about how he won’t put off any of his duties to see you, but after some coaxing you get him to cut some time from his studying, since exams were already over... and he comes to see you in the evening, at the exact time you had planned.
While he had been busy, you set up the picnic for both of you, and you show off proudly the food you got, put together over the tablecloth as you tell him to sit down -- Some you bought, some you made yourself. It’s mostly simple snacks, but there’s a sparkle in Sebek’s eyes.
You tell him it’ll be like a celebratory dinner for getting through such a difficult period in your school lives, and he’s actually quite excited for it. You sit down together and begin to eat, you listen to him talk about his day, everything is pretty sweet.
Pulling out some nice glasses you’d found stashed away at the Ramshackle attic, you suggest to Sebek that you have a celebratory toast, Sebek likes the idea, and you pour some juice for yourselves in it.
You two toast to your success in your exams cheerfully, he’s smiling quite brightly, happy to know that you’re proud of his efforts too -- As you sip your juice, you notice his face grows pink, you ask him what’s up. There’s a pause.
“...can I kiss you?” He asks, blurting out the question. You blink in surprise, blushing too, but you nod. Sebek blushes a bit more, he tentatively reaches forward... and his lips are on yours, all sweet and gentle. He smiles at you when he pulls away, happy to have had his first kiss with you -- Then you probably spill the forgotten juice on yourselves.
Vil Schoenheit
Isn’t really outdoorsy, so a picnic date isn’t the first romantic outing to come to his mind -- But when you two are taking a stroll on the woods close to Pomefiore and you mention how nice it’d be to have a picnic there, he gets the idea.
Vil liked surprising you like this, putting together all sorts of different dates to impress you, so he takes a couple days to make sure everything’s arranged nicely. He picks a nice spot on a flowering field, fills the basket with your favorite food, and on a Saturday morning, he comes to your dorm to tell you to wear your best sundress, you two are going on a picnic date.
You set up the picnic and eat together like any other meal you’d share, Vil points out the recipe for his favorite food items and fusses over you when you get breadcrumbs on your cheeks. The weather is nice, the sky is a bright blue, everything is so pleasant and you’re here, smile brighter than the sun itself.
He didn’t really bring you here with any second thoughts in mind but when you two are sharing a place of apple slices and you look around at the flowers with this dreamy look in your eyes, your beauty is so blinding to him, and he can’t help but remember he hadn’t kissed you just yet. Well, that just wouldn’t do.
“You’ve got something of mine on you,” He mutters, scooting closer, and during the second that you’re confused, about to ask what it was, Vil holds your chin delicately, tilting your face up as he steals a kiss from you.
Epel Felmier
Epel had been nervous since you two started going on dates, he really liked you and he wanted to do this right! So, lately he's been looking for good date ideas to impress you, and a picnic comes up.
He makes it a surprise! Tells you on Friday, fidgeting with his hands, that he wanted to meet up with you on the garden near the Pomefiore building tomorrow morning. When you get there, after some walking around the flowering bushes, you find Epel standing next to the little picnic setup, awkward but excited smile on his face.
It's a very classic setup -- The straw basket, the red checkered tablecloth. Epel actually has a sort of sappy, cliché romantic side to him. He announces the surprise, opening the basket to show you the food he's arranged for you two, mostly apple based snacks and some bread from the cafeteria. It's all so simple but so earnest you can't help but smile.
You two hang out like usual, chatting the pretty morning away, though it's visible in Epel's sudden cheerfulness that he's trying to impress you, and he feels as though he's succeeding, proud at himself for making his cute girlfriend happy.
"A-Ah, can I feed the cake to you?" He asks when he sees you've picked it up from the basket, and you decide to humor him. His eyes sparkle. You hand him the tupperware and the fork, and he takes a piece off the slice with it. "Say ah!"
You follow his suggestion, letting him feed you the piece of cake. You're a few forkfuls in now, all chuckles and content smiles as you chew your food, when his previously peppy expression falters a bit, and you see his face growing more red -- Well, he had been mostly just hyped about this, and being a good boyfriend, and all, but... he's taken off guard by how cute you can be.
You ask him what's wrong when he's setting the tupperware down, blushing like crazy, and he acts on impulse -- Even in all his clumsiness, Epel cups your face and surprises you with a kiss that lasts a while.
"What was that about?" You'll question, breathless and flustered, and he just mumbles, embarrassed, that you were acting too cute for him to handle, before quickly and excitedly asking to do it again.
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