#THOSE SURVIVAL VLOGS

[monards]

can anybody explain that era of YouTube where everyone was obsessed with drinking ‘Purified’ Piss or was that just my algorithm. For some reason

[moonlinos]

Invisible string (pt. III)

♡ Pairing: Lee Minho × fem!reader

♡ Synopsis: After so many years of being closed off from the idea of love, you finally allow yourself to feel it freely with Minho.

♡ Genre: A ‘lite version’ of a soulmate AU, fluff, smut

♡ CW: Explicit sexual content (minors dni!), oral sex (female receiving), protected sex, swearing

♡ Word count: 16.4k

♡ A/N: A part of this chapter was almost shamelessly inspired by the song that inspired the plot in the first place, Invisible String by Taylor Swift. Also really inspired by my favorite Minho vlog, Lee Know Log 4 🩷

To those who have asked to be tagged in this story: would any of you be interested in being tagged in any new work I post later? Let me know! And thank you for reading and giving me such a great experience posting my writing here for the first time 🩷

← part II ♡ ⟳ part I

You spend the entire flight home processing everything that had happened during the trip; from Minho’s words, to your kisses and touches, to you ultimately acknowledging your own romantic feelings for him. Although it all felt sudden, it had been a long time coming.

As his car stops at the front of your house, Minho steps out and walks with you, your backpack in hand.

“I know you’re scared. I understand that even more now that I know about your past relationships,” he speaks softly as the two of you stop at the front door, “And I want you to know that I’m gonna be patient.”

You nod slowly, although the desire to answer him is still so prevalent in your mind, the words lodged in your throat and yearning to spill out. But you’ve made the mistake of jumping into relationships far too often, always driven by your emotions, and every time, the outcome has been disastrous. You don’t want that to happen with Minho.

So, you settle on a question that has been eating away at you.

“Why do you like me, Minho?”

His face twists into a deep frown before ultimately softening. Carefully placing your backpack on the step leading to the front door, he sighs.

“You shouldn’t have to ask me that,” he assures you, his rough hands touching your shoulders before moving down your arms to entwine with your own. “You don’t even realize how fucking amazing you are, do you? I’d move mountains, fight anyone and do anything if it meant I’d have the privilege to see you smile.”

And, just like that, you feel your lips stretch out into a small smile at his words. He grins at you.

“Just like that. I’d do anything to see that,” he says. “And you take care of your friends simply because you love them, never asking for anything in return. You collect plushies like me, you appreciate the criminally underrated flavor of lemon cake, and you worked at the same convenience store as me, and spilled coffee all over my notebook on the day we met. That’s why I like you; because you’re you.”

Tears threaten to well up in your eyes, so you quickly avert your gaze, focusing on your shoes. With a nod, you wrap your arms around Minho, taking in his scent and reveling in the comforting warmth of his body. Little did he know, you were just as willing to do whatever it took to keep him near you. He plants a chaste kiss on your forehead as you break away from his embrace.

“I’ll call you later, okay? Thank you for the trip.”

 

As soon as you step inside your house, Eunha is quick to come running towards you, her hands dirty with flour as she abandons her unbaked cookies on the counter and pulls you into a hug.

“I missed you so much,” she whines, “How will I survive living without you next year?”

You chuckle, watching as her lips turn into a pout.

“I’m sure we’ll suffer equally, if that makes you feel better.”

She fakes a sob, turning on her heels and heading toward the kitchen.

“Oh, Hyunjin is in a crisis, apparently,” she tells you, wiping her hands on her apron. “He called me three times just today to ask if you were back already.”

You let out a sigh. Hyunjin was more often than not either glum or vexed due to his trials and mishaps in finding love. He once joked that you two would end up having to marry each other with how things were going. You dreaded his reaction to the news of Minho soon entering your life in a new way.

“The hotel’s Wi-Fi was a joke, but I honestly didn’t even think to check my phone,” you tell Eunha, who giggles as she cuts her cookies into heart shapes. “What? Why are you giggling like that?” You ask her with a grin, approaching the counter.

She shrugs. “Nothing. I didn’t even think to check my phone,” she playfully mimics your voice, looking up at you, “I’m guessing you had fun, then?”

“I did,” you beam, “It was everything I thought it would be and even more.”

She raises an eyebrow at you. “Even more?”

“Even more,” you reiterate. “I had so much fun with Minho. I forgot how good it feels to just let go and allow myself to feel what I want to feel.”

Eunha’s lips curl into a small smile. She hums, lowering her head in a feeble attempt at pretending to focus on the cookies in front of her. “And what did you want to feel this weekend?”

“Like maybe I can finally fall in love again.”

Your friend lifts her head, her eyes wide. “Love?” she exclaims, “You, the girl who has spent every day since I met you talking about how love isn’t important, is wanting to fall in love?”

You chuckle at her reaction, shrugging dismissively. “In my defense, I had my reasons. Plus, some things made me change my mind.”

“More like someone,” Eunha teases, and you roll your eyes at her, but a smile spreads on your lips unwittingly. “I’m happy for you,” she beams, “and I think you should definitely fall in love again — not maybe.”

You sprint across the small kitchen space, circling around the counter to wrap your arms around Eunha and squeezing her as she lightly pushes you away, warning you about flour getting all over your clothes, but you don’t mind.

Because you love her, as you’ve learned this past weekend, and you don’t mind the mess when it comes to someone you love.

It’s only as you enter your room that you check your phone, which is filled with notifications from Hyunjin, much like Eunha had said. After ten missed calls, it seems he resorted to simply texting you.

Hyune: hey I know you’re in japan but can you answer the phone? Hyune: I promise I’ll be quick. just wanna talk to you Hyune: hear your voice idk I feel really alone rn and really bad idk lol Hyune: mingyu has his girlfriend over. can you believe they’re still together? Hyune: can you believe he has a girlfriend and I can’t even find someone to give me the time of day lol Hyune: can you believe every date I go to ends with me crying lol Hyune: sorry I’m being annoying and the messages aren’t even being delivered, you’re clearly having fun sorry Hyune: sorry Hyune: guess that’s why nobody can endure me for more than two dates Hyune: have fun 🤍 I love you

You feel your heart ache as you read his messages, answering with an apology. But before you can hit send on your second message, Hyunjin has already replied. 

Hyune: it’s okay. I’m sorry I even sent those in the first place

Me: Stop apologizing Me: You know I love you and I’ll always be here for you Me: Where are you?

Hyune: at my dorm Hyune: staring at the ceiling

Me: I’m coming over

True to his words, Hyunjin is lying on the floor of his dorm’s cramped living room once you open the door. There’s a small canvas propped up against the wall, a myriad of shades of blue forming the shape of a face. Your best friend’s talent never ceases to amaze you, and you have to fight the urge to stand still by the front door for a few seconds simply admiring his new painting.

“Look at this sulking Pisces,” you click your tongue as you approach Hyunjin, who only opens one eye to shoot you a glance.

“I’m in a fragile state and this is how you greet me,” he all but pouts before sitting up as you sit cross-legged beside him on the floor. “How was the trip?”

You shrug. “It was fun. We only had one day to explore the city, so we didn’t do much,” you say simply, tapping your fingers on your thigh.

You don’t want to sit and talk about how much fun you had during a trip when Hyunjin’s puffy, bloodshot eyes are staring directly at you. He was sad, and his sadness was palpable throughout the entire living room — his bitten lips, his painting, his hands covered in dried-up blue paint; everything was dripping in sadness. This was a constant with Hyunjin, but lately it had become even worse. He has an overwhelming desire to love and be loved, but his every attempt at fulfilling this desire is futile for reasons you cannot wrap your head around.

“I like the new painting,” you smile, focusing on the saddened blue face. Hyunjin scoffs beside you.

“It’s fucking terrible,” His hand shoves the canvas face down on the floor. You bite your lip. “Can’t even paint shit I like anymore. Every time I try, it always turns out muddy and sad.”

“What happened?”

He lets out a bitter chuckle. “Well I’m pathetic, so it’s still the same old reason. I had a date with this girl on Saturday, but she canceled at the last minute. Texted me something about me being too clingy after she agreed to go out with me, about how she knows she would feel suffocated if we dated.”

You furrow your brows together, anger bubbling up inside your chest. “What the fuck?”

“Oh, but don’t worry!” Hyunjin gave you a forced smile. “She made sure to remind me that it was her, not me, and that lots of women out there like guys like me. Whatever the fuck that means.”

Hyunjin shakes his head, turning his attention toward his hands before scratching some of the dried paint off. You sigh.

“Hyunjin, she isn’t wrong about that. You know that, right? You’re not the one at fault.”

He scoffs. “Sure seems like it when every date I’ve gone to since starting university has ended up with me being rejected for the same fucking reasons. It’s always me. Too clingy, too sentimental, too emotional,” his voice is almost a whisper as he speaks. He turns to face you again. “Remember how I would stop sleeping with you whenever I liked someone? Wanna know why I stopped doing that? ‘Cause I know it’s not gonna go anywhere anyway, so what’s the point? It never goes anywhere, and then I’m left alone again. Maybe I should just accept it, y’know? Some people are just meant to be alone, and clearly I’m one of them.”

Your anger has now morphed into sadness. You hate the way Hyunjin talks about himself, hate it even more how it seems nobody can appreciate the amazing person he is. Being caring and sentimental is not a flaw, and you pray that he never allows other people’s opinions to sway him into thinking that way. You pray he finds someone who can appreciate these qualities in him the same way you do.

“You’re not alone, Hyune,” you assure him, taking one of his hands in yours. “You’re surrounded by friends who love you so much, and while I know that’s not the type of love you yearn for, it’s still love.”

Hyunjin smiles softly at you before pulling you closer and pressing his lips to yours. It’s sudden but not entirely unexpected; the way you and Hyunjin dealt with shitty things in life and unpleasant feelings together had always been through sex, and you knew it always made him feel at least a little better afterward. And so you let him, returning the kiss even as part of you felt wrong doing it when your entire being was consumed with thoughts of only Minho.

As soon as he kisses you, he swiftly pushes you down onto the hardwood floor and hovers over you. Hyunjin’s fingers undo the buttons of your cardigan before slipping under your shirt, caressing your skin as his lips trail kisses down your neck. Soon enough, his body is pressed up against your spread thighs, and you know where this is going — but as much as you want to make your best friend feel better, you cannot bring yourself to do it.

“Hyune,” you softly call out, and he hums against your throat. “We can’t do this.”

He chuckles, squeezing your waist. “Mingyu always comes home late when he goes out with his girlfriend. Don’t worry.”

“It’s not that, Hyunjin. I just—”

“Do you not wanna fuck on the floor?” He asks, coming up to look at you. He cocks his head to the side. “We can just do it on the couch then, I really don’t wanna have sex with all those pictures of Mingyu and his friends staring at us in our room.”

“Hyunjin, no—”

“It’s not like we never did it on a couch before, stop being dramatic—”

“I’m in love with Minho.”

It comes out before you can fully comprehend what you’re saying, the word love slipping past your lips effortlessly. Hyunjin stills on top of you, his body rigid and tense. 

“Oh,” is all he offers you. You nod slowly, fingers picking at a drop of paint that stained the collar of his shirt.

You whisper, “I really am just as surprised as you are, believe me.”

Hyunjin shrugs. “I’m not surprised. I just— now you’re leaving me, too.”

You shake your head. It’s ludicrous to you that Hyunjin could imagine that you would ever even entertain the thought of leaving him. Running a hand through his messy hair, you pull him in and press a kiss to his nose. Hyunjin hides his face in the crook of your neck with a groan.

“Sorry, that was pathetic. I shouldn’t have said that,” he apologizes. “You know I don’t mean it like that. I just love you so much. I thought we would…”

You furrow your brows as he trails off his words. You thread your fingers through his long hair. “We would…?”

“End up together somehow,” he speaks slowly, his voice muffled, and your heart drops.

Hyunjin harboring these feelings about you was something you would never have imagined. You were certain he was content being your friend and having sex with you only until he found the right person. He went on several dates, after all. Your heart feels like it’s been shattered into a million tiny pieces upon learning about his hidden desire for the future he used to so often joke about: you two ending up together simply because you were each other’s only choices.

“Hyunjin,” you start carefully, “I love you, too. So much. You’re my best friend, and that’s never going to change. We don’t have to be together romantically for us to be in love, y’know? I realized that just recently.”

You feel him nod his head, his hand finding yours and intertwining your fingers.

“I’m just sad I won’t have you anymore. I’m gonna miss us so much,” he places a small kiss on your collarbone. “Whenever I felt like I was in a dark pit with no way out, every single time you were there to bring me out of it and make me feel okay again. I love you so much for that.”

And you can only softly smile at his words before your heart shatters all over again as you hear him quietly begin to sob in your skin.

“Hyunjin,” you call out, although you know he won’t reply. “You’re the most beautiful soul I’ve ever met. My love for you goes beyond us having sex — that wasn’t even important to me in our relationship. It was just something good on top of something already amazing.” With a slow nod, he lifts his head and gazes at you with red, teary eyes, causing your heart to ache even more. “I’ll never leave you. Ever. I’ll still answer your four hundred three a.m. texts, still let you hide away in my house, still happily listen to you complain about your days, and still hold you when you cry.”

Hyunjin pouts like a child, and your heart swells with fondness.

“Really?” He asks, and you chuckle with a nod.

“Really,” you assure him. “Me being with someone will never change our friendship, or my love for you. I mean, we won’t have sex anymore, of course, but I’ll still talk shit about your roommate with you so I’m sure you’ll forgive me.”

Hyunjin’s tearful expression vanishes, replaced by a small teasing grin. “I am gonna have to jerk off significantly more, so I don’t know about forgiveness,” he jokes.

You push him off you with a chuckle, sitting up as he tries to regain his balance.

“When did this whole thing with Minho even happen?” Hyunjin asks, setting his painting back against the wall. You shrug, buttoning up your cardigan. He hums. “So, are you already together?”

“Not yet,” you say, “but I’m gonna answer him after our class this week. If he fucking lets me, that is. He says he wants to be patient, but I don’t want to be patient. The only thing I wanna be is with him.”

Hyunjin’s whole body contorts as he groans. “Ew, what the fuck? When did you become such a sap?”

As you shove him back once more, you both burst into laughter while Hyunjin stumbles back and spills a mug filled with dirty paint water all over his floor.

The rest of the day goes by with you and Hyunjin painting together, a much broader array of colors and a much happier end result on the canvas: beautiful flowers painted by him standing alongside clumsily drawn hearts, stars, and other doodles painted by you. After signing your name above his elegant signature, you inform him the painting is leaving with you — it’s hanging up on your wall as soon as you arrive home.

Hyunjin is your best friend; it’s been this way for the last two years, and it’s indisputable to you that this fact will remain no matter what happens. As you watch him hunched over your painting, insisting that his flowers could be more detailed — even after you assured him a thousand times that they were perfect — you curse yourself for not realizing how beautiful this love between you two is. You hope he cherishes this love as well, in spite of his desire for the two of you to be together in the future. You know deep down this idea stemmed from his fear of solitude.

You’re not worried about him at all, though. He’s a precious soul, and anyone who fails to recognize that doesn’t deserve him. He’s simply getting rid of the wrong people in order to find the right person, someone who sees him as you do.

The love you feel for Hyunjin is unchanging, and if you had any say in it, it would be everlasting.

Your next Japanese class with Minho comes too soon, and you find yourself unprepared. Every trace of resolve you had after returning from your trip dissipated bit by bit every time you saw or talked to him. As soon as you saw his figure step into the coffee shop on Monday to pick up his usual order, you realized that every single scenario your mind had conjured up fell flat. Minho was beautiful, amazing, breathtaking — he deserved something grand and earth-shattering, not a simple answer from a girl who wasn’t even half as good as he was.

It certainly did not help that he, always true to his words, respected your time. Not once during his coffee trips or your never-ending talks through the phone did he mention the topic. And it was slowly but surely driving you insane.

You bite your lips so much on your way to university you’re sure your lipstick is gone by the time you enter the building, and you’re surprised your poor bag isn’t riddled with holes in the cloth from your insistent picking. You shouldn’t feel this nervous — Minho is the one waiting for an answer, after all. For all he knows, you could be simply building up the courage to let him down gently. But you are nervous. You’re terrified he will listen to your clumsy words and decide he deserves someone better. Or, worse yet, will only realize how undeserving of his love you are once you’re in a relationship.

And you don’t think you can face another heartbreak where you’re left to mend your gashes all alone.

You enter the building with shaky hands, fiddling with the strap of your bag and walking toward your classroom on autopilot as your mind is too busy running over all the ways in which this could go wrong.

All faded, however, once you saw Minho waiting for you in front of your classroom. His glasses slid down the bridge of his nose as he looked down at his phone, his body wrapped in a cozy-looking black sweater and sweatpants, a keychain of a cat plushie hanging from his backpack matching his phone case. You stop a few feet away from him. He deserves the world, and that terrifies you. Still, his presence alone melts away every ugly word of doubt and every piece of worry inside your body until the only thing you can feel is the swirling of that familiar pinwheel spinning inside your chest.

You greet him with a long hug, hoping he can’t feel your heart beating through your own sweater.

After class, he walks you to work, enthusiastically telling you about the progress he, Chan and Seungmin have made on their game. You nod and hum along to his words, but you can’t, for the life of you, focus on a word he’s saying. All you want to do is tell him you like him — god, you like him so much — but every time you’re close to doing it, the ugly words return and scream that he deserves more than an underwhelming confession on a gloomy, empty street.

You stop walking as you two reach the bench located just far away enough from the hustle and bustle of students on campus, the one where no one bothered you when you sat here by yourself for three years, the one that had oddly become your favorite bench among all the other identical ones scattered throughout your university.

Because it was here that you and Minho had your first real conversation, it was here where you two laughed and gasped at all the little coincidences between your lives, and it was here where you began to build a friendship with this wonderful guy who would unknowingly change you for the better.

It was the perfect place, and you berated yourself for not realizing that sooner.

Minho’s voice calling out your name pulls you away from your thoughts, his hand wrapping around yours and pulling you gently toward his body. You hum before colliding against his chest as he chuckles.

“You just stopped walking,” he says, a lilt of confusion in his voice. “I know you hate work, but I didn’t think it was this serious.”

And when you properly turn to look at him, Minho is smiling so beautifully under the somber sky of winter, as if he is the embodiment of sunshine — always glistening and radiating such a comforting warmth no matter how glum the world around him is. And, at the sight of him, you just can’t stop your words. Never mind how gloomy this campus seems or how lackluster your words are — Minho’s presence alone makes everything become golden.

“I like you because you’re you,” you mirror his words at you, “Because you laughed in my face for spilling coffee all over your notebook when I didn’t even know you, because you love coffee just as much as I hate it, and because you believe in silly myths about riding paddle boats together,” You blurt out, words completely unbidden by your brain. Minho’s eyes widened for a beat before slowly turning into crescent moons as a smile spread across his lips. You take a deep breath before continuing, the words flowing out of you so quickly you’re worried he won’t be able to understand you, “And you opened my eyes to the love I feel for my friends, which I was so fucking stupid and blinded to. But, most importantly, you taught me that love isn’t bad. It can never be bad because you’re love, Minho. You’re full of love, and there’s not an ounce of anything bad in you. And you make me feel deserving of this love, even though I still don’t understand how I can be deserving of something so beautiful.”

Minho’s arms are pulling you into an embrace before you can process everything you said, and by the time you seem to come to your senses, you realize tears have welled up in your eyes. He holds you close to him silently for a while, his left hand delicately massaging your scalp as you clutch onto the fabric of his sweater as if he might be taken away from you if you let go.

“I like you, too,” he whispers against your hair, and you feel your lips contort into a pout.

“You already told me that,” you grumble. “I just word-vomited my feelings to you and this is all you have to say?”

He chuckles, pressing a kiss to your head. “What else is there to say? I like you so much I don’t think I can put it into words. I might just say something stupid if I talk about it too much.”

You furrow your brows, pulling away from his embrace to face him. “Something stupid like what?”

“Like saying I love you.”

Your lips part, but no words come out. Yet again, Minho has rendered you speechless. He shakes his head dismissively, a smile still etched onto his lips.

“No need to say anything. I told you it was stupid,” his eyes drift over to the bench beside you two, and his smile grows. “Guess this has to become my favorite bench too.”

You let out a laugh, but it’s cut short by your tears spilling out again. Minho quickly turns to look at you again, his expression shifting into a mixture of happiness and worry for you as he wipes your tears away with his thumbs.

And as the sun begins to set, the street lights flicker on, casting a warm, yellow glow over everything around you. You cup Minho’s face and press a chaste kiss to his lips, then to his nose, before wrapping your arms around him and pulling him into an embrace once again.

“I don’t think I’m ready to love you yet. I’m sorry,” you apologize, both to him and yourself.

Minho simply hums, kissing your cheek. “I told you I’m patient, because love is patient. I would wait an eternity for the privilege of hearing you say you love me.”

You and Minho have officially been together for almost two months by the time winter break arrives. You’ve done everything couples do, except for two things: say I love you and go all the way. You’ve done every other possible thing — well, Minho has done every other possible thing to you, with you discovering that Minho particularly loves eating you out, often laying on your lap on your couch after work and rubbing his head against your thighs like a cat, humming and sighing until he has your attention before all but begging you to let him go down on you. Whenever you offer to do the same to him, in any way, he immediately turns the offer down, saying he’s satisfied just pleasuring you. It always leaves you with a million questions, as you notice him have to adjust himself in his pants or coincidently go to the bathroom, but you don’t question it.

The two of you also found ways to get around the whole L-word situation. I missed you becoming your go-to phrase for when you want to scream out that you love him, but are still unable to, while he usually just makes you swallow both your words and his own that are lingering inside your mouth with a kiss.

You had fallen into a routine quickly, with you visiting Minho most evenings after your shift to just lay on Chan’s stiff leather couch and watch him work. You two always hang out with his co-workers slash friends for a while before leaving for the night — Seungmin becoming like the pestering but loveable little brother you never had — and you head to your house in Minho’s car before you sneak him into your home so Mrs. Choi remains none the wiser.

Her ‘no boyfriends spending over two days at the house’ rule can’t possibly apply if she doesn’t even know Minho is there in the first place.

And so, he’s been basically living alongside you and your housemates. This outcome was almost inevitable since Minho hates his roommates while you love each other’s company.

You’re now packing your things with Hyunjin, who’s been sitting on your bed for the last half-hour rather than helping you as he’d promised. In the past month, he’s been able to come to terms with the fact that his ideal future with you was nothing but a coping mechanism after a month of sulking every time Minho was around. He deleted every shitty dating app on his phone and now focuses on finding love naturally, recently going out with a girl he met in one of his classes. The first time they met was the epitome of a meet-cute, with her accidentally bumping into him and spilling black paint all over his shirt. It brought back memories of when you first met Minho, and you had high hopes that this time things would work out differently for him. But, judging by the scowl on Hyunjin’s face and his nonstop complaining, you were wrong.

“But, be for real, why did it take her six dates to realize she doesn’t think we’ll work out?” He grumbles, spinning one of your necklaces around his finger like it’s a toy. “I paid for every meal, made sure she got at least two orgasms every time we went out, and she just suddenly decides we won’t work out? Fuck off.’’

You chuckle, closing your suitcase after triple-checking that you packed Minho’s Christmas present and walking over to where Hyunjin is sitting, snatching your necklace from his hand.

“Maybe she liked the free food and orgasms too much to let them go.”

Hyunjin scowls. “You’re saying that’s the only reason she went out with me?” He feigns offense, shaking his head. “I hope Minho’s parents hate your guts.”

“Hyunjin!” You exclaim, watching as he bursts out laughing. “Don’t even joke about that. You know how nervous I am.”

“There’s no way they won’t like you,” He assures you, “You’re fucking amazing, not to mention their son loves you. That’s more than enough reason to love you too.”

You clutch the necklace in your hand, humming before turning on your heels to check your drawers for anything you might have missed. Hyunjin using the word love makes you a bit anxious, an unwelcome reminder that you still haven’t been able to overcome this stupid emotional blockage preventing you from telling Minho you love him. The first and only time you’d ever said you loved Minho was that evening at Hyunjin’s dorm, and it hadn’t even been directed at him. Without saying a word, you both understand the love that exists between you — it’s unspoken, but deeply felt — and you’re aware of that, but the fear that one day he’ll grow tired of waiting is painfully tangible inside your mind.

When Minho invited you to spend Christmas with his family, you hesitated at first. Meeting your ex-boyfriends’ families had never been so significant. You were a teenager at the time, the implications were different and the stakes didn’t seem as high. This time, it feels as if getting Minho’s parents to like you is indispensable. How will he go on dating a woman his parents deem unfit for him? Especially with how highly he speaks of his mother, you’re sure her opinion of you will weigh on his mind.

You can only hope they love you half as much as you love their son.

The car ride to Minho’s parents’ house was around half an hour.

Half an hour you spent picking at a loose thread on your skirt and overthinking so much your head ached by the time he parked the car. You hated how nervous you were, but Minho’s parents liking you was a non-negotiable. 

After insisting on carrying your own suitcase — just in case his parents might think you’re an overbearing girlfriend if they see Minho carrying your bag for you — the two of you walk up the stairs and into his home. The first thing you notice is how cozy-looking everything is; from the family pictures neatly placed on coffee tables and on the walls, cat furniture and toys mixed in with their actual furniture, down to the fuzzy blankets thrown over the couches.

The second thing that catches your attention is the quietude permeating throughout the house, as well as the fact that the first family member to greet you two is an orange cat.

“Oh, did you miss me this much?” Minho asks in a sweet, singsong voice, similar to how you would speak to a baby. He crouches down to pet the cat, who is now entangling himself between his legs. He introduces you by your name, because Soonie is truly just another family member to him. You chuckle, kneeling next to him and carefully extending your hand toward the orange ball of fur.

“Hello, Soonie,” you speak quietly, afraid you’ll spook him. He eyes you carefully before sniffing your fingers and, ultimately, rubbing his head on your hand. You sigh in relief, petting his fur with a smile.

Minho’s cats liking you was also a non-negotiable.

You place your suitcases in Minho’s childhood bedroom, his parents letting him know they will arrive a little late after going Christmas shopping. Looking around his small room, you smile at all the small things that scream Lee Minho. The pictures of him and his friends back in high school are the first thing you notice, glued to the wall in front of his door lopsided. His thick-rimmed glasses and bowl cut make you smile as you analyze one of the pictures, where he and four other boys hug and smile widely in a karaoke room. Then, of course, his extensive plushie collection sat against a wall to your left — all stacked on top of each other like a mountain — which he proudly shows off to you.

“Y’know, I had to basically fight a little girl at the Sanrio store for this one,” he says, a bit too smugly, while holding a plush of Kuromi dressed in a ladybug costume. “I was sixteen, though, so I think that excuses my behavior. I would never do that nowadays.”

You narrow your eyes, humming skeptically. “Sure you wouldn’t.”

Minho just chuckles, meticulously placing the doll back in its place beside the cherry on top of a rather large Pusheen pudding plushie.

“Oh! You have to see my books.” He takes your hand in his, dragging you toward the wall facing his bed. A bookshelf expanding from the floor to the ceiling makes your mouth drop. You hadn’t noticed it before, with it being hidden away in the corner of the room. The bookshelf is decorated with fairy lights — which Minho promptly switches on — and filled with beautiful books, from intricately designed hard covers to intricate sprayed edges, every single book in his collection has something special about it.

He uses a small metal ladder to reach the top of the shelves before handing you a book so thick your wrist almost bends upon grabbing it. It’s a collection of seven Jane Austen novels, all in a gorgeous blue and golden hardcover. You eye the book like it’s a precious jewel, carefully running your fingers over the details engraved on the cover. Beside you, Minho lets out a breathy laugh, stepping down from the ladder and bumping your shoulder lightly.

“You can open it,” he tells you, but you’re still too mesmerized by the book to look at him. “It’s what books are for, whether they’re pretty or not. You have to open it and read it, otherwise they lose their purpose.”

You nod slowly, but remain unmoving. Minho’s hand suddenly rests on top of yours, and he opens the book for you. The page is entirely annotated, with highlighters and thoughts jotted down on pencil in messy handwriting. Looking up at him, you are met by his smile.

“See? The book is fine, the world didn’t end. I have these special editions because I enjoy collecting pretty things, but I always read them,” he explains, “I like when books reflect the emotions I felt while reading them. I annotate, scribble, highlight — I once threw a special edition Stephen King book across the living room and into a wall. There’s an indentation on it till this day.”

You gasp. “Minho, what the fuck?”

He shrugs dismissively. “I know, I know. All book sins in the eyes of many people. But, like I said, that just reflects the emotions I felt while reading that book. I look through any of these pages and I know exactly what I felt at that time of my life.”

You nod, your lips absentmindedly curling into a smile. Minho truly is something else. You skim the page opened before you, reading some of his annotations and laughing quietly to yourself as he wraps his arms around your waist, resting his chin on your shoulder.

As you close the book, he speaks again, “They’re a bit like people, aren’t they? Pretty and put-together on the outside, but once you really dig in, it’s all a mess and cluster of feelings and passion.”

 

You and Minho spend an hour lounging around the living room, with you meeting his other two cats during that time. Soonie and Doongie’s adoration toward Minho is clear, with both orange cats always rubbing against his leg or tangling themselves in his sneakers by the door as you two cuddle on the couch. Dori, however, remains laid on his cat tree, barely sparing the two of you a glance. Minho jokes that Dori hates him after he left his first mom, even showing you further proof in the form of a video where the gray cat bites his nose while he sleeps.

Upon hearing the key turn on the front door, your heart is quick to jump. Minho’s parents have arrived.

Sitting up on the couch, you gently push Minho away from you. He shoots you a questioning look.

“What? I don’t want them to think we were doing something indecent.”

“Indecent?” Minho repeats with a chuckle. “We were cuddling, not consummating a marriage on this couch.”

You grumble incoherent words under your breath, shrugging. “I know. I just want them to like me.”

“They were more than okay with seeing me cuddle my ex when I was a teen. We’re both adults, I’m pretty sure they won’t think you’re a filthy harlot.”

You gasp, hitting his chest and hissing through your teeth. “A harlot?”

Minho lets out a long, hearty laugh just as his parents walk through the door.

“Oh, there you are!” You hear his mother’s voice call out as soon as she steps inside the living room. You turn to face her and you’re greeted by the same smile you see on Minho’s face every day — they look so similar you have to hold back a gasp. “It’s so nice to finally meet you!”

You stand up from the couch and smooth down your long skirt, smiling while she walks toward you. You’re caught off guard when she pulls you into a hug as soon as she’s in front of you, her arms squeezing you as she sighs happily into your hair.

“Mom,” Minho calls out, “You’re scaring her.”

His mom pulls away with a chuckle, her left hand pinching her son’s cheek before resting on your shoulder again. “He’s the one who’s scared I’ll embarrass him,” she refutes. “And, god, you’re so pretty! Minho told me you were beautiful, but I just assumed it was the infatuation speaking.”

You feel your cheeks flush at her words, biting back a smile. Minho had talked to his mother about you — had said you were beautiful. You swear if you died tonight, you would die a happy woman.

As his mother steps away from you and into the kitchen, rambling on about how crowded the shopping mall had been, a man comes into your field of vision. He nods courtly before extending his hand, which you shake a bit awkwardly.

“I’m Minho’s dad,” he simply says. “It’s nice to finally meet you. Minho has been very happy on the phone since meeting you.”

And with that, he’s off into the kitchen, following his wife. You’re left a bit dazed. Minho truly was a perfect blend of his mother’s appearance and his father’s calm personality. 

Beside you, Minho pulls you into a side hug, his chilly hands caressing your arms. “See? It’s impossible not to love you.”

You freeze for a moment, before relaxing as you realize he’s talking about his parents loving you. You curse yourself inwardly for being so damn emotionally constipated, but let out a sigh of relief nonetheless.

You were worried for so many different reasons — that you wouldn’t measure up to Minho’s first girlfriend, that your personality would be scrutinized until your flaws finally emerged, and that this would be the catalyst for Minho to realize you’re not worth it. Not worth waiting until you can tell him you love him, not worth waiting until you feel like sex isn’t going to just ruin everything between you, not worth the hassle and the chore that is loving someone like you.

But as he walks into the kitchen with you, his arm wrapped firmly around your waist, like he’s proud to show you off to his parents, the level of reliability he radiates is enough to melt away all the annoying little worries you had inside your head.

Christmas eve comes two days later, and you’re rudely woken up in the morning by the sound of Minho’s voice cursing under his breath as he drops something on the floor by his bed. You groan, rubbing your eyes, and he turns to face you with an apologetic look on his face.

“Sorry,��� he whispers, kneeling down next to the bed and pressing a chaste kiss to your forehead. “Good morning.”

“What time is it?”

“Eight, I think.” His fingers brush your hair away from your face. “I didn’t set an alarm ‘cause I didn’t wanna wake you up, but guess my inability to be quiet did that anyway.”

You chuckle lightly, scrunching up your nose. “Why are you up so early?”

“Gotta start cooking dinner soon,” he explains.

“Already?” You ask, perplexed. You knew he cooked Christmas dinner all by himself every year for his family, but you never conceived just how much work that would be for a single person.

Minho is unyielding despite your best efforts at persuading him to stay and cuddle you for a few more hours, and watching him cook is always oddly attractive to you, so you find yourself joining him in the kitchen, wrapped up in one of his many cat print sweaters.

At first, you simply sit up at one of the counters and watch him, mesmerized and all but drooling at the way he rolls up his sleeves, the prominent veins making his arms look so sexy while doing such a mundane thing like chopping fucking vegetables. Not to mention his hands, so beautiful and big as he rubs the seasoning on something you don’t even care to identify because you’re just too busy thinking about those hands all over your body. Only now do you notice how no real sex for almost two months has really taken a toll on you, what with the way you have to cross your legs just to try and relieve some tension because your mind won’t stop thinking about Minho’s veiny arms caging you against this counter and his big hands—

Minho calls out your name, and you snap out of your fantasies, humming as you reluctantly turn your attention toward his face with a dazed expression. He seems to find it funny, as he chuckles before repeating himself, “I asked if you would like to help. I can teach you some of the easy stuff. Must be boring just sitting there and watching.”

Oh, but it isn’t boring at all.

But you’d never tell him that, so you nod before hopping off the counter and awaiting further instructions. Turns out you’re worse at cooking than you had thought, so you’re relegated to chopping duty, which you hate for two reasons — firstly, chopping vegetables is boring, and secondly, you’re now deprived of your view of Minho as you stand with your back turned to him while he cooks.

It’s around five p.m. when Minho’s mom joins you two in the kitchen, and by that time you’ve done all you could, so you’re back to your spot on the counter. She smiles at you before ruffling Minho’s hair as he closes the oven.

“My baby is such a wonderful cook, isn’t he?” she praises, and he shrugs with a smirk.

“I am very boyfriend material, aren’t I?”

You chuckle as you watch his mom carefully fixing his hair which she had messed up, Minho scrunching up his face as she then fixes his wire-frame glasses on his nose.

“I’m so glad you’re wearing your glasses again,” she comments, cupping his cheeks and squeezing before letting go. “You look so handsome.”

“You should thank her,” Minho smiles, turning to look at you, and you shoot him a puzzling look. “Remember on your birthday, when you told me I looked good wearing glasses?” He asks, and you nod slowly. “That’s why I stopped wearing contacts.”

Your mouth opens, but you can’t find the words to answer him. You can feel your cheeks dusting pink as his mom coos at the two of you, saying something about young love that has you gnawing on your lips to hold back the silly smile you want to let out.

Minho’s mom leaves the kitchen shortly after, his father calling her from the living room. He takes this as his chance to approach where you’re sitting, hands resting on your thighs before he presses his lips against yours.

“I wanted to look handsome for you. It’s kinda pathetic, isn’t it?” He chuckles against your lips, and you simply shake your head, tangling your fingers in his black hair that has now grown past his eyes.

“It’s actually fucking adorable,” you assure him, pulling him into another kiss, one much deeper than the last.

He quickly uses his hands to spread your thighs apart, pressing his body into yours as you wrap your legs around his waist. The effect this man has on you is mindboggling; the mere slide of his tongue against your lips has you shivering. It certainly doesn’t help that you are now in the exact position from your imagination earlier today.

Minho always tasted like your own personal favorite flavor, always deliciously swirling on your tongue whenever you kissed him. He always renders your mind fuzzy and silly as bliss consumes the entirety of your being. You can only imagine how sex with him will feel like, and you don’t think you can wait any longer. Your worries be damned. You needed him more than you could handle.

But just as Minho pulls you closer to his body — your core dangerously close to his crotch, and sucking on your tongue in a way that has you mewling against his lips — his mother calls out your names, and you two quickly separate, startled as if you were burned. She informs you his grandmother has arrived and you two walk to the living room to greet her. You silently thank the universe for her not walking into the kitchen; the last thing you want is for Minho’s poor grandmother to catch you two making out on the counter like two teenagers.

She is a sweet lady, certainly not as old as you expected her to be, and she always has a smile etched onto her lips stained with red lipstick. You don’t even have to ask to know she is his mother’s mom, as the three of them share the exact same smile you grew to love so much.

You find yourself even more comfortable today, as you help both women set up the table for dinner — his grandma meticulously placing a beautiful lace cloth over the table while telling you about how this was one of her late husband’s first gifts to her when they first moved in together. 

It felt as if you were part of the family.

And as you turn on your heels to grab the fancy silverware from a cabinet, your eyes meet Minho’s gaze. With a smile on his face, he stands by the kitchen door, watching you, and your heart swells with joy.

This was everything you never thought love could be.

Christmas dinner was amazing — as you knew it would be. Minho’s cooking is always fantastic, and pure happiness is written all over his face whenever he was complimented. The way he offers to serve everyone, watching intently as each of you took the first bite before he finally allowed himself to eat as well, his lips upturned into a grin and his ears red as you all hummed and gasped at how tasty everything was. It’s his love language; from the way he carefully and methodically prepares the food, to the way he enjoys watching other people eat more than eating himself. He shows his love through his cooking, you realize, and you smile as you think back to numerous times you woke up in the morning with a beautiful table set with breakfast for you after he spent the night at your house.

You haven’t put it into words yet, but he has unquestionably been showing his love for you through his little actions.

And that’s what you want to do tonight as well.

After watching a cliche Christmas movie with his family, you two are now the only ones awake with you drying off the dishes Minho’s washing. He looks beautiful even now, with his hands clad in neon green dishwashing gloves.

“Minho,” you call out, poking his rib with the plate he just handed you. He squirms with a giggle, warning you to not tickle him. You simply hum, continuing as nonchalantly as you can. “Do you wanna have sex tonight?”

His hand stills, dropping a knife on the sink as his head turns abruptly to look at you, eyes bewildered. “What? What, and you ask me this now? While we’re doing the dishes?” He sputters, and you grin with a shrug.

“It’s not a big deal,” you say, placing the plate on top of the counter. “I just… really wanna do it. Really want you.”

Minho turns off the tap — at least five knives left ignored at the bottom of the sink — removes his gloves and lets out a heavy sigh.

“Okay, not what I expected to happen on Christmas night, but I’ll take it.”

You both stare at each other for a beat, before inexplicably bursting out laughing. Maybe it’s the sheer suddenness of your request, or the absurdity of the situation you were in when it happened, but you can’t help it.

As you both calm down, Minho pulls you into his arms and informs you that he will have to go out and buy condoms, since he truly wasn’t expecting anything to happen. You don’t fault him, the two months you’ve been together were filled with you all but running away from sex. You couldn’t help it, your brain always dragging you back to that night in Japan, and the way he avoided your gaze in the morning. Although you knew it was irrational, and that he was simply shy, your self-sabotaging skills were too great, and your mind insisted that if you had sex with Minho too soon he would think you were nothing but a slut. That’s what you were told most of your life, anyway, so you couldn’t be blamed for the way your brain was almost conditioned into assuming the same.

But Minho had proved time and time again that he was not like the awful guys before him, and that all your worrying was unwarranted and foolish. You were depriving yourself of something you wanted badly out of sheer insecurity and attachment to experiences so far in the past it was almost masochistic at this point.

You insist on joining him on his impromptu trip to the convenience store, only throwing one of his sweaters over the dress and tights you wore for Christmas dinner.

Minho holds your hand as you two walk down the empty street, Christmas lights from the houses and stores making everything seem almost like a movie. You spot the familiar logo from across the street, and Minho bumps his shoulder with you while you head toward the convenience store chain where you both once worked.

“This is actually the exact one I used to work at,” He tells you as you look through a fridge hidden away in the back of the store. “I loved working the graveyard shift. I rang up so many couples awkwardly buying condoms like they were buying hard drugs.”

You chuckle, settling for some pudding you two could share later. “Will that be us tonight?”

He shrugs. “We’re adults, it’s normal to buy these things. Unless you want me to act like I’m buying crack cocaine, then I’d be happy to indulge you.”

You stick your tongue out at him with a light shove, turning to look through the rather lacking options on the condom shelf.

“Grape flavor?” Minho makes a face as he eyes one of the boxes. “Who the fuck would want the artificial taste of grapes when fucking?”

You shrug. “Could be worse, imagine banana-flavored condoms. I think I’d throw up all over your dick.”

“That’s sexy,” He jokes, and you let out a loud chuckle, earning you a look from the only other person at the store this time of night on Christmas eve.

Among your other options are a green glow-in-the-dark condom — which would only make you think of Shrek while Minho fucks you — and a strawberry-flavored one. You decide to play it safe, grabbing a box of plain, thin condoms and placing them in the basket Minho’s carrying.

“Let’s just go for the safest option,” you tell him, “We’ll have plenty of time to play around later if you want, though I’ll go on birth control once we’re back home so we won’t even need them anyway.”

You watch as Minho’s eyes widen for a second, his eyebrows shooting up almost comically.

“Sure, yeah.”

“Don’t short-circuit now. I need you functioning to fuck me.”

“Keep saying shit like that and I’ll be broken before we even make it back to my house,” he states matter-of-factly, and you chuckle, shaking your head at his words. But Minho’s expression remains unchanged. “I mean it. It’s been over a year since I’ve had proper sex. I’m surprised I didn’t combust the second you said those words to me in the kitchen.”

With a chuckle, you pull him to your side and walk toward the cashier. It’s a poor teenage boy, no older than eighteen, clearly bored out of his mind and wishing to be anywhere but here. As he rings up your items, Minho points to his phone that’s resting on the counter.

“That’s Ahri from League of Legends, right?” He asks, and the boy looks up, his eyes sparking with interest. He nods. “I don’t play, but I’m a game programmer, so I know a little bit about it. What’s your rank?”

“Grandmaster,” the boy answers proudly, his face lighting up with a hint of joy, probably for the first time since his shift started.

“Oohh,” Minho gasps loudly, basically hyping up this random boy at the convenience store. You watch the interaction with a silly smile on your face. “And you’re still young, wouldn’t be surprised to see you at World’s someday.”

The boy shakes his head dismissively as Minho hands him his card, but smiles nonetheless. Once he hands you your things, he speaks again, “Are you from around here, hyung? Let me know when you have a game out, I’d love to try it. See if you’re any good.”

Minho raises his brows at the obvious teasing lilt in his voice, lips upturning into a grin. “How about this? I’ll give you the beta code and you can start your career of testing games for money.”

“You’ll pay me?” The cashier marvels at the words, and Minho simply nods. He jots down a code from his phone into a scrap piece of paper on the counter, the boy’s face now a complete shift from the expression he wore when you first walked in, all because of Minho and his ability to be kind and sweet no matter the person or circumstance.

As you head back to his house, only the two of walk along the shy streets as the clock hands turn past midnight. Among all the bad people in this world, you’re indescribably happy that a man as good as him is the one walking beside you down this street, firmly holding your hand.

You arrive home and quietly head straight into Minho’s room. You thank any higher power that might exist for the fact that his room is the only one on the first floor, as you would have to endure your desperate need and desire for him until you got home if it wasn’t. Any of Minho’s family members walking in or hearing you two have sex would make you want to flee the country and change your name.

He joins you after storing your puddings in the fridge, making you jump with his arms wrapped around your waist while you were blankly staring at the pictures on his wall. You sigh, the realization of what was going to happen only really dawning on you now that you stand in Minho’s bedroom, and your mind starts to wander and doubt everything all over again.

“I kind of ruined the mood by asking to have sex, didn’t I?” You ask as Minho places a chaste kiss on your cheek before resting his chin on your shoulder.

“There was really no mood in the first place,” he lets out a breathy chuckle. “We were washing the dishes.”

You roll your eyes, once again more annoyed at yourself than at him. You could only hope that your awful propensity of bringing up these irritating thoughts of yours at the worst possible moments didn’t drive Minho away from you. Could only hope you were worth it in the end.

“I know, it’s just…” You trail off with another heavy sigh. “This guy I dated hated that. Said I should just initiate it instead of asking like it was a business transaction.”

You feel Minho shake his head. “That’s stupid. Why would I think that?” He sounds incredulous, and hearing him say it makes you realize just how asinine that thought really was. “We had to buy condoms, anyway. It’s also good that you’re comfortable asking me that. It’s as it should be.”

And you can only smile, biting back a giggle because of course he thinks that. It’s as if Jane Austen came back from the dead simply to write Lee Minho.

His arms tighten around your waist, and you turn your head to look at him. “You should really stop thinking about… them,” He hesitates, “Your exes, I mean. Stop comparing, assuming everything will be the same and have the same sad ending. You need to let go of that in order to truly heal. I hate how every time I’m good to you, or do the bare fucking minimum, your mind spins it into something being your fault. I hate what they did to you so much.”

You feel your breath get caught in your throat, tears threatening to spill much like they do every time you are faced with this topic. But you hold them in. You don’t want to cry, not right now, not when everything is so perfect with Minho. So, instead, you take in his words. He’s undoubtedly right, and you must force yourself to face this uncomfortable truth.

Slowly, you promise yourself. You smile at him, a silent promise to him, and you know he understands you when he smiles back, his lips pressing a kiss to your lips.

He lets go of you and rummages through his drawers, and you look around once more. His plushie mountain, the pictures of his childhood and high school days. You scrunch up your nose.

“Will it be too weird to have sex in your childhood bedroom?”

From where you’re standing, his back turned to you, you can faintly make out the tip of his ears turning red as he runs a finger through his hair.

“Well, not really…” He trails off, “I had sex with my ex-girlfriend here all the time when we skipped school together.”

You let out a gasp. “Lee Minho skipped school?”

He chuckles, closing his drawers and immediately wrapping his arms around you. He’s a lot more touchy since you brought this whole topic up, you notice.

“My parents were always at work, though, so this is my first time doing it while they’re right upstairs,” He explains, bringing his finger up to your lips and lowering his voice to a harsh whisper. “So we’ll have to be quiet.”

You roll your eyes with a smile, nodding. You know all too well you’ll probably be too quiet. Once again your trauma playing a part in this, the words an old boyfriend harshly spilled about you being too loud and vocal have always been present in your head. Now that you think about it, all these moments and words are like post-it notes stuck to your mind, and you skim through like a student cramming for an exam every day in search of one that applies to your current situation. It was excruciating.

Hyunjin tried his best to change this about you, always assuring you he liked to hear you during sex when he noticed your pursed and bitten lips, and that you should be vocal about what you want and like. But you always settled for nods and quiet hums instead.

Minho presses a quick kiss on your forehead then. “I’m gonna shower ‘cause my hands still smell like onions and garlic after washing them a thousand times,” he tells you. “I’ll be right back.”

As you’re busying yourself looking through Minho’s extensive collection of books, a meow pulls your attention toward the door. It’s Dori, the gray cat you’ve decided is your favorite since it’s the only one you can easily recognize. He stares for a beat before approaching you, and you kneel carefully to stroke his soft fur. You soon find yourself sitting down by the bed with Dori on your lap, purring away as your mind travels to a future in which you and Minho adopt cats of your own, all while living together and making plans for the rest of your lives. It terrifies you slightly to allow yourself to have these thoughts because if things were to go wrong with Minho, this would only be another ‘what if’ that would haunt you.

Another post-it note to your already cluttered-up mind.

But his words from earlier come back to you just as you begin to panic. You have to let go of the past and stop assuming only the worst outcomes are attainable. And so you simply smile at the imagination, letting your mind run wild while Dori falls asleep on your lap, his gray fur all over your red dress.

You and Dori both jump as Minho all but slams the door when he returns, a towel in his hand drying his damp hair. He cringes at the sound, cursing under his breath. Dori leaves your lap, and you stand up with a pout. He definitely is your favorite cat among the three.

“Sorry,” Minho whispers, as if that will compensate for the loud noise. You take in his appearance; a green Christmas sweater and bright red sweatpants. You bite back a smile, because that’s so him.

“Your outfit is doing a great job of seducing me,” you jest, and he shrugs with a cocky grin.

“I know no woman can resist a Christmas sweater.”

He pulls you into him with a hand around your waist, his lips crashing into yours in a deep kiss. You notice he’s more frantic, less careful than he usually is, his fingers digging into the fabric of your dress as his hands slide up your back. He pulls away, breathless and flushed, and just looks at you for a moment. You can see the shift in his eyes, yearning swimming all over his brown orbs.

Clumsily, he shuts off the lights behind him then switches on the fairy lights adorning his bookshelf, his left hand still firmly clutching your body. Until it suddenly loosens, and you cock your head to the side.

“Okay, you gotta leave,” he says, and you follow his gaze, landing on Dori, who stares up at him almost defiantly. Minho lets out a sigh, opening his door before walking toward the cat and motioning toward the exit as if he will understand him. “Come on, I’ll give you treats later, hm? But you need to leave now, Dori.”

You fail to hold back a chuckle. “Why does the poor baby have to leave? He looks so comfortable snuggled up on the floor.”

“I can’t have sex while Dori watches,” he deadpans as if it were an obvious answer. “It’ll be weird.”

“Minho, it’s a cat. He doesn’t know what’s going on.”

“It’s still weird! And I…” He trails off, running a hand through his hair. He’s still facing the door when he blurts out, “I told you, I’m already really fucking nervous ‘cause it’s been a while since I’ve had sex. I might not be the best.”

You shake your head with a smile, crossing your arms over your chest. “Minho, that’s not possible.”

“Yes, it is!” He finally turns to face you. “Remember back in Japan? I came too fast, it was embarrassing. That’s why I never let you touch me.”

You jokingly pout at him. “Thought you just liked eating me out.”

“I fucking love eating you out, but I’m not exactly refusing that you do the same because I want to,” he explains, “I’m just scared I’ll be bad at it.”

You furrow your brows. “Bad at… getting a blowjob?”

Minho’s ears are dusted a light pink, and he throws his hands up. “Well, yes! Back in Japan I didn’t even know what to do with my hands. I don’t know what you like, and I haven’t been with anyone else to know what most people like so…” He lets out an exasperated sigh. “Fuck, I was so nervous that night, you have no idea.”

“You were nervous?” You let out a huff, recalling Minho’s clear shift in demeanor that night. “Looking into my eyes the entire time and pinning me down to the bed, that’s you being nervous?”

His entire face now flushes red, and he returns his gaze toward the door, where Dori paddles out of the room graciously. He promptly shuts the door, locking it this time.

“I was nervous,” He tells you, taking a step toward you. “I kept looking at you ‘cause I couldn’t believe that was actually happening. Felt like you were gonna disappear if I looked away,” His hands cup your face gently, and your lips unknowingly curl into a smile. “And when you looked at me in the morning, all I could think about was how awful I was the night before.”

You have to fight the strong urge to laugh because god, that’s why he was acting shy and avoiding your gaze. You berate yourself for even thinking otherwise, for ever assuming Minho could be like your ex-boyfriends. His words ring even more true than before.

You let out a groan, realizing you two have been putting off having sex for such mindless reasons. When he shoots you a questioning gaze, you simply say, “Minho, we’re both fucking idiots, d’you know that?”

And before he can say anything else or even entertain the idea of overthinking any more, you pull him into a kiss. With a surprised hum, Minho gently pushes you back, and your knees meet the softness of the mattress causing you to fall back into his bed. He climbs on top of you, pulling away from the kiss.

“You still gotta tell me what you like,” he repeats, his lips all but pouting at you. You smile up at him.

“No,” you say simply, pushing his hair back with your fingers as it fell into his eyes. “It’s better if we figure that out together, isn’t it?”

Minho chuckles, promptly pressing his lips to yours, your hand tugging at his hair gently as his tongue glides across your lips, causing a soft whine to slip from your throat before you can stop it.

“I like that,” he says between kisses, “When you make these pretty noises.”

You feel your cheeks heat up at his words and take that as your chance to take the first small step in healing, adding a post-it to your mind, reminding you not to suppress any noise that Minho coaxes out of you tonight.

The atmosphere in his room feels perfect — like heaven, as he would say. The soft yellow glow emanating from his bookshelf made everything seem dreamy; his honey skin looked stunning, and his eyes gleamed like the stars in the sky every time they met yours.

It was undoubtedly so much more intimate and passionate than any other time you had sex before, and you were both still fully clothed.

It was just like what Minho had told you many months ago.

His hands travel through your body until they rest on your back, finding the buttons of your dress, slowly opening each one as his lips trail down your neck, softly sucking on the skin. As he gingerly slides your dress down your torso, you realize that this will be the first time you two see each other naked. Yet, you don’t feel nervous. You want nothing more than to be close to him, with no barriers between you, to finally be tangled with him like the roots on the ground.

Minho unclasps your bra, his gaze unmoving from your chest as he slips the garment off of your skin and drops it on the floor. It’s almost as if you can feel his gaze burning you, your chest tightening and your breath hitching in your throat. He licks his lips, leaning down to wrap them around your nipple, his hand promptly finding your other breast and softly massaging it. You let out a choked gasp, tugging at his hair.

You feel his lips stretch into a smile before he softly bites the bud.

“So you like this,” He mumbles, pressing a wet kiss to your nipple. “Duly noted.”

You giggle at his words, your hands tangling in his hair once more. His kisses travel up again, from your chest to your neck, until he’s back to kissing your lips. Both of his hands now massage your breasts, alternating between rolling your nipples between his rough fingers and pinching them lightly, causing a rush to spread across your entire body. You feel your arousal trickle down your slit as you grow more desperate.

“Minho,” you call out between kisses, and he hums against your lips. “Do something,” you all but beg him, yearning for some release as you feel the small, unrelenting pulse between your thighs grow stronger with each stroke of his finger across your chest. Your hands now grasp at his sweater, tugging it over his head, the fabric also discarded somewhere on the floor of his room.

Your hands travel over the expanse of his chest, fingertips taking in every inch of his soft skin. Breaking away from his lips, you push him back softly so you can revel in the sight of him; his delicate collar bones, his strong arms, and soft stomach. He’s beautiful, breathtakingly so, and you don’t know what you did to be deserving of him.

“Enjoying the view?” He jokes, and you breathe out a laugh, your gaze flying up toward his face — his lips swollen, and his cheeks flushed a pretty red.

“Minho, you’re so beautiful,” you whisper absentmindedly, and he smiles at you, softly pressing his lips to yours.

“You should see how you look,” he whispers.

His left hand soon slips underneath your dress skirt, fingertips grazing your skin over your tights. You feel goosebumps trickle along your thighs following his every touch, so eager to feel his hands on your skin you’re sure you’ll rip your tights in half yourself if Minho doesn’t get rid of them soon.

He seems to grow as impatient as you, lifting your hips with a strong grip to slide down your dress, tights, and panties off of you all in one go. In no time, you are now laid bare before him, and Minho is swift to trail kisses down your stomach, sloppy and messy, painting your skin with his saliva as his mouth waters at the mere prospect of tasting you.

With a heavy sigh, he stares at your glistening wetness before promptly wrapping his lips around your clit without a warning and sucking, ardently, vulgar sounds filling his small room much like they do every time he eats you out. Always messy, always eager, humming against your pussy and sighing as his eyes glaze over with pure want.

You squirm like lighting has shocked through your entire body. No matter how often you experience the satisfaction of Minho’s lips on you, it always leaves you trembling like it’s the first time. His right hand slides up the expanse of your stomach until it reaches your breast again, his thumb lazily circling your nipple. You purse your lips as his fingers tentatively trail across your folds, spreading your wetness up to your clit before lapping at it slowly, the small bud swollen and aching.

You’re quick to remember to open your mouth, letting out the heavy sigh that had stuck to your throat as his finger enters you, Minho still licking and sucking your sensitive clit, nipping harshly and making your sigh fade into a whine. Hand tangling in his hair and tugging, you elicit a low groan from his throat, which you feel reverberate through your slick folds.

Your thighs shake as he adds a second finger, and soon a third, thrusting them inside of you and stroking your walls more vigorously than he usually does, as if he somehow also feels your pleasure and needs to lead you to your high as quickly as possible.

Minho’s hand leaves your chest, and you bite back a pout, his fingers now gripping your hips before pushing them up so he can reach deeper. It isn’t long before his fingers drag across the spot inside of you that has your muscles tensing up, a strangled moan falling from your lips at the sensations coupled with the unrelenting feeling of his tongue on your clit. You come undone around his fingers and lips with a harsh tug of his black hair, rutting your hips against his face desperately, his fingers digging into the flesh of your hips as you do.

He laps up your juices as you slowly come down from your high, tongue flicking inside of you and sucking hard before he presses a long kiss to your cunt. Your entire body jerks in response to the overstimulation.

His kisses travel toward your inner thigh, your lower stomach and breasts until he reaches your neck, where his teeth nip at the soft skin, sucking harshly before his tongue soothingly licks at the spot. As Minho positions himself between your thighs again, you instinctively wrap your legs around his waist, pulling him closer. Your mind goes hazy for a beat as you feel the thick outline of his cock press against your bare core.

“Minho,” you call out again, your voice significantly more whiny this time around, shaky and breathless, “Wanna taste you.”

He groans against your skin, pressing small kisses up your neck until he ultimately stops against your open lips. He breathes out a heavy sigh.

“Really want that, too,” he rasps out, voice hoarse as his dark eyes travel across your face. “But I really wanna fuck you. Shit, I need to fuck you so badly you have no idea,” He groans. You feel his length jump at his words as he presses your foreheads together and locks his gaze with you. “That’ll be hard to do if your pretty lips go anywhere near my cock.”

You breathe out a chuckle, pressing a small kiss to his lips. “Then get to it,” you simply say.

Minho’s lips curl into a grin. “Will you remember to be quiet for me this time? My baby sounded so pretty coming around my fingers.”

Your cheeks flush, just how loud you were before only now dawning on you. Fuck. Your words get stuck to your throat, your mouth opening but making no sound, so you settle for a nod.

He chuckles. “Good,” he replies with a kiss to your agape lips.

Minho sits up, detangling himself from your body briefly. He reaches for the box on his bedside table, scrambling with the cardboard before clumsily tearing it open and retrieving a condom. It’s only then you notice how his hands are trembling, from nervousness or pure lust. Either way, you find yourself smiling at the sight.

You reach out to run a hand along his arm soothingly, watching with hungry eyes as he tugs at his drawstrings before freeing his cock from the confines of his sweatpants. Minho hisses as he rolls the rubber over his length, shaky hands stroking himself one, two, three times, all while you eye him, watching greedily as if you were his own personal captive audience.

He lowers himself once again, hand now sliding across the length of your thigh before gripping the flesh, nails digging into your skin as he eyes you with an almost pleading gaze.

“Can I—”

“Please do,” you answer, almost frantically, before he even has the time to assume you might say no. You inch your thighs apart even more so Minho can slot himself perfectly between them.

Your mouth waters as you catch sight of him gripping his cock once more, tapping it against your swollen clit and eliciting a whine from your lips as your hands scramble to find purchase in his strong arms. Minho’s eyes then find yours much like they did back in Japan, and you know you are done for. His dark gaze once again felt all-consuming — desire and adoration swimming along his brown eyes, looking at you as if he were in a daze. Your grip on his arms tightens as he lazily slides his cock up and down your soaked slit, coating himself in your arousal. Minho’s lips fall open as he continues his movements, the blunt head of his cock gliding along your folds almost painfully slow.

He leans in to close the small gap between your lips, before whispering something you can’t quite understand against them.

“I fucking love you,” he repeats himself more clearly, and finally pushes forward, his girth pushing into you as you gasp, feeling as if all the air has been stolen from you.

You aren’t sure if your reaction is due to his words, or the way his cock is working you open so good, or maybe it was a delicious blend of the two. All you know at the moment is Minho, Minho, Minho, your mind foggy as his name rings inside your head like a mantra.

“Don’t gotta say anything back,” he tells you in a breathy voice, “Just want you to know I love— Fuck,” he groans as he is now fully sheathed inside of you, and you clench at both the feeling and the words spilling from his lips. Of course he would choose now to tell you he loved you. “Love you so much, so much I’d do anything for you. Would wage a war with the world if you asked me to…” He babbles, words slipping past his lips like they were the easiest thing for him to say. Like he meant it so deeply, he didn’t have to put any thought into it. His words only die as he presses an open-mouthed kiss to your lips.

Minho pulls his hips back in one swift motion, hands lifting your thighs around his body as he thrusts into you, evoking a rather loud noise from the back of your throat which is smothered by his kiss.

“You take me so well,” he growls against your lips, “We fit perfectly.” He breaks the kiss to look down at where your two bodies are connected. It felt as if you were one, melting into each other little by little the more Minho thrust his cock inside of you. You simply nod, mind even more dizzy with the way he’s already pulling out again before slamming back into you, his pace quickening as he presses you into the mattress.

Your nails dig into his skin, crescent moon shapes blooming over the expanse of his honey skin. His eyes still bore into you, hips now thrusting at an unrelenting pace, his small room filled with a cacophony of wet sounds, whines tumbling from your parted lips and curses that almost silently fell from his.

“Gonna come soon,” Minho chokes out, his eyebrows furrowing, “I’m sorry, I—”

You silence him with a press of your lips, hands now tangling in his messy hair.

“You’re always so good to me,” you tell him, feeling his cock pulse inside of your walls. “Wanna be good to you too, make you feel good.”

And he simply leans down before kissing you reverently. The sound of his skin slapping against yours mixed with the creaking of his bed likely much too loud, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. At least not at the moment. Not with the way his hand snakes along your hips, rough fingers now rolling delicious circles around your clit while his other palm presses down onto your abdomen, and his cock continuously hits a spot inside of you that has you all but crumbling apart underneath him.

Your mouth falls open, breaking the kiss, his cock twitching inside of you as his body stills on top of you. With furrowed brows and agape lips, Minho comes mere seconds before you reach your high as well, toes curling against his back as you melt onto his cock.

You stay that way for a while — a few seconds, maybe minutes — simply looking at each other as your labored breaths intertwine.

You finally reach up, brushing his dampened hair away from his beautiful eyes that now look at you as if you were the sole reason why the stars sparkle. Minho’s fingers soon find yours, tangling together as he brings your hands to his lips and presses a chaste kiss to your knuckles.

You smile.

You love him.

It’s not a realization but rather a confirmation of something you’ve already known all too well and for far too long. You still can’t put it into words, but somehow, you are certain that he knows just as well.

Minho accidentally awoke you in the morning with his habit of slamming his door shut, apologizing as you grumbled at him and insisted you would only accept his apology if he let you give him a blowjob. He laughed, simply pulling you closer to him on the bed as he sat up and you finally gave the most beautiful man you had ever met the head he deserved.

Minho’s parents and grandmother had left to eat at a fancy restaurant, and after lying through his teeth and telling his very distraught mother that you were feeling too sick to leave the bed, you two stayed behind. They didn’t have to know the real reason you couldn’t leave the bed — Minho and his apparent insatiable hunger for you. It was as if something had been awoken inside him now that he had a taste of you, and he had to make up for all the lost time.

You two only leave his room late in the afternoon, the sun setting on the pale winter sky outside his bedroom window. His family would arrive soon, and you needed to get ready for their tradition of opening Christmas presents while watching bad holiday movies.

When Minho followed you when you headed toward the bathroom, you thought little of it. It was only when he began undressing alongside you that panic truly set in.

“We literally had sex, why do you sound so horrified?” Was all he offered you when you asked what he was doing before entering the steamy shower with you.

It was your first time showering with someone, and the fact that it made you so nervous felt almost pathetic. Minho was right; you had sex, and you saw each other naked and sweaty and vulnerable. This shouldn’t be any different.

Except it was.

You found yourself too awkward to wash yourself, doing a terrible job at pretending to scrub at your arms as you watched Minho shower like a normal person. He let out a chuckle after rinsing his hair, shaking his head.

“Are you seriously shy? Seriously?” He asked, turning your body around so your back faced him. “The girl who begged to suck my cock just this morning is too shy to shower in front of me?”

You opened your lips to refute him, but your words died in your mouth as you felt Minho’s hand spread shampoo all over your hair. His fingers gently massaged your scalp before placing his hand over your eyes to shield them from the foam as he rinsed your hair. He repeated the process with conditioner, then moved on to wash your body with his almost sickly sweet watermelon body wash. He did it all while humming, making you so relaxed and comfortable that all your silly insecurities dissipated in the air along with the steam from the hot water.

Suffice to say, showering without Minho would now be a sad affair.

You are now sitting on the floor before the television, his family exchanging gifts. Dori purred on your lap, and Soonie bit Minho’s socks, trying his best to remove the fabric from his feet. It’s finally time for you two to exchange gifts, and you’re a bit glad his family seemed to be so immersed in the movie because you know you would combust if you had to explain your gift to them.

“Here,” you hand him an orange box with a black bow. “It’s stupid. Now that I think about it, it’s probably such a fucking dumb gift. It seemed like a good idea at the time, and Eunha even made one for her sister. I almost stole hers ‘cause it turned out much better than mine—”

“My god,” Minho interrupts you with a hearty laugh, taking the box in his hands and inspecting it. “It’s been a while since you word vomited so much. What the hell did you get me that made you so nervous?”

He pulls on the bow, unraveling it before taking the black fabric in his hands and tying it around your head. He laughs once more, and you roll your eyes.

“Minho, just get to it before I snatch this box from you.”

With one last chuckle, he finally opens the box. He stills as he takes in the notebook, sitting on top of far too much wrapping tissue paper. The cat print cardstock paper was a pain to find, but it’s worth it now as you watch Minho’s lips curl into a smile as his fingers gingerly travel through the cover. It was crooked, a bit too small, and still reeked of bookbinding glue, but it reminds you of the day you met Minho, and that was all you thought about when you decided on this gift.

“You fucking bound me a notebook,” he says, still bewildered.

“Took me a while, but I did say I was gonna do it. I’m a woman of my word.”

Minho looks up at you, his smile reaching his eyes and turning them into the pretty crescent moons you love so much. “I love it,” he beams, hands now squeezing your cheeks as he pulls you into a small kiss. “This and that coffee stained notebook are going on my bookshelf back in my dorm, displayed in all their glory.”

Minho pulls away and reaches toward two small boxes on the coffee table. He clears his throat, handing you one box as he settles the other on his lap.

“I thought of you when I saw this on my Instagram feed,” he simply says, fingers toying with the misshaped bow on top of the box — one very similar to the one on your birthday gift many months ago. “Thought about what we talked about in Japan, y’know, about soulmates.”

You raise a brow at him, quickly undoing the bow on your box as curiosity washes over you. You pick up a bracelet made only of red thread, eyeing it curiously.

Minho retrieves the same bracelet from his own box, putting it on before asking, “Have you heard of the red string of fate?”

“That myth that a thread connects two people meant to be together?” You question.

He nods. “Exactly. I feel like that was us,” He explains, taking the red bracelet from your hands and slipping it around your wrist before gently tightening the thread. “Feel like all our little coincidences were little threads tying us together until we met.”

You feel the tears well up in your eyes, but you don’t bother trying to hide or stop them this time. Grabbing Minho’s hand that stilled around your wrist, you lace your fingers together, admiring your matching bracelets. It could only be fate. Every small detail that aligned and every road you two crossed to reach the place where you are now could only have come to be because fate wanted it to be that way.

Out of every city you could have lived in, every different university you could have chosen to attend, down to every other seat that could have been empty on the day you met Minho — everything fell into place like a puzzle piece, exactly as if a long, invisible string tied you to him and finally decided it was time to pull you together.

Minho’s gentle touch brushes against your cheek as he silently wipes your tears — no words are needed between you two at that moment as he smiles softly at you while you feel your eyes burn from the cry you had held back for so long. And, as if you’re his mirror, you feel yourself smile as his lips upturn into a grin when his gaze shifts to the open window.

“It’s snowing,” he beams. “It’s the first snow of the year, and our first snow together.”

 

You stand in front of Minho’s house, the light snow falling softly and covering your heads in white as he kisses you, only stopping to grumble against your lips.

“Your phone’s going crazy in my pocket,” He pouts, and you furrow your brows. You had already sent your family holiday messages, and your friends were all busy with their own Christmas celebrations, so you were clueless about who it could be.

“Can you check it for me?”

Minho nods, untangling himself from your embrace just enough to reach into his pocket and grab your phone to unlock it.

“There’s like fifty new messages from a group chat. Best Fucking Five?” He chuckles lightly at the name, his chilly breath tickling your cheek.

You, on the other hand, immediately frowned as you heard the name. It’s a long-forgotten group chat with your old friend group from high school. You had all stopped talking a little before graduation, with you especially distancing yourself from them upon realizing their toxic words and reactions to your relationships only served to make you feel worse about yourself. No one bothered to leave or delete the group since it quietly died and had stayed that way for over three years now.

Minho hands you the phone, and you click another notification that pops up as soon as you unlock the device.

The conversation began with your former friend sending a screenshot of one of your ex-boyfriend’s newest Instagram post. You skim through the caption and blanch at the words accompanied by a sonogram picture. His girlfriend is pregnant, and he’s over the moon about it.

And you, for some reason, find yourself laughing so much you have to clutch onto Minho’s shoulder as your stomach starts to hurt.

He shoots you an understandably puzzled look, but you can’t stop the giggles that spill from your lips, so you settle on showing him the screenshot. 

“I got the best Christmas gift tonight,” Minho reads from the screen. “I'm going to be a dad, and the most wonderful woman I’ve ever known is the mother,” he trails off with a questioning lilt, brows furrowing as that had only confused him more.

“It’s one of my exes,” you manage to tell him after catching your breath.

Minho hums, taking your hands and shoving them in his overcoat pocket along with your phone.

“And why did that make you lose your mind laughing?” He asks with a small smile.

“I guess it was the shock, really. It also made me realize just how little I care about him now. All of them, actually. Every time I was broken up with or had my heart broken in some way, it honestly felt like the end of the world,” you explain, “Like my heart would never recover and like I would hate them for the rest of my life. For years I had such a strong ax to grind with them, and that hatred and grudge only caused me harm. It made me hate love, and it made me blame myself.”

Minho nods, pressing his forehead to yours. Around you two, the snow got thicker, and only the distant sounds of children laughing from neighboring houses could be heard throughout the quiet street.

“But it’s different now?”

You smile up at him. “It’s different now, and I only just realized that. These people are no longer people I hate. They’re simply their words and their actions toward me, but they, as people, mean nothing to me.”

Minho smiles and wraps his arms around you in a tight embrace. This realization makes you feel lighter, like a small part of the weight of healing has been removed from the equation. It’s only you and yourself now; none of them has any power over your emotions anymore.

“Maybe we should send the baby a present,” you joke, and Minho buries his head in the crook of your neck with a chuckle, and you jump as his cold nose brushes against your skin.

“Maybe we should.”

At that moment, in the arms of this amazing man who has helped you more than he will ever know, you realize that love truly isn’t bad. People can be bad, circumstances can be catastrophic, and wrong timing can destroy nearly everything. But love is, at the core of it all, good.

“Minho,” you call out, feeling him hum against your skin before lifting his head to look at you. “I love you,” you say simply.

His smile rivals every pretty thing around you. The first snow, the gleaming Christmas decorations, and even the moon herself pale in comparison to the smile that Minho gives you.

“I love you, too,” he replies, a tangible sense of bliss in his voice, as if he has yearned for a lifetime to finally be able to say those words to you.

You wrap your arms tighter around Minho, and your fingers brush against the red thread that adorns your wrist. It truly feels as if fate had led you to Minho, leaving little clues along the way to make sure you both knew when you finally met. His journey to you had been relatively easy, while yours had been heart-wrenching, but in the end, it had brought you heaven.

If soulmates really are a thing, there is not an ounce of doubt in your being that Minho is yours. More than anything, he taught you that love is present in everything around you. Love is being kind to others like Minho is kind to his family and strangers in convenience stores at midnight. Love is staying up with your best friend while she cries on the couch, not expecting anything in return. Love is the laughter of little kids on Christmas night echoing throughout a neighborhood. Love is also going out on your own, doing something simply because it will make you happy, and being kind to yourself. All this time, you held onto the belief that love is destructive and only leads to sadness, oblivious to the fact that it has surrounded you every step of the way.

Love is everywhere and in everything.

In the end, Minho had always been right.

Love is the most amazing thing in life.

♡ taglist: @notevenheretbh1, @malunar28replies, @jazziwritesthings, @finchyyy, @bloom-ings, @linocz, @minhochaos, @lastgreatamericandynasty1, @missminhoe, @jungkookies1002, @meanergreener

[jungwondazed]

warnings; pervy jungwon

that jungwon vlog where he goes camping...

couldn't help but think about going on a camping trip with him as "friends" where it's very innocent at first, having meals together but the forced proximity gets to jungwon's head. on the first night with you sleeping just across the room the only thing that's going through his mind is how easily you both could be doing anything else.

it was just you two in that trailer, surrounded by nothing but nature and quiet. he brushes away inappropriate thoughts that creep up because he wants to respect you as a friend, but the way your tank top has risen, exposing your waist and midriff makes him press his lips together and squeeze his eyes shut, letting out a groan.

throughout the camping trip jungwon is hit with the realization that human survival is more than just food shelter and water, that he is just a man with other needs and he convinces himself that it's okay to think about you in those ways because it's human anatomy.

he rubs himself through his sweats when you're asleep, fantasizing about you grinding on him yourself. his sighs are quiet, afraid to stir you awake, as much as he would love for you to catch him in the act and lend a hand. his hands move slow, wanting this feeling to last a long time because it's not every day he can have a view of you like this. when he's close his sighs turn to quiet raspy groans, rubbing himself faster and harder, still over his sweats, cumming all in his boxers and making a mess of himself.

he goes about the trip still playing the role of your friend, but with the way he thinks about you, he hopes you catch on to his now lingering touches.

[skz-streamer]

Y/N'S RACHAS

This master list is based off of a fictional female ninth member, y/n, of the 8 member boy group stray kids. All photos are either pulled off of Skz Bubble, Skz insta, or Pinterest - I tried my best to find no-face pics for y/n

<- BACK TO MASTERLIST

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。..・。.・゜✭

Sunshine triplets/SunshineRacha

Han, Felix, Y/n ~Unstoppable duo, you literally can't get them to stop laughing when they're together~

TwerkRacha

Felix, Y/n, Seungmin ~Y/n was recently added to this racha when she preformed with Soyeon and Momo at the MBC Music Festival~

PartyRacha

Han, Lee Know, Y/n ~LIFE OF THE PARTY, you can always catch these three dominating the karaoke bar with those high notes, they def get tipsy and flirt w each other, literally have to be dragged out be the other members~

EliminationRacha

Felix, Y/n, Lee Know ~A Racha more or less for fans, all three members have been eliminated during The Stray Kids Survival Show~

KittyRacha/CatRacha

Felix, Y/n, Lee Know ~Literal reincarnates of cats~

CultRacha

Hyunjin, Y/n, I.N ~All three have been approached by members of a cult, Y/n having an encounter when exiting a restroom while on a roadtrip, find more about the story here~

TallRacha

Y/n, Hyunjin ~The only relatively tall members of skz~

ReflexRacha

Y/n and Lee Know ~You drop something, they catch it. You throw something, they catch it. Something falls, they catch it.~

SwearRacha

Felix, Chan, Lee Know, Y/n ~Always bleeped out during vlogs, they seem sweet until you hear how much of a potty mouth they all are~

EnglishRacha/OutsiderRacha

Chan, Y/n, Felix ~Two Aussies and one American, can fluently speak English~

RoastRacha

Lee Know, Y/n, Seungmin ~Do NOT play with them, you'll end up rethinking your whole life~

DisgustedRacha

Hyunjin, Y/n, Lee Know ~Ready to give you the most honest reaction, no filter when it comes to expressions~

SwitchRacha

Y/n, Felix, I.N ~Can switch personalities in a literal second, one moment they're cute, the next smoking hot~

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

Permeant Taglist: @eee5533 @mixtape-racha @ot8skz-wifey @ren0325 @felixvsp @crybabyychu

Click here to be added❤️

[crazymoonlight]

Goodbye Carlos (a letter)

Some goodbyes are harder than others because you least expect them to happen. One driver, four years, 89 races and hundreds of memories. I think your presence in Ferrari will forever be one of the dearest memories that remain in my mind, and your departure will probably remain like a scar on the wall of my memories for a long, long time. Not seeing you in the red suit was something I didn't even think would happen. Some call you a prince who was never given the chance to become a king, but I prefer to see you as a gladiator who fought to the last moment, who gave his best, but they resisted him with all their might and prevented him from becoming a conqueror. You were hurt. They hurt you, but I don't even know who exactly to blame for it. You were wounded, and I was also wounded by seeing this. It was as if I saw a star from afar that was struggling to survive, but you survived, I don't know how, because I'm not even strong enough to stop being sad about this occurrence, but you did. So I believe that you'll shine, you'll shine brighter than ever, like the shiniest star in this sky.

I love you for "This is my first smooth operator at Ferrari". I love you for your intelligence and the beauty of your amazing driving. I love you for all those beautiful podiums and joyful celebrations. I love you for your grand prix vlogs. I love you for your special helmets and race suits. I love you for making Spain into one of our home races. I love you for garage 55. I love you for giving me the best duo I've ever seen. I love you for Charlos. I love you for those silly C² challenges that always make me laugh. I love you for all your achievements and all those memories that you made for us during these four years, and I'm going to miss you for all of them. ❤️🌶️

I will always love & support you Carlos, Vamos.

[steam-beasts]

hello! been casually eyeing your au for a bit, absolutely love the concept!

i know you mentioned in a previous post a while back that the Pack wasn't affected by the whole monster thing, but i'm still mildly curious about their current status, like how they managed to avoid... (motions to the au) that, and whatnot. i've been fixated on those characters lately and i'm in desperate need of content lol

The Pack survived through getting resources from the environment and wildlife. It was just them and their operators. Miss Jenny went out to find help – she didn’t care about herself, she prioritised trying to get the Pack off the island, and the mainland bridge was closed off, and there were no ships and cranes (all the cranes went crazy). So she set out herself to find an escape. After a full day passed, the Pack was extremely worried. So from that point, they began the task of surviving the currently dangerous island of Sodor, and finding Miss Jenny. Jack came up with the idea to vlog their process, and trying to use the vlogs as an attempt at an S.O.S. Along the way, their drivers used plants and bits of bushes and mud to decorate the vehicles in camouflage, so monster engines wouldn’t detect them as much. They’d also had to deal a fair bit of damage, such as damaged windows, shovel arms occasionally malfunctioning, dents, nearly rolling off hills and Alfie had to go around nearly two years with a partially functional shovel which he had to drag around and could only lift a couple feet off the muddy ground.

By the end of it, they were tired and given a good long rest.

[anshares]

He Xuan a niche mukbang youtuber suddenly gets an invite to do a collab video by a super popular influencer who also happens to be his online crush!

How will he survive this?!

Click more for full plot!

Modern AU Youtubers - (M/F Flavor Beefleaf)

He Xuan and Shi Qingxuan are Youtubers, the former runs a mukbang and cooking channel and goes by the handle name BlackWater but fans call him Mingyi, his color preferences (and home decor) are mostly in black.

He has pet piranhas, he talks about them most of the time while streaming the cooking segment. His favorite is King Crab Legs; it is often featured in his mukbang videos.

He Xuan is super picky with food, some isn't up to his taste so he learned how to prepare it, hence the cooking channel segment. He also accepts requests from his fans on which food he’ll make next because hey more food to discover and eat for him.

He has a decent following but not that popular, he’s been a niche youtuber for 2 years now.

While the latter is a super popular youtuber who goes by the handle name Windy, the make up master she runs a makeup tutorial channel where she also shares her skin and hair care regimen.

Also does some daily life vlogs occasionally. Shi Qingxuan has a million subscribers and followers on all her socials, she is sponsored by various companies (sometimes her brother’s business partners) and does product giveaways.

She shows a peppy persona which her fans love, always wears fashionable outfits and takes a lot of selfies. She has an older brother who is a business tycoon but he doesn’t support her vlogging work but there’s nothing he can do about it.

Hua Cheng is He Xuan's agent (and debt collector), they knew each other for quite a long time now and can communicate by facial expressions,

Also the piranhas are the reason why He Xuan is in debt with Hua Cheng (that and his equipment are all sponsored by Hua Cheng) and Xie lian is SQX manager and agent, they were best friends back in college.

Fun Fact:

SQX text with lots of emojis a text from her ain't complete without those, if there's no emoji that means it's serious or she is going through something. He xuan text dry one word responses.

Xie lian would probably types so formally with complete sentences with no grammatical error, that's why his text ends up so essay-like

Hua Cheng is full of shortcuts sometimes with numbers.

He Xuan was doing one of his live mukbang when suddenly he chokes on food (it became a viral meme btw), it's because he got a certain notif that a certain popular user followed him so he got shocked and choked on his food. He was happy that one of his fave bloggers followed him back.

They sometimes interact in the comments section. SQX enjoys his vids and often comments on it

Sqx: omg!!!! 🤩🤩🤩 thats so awesome how did you do that?!?!?!!? (゜ロ゜)!!ヽ(ﾟдﾟヽ)(ﾉﾟдﾟ)ﾉ!! You truly are amazing ming-xiong (*/□＼*)

Hx: Thanks

Their agents suggested that they do a collab video so SQX being the way she is super friendly and open to new things reached out first and sent him a DM to invite him into doing a collab with her

where He Xuan will voice over SQX makeup routine and SQX will do the spicy wing challenge (cooked by He Xuan). He Xuan accepted of course it's not everyday that your favorite youtuber (and crush) invites you to do a collaboration with them.

The funny thing is He xuan was SQX fan first and he saw her as a rival vlogger, kinda hate her at first because he found her peppy persona annoying but after a while he got endeared to it

so when she offered to do a collab he jumped for joy all over the room before sitting down and sending a very dry OK to her in response to the collab offer. Hua Cheng just gave him a side eye for being a weirdo.

It was their first time meeting in real life and SQX thought that HX is handsome in person and had a “Oh no he is hot!!” moment. She actually found one of HX videos while she was trying to find food recipes on the internet.

Her brother is on a business trip and XL was sleeping over but being a terrible cook and calamity of the kitchen she took matters into her own hands to avoid food poisoning (never again she swears)

Hua Cheng trolls HX all the time by introducing him or calling HX to SQX as “your biggest fan” or “your secret admirer” and HX denies all allegations with a straight face "I like her a normal amount, I'm not a crazed fan"

but got worried if sqx hated him afterwards because of how he seemed cold in their first meeting.

They are about to shoot their first video collab which is the Spicy wing Challenge, he wants to impress her with his cooking skills.

SQX watches Ming-xiong (she calls him that) prepare and cook the food and the progression of her reaction from heart eyes (because c'mon have you seen him he is hot, such an eye candy and preparing food just for her) to

Oh shit I'm gonna die because of the amount of spice being put into the chicken. Basically she went from (🤩😍🙂😰😨😱) because of the pure hellish torture that awaits her.

He Xuan wants to prepare his favorite dish for the girl of his dreams but didn’t know her shit spice tolerance level and his only taste tester is hua cheng who has dead taste buds who likes the lunch that XL prepared an ominous violet looking food(?)

Off cam

Xl: here san lang do you want to have a taste *ominous looking violet goop*

San lang: i would be honored gege

Sqx: NO! WAIT DON--

HC: *looking fine and even liked it* it's very delicious gege

Sqx: what the?? He must have a stomach made of steel

Hx: *nods in agreement*

She was gonna go easy with HX but then the spicy wings incident happened so she went with a Goth makeup routine as revenge for making her eat Mt. Tonglu level spicy food but

she made HX too pretty and it went viral. Viewers got a moment of internal confusion over live chat because of the viral vid HX got a lot of subscribers.

Afterwards they do a lot of collabs and she posts their selfies on insta (dates under the guise of collab vid shooting). Also while shopping SQX buys them silly earrings, Fish bone for HX and leaf for her.

People started to wonder if they were because of their insane chemistry, their fans started calling them beefleaf (they may also use that as titles for their collab videos, SQX idea because she likes the name and emoji for it.)

It's actually their agents who are dating now not them, NOPE NEVER

also before Hualian dated during one of the “double date” aka collab vid shootin. They also do Q & A livestream

Question: Are you two dating?

SQX: Nope, this is my GOOD FRIEND Ming-xiong

HX: we are not friends

SQX: Ming xiong you are so mean!!!

HX: I don't want to be friends with you

SQX: WWWHYYYYYYY??!?!?! AFTER ALL WE'VE BEEN THROUGH??!?!?!?

Viewers: *Eye emoji* our ship is sailing

viewers can see what HX means but Ms. Windy cant, you have a long way to go Ming-xiong……Fighting!

He Xuan also asked XL what he liked about HC but the way XL describe Hua Cheng is soo….makes him like a dream boat so HX is confused if they are still talking about the same person…

Also he xuan being in denial of his feelings he tries to take an online quiz to find out that he is indeed in love with SQX

Windy went on a short hiatus because one anonymous user (Reverend of Empty Words) kept harassing her and leaves negative comments on all her videos, she tried to ignore it but it became too much.

HX will make a video called “Reading Windy’s Hate Comments and Proving Haters Wrong) he will roast so hard, he did this when SQX was down in the dumps because of that anonymous user.

XL sents the YT link to SQX who is avoiding social media at the moment to cheer her friend up. The anti was mass reported and taken down.

After the reverend's empty words fiasco, she starts seeing him as a man because he supported and defended her and was there for her at her lowest.

She now changed his contact name for HX it is now Ming-xiong ❤️❤️❤️

Cue in SQX vid series of “how to seduce your good friend” plus throw in how to mix and match outfit and make up tutorial in there too but it becomes a running gag that Shi wudu cockblocks them and it's not staged.

They shoot over SQX house cuz she has a bigger kitchen for another cooking segment but ofc SQX has a different goal here, she asks HX to teach her how to cook so there are plenty of being in close contact as he guides her how to use a knife.

She thinks she is the one being seduced instead, beefleaf fans are eating it up and request they do more domestic stuff. The beefleaf fandom watches old videos to see who liked who first so like when they got to that origin vid of that meme of his.

They'll probably see the live chat on the side of the video and see the "coincidence" and right timing of when he choked. Blackwater fans thought it's because he ate to fast back then BUT OH BOI IT WAS ACTUALLY WHEN BEEFLEAF STARTED. It'll probably be named beefleaf day.

SQX likes reading their meta and analysis of the beefleaf videos and how He Xuan subtle hints, SQX may not notice but the fans do and they are great source of info for SQX but ofc she needs affirmation from HX own mouth because all of these are fan speculations by the end of the day.

Only their agents know this but Beefleaf have each other as their phone wallpaper (candid cooking photo of HX for SQX and SQX Selfie for HX) its because they always caught them staring and do a pining sigh at their phones multiple times a day.

Ever since they started the cooking show with the both of them, HX always wears the “kiss the cook" apron he got from HC as a prank gift.

SQX thinks about it a lot should she be straight forward and just go for it but then again she doesn’t want their current relationship ruined just cuz she read his signals wrong…

Hualian are the mods of the beefleaf fan page. Crimson rain makes merch and scrap collector provides scarily accurate meta about beefleaf, All in the name of supporting their friend /investment. Xl gives SQX beefleaf merch pretending that he found it at cons.

Also people are starting to wonder if HC and HX are just business partners or friends, they bicker like siblings but when asked if "Are you sure you two aren't friends?" They just deny it and just say that their relationship is based on money/business.

HC claims that He Xuan has debts to pay to him, which is true. He has to lay the cost of the apartment studio, camera equipment, Food ingredients, restaurant bills and pet care that He Xuan owes him.

XL and SQX think that HC and HX are besties.

During the pining era sqx tries to be proactive and make her feelings obvious hoping that he xuan will take a hint. She also sought the advice of xie lian and hua cheng about this and created a 10 step confession plan, psyched herself up and tried to encourage herself. Prepared for it and all.

She is going all in!! She is getting her man and confess her feelings!!! And then they will date and be happy if not well she will call xie lian and ask to buy 2 tubs of ice cream while she marathons romcom films but NO NEGATIVITY HERE only good things SHE WILL SUCCEED she swears it.

So here they are grocery shopping for their next vid, they are picking out ingredients (so domestic she thinks it'll be even better once she nabs him and becomes her boyfriend)

she hopes that he xuan notices her outfit and makeup and new perfume something gentle cuz he likes those but all she got is a deadpan stare

(on the inside he xuan is internal screaming like is there something up today why is she all dressed up and extra pretty does this woman know what she is doing to his heart pls have mercy on this poor man's soul)

the confession is so normal and sudden, she was planning to like after grocery shopping they go out and eat and she will confess at this beautiful park after they left the groceries in the car.

Okay grocery shopping done. Check

Retouched makeup check and eyeliner is on point

Finding the right moment. Working on it. So while in the parking lot loading up their groceries in the car,

she asked he xuan if they could go to the park and like walk around for a lil while she said she found it while browsing on the internet and she wants to check it out for their other collab vids if its a nice place and he xuan just suddenly goes, "sure thing babe"

*record scratch* hold on rewind did she hear right??? he xuan doesnt use pet names and he called her babe?! WHAT IS HAPPENING!?!?!

Sqx: wait...what did you just call me?? say it again

He xuan: say what again?

Sqx: dont play dumb! You called me babe!!

He xuan: yeah and?

*sqx turns into a goldfish due to her being shocked speechless

Sqx: i.. huh-- what?? Omg?? Wait hold on give me a minute you want me to be your babe???? Did i hear right???

Hx: you heard right....

Sqx: 0////////0

Hx:I'm sorry if you don't like it we could pretend i -

Sqx: WAIT JUST A MINUTE I DIDN'T SAY I DID NOT LIKE IT I WAS JUST SHOCKED! And btw yes ill be your babe

Then theyll hug or kiss him on the cheek shyly

Also While they are hugging

Sqx: you meeaaaniieeeee, i made a ten step confession plan and tried to find a park to set up the romantic atmosphere but you beat me to it in the middle of a parking lot too!!!!!

Hx: *chuckles*

Now that they are dating they are contemplating whether or not they should announce it right away to their fans but at the same time they just want to keep it to themselves, so they decided to just tell the fans later but…they are really bad at hiding it…

So they are doing one of their cooking videos again (it's one of the most requested videos of the beefleaf fans they love gow domestic it is and all) so he xuan cooking segments always feature sqx now and the kiss the cook apron (but this time she will kiss the cook)

So he xuan be like pass me the salt so sqx does and he be like thanks hun and sqx kisses him on the cheek you're welcome with a bright smile.

Off cam he xuan cooks for sqx so this became a normal thing for them that they forgot they are doing it live so they froze for a moment and saw the chat went wild

"Omfg did you see that they kissed"

"Noooo waaaayyyy"

"Incoherent screaming"

"Askgheulgjodafaidj6akdsy"

"My ship is canon!!!!!!!!!"

Then beefleaf be like hahah well there's no use hiding it now, he xuan hugs her from behind as she says

"Yes beefleaf is now canon"

-THE END-

[ravenbloodshot]

Ran Takahashi (Volleyballer).... Personality Reading

- I kept seeing him wearing a Canadian suit (Denim on Denim outfit). So that could be a style he likes a lot or he's just very fashionable in his day to day life. I also kept seeing him being recorded (like in a retro style)

👇This is the retro style I'm talking about. He may like to vlog/video in this manner, may have interest in photography. Check this video out to get the energy I'm talking about

- He could be a mommas boy or just has a lot of love for his mother. (I saw an image of him kissing , I presumed to be his mom on the forehead). He can be very sweet to her

- He's quite intelligent and definitely the type of person to love school, learning and reading. Like someone you can find at a library. (Idk if he's in college rn, but he's studying a lot of subjects, he could be just doing it for fun). He loves to learn about new things and is the biggest nerd + bookworm.

- He's very calm and reserved. But almost too reserved to the point that he retreats within himself a lot. Like, not going out a lot and not really having any friends (he's not exactly happy with this situation but he's not upset about it either, he probably wishes to be around ppl that are nice to him but he's scared of coming across those that aren't). I wonder if he had a bad experience when it comes to him interacting with ppl, like him being misunderstood or maybe even bullied. So he just sticks to himself, which is what he's use to

- Once again I'm seeing he's very artistic and creative. Has a love for the arts, music, poetry, videography etc... But I'm seeing that he could have possibly wanted to make a career as an artist and didn't make it (or switched to volleyball bc it was a safer option). So he could have this pity for himself that he never succeeded in his first goal/dream but had to settle for a different thing. I don't think he hides his desires to be an artist and he may come off as ungrateful and blind to his present opportunities especially since he's quite a gifted volleyball player so ppl may not get why he's crying about his failed artistic dreams when he's fulfilling an athletic career that many could never dream to do.

- This guy is giving solo adventurer vibes, like he's really on his own and he behaves in a way that protects his energy/essence since he knows he's the only one that can really look out for him. However, he's not selfish. He's more a self preservation type of person than a selfish one. Like he looks out for himself when it comes to basic survival but he's still willing to risk himself for things/people that matter to him.

- This guy has REALLY good energy, it's sooooo chill. He really makes sure to keep toxicity away from him so that probably reflects on why his energy feels so warm and calm. If you guys want to follow a 'celeb' that you know won't be some narcissistic, asshole irl, follow this guy, he won't disappoint.

- He's quite clumsy and may say nonsensical things at times. It makes him come off very cute and innocent though.

Grand Finale by Studio Killers is a song that fits this readings energy

[asherlockstudy]

The plot hole of Wonderhole (E1)

Introduction

The Plot Hole

The Flight

The Simulation

The Desert Island

Introduction

I finally found the opportunity to start my ANALysis of Wonderhole (Rhett & Link Wonderhole compatible joke). If you have read previous posts I have made about their scripted content or even candid conversations they have had, my main object is to examine whether this new content belongs to the same category of the recurring - and treated as a symbolism of their reality by me - Rhink storyline like almost all their previous scripted videos (including stuff from 2015) and creations (i.e TLCOBC); what I have been calling "One Story" for convenience. One Story Masterlist can be accessed here. By the way, I will also not take into account what new thing Rhett IRL may or may not have said in order to mud the water because he has been doing it a lot lately and I am not sure it is 100% reliable.

I will say that I had to watch the First Class Flight more than once to determine whether this episode is actually part of the One Story or not. After a few rewatches I realised that what was confusing me is that Wonderhole so far has a critical difference from the previous videos. The previous videos usually take place in an undefined time or in the present and they are full of symbolisms of their past and present. Wonderhole deals mostly with the future. Therefore, there are two ways we can view this:

Wonderhole so far is not part of the One Story because it only minimally draws parallels from their lived past.

Wonderhole so far IS part of the One Story because even though it doesn't draw from the past a lot, it actually reflects their certainty or expectation for how their future will unfold depending on certain circumstances, so technically it is still part of their true One Story because it is the future that's coming towards them or the one that seems very likely to come their way.

I suppose it's easier for readers to understand this through the obviously futuristic Time Capsule episode, however here I will argue about how this is also the case with the First Class Flight. This episode is linearly distinguished in two great time segments: the present in which Rhett and Link fake a first class flight vlog and the future of them being deserted in an island three years from now.

The Plot Hole

This is the time I should explain the title of this post. There is a massive plot hole in the episode and it is an intentional one. The way we can tell it is intentional is because our attention is drawed multiple times throughout the video towards it. Here are some examples:

"Without ever having to leave Burbank" - Rhett

"Since this is a simulation-" - Link

"...to fake fly us to fake Singapore wearing a fake mustache" - Rhett

"Well, it tastes like it might be juice but it's a simulation!" - Rhett

Link: "We're moving"... Rhett: "Oh it almost feels like it hehe"

"I gotta say, this is the smoothest takeoff I've ever experienced" - Link

"Since Mythic Air flight 138 operated at a real world altitude level of zero feet above ground we're not anticipating any flight safety issues" - Flight Attendant

Get it? They were in Burbank in a simulation of a flight. They never left. They go out of their way so many times to make it absolutely clear they are not moving and they are faking the whole thing. So, how on earth did the disaster and its consequences prove to be real???

At this point we should also acknowledge that there is not any technical evidence, there is no footage - how could there be one after all - that the plane somehow crashed and Rhett and Link survived the fall and were washed ashore to some desert island. This is the general implication but like we saw it is a very faulty one because it makes no sense. Which means that if we want to be precise about what could have happened in those three years between the vlog shooting and them being castaways, there are two possibilities:

It is a fantastical story in which the lie somehow morphed into a truth, it transcended into reality and caused all these consequences or

the technical issue / fall in the flight was just part of the prepared experience by the Mythical Crew, like everything else. We stop witnessing before the fall but it doesn't mean it didn't stop at some point, Rhett and Link continued the vlog, returned home and they ended up as survivors in a desert island after making the real vlog in a later time.

Now, I don't have an opinion or preference on which is the better theory between the two but I think that as symbolisms they signify pretty much the same thing. In order to understand this, we need to examine what each segment of the video stands for.

The Flight

This is very easy. The whole segment of the First Class Flight symbolises Mythical and, most notably, GMM. Everything that happens in this vlog is a conflation of all the most typical GMM formats and running jokes together.

Counting, we have: 1) the Mythical Crew crafting and the attention down to the smallest detail, 2) not consuming alcohol due to youtube rules, 3) their whole experience is curated by the Mythical (Plane) Crew, 4) precautions taken for dangerous Link, 5) Link interrupting the pilot (Stevie), 6) Mythical kitchen outdoing itself, 7) Rhett and Link tasting stuff, 8) Link typically going for what Rhett wants / has, 9) Link being super picky with the food, 10) Link not ceding to compliment Rhett to save his life, 11) Link oversharing and then Rhett making him feel worse for it, 12) Link's sexual but meaningless jokes (coconut in the pants / mile high club), 13) Link being extra particular about getting the perfect angles and shots, 14) Rhett and Link made to do something intimate together with stupid excuses just for the shippers (changing together, touching butts, sleeping together), 15) Link being grossed out, 16) indirect reference to Link's much discussed herpes, 17) Mythical grooming products, 18) doing something physically strenuous but ridiculous, 20) feeding each other, 21) smelling stuff blindfolded, 22) Rhett winning and / or doing something impressive, 23) Rhett winning the prize (here, picking what TV show to watch), 24) synchronizing in everything.

They squeezed in this "vlog" everything they typically do in Mythical episodes. The plane and the flight stand for Mythical, this space Rhett and Link have carved around them and it is what has made them rich and, to a degree, what keeps them secure. Also, the fact that it stands for Mythical is not subtle at all actually:

And in case you did not realise, THIS IS MYTHICAL.

The presence of their company has not been so emphatically stressed in other videos and it makes sense both at face value and subtextually because this is of course who is behind the making of this supposed vlog according to the plot, however we will see now why this matters a lot as a metaphor as well.

The Simulation

This is actually part of the Flight segment but I really want to talk about it on its own because it is the most essential part of the video. I believe this is why they made that video and this is also why it is the first episode of Wonderhole.

Like they clarify, this is not a vlog. It is a test video in place of the actual vlog they wanted to do but weren't sure the fans would approve of. So, they decided to test the waters by spending budget to frivolous Mythical simulations in order to minimize the risk and check the fans reactions, before proceeding with the actual vlog. I have explained many times that this is exactly what I believe it is happening with all their scripted content, especially the recent ones (TLCOBC onwards) and this is what is happening with Wonderhole too. This is the first episode because it is the warning, if you will, regarding what Wonderhole truly is. In short, this first episode is the shrunk simulation of Wonderhole itself, if not their situation for quite some time. Don't forget that last year Link had said there was a very specific question they wanted to get an answer to in regards to people's response to their scripted videos and by the end of the year they both concluded that aside from the positive reviews they had not received the exact response they wished for. (This is why Wonderhole is also going to be bolder than last year's videos, you are seeing this already. Because there is more despair to get the specific response.)

This explains why it didn't matter whether Rhett and Link survived the plane crash either through a fantastical transcendance to reality or in a later time but we do not see it; because it means disaster ensued either because they danced too close to the fire with their simulations / scripted content and people realised it had to be real or because they ignored alarming cues from the audience, went through with the "real" content and that's when the disaster took place. Both are possibilities and whichever one is the one that happens, in their minds the result is the same: they end up stranded and forgotten in a desert island by themselves.

Before proceeding with the final segment, there are more significant layers to the simulation. There are three times when Rhett and Link hear a concerning noise from the plane: when they touch butts in the bathroom, when there is an implication for Link's herpes and when they are together in bed. So those sobering noises happen in moments of relatively more intimacy. Rhett and Link then watch a trash reality show with a frankly weird premise, hot singles go to underdeveloped countries to perform surgeries as complete amateurs?! Wow. Perhaps there is meaning to it but I couldn't find it. The interesting thing here is that even this reality show has the element of practicing something dangerous through simulation. The show host tells the players they have the chance to perform a surgery in a practice before being exposed to the real thing. This is exactly when chaos unfolds, the show is paused and the pilot screams in panic. And at that moment we have what I think is the most important, the most telling screenshot so far:

Rhett and Link then embrace, waiting for the end, while they confess to each other things we all know. As they are looking for something super special to confess, Link says Rhett's balls are hanging out at that moment too. I don't think there is a sifnigicance to this unless the implication was that Rhett had removed his pants while we were unsuspectingly looking at the reality show! But, honestly, I don't think we got the equivalent of the announcement this was an allegory for. They didn't push for anything more there other than the notion that it was time for a most pivotal confession.

Lastly, let's also examine Link's quote early in the episode: "We like closing one eye, because it immerses us in something that's not really happening". This can be interpreted in various ways. Does it mean that we close our eyes in order to see something that is not true or does it mean that if we opened our eyes, then we would see what is really happening? These may seem similar but there is all the difference in the world between them.

It is very interesting however that the theme recurs later with the reality show: the participants perform eye surgeries like cutting cataracts, so there is this repeated theme of wanting to improve what one's eyes see. Alas, they are amateurs which means the surgeries are likely to lead to disaster before they lead to the much desired "eye opening".

The Desert Island

Believe it or not, this is in my opinion the least important segment or, maybe, the one least packed with information. That segment expresses their conviction of how they will survive a potential disaster. They appear removed like recluses but they stick together. Of course, their big longing will be to keep making videos, even if they don't have the means anymore or even if nobody cares to watch. This is about their professional life. Then:

"When left alone Rhett and Link exhibit all sorts of strange behaviours"

Aside of hopelessly trying to work and create, we are presented with what their life is likely going to be privately post-plane crash / disaster. Almost everything we see involves a level of physical intimacy; Rhett massages Link, "their" version of poker (which involves nipple stimulation), trying to make wine (like the notorious wine they made in puberty), skygazing together, checking each other for dermatological issues, sharing their thoughts and the classic joke of changing SOS to SEND TACOS, an indication that they are having enough of a good time to not really try to be rescued and return to their previous lives, with their old job and families. Oh, and having sex with the sex bush. This is the boldest imagery in this episode because we see them... uh...rub themselves on the sex bush (at the very least), not only in each other's presence but also while clasping hands. I don't think I have to tell you this but this is canonically engaging in the same sexual activity because it's like they are masturbating while holding hands. Now, if Rhett considers this a wild leap of logic indicative of "us the Rhink shippers", I don't know what to say.

There is also a very interesting lyric in their song. Watch how it is phrased:

"Sharing peanut butter because we are peanut butter lovers, lovers as in, we're both loving peanut butter. Not that we are making love with one another... We got a bush for that."

What exactly does this mean? We are making love with a bush instead of one another or we are using the bush to make love with one another and not the peanut butter? It sounds more like the former one but the imagery suggests the latter. I don't know. It could also mean that they are really tiptoeing around each other while still keeping their sexual life straight. We are not making love with the peanut butter (gay sex), we have a bush for that (straight sex). But then we see that in the bush they are really pushing the limits between them. It could be all of these things.

Bush aside, what does the peanut butter symbolise on its own? Link denies he is aroused by it but he readily admits he wants to "eat it out" and Rhett follows immediately, the more Link opens up. Again, we see once more Link to be the first one to voice his desire and of course Rhett jumps at it at a moment's notice. This is the case also in Digging the Medium-sized Hole, in the Puzzle, in the Brown Diamond. But then we have this strife caused between them as they cannot decide who should take the "first scoop". Like, who will break the seal of the peanut butter? To be honest, I think this is the drama that anal might have caused between two ex-Christian very traditional dudes. Like, who takes one for the team. Both of them claim the position of sticking their spoon to the peanut butter. Link has the argument that he should be the one to do it because he is the guy into peanut butter while "what Rhett really is is a bean guy" (bean is a slang for clitoris, so he's more into female genitalia, more hetero than Link). Rhett on the other hand doubts Link's versatility in sex (has happened IRL as well) so he doesn't want to cede the position of control to him.

Link: I got a lot of novel grill ideas. Rhett: Like what? Link: Like, the grill that uses the heat generated from rubbing your hands together. Rhett: ...And then you place them on the food?! Link:...... Yep. Rhett: So, the Link Neal Grill is just hands?!

Link is shamed for being too vanilla.

After a lot of talking it out, their eyes are opened to what they wanted all along. Link admits Rhett might like peanut butter just as much and Rhett admits that Link might be as competent in this as he is (find the peanut butter). They decide to each take a scoop from one side of the top and then enjoy it together. I mean, none of this is a great analogy but the most plausible scenario is that in order to overcome their conservative inhibitions and their sense of pride, they had to both agree to engage in this in absolutely equal terms. In short, to switch. Which I totally believe could be the case in reality as well.

The way the sex bush contrasts with the peanut butter makes it all rather confusing because we can also tell this does not proceed in a chronologically linear way at all, let alone that we have a blend of past and future here. But don't worry too much because the result is the same. By putting the peanut butter on leaves from the sex bush and then consuming it, they have canonically exchanged sex fluids. I could have said this from the beginning of this segment and save me of all this struggle.

[pinkanonwrites]

Trigun Streamer AU

On a desolate desert planet at the far corners of our known universe, an evolved form of humanity fights for the right to survive amidst brewing wars, burrowing beasts, and threats from beyond the stars. Play alone or with friends on your journey to become the hero of NO MAN'S LAND.

No Man's Land is an MMORPG with a massive and committed fanbase of players, speedrunners, artists, and people who just want to dress their characters up in cute outfits to take screenshots of. With an expansive story, multiple playable classes, and far too many ways to spend your time messing around on the danger-filled space rock, many devoted gamers spend their time together adventuring across the wild golden yonder that awaits them in-game.

(If you are a Trigun Stampede fan only, there are SPOILERS about Livio the Double Fang in his role and description! Read on only if you don’t mind those)

The Players (And Friends!)

Our Reader Twitch Handle: Mayfly Gaming You've been a full-time streamer for several years, bouncing all over the board when it comes to the types of games you like to play. Mostly you stick to your favorite MMORPG, No Man's Land, but you've been known to dabble in all sorts of games so you've amassed many curious viewers. Plays the Fighter class on No Man's Land.

Vash Saverem Twitch Handle: HumanoidTyphoon Having recently transitioned from part-time to full-time streamer, Vash is known throughout the gaming viewer base as a player with ridiculous luck, both good and bad. Whether it's random power outages, never before seen game-breaking glitches, or just his cat Kuroneko stepping on the power button of his PC, many of his fans are tuning in just to see what ways things can go horribly wrong for their favorite streamer, and how he fantastically bounces back from it. He's really good at FPSs, but his favorite games are long, story-driven RPGs. He's been a fan of your streams basically since day one. Plays the Gunslinger class on No Man's Land.

Nicholas Wolfwood Twitch Handle: NicoThePunisher Vash's roommate and closest friend, Nicholas is a part-time streamer who specializes in horror and FPS titles. He's known as being remarkably hard to rattle, responding to jumpscares and screamers with barely more than a blink. Most fans are tuning in for his scathing commentary, and even though he only streams every few days he's developed a devoted fanbase. He's sick and tired of Vash gushing about how much he loves your streams. Plays the Paladin class on No Man's Land.

Meryl Stryfe Twitch Handle: Stryfe's Records Meryl is a news/current events streamer and video producer, both for global news and news occuring in the creator space. She keeps herself and her loyal viewers up-to-date on all the latest drops, hits, and scandals, doing her best to separate her own opinions from her videos in the name of journalistic integrity (though her feelings tend to slip through the cracks anyway, she's very passionate). She's been a friend of Vash's since high school, and though she knows he could use his smarts to do some amazing things, she's glad he's found something he really enjoys doing. When she does choose to kick back and game with her friends, she plays the Summoner class on No Man's Land.

Milly Thompson Insta Handle: ceylonandcircuits Meryl's best friend and roommate, Milly is a competitive weightlifter and tea enthusiast who usually ends up accidentally appearing in the background of Meryl's streams and vlogs. Because of her soft and friendly demeanor as well as her incredible buffness, she's somehow amassed her own little fanbase amongst Meryl's viewers despite not having much of an online presence herself. Her Instagram page got very popular after she accidentally dropped her handle during Meryl's livestream.

Nai Saverem Twitch Handle:MillionsKnives Vash's older twin brother, Nai is not a streamer and has little to no interest in joining his brother's antics. He knows Vash is smart, as smart as he is at the very least, and that if he just applied himself a little more he could be doing some really amazing things with him to change the world. Majored in Conservation Biology with a minor in Humanities, Nai is a certified genius with better things to do than watch his brother's group of friends play video games together on the internet. He certainly isn't subscribed under the handle ‘MillionsKnives’, running Vash's streams in the background of his work computer and occasionally redeeming bits for hydration and posture checks, that's for sure.

Livio Wolfwood Twitch Handle: DoubleFang Nicholas’s younger step-brother and Vash’s friend, Livio has recently sought to reconnect with his brother after a turbulent and emotional childhood and Livio’s eventual running away from home. For several years Livio struggled with Dissociative Identity Disorder, and has only in the past year or so begun to find some level of balance within himself and with his protective alter, Razlo. Both of them were quite nervous about reentering Nicholas’s life, but he welcomed his brother back with open arms. Though Livio is a large and intimidating man at first glance, on the inside he’s quite the softie, and enjoys watching Vash and his brother play games together, occasionally joining in when he has the free time. He’s an elementary school gym teacher as his day job, and will often join Milly at the gym for their workout routines when their schedules line up. Plays the Berserker class in No Man’s Land.

These are our main players in the Streamer AU. If y’all have any questions about my AU, please feel free to send them in!

[sweetiesicheng]

ten - live

word count : 616

-

"ten," you called out to your boyfriend. "ten?" you peeked into the living room to see if he was there, but he wasn't. "hey ten! come down here!" you exclaimed, assuming that he was upstairs.

you heard a door close and someone walk downstairs. you heard some more walking. "is dinner ready?" you heard ten ask.

"almost. can you grab some plates for me?" you requested while cooking.

"okay."

you looked over and saw ten open a cabinet. his phone was on the countertop and you looked at the screen to see him live on instagram.

"you're live?" you asked him.

"yep," he replied and put a plate on the counter next to you. you put the food on the plate before starting to stir fry some noodles.

"do you want water?" he asked.

"yes, please," you nodded.

you continued cooking for a little bit while ten put utensils and drinks on the table.

"do you want to say hi?" ten asked you and stood next to you with his phone in his hand.

you looked at his phone screen and waved for a second, "hi." you finished cooking and placed the food on a plate. you turned the stove off while ten grabbed the handle of the pan and placed it in the sink for you.

"luckily, my girlfriend knows how to cook, cause if she didn't, then i don't how we would survive," ten said.

you the plate on the table, "if i didn't know how to cook, then we would be at the dorm every night," you said and sat down. "you need to learn how to properly cook," you said to him.

"i just let kun do all the work," ten replied and sat down next to you. he placed his phone against the salt and pepper grinder that sat on the table.

"...and me," you muttered. you looked at the table, "are we doing a mukbang?" you asked and looked at him.

"are we?" he asked.

"you're the one who's live right now. it seems like we are," you said to him and started eating.

"someone said we should start one of those mukbang asmr videos," ten said while reading the comments from his phone screen. he started eating, and you looked at his phone screen to read the comments. "y/n doesn't like those videos, so i highly doubt it."

"you could do it. just post it onto the nct youtube channel and boom, a few million views," you said. "try this," you said and grabbed food from one of the plates. you put your hand underneath the food in case if it were to drop before bringing it to ten. he ate it, "like it?"

ten nodded in astonishment, "that's really good," he complimented. he grabbed some more and ate. "someone said that we look like a cute couple," ten mentioned and you looked at his phone. "we are cute," ten said and put his arm over your shoulders while bringing you closer to him.

"but i'm cuter than him, right you guys?" you asked. comments flowed in, agreeing with you. "good," you smiled and drank some water.

"y/n should start a vlog," ten read from his screen.

"me? i'm pretty boring," you said.

"yea, you are sometimes," ten agreed and you glared at him. "what? i told the truth. why do i feel like you're going to punch me?"

"i'm going to punch you."

"okay, i'm leaving," ten said and started running away.

"hey!" you quickly ate more food before grabbing ten's phone. "get back here!" you yelled and started chasing your boyfriend while whoever was watching the instagram live got to be included into the chaos.

[ghostradiodylan]

So, it's one year after the night at Hacketts Quarry. And everyone's kind of freaking out because, that's what trauma does to you. So basically what would everyone do that night?

Also, thank you for keeping this fandom alive

Ooh this is a fun ask!

Sorry this took so long! I had to chew on it for a bit and then I forgot it in my drafts!

Okay, so it's August 22nd 2022. The moon is cooperating by not being full (it's a waning crescent, to be precise). It's also a Monday and it could be the first day of college/university for anyone going, but let's imagine they all go back a little later since that seems to be the case in the game itself.

We'll imagine everyone survived because otherwise there are fewer of them to talk about and everyone is way sadder. I think one thing they're definitely not doing is going back to Hackett's Quarry in some kind of misguided Until Dawn style return to the scene of the trauma trip. Even if the werewolves are gone, there's still a ghost out there and that's how horror movie sequels get made!

They might do a quick zoom or hit up the group text just to check in, but I don't think they'd necessarily all get together. It would be a little intense for an anniversary, I think.

Max & Laura are endgame, so obviously they're still together, and I'd like to imagine they'd plan a little getaway for themselves (preferably one where Max doesn't have to drive). They'd want it to be something completely unlike the woodsy setting they spent the night in last year. Maybe they'd book a nice hotel for a long weekend not too far from home, just to have a break. Or maybe they'd do something big like take an Alaskan cruise. (Can they afford that as two grad school aged students whose lives just got turned upside down a year ago? Probably not, but it's a nice idea! Maybe if there was a victim's compensation fund or they sold their story to Netflix...) Water all around means zero werewolves! Max will keep comparing their accommodations with those of the North Kill jail, as he will do on every vacation now. ("Look honey, the toilet's in its own room and not an open concept bathroom like the last place we stayed!")

Emma talks about how she wanted to go to the spa after camp in one variation of her scene in the lodge basement, so maybe she'd have a nice pampering session for herself. Mani/pedi, facial treatment, massage, then chilling at home in a fluffy robe and slippers. Kat @itscomingupaces headcanoned Emma acquiring a tiny dog postcanon, which I love, so she probably has a tiny dog in her lap too. Maybe she'd do a brief vlog to reflect on her progress over the course of the year, assuming her viewers have a general idea that something traumatic happened to her and it wasn't all covered up. She'd throw on a comfort movie like Tangled or Singin' in the Rain and get her beauty sleep.

Nick would probably like to forget this anniversary, but I doubt he'd be so lucky in just a year. He has a lot of guilt about the way he treated Abi, though he wasn't really in control at the time. He'd probably try to do something that made him feel good about himself, like volunteer work. I could see him working on a Habitat for Humanity house or walking dogs at an animal shelter. He's almost certainly apologized profusely already, but if he's living anywhere close to Abi, he might offer to take her to dinner. If not, maybe it would be a good time to send her a card. Or an email.

Abi has definitely channeled some of her trauma into her art, so she might take the day to work on a new piece, maybe something a little less based in realism and a little more based in emotion. Maybe she'd incorporate some mixed media or sculpture into it. I go back and forth about shipping her with Emma or with Nick (or neither, or both) but maybe she'd get a manicure with Emma if she's not getting dinner with Nick (she wouldn't be up for the full spa day, though, that's just too much of strangers touching her and talking to her). Or maybe she'd do both, though that would be a lot of doing for our little introvert!

Jacob & Kaitlyn have hopefully patched up any bad feelings stemming from Jacob sabotaging the van because as childhood friends, I think they'd want to help each other when difficult anniversaries like this one come up. I forget who originally suggested it but I now strongly believe the headcanon that they are longtime karaoke buddies and they probably go get a private karaoke room and scream-sing away their angst while getting really embarrassingly drunk. It's fine, they'll get an Uber back to Kaitlyn's and eat an entire pizza later.

Ryan would want to go pay his respects to Chris, Kaylee, and Caleb Hackett. He has very complicated feelings about the family and their role in everyone's nightmare a year ago, but he still has affection for them and feels a duty to remember them as they were when they weren't transforming into flesh-eating monsters. I think he'd want to go visit their gravesites back in North Kill, take them some flowers, and clean off the headstones if the other Hacketts aren't around to do it. I'd like to imagine that he and Dylan would have figured their shit out by then, but whether they're a couple or not I think they'd definitely be in touch and Dylan would probably offer to drive Ryan out there and keep him company if Ryan would let him (if they still haven't gotten together, they probably have some things to talk about).

Dylan picks up some food on his way home, takes an edible, curls up with his cat, and watches the original 80's version of Cosmos with Carl Sagan. It's got a retro futuristic vibe that's very comforting. Some people get anxiety thinking about the vastness of space, but Dylan finds it oddly soothing to think that his problems are actually very small in the grand scheme of things in an ever-expending universe. Ryan can come too, if he wants (he probably does).

[residents-of-spookys-mansion]

u already know what im gonna say....

hcs for the protag and the sandals wearing ex-protag?

It’s about time I give the people what they want- specimen 14 and 12’s Host hc’s

First the old man:

-He’s about 50ish during the events of the post bad-ending. He’s been stuck in the mansion for nearly 20 years and is specimen 12’s longest living host. Old ahh

-He used to be a far bigger threat when he was younger but age has slowed him down and his stamina is shit. He also kinda shrunk in size to do age and is constantly slouching. His bad posture does not help with his back pain

-The beds in specimen 12 are also pretty bad which also do not help with his chronic back pain

-In order to survive the old man resorted to cannibalism. 14 was initially grossed out by the idea but when they realized they didn’t have any other options they tried it. Neither of them don’t eat it raw tho. So to cook any meat they grab a torch off the wall to cook that shit. Once a person’s too rotten to eat they throw to the corpse to specimen 3 to finish.

-In order to get water they both have to take the long ass trek down to the Karamari Hospital to the ONE working water fountain in the entire mansion. That water is always ice cold at least. Where does it come from? God who knows

-The old man and 14 at first didn’t like each other. Mainly cause 14 still viewed everyone as a threat and was highly suspicious of 12 and its host. Eventually they did start talking and relating to each other.

-The old man isn’t always 100% under the control of spec 12. 12 only fully possesses him when an intruder enters the mansion. Other than that, 12 usually retains like 15-20% control over his mind.

-The mansion doesn’t consider any of the specimens as Intruders, but more like highly annoying. It’s more tense when certain specimens enter than others. However it no longer perceives 14 as a threat since he visits a lot and even cleans up the place from time to time.

-To keep himself occupied the old man either cleans up 12 or just sits around kinda zoned out. Sometimes he reads books in the library. Most of which are fake or ineligible but he doesn’t seem to care.

-The old man lets 14 stay over in specimen 12 since he trust him enough. In reality he does it because he’s incredibly lonely and 14 is the only real person he’s interacted with in a long time. He likes 14’s company and finds him interesting to talk with.

-The old man plays a mentor role to 14. Often sparring to teach him better techniques and how to parry. He also keeps him out of trouble and gives him advice to stay sane and survive.

-sometimes when 14 gets into trouble, the old man will help him out then proceed to scold the hell out of them for being letting his temper get the best of him.

-The old man does have one fear and 14 is only one he’s admitted this to. Basically because he’s growing older and weaker, he’s worried that 12 is going to want to replace him with a younger and healthier host. He admits he’s worried that any intruder who comes in could be his replacement and that 12 will purposely try to get him killed.

-14 got really sad upon hearing this cause he knew the old man’s time up soon and cause he’s the only person 14 actually cares about.

-The old man has long forgotten himself and his life before the mansion. He also is somewhat embarrassed by his vlogging days and doesn’t like talking about it. Although he still has his old camera, hidden away. He was able to find some batteries once and used those. Sometimes he goes through the camera roll and rewatches these old videos of himself, clinging onto these last bits of his humanity.

-Despite his smiling facade and closed off and quiet personality, he’s pretty depressed and lonely, which 12 exploits. Although he’ll never admit this.

-Old man doesn’t really talk to the other specimens but is tolerated. He only really talks to 14 or the spirits of previous hosts, like the hanging victim. Since they all haunt 12’s mansion.

-The old man’s room is on the second floor and so is 14’s “room” whenever they stay over. Although 12 does kick 14 out if he stays for too long.

Ight time for specimen 14

-Our ex protag is about 18-19 years old. Before becoming a specimen, they were a quiet yet friendly person who mostly kept to themselves. After becoming a specimen, their mask fell and they turned into a quiet, yet violent person who dislikes being around others.

-They’ve been stuck in the mansion for about three months so far

-They have a massive distrust of pretty much everyone. He still thinks everyone’s out to get them and is paranoid. Most specimens avoid him since he’ll attack them if they get too close, no matter the situation. Even if they’re trying to talk to them they might get an axe to the face.

-14 makes sure to destroy every specimen 1 they encounter.

-When 14 encountered the old man for the first time after becoming a specimen, they immediately tried to kill him. The old man responded by parrying the axe, knocking it out of his hands and hitting specimen 14 in the chest with the blunt side of the sickle. He then yelled at 14 telling him he sucks at actual combat and then they became good friends after that.

-Out of all the specimens, 14 hates Ben, Deer lord, and the taker the most. He especially doesn’t like Ben and attacks him on sight every time. In total he has attacked Ben around 50 times and successfully destroyed Ben 33 out of those 50 times. (Ben can piece himself back together don’t worry)

-if 14 sees the Taker it is also on sight. He’s less successful in killing him tho

-When 14 and the Host go to the Karamari Hospital for water, they sometimes encounter monster 1. Monster 1 is used to having visitors come over to get water and sometimes strikes up a conversation with them. The security guard is one of the only ones 14 won’t attack. It’s mostly cause he never saw the guard as a threat even before becoming a specimen. The guard also doesn’t mind when 14 rants to him.

-The only other specimen that our ex protag can stand is the white cat. The white cat acts as his therapist and is one of the few things keeping them sane. Also 14 lets to pet and cuddle the white cat. 14 does feel very iffy about specimen 7. Especially since his mental state only got worse.

-he had a sort of alliance with a Rex. Basically whenever Rex has a problem with Ben, he gets 14 to get rid of Ben for him and 14 doesn’t mind because destroying Ben is the only thing that matters. Although their first interaction was weird. Basically Rex kept trying to bite 14 and he wouldn’t stop even when they tried to strike him with the axe. 14 was getting sick of it so he bit Rex back. Rex just stood that like he was mental and stopped bothering him after that one.

-Whenever 14 is bored he sometimes talks to the old man endlessly about history. Even after becoming a specimen, they still retained their love for history and can go one for days about it.

-14 also started to write down his feelings in notes as a way to cope. He copied this habit from the old man who also journals.

-Our ex protag likes to sleep in a lot and can usually be found passed the hell out. Sometimes spooky has to wake him up when an intruder is getting close.

-14 does have its own “local” now. Basically the express way, the one that ‘totally’ brought you back to the start, was giving to 14 as his area. Instead of the fake specimen 2 room, it was renovated for 14

-Both 14 and the old man have a slight healing factor. It’s nothing crazy but it’s useful. Although if they do get critically injured they have to go down to the hospital for treatment

-In order to get 12 to like them and let them stay longer, 14 does help to clean 12’s mansion.

-Sometimes 14 confuses the hell out of the old man by using modern slang.

-14 views the Old man as his mentor, someone he can talk and look up too. This slowly turned into 14 starting to grow a familial connection to him. He’s just barely an adult and is still very lost in life. The Old man helps to provide some guidance even in the worst of scenarios

-Specimen 14 unlocked a new skill, axe throwing and he’s pretty good at it. He also has a bit too much fun breaking down the doors. Once time when an intruder was getting away, he broke the door and threw the whole ass door at the mf. It was highly affective. He wonders why more people don’t do that.

-14 has a fear of bugs. Specimen 3 did not help with that. Specimen 3 is like one of the only beings that can actively scare the shit out of 14.

-I have a silly little comic idea between these two, but that’s for later :)

[andreal831]

Hey, I just discovered your vlog and I've been enjoying reading your replies very much. Idk if this has been asked before but I wanted to know if you think having Legacies in the making influenced The Originals ending. I think killing most, if not all parental figures was done because them existing in the same universe where the kids were in life thretening situation and not coming to help them wouldn't make sense.

Hi! Thank you for reading! I'm glad you enjoyed them.

I think it was very clear that Legacies ruined The Originals. To the extent that even the cast discussed it. Daniel Gillies was always very open about this, which is why (in my opinion) they did what they did to Elijah's character. He mentioned rushing through the last couple of seasons in this interview. I used to be more into the cast and would watch interviews, but I unfortunately never saved them so I don't have all of the receipts. But here are some quotes by Daniel regarding TO:

"That time was so complicated and difficult that to walk away from it knowing I had given it a great shot, it felt good – to walk away from the inherent difficulty of it."  "I was exhausted at the time, almost more exhausted than I have ever been. I had just directed an episode, I was sort of in these throes of the edit. I was consumed with having worked for long hours. I hadn't seen my family in weeks. We were also making a lot of changes to the scripts because scripts were struggling at that point. We had a backdoor pilot come in for another spin-off for the character of Hope Mikaelson in episode 11 or so, and because of that there was this tremendous pressure on the show. We were basically doing another show, another project, when we ought to have been wrapping up ourselves."

There is also a video interview where I distinctly remember Daniel talking about feeling abandoned by the producers, but I can't find it. We do know that Michael Narducci left after Season 4, as well as a lot of the crew. Daniel talks about a lot of upheaval on set that I find hard to believe was just normal business. He also complains about so many new characters in Season 5 which cut into the main characters storylines. With actors who have devoted years of their lives to these characters, it must have been difficult to watch them get ruined by the writers.

It is clear that none of the actors were happy when they left, which is why so many of them refused to come back. Phoebe even refused to sign off on them using her likeness and was only a "guest role" in Season 5.

I also think it is very telling that there are so many rumors that TO was supposed to be more seasons. It had good ratings and yet they decided to not even give us five full seasons. JP was definitely rushing to get to Legacies. That was always her goal, TO was just a means to an end. Season 5 wasn't about the TO characters, rather about launching Legacies. So much of Season 5 made no sense.

You're absolutely correct. Hayley, Elijah, and Klaus all dying was simply so Hope would be orphaned. Although they should have just killed the entire family because how the rest of them abandoned Hope was terrible. But, Hayley, Elijah, and Klaus would never have done it. There was no way Legacies was happening with those three around. It goes to show just how much of a parental figure Elijah was because JP also wanted that same pattern for Legacies. All three shows' lead woman is an orphaned teen thrown into the chaos of supernatural. Hayley and Klaus were never going to survive TO because JP wanted that for Legacies. Elijah got thrown in because in no world does he abandon Hope. I guess they could have left him with amnesia, but she wanted more drama than TVD.

But yeah, JP can deny it all she wants but she rushed the best show in the TVDU to create the worst. She wanted to create her own legacy (pun in tended) by creating a never ending spinoff universe.

Thanks for the ask!

Also feel free to send me the interviews if you can find them!

[ornii]

My Bitter Half series? Shut up and take my money!

It's monopoly money but the point still stands!

I Never expected that short story to get such praise. But if people want more of it, I’d be glad to I love the Siblings Dynamic, so here’s part 2 AKa: (Y/n) Pissing Wednesday off for (insert number) minutes.

My Better Bitter Half, Part 2

Chapter 2: Sibling rivalry, Part 1.

“The whole snarky Goth girl thing might have worked at normie school, but here things are different. Let me give you a wiki on Nevermore's social scene.”

Enid and (Y/n) walk between Wednesday down the hall.

“I'm not interested in participating in tribal adolescent clichés.”

“Well, then use it to fill your obviously bottomless pit of disdain. There are many flavors of outcasts here, but the four main cliques are Fangs, Furs, Stoners and Scales.” She explains, they eventually reach the Quad, the main social hub of Nevermore.

“Those are the Fangs, AKA vampires. Some of them have been here for decades.” (Y/n) motions to the ones in deep dark glasses. A few of the more feminine vampires eye the Addams Twins, more importantly (Y/n). They growl and wink at him, some batting their fangs.

“That bunch of knuckleheads are Furs, AKA werewolves. Like me!” Enid smiles, and the howling of werewolves echo along the annals of Nevermore.

“Full moons get pretty loud around here. That's when Furs wolf out. I suggest you pick up noise-cancelling headphones.” Enid said.

“I'm assuming Scales are sirens?” Wednesday said.

“You catch on quick.” Enid smiles, and motions to a girl, dark beautiful skin with azure blue eyes.

“And that girl, Bianca Barclay, is the closest thing Nevermore has to royalty. Although her crown's been slipping lately. She used to date our resident tortured artist, Xavier Thorpe. But they broke up at the beginning of the semester. Reason unknown.”

“Fascinating.” Wednesday says, obviously sarcastically.

“I know, right? My vlog is, like, the number one source for Nevermore gossip.” Enid says with a prideful gleam. (Y/n) sighs at this, until Ajax, a friend and local stoner approaches Wednesday.

Yo, (Y/n) Enid! You're not gonna believe the dirt I heard about your new roommate. She eats human flesh. Chowed down on that kid she murdered.You better watch your back (Y/n).” Ajax says to Wednesday, “You look, shorter, did you grow your hair out?” He asks.

“Ajax.” You say, “That is my Sister Wednesday, the girl who is Rooming with Enid.” You say and he peers over to her, stoned out of his mind.

“O-oh uh—“ he begins but is halted

���Quite the contrary. I actually fillet the bodies of my victims, then feed them to my menagerie of pets.” Wednesday says, which blows Ajax’s mind.

“Whoa. You're both in black and white.” He says to the twins. “Like a living Instagram filter.” (Y/n) shakes his head

“Ignore him. Gorgons spend way too much time getting stoned. He's cute, but clueless.” Enid says, ignoring Ajax, the three continue to acquire her schedule.

“It's a small school. There wasn't much online about you. You should really get on Insta, Snapchat and TikTok. I find social media to be a soul-sucking void of meaningless affirmation.” Wednesday responds deadpanned.

“Are, you sure this is your sister?” Enid asks (Y/n), who grins.

“Unfortunately yes, In all her glory I’m sure.” You say coldly, The day ends and the family must bid goodbye to the twins, Pugsley hugs Wednesday.

“Pugsley, you're soft and weak. You'll never survive without me. I give you two months, tops.” She said

“I'm gonna miss you, too, sis.” He responds, he hugs (Y/n) who gladly reciprocated, and tags a “stab me.” Note on pugsleys back.

“I’ll miss you too little brother.” You say and the family leave in the car, the two stand silent before you spoke to her.

“A Word of Advice Mi Hermana (My Sister) Any plans you have of running away end right now. Mother has alerted all family members to contact her the minute you darken their doorstep, I will be watching you, closely.” You say as you go lucky attitude quickly fades.

“As usual, you underestimate me, Mi Hermano. I will escape this educational penitentiary, and you will never hear from me again.” She says, (Y/n) growls a bit and folds his arms.

“I detest saying this, but You are a brilliant girl, Wednesday, and.. as much as It annoys me, I’d… I’d honestly miss you if you left.” You admit, Wednesdays cold stare slightly warmed as you gritted your teeth.

“Mother wishes for you to stay here, you’re lucky you aren’t in prison like Uncle Fester. Don’t throw your life away over your pride.” You say and walk away leaving Wednesday to consider your words, but as siblings go, she wouldn’t take your orders laying down.

The Next day, (Y/n) effortlessly knocks Rowan down in their fencing, using his quick fencing ability.

“Coach, Coach, he tripped me.” Rowan complains.

“It was a clean strike, Rowan.” You say, “Widen your stance, build more muscle and I won’t knock you over like a twig.” You say, you turn your attention to the other novice fencers.

“Anyone wish to challenge the Prince of Nevermore?” You say, and one voice speaks up.

“I do.”

(Y/n) turns to face his sister, Wednesday. Geared to the toe for fencing. You can only laugh and tilt your head.

“Wednesday, as amusing as this would be I’d rather avoid hurting my own blood.”

“Do you? It seems nothing has changed since you left home, you’re still a coward.”

“Ooh!” The fencers say from parts of the room, (Y/n)’s smile Fades to silence and burning fury. (Y/n) snaps his fingers and the teacher looks up.

“Professor, I’d like a match with Wednesday Addams..” you say coldly and he nods, “First to three strikes.” The siblings get in position and pit on their gear. Drawing their sabres their intense glares focus on each other,

“En garde.” They say in unison and move in, the strikes were fast, fluent and held so much animosity. Each stroke inches closer to a point, before a quick jab to (Y/n)‘s neck won Wednesday a point.

“Point to Wednesday.” The Coach says, Wednesday voice was muffled but (Y/n) could hear it.

“You know what they say Brother, “Pride Cometh before the fall.” She says, (Y/n) moved in, much more ferocious and hungry for victory. The blades dance and trade before (Y/n) lands a point on her heart. The score is even.

“Let's finish this.” You say.

“Agreed. For the final point, I would like to invoke a military challenge. No masks. No tips. Winner draws first blood.” Wednesday says.

“Fine.” You respond and tear your mask off.

“I’ll apologize to mother when she visits you.” You say and Wednesdays focus was dead on you, and the final round began, the bladed tips were fast, sharp and each swing and jab were inches, millimeters away from landing a point, each attack felt so, raw, full of fury and strike, their blades clash once more and Wednesday goes for a stab, (Y/n) for a downward slash. And blood, was spilled.

(Y/n) and Wednesday sat in the nurses office together, both bleeding. Wednesday had a small cut on the top of her head, and her brother? Not as fortunate. He had his upper shirt removed as there was a stab wound in his shoulder. It was being patched up by the nurse and wrapped. The nurse leaves as the siblings sit together.

“Sorry for being a bit too, aggressive.” You say to her, Wednesday kept staring forward.

“I apologize for almost piercing your heart.” She said.

“I’ll admit, what you said got under my skin, you always had that ability to bring the worst emotions out of me.” She explains, “What’s Family good for?” You say sarcastically.

“I meant what I said though, I’d be amiss to have my other half missing. As much as you Hate it mother cares for you, as I do.” You said, you put your hand on her leg and try to reassure her.

“Just, Take what i Said into consideration.” You ask her, Wednesday turns her head to face yours. “I’ll consider it.” She responds.

“Thank you, I’m still going to stab you back though.” You say smirking, and Wednesday attempts to hide her grin.

“You’ll have to Earn it.”

[feelo-fick]

Phio I’m so curious about the fairy brothers

OH MY GOD UHHH WHERE DO I BEGIN... okay basically, general overview :

the fairy brothers are two highschool students trying to get by - meg (they/them) and diji (he/him).

meg is a theatrical wannabe diva and ghost hunter who can be a little ignorant if not arrogant. they only have one simple goal in life - to make it big, be famous, and be known and loved by everyone on the block! because of this, they highly value their image, doing comedically drastic things just to reach their goals. you could convince them of almost anything by putting the prospect of money and fame on the line. think mickbell-adjacent, but more showy and extravagant. they're also really passionate about their belief in ghosts, and they want to prove their existence through recording vlogs while trespassing abandoned buildings (with the help of their brother, of course).

diji is a meek and overly polite guy just trying to survive. if you met him he might seem a little boring at a glance, other than his outfit. he likes baseball and crafts and that's all he'll tell you. he doesn't want much, just to live peacefully and normally without many worries (ha, imagine that). really nice fellow though! sometimes he'll get excited and accidentally slam his tail into something, but overall he's got a very even disposition. he's like... happy ena and wirt kinda. diji's also just a liiiitle judgemental of the people/environment around him, and sometimes it slips out without him thinking, but he makes sure to correct himself unless it's unnecessary. dont get me wrong, he is genuinely a nice person and he's not faking all his kindness to cover up some evil personality — he just doesnt like attracting attention and is generally wary as an unofficial guardian to his brother. he's really protective of meg, and joins them on their ghost hunts to make sure nothing bad happens.

they're both broke and don't have a stable source of income, but they both have jobs. diji works several part-time jobs at convenience stores and cafes and it's... well, it's a living. he tries his best not to complain about it. he gets free tea though, so win! meg has the ghost hunting vlog channel, but as you can imagine it's not doing too well (i mean, the video quality is Quite Iffy) AHHAHA but yknow, they're dead-set on it succeeding, so A for effort.

diji makes most of the money, cooks most of the food, buys most of the essentials, etc etc. he wants to provide for meg since theyre the youngest of the two of them. not by much, probably around 3-4 years or so, but they've only got each other, so someones gotta take up the mantle of caretaker, right? meg haaates this though, they hate feeling coddled and they're in that stage of life where they're determined to prove themselves. they've both had a lot arguments about it.

but they still love each other, of course.

i'm planning on opening an ask blog for them and their story, so i'm trying not to share too much! i feel like this is a pretty good summary of them though :] also their designs aren't final... they're originally fandom ocs for the webcomic musical pipers and those are their designs in that universe, but i want to change them for this personal plot to make them more of my own :D thanks for the ask about them, i have sooo much to say but well... gotta keep it under wraps for now sadly, didnt want to clog the post with a big lore dump and give too much exposition.