#and I don’t trust any of my friends to not bail on me if I were to ask them

[a-concert-just-for-me]

I want to go to the Celtic fair to listen to some music and watch the eclipse at their event…Who wants to go with me? /j

[usedpidemo]

Too many nights ((G)I-dle Yuqi)

The way you see it, even if the signs were right in front of you all along—written in bright, colorful signposts with the largest text imaginable—you’d still be hurling yourself off that cliff. 

Yuqi knows this too—you think she does.

At the very least, she looks convincing enough that she feigns innocence on the matter, and she is. It's mainly a you problem. She doesn’t know you much other than being the sweet, quiet guy who was her roommate in college and nothing else.

And that’s probably the reason why she’s standing in front of your newly minted apartment on a random Monday.

—————

You’re waiting for her to pick her bags off the floor and leave. You told her to leave three times. Threaten to call security on her. She doesn’t budge. Instead, she stares. Stubborn, obstinate, unyielding.

“Please, give me one opportunity. Please let me explain myself.” Yuqi finally breaks her silence, eyes wide, glinting with tears, pleading.

“Shoot.”

She looks down, unable to see you eye to eye, her hands running through the pockets of her skirt. “You’re right. I’ve taken your kindness for granted, and I’m sorry. I really am.” 

Pausing, you’ve never heard her sound this quiet, this personal. “I never truly appreciated you till I was home with my parents. I should have focused more on studying than going out and having fun. Now look. They’re pissed that I’m being a bum at home instead of working, so they kicked me out.”

She proves your theory to be true. She has no reason to be here unless you bail her out of trouble again.

“But I can’t find one job that I like. Working a 9-5 or any regular cashier job seems so boring, you know what I mean? Doesn’t feel like my type of thing to do,” she continues, lightly kicking the suitcases with her feet. “My friends are all busy, so I had no one to lean on. Then I remembered you! So here I am.”

At least it was nice seeing Yuqi act mature for at least three minutes before reverting to her usual spry, childlike personality. 

“Okay? Well that’s on you for being lazy, and I can’t help with that. Sorry to hear you got kicked out, but I have nothing to offer you. It was great seeing you, though. Good luck with that job.” 

You try closing the door, but she stops it with her foot. Peeking through the narrow space, you find Yuqi persistent, unrelenting. “Wait. Hear me out for a second, I said I didn’t wanna be your roommate.”

“No, Yuqi. Just go—”

“I really need you right now. I’ve already applied to like five different companies on public wifi, it’s so fucking slow and I doubt they even got my email. I just need a place to stay for like a month. Trust me, I’ll get a job and when I get paid, I’ll spend it on finding my own apartment! Just give me this one time.”

You swear you’ve never heard Yuqi this desperate, this loud. Your neighbors are probably ringing up security right now, maybe the owner too.

“Okay, okay. Just calm down for a minute, will you? Our neighbors are listening.” You open the door lightly and Yuqi’s eyes light up. You didn’t even say yes, but it might as well be a confirmation to her.

“You promise? You’re actually working on a job application?” you ask, doubtful about her claim.

“Of course.” Yuqi shows her phone, presents pdf files of multiple application letters to the very places she doesn’t want to work. Some fastfood chains, at convenience stores, and mall outlets. “None of them have replied back, so—I’m still trying to apply to more places, but I’m almost out of data on my plan and I don’t wanna spend another night inside my car. Just give me this one thing? Okay?”

Seeing the evidence firsthand, you can’t help but be impressed. If you had any spine, you’d contemplate the proposal more, give it some time to mellow out, maybe let her elaborate some terms of agreement. But in a moment of weakness, you yield right away. What’s one month of Yuqi gonna do to you?

“All right, fine. I’ll let you stay—”

“I owe you one, thank you, thank you, thank you!” Yuqi doesn’t even let you finish your sentence when she brings her suitcases into your apartment at record speed. She gives you a peck on the cheek in appreciation twice, one for each pair of suitcases she shuffles in.

You can only sigh in response before closing the door.

—————

Before Yuqi gets comfortable in her new place, you sit her down on the living room couch to discuss house rules. This isn’t like college, where you share a dorm together, split the bill and have personal spaces. While you don’t own the apartment, you make one thing very clear: she’s bound to you and whatever rules you impose on her.

“Let’s make one thing and one thing clear: you break any of my rules, you’re outta here. I don’t care if you explain yourself, you’re gone. Understood?”

“Right.” Yuqi’s trembling with excitement and impatience, nodding erratically, kicking her legs up, goading you into rushing through everything so she can lay on an actual bed. 

You take a moment to analyze her suitcases in the middle of the room. Facing her, you ask cautiously, “Tell me you didn’t bring your—”

“Yep!” She responds almost immediately, thrilled to answer your question, as if it were muscle memory. “It’s exactly what you think it is.”

And there goes your supposed rule one. Of course she brought her entire dorm room decor along. Knowing her, they’re likely encompassing two of her suitcases.

“Yeah, no. My landlord is quite strict about decor, so you can’t put them up,” you tell her bluntly; there’s no getting around his rule, even if your roles were swapped.

She frowns, visibly devastated, probably more hurt than being kicked out by her family. It’s the end of the world, but she won’t give in. If there’s even a slight possibility she can have her way, she will force herself through. “Please? Even just my room—”

“Not a chance. It’s just a general rule here, sorry.” You make sure to shut her down immediately. “I didn’t make that rule, anyway. Blame the owner.”

Yuqi acquiesces. She groans with displeasure, crossing her arms, acting bratty. No act can convince you to change your mind.

“Right. Now actual ground rules. This isn’t a dorm so you can’t just freeload as much as you want. Now I understand you're still working on that job application, so all I’m asking is just for you not to be completely messy, got it? So don’t eat my leftovers without asking, don’t go out to clubs and ask me to drive you home when you’re drunk, none of that. If you’re drunk, sleep outside the room. I don’t want to clean up vomit on the carpets.”

Surprisingly, Yuqi agrees without complaint. You’re unsure whether she’s nodding so she can settle in, or if she actually understood every single word.

“I seriously hope you’re working on that job—”

“Don’t worry! Just give me the wifi password and I’ll be set.” Yuqi can’t help but interrupt you every single time, and to her credit, it’s effective. She does seem dead set on taking this opportunity to redeem herself, and it’s a convincing act. As insufferable as she can be at times, you want to see her succeed. You want to see her win.

You jot down the wifi password on an extremely thin sheet of paper and place it on the table before her. Before walking away, you ask her, “You need me to help with your belongings? I’ll get the guest room ready while you make yourself comfort—”

“Nah, it’s fine!” Yuqi’s typing on her phone, not even shooting you a look in your direction. “I’ll get it sorted out, don’t worry! Just pretend I’m not here.”

To her credit, she does get her belongings sorted out. By evening, she moves into a cleared out storage room that’s now her designated bedroom. Words are hardly exchanged other than simple pleasantries and greetings. You ask her if she had dinner, she says yes. She doesn’t take anything from the fridge other than some water. There’s a knock on the door; she answers and comes back with a package of chinese food. She offers to share some, but you modestly decline.

You never ate together when you shared a dorm in college. She would eat her inside her bedroom or after you already cleaned up. At times, she’d come back to the dorm late and you wouldn’t see her till the following day. You share the same space but you have vastly different lives. The feeling is familiar, but the setting is new: having dinner under the low light, uncertain about your futures. 

This feels like your first day together all over again.

—————

The first night with Yuqi is a quiet affair. There’s hardly any commotion. An unusual scene. She finishes her food ahead of you then retreats into her bedroom without uttering a single word. 

When you wake up the next morning, Yuqi is already at the dining table. Browsing her laptop, coffee in hand, seemingly focused on that next job application. She doesn’t even greet you or acknowledge your existence; she’s in her own world, but in a good way. 

“Morning,” you quietly say, trying to grab her attention, but it falls on deaf ears. 

“You off to work?” she asks, preceded by a mouse click while you pour onto your mug. Her attention remains glued to the screen, paying you no heed.

“Kind of?” You take a seat opposite Yuqi’s side on the table. “I work here. Or should I say: this is my workplace.” 

“Wow. I wish I could work from home. Would be nice,” she replies between mouse clicks and keyboard taps.

You take a light sip of your coffee. “What course did you take again?” 

“Umm—” Yuqi slumps back in her chair, “I think it was medicine? I wanted to become a guitarist and have my own band, but my parents wanted me to become a doctor. And I don’t wanna ruin my handwriting, so—” 

“Don’t you have a band with your friends? The one with—”

“Yeah that dream died two years ago.” Yuqi’s eyes squint, brows furrowing, running through every word slightly faster than normal. “And I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“Not even a little—”

“No.” She faces you with a surprisingly cold glare, a sight you’ve never seen before. “They can just fuck off—those goddamn bitches.” 

You find yourself unable to move the conversation forward after her abrupt turn. It’s probably for the best; you hardly paid any attention to Yuqi’s life to be entitled to a substantial explanation. 

The rest of the hour goes by in deafening, awkward silence. Here’s Yuqi, this ball of energy whose life primarily revolves around partying and getting rowdy, calmly clicking on the touchpad and typing a few words every now and then in search of a way to fund her addiction. You can tell from her sullen expression just how deprived she is of that high—how incomplete she feels without the rush of adrenaline, ecstasy, and alcohol flowing through her veins. It’s impressive how it takes someone to hit rock bottom to turn their life around, how all this could have been avoided with a few decisions.

Still, it’s never too late for someone like her, and as long as she holds up her end of the deal, i.e. leave you for good after this, you’ll actively root for her success.

—————

“Fucking hell, dude,” sighs Yuqi, slamming the panel of her laptop hard, her fist narrowing missing the edge of the table. While you’ve made yourself comfortable at your usual workplace, a spacious office desk on the other side of the living room, you’re preoccupied scanning through numerous documents and emails your boss sent you. A look at the bottom right of the screen tells you it’s half past lunch. Then your stomach grumbles, as if the clock wasn’t enough of a reminder.

“Gonna make lunch,” you say to a vexed Yuqi, who’s stretching her legs against the table and her arms to the ceiling, body likely aching from her hunched position. “You good?”

“Yep.” Her tone perfectly toes the line between sincerity and sarcasm. “Got three rejections—no, four, actually. The last one was sent minutes ago.”

You’re not sure how to respond.

“Oof.” 

You couldn’t relate to her even if you tried. Of the two applications you sent, your current job is the one that gave you the freedom and flexibility to work from home, even if it paid less than the other. That was six months ago; finding job opportunities has become way harder, or so you’ve heard from your other unemployed peers from college.

“Finding a job sucks,” says Yuqi, stating the obvious. She finally gets up from her chair, brings her laptop back into her bedroom to charge before reemerging with a hairpin wrapped around her knuckles, tying it around her loose red hair. “So, what’s for lunch?”

“Meatloaf and eggs,” you reply, firing up the stove as you grab pans from beneath the sink. “Not sure if you’ll like it, though.”

She lifts her eyebrows, intrigued, but mostly unbothered. She’ll eat anything as long as it isn’t fast food or from the convenience store, and she doesn’t have the gall to complain, anyway, as your roommate. 

—————

“So, how’s the job hunting going?” you ask her right as the sun descends over your apartment windows. You have your schedule down to a science, finishing all intended projects and goals when neighboring buildings’ lights open. Weekdays can’t be anymore mundane and monotonous, but you get the job done, you’re paid handsomely, and you have time for your other hobbies.

Meanwhile, Yuqi looks like she doesn’t want to stare at a computer screen for a week, maybe a month. She looks worse off than she did in the morning. It’s evident in her clothes, her hair, her face: frazzled and messy. A perfect representation of her state.

“What do you think?” she replies, never sounding so heated, so frustrated. A look at her screen shows a new rejection letter, piled between several others, already read. Each one with different reasons, different ways to hurt, but with the same intent: we appreciate your interest, but we have chosen a different candidate from a very competitive pool—we don’t think you fulfill our qualifications—we’re looking for someone with more experience—we wish you the best in your future endeavors. You’ve noticed she tends to click back and forth between each letter, as if to torture herself further.

“I think you should put that laptop away. Try again tomorrow,” you tell her, closing the panel while she’s scrolling, stealing her attention. She readjusts her glasses, blinking rapidly, annoyed at your little intervention. “I’m going for a walk. You should join me.”

“And what if I don’t?” she asks, threatening to pull her laptop away from your fingers. 

“Good luck going out when I have the room key then.”

“I don’t have my running shoes,” she replies, and she’s telling the truth; she only brought one pair of slippers with her, the rest being colorful sets of boots and expensive high heels.

“Then grab some from my closet and wash up. You’ll look stupid if you go out in those silly boots.”

—————

At first, you believe she had declined the offer; you had already left the building when Yuqi caught up to you moments later, huffing and puffing from exhaustion. Hey, maybe she could have been a great track and field athlete if she put her mind to it.

You can’t help but make a little comment. “Thought you weren’t going to go out.”

That was for all the times she’d make similar remarks to you back in college. They never really bothered you; you were never a man of high morals and upstanding, but at least you had your priorities sorted out, unlike Yuqi. 

Yuqi playfully counters your rib, shooting you a disparaging stare. “Dude. I’m doing you a favor by doing this.”

“Elaborate.” You laugh.

“You never went out whenever I asked you. You always said no to parties.”

“And for good reason. Look at us now.” 

If you wanted to, you’d be harsher. You have years of dirty laundry and grievances to air out, but this is as concise and as restrained as you can express them without getting accused of attempted murder. Besides, you can’t keep a straight face the longer you look at her. She clearly stands out in a rather dreary and dull crowd, and it isn’t the red hair as bright as the sun, it's her look—or lack thereof. Your oversized hoodie, your running shoes mixed with her pajamas, the lack of bra—it’s obvious she only did the bare minimum to look decent in a public setting, and yet she fits in all of them like a glove.

“Where are we going, anyway? Can it be a bar? I hope it’s a bar.” 

The first thing she wants to look for once outside is a place to drink. Of course. It’s hardly a surprise to you or anyone at this point.

“Where’s your car anyway?” you question back. 

“I dunno. Could be in the carpark, could have been impounded. I don’t remember, and I don’t really care. It smells like dogshit, anyway, cause I’ve been living in it for the past three weeks.” 

Yuqi talks with a fine blend of fast and sardonic, evidently scarred from all her ordeals with that car. She’s never experienced living outside her glass castle until now, and it shows. She’s dragging her feet with every step following you close behind, trying to soak in the scenery around her. Street lights, joggers, buskers, friends, and partners of every sort, people that you actually know and recognize. It’s all foreign in her eyes. All she knows are strobe lights, loud music, drinks, and rowdy crowds. 

“So, like, do you just go on a walk every single day or you only do this because I’m your roommate?” she wonders, her gaze lingering at a passing woman jogger that catches her eye. Jumping to conclusions, she adds, “Are you telling me to touch grass? As if I hadn’t been doing that for weeks?”

You turn around and notice her distant stare, still fixated on that woman, ruminating the prospect of leaving you for her instead. “I don’t think getting blacked out drunk and vomiting in your car counts as touching grass.”

“How do you even know that?” Yuqi faces you, provoked by your comment, pouting. “You hardly attend parties, even when I invited you. You always turned them down.”

“Word gets around fast. I thought you already knew that.” 

If she could, she’d grab you by the throat and strangle you to death or rip you in half. It stings. She questions whether your blunt, matter-of-fact delivery makes the statement ten times more scathing. Then she wonders if she made a mistake, dressing up and going after you, when you’ll just be making her regret her life decisions like her parents did. You hardly cared back then, so why now?

“Can we just go to a bar? You’re being annoying.” Yuqi stares into the distance, intentionally averting her gaze away from you.

“If you have the money, then sure, let’s go for it.” You know she has no leverage or power; she can only afford fast food and a month’s worth of groceries and daily necessities. It pains her to make a willing decision to pass on alcohol and avoid bars and parties. She’s down horrendously, but she won’t directly confess her own fatal flaw. 

It takes everything within her not to slap you square in the face. 

And you can play this game all night long until she folds. You can stand there, argue, and debate with Yuqi till she runs out of excuses and complaints. Four years of pent up material to unload onto her, make a scene in public and turn her into an example about not wasting one’s life away. You can go further, you promise. 

Instead, you both settle down in a cafe on the other side of the park as a compromise.

The place is more suited to Yuqi’s style: lively crowd, comfortable ambience, all the caffeine and sugar as a proxy to her raging alcohol addiction. Most importantly, she won’t pay for shit. You don’t even end up drinking your own order; she does it on your behalf. You settle for a tiny cup of tap water instead. In a way, she’s acting like a needy dog, desperate for attention without concern for anything else that doesn’t involve her.

“Fucking hell, I never knew I needed this,” she echoes, sipping up the last quarter of your coffee, glancing at the menu over the counter, itching for another. She’s keen on paying from her pocket this time; she recognizes you won’t give her another freebie. “This shit tastes so good.”

You can only shake your head, not even remotely trying to hide your frustration toward her. Her obliviousness is kind of cute in a way, making her look a bit sympathetic. 

“Maybe I should just work here,” she says, her eyes moving in every direction, her attention taken by something shiny every five seconds. Plenty of action happens at night: groups entering and exiting, the pervasive scent of fresh coffee brewing in real time, and plenty of girls to ogle at. In particular, there’s a waitress with a cherry tattoo on her neck that’s captured her interest. She can’t help but point her out to you, grinning widely at her. “See that waitress? She’s kinda cute.”

“Uh-huh.” You’re not really paying attention; you’re there mainly for the free wifi and a snack, not to flirt. Luckily for you both, the waitress is preoccupied with meeting high customer demands to notice. “Good idea, maybe you should apply here.”

The longer you stay inside the cafe premises, the more Yuqi becomes less inclined to leave. You end up having dinner, a couple of ham and cheese sandwiches from the snack menu. On her end, four cups of coffee strewn on the table, all drank by her. If this was some ploy to make you pay for free drinks, it worked to a tee. Anything to avoid engaging you in a serious conversation.

The opportunity never presents itself. Soon, the cafe becomes dimmer and muted. Staff are closing off sections, clearing trays, and cleaning up empty tables. Since you entered the cafe, she has not made a move on the waitress at all, even when you’ve tried pushing her over the cliff numerous times. Her shift is close to done, ready to check out for the day. One more opening. Still, Yuqi watches her intently, but can’t find the strength to stand, let alone pull the trigger.

“Well? I thought you were gonna ask her out or something.” You take a look around and come to a grim realization: that you’re the only two customers left.

“I—I don’t think I wanna do it now.” Yuqi turns around, playfully grinning, but rushing through her words. “Maybe when I get the job here. Maybe.”

You can only react in quiet disbelief to how this was all just a huge waste of time—and money.

“Fucking—” you sputter before masking the rest of your response, groaning as you rise from your seat, leaving.

After two days, your main observation is that Yuqi hasn’t changed much. If at all.

—————

The rest of the week follows a similar structure. It’s comforting; it’s the kind of monotony you’ve acquainted yourself in ever since having your own apartment. Yuqi’s always up before you, an hour in advance, she’ll tell you. At her usual spot around the dining table, on her laptop, coffee in hand. You stop asking for updates after the third day; you’re certain she’ll figure things out. Your mindfulness and curiosity get the better of you, peeking through the screen on occasion, only to find the same thing. One rejection after another, mixed in with a new application letter in between. From the outside looking in, it’s as if some divine force doesn’t want her to get that job.

In the evenings, you go for your usual walks. Yuqi joins you out of the apartment building, but instead of following, she separates and heads the other way. She’s wearing her own earphones and your hoodie, something she’ll end up keeping. The few times you run across each other, she's holding some drink in her hand, usually the coffee from the cafe you spent time with her in, her hoodie pooling with sweat all over. No pleasantries, you mind your own business till you return home.

It isn’t until two weeks after she’s moved in that you extend an invitation: a visit to a newly opened lounge on the other side of town. You preface the invite saying you only knew about the place because it had opened a month ago, and had mostly forgotten about it until you remembered her. She’s doing well for herself, so you might as well reward her for her efforts, even if it hasn’t gone anywhere. And it isn’t Yuqi without asking for some kind of favor; in this case, taking a ride in your car because hers has been impounded by the police. You’re not even surprised that she’s too lazy to reclaim it herself.

Your friend says the lounge is newly opened, but once inside, you’re uncertain about her claim. Whether it's by design or her being a complete liar, grimy, poorly lit, in the vein of all those underground clubs you had seen in action movies where a shootout or police raid occurs. Simply put, there isn’t anywhere pretty to look at, and you feel icky just by being here.

To Yuqi, it’s a fantasyland: it’s where she’s meant to be all along. She’s so overjoyed to be there. 

“It’s you!” calls a familiar voice; you turn and find a friendly face over the counter waving to you. You quietly leave Yuqi to herself and approach the bartender, who just so happens to be the owner. “I never thought you’d come and visit! It’s great to see you.”

“Only doing this for a friend, Minnie,” you silently tell her, pointing your finger at your invited guest, the sole reason you’d ever be here. She recognizes her immediately and understands.

“Yuqi, huh?” She looks intrigued, her gaze lingering at the girl. A subtle grin is forming on her face. “Never thought the two of you would be an item like that, considering she’s a party animal and you’re—”

“No—no—don’t get it twisted,” you interrupt, frantically trying to clear up any presumption. There’s no chance in hell you will ever find yourself attached to Yuqi romantically, not even a little. “It’s—a long story.”

“Do tell.” Minnie smirks, teasing, alluring. She looks the part of a bar owner, all right; dark eyelashes and shadowy lipstick matching her pitch black hair. Not to mention her slim dress perfectly hugging her tight frame, showing enough cleavage to draw attention. As a friendly gesture, she gives you a wine glass and pours a drink on it. “We’ve got all the time in the world and all the drinks you need. All in house since you’re a friend.”

So you oblige yourself to a tiny sip. The place is surprisingly quiet and empty, even though it’s the weekend, with lo-fi music playing through the speakers as the only form of background noise. Minnie doesn’t have much on her plate. She can lean on the desk and listen to you all night long.

“So, two weeks ago, Yuqi moved into my place trying to look for a job,” you tell Minnie before taking another sip. Both of you take quick glances at Yuqi, seemingly having the time of her life, scaring off the sole patron by the billiards table. “And I was wondering if you can get her a job here. She’s been rejected from every company she applied for. I know she doesn’t want to work a nine-to-five, and I suddenly remembered this place.”

Minnie raises a curious eyebrow, brushing small strands of hair covering her ear. “I see.” Looking past you, she notices Yuqi, now at the karaoke, amused by her voice and energy. You follow along and watch too, wincing at her talent, caught completely by surprise. You can feel the passion and emotion from her rather honeyed, deep singing voice, as well as her natural charisma while performing. 

“Damn. She sounds really good. Borderline natural at it.” Minnie’s in awe of Yuqi’s abilities, the sort of reaction that pushes buttons, steals the show. “Wasn’t she in a band? I know she played guitar.”

“She said it doesn’t exist anymore, won’t tell me what happened.” 

Even in the midst of conversation, Yuqi’s voice manages to snatch away your focus. She’s an extremely powerful singer—a natural, as Minnie said. Her voice is overpowering the background music with little difficulty. There’s little need to watch when her vocals can easily capture your attention all the same. 

Facing you again, Minnie replies, clasping her hands together, “How about she perform by herself?” she suggests. 

You meet her eye to eye at the drop of the notion, curious.

“What do you mean?” You take another sip.

“We have an open mic night next weekend, and we could use talent to liven up the place. She sounds perfect for that kind of gig. Who knows? Maybe she can be a resident singer if the cards are right.” Minnie smiles through every word, recognizing Yuqi’s talent and the untapped potential she has. All she needs is a platform to showcase her skill properly. And taking another glance at her, you see that too. She has the passion and the vocals to croon a live audience.

“I’ll tell her,” you say, turning to Minnie again. Yuqi has finished performing and is on her way over to the bar. Your conversation breaks off as the two women greet each other with an exchange of kisses on the cheek. 

“Great place you got here girl,” Yuqi tells Minnie, beaming from ear to ear. “I’ll be popping by often if you don’t mind.”

“Thanks. I could use some company on the weekdays, if I’m being honest.” Minnie hands Yuqi her own wine-filled glass, as well as a complimentary bottle. She makes sure not to “Take it, it’s on the house.”

“God, this is why I love you so fucking much.” Yuqi drinks up the whole glass in one swig, and immediately pours some from the complimentary bottle. Minnie can’t help but shake her head with a little smile, knowing this is still the same Yuqi she’s acquainted with since college. A rose-tinted view of days gone by. 

The two women spend the rest of the time catching up. With how much they talk, it would be a safe assumption to think that these are two long lost friends who haven’t spoken in years. Then the conversation goes on and on, revealing more details than you should probably know: exchanged  private messages as recent as last night, Yuqi’s intentions to visit the lounge sooner before present circumstances got in the way, and how she ended up in your apartment. As a listener and side character in her story, it’s a part you quite frankly never wanted, let alone be involved in under any capacity. You make sure to add your point of view in the narrative and clear every question. Whenever you chime in, they laugh heartily. It’s a mess, and they’re unapologetically quirky, never failing to make fun of you at times.

Despite everything, the topic is never brought up: the upcoming open mic night, her performance, her natural talent. You were planning to shoehorn the idea, but one too many drinks later, the conversation and opportunity eventually slips away. Again. 

Yuqi can hardly stand on her own two feet when she finally decides it's time to leave. It’s two in the morning when you guide her back to your car, with her drunk out of her mind and slipping into unconsciousness. Minnie assists you, making it even more embarrassing. Even when she’s so inebriated that she can barely move a muscle, she says she wants another round, slipping back into her old ways.

You escort Yuqi back to your apartment, setting her down on her bed and promising yourself that you’ll tell her about Minnie’s offer when she’s sober in the morning. 

Except it’s the one fucking day in the month where your job calls you into an actual office for a meeting. Despite that, Yuqi is not at her usual spot in the living room the next morning (unsurprisingly), so you leave food on the table for when she eventually wakes up.

—————

Returning late in the afternoon, you find a note from Yuqi on the outside door of your apartment, stamped by strawberry lipstick, simply reading:

> Not gonna be around till tomorrow. Have something urgent to attend to - XOXO, song yuqi

Sure enough, one brief tour of the apartment and Yuqi is nowhere to be seen. Her room remains untouched: the same, colorful space it’s always been, with most of her clothes and belongings still strewn everywhere on the floor. You don’t even mind the stickers and posters plastered all over the walls; she was gonna break that rule regardless. Typical, but expected. At least you know she hasn’t completely left yet.

Deep down, it’s the first time in a while that your apartment feels a lot smaller—and lonelier. It’s not that you have any sentimental attachment to Yuqi—not in the slightest—but her presence clearly livens up the place. The difference without her around is night and day. Even when your interactions are limited to a minimum, the brief moments you interact make living by yourself a bit more tolerable. 

So you preoccupy your mind with your usual schedule: a walk in the park, then dinner by yourself. But these intrusive thoughts grow worse and worse. You’re not in your pajamas at the usual hour, her absence is keeping you up at night, and waiting for her to walk through that door is about as brutal as federal punishment.

You end up driving to Minnie’s bar, inquiring about Yuqi’s whereabouts. She says she hasn’t been around, and she hasn’t exchanged messages with her since last night. Then she asks about open mic night; you tell her about the inconvenience, about the note on your door, which is why you’re there. Good effort, but she ultimately gives you nothing.

“You should stay here a while, who knows? I can message Yuqi you’ve been looking for her,” says Minnie, her smile as welcoming as it’s ever been. “Why not have a drink in the meantime?”

“Hmm.” You entertain the thought, but she promised to return tomorrow, and perhaps you’re overthinking it; you just have to let it play out. “No thanks.” As a distraction you’re watching another girl at the karaoke machine. She has distinctively pink hair, has similar energy and passion for singing, except her voice is much higher, more nasally. All she does is remind you of Yuqi, but she’s nowhere close—in appearance and in ability. “She promised to be back tomorrow. Maybe I should take her word for it and go home.”

A pour of wine on the glass is followed by her siren-like whisper. With her hand caressing your shoulder, she mutters, “So—you like her. You like Song Yuqi.”

You raise an eyebrow, taken aback by her statement. Facing Minnie, you reply, “What? No way. I don’t like Yuqi at all. I’m just concerned she might have disappeared, that’s all.”

“Cap.” Minnie smirks, murmurs to your other ear. “You like her. Actually, you love her. You just won’t admit it.”

“And what makes you say that?” 

“The fact you look so distressed wondering where she is. I mean—just look at you.” Her voice is slow, delicate, each word delivered with profound emphasis. She flickers a lighter, then directs the cigarette in her mouth for a puff. “Would someone who doesn’t like her worry like this?”

“I mean—I’m just trying to help her get back on her feet,” you tell her, and Minnie can only chuckle in response. Puff more smoke. In her eyes, you’re not doing yourself any favors. Your words have no weight to them. It’s the same old same old most women like her hear dozens of times. I’m not into her, says the guy who’s showing an alarming level of concern towards said girl. Something she’s all too familiar with. “You know? Just looking out for a friend, that kinda thing.”

Minnie wishes she can hold up a mirror against you now to prove her point. In a place meant for everyone to relax and ease themselves, you look tumid, on the verge of a historical crash out. She smirks into her next smoke, shaking her head, scrolling through her phone. “Sure. I believe you,” she remarks, and there’s no effort made to hide the sarcasm in any capacity.

That piece of cigar looks quite appealing right now. She sells smoking like she sells the off shoulder dress draping her defined figure: exceptionally well, like she’s meant for it.

Later in the night—you’re unsure whether it’s still today or tomorrow—Minnie suddenly approaches you with a shift in enthusiasm, as seen through her grin: “You should probably head home. Unless you want to stay the night waiting for someone who won’t be here in the morning.”

“She’s back already?” You manage to decipher the hint right away.

She nods, can’t help herself from beaming continuously. No effort to lie or maintain the mystery further. “I guess you’re not as stupid as I thought you’d be.”

Running up the stairs in a hurry, you respond to her little jab with a shout, “And you owe me one for that. Actually—no, I owe you one!” 

Unknowingly, Yuqi’s little mannerisms are starting to reflect in you, too.

Sure enough, you’re home within a matter of minutes. Empty streets, dead nightlife on a weekday, the loudest thing heard for miles is the roar of your car’s engine and the elevator headed up to your apartment floor. Any other time you’d burst through that door like an officer with an arrest warrant, but it’s almost three in the morning, and the last thing you want to be is apprehended yourself after a noise complaint. 

The place remains as unchanged as you had left it: completely dark, save for one light over the kitchen. It’s quiet, eerily silent—until you hear airy, soft noises in the distance. Room by room, you carefully inspect where the sound is coming from, only to find nothing at all. 

There’s only one place left to check, and it happens to be the Yuqi’s bedroom. A room you remember being empty. As you approach the sole unopened door, you notice the faint sound growing in pitch. Hushed words from a familiar tone.

“Fuck—oh fuck—”

You press an ear against the door frame. She sounds clearer.  Way more explicit. Vivid.

“So—so—good—fuck yes—”

There’s a subtle creaking sound that accompanies her singsong tone almost perfectly. Nothing is left open for interpretation; Yuqi is feeling herself. Feeling a satisfaction that only comes from something slick, something rough, something good. 

As much as you want to respect her space, her moment in the dark, you can’t help yourself. She sounds so good, so gratifying to the ears, it’s making you a little hot and flustered, much to your own guilt and shame. You don’t care about the consequences; you’ll allow yourself one little look then pretend it never happened. At best, she’s too preoccupied with her own bliss to notice, and at worst, it’ll be one awkward conversation starter in the morning.

“Oh, oh God—you feel really good baby—just like that—”

It’s as if she’s reading your mind, understanding your intentions. The way she moans your name like an invitation—something you never thought you would hear or even consider—how it’s naturally delivered from her sweet, intoxicating voice. You’re doing yourself a disservice by listening through the door.

There’s no better opportunity than now.

With your heart racing against your chest, every nerve in your muscles tense up as it desperately opens the door, slowly and as quietly as humanly possible. Miraculously, you go completely unnoticed. Even as light from the living room slowly penetrates through Yuqi’s bedroom, it fails to cover what really matters: the bed and Yuqi herself. 

Nevertheless, the sight that welcomes you is one to behold, one worth looking at with complete awe.

Yuqi’s body is splayed out on the bed. Her legs are spread wide, a couple of her fingers aggressively rubbing against her exposed clit, and there’s a glossy sheen coating the sheets before her soaking wet core. Her clothes are, unsurprisingly, scattered all over the floor, along with a pair of consumed alcohol bottles. She’s completely bare for your eyes to see. Nothing is left to your imagination. More importantly, she looks so fucking hot. Your heart is racing like never before, and the scene has your pants in a twist.

Her other hand runs up and down her lithe frame, then squeezes her own breast. She lets out this sharp mewl, grinding her hips against air. Her jaw slacks wide. Her eyes shut tight. Her back arches. Waves of self-induced pleasure send shockwaves through every fiber of her being, her moans growing more and more erratic.

“Fucking give it to me—I love this cock so fucking much—”

It’s about as pornographic and explicit as it gets. It riles you up in an uncomfortable way; you end up unzipping your pants to free your growing erection, but nothing happens beyond that. It feels wrong. It is wrong, but you can’t muster up the strength to look away, let alone walk away. You want to see how it ends. How she cums.

She wraps a hand around her own throat, while her knees are planted upright with her feet firmly gripped on the sheets. There's a noticeable tone change in her whines, as if simulating the act. Yet, the words flow from her lips seamlessly. “I’m so close—so, so close—”

The cackle she makes after is mortifying. Here’s this girl, who you had zero attraction prior to tonight, shamelessly declaring how she’s going to cum, how good your cock feels inside her—without either of the two even happening to begin with. The fact she likes you is the least shocking revelation in itself. A reminder: you only had three meaningful conversations with her since she moved in—two if you consider how blackout drunk she was the night before, and even if you go all the way back to your college days, you can count them with your fingers alone.

“Fucking—cumming—oh my God—”

Yuqi strains her knees and loosens her grip on the sheets as she lets the pleasure wash over. Clear liquid gushes past her throbbing, relentless fingers and spills onto the linen. A guttural, deep moan fills the bedroom as she slumps her body flat on the mattress, her energy completely depleted, her thoughts filled with nothing but orgasmic bliss. Her coated hands rest on her bare waist, her tummy, leaving viscous sheen on her creamy pale skin.

When she isn’t screaming your name or touching herself to the thought of you, Yuqi, at her barest, looks so gorgeous like this. Flaws and all.

Albeit brief, it’s quite the show to more than satisfy your thirst for her. You remember your uninvited presence in this room and where you stand in this relationship. That she’s only a tenant—an acquaintance at best—and nothing more. Any other person and situation would already send you damning to hell. 

So you quietly leave, gather your bearings, hoping her haze doesn’t clear before she is made aware of your presence, but you hear a faint whisper right as you close the door, clearer than any whine of pleasure:

“Hey.”

Part of you wants to ignore her, pretend this is all a huge misunderstanding and feign ignorance. Then you hear her soft, alluring voice calling your name and it’s what ultimately folds you:

“W-what time is it?”

Again, you consider the choice of entertaining her question or leaving her dry. She’ll probably fall asleep shortly after and forget these few moments. You tell her it’s three in the morning, hoping she dozes off.

She doesn’t.

“Shit. Can you come inside? I mean—come in.”

She’s still thinking about you, and it’s admittedly cute. You love how unabashedly blunt—and lewd—she is when she’s drunk. You give her the benefit of the doubt and reenter the room.

Yuqi realizes the messy state she and her bedroom are in when you turn on the lights. Cheeks puffed and red from embarrassment, she tries to hop off the mattress, only to stumble to the floor on her fours. 

“I’m so, so, sorry. I didn’t think you’d—” 

“Hey hey, it’s fine.” You grab her off the floor and sit her on the bed. “Don’t apologize. I’ll get some water; stay here and rest.”

Your eyes are meeting, hers twinkling. In those few, crucial moments, right when you’re about to leave, you feel an irresistible tug pulling you closer to each other.

Suddenly, Yuqi pulls you in by the shirt for a deep, passionate kiss. Her lips taste like actual whisky and vodka, indicating what she drank earlier that night. Yet they feel so lush, so sweet, filled with so much passion. You don’t bother trying; you fold to your lust, submit to her desire. You sink onto the bed together, never breaking apart, even for a second. Next thing you know, her hands are all over your body, roaming your chest, coiled around your neck, removing the shirt over your head to be tossed aside and completely forgotten.

Yet there’s still some resistance. Despite making the first move, she pulls back, and you do so in return. You’re hovering on top of her—an unexpected but welcome position to be in. 

“I didn’t know what got me there. I’m sorry. I just felt this sudden need to kiss you and—”

You shut her up by diving in and kissing her again, pinning Yuqi down to the mattress—the very thing that got you into this position to begin with. With you all over her, she’s able to shed the rest of your clothes: first the slacks, followed by your boxers. She mewls at the sensation of your hard cock pressed against her slit, and it’s beyond what her imagination can describe. It’s electrifying. And God, you know you’re no better than her, but you just want to fuck her right then and there, give her everything she wants without a second thought. 

Grabbing you by the scalp, she rips your lips off her chin as you’re making your way down her neck. “Not yet. Nuh uh.” She pulls you into yet another kiss, as if you’re oxygen—and in a way, it’s appropriate: you’re breathing new life into her. “Did I ever tell you that you were a good kisser?”

“Not at all,” you tell her, gently shaking your head. “You’re not half bad yourself.”

“Half bad?” Yuqi raises a sharp eyebrow, seemingly offended by your backhanded compliment. A dangerous smirk forms on her lips. “Says the one who was watching me the entire time—”

“You knew?” There’s a heightened sense of panic in your voice. “I thought  you were—”

“Shhh.” She kisses you, pulls you into a warm cuddle atop her. Slender legs wrapped around your hips, she follows: “Less talk, more lovemaking.”

And more lovemaking you do. You grow more easily acquainted with her lips than with her personality, and you barely know them: it’s only been a few minutes. Even though it’s a Thursday, the weekend feels like a lifetime away. You should be up five hours from now; you have the alarm preset and everything. But Yuqi’s getting in your way again, as she always has, and this won’t certainly be the last. She’s so hypnotic, so alluring, you find yourself unable to slip away, no matter how hard you try.

You find that it’s easier to give in than to struggle aimlessly. 

It’s effortless to get your fingers pressed inside her sopping core, brushing along sensitive, wet ridges of skin, where thoughts of you manifested into thin, delicate strokes. Her moans ring against your ears in varying pitches, each with a distinct, pulsing plea of satisfaction. Keep going, she tells you, and you follow without complaint. All this while you leave a soft path of bite marks down her neck and collarbones, until you reach her petite chest.

And fuck, you just go down on Yuqi. Sucking on her breasts like you’re in the middle of an oasis in the desert. She goes wild. Tossing, turning, trembling. You can feel her body close on you, wanting to take you in and suffocate you. The bed is creaking, growing strikingly more intense, turbulent. All this spurring you on, making you more reckless, more daring with her. 

“Mmmmm—fuck!” She lets out a hum of desperation, her hot, shaky breath fogging on your skin. You become an intertwined labyrinth of limbs that fit together, where you have no idea where it begins and where it ends. Your fingers vanish between her legs, still working tirelessly, perfectly snug around her pussy even when crushed between the weight of her thighs.

Eventually, you find yourself staring aimlessly at Yuqi. She’s so beautiful, and you’re punching yourself mentally, wondering why it took so long to come to this conclusion. Even when she’s not rocking the trendy hair color of the week and her face is a canvas for every conceivable makeup and filter, she’s naturally pretty. Especially now, completely bare—and with nothing but an exasperated, satisfied look of inebriated, lust filled bliss.

You find the light peeking from the living room, casting a shadow between your tangled legs. She’s dripping at her core, showering your fingers with a fresh flow of sheen, messing up the sheets even further if that’s even possible. They’re beyond saving at this point, and so are you. 

Rolling to her side, Yuqi wraps her arm around you, as if enticing you to stay. You shouldn’t have done this, but it’s too late: there’s no going back. You’re too lazy to close the door, and you have the girl you previously never gave a second look rubbing lazy circles on your stomach with her coated nails. Her hair draped all over your arm and shoulder, her eyes looking up at yours, acting all soft and innocent—

Until she starts talking again. “It wouldn’t be complete unless you cum inside me, wouldn’t it?”

The difference between her body language and her lips is night and day. Right then and there, you immediately recognize that there’s no other way this night will end. How your body moves at her will, how you immediately roll on top of her, as if it’s programmed to follow her every command. You have her legs pressed up and spread wide, her knees bent, lining your aching cock against the wet slit of her cunt. All while her features twist into a sickening, slimy grin in the slim shape of a lip bite. The fire, the desire—it’s still as bright as ever. 

And to make sure you aren’t second guessing the idea, her arms are coiled around your neck, her hands grabbing at your hair, pressing on your nape. Yuqi wants you—needs you—to fuck her silly; it’s the only way she can be satiated.

You watch Yuqi’s expression contort from anxious to messy, and the feeling is mutual. You slip in, slow and delicate, going against her instruction, and you almost lose it at the first stroke. The deep, guttural moan you make echoes throughout the entire apartment, while her firm walls pulse against your cock. It’s hot, it’s tense, it’s suffocating. 

“Shit, shit, shit—” you mutter, gently trying to pull back, but the fiery sensation burns, scratches away at your psyche, at your loins. “So—fucking—tight—Yuqi—fuck.”

“C’mon. Fuck me. Fuck me now.” She kisses your ear, her legs pounding against your hips, demanding you to move. There’s some serious intent behind her tone, a seamless blend of demand and impatience. “Use that big cock—mmm!”

You can only groan in response as you thrust back in deep, her grip on your body tighter than ever. And it’s more than just her cunt; she’s clinging onto you for dear life.

It hardly matters when you’re leaving sore, red marks on her skin or ripping through the blankets. It hardly matters when Yuqi can barely breathe. It hardly matters when you’re so loud that everyone can hear you. What’s important is you’re fucking her—and you’re fucking her hard. You both love the filthiness to it. There’s no rhythm, no pace, no flow; it’s one slow deep thrust, followed by a fast pump into her tight, inviting cunt. You become comfortable; you take her like she’s meant to be used.

And Yuqi takes your cock so fucking well. Bounces against every stroke with ease, as if the feeling is second nature to her. Knowing her, she’s probably been in this position more than you’d want to know or hear. You don’t really care about that for now. Even after what seems to be an endless cascade of orgasms, she’s still keening, still needy, still soaking wet that it’s alarming. Her back arches, melts deep into the cushion. She still wants more.

“So—fucking—good—more—need—fuck—”

The only noise you need is the mesh of your flesh slapping against hers, bouncing against her sharp cries of pain and pleasure. Reaching into the deepest, most sensitive parts of her pussy with your cock, this violent shudder rocks both you and Yuqi to your core. With each drag, more of her slick coats your shaft, and the easier you get access to her smothering heat. You can’t find the will to stop, not that you ever want to; she feels so warm, so inviting, so sloppy sounding to the ears that it’s driving you just as crazy as her.

It’s also driving you wild why it took you this long to fuck her—use her—like this. If you had known, you would have cared sooner. You’d have some leverage when it came to negotiations. A body like hers is too good not to have on speed dial.

Right now, it’s the least of your concerns. Not when you’re pounding a tight body like Yuqi’s so freely, hearing her demand to fuck her harder, like your life’s depending on it. Better late than never.

And it’s for the best that the moment happens later rather than sooner. She cums. Cums again. Eventually you’ve stopped counting, because there’s no point. The mere thought of you restarts the cycle, and your touch accelerates the process. The clutch of her cunt is too overwhelming to avoid at this point; it’s all but directly telling you to fill her, to unload all that pent up tension and need into her. The thought never bubbled up in your head even once; the idea of you and Yuqi with a child together. You never really questioned it. She goes out often, probably gets fucked multiple times in one night if she’s with willing company. She probably knew you’d walk in on her; hell, she’s probably got this whole thing planned out and Minnie is one of her accomplices. Maybe the entire time, she’s been yearning for you, because you’ve never heard her this passionate, this loud, this filthy in your life, even at her most inebriated.

“Inside me. Please cum inside me. I’m safe, don’t worry,” she whispers, as if she’s reading through your mind, reassuring you from your doubts. Her hand is palming your back, as if to line you straight so your cock directly hits her sweet spot. She sounds so pretty, it’s almost impossible to resist.

“Gonna cum,” you tell her, voice going hoarse, rasp, and she nods immediately in return, reinforcing the notion. She’s focused her effort on holding on, her legs tightly wrapped around your waist, her arms coiled around your neck, subtly pushing you against her hips. 

“This—pussy—so—fucking—God,” you mindlessly utter, averting her doe eyed gaze, desperate to cling to the last of your resolve as it quickly dissolves with each thrust. You’re on borrowed time and it’s quickly slipping away. Yuqi is tilting your face down to her, to her airy breaths, to her fluttering eyelids, to her passionate expression as you fuck her, pushing you over the edge. “Holy fuck, Yuqi—”

Yuqi’s lips part like a flower in bloom, and it’s a pretty sight. Yet it’s not enough of a distraction to keep everything from falling into place.

And God, it fucking burns. 

You swallow hard, but are unable to keep that groan suppressed. Your hips meet her halfway, your cock comfortably buried deep in her heat, and that’s where you come undone. Yuqi digs deep into your skin as it fills her—your cum—and she goes frozen at that moment. It’s a quiet, tense flash of silence. Afterward, she finally breaks. Cries out this deafening whine, her grip all over you loosening, time eventually catching up to her. 

She lays beneath you, completely limp, but her body remains trembling, shaking, seizing. You don’t find the strength to drag your cock from her heat; the feeling lingers. Endless ropes of cum gushing into her womb, emptying yourself, just as she wanted. Then you pull out, agonizingly slow, and more viscous slick gushes from her core. 

You feel guilty for that poor patch of soaked linen between her legs. It’s about as ruined as a collapsed power plant.

There’s little need for Yuqi to beg you to stay. The climax saps whatever energy you had left. You end up slumping flat on your belly beside her, both of you bathed in the afterglow of sex, exhausted from an already long day, too worn out to make another sound. And when you’re tired, any bed, no matter how messy it may be, is a comfortable bed.

—————

You already expected the scene at the breakfast table to be awkward.

And it was.

It isn’t until Yuqi calls you out standing at the doorway of her room that you realize you’ve been shooting a thousand yard stare the whole time. She waves at you, her cheeks red, flustered, chuckling. “Good morning to you, I guess. Put something on. I don’t wanna drink coffee while looking at someone’s dick. It’s gross.”

This time you’re the one unbecoming, completely in the nude while she got herself into some pajamas. Despite that, you hardly feel any guilt or shame, like this is a normal occurrence in the household. So you scramble to your room and get appropriately dressed. A look at the time and it’s already 15 past ten in the morning, an hour later than when you normally start work. Even more unusual is the absence of the laptop. It’s just Yuqi and her coffee.

Sitting opposite Yuqi, today seems a bit more tense than normal, and you can guess the reason why. She knows it, too. Neither of you are willing to break the ice, only shooting occasional glares at each other while sipping on coffee and scrolling through your phones.

“So, Yuqi.”

The words slip from your mouth, accidental, nearly silent. They follow the mild screech of the chair she sits on. When you meet eye to eye, she asks what’s up. What's on your mind? There’s a sudden barrier in your throat. You have a vague idea of what to say, but not the power to speak them. 

“About last night—”

Her lack of response is unnerving. The visible curiosity, the probable apathy. You and her possibly sharing the same sentiment: a feeling of regret. 

“I—I just wanted to say sorry. For last night. I should have just—”

“Sorry for what?”

You suddenly stop. This is not the expected reaction; it’s the complete opposite. A moment where you face the consequences of your actions.

Yuqi stands up and walks over to your side, beaming from ear to ear. “What we did last night was—fucking amazing. Don’t feel bad. If anything, I should feel bad because I didn’t tip you off sooner. We could have done so much more.”

You don’t pick up on the implication right away. It’s all strange, uncharted territory. Your previous flings were simple one-and-dones: a night of reckless, frivolous fun. Short, but fun nonetheless. They would disappear in the morning, never to be seen again.

“I didn’t think you’d walk through that door, especially since it was three in the morning,” says Yuqi, casual, running her fingers through your hair. “I got a bit too silly, as usual, but there’s a good reason for it.”

“And that is?”

“I got a job!” Yuqi’s gripping to your shoulder, the only thing keeping her from jumping for joy. “I got a job at the cafe with the pretty lady. I start on Monday.”

It’s certainly a cause for celebration. You can’t help but root and smile for her, caressing her hands. “Well, damn. Congratulations.”

“Yeah!” Yuqi’s wrapped you in a rather heartwarming embrace that you willingly fold into. “I had the interview yesterday, so I needed to lock in. Needed to be alone. Then I got accepted after, so I went and bought some drinks to celebrate.”

That doesn’t surprise you one bit. You’re just thrilled that she’s finally getting somewhere.

“So—does that mean I can kick you out once you get your first paycheck?” you ask her.

“I guess so. But—” Yuqi pauses, tilts your chin on an incline. She’s warm, radiant, pretty. She doesn’t care that you’ve worded yourself poorly and you’re taking it back; she’s still riding off the high from yesterday. You’re already counting the days before she leaves, and admittedly, you’ll miss that sight. “I’m gonna miss staying with you. Thanks for having my back when I needed it. I honestly don’t know how I will ever repay you.”

She tops it up with a quick peck on your lips. It’s all over your face, etched completely in red. The devilish grin. 

“I think I know exactly how.”

And that’s all that needed to be said.

Before you know it, you’re right back at square one: clothes scattered everywhere on the floor, her body pressed on the mattress, flat on her belly, your cock stretching her pussy out as you fuck her mindlessly from behind. This time in the comfort of your own bedroom.

All the more reason for you two to stay together.

—————

(A/N: fucksorryforgoingonanotherhiatusfuckfuckfuck—)

(Okay, but I really do wanna apologize for going on yet another unannounced hiatus. Final weeks of the semester were hell, then I was on vacation the week I promised this fic would be released (I'm basically the LeBron James of K-smut when it comes to lying at this point), not to mention a health scare courtesy of my mother. Some very hard times have hit me lately, so my mind wasn't 100%. Nevertheless, I am still standing (shoutout Elton John). Lots of free time throughout June and July, so hopefully nothing bad happens ISTG lemme have some peace for once and let me fucking write goddammit—)

(In non-personal news, Yuqi's solo was very fun and she's getting on that Yena level of bias where she's the perfect blend of cute and hot. Then she went pink recently and that made me :pphurt: Sort of a feel out fic before I *finally* finish these commissions over the coming weeks, thank you for reading!)

[syluscore]

just thinking about exhibitionism w/ leon and he's literally letting you up for free use, >////<

Leon Kennedy x afab! Reader

content warnings: smut, sexual content, exhibitionism, free use, degrading and praising, reader is tied up, blindfold, p in v sex (lots of it), double penetration mentioned but not actually done

!!!!!!!!MINORS DNI! GHOSTKENNEDY IS STRICTLY 18+!!!!!!

leon who is completely obsessed with your body? who’s obsession only grows stronger and deeper with time. soon, it’s not enough for him to just see you fall apart and cry for his cock. oh no. he needs to show you off completely to others.

leon who just needs others to see what he gets to fill up every fucking day. multiple times. he’s never satisfied no matter how much he fucks you. he can hardly take a breath without his cock springing to life, hard as fuck at just the thought of you. how could he keep it all to himself?

leon who believes that nothing worth having should be kept hidden.

leon who wants to make others jealous. he can’t help it, it’s almost instinctive for him. they don’t understand the depths of heaven he’s found through your body. your naked body being spread wide open for him, it’s like the angels are granting him his eternal paradise. what is a god without a following of loyal, devout worshippers? you were sculpted by the gods themselves and deserved to have people worship at your alter.

leon who has a small group of trusted buddies that he’d trust with his life. and you were his whole life. why wouldn’t he trust them to see the most scrumptious masterpiece ever created. show them why he always bails on them. why would he ever wanna go out when he has this waiting for him at home?

leon who finally fucks you in front of his friends. they try to hide their bodies responses as they avoid your eyes while watching leon fuck into you. but as time passes, they all begin openly watching every little movement. you can see their cocks throbbing through their pants, begging for attention. but they can’t touch them. you laid out the rules they only get to watch, not receive anything.

leon who becomes addicted after the first time. he organizes more meet ups for them to watch you two. with the same rules as before, until finally you agree to let them touch themselves while watching you. “you like that, baby? like people getting off on watching you? look into his eyes while i fuck you. look and think about how much of a whore you are. they’re all touching their cocks for you.”

leon who isn’t satisfied with people just watching you get fucked anymore, he wants them to feel it. it starts with little caresses here n there on your breasts and ass. it slowly escalates to longer touches, touches inching closer and closer to restricted areas. and then one day, something snaps and all bets are off.

leon who jerks his cock in your face as you stare up at him, barely able to keep your eyes open as his friend hammers his cock right into that spongy spot inside of you. “still needy for my cock even though somebody’s already railing inside you? such a good whore, huh?”

leon who ties you up, your arms above your head and legs spread open, each ankle secured to their respective bed posts. who blindfolds you and let’s his friends do whatever they want to you. you have no idea who’s touching you, no idea how many are staring at you at any given time, and holy fuck does it make you that much wetter.

leon who whispers praises into your ear while his friends fuck you. “you’re taking it so well. making me so proud. such a good baby for me.”

leon who definitely researches double vaginal penetration often.

leon who pampers the shit out of his prize after every single session. doesn’t matter how many people use you, you’re still his most prized possession.

~masterlist~

[jessicas-pi]

Bo and the Blueberry AU incorrect quotes

Bo-Katan: How’s school going? Ezra: Terrible. I want to stab everybody there. Bo-Katan: Okay, just don’t get any blood on your clothes. Ezra: …you shouldn’t be condoning this.

---

Ezra: If history repeats, I'm so getting a Mythosaur.

---

Sabine: I'm not mean. Name one mean thing I’ve ever done. Ezra: When we were kids, you convinced me eggs weren't real. Sabine: They're not. Ezra: Haha, very funny. Sabine: I'm serious. Didn't you hear? Ezra: No… what happened? Sabine: …Why would you fall for this again-

---

Din (after Ezra becomes Mand'alor): I think I mostly want to see what happens when this whole place breaks apart.

---

Sabine: You know what’s funny about Ezra? He’s my best friend, and anyone who’d hurt him is someone I’d murder, probably.

---

Bo-Katan: We'll talk about this later. Ezra: Ok, I won’t be listening.

---

Tristan: I found an old note that said Note to self: Get revenge on Ezra. Tristan: Except I couldn't remember what I was supposed to get revenge for. Tristan: But I trusted my own judgment, so I went with it. Ezra: Hmm… I don't know what you were supposed to get revenge for, either. Tristan: I can only assume you got what was coming to you. Not 100 percent sure, though. Ezra: Well, whatever I did, I guess I deserved it. Tristan: Let that possibly be a lesson to you.

---

Bo-Katan: Come on, Ursa. Nobody actually believes that Din is in love with me. Ursa, to the other Mandalorians: Raise your hand if you think that Din is helplessly in love with Bo-Katan. *Everyone raises their hand* Bo-Katan: Din, put your hand down.

---

Korkie, looking at his friends: I need to become a therapist faster.

---

Ezra: I’m not being weird. Am I being weird? Tristan: Yes, and that’s coming from me.

---

Ezra, to Sabine: You drink too much, swear too much, and your morals are highly questionable. Sabine: … Ezra: You are everything I’ve ever wanted in a best friend.

---

Ezra: Your smile? It makes my day. Sabine: Your happiness? I live for that. Korkie: A room? Get one. Tristan: Hotel? Trivago.

---

Ezra, texting Bo-Katan: *sends a voice message* Bo-Katan, texting back: I’m a little busy, is it urgent? Ezra: No, don’t worry, just listen later. *later* Bo-Katan: *presses play* Ezra's voice message: THERE’S A FIRE-

---

Sabine: Relationships should be 50/50. Ezra tries to be Mand'alor while I sit on the armrest of his throne looking intimidating.

---

Ezra: I need life advice. Korkie, sipping Space Gatorade and eating cookie dough: You came to the right person.

---

Sabine: Okay, I’m going to make sure the flower decorations have arrived. Ezra: Perfect, while you do that I’ll check on the ring bear. Sabine: … Sabine: You mean ring bearER, right? Ezra: … Sabine: Look me in the eyes and tell me you are not going to bring a dangerous wild animal to our wedding.

---

Bo-Katan: I left instructions for everyone while I'm gone. Ezra: Mine just says "Ezra no." Bo-Katan: I want you to apply it to every possible situation.

---

Tristan: Why is Ezra making me do the dishes again? You haven’t washed them in a week, Sabine! Sabine: It’s because I’m Ezra’s favorite. Tristan: I hate you.

---

Korkie: I have a bad feeling about this, guys. Sabine: Oh don’t worry, you’ll be fine. Ezra: Yeah, what’s the worst that could happen? Korkie, being bailed out of jail the next morning: I hate you all.

[sharpasanaro]

You know that trending sound with the woman humming into the fan, something slow, maybe mournful? And you know how it’s been sending fanfic writers into a tizzy going, “actually that’s {Insert Character Here} when they were going through {Scenarios}.”

Don’t think about Obi-Wan Kenobi humming Jedi songs of mourning under his breath as he heads to Polis Massa to rendezvous with Yoda and Bail, mourning his brother in all but blood, mourning him in more ways than any one person could count. His brother his friend his son his whole world for an entire ten years his brother in arms his hope for himself and his people is shattered

Obi-Wan singing quietly in the delivery room after Padmé dies, begging the Force for answers, why did she have to go why was it her time why didn’t she tell me did her and Anakin not trust me was this always my fault???

Obi-Wan’s voice finally cracking as he holds the twins together in his arms, the final time he will see them together as children, whispering songs of hope and healing into their soft hair they could have grown up in the Temple they are as strong as their father they need more than I can give them that can’t be given anything more than this why is separation the best option they will never know peace as long as the empire reigns but oh Force what can two Jedi do to stop what an entire Temple could not?

Ben humming for the first time in a decade as he rescues Leia to soothe her to sleep on their way back to Alderaan, finally safe and sound is this to soothe him after having to fight the thing that wears Anakin’s face and speaks with his voice or to comfort a traumatized child welcome home welcome home

Ben singing to Maul after he dies a tragic and wandering soul, forever haunted by a path he never asked to take he joins the Force he is whole at last welcome home welcome home

Old Ben whispering pleasant nonsense while aboard the Millennium Falcon, Han thinks it’s because he’s a crazy desert hermit, but Luke is entranced and can’t explain why the language is Dai Bendu the language of the Jedi the language of the Light the language of the Force the language of his people welcome home welcome home welcome home

Old Ben hears the Force singing aboard the Death Star as he faces Vader one last time, he sees the twins reunited at last, he knows it is his Time

Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi finally joins his Order, his people, in the Force, and it sings with Light and so does he

[gojos-thot-patrol]

Idk bout you but I’m a sucker for possessive men, so I’d like to ask for some jealousy HCs for the JJK men. Thank uuuuuuu muah

My darling, I'd like nothing more than to give them to you 💜

Now Presenting...

Starring Satoru Gojo, Suguru Geto, Kento Nanami, and Ryomen Sukuna

Satoru Gojo

Gojo likes to think he’s not possessive at all. Key word: Think.

In reality, he’s deeply insecure, convinced he’s not good enough for you, and is obsessed, extremely concerned with not losing you.

This unholy concoction has led to an extremely possessive man.

Now, to be fair, He’s pretty good about keeping it in check. He’s not going to lose his mind cause he saw some asshole checking you out at the supermarket. He’s better than that.

Now, if said asshole tries to talk to you, that’s a completely different story. Then he’s literally grabbing you, arms around your waist and actively trying to give you a hickey while you talk to his new number one enemy.

And good fukin luck to you my friend if you call him out on it, cause now he’s convinced you liked that guy too.

Especially early on in your relationship, when he’s still guarded because he’s scared of getting hurt, he’s going to be straight up toxic about it. 

“No, it’s fine, really. If you like him so much, go talk to him. I just wanna know when you stopped caring about me.”

Honestly, you’re better off leaving him alone to let him work out his own shit. He’ll realize he was being an idiot, no doubt helped by the fact that you’re still here, but it’s gonna take 2 hours minimum. 

Gojo is not about to start a fight over some douche bag flirting with you. Mostly because he can not catch another a case. But that doesn’t mean he’s just going to sit by and let it happen, nay nay dear reader.

No, he’s just also going to also talk part in the conversation. Wrapping an arm around your waist and finding any excuse he can, no matter how weak, to drop the fact that he’s your boyfriend.

The exception being the moment the other person puts a hand on you. The moment that happens, all bets are off, and I hope you have bail money. He’s not going to murder them probably but you’re for sure going to be dealing with assault charges. 

Also, not to get NSFW, but the sex after? When He feels like he has to prove to himself he’s good enough for you and remind you that you belong to him? Good luck bestie.

Suguru Geto

This man is nothing but jealous all the time. If he had it his way, you would never leave the bedroom. . 

He’s quick to lay his claim on you. Holding you close to him and kissing you mid sentence so that whoever the person flirting with you is get’s the point. 

Afterwards though? On the way home? Silent treatment. When you do get him to talk?

“I just don’t understand. Why don’t you love me anymore?”

Yea, he’s gaslighting, gatekeeping, and girlbossing YOU into apologizing to HIM. 

I really can’t see this man as anything other than toxic, my god. 

Still, he doesn’t put up with anyone playing with his toys. If he sees you talking to anyone while out, he’s hugging you from behind, kissing your neck and loudly asking “Hey Darling, Who’s this?” 

That Who’s this is dripping in condescension and hatred. Because he does hate them. He hates anyone that could take you away from him.

Your friends are not immune to this btw. 

Slowly he starts to pull you away from your friends and integrate you into his friend group.

Not that he trusts them either. Nay nay, It’s just easier to keep an eye on you this way. 

He’s always reminding you that you’re his. Marking you, draping his jacket over you, conveniently forgetting to buy you more body wash so you have to use his, literally anything to get the point across that you were his. 

Like, this man has deemed himself your chair, cause if you're going to be together, he’s going to find any excuse he can to sit you on his lap.

Now, Suguru is not the type to get confrontational or physical. That being said, if you express that someone is making you uncomfortable, it's game over for them.

The upsides are: no silent treatment! Instead he’s dotting on you and himself apologetic for letting you be put into that situation.

The downside is now you have to clean blood off of him. Again, probably not murder, but for sure an assault charge.

Kento Nanami

Nanami honestly doesn’t have the time to get jealous. 

He trusts you more than anyone else. He has to to date you. So, he’s not normally worried about other people. 

If he starts to feel jealous, he’ll normally just talk to you about it.

Normally. 

The exception is when it comes to your friends. 

He’s not worried about any of them taking you away from him romantically, that thought has never crossed his mind. And for the most part, he likes your friends.

But he does get jealous of how much of your time you spend with them. And of course he doesn’t want to say anything because he knows it's ridiculous. 

But when he comes home from a long day of work to see you have your friends over, meaning he has to share you when his emotional capacity has already been filled? Yea, he's not happy.

And he doesn’t try to hide how possessive he feels in that moment either, he’s stealing your seat and placing you firmly on his lap for after work cuddles.

Oh, he’s embarrassing you in front of your friends? Oh well. Send them home then. 

He’s going to, discreetly,  kiss your neck, and rub your hips until you’re hot and bothered enough to send your friends home.

He just wants your time. It bugs him when other people preoccupy it, when he feels like you’re prioritizing other people over him. 

He can recognize that this is probably his most toxic trait, and he is working on it. 

But you’re still going to have to deal with him while he is

Ryomen Sukuna

Everyone else is an amature when it comes to being possessive/jealous Sukuna OWNS that shit

It’s literally his baseline. Other people can’t look at you without pissing off your guard dog.

He’s your guard dog btw. 

They don’t even have to be flirting! If someones talking to you, he is holding you close and actively glaring at them until they leave you alone.

And if they are flirting, well I hope they're cool with whatever god they worship. Cause they’re about to meet said god. 

Sukuna is insistent that you are his and his alone. It’s why he even takes the time to mark you up all pretty like he has. So other people can see that.

So if someones dumb enough to see your lovingly bruised neck and still flirt with you then as far as he’s concerned, he’s doing the gene pool a favor by taking them out of it. 

God forbid he thinks you’re into it. 

QUICK NSFW WARNING

He will slaughter your new toy and fuck you until you can’t walk in front of the corpse. You won't be able to walk for weeks if ever again from the punishing he’s going to put you through.

OK, NSFW OVER

Ideally, your best bet is to tell him the moment that you realize someone is flirting with you. Even if they’re not necessarily making you uncomfortable, better to keep your life than theirs, right? 

Hell, you might even get a reward for being so vigilant. 

Honestly I need to write an entire Yandere Sukuna fic cause he is made for it. He is THE most Yandere character.

[voltronisanobsession]

please more annabeth s/o content there’s like none on here 💔

Being Annabeth’s S/O

I love her so much like it’s starting to become a problem💀💔I’m always down to write for her, ANYTHING for her😞🙏🙏🙏

Hope you enjoy this!!!! I just dumped my brain into writing about her

You would have to be really close with Annabeth for you guys to even start dating

Like she sees dating as a HUGE commitment, you’re either here with her for the long run or you’re not, easy as that

But once she sees how serious you are about the two of you, she’s your 4lifer forever

While she appreciates you giving her gifts and all that good stuff, Annabeth really sees her s/o taking you guys serious when you risk your life for her

Seeing that you would do anything to protect her, to lay down your life for her, she decides that no matter what, she would do the same for you

You’re fighting a monster/enemy?

She’ll be fighting next to you

You get knocked down to the ground while in battle?

She’s picking you right back up with all her strength

Annabeth is extremely loyal to her friends and s/o, it takes a long time for her to truly trust someone, so don’t break it, she’s serious. She’s let down all her walls to let you into her heart so please don’t hurt her</3

Being in a relationship would basically be the same thing as when you were friends, but now involves more physical affection!!

Handholding is a favorite of hers but Annabeth does get a bit selfconcious when doing it around her siblings so don’t be alarmed when she rips her hand out of yours

If anything, she also loves when you lock pinkies with her when it happens :D

Just ease her into it and she’ll be clinging onto your hand whenever she sees you

Her favorite place to kiss her s/o is on the cheek!

Nothing too extreme, but just sweet enough that has you craving more from her

You’re favorite place to kiss her is probably on the back of her hand, it feels like you’re making a promise to her whenever you do it

I think being Annabeth’s partner would include extra protection from her siblings too

Like they all know how much she cares for you so they’re gonna do everything in their power to not let anything happen to you guys (SUPPORTIVE SIBLINGS I LOVE IT😭💔💔)

You guys would definitely sneak out of the cabins at least ONCE during the night just watch the stars together

HOW ROMANTIC IS THAT URGH

It’s during those nights that you guys can relax with each other and not have to worry about any quests, any lingering eyes on y’all, only finding comfort in each other and the cool night air

Talking about romantic, dates would be lowkey for you guys, often settling for mini picnic dates near the strawberry field

I feel like Annabeth would have a bit of trouble with opening up since she’s so used to protecting herself, so you would need to be the push factor for her

She needs to know that you’re willing to put your trust in her for her to open up as well

Look homegirl has a lot of trust issues after Luke😭😭😭

If her s/o remembers the little things about her like her favorite color, or the type of hair ties that she prefers, or even which texture of clothes she doesn’t like, she’s gonna be so happy

Having someone put a lot of attention and care into her might make her nervous, but it’s a good type of nervous

A thing you do that calms Annabeth down is rubbing your thumb on her hand

Something about it seems so calming and familiar to her that she ends up doing it to you too, hoping to comfort you the same

Her hugs are so COMFORTING AND INTIMATE LIKE

She’s the type to wrap her arms around your shoulders and just hold you as close to her body as she can

You guys hug each other whenever you sleep on the same bed too, just stating facts🫡

Trust me when I say she would be quick to bail you out of trouble

Like if you’re dumb enough to try and start a fight you can’t finish, Annabeth basically teleports to you

It’s like a sixth sense at this point for her to know when you’re in trouble

She would drag you away by the arm while you’re shouting out insults to the man who called you’re mythomagic cards ‘stupid and childish’

Laughs while you rant to her about how complicated the game is and how it’s not childish at all

“It requires a LOT of complex thinking! People just don’t appreciate this game anymore and- why are you laughing ? Are you laughing at me?!”

“Pfft no, I’m not laughing…” *starts giggling harder*

“You’re so laughing at me right now, how could you!”

She’s super ticklish so that’s how you normally get your payback on her >:)

Nah cuz being Annabeth’s s/o would literally be the best thing ever

No secrets between y’all, zero judgment, and endless cuddles

Annabeth is the best and you never forget to remind her

Make her flustered and she’s practically putty in your hands😫💔💔

Lowkey Athena is glaring daggers at you whenever you guys meets

She’s protective of her daughter, so it makes sense why she believes you aren’t the one for her

You can only pretend to not see the goddess whenever you cross her path, which she makes it known that it’s rude to ignore someone like her

“It’s alright, my mother is harmless. She loves you!”

“I think you and I have different definitions of ‘love.’

Remember, Annabeth is your 4lifer, she’ll go to the underworld and back if it means saving you or protecting you

She’s grown to care about you a lot, makes you promise that you won’t die on her, which you can only smile as you pinky promise her you won’t😭😭💔💔

[long-live-astronerd-ghost-king]

Poor Barman Part 4  

~ Runs In The Family ~

~and the Ghost town~

Bartender picks syrups for cocktails.

Danny*appears behind him without sound*: Hello.again.

Barman: Boy, a couple more meetings and I'll think you're my stalker.

Danny: Nothing like that. My parents think that I rarely go out so they dragged me to the supermarket.

Maddie: Danny, where are you? Hello, sir.

~~~

Maddie: Yes, our boy is so shy. In his hometown he always runs away before being attacked by ghosts. Jack and I were so sure that in a new city with high crime Danny would be even more stressed. There are so many dangerous people here.

Barman’s gaze shifts to the innocently blinking boy standing behind. Danny draws a halo above his head by using strange green energy.

Bartender: Really, Mrs.? tell me more 

*remembers yesterday when this “quiet as the mouse grave” boy tried to get into Killer Croc's mouth to inspect his fangs and almost made him write a letter of resignation*

~ and a chip off the old block~

Next night

Bartender: In conclusion, your immensely loving overprotective parents are unaware that you not only got into in a bad company but also rule it.

Danny: Hey, what management are you talking about. At school they don't even trust me to be a DJ.

Boy brings marshmallows on a stick to one of the Red Hood's thugs who immediately pulls out a lighter

Danny: I just love making new friends :D

Danny: Besides, overprotective doesn’t sound very respectful. Don’t say that in front of them. My mom’s name made of "mad" and "die" parts for a reason. She could break Two-face's spine as a light workout. 

Barman: I believe in it.

~ and the last brain cell of the Fenton family ~

Danny *shows the Bartender a photo*: This is my sister Jazz. She wants to be a psychologist. She has the best grades in Amity Park!

The bartender*is happy that there is at least someone adequate in the boy's family*.

Danny: Tomorrow she will come here without me to discuss some publications with Dr. Quinzel. Don't give her any trouble.

Barman: I was wrong

Danny: What?

~~~

Danny: And so, guys, why are you were bad boys?

The holding cells at the Gotham Police Station. 

All criminals are sitting in the opposite corner from the 14-year-old boy.

Police officer: You're listed as an emergency contact for him.

Jazz: And what did he do this time?

Police officer: He placed Mr. Freeze in a strange non-melting ice. Persuade him to releave the villain and Commissioner Gordon will let your brother out. We cannot offer an interrogation. It's a waste of time.

Jazz: Mr.Barman,hello,what are you doing here?

Barman: One of our bouncers sent someone to the hospital so the Boss sent me to pay his bail for him.

Jazz: I see. More importantly, Danny, come here. now. You’re in big trouble, little brother.

Danny *walks through the wall and throws handcuffs on the officer’s desk*.

Barman: You know what, I’ll come back later. I just remembered I left the iron on in the bar. Have a good day.

Danny: See you soon.

Barman: I hope not.

[papercupids]

good good night - kim mingyu

pairing -> mingyu x gender neutral reader.

word count -> 0.6k

summary -> mingyu has made it a habit to bail on his friends to not spend more than even a minute than he has to, but he soon regrets it

warnings -> mentions / implied use of alcohol and drinking but that’s about it.

a/n -> this is literally the third or fourth time i've tried to publish this because tumblr loves fucking w me (it didn’t save my last drafts). anyway, i love writing these little mingyu pieces so much i might even convert it into a series or something.

the bell rings and you pause watching, even though you just started watching the movie, gathering all the snacks and drinks and finally sitting down to watch it. and you think about who it could be since you don’t have any parcel deliveries scheduled for today and neither has mingyu.. or does he? 

when you open the door, it reveals not your boyfriend’s package but he, himself, standing in all his 6’3 glory. 

“hey, you’re back!”

“i am,” he walks past you, almost too glad to be home. 

“wait, didn’t you leave like just 2 hours ago or something? mingyu, did you bail on them again?” you ask as you slowly close the door.

he sits down on the seat next to the shoe cabinet, and removes his shoes and smiles at you. he looks drunk but not as drunk as he is everytime. 

“...no I just had enough of the drinks and i was super tired and i just. wanted to be home with you,” he’s done removing the shoes and he holds out his hands, signaling you to come closer. “kinda missed you,” you wrap your arms around his neck and he pulls you further in, rubbing his nose to yours.

“aw, as sweet as that is, you know you shouldn’t bail on your friends everytime right?” he’d been doing this for the last few times, coming back too early, saying he preferred to spend his only free time, the weekends, with you. you walk up to the sofa and he joins you there after he changes into his home clothes.

“i think they were too drunk to notice. and besides, aren't you happy to have me home?” you look up and grin at him, a grin he’s kinda afraid of you, a grin that means that you have ulterior motives. 

“ofcourse! trust me there's nobody happier than i am.” you play the movie you paused as eerie music starts playing.  “a new horror movie just came out on netflix and i was about to start it so i'm so so happy you came home early so we could watch it together.” 

mingyu attempts to get up quickly but your hands grab at his quickly and he gives you a pleading look. 

“no baby, you can't escape now,”

“i think they're calling me though….”

“too late, baby,”

a bit later though, as the tv sounds go on and on filling up the empty house with the lights off, as you both lay asleep on the sofa, with your face on his chest and his hand lying limp on the floor with the remote still clasped.

he shakes awake slowly, due to some noise in the tv and struggles to slowly move the remote and turn it off without any movement because he was too scared of waking you up.

you had obliged into watching a romcom for the sake of mingyu but deep down he did feel like it was because after a jumpscare or two even you were kinda scared, not that you would ever admit it. 

he strokes your hair gently so if he moves it doesn't wake you up suddenly and scare you, and then he gets up from under you as silently as possible and makes sure you're asleep, which thankfully, you are.

he steps inside the bedroom, turning on the lights and sets up the bed, complete with the blanket on the side folded away to accommodate you and then to be over you.

and he comes back, and again gently kisses your forehead before picking you up, scared that it will wake you up but sleeping on the sofa is a 2 days worth of back pain because of the cramped space and he does not want that to happen to you again.

when he lays you down, you curl up to snuggle yourself and he tucks the blanket to cover you. 

admiring the scene just standing there for a bit.

and then he got into bed beside you, pulling up the covers above his shoulders and facing your side. 

goodnight.

[captainzigo]

since I have been making my little pony comics for the past few months, I have basically forgotten what every single one of my duckverse comic prompts means. I had a big list full of one sentence prompts for duckverse comics that I was going to make, and I was reading through it yesterday, because I thought about making one. I was surprised to find out that I have no idea what any of them mean. instead of just deleting the list, I have decided to share with you. For what good it will do you. Think of this as a little shout out to the people who followed me for duckverse content. i havent forgotten about you. it’s also a little peek in my twisted mind. my horrible creation process. a behind the scenes look from hell. the list of prompts is below the break

max college fund

launchpad rescue hero

costco 22¢ per bite

house of mouse

door to darkness

because i’m hispanic?

donald cousins catch and release

fish wife

the greatest skateboard trick in the seven seas

backyardagins movie

evil versions boy band

gladstone gay moms

the poor part of town

private army of freaks vs my boys

you own the town. you are politics - what do you think taxes are for - not gladstone bail - id be doing everyone a favor

kids table is great actually

donald cry gold swim

beautiful gold moon

villains table

these lovebirds

gladstone can’t read

gladstone hyper specific thrift store shirt

louie seeing anyone right now?

managed my uncle’s finances

june dolls episode

may louie webs spy episode

house of mouse christmas hdl want to come

propeller cap start to turn. big wind. its a helicopter landing. thanks babe

double gay batteries

daisy likes donald snoring

if you can understand anything he says then yeah!

sora. quack pack. bald monkey

i respect your pronouns. i dont not respect YOU scrooge

why are you friends with my rival’s girlfriend

we’re sisters now too???

The dancing hacker - do you know how hard it is to lucid dream

are you guys playing dancing hacker?

how did you do that? Those dice were rigged i mean.

you guys were supposed to prepare a musical number every session

Lady in pink but with a knife

girl boss? No girl lady. But not a girl.

sephirof at the door. never seen Donald that serious in my life.

I have a superhero alter ego - like super Grover?

louie x robin the frog

daffy: i’m getting you a job in Hollywood, kid! You gonna make big times. Why? uh… i’m friends with your mom.

Duckburg community college is the only community college that does dance scholarship

duckberg community ducks, and the Duckburg University geese

in helicopter: you ever going to get tired of having our dates like this? no never.

donald take responsibility for our son! panchito what

babe your costume is terrible. why are you still in a sailor hat

tasha austin gay lesbian solidarity

hey webby! *glittery hands*

webby diary

shake for trust? glitter on hand. body slam

why did t you tell me your girlfriend is a pilot? tasha said i shouldn’t tell you because of what happened to you pilot ex. he’s still alive!

pablo: sleeper agents be like time for my next mission

CHRISTMAS GIFTS

WHATS UP T-BOYS?

donald’s boyfriends what does gladstone have against gay people

donald you should wingman for me. i thought you were gay

dugan duck is your secret kid isn’t he

huey ponytail

donald has three boyfriends why can’t i have two

woops i mexed up their super powers - let’s go, t boys! i didn’t make them trans! they were like that before, right?

your brother donald has like five partners. yeah and i’m not my brother donald. you’re right. i should date your brother donald

dewey damn girl your ass phat what are your pronouns. katy nun/ya

tying normie trans girl to a chair turbo pablo

don’t worry. the promise ring is just a tracking device

punch buggy gets steadily more and more violent

dewey’s many licenses

duck twins cobwebs

beaks: help! #911

katy can not entertain in her tiny trailer

uno gaydar donald i finally give you a job and you’re being gay on the clock??

when mom comes in and you have to hide your DS under your pillow

HDL Tulin

HDL chart

[strljaem]

“don’t sugarcoat me, baby”

p/s ; i was writing while listening to sugarcoat natty for like 18239 times lol

note : angst, fluff

It was a bustling evening at the Moonlit Café in Seoul, a small but lively spot tucked away in the heart of the city. The scent of freshly ground coffee mingled with the laughter and chatter of the crowd. The clinking of cups and the rhythmic buzz of the espresso machine created a warm backdrop to the evening's conversations. I was seated at our usual corner table, Jaemin across from me, his eyes focused on the menu.

But my mind was elsewhere. A memory from months ago had resurfaced, festering like an open wound. It was about the night Jaemin and I had plans, but he had bailed without explanation, leaving me to find out later that he had been at a party with some mutual friends. It wasn't just the broken plans that bothered me; it was the secrecy, the way he had acted like nothing happened the next day.

I couldn't hold it in any longer. "Remember that night you stood me up?" I said, my voice low but laced with irritation.

Jaemin looked up from the menu, his brow furrowing. "Which night? We've had a lot of nights together." His tone was casual, but there was a hint of defensiveness beneath the surface.

"The night you went to that party and didn't tell me," I shot back, feeling the anger bubble up in my chest. "You made me feel like an idiot, waiting around for you. And then you just... pretended it didn't happen."

He leaned back, his expression tightening. "Are you seriously bringing this up now? I thought we moved past that."

"Don't sugarcoat me, baby," I retorted, emphasizing the last word. The term of endearment was a slip, but I couldn't take it back. His eyes widened, and he stared at me, clearly surprised.

"Baby?" he echoed, his voice tinged with a mix of surprise and frustration. "What's with the baby?"

The people at the surrounding tables had started to notice the tension. A few heads turned in our direction, their curious gazes making the air between us feel even thicker. Jaemin glanced around, then reached across the table to grab my hand. "Let's go," he said, his grip firm but not painful. He pulled me up, and I followed him out of the café, feeling the eyes of the onlookers on our backs.

Outside, the city air was cool against my flushed cheeks. Jaemin led me to his car, a sleek black sports car that he adored. He opened the door for me and waited until I got in before he slid into the driver's seat. The doors closed with a soft thud, cutting us off from the noise of the street.

"What's wrong with you?" I asked, crossing my arms. "We could've talked in there. Why drag me out here like that?"

"Because I didn't want to make a scene," he replied, his voice low but intense. "You know how people are. They hear one word, and suddenly it's all over social media." He turned to face me, his eyes locking with mine. The furrow in his brow deepened, but I couldn't help but notice how it made him look even more handsome, his chiseled features etched with concern.

I sighed, my anger ebbing just a little. "I just don't get why you couldn't have been honest with me. We were supposed to be best friends, Jaemin. You should've told me where you were going."

"I didn't want to hurt you," he said, his voice softer now. "I knew you'd be upset, and I was trying to avoid a fight. But clearly, that didn't work out." His gaze didn't waver, even as I burned with rage.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm down. "Well, it hurt more when I found out from someone else. It felt like you didn't trust me enough to be honest."

Jaemin listened, his expression serious, his eyes never leaving mine. The way he looked at me, so focused, made my heart race even as I felt the anger boil. The air in the car was charged with tension, the kind that made every word feel heavier than usual.

Then, without warning, he leaned in and kissed me. His lips were warm and soft against mine, and his hand gently cupped my cheek. I pulled away at first, shocked by the suddenness of it. But he held my gaze, his voice a low whisper. "Stop and just accept this."

There was something in his eyes, a mix of determination and vulnerability. I couldn't resist. He leaned in again, and this time I didn't pull away. Our lips met, and the heat between us was undeniable. The anger melted away, replaced by a surge of desire that left my heart pounding. His other hand slid to the back of my neck, pulling me closer, and I felt the intensity of his kiss. It was deep, passionate, and filled with a yearning that had been building for far too long.

The world outside the car disappeared, leaving just the two of us in a moment that felt like it could last forever.

[compacflt]

Watched Marriage Story today, for the very first time, and had a lotta thoughts about EDTS Ice and Mav, especially their divorce-era. Wondered whether they would’ve genuinely gotten a divorce, if they’d somehow been married at that point. Charlie kinda reminded me of Ice: the benign belief in his own intellectual superiority, the self-pity, the willful blindness towards the reality of his relationship, the selfishness—not in the sense that Ice wasn’t kind or warm or loving, but in the sense that he really needed things to go his way (for them to not talk about anything). Of course Mav was no Nicole, he definitely shared his half of the blame, but I could totally imagine the two of ‘em having a huge fight that devolved into: “I can’t believe I have to know you … forever!” ‘Cause they kinda did: being in the Navy, moving around in the same circles, sharing an estranged kid they were both hoping to make-up with…

ok so part one of this ask not having seen marriage story: yeah i am 100% sure if they’d codified their relationship in words they would’ve broken up. like forever. letting all that anger simmer instead of boiling over is sometimes a blessing in disguise—if you say you’re together, you’re together. if you say you’re over, you’re over. no take-backsies on something like that. whereas if you don’t talk about any of it, the boundaries are a lot less definite. a blessing in disguise. i did (for mental torture purposes, and also for a prompt fill i [sorry to whomever sent it in] didnt hate myself enough to write) brainstorm that Bad Ending—if, say, Mav HAD been reckless and decisive and told ice “get the fuck out of my house obviously this isn’t gonna work you betrayed my trust & bailed on me at the second lowest moment of my life & conspired with a dying woman who is in love with you to ruin our son’s life in the exact same way MY life was once ruined and you blame me for turning you gay but you were already gay to begin with and You Fucking Killed My Best Friend And We Never Talk About It so fuck you we’re done” and went no-contact and threw ices shit out into the street and never went back to the hangar and changed all the locks and his phone number etc. and… say ice is like decimated for a few years straight, like numbingly and crushingly depressed, & then he meets not-his-sister-sarah and tells her the truth (that now he can realize with the benefit of hindsight & grief & loss—funny how loss always makes everything real clear all of a sudden): that he was in a long term relationship with a man with whom he was raising a child & with whom he was probably in love, and she marries him anyway, and obviously she’s not maverick and she doesn’t make him as happy as he did and she knows that but at least she stops him from being actively su*cidal and at least they can be open about their relationship in public and maybe they have a kid or two, and maybe he completely shifts his strategy and relocates to Virginia and moves his AOR to the atlantic instead of the pacific so he can get as far away from San Diego and maverick and home as possible, and maybe it works, and maybe there are some days he doesn’t even think about maverick or Bradley or goose, and when people mention the 1990s he grimaces and tries to forget, and he’s not ashamed of it so much as he is hurt by the memory of his own carelessness, and maybe he cries often and very very quietly, and maybe he gets his life back on track and before he knows it he has four stars on the opposite coast from the one he’d originally planned, and of course he’s not happy, but he’s never happy, so whatever.

Until. some event he can’t get out of. A mutual friend’s change of command ceremony or retirement ceremony or funeral. first thing he sees (like always) is captain Mitchell shining in his dress blues (like always). they avoid each other all evening, why bother trying? until someone forces them together, “weren’t you two at TOPGUN together? didn’t you guys kill all those soviets together?” and on and on, yes, we were, this is very very uncomfortable, until eventually they’re alone, and maverick asks, “can i buy you a drink sir?” but he’s staring at ice’s left hand and staring and staring, and it’s been over a decade but still ice doesn’t know how to say no to him, so they leave this joint and get a drink somewhere else, and maverick says, “how long have you been married,” and ice says, “eight years next march,” and you can see maverick doing the math in his head 2016-8=2008 okay, “what’s her name,” “sarah,” maverick laughs but feels bad for laughing, ice says, “we have a couple kids,” maverick stops laughing. “shit,” maverick says. ice says, “it was very difficult for me for a very long time;” maverick says, “what did you tell her;” ice says, “the truth;” maverick waits a second to respond and then says, “and what was the truth?” ice tells him the truth which is “well that i was in a long-term relationship with another man and we were raising a kid together and most likely we were in love with each other but it didn’t work out.” maverick takes a long time to respond to that and is blinking a lot and if you put your ear to his chest you’d hear that he is struggling to breathe. he says “and she married you anyway.” “she did.” he says “and You married Her anyway.” “i did.” Ice pauses then says “it was very difficult for me for a very long time.” he pauses some more and drinks and watches disinterestedly as maverick blinks and blinks. then ice says “so uh are you…?” maverick says “ive had a couple… a couple flings… nothing. nothing like.” and ice understands. maverick says, “why didn’t you tell me?” “tell you what?” “that you. that you and i were. that you felt that way about me.” ice says, “i did. i tried. i left you voicemails & sent you postcards & tried for half a decade to get in touch with the kid. did you not get my—did you not get my voicemails or my letters?” maverick blinks and blinks and says “i did get them but i didn’t open them;” ice says “well that’s that then.” and drinks. maverick says “how long after me did you meet her;” ice says “a couple years, i was deployed for O.I.F.” maverick says, “yeah, me too.” and he almost starts crying. he says “ice I’m sorry but you’re telling me ive completely wasted the last decade of my life and i don’t know what to do. do you love her? does she make you happy?” ice says “yes” and “yes.” maverick says “does she make you as happy as you were with me?” ice doesn’t care enough anymore to be dishonest and says “no. Of course not. but she made life easier when it was very difficult for me for a very long time.” maverick says, “run away with me. fuck it. let’s try again. let’s start over. no one else understands. come on. you and me. we always come back to each other. let’s try again.” and it is very very tempting. One of those watershed moments when life goes crystal clear and you can see through it. but only for a moment. ice is so tired and too old for that kind of adventure anymore. he says, i have kids, and i have a wife, and i have the navy and my four stars to think of, and i— he can be honest about this: “i want to. you know i do.” he pauses. doesn’t think he wants maverick to touch him. that can’t possibly end well and historically has not ended well. flinches away when maverick reaches out. he says “but i can’t.” maverick says, “i miss you more than anything. i want—even still!—i—please…I can’t…” another pause. ice says, “Let me get the bill, Mav.” so ice pays mavericks tab and they go their separate ways.

and maverick goes out to the desert to fly the sr-72 darkstar and pushes it beyond its limits on purpose and he doesn’t intend to survive but it’s his stupid too-good instincts that have him popping the cockpit escape pod ejection handle, and he lives by accident, like always, and destroys several billion taxpayer dollars in an instant, and without admiral Kazansky on his six backing him up admiral Cain has everything he needs to dishonorably discharge captain mitchell from the navy, so after 33 years of service to his country and 3 air to air kills maverick is unceremoniously dishonorably discharged and they kick him out without a second thought, and the Dagger special mission command goes to someone else and Bradley gets team leader and probably fails and probably dies, and atlantic fleet commander Tom Kazansky is offered the promotion to chief of naval operations and takes it, and doesn’t live long enough to meet his grandchildren, and that’s about all i have to say about that.

Now im going to go watch marriage story to answer this ask educatedly so hold on.

ok coming back the next day post marriage story and yeah you’re right i think it would look like that

[abliafina-18782]

ICEMAV 38 38 38 38 38

I regret NOTHING🤭

Send me a Ship and a Number and I will Write a Kiss

…because they’re running out of time.

“Stop pacing.”

“I’m not pacing.”

“Right, you’re just working a hole in the floor then?”

Tom stopped mid-step, shooting a glare that would straighten up even the most senior officers. Pete was unfaced as usual, simply crossing his arms and returning the stare. He was the only one who dared go toe to toe with Tom, the infamous ‘Iceman’ Kazansky. Today, however, Tom didn’t feel much of what had earned him his callsign. 

His stomach had done cartwheels since breakfast, his legs felt jelly, and he continued to clench and unclench his fingers. Weddings tended to do that, especially if it was Tom’s own. 

Pete interrupted his thoughts, “Will you relax? Do you really think Sarah would bail on you after all the planning she’s done?”

Tom smiled at the mention of his fiancée, his soon-to-be wife. No, the likelihood of Sarah bailing was like Pete all of a sudden not wanting to buzz the tower. Impossible in other words. His real worry was something else. 

“What if I don’t make her happy?” Tom said, “What if… What if I’m not enough?”

He glanced over just in time to see Pete’s face crumble. The light in his green eyes disappeared a haunted look on his features. They both knew what Tom really meant.

Years spent hiding, years spent pretending, years spent never being truly happy. It hurt when their relationship ended, even though the decision was mutual. Suppose it couldn’t have gone any other way, with them wanting different things out of their careers, and if it hadn’t Tom would never have met Sarah. 

She knew all about their past relationship, just like Tom knew all about hers. He appreciated that with her, he could always be honest and she never judged him. Tom couldn’t have asked for a better partner. But, it didn’t stop the endless stream of what-ifs. 

What if DADT never happened? What if Tom kept flying? What if Pete accepted the promotion? What if they could be together?

Pete came up to him, a weak smile on his lips. They both wore their dress whites, nearly identical save for Tom’s higher rank. The uniform was almost never comfortable to wear, but today it was alright. It was familiar, like an added layer of security he could lean back on. Tom checked the time and saw it wasn't long before they had to leave for the ceremony. Pete eyed him up and down, brushing something off his shoulders that probably wasn’t there.

“Do you love her?” He said.

Tom’s immediate reaction was disbelief. What kind of a question was that? Of course, he loved Sarah, he wouldn’t marry her otherwise. Then he realized that the question wasn’t about that. Pete was asking him if he was certain, if this was what Tom wanted. 

“I do,” Tom replied, his voice small, “She’s my best friend, I- I want to spend my life with her.”

“Good, then that’s all you need,” Pete said matter of factly. “You know, Goose wasn’t nearly as worried on his wedding day. He probably would’ve had the ceremony first thing in the morning if he could.”

The image of Goose excitedly getting ready for his big day brought a smile to his lips. They both laughed and seeing Pete’s grin eased some of Tom’s nerves. Tom loved Pete’s smile, that enthusiastic beam of light he always carried with him. 

Pete would make someone happy one day, he was sure of it. 

“You have the rings?” Tom asked. He’d already checked a million times and he would probably check another hundred until they reached the venue. 

A mock look of horror painted Pete’s face, frantically pretending to search his pockets before pulling out the small square box. It felt right to ask Pete to be his best man, he already trusted the man with his life. That, and Ron was deployed on the other side of the world. 

He took the box, opening it to make sure the rings hadn’t gone missing since the last time he checked. 

“You’ll be fine, Kazansky, stop worrying,” Pete said, “Anyone who can melt your cold exterior is a keeper.”

Tom snorted, about to reply with something witty but fell silent. Through all of this, he’d never stopped to ask how Pete felt about it. He always assumed things were okay, that the past was in the past and they didn’t need to open the can of worms that was their old relationship. 

“What about you?”

Pete looked surprised at first, but then it settled. He smiled, a kind reassuring one, and he reached out to take Tom’s hand. The touch was gentle, as if Pete was afraid he’d scare Tom away. He couldn’t even if he tried. 

It happened fast, so fast Tom almost wondered if he dreamt it. Pete leaned in and pressed a soft kiss on Tom’s cheek. When he spoke, his voice was nothing more than a whisper. 

“I’m happy as long as you’re happy.”

[mugram]

Mayumi: …This looks awfully like a courtroom…

[door opens, Es enters]

Es: Sorry for making you wait, Mayumi.

[door closes]

: Was this inspired by a courtroom in any way?

Es: Ah, and you’re sitting in the chair there.

Mayumi: I am. Where I’m sitting… looks awfully like a witness stand, Warden.

Es: Eh, possibly. I wouldn’t know myself. [chair creaks as Es takes a seat]

: Let’s begin this interrogation. MUGRAM exists to reveal the sins of you, prisoners. In order for me to properly decide my judgment, we just need to talk.

Mayumi: …Just talk?

Es: Yes. It’s the only way I may be able to decide.

Mayumi: Well, I guess I should introduce myself, correct? 

: My name is Kubo Mayumi. I’m 29 and a lawyer. I’m not entirely sure why I’m in MUGRAM, but… Huh.

: Warden, I must say, though I can’t tell because of your hat,  you look awfully familiar. Have you spent time in a courtroom before?

Es: What? What are you on about?

Mayumi: You look familiar; that’s all I’m saying.

Es: …

Maymi: Sorry, I guess that doesn’t really affect this… “interrogation.” 

: Which, is this even legal, Warden?

: I don’t remember even coming here.

Es: What?

Mayumi: Well, all I can remember is being at home and now I’m here.

: I’m pretty sure this is kidnapping, no?

Es: Forget that.

: You’re all murderers and I intend to find out what you’ve all done.

Mayumi: Well, I don’t have to tell you anything.

Es: [slams table] What do you mean?! 

: I can’t believe I have to deal with you first…

: In order for this interrogation to work, I need to know anything about you.

: So, since you’re being so uncooperative with your personal life, I’ll ask you this.

: How is your life in MUGRAM?

Mayumi: It’s… fine, I guess. It’s weird. I didn’t expect to be put in prison for “murder.” I don’t believe I’ve done anything wrong.

: The other prisoners are fine as well. Takao-san keeps bugging me about getting him out of jail, though. I have no idea what that’s about. I can’t exactly practice law in prison, now can I?

: The prisoner next to me, Iwai-san, is loud. He keeps swearing under his breath at night about friends or something. 

: Warden, I just need to tell you that… I’m sure many of the prisoners here are innocent.

Es: Eh? You as well?

: J shares the same opinion.

Mayumi: Just a hunch, I suppose.

Mayumi: Who?

Es: …Forget it. Anyways, what do you mean? I’ve been ensured that these prisoners are all murderers.

: What you’re doing is wrong. You know that, right?

: Kidnapping all these innocent people and putting them in jail.

: Shame on you.

: [slams table]

Es: Hah?!

: Why you–

: You have no right to say that, Prisoner 1!?

: I’m the Warden here and you should trust that I plan to find out everything about you all, including your murders.

Mayumi: Well, I don’t plan on incriminating myself.

Es: What are you talking about?

Mayumi: Well, you said this was an interrogation, right?

: Then, by law, I don’t have to say anything that can incriminate myself.

Mayumi: I plan to fight for the others' innocence as well.

Es: You–!!

: You are exhausting to deal with.

: Fukuda-chan seems too nervous to commit murder.

: Takao-san has been fighting to get out already and you won’t let him out.

: Even on bail or anything.

: Kawaguchi-san has mentioned family members he needs to make sure are okay.

: Izumi-san is clueless. He’s counting on you to make sure we’re all okay.

Es: [laughs]

: Warden, everything you’re doing is wrong. Can’t you tell?

: Let us out. We shouldn’t even be detained for this long.

Mayumi: …What?

Es: Mayumi, you know MUGRAM is not technically bound by any laws.

Mayumi: This is a prison– 

Es: This prison is not like any other prison.

: Like I was trying to say, MUGRAM plans on finding out the truth by any means necessary.

: Though, I don’t plan on using violence.

: If necessary…

Es: Sorry, I guess. Your law knowledge won’t help you.

Mayumi: !

: This isn’t–

: Even if I don’t want to forgive you here, I need to know what you have done.

: And, properly judge you based on your sins.

Mayumi: …

: Ha…

: An unlawful prison…

: Unexpected.

: I didn’t expect this.

: And a terrible lawyer amongst the prisoners.

Es: Well, if you’re finally willing, let’s continue.

Mayumi: Fine.

: I already told you my name, age, and occupation, so what else do you need to know?

: …It was unexpected.

: I didn’t expect it.

Es: What?

Mayumi: What happened.

: I tried, Es.

: I did.

: I just failed.

: Failed terribly.

: People died.

: How am I supposed to figure out anything from that?

Es: Eh?

: That’s so vague.

: I don’t want to tell you how many failures I’ve had that led me to this point.

Mayumi: Won’t you find out anyway?

: I’m giving you as much information as I want to.

: Led to my “murder.”

Es: Tch.

: I’ll figure out your failures anyway.

Mayumi: I hope you enjoy digging through them.

Mayumi: Then, next time, we meet.

: That’s what you plan to do, isn’t it?

: To find out what I’ve done wrong?

Es: Yes.

: If no one else will, I’ll uphold the law.

: I’ll ensure I won’t fail.

: I’ll make sure everyone here gets out unharmed.

: I’ll prove their innocence to you, Es.

[mechanical noises]

Es: It’s time.

Mayumi: So, this is the “extraction.”

: Huh. I don’t… Okay.

: This is happening, even if I deny it.

Es: Yes.

: I’ll find out what you’ve done.

: Your failures.

: Your murder.

: Anything.

Mayumi: We’re on opposing sides of this court, aren’t we? Even if I act as a defendant and you the judge, we still play as the defense and prosecution.

: Then, I suppose I should let you fight your case and I fight mine.

: I wish you luck, Warden.

Es: …

: Prisoner number 1, Mayumi. Sing your sins!

MUSIC VIDEO - Sway the Court

[thatlovinfeelin]

Flightless Bird | two | Bradley Rooster Bradshaw X OC

Synopsis: Josephine Wilson Miller is alone for the first time in her life. She got married after her first year of college and became a housewife, but that life is gone now. So she runs to San Diego, to her childhood best friend Jake, where she meets the man who could very well be her salvation.

series warnings: unplanned pregnancy, just pregnancy in general, talks of infertility. past mental and emotional abuse. anxiety. talks of women's reproductive systems (idk)

“Penny, my dear, a Bud for me and whatever this lovely lady here would like,” Jake flashed his award winning smile. 

Penny, the woman behind the bar, raised her eyebrows before leaning against the counter, “Does Phoenix know you’re out here?”

“Oh no ma’am, I have no claim to him like that,” Jose nearly laughed, “I just have the immense displeasure of knowing him since we were in diapers.”

“Well then, what can I get you to drink?”

Jo smiled softly, “No alcohol for me, just a soda and cran please.”

Jake turned to his old friend, taking a small swig of beer, “You aren’t drinking?”

“I can’t, actually,” She said slowly, “You asked what happened. Why I’m out here all of the sudden, and where Michael is?”

Josephine took a deep breath before reaching into her purse and pulling out a small white envelope. She slowly slid it to the man next to her, nodding at it, “Go on, you can open it.”

She smiled at Penny who set down a mocktail in front of her and then turned her attention back to her friend. He looked worried as he pulled out a small pile of pictures, staring at the fuzzy black and white images. Jose somehow felt detached from them, still not believing any of it was real. She kept waiting to wake up in her bed in New York and have it all be a weird dream. Part of her wished it was just a dream and not the reality she somehow found herself in.

“I don’t-”

“It’s an ultrasound, Jake. I went last week,” She took another deep breath, getting ready to force herself to say the words, “That’s my blob, or whatever, you’re looking at.”

“Josephine, if you’re pregnant, then where the hell is Michael?”

She sighed and leaned back in the bar stool, sipping on her drink. It took great effort to not flinch or throw up when he said the word pregnant. She caught herself wishing it was something with vodka, instead of club soda. She was sure she would be wishing things like that for the next nine months, or at least she hoped she would. So many things could go wrong, maybe that’s why she couldn’t bring herself to be the least bit excited yet. Maybe she was still in too much shock. Maybe seemed to be her new favorite thought.

“Michael never wanted kids. He told me it was either him or…,” She shrugged, “Easiest damn choice I’ve ever made.”

“Look, I’m glad to see you Jose, really I am. But why come here? Why didn’t you just go back to Texas?”

“To my bible thumping mother that believes divorce is as bad as murder?” She questioned with a laugh, “Not an option.”

It was his turn to sigh, leaving back in his chair. Jake was still looking at the ultrasound photos, even if he couldn’t make heads or tails of what he was really looking at. But this was Jose, his Jose. The girl he always looked after, he always kept her safe and made sure she was okay at home. He stood up for her when various ex boyfriends tried to start rumors about her, even beat a few up over the years. They lost their virginity to each other on prom night, in the back of Jake’s pickup, simply because they trusted the other with their lives.

“I have a spare room,” He told her, “You’re staying as long as you need. Whatever you need, just let me know, okay? I mean it.”

“I didn’t come here for you to bail me out, Jake. We aren’t in high school anymore,” She reminded him, toying with her now empty ring finger.

“I’m not bailing you out,” He argued softly, “I’m giving you a safe place to land.”

He slid the photos back into the envelope before handing it back to her. They stayed quiet for a while, sipping on their drinks and just listening to the music filling the bar. After a few minutes, Jake got a small smile, like he thought of something that made him so happy he couldn’t contain it.

“What? What’s that smile for?” Jose asked him. 

“Uncle Hangman,” He laughed slightly, “I’m going to be an uncle.”

“Hangman? Is that what they call you?” Jose’s laugh filled the whole bar, causing people to turn to look at her, “My child will be calling you Uncle Jake, not Hangman. Sorry to burst your bubble.”

He was still smiling at her as he dropped an arm around her shoulder, “Yeah, we’ll see Jose. You’re in Fightertown now.”

He slid his phone out of his pocket and smiled even wider, “How do you feel about meeting my um..my-”

“Your girlfriend, you can say it,” Jose laughed, “It won’t ruin your reputation, tough guy.”

He gently shoved her shoulder instantly feeling like no time had passed with them. Despite not seeing Josephine for nearly ten years, he could’ve closed his eyes and thought they were still in high school.

“I can sneak you out of the back if you want,” He shrugged. 

“Jakey, I’m going to have to meet her eventually,” Jose shrugged, “We can probably bond over those awful boots and hat to match that you still have hiding in your closet.”

“You don’t know that I still have them,” He snapped back. 

“Jake, you refused to take them off that year that you got them,” She laughed, “I know you well enough to know that they’re waiting in the corner of your closet, begging to be worn.”

“Like you still don’t have that mum I gave you for homecoming,” His smile made Jose want to hit him. 

“Shut up.”

“What’s a mum?”

Jake shifted in his chair. His smile changed, became softer somehow. Jose knew that smile well, it was the smile he gave to someone he loved with his whole being. Meaning the small dark haired woman had to be Phoenix. 

“It’s a Texas thing. I’ll explain later,” His hands found her waist as he pulled her closer to kiss her. 

Jose forced herself to look away, instead focusing on the drink that was becoming watery in front of her. She had someone who looked at her like that. But even without the recent little development, things hadn’t been right with her and Michael for a long time. He stopped looking at her like that long before a little pink plus sign showed up in their lives. 

He was doting and adoring in their early years of marriage. He likes to wake her up with breakfast or flowers. They went on date nights that could have been right out of a movie. But all of that stopped so slowly, Jose didn’t even notice it was gone. The romance, the love…it vanished a long time ago. 

“Babe, this is Josephine, she’s now the second most important woman in my life.”

“Jakey, you best say I’m the third before I call your mother,” Jose joked, swatting at his shoulder, “It’s really nice to meet you. Feel free to call me Jose, or whatever you want really. Just not Josie, I hate being called that.”

“It’s nice to meet you too. I’m Natasha, more commonly known as Phoenix these days though,” While Jose expected the other woman to shake her hand, instead the woman gave her a tight hug.

Jose tensed, freezing up as Phoenix's arms, just for a moment before seeming to completely melt. Jake watched the way Jose’s whole body seemed to release every ounce of tension. Jake knew that feeling, somehow Phoenix could put anyone at ease.

“Now that introductions are out of the way, what’s a mum? One of those flowers?”

Jake groaned and gestured to Jose to explain, knowing it was a much bigger deal for the girl than the boy, “Well, no, it’s a special Texas tradition. They’re more or less a button with a bunch of ribbon and charms attached, the guy always gets them for his homecoming date. But, considering it’s Texas, they’ve gotten a lot bigger and more extravagant since we were in high school. Used to be, you’d just pin them on the dress or whatever, but now they’re so big they have to be worn around the girls neck and it damn near covers her whole body.”

“Well, I’m going to add that to the list of things I don’t understand about Texas,” Phoenix joked, taking the seat next to Jake.

“Jose is going to stay with me for a while,” Jake told his girlfriend, “Just keep her out of trouble.”

“Like I’m the one you need to worry about,” Jose snorted.

Loud voices filled the bar as a group of people filed in. The sudden noise made Jose jump in her seat. Truthfully, all she wanted was some quiet so she could sort out everything that happened over the last few days. But she wouldn’t ask Jake and Phoenix to leave. She would stay there for as long as they wanted, she felt like she owed it to Jake. She felt like she owed him everything. 

“I’m going to go say hi to all of them,” Phoenix told them. 

“Just keep them away from Jose for a bit,” Jake requested, kissing Phoenix before she walked away.

Josephine waited until the other woman was on the other side of the bar before she turned to Jake. There were certain things she knew he would be able to understand without much explanation. 

“I don’t want anyone else to know,” She said loud enough for only him to hear.

“Then no one else needs to know,” He shrugged simply. 

“I just- I don’t even know how I feel…hell I didn’t even know I could get…I didn’t know this could happen for me until two weeks ago. I mean it’s…I-”

He gently put a hand on her shoulder, cutting her off, “Okay, here’s what’s going to happen. You’re going to go outside and get some fresh air, okay? I’m going to let Phoenix know that I’m taking you home and putting you to bed, because you’re exhausted. Okay?”

She nodded slowly, letting Jake help her off of the bar stool before heading towards the door. Jose didn’t realize that she felt like the air was being forced from her lungs, or that the walls were closing in on her. She didn’t even realize the weight from the last few weeks was finally starting to crush her. 

The second she got through the front doors, she started gasping, trying to draw in as much air as she could. It took less than two weeks for her entire life to be in shambles, everything she thought she knew…all of it. 

She turned around, resting her forehead against the wall of the bar. Every part of her wanted to cry. Jose felt like crying was all she’s done since those two stupid pink lines showed up on that piece of plastic. She wouldn’t cry in public, not surrounded by who she assumed were probably friends and coworkers of Jake’s.

But at the end of the day, Jose was still pregnant with a husband that didn’t want her or their child. Michael all but kicked her out onto the cold Manhattan street when she told him that she wanted to go through with the pregnancy. She had to go find a friend to stay with until she could get back to the apartment and get her things when he wasn’t there. Without Jake, she would be all alone. 

“Are you alright, ma’am?” A deep voice asked from behind her. 

Jose jumped, spinning around to face a man standing a few feet away. She didn’t even hear anyone walk up, and she certainly should have heard a man like him. He was tall and solid and everything she needed to stay away from.

“I’m fine, thank you. Just waiting on my friend to take me home,” She responded quickly, “They’re inside saying goodbye to a few people.”

Jake seemed to pick that exact moment to come bursting through the front doors, automatically making his way towards Jose, “Alright Darlin, you ready?”

“Seresin is your friend?” The other man questioned, looking between the two people.

Jake, who had his arm around Jose already, squeezed her tighter, “Bradshaw, I see you’re back from your trip with Maverick. And yes, this little lady and I have been friends since childhood, and you and the rest of the boys are going to keep away from her while she’s here, understood?”

The other man just gave a small smile, looking at them from over his sunglasses, “Loud and clear, Hangman.”

Jake gently pulled Jose, “C’mon let’s get you home.”

Jose had to force herself not to look back at the other man, Bradshaw or whatever his name was, as they walked away. Something about his voice felt comforting, it was deep and soft all at the same time. But she made a promise to herself the second she decided to leave Michael, this baby was her main priority. Even if she couldn’t say she was pregnant out loud. This was her choice. She was going to be a mom one way or another, and she wanted to be the best one she could. Even if that meant going at it alone. Because she wouldn’t allow anything to distract her. And she certainly wasn’t going to let anything, or anyone for that matter, further complicate the situation.

[justagalwhowrites]

It’s interesting how people see things so differently. Like with Tommy, to me their wedge isn’t because Joel wanted control to protect Tommy. To me it was because Tommy had a bit of a hero complex and thought joining the fireflies would make him feel like the hero again. (He was a soldier which can say a lot, also the reason he was in jail that night was bc he punched a guy to help a waitress and it also wasn’t his first time in jail either. Joel had to bail him out multiple times.)

Tommy did hate what they had to do to survive and they did have a big fight but he left because he wanted more than “just” survival and Marlene made the fireflies look good, like the good guys. so he joined them. But then he just ended up killing people with the fireflies and once he realised that he left again lol

Seeing as Joel had to bail Tommy out multiple times, it definitely gives you the feeling that Joel had to take care of Tommy a lot. Plus Tommy works for/with him so he took care of him in that way too. Obviously nobody knows because nothing was ever shown but i can imagine Joel did shitty things to make sure his little brother is okay, just like he did for Ellie. Joel does anything for the people he cares about.

Obviously having that thrown in his face and Tommy running off to join a terrorist group is gonna cause a wedge between them.

And then Tommy dropping off the face of the earth, not contacting him again and Joel later finding out he’s been safe and perfectly fine in Jackson? Yeah that’s a slap to the face. There’s definitely ways Tommy could’ve let Joel know that he’s safe and in Jackson but he just didn’t. And then obviously bad talking Joel to Maria while Tommy himself has done terrible things? Tommy didn’t want Joel to be in his life anymore and definitely not in Jackson.

Anyway this is my long Tommy is actually an asshole rant lmao

Also, with Tess. I honestly don’t think Joel wanted to love her. In the game the only indication was that they had some tiny flirty dialogue and that’s it. I know everyone now takes the show as canon but in the game, tess doesn’t even say that “I never asked you to feel like that” or whatever. They survived together, they trusted each other, they were partners and friends. It doesn’t always have to mean or be more than that. obviously the show tried to do some dramatic romance and feelings shit but it just wasn’t there lol

Plus we know Joel didn’t really date much before the world ended either, he was a single dad for Sarahs entire life and heavily focused on work and his daughter. Clearly romance wasn’t a huge part of his life, so why would it be after the end of the world and losing his entire family?

Thanks for coming to my ted talk about unpopular the last of us opinions lmao

Hi Bestie!

I love this interpretation! It's actually not really off from what I think of Tommy, too, actually! I just think his hero complex really clashes with Joel's drive to protect him. I don't think Joel CONSCIOUSLY wants to control Tommy, I just think he feels safest when he has control and/or has a good lock on someone's motivations. Tommy wanting to play hero puts him at risk and I imagine Joel pushed back on that really, really hard quite a bit. But yeah, Tommy just fucking off to Wyoming made me so mad lol (which is part of the reason for the Tommy arc in Lavender) But I think can also be at least partially explained by Tommy and Joel clashing more and more as years went by in the QZ, with Tommy getting more and more pissed off by FEDRA and wanting to lean into his hero instincts and Joel not able to shake the fear of his brother getting himself killed.

I will say, my Joels are definitely a lot more based on show Joel than game Joel! I have watched game playthroughs (I am... very bad at video games lol) but HBO Joel is definitely my man. Though yeah, his relationship with Tess in the game was definitely more ambiguously flirty than an unambiguously romantic relationship of any kind. But I don't think his lack of a romantic life immediately pre-outbreak is a fair indication of what he wants in general. Single fatherhood and working a ton of hours means you're going to limit your social life. He was clearly interested in romantic - or at least sexual - attachment at one time because Sarah exists.

That being said, I certainly don't think he'd show up to the QZ and be like "priority one: find a girlfriend." But I do think it's reasonable that he'd stumble into it eventually, either through a smuggling contact he got closer to than he intended or just a woman he was sleeping with because hey, sex!, that became something more.

This has been so fun! I hope this has shed some light on how I write Joel because I've thought a lot about this stuff over the last year. I love hearing your thoughts, thank you so much for sharing!!

Love you!