#So it seems weird that it's in the picture

[cjlouwho]

This got a little long winded, so it gets its own post. The story you are about to read is based off of this poll. These are your choices.

Tommy was pretty sure he'd never felt a headache like this before. He wasn't prone to migraines, but he'd seen his mother suffer with them and this... well, this might be worse.

He squeezed his eyes shut, groaning as a wave of nausea fell over him.

It wasn't just his head that hurt. It was his whole body.

Damn, he hadn't been this sick in... well, ever.

His body shook with chills. There was a heaviness in his chest that had him turning his head to the side and choking out a hard cough.

Once he finally settled, that heaviness still there, he slowly let out a raspy breath.

Pudding.

He wanted pudding.

That was odd. He used to crave pudding as a child. Every time he got sick, he would request a pudding cup. And that's what he wanted right now.

Maybe he still had one in the fridge. He'd kept a few things there for Jee back when- Well, he had some kid foods that had been sitting in his fridge for a couple months now. Surely, the pudding would still be fine.

If only he could get out of bed.

He made a mental note to order a new mattress. This one had lasted him quite a few years, but he was definitely feeling the lumps today. It was hard and painful and poked into his back.

“God, this sucks,” he breathed out, blinking his bleary eyes open and... oh.

This wasn't right.

He wasn't at home. Wasn't in his bed.

And the heaviness in his chest was actually on his chest.

That's when the memories came flooding back to him. Going for a flight on his day off. Wanting to clear his head and get his thoughts in order.

He couldn't panic. He needed to maintain focus.

That was hard to do when his brain was all jumbled.

He remembered his phone was... somewhere.

Shirt pocket! That was it!

Carefully, and painfully, he reached up and pulled out the phone.

Miraculously, it was still in one piece. Besides a few cracks to the screen, it seemed to be working fine.

He stared at the screen. The default background that was once a picture of him and Evan.

It hurt to breathe. Hurt to think. He knew he probably didn't have that much time. Not with the way this heavy piece of metal pressed against his body.

So, with fuzzy eyes, Tommy went to his contacts, hovering his finger over the name before pressing down.

“Hello?”

“H- Hey. Long time, n- no talk.”

“Tommy? What's up? Are you okay?”

Tommy huffed out a laugh. “I... Well, that's a loaded question.”

“You sound weird. What's wrong?”

“I wanted to a- apologize to you.” With a grimace, he swallowed down what was definitely blood.

“For what?”

“For everything.”

There was a pause, then, “Did you do something stupid?”

“Not intentionally,” he deadpanned. “Listen, I- I kinda got into an accident and I...” his voice trailed off as he went into a coughing fit. The movement sent a pain shooting from his leg to his back. “Damn it!” he yelled.

“Tommy! Tommy, talk to me. What do you mean you got in an accident?”

“No, it- it doesn't matter. I just wanted t- to apologize for the way I left you.”

“You apologized for that years ago, Tommy. Tell me what happened so I-”

“Abby!” he exclaimed, the hunk of metal over him creaked as it lowered slightly. “I don't... I just need to apologize. I- you loved me, didn't you?”

“Yeah, I did. Car crash, or were you flying?”

“F- Flying. I loved you too. Not... Not the same though. Sorry.”

He could hear her mumbling something to someone else, then she was back on the line. “I'm calling 911 with Sam's phone. Stay on the line with me, Tommy. Are you in LA?”

“Mhm. Do- Don't think I made it far. Abby, listen, I didn't... I didn't mean to hurt you. I was so s- scared of- of everything.”

“Do you see anything around you? Any indicators for where you are? They're working on pinging your phone.”

When Tommy turned his head to the side, all he could see was trees. “Woods. I think. Can't see much. I was dating th- this guy.”

“Can you tell me where you're hurt? Are you bleeding anywhere?”

“Oh, for sure. But A- Abby, I didn't m- mean to hurt you.”

“Focus, please. Where are you bleeding?”

“Head. Leg. Mouth. Kinda e- everywhere. I was dating th- this guy,” Tommy sucked in a shaky breath, a rattling in his lungs. “Your guy, actually. O- Our guy?”

“Tommy, I think you're getting confused. I-”

“No, no. Evan. Buckley, Ev- Buck. Him.”

There was silence on the other end of the line.

“Hello?”

“No, I'm here. I- You're dating Buck?”

“Was dating Buck. I- I ended it. I'm c- cold.”

“Help is on the way, Tommy, just stay with me. You broke up with Buck. Why?”

“Remember wh- when we went to karaoke nights? Th- That was fun, wasn't it?”

Abby sighed. “It was, but that's not what we're talking about.”

“Wh- What was the song we us- used to sing?”

“You were a big Queen fan. I Want to Break Free. Shoulda known,” she mumbled.

Tommy laughed, but it quickly turned into a coughing fit, where blood bubbled up in his mouth.

“Tommy! Tommy, stay calm, okay. Turn your head a little so you don't choke.”

Tommy listened, spitting out the blood before he continued. “We should karaoke again.”

“I don't think that's gonna happen. Tell me about Buck.”

“Evan.” Tears filled in Tommy's eyes and he tried his hardest to blink them away. “We were t- together six months and it all f- fell apart.”

“Why?”

“He wanted... wanted me to move in. Can you b- believe that?”

“Yeah, actually, I can,” she answered. “Buck likes to attach and you're, well, attachable.”

“No. No, I'm not.”

“You haven't changed much, Tommy. You didn't seem to think you were worthy when we were together either.”

Tommy's eyebrows furrowed. Down his back he could feel the sensation of more blood dripping from his neck. “What d- do you mean?”

“The whole time we were together it felt like you were waiting for a bomb to drop.”

“That probably had to do with the whole being gay thing.”

“Mm,” she hummed. “Maybe. Don't think so though. Hang on a second.”

He looked up at the hunk of metal trapping him in place. “Nowhere to go.”

Tommy closed his eyes while he waited. He wasn't sure how much time passed, but the next thing he remembered, Abby was yelling in his ear. “-mmy! Tommy, talk to me!”

“Wha- I'm here, I'm here. God, you're l- loud.”

“And you're an ass. If I was there I'd smack you on the back of the head.”

“That would hurt,” he replied. “With the gaping wound an- and all the blood.”

“Back to Buck. Why'd you say no to moving in?”

“I own a home.”

“And?”

Tommy thought for a moment. “I- I wasn't enough for you, Abby. Couldn't be.”

“Mhm.”

“I hurt you. Didn't m- mean to, but I did. I saw- I saw it in your eyes, when I left, I... You loved me, and I couldn't... I'm sorry.”

“Is that why you left?” Abby asked. “You were afraid Buck would do the same thing to you?”

“I really...” he couldn't stop the tears now. His chest heaved in the little space it had left. “I really loved him, Abby, and I- I saw what I did to you and I couldn't. I just co- co- couldn't-”

“Okay, okay, Tommy, I need you to stay calm, okay? Listen, the dispatcher is telling me that the 118 is close to you. So you stay calm and you talk to me!”

“O- Okay.” He tried to calm his breathing the best he could, but the rattle persisted. He knew that didn't mean anything good. Each breath got a little harder, the blood continued to flow down his neck, and he was pretty sure something was sticking through his leg.

“Did you tell him how you felt?”

“He didn't... He never said it. That he loved me.”

“Did you?”

“No.”

“Maybe he was waiting on you. Did you think of that?”

“I think...” He just wanted to close his eyes. Nothing made sense, the cold feeling was fading, he was going numb. “I think I- I'm dying, Abby.”

“No! Listen to me, Tommy! They're close to you! I need you to make a noise. Let them know where you are. You hear me?! Call for help, Tommy.”

“Abb-”

“Call for help!”

Tommy groaned, more blood coming up in his throat. He managed to move one arm just enough for his hand to knock on the door of the chopper. “H- Here!” he yelled, banging on the door as hard as he could manage. “I- I'm here!”

Abby listened over the phone as the 118 arrived on scene. She could only make out bits and pieces.

“Tommy, can.... me? Talk to... There ya go! We got a...”

“What about the...”

“Hey. Hey, we're here, Tommy. Just focus on... and we'll get ya out, okay?”

“He's losing too... gotta get that off now!”

“Tommy, you look at me! We will... you just gotta promise me you'll... Promise?”

She waited, holding her breath until she heard his voice, just a touch above a whisper. “Promise.”

Things got quieter for a bit, then she heard voices again, so she yelled, “Hey! Hey, pick up the phone! Someone pick it up!”

“H- Hello?”

“Buck, is that you?”

“Yeah, Abby, it- it's me,” he answered, his voice practically shaking. “Maddie said y- you were on the line with him.”

“Is he...?”

“He's alive. We're following the ambulance to the hospital.”

“How bad?”

She could hear Buck sniffling through the line. “I don't know how he's alive, Abby,” he admitted, lip trembling. “It looks like this thing has been through a compactor.”

“And Tommy?”

"Has a gash on the back of the head, concussion, broken ribs, a pretty big piece of glass through his leg, definitely some internal bleeding. He... Chim says he should make it, but we- we barely got here in time. He might've... if he wasn't talking to you he probably...” He couldn't even bring himself to say the words.

“Hey, don't think about that now. He's gonna be fine. That's what matters.”

“Yeah.” Buck ran a hand over his eyes as he nodded. “Yeah, you're right.”

“I'll let you go, Buck, but let me know when he's stable, okay?”

“Yeah, I will. Thanks, Abby.”

“Of course. Oh, and Buck!” she quickly added before he could hangup.

“Yeah?”

“I know the guy pretty well. He loves you. He's just not great at being loved.”

“A- Abby-”

“Don't give up on him. He's worth it.” Before Buck could get in another word, she hung up.

*****

The next time Tommy opened his eyes, he was in a hospital bed.

Evan was beside him, staring down at an empty cup in his hands. Tommy figured he must've sensed the staring, because soon enough Buck was meeting his eyes. “You're awake,” he said, eyebrows rising.

“I-” Tommy cleared his throat. “I think so, yeah.”

“There's been a couple wake ups that didn't quite stick,” Buck explained, standing to grab cup of water. He put the straw to Tommy's mouth and had him take a sip. “Slowly,” he instructed. “Don't want you choking.”

Tommy took a few sips, then settled back in the bed. “How long was I out for?”

“Almost four days.”

Tommy's eyes widened. “You.. You haven't been here the whole time?” he asked. “Have you?”

Buck nodded. “Three nurses have tried to drag me out of here. All have failed.”

Tommy hoped the monitor didn't show how fast his heart felt like it was beating. “Wh- Why? Why'd you stay?”

Buck smiled, wrapping his shaky hand around Tommy's. “A mutual friend of ours told me you were worth it,” he said, his eyes glistening with tears. “I just so happen to agree.”

[ultravi0lence14]

Change Of Heart

dean winchester x angel!reader

2.2k | angst, hurt/comfort, szn 9

summary: dean is still a complete ass, but a late night conversation has you realizing the cruel facade the older winchester puts on may just be there to cover his sweet and tender soul.

WHEN ANGEL FALLS IN LOVE

humanity truly was a fickle concept, and you started to understand that as time went on. after you and dean came back from your shopping trip, you were assumedly happier. your room was eccentric, exactly how you wanted it. there had been a white vintage dresser in your room when you woke up a day later, dean telling you that if you wanted a place for that mountain of clothes, than you’d need a place to put it.

your walls were less drab, now having pops of colour and exuberant paintings that lifted your spirits. the furniture was ugly, and the wall colour still looked like mud, but the extra pop of colour did help exponentially.

though something still felt off. you were learning more about humanity, and sam was as he usually is. but things with dean seemed to have shifted from weird to weirder.

he went from being snippy when you talked to him — closed off walls that had slight cracks in them, to completely boarding you off. he blatantly ignored you, the last full conversation you two had being when he bought you the dresser.

you’d come into the room he was in, it didn’t matter what he was doing, or how important, he’d just up and leave. you tried to talk to him as you did on your car ride, he’d give you vague, one word responses or just shake his head for yes or no.

it was disheartening, and really confusing. what had you done in this short period of time that made him change up so fast?

the night was young, a fresh 1am gracing your eyes as you looked at your alarm clock. you were watching a movie, and as time dwindled past, your stomach rumbled in remembrance that you hadn’t eaten in a while.

with a huff, you shut your computer softly and made your way to the kitchen. the bunker’s air was cold on your exposed skin. a small, tight fitted t shirt with a picture of a cat and stripped underwear were all you wore. you didn’t expect anyone to be awake, for sam was usually asleep by ten and dean was avoiding you like the plague. a quick trip wouldn’t hurt, and you’d be in and out in seconds

god, how you wished you weren’t so blindingly oblivious sometimes

instead of worrying about what sam or dean would be doing, you would’ve heard no music from dean’s room, which usually cut out by at least 2 in the morning. it didn’t make it better you had headphones on, and if you weren’t so in your head you would’ve noticed dean sitting at the kitchen table.

your head was down, twirling your hair between your fingers as you maneuvered through the kitchen. not realizing the forrest green eyes stuck on your frame.

dean felt his mouth dry up, hands tightly clasping the fork he held that had recently delved into the crevices of an apple pie. you were going to be the fucking death of him. in that tight little shirt, in those tiny ass panties. this is the reason why he started ignoring you. you were so enchanting, a beacon of light that pulsed dean’s name. he wanted you so bad his heart hurt, yet he knew he couldn’t have you.

he was a bad man, not deserving of the divinity that rolled off of you like waves. that road trip was a turning point, and he realized that his hatred was to hide what he honestly felt.

you were sweet, and too kind for dean’s coal black heart. he could see it from the start, you grace and beauty still evident even after you fell. you were everything that dean longed for, but would never allow himself to have.

that’s why he made you think he hated you, why he ignored you. but now, with the fridge light bathing your figure and lighting you up like a wishing star, dean wanted to be selfish, he wanted to push his worries away for once and indulge in the sweetest fruits.

with a clatter of his fork, dean stood up from the table and walked over to you slowly. you still couldn’t hear him, your headphones blocking out any noise beyond your music, but that’s what dean needed. he needed that moment of clarity before he fully went under.

coming up behind you, his breath tickled down your neck, making your shoulders tense as you slowly paused your music. taking your headphones off and putting them on the counter, you turned around slowly and slightly jumped as dean stared down at you through his hooded eyes.

“jeez dean,” you breathed, hand resting against your chest as you caught your breath. “don’t sneak up on a girl like that, you almost gave me a heart attack.”

he didn’t say a word, just staring down at you as his fists clenched by his sides. you didn’t know what to think, this was the first time dean had even looked at you in days, and his back and forth attitude was starting to confuse you.

sighing, you crossed your arms against your chest, looking up at dean with a stoic expression on your face. you were still an angel after all, and no one taught you about how somethings should be left unsaid.

“what is wrong with you?” the question rolled off of your tongue like poison ivy straight to dean’s heart, making him jerk back a little and widen his eyes. his mouth opened, like he wanted to say something; question you, ask what you meant, you didn’t care. you just put your hand up to halt his words.

“don’t even start,” you bit out, anger you didn’t even know you held slipping through your lips. “you think you can just ignore me for days and then come up to me and stare like a petulant child? i might be an angel who’s new to the world, but i’m not fucking stupid dean.”

your words had him reeling. you never swore — or he’s never heard you. the words coming from your lips were so firm, so assured, that dean couldn’t help a swell of pride flourish in his chest. you were growing stronger, and he couldn’t be more proud of his girl.

well, you would be his girl if he grew a pair of balls.

dean didn’t realize that he’d just been staring at you, lost in his own mind that he didn’t even respond. he finally snapped out of his stupor when you scoffed, turning around and grabbing your headphones before moving to leave the kitchen. “unbelievable. i’m done trying to crack you dean. if you don’t want to even try and care, i’ll just leave you alone for good-“

your words were cut short as dean gripped onto your upper arm, spinning you around and into his chest. his movements shocked you to the point of dropping your headphones, the only noise being the device clattering on the ground and your wracked breathing.

he was so close, so close you could see all the imperfections on his face. his scattered freckles that looked like fairy dust, the stubble that grazed his jaw and how it added to his handsome charm; everything was so overwhelming, and you couldn’t help but grip onto his shoulders as you stared up at him through your lashes.

dean didn’t know why he did it, but he knew it was what needed to be done. he was sick of hiding, and having you this close made him realize how bad he craved you.

the puffs of air from your pretty lips hitting his face, the scent of vanilla and cherries hitting his senses. your hands gripping his shoulders had his palms itching to touch you, shaking as they reached out and gripped your hips.

his batted breath mixed with yours, one hand leaving your waist to delicately dance across your cheek. “please don’t leave,” his voice was filled with vulnerability, slight edges of urgency twisted into it’s roots. “just - give me one second to explain. please, sweet angel.”

sweet angel. the nickname made you gulp, butterflies erupting in your stomach as you just stared up at him expectantly. you waited for him to speak, watching as he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. your hands on his shoulders squeezed lightly, a small sign of comfort that dean easily caught onto.

when dean re-opened his eyes, you swore you could see his walls crumbling down as he looked at you. his blockades to the real man — which made up his soul, peaking through for the first time. “i’m not good at these kind of things. i’m a killer, a ruthless, self indulgent man who doesn’t deserve your love.”

the words coming from his mouth hit you in the gut, wrenching a deep hole into your middle. dean truly felt that about himself, and it hurt your soul that he couldn’t see how much of a good person he was.

yeah, he was a dick, you could say that much, but he also cared. you saw how he loved and protected sam, how he would put his life on the line for his little brother. you watched him protect people from the creatures of the night, soft words leaving his lips as he consoled frightened victims. whatever dean had tried to show you in the past couple of weeks wasn’t truly him, and you were now determined to show him that.

your one hand lifted to his cheek, watching as his hand on your face fell down and rested on your neck above your pulse point, almost like he was trying to tell himself you were actually real. “you are none of those things dean winchester,” your words were soft, a reassurance that only left dean shaking his head.

“no, don’t do that. please listen to me.” you gripped his face in your hands now, pulling it down so it rested on your forehead. “you are a good man. you kill to rid the world of evil, and that’s the best thing you possibly could do.”

he just looked down at you, a sorrowful look on his face as his eyes showed the way he didn’t believe your words. “i can’t give you what you need, angel.” his words left you shocked, a testament to dean’s confession as he held onto you tighter. “i’m not capable of love, and you deserve a whole fucking ocean of it. you are the true definition of beauty, and you need someone who can give you that and more.”

tears leaked from your eyes, leaning further into dean as he gave silly reasons on why he didn’t deserve you. “dean-“ you breathed, voice shaky as a lump lodged in your throat. all he did was shake his head against yours, bringing his hand up to brush your tears away.

“no tears, please my darling girl. i don’t deserve them.” he tried to pull away, but you held him tighter, not allowing him to let go. “no!” you sobbed, eyes leaking proof of your sorrow. “this isn’t fair! you can’t do this. i didn’t even know how you felt twenty minutes ago. hell, i didn’t even know how i felt twenty minutes ago. i thought you hated me for gods sake. please just give me time to think dean, i deserve that much.”

dean all but whimpers, a sigh that sounds too heartbroken for your now fragile ears. “baby, please. just let me save you, i don’t want to burden you with my issues. you deserve security, a fairytale love you only read in books. i can’t give you that.”

“cut the shit winchester.” you snap, shocking the man in front of you. “this is my life too, remember? what i need isn’t for you to decide. so please, give me a day. and i promise, i’ll decide if i want you to ruin me or not.”

all dean did was shake his head, hugging you to him like he could meld your bodies together. “you don’t want that, pretty girl.”

“if it came from you, i’d allow you to ruin me in anyway possible, so the only aspect of love i see is your heart beating for me.” the words were a little toxic, even you as an angel could see that, but dean was so in his head, you needed to show him that he was capable of love. he was made to love someone, to cherish them and show them how beautiful his soul was. you just hoped he’d let that person be you.

leaving a lingering kiss on his forehead, you separated from the sorrowed man, watching as he reached out for you like you were drifting away in the ether.

picking up your headphones, you moved to walk out of the kitchen. briefly turning around, you stared and watched as dean looked at you longingly, waiting for you to say something. anything. “my room. tomorrow. 12am. i’ll be there with my verdict. but trust me dean winchester, you are capable of a love worth writing about.”

the words lingered as you left, tears slowly falling down your cheeks as you thought of the man who was broken in more ways than you could count. a boy who was deprived of love and believed he didn’t deserve. but you swore, you’d show him. you’d let dean winchester realize how much of a lover he was.

TAGS: @floralscented @deansbeer @titsout4jackles @honeyryewhiskey @haunteres @starzify @fallbhind @foolinthera1n @rubyvhs @jasvtsc @vaiieydoii @taurus0queenie33 @bitchykittenconnoisseur @angel-inspiredblog @galacticalllcafffeine @pascal-rascal424 @annoyingstrawberryballoon @fayeisuppose @geisterfvhrer @bluemerakis @si1ver06 @drqstqr @wh0s-ra3 @supernatural-bangtanboys @whump-loverz @mostlymarvelgirl @d3anwinchesterswife @youdontknowe @oceanolokys

*the shirt she’s wearing is in the pinterest board. . . go check it out🤭

[tthoroughfare]

garden daisy (part 2) // ellie williams

*･゜ﾟ･* summary: ellie makes a new friend, and you feel all weird about it.

*･゜ﾟ･* pairing: modern!ellie x reader

*･゜ﾟ･* content: sfw

*･゜ﾟ･* length: 1.6k

this is part two of this series! find part one here

okay so i feel like the way i've organized this series is kind of confusing as it started as a random blurb... technically part one is this blurb however the real story starts in the xmas fic! the blurb just kind of exists floating around somewhere before the events of that and sets up the dynamic. call it part 0.5 i guess. also i'm so sorry if ur name is haley it was genuinely the first name i thought of hahaha

after christmas, once you’re all settled back into life at college, ellie gets a new job. it’s just a few shifts a week at a music store, but she seems to be enjoying it. you’re happy for her; it’s nice to see her getting out of the apartment more, doing something that allows her to be in her element.

but then she starts mentioning a girl she works with. like, a lot.

“dude, look at what haley sent me today, i was dying.”

“haley had, like, the coolest shirt on at work.”

“oh my god, so i found out haley likes comics, too.”

at first, it doesn’t really bother you. then, it’s a case of you trying not to let it bother you. why even should it? she’s allowed to make new friends; her life doesn’t revolve around you.

still, you don’t like the way your chest starts to twist every time she gets mentioned, every time you see ellie smiling at her phone. you can hear them on facetime frequently through the thin walls of your apartment, and you more often than not end up shoving your headphones in to drown it out.

they start spending time together outside of work, too. she mentions that they’re going to see an exhibit together on a shared day off, and it takes everything for you to look up from your laptop, give her a tight smile and utter, “cool.”

you can tell she’s a bit dispirited by your reaction, like she’s debating saying something. she leaves it, though, just nodding once and pursing her lips before walking away. you kick yourself for it immediately — wishing you’d tried harder to appear enthusiastic for her. you’re worried it could be the seed of a wedge being driven.

it’s not like she’s completely neglected your friendship. you live together. you see her every day. she still gently knocks at your ajar door, poking her head around and asking if you want to watch a movie with her. you make dinner together on friday nights, something you’d done since you moved out of the dorms and got a semi-decent place.

you’re just so used to it being the two of you. sure, you both have other friends, but you’re best friends. you can’t help but feel a little uneasy all of a sudden someone new is making their way up the ladder, ellie not having quite as much time for you anymore.

at least, that’s what you tell yourself the reason is. you know the real one.

you eventually meet the esteemed haley when she comes over to hang out, and to your petty dismay she well and truly lives up to the boasting. you’ve seen pictures of her (as in, you found her on instagram and stalked her at two in the morning), but she’s even prettier in person. she’s sweet, too, giving you a hug and saying how great it is to finally meet you. ellie talks about you all the time, apparently.

the evening’s spent with the tv on, a few drinks sipped. you’re on one side of the couch, ellie on the other, new friend in the middle. you hate how genuinely likeable she is; she goes out of her way to speak to you, asking you questions about yourself and chatting jovially when you find common ground. she’s cool, smart, witty — it’s impossible not to compare yourself, and feel subpar. like old news.

and you wish you weren’t, but you’re reading into every little thing. the way the two of them easily bounce off of each other’s jokes, the way you can see even where you’re from how ellie’s eyes light up when she looks at her. deciding three’s a crowd and you’re just hurting your own feelings, you call it pretty early.

when you stand after finishing your drink and announce that you’re going to bed, you note the way that ellie’s face drops. “oh… really?”

you scrunch your nose, trying to sound untroubled. “yeah, i’m kinda tired, so…”

“m’kay,” she replies, chewing slightly at the inside of her cheek. she knows you better than that. since you first met, you’ve never been ‘kinda tired’ by nine.

after a pause and a quick look back and forth between the two of you, haley gives you a smile, reiterating her earlier statement. “well, it was so nice to meet you, anyway.”

you return it, nodding. your eyes flit to ellie for a split-second. “yeah, you too. see you both later.”

with that, you place your glass in the sink across the room and head off down the hall.

you change and get ready for bed, although the plan was never to sleep. you’re nestled under a blanket, lights dim and a candle burning as you keep your eyes trained on the bullshit stream of youtube videos you’d put on. you’re not really paying attention, mind well and truly elsewhere; simultaneously feeling sorry for yourself, and like the most petty, mean person in the world.

you feel pathetic for wishing ellie’s new friend wasn’t so easy to get along with. she came off as a nice person, and not in a sickly, fabricated way. you could understand how she’d easily tugged ellie out of her shell. a part of yourself had been secretly hoping she was irritating, or bitchy, or weird towards you — you just wanted something to latch onto, something to validate all the uncomfortable emotions that had been swirling ever since she became prominent.

but there was nothing. now all you’re left with is a weird bitterness towards a perfectly normal, sweet girl, her only crime being fetching up a childish possessiveness within you.

you don’t even understand why you’re like this over her in particular; ellie was always an introvert, but it wasn’t like she was a complete recluse. she’d had a serious girlfriend in high school, seen a couple of girls your first year of college, and you don’t remember feeling anywhere near how you are right now. you just guessed you didn’t have as much understanding of how you looked at her back then, combined with the domesticity of now having your own real place luring you into a warped way of thinking.

you hear haley leave around an hour and a half after you’d taken yourself to bed, followed by ellie shuffling around the kitchen space. the tap runs and there are a few clinks as she washes then places the three glasses to dry, hitting the lights off. her room’s further down the hall from yours, and she hesitates as she’s making her way there.

a few light taps sound from the other side of the door. “you asleep?”

“… no,” you call out softly, watching as it cracks open and ellie picks her way in. wordlessly, she plops herself onto the bed next to you, arm behind her head. you shift away a little, offering her more room.

“what’re you watching?”

“uh…” grabbing the remote, you pause the video for a beat so the title shows. you’re not even sure; you’d just selected the first you saw, then let the rest autoplay. “… ‘six most disturbing forest encounters caught on camera’.”

she chuckles. “spooky.”

“eh… they’re all fake.” you look up at her, smiling a little.

“could’ve fooled me.”

“i’m sure,” you laugh lightly, feeling the need to turn away when she goes to meet your eyes.

it’s quiet for a while, but you can sense she wants to say something. it’s not like one of the times she waltzes into your room simply to hang out, sit at the side of one another peacefully.

“you okay?” she eventually asks gently, turning her head to regard you. you don’t meet it.

“yeah, i’m fine.”

“you sure? ‘cause… i don’t know. you seem a little…”

“i’m all good.” glancing up, you offer an unconvincing, flickery smile. “don’t worry.”

“… okay.”

you can tell it offers no comfort, but she doesn’t push it. just settles further into the bed, scratching at her chin.

her eyes dart from the tv screen to the wall, then back to you. “haley’s cool, right? guessed you guys would get along.”

“yeah, she seems nice.”

she’s really not being subtle; but then again, neither are you. you’d been perfectly friendly while you were all together, but the way you’d disappeared coupled with your increasingly half-hearted responses whenever she was brought up pointed elsewhere.

“seriously, what’s up?” she turns onto her side to face you, resting her head on her arm. “i don’t like this.”

you roll your eyes, sighing as you turn, mirroring her. “it’s stupid.”

“what’s stupid?”

your mind flashes with a million ways you can get an overview of your feelings out, without having to tell her the root cause. “i don’t know, i’m just… like, used to it being… y’know, me and you.”

she pulls a face, letting out a fond scoff and furrowing her brow. “what do you mean?”

a tiny groan sounds from your throat, fingertips rubbing at your eye. “i’m just being stupid. fuckin’ embarrassing.”

laughing quietly again, she narrows her eyes a little. “what, are you, like… jealous?”

“no, i just… i don’t know. ignore me.” you’re trying to ignore the way you can feel your cheeks heat up when she says that word. you’d known all along that’s what you were, but being confronted with it is a whole other sensation entirely.

she doesn’t say anything for a moment, just keeps a small smirk on her face and looks down. “that is stupid.”

“right. thanks.”

“no, like…” subconsciously shuffling closer, her leg brushes yours. she quickly moves it. “dude, i can have other friends, but no-one’s gonna be you.”

you blink, thrown by her sincerity. you’d half-expected her to poke a little fun, call you a dumbass. she continues, your eyes meeting hers as she settles her head into the palm of her hand. “you’re always gonna be my best friend.”

yeah, i know, you think. that’s the problem.

[gothicfied]

Kang No-eul / Guard 011 Headcanons

Pairing: Kang No-eul / Guard 011 x fem!reader

Warnings: Mentions of drinking/alcohol, other than that it's just fluff, not proof read (english isn't my first language)

જ⁀➴ Working that shitty job as a costume performer at your local amusement park was hard enough, and the money problems that plagued your every thought were making the situation worse. Most of your co-workers would go out for dinner together after your shift, basically only to drink their problems away and forget about this hell for a night. The only one who'd also stay behind like you was No-eul. You didn't know much about her, as she'd be super secretive about her life, but you at least knew she was a nice person.

જ⁀➴ One time after work it was literally pouring outside, and since you didn't own a car or an umbrella apparently, she offered to take you home with her. You guys hurried over her car and got in as soon as possible and only then you noticed that it seemed like she was living in here. Looking at No-eul, you could tell that she was slightly embarrassed, so you didn't bother mention it or asking about it — Instead, you thanked her a thousand times and more for taking you home.

જ⁀➴ From then on, she'd drive you home one or two times a week so you wouldn't have to take public transportation. At one point, you invited No-eul in, offering to cook dinner as a thank you to her. After a few times it became a regular thing and she actually seemed like she was enjoying it, a smile replacing her usual stoic expression. You also never quite understood how she was so good at her job, entertaining the kids and all, when she was the complete opposite when taking the heavy costume off.

જ⁀➴ She'd help you out in the kitchen sometimes, often catching herself staring at some old childhood pictures of you that you hung up on the refrigerator.

"Oh, that one is cute." No-eul mumbled, pointing at a picture taken at one of your school's dance recitals when you were quite young. "Huh? Oh yeah," you turned around to the picture she was pointing at chuckling a bit, "I was like what? Maybe three? Four? It's one of my mom's favorite pictures, though." You didn't get a reponse back. When you turned around again, No-eul was still staring at it almost longingly.

જ⁀➴ Back at work, you were the only person she'd talk with during the breaks. Some of your co-workers would ask you how you gained her trust like that, since No-eul didn't even speak to them directly at all. You'd just shrug, not knowing how to answer them. Perhaps it was a bit strange how much she seemed to like you, but you certainly weren't complaining.

જ⁀➴ After some time, she'd open up to you about some of the things in her past and she explained her reason for living in her car with that she simply didn't have the money for an apartment. Apparently, she urgently needed it for something else, but she wouldn't tell you more about it. Just the fact No-eul was ready to share bits of her private life with you made your heart feel warm. You liked that she felt safe around you, and she did, too.

જ⁀➴ It got really late one night, so you offered her to sleep over at your place, since you probably owed her so much in gas money anyway. With a bit of hesitation, she'd accept, a genuine smile gracing her face. She was kind of forced to sleep in your bed as well, since your couch was just not big enough for one person to sleep on. No matter how much you apologized for that, No-eul would reassure you that this was more than fine and that she was really thankful you did this for her. She'd take your hand to squeeze it a couple of times to emphasize her words, even.

જ⁀➴ It felt like you two were teenage girls again, having a sleepover while you got ready for bed. No-eul showing you real emotions like happiness, excitement and gratefulness was so weird but also very appreciated by you. You never thought you'd come this close to her, shoulder on shoulder while laying together in your bed. Neither you or her minded it at all though and that was evident through the comfortable silence between you two. Not much had to be said in the moment for it to not be awkward.

જ⁀➴ When you woke up the morning after, No-eul was gone. You had figured that she'd probably be prone to do that, but you were still a bit baffled when finding the spot next to you cold and empty. She needed to get something done, that's at least what her text message said. This was typical No-eul, even if this was the first time this had happened.

જ⁀➴ No-eul wasn't able to get you out of her head. You were so irreducibly kind, soft spoken, pretty and just something that sge wasn't. Even back in the car she couldn't contain a smile when thinking about you, the conversations you had, your laugh, your face.. it wasn't like she didn't like it. She just wasn't used to this feeling at all ever since leaving her home years ago. But perhaps, just for you, she'd be ready to get used to it again.

[lunebulous]

How would Xavier react to seeing you dressed as a bride? - Bonus Chapter

C.w: fluff, non-established relationship, silly, xavier x reader, sfw, corpse bride mentions, not proofread.

Stirring a purple juice that seems to be thicker than it should, Xavier is startled by his own doorbell. He’s not waiting for anyone - didn’t ask for any takeout today - so he knows it’s you. He tries not to smile to himself as he dries his own hands in a dish towel nearby, only then realizing the mess he made in the kitchen. He starts desperately trying to tidy up before you ring again - so this will have to make do. He turns off the oven and rushes to the door. 

“Coming.” He says in a soft and happy voice. And as if you didn’t hear, you start repeatedly ringing it again just to annoy him. 

He opens it. “What’s all this for? Is someone chewing your arm off?” He smiles, just genuinely content in seeing you smiling at him, even if there is a hint of suspiciousness in your eyes. “No, but with the time it took you to answer me, I already could have started decomposing!” You retort, making him softly roll his eyes before taking a look at you. You are so adorable. There is what seems to be a pink photo album in your hands. He furrowed his eyebrows before letting you in. “It’s from the photoshoot my friends and I did, the pictures are ready and Anne just delivered it to me!” You say, taking your shoes off. Xavier giggles to himself when he sees your shark socks, but decides to not tease you about it - for now. “Since you were very kind and brought me food, I wanted to have my first look with you!” You walk towards his sofa, and he follows soon after, gazing at the top of your head. He wishes he could kiss it. “First look, huh. Did you have fun?” He asks, taking the photo album from your hands. It’s a baby pink hard leather cover, his fingers grazing against the texture. There is embroidery in the middle of it: a heart with an arrow through it. First look… Now he could say he had this experience once. “A lot. It was very funny, none of our costumes blended with each other so we were laughing the whole time.” You scoot closer, signaling for him to open it already. 

“What were you again..? Dead bride..?” He places his arm on the back of the couch behind you, giving some space for you to move freely. “Corpse Bride, Xavier! I thought you knew who she was!” You stare at him, slapping his knee playfully. 

“I do!” - He doesn’t. - “I just.. don’t remember the names, that’s all.” He shakes his head, looking down. “And you didn’t look like a corpse.. You looked like a cute-” “I know I didn’t! I wasn’t ready yet. You’ll see! Open it! Hurry!” Xavier sighs softly, his heart beating out of his chest. He doesn’t know if he’s relieved or disappointed he didn’t get to compliment you. But he opens the album anyway. The first few pictures are you and your friends arriving, holding lots of bags. The photos are mostly made of ‘backstage’ moments, just as you and your friends requested. Throughout the pictures you can see the process of you guys taking out the makeup, some of you suddenly in costumes, Sam opening a package of a bald cap while Lexy laughed in disbelief. You haven't appeared in a lot of pictures yet. “Here Lexy is laughing because Sam chose to be Pitbull. It’s an old singer known as Mr. Worldwide. He’s bald, so she had to be too.” you’re grinning from ear to ear. “Pit. Bull..? Why did she choose.. a bald man? Out of so many..” He takes a look at you, meeting your ‘why-not’ gaze. “You girls...” Xavier is smiling too. He’s happy you’re happy with your weird little friends. “It’s the only time she’d have the opportunity to be photographed professionally as a bald man. That’s enough reason, I think. I get her.” You simply say, as he turns one more page. Finally, his pretty girl. You’re still in your normal clothes, painting one of your friend’s face orange. The picture is - in its own way - beautiful. It captures you both smiling to each other, even if your friend is half-orange in it. You’re not wearing that hairpin yet though. “Where did you get that hairpin..? It was pretty.” He stares at you in the photo. “Oh, Anne, the short-haired lady that photographed us gave it to me. First she just wanted to try making a hairstyle on my hair but she decided I should keep it after all.” You answer, mindlessly getting closer to him and turning another page, against his will. He wished he could look at you longer but he’s happy you’re leaning on him now.

“I understand.” Now he’s facing a picture of you, just the way you were when he saw you in-person there. In a bride dress, hairpin in place holding your bun up, with a smile so bright and beautiful it makes his heart clench. You’re leaning against the window, looking to your side and probably laughing at something one of your friends did. The natural light casts an ethereal glow around you. He can’t help but place a hand on his chest, disguising it as an itch. He quickly glances at you as you’re concentrating on the picture beside it. You are so precious to him and you have no idea. But someday he'll show you, by having you wear a white dress again, accompanied by a beautiful blue sapphire ring on your left hand. And you turn the page again. He frowns imperceptibly, letting you have your own special experience. After some chuckles and curious questions, you guys are almost at the end of the photo album, where lies a group picture. Xavier suddenly snorts at the scene. Getting startled by it, you look down to see what made him get that reaction, and your hands immediately press on your mouth, shoulders starting to shake from how much you’re holding back a loud laugh.

It’s you - Corpse Bride - along with Lord Farquaad, Morticia, Lorax, Gojo and Pitbull. There is no possible way this photoshoot made sense and you started thinking that this was the most irresponsible financial decision you have ever made - but worth the laugh. At the same time, all Xavier can see is you, almost melting on his lap over the album - laughing so hard it’s silent. It doesn’t take long before you sit up correctly again and he takes another look at the picture, now chuckling. You try to say something but there’s tears in your eyes and everytime you look at the picture you find something new to laugh at.

Finally getting to the end, he closes the album and you let out a heavy sigh, two tears streaming down your face. Xavier looks at you, and carefully dries them with his thumbs, using a light touch as to not ruin your makeup - just the way you taught him. 

He himself sighs a bit too, feeling a mixture of love and pure admiration for your laugh and your own kind of weirdness. He cradles your face in his hands, the moment suddenly intimate between both of you. Calming down, you look at his eyes, searching for a feeling’s name you don’t even know. 

He is not drying up your tears anymore, just.. holding you with adoring eyes. It makes you blush and panic a little, suddenly getting up. “Xavier, I-!” He looks at you with parted lips and wide eyes, before quickly going back to his smirking face. You try to not feel like there’s a lingering desire to hold each other close as you look down at him in silence for some seconds. “Uhm..Oh!” You start patting your pockets. “Anne said you paid her a sandwich before you came to the studio! She told me how she forgot her money and all, and how lucky she felt when you appeared and offered to pay for her!” You take out an envelope out of the inside pocket of your jacket, as Xavier stares at you with the most confusing expression you have ever seen etched on his face. But you keep going. “So she.. wanted to pay you back. Here it is.” You give him the envelope. Xavier takes it hesitantly, immediately noticing that the envelope feels firmer than it should. He has an idea of what it may be in mind, but he’s not so sure of it. You quickly take the photo album from his lap, breathing deeply as your heart starts calming itself down. You take a last glance at him - he’s staring at the envelope. 

“Tell her I said thank you.” Xavier softly analyzes the envelope, not opening it. “I will. Then.. I should get going.” you point to his door behind you. “I left my windows open and I don't want all of my reports flying down the window.” You blurt out, making things up just to leave. Xavier can tell you’re nervous, so he doesn’t insist. He gets up and accompanies you to the door, waving bye. Slowly walking back to his living room, he opens the envelope. He knew it. It's two pictures of you, his beautiful pretend-bride. Both of them are identical - taken moments apart. You are sitting on a low stool, legs close to your body and a bottle of orange juice at your feet. In one of them you are taking a full bite of the sandwich he brought you, and in the other one your eyes are squinting in pure joy as you chew with round cheeks. There’s a soft blush on your face and he can tell how happy you were. Xavier caresses the picture as if you could feel it. As if you could feel how much he wants you by his side. He’s just waiting for the right moment. For the right moment to hold you close, to kiss your soft lips, to claim you as his. To ask you if he can be your boyfriend, just to wait some more before asking if you’d like to be his wife. But right now, something takes him out of it. He sniffs something. He startles like a cat, running to the kitchen. Shitshitshitshitshit! Instead of turning off the oven, he turned it all the way on. He sighs. “Not again…!” Turning off the oven - correctly, this time -, he takes a look at your pictures again. Turning them, he found out Anne had written “Your future bride looks cute enough to make a grown man cry, indeed.” And he blushes immediately. She still has no idea Xavier isn’t even her boyfriend yet, but it’s not like he’ll correct her anytime soon. He looks at the overheated oven, smelling like burnt iron.

First, he must learn how to cook to be a good husband, after all.

I hope you guys enjoyed this little series - and if it's of interest for anyone, Xavier kept these photos under a pile of clothes in his wardrobe - but he took some pictures of it with his cellphone so he could gaze at his bride anytime he felt like it - constantly.

[lovedrruunk]

'A Fresh Start 𓏲*ੈ✩‧₊˚🎐[part v]

powder finally made it to the hangout stage (good for her!), and guess she never really realized how good talking to you one on one would feel. [part iv]

✩°｡⋆⸜ 🎧✮ < banger song inspo!!

Powder shuffled along the stone sidewalk, her head down and her hands buried in her worn jacket pockets. The town square was deafening. The noise of it all was something she just couldn’t seem to get adjusted to. Sure, the undercity was loud, people yelling, arguing, running, sounds she was used to, sounds easy to block out. But this?

Easy laughter, happy chatter, meaningless conversation just for the sake of it. It was like a ringing in her ear, irritating her brain as if she wasn’t meant to hear it, like her ears weren’t developed enough to process it. 

Looking up at the people passing by she noticed how all of their faces were unfamiliar. Either she’d never met them, never looked them in the eye, or had totally forgotten about them. She wanted to feel bad about it but she just… couldn’t. All the faces here seemed so generic, like NPCs in a video game. Every face just seemed like a blur. Every face but one.

“Powder!”

And suddenly the ringing in her ear stopped. Your face wasn’t like the others. It wasn’t part of the background. It was clear, vivid, impossible to ignore. You were smiling at her, waving like you’d been waiting to see her. For a second, she didn’t move, didn’t breathe, just stood there like an idiot, staring back. 

It happened. In less than a week, the interaction she’d dreamed of had… actually happened.

It was a weird feeling, to watch the scene she pictured in her head constantly play out before her in real time. You called her name and waved her hello, because you knew her, because you were here to see her this time, not the baker, not the merchant, not your neighbors. The realization made her lips twitch upward and before she could stop herself, a goofy smile spread across her face. She probably looked ridiculous, but she couldn’t bring herself to care.

“Sorry, did I make you wait long?” You asked, catching your breath.

“No, don't worry, I just got here.” She said quickly, shaking her head.

It was a total lie of course. She had been waiting long, long enough to overthink, to second-guess whether she should’ve shown up at all, and to count the cracks in the sidewalk. But it didn’t matter now. You were here, and somehow, that made the waiting feel insignificant, like it had been worth it.

You smiled, not questioning her answer, and pointed down the street casually. “I was thinking we could head down to the river.” you said, like the thought had just popped into your head. “It’s quieter there. I know the noise here can be a lot sometimes.”

Powder blinked, startled by how easily you seemed to know her, like you’d figured out something she hadn’t even put into words yet herself. She hesitated for a moment, her hands still shoved deep into her pockets, before nodding. “Yeah. Okay.”

You started walking, and she followed you without a word, just like she always had. Except this time she wasn’t sneaking around, because you had been walking together. At first, it felt strange. Her pace awkward, her head down, unsure of what to say or do. But you didn’t seem bothered by her silence, didn’t rush her to keep up or pressure her to fill the space between you. You just…walked, calm and easy, without a second thought.

The town square got quieter and quieter, replaced by the faint sounds of nature, birds chirping, the occasional rustle of leaves, and the distant sound of flowing water. Powder glanced up as they rounded a corner, catching the sight of the river. 

The water wasn’t super deep where you guys were, she could see the smooth rocks under the water from afar, some sticking out a little. She couldn’t remember if she’d ever seen water this clean or blue. The sun was out, but not in an annoying way. Just enough to keep things warm without making her squint. The wind was nice too, just enough to ruffle her hair, the perfect balance of warm and cool. The only sounds she could hear now was the soft splashing of water and chirping of birds 

For a second, she thought about how different it felt here. Like the world had slowed down just for you two. She glanced over at you and caught you smiling, like you’d been here a thousand times, like this was just another day for you.

When you reached the riverbank, you didn’t hesitate. You spotted a bench with a clear view of the water, sat down like it was your favorite spot in the world, and gestured for her to join you.

“See? Way better.” you said with a grin, stretching lazily.

Powder lingered for a second, her eyes flicking between the bench and the water, before finally sitting down. Stiffly. Like she’d never sat down a day in her life, or like the bench might break just to spite her. She looked around, her arms stuck to her sides, half expecting something to go wrong.

But nothing did.

The river kept flowing, and the trees kept swaying. The world didn’t seem to care that she was sitting there, that she felt out of place.

And then there was you.

You didn’t seem to care either, not in a bad way, but in a way that made her feel like it didn’t matter if she was awkward or didn’t know what to say. You were just… there. Sitting beside her, relaxed, watching the water like it was the only thing that mattered.

Powder shifted slightly, her arms relaxing a little. She wasn’t used to quiet like this, the kind that wasn’t filled with tension or internal voices, the kind that didn’t demand anything from her.

She still felt a little off, like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. But for the first time in a while, it felt like maybe… maybe nothing had to go wrong.

“So, how are you liking the town?” You asked, breaking the silence.

She thought about it for a bit. It was such a simple question yet she had no idea how to answer it. Where would she begin? It was nice sure, peaceful, lively, the perfect place to settle, but how did she like it? Guess she never really thought about it. 

She liked her cabin. She made it her own and it felt nice to have a place to herself. She liked the market, even though she was always quick to scurry out of there. She liked the kids in town, she’d sometimes linger by a little longer and listen in on their conversations. Sometimes they’d be arguing over something stupid like who won which game, other times they’d be happily chasing each other around. She liked you, of course.

Sometimes she wondered what it would’ve been like if she had moved here earlier, before everything went wrong. It was a selfish thought really, but one she found herself often staying up picturing. Afterall, she knew someone who would’ve loved to play with the kids in town. She would’ve liked you too, would’ve liked this new life.

“It’s nice.” She muttered, keeping her eyes on the moving water. 

“Seriously…? That’s it?” 

That made her chuckle. She turned her head to look at you with a small smile and furrowed brows.

“What? It is nice.” She exclaimed

You stayed silent, rolling your eyes with a small ‘hmph’ looking away. 

“It’s also… new.” She continued after a small bit of silence. “Believe it or not, I’d never seen a forest before coming here… oh, or water this pretty.” she added absentmindedly as she took in their surroundings.

“Oh right, I’ve been meaning to ask. Where did you live before you came here?” You asked curiously as you turned to look at her again.

There it was, the dreaded question. Well, one of them. There were a lot of questions she was dreading. But she figured this one would come up sooner than later. 

It wasn’t like Zaun was known for its great living conditions.

She’d be lying if she said she wasn't nervous, she didn’t know how you’d react to her being from somewhere so… Scary? Dirty? Horrible?... she figured any one of those could work. A part of her was tempted to lie, say she was from Piltover or somewhere else that's fancy and shiny, but she knew she couldn’t do that to you, lying now? So early into your conversation? No way. And besides, she doubted she could stomach the idea of calling herself a Piltie.

Her throat felt dry, and her voice came out quieter than she intended.

“I… I’m from Zaun.”

“From where now?”

“The Undercity.”

There was a pause.

“Piltover.”

Still nothing.

She blinked at you, deadpan. “The ‘City of Progress’?”

Your expression lit up in sudden recognition. “Oh! With the Hex Portals?”

She didn’t even have the heart to correct you… 

Your confusion confused her, but she wasn’t exactly mad about it. It was... surprising, in a good way. Guess all that worrying was for nothing. She couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of comfort in your cluelessness, like it drew an even thicker line between her past and her present.

“Yeah, I’ve heard of it.” you said, your voice casual like this was just small talk. “Hm. It’s a long way from here, though. What made you leave?”

Her body stiffened. What was it with you and these dreaded questions? She shifted uncomfortably, her eyes darting back to the river.

As much as she wanted to be annoyed at you for asking the one thing she wanted to avoid, she knew she couldn’t. It wasn’t the question that was the problem, it was her answer. Anyone else might’ve taken it as a casual, perfectly normal thing to ask. The issue wasn’t you. The issue was her.

She opened her mouth, trying to come up with something to say, but nothing felt right. Her chest tightened

Thankfully, you seemed to catch on to her hesitation. Your voice softened. “It’s okay if you don’t wanna tell me. I get it.”

She hadn’t realized she’d been holding her breath until that moment. Her shoulders relaxed slightly, and she gave you a small nod, grateful you didn’t push for more.

“Well,” you continued, leaning back on the bench with a smile “whatever the reason, I’m glad you’re here now,”

She smiled again, her heart warm-

“even though you were kinda creepy at first.”

“What!?” Her head snapped towards you.

“Why is this surprising? You were like totally stalking me. Kinda had me worried.” You said casually with a laugh.

“Well- I didn’t- I wasn’t trying to be creepy.” She said defensively. “I just thought you were cool…”

Your teasing grin faltered, replaced by a look of surprise.

You blinked, clearly taken aback. “Oh.”

Powder winced, feeling like she’d just made things worse.

“Oh?” she repeated, nervously twisting her fingers together.

“Sorry, just didn’t expect that.” you said, your voice softer now, glancing down at the ground.

Her eyes darted away. “Was that... weird to say?”

“No, no,” you said quickly, shaking your head. “I mean,” You laughed a little, still processing. “I didn’t think I’d come off as cool to anyone, let alone you.”

Her brows furrowed, she almost looked…offended. “Why not?”

You shrugged, a sheepish smile playing on your lips. “I don’t know. I think I’m pretty average overall. My life’s pretty mundane.” You said looking towards the sky absentmindedly. “No mysterious backstory, no crazy hair.” You finished with a laugh as you looked back at her again, only to be taken aback when you were met with a stern face.

“That’s what makes you cool.” She said, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

You just sat there staring at one another. Her face still serious and yours all the more surprised. 

“If you say so…”

Powder nodded sharply. “I do say so.”

Then you smiled, like you weren’t sure whether to laugh or say thank you

“Well... thanks, I guess,” you said finally.

.     .     .

The sun was starting to set now, the gentle sound of the river filled the quiet, and Powder found herself feeling lighter than she had in a long time.

“It’s nice here,” she said, almost to herself.

You glanced over at her. “Yeah. It is.”

You leaned forward, tilting your head to get a good look at her. “We should do this again sometime. Y’know, hang out.”

Powder blinked, looking over at you. The casual way you said it made her chest ache in that strange, unfamiliar way again. “Yeah,” she said softly. “I’d like that.”

You smiled at her, a small, genuine one that made her stomach flip. Then you stood up, stretching contently.

“Come on,” you said, reaching out a hand to her. “We should head back before it gets dark. Can’t have you tripping over something.”

Powder rolled her eyes, smiling back. “I’ll have you know, I’m very good at walking.”

“Yuh huh,” you teased, grabbing her hand to pull her up anyway. “Whatever you say creep.”

“Ugh.”

. . .

"next part will def be out before new years!" i said knowing damn well it wouldnt be LMAO guys pls i have a life outside of tumblr OH MY DAYSSSS shocker ik

anyways sry this took long (i rewrote it TWICE) im actually not thattt happy with it STOP I CAN ALREADY HEAR THE BOOS AND TOMATOES BEING THROWN ik guys im never satisfied BUT TO POST SOMETHING I TRULY LIKE IT WOULD TAKE A WHOLE 2 MONTHS AT LEAST

ALSO THE STORY IS COMING TO AN ENDDD IM HEARTBROKEN TOO BUT BUT BUT DW I still plan on writing for this "au" or wtv, ill make a separate post explaining why/how ;P

THX SM FOR STILL READING I LOVEEEEEE U GUYSSS BYEBYE XOXOXO KISSKISSKISS

p.s ik jinx leaving zaun before act 2 wouldve been pointless cuz she needed the closure i just wanted to write abt her thinking abt it ;P

notes r appreciated ofc (˶ > ₃ < ˶)

[taglist ( ;´ - `;)!!]

@cattjull @kenqki @powderbomb-jinxed @iamastar @lostdreamingwallflower @errorlovernotfound99 @raven437 @cartalige @poncho-fisch @crushh-existz @slxtcity @jinxslapdog @radioheadfan699 @alduinworldeater11 @dulleyeddreamer @alicenasflowers

[USERS I CANT TAG 4 SUM REASON (◞‸◟；)]

@sacrasm-is-my-form-of-attack @wonylvxv @luvs4rc0r3

[strandnreyes]

thanks @rangersoup @carlos-in-glasses @thisbuildinghasfeelings @paperstorm !!

TK looks at him suspiciously. “I took this picture on our honeymoon,” he says, like it’s a lie to use a picture from a vacation celebrating their marriage to advertise himself as a single bachelor. Carlos feels a little weird about it too, like he’s letting strangers into a private moment with him and TK, but this photo was only one millisecond. No one knows about the rest of the day—kissing TK in the ocean, trying a bunch of different appetizers at dinner, making TK come on his tongue that night.

“Yeah, but you can’t see my ring so it works.”

TK presses his lips together and gives the photo a second look. “You do look hot,” he reasons. “I’d swipe right.”

“Wrong app.”

“Whatever,” TK dismisses as he moves onto the next one. It’s him in his black Stetson and contrasting white shirt. “You think your suspect is into the cowboy thing?”

Carlos shrugs. “I think he’s into people who have nice things for him to steal.” He’s not exactly a flashy person, but he needs to do something to catch this guy’s attention. “My Stetson and boots aren’t exactly cheap.”

“I know. You seem to forget the hat was a gift from me,” TK murmurs without pulling his gaze away from the phone. “You should have one with you and your car then.”

Carlos frowns, looking over at the phone as if a photo of himself like that will magically appear. “You think? I feel like guys who pose with their cars are tools.”

TK looks up at him. “Carlos,” he deadpans. “You don’t actually care if people like you. And this guy isn’t actually looking to date you. He wants to know if you have money.”

Carlos slides back into his seat and scoops another spoonful of soup into his mouth. “You act like I’m rich.”

TK huffs a laugh. “We’re doing alright, baby. Oh my god, a shirtless pic?”

Carlos blushes and looks down at his soup. “What? That’s what the people want, right?”

“Oh, really? The people want your abs? What’s next? A dick pic?”

tagging @alrightbuckaroo @basilsunrise @bonheur-cafe @butchreyes @chicgeekgirl89 @carlossreaders @carlos-tk @freneticfloetry @emsprovisions @heartstringsduet @henrygrass @ironheartwriter @lightningboltreader @liminalmemories21 @orchidscript @reyesstrand @rmd-writes @tellmegoodbye @theghostofashton @whatsintheboxmh @welcometololaland + open tag!!

[hannahssimblr]

Hours gone and hours to go, staring out the window at vague green mountains, rainforest, a bleeding scene behind wet glass as the rains go on, drenching the southern arm of Thailand. The train rumbles and the beds in our sleeper cabin squeak. I’ve slept already, for an hour, maybe two with a t-shirt over my face to block the light, while Jonas, pale and silent across from me stares blankly out the window picking at his fingernails, blood vessels burst in his eyes from being sick. Forty minutes in the train bathroom while a queue formed outside, and he’s too hungover to be embarrassed. 

The train to Surat Thani was his idea, and seemed like a great one back in Berlin, looking at pictures of the scenery, the idyllic image of an orange train snaking through jungle. Nine hours seemed reasonable until this morning, when I awoke to him packing his bags, the smell of alcohol seeping from his pores. Trembling and ill. 

“How was last night?” I said. “Must’ve gone well if you slept over.”

“I hate myself,” he replied, and that’s all. Within thirty minutes, we had checked out and boarded the train. 

He hasn’t spoken in about six hours, but in fairness, four he spent sleeping, snoring peacefully in his bunk while I’ve read my book, snacked, perused my phone.

I look again at the message from Astrid I woke up to. 

Here you go.

She’s said, followed by pictures of her in that green dress, front and back in her apartment mirror. She looks stunning like that, her hair a little messy, makeup smudged from an evening in the city, wine drunk too, probably. I can tell by that glazed look on her face. 

The second picture, then, captioned:

Or do you prefer me without?

And she’s naked, laying back, the high points of her sensual body rising out of fizzy pink water. Some kind of bath bomb situation, evidently. This is what I wanted, and it’s extraordinarily erotic, but looking at it in the cold light of day in a train cabin that smells of two unwashed men and the dinner plates the buffet service hasn’t collected yet, the effect is not quite as intended. 

Tbh only thing missing is me in there with my–

I pause and check the world clock app. 9:15AM in Berlin. I go back and delete what I wrote. Bit weird now, considering it’s her morning, and she’s definitely not in the bath still. 

I look at the picture some more anyway, zooming in on different parts, like her collarbone, poking out like that with the angle she holds her neck, the same with her hip, a white peak jutting out of the water. My rapt interest in anatomy, driven by the pressure I feel to enjoy her a suitable amount. 

Men like my grandfather would have gone their whole lives without seeing a woman like this. Maybe once, if they were lucky, and they’d keep a picture of her in their breast pocket or paint her on the side of a bomber jet and go to war. And in the 15th century, you’d carve exquisite statues of bodies like this. Paint masterpieces, and you’d turn her into some ethereal goddess with angels flying all around her, spend years working on a portrait in an attempt to communicate your feelings with a brush and oils, marble and chisels. Driven half mad by her. Compelled to preserve her beauty for eternity. 

Here I am, looking at Astrid on my phone. A body worthy of museums, her frame, not gilded, but a clear silicone phone cover that has been yellowing progressively with use. I’m aware I don’t deserve to be looking at this. The best I can do is turn my screen away from the window so Jonas cannot see her too.

Sorry, was asleep lol. Looking hot af tho! 🥵

At the end of my message I add the red faced, profusely sweating emoji with its tongue out to really drive the point home, and send it, half hoping it won’t deliver. It does. 

Back out to the conversations page to the chat with Evie. Something to stare at and feel bad about. Thinking about you. Why did I write that? Divine intervention that it didn’t send. A reason to believe God is watching over me. 

It’s becoming increasingly obvious I’m demented. What else could explain it? To be the kind of man who has a girlfriend that others would die for, letting me do whatever to her, a folder on my phone now of pictures that the weirdos in her Instagram comments would pay real money to look at. Each night, saying she loves me down the phone, and I text a girl I knew for two months last summer? What way would my brain show up in an MRI scan? Very abnormal, the doctor would mutter, and I’d be like, yeah, I had an inkling. 

Maybe I’m just curious, seeking closure. I’d like to know how she’s doing. What colleges she applied for. What she thought of the leaving cert, if she found it hard. She would have finished this week, maybe last. What was it like for her? Desks lined up in some PE hall, no doubt. Old convent windows, summer sunshine catching dust. Her hands smoothing the docket, nails painted. Colourful nails always, and hair done up in some elaborate double plait French thing. She hated how flat she thought her hair was. Then going out to the pub afterwards, a bottle of Corona with a wedge of lime in the neck, going down easy. Eighteen now. Wow. I never wished her a happy birthday. Would have felt weird doing it.

I go through my pictures. There aren’t many, only the ones Jen took on her camera and sent to me. I know where to find them, at the beginning of the roll underneath all those nightclub shots and pictures of Astrid in Italy. Dalia and Elias at the lake. Me and Jonas in the park last September. It’s been a long time since I was here, staring at that one photo I once obsessed over. It’s the only good one I have of her. At the festival, taken in the crowd, and I'm looking at her, she doesn't see me doing it, and her face luminous, dusted with glitter. She was amazing. If only I–

New message from Astrid. 

Thank you for your enthusiasm. Anything for my fans. 

I exhale a laugh. That’s funny. Amusement is followed by the dreadful sense I’ve been caught doing something illegal. Wondering why I’m reliving all this old stuff. What am I trying to feel? I tap the corner of the picture, delete it, and Evie vanishes. I relax my shoulders, relieved, absolved of sin.

 “Something good on your phone?” Jonas says. 

“Nah, I was trying to text Astrid, but I have a poor signal.”

“Ah. Yes. We are in the middle of nowhere.”

“Yeah?” I peer out at oceans of dense vegetation, mist layered between the trees. “Long journey, isn’t it?”

He looks at his phone. “Three hours to go, then another four on the bus.”

“Music to my ears.”

He attempts a laugh. 

“Do you want to talk or something?”

“About what?”

“I don’t know. We can also not talk, if that’s what you prefer.”

“Talking would be nice if my head was clear, and I didn’t feel so unwell. Sorry. I know I’m not bringing a lot of fun on this journey for you. I thought it would be better, but…” he trails off miserably, and I nod. “It’s fine. Been there. We can also just sit.”

“Is it okay for me to say I don’t want to do this kind of thing anymore? I mean, going out and drinking so much and having so many drugs.”

I chuckle. “That’s the classic thing, isn’t it? We always say that, and then a few days later we’re out doing it all again. The circle of life. You mean that now, but I know you.”

“I think I mean it. I’ve had enough. I am tired of being sick and worrying so much about the things I may have said or done. My life has been this way for so many years.”

“Mine too.”

“It ruins everything.”

“Like with that girl last night?”

He chews his lip. “Nothing happened. I was too drunk. She left me to sleep on the couch and I ran away in the morning before she woke up.”

“Oh.”

“And I don’t want things to be like that anymore. I don’t want to feel so stupid. She was a nice person, and I humiliated myself.”

My phone sits hot in my palm, a token of my guilt and stupidity. “Maybe you’re right, then. Maybe we should stop.”

“You think you will?” 

I almost tell him about last night, and the text, and Evie and the reasons I felt driven to, as I so often do when high and lonely, when that innate melancholy I carry creeps in, but I stop myself. I don’t talk about the past with people from my present. There is no point. It’s over, and I have already walked away from it. 

“Yeah, I think I’ll probably have to. I recognise it isn’t doing me any favours.”

A half-smile, then. “What will Elias and Dalia think?”

“Of us going all straight-edge? I dunno. We’ll find out in Berlin.” I stretch my arms and neck, stiff from sitting so long. “I think I’ll walk the corridors for a bit, if you don’t mind.”

“Okay.”

And as I do that, stroll up and down the hallways, peeking into other cabin, using the bathroom, admiring nature from a window at the rear of the train, I consider the good intentions and promises I have made in my life. The girlfriends I promised I’d always care about, the grades I said I’d uphold, the fitness I said I’d reach, the bedroom I said I’d eventually clean, friends I swore I’d stay in touch with… Saying I’ll stop doing drugs is kind of like that, just something said for the sake of saying it, to create a pretence that I’m a person who makes wise or healthy choices without ever intending to follow through. I can’t stand the pressure. I’ll act this way in Thailand for Jonas’ benefit, and feel better for it, knowing in a month I’ll be in the Berghain toilets again, accepting mystery pills from people in latex vests. 

Back in the cabin, he reclines, leafing through his travel guide. “All good?” he says, and I nod. “I think I’ll try to sleep for a bit.”

“Okay then. If you sleep too long, I’ll wake you up when we get there.”

I lay down, my face in the pillow and listen to sounds of pattering rain, squeaky bunks and the pages of the book, and I sleep, deep, sound, all the way to the end of the line.

Beginning // Prev // Next

[alexwritess]

"look at me." ~g.s~

contents: fluff, angst, smut (MDNI)

word count: 4.1k (it's long as hell, i was locked in)

tags: geto x reader, bestfriend! geto, dom! geto, gn! reader (has a vagina), geto x black! reader, pansexual! geto (i think he's a little fruity sorry not sorry), dirty talk, use of the word "daddy", several pet names, slight choking, cowgirl, missionary, piv unprotected sex (WRAP IT UP), degradation, praise, creampie, friends to lovers-ish

You were getting ready for a night out with your friends when you heard a knock on your apartment’s front door. Your eyes furrowed, wondering who could possibly be at your door at this time. You slowly made your way to the front door, heart rate slightly elevated. You looked through the peephole and let out a sigh of relief when you saw a long-haired man on the other side. You proceeded to open the door. 

“Hey” He spoke, his eyes moving down as he began to examine what you were wearing.

“What are you doing here, Geto?” You asked, returning to your room. 

“I can't hang with my best friend?”  

You rolled your eyes at his question. 

“I thought Satoru was your best friend” You replied, crossing your arms with cockiness hidden behind your tone of voice.

“Hey, I’m allowed to have more than one best friend” 

You slowly nodded. “Riighttttt” you voiced out, dragging out your words to be dramatic.

He sighed. “Anywho, where are we going tonight?” 

“WE are not going anywhere, I am going to the club with some girlfriends” 

“I’ll come with” He insisted, causing you to palm your forehead with a sigh following behind.

“Suguru sweetheart, it’s a girls’ night. Emphasis on girl” 

“You’re not a girl though so now what?” He smirked. You subconsciously rolled your eyes and pushed him out of your way. He then followed you into the bathroom as you continued doing your makeup. Sitting on the edge of the bathtub, he watched your every move, not knowing how someone could be so perfect. Of course he kept his feelings to himself, not wanting to make things weird between the both of you. You glanced over at him and caught him staring at you, causing your stomach to churn a bit. Choosing to ignore how he was practically eye-fucking you, you applied your last bit of lipgloss before throwing it into your purse. 

“Alright I’m ready, we’re meeting the girls there” you marched back into your bedroom, searching for your car keys. After what felt like an eternity, you placed both hands on your head, a sigh filled with frustration escaping your mouth. 

“What is it?” Suguru laughed. 

“Don’t laugh, Suguru” You laughed back, hitting him with your purse. “I can’t find my keys” 

“Well, did you check in your purse?” He requested. You opened your purse, and there sat the car keys you’d spent a million years looking for. 

Suguru retrieved them from your purse and dangled them in your face. “You are an idiot” He smirked. 

“And you are driving” you sassed, grabbing the last of your things before making your way to the apartment’s exit.

The car ride was rather silent except for the fact that the radio was on playing a song that you didn't bother to pay attention to since you were more focused on getting to the club to meet with your friends.

“Hey, what’s our ETA?” You asked him. 

“We’ll be there in 15” He responded, no expression found on his face as he seemed focused on keeping his eyes on the road. You felt the car come to a halt and glanced over at Suguru. His tattoo-covered arm extended, tightly gripping the steering wheel. The red lights from the car ahead of you’s breaks, perfectly hitting his face. He seemed so focused as he kept his eyes in front as he patiently waited for the light to turn green so he could continue driving. You had always thought that Suguru was attractive but seeing him like this did something to you. It made you feel something that you wouldn't have thought of when even looking at Suguru.

“Pictures last longer” He chuckled, snapping you out of whatever dirty thoughts were starting to form in your head. He didnt feel the need to look at you to voice out his comment, seeing you in his peripheral vision, Geto knew you were eye-fucking him. You remained silent at his remark. 

Arriving at the parking lot, you both would get out of your vehicle, as the two of you began making your way inside of the club. Music blasted through your ears as you entered, the sound being so loud it could be heard from the outside of the establishment. You hadn’t even been inside for even a minute and you were already overwhelmed. On second thought, overwhelmed was an understatement on how you were really feeling in general.

“Oh my gosh, Y/N you look so hot” Your friend Alicia exclaimed as she danced up to you and gave you a hug. You could tell she had already downed a few drinks by the way she swayed side to side with a cup in her hand. Pulling away from the hug, her eyes focused on Suguru, then back at you like she was trying to piece something together with the two of you arriving together.

“Who is that guy? He’s so hot” she slurred, loud enough for Suguru to hear considering she was terrible at whispering, no matter if she was drunk OR sober. 

“Oh um…this is my friend Suguru” you responded, gesturing towards Suguru which made his body turn towards Y/N’s friend.

“Nice to meet you baby, I’m Alicia” she flirtatiously held her hand out for him to shake. He kindly smiled at her which sparked a bit of jealousy in you. 

“I’m gonna get a drink” You announced, before quickly walking over to the bar which left alicia by herself with Suguru.

“2 shots of tequila please?!” You shouted over the loud music towards a nearby bartender who was handing out other drinks to other customers. The bartender nodded at you as he began making your drinks. You were scoping out the scenery of the club, your eyes focusing on Suguru and Alicia. She seemed to be laughing at a joke that Suguru probably made which sparked some type of annoyance inside of you. What the hell was she talking about that could’ve POSSIBLY been that funny. Suguru glanced up at you, causing you to quickly dart your eyes away from his general direction. 

“What’s up?” You heard an unfamiliar voice say. You turned your head towards where the voice came from and were met with a man you’d never seen before sitting in front of you. 

“You alone tonight?” He asked, reaching out to grab your arm but you quickly swatted it away. The alcohol his breath reeked of almost making you hurl. 

“No, I’m here with my boyfriend. If you’ll excuse me I actually need to go find him” You snapped, getting up to go find your friends. He grabbed your arm and attempted to pull you closer to him which caused your body to shift back.

“Let me go” You demanded, trying to free yourself but his grip was way too tight. His eyes all of sudden looked up at something behind and he immediately let go of your arm before walking away. You quickly downed one of your tequila shots, cursing under your breath as you managed to get the burning liquid down your throat. 

“Are you okay?” You turned around to see Suguru standing right behind you with his arms crossed while his face showed annoyance towards the guy that was touching you but it shifted as he was more concerned for your wellbeing.

“I’m fine Suguru” You affirmed, downing your second shot. 

“Sure?” He asked again, the word “concern” written all over his face. 

“Mhm” you nodded. 

He bent down to your ear and gently rubbed your arm with his thumb. “I’m gonna step outside for a bit, I need a smoke break” You watched as Suguru walked towards the back door of the club. After he left, you proceeded to order three more shots of tequila. It felt like the drunker you got, the more you thought about Suguru. You sighed and decided to go check on him, considering he’d been outside for a while now since his smoke breaks don't really take that long.. You stood up from your bar stool, attempting to maintain your balance whilst the alcohol raced straight to your head. 

You pushed the heavy metal door and slowly stepped out into the night. The music was still blaring which could be heard outside into the quiet night.

“Suguru?” you called, no response. “Suguru?!” You yelled. Your heartbeat picked up when he was nowhere to be found. 

“Sugur- oh” You were cut off by the sight of him making out with your best friend behind the club. 

“It’s not what it looks like” He disclosed. You shook your head and chuckled. 

“No, it’s uh…it’s fine, I’m gonna go back inside” you replied, turning away as you were about to make your way back into the club to forget what you just witnessed.

“Y/N wait!” Suguru exclaimed. He grabbed your arm before you were able to get back into the club. 

“Don’t fucking touch me!” You shouted, pulling your arm away from him, causing him to jolt back a bit from your voice. You never yelled at him which caught him off guard. 

“What’s your deal? Are you guys like..dating?” Alicia asked. “Go home, Alicia” Suguru said to her as he began following you back into the club. 

“Y/N let me expl-” You immediately cut him off. “Just take me home” You say to him which caused him to sigh under his breath. Walking out of the club, he opened his mouth to speak but nothing came out. You both silently walked to your car, as soon as you sat down, you immediately closed your eyes not wanting to hear anything he had to say about whatever the hell that was with Alicia. You were a little jealous but all the alcohol in your system really seemed to have heightened your emotions. Suguru lit a joint to calm himself down as he drove you home. He also knew you’d be hungry by the time you woke up so he stopped by your favorite Asian fusion spot and picked up some drunken noodles and soup dumplings. 

You felt a warm hand on your knee and your eyes slowly opened. 

“You’re home” He whispered. You groaned as you picked your heels up from the car floor. 

“I’m exhausted” You slurred, the palm of your hand touching your forehead from the large headache that was forming. “Want me to help you ?" he offered. You looked over at him and slowly began to remember what had happened earlier that night. 

“No, I think I’ll manage” You opened your car door, your mouth quickly filled with saliva and next thing you knew, you were throwing up in your apartment complex’s parking lot. “Shit” you heard Suguru mutter, quickly pulling your hair back so you wouldn’t throw up on it. 

Finishing up, you wiped the bit of throw up off your mouth with the back of your hand, wiping it off on your outfit. “Thank you” you sighed. All he did was nod. “Come on.” He held his hand out for you to grab. You ended up holding hands all the way up to your apartment. 

“Sit down, I’ll get you some water and clean clothes” He instructed as soon as you entered the apartment. You sat in your living room, making a promise to yourself that you’d never drink again. After a couple minutes, he walked out of your room with a pair of sweats and a tank top, he then quickly rushed over to the kitchen to grab you some water. 

“Thank you, Sugu” he smiled slightly at the nickname you gave him. You excused yourself so you could freshen up and change into the clothes he took out for you. You sighed at yourself in the bathroom mirror and began removing your makeup. 

You smelled your favorite food as you finished washing your face and hurriedly went back into the living room. “When the hell did you get drunken noodles?” You asked. 

“I stopped by Cho’s on the way here, I figured you’d be hungry after all that drinking” he explained. A big smile formed on your lips. “You’re the best ever, thank you thank you thank you” You repeatedly kissed his cheek. 

“Okay enough of that, eat your food” He laughed. You both sat in a comfortable silence as you ate your food. Suguru glanced over at you ever so often as he watched you eat, taking in your features after he had noticed  that you’d taken your makeup off. Clearing his throat, he finally spoke up.

“Let’s play a game” He suggested. “I’m scared, but okay” He snickered at your response. “No it’s good, let’s play Never Have I Ever” he reassured, taking a small bite of his food as he waited for you to respond.

“Okay, you go first” you smiled. “Alright” he cleared his throat. “Never have I ever gotten arrested?” Your eyes widened. “Oh” you shook your head. “I haven’t” 

“I have” he admitted. “Shit dude, when the hell was this?” you asked. 

“2 years ago, I was selling weed and I got caught” 

You slowly nodded. “Okay, never have i everrr… snuck out of the house?” Suguru would laugh at this. “Plenty of fuckin’ times” He responded. “Me too” You admitted, chuckling a bit as you looked up at him.

“To see who?” he smirked. You would catch him smirking at you as you rolled your eyes playfully. “Wipe that smirk off your face, I was with this guy for like 3 months in high school” you told him.

“Oh, now I need to know who it was” 

“Ugh, fuck” You squeezed your eyes shut. “It was Satoru” you blurted out. 

“No shit” he cackled. You would slap his arm in a playful manner, groaning a bit from him laughing. “Stop, it was a terrible 3 months. I ended it because of all the attention. People used to ask me what he was like in bed, I mean it got really weird” You told him, the memories coming back, slightly pissing you off. 

“Him and I had a thing  for a while too. The attention was a little crazy and he wasn’t out…I just fucking outed him though, didn’t I?” Suguru would blurt out. “No” you objected. “I always knew he was a little bisexual, I didn’t know you were” You say to him, not having known this side of Suguru until now. “Yeah well, I’m pansexual. I haven’t been out for super long” he said, the room falling silent. It was getting a bit awkward, causing you to speak up.

“Okay um…it’s your turn. I think” You said.

“Never have I ever hooked up after a first date?”  

Suguru looked up, like he was going into deep thought. 

“Hey buddy I can see the wheels turning in your head” You snorted. 

“Shut up, I’m thinking” he sassed, putting his hand up to your face. “Hm, nah i definitely have” 

“Have you?” he asked. 

You looked up at him. “Mm-mm, not a huge fan of hookups” 

“Anyways” you quickly changed the subject. 

“Never have I ever gotten…really good head?” 

“I have” he responded almost immediately, taking a bite of his food shortly after. “It was a really long time ago though” 

You nodded in response. You could feel his eyes on you. 

“Have you?” He demanded. You looked up for a couple seconds. You just shook your head, too embarrassed to speak. 

“What about Satoru, I thought that-”

“I think Satoru would rather die than eat a pussy” You giggled.

“So he’s never…” He shook his head insinuating that you knew what he was talking about. 

“Stop, it's embarrassing enough as it is, I’m just weird about how I’d…” you paused. “Taste down there” 

Suguru’s eyes were still fixated on you, causing you to dart yours around the room so you didn’t have to hold eye contact with him.

“Look at me” he whispered. You looked at him for about a second before your eyes darted away again. He scooted closer to you and cupped your chin. 

“Do I make you nervous?” he asked softly, staring into your soul. You slowly nodded. 

“Words, baby” your stomach churned at the pet name, his eyes looking down to your lips then back up to your eyes.

“Yes, you make me nervous” You whispered. 

“God, I really wanna kiss you right now” He said, the space between your bodies coming to a close. 

“Do it then” 

He placed his lips onto yours, hungrily grabbing the side of your neck as he deepened the kiss. You’d been wanting to kiss him since the moment you’d caught him eyeing you while you did your makeup before heading out earlier tonight. He then grabbed your ass and pulled you on top of him as a small groan escaped his lips, your hips immediately grinding against his. 

“Someone’s eager” he teased. 

“Shut up” you rolled your eyes before re-colliding your lips with his. His large hands proceeded to pull your tank tops’ straps off your shoulders, causing the frail fabric to fall, exposing your breasts. Suguru pulled away from the kiss and locked eyes with you. 

“May I?” He asked, with a pleading look in his eyes. You nodded. 

“I’m gonna need you to be vocal with me” He whispered, his warm breath hitting your bare skin. 

“What do you want?” He looked up at you, placing gentle kisses along your chest. 

“I want you to touch me, Suguru” You sighed. You felt him smile against your as softly kissed down your neck and shoulders, eventually reaching your breasts. His tongue circled around your nipple before fully taking it into his mouth. He moaned as he continued to pleasure you, the vibrations sending chills all throughout your body. 

“Fuck Suguru..” You breathed out. His eyes shot up at you, a smug smile smeared all over his face. 

“Did that feel good?” he panted. “I need words this time, angel” He warned, kissing your chest. 

“Yes, it felt really nice” You whispered. “Good”. He quickly pecked your lips. 

“It’s getting late, I should probably head out soon” He spoke, checking the time on his phone. 

“No. You should stay, that is if you want to, of course” 

He slowly glanced up and down at you with low eyes, a smirk starting to form on his lips. 

“I thought you’d never ask” 

He gently rubbed your clothed thighs with his thumbs. “We should probably move this to your room” 

Your heart dropped at his words. 

“Um…okay” 

He proceeds to get up with you still in his lap. “Hang on” He cautioned, adjusting your legs around his torso. Smiling up at you as he walked to your room, you kissed him. Entering your bedroom, he gently sets you down on the bed. Immediately climbing on top of you, he kissed down your stomach,  nearing the waistband of your sweatpants. Your body tensed up as his lips inched closer and closer to your cunt. 

“Are you okay?” He asked, stopping what he was doing as he noticed your uncomfortability. 

“Yeah, I’m just nervous”

“I got you, you don’t need to be nervous with me” He reassured. “Tell me you want this” 

“I need this” you said, your breath heaving. He slowly but surely pulled your pants off and along with your panties. Moving at a tantalizingly slow pace, his lips met with your inner thighs. 

“Suguru, you’re teasing” You complained. 

“Stop squirming then” 

You rolled your eyes at him. 

“The only time I wanna see your eyes roll is when I’m making you feel good, Understood?” He asked. 

“Mhm” You nodded. “That’s not a word, angel” he said sternly. 

“Yes, I understand” 

“Good” he whispered. 

He placed light kisses on your swollen clit before plunging his tongue deep into your pussy. You let out a loud yelp, your hand reaching for the back of his head. 

“Mmm, feels so good” You breathed out. Your grip tightened on his silky long black hair as he flicked his tongue back and forth on your clit, your eyes rolling to the back of your head. 

“Oh my god, fuck!” you screamed, small whimpers and pleads following shortly after. 

“You taste so good, baby” He mumbled against your sensitive cunt, sending you into a whole other universe. 

“Suguru I’m- fuck.. I’m gonna cum..” 

“Cum for me, sweetheart” his voice was really all you needed in that moment to reach your orgasm. You felt your legs shake as your high sent electricity rushing through your veins. 

“Hey, don’t pass out on me” He chuckled, moving a few strands of hair out of your face. “You okay?” 

“Mhm, that was really good” 

“I’m glad, you taste amazing” He smiled. You pulled his head down to your level so you could kiss him, his tongue slid past your lips and you could taste a bit of your juices on him. 

“I need to be inside of you” He took his pants off and you gasped at how big he was. 

“Wait, don’t you want me to-” he cut you off. “No, I just need to feel you” 

He aligned his tip with your entrance, slowly pushing himself into you.

“Oh” you moaned as he bottomed out inside you, his tip hitting your cervix. Your eyes fluttered shut as he began thrusting in and out of you. 

“Open your eyes, baby. Look at me.” he said. You opened your eyes and stared directly into his. 

“Keep ‘em on me…fuck you’re so tight” He groaned. The room was filled with nothing but your moans and his grunts as he thrusted deeper and deeper into your soaked cunt. 

“You feel so good” You moaned. 

“I know. You're taking me like such a good slut, aren’t you?” He smiled. You nodded. 

He tightly wrapped his hand around your neck. “Use your fucking words, slut” his voice grew darker, turning you on even more. 

“Yes Sugu.. fuck” you choked.

“Tell daddy how good of a slut you are.” 

“I’m a good fuckin’ slut for daddy!” you yelled. His hand around your neck and him plowing his cock so deep into you was all too much for you to take. You placed a hand on his abdomen in an attempt to push him out. He grabbed both your hands and pulled them forward to keep you in place from moving away from him, giving him leverage to fuck you deeper.

“No, you’re gonna take it like a good whore” He whispered in your ear. A deep groan escaped his mouth as he felt you clench around him. 

“You’re getting close, aren’t you?” He asked. 

“Yes” you exhaustedly responded before he pulled out of you. 

“Come here.” he grabbed your waist and lowered you onto his length. 

“Holy fuck..” you exclaimed as his tip repeatedly slammed into your cervix. 

“Sugu- it’s too much, I can’t” you cried. 

“Yes you can, baby” He roughly grabbed your hips, slamming his cock up into you. 

“Fuck daddy, I’m gonna cum again” 

“Hold on angel, not yet” 

You moans turned to gibberish as you to conjure up your words but you were overtaken by the pleasure of Suguru fucking you from beneath. 

“Please I need it, I’ve been so good” 

“Fuck, you’re gonna make me cum” he grunted. 

“I can’t hold it any longer, I need you daddy please” 

“You greedy whore, you wanna cum for me?” 

“Mhm, I need to. So bad” 

“Cum for me, slut” 

You slam your hips down onto him, your orgasm taking over you as you screamed his name so much, the neighbors probably knew it by now. Your head rested on his shoulder, the only thing that could be heard in the room were your heavy breaths. 

“Hey, look at me” he said, cupping your face. “Are you okay?” 

“Yeah, I gotta pee though” You slowly got off of him, Your legs almost immediately giving out as you got up from the bed. Suguru stared at your naked body whilst you walked into the bathroom. 

“Stop staring at my ass, Suguru” you chuckled. 

“I was not” he denied. You looked back at him. “Sure you weren’t” 

You both laid in your bed, he planted the occasional forehead kisses as you cuddled in the dark. 

“Just FYI, Alicia was the one who kissed me tonight. Not the other way around” he informed. You looked up at him, examining his expression and you could tell he was being genuine. 

“Why are you telling me this?” you asked.

“You seemed upset when you saw us and I just wanted to clear the air”

You nodded. “I don’t even know why I was upset, I guess I was just drunk” 

“Sureeeee” he dragged out his word. 

“You piss me off, I’m going to bed” you said, turning away from Suguru. 

“Come here” he pulled you closer to his chest. 

“Good night, baby” he whispered. 

“Good night, Sugu” 

[neocitylights]

SCREENTIME — a call d short story

“It’s just weird not having you here. I didn’t think it’d feel so… empty.”

GENRE: Romance, fluff, non-idol au WORD COUNT: 2.3k

NOTES: An update on our duo graduated in downbadism for each other! It can be read as a standalone but it references a few things from the main story. Please let me know what you think! It’s gonna make my day!

Barbie 7:14PM I miss you ☹️

Haechan’s phone buzzes with your incoming text as soon as he steps into the hotel room, immediately making him grin at the screen despite his exhaustion.

After a long day of tedious networking—with people he isn’t particularly interested in beyond business—he’d managed to escape Johnny’s invitation for dinner in a fancy restaurant in the city to return to the hotel instead, planning to crash your morning with a video call to see you.

You’ve always joked that he had both impeccable and terrible timing, though today his ability seems to be serving you.

7:15PM Oh my 😀😀😀😀😀 Is my baby missing me???? You aren’t supposed to be up yet What time is it over there now?

Barbie 7:15PM It’s 5am here Are you at the hotel already?

7:16PM Just got to my room Are you okay? Why are you up so early?? Don’t you have today off?

Barbie 7:16PM I do I just woke up and couldn’t sleep anymore Can I see you please? I’ll facetime 

7:16PM My baby wants to see me??? 😀😀

The text’s marking read when a picture of you takes over the screen, a smile tugging at his mouth as Haechan accepts your call, sinking into an armchair by the window of his room. 

As your face appears, he can’t help chuckling fondly at the sight—bundled up in a blanket, your sleepy eyes immediately beam upon seeing him. The room’s still dark save from the dim light from a lampshade, his heart skipping with a few familiar details around you. 

“Hi, Barbie,” he greets animatedly, curious eyes squinting at the screen. “Are you at my apartment?”

A hint of bashfulness takes over your face as you smile back, nodding at him. “Yeah.”

“You look so cozy,” Haechan teases, smiling mischievously upon noticing the extra pillows around his bed. “Are you missing me so badly that you need to sleep at my place?”

With a huff that sounds more playful than anything, you shoot him an eye-roll. “You’re so annoying,” you answer, the quiet voice lacking the bite from your words. “Did you have a long day? You look a little tired.”

“You know I hate this kind of thing.” Haechan exhales a half-hearted laugh, running a hand through his hair. “If it wasn’t for Johnny, I’d be just around talking to the artists instead.”

You hum softly, smiling at his complaint. “Sounds like you.”

As he brings the phone closer to his face, Haechan raises a curious eyebrow at you, back to his playful self. “So… how’s everything over there? Are you taking good care of my plants?”

“They should be my plants since they’re only still alive because of me,” you argue, a smile soon following your half-hearted huff. “Alia’s still going crazy over the wedding plans, your mom asked me out for lunch earlier this week, work’s still work… same as always.”

“Oh, yeah, I saw the pictures of your date with Mrs. Lee,” he jokes, chuckling as you confusedly stare at him for a second. “She told me you were going out together, so I asked her for pictures. I’ll tell you that she did not disappoint me.”

“Oh my God, is that why she took so many pictures of me?” You frown, visibly surprised at the twist. “It felt like I was shooting for a magazine or something.”

Haechan grins, offering you a coy wink. “I made a new album in my gallery just for them.”

“You haven’t told me how’s the hotel yet,” you start, purposefully disregarding him with a hint of a smile on your face. “Is the city still the same as you remember?”

“The hotel is fine, just boring,” he complains, taking a glance around the place as if to suddenly find anything interesting. “I haven’t seen much of the city, though. My mom probably has an entire schedule planned to go as soon as she lands.”

“That’s so cute,” you reply, adjusting under the blankets with a soft laugh. “She does seem really excited about it. She couldn’t stop talking about the last time you guys visited your family at our lunch date.”

The conversation pauses for a second as Haechan lets himself watch you, holding back a smile at the little peek at your pajamas—a t-shirt that’s been missing from his closet for a good few months. Though as something suddenly moves underneath the blanket, seemingly walking right beside you, his face immediately shifts to a puzzled frown. 

Haechan shifts on his seat, eyes squinting for a second time. “Do you have something to tell me, Barbie?”

That’s all it takes for a pair of fluffy ears to slip out, followed by a rather loud protest at the screen before a white and brown-ish cat climbs over you, settling comfortably on your chest as Haechan watches in a mix of bewilderment and adoration. 

You glance at the camera for a second, biting your lip. “Surprise?”

“We have a cat?!” he asks dumbfounded, laughing in disbelief as his eyes shift between both of you. “Do we suddenly have a cat now?”

Giggling at his reaction, the cat suddenly meows on your chest, bothered by the movement. “It’s not ours, Hyuckie,” you explain, fingers carefully running through the fluff. “It’s Yangyang’s cat. His name is Coco.”

Haechan huffs playfully, shaking his head. “Well, it’s not Yangyang’s anymore.”

Moving the camera to a better angle, you snort when noticing him taking a screenshot. “He had a family emergency but his roommates aren’t in town, so he texted me asking if I could take Coco for the weekend.”

With a hum, Haechan furrows his eyebrows at the cat through the screen. “So Coco will spend the entire weekend with you at my place?” he asks, suddenly letting out a dramatic sigh at your nod. “It’s really tough seeing someone else living your dream.”

“Stop,” you counter, holding back a laugh at his antics. “Have you eaten dinner yet?”

“No.” He shakes his head, looking around for the hotel’s menu. “I’ll order some if you stay with me.”

As both of you exchange idle chit-chat about the trip, Haechan orders his dinner with yours and Coco’s company, soon moving to the table with the phone propped in front of him. With the food’s aroma spreading through the room, a happy groan escapes from his mouth, almost making him forget the attentive audience of two on the other side of the screen. 

Amused at the delight on his face, you can’t help chuckling. “Did I make a good choice?”

“You make the greatest choices always, baby,” he says, already between a mouthful when Coco meows again. “Yeah, yeah, you too.”

The silence stretches for a second too long as Haechan finishes the meal, the lively mood of your little comments fading into a quiet, sudden pause. Though neither of you are usually bothered by these moments, something in the way you’re watching him makes Haechan pause. 

“Uh-oh, it looks like you’re thinking too much,” he starts, smiling softly despite the tip of worry lacing his voice. “What’s wrong, Barbie?”

You hesitate for a moment, sighing quietly before speaking. “It’s just weird not having you here. I didn’t think it’d feel so… empty.”

As he clutches his chest theatrically, Haechan slumps into the chair with a groan. “Is my baby really missing me?” he taunts, the attempt to draw a laugh out of you succeeding upon your giggle. “You could’ve come with me, I told you I’d sneak you into our meetings.”

More playful than anything, you give him an incredulous glance. “I told you I have a job.”

“That’s just details, Barbie.” He shrugs, rolling his eyes exaggeratedly. “You know Mrs. Lee wouldn’t mind giving you a few days, right?”

“Well, she did ask me why I didn’t go with you…” you confess, the tone of your voice subtly changing to a teasing one. “You probably wouldn’t get any work done with me around, so it’s probably for the best.”

As he stops a protest short at your glare, Haechan nods solemnly instead, feigning defeat. “Ok, fine, maybe you’re right,” he admits, suddenly grinning as realization clicks in his eyes. “Oh, I got some stuff for you, by the way!”

You let out a half-hearted groan, watching fondly as he disappears into the hotel room. “What did I say, Hyuckie?”

“To not get you anything,” Haechan calls aloud, an edge of playful offense laced to his voice. “That’s the lamest thing you’ve ever asked me, baby. I’m not going home to you empty-handed.”

It only takes a moment for him to return to the screen again, leaving you visibly stunned while he juggles a ridiculous number of shopping bags into the frame. The rustling sound makes you laugh, bothering Coco enough that he meows grudgingly, moving to nestle himself against a pillow instead.

“Hyuck, what the hell?” you exclaim, bringing the phone closer as if to get a better look. “How is all of that fitting in your luggage, baby?”

“I haven’t gotten that far yet,” he answers casually, a grin instantly growing on his face upon spotting a specific bag, one of the biggest ones around him. “Oh, you’re gonna love this one—close your eyes for me, hm?”

Raising a suspicious eyebrow, you resist a smile by biting your lips. “Why should I?”

Giving the camera a knowing look, Haechan huffs mischievously, shaking his head at you through the screen. “You’re usually really good at obeying my orders.”

You scoff indignantly, visibly flustered at his words despite the annoyance. “You are with mine too!”

“I’m a good boy,” he agrees nonchalantly, your astonishment earning a smirk out of him. “Come on, Barbie, close them.”

With a small sigh, you oblige, squeezing your eyes shut. “Donghyuck, if you’re playing a prank on me—” 

“Shhh, no talking,” Haechan interrupts, eagerly pulling the gifts from the bag before holding them closer to the phone. “Okay, open now!”

A hand immediately flies to your mouth as you gasp, taking in the sight of the two cute bears taking over the screen of your phone—behind Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma, Haechan can’t help laughing at your reaction. 

“Oh my God, Hyuckie!” you start, eyes alight as a wide smile grows on your face. “They’re so cute! How’d you know I wanted them?”

He shrugs, though his grin gives away a hint of satisfaction. “I actually listen to my girlfriend like a good boyfriend should do.”

“You are the best,” you mumble, voice softening as a pout forms on your lips. “I love you.”

“You do, don’t you?” Haechan teases instead, ignoring the warmth spreading over his neck by shuffling through the shopping bags again. “You’re gonna love me even more with this one.”

As he holds it out, your jaw immediately drops at the designer name on the bright, startlingly pink bag in his hands. “You got me a Barbie bag?!”

“Obviously,” he says, mockingly serious as he nods solemnly. “I’ll receive my gratifications in the form of kisses and cuddles.”

You giggle, fondly shaking your head at his words. “I’ll kiss you for as long as you want,” you promise, holding the phone closer to your face as Haechan sets the plushies next to him. “They look a little bit like us.”

“They do, don’t they?” Haechan agrees, snorting a laugh with a look at the pair. “Mark said the same thing. He said I should’ve picked out matching outfits for them too.”

“Oh my God, we are absolutely doing that,” you beam, giving him a mock look of determination. “Rilakkuma and Korilakkuma need proper clothes as representatives of our relationship.”

He nods through the screen, visibly amused by your excitement. “Anything for you, baby.”

You chuckle sheepishly at the words, the sound warm and easy despite a subtle mood change as the moment draws for a second too long. There’s a pause as both of you just look at each other through the screen, charged with unspoken feelings. 

“So… what’s your plans for tomorrow?” you ask, breaking the quiet with a lighter tone. “More boring meetings?”

“You should’ve come with me,” Haechan grumbles again, wrinkling his nose before leaning closer to the screen, as if to tell you a secret. “There’s still time, baby. Just say the word and I’ll book a flight right now.”

“You’re insane.” You shake your head, laughing for the nth time at how serious he sounds. “As much I’d love to, one of us needs to be the normal person in this relationship.”

Noting the hints of sunlight already slipping through the curtains at his place, Haechan watches you stretch under the blankets, a yawn escaping from your mouth just as he glimpses at the clock on the wall of his hotel room. 

“You should take a nap,” he murmurs, smiling as the cat beside you mimics your motion on his pillow. “Coco seems to be filling my spot well, huh?”

“I have a feeling that he’d hate you,” you joke, playfully narrowing your eyes at Coco. “It took a few hours for him to warm up to me after Yangyang left.”

Haechan chuckles, his eyes softening the longer he watches the screen. “Hey, I miss you too, alright?” he says, gently taunting you. “How many more days until I’m back?”

“Ten,” you reply instantly, timidly avoiding his gaze for a second. “Not that I’m counting or anything.”

He grins, tilting his head with a click of his tongue. “Sure you’re not, Barbie.”

“I should let you go,” you sigh, coming off a little reluctant despite your firm nod. “It’s getting late for you and I have to set up Coco’s breakfast soon.”

With a hum, Haechan leans towards the camera with a hand over his ear. “How many more days?”

Despite a half-hearted eye-roll, you sound nothing but sweet as your voice drops to a whisper. “Ten, Hyuckie.”

“That’s right,” he says, his smile softening into something warmer, almost with a reverent touch. “I love you, hm?”

A smile spreads across your face, nodding through the screen one last time. “I love you too.” 

9:54PM [attachment] Here’s your tickets baby 😘 You fly out Monday morning Barbie 9:54PM DONGHYUCK WHAT???

[stellakons]

I have a really weird taste in men.

let me show it in just one picture:

full list of my husbands (or maybe not), some of them are toxic af that could cause chernobyl radiation and the other half is an angel walking on earth (i’m obsessed with baldwin and morpheus, so i could put these two in just one huge picture but yeah…)

p.s. valtor and edward look hilarious among them ngl, can’t believe i put my childhood crush in this picture 💀 i used to be a wild kid it seems..

[sturniololuv08]

TreeHouse Chapter 4

"A gentleman always pays for the date."

Summary: Sienne gets more than she wants from her date with Matt

"The halls of high school may echo with love, but the future is rarely paved with it."

⚠️This Fic Series will NOT be for people with triggers. This Fic Series will have very descriptive moments of abuse.⚠️

Please Read At Your Own Risk.

Sienna's POV:

The basketball game tonight was on the outside courts because the weather was decent. Julia insisted I wear something super cute to impress Matt. I let Julia dress me up, unsure of what would impress Matt. She put me in the most uncomfortable skirt. The skin-tight long-sleeve shirt wasn't as bad, but the amount of cleavage it showed was unnecessary. The best part about the outfit was my black high-top boots. They were comfortable, and they were actually mine.

"I don't see Matt."

"Nick, either." AK was also looking.

"Are you sure you're not -"

"Everyone knows Nick is one inch taller than Matt." Both Julia and I stopped and looked at him with the same expression.

"Everyone?" We both said in unison.

"He's the oldest too. Did you know that?" He ignored our judgment.

"Anyways... Keep looking for Matt." We went back to searching for him. He seemed to be all about me, but Julia was all about finding him. He was cute, and Nick was cute. I didn't know either of them well, though, other than whatever rumors were spread around school that I chose to listen to.

"There they are." The pair walking in was like a movie scene. Almost everyone was watching them, and Nick slowly threw his head back in laughter while Matt had a hot smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. The only thing missing was if people were taking pictures and flashing lights on them.

"Matt!" Julia was quick to get his attention in our direction. He head nodded at her, and she gasped.

"Julia, he's not a celebrity." Once he saw me standing in the bleachers next to her, he held up a single finger. I couldn't help but smile. He and Nick stood in the middle of the entryway with the concessions, talking for a minute, and then Nick headed to the stand while Matt headed towards us.

"Hey Sienna," he immediately grabbed me in a hug. His smell was fresh and clean, and I wondered what soap he used in the shower. I quickly reprimanded myself for being weird and broke the hug apart. "You look amazing," he looked me up and down. I suddenly felt self-conscious.

"Thank you." I blushed and looked down slightly, letting my hair cover it.

"Where is Nick?" AK wasn't subtle about his concerns.

"He is getting us all snacks. Might need help carrying them." Matt pointed over his shoulder with his thumb.

"Peace." AK started walking down the bleachers. The three of us sat down.

"So, you like basketball?" I asked Matt, trying to figure out something to talk about.

"Yeah, it's not bad. I could never play, though. I'm the worst." I giggled at his joke.

"I'm pretty good maybe I could teach you a thing or two?" I tried to be flirty. Having thee Matthew Sturniolo's attention was the best way to gain popularity in school. Not that I wanted it or cared but I knew Julia was hoping for a seat at the cool kids table so to speak.

"You play?" He leaned back to look at me.

"Yeah, I play a lot of sports." It was true. Whether I was good or not was a different story. I was pretty much mediocre at all of them except swimming. I have won a few awards from competitions at our school and outside organizations where I competed. Swimming was a freeing feeling. Being under the water, everything stopped.

"That's pretty cool." He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and I saw Julia start to freak out. Nick and AK came back, holding everything haphazardly.

"Drinks. Candy. Popcorn." They started dishing it all out.

"You didn't have to buy us anything." I started saying.

"Of course I did. A gentleman always pays for the date." He smirked that intoxicating smirk.

"Date?" Julia whispered behind us while looking at AK.

"Thank you, Matt. That's so sweet of you." I glared at her since she wasn't very quiet. The game started, and Matt paid more attention to that than me. I wasn't complaining, though; his attention made me nervous. He stood up and cheered when someone's shot went in. "I'm gonna go to the bathroom." I stood up and looked behind me at Julia. She nodded and stood up to come with me.

"He is so into you." She gushed as soon as we were further down the bleachers.

"I know, but... why?" I asked, holding the door for her.

"You are so cool and hot. Maybe Ms. Williams did you a favor." She had a smug grin.

"I still hate you for that."

"Hey, Matt doesn't seem to mind," she winked as she came out of the stall. As we washed our hands, I looked at myself in the mirror. I just didn't feel like myself. I felt like I was forcing it, whatever it was. "Coming?" she asked by the door. I looked down at the water running over my fingers, with no visible soap left.

"Yeah. I'll be out in a minute." I forced a smile. I dried my hands and scrolled ConNext. I let out a sigh and smiled at myself one time in the mirror. Matt was so attractive that there was no point in being with me, but we would see how the night went. I pushed the door open and started walking down between the brick wall and the gate around the sports complex.

"Hey." Matt approached me, meeting me in the middle.

"Hi." I smiled and flipped my hair over my shoulder.

"You enjoying the game?" He looked fidgety.

"Uh, yeah." I lied. I didn't really enjoy watching it as much as I did playing it, and I couldn't stop wondering why he was suddenly showing interest in me the whole time, so I was just distracted all around. "What about you?"

"It's good. Wish we could talk more." He leaned back against the wall.

"About what?" I asked, skeptical.

"Just in general. I wanna talk about anything." He shrugged.

"Okay, let's start with why you are suddenly interested in me." The words left my mouth before I could make them sound flirtatious.

"Oh." He straightened up. "I guess I always kinda had eyes for you. You're really nice, and I like your style." He looked me up and down and wasn't afraid to make it obvious. I felt my cheeks get hot at his actions.

"Really?" I asked, a little shocked. I had no idea I had been on his radar for a while or even at all.

"Of course." He stepped closer to me and tugged me into him. "Why not?" He whispered. He pulled me into him, and I didn't hesitate. I felt his lips press on mine, and I melted into the touch. He was definitely experienced. His motions were swift and sensual. He moaned a little as his long fingers worked their way down into my skirt from my hips.

"No." I pushed back a little. He gripped me and pulled me in. Gripping me tightly.

"No?" He asked, looking into my eyes. His eyes gave me that sense of comfort again, but I knew my own personal boundaries.

"N.. no..." I stuttered. I was sure of my answer but unsure of his harsh actions holding me still.

"Come on." He started sucking on my neck, and his fingers played with my underwear band.

"No, Matt." I pushed myself off of him again. I made it free from his grip and marched back to Julia. Matt wasn't far behind me.

"Hey." She was unaware of what had happened. Matt awkwardly put his arm around my shoulder again, holding me close to him. I didn't want to ruin the mood for the rest of the game, so I didn't say anything then, but I planned on telling her everything tomorrow.

A/N I accidentally posted Chapter 3 instead of Drafting it like I wanted to and then @chriss-slutt was so so sweet tonight I decided why not just post the next chapter for her too?

TreeHouse Taglist:

@trevorsgodmother @mintsturniolo @wysmols @chriss-slutt @middlepartmatt @blushsturns @shadowtheism @fratbrochrisgf @forgottxen

This fic is TAGLIST SPECIFIC, meaning in order to be tagged in this, you HAVE to be on the list. I'm doing this because of TRIGGERS.

REBLOG INSTRUCTIONS: I don't mind just please stress the trigger warnings so no backlash comes back to me!

Enjoy Matt and Si cooking 😏😘

[lunarriviera]

new year's letter from halan, january 1998

dear everyone, hello, it is i, captain zheng bei of the halan public safety bureau anti-narcotics task force. things are going well however there have been a few challenges this winter so i thought i would take this opportunity to update you on our progress here in halan.

first of all there's xiaoguang and nan nan. everyone is really happy that xiaoguang sat up again and started talking and getting better, me most of all. i might have cried a little and i definitely hit him. the weird thing is he speaks exclusively cantonese now and we're not sure why but hopefully nan nan's cantonese will get better so they can communicate. gu yiran says it doesn't really matter because they could never actually communicate in the first place and i don't want to say gu yiran is right but just in this one specific instance he might have a point. anyway nan nan seems happy and they sing a lot. and make other noises as well but we aren't going to talk about those.

zhang xueyao is also doing well, she has some kind of boyfriend but she won't let us meet him and i find that somewhat distressing. i'm worried if he is ugly or maybe has two heads. or what if he's really tiny. maybe he's only like 150 cm tall and she just beats him up all the time, something that would not be good for a police officer to do. on the other hand she seems a lot calmer and doesn't chase guozhu around the office anymore trying to kick him, so i guess it's been good for her. again gu yiran claims that the boyfriend is probably completely normal and just afraid of us but i don't know why that would be true. we're only cops, there's nothing scary about any of us?

ding guozhu has not changed in any way whatsoever, he has knitted eight sweaters this winter and at this rate the only one of us who doesn't have a sweater is me. that's because i don't wear sweaters because i never get cold. i only wear t-shirts even when it's -30ºC which it is right now. gu yiran on the other hand is wearing three sweaters at this very moment in his lab but i can still hear him bitching. i told him when he wears three sweaters at once he looks fat and he told me my head is fat. i told him his head is stupid and he looks stupid and then he told me i am an unmitigated idiot and then we wound up in a supply closet in the hallway and then some other stuff happened. when we came out of the supply closet somehow i was wearing one of guozhu's sweaters. surprisingly it is very soft and kind of nice, and guozhu made it red, my favorite color, and tried to give it to me so maybe i will keep it after all.

then there's uncle. he went on vacation with his granddaughter to hangzhou and they never came back. i think he likes it there, he keeps sending us photos of them by the lake eating sugar pastry in shirt sleeves and smiling. we have all started using email now and uncle likes it the most because he says he doesn't have to waste money on postage anymore. gu yiran tried to explain to him that electricity and telephone usage also cost money but uncle says he's already paid for those so it doesn't count. anyway he keeps sending very large photos that clog up the office inbox for several hours while they download. sometimes there's a lady in the photos, i keep asking him who that is but he never answers. gu yiran says when he feels like telling us about her, he will. here's an old picture of him with gu yiran because it's how i like to think of him, still here with us.

ma and ba are fine and nan nan finally talked them into closing the restaurant one day a week to take some rest. they are saying they might go visit uncle in the spring, or go to shanghai. they are a little bit upset that gu yiran and i moved out, but they also like having nan nan out of their apartment so that worked out okay after all.

i guess that's the big news, that gu yiran and i moved to a new place. it was sad to leave the building but after the incident with the wall we figured it was probably time. i explained to ma and ba how the hole was only an accident but it was still a very big hole so they were right to be upset, we all worked very hard one weekend to tear the wall down and replace it with a better one. the hole wouldn't even have happened if gu yiran and i hadn't had a fight, but we did, and then we weren't speaking so he went home to do his experiment in the apartment instead of in the lab, and there was sort of an explosion. but it was really my fault, because if i hadn't called him an arrogant cocksucker we wouldn't have fought. on the other hand if he hadn't gone after six drug dealers in the chicken van by himself with nothing but a baseball bat and some sock bombs then i probably wouldn't have called him that. so i guess maybe we were both to blame.

the good news is our new apartment is very solid and sturdy, we found this out on the first night when we walked in the front door and gu yiran threw me bodily up against the wall and proceeded to [redacted] me. he says that as a true scientist he has to keep conducting ongoing tests to ensure the structural integrity of our domicile and i'm not entirely sure what that means but as long as he keeps slamming me up against things honestly does it really matter.

here he is studying and looking very handsome and also cute. when he catches me taking photos of him studying, he hits me and tries to get the camera away from me, i don't mind because when he starts hitting me it's sort of funny and also easy to tickle him. it turns out gu yiran is very ticklish, and when he starts laughing and his glasses fall off and his hair gets messed up he looks even cuter and then we usually forget about studying or taking pictures or hitting or tickling.

well that's about all the news from halan. there are always new drugs and new dealers trying to make money off them so we stay pretty busy. director gao says i can't say anymore about that because it's official police business but i will tell you that even though we have a new office and a bunch of new recruits from the academy, i still miss the old cafeteria, and uncle bringing noodles and bao for the team.

PS gu yiran says he wants to get a cat. at first i wasn't sure it was a good idea considering his track record with houseplants, but then i thought about it and decided i don't mind being the one who mostly takes care of the cat. after all i do a pretty good job with xiao ran.

[cosmerelists]

Did I Achieve my Earnest Hopes & Dreams for Wind and Truth?

The night before Wind and Truth came out, I wrote up a list of things I was hoping to have happen (or not happen) in that book. Now that it's a month later and I've finished it, how much of what I wanted did I get?

[Obviously, big big spoilers for Wind & Truth!]

Kaladin lives. WELL... He is...alive. Immortal, really. But all of his friends think he's dead, since he left his body behind when he became a Herald. He did not get to meet with up Adolin & Shallan for drinks like he promised. That's more what I was hoping for...but I'll take this. He IS alive.

Kaladin lives and is happy. WELL... I actually think he's...somewhat happy? He swore the Fifth Ideal. He's with Syl. He's in a Tranquil Mind Palace giving therapy to the Heralds. It does seem like it might get a bit...lonely? But it did not end with him broken or anything like that, so again...I'll take this. He's not unhappy.

There's a really cool Kaladin fight. Maybe two. Honestly, I think we had a sad lack of cool Kaladin fights. I understand that this book was all about Kaladin figuring out who he is without the spear, and I respect that...but I did miss there being some kind of Grand Kaladin Entrance After Which He Kicks Serious Butt. The only fight we got was him vs. Nale, which was...okay, but was solved ultimately via Flute and Therapy and not Cool Fighting Moves. I'm a somewhat simple soul. I missed having Cool Fighting Moves.

Kaladin & Szeth have to fight someone together. Not really. :( Not in the "back-to-back facing off against a hundred foes" that I was picturing, at least.

Leshwi has a significant role. Leshwi was there, but mostly walking and complaining about having to walk now. Again, I was hoping for more Cool Fighting Leshwi, which we didn't get, but I did like that we at least got some scenes with her.

There's a really cool Leshwi fight. Sadly, not so much. Her small amount of fighting was off-screen.

Adolin is NOT Odium's champion. He sure wasn't!

Adolin lives. He did! I think the Adolin story was one of my favorites, to be honest. Him becoming Unoathed was so cool.

Shallan lives (I'm not super worried about her for whatever reason but I couldn't just include two of the three, you know?) She did! ...Although trapped in Shadesmar but NOT able to world jump, which feels like the worst of both worlds. As soon as she got trapped I was like "Hell yeah Shallan worldhopper," but it doesn't seem like it's going that way, unfortunately.

Rlain & Renarin romance. Hell yeah! The Rlain & Renarin romance throughout this was super cute.

Rlain & Renarin romance that isn't like tragic or awkward or anything. I request warm & fuzzy plz. Yes! I like that it wasn't super angsty or anything. They both realized that they liked each other pretty quickly and then just kept making eyes at each other.

Shallan & Thaidakar meet. Well, they TALKED, so I'll take that!

MeLaan cameo. Well, as @archmage236 pointed out at the time, this was impossible since Mistborn Era 2 is after Stormlight. And there were no time travel shenanigans either. We DID get a kandra...but it was Ulaam, and not a cool kandra spy reveal.

...I notice the MeLaan cameo. I didn't but I'm pretty sure it's not my bad this time.

Rock returns or at least is in the book somehow. There was NO Rock! I was genuinely sad about that.

Kaladin hits his head on a doorframe in Shinovar. But not as sad as I was about Kaladin not bonking his head on ANYTHING. A tragic missed opportunity.

Navani invents something cool. You know...I don't think she did, unless you count the weird cocoon thing at the end. But she did figure out how to navigate through the Spiritual Realm, which was a cool Navani Science Moment so I'm counting it.

Navani thinks about Raboniel. I think maybe briefly?

We get the third Bondsmith. We did not! And now that Honor is (actually) dead, I feel like we won't? That's too bad, honestly.

The third Bondsmith isn't human. I suppose technically I got my wish here, yeah.

We find out that there are more than five Radiant oaths (pet theory that I want to be right about) Well I'm not right YET, but...come on! Honor even said he hates the number 5! How could that be the number of oaths?? It just doesn't make sense. It would be like there only being 11 metals or something.

Hemalurgy gets used.....I know that would be bad but I think it would be interesting. Hell yeah. It didn't have a huge role but I was actually delighted that Moash got Marshed.

Hemalurgy doesn't get used on anyone I care about!! I mean...I do care about Moash but I think he was a good choice for this. Future Herald Kaladin vs. Hemalurgic Moash battle, one assumes?

Shallan doesn't incorporate Radiant. :(

Maya cure. Yeah, like I said, I thought Adolin's arc--and by extension, Maya and the other Deadeyes' arc--was great! Maya was so butch and I love what she created with Adolin.

The theory that Shallan's mother was a Herald is confirmed. I think it's a cool theory. Oh wow was it ever! The chills I got when Shallan said, "She was at my wedding."

Bondsmith powers used for a fight. I think it would be cool. Sadly, no. We never really did get to see how they'd be used in combat.

Satisfying Sanderlanche. I don't think it was the Greatest Sanderlanche of All Time or anything, but I was fully captivated (and yes, the biggest downside for me was that it was more Emotions and Philosophy than Cool Fights with Swords. I'm a simple woman).

Kaladin meets a sheep. Or a dog. Or BOTH. I CAN'T BELIEVE SANDERSON CANONIZED NO DOGS AT ALL. Tragic. A true blow. And Kaladin only saw sheep from a distance.

I don't cry too hard... I actually did not. I teared up at actually two parts: when Maya came with all of the Deadeyes and when Kaladin decided to take Szeth's place as the Herald. (But honestly, I don't cry at books very often, so maybe that's on me.)

[invinciblerodent]

Listening to Vows & Vengeance again after having played Veilguard kind of puts this (already ominous) part of the first episode into a little bit of a new context. [Spoilers ahead.]

And even when I listened to this the first time, this fit into the context of Trespasser perfectly (when all we knew was that he's seeking to bring down the Veil and bring back the harmonious world he remembers, nothing more specific than that)- but in retrospect, and knowing what we do about the Evanuris now, this part really spells out that Solas is not seeking a reform, or the good of elves (or dwarves, or anyone), in doing so.

By his own admission, he never was.

I think this is one thing on which I've seen people give him what I think is way too much credit: Solas' goal, in his own words even, never was to make the world better.

It was always to make it what it once was, which he merely believes to have been better.

He calls it a reckoning, a punishment of misdeeds (those of the Evanuris? maybe also his own?). He seeks to bring back ancient Elvhenan (from before the Evanuris' rise to power? before the war against the Titans? before everything?), to restore the perfect world of unity between spirits and mortals (were there mortals, besides the dwarves then? would him succeeding do anything for, or even to the dwarves?) that exists only in his mind now, and his views and goals have always been regressive, by virtue of simply being what they are.

He calls his goals a regeneration, like he's cutting back a dead plant (didn't he call present day Thedas something like "a world of Tranquil"?) to give new growth, healthy growth, the opportunity to live- but what he very conveniently neglects to acknowledge at every given opportunity is that the branches he's been working to hack down are alive.

In Veilguard, he says to Rook that he had plans to "minimize the damage", the loss of life. But now that I'm looking at as complete a picture of him as we'll ever have... I genuinely struggle to imagine that those plans had any intention at all of actually preserving the living, or if it's just another clever half-truth we're meant to interpret as him intending to preserve life, just based on how different Solas' own definition of the living seems to be. (Yes, he's seeking to preserve life. But who exactly right now has what he considers a life, seems to be up for a little bit of debate.)

... An extra tidbit that I find interesting in this is that this whole exchange happens in a cave in the Silent Plains, which is the site of the ending of the First Blight, where Dumat fell. Dumat is presently believed to have been the dragon thrall of Dirthamen, god of Secrets, the first of the trapped Evanuris to fall, and Corypheus, whom Solas entrusted with the Orb of Fen'Harel in Inquisition, was a High Priest of Dumat.

I don't think any of this can really be a coincidence. There's got to be something weird going on in the Silent Plains.

[mirr0r-image]

Just saw these tool box things at Sam's Club 😭

Someone please tell me why the pink one is filled with make-up and the black one is filled with tools even though they're exactly the same except for color lmboooooo