#airpod pop it case

[dragonanon]

Lost my fucking AirPods while heading home today FML 🙃😭

[milkcartoncatkid]

…i have a lot of kirbys

i don’t have the case for star allies but i have the physical game, i’ve also got a shit ton of stickers as well as kirby manga mania

[jexnkookie]

The Law of Attraction (Lawyer!Jung Kook x Reader) [Part 1]

Story Synopsis: Throughout his life, Jung Kook has only ever loved one girl. Despite her being out of his league and of an elite class that he wasn't born into, he fell hard, keeping his feelings a closely guarded secret. When they parted ways, and Jung Kook pursued his law career, he did so with the intent of moving on. But when she unexpectedly arrives back into his life, Jung Kook finds himself once again face to face with his own insecurities, and the girl of his dreams.

Story Rating: M (18+) [Language, sex, depression, alcoholism] Genre: Angst, Fluff, Smut

Characters/Pairings: Lawyer! Jung Kook x Reader (feat. Jimin x Reader)

Chapter Word Count: 2.6k

Authors Note: I have this listed as "part one", because I may want to continue it in the future! This is just an idea that I've had floating around in my head, and I really haven't been inspired to write more of my other story lately, so why not put this out? If you'd like more of this story, please let me know and I can possibly continue it, if it's something y'all are interested in!

(It got another part)

Next Chapter

Series Masterlist

New York City is always bustling on a Monday morning. Crowds of people piling onto the sprawling connection of subway, buses and sidewalks on their way for another week of hard work. Jung Kook was among them, wearing a discounted, freshly pressed suit, and a fresh cup of Starbucks coffee in his hand. AirPods in his ear, he let the newest pop playlist cover up the sound of the crowded street on his way to his new office. There was a little, barely noticeable pep in his step, hinting at his excitement for his first day. 

His office building was rather large, even by his own metrics. Coming from Seoul, Jung Kook was no stranger to towering buildings, but this fresh law office had something glistening about its structure. As he entered through the front rotating tour, scanning the pass in his lanyard to be let in, any seasoned attorney would quickly recognize the wide-eyed young man as an ambitious rookie. 

“Jung Kook!” A voice called out from across the lobby. Jung Kook stopped walking and looked up, scanning the room to see Mr. Kim Namjoon, one of the best defense attorneys he’s ever had the pleasure of meeting, greeting him with a dimpled smile. 

“Good morning, Mr. Kim!” Jung Kook responded, quickly making his way over to greet him. 

“Aish, Jung Kook. Call me Namjoon.” He smiled shyly. “We’ll be working together as partners, I won’t be just a mentor to you anymore. I want you to feel comfortable around me.” 

“Right, of course.” Jung Kook grinned. “Thank you for bringing me here, I’m really excited.” 

“That’s great to hear.” Namjoon’s voice was warm and sincere. “I wasn’t sure how’d willing you’d be to leave Korea, but I’m glad you’re here.” 

“Yeah, it um…” Jung Kook pauses, thinking to himself for a moment for the right words to say. “It was a move that was for the best.” 

Namjoon kept a smile on his face, but furrowed his brows just briefly as he read into the younger man’s explanation. Not wanting to press too much, he motioned Jung Kook to follow him to the elevator. They walked together with comfortable conversation, questions about Jung Kook’s move to the city and his commute. As the elevator took them high above the rest of the city, Jung Kook’s finger absentmindedly tapped on the coffee cup he held, jitters taking over. 

“We had a case come in that I think you’ll be perfect to help me with.” Namjoon said, leading Jung Kook to his new office overlooking the city. There was an unorganized set of case files already on the desk. “You can put your stuff here, please make this space your own. The case is centering a Korean family, actually, so I thought maybe the two of us could connect with them on that level. Wealthy family, they’ve been doing business in the States a long time. But the son of the founder just recently inherited the company, and he’s being accused of defrauding investors. I need you to look over the case, and tell me what you think.” 

Jung Kook nodded as he took his seat at his desk, opening up the file to read the defendant’s name, Park Jimin. The name sounded oddly familiar to him, but he brushed it aside as he read the details of the case. 

“…Coaxed into investments using fraudulent and misleading data and projections…” Jung Kook read out loud, under his breath, before looking up at Namjoon. “So, he allegedly massaged the numbers into looking bigger than they are, leading to an increase of investments.” 

“Hm.” Namjoon hummed, leaning against the door frame. “Then when the actual numbers came in, and they were nowhere close to what he had projected, he didn’t have the money to pay out. Now it’s our problem.” 

“Yeah, ok.” Jung Kook nodded. “I have some ideas but I’d like to ask him some questions.” 

“Perfect. I’ll give you his contact info, but he should be flying into the city tomorrow. He wants to meet with us anyways, he just needed a little time.” 

“For what?” 

“He recently got engaged.” Namjoon responded nonchalantly, scrolling through the contacts in his iPhone. “She comes from a wealthy family from Busan, apparently. Their fathers knew each other, since they’re both from the city..” 

“Oh, they’re both from my city, I knew his name sounded familiar.” Jung Kook acknowledged. “Since her family is wealthy, maybe I’ve heard of them, too. What’s her name?” 

“Aish, I can’t remember…” Namjoon thought for a moment. “Mr. Park mentioned her, and now my mind is blanking.” 

The two startled when Namjoon’s phone rang. Namjoon apologized before stepping out to take the client’s call, leaving Jung Kook with his case files to further review. The rest of the day passed for the new, young lawyer, buried in a mountain of papers and taking notes. Namjoon peeked into his office on occasion to bring him coffee, or chat, or ask him about the case. But it was a slow, calm first day. 

As was the next day, and the day after that. Jung Kook got into a routine as the weeks passed, feeling a growing sense of familiarity with the way that he was able to bury himself in his work. It was a nice way to briefly consume himself and chase away the loneliness of the last two years of his life. 

He slowly made friends at his new firm. Never the extrovert, he was shy at first and afraid to open up. But knowing Namjoon for several years gave him a foot in the door, and allowed him an entry way into conversations that he wouldn’t have had otherwise. They asked about his life back home, and never dug too deep when he gave vague answers. He appreciated that, and his colleagues grew to like the handsome young lawyer. 

Finally, on a Friday, as the week was winding down and Jung Kook was thinking of possible weekend plans, Namjoon quickly walked into his office after a brief warning knock to his door. 

“We have a surprise meeting with Mr. Park.” Namjoon explained. “He just flew in from Seoul with his fiancé, and called me to say they want to meet with us. They’ll be here in a few minutes, so grab your notes and meet me in the conference room.” 

Jung Kook’s eyes widened and he responded with a quick “ok”, before gathering up his collection of papers into a manila folder, and walking to meet Namjoon, stopping momentarily only to grab another quick cup of coffee to make sure he was alert. Being his first client meeting since joining the firm, he wanted to make sure he was at his best. 

Settling into the conference room, Jung Kook looked over his notes, and made sure to have a pen to write down anything he may need later. He could see a light reflection of himself in the wall of windows facing the rest of the office, which he used to make sure his hair and suit looked presentable. He was hoping that with the money he made off of this case, he could buy a new, nicer suit like the one he saw in a shop window that he passed by not long ago. 

His thoughts of a modest suit however were quieted by the presence of what he knew immediately to be his client walking down the office halls, nearing the conference room. Dressed in a luxurious, designer black suit and Louboutin loafers, Park Jimin was striking at first glance. He hid his eyes behind black sunglasses despite being indoors, and his dyed blonde hair complimented his glowing complexion and lush, pink lips. He looked expensive, the textbook definition of an heir. 

The woman by his side looked gorgeous, Jung Kook thought. She was also beautifully dressed, in a sharp, maroon pencil dress and heels, with sunglasses also covering her eyes. Her Chanel bag dangled off her shoulder, her head was down, and her hand was intertwined with Mr. Park’s as they walked.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Park.” Namjoon greeted with a bow as he opened the door for the couple. “How was the flight in?” 

“It was excellent, thank you. Please, call me Jimin.” Jimin responded, taking off his sunglasses, before turning his attention to Jung Kook. “Hello, I’m not sure we’ve met.” 

“Jeon Jung Kook. I’ve just recently been added to look over the case.” Jung Kook smiled, standing up from his chair to bow. “It’s a pleasure.” 

“Park Jimin.” Jimin introduced himself. “And this is my fiancé, Y/N.” 

Y/N. Jung Kook repeated in his head, his eyes widening. It’s not possible. 

You took off your glasses before bowing to Namjoon, and raised to meet Jung Kook’s eyes. Your expression matched his own, recognizing the man instantly. 

“Jung Kook?” You smiled warmly. “Jeon Jung Kook? Oh my God, what a small world!” 

“You two know each other?” Namjoon asked with a raised brow. He looked over at the young lawyer, who was staring at you with large eyes and parted lips. 

“Jung Kook is an old classmate of mine.” You explained to Namjoon and your fiancé. “We went to the same university ages ago, when we were still living in Busan.” 

This was Jung Kook’s worst nightmare unfolding right before his eyes. Here you were. You. Just as warm, beautiful, and personable as ever. Just as clueless as ever. It was amazing how you could be such an angel, but put him through so much pain, and not even know it. 

“How have you been?” You asked with an innocent, bright grin. “I haven’t seen you in so long!” 

“I-I’ve… been good.” Jung Kook stuttered, causing the other men in the room to look at him with growing suspicion. 

“Honey, I don’t know that you’ve ever mentioned a Jung Kook.” Jimin said in a sweet tone directed at you, while his eyes judgmentally looked Jung Kook up and down. Namjoon nervously watched the interaction, waiting to bud in at any opportune time. 

“We just had a couple classes together.” You explained. “Jung Kook, wasn’t it um…” 

“History.” He finished your sentence, quicker and more deadpan in his tone than what he meant to. “And our political science class.” 

“That’s right!” You nodded. “I remember you were always so smart, I guess it makes perfect sense you practice law now.” 

“We’re happy to have him on the team.” Namjoon interjected, walking over to Jung Kook’s side of the table. He noted how Jimin still seemed unsure of Jung Kook’s mannerisms, and wanted to press on with the meeting. “Let’s get started, I’m sure the two of you have plans for the evening.” 

Everyone took their seat, and Jung Kook stared at the blank notepad in front of him. He could feel Jimin’s eyes on him, but pretended not to be bothered. He scribbled down the date on the paper, desperate to not meet the client’s gaze. 

“So, we reviewed the case.” Namjoon began, seeing how Jimin’s death stare didn’t shake from Jung Kook as he spoke. “We think that we have an excellent shot at winning, and to be completely honest, we’re expecting the judge to throw the case out.” 

“That’s great news!” You said excitedly. “Honey, you’ve been so worried about this.” 

Jimin looked at you, his eyes softening and a soft smile appearing. He rested a hand on your thigh, and looked over towards Namjoon. 

“That is great news. Thank you, Mr. Kim.” 

“Jung Kook has been reviewing the case for several days now, and he put together a couple arguments that we’ll present to the court, and have this ordeal finished, so you can move on.” 

“Y-Yeah, so um…” Jung Kook started, the weight of everyone’s stare feeling heavy and thick in the air. He was careful to avoid your eyes in particular, sure that his reaction would be less than professional. “First of all, the numbers allegedly presented to investors were never your numbers, Mr. Park, they were the numbers that your father had supposedly projected. The suit is filed against you, not the company, so we can argue that you cannot be held personably liable for any losses. A-Also, there’s no um… There’s no physical evidence of these exact projections being shown that the plaintiffs presented so um… We could argue insufficient evidence.” 

If Jung Kook were brave, he’d look up from his notes to see the way you grinned at him with the same, beautiful smile he used to see walking across campus every day. If he were brave, he’d tell you how beautiful that smile, and the rest of you, have always been to him. 

If he were brave, he would’ve told you that a long time ago. But Jung Kook has never been brave. Not then, and definitely not now. Not when his client is shooting daggers at him from across the table, and a sparkling 24k gold and diamond on your finger reminds him of the thing he’s always known; you’re too good for someone like him. You deserve more. 

“I think that sounds like an excellent plan.” Jimin said calmly, eyeing the young lawyer up and down, before turning his attention to you. He tucked a piece of hair behind your ear. “I think Mr. Jeon has this whole thing figured out. What do you think, darling?”

“I agree.” You blushed at your fiancé’s uncharacteristic public affection. “He’s always been so smart.” 

“It seems so.” Jimin responded. “In that case, I believe we can wrap up this check-in meeting. I’d like to take my love out to dinner tonight. It’s her first time in New York City.” 

“Is it?” Namjoon’s voice was pleasant but quick as he spoke. “Well, let’s not keep you two waiting. Thank you for coming in, and we’ll be in touch. Please, Mr. Park, don’t be afraid to reach out to either of us if you need anything.” 

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Jimin said, getting up from his chair and helping you out of yours before bowing to the lawyers. 

“Jung Kook, it was so nice to see you.” You said, waving at him while Jimin placed a hand on your back to lead you from the room. “Thank you for working on this for us.” 

“O-Of course.” He bowed. “You two have a nice night.” 

With that, Jimin led you away from the room and down the office, and Jung Kook watched as he took your hand in his and caressed your skin with his thumb. It amazed him how even after all this time, seeing you with another man makes his chest ache. 

“So….” Namjoon’s irritable voice said, leaning against the table. “You want to tell me what the fuck that was about?” 

“It’s nothing.” Jung Kook responded quietly, cleaning up his papers to avoid making eye contact. “Just an old classmate.” 

“Nothing?” Namjoon asked with a scoff. “Our client just burned a hole through you with his glare the entire meeting, and you want to call that nothing?” 

“I want to go home.” Jung Kook said with growing frustration. “I promise, it’s nothing. It’s just been a hard first few weeks, ok?” 

Jung Kook was headed out the door quickly, when Namjoon grabbed his arm to make him stop for a moment.

“If something is going on with our client’s fiancé… if there’s a history there or whatever, you need to let me know so we can manage this. We can’t lose Jimin as a client, we’d both be out of a job. He brings in too much money.” 

“What, does he get into this type of shit a lot or something?” 

“What do you think?” Namjoon asks. “It’s part of the job, dealing with rich clients that have more money than sense. They didn’t teach you that in class? Or were you too busy ogling her?” 

“It’s really nothing.” Jung Kook said, this time more calmly through gritted teeth. “I just need to go home.” 

Namjoon sighed as Jung Kook left the room, and cursed his luck with the obvious situation under his breath. 

[sirfrogsworth]

Froggie's Guide to Budget Headphones

@nimrella I am more well versed in traditional audio and home theater with big honking speakers, so I don't have much personal experience with headphones and headphone accessories. But I can tell you what I've learned from other people who are in the headphone world. And since you are starting more within the "budget" range I think I am somewhat qualified to guide you at this level.

You have three paths to choose from...

Wireless, low impedance wired (no amplification required), and high impedance wired (amplification required).

Basically... easy, medium, and hard.

But also... good, better, best.

Wireless Headphones

Wireless headphones have come a long way. Audiophiles used to scoff at them but now there are options that really do sound fantastic and the Bluetooth data rates are good enough to deliver high resolution audio. They also have noise cancellation options which may be desirable. If you do not have a quiet, dedicated space for listening to music you might find high end noise cancellation a godsend. People love them especially for planes, trains, and automobiles.

I don't know if everyone knows how noise cancellation works or not, but basically the headphones have microphones that listen to the world around you. They measure the incoming sound and then generate an opposite sound that just about kills ambient noise. If you play the same sound 180 degrees out of phase it basically nullifies those sound waves. The tech works best between 50 Hz and 1000 Hz. For reference we hear between 20 Hz and 20,000 Hz (lower if you are old). So anything super high or super low pitched can still get through.

In any case, if that sounds appealing, wireless headphones should be a consideration.

The other advantage of wireless headphones would be the ease of use. They pair to your phone, your laptop, your TV. They have controls to help you pause and skip songs and change volume. Some allow you to take phone calls.

But the big downside is the sound quality takes a bit of a hit. As I said, the bluetooth standards have actually gotten very very good. (Though there are audiophiles who will swear it still sounds like a 1990s MP3.) So streaming the actual media files are not really an issue. But trying to cram all of that tech into lightweight headphones you can wear around town all day requires compromises and added expense. Not to mention the battery has a limited lifespan. You may have more limited or inconsistent frequency response, poor dynamic range, distortion problems, weak output, and a high noise floor. Wireless options still can't match wired headphone systems in the same price range. And the wireless options that come close are quite spendy.

Wireless Headphones Suggestions

In your price range the two wireless options that I hear mentioned over and over again are the Sony WH-1000 series and the Bose QuietComfort. They are both well regarded for having a good mix of sound quality and noise cancellation while also being a decent value. You might be able to visit a Best Buy and demo them to see if you prefer the sound and comfort of one over the other.

The Apple AirPods Max are said to work really well within the Apple ecosystem. They have some interesting spatial sound modes and very good audio quality. I've heard the noise cancellation is some of the best currently available. But they seem too expensive and a lot of people feel they are too heavy. I also suspect they are due for an update. That said, if you wait for the new ones to come out and buy used, they could come into your price range. I'd really only suggest these if you have multiple Apple products that you will be streaming sound from.

Before we move into wired headphones, let's go over some terms that you might see pop up when doing research and reading reviews.

Froggie's Glossary of Audiophile Terminology

Driver A speaker is made up of drivers. Some speakers have a woofer, a midrange, and a tweeter. Each individual thing is a driver. And with headphones you will often hear "headphone driver" instead of speaker because it is more specific. Headphones typically have an all-in-one driver that does all frequencies. A woofymidteet.

That's not a thing.

I made that up.

Frequency Response This is the range of frequencies produced by the drivers from low to high. You want to make sure your headphones have good, deep bass. That will make more of a difference than anything else. It's the foundation of all sound and what is sorely lacking in devices with small/cheap speakers.

Music typically doesn't go much below 40 Hz in the bass range. So if you are only interested in music listening, that is plenty deep. Movies can go down to 20 Hz, but this isn't necessary for a good immersive experience unless you have giant subwoofers. So if you find something that can play ~40 Hz with decent output, you should be all good. Every speaker has a frequency response curve. It looks something like this.

The X-axis represents the frequency and the Y-axis represents the volume in decibels. We are most concerned with the 40 to 10K Hz section, as most sound happens there.

I'm not going to go super in-depth and overwhelm everyone, but typically you want this graph to look fairly flat in that range. A flat-ish line will give you a "neutral" response.

The above graph gets a little bumpy in the high frequencies. That means those frequencies will have a higher volume than the lower frequencies. If a higher frequency has a big peak, that could make your sound seem too bright or tinny.

Or you could have the opposite problem. You could have a null in the bass where the output dips below everything else. This can make your sound a bit anemic and lacking punch.

Whereas a more flat speaker will output all frequencies at about the same volume and sound much more balanced and smooth.

Equalization or EQ A flat response is good because it will accept EQ well. Equalization is where you add peaks and dips in volume deliberately to taste.

This can be as simple as 3 knobs.

Or it can be a more complicated parametric EQ.

A lot of digital EQ methods have presets to help get you started. I promise it isn't as intimidating as it looks.

Some people like to buy speakers/headphones that are EQ'd how they prefer out of the box. (Or if you get Beats by Dre they just turn the bass all the way up and say "Fuck them other frequencies!") But this is often a bit of a crapshoot because it is hard to EQ a speaker that sounds good in every room or every environment or just to varying individual preferences.

By making the speaker more neutral, it can be much easier to equalize specifically to your needs and enjoyment.

So if you like the bass a little bassier and the mids a little quieter, you have the power to dial that in with great specificity on a neutral speaker. You can apply any EQ you wish and you won't be fighting the speaker's predetermined response.

Basically if you are reading reviews and the headphones are described as "flat" or "neutral" that's a good thing (in my opinion). Just remember nothing is going to be perfectly flat. We're shooting for flat-ish.

If you do decide to get a neutral sounding pair of headphones you may find them a little bland out of the box. Do not panic. You just need to learn a bit about how to apply EQ, but thankfully YouTube is plentiful with tutorials.

The Harman Curve was researched to be most liked by the most people, so you might start there. (Also, SoundSource is a very popular EQ app for Mac.)

Dynamic Range This is the spectrum of how quiet to loud something can get. If you have speakers that can render both a pin drop and a big explosion with great fidelity and proper intensity, you will be in audio heaven. There is so much emotion and drama that can be expressed by expansive dynamic range and most cheap speakers compress it to an inch of its life. When the soft and the loud sounds are the same you miss out on so much audio information intended by the composer.

Distortion This is just how loud a speaker can go without breaking up. Low distortion is good. While every driver distorts at some point, usually that is at a much higher volume than you will use. This typically only plagues cheap, tiny drivers.

Sound Pressure Level (SPL) This is a measurement of how loud a speaker can get. While you don't want to listen to anything louder than a sustained average decibel level of 80 to 85, you do want peaks over 100, especially in the bass. Bass is less damaging to ears and hearing damage is all about sustained volume rather than quick peaks here and there. Most headphones can comfortably do an SPL between 90 and 110 dB. The ability to go louder is good, but only because that expands headroom, not because you should actually listen to them that loud. So if the headphones can get super loud, that means they will have a much easier time delivering normal levels.

Noise Floor Every sound system has background noise. You know that static you hear when you turn a radio up really loud when there is no sound playing? That is your noise floor. You want that to be as quiet as possible because if you turn up the volume, you don't just turn up the volume of the sounds you want to hear, you also turn up the volume of that background noise.

If you can find a headphone system with a decent low noise floor and you can also find a very quiet space to listen in, you could have a religious experience. I don't think people realize how much the room you are in matters, even when listening to headphones. When you are in a quiet room, you can play at lower volumes. And that can mitigate a lot of the problems associated with cranking the volume. You won't damage your ears for one thing. But the speakers won't have to work as hard so you'll have less distortion and better clarity.

Noise mostly comes from the amplifier, which I will talk about later on.

Froggie Pro Tip: If you want cheap speakers to perform better, go to a quiet room and move them as close as possible. This allows you to play them at a lower output while maintaining your desired perceived volume.

Okay, now we can finally talk about...

Wired Headphones

You have open back and closed back styles.

Open back tends to have a more natural sound and feels more comfortable. Like listening to regular speakers. People generally feel they are able to listen to them longer because they don't create a seal and cause pressure on your ear drum. However, if sound can get out, it can also get in. So with open back headphones people nearby will be able to hear what you are listening to. And if you are not in a quiet room, all of that sound will leak in. Meaning you have to increase the volume and the noise floor and the distortion.

Closed back seals off your ears and gives you a quiet and immersive experience. You can be in a noisier room without having to crank the volume as much. Some prefer this style just because it helps them feel like they are going into their own personal dimension of sound. These are great for ASMR too. But ear fatigue can become an issue and you may need to take little breaks to let your ears breathe and your ear drums rest.

And the last thing we need to discuss is impedance.

The impedance of headphones mostly determines how hard they are to amplify. Impedance is measured in ohms which is this little horseshoe symbol... Ω.

Lower ohms means less electrical resistance and easier to amplify.

Higher ohms means more electrical resistance and difficult to amplify.

If you get headphones rated below 100 ohms, they can typically be driven by smartphones and laptops just by plugging into a standard headphone jack. Though depending on the device, 100 may sound a little quiet so you may want to go lower. 30 ohms is fairly typical if you plan to drive your headphones with everyday electronics.

Above 100 ohms you are going to need some sort of amplification—usually a DAC with a headphone amplifier. (There are DACs without amplification so be sure to check that.)

A DAC, or digital-to-analog converter, is already built into your phone and laptop. But those are very small, don't have a lot of power, and might have a higher noise floor due to interference from other components and heat and just a lot of electrical signals nearby.

By getting an external DAC w/amplifier you separate out the components, make them larger and more powerful, and typically improve the sound quality. Because it is more isolated, the amplification can be much quieter despite being more powerful.

If you plan to stay in a static location and you have high impedance headphones, you can get a little box DAC that sits on your desk. It works like an external sound card for your computer. If you record music or stream, a digital audio interface works great as well (remember to check the Ω).

But if you need to be more mobile with your headphones you can get a little USB dongle DAC, though you will probably not get the same sound quality and power.

Both will be superior to the internal DAC built into your computing devices.

So, low impedance headphones are easier if you need to move around.

High impedance headphones are better for staying put in a single location unless you get a dongle DAC.

Just remember, high and low impedance doesn't necessarily indicate quality. It's just that in order to drive high impedance headphones you need the larger amplifier with the nicer components and, by necessity, you automatically get that quality bump.

You can get very good low impedance headphones. However, if you power them *only* with a smartphone, you may not use them to their full potential. Which is why getting an external DAC is a good idea regardless.

But the nice thing about low impedance is you can get the headphones and still use them until you save up for the DAC. Or you can use them as normal while out and about and have a special listening spot at home with the DAC.

To review...

Low impedance and high impedance can both be high quality.

Low impedance (less than 100 ohms) works with anything.

High impedance (more than 100 ohms) requires amplification.

Both will be used to their full potential with a DAC/headphone amplifier of some kind.

Wired Headphones Suggestions

Again, I have not personally listened to any of these. I am just relaying what experts I trust have mentioned as being nice quality in your price range.

The beyerdynamic DT 770 headphones are some of the most well-regarded budget headphones I've heard of. They come in low and high impedance versions.

The Sennheiser HD 560 high impedance headphones are also praised for their value and performance.

If you can go a little pricier...

The HIFIMAN Sundara headphones have low impedance and can be driven easily by all your devices.

And the HIFIMAN Edition XS are even lower impedance and about the same price.

And if you want to try a DAC, I've heard good things about both Fosi and Schiit (yes, like the poopies), though there are many different brands. Just make sure the DAC has a headphone amplifier rated for the ohms you need.

The FOSI K5 Pro is a cheap "beginner" DAC that will power anything up to 300 ohms. This is the kind that sits on your desk.

And if you want a more portable dongle DAC, you can get something like the iFi Go Link.

I've also heard good things about the AudioQuest Dragonfly, though I hate recommending AudioQuest products due to them claiming they can do magical things. They use scientific gobbledygook to scam customers most of the time. That said, the DragonFly might be their only valid product.

Note from Future Froggie: AudioQuest just can't help themselves. While the Dragonfly itself is a good product and not a scam, they developed the "DragonTail", which is a scam.

It's just a USB A to C Adapter for the Dragonfly. But they have to find a way to justify 30 fucking dollars so they came up with this bullshit.

Definitely need to stabilize my geometry. If I have unstable geometry that could lead to quixotic trigonometry. And we all know that could introduce vertices into dodecahedrons. Which leads straight to accelerated cosmotic entropy catalyzing the heat death of the universe.

Fucking AudioQuest.

ANYWAY...

An inexpensive DAC may be all you ever need but DACs can get crazy expensive—just like headphones. And if you are really fancy you can get a DAC and a headphone amplifier as separate items. Audiophiles claim when you simplify components to a singular function you increase quality. While I think there is some small truth to that, I suspect they just think the tubes look neat.

Froggie's Disclaimer: I am not telling you to get these specific things, but I do think you'll probably be happy with anything I've suggested. But sound is a subjective experience and it is always best to test things out before you buy them, if possible. Or make sure there is a return policy. You might see if there is a brick-and-mortar store nearby that allows you to demo headphones. Remember that comfort can be just as crucial as sound quality for long listening sessions.

Final Thoughts

Good sound has been life changing for me. And I am excited when anyone goes down this journey. While the stuff mentioned is considered "budget" by audiophiles, this can give you a good starting point if you want to upgrade down the road. You'll get to know your preferences and get a better understanding of how this all works and choose your own adventure from there.

Though it is very possible you'll be quite content with "budget" and the sound quality is more than enough.

Personally, while I am very happy with my current home theater setup, I am hopeful one day I can upgrade one budget tier above where I currently am and that will be my endgame. I've heard $10,000 speakers and it is mostly a land of diminishing returns once you reach that level.

I'm fine in "budget" land.

Further Research

I didn't mention the different types of headphone drivers because I didn't want to put too much data in everyone's head. But if you want to do additional research you can learn about the 4 main types... dynamic, planar magnetic, electrostatic, and balanced armature.

[void-wolfie]

Music to My Ears

Part 2

summary: Jenna forgets her headphones so you offer her yours.

pairing: Jenna Ortega x gn!Reader

tw: none. just fluff/comfort and terrible writing skills

words: 460

a/n: wrote this in the middle of the night so not exactly perfect... still new to writing in this format, don't judge me too much please

Jenna sat down next to you, huffing as she crossed her arms and stared up at the ceiling.

You looked over at her, concern etched upon your face. Sure, work wasn't always fun, and it could be exhausting at times, but Jenna wasn't usually like this. Even on her worst days she found something to smile about.

"What's got you all grumpy?"

"I forgot my headphones at home."

Well, that explains it.

Jenna never went anywhere without her headphones; the whole cast knew that by now. It was an unspoken rule. Jenna minus headphones equals a bad mood.

You dug into your pocket, pulling out your airpods case. You checked to make sure they were both in there before handing it over to the shorter girl.

The smile she gave you could've lit up the night sky. You would've carved out your heart and served it on a silver platter if it meant she'd smile at you like that just one more time.

"You're serious?" she asked, looking between you and the earbuds unsure.

"Yeah, it's not a big deal."

But it was. Even she knew that. Just like Jenna, music was your escape. Whenever the real world started to get to be too much, you'd pop in an earbud and drown out your worries.

Emma, being close to both you and Jenna, took notice of that fairly early on. She often said you and Jenna would make an adorable couple because of it, which definitely had nothing to do with the fact she knew about your massive crush on Jenna.

You had gone back to messing around on your phone, not paying much attention to Jenna, and letting her do her own thing.

A few seconds later something was held out in front of you. An airpod. She was offering to let you listen to music with her.

You graciously took the earbud, seeing the other already nestled in Jenna's ear.

A song started playing and you almost choked on your spit then and there.

She was playing Girl in Red.

This girl was gonna be the death of you. If that wasn't the biggest tease of your life you weren't sure what was.

She didn't say anything as you pulled her chair closer to yours. You rested your head on her shoulder and closed your eyes, letting yourself relax for what felt like the first time all day.

"Comfy?" You could practically hear the smirk on her face.

"You can't play good music and not expect me to get clingy. It's a scientific impossibility." You cuddled into her shoulder further, making no plans to move anytime soon.

"I don't think that's how science works."

"Guess I'll just have to prove you wrong."

"I might take you up on that."

Bonus Content: The song ended and you made no effort to move. Not that Jenna minded, she enjoyed the affection. The song changed and you couldn't help but laugh. "Good try, still not moving." "Wasn't trying to make you." "Mhmmm." You were doubtful, but you didn't care. Besides, it's not every day you get Rick Rolled by The Jenna Ortega.

[theskit]

Stickers AU

Important!!!

Direct linking gets rid of the readmore cuts!

If you came here via direct link, or wish to use the direct links to another part of the story, and DO NOT want to spoil the surprise stickers, please click on my blog name to go to the actual post after using the link.

Part 7

《Prev Next》

Sitting on the hotel roof as he tried to calm down from the high-speed flight away from Batman, Danny looked over his ill-gotten gains.

Ooh, candy! Why did Batman have candy? Did he have a problem with his blood sugar? Shrugging, Danny popped a sucker into his mouth. What else did he get?

Fiddling with one piece of a thin stack of black metal, he managed to click a concealed switch that caused the sides to expand from an unobtrusive oval to razor-sharp, wing shaped edges. Ow!

Shaking the sting from his left hand, Danny inspected the thin, shallow slice on his finger before holding it to the edge of his hoodie to keep his blood off things until he got back to the room for a band-aid.

Getting the now obviously a batarang to collapse back down, Danny beamed. Score! He'd gotten four of the things, one each for himself, Ellie, Sam, and Tucker. He didn't think Jazz would mind not getting a vigilante throwing weapon as a souvenir. She usually used the Fenton Anti-Creep Stick or the Boo-Staff, having been mostly banned from long-range weaponry on account of her inheriting Dad's aim...

Shuddering, Danny banished the memories accompanied by that thought in favor of the last item. Looking it over, it seemed like an airpod? Did he grab one half of Batman's headpho-... Oh, Ancients that was a communicator! Could they track it? Who was he kidding, of *course* they could track it!

Freaking out juuuust a little, Danny stuffed everything else into his pockets, grabbed the comm unit, and high tailed it, phasing through walls and floors in his hurry to get back to the room.

Once there he dove for his luggage, pulling out the Thermos he'd brought along just in case, and dumped the ear piece in before locking it down.

There. Heaving a sigh of relief, Danny slumped down against the side of the bed he'd claimed when they first checked in. The ecto-shielding on the Thermos should block any incoming or outgoing signals until he could get Tucker to look at it and make sure no one could trace the comm back to him.

Wincing against the light as the bedside lamp on the other side of the room flared to life, he saw Jazz squinting at him fuzzily, one hand on the Anti-Creep Stick propped up on wall beside the bed. "Danny? Izzat you?"

"Yeah, Jazz, it's just me. I just got back, sorry for waking you. I'm gunna wash up and head to bed. You can go back to sleep." Danny felt bad that he'd woken Jazz up after she'd had a long day helping set up the Fenton convention booth and gently riding herd on their parents' over enthusiastic responses to the other 'ghost hunters'.

"Okay Danny, glad you're back safe. Night," Jazz mumbled as she turned out the light and laid back down. Danny smiled at her softly before turning to gather his things. It had been a good night, if more eventful than he had planned when he first went out exploring.

Batman had traced the comm unit's signal to one of the larger, more popular hotels in the area before the strangely fluctuating signal had cut out entirely.

Inspecting the roof, he caught sight of a dim glow. Kneeling down, he collected what looked to be a few drops of fresh blood with a swab kit. It appeared that whoever had taken his gear had rested here for a bit before leaving again, possibly to check what all they had taken, then finding and disabling the comm unit. He hoped they hadn't injured themselves too badly, probably on the batarangs, if it was indeed their blood he'd found.

The dimly glowing sticker, still on its backing paper with a drop of blood on the corner, caught half under an air conditioning unit, pointed to it being the same person. Picking it up, Batman inspected it for a moment before dropping it into a separate evidence bag. He'd put both samples through analysis back at the cave.

@mygood-bitch99 @stargazer-luna @easily-broken-by-emotion @dolfay @britcision @cyber-geist @is-this-even-relatable @alcorbearson @fisticuffsatapplebees @thegatorsgoose @my-mom-calls-me-rat @some-rotten-nest @crystalqueertea @meira-3919 @wandererofthestars @seraphinedemort @bjurnberg @blep-23 @stargirl1331 @bianca-hooks123 @addie-lover-of-stories @pickleking8 @iconicanemone @sarina-elais @mur-ururu @sailor-goddess @dragonfirefeather @nutcase8691 @ravenpainter

[bucketbueckers]

I'D RATHER PRETEND

CHAPTER THREE

tags: @angryflowerwitch @avvwritesstufff @melpthatsme @rebecca-woso @bueckersg1rl @l0verl4ne @clouded-whispers @dolliest-thena @katemartinlvr @numberonepartyanth3m @glamourdaya @pbbucks @unadulteratedcyclepaper @paiges-1vur wc: 7.3k notes: same shit, different chapter, masterlist, content warnings, place name backstory stuff. not my favorite chap but lots of paige & tess content so hopefully that makes up for it being boring af 😸 hope we enjoy 🫶

‘Prepare for Take Off! Tess Kennedy and Paige Bueckers Share Sweet Goodbye in Crowded Airport’

Tess Kennedy and Paige Bueckers have been a trending topic ever since Wednesday morning when fans speculated that Bueckers flew out to support Kennedy during her ACL recovery. In that time, Kennedy and Bueckers have shared a total of five pictures to their Instagram stories, each becoming more and more obvious as to who they are spending time with. Kennedy’s most recent story included a photo of her injured leg in the lap of (you guessed it!) a faceless individual, though just a half hour later, both Kennedy and Bueckers were pictured together at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport.

Onlookers said that Bueckers and Kennedy were attached at the hip, all smiles as they navigated the busy airport. Before Bueckers boarded the plane back to Connecticut, she and Kennedy shared a sweet hug before they pulled away. One commenter said that they seemed to share a few words, then Bueckers was off. Another commenter noted a sort of sadness etched on Kennedy’s face as she lingered. She seemed to be deep in thought. While, obviously, we are not in the business of being mind-readers, it is clear that Kennedy had some strong feelings about Bueckers leaving. In the short three days they have been seen together, their bond is evident, and fans are anxiously awaiting their next interaction.

-Penelope Lancaster, Bleacher Report

MAY 6, 2023

Tess is nursing a cup of half-melted ice when the FaceTime call from Paige comes through. It’s nearly startling – she’d been scrolling TikTok for the past hour, trying to distract herself from literally everything. It was difficult at first. Her feed was mostly basketball related things and huge think pieces about her and Paige – people seemed to think that Paige was saving her, which was ridiculous. It took about thirty minutes and countless refreshing, but she’s sure she successfully factory reset her algorithm. She was seventeen parts into a pirated movie and it was nearing the good part when Paige’s contact photo took over her screen.

She accepts the call, forgetting to control her face. “Hey! Woah, who pissed in your Cheerios?”

Paige’s voice flows through her airpods and Tess corrects her scowl, popping another ice cube in her mouth. “You did. I was watching Hidden Figures on TikTok and you interrupted me.”

Paige’s brows furrow dramatically. Tess takes the moment to study her screen, noting the headboard behind Paige and the dim lighting. She’s wearing a pair of glasses that sit low on the bridge of her nose, and judging by the blanket furled around her exposed shoulders, Paige must have just rolled into bed. “My bad, jus’ thought you would wanna talk to your girlfriend or sum’ after a really long plane ride.”

“It was like, four hours,” Tess states, rolling her eyes, though there’s a lingering fondness.

The blonde hums, shifting. “Try four hours and one minute. I sat next to this old guy and he snored the entire time. Like, I had my airpods in and everything and here comes Thomas the fucking train engine and shit. And in case that wasn’t bad enough, none of my teammates could pick me up so I got an Uber home and the driver just kept yapping about how South Carolina destroyed UConn’s last year.” 

Tess nearly chokes on an ice cube as she laughs, much to Paige’s chagrin. “Yeah? How’d that make you feel?”

Paige narrows her eyes at her. “Stop gloating.”

“I’m not!”

Paige waves her hand, kissing her teeth before refocusing. “What’s with the ice cubes?” she asks.

For a moment, Tess considers playing it off. She doesn’t want Paige to think of her any differently if she admits the truth about it. She was slowly getting used to feeling guilt all the time, but she was wholly unprepared for the amount of shame weighing her down. Thinking about the fact she drank herself into an alcohol dependence – not addiction; she is not addicted and that’s a hill she’s willing to die on! – is humiliating. Tess would never lord anyone else’s struggle over their head, but it’s different with her. She’s still not sure how to give herself the same grace and compassion she’d give others. Her Uncle Gio had his fair share of alcohol issues, though he was also a war veteran; Tess understands why he’d turn to drinking, but how could their issues ever compare?

She recalls the promise she made to Kam and Bree, to herself, to Paige before she boarded the plane. She gave Paige her word that she wouldn’t do this alone, so she sinks into her pillows and confesses. “The ice cubes distract me from, you know, wanting to drink. Feels like it kills the urge a little bit – I don’t know. It’s probably fucking up my teeth, but better those than my brain and my liver, right?” She tries to mask the discomfort with a laugh, but it sounds dry coming out of her mouth.

Paige’s eyes soften. “Whatever works, right?” she says. “As long as you ain’t replacin’ it with like, chain smoking?”

Tess rolls her eyes, appreciative of the sentiment, but also Paige’s humorous approach as it takes some of the pressure off. “No chain smoking here,” she vows.

The blonde is silent for a moment. “When’d they start?” she prods. “The urges. If you wanna talk about it.”

Tess contemplates her words for a moment. Paige has given her an out, but at this point, she’s not sure if she wants to use it. “Thursday night. Couldn’t sleep at all. I wanted to drink so bad. So I stayed up, ate ice, and watched TV. I was honestly in the trenches but you know…that happens when you drink for a month straight and then suddenly stop.” When she glances down at her phone screen, Paige’s eyes are laser-focused on her, absorbing every word. Tess cracks a small smile. “My first therapy appointment is on Monday, so I’ll see what my therapist suggests. I’m pretty sure the urges will be here to stay for a couple weeks. Sounds more like a fact of life than anything else, I guess, but if push comes to shove, I’ll get Kam to tie me to the bed so I can’t run away.” Paige smirks and Tess rolls her eyes. “Chill!”

“I wasn’t even gonna say nothin’!” Paige exclaims. Tess shakes her eyes, though she can’t keep the smile off her face. “For what it’s worth, ‘m proud of you for, you know…thuggin’ it out.”

Tess grins. “‘Thugging it out?’” she asks in disbelief.

“I’m being genuine,” Paige says with an eye roll. “I’on know what you’re going through besides the knee. I understand that it’s not easy, though. Everyone thinks I’m like, your knight in shining armor or some bullshit, but you don't need me. Yeah, you got me and I’m here to support you, no matter what. But I’m not saving you or anything. You’re doing that yourself. And I think that’s really cool.”

Tess chuckles, trying to ignore just how touching Paige’s words were. “Don’t get sentimental on me now.” She wipes the tear beading at her waterline, and when she glances down, Paige is smiling at her.

“Alright,” she concedes. “I won’t say anything nice ever again.”

“You?” Tess mocks. “Saying nice things?”

“Fuck off,” Paige says. Her words lack heat and her smile brightens. She runs a hand across her jaw, as if deep in thought. “So, about the airport.” Tess raises a brow in what she hopes is nonchalance, trying to keep her nerves at bay. She’s been trying to push it deep into the recesses of her mind, but it’s clear Paige has other plans. “Was it…okay? Like I didn’t make you uncomfortable or nothin’?”

“Paige,” Tess deadpans, smile widening in amusement, but it does little to hide the flush on her cheeks. “It was a hug.”

Paige scratches the back of her neck. “I mean…it – nevermind, forget it,” she says, her voice trailing off.

“It what?”

Paige shakes her head, pushing her glasses further up her nose. “Nothing, don’t worry,” she says, flashing an easy grin, but something in her expression betrays her image of comfort. “Just checking in with you, s’all. Wanna make sure we’re selling the story, yeah?”

Right. The story. Reminding herself that this was all fake is somehow the only thing on Tess’s mind, but she still manages to forget about it at the worst moments. Trying to mask the foreign feeling burning a hole in her gut, she hums. “I think we’re doing a good job. Have you seen those articles on Bleacher Report?”

Paige nods, the tension on her face dissolving. “A couple, yeah.” Her smile turns smug. “D’you actually look sad when I boarded?”

Tess throws her head back with a heavy sigh. “Paige–”

“C’mon, you don’t gotta hide it,” she says teasingly. “Coulda chased me, begged me to stay, all that cheesy romcom shit.”

“Chase you?” Tess guffaws. “First of all, with whose knee?” Paige snorts, tilting her head as if to say, touche. “Second of all, I don’t chase. I have too much self-respect for that.”

“Yeah?” Paige asks, a laugh bubbling in her throat.

Tess narrows her eyes. “I’m hanging up on you.”

“You won’t.” Tess raises a brow, pressing the red end call button. The silence hardly lasts three seconds before Paige is calling back. Tess answers with a shit-eating grin. “Don’t do that shit to me again,” Paige says, indignant.

“Who’s chasing now?” Tess asks smugly. 

Paige rubs the back of her neck again, having the decency to look caught, but she smiles at Tess regardless. “I’mma let you go take a nap,” she declares. “Let you sleep off this attitude.” Tess shakes her head, but her smile turns fond. “Call me after your appointment tomorrow, okay? Lemme know how it goes…if you feel up to it.”

Tess’s face softens. “Sure.” Tess bites her lip in contemplation. Before she has the chance to chicken out, she clears her throat. “Um, I just wanted to say thank you. For….” Tess’s voice trails off, unable to put to words how much Paige’s support has kept her sane for the past few days.

The lighting in Paige’s room is dim, but Tess can distinctly see the way her smile reaches her eyes, the way she understands what Tess is trying to say. “No need to thank me,” Paige says. “Just focus on getting better.”

Tess flashes one last quiet smile. “I will.” With a final farewell, the line clicks dead, and Tess leans back on her bed, releasing a long sigh.

Fuck.

MAY 8, 2023

Sunday passes by in a blur and Tess finds herself awake at 6am Monday morning. Sunday was chill – with nothing better to do, she spent the day (to no one’s surprise) binging more TV and working through some of Craig’s recommended independent PT exercises. She even treated herself to a solid hour outdoors, which, as popular opinion suggests, actually does wonders for your mental health.

She tries her best to ignore the intrusive thoughts at the back of her mind, urging her to go back on her promises. They become less and less appealing as the hours tick by. Sleep slowly becomes easier, though she’s unsure if she should attribute it to finally taking care of her leg or losing the fog that used to cloud her brain.

Just a week ago, Tess was rolling into bed at dawn, well past drunk and in body shuddering pain. Now, she’s on her sixth day of sobriety and genuine rehabbing, and she holds a different kind of hope for the future that she’d never felt before. There’s a small part of her that’s terrified to feel too positive about the days ahead of her considering it’s hardly been a full week, but she can’t help but feel like things are finally shaping up. And at this point, the only thing standing between her and that positive future she can’t stop thinking about is literally her.

Deciding to put a little extra effort in on Monday morning, she forgoes her usual sweatpants and opts for leggings. Between her brace and her knee, she wasn’t quite ready for jeans, but she figured leggings were at least a step up. Tess fully commits to her skin care, fixes her hair in a simple half-up half-down style, and even sends a sweet ‘good morning’ text to the team group chat – although Tessa, her almost-name twin, immediately responds and tells her to ‘take her ass back to bed.’ Tess sends the middle finger emoji and decides they are never seeing her be kind again.

She eats breakfast with Kamilla and Bree, who wish her luck for PT and her first therapy appointment. When she checks her phone for the time, she finds a couple of messages from Paige, which immediately warms her chest.

Morning Tess 🫶 Sent you a lil gift for PT It’s prolly outside your door Be nice to Craig and your therapist

Confused, although she feels inexplicably touched, she slides on her shoes, grabs her crutches, and with a final goodbye to Kam and Bree, exits their apartment. She’s careful when opening and closing the door so she doesn’t damage whatever Paige has sent. A grin slowly spreads across her face when she sees that it’s a cup of coffee tucked into a Starbucks bag. She snags a quick picture of it before carefully leaning down to pick it up. She sends the photo to Paige, leaning against the wall.

so this is actually insane

Just looking out for the people who gotta deal with you No more cranky Tess

did you order yourself something too since you’re ‘dealing with me’

Yeah lol

The selfie comes quickly – a photo of Paige with her lips wrapped around a straw in a coffee cup. She’s throwing up a peace sign for the camera and her face has an obviously smug expression. Tess can’t help the slight flush she feels, so she opts for reacting to the photo with a thumbs-down emoji.

have i mentioned how insane you are

You could start by saying “Thanks for the coffee” or something like that Wait you can post it on your story I didn’t even think about that

i feel like this was your plan all along

It wasn’t Swear I did it out of the kindness of my heart

somehow you just made it even more unbelievable

Believe what you want I got you coffee Post it on your story, be nice to people, and call me later

so bossy

Learned from the best Talk to you soon 🤩

Tess rolls her eyes, but she can’t keep the stupid ass grin off of her face as she swaps over to Instagram and shares the picture to her story. She ponders the caption for an embarrassing amount of time before writing, ‘845 miles away but still sending shit to my door.’ She hits post and slides her phone back into her pocket before walking to the trainer’s office for her PT.

When she arrives, Craig greets her warmly and they get right into it. He takes her brace off and unwraps her knee. Then, he leads her through some of their typical knee exercises, pausing in between for a cooldown where she ices her knee as he explains what their new recovery timeline should look like. As long as she does what she needs to, she likely won’t need her crutches anymore after two and a half more weeks of good behavior. In a couple months, her PT will change course entirely. They’ll begin introducing hydrotherapy and strength building exercises. For the past few days, she’s been working on the range of motion ones, so she’ll end up alternating and mixing the two somewhere down the line. Come February, she should be cleared for full contact practice. If all goes well by March, she should be able to play in full just in time for the last few days of the tournament season.

PT wraps up and Craig rewraps her knee, tightening her brace around it and sending her off with a kind smile and words of encouragement for her therapy session. Given that the university’s counseling center was across campus and Tess was not fucking with that walk, Amaya made arrangements for the psychologist to meet Tess in the athletic facility since she’d be there already for PT. She checks her phone for the room number that Amaya sent her (dutifully ignoring the Instagram notification reading ‘Paige liked your story!’) and makes her way down the hall to the office room.

Tess opens the door to find a shorter woman shuffling papers around on a desk. She looks up as the basketball player walks in, immediately flashing a beaming smile and sticking her hand out for Tess to shake. “Hey! You must be Tess.”

Tess shifts her weight, shaking her hand and returning a quiet smile. The psychologist has wavy, chestnut brown hair and kind brown eyes that have been softened by the passage of time. The crow’s feet and laugh lines on her face provide Tess with a sense of security, reminding her of a distant aunt who used to liven up the room. “Guilty as charged.”

“I’m Dr. Flanigan, but Yvette is just fine. Please, have a seat.” Tess pulls out the chair, slowly lowering herself into it, cautious of her knee. Yvette motions to the adjacent chair. “Would you want to prop your leg up? It might be more comfortable for you that way.”

Tess hesitates, but the comforting expression on Yvette’s face has her worries washing away. “Sure, please,” she says, and the older woman nods as she adjusts the chair and helps lift Tess’s leg to the elevated position. Almost instantly, some of the tension leaves her body and Tess sighs in relief.

“Perfect,” Yvette says, mostly to herself. She takes a seat in her own chair and begins looking through a couple of papers. “So, I see you’ve had quite the month.” Her words aren’t judgmental, just humorous, and Tess can’t help her snicker.

“Something like that,” she agrees.

“But you’re here now,” Yvette muses, sliding a pair of glasses onto the bridge of her nose. “That’s the hard part, isn’t it? Opening yourself up to receive help, putting aside your pride for long enough to realize you need help. I’m proud that you’re taking these steps.”

“Didn’t have much of a choice,” Tess jokes.

“You did,” Yvette says gently. Her eyes sparkle. “Your team gave you an ultimatum, but you could have said no, right? But here you are. It’s early, but you’ve already made so much progress in terms of rehabilitation. Can you share what your mental state has been like since Wednesday?”

Tess pauses to think about her words. Yvette doesn’t push her. Tess releases a breath of air, shifting, before responding. “I’ve been kinda all over the place, I guess. I mean, it was a complete 180 – I showed up to the meeting hungover and by the end of the day, I’d done PT, cried a couple of times, but like, my mind was also clearer… in a way? When I was doing what I was doing, sure, I was conscious of my own destruction, but sitting in front of a bunch of other people and having them tell you that you’re destroying yourself was different. It put things into perspective. Then…around Thursday night, the urge to drink started hitting, so I spent the entire night eating ice cubes and losing my mind.” She glances at Yvette, whose head cocks. “Um, losing it figuratively. It was really hard but I don’t think I was actively crashing out.”

“Perhaps the feeling was more like a battle with yourself for control?” Yvette asks kindly.

Tess opens her mouth, puzzled, then closes it. Damn. Yvette is good at her job. “Exactly like that,” Tess admits. “My body wanted it, but I didn’t want it. I felt like I was being pulled in two different directions – the pull was so strong. I sat for hours convincing myself that I knew what my body needed and not the other way around.”

“That’s a huge part of understanding and processing alcohol dependence,” the psychologist says. “The mentality. Treatment doesn’t always require medication – one of the most common ‘treatments’ is cognitive behavioral therapy, which helps people change unhelpful thinking patterns and reactions. A popular approach is what we call the recognize-avoid-cope method. Recognize your triggers, whether external or internal; avoid tempting situations, and cope with the triggers you can’t avoid.

“So, our two types of triggers – external and internal,” Yvette continues, and Tess listens to her every word. “External refers to your environment. Perhaps a person, place, thing, or time of day. You said your urge manifested at night time?” Tess nods. “For people who drank mostly at night, night time could be an external trigger. Your body gets used to drinking at this certain time, right? Internal triggers can be tricky. Many people struggle with identifying where they come from because they appear to come out of nowhere. However, these triggers can be set off by fleeting thoughts, responses to feelings. I believe in your case, an internal trigger could be a pain response from your knee, yes?”

Tess flushes. “I feel like you’re in my head,” she admits, drawing a laugh from Yvette. Some of the tension diffuses.

“Now that we know what to look for when we face that urge to drink, we can address it appropriately,” Yvette says. “It’s difficult to avoid internal triggers, so we just have to cope with them. Avoiding external triggers are more obvious. You may benefit from avoiding a bar or the liquor section in the grocery store, but you can’t avoid night time. This is where coping comes in. For you, chewing ice cubes was an effective distraction – perhaps one your dentist won’t agree with –” Tess chuckles, “– but it’s that idea that we want to work with. I struggled with alcohol dependence when I was your age. Meditation and yoga helped me out a lot, although those may not work for you considering your knee injury. The good thing is there’s a lot of healthy alternatives. Work on a hobby, talk to someone, take a hot shower – if it works for you and it’s not harmful, then it’s a good method! Remember, it’s all mental – if you feel the urge, challenge it. Find the error in your thinking and replace it. Remind yourself why you’re making this change to not drink. Ride it out. Urges are normal, but they’re temporary; they will pass.”

Yvette’s words leave Tess in a contemplative silence. Tess doesn’t think this first session was supposed to be anything revolutionary – Yvette literally just told her something she could have figured out from a Google search, but the psychologist's words just hit a little different. It’s similar to how she knew she was hurting herself after her injury but hearing it from Amaya, Diana, and Coach Staley rerouted the wiring in her brain.

Yvette gazes at her, calculating, before offering a small smile, like she understands that her words have hit home. She shuffles around her papers again. “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to discuss your mental health history and your anxiety medication?”

That, Tess could answer without feeling like her world is going to flip upside down. She and Yvette discuss lighter topics for the remainder of their session, such as how long she’s been taking lexapro regularly, what it was like when she fell off schedule before and after her surgery, and previous psychiatric history. Yvette suggests other coping mechanisms for regulating her anxiety. Prior to the injury, Tess’s main source of relief was basketball; now, she has to figure out what else she could do with her life that doesn’t include sports.

Feeling as though a weight is lifted off her shoulders, Tess thanks Yvette for her time. Yvette sends her off with another gentle smile – and on her walk back to her apartment, Tess can’t help but feel like she’s on the right track.

Tess calls Paige later that day after she’s finally settled into bed. After some light stretches, she presses an ice pack to her knee as she waits for Paige to pick up her call. She doesn’t wait too long before the line clicks through and Paige’s face fills her screen. The blonde is laying in bed, her hair in a bun, presumably, but Tess’s eyes catch on the headset she wears and the familiar frame of glasses. She can see the reflection of the TV through her lenses and Tess raises a brow. “Bad time?” she asks, thinking Paige may be occupied.

“Nah, ‘course not,” she says. “Gimme a sec – I’ll hide in a bush.”

Tess laughs, hearing the slight clicking of a controller before Paige turns her attention to her fully. Tess didn’t grow up with siblings, but she did have many cousins with whom she was very close with – if there was one thing she learned, they rarely paused or stopped playing their games unless it was an emergency or their mother was yelling. “What are you playing?”

“Fortnite,” Paige admits shamelessly.

“So, she flirts like a twelve-year-old and plays games meant for one,” Tess muses.

Paige rolls her eyes. “Shut up, it’s fun. You play?”

“Nope,” Tess says. “Never got the appeal.”

“Dude,” the blonde says in near disbelief. “I got to put you on. Wait, do you even have a PS5?” 

“Do you think I do?” she asks. “I’ve done literally nothing but basketball for almost fifteen years.”

“Gotta fix that,” Paige sighs. “Buy one and hop on Fortnite with me. Boom, new hobby and I get a duo.” The blonde grins at her through the screen, excited at the prospect, and Tess finds herself more accepting of the thought the more she thinks about it. Tess opens Amazon, scrolling through the console options and accessories, and Paige notes her sudden silence. “Wait, are you actually gonna get one?”

Tess shrugs a shoulder, smiling slightly. “I mean, might as well, right? I do need a new hobby and I don’t have a lot of options.” She adds the console to her cart as well as a controller, not giving it a second thought before she’s checking out. “Should be here tomorrow.”

Paige pumps her arm in the air, cheering. Tess can’t help but grin at her excitement. “You won’t regret this. Trust. We’re gonna run Fortnite like the navy.” Tess rolls her eyes good-naturedly as Paige adjusts her phone, flashing another smile. “So, what’s up with you? How was PT and therapy?”

Tess hums. “PT was the same as always. Still a little early to tell, but Craig says if everything goes according to plan, I should hopefully be back in time for the last month of games. Thinking about playing again is literally the only thing keeping my head on straight, so I just have to get my shit together for, what, ten or eleven more months? Easy peasy.”

“You’ll be back on the court before you know it,” Paige says confidently. “Do what you gotta do, but don’t lie just so you can play earlier. Don’t fuck yourself up.”

“Careful, Paige – keep saying nice things and I’ll think you care about me.”

“In your dreams,” the blonde says with a smirk. “Just want you at 100% when we play y’all in March Madness. I won’t have as much fun if I gotta drop 30 on Kamilla instead of you.”

Tess rolls her eyes. “You’re so full of shit.”

“Sharks.”

“Shit.”

“Sharks!”

“Sharks – god dammit.”

Paige grins gleefully as they both dissolve into fits of laughter. As she calms, she can’t help but stare at Paige, at the way her face scrunches and the unfiltered joy that permeates her expression. Tess hates how she softens ever so slightly, how any conversation with Paige is enough to collapse the walls she spent so long building. Tess has always been a little caustic, perhaps blunt to a fault, too sarcastic and so uncomfortable in showing affection. But there’s something about Paige that rounds out those edges. She feels like she can be honest; although vulnerability is still a difficult task, she finds that stomaching the thought is a little easier when Paige smiles at her. “So, therapy?” the blonde repeats, her tone light but not pushing her.

Her words drag Tess out of her thoughts. She shakes her head, as if trying to break the thoughts apart. “It was…informative.”

“Yeah?” Paige asks, interested. When Tess looks back at her screen, she can see the slight furrow in Paige’s brow, the look of concentration. Tess averts her eyes, feeling her face burn.

She hums, gathering her thoughts. “Basically, I just have to rethink my approach to drinking. Like, recognizing triggers and either just avoiding or coping with them. I do think I have to find something other than the ice. I bit into a chunk weird earlier and almost cried cause I thought I broke my tooth.” Paige snorts. “Not funny.” She raises her hands, grinning, and Tess sighs. “Being emotionally vulnerable is exhausting. I wish I could go play basketball and ignore most of my feelings.”

“Well, not to mansplain, but–”

“I know, I can’t actually avoid them,” Tess grumbles. Paige laughs again, and the sound is infectious enough that Tess can’t help but smile. “It’s barely been a week but I feel like…okay again. Is that a weird thing to say?”

“Nah, I get it,” Paige says. “You will be okay, though. You just need to believe it.”

Tess nods, leaning back in her bed and picking mindlessly at a loose thread on her blanket. “I think I do. Like, it doesn’t feel like the end anymore. I know that I need to put in a lot of work, but at this point, it’s a new opportunity to compete, but against myself, right? I can do that.”

“You can,” Paige affirms. “And you will.” She speaks so casually, as if Tess’s recovery is something that is already gone and past. Like it’s more truth than manifestation. When Tess smiles, Paige adds in a softer voice, “I know you can.”

“...Thanks, Paige,” is all Tess can muster. She tries not to think about it too much – Paige is so close to being fully healed from her own ACL tear. She, more than anyone else in Tess’s life currently, knows what that process is like, how the mental anguish affects you, how debilitating the pain is most days. Paige knows what it’s like to survive that. The sheer confidence, the belief that Tess can survive it means more to her than Paige will probably ever know. “Your turn, though. How’s, uh, Storrs?”

Paige shoots her a scandalized look. “You say that like Columbia is any cooler.”

Tess laughs. “Well, it’s no Brooklyn – but you know damn well that UConn is the only reason why Storrs has any relevance.”

“I’m startin’ to wonder if there’s anything you like about me,” Paige grumbles.

“I like it when you’re quiet,” Tess says.

“You called me!”

“I like it when you say the sweetest things,” Tess continues, purposefully ignoring Paige. “Like when you say I’m full of sharks or when you said we were star-crossed lovers because Caitlin broke my ankles.”

Paige huffs, trying – and failing – to hide the frown on her face. “You should not be talking about other women when you’re on the phone with your girlfriend. That’s like, relationship rule number one.”

Tess stares at her before erupting into laughter despite the warm, foreign feeling in her stomach. “Are you jealous?”

Paige rolls her eyes, but she angles her phone so Tess can’t see the flush creeping up her neck. “Chill. I’m jus’ saying – wait until that lady from Bleacher Report hears that you’re steppin’ out on me.”

Tess can’t hide her amusement. “You’re impossible, you know that?”

Paige seems to forget about her earlier words as she grins proudly. “Been told a time or two,” she chirps.

The South Carolinian guard shakes her head fondly. “Okay, for real. What’s new with you?”

Paige shrugs. “Nothing much, but me and the team’s getting together later tonight ‘cause everyone’s heading home for the summer at some point this week. I’m flying back to Minnesota Thursday morning. You goin’ home, or…?”

“Haven’t thought about it much, honestly,” Tess admits. “My mom called on Sunday and asked if I was, but I’m nervous about flying with the knee and I’d feel bad having my parents drive down twelve hours just to pick me up. I could easily do Zoom or some shit with my therapist, but I feel like I really need good and consistent PT, so I’m not sure if I’d want to leave Craig.”

Paige raises a brow. “You live in Brooklyn, right? That’s where the Liberty is. I saw Sabrina in your comments – you could see if she could get you in touch with their physio.”

Tess laughs, mostly out of shock and because of the absurdity of the offer. “Do you really think I could cold call Sabrina Ionescu and be like, ‘hey, my knee’s fucked, I was wondering if you could see if your team physio would be willing to take over my rehab while I’m home?’”

“Uh, yeah?” Paige says like it’s obvious, her face contorting in confusion. “Have you not been online? Anytime Sabrina’s asked about college athletes or the future of the W, she’s always gassing you up. She might be in love with you, lowkey.”

“You better not be bullshitting me,” Tess says, opening her browser and Googling as Paige huffs dramatically. “You think she’d leave her man for me?”

“Rule number two, Tess Alessandra,” Paige reminds her. “No seeing other people on the DL. And you thought I couldn’t handle it.”

Hundreds of articles appear on her screen. Tess feels something tighten in her chest, even as she jokingly retorts, “It’s Sabrina Ionescu – I couldn’t pass that up.” She opens the first article, eyes scanning the headline as it reads, “Sabrina Ionescu On Tess Kennedy: ‘The Perfect NCAA Shooting Guard.’” Tess’s eyes nearly bulge out of her head, her shock only growing the more she reads.

“D’you seriously not know?” Paige asks curiously.

“No,” Tess answers, and it was the truth. “I stay far away from most basketball reporting and social media. Draft discussions always make me nervous and people always look for a story where there isn’t one. I’m here to hoop, not for someone to debate whether or not I’m the second coming of basketball Jesus.” She reads more, feeling both pleasantly surprised but also touched by how many kind things Sabrina Ionescu had to say about her – it was one thing for her to reach out after her ACL tear, but it’s incredibly flattering to know that she’s had someone like Sabrina in her corner all this time and she never knew it. “Do you really think they could do that?” Tess asks again, referring to their physio situation. “Like, they’re in preseason right now. I feel like their physio needs to focus on making sure their team doesn’t tear their ACLs.”

She watches Paige shrug through the screen, a tender sort of smile on her face. “Doesn’t hurt to ask, right? Plus, I got Husky connections – I can get Stewie to put in a good word.”

“You need to chill, I’m being so for real right now,” Tess says, narrowing her eyes. “You do not need to talk to Stewie for me.”

Paige is quiet for a moment, as if fully grasping what Tess is saying. “I won’t if you don’t really want me to,” she says after a lot of contemplation. “Don’t wanna fight your battles for you, but you know…if I can help, just lemme know.”

“I appreciate that,” Tess says, her voice a lot softer. “I’ll think about it.”

The blonde grins again. “No pressure.”

“So, excited to see your family?”

Paige leans back against her headboard, her grin turning fond. “You have no idea. I feel like Drew grows so much while I’m gone. He’s my little brother. Or was. He’s like a medium brother now.”

Tess can’t help but laugh at Paige’s words. “Yeah? Was he the one who put you on Fortnite?” she teases.

“You act like I can’t make choices for myself,” Paige says indignantly. “I actually put him on.”

“You see how that’s like, worse, right?”

Paige glares at her dramatically, but Tess can easily see the amused smile on her face. “You’re a D1 hater. It’s insane.”

“Been told a time or two,” she says, mirroring Paige’s earlier words, and they both dissolve into fits of laughter. “Do you–”

She’s cut off by the sound of a knock at Paige’s door. The blonde pulls off one airpod, turning to look at whoever’s walking in. “Hey, Lili and I are going to the store to pick up some stuff for tonight – you wanna come?” Tess is unable to place the voice, which doesn’t surprise her, but she watches the hesitation flash across Paige’s face. “Ohhh, are you on the phone with your lady friend?”

“Lady friend is crazy work,” Paige grumbles, which causes Tess to laugh. Paige glances at her screen again, as if studying Tess’s face for a reaction.

“Go hang out with your friends,” she tells her, knowing Paige is the only one who can hear. “Don’t let them think I’m the obsessive girlfriend who doesn’t let you hang out with other people.”

“If the shoe fits,” the blonde teases. Tess rolls her eyes at Paige’s smirk and she feels something simultaneously soften and break apart inside of her. That’s an issue to face another day. “I’ll text you later, okay? Make good choices.”

“Always,” Tess says innocently. Paige’s smirk melts into something more tender before she bids Tess one last goodbye and ends the FaceTime call. Tess exhales, staring at her phone screen, where her and Paige’s earlier text conversation remains. It all feels a little fast, but she can’t deny that she feels so incredibly comfortable with Paige. Sure, she and Paige bicker a lot, but she knows it’s all in good fun and she enjoys their banter and how Paige keeps her guessing. It’s the same way she is on the basketball court, but Tess recognizes something different in their little game: Paige’s slight acquiesce, the natural pauses in any of their conversations where Paige seems like she’s seeing Tess in a different way, understanding her in a way that’s beyond surface level. 

It’s a double edged sword. Being known is terrifying. From a basketball perspective, the understanding that comes with knowing your opponent’s every move manifests in quick interceptions, knowing how to guard them on their favorite wing. On a personal level, being known opens you up to those same vulnerabilities. By now, she knows Paige better than that and she trusts that Paige wouldn't go out of her way to hurt her, but it’s hard to escape the thought that by letting Paige into her life and under her skin, she’s effectively arming her with her insecurities and shortcomings.

But at the same time, she’s letting Paige in, and it’s new and scary because nobody outside of Kamilla has ever wanted to look further. Tess has probably curated that issue herself — she keeps her teammates close enough that they’re privy to only 75% of her; that last 25%, each and every ugly thought or feeling or trait she’s ever had is kept so far away from them and Tess herself. Now, between her knee, her therapy and PT, and the whole situation of having to be Paige’s fake girlfriend, she’s suddenly faced with having to show someone a lot more than 75%. And it’s fucking frightening because Paige is getting to know Tess at her worst; although she doesn’t exactly have the option to run, she’s trying to be closer to Tess despite it all. Tess has spent so much of her life being afraid of the day the mirror would shatter and she would have to face the parts of herself she didn’t like. Knowing that she’s still here now, learning to love the girl in between the fractures, and that Paige has a heart big enough to not be offended by the scrapes and the nicks and the lacerations that come with handling something sharp and broken, fills her with an amalgamation of feelings. She’s hopeful, but she’s fearful and hesitant; she’s confused but so incredibly grateful. 

So, she takes Paige’s advice and reaches out to Sabrina on Instagram. Tess isn’t alone in this. Between her teammates, her friends, her trainers and coaches and mentors, and now the women in the league, there’s so many people in her life that want to help her succeed if only they’d let her. Sabrina’s response comes 15 minutes later — she’d actually been in the trainer’s office getting her wrist checked out when she got her text. Sabrina said their head athletic trainer, Theresa, would be more than happy to take over her her PT while she’s back in Brooklyn, but obviously they would have to work around the Liberty’s game schedule. They would still be able to upkeep Tess’s three times a week requirement, and honestly, that was good enough for her.

Sabrina’s next message came in after Tess said her thank-you’s, reading:

No problem at all! Super proud of your progress and I can’t wait to see you on the court again. Let me know whenever you’re cleared, I would love to shoot around with you sometime

She decides she’d text Paige later, maybe let her know she was right if she felt like listening to her endless gloating. But she smiles as she texts her mom, telling her that she’s got another trainer lined up if she and her dad would be able to make the drive down to South Carolina. 

We’ll be there about noon tomorrow to pick you up, piccola, no drive is too far

Then, feeling both hopeful and excited, she texts Amaya to let her know she’s going home for the summer but that she’ll maintain her PT and therapy sessions, to which Amaya responds with a simple thumbs up emoji that makes Tess immediately regret her thoughtful message. She lets Kamilla and Bree know she’s going and they remind her they’re both a call away if she needs anything. Tess packs most of her things before settling back into bed to relax. 

She texts Paige later that night, shortly after midnight when she should have been well in bed, but she was struggling to sleep. Her thoughts were racing, but they were more positive than anything. She was excited to see her parents; she hadn’t really talked to them since her surgery. They had a lot to catch up on. She was anticipating the arrival of her Playstation, feeling unnaturally stoked to play Fortnite of all things, though a smaller part of her that she was slowly coming around to knew she just enjoyed her time with Paige, anyway. Unable to sleep, she writes:

you can say i told you so now the liberty’s trainer will take over my PT

I told you so Does this mean you won’t be gaming with me?

ill see if i can fit you into my schedule me and sabrina are super tight now 🤞

Don’t play with me.

don’t worry paigey you’re still my one and only

Better be Have a safe drive tomorrow 🫶

Tess sends back a single heart emoji, putting her phone on its charger and staring up at the ceiling. After a beat, a slow smile spreads across her face, and she can't help but think that she's making the right decision by letting Paige in.

[tainted-liquor]

'Tiny hands; Little Baby ...ପ(๑•ᴗ•๑)ଓ ♡ ft. 42Miles

...‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

✩ingredients: Sugar, kisses, and baby powder!

˙⟡TWs: Cussing, Miles speaks mostly Spanish, so ready ur spanishDict

✩A/N: Miles is soft when it comes to his children. Its not ooc, he was based off of MY sisters father. parents usually 'calm down' after having babies. pls don't start complaining

When you think of the ideal father, you usually would think of two types of people. The happy-go-lucky super kind and outgoing person, or someone who balances both fun and order. You never in your life expected to be a mother, or even wanted kids as a matter of fact. But everything changed when you met him. Miles.

Admittedly, when you met in high school shit was rocky. Typical 'anti-social social' kid. Everybody knew him, but nobody was ever able to say they talked to him. But things slowly began to change as the school year passed, and you seemed to pop up more and more in each other's lives. Art projects, a shared interest in graffiti, seating charts in chem, and ending up at the same bodega during the wee hours of the night.

You waltzed into the small store, grabbing a tube of Pringles and a bottle of cherry Faygo. You had a project to get done within the next 5 hours and spent 3 days working nonstop so you wouldn't fail this semester. Your eyes were low and sleepy, your movement was slower than average and it looked like you had been crying. A lot. What is a girl supposed to do when she feels like her life is being drowned out by constant numbers and big words?

You waited by the counter, tapping away on your phone as you waited for the man behind the glass to finish making your chop cheese, slowly raising your head to see who just swung open the door. You made eye contact with Miles for a brief moment, nodding upward as a form of greeting before suddenly being startled. Miles's eyes widened for a moment, taking a tiny step back as he took in how sleepy you looked. Your hoodie wasn't even on properly, one arm completely off your shoulder and exposing a fraction of your black tank top to the world around you. "Well damn, nigga. I know I look like shit but don't make it obvious" you snorted, rolling your eyes as you dropped your head back to your phone screen.

"Oh, my bad. Just not used to seeing you outside of school" he shrugged, making his way to the counter to order his food and standing next to you in silence. You both tapped away on your phones, scrolling through your Instagram while you waited for your sandwich. There was nothing else to it, really. You both waved bye to each other as you left the store, silently building a smidge of a relationship compared to being just strangers. For the most part, it was like that at school too.

There was no real reason to talk to him, outside of a small hallway talk and a nod or a wave. And it stayed like that for a long time, until a random day in the school's library. Miles came strutting through the oak wood doors, seemingly pissed off as he slammed his supplies on a nearby table and started working silently. You side-eyed him, continuing to blast the music in your headphones until you felt a presence begin getting closer to you. You grabbed one of your AirPods, removing it from your ear as Miles stood over you.

"Hmm?" You hummed, looking up at him as you paused your music. He said nothing, only showing you a piece of paper with honors calculus work. "Do you need help?" you asked, scanning over the paper briefly before putting your AirPods in your case. He nodded, letting you take the paper from him as he leaned against the table. "Aight, sit down. I'm only doing one problem though" you muttered, scooting your chair over to make room for Miles.

When Miles left that table, you were closer than normal. You spent the rest of the afternoon helping him 'study' (talking to each other while he finished his work) and exchanging numbers and Instagram. "Good luck with your test!" You smiled, waving from across the room as he left the library. He gave you a nod before swiftly exiting, leaving people asking you left and right "What's Miles like?" You didn't think anything of it, at all.

You never would have imagined that that same boy would be the father of your child almost ten years later.

“MILES!” You shouted as loud as humanly possible. “SÍ? QUÉ HICE??” He shouted back from the kitchen. “MY FUCKING WATER BROKE START THE CAR!” You yelled as you stared down in absolute shock. And it was absolute chaos from there. Miles was practically stumbling out of the house as he ran to start the car, muttering curses as he ran up to get you out of your shared room.

Unfortunately for Miles, he had no idea what was happening. He was terrified but tried to be as supportive as possible through the entire situation. He was out cold for most of the delivery, having fainted 10 minutes in from anxiety. "Sir? SIR-!"

BOOM

But other than that, everything went amazing! He cried for 20 whole minutes when he got to hold his beautiful baby girl. "W-what...sniffle... are you going to...sob...name h-her, love?" he asked between a puddle of tears. You took a good look at your baby through soaked eyes, realizing she was born...quiet. She had one green eye, and one dark brown eye that was taken right from her father's face, a cute little button nose, and a head full of placenta-permed hair. She cried once the entire birth and remained silent the rest of the way, just like her nonchalant-ass daddy. "I'm thinkin' about...Asomi" you replied before bursting out in tears, causing Miles to burst even further into tears.

You attempted to reach for your baby, earning a watery glare from your boyfriend. "Nigga I JUST PUSHED HER OUT! GIMME MY BABY!" you giggled as you attempted to grab your daughter. "nuh-uh. I'm not done holding her" he retorted, flashing you a middle finger as he held Asomi even closer. "Miles Gonzalo Morales."

"Lo siento. Te amo mucho. Tú eres muy bonita y inteligente" he quickly replied as he handed your daughter over.

And from that moment forward, everything in Miles's life revolved around his beautiful family. He spent hours rambling on and on to 'Omi', as he calls her, about anything under the sun. "Entonces," Miles began as he attempted to give 'Omi a sink bath. "Tú mami me dijo que necesito hablar más inglés a ti. I won't though, cuz you're my lil princess" he whispered as he curved Omi's hair into a bubbly mohawk and giggled like a child. He played with the bubbly water, pretending to be one of the countless tiny rubber duckies she had floating around in the water.

"Alright, c'mon. Necesito vestir tú antes consigue frío" he giggled as he put the kid in a prowler onesie you told him not to buy. He blew raspberries on Asomi's little belly, earning adorable giggles from his daughter as he carried the tiny baby with one arm. He cleaned up some of the toys on the floor, briefly pushing them inside the toy bin before grabbing the tiny purple pacifier and soft wooly lamb-lamb plush. Omi clung to his shirt, laying her head on his shoulder as she held the tiny lamb-lamb plushie. Miles kissed her on the forehead, sat down on the couch, and fell asleep with Omi dozing off right beside him.

You came home to two of your two favorite people in the world snuggled up on the couch. Omi's tiny hand gripped Miles's shirt as Miles held her like an inmate protecting his tray. You giggled to yourself, snapping a quick pic for the memories before joining their 'nap circle'.

"G'night, pretty babies" you whispered, pressing kisses on both of their cheeks.

"Mmh...noches."

...‧₊˚❀༉‧₊˚.

Taglist:

@ashsostrange @chessbox @janaeby @faeriesoiree333 @fivestardior @an1bara @bachirasegoist @kxllanxtdoor

Taglist form on my profile !! pls fill that out to be added <3

[clarkeyhill]

🔞Absence| George Clarke

[You've been away on a girls trip for a week, leaving George to hold down the fort at home whilst you're away. This is the longest you've been without eachother since being together, you get home and George shows you just how much the absence made his heart grow fonder]

You've left the apartment of your villa you've stayed at for the past week, although you've had a great time, you're ready for your own bed and to see George again. As you wait to board you decide to FaceTime George before you get onto the plan.

"Hi my love" you say as his face lights up at the sight of you, "hi baby, where are you?" He looks confused "I'm just in the airport waiting to board so I thought I'd call you before hand, I'm expected home for about 6pm" you tell him "aw I'm glad, I've missed you too much, I hope you've had the best time though" he says smiling at you

•passengers for the 2:05pm flight to London Gatwick must now board the plane•

The intercom announces, "sorry baby we're boarding now, I'll see you soon, I love you!" You wave and blow a kiss to him "I love you too pretty" he says back waving. You grab your hand luggage and make your way to the plane, you sit in your seat as you pop your AirPods in and listen to a new podcast episode you downloaded to listen to as you slowly fall asleep.

The screeching of the plane wakes you up as you discover you've landed, you pop your AirPods back in their case and make your way off the plane, by god it feels good to be home. You make your way over to collect your suitcase as you text George to say you'd landed and you'd see him at the flat. You wheel your suitcase to the Uber and make your way to George at last. You arrive at your flat and slowly open the door to see a snug George starfished out on the sofa in a deep sleep, you chuckle to yourself as you take a moment to realise how much you've missed your favourite person.

You leave your case by the door as you creep over to him, you slowly crouch down to his level and plant a kiss on his forehead "hey sleepy, I'm home" his eyes spring open and a smile plasters his face as he abruptly pulls you onto him "I'm sorry I fell asleep I had a plan to cook a meal for us and I just crashed" he furrows his brows "it's fine baby, you must have been tired from all the excitement of me coming home, I knew you would so I ordered Chinese takeout" you smile tucking your hair behind your ear "I've bloody missed you, what would I do without you" he plants a small kiss on your lips as you climb off of him, you decide to set out two plates for when the food arrives. George sits up and admires you as the tan you caught whilst away makes your body glow in ways he didn't know could, your hair messy in beach curls, wearing a white crop top and your white fox shorts.

"Fuck, I've missed being able to see how good you look everyday" he says as he makes his way over to you, snaking his hands around your waist as you lean your head backwards into his chest "I've missed seeing your gorgeous face too, if I must say" you spin round and interlock your hands around his neck, a whiff of aftershave enters your nose as you embrace him, damn he smells good you think to yourself. Being without him for a week has drove you insane "let me show you just how much I've missed you" he smirks looking down at you, smashing his lips onto yours as his hands snake their way up your back, you don't hesitate but instead match his tempo as you move with eachother. Kisses becoming more rough as the time goes on "do we have time for this, the food will be here soon" you pull away "I've always got room for a slight dessert" he shoots you a hot look and with the he scoops you up, wrapping your legs around him as he lays you down on the kitchen table, your breath hitches as if this is your first time, George tangles his fingers in the seam of your shorts as he notices you're not wearing a bra underneath your crop top, "fuck that top shows off your piercings so well" he bites his lips referring to the nipple piercings you got before the trip

"They're fully healed now, so no tip toeing around them" you advise him, his eyes widen at the thought of finally being able to taste the metal in his mouth, you slip your top off revealing your tits as he cups one, hovering a thumb over your nipple as he examines your beauty. He leans in for a kiss as he continues to play with your nipples, sending you into overdrive at the touch of him, he then makes his way down your neck planting sharp kisses enough to leave marks edging down to your tits "fuck baby I've missed you" he says as he's gently plants a kiss on top of your breast, your head jolts back as he takes the piercing in his mouth, the feeling is electric sending shockwaves to your core as George looks up at you. "Oh fuck!" Your breath hitches once again as you struggle to keep calm, the urge for George to dominate you takes over and you lose control

"Fuck me George, I need you so fucking bad" you hiss at him, his mouth leaves your nipple sending a shiver down your spine as he leaves no time, he slides your shorts down to you ankles, letting them fall to the floor. He studies your naked body for a minute as he basks in the sight of your pussy he's craved for over a week. He bites his lips as he unbuckles his joggers, you feel yourself watching at the thought of the chemistry between you drives you wild. "How bad have you missed me" he asks cocking his eyebrow up "so fucking bad George, I want you to leave my legs shaking" your words shock him, you've never spoken like this before "oh fuck" he retorts, wasting no time in doing what you asked, he slams himself into you as your jaw drops, the look on George's face alters at the sight of you, filling him with satisfaction as he watches your tits bounce up and down with his thrusts. "Fuck you're so wet already" he mutters as his pace picks up, conscious of the time you have left before the food arrives. You clutch the sides of your table as your mind loses control, George tightens a grip around your neck in order to assert his dominance.

You both have never felt the chemistry you have before, testing eachothers boundaries and engaging in more rough motions "scream my name baby girl" he smirks, fuck him calling you that makes your body tingle as you feel yourself becoming close "fuck George I'm almost there, don't stop!" You screech, he listens and instead picks up the pace as his grip tightens a little more around your neck, you feel his cock pulsating inside you signalling he's close too, your eyes roll back as your reach your limit "oh fuck George!" You bellow as you reach your limit, George still thrusting into you in urge to reach his climax too "fuck your so sexy when your scream my name" he says eyes rolling back as he swings his head back "fuck!" He groans, climaxing inside of you. You're both out of breath as you slide off the table, collecting your clothes incase the food arrives, George pulls his shorts back up as you both chuckle to eachother.

"That was fucking amazing" he says panting "I know, maybe I should go away more often". You send a wink over to him. Just as you're sorted the doorbell rings "good timing" George laughs as you flip him off as you answer the door to the delivery driver. It's good to be home

-

🫶🏻

[rafeyscurtainbangs]

Star Lab - Rafe Cameron Blurb

+18 Minor DNI

Frat!Rafe x Yearning!Reader

⭐️ republished ⭐️

+18 Minor DNI

🪄 Hand job, oral (male receiving), Soft!Rafe, Frat!Rafe, hair pulling, public oral (briefly)

📖 based off an ask: masturbating frat Rafe in class 🫦

✨ Rafe lets out a dark chuckle, tossing his head back on the reclined seat. “You’re a naughty little thing. Aren’t you, baby girl? This is just foreplay. Yeah? You gonna let me hit it tonight?” ✨

1k

Reader’s POV:

The lights fall low, darkness closing in around you as a wash of stars light up the sky. You relax in your chair, popping in an AirPod, shuffling your Spotify, and waiting for the lecture to begin. It’s quiet and peaceful, just a hush of conversation humming around you… Until it’s not. You hear his laugh, the sleepy drawl of his voice, shooting the shit with his frat brothers as they file into the lecture hall.

“I’m gonna sit by y/n. A’ight?” He whispers to his friend, but his voice carries as usual. The sound of your name leaving his lips still gives you butterflies. He doesn’t give two shits about college, yet somehow, he seems to do well. One of those people who succeeds with minimal effort; all effort he pays during class is directed toward you.

“Hi, beautiful,” he rasps. You look up from your seat, watching Rafe as he looks down at you. He looks good, he always does, sporting a black t-shirt and matching backward hat. His grey sweats hang low on his hips, tucked into high-top Nike sneakers.

“Hi, Rafe,” you greet him with a smile as you lean into your armrest, waiting for him to sit.

“How was your day, princess?” The boy croons as he falls into the seat, instantly spreading his thighs wide.

“Great. Just class all day. And you?” You ask. Even with the dim lighting, you can see him watching your lips, studying your pretty features.

“Good as always. You coming by tonight?”

“Anything But Clothes party?”

“Mhmm…” He smirks. “I mean, you look pretty good right now. Hate to see you take this off,” he mumbles as he rubs the hem of your dress between his rough fingers. “What are you gonna wear?”

“Wrapping paper,” you giggle, watching a smile creep across his lips.

“Makes sense,” he cheeses, adjusting his hat on his head.

“How so?”

“You gonna make me get all mushy? I can do that for you.”

“Mhmm…” You hum as you lean in a little closer.

“A’ight,” he chuckles. “‘Cause whoever is gonna be lucky enough to tear it off your body will get a gift… you, obviously,” Rafe rasps, his voice trailing away slightly at the end. His cockiness fleets momentarily as you pull some sweetness out of him. “I’m sure that pussy’s a fuckin’ gift.” You let out a flirty little gasp at his naughty words. “M’I wrong?” You can feel yourself blushing. Luckily, the room is dark. You bite your lip, holding back an all-too-wide smile. “I’m not. I know it.” He mumbles. Heat radiates from your neck as his lips meet your skin for the first time. Making you bite back a needy whine.

“Rafe…” You whisper. “We’re in class.”

“You’re very observant, Y/n,” Rafe teases. “We’re also in the back. This okay? I can stop if you’d like-”

“No,” you answer fast. Rafe’s large hand grips your bare thigh, tracing higher. You feel a throbbing between your thighs, your needy pussy positively soaked for Rafe already. “Wait.”

“Shit. Sorry,” he puffs.

“You first. Then me. Just in case we get caught.”

“What the fuck?” Rafe protests through a soft chuckle as he buries his face on your neck, kissing your smooth skin again.

“Please… I’m just nervous. I’m not gonna be able to cum if I’m in my head,” you whisper.

“Well, we can’t have that,” he mumbles before biting down on your skin. “You gonna stroke my cock, baby? What if we make a mess?” He asks as his thumb brushes across your bottom lip, leading you to the answer he wants.

“I’ll swallow it.”

Rafe lets out a dark chuckle, tossing his head back on the reclined seat. “You’re a naughty little thing. Aren’t you, baby girl? This is just foreplay. Yeah? You gonna let me hit it tonight?”

“Maybe…”

“Maybe?” He flirts.

“Maybe,” you whisper as you walk your fingers over, tracing up the print of his cock, stamped on the cozy cotton material.

“Fuck, baby. A’ight,” he rasps. He smirks as your fingers meet the waistband, slipping under the elastic. You run your finger along it, teasing him, feeling his ab muscles flex below your touch.

Your hand plunges in, landing on top of his thick cock, making your eyes expand. Fuck he’s huge… You turn your head in his direction, catching a smirk. Rafe is fully aware of his size; absolutely loving your reaction.

You lean in, Rafe, meeting you in the middle. “Still a maybe, princess?” He smiles against your lips as you wrap your fingers around the base of his cock flipping it up.

“I might let you take me here, Cameron.”

“Well, Shit,” he groans. You draw his sweatpants down just enough to wet him with some spit, catching it with your fist as you start to stroke as you hide your sin under the cotton again. Rafe eyes roll back as he relaxes in his seat again, looking up at the star-sprinkled sky. Moving your hands counterclockwise, you twist and turn; his cock is firm and warm. He takes hold of your thigh. A breathy, low moan tumbles from his lips.

“Fuck,” he sighs as he leans closer, turning his body to get a little more contact. His hand rests on your chest, squeezing your breast, slipping into the top of your dress to graze your nipple, circling it with his ringed finger. “Can’t wait to see these tits, y/n. You wet, princess? Bet you’re so fuckin’ wet f’me.”

“M’so wet. Feels good?” You breathe.

“So fucking good,” he hums, bringing his hands up to your cheek to guide you to his lips. Rafe starts to thrust into your hand a little as your kiss deepens, his breathing quickening with each passing second. “You gonna cum for me?” You mumble against his lips. Your words elicit a moan, rumbling against your mouth as you start to feel him quake in your hand.

“I’m right there…” Rafe grabs his sweatpants with one hand, his other drifting in your hair. Tugging them down enough for his cock to swing out. His grip tightens on your strands, pressing your head between his thighs. “Oh, fuckk-” You wrap your lips around his cock, creating a suction that has him spurting instantly. He digs his heel into the floor, choking back a moan as his warm cum hits the back of your throat in a heavy load. You swallow it all, feeling his grip loosen; his cock pulsing on your tongue.

Rafe lifts you off his dick, throwing his head back as he lets out a satisfied sigh. “Goddamn.”

“Yeah?”

“Your turn.”

[bingwriterxo]

the shakespeare exhibit - part 4

pairing: tara carpenter x reader

summary: in which you take tara on a surprise date

warnings: none

word count: 1700+

author's note: i'm gonna throw up from the fluff

previous part | next part

“So, where are we going this time?” Please not Shakespeare in the park. Please not Shakespeare in the park, Tara thought as she stared up at you, waiting for your response.

You grinned at her. “I can’t tell you! That ruins the whole point of a surprise date!”

Tara frowned. “Fine. Be like that,” she huffed, faking annoyance. She leaned back in her seat, glancing around the subway car at the other riders. There were a few men in business suits, a couple of other teenagers, and…a mime? What the fuck? Otherwise, it was surprisingly empty for a New York City subway on a Saturday afternoon.

She glanced at you, tracing your side profile with her eyes as your own eyes flitted around the car, your leg bouncing up and down. Before she could ask why you seemed anxious, you leaned over.

“I’m still not used to the city transportation,” you confessed. “I usually just walk to the university, or I drive if I have to go somewhere farther away.”

Tara placed a hand on your knee to help your fidgeting. “Hey, it’s okay. Everything’s gonna be fine, alright?” She smiled at you. “I’ve become a bit of a pro at the subway in the past few months, if I do say so myself, so I’ve got you.”

You chuckled. “Oh yeah? Gonna protect me from any bad guys?”

“Oh, definitely.” If I can beat motherfucking Ghostface, I can beat anyone. “You’d be surprised at what I’m capable of.” You tilted your head at her, confused. That’s a story for a later date. “You’re safe with me.” You nodded, and an idea popped into Tara’s head. “Would music make you feel better? That usually calms you down.”

You shrugged half-heartedly. “Yeah, but I didn’t bring my headphones.”

She pulled her airpods from her pocket and waved them around. “Good thing I never leave the apartment without mine.” She popped them out of her case, handing one to you while she shoved the other in her own ear. Once they were connected to her phone, she scrolled through her Spotify for a song.

‘Saturn’ by Sleeping At Last started playing, and Tara watched as you visibly relaxed, allowing your shoulders to slump, before you turned to her, your eyebrows furrowed. “You don’t like this kind of music,” you said.

She shrugged. “No, but you do.”

Your eyes widened. “You remembered?”

Why wouldn’t I? “Of course I did.” I made a whole playlist full of songs you like, nerd.

You smiled shyly and wrinkled your nose, a blush tinting your skin. “You’re such a simp, Tar.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m changing the song.” Before you could get another word out, ‘Not Strong Enough’ by Boygenius was blasting through the headphones instead. You bit back a smile as the first few cords filled your ears, and Tara stuck her tongue out teasingly at you.

“Jokes on you,” you said. “I like this song, too.”

Oh, I know, she thought. It’s on the playlist.

* * *

“This feels like a kidnapping,” Tara stated as she walked around, her vision blocked out by your hands. Her own arms were waving around in front of her so that she wouldn’t walk into anything or anyone, and her feet were stumbling along as you led her to an unknown location.

“Tara, if I was gonna kidnap you, I wouldn’t have told Mindy where we were going,” you said, your voice close to Tara’s ear, and she shivered.

Wait. What? “Mindy knows? Why does Mindy know?” Why is that bitch always in the middle of my shit? Nosy fucker.

“Because she asked and I told her.” You shrugged. “Plus, I don’t have Sam’s number yet, and I didn’t want her to think I was kidnapping you, so I had Mindy tell her where we were going.”

Okay. That’s fucking adorable of her. “Well, are we almost there? I don’t love not being able to see.”

You hummed. “Two more steps.” One. Two. Tara planted her feet on the ground. “I didn’t literally mean two more,” you huffed. “But I guess this works.” You uncovered her eyes, and Tara blinked at the sudden brightness.

She looked up at the large, white building you had stopped in front of, her eyes widening and jaw dropping. “No way! This is--”

“The Museum of Moving Image,” you said, grinning at her. “I thought you might like it--”

You weren’t able to finish as Tara grabbed your wrist and pulled you into a kiss, her lips pressed against yours as she tried to express all of the gratitude and joy she had in her body. That’s it, she thought. Case closed. She’s the one.

She pulled away, smiling so hard that her dimples were showing and the corners of her eyes were crinkled. “Well, come on!” she exclaimed, tugging you toward the front door. You were still stuck in a daze, your eyes half-lidded and mouth agape. “Let’s go!”

Tara giggled as you staggered behind her through the entrance until finally regaining your footing. You tossed your arm over her shoulders and led her to the ticket booth.

“Two tickets, please,” you said to the guy working at the counter, and he smiled.

“Sure, sure.” He rang you up quickly, sliding the tickets toward you, and when you reached out to grab them, he asked, “You haven’t been here before, have you?”

You shook your head. “Nope. It’s our first time.”

He nodded, and Tara watched as his eyes flitted down, stopping at your chest for a second before glancing back up at you. “I can tell. I’m sure I’d remember a face like yours.” He winked, and she felt like throwing up.

Does he not see her arm around my shoulders? Fucking idiot. She pushed herself further into your side, scowling at him. He paid her no mind as he winked slyly, and you hummed.

“Do you have a photographic memory or something?” Your eyes widened. “That’d be so cool! I wish I had a photographic memory. It would make learning plays and poems so much easier.”

The guy looked taken aback, his eyebrows furrowing. “What? No, I’m just saying you’re gorgeous is all.”

“Oh.” You frowned. “That’s less cool.”

And this is why you date the oblivious ones, Tara thought, internally laughing at the fact that you hadn’t realized the ticket boy was flirting with you.

“We’ll be going now,” she stated, inserting herself into the conversation and taking the tickets. She didn’t spare him a second glance as she turned the two of you around.

“Well, if you need any help or anything, you know where to find me!” the guy called, and Tara scoffed.

“No thanks!”

“That was weird, I think,” you said once you were out of earshot. “I don’t really know what just happened.”

She’s such a fool. Tara glanced up at you with a smile, and you returned it easily. A cute, adorable, chivalrous fool, but a fool nonetheless.

She patted you on the back before slipping her arm around your waist. “That’s okay, babe. Don’t worry about it.” You blushed from the nickname and Tara handed your tickets to an employee, who waved the two of you in.

“So, where to first?” you asked.

* * *

For hours, Tara pulled you from exhibit to exhibit, happily answering any questions you had (there were a lot of them--your extensive knowledge didn’t stretch far beyond literature) and you listened closely, smiling whenever she ended up rambling about something.

The last exhibit was the one Tara was most excited for, and she lit up as she ventured into it, eyes jumping around the room as she scanned different artifacts from filming history. There were microphones, cameras, costumes, projectors--basically everything a film major would love.

“Oh my god,” she breathed out, tugging you toward the closest item. “This is the first ever boom microphone.”

“It’s very…big,” you said. “I thought boom microphones were smaller.”

She nodded, never taking her eyes off of the object. “They are, but they didn’t have much to work with back in the ‘20s.” She pulled away from you slightly so that she could get as close as possible. “Dorothy Arzner decided to put the microphone on a fishing rod during the filming of The Wild Party because there was too much movement on set, so any mics hidden in clothes didn’t work.”

She turned to you, grinning from ear to ear, and chuckled as you furrowed your eyebrows, tilting your head at her. “And Dorothy Arzner is…?”

“She was a filmmaker back in the ‘20s and ‘30s. Plus, she was one of America’s first lesbian filmmakers.”

You hummed, stepping forward and wrapping your arms over Tara’s shoulders, pulling her back into your front. “I see. And is that why you’re so knowledgeable about Arzner’s work?”

“Somewhat.” She shrugged. “She just did so many things for film, it’s hard not to know about her.”

You giggled, and Tara felt it against her spine, her heart hammering at the sound. “I feel how you must feel whenever I talk about literature,” you mumbled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

I could stay like this forever, she thought. Right here, in her arms, looking at this damn microphone. “We’re both nerds, aren’t we?” she asked.

“You’re only just realizing this now?”

She pushed against you. “Shut up.” She turned in your arms, looking up at you. “You’re nerdier. You know that, right?”

You narrowed your eyes, a teasing smile on your face. “If it helps you sleep at night, then I’ll say yes.”

Tara rolled her eyes. “I’ve got something else you should say yes to instead.”

“And that is?”

Don’t stutter. Just…say it. She inhaled deeply and asked, “Be my girlfriend?”

“Wait.” You frowned, furrowing your eyebrows a little. “Are we not already girlfriends?”

“Huh?”

“You told Mindy I was your girlfriend.”

Tara blushed, remembering her slip up from the other night. “I got ahead of myself when I said that.”

You grinned. “Too excited over me? You little simp.”

“If you keep calling me a simp, I’m gonna take my question back.” No I won’t. I would never.

“Sure you would, Tar.” She knows me too well. You giggled and pressed your forehead against hers. “I would love to be your girlfriend,” you said before kissing her. “‘For her own person, it beggar’d all description: she did lie--’”

“Are you quoting Shakespeare to me right now? Right now?”

You blushed. “...Yes.”

[sturnslutz]

i fucking hate you.

it was never supposed to be like this.

its always been you and the triplets. but, the one thing everyone knew, was that you and matt hated each other. and that was never going to fucking change. rude words getting thrown back and forth, screaming, crying, you name it. it's happened between matt and you. (besides the crying part. that only happens when you're alone.)

nick was your best friend since 7th grade when you accidentally spilled the pink paint all over his shirt in art, and he laughed it off. after that day, you guys were best friends. soon after, he introduced you to his brothers, chris and matt. chris and you got along very quickly as he was super extroverted and so were you. you guys were basically the same person.

with matt, it was the opposite. unfortunately, the first day you actually met him and chris was at their house and you (coincidently) spilled your water all over him. he didn't take it like nick did, no. he knew he was going to fucking hate you.

since that day, even while you're a freshman in college, its been non stop arguing.

the triplets' career quickly boomed for them their senior year and their fans knew you as the occasional guest for the video. so, after you all graduated, you already had plans of attending boston college while they had none.

sooner or later, they moved to la, and nick and chris promised to stay close to you. matt on the other hand... not so much. in your eyes, he didnt fucking care one bit, which was also what he tried convincing himself. your last day together was one like any other. a final argument before they finally let. but, it ended in matt saying "i fucking hate you." before leaving and slamming the door on his way out.

thats what you guys left on for 9 months. sure, they visited somerville at times but you were always busy with school and never could see them until you were finally on a break and nick invited you to come to la to see them.

he bought your plane ticket the next day, and you flew to la and had plans of staying for 3 days. matt was obviously informed but didn't pay much mind to it. but inside, he was reeling. almost every time nick or chris (or both of them) were on facetime with you and they were on the main floor and matt was in his room, he was jerking himself off thinking of you and your voice. but he wouldn't tell anyone that, ever.

anyways, the day of you arriving he coincidentally cleaned his entire room and made nick and chris clean theirs too, and when questioned, he quickly dismissed it as wanting it to be clean for no reason (???)

when you come, nick and chris take you out for dinner, go shopping and come home while matt has been in his room, sulking. right when the 3 of you come home and nick and chris go to their rooms to get changed, you're met with matt in the kitchen with his airpods in.

you throw your empty plastic water bottle at him, getting his attention. "what the fuck- oh. its you." "yeah, nice seeing you too, matthew. always a pleasure." he nods and sends a sarcastic smile before turning back around to the refrigerator. "we got you food." you say trying to regain his attention again. "already ate." "ain't seem like it if you're scavenging through the fucking fridge like something gonna pop up when all yall got is fucking 10,000 cases of soda."

he turns around, shutting the fridge. "you got a problem with our house?" you shake your head no as he push his food to him from across the table. "nope. just questioning the sugar intake." "its mostly chris's shit." he says responding to your remark while opening the plastic bag to see what you got for him and when he's pleased with what he sees, he nods slightly, closing the box again.

you nod and turn around, setting your bag on the couch. "you got a place to sleep tonight? i mean room wise." he says not moving from his spot in the kitchen. "um no, i was just thinking about sleeping on the couch." you say, slightly surprised you guys were speaking so calmly.

"it gets fucking freezing here at night and in nick and chris's room and mine's basically the only one with proper heating. your choice, i guess." he mutters the last part while opening the box again and grabbing a fork. "is matthew asking me to sleep in his room?" you scoff as you turn around in disbelief.

"no. its just a suggestion. fuck, you're so fucking annoying, always twistin' my words n' shit. just forget what i said, freeze your ass off." he says as he scoffs and eats his food, going on his phone in the meantime. "i mean, i get easily cold and i cant sleep well while i am. so like, can i sleep in your room?" he looks up and his eyes examine your face to determine any jokes and eventually nods.

as time passes, you and matt discuss basic rules and to not cross the pillow wall. as you're trying to head to sleep and get ready in matt's bathroom, he suddenly walks in. "what the fuck?" you says muffled as you stop mid-brushing and examine him. "spit that shit out." he says as he closes the door and leans on it, staring at you.

you brush around once more and spit out the toothpaste and rinse your mouth out before turning around to matt. "yes?' without another word, he swiftly leans in and kisses your lips, leaning you back in the sink behind you.

you gasp against his lips before quickly reciprocating the kiss and reaching your arms around his neck. he makes his way down to your neck as you finally come to your sense, somewhat. "matt what are you-" "just shut up." he says, once again silencing you as he kisses you again. "needed- this- so- fucking bad." he says through kisses and your tongues intertwine.

he eventually pulls away, his forehead leaning on yours as his hands are at your sides, gripping the sink, his knuckles almost turning white. his blue eyes practically stare you down as you guys stand there in silence, processing everything.

"never speak of this, yeah?" he says as he kisses you one last time before opening the door, and swiftly walking out back to his room, leaving you in the bathroom with swollen lips and a very apparent hickey you were still unaware about, and a million questions running through your mind.

@lypsiiii

[strwbnnie]

ran haitani x black fem reader

wc: 5kish

Warnings: sensual sex, fuck buddies, fem reader, black coded reader!, friends with benefits, mutual pining, slight flirting, fingering, oral sex, mentions of creampie, squirting, unprotected sex, ouid usage, pet name usage (ex. pretty, good girl, pretty girl), chubby reader (big titties, fat ass, thick thighs, fat belly, etc.), ran has commitment issues, MDNI!

notes: school was whooping my ass, that’s why this took so damn long to write 😭 thank y’all for all the help @prtttycocobuttvr @pattycakes5516 🫶🏾 💕

I hope you all enjoy!

❀

Here.

He tosses his phone in the cup holder after shooting you a text, drumming the fingers of his right hand against the center console. Droplets of rain begin to fall against the windshield and he’s hoping you bring your ass before it really gets to beating down. 

You’re finally walking out and you look good. Good as hell actually, in a chocolate brown, skin tight tube dress and the brown pair of those teddy bear slippers you seem to have in every color. Half of your hair is wrapped up in a bun and the rest is flowing behind you as you speed walk to his car. There’s some kids playing football in the street and a couple of other people on their porches, probably wondering who the hell was getting picked up in such a nice car.

Surely no one expects it to be you—you barely went anywhere, but school and work, and by the way you were cheesing from ear to ear as you reached for the passenger door handle , this obviously wasn’t an Uber. 

Your heart is in your stomach. This isn’t the first time he’s picked you up, but it’s the first time he’s picked you up in broad daylight. Ran notices your jean jacket is tucked away in the crevice of your left arm and the other is toting that big ass purse he wished you’d stop bringing. His room was small enough as it was and it just took up so much fucking space since you refused to sit it on the floor. 

You plop down in the passenger seat immediately pulling the door closed, not wanting to hold him up any longer. You hear the gear shift and he’s driving down the expanse of your street to get back onto the main road. 

“Hey! Been a while, thought you forgot about me.” 

It’s been so long since he’s heard your voice. A week, week and a half maybe? He wasn’t sure if he missed seeing you or if it was just what came with seeing you, but it did feel nice to be in your presence again. The only reason he went to so long without seeing you was because he’d been so busy scouting locations for the club. 

“Yeah..been busy. Stressed. My bad.”

Through his peripheral he sees you popping your AirPod into its case, dropping it into your bag. “I feel that, just finished midterms. I passed but they definitely whooped my ass.” 

What were you in school for again? Bio? Nursing? 

The gears are turning in his head but he’s still pulling blanks and deems it forgotten. If it comes up again, he’d probably ask tho. 

It seems like he’d forgotten how pretty you were too, sneaking looks at you every chance he gets. Did you have your lashes done last time he saw you? He’s not entirely certain but he can’t help but be captivated by how fluffy they are and how they just slightly flutter against your cheeks every time you blink. That sexy vanilla perfume you like is dancing through his nostrils as you inch closer to hoop one of the straps of your bag around his headrest. “Remind me why you insist on fucking up my vehicle.” 

You’d hardly call that fucking up his vehicle, but you did spill some of your sweet tea on his mat the last time he saw you and it seemed he’d never let you live it down. 

“Because, a woman’s bag should never touch the floor and your fast ass driving is gonna have my shit all over the seat as soon as you hit a corner.” 

As the two of you eased into the sixth month of knowing each other, you’re much more comfortable than you’d ever been with any man you’ve dealt with, but that still doesn’t stop the butterflies fluttering in your gut. 

“Whenever you upgrade from your learner’s, I’ll let you drive us instead.” 

He’s probably trying to be funny. It’s a nice ass car, real sleek and expensive most likely, you don’t even know what it is except that it’s a Benz. You highly doubt he’d even let you into the driver’s seat to honk the horn. “Kiss my ass, Ran. I’ll be driving before the year is out.” 

“I’ll hold you to it.” His eyes are on you and he has that dreamy look on his face. The one where he cracks the tiniest little smile only for you. The one that makes it impossible to look him in the eyes cause it melts your heart and fills your tummy with the biggest butterflies.  You never thought it’d get this deep between you and him, meeting him was supposed to be a social experiment. You and your friends all downloaded Tinder and the challenge was to link with the first guy you matched with.

Surprisingly, as soon as you swiped on Ran, it was a match. Not much conversing took place on the app, just small talk before you exchanged numbers and then plans to meet, chill, maybe smoke. It was so long ago and you don’t really remember all the details aside from how his skinny ass folded you up in the backseat of his car that same night. Ran gave you, hands down, the best dick of your life—choked you, spanked you, slapped you…all the kinky shit you fantasized about. Of course you fell in love. 

The ride is quiet as it nears its end, music playing faintly in the background but drowned out by the heavy drizzle of the rain.

A twenty minute drive turned thirty seven, since he avoided expressways and fought with traffic. Plus he always drove the speed limit when it rained, especially with you in the car. 

This isn’t the first time you’ve been to Ran’s place but it doesn’t amaze you any less every time you see it. From the floor to ceiling windows, marble tile and abstract art, the luxe apartment fits the eldest Haitani to a T. As soon as you step in, your first stop is the kitchen to wash your hands, a habit you picked up and passed on to him. After tossing your napkin you reach into your bag, passing him the Tupperware.

“I brought you some lasagna.” He’s shifting those lavender eyes down towards the pink plastic bowl then back at you again.

“Why?” It’s a genuine question and you hear no malice or sarcasm behind his tone.

“I- what? I‘m not putting woo on you, if that’s what you think, dickhead. Just had a lot left over and didn’t want to be wasteful.” You roll your eyes when he finally grabs the Tupperware from you. “Plus, it’s a peace offering for spilling the tea.” 

He’s weary to take it, for whatever reason. Probably because he’s never had anyone cook for him. Or because he thinks he’ll fall for you even harder if he does. “Thanks.” Is all he says before he slides it into the fridge to keep cool.

“You act like you’re not used to people being nice to you, weirdo.” 

He’s not. In his profession, he doesn’t think he’ll ever be. It’s never genuine and he knows it, why waste his time on fake love. That was before you at least, and it’s even more of a reason to stop whatever this was because seeing you has become more and more addictive and he’s in deeper than he’s ever been.

You follow him to his room like a little puppy, you know where it is but you always insist on entering only after he does. He’d done a lot of errands and running around so he’s peeling himself out of his outside clothes before sitting on the edge of his bed, eyes fixated on the TV that’s mounted to the wall. He chooses the r&b playlist you made, it’s what the two of you always use as background music. 

A few feet away from him, you’re sliding out of your dress, letting it pool at your feet. The band of your thong sits high on your waist—something about not wanting a muffin-top, he remembers you saying, and he’s gripping your arm, pulling you over to him before you have the chance to pull them down. He positions you to straddle his lap, something you used to dread, in fear that you’d be too heavy for him. You’re pressed against him, the warmth of your chest against the cool skin of his.

“I missed you.” You ran your acrylics down the length of one of his braids where you begin undoing the rubberband at the end. Both braids are unraveled and the french tips of your nails are moving along his scalp. You smile when he lets out a deep sigh and his eyes roll back into his skull. “Missed you too.” He presses his lips against yours and you do the same once he’s got your attention, pressing kisses along his neck and chest. He doesn’t even mind the lipgloss on his lips and chest, thinks of it as you leaving your mark on him. 

The both of you are skin to skin and everything about this is so mind boggling. Just a few weeks back you were a t-shirt warrior and an advocate for fucking in the dark, yet it only took one time—one night of Ran undressing you and kissing you from head to toe, caressing every single inch of your plush body and absolutely ravishing you in front of his full body mirror, chanting that you were beautiful until you understood. 

Who could blame you for falling in love?

You want him so bad but you’ve accepted that he’ll never be yours the way you want him to be. And that’s okay because nothing else matters when he’s staring down at you like a god. Lilac eyes hooded, braids unraveled and his two-toned hair is fanned out around his face, so pretty and wavy. You’re staring back, a pillow under your knees for comfort. 

His dick is big—thick and heavy, too heavy to stand on its own.  It curves down gorgeously between his legs, mushroom tip beaded with pre as he grabs it. “So cute.” He breathes out, tapping his dick against your cheek and then your tongue. “Can I use you?”

You stare up at him, mesmerized by those deep pools of lavender. “You can do whatever.”

He’s lifting your braids up and away, keeping it out of your face, the scrunchie that held your bun now wrapped around his wrist. His first thrusts are nice and slow, rubbing his cock against your tongue and slowly easing towards your tastebuds. You’ve learned to breathe through your nose when he’s using your mouth like this. 

Ran picks up pace and you’re gagging and drooling all over yourself. So much that you’re scooping it up and rubbing it on your nipples. He unsheathes his thick dick from your throat, cock twitching and jumping, slapping against your chin as he prolongs his orgasm. He’s enthralled by the sight you’ve become. Fat globs of tears pool at your waterline and snot runs down your nose, thick lines of frothy spit running down your chin and tits. He keeps a good grip on your hair, always makes it his duty to keep it nice and pristine when he sluts you out like this. You’re aware that you look an absolute mess and you know he fucking loves it, so much that he won’t stop staring down at you. Now your face is warm and you’re feeling bashful. “Want you to cum. Please.” Your tone is deep and sultry, yet your pleas are dipped in honey, deliciously sweet as they flood his mind. 

His dick is back in your mouth, he’s moving your head slow and steady. “I’ll cum for you, pretty.”

“Oh f-uhhhh-uck.” He’s still thrusting, just a little faster, more sloppily & unhinged, feral and desperate as he fucks your throat to release. “G’nna cum for you right now.” 

It isn’t long until he’s nearing his end, pulling out and giving his dick a few tugs until he’s shooting rope after rope, painting your face. You even catch some on your tongue and you’re swallowing it up as soon as he gives you your fill. You’ve learned to tolerate the bitterness and it’s much more pleasant now that you’re used to it. His toes are clenching into the carpet, his gut is tightening and the way you still wanna suck the life outta him even after he came is insane. But it feels so good to make him feel good. His hands are damn near trembling but he manages to fix your hair back into the half ponytail. Of course it isn’t as cute as when you did it, but it’ll do.

Ran uses his shirt to wipe your face for you, a little rough but very thorough, he doesn’t miss an inch so your eyebrows and the little bit of concealer you used to cover a couple of dark spots is long gone. He pulls you up into another kiss—a sloppy, messy kiss, the two of you are sucking faces like you’ll never see each other again. You don’t even realize he’s got you onto your back until he’s between your legs, sliding his fingers under the waistband of your panties. He’s peeling the damp cotton away from your folds and down the length of your legs, placing kisses against your calves as he slips the panties over your feet. 

“Mine?” You know exactly what he’s asking for and you contemplate telling him no until Ran runs his warm tongue up your slit, pulling the hood back with his thumb and sucking your clit into his mouth.

“Mhm, keep em.” 

His mouth morphs into a small smirk. You’d probably think he was an absolute fucking weirdo if you knew what he did with the panties he’s collected from you. His hands are trailing up your sides, resting against yours until they’re moving to place them on his head. Your nails move against his scalp, threading between those loose strands and gathering them up and out of his face. 

He’s pushing your legs up higher, your thighs are pressing into your belly, knees right up under your tits. Ran was on cloud 9 right now. Every breath is filled with your scent, tongue coated in your essence as he’s licking up and down your cunt, even sticking his tongue in and fucking you with it for moments at a time.

Then he’s got two of those long, nimble fingers knuckle deep, pussy swallowing them up as he slides them deeper and clenching when he pulls them out. He’s rubbing your clit with the cream coated digits, fitting his tongue into your cunt and slurping up the wetness that leaks out, blessing you with those sloppy licks until he’s trailing lower and lower.

“Mmmfff…wait that’s my-“ 

He almost laughs at the squeak you let out when his thick tongue begins lathering your asshole with spit. Licking and prodding, so sloppy and slippery from your own juices running down. You taste so good, so clean and fresh and he won’t let a drop go to waste. It doesn’t feel like much to be honest but the act itself is so nasty, so profane, and it just turns you on so fucking much.

His tongue is licking and prodding at your ass, just until it gives for him, until he’s able to-.

“Fucckkkk.” You cry out in pain and pleasure. He slips a finger into your ass, lips wrapped around your clit again and you’re wondering if it’d be weird to start planning your wedding so soon. 

You love how nasty he is, how he eats your pussy and ass with no issue, without you even having to ask. He does it cause he wants to. Does it cause he likes pleasing you too. You’re clenching on his finger as he fucks you with it, biting your lip to keep from letting out the most obscene of moans. 

“Ran…g’nna cum.” 

He pops his lips away from your clit, spitting on the bud and running his tongue around it. 

“Yeah, gonna cum all over my face.” 

It’s not a question, he’s certainly telling you, but you whimper out a pathetic attempt at answering him as he sucks your fat clit up between his lips again. It feels so good and you’re so sensitive that, that’s all you need to come undone. Your toes are curled indefinitely and he doesn’t let up until trickles of clear liquid flood his mouth, wetting his cheeks and the tip of his nose. Your legs are trembling in the air, buckling against his hold as you spray your release over the bottom of his face, a fountain of your essence and he tries his best to drink it all up.

Your breathing is hard, sporadic even and he doesn’t even give you a chance to catch it when he’s folding you up again, both hands at the back of your knees as he slides in slowly. 

“F-fuck.” You stutter as he bottoms out, the thick tip of his cock kissing your cervix with every roll of his hips. He’s staring at you amusedly—your face is scrunched up like you wanna cry, you’re gasping for air like a fish out of fucking water, the whites of your eyes on full display. Lips parted and dry. And even still, he can’t help but think how pretty you are. How he wants to see you make that dumb little face every time he fucks you stupid. 

“You love this dick?” The way Ran fucks you is so sensual, giving you those slow, deep strokes you love so fucking much. Leaning over to kiss and nip at your shoulder and jaw just like a lover would. 

“F-fuck yessss…I love it..I love y-you.” 

His dick is deep in your pussy, so deep it should be a sin, kissing your cervix with every single roll of his hips. It feels so forbidden—sneaky links shouldn’t fuck like this, but it’s so damn good, so dizzying you don’t even catch your mistake. 

The smell of him, his voice, his sexy ass face—you’re in love with every aspect of him, everything about him.

In love with a stranger.

It’s just a slip up. That’s what he’s telling himself as he pulls out and rolls you onto your belly because staring at your pretty ass face has him wanting to cum in you and say it back. To be fair, he loves your pussy just as much. The first and only pussy he ever ate was yours and you’re the first he’s ever fucked raw.

“Good girl,” He’s got a rhythm going, and he’s stuffing you full of dick every time you throw your ass back on him. “Don’t run from it.”

He’s cooing and talking nasty as he fills you with all eight inches, telling you you’re a good girl. His good girl. His baby. His slut. And it’s fine cause you’ll be anything as long as it’s his. His thrusts are getting harder, sloppier as he nears his end. He can’t keep his hands off of your ass. Your mocha colored skin rippling against ever thrust, every slap of his heavy palm against your rear. 

You think he must think he’s a fucking artist the way he enjoys painting your lovely skin with his cum. In reality, he’s marking you, laying claim over you like an absolute animal. Drips of translucent white run down your butt, settling into the dimples of your back, some running down the crack of your ass. He grabs that same shirt to clean you off, avoiding your pussy. 

“You definitely did a number on me.” You turn to show him the marks on your hips. There’s more on your neck, he notices, you’ll see them once you’re in front of a mirror. His thumbs are ghosting over the faint purple bruises on your skin. He never intends to leave those marks on you, but you bruise so easily even when he thinks he’s being gentle. It’s exactly why you deserve someone who’ll treat you better, handle you better. Someone who’ll really be gentle & make love to you, since he only knows how to fuck. 

“Gonna shower.” He hears you say after you gather your clothes from the floor. You gather his too and toss them into the 3-compartment hamper, separating his black pants from his grey boxers. 

He doesn’t see it, and you’re glad he doesn’t. You still felt a bit iffy about the lasagna situation and you really didn’t want him to think you were overstepping your boundaries. “You brought clothes or you need something to put on?” He’s still sprawled out on the bed, arm over his eyes. The cool air has him fully softened, and you love that he’s that comfortable. 

“Yeah, I packed some stuff cause I didn’t know if you’d feel like taking me back home tonight after picking me up, since I stay kinda far.”

“I would’ve.” He shrugs, finally sitting up. “But you can stay if you want.” 

“Do you want me to stay?” Your back is to him, as you’re shuffling through your bag to pull out a towel, panties and the oversized shirt you brought. It’s the first time he’s ever offered you to stay at his place, but you’re hoping it’s because he wants you to, otherwise you feel like a bother.

“Sure, I don’t care.” 

It’s not the answer you’re hoping for and your mood dampened. He watches as you step into the bathroom, closing the door behind you.

***

He’s slouched over the railing of the balcony, smoking and enjoying the cool air. At least, that’s what he should’ve been doing—instead his mind is moving a mile a minute, his blunt long forgotten as he gaslights himself into disregarding what you said earlier. 

He knows it’s the worst thing you could’ve ever said to him and hoped you didn’t mean it, but in actuality, he loved hearing it. Loved watching your pretty lips contort to say it and couldn’t fathom the thought of hearing you say it to anyone that wasn’t him. 

Ran sighs heavily as the voice in the back of his mind scolds him. He felt like he was losing his shit. It was selfish, yet uncontrollable and he couldn't help himself. You were like a drug he didn’t want to give up. But this needed to stop.

He knew it would ruin you both.

He doesn’t expect to feel you wrap your arms around him, it startles him a bit and he almost drops his blunt. “You okay? Whatcha thinking about?” 

He shakes his head, offering you the joint, which you take. “Just business stuff.”

It's really you on my mind It's really you on my mind It's really you…

Frank Ocean’s voice is oozing out from the sliver of space in between the glass door and it’s frame and the irony is almost baffling, so much that he has to chuckle as he blows smoke into the cool night air.  

“You ever had sex out here?” He looks over to see you on your tip toes, leaning further over the edge to see more of the view. 

“You want me to fuck you out here?” He answers your question with a question, moving closer until his crotch is pressed right up against your ass. 

Your skin—and the entire bathroom for that matter, smells just like vanilla, he’s wondering if you actually wear perfume or if it’s just that body wash that sticks to you so well. Either way you smell so good, so yummy that he’s dying to bend you over this balcony and run his tongue over every inch of you. Instead, he opts for pressing his face into the crook of your neck, inhaling deeply.

“Maybe.” You say after blowing smoke in the air and reaching behind until he grabs the blunt from between your pointy nails. “But it’s cold as hell out here.” In a matter of minutes it feels like the weather has dropped a couple dozen degrees and the cool wind makes it hard to keep the blunt lit. You both reside back into the bedroom and he closes the door behind the both of you, he heads to the kitchen while you settle into his bed to get some homework done.

He plops the chunk of lasagna onto a plate, sitting it into the microwave and letting it go for about a minute and thirty. 

While that’s heating up, he’s washing out your bowl and turning it over in the adjacent sink to drip dry. 

It’s so fucking good. He doesn’t even remember the last time he ate something home cooked. While he’s indulging in the stack of savory carbs, you have your headphones over your ears doing a case study assignment and listening to a lofi playlist. In your peripheral you see him on Tinder, and the fact that he’s sitting inches away from you, eating the lasagna you made and still swiping on bitches sours your mood even more, so much that you’re pulling your headphones off and shifting your entire body to face him. 

“You still be on there?” 

You don’t want to seem nosey, or delusional or whatever else somebody might call you, but your profile has been hidden for at least a month now, and the app deleted. After fucking with Ran you haven’t even thought of meeting another man. 

“Here and there.” He shrugs, locking his phone and tossing it on the side table. “When I’m bored.”

“When you’re bored.” You repeat it and yup, it sounds just as absurd coming out your mouth. “Have you fucked anyone else since our little arrangement?”

“Nah, haven’t really thought about it. What’s with all the questions?” He gives you one of those slow blinks and it pisses you off even more. 

“Just curious. I-I just wanna know what we are. Like, where I stand in your life, I guess.” 

“From my knowledge, we’re just two people that fuck. Not really friends with benefits cause I don’t fuck friends-.” His words are like a jab in the gut. 

“But you asked for friends with benefits, now we’re not friends?” “I said no strings attached, not friends with benefits.”

“No strings attached. Right.” It kills you to repeat it. “So in other words, I don’t mean shit to you.” You’re closing your laptop and swinging your legs over the edge of the bed. “Just someone you text when you wanna bust a nut, got it.” 

It’s the farthest from the truth and it nearly shatters his heart to hear you utter such nonsense as he watches you stuff your belongings back into your bag. But, what exactly could he say?

He wasn’t looking for anything serious and he doesn’t fuck friends—you were in a category of your own, even if he didn’t quite know what that category was. Either way, he doesn’t expect you to react the way that you do and he considers damage control but knows he shouldn’t.

It’d just confuse the both of you, he knows it. 

***

hey

yo?

???

These messages have been green and undelivered for months now. They probably will be for the rest of his life but Ran can’t bring himself to stop checking them every so often. 

“Come on man, you’re still not over what’s-her-face?” 

Ran, usually so sharp and alert, doesn’t even know how long his younger brother has been standing there. He just hopes not long enough to have seen him scrolling up and down your old messages. All the way up to when he asked for more photos of you since you didn’t have many on your profile. Scrolling down to where you asked for more of him and of course he didn’t have many either, but he still found himself opening up his camera to take more for you. Every ‘wyd’ or ‘I’m outside’ and every ‘drive safe.’ He read through them all, and recalls ever single moment he’s had with you. “Do you live to fucking annoy me?” 

“Just saying. There’s plenty of pussy in the sea. Plenty of women too. Come on man, it’s a big night for us.” Oh how Ran loved the way life worked. Constantly putting off spending time with you to focus on the club, now the club is finally opening for its first night and he couldnt be bothered to care. He can’t get you off his mind. 

“Yeah..just a couple hundred people I gotta play friendly with all damn night.” The older brother sighs. Ran’s tone is so emotionless, so dull it’s like talking to a shell of him. It kills Rindou to see that he still hasn’t gotten over whoever the hell you were. 

Ran was always so secretive & Rindou is actually a little annoyed because had he known who you were he would’ve personally begged you on his hands and knees to take his brother back. 

“It’ll be well worth it in the end, just tend to VIP sections, I’ll keep everyone else entertained.” The two bump fists before parting ways.

The first VIP section that catches his eye is a group of women and he assumed someone was celebrating a birthday, judging by the big metallic pink ‘25’ balloons, so of course he wants to be there one bearing the gifts. A limited edition pink bottle of Clase Azul, champagne for a toast and a bouquet of pink roses are in his hands as he makes his way to the table.

“Ladies.” He greets you and your friends. “Enjoying yourselves?” 

Ran thinks he’s seeing things when his eyes meet yours, and he can’t tell if the universe is working for or against him.

You look so fucking gorgeous in your satin pink dress, it hugs your curves but slouches in all the right areas giving the illusion of wet silk draped against your body. Your makeup is beautiful, lips glossy, nails done, even your hair is sexy as hell—jet black buss down, or whatever the fuck it’s called, and it’s way past your ass. Long enough to pull. Fuck, he misses pulling your hair. He misses you. 

“Beautiful bottle for a beautiful lady. Happy birthday.” He plays it cool but his heart feels like it’s about to beat out of his chest. 

“Thank you.” You can feel your cheeks raising and you’re not sure if it’s because of the compliment or the free liquor. It took you months to forget about this very man only to have him catch you completely off guard on the night of your birthday. He looks good, so good you can’t help but stare. He’s stopped dyeing his hair, more of his natural black has grown out, and he has most of it pulled back in a messy high pony. He’s still into oversized clothes, donning a white shirt that was at least two sizes too big, black jeans and a flannel around his waist. 

When you grab the bottle from his hand, the tips of your nails graze his hand and Ran wonders if it’s crazy to miss them running down his back too. Both of you are surrounded by your friends, guests and workers in the club but it really feels like it’s just the two of you. 

He’s looking you up and down, drinking you in amongst the dim lighting and he can’t imagine how he fumbled you. He pops the bottle of champagne effortlessly, pouring you a glass and doing the same for your four friends, then himself. 

“To Y/N. More life to you.” 

He’s the last one you clank your glass with, your face warms up as you can feel his eyes bearing down on your as you finally take your first sip. Sweet and bubbly is how you’d describe it, most champagne’s are too dry for your liking, that much he remembers.

“Can we talk?”

Even after sharing some of your most intimate moments with him, it still felt like talking to a stranger. 

“Sure.” 

You tell your friends you’ll be back and then he’s leading you through the long corridor to a lavish office. This is Ran we’re talking about so you wouldn’t expect anything less. 

“Been a while.” He speaks after closing the door behind the both of you. Ran hates small talk, yet here he is trying his best to spark up a conversation with you. In the fluorescent lighting he notices you’ve lost weight too, hopes it’s cause you wanted to and not stress or anything like that. “Didn’t know today was your birthday.”

“You didn’t care to remember. I would’ve never guessed you owned this club.” You sigh, leaning against his desk, shifting your weight off of your feet. These heels were cute as hell but they were literally murder on your ankles and the balls of your feet. “How have you been?” 

It was his turn to sigh. “I don’t know, just been busy with the club, it was keeping me distracted. Keeping you off my mind.” If Ran wasn’t anything else, he was always honest, especially with you. 

Silence. The silence is smothering the both of you in unresolved tension and it only gets thicker as you contemplate what to even say to that. “Why would I be on your mind?”

“What? You’re always on my mind. Every time I think about you, I fucking miss you. But I know I fucked up so-“

“No, you did nothing wrong, nothing at all. When we first started messing around we agreed to no strings attached, no I love you’s, no feelings. But I fucked all of that up and I fell for you..and you didn’t catch me.” You twiddled with your thumbs, knowing when he asked to ‘talk’ this was coming sooner or later. “I wanted you so bad I was fine just being your friend, but to know I wasn’t even that, it hurt. It hurt so bad I thought I’d never get over you, until I realized that I was settling.”

He’s taken aback to say the least. “Settling? I made you feel like you were settling? What was it that I didn’t have? That I didn’t give you? Money, status?”

His expression is shocked, crazed even, and it feels so good to get some kind of emotion out of him other than indifference. But, you’re past this phase, and you no longer wanted to be involved with him romantically. Probably not even sexually to be honest. “Have I ever asked you for money, Ran?” 

Truthfully, you were probably the only woman he’s dealt with that didn’t ask him for money. 

“You never asked me for anything. How would I know what you wanted?” By now he felt defeated, pathetic, like he was pleading and you weren’t hearing him. 

“When you find the girl that’s for you, that special girl, she won’t even have to ask.”

He feels like it’d be crazy to admit that he thinks you’re that girl. That he knew you were special since the first night he met you. That he was just afraid of commitment and that’s why he pushed you away. 

This wasn’t like losing a friend, no, he knows that far too well. This was like losing a lover. A foreign feeling and he’s not entirely sure why, but it hurts. It hurts so bad. 

You prop your arms on his shoulders, reaching a hand behind him, looping one of your fingers around his hair-tie and slipping it out. He makes no move to stop you as his hair falls around his face, a curtain of black and gold. “Still so pretty.” You place your hands on either side of his face, soft fingertips running against his milky skin. It’s like you’re teasing him with those gentle gestures, only to rip his heart out in the end.

“Take care, Ran.” 

There’s burning in his throat and he wants to scream. To punch something.  

But you’re smiling up at him so cutely and he’s given no choice but to crack a fake smile for you too as he pulls you into his arms for the last time.

Is this closure? Is it supposed to make him feel worse than he would’ve had he chose to not speak to you at all? Is this how you felt?

In the end, he can’t even be mad. He wasn’t ready, but he had no clue how much it’d hurt when you didn’t wait for him. He squeezes you tighter and wants to hold you, feel you, even smell you just a little bit longer, but he hears a knock on his door and he knows it’s time to free you. To free himself from the shackles you kept around his heart whether you knew it or not. 

“Take care, y/n.”

❀

[songmingisthighs]

[15:38] hongjoong × reader (fr. xikers minjae)

⇀ hongjoong loves the fact that his juniors are getting the recognition they deserve. just not like this.

⇁ it's fine. really. so fine. abso-tively fine. fucking fantastic even

"Ah, shit,"

Hongjoong scrambled up as he hastily saved the file of work he was doing for the past... four hours. He remembered you coming to take him for a walk or coffee around three hours ago, saying that he needed to see something other than the blue light emitted from his computer's screen. Of course, in a true Kim Hongjoong fashion, he said "yes" which was followed by "but let me finish this tiny part first" and of course, in a true (y/n) fashion, being impossibly in love with the man, you agreed and sat down on the couch behind him, waiting.

Now, three hours later, Hongjoong realized that you were no longer even in the room and that was when he decided to panic. Hands moving in the speed of light whilst still trying to be careful so he wouldn't knock anything off of his desk or worse, onto his computer. Whilst his file was saving into his computer (in a speed that was oddly longer than usual), Hongjoong tried calling you to know your whereabouts and to prepare the length of apology he might need to do in case you were pissed at him. But unfortunately for him, you weren't answering your phone nor seeing his texts which made him think the worst case scenario. You had gone home because he was being inconsiderate.

Praying that his files would complete its saving progress, Hongjoong took his keys, AirPods, and wallet off the desk and shoved them down his pocket and immediately exit his office to go find you.

Much to his surprise, however, he was met with the sight of you in the communal area of the production office with Joy, Maddox's dog, in your lap. You were cooing at the puppy as you rubbed her furry belly, tummy up on your lap, panting happily and even making eye contact with Hongjoong as if she was taunting him over the attention you were giving her.

"Lucky bitch," Hongjoong grumbled under his breath. Despite the remark, he wasn't really pissed whatsoever, not at anything and especially not at the dog, as he was honestly just glad to see that you hadn't left the building. Which means that there was a chance that you weren't mad whatsoever especially with Joy in your lap. Hongjoong was in the safe zone this time it seems. So knowing that your mood will be all happy and positive since you had the adorable canine in your lap, Hongjoong figured that he can be just as cute and butter you up, saying all the right things and within no time you'd be feeding him pasta.

However, just as Hongjoong was about to join you, he heard footsteps coming closer in a jogging pace, and soon a figure emerged, grinning brightly in his oversized hoodie with something in his hands. "Noona, I found her snacks!" Minjae grinned widely, plopping down on the floor in front of you as he opened the packaging of the dog biscuit happily. Maybe it was Hongjoong's jealousy creeping, but he could almost see puppy ears and tail on Minjae, wagging happily next to you as if basking in your attention. But it was probably nothing and he was just overanalyzing because he had been feeling bad for working when he was supposed to be doing something with you. What made the vein in Hongjoong's forehead almost pop, however, was when you cooed and patted Minjae on top of his head like he was a puppy himself. "Good job, Minjae! You're such a good boy!" And you even complimented him like a puppy, what even is that!?

"Noona," Minjae whined, face blushing as his arms half-heartedly tried to brush your hands away from him, "Don't pet me like a dog!" He pouted, averting his eyes shyly to focus on Joy who he had began feeding. "Aw boo, how can I not, Minjae? You're the most adorable leader I've ever known,"

And that was it.

"Hey!" Hongjoong plopped right next to you, his left arm draping over your shoulder with a huge (creepy) grin on his face (that seemed vaguely threatening towards Minjae). "What are you guys doing?" He asked, purposefully planting a big smooch to your cheek (and regretting it as seen from his VERY red face) and then looking straight at Minjae, "Hey, aren't you supposed to be in lessons?" Hongjoong hoped that Minjae would take the hint and scooch away. Far far away and for a long long time. "Oh, I was. But the vocal coach wanted to spend more time with Junmin and Jinsik so I was let out early and I met noona with Joy and I just couldn't help myself!" He grinned. "Of course you couldn't help yourself," Hongjoong muttered under his breath lowly which Minjae didn't caught but you sure did though you pretended like you didn't.

So you decided to have your own little fun.

"Yeah, Minjae was taking care of his members and also me for some reason. Heck, he even helped take care of Joy! Isn't he such a good leader?" You smiled in faux innocence at Hongjoong, clearly wanting to emphasize how good of a leader you think Minjae is. The words made Hongjoong's eye twitch in annoyance and jealousy, not liking that his spot of "favourite leader" in your heart was seemingly threatened by a boy whom he helped mentored. "Yeah... Minjae's an awesome dude, isn't he?" By that point, Hongjoong's smile was strained so hard it seemed like his cheek bones were cramping.

Oblivious to what you two were doing, Minjae looked up with his big innocent eyes and spoke up for himself, "Well, I took a lot of Hongjoong hyung's advice and he took great care of me, so obviously I wanted to return the favour to (y/n) noona!" Though his words were sincere and seemed to praise Hongjoong, the coo and head pats you gave the younger guy only caused Hongjoong's nose to flare as he huffed out a breath.

Luckily, someone (that sounded like Hunter) called for Minjae from the end of the hall and Minjae immediately excused himself. While Hongjoong appreciated the speed, he almost pulled you onto his lap when Minjae gave you a side hug before running off. In Hongjoong's eyes, it felt like Minjae was running off in pure happiness with giddy steps that he got from you and call it the possessive boyfriend and captain in him, but he didn't like that at all. Not one bit.

When Minjae was out of sight, you turned to look at Hongjoong with a grin that was far too smug to his liking. In contrast, Hongjoong was frowning hard that the bottom sides of his lips and the spot between his eyebrows creased in clear annoyance. The both of you stared at each other like that for a while, clearly communicating, saying things without using actual words just by looking at each other. Most of your public communication happened that way as to save yourselves from using words or even having to think about what words to use. It effectively eliminates prolonged argument and you both believed that it was because you just loved each other so much. And you truly do. How else would you both been able to do this?

Finally, giving up, Hongjoong let out a huff before he broke the silence. "Well, you could've said something! And you know, not hang with Minjae? Because I'm the best leader you know, period. I don't care about anything else, I'm the only leader in your heart, okay? You should not be looking at other leaders, heck, you shouldn't even be thinking about other leaders! Because do they have to deal with Wooyoung?? Do they have to deal with Yeosang??? Do they have to deal with literally all five members of 99z along with Seonghwa and Jongho? Because I did and I damn know I did a fantastic job with them! An-" before he could ramble more you had pressed your lips onto his with a giggle, effectively shutting him up as Joy jumped up onto Hongjoong's chest with her tail wagging happily. When you pulled away, Hongjoong's frown has melted and he looked slightly shocked which to you was absolutely adorable. "I'm just hanging with Minjae, Joongie and I said Minjae was the most adorable leader ever, you're my captain, okay? You are my ONLY captain and you're the handsomest, most adorable, and best of the best captain and I love you, okay?" You then stood up with a hand outstretched to him as you hold Joy in your other hand, nodding towards the front door, "Come on, we're taking you out to get you some coffee and Joy some fresh air."

Now happy, Hongjoong gladly took your hand in his, all jealousy melting away as he was finally able to have your attention to himself. Sure, he loves his juniors, but hell will freeze over before he share you with anyone else.

"You can't blame me for liking Minjae though, he's as cute as a button and as determined as a puppy. He reminds me of you slightly."

And there his eye goes, twitching again.

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[unique-high]

Boyfriend Material | RIIZE idol! Sungchan x short! blk fem reader

—Spending time with Sungchan before his comeback.

genre: romance and fluff

Requested: @iamflawless303

a/n: there's this edit I saw of this drama (idk the name) where the lady stands on a bench and hugs the taller male character, so I wanted to recreate something like this for Sungchan and Reader.

Sorry for any mistakes.

Sungchan wanted to spend as much time with you as possible since he was preparing for a comeback and his schedule would be super busy. It's Saturday afternoon when Sungchan takes you shopping, he's holding your hand as you point out all the little shops you want to go into it. He laughs at how cute you are when you go, “No, no, no, I want to go in this one. No, never mind, let's go into this one first!”

He gently pulls you in front of him, his soft brown eyes staring into yours. “My love we have all day, we can visit all the shops.”

So you picked a shop called Moshi Moshi Gifts & Stationery Co. It's a small shop with very few people inside. J-pop music played from the speakers overhead. Sungchan looks around for something he could buy you, he knew you loved cute things, there were many cute things in the shop, but he wanted something perfect for you.

You were doing the same; you wanted to find something for Sungchan he could keep with him. Sungchan walks around the shop looking at everything, and you were looking at AirPod cases, Sungchan needed a new one, anyway.

Sungchan finds a plush couple piggy magnet keychain. He smiles at the pink and brown plushies. She'll love this! It didn't take him long to find you in the tiny store; you were at the back wall looking at the different Airpod cases. Sungchan stands beside you, You hadn't noticed your boyfriend standing there; he was just staring at you admiring your beauty. How did I get so lucky to have Y/n as my girlfriend? A small smile blossoms across his face. Feeling someone staring at you slightly jumped at Sungchan.

"Oh, geez, you scared me." you laughed.

"Find anything you like?" He tries to look at what you're holding, but you clutch it to your chest.

"It's a surprise!"

"Oh, a surprise?" He nods a little. "I have a surprise too."

"Let's see!" You bounce on your tiptoes.

"Noooo, it's a surprise." he laughed.

Sungchan hides the plush couple keychains behind his back. You both walk around the store some more before heading to the front. You wanted to pay for Sungchan's gift with your own money, but Sungchan was the type of boyfriend who paid for everything, He never let you pay even if you were treating him, he always paid. Before you two got to the front counter, you told Sungchan, "Let me pay for your surprise with my money."

But Sungchan doesn't want to hear that. "No."

"Come on, Sungchan!" You wiggled your shoulders. "It'll make me happy."

If it was something that would make you happy, Sungchan didn't want to take that away from you. So he agreed to let you pay with your money. You go first in line smiling at the ducky cartoon Airpod case you got for him. After you both paid for your things, Sungchan holds open the door of the shop for you to go out first, he takes your hand in his. That Saturday afternoon was spent going to many shops along the shopping strip and getting ice cream at the end of the day.

It was around six p.m. when you and Sungchan walked back to his apartment. You were talking about a show you wanted to watch on Netflix and Sungchan's only thought was getting to cuddle with you and kiss you in between the important scenes of the show you were going to miss because of him.

Once inside his apartment, you and Sungchan get changed into something comfortable.

“Do you want your surprise now?” Sungchan asked, plopping down beside you on the comfy couch.

“Yes, Please!” You're all giddy. Sungchan hands you the plastic bag. You look inside before pulling out the plush couple keychains. “Awe, these are so cute!”

“Like You.” Sungchan added with a quick peck to your cheek.

You picked the little pink piggy, and Sungchan got the brown piggy. Now you had something to put the spare key on to his apartment he gave you.

“Okay, now to your surprise!” You grabbed your plastic bag and hand it to your boyfriend.

He pulls out the ducky cartoon Airpod case. He gushes at how cute it is. A ducky wearing a straw hat.

“I love it, Y/n.” Sungchan hugs you tight and you melt into him. For a few seconds, he holds you closer to him like he wants your soul to be a part of his. He was going to miss hugging on you like this, so he had to savor every little second of you being in his arms. “I love you.” He kissed the top of your head. “So so so much.”

Your face grows warm at his words and his warmth crashes down on you, just like him, you were going to miss his hugs. His hugs always pulled you back home when you floated too far away. He's always been home for you. You were going to miss your boyfriend like crazy during his comeback. Lots of FaceTime calls and sleepy talks on the phone late at night. You'll miss his sweet face and sweet kisses the most.

Sungchan gets comfortable with you. You get Netflix open and start the series. Sungchan fingers played with yours as he watched the TV. He couldn't focus on the show that much, he'll sneak little kisses to the corner of your mouth and on the back of your hand. Sungchan's a little needy right now; he wants a little more like your lips on his. He gently grabs your chin pulling your attention away from the TV.

“I'm trying to watch this.” you pout.

Sungchan kisses your pouty lips. “Focus on me right now, just for a bit?” his voice is a little low. “Please, Y/n.”

You couldn't say no to him. He did say please. So you give your full attention to your boyfriend. Sungchan kisses you again, it's slow, it's makes your head spin and the TV show becomes white noise in the background. There's a steady rhythm either of you wanted to break.

You feel his lips pull into a smile and he chuckles, saying, “This feels like our last kiss.”

“It does. But we have tomorrow to kiss all day before you get swept away with comeback activities.”

“I want to kiss all night, though.” He said in a teasing manner.

“You're being greedy.” You poke him at his stomach.

He laughed. “Oh, Really?”

You nodded.

Sungchan kissed your forehead before pulling away. “Since we can't kiss all night, I want cuddles.”

“As you wish.” you said.

Sungchan lead cuddled up behind you on the couch. He fell asleep halfway through the show. You paused the series and turned over in his arms. You stare at your boyfriend taking in every detail of his facial features. Counting every one of his breaths it soothes you to sleep.

It's the next day around noon when Sungchan is making you and him lunch. He's singing your favorite song as you dance around the kitchen. You taught him the song over the summer when you and him took a mini road trip. That song will always be your favorite because of him and now it was his because he found little pieces of you scattered throughout that song.

Sungchan leans against the island eating his sandwich. You munch down yours sitting on top of the island.

“Today is our last day together.” Sungchan said, there's a hint of sadness that lingers in his voice.

You slowly chew on your sandwich. “Ah, don't say it like that. We'll see each other again after your comeback.”

“Y/n.”

“Yeah?”

“I know I don't say this often, but you are my world.”

“Don't make throw up my sandwich.” You joked.

Sungchan rolled his eyes taking another bite of his sandwich.

“I love you~” you nudged him with your knee.

“I'm going to be greedy again.” Sungchan said. He cast a look at you. “I want a hug. Like a real long soul melting hug, that when you part from me, I'll still feel you.”

You put your sandwich down on the plate and hop off the kitchen Island. You ran to the grab a chair from the table and put it in front Sungchan. You were short and though short people's hugs were the best in the world; you wanted to be at his height for this soul melting hug. Sungchan's trying to figure out why you had gotten the chair. He watches as you climb up on it, your eye level to him now.

You held out your arms, making a cutesy face at him.

“Well, don't just stand there. You want a soul melting hug? I'm going to give you one.”

Sungchan sat his half-eaten sandwich on the plate next to yours. He then hugs you, pulling you off your feet just a little. He closed his eyes, his arms getting tighter around you.

Sungchan deeply breathes you in. He liked that you smell like autumn, with brief hints of summer lingering around.

“Is this soul melting enough?” you whispered.

Sungchan nodded. “Very.”

a/n: I didn't know where to fit in a cute short person joke between Sungchan and her and I didn't know any, so I did some quick looking around. So here's a bonus?

Sungchan made you mad, and he thought it was the cutest thing. He held out his folding fan at your forehead to keep distance between the two of you. He laughed, but you felt like he was mocking you and that made you really want to get after him.

“Y/n.” Sungchan choked on his laughter. “Short girl problem: you don't look scary when you are mad.”

“I'll show you scary, Sungchan!”

[whtepony]

music headcanons!! 🎧

what kind of music they listen to

characters: yuji itadori, megumi fushiguro, nobara kugisaki (i love u tokyo first years!!!)

spoiler free!

a/n: first official headcanon post bc i cannot stop thinking abt them 😭 i’ll probably do several parts of this!

•••••••••••••••••••• 🫶🏻 ••••••••••••••••••••

yuji itadori

idc this boy loves pop music

genuinely REALLY likes chappell roan, shows her songs to everybody

his fav is naked in manhattan

also likes 2000s - 2010s club music

will be so excited when pitbull comes on u have no idea

doja cat fan. take that as you will

isn’t the type to always be listening to music but when he is he’s dancing and singing along

has a pair of white overhead headphones and has silly stickers on the sides of them

megumi fushiguro

really he doesn’t listen to music that much at all

but if he is listening to anything he’s probably a tame impala fan

maybe listens to glass animals??

had a phase where he’d watch those “lo-fi chill beats to study/relax to” streams on youtube just because it was relaxing

did NOT tell anyone about it. is embarrassed now

it’s either this general vibe or he’s EMO. argue with the wall

if he’s emo his favorite band is pierce the veil (rightfully so)

has plain black wired headphones because he just doesn’t use them often enough to buy nice ones

nobara kugisaki

GIRL RAP!!

“i love myself when i’m all dressed up, and i love myself when i’m kicking ass” like cmon

lovvessss megan thee stallion. and flo milli

played the BOA music video for yuji once and converted him into a meg fan

probably has airpods

but they have a cute case that matches her phone

fav album is tina snow (DUHH)

listens to music wayyyy more than the other two (plays it in the background while she’s getting ready)

pt. 2 will be gojo, nanami, and geto ORR the second years… we’ll see