#and boy did i think the plot was VERY DIFFERENT from what it currently is

[amazinglyashy]

You know, I thiiinnnk per Immobilized? It's canon that you've slept with Sylus at least once while you've been stuck to him with the energy cuff, and it's implied to be more times than that. I don't mean sexytimes sleep with him, I mean you literally fall asleep on him.

That really begs the question of whether or not you guys have thought about You/MC being laid on his bicep, fast asleep as you lean into the warmth of his chest, while he lays there having a mental debate on whether or not he's able to hold you closer, or if he should just leave you be. Because trust me. This man is desperate to hold you closer, especially when he sees the way your eyelids flutter in your sleep, and the way the soft of your cheek molds perfectly against the curve of his arm-

Damn, he's smitten. But all he can say when you wake up is some halfway-seductive quip about how much you must love to "sleep" with him, or how being cuffed to him must not be as bad as you make it seem.

And maybe you don't notice his gaze, too wrapped up being annoyed at his words to see the softness in his eyes- the way his mouth tilts upward just ever so slightly. His expression one of endearment, one of love, directed at you,

[seokgyuu]

growing up with heeseung, jay and sunghoon you never once imagined them being anything more to you than your childhood best friends - and to some extent you're correct: they remain your gross boy best friends up until college, when suddenly things start to feel different. with all of them.

✧ heeseung x fem!reader, jay x fem!reader, sunghoon x fem!reader ✧

✧ childhood friends to lovers, fake dating trope, college setting, story begins in childhood and leads us through all the important phases ✧

✧ this work contains: intended lowercase, poor tries at comedy, simp!hee, simp!hoon & simp!jay as well as very oblivious reader, jake as the first ever boyfriend, hanni, chaewon and beomgyu have a cameo ✧

✧ warnings! mentions of bullying, smut (MDNI), more to be added if needed. ✧

hi! for my very first enha fic I have decided to open a taglist! You can join it by sending me an ask, so that I can keep track.

taglist: open

current word count: 4k

estimated word count: 15-20k

posting date: tba

taglist: @kgneptun, @deobitifull, @lovelickies, @tinie03, @moon4moony, @sousydive, @jebetwo, @haechology, @wooziswife, @havetaeminforbreakfast, @vannabanana1995, @nctislifue , @wiley199, @lovgfrd, @heegyuwrld, @caravm, @adoredbyjay, @notevenheretbh1

teaser

the principal's office could really use an interior designer, you think. or just a whole renovation at this point. the ceiling is showing signs of leakage, there is paint peeling off the walls behind the desk. and the desk itself, jeez, principal higgs should have gotten rid of it ages ago, you keep telling him!

“how many visits will that be for the week?” he doesn’t even look up from whatever he was writing as he says this. you shift on your seat and look to your left where jay is tapping his fingers on the armrest of the uncomfortable chair and heeseung next to him is just staring at the principal’s receding hairline. meanwhile sunghoon to your right is silently plotting your death.

since none of the boys speak up, you clear your throat.

“the fourth, sir,” you say with a smile you think is charming but it actually isn’t. principal higgs sighs and puts his pen down as well as his glasses, massaging the bridge of his nose.

“thank you, miss y/l/n,” he replies, “and how many more times are you planning to sit in these horribly uncomfortable chairs this week?”

“none, sir,” you continue, the smile still playing on your lips. the older man behind the desk closes his eyes for a second.

“you say that every time and yet here we are again. so, what did you do this time? did you accidentally fall and hit mr. park in the face again?” he looks at jay, who rolls his eyes at the reminder, “well, he doesn’t look like he got a black eye. so, what is it?” 

when even you don’t respond, avoiding the principals eyes as he opens them again and the boys are all hopeless cases anyways, mr. higgs takes a deep breath and puts his glasses back on. 

“fine. let’s see,” he pulls on the stack of papers he has gotten from his secretary and looks at it with his lips pursed. all four of you shift on your seats now.

“alright then. mr. lee, as it seems you… put several worms in mr. sim’s locker?” higgs eyebrow pierces up and heeseung coughs. 

“and mr. park, jay, you… sabotaged mr. sim’s chair so that he fell on to his backside and then told him to “go suck it”?” jay snorts, still tapping against the armchair and not looking at the principal. higgs takes a deep breath.

“mr. park, sunghoon,… you held out your leg for mr. sim to fall over… almost twenty-three times in one day.” 

sunghoon has to concentrate not to look too proud of himself.

“and finally, miss y/l/n. you yelled at mr. sim in front of your whole class, saying, and i quote “you’re a stupid asshat anyways, i hope you trip and break your butt, you ugly little worm”.” 

you smile innocently. 

“you also kicked him in the shins, as a grand ending gesture, as mrs. james was kind enough to write down for me.” 

he puts the notebook down and looks at the four of you.

“come on you guys, i know you like to play harmless pranks on teachers. like to make one joke too many in class. but this? if mr. sim’s parents hear about this, and they will, there could be consequences that even i can’t hold back.”

[hahahafangirl]

gotta put my thoughts down before i forget it but the thing that did it in for me is how spy x family is ultimately and uniquely a “children-focused” work, where the major stakes require that we pay attention to the lives and dynamics of young children so that — specifically — we have to genuinely engage with and invested in their inner lives, motivations, desires, thoughts, emotions, etc.

i think this is a very unique focus in the shounen sphere, where the audience and creators are centered about adolescent boys (the shounen genre, in its name) and thus have a very wide scope of focus that nonetheless has “aged” past “childhood”. usually media about children and childhood are sequestered in its own genre (children’s shows like doraemon, magical girl anime like precure series, etc.) aimed at a different target audience who are in the same demographic as the main characters in the shows. this is, obviously, not a bad thing. but i appreciate the “genre-breaking” focus that spy x family have because it inspires a sort of empathy to children, who are often not the most favorite group of people for the typical demographic of shounen readers, that is specifically vital in today’s climate. (can’t say much about japan itself, who historically has been dealing with declining birth rates, but oh i can speak for the american individualism— ironically where sxf is also very popular in) another thing about this is it’s drive home how intertwined the family life is, and should be. agent twilight and thorn princess’s plot-lines are clearly shounen-esque (a spy fighting for world peace, an assassin weeding out traitors) but they are nonetheless inextricable from the family- and anya-focused story, because by choice or circumstances they are anya’s parents. they’re a part of a larger societal fabric that embedded them in relationships to others — children being one of them. i think that’s pretty neat.

another thing, specially about the depiction of children in sxf: they are fictitious yet realistic enough to portray real children and inspire sympathy for them. a lot of asian home media in general have the problems of portraying young children as “problems”: annoying, loud, privileged, dumb, ungrateful, etc etc. these are such complaints about children that are unfortunately way too common and way too ungenerous and mean-spirited; none of these tropes are present, even in a media full of scions and heiress. complaints about them being brats (red circus bus hijacking arc) was rightfully framed as unsympathetic and unreasonable (they’re children! they can’t help where they were born into— it goes both ways.) i think the crux of this beautiful balance sxf struck in portraying nuanced, dynamics children is sympathy. they can be loud, they can be whiny, cry at the drop of a hat, has too much energy, gross, have bad grades, clingy, inconsistent, academically unmotivated, ran off randomly— and that’s fine, because we know why they do it, we are given space into their inner thoughts, something so rarely afforded to real life children at times. but they can be motivated, they want world peace, they want to have genuine friends, they want their friends to be happy, they have crushes, and most of all they love their parents and they love the people around them.

i think regardless of everything sxf is a work that understands that children are full of love and the majority of the things they do are out of love. i think that alone makes it incredible in the current socio-econo-political climate where sympathy is spared so little and humanity spreads so thin children barely gets what they deserve. i suppose that’s the sort of war we are entrenched in.

[witchwrestler]

'THE PUNK SINGER' (PART I)

wc: 1k

warnings: drinking, eddie gets mean, but just for the plot, cops, swear words

summary: You're in a punk band. He's a metalhead. Famously, the two clash. Yet, he was still infatuated. After a messy breakup and two years of no contact, a reconnection begins when you find yourself in a difficult position.

a/n: the product of a different idea I had...that spiraled into this! very excited to continue the story. Reblogs are greatly appreciated, hope you enjoy! (sorry for the cliffhanger btw it had to be done)

● ● ●

You hadn't forgotten about him, it was hard to with all the magazine and news paper articles. But boy did you try. You were the lead singer in a grimy and small punk band, jumping from hole in the wall bar to hole in the wall bar. He was the frontman of americas second largest metal group, and he never stopped thinking about you. It never crossed his mind he shouldn't.

Out one night with your band, a guy offers to buy you a drink, you decline. He calls you a bitch, tries to grab you, then you bust his car window. Now, just your luck, you get the police called on you and end up in jail for the night. However, with you trying to fight your way out of the police officers grasp, giving him a bloody nose in the process--there was a huge possibility that one night would turn into a year. They posted bail, but you had no one to call. Your family lived states away and weren't exactly fond of your current lifestyle. You hated asking people for help. To be specific, you hated asking people for money. It felt greedy, and you could get by on your own.

You bit your lip and picked up the plastic phone the officer had set on the desk in front of you. Even though it'd been two years, his number still stuck in your brain ever-so clearly. You knew he was still on tour, and you weren't religious but you hoped to god he would pick up.

● ● ●

"get out of my green room" were eddies last words to you, if you remembered correctly .

It was late, after a show. He got an opportunity he couldn't pass up, and you were stubborn and hurt. Eddie had run off stage excitedly, saying Corroded coffin had the chance at a record deal, bringing this record executive backstage, a woman in a pantsuit and heels. Her name was Allison or something. You did not like the way she acted toward him, she was touchy, too touchy. She was sitting on the couch with him, the rest of the band surrounding them, everyone was drinking, including you. But she seemed to be very insistent that eddie specifically drink. She posed the idea when she was brought backstage with a "shall we have a drink and talk out the details?" the guys all nodded in agreement, telling the assistant to go get a round. They talked and she giggled for a little bit and She had looked at you in the middle of a clearly false fit of laughter "is she a groupie or something?" she whispered, thinking you couldn't hear, to a completely wasted eddie next to her.

You laughed at the assumption, looking up from the song you had been tweaking in your notebook. "fuck no." She looked confused, and the guys just kept nursing their beers. "so then what are you?" She asked, like that was the only reason you'd be backstage with them. "I'm a musician..." You never defined yourself as eddies girlfriend, you loved him but you were many more things than eddies girl. "oh." an awakward pause until she started again, "So, eddie, if you guys can finish an album in the next month, my boss wants to do a Corroded Coffin world tour" She seemed to ambitious you thought, too many bands fell apart because of tour and writing conflicts. "We can make Corroded Coffin the biggest name in metal if you take this deal" she added, quickly, one last resort to convince them. Eddie looked at her, and then the band, and said, "hell yeah. let's do this"

The band broke out into a symphony of cheering, beer bottles clinking against eachother as they hugged and laughed.

You smiled as a courtesy, but pulled eddie to the side. "Eddie you can't do this" His brows furrowed, "What, why? It's the biggest opportunity we've had in months?"

"Eddie you know what's gonna happen. With that kind of pressure over all of you, you're gonna be at eachothers throats in no time" You said, crossing your arms. You knew it was a good opportunity, but you weren't going to watch them get torn apart. "Look, I know it sounds like alot but we can do it" He said, trying to be rational but an annoyance was clear in his voice, he just wanted you to be happy for him. "Eddie, they're gonna ruin you! You're gonna choose quantity over quality just for a fucking paycheck, since when have you ever wanted that for your band?" You said, desperate to make it clear what a terrible decision he just made. "Can't you just be fucking happy for me and the guys? once? she wants the best for the band, she knows what she's doing!" He's getting angrier at this point, which only made you want to argue back. "She doesn't know what the fuck she's doing. She got you guys DRUNK to get you to agree! and clearly thought I shouldn't be backstage if I'm not blowing one of you"

"oh, like you know anything about a record opportunity? it's not exactly like your band is drowning in deal offers is it?" He winced at his own words and ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair. You just stood there. You never cried, but the muscles that usually fought off your tear ducts seemed to have given up right now. "fuck. you." He just stared at you, his eyes big, and then looked at the door. "get out of my green room." You stormed out, wiping the tears from your face, smearing eyeliner in the process.

Eddie called you eight times that night. You ignored every one.

● ● ●

Standing still in the cold police station, you listened to the phone line ring. once. twice. Your heart was beating so fast you almost just hung up. But it rang a third time. Then you heard a click, and a familiar deep voice that sent a faint chill down your spine,

"hello?"

.....to be continued

[ultimate-spiderman-stuff]

Web-Warriors x gn!reader headcanons please? How would they react when they'd befriend reader and then realize they have a crush on them?

Peter

Peter met you in school

He got assigned to sit next to you in history

You were drawing,not really paying attention to the class

He kinda was just tapping his pen awkwardly trying to think of a good conversation starter

Ends up blurting out something really randome like:

'Hey, did you know that barnacals have the largest dicks relative to their size?'

He practically dies inside

He hurriedly tries to back track,stumbling over his words

Then you just look up from your drawing,raising an eyebrow at him, nodding slowly

Peter just stays quiet for half the period then he decides to ask what your drawing

You turn the sketch book around to show him Darth Vader

Cue to both of you fangirling over Star Wars

After a while you guys started hanging out at breaks with Harry and MJ

The both of you have the kind of friendship where you'll say randome facts about stuff completely out of then blue

Finally the team gets so annoyed with the constant yapping that they don't bother asking Peter if he likes you, they tell him

You already knew you like him but was just waiting for the right time to ask him out

The next day after class you both confess at the same time

It was really awkward but wholsome

So you start dating

Flash

He met you at the gym

You were doing weights and he offered to spot for you

You gladly accepted his offer and you guys clicked instantly

At first he thought it would be a one time thing, but the next time he was there he saw you and instantly came over

Soon you both were sharing opinions of different artists to listen to,and walking home together

Soon he asked you out

You went out for smoothies

Miles

You were from the Red Room and was recently taken into SHIELD

SHIELD had given you some Red Dust so you were free from the Red Room

Miles had come over to hangout with you in the cafeteria and was currently talking your ear off about Ghostbusters

As annoying as his constant banter was the plot was quite interesting

You were always getting into fights with everyone but you found him just that little bit more tolerable

Miles also liked hanging out with you even though you frightened him a bit

But after awhile he began to not really be bothered by you

Soon he decided to ask Peter for some advice on what he was feeling

Peter wasn't quite his best decision to go to cos Peter is practically clueless in that category

But after a lot of researching and Google saying he was going to die of a heart condition, both of them found the answer

Ge was in love with you

Ot was a very sweet confection, the poor boy was so nervous

You had no idea about dating

But everything eventually worked out

Amadeus

He met you at SHIELD

And yes you were 13 the same age as Amadeus

You were a botanist like your parents so you were able to work in the labs

Amadeus might be the 7th smartest person in the world but plants were just not his thing

So when he found some new plant based material on patrol he asked you for help

It turns out he wasn't as much as a prick as everyone else said he was

But he was still annoying

After a couple of days he was becoming a bit less of a dick then before

After a couple of weeks the prodject was finished

He kept on finding reasons to go back to your lab and the relationship began

None of you guys actually said it, it kinda just happened

So like who knows you could just be really good friends who shares a lab and custody of a goldfish

Ben

Scarlet was on patrol when he saw a creepy dude with a gun go into the cafe you were working at

By the time he got there he saw you judo flip the guy

So he just sat back and watched the show

Once you were done with him, he webbed the guy up, staring at you suspiciously

'What? Did ya think I couldn't protect myself just because I have no powers?' You asked

'Did I say that, punk?' He muttered, glaring harder

You rolled your eyes at his attitude, giving him a hot chocolate

Once he left he had to say you peeked his interest

So when aunt May was having a bit of trouble finding where to go to for lunch he suggested the cafe you worked at

May noticed that he was staring at you more than he did at other people so made sure to go there more often

Sometimes he even goes there without May

He begins to go there almost every day so that he can see you

He starts to talk to you and and become somewhat friends

After awhile he confide in May

She was so excited that he was interested in someone

So when he decided to confess he was a blushing mess

You got what he was getting at and said yes

[fairyofhee]

ONE LAST TIME

PAIRING. ex bf!heeseung x afab!reader

SYNOPSIS. a simple game of seven minutes in heaven leads to a realization that you want one last time with him.

WARNINGS. contains smut! MINORS DNI. handjob, fingering, protected car sex, more plot than porn with lots of wanting, some fluff and angst. a bittersweet ending. 5k words.

“Hey, are you sure you’re down to go?” your friend Nari murmured just loud enough to catch your attention. You take off your headphones and turn around before you were able to find the perfect dress to wear for the party.

“Why wouldn’t I be?” you questioned with shrugged shoulders as you tried to laugh. A low exhale left Nari’s mouth before she spoke, “Heeseung’s gonna be there,” she mentions.

Your brows quirked at the bombshell, not expecting your ex’s name to be spoken in your room after a whole year. “Heeseung’s in town?” You asked while turning back to your closet to rummage through your clothes once again.

It was an odd feeling having his name roll easily off your tongue after not saying it in a long time.

“Yeah, he’s been here since last week. How did you not know?”

An actual laugh was then let out from your mouth. “Because I don’t keep up with him,” you uttered with a scoff, “and I don’t bother to.”

Nari noticed your agitated expression and response to the current topic of your ex. “Sorry to bring him up,” she said with an apologetic tone.

“It's okay,” you responded with a closed-mouth smile after picking out a tight black dress. You dreaded the idea of possibly running into him or being in the same room.

“Do you think Jay will like this perfume?” your lovely friend snapped you out of your thoughts.

You inhaled the scent in the air, “he’ll love it.”

—

It was like invitations to parties arrived on your doorstep every week by how often you were invited, thanks to your friends who were very sociable and their good looks as they claimed.

You began to enjoy attending parties after your breakup because it was an excuse for you to get fucked up. Honestly, you were sociable as well.

Wearing the tight black dress that hugged your body well, you were in the kitchen pouring a drink. A red liquid in your cup, fruit punch mixed with alcohol traveled down your throat as the thought of him wandered in your mind.

Having the same friend circle, of course, you knew that you would see him again. You just didn’t know and weren’t prepared that today would be that day. As if your racing heart couldn’t race any faster, it was like everything played out to be on cue.

“Y/N,” a familiar voice rings out in between the bass thumps of the music. You turn your head at the calling of your name and your heart skips a beat when the boy in your direction begins to walk over. He's wearing a black hoodie and leather jacket with tight jeans; his hair parted to the side to reveal his forehead. It's only been a year but he looked so different — more handsome even.

The rest of your drink was downed and gone as you watched him approach you. “Hi,” you managed to say when he was now standing before you. The cup in your hand began to feel slippery by sweaty palms when he tilted his eyes to meet yours.

“I didn’t know you were back in town.”

Heeseung smiled widely, possibly due to your statement which sounded like a lie. “Yeah, I got back last week,” he scratched his head. That fucking smile you mentally cursed.

“I actually leave tomorrow night,” he said while nodding. You unknowingly nod along with him.

You needed another drink. It seemed too awkward and you were feeling things that you shouldn’t. “Want a drink?” you offered Heeseung before walking to the area that had all of the alcohol and pouring yourself another mix of what you had minutes ago.

“Please, I’ll take one,” he murmured with a tone that sounded too sensual to your ears. You quietly swallowed, getting rid of your dry throat while making Heeseung’s drink. Your movements were tense and evidently stiff when you sensed him standing behind you.

It was either the drink you had or your mind playing games when all you could feel is this unknown familiar tension between you two. You weren’t sure if he could feel it too.

After making the drink, you give it to him and watch as he takes a sip before nodding in satisfaction. It was silent as you both dozed off, listening to people chattering and the music loudly playing throughout the house.

“How are you?” Heeseung asked after a few people went in and out of the kitchen. It was surprising how you both stood still in your positions and didn’t leave despite the moment of stillness and silence.

“Hm?” you shot your head up and hummed. “Oh, I'm doing good and staying busy with school,” you tell him with a nod of your head.

"How are you?" you ask in return before he could respond to your previous answer. The corner of his lips turned upward, "I'm also staying busy with school."

"How is it over there?" you blurted out before taking a sip of your drink. You've always wondered how he was doing 800 miles away. At your question, Heeseung mirrored your action by taking a sip of his drink, then he chugged it.

You carefully trained your eyes as he began to make himself his own drink. "Everything's new, but I like it," he said while mixing the two liquids exactly how you did. You noticed that he paid attention to every detail, paid attention to you.

Backtracking to his words, you couldn’t think of anything else to say. He seemed to enjoy his life far away. You were happy for him but weren’t exactly thrilled. The feeling of bitterness that took time to get rid of still lingered.

When Heeseung finished making the concoction, he raised his cup in the air after taking a sip. A stupid grin formed on his face pushing your thoughts away and you giggle at his pride.

"I need your help with the keg,” suddenly a voice behind you pleaded. You turned around to see Sunghoon glaring at you, then at Heeseung who leaned against the kitchen countertop. A blank expression appeared on Sunghoon’s face until the middle of his brows creased, catching sight of you and Heeseung in the same room.

Assuming that Sunghoon asked for your help, you nod before taking one last look at Heeseung. He was swirling the mixture around in his cup before meeting your eye contact. "I'll see you, Heeseung." A smile was let out too forcefully.

"See you, Y/N."

That was the last conversation with Heeseung until he leaves tomorrow, and possibly forever, you thought. Your heart wanted to say much more for reasons that were obvious, but also oblivious to you. At the same time, your mind was smart enough to remind you that you guys are exes for a reason. It simply didn't work out.

“What do you need help with?” you asked Sunghoon after following him outside. Sunghoon stood in front of two kegs and stared at them, “Do you know how to tap a keg?” You loudly sighed at his genuine, confused face, “Did no one teach you?” He shook his head.

You grabbed a cup before taking the valve of the keg in your hand, “It’s a new keg so you don't need to pump it,” you tell Sunghoon as he carefully watches. “Just push down this valve and the beer should pour out.”

The beer indeed pours out into the cup and Sunghoon laughs out loud which almost startles you. “What's so funny?” you laugh with him. “That was so fucking easy,” he said like he was embarrassed that he had to ask for your help.

“I’m surprised no one taught you,” you teased. Sunghoon rolled his eyes before turning the valve of the keg and pouring himself beer. You were about to leave after giving Sunghoon a lesson when he spoke, “I’m surprised that you and Heeseung were in the same room.”

“What do you mean? We’re friends,” you say while a gust of cold air hits your blistering, warm cheeks. Sunghoon tucked his lips and raised a brow. Did he not believe you?

“We told you guys that we ended on good terms, right?” You remember explaining the breakup.

“Yeah, it’s just,” he paused, “Nari told us you didn’t know that he was in town.”

“Call us acquaintances then,” you said seriously. At that, Sunghoon laughed again. You weren’t intentionally trying to make him laugh but the thought of you and Heeseung being back to square one as acquaintances seemed amusing to him. “There’s no hard feelings between Heeseung and I. We’re civil,” you simply explained.

“Alright, well we’re gonna play games soon and Nari’s looking for you so you should see what’s up.” Sunghoon dropped the subject.

Walking back into the house, you scan your eyes for Nari but she was nowhere to be found. Interesting. Disappoint hits, realizing that you were also looking for a certain someone who was too, nowhere to be found.

Luckily, you went upstairs and passed by the bedrooms to find Nari in one of them. She was fixing her makeup in a brightly lit room.

“Where’d you go?”

“I ran into Heeseung,” you said, watching Nari’s eyes go wide as she twisted the cap of her lip gloss closed. “Was it awkward?” She faced you.

“Very,” you dramatically nodded, “but not too awkward that I had to run out of the room.” Nari narrowed her eyes, quickly understanding you in spite of how intoxicated you think she is.

“What’d you guys talk- oh, hold on,” she was interrupted by her phone ringing. “It’s Jay,” she whispered and you glared with your lips turning into a smug smile, making her eyes roll.

You watch as Nari nods her head and replies with a few ‘okay’s’ until she says ‘bye’ then hangs up. “He said to come into the living room. Apparently we’re going to play games?”

Sunghoon indeed mentioned games but didn't mention what type. Hopefully it was just a friendly game of beer pong.

“Tell me what you guys talked about later,” Nari insisted as you both walked down the stairs. She was still curious to know. Entering the living room, you noticed a few people talking to each other and your friend group standing in the middle. Yes, Lee Heeseung who is apart of your friend group is here too. Not that you complained.

“Okay everyone’s here,” Jake blurted out as soon as you and Nari walked up to your friends. You watch as the other people gather in the middle of the room, while also avoiding Heeseung and the possibility of making eye contact with him.

Turning your attention back to Jake, who you thought was going to talk again, you made one quick look and almost missed the way Heeseung looked at you. It was more of a stare, but it’s not like it means anything.

“What are we playing?” Someone standing behind you asked. The boys whispered to each other and a few giggles were heard as everyone patiently waited for one of them to answer.

“Seven minutes in heaven,” Jay said.

Loud, disappointed, and complaining groans echoed into the room. No one expected that this childish game would be played at a college party.

A few people left the room and now there were only six, who either wanted to play the game or were bored and had no choice. “You guys couldn’t think of anything else to play?” you asked, hoping to change their minds. But they were already sitting on the floor, making a circle.

“We’re calling it a catch up and a ‘get to know me’ game,” Jake claimed, patting the empty spot next to him for you to sit down. You should’ve left after Jay announced the game since you weren’t interested to play, you told yourself, but you had nothing else to do and Nari already took a seat next to Jay. It had nothing to do with Heeseung.

Speaking of, Heeseung was sitting in between Sunghoon and a random girl, who was sitting across from you on your right side. “Heeseung, get the bottle,” Jake pointed to the bottle that was on a coffee table in front of the tv.

Heeseung placed the bottle in the middle of the circle once he got it. A sudden rush of nerves and uneasiness flows through your body, knowing that there’s a chance the bottle will pick you and Heeseung to spend seven minutes in heaven.

Everything was said during the breakup so what else was even there to say? Ironically, you both had much to say, but will it be said?

After Sunghoon explained the rules which was ultimately ‘no funny business’, the game started and will end once everyone got a turn. A guy you didn’t know volunteered to go first and his spin of the bottle landed on the girl who sat next to Heeseung. Seven minutes were on the clock which meant seven minutes of waiting.

Everyone was in their own bubbles of conversation except for you who stared at the flow and drank another beer. This happened for a few rounds until it was your turn. In the back of your mind, you knew who you wanted the bottle to pick. But you were too afraid to admit it. You felt your hand shake when making contact with the bottle, anxiously giving it a spin. You raised your head and noticed eyes heavily trained on the bottle. People were nervous and looked anxious for you, even Heeseung who looked uptight.

The bottle slowed down, finally landing on someone. Shit. Your heart instantly sinks when it points to some guy sitting across from you. You didn’t catch everyone’s reaction since you were too caught up in your own feelings. Feelings that are supposed to be nonexistent by now. You looked at Heeseung who was already talking to Sunghoon. He didn’t even care that you were about to go to seven minutes in heaven with another guy. You weren’t upset about his reaction rather it made you realize that again, you are exes.

Seven minutes in heaven with someone named Minjun wasn’t as bad as you thought. The topic of school seemed like the only thing interesting to talk about and it made the time go by fast. When you both walked back into the living room as you expected, people’s eyes heavily on you, waiting to tell what happened. You didn’t bother to look at Heeseung since you knew that he didn’t care.

“We just talked about school,” you announced while taking your seat. Soon, the game was almost over and you were bored until it was Heeseung’s turn. As more beer was consumed, the more you admitted into having hope.

You’d hope the bottle chose you. Being with Heeseung was easy and comfortable, so who could blame you for wanting to talk to him more?Heeseung rubbed his hands together before hesitatingly touching the bottle. The boys were excited for him while a few girls were waiting for it to land on them. Funny, you thought.

He gave it a spin at the same time your heart felt as if it was spinning. You were desperate and hopeful as if your life depended on this bottle. A loud cheer rang into your ear, coming from the person to the left of you. Your heart stung when realizing that the bottle landed on the girl sitting next to you, and it sadly didn’t land on you.

You turned your gaze to Heeseung, who had a harried appearance, running a hand through his hair and scrunching up his face. He didn’t seem pleased with how the game played out for him.

Why couldn’t the bottle choose you to be with Heeseung in a room alone for a few minutes? All you wanted was a chance to sort out your feelings, a chance for actual closure and one last time with him for a proper goodbye. Maybe this is how it’s supposed to be, back at square one as acquaintances and soon to be strangers.

Your face turned sullen as you watched the girl next to you and Heeseung disappear. Seven minutes were on the clock again and honestly, you thought that this whole game was a waste of your time. You didn’t blame your friends, but you hoped to be fucked up by now. “You okay?” Nari asked after sitting in the empty space next to you.

“Yeah! I’m fine,” you sounded convincing. “Good! Oh, is it okay if I bring you home after they get back?” She pointed to the room that Heeseung and the girl were in. “Jay wants me to stay over and I want to drop you off before I get drunk.”

“He wants you to stay over?” you almost squeal. Nari’s face lit up with her cheeks flushed, “Yeah, I guess the perfume worked,” she laughed. Hearing her news brought your mood up, “You don't have to drop me off. I'll just call an uber or something.”

“Are you sure?” she asked, her tone uneasy. “Of course, go have fun with him. I’m probably gonna go home soon anyways,” you didn't want to take your friend’s time away from Jay.

Seven minutes felt like an eternity. How ironic, that time suddenly felt slow. But soon the game was finished when Heeseung and the girl came back from their turn. Heeseung’s eyes were dull and the girl wasn’t jumping in happiness which was a good sign, even though the rules were clearly ‘no funny business’ as Sunghoon stated.

Everyone separated and went their own ways into the house. Disappointment creeped once again as you watched Heeseung leave and your hopes of possibly having another chance to talk to him were quickly shattered like glass. The only thing holding you back from approaching him was the last conversation from the breakup. Everything said, was said between you two and you didn’t want to seem like a crazy ex girlfriend who missed their ex. Though, it wasn’t just a supposition because you did miss him.

You decided to call it a night since there was no point in staying, despite shamelessly wanting to see your ex who didn’t want to be associated with you, as you thought. After sending goodbyes to the friends who didn’t disappear, you took your last shots of soju until you felt delusion lifting off your shoulders, an attempt to get rid of feelings that were only going to last for tonight.

You stood outside in front of the house now, feet on the curb and arms close together with your phone cupped in your hands as you ordered an uber. How were you going to forget this night? You had no idea. Regret of not getting fully fucked up hits with a sudden urge to go back outside but your uber was a few minutes away. It was too late.

“Are you going home?”

You whip your head around and there he was, the boy you’d least expected to be hung over all night, flashing a kind smile.

You stare wide-eyed in surprise that he’s walking towards you. “Yeah, I’m waiting for my uber.” You checked your phone and the uber still seemed a few minutes away.

“I can give you a ride, if you want,” he said with his brown doe eyes gazing into yours. The pace of your heart starts increasing when taken back at his sudden offer. “No,” you repeatedly shook your head, “No it’s okay. You should go home now since you’re leaving tomorrow.”

“My flight’s not until tomorrow night,” he scratched his neck awkwardly, a hint of a pout in his tone. You looked up at him perplexed while containing feelings of happiness because, Heeseung is here and offering to take you home. Your hopes weren’t completely shattered.

“Haven’t you been drinking?” You ask, brows visibly furrowing at him. Heeseung shakes his head, “I only had a beer and that drink you made for me.”

It was a bad idea, you thought, and as much as you wanted to protest, you accepted his offer and got in his car anyway. The car ride was mostly silent, not what you had expected but you were still grateful and content that he’s bringing you home. Familiar music played as you tried not to pay any mind to Heeseung’s glance from time to time. It was impossible to ignore yet you were convinced it was nothing.

“You know, I really thought the bottle was gonna choose you when it was my turn.” Heeseung suddenly says and you shift in your seat, watching a small smile overtake his face as he focuses on the road. “Why?” Your face lits up.

“I don’t know, I just had a feeling.” He laughed, leaving you bemused to sit in silence with your gaze still on him, not knowing what to say. “Minjun’s cool, right?” Heeseung spoke again.

Now you were having a hard time understanding him, considering that he didn’t seem to care during the game at the party. But of course he cared. He cared too much that it was important for him to hide how he felt. He wanted the bottle to pick him, he wanted to catch up with you and ask about your life without him.

Heeseung knew things ended for a reason, which is why he’s mentally slapping himself for feeling things that he shouldn’t — feelings that you were also feeling. He knew that the breakup was merely his fault, and how it was hard leaving and going to a school that was far away from you. But it was important for his career and both of you understood this.

Still, he feels guilty and upset that you weren’t his anymore. Heeseung loved you too much that it nearly killed him when he said goodbye.

“Yeah, he was easy to talk to, I guess.”

The conversation ended when you both were pulling up in the parking garage of the building you lived in. You texted your roommate to unlock the door because you forgot your keys as Heeseung parks and turns off the engine, leaving you both sitting in silence. You were stunned when you found him suddenly locking his eyes with yours and taking off his seatbelt. The shock made you turn away instantly, swallowing what felt like your heart down your throat. You stared at your phone while playing with the fabric of your dress until your roommate finally replied back.

“Thank you for the ride,” you softly murmured, returning his prolonged eye contact that was still on you. “It’s not a problem at all,” he says in response. It's ridiculous that he’s always sweet to you, it’s so ridiculous that a moment of silence urges you to lean closer. Then your breath silently hitches when Heeseung’s eyes shift between your eyes and glossy lips while studying your face for any signs of discomfort. If only he knew how much you’ve been waiting all night for a moment like this with him.

You shouldn't do this, you shouldn’t kiss your ex boyfriend knowing that it took nearly a year to get over him. But his lips are only an inch away from yours now, breath fanning across your mouth, and you take the chance to kiss him.

Before Heeseung could prepare himself, you cup his cheek to gently slam your mouth against his. Relief rushes through your body when you feel him kissing you back and not pulling away. You slightly opened your eyes for a second while continuing the kiss just to notice any discomfort on his face. Heeseung feels nothing but heat rising throughout his entire body when feeling your lips connecting with his.

He would’ve never guessed kissing you in his car tonight. And he’s afraid that if things continued, you would regret it the next day. Before things can escalate, Heeseung is pulling away and can’t help but look at you in shock. “Why’d you kiss me like that?” He whispered dryly.

“Kiss you like what?” You pull away completely and panic. “Like-“ he hesitates and tries to find the right words to say, “Like you still want me.”

Oh.

You dismissively took off your seatbelt before trying to open the locked car door. “Goodnight and have a safe flight tomorrow,” you almost mumble while attempting to unlock the door. You felt relieved once you managed to get out and nearly tried to run inside the building until you felt slender fingers suddenly grapple onto your wrist.

“Y/N, wait,” his low voice reverberated, sending currents through your body. You refused to look at him knowing how flustered you looked. You tried to run off and yank your arm away from his grip to prevent doing what your body wanted – because you thought it wasn’t what he wanted, but you felt Heeseung’s hold on your wrist tighten. There was no choice but to turn around.

A small moment of silence passed and you thought he was going to lash out in anger. You relaxed until he suddenly pulled you towards him, your figure gently getting back into the car. “Are you drunk?” His words cause your heart to fall into the pit of your stomach.

“No,” you wished you weren’t sober but it was the truth. Sure, you had a couple of drinks, but you don’t get drunk easily. Heeseung knows this.

“I don't want things to be left unsaid before I leave. We tried long distance and it was too hard for us.” As much as it hurt to say, he spoke matter-of-factly. Why couldn’t you just devoid the fact that you two weren’t even together anymore? Heeseung was practically trying to spell it out for you, but even if it was wrong, your body desperately yearned for him.

And you exactly communicated that.

“I don’t want to get back together,” you huffed an incredulous laugh, as if embarrassed that you got rejected. You go on anyway, “But maybe I do want you. Just for tonight at least.”

“What?” He mutters.

“Just let me have you for tonight. I need you, Hee.” You wondered aloud and ripped off the bandaid that’s been stuck in your mind all night.

“Will you allow me to want this?”

Heeseung sits and stares at you in disbelief for a moment, processing your words until he’s nodding sheepishly. He wants this as much as you do, the reason why he tried avoiding you at the party because he knew he couldn’t control himself, the reason why he finally approached you and offered to take you home. Just one last time wouldn’t hurt, right? He thought to himself.

You hear the sound of his seat sliding back before he’s pulling you towards him, welcoming you to sit on his lap. Straddled atop of him, your face is cupped by his warm hand and the other one gripping your thigh tightly under your dress as if he doesn’t want you to leave. The close proximity feels familiar like home, and it’s so comforting that your heart stops beating for a second.

Heeseung’s pulling you into a deep, addicting, passionate kiss and you begin to grind on him slow while already feeling a stiffness beneath your core. “You’re hard already?” You meet his eyes.

He huffs out a scoff, “C’mon, why wouldn’t I be?”

You pointed out the obvious, but of course he is. You weren't just a random person to him. His answer causes your heart to strongly skip a beat that it’s shooting through your whole body.

He’s sending shivers across your heated skin by starting at the hollow of your throat and kissing with his plumped lips, keeping a steady grip of your thigh until you’re letting out a small noise. Cute, he thinks. You continue rocking your hips which leaves Heeseung to unexpectedly moan on your skin, his low sounds causing an unbearable feeling between your legs.

You quickly remove your panties while nudging your nose against his. His hand that was on your thigh reaches inside you, spreading your wetness before removing his hand to show his fingers glistening from you. He lowers his hand, points his two fingers to the direction of the car roof and you sink onto him, a hard groan leaving your mouth when feeling the stretch from the thick digits. “Fuck- so tight and it’s only my fingers.”

Heeseung notices your flushed cheeks before giving them a kiss. You grip his hair while rolling your hips on his fingers, heavy breathing leaving your mouth as feel him moving inside you. He watches you move with ease which wasn’t something new. He missed holding your body and having it close with his.

His creased brows appearing while he stares causes you to move faster and squeeze tightly. “Heeseung, I’m gonna cum.”

He felt his growing crotch twitch at the mere thought of being buried deep inside of you for the first time in a year. “I wanna move to the back.” He begs, his voice deep and laced with desire.

“Can I cum first? Please,” you whined, the feeling of release becoming closer than you think.

Heeseung nods instantly before moving his fingers in circular motions to place friction on your folds while rubbing your clit with his thumb. With his help, you heavily release on him.

You raise yourself off of him and move to the backseat of the car after noticing his large bulge and knowing that he needed help. “How do you want me?” You ask, watching him unbutton his pants. He made his way to the back while wiping his fingers of you on his sweatshirt. “Lay down.”

Heeseung’s car was small but you perfectly lied flat on the backseats. You lift up your dress until it reaches your waist as Heeseung pulls his pants down, along with his boxers to reveal his hard length that looked so painful. You couldn’t help but touch him. “Are you sure you want me?”

His question almost causes deja vu. You think back to the first time he took you like this.

“Just for tonight,” you reiterate to remind yourself that this is a one time thing. Heeseung felt his chest tightening from your statement, realizing that this is the final, last time with you. He hates if things were to get too intimate and emotional because he has to say goodbye again.

You interrupt his thoughts by stroking him. “Fuck,” he curses before placing his hand around yours that was wrapped around his dick. You let out a sound, watching both yours and Heeseung’s hands moving faster together. “Wait- I’ll cum,” he draws back to get rid of your contact.

“Are you still on the pill?” He asks while grabbing the end of your dress that slipped down to fold it up to your waist for better access and a better view of you. You shook your head which causes his lips to purse and his brow to raise. His dazed expression doesn’t last long when he’s quickly reaching to the front of the car and opening the glove compartment where the condoms are at.

The fact that he has condoms in his car creates odd thoughts in your head. You can’t help but to think how many girls he’s had after you.

Nonetheless, you push those thoughts away when he’s hovering over you and pressing his lips on yours. He pulls away and hits on his head on the car roof which makes you laugh since he pretended that nothing happened.

“What?” He laughs along while opening the foil package with his teeth and stroking himself once more before putting on the protected rubber. You shake your head and let out a soft giggle, “You own a small very car for someone being so tall.”

“Hey, this is the cheapest car I could get.”

You held back from laughing too hard, “I’m not judging, I just think it’s funny.” He grins and nods accordingly before spreading your legs open and lining his length on your core, his tip slowing rubbing on your folds. “Would it be easier if you’d ride me instead?” He knows that the space is quite small and wants you to feel comfortable.

“Fuck me now, Hee.” You say while raising your hips and grabbing his arm to pull him closer. Without much warning, Heeseung slips inside you. It was hard to contain the growl that escaped his throat when feeling you stretch around him.

You tried to widen your legs even more for him, but you were confined by the passenger and backseat. Heeseung starting to thrust slow, notices your uneasiness when you began to whine, wanting to feel him as deep as possible.

“Do you wanna stop?” He gently slid his cock in and out of you. You stop him from possibly slipping away by tightly holding on his arm. “I want to feel you more- come closer,” you begged.

Heeseung grabbed the headrest of the backseat to keep his balance before lifting your leg and placing it on his shoulder, wanting the best angle so he could be inside you as deep as he could. He slips out of you for a moment until he slams back inside causing a moan out of your mouth.

“You feel so good,” he praised lowly, watching a satisfying and content smile form on your face. You reach for his hand that was on the headrest while he’s rolling his hips and deeply thrusting. Heeseung tilts his head back, enjoying the feeling of you. You felt amazing and you were doing well for him, another thing that he missed the most.

“Heeseung,” you gasp his name out in pleasure. His tight grasp around your ankle loosens to let your leg drop from his shoulder. His hips are bucking faster even faster, making you feel so full.

“Hee- I’m close.” Heeseung gave a few strokes before you began to cry out and tighten quickly around him. “Oh fuck,” you moan out, feeling an intense orgasm rippling through your body.

“Y/N,” Heeseung buries his head in the crook of your neck as chased your orgasm with deep, hard thrusts before spilling into the condom, his moans rumbling through your upper body making your walls tighten around his cock once again

“You’re gonna make me cum again,” Heeseung whined before pulling out of you and slipping the condom off. You pull your dress down, trying to not make his car dirty from your mess.

—

After catching your breaths, both of you sat in silence in the back of the car until Heeseung spoke. “Why aren’t you on the pill anymore?”

His questions were catching you off guard tonight, you thought. But you don’t blame him since a lot of time has passed when you were together. “I don’t have a reason for it anymore.”

You raise your head to see a panicked look of his face. “You’re seeing someone? You don’t need the pill because it’s that serious?” He asks, his voice slightly trembling which makes you laugh.

“Quite the opposite, actually. I surprisingly haven’t had sex since you.” At your confession, Heeseung fixed his seated posture, his brows raising in shock. “Why not? That’s- that’s like a year without sex, isn’t that boring for you?”

“I can find ways that’ll entertain me without having sex,” you said truthfully. “What about you? Are you having fun and having sex?”

Heeseung nodded slowly, causing your heart to sting even though you knew what his answer would be. He tried his best to avoid the question, but ignorance always reveals the truth.

“They’re not like you though,” he mumbled.

You playfully roll your eyes and giggle, “You don’t have to make me feel better. I’m happy for you.” Heeseung bites his lower lip, this conversation turning into a catch-up feels a bit bittersweet.

“Are you happy?” He pokes your finger that was resting on the seat. You nod your head although you didn’t have an honest answer. But you were happy for him, which is all that matters.

You hear your phone ringing that was still on the passenger seat and you reach to get it. Your roommate was calling, probably asking where you were. “I have to go now,” you told Heeseung and he nods in understanding despite his sullen look.

“Have a safe flight tomorrow and thank you for tonight,” you tried not to sound choked up. You quickly fix your appearance and get out of his car before your feelings were to get the best of you.

“Hey,” he called out and you turned around to see a smile plastered on his face. “I love you,” he softly said. A final goodbye from him.

Typical Lee Heeseung, always saying ‘I love you’ whenever he leaves. This time, it was the last.

© 2022, fairyofhee on tumblr.

[glorified-red]

Locks & Cake Pops (Damian Wayne x Reader x Jon Kent)

summary: Gotham was a scary place when the sun went down. One terrifying encounter with a stranger left you completely worn thin. Thankfully, your boys were more than prepared to come find you.

word count: 4,800~

warnings: panic attack, paranoia, vague & very short description of encountering a scary stranger (none explicit to what happened, by whom, or by any gender. Only specification is that it's a conversation and Reader is hesitant around touch), paranoia to violence or potential violence, constant paranoia of not being safe

Y'all called me a main character and I think the people writing my story took that as a CHALLENGE. The amount of plot I went through today??? I swear, fics really do write themselves, huh?

Shout out to @quillsareswords for planting the Poly Fic seed in my head with her fics until I couldn't NOT write one. And shout out to @unmotivatedwrit3r for being my Jon today and @uni-magi-nation for being my Damian because guess what lads, this fic is based on a true story!! As are most of my fics anyway, so please, enjoy the events that happened less than 12 hours ago ;P

You could pinpoint the exact moment your day had derailed. 

It wasn’t until the sun had just barely started to slip beneath the horizon. Nearly ten hours of joy all crashed in one single moment. It was one decision. A single foot placement was the difference between coming home safe and the disaster that befell you currently. 

One foot placement was all it took and your entire world crumbled from above you. 

You almost wondered if your foot pivoted slightly to the east, if you took the path to your right instead of your left, would you still be in this position? Would you be here, clinging to your next breath as if it was your last? 

But alas, you traveled west to your car. The path you took was slightly dimmer than the other in the middle of dusk. Less people, less crowds . . . less witnesses. 

That one decision landed you in an inescapable exchange of words. Whether you made it home was a decision you no longer had control of, it was now placed in the hands of a stranger—a person who thrived on the rush of feeling a life beat in the palm of their hands. 

Your feet were placed on a track alongside them, desperately trying to find a way out. But each pivot was either too late or too suspicious, all you could do was play along like some kind of puppet. Eventually the rush simmered and the paths diverged, they split off into two distinct directions, and you were free. 

You didn’t bother to care when your feet pounded against the ground one after another. They did their job, they took you to where your brain had decided you needed to go despite you not truly being a part of that conversation. You let your instincts take over, the adrenaline high of blazing through empty sidewalks and burning passed streetlamps flickering on for the first time that night. 

Your breath faded into the air with each step, a resounding huff of forced exhales as your legs ached from the pace. Before you knew it, your world tilted on its axis as your brain and body fully disconnected. Tunnel vision took over your view, the only thing in sight was the faraway gleam of steel and vinyl. 

You slammed the car door behind you, fully encasing you in a carbon cage. It felt like a cage in all senses of the word. You were suffocated inside the doors of your own safety, hating how your only semblance of security was in a man-made product that could fail within a moment—that could be broken into with just the thought of doing so. 

You heard the satisfying click of the doors locking, never realizing your fingers jumped to the button the second they could. That sound meant safety, that sound meant you would be okay. 

Electrons slipped past connections and you couldn't properly process anything aside from the steering wheel in front of you and the sharp polyester strap cutting across your chest. Your next exhale was steady and long, a pitiful attempt at self-soothing. Even with the length of the breath, the shakiness behind it was so easy to hear in the silence of the cage. 

You gripped the steering wheel with both hands, twisting your grip along the rim until you could feel the bite in your palms. You brought yourself back one cell at a time. It started with the pads of your fingers tapping against the polyurethane, then your palms rubbing against the grooves and curves of the wheel, then your hands were gripping at your arms until feeling returned to them slowly. You thawed out your own body seconds at a time. 

You breathed again. 

Then the car had started and you drove away. 

You could remember the exact moment you realized this was much deeper than mere disassociation. Your eyes were filled with red lights and your ears buzzed with the sound of passing cars. It started in your chest, a small hum of warning deep in the confines of your ribcage. 

The death rattle had started inside you and only got louder the longer your hands stayed connected to the prison bars. The hum turned into a storm of pyrocumulonimbus as your foot pressed into the gas, each breath of oxygen only fueled the fire burning at the edges of your lungs. 

You fought so hard against the impending doom of it all. You just wanted to go home. You wanted to come home and beeline straight for—not safety—comfort; you wanted to remind yourself that touch wasn’t something to be scared of; you wanted to remind yourself that you were safe—that everything was going to be okay. 

But instead your breath quickened into a terrifying speed and you had no choice but to pull over into the nearest complex with well-lit parking spaces and bustling activity at its front doors. Your car clicked off and your fingers immediately reached for the lock icon at your side. 

You pressed it once to hear the simultaneous click of four doors locking in tandem. 

Leaning against the plush seat, you tried to breathe properly. Your hands gripped at the seatbelt across your chest, both hating and adoring the pressure it forced against your body. 

You pressed it twice to remind yourself the doors were locked. 

Gripping the strap, you didn’t mind the way the edges dug into your palms as you bent it in on itself. It was tight against you, just enough to keep you present. The hands of sharply woven polyester forced you to stay conscious in reality, they didn’t dare let you slip between the cracks and fall into dissociation. 

You pressed it a third time, the same click resounding in your ears. 

Suddenly you felt too suffocated. You could feel the bottom of the wheel on your knees and the lanyard of your keys against your thigh. 

The clicks reversed as you tumbled out of the car. 

Fresh air hit your entire body and the fire raging in your chest worsened tenfold. You were exposed—you were vulnerable. You slammed yourself back into the car. A blink and you were in the backseat this time. 

The carved metal of a key dug into your fingers while you clutched it like a lifeline. Your hand reached for your phone before you could process anything else. Your other clicked the lock icon once more and the entire car fell into darkness. 

⋘⋙

Damian didn’t remember falling asleep but when a human sized heater was laying across his chest, it never took long for his exhaustion to get tired of being ignored. 

He was slightly annoyed, arguably moreso, when the heater in question jerked upright. Damian’s eyes snapped open. “Watch it,” he groaned, sleep still affecting the timbre in his voice. Hands dug uncomfortably into his stomach and he pushed them away. 

“Sorry, sorry,” the kryptonian apologized from above him. “I just . . .” he trailed off. 

That got his attention. 

His eyes focused on the alert expression on his lover’s face. Jon shifted upright completely, still straddling Damian’s thighs. His eyes were distant, looking off into the window at the other side of the room. 

“What’s wrong?” Damian asked, finding himself slightly propped up onto his elbows. 

“Y/n,” Jon replied, his eyebrows furrowing slightly. The way he said your voice was just as distant as his gaze, almost like his voice was nothing but an exhale. He blinked, looking down and glaring so hard at Damian’s upper body that Damian almost took offense. 

“Their heartbeat,” he said, confusion lacing his voice as he tried to focus on the thum of your beat, “it’s . . . different.” 

“Different,” Damian echoed. He would’ve been annoyed at the vague answer if he wasn’t aware both him and Jon were currently barely awake and therefore, barely functioning (Damian more so than Jon, of course). “What do you mean different?” 

Kryptonian powers were always so finicky. He always thought so, but meeting Jon? This man was evidence in itself that powers were annoying at best. Damian watched as Jon developed each new power slowly at the most inconvenient times, mind you. And now, years after being the Man Of Steel, Jon’s powers still went berserk. 

Damian couldn’t even count on his fingers how many sensory overloads he’s guided Jon through—and he’d do it all over again if he had to. 

Jon shook his head. “It’s just different.” He shrugged. 

“You woke me up because it’s just different?” Damian deadpanned. 

Jon glared down at him. “This isn’t exactly an exact science, you know.” 

Damian sighed and slid back down until his upper back hit the mattress once more. “Is it going faster? Skipping a beat?” he prompted, trying his best to shake the grogginess from his body without letting paranoia fester in its place. 

Heartbeats always worried Damian. He ended up assuming the worst. But with a Kryptonian tracing them so often, he realized that different didn’t necessarily mean bad. You could have raised your hand in class, forgot your keys, or missed a step down the stairs and your heart lurched. That was enough to perk Jon’s ears. You could have been stressed so your heart rate was elevated. Maybe even tired which made it drag. 

Despite his own fears, Damian kept reminding himself that there's more of a chance that you were fine than not, especially when he was currently talking to a sleep deprived kryptonian who announced heartbeat changes all the time. The idea of getting away with any kind of anxiety while around that golden retriever was stupid and incredibly naive—Damian gave up after a year of Jon’s super-hearing kicking in. 

“You’re anxious.” 

“Shut up.” 

“You should probably—” 

“I said shut up.” 

Jon spoke up: “It definitely jumped and it’s been slightly faster than normal ever since.” His head tilted slightly to the side to listen better—Damian couldn't help but picture a tiny puppy doing the same and its ear flopping over. “It’s getting steadily faster. I think . . . I think they’re driving?” 

Damian’s eyes furrowed. He reached for his phone as Jon continued. “Definitely driving,” he settled on. “I can hear their car.” 

“Maybe they almost got into an accident,” Damian mumbled in thought, setting a personal reminder in his brain to berate you for speeding later. His phone clicked on and his eyes saw his blurry home screen. He blinked the image into focus. When his eyes could properly trace over the smiles on you and Jon’s faces, he looked at the time. 

It was earlier than he thought. 

Jon’s hands fiddled with the hem of Damian’s sleep shirt, the compression material stretching slightly to accommodate the movement. “Maybe,” Jon gnawed at his bottom lip. “I didn’t hear anything like that though, just normal traffic.” 

Damian hummed. “They were at the library today. I didn’t expect them to head home so soon.” His fingers opened your contact. “Did they text you that they were heading home?” 

 Jon leaned across the bed to reach for his phone on the nightstand. Damian resisted a snark at how uncomfortable the shift was with the unnecessary knee to the side. 

Jon fiddled with his phone for a moment. “Nope, nothing.” 

Damian opened his mouth to supply another sentence of rationale when two things happened simultaneously: In an instant, Jon’s phone slipped from his hands and ricocheted right off of his stomach. (“Ow!”) Then Damian’s ringtone sounded throughout the entire bedroom, bouncing off the walls and reverberating into their tired brains. 

The fear written on Jon’s face was enough for Damian to pick up on the first ring. 

“Y/n?” he asked. Jon’s fingers clutched at his shirt. 

“Hey,” you responded. There was a crackle over the line but Damian couldn’t tell if it was your voice or the shitty internet. 

“Are you okay?” Damian was blunt, cutting straight through any attempt at small talk. How could he not when Jon was currently mouthing “panic attack” at him and poking his ribcage. 

You hesitated enough for Damian to shoo Jon off of him. Both boys tumbled out of the massive bed in varying degrees of grace. 

“What are you doing right now?” 

“Doesn’t matter. You’re dodging the question,” Damian slid on a pair of pants and made his way down the stairs. “What’s wrong? And don’t say it’s nothing because I have a human sized Holter monitor that would beg to disagree.”

Jon tumbled behind, no doubt using some kind of kryptonian flare to gather all the necessary items to drive to you. 

“Can you both meet me here, I—” you cut off, if Damian strained, he could hear your rampant breathing. “I need you.” You choked, “No—No capes.” 

Damian breathed in slowly and exhaled through his mouth. The keys and wallets were already floating into his pockets as he opened the front door. 

No capes. 

It was a valid request. It was a request both Jon and Damian had come to appreciate overtime. No need for heroics, no need for perfection, no need for theatrics—you just needed your partners, as they were. 

That was a level of normalcy that was so rare in this lifestyle. As much as it would be miles quicker with Jon’s flight or even his grapple gun, he respected the thought process behind the decision. You just wanted your boys, that was all. 

Car doors slammed shut and Damian was already behind the wheel making his way to you. “We’re on our way.” He felt a poke to his bicep. Jon motioned towards the phone, opening and closing his hand in request. “I’m going to pass the phone to Jon. He’s going to stay on the line until we reach you, okay?” 

Damian barely waited for your small “ok” before handing the phone off. He didn’t bother to fill Jon in on the conversation, it was obvious he was already listening intently. 

“Hey, sunshine.” Jon pointed directions out and Damian followed. No need for maps when you have a super-hearing alien who knows exactly where you are just by the sounds of traffic and the volume of your heartbeat. “We’re coming as fast as we can. Just give us ten minutes and we’ll be there with you.” 

Damian focused on driving, the one thing he could do at this moment. He was tactical, he was useful. Jon was the comforting one; Jon was the one who could navigate emotionally tense situations with ease. So he gripped the steering wheel tighter and made sure he got to you safely. 

Strengths. All three of you had them just as you all had weaknesses. But the beauty of your triad came from how perfectly your strengths filled each others’ weaknesses. You lifted each other up, and when you couldn’t, it was easy to lean on one another. 

So Jon handled the comfort, Damian handled the logistics. 

Words of affirmations flew out of Jon’s mouth in a way that Damian used to envy. Now, he found it endearing. He has his own strengths and that’s okay. 

“Just ten minutes, baby. Ten minutes and everything will be okay, I promise.” 

Red lights glared down at Damian. 

“Breath with me. In and out, just like that. Keep doing that.” 

Stop signs seemed taller than usual, more demeaning. 

“You’re gonna be alright. I know it doesn’t feel that way right now but you’ll be okay soon, you just gotta hang in there for us.” 

Brakes screeched against the pavement. 

“I'm so proud of you, you’re so brave right now. No, don’t be like that. You’re so strong, you’ll get through this, I swear.” 

His fingers tapped against the gear shift impatiently. 

“Are the doors locked? Yea? That’s good. You did good—so good.” 

He heard you sob into the receiver and his heart twisted painfully. 

“You’re safe. No one can get to you right now without your consent. Just keep telling yourself that: no one can get in, no one can reach you, you’re safe.” 

His foot finally hit the gas. 

“You’re alright, sweetheart. You're okay. You did everything right—yes you did. Yes, Y/n. You got to safety, you pulled over, you locked the doors, and you called us. You did everything right.” 

He made a right and then a left. 

“Five more minutes, bub. Just five more minutes. Keep breathing. Just a few more minutes and we’ll be right there with you.” 

He was trapped behind a slow Jeep—he switched lanes. 

“Yea? Grab the jacket and hold it tight. I’d rather you hold that. Just a few more minutes and that jacket will be replaced with us, alright?” 

Yellow lights always annoyed him the most. 

“We’re coming, I promise. We’re coming.” 

He swerved into the complex, not caring if he cut someone off in the process. 

“We’re pulling in right beside you. That car is us so don’t be scared. It’s just us, baby.” 

Damian clicked off the car and tumbled out with Jon quick to follow suit. He always forgot how much Jon used pet names as he rambled through words of reassurance. He was sure it was some kind of nervous tick Jon had, a way for him to soothe both himself and the other person. It could also just be a habit of his mouth speaking far faster than his brain, but the nicknames flowed out of him so fast either way.

“You gotta let us in, love. We can’t help from out here.” Jon’s hand gently rested on the glass window to the backseat. Damian motioned towards the building in front of the car, Jon nodded in response, already knowing his thought process far before Damian’s feet started moving backwards. 

Focus on his strengths. Focus on what he can do. Focus on that. 

The car doors unlocked and the boys split up. 

⋘⋙

You were huddled in the backseat for what felt like hours and milliseconds all at once. Every time your breaths evened, your brain fizzled out with it until you couldn’t feel anything aside from the car key scraping against your palm and the plastic door digging into your spine. 

Legs pulled into your chest, phone to your ear, and arms wrapped around a hoodie long since stolen for your backseat, you waited. You tried to bury your nose in the scent of pine and peppermint, a tanglement of your home—your boys—but it never fully sunk into your comprehension. 

Your empty hand grasped at the plush cotton in a sour attempt at bringing yourself back up. Unfortunately, the second you were brought back to awareness, your breathing spiked. Every distant voice, every shifting shadow, even the cars passing by in the nearby road—it all screamed danger into your head until you struggled to breathe. 

Even in this locked prison, you still felt too exposed. You were miles from home and miles from safety, how could you not? 

The doors are locked. 

You’re safe. 

No one can come in without your permission. 

They’re coming. 

When a car pulled beside yours, a familiar tint of windows and gleam of dark steel, you fought all of your instincts to run, to hide, to scream. 

The doors are locked. 

You’re safe. 

No one can come in without your permission. 

They’re here. 

It took every ounce of your willpower to allow your finger to press the open lock icon after pressing the locked one over and over again for what felt like an eternity.  

“Y/n,” Jon sighed out in relief. The call ended and what once was a distant voice was now a full fledged being.

“Please close the door,” you sobbed out, feeling nothing but claws of terror scratch up your chest the longer the door stayed open. Jon instantly complied, shutting the door as gently as he could without slamming it. 

The doors instantly locked again. 

“Can I touch you?” he started with. He didn’t bother asking if you were okay or asking what you needed, it would be pointless. You weren’t okay and asking what you needed when you were so clearly in peril would just put unnecessary weight onto your shoulders when he should be taking it off. 

Your hands fisted into the fabric, fingers swimming amongst the mountain of cotton. “I-I,” you choked on an inhale, “I don’t know.” 

And how could you? Sometimes touch was a blessing, a craving nothing else could satiate. Sometimes touch was the only way to bring you back all the way: it was grounded as was it weighted, it was nice. 

But sometimes touch was terrifying, a pressure of what if tangled in previous experiences. Sometimes touch was the only thing that terrified you the most: after such a night, how could you possibly feel safe with an ounce of contact? 

“Okay,” Jon said quickly, not wanting to make you feel worse about your own indecision. “What if we try? I’ll pull away the second you tell me to, pinky swear.” 

He even raised his pinky to solidify the statement. If you weren’t miles deep into a panic attack and hundreds of tears worn, you probably would have laughed. Instead, you nodded, a jerky movement that shifted the fabric around your face. 

“I’m gonna place my hand on top of your knee, real slow. You tell me if you don’t want it there anymore.” He looked into your eyes with his vibrant blue bells. His face was so sure, so confident, but the edges of his face were hardened with worry. He really couldn’t hide his emotions around you.

You nodded once more. You saw your own quickened breaths more than you felt them, the shadows off to your right reflecting the rise and fall of your chest. 

Jon’s hand was raised slightly above your knee and he hesitated just enough for you to track his movements. Then it was nothing but a light touch of fingertips, then fingers, then a palm, and then an entire hand. 

Despite his slow, deliberate movements, you still flinched. It was a whole-body jerk that started with pulling your legs closer to you and ended with your shoulders hitching upwards. Jon bit the inside of his cheek at the reaction, ignoring the way it dug into his heart a little too deep for his own sanity.

He kept his hand there even when your body’s instinctual reaction screamed for him to pull back. Jon waited for your words, but more importantly, he waited for you to settle into the touch or comprehend that you didn’t want it anymore—whichever ended up happening. 

Luckily, it was the former. Your shoulders pressed back into the door behind you and your head leaned against the car seat. Your feet unhooked at the ankles and relaxed. 

“Do you want more touch or is this enough for now?” 

You felt the heat radiate from his palm, it fought against the storm of fire boiling in every fiber of your being. It also fought against the sheet of ice that threatened to separate you from the rest of the world. It was enough. 

“ ‘s good for now,” you breathed in shakily. Trying to match the rise and fall of the chest in front of you. 

Jon looked off to the side and squinted into the darkness. “Damian’s on his way back.” His thumb absent-mindedly rubbed against your knee slowly and in a small movement. It was so small you barely would’ve realized it if your knee wasn’t at eye level. “You’ll have to let him in soon.” 

Your eyes flickered over to just beyond your car and into the entrance to the building—the cafe—where Damian had started walking out of. You had a moment or two to emotionally prepare yourself to unlock those doors. 

You struggled on your next breath and Jon heard it. He returned his gaze to you. “Breathe, baby. It’s just Dami. You can lock the doors immediately afterwards.” 

You squeezed your eyes shut and nodded, hating the way your breathing sped up slightly as you clicked the open lock. Gears shifted and the reversal of the click was impossibly loud against your muddled brain. 

The door in front of you swung open and Jon pulled Damian inside before closing the door as soon as possible. You found your thumb pressing the lock button the second you heard the car door close. You never once felt the hand on your knee leave and you silently thanked Jon’s perceptiveness. 

Opening your eyes, you were met with Damian’s emerald eyes looking at you with as much concern as those eyes could ever truly show. Jon had somehow found his way squished in between the seats and middle console, half debating if he should just sit on the floor or on the console. Damian sat across from you with his hands full of drinks and food. 

He offered you the blend of sugar and ice to which you took without much hesitation. Your head was pounding. You could hear your heartbeat in your ear and you could feel it in your temples. It was unbearably hot with pain. 

“I got your usual,” Damian said, “just the way you like it.” 

You sniffled, already feeling the fire inside swirl into dissipation. “No inclusions?” you asked in a small voice. 

“No inclusions,” he reassured you. 

“The base?” 

“Lemonade, not water.” 

You opened your mouth to ask another question but Damian was quick to read your mind. He lifted up a straw still wrapped in its plastic casing. “Yes, I got you a straw.” 

For the first time that night, you smiled. It was small, twitchy, and faded just as quick as it came, but it was still better than the choked off sobs from earlier over the phone. 

Damian opened the top of the straw for you and you held out your drink for him to place it inside. Your hands were so shaky it was difficult to even hold the large drink (because of course he got you the biggest size), let alone have enough dexterity to open a straw. 

“I also bought cake pops,” he lifted up the three brown bags of parchment that held your sugary treat. He knew you so well you swore he was a mind reader. Your hands were shaking from panic but also from how low your energy levels were from using every ounce of it to breathe. 

Damian lifted the first bag after peering inside. “Birthday cake.”

You snatched the bag. 

“Chocolate.” 

Jon did the same for his. 

“And mine.” Damian set his bag in his lap and handed Jon his drink full of sugar. 

Jon propped open the cup holders attached to the center console and set his drink inside, Damian was quick to set his water beside it. 

You clutched your drink with both hands, enjoying the feeling of the cold condensation against your aching fingers. “Thank you.”

Damian hummed in response. It didn’t take long for his hand to find its way onto your other knee and this time, you didn’t end up flinching. You swore the presence of your two lovers was more than enough to calm any attack that found its way up to you. Tonight was proof of that. 

“Your breathing is still too fast for my liking,” Damian spoke up. “Do you want to go through some breathing exercises?” 

Both of the boys looked at you expectantly. You shrunk back slightly at the pressure before you shook your head. “Can . . .” you breathed in to reassure yourself—your request was okay, you’re voicing your needs, you’re valid—“Can you guys just distract me?” 

They shared a look between each other and Jon ended up speaking up first: “Go ahead, Dami. Distract them.” 

“Why do I have to?” Damian demanded, “You’re obviously better at running your mouth than I am.”

“Because I said so?” 

“Because you said so,” Damian mocked, “Really? Do you honestly believe that holds any true merit in this household?” 

Jon scoffed. “It does when you say it so why doesn’t it when I say it?”

“Because I’m better than you, obviously.” 

“Am not.” 

“Am too.” 

“Boys,” you giggled through the word. Your grip on your drink was loose and your legs uncurled slowly until they pressed into Damian’s shin. “While this is adorable, I just want to listen to you two talk, not bicker.” 

One of them huffed from their nose and you genuinely couldn’t tell who—you’re half convinced they both did. 

“Fine.” Damian’s free hand fell around the top of your shoe, his pinky brushing against your ankle. “Go ahead, genius. Tell our beloved what you did to the kitchen while making dinner tonight.” 

Jon’s eyes widened slowly. “We agreed not to tell them,” he whisper-shouted. 

Damian shrugged. 

You turned to Jon with a fire behind your eyes. 

“What did you do to my freshly cleaned kitchen?”

Taglist ♡

@anothertimdrakestan

@cherry-dropp

@missredrobin

[the-golden-comet]

Writerly Questionnaire

The very lovely @sableglass , @the-letterbox-archives , @nczaversnick , @drchenquill , @thecomfywriter , @thatuselesshuman , @glasshouses-and-stones , and @theink-stainedfolk , tagged me in this one. (I absolutely relate to your love of escapist romances to read alongside the beach 💖✨)

I’ll answer the best I can. Bear in mind I’m a little bit of a chaos gremlin :)

About Me

When did you first start writing?

About 12 years old. I always took a liking to Disney animated classics, which have inspired me to write and draw similar to the style.

Are the genres/themes you enjoy reading different from the ones you write?

Actually, the two are very similar. What I love to write is what I love to read. I’ve taken more of a fancy to writing romances now as opposed to a decade ago, though :)

Is there an author (or just a fellow writer!) you want to emulate, or one to whom you’re often compared?

Not that I’m aware of. Everyone has taken a little bit of inspiration from different sources, whether knowingly or unknowingly, so there are probably some authors or writers that I share similarities with. I know for a FACT that a lot of my stories draw heavy inspiration from Disney, which has influenced my art and storytelling styles ✨

Can you tell me a little about your writing space(s)? (Room, coffee shop, desk, etc.)

Ahhh, yes. Couch, coffee table, writing laptop, coffee. Soft throw draped across my lap as I get perpetually cold. Thankfully, it’s nice and quiet in this writing space and it allows me to let me do string-of-thought writing for hours. The only thing is sometimes I lose track of time this way, so I have to set an alarm for breaks and meals.

What’s your most effective way to muster up some muse?

Watching movies, listening in on my friends’ DnD campaigns, or reading stories from friends and mutuals :)

Did the place(s) you grew up in influence the people and places you write about?

Not really. I keep my personal life and writing life pretty separate. After all, a great thing about writing fantasy is that it doesn’t HAVE to tie in to the real world, or personal life. It can be whatever I want it to be ✨

Are there any recurring themes in your writing, and if so, do they surprise you at all?

Recurring themes? You bet. I either write a high fantasy BL Romance, or low fantasy slice-of life RomCom. My favorite writing tropes are Enemies to Lovers, Slow Burn, Found Families, Romantic Comedy, Magic in the Mundane, Slice of Life, Call to Action/Prophecy, and Absurdism.

Do they surprise me? Absolutely. I can have a beautiful plot all planned out, and then my characters say, “okay I see the route, but what if we take a sliiiiight detour? :)” and then soon enough I’m on a totally unique and unexplored path in my writing….and that’s exciting. An adventure all on its own ✨

My Characters

Would you please tell me about your current favorite character? (Current WIP, past WIP, never used, etc.)

I fear if I don’t say Peter here, he’s gonna kill me. In my current WIP, my favorite character is Ali because he’s a lovable goofball genie that wants the best for Noah. Overall currently (side eying) Peter because he’s a chaotic-neutral, anti-establishment, insane pirate captain that makes my life entertaining 😂

Which of your characters do you think you’d be friends with in real life?

Ali. Hands down. Dude gets along with just about everyone.

Which of your characters would you dislike the most if you met them?

Any of the villains I wrote, but going off of main OCs? Gosh that’s tough….probably Tyr because he’s really angry all the time (for good reason, but too much of that is toxic)

Tell me about the process of coming up with of one, all, or any of your characters.

Oh boy. That’s a big one. Let’s see….

Character building kinda happens simultaneously to Plot Planning; it’s a bit hard to describe, as there’s no “right order” to my world building. But usually it’s: “Okay, who is my protagonist? Who is the antagonist? What do they look like? Is the protag a hero, or villain? Is the antag a hero, or villain? What is their ‘general moral alignment?’ What are their characteristics? What are their strengths? What are their flaws? What are their goals and aspirations? Etc.” I do this for each major character. Then, secondary and supporting characters, who get a little less polish but still enough to be human (or relatable) in nature, start getting fleshed out.

Once I get the Core Plots and characters made and planned out, I start piecing the events in chronological order in the story. This becomes my “roadmap” that helps drive the narrative. Then….well, the rest just kinda falls into place. Once I have a “Plan of Events,” all that’s left is writing the story around the plan. And, as I’m writing, new ideas may come, and I get to explore that a little further during the writing phase.

tl;dr: I do the “Tree Approach.” Characters are the foundational trunk. Branches are the Core Plots. Twigs are the Conflicts. Leaves are the little details of each conflict (i.e. how characters react, where the conflict is set, what this means for each character’s aspirations, etc.)

Do you notice any recurring themes/traits among your characters?

Yep :)

How do you picture them? (As real people you imagined, as models/actors who exist in real life, as imaginary artwork, as artwork you made or commissioned, anime style, etc.)

Like this:

My Writing

What’s your reason for writing?

Personal enjoyment, mainly. And how far I can stretch and challenge my creative mind ✨

Is there a specific comment or type of comment you find particularly motivating coming from your readers?

Any story reactions and positive engagement is always appreciated. Just don’t be a dick and you’re good 👍

How do you want to be thought of by those who read your work? (For example: as a literary genius, or as a writer who “gets” the human condition; as a talented worldbuilder, as a role model, etc.)

I loathe this question. As long as people enjoy my stories, that’s what matters. I’m just one silly little guy writing stories for my own enjoyment. The fact that other people can enjoy my wild ideas as well is a blessing in of itself.

What do you feel is your greatest strength as a writer?

Comedy and Dialogue. And comedic timing.

What have you been frequently told your greatest writing strength is by others?

Same as above. Also have been told that I have wildly entertaining and outlandishly creative ideas portrayed in “insane, chaotic, and ballsy ways.” Coolio 🤙

How do you feel about your own writing? (Answer in whatever way you interpret this question.)

I’m proud of it. I’ve successfully written stories that I wanted to read, and reading back through my stories is really entertaining and motivating :)

If you were the last person on earth and knew your writing would never be read by another human, would you still write?

I’ve already been writing stories on my own for well over a decade, nearly two. It was my husband and friends who finally pushed me to go public, and I’m very glad I did :)

When you write, are you influenced by what others might enjoy reading, or do you write purely what you enjoy? If it’s a mix of the two, which holds the most influence?

I write solely for my entertainment, and my personal opinion is that’s the best way to do it, honestly. If I write stories that I want to read, I enjoy them, I spend more effort on them because I WANT to, not to please anyone other than myself. I don’t inhibit myself or censor myself, allowing me creative freedom to write wherever my heart takes me….which has led to some WILDLY entertaining plots. Even if writing is a career to some, if you find yourself enjoying what you write, you’re gonna motivate yourself beyond your wildest imaginations ✨

Man, that was a lot! Thank you @davycoquette for starting the chain, and thank you again Sable for tagging me!

I will gently and no pressure tag the following people as well as my tag list: @nczaversnick , @lavender-gloom , @cowboybrunch , @noblebs , @words-after-midnight , @saturnine-saturneight , @marlowethelibrarian , @aintgonnatakethis , @coffeexafterxmidnight , @astramachina , @justabigoldnerd , @pippinoftheshire , +open tag! 💛✨

✨👇Tag list for writing tidbits below. DM me if you’d like to be added 👇✨

Tag List for writing tidbits (lmk if you want + or -)

@talesofsorrowandofruin , @alinacapellabooks , @gioiaalbanoart , @deanwax , @dyrewrites , @honeybewrites , @paeliae-occasionally , @kaylinalexanderbooks , @katenewmanwrites , @billybatsonmylove , @madi-konrad , @houseplantblank , @far-cry-from-finality , @froggy-pposto , @fractured-shield , @avaseofpeonies , @topazadine , @thecoolerlucky , @theaistired , @willtheweaver , @rivenantiqnerd @somethingclevermahogony , @noxxytocin , @leahnardo-da-veggie , @addicted2coke-theothercoke , @illarian-rambling , @mysticstarlightduck , @ominous-feychild

[overthemoonx]

I Love Amy: The Coolest Webcomic I’ve Ever Read

⚠️MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD!!! I TRIED TO BE AS VAGUE AS POSSIBLE⚠️

Usually I’m extremely picky with webcomics, as I’m not afraid to drop them the moment I lose interest. So when I say this webcomic is interesting, it’s INTERESTING.

In fact, it may be one of my favorite ones.

“I Love Amy” is a webcomic released under Peanutoon back in 2022. It follows Bibi Reden, a cutesy girl with a bunny motif who has an obsessive crush on a boy named Peter. Once she finds Amy Lee, a shy girl in her grade talking to him, Bibi immediately befriends her and tries to get Amy to help her get with Peter. But plot-twist…they fall in love with each-other instead.

Psychological horror, drama, romance, and comedy? I’m hooked.

My first impressions were that it was gonna be a stereotypical yandere story, with Bibi set with the motive to KILL Amy in the beginning for talking to her crush. But it’s much more than that.

Bibi is a canon psychopath, who portrays traits of the disorder that are commonly expressed. But even so, the author definitely did their research. Bibi is low on empathy, has a tendency to lie, and can’t decipher right from wrong. But unlike contrary belief, she not incapable of love; she just loves people in her own special way, wanting to “keep them forever.” This is shown how she obsesses over Peter, and then later on, Amy.

What makes this series amazing is that her disorder is not her only “personality trait.” (Which by the way, disorders aren’t.) Bibi is very energetic, cheerful, and sticks to her ideals. She’s unique and is still able to think about others (or those she likes at least). Bibi is so well-written, how could you not fall in love with her? And speaking about love, this is where her love interest comes in.

Amy Lee is the definition of “plain-“ until you look a little bit deeper.

After a traumatic event involving her mother as a child, Amy lives with her aunt. Though she is loved and cared for in her current household and those around her, she still exhibits clear symptoms of PTSD. This causes her to be socially anxious and withdrawn, showing more signs of a social phobia than just pure introversion. But, she remains kindhearted and loyal. Amy is very down to earth too- a trait that’s personally to die for.

With Bibi’s eccentric personality and Amy’s closed off persona, they are like night and day. So, how could two different people possibly fall in love? Simple; naturally, like any other person. Even with their complexities, they are still able to love each-other whole-heartedly.

The webcomic also deals with themes about the effects of trauma, friendship issues (which I will get into another time), and sheds light onto family issues and grief. For such a cutesy-art style comic, it deals with every topic in such a unique and accurate way that I was really impressed.

So please, give this webcomic a shot!!!

[isa-beenme]

I'm currently writing three things at the same time, but I felt a need to write something sad, something to break my heart and break all of you along, I can't be sad alone, thank you

The plot is basically: every bat boy's mate deal with depression in a different way, or "three different approaches of depression to three different brothers" (I felt so funny when I thought about this one)

So... do we want a part 2?

Trigger Warning: Self-destructive thoughts, depression

Prompt: Prythian saw the way that Rhysand's mate fell into depression but tried her best to get better. They saw the way that Cassian's mate fell into depression and turned it into pure anger and self-destruction. But... what if Azriel's mate simply... doesn't care?

What Was I Made For?

Sometimes I wish I didn't exist.

Not in the sense that I want to die. Far from it. I dread the thought of my own death. If I stop and imagine what happens afterward, I feel on the verge of panicking. Not death. Never death.

However, I like to think about how everything would be so much easier if I simply didn't exist. The number of responsibilities I could just let go of. The countless times I wouldn't have to rush and cry out of despair for feeling so useless would simply diminish. I would be so happy if I didn't exist.

I started thinking about this when I was 14.

It's been 500 years, and I remain the same.

Five hundred whole years where I feel inclined to ask the Mother to not exist.

But I do exist.

And that's what intrigues me.

I don't know who I am, and I just can't find something I like. There's nothing that keeps me here. Really.

That scares me.

A lot.

I mean, I spent my whole life studying in the Day Court, participating in politics, and learning from the High Lord Helion himself. I was supposed to be his successor. But then Lucien came into the scene and I became his spare. Or second in command. Works the same.

My objective was easy enough, everything I knew, I should teach him. And I did. We had fun. I guess. And then his father made a party to invite his "friends" for a celebration. He told me they weren't really his friends. I understood that feeling.

The Inner Circle of the Night Court sat across from us at the table. It didn't take long for the mating bond to snap between me and the Shadowsinger. The celebration became even bigger when he smiled at me.

And I smiled back.

I mean, how couldn't I, right? He seemed gentle and caring and his face was very pleasant to look at.

He courted me. He flirted, sent gifts, and traveled to the Day Court's capital every often to see me. I'm not sure what love means but I'm pretty sure it's something close to what I felt inside of me every time he looked into my eyes and smiled.

And yet, I feel I could not exist and it wouldn't change a thing.

But if I could make him happy maybe I would understand everyone's desire to be alive. I would understand what it is like to fight for your own life with the necessity to live another day.

That's why I accepted the mating bond.

We had a party. A dinner. A house. Vacations. Damn, the tower of gifts we had to open after almost three weeks of pure sex took me a month.

And yet, I feel I could not exist and it wouldn't change a thing.

We moved to Velaris. My role in the Day Court was long forgotten. I mean, I just said I don't care about anything, how could I care about a job I had just because I was good at it?

Being good at something doesn't mean I really need to live for it.

If so, I would be a dancer. Because I'm amazing at it, I have trophies, experience, and talent. But I'm not a dancer.

If so, I would be an actress. Because I'm amazing at it, I participated in hundreds of pieces, and interpreted tons of characters. But I'm not an actress.

If so, I would be a cook. Because I'm amazing at it, I'm the one in charge of making every meal and every cake for people's birthdays. But I'm not a cook.

If so, I would be a warrior. But I'm not a warrior.

If so, I would be a painter. But I'm not a painter.

If so, I would be a singer. But I'm not a singer.

If so, I would be a seamstress. But I'm not a seamstress.

And when I came to Velaris, almost two years ago I became Azriel's mate. And I hate it.

We easily fell into a routine with his Inner Circle. And now, there's no family that makes me want to keep on living. In fact, most of the time I feel even more exhausted when I'm with my family. Or Azriel's family, if I'm being real.

I feel suffocated by an enthusiasm and freedom I can't keep up with. My family isn't bad, not by a long shot, and certainly not up close. They are great. They stand up for the right causes, love to have fun, and are very liberal about any topic.

Except when the topic is me.

I'm the newest but also the oldest among all the female mates. And that kind of put me on a pedestal I never asked for. Something like: "If she did it, you could too, Feyre"; or else: "Even she couldn't do it, Nestha, don't worry about it"; I'm not a unit of measurement, but sometimes it feels like I'm nothing more than that.

Except when I'm with Lucien. He is the exception to the rule of 'I feel suffocated within the family circle'. I'm his favorite friend, obviously, but that's not the reason why we are so good together. He understands me and seems to grasp the feeling of not wanting to exist, even though we've never talked about it. So, he just exists by my side. And that's exactly what I need.

I don't worry about depression.

Or should I?

I am happy. Truly happy.

Not that people with depression aren't happy.

They must be.

I hope they are.

But sometimes I imagine myself going to a healer's office and pouring out everything I feel. But I never know where to start. So, I stop imagining.

I'm usually happy. Very happy. And this happens with my friends. Or anywhere away from my family. Everyone annoys me in some way. Except for Lucien.

Even when I'm alone, I feel extremely happy. Especially when I'm alone. Whenever I'm alone.

I actually hate studying. Which is basically my job.

But if that means staying away from my family, I seriously consider doing volunteer work at the Library during vague hours. Get a full-time job. Anything to keep me away. And contrary to expectations, I don't feel bad about thinking this way. I don't care.

And that scares me even more.

I don't care, and I don't react. Sometimes, I fall into a vast abyss of overwhelming emptiness, unable to separate reality from what's happening in my mind. I don't feel inclined to react with jokes or anything else. I don't care if they argue with me, yell, speak ill of me in the room next door, or debate on how to 'punish' me when I'm three steps away on the sidewalk.

It doesn't matter.

Nothing matters.

I've made my friends cry trying to prove a point I believe is right. It doesn't matter.

I've cried in front of friends so they'd accept what I was saying. It doesn't matter.

I also have the terrible habit of always wanting to be right. In everything. It doesn't matter if I'm wrong, it doesn't matter if someone will get hurt. I ALWAYS have to be right.

Sometimes I imagine I'm going too far in this abyss to the point of hurting myself. Or others.

And here's another characteristic of mine. I imagine too much. Most likely, I have three or four books written somewhere in my room. But I don't feel inclined to publish them or continue writing. It was just a phase. Just like everything else.

Just like my mating bond with Azriel. I love him, but… I'm not like the High Lord's or the General's mates. They… live for them.

I mean, Feyre is an amazing person, she's such a sweetheart. But as High Lady? I swear, she's more like a city mayor than anything else, she can barely read a full sentence without getting a headache from too much effort.

And Nestha? What a fearless female. She's amazing! But being the General of the Valkyries? Come on. They can't possibly think that, just because they cut a miserable string, they are actually able to fight as a battalion. Right?

Maybe I'm mean for thinking like that. Maybe I'm stupid. Or hateful. Or fake. Or cruel.

So I never say anything.

I keep imagining them. Every day.

It's fun.

Sometimes I like Azriel more than I like myself.

But I like most people more than I like myself.

Sometimes I hate myself.

Sometimes I like myself.

There's a thin line between my two states of mind.

Sometimes I think it's my fault.

Sometimes I think it's my mate's fault.

I don't feel bad about hating him whenever I feel anger spread through me. He also triggers the emptiness in my chest sometimes. He can be annoying with all his senseless conversations. The way he lives his life annoys me even more. Because he can do everything.

He's Azriel, the Shadowsinger, the Spymaster, the poor thing, the one who didn't grow up in a good place, the cute one, the funny one, the pretty one, the hot one, the smart one, the-

I don't know.

If I let the anger get me it will soon vanish. Just like every other feeling I ever let myself have.

You know the feeling of losing something you never knew you actually cared about? That's how I feel about my freedom. Not that Azriel took my freedom meaning that he restrains what I do or like I miss my single life (if I'm being honest I was never a lover to no one, Azriel was my second or third). But this bond took it from me.

I used to float around, doing different things every single day, but now I just fall down and down and down into my inner abyss. I could've been a dancer, an actress, a cook, a warrior, a painter, a singer, or a seamstress because I had the freedom to try it. Maybe I don't want to live for it but I want to live with it. Now I'm… his mate.

I used to know I was empty, but I'm not sure now that this bond keeps flooding itself with love and fear and pain and happiness.

I don't know what I was made for.

I don't know how to feel secure. But I wanna try. I don't know how to feel truly happy. But someday I might… Someday I might… try.

When did it all end? All the enjoyment. All the feelings.

It doesn't matter.

None of this matters.

Since I was 14, nothing matters.

And I wouldn't mind just not existing.

But I want to know what I was made for.

That's why I'm leaving.

[gxlds-doodles]

was thinking abt how much i miss the 2014-2015 era fnaf fandom and it's interpretations of the characters (oh vincent purple guy how i miss you.) so new au alert!! lil chibis of my vincent n phone guy <3 designs are very much inspired by the popular designs for them around that time (originally popularized/created by rebornica i believe - though these are completely separate from their au i am not associated with them in any way shape or form) 🎉✧ SUPER COOL EPIC LORE INFO UNDER THE CUT!!!!!!! ✧🎉

general lore ☆ basically a whole rewrite - not because i have issues with the story (i stopped paying full attention after sister location tbh) just for fun!! again very much based on me missing 2010s fnaf fandom that was PEAK to me ☆ i still tie in some pieces of the lore but for the most part. forget what u know abt fnaf this is a whole rewrite (ex. animatronics are sentient but not possessed by children - not possessed at all in fact!! except for perhaps a few exceptions but i'm working on it) ☆ these two have quite a lot of canon lore tie-ins but beyond these two it's different LOL ☆ set in or around 2014, timeline is a wip vincent dorian (formerly afton) ☆ italian on his dad's side, armenian on his mom's side ☆ william afton's only child, born while freddy's was open but doesn't remember it rlly - his father and henry emily were co-owners/business partners but split ways (aka william got fired bc henry found out what he did. why he didn't bring this to the cops i'm still working out) soon after he was born ☆ raised by william as a single father ☆ was forced to help his father kill since he was like 12 this guy's got TRAUMA. ☆ still deciding on why he's purple (boy why you ourple.) but ik that it's william's fault. idk if i wanna go the walking corpse route like with michael in canon yet ☆ cuts off his dad when he's 18 - moves out on his own, etc. ☆ still kills for reasons i am currently working on however he does NOTTTT kill children ☆ starts working at freddy's at 27 as a way to 'rebel' against his dad, even if he hasn't seen him in yeeears by this point ☆ night guard at first, eventual day shift guard and sometimes a technician when needed ☆ his hair is naturally still black - he dyes it purple bc he thinks it looks cool ☆ his red scrunchie matches the red of phone guy's head <3 scott emily ☆ THE DRAWING IS OF A VERY SPECIFIC POINT IN THE AU I HAVE YET TO FLESH OUT it's not the most reflective of his character overall ☆ puerto rican ☆ henry emily's only child - remembers a tiny bit about william, remembers being scared shitless of him ☆ gets caught in a fire set by william when he's 16. he barely makes it out alive ☆ henry makes him the phone head mask thing. it can *technically* be removed but it never is bc it keeps the scars that never quite fully healed from getting worse ☆ head somehow works like a real phone... don't ask i just thought the idea of him ringing when he feels strong emotions is rlly funny (henry makes sentient animatronics in this au he can do anything. everyone say ty plot device dad!!) ☆ has some sort of contacts made by his dad that allow him to see through the phone ☆ grew up with the restaurant, his dad managed the location he's currently at until passing the business and the manager position onto him when he was 25 and henry was ready to retire ☆ henry told scott the full truth about william shortly before retiring - including that he set the fire that he got caught in. it's made him pretty paranoid that he's coming for him or something's gonna happen to him, even if neither of them have heard from william since then and he's essentially off the grid ☆ always at the restaurant during opening hours but rarely ever seen bc he doesn't want to scare any of the kids with his phone head vincent & scott ☆ yes they're dating. everyone cheer!! early fandom purplephone was my SHITTTT i love them so much ugh they r everything 2 me ☆ ngl they remind me of poolverine (deadpool x wolverine). vincent is deadpool (VERY accurate.) and scott is wolverine (less accurate but their dynamic stands) ☆ scott finds vincent annoying at first but eventually warms up to him and now he loooooves him. he's still annoying but he loooooooooves him ☆ scott doesn't know vince is william's son at first since he changed his surname and looks completely different ☆ they're just rlly cute and deeply in love and got some angsty shit going on later but that'll be a surprise oooo

[mimicha-arts]

Person in the shadows

Hello everyone! I don't know if this can be called a theory or something like that, Probably someone has written this before me, but I just want to write down somewhere my thoughts about one character that relate to the main plot. These are just theories! I have too much free time and I like to have fun, don't take it too seriously.

Possible spoilers! I think many people get the feeling that behind everything that happens there is a person in the shadows, whose goals and motivations are still unclear. And given that the plot leaves us with a lot of speculation, clues…Lets talk about Liu Xiao! Most likely, given the huge number of connections to story details, he may play a key role in the plot. 1. Who is Liu Xiao and his direct mention. Liu Xiao (刘枭) is a young man, the son of Liu Jing, who owns the Quede company. He is also the younger brother of Liu Min. So far, we don't know anything about his personality, but in his father's eyes, he is much better than his older brother, so we can definitely say that Liu Xiao is very promising and different from Liu Min. Considering the little clue given to us in s2s1, when Liu Xiao's father is talking to his business partners, Liu Xiao did not appear on the "main stage" because he was abroad. But, probably, we will soon see him in the frame.

Thus, for now, it can be summarized that the side that opposes our protagonists not only maintains Liu Jing (and Quede company), his lawyer Qian Jin with his subordinates and twins, but also Liu Xiao. The plot itself has already given obvious clues that this "side" is not a united one, each one twists intrigues and has their own motivation, because of which I dare to express the idea that in fact Qian Jin, who has already shown himself to be not the most loyal subordinate, actually works for Liu Xiao, not for Liu Jing's interests. 2. Posters & Liu Xiao in the "current" timeline. Have we already seen Liu Xiao? Quite possibly. Given the connection of the characters through the side of the antagonists and further information, I will speculate by referring to the posters.

It is quite possible that the young man in the hat, the only character who has not yet appeared in donghua directly, is Liu Xiao. We remember that on the poster it is the man in the hat who stands next to Qian Jin, which is his "shadow" on another poster of the character, which, it seems to me, can be a serious justification for assuming on whose behalf Qian Jin really acts.

Talking about any color coding, his design is centered around black, but his hair, although dark in color, has some kind of a purple tint.

In addition to the fact that this character covers his eyes with a hat, there are several other interesting details in his appearance.

1. The first is an accessory on his neck. I'm not sure what this sign is, but I saw that people suspect it is theta (death) symbol. 2. The image is quite small, maybe it's just a shadow or line of the collarbone, but I think it's a tattoo on his neck (maybe V letter or something). 3. Flashbacks, Li Tianchen From the last episodes, we learned that in childhood, Li Tianchen had a friend who greatly influenced the formation of his character. This boy from flashbacks deliberately does not show his face and eyes, and his hair is black with a purple tint. Of course, this is still speculation, but it is likely that this color coding, especially the purple tint of the hair, may be a hint that the boy in the flashbacks is the man with the hat from posters.

We have already seen that it was his words, the "the strongest survives" ideology, that influenced the actions of Li Tianchen (and probably the entire personality of Li Tianchen or even both twins in the future). Сonsidering that both boys are kids that time, the words of the boy with purple hair sound so out of age and kinda terrifying. A few days ago, Billibili also released a clip of this entire moment, which makes it pretty obvious how much this "idea" and character himself will be driving the plot to the future events. His voice actor is Zhao Lu, he cannot be a minor character.

After the death of the twins' parents, their case 7 years ago passed into the hands of Qian Jin, as we know from the last episode, but information about the case has disappeared, as well as the children themselves, just in accordance with the time when Qian Jin left the police. There are still many questions (his age, whether he has any abilities). But if the three characters I mentioned before (the boy from flashback, Liu Xiao, the man with the hat) is actually one character, his connections with Liu Jing, Liu Min, the Quede company, the twins and Qian Jin look too matched to be a coincidence. Probably. Another interesting detail that connects the two parts of the story is that Qian Jin calls "manhunt" what happens in episode 7 , and (in my opinion) this is very resonant with the words from purple-haired boy in flashbacks.

4. Speculations OK! Let me remind you again that this is all one big guess, and maybe I'm thinking too much about certain details. At the moment, I kinda assume that Liu Xiao is the one who manipulates all events from the outside. And maybe while Li Tianchen's hand is grabbing Cheng Xiaoshi, Li Tianxi's hand is grabbing the toy fox, he is represented by the hand from the shadow behind her.

About possible motivation: assuming that Qian Jin is acting in Liu Xiao's interests, maybe he is genuinely interested in destroying his own family because of his story or unknown background. At the same time, taking into account his words about evolving and hunters, it seems to me that he is pursuing far from material, but ideological goals, related to people with abilities.

Keeping in mind how it all started, I can assume that he also may be an unknown client from the first case, who gave a tip on Quede's financial manipulations and launched a case with Emma, dragging Qiao Ling, Lu Guang and Cheng Xiaoshi into the maelstrom of events (if this moment of the plot does not turn into loop). There is also someone who collected information about the three main characters before the main events of the series even began (some earlier dates on documents, a few days before the start of the plot), so there is room for thoughts too.

Let me remind you again that all this is empty theory, and I play bingo. It will be interesting to come back to this post after a while and see how badly I guessed wrong, haha. In any case, thanks for reading, I was glad to share my thoughts ~

[ac-liveblogs]

The interview between Kinoko Nasu (head writer at Type Moon) and David Jiang (producer Honkai: Star Rail) is quite interesting. Though Jiang is not a writer himself and he himself doesn't get involved in story creation, so I do wonder why he was talking with Nasu...

The interview was mostly about what's taken into account when creating FGO and HSR.

Honkai Star Rail's director is a huge Type-Moon fanboy and has always been influenced by the Fate series since he was a teenager - even/especially in Star Rail, while Nasu plays Genshin Impact and is currently playing the Belobog chapter in Star Rail.

And yes. Clara and Svarog are a reference to Illya and Berserker, we been knew.

There was some interesting commentary early on from Jiang that said that the story-writing and gameplay divisions worked separately, which caused issues early on that needed to be resolved. Receiving confirmation about this is interesting, because it would explain a lot of the issues present in Genshin Impact that are mostly absent in HSR - a world that feels totally divorced from the playable characters that live in it, and - up until Fontaine - a lot of playable characters feeling somewhat disconnected from the plot they're meant to be in.

It was also very interesting to see Jiang start talking about marketing, surveys, meeting modern trends, design vs generating revenue etc. versus Nasu talking about his thoughts as an author and the importance of prioritising your ideal creative vision even if you end up needing to take those things into account as well... and how FGO doesn't incorporate modern trends but instead tries to create something that will be meaningful to the players.

It was also extremely funny seeing Nasu talk about how meta wasn't an important factor in FGO (true) - he just wanted people to care about the characters, and Jiang going "oh yeah we do that too!" ...like a liar.

Something Nasu said in response to Jiang talking about how the character designers at HYV take surveys or add character elements that they think 'might attract a new user group' into consideration struck a chord with me though;

Nasu-sensei: This reminds me of an interview I read about "Street Fighter II," where the interviewer asked, "Why did the game include a character like Zangief?" And the response from the interviewee was, "Once you have a character like Zangief for comparison, characters like Ryu with an average physique become even more eye-catching." In other words, a creative work cannot only have popular characters. If we make a fetish black hole, the diversity of the world suffers.. In terms of results, even protagonist-like characters that are somewhat lacking in personality can have their own unique features.

Which speaks to an understanding of a need for variety in design and personality that HYV consistently fails to achieve. HYV has no characters like Blackbeard, Zhang Jue... or even Li Shuwen. It has pretty girls, pretty boys, and younger characters.

Jiang talked proudly about how HSR risks lowering their revenue by daring to include characters like Qingque and Guinafen in the hopes they might attract a new market, but Nasu says 'well, we think about the themes of our stories and what the characters need to be, as well as the kinds of characters we want to write'.

Nasu also plainly outlining the variety of different elements a writer needs to incorporate into a story - including the importance of each character having their own storyline to engage the players, super simple stuff! - is something I dearly hope HYV keeps in mind. HSR has less of an issue with these concepts than Genshin does, but there are several shared weaknesses between the two works.

I can only hope that HYV is taking notes instead of nodding like it already understands the things he's saying - because it does not, and it could stand to listen. I believe that the world Nasu created in Fairy Britain, despite having a lot less to it, is stronger than any single region in either Genshin Impact or Honkai Star Rail because it, the stories told in it and the characters there, are all thematically consistent and inform each other in interesting ways at all points during the chapter.

I think Belobog achieved a base level of cohesion, but Xianzhou Luofu was a shitshow and Penacony... better pick up soon. Haha. (Jiang describing Xianzhou Luofu as "captivating" though. Bro. Bro Xianzhou Luofu was terrible, what are you talking abou-)

I like reading Nasu talk about the writing process and the things he's enthusiastic about. I don't always like or agree with Type-Moon's decisions or products, but Nasu always strikes me as a down to earth guy that's truly passionate about what he creates and the works he consumes. Jiang seems to have had a lot less to say, though that seems to be because he is... as he himself admits, not a writer.

The two companies seem to have been in talks, so I'm curious to see what comes of it.

[electricfied-wolf]

So... you've been reblogging a lot of Starlight Express onto my dash and I feel like it's about time I ask what it's about? What I'm picking up is that it's... humanoid trains?

Whatever it is I must admit it's piqued my curiosity

OHHHH BOY YOU'VE ACTIVATED MY AUTISM CARD I LOVE TO TALK ABOUT STARLIGHT EXPRESS. Ooookay, there's a lot to talk about, especially because a new non-replica production like JUST opened in London. I feel like I'm gonna ramble a lot so we're gonna put it under the cut and I'm just gonna blab until I feel I've explained it well enough. First of all I should note that I am explaining just off the top of my head, if you'd like more info the Starlight Express wiki is run by some very committed folks and as far as I know every word on that wiki is true. Also if you'd like more photos you're gonna have to go there bc GUESS WHO LEARNED THE LIMIT FOR PHOTOS IN A SINGLE TUMBLT POST IS 30? ANYWAY ONTO MY RAMBLE!!!! And be warned, it WILL BE VERY LONG. CLICK AT YOUR OWN RISK.

What is Starlight Express?

Starlight Express (often abbreviated to Stex by the fans) is a musical produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber (yes the CATS guy) that revolves around a child's toy trains "coming to life" and having a big ol' dramatic race. They've got an underdog, a couple bad guys, train god and romance. Pretty much everything. Most productions are more song filled than dialogue filled. It has its roots in Thomas & Friends and some of the earliest stuff had a Cinderella type of thing going on (not surprising I'm sure), the plot is actually pretty easy to follow once you get used to it. Starlight Express is performed SOLELY on roller skates (not counting lndn24's scooters for the Trax and Control) for the entire duration! And in such heavy costumes too! The show has been performed since 1984 and has absolutely ZERO signs of stopping as the Bochum, Germany production is still being performed and as I stated above, there is now a non-replica production running at the Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre in London. And if you don't know what that term (non replica) means, it essentially means they are not using the traditional costumes for the show that John Napier designed and are taking quite a few liberties with a newer plot and characters to make the show something much more unique as compared to its replica counterparts.

An older version of Rusty and Pearl in the John Napier style (left) VS. Rusty in the style of the London 2024 production standing with ALW (right) _ I specify 2024 London as the show was originally produced in London but also got revised so there's like three London Stex productions I could be talking abt lol, though the costumes have gone through some pretty drastic changes even in the replica productions.

Electra's more recognizable costume (aka the more compact mohawk version of red/blue Electra) used up until the rehaul in 2018, and the one currently used in Bochum's performance of the show (aka used from 2018-now). The same character and both replica, but still different! Over the course of the many years these trains have shared our earth, I'd say that Greaseball and Rusty are amongst the few that haven't changed that massively over the course of the show (again, NOT counting the current non-rep). This show has indeed graced the US and was even performed on Broadway! Unfortunately, us Americans are really really boring apparently because the show (while still wildly successful) did not stick around here in the states. It is still however beloved by many and that is the sole reason why it has stood to be seen for 40 years: people can say the show was made on drugs and that its "weird" all they want, but Starlight Express has a bigger community than you'd think, and it is incredibly well loved by those in the community. We are VERY devoted to our trains. Despite everything though, it has never gotten a pro-shot and the only fully versions available for streaming (...in terms of official audio for official streaming) on places like youtube and spotify are the original 1984 London Cast Recording and "The New Starlight Express", aka the revised London production's album released in 1993. There is also the english and german version's of Bochum Starlight Express' "Ich Bin Ich" otherwise know as "I Am Me", but no other parts of that production have been released for streaming. You can technically stop here and just go on to the wiki and stuff but if you wanna spend like an hour listening to my infodump I AM going to keep going.

The Characters

Before I touch on the story (a much shorter section I assume) I feel it is important to explain the characters, as there are a LOT and they change depending on each production and long story short yes I am nowhere dear done with this post. The characters can be broken up into groups of which I'll introduce them by. I also cannot really do London 24's characters which I wish I could bc I'm dead obsessed w/ it but it literally just opened a little while ago so the only sharable photos of other characters I got are fuzzy and from the megamixes or backstage pics. So unfortunately no cameos from those guys in this post but trust me THE WEMBLEY PARK PRODUCTION IS SO GOOD. Uhm anyways. First I'll mention the Trax/Racing Marshals, no speaking roles and very simple costumes compared to the other trains. They're simply there to wave the flags for the races and perform other tiny tasks to move the show along, as well as doing some very cool stunts that the other performers cannot do due to the absurd weight of the main costumes. They're just as important as everyone else!

The Marshals (Bochum 2016) *note, I'm mainly going to use Bochum photos to show off the costumes because they're just usually better quality The Humans: Usually disembodied voices (with exception from two productions) our only humans are a little kid named Control, and their mom who is simply known as Mom/Control's Mom and also has an even smaller role than her child as she only comes in at the introduction to put Control to bed. Control is OBSESSED with trains which grants us the plot of this musical, over the course of the show they order the trains around and narrate the races, but (up until recently) typically don't play an active role in terms of properly interacting with the trains. They are, as their name suggests, the Control for the trains. In Bochum's performance 2018 and onward Control mentions having a grandmother who is hard of hearing, but to my knowledge said grandma is only brought up in that specific production. The National/Competing Engines: For pretty much every production excluding WP's, the non-main character racing competitors have been international trains from across the world. However their names and some of their designs have been changed over time, and the French engine even switched genders in the 2018 Bochum rehaul. I am excluding the doubles from the tours because this'll take all day if I don't. _______ The French engine- Essentially from the beginning up to 2018, Bobo the TGV. In/after 2018 in Bochum, Coco the Eurostar. Arguably the most changed of the nationals, originally a male character (Bobo) she was changed to be a female and even given a blue color scheme which Bobo usually never had as he was typically seen with orange colors in Bochum.

(Bobo (Bochum) and Coco) _______ The Japanese Engine: Originally Hashamoto (misspelling of Hashimoto but technically that's his official name), later changed to Nintendo in 1992 for all english language productions but still Hashamoto in Germany, and from 2018 onward in Bochum known as Manga. All three are labeled as Shinkansen bullet trains.

(Hashamoto (Bochum), Nintendo, and Manga) _______ The Russian Engine: Turnov the trans siberian express has literally just been Turnov this whole time and really he's hardly changed aside from his costume having to have its chest symbol changed due to obvious reasons. This poor guy has suffered greatly due to political stuff even all the way back in 1987, though I will avoid getting into that here.

Turnov (Bochum 1991), Turnov (Bochum 2018, ft. Manga) _______ The German Engine: Weltschaft originally, later named Ruhrgold, the german engine is the InterCity Express (ICE). Like Turnov he hasn't really gone through many major changes other than the original switch from Weltschaft to Ruhrgold, though the two are presented with very contrasting personalities.

Weltschaft (Bochum 1991, ft. C.B.), Rurhgold (Bochum 2018, ft. Espresso) _______ The Italian Engine: ESPRESSO! He's a fun one, very similar to Bobo in that they're both pretty flamboyant european engines. Not really similar to Coco though. Espresso's a silly fella, flirts with the audience sometimes. His design has also been pretty consistent.

Espresso (Bochum 1988), Espresso (Bochum 2021) _______ The British Engine: Our pathetic failure king <3, aka the engine that literally never races as he usually breaks down before he's meant to race. Like every time it's got to be one of the most consistent plot points across 40 years of showtime. Even through three different transformations this british loco cannot escape it. Originally named City of Milton Keynes, later Prince of Wales upon the opening of the broadway production, and in 2018 hit the stage as Brexit. Yes, you heard me. They named the British national engine Brexit, and no none of us are particularly proud of that but it is how it is. At least he's got some charm!

No images of Milton are available atm, Prince of Wales (Las Vegas, 1993), Brexit (Bochum, 2018) _______ OKAY WE'RE DONE WITH NATIONALS. We can talk about the important ones now.

So next I'll move onto our main trio of engines. Rusty, Greaseball, Electra. Lots of design altercations over the years but no name changes and basically no role changes. However, the most recent production involves a female and wlw Greaseball as well as a canon they/them Electra! We'll go engine by engine, talk about our trademark "old steamer", and then I'll move onto the cars. _______ Greaseball, the world racing champion of Union Pacific: Heavily greaser based with muscles that make coaches and freight cars alike swoon, Greaseball is a black and yellow diesel and one of the antagonists of our plot. He's the world racing champion at the start of the show. Dating Dinah (both at the beginning and by the end despite some issues) the dining car, VERY proud of himself and pretty damn self absorbent in pretty much every production. He is also NOT that nice. He was pretty terrible in the very original plot back in the day BUT DON'T FEAR! They very quickly edited those plot points and made him less terrible and more of just a really pompous jerk. Bochum GB is actually such a goofy guy by the end. His female counterpart in the new production doesn't lack her meanness either! She's just as big of a jerk but also just as big of a softie by the end of the show. Truly, the same in every universe. Being a girl and a lesbian does not destroy her asshole tendencies and I am glad for that. Let gay girls be jerks too!!!

Greaseball (London 1984, ft. Pearl, Dinah, and Ashley), Greaseball (Bochum, 2021, ft. Caboose)

_______ Electra, the engine of the future: QUEEREST PRE-2024 STEX CHARACTER WHOOOO? Despite never having been fully confirmed (at least up until recent) to be any specific non-cishet identity, Electra the electric engine has been an icon for the girls and the gays since day one. With he/him pronouns but a slightly feminine name and physical demeanor, it's clear he was made to represent a less traditional form of gender presentation as he has been played by actresses in the past too, though primarily has been portrayed by male actors. Andrew Lloyd Webber even once referred to Electra's main song, AC/DC, as "transgender electro-pop". Not to mention the casting notice for the 2019 Bochum cast having described Electra as 'gender fluid / androgynous'. Electra has a pack of "components" aka his freight car entourage who follow him around and sing his praises. He is also one of the antagonists, though antagonist is a bit of a strong word as he isn't as hardcore as Greaseball or our villainous railcar. He has more beef with the diesel than our main character as well, stealing his girl and the show at every opportunity. And also aggressively zapping him as often as possible. The only thing they have in common is that they're full of themselves, they want Rusty out of the race, and they want to win. No photos for Electra I gave him his spotlight earlier in this post. Though do remember that the newest version of Electra (got a little sleek helmet instead of hair, super pointy costume, blue and silver colors) is NOT he/him, they are they/them and so is their current main actor! Electra is accompanied by an entourage of "components", aka shiny and fancy freight cars that bend to the engine's every whim. Pre-2018 the components are Wrench the repair truck, Joule the Dynamite Truck, Volta the freezer truck, Krupp the armaments truck, and Purse the money truck. Post-2018 the components are Wrench, Volta, Joule, and Killerwatt the security truck, Krupp and Purse are no longer present. It is also important to note that pre-2018 Volta is portrayed as very feminine meanwhile post-2018 Volta is meant to be much more masculine. No photos for Electra they got photos earlier in this post and I'm trying to save myself from hitting the photo limit. Same for Rusty. _______ Rusty, the steam train: WOOO WOOO! WOOO WOO! Say hello to the titular bitchular that everyone loves. Seriously I've never seen a Rusty hater. Our main character and a timeless gem of the show, he's a pathetic wet cat, he's rusted and falling apart, and he meets god. The perfect man! Rusty obviously has the greatest arc over the entire story, he's our underdog and incredibly charming in all his forms. Overtime some actors have played him up as sassier while others amped up the wet cat energy (Looking at you, Javeen), but no matter how he's played you will feel sorry for him and likely fall in love with him. He's so overconfident at the start but is very quickly brought down by the other engines, fear not though, because he's the main guy!! I'll yap more about his whole thing in the story section. _______ The old steam engine: Had to make the title gender neutral w/ these guys bc GUESS WHO ELSE GOT GIRL'D IN 2018! Poppa, or in terms of Bochum 2018 and onward, Momma, is Rusty's mentor and the only other steam engine in the show. Quite stubborn, preachy in more ways than one, but ultimately good at heart. They're the engine that pushes Rusty to race and encourages Rusty to seek faith in the Starlight Express (Eyyyy title drop!). Most of this engine's role is story related too so I'll save that for then.

Poppa (Bochum, 1997, ft. Rusty), Momma (Bochum, 2018, ft. Dustin) _______ The freight: For the convience of I'm afraid to hit the word count, we're gonna lump the cars into whole sections. Minus one specific member of the freight due to plot significance. Anyway the freight!! Lots of people are big fans of them and I can't blame them. Though they went through a few changes here and there, they're usually a pretty consistent group (once again, minus 2024). From 1984 to 2003 they contained the boxcars aka the Rockies, then productions between 2003 and 2018 included the Hip Hoppers, with the 2018 rehaul marking the return of the Rockies to the show. All productions included Flat-Top the brick truck and Dustin the big hopper, and while Dustin does play a significant role in the show...there's a certain sixth member that plays the greatest role of all the freight. _______ The Red Caboose: Though his Bochum rehaul design spells out "brake van" on his shoulders (even though brake vans aren't cabooses, rant for another day) and he's gone by the Red Caboose for far longer, most know this beloved boy as CB...buuut the version that is widely marked as CB isn't technically CB! That was his original name in regards to the radio codes he used throughout the show- "10-4, smokey bear!" -C.B., 1984 "10-7, gone to heaven!" -Included in the segment after the first run of the final race -but his original name was dropped upon the entry to Broadway, from then on he was just the caboose, and he continues to be so to this day! No matter the production...or at least the ones he's in, he sticks out from the start as one of the guys to keep your eye on. And I'm sure you caught that, that's right, he's not even in every production! Though he is in most of them! His role is another plot heavy one so I'm sure you get the deal by now.

CB (London, 1984), Caboose (Bochum, 2006) _______ The Coaches: The girls, the lasses, the women, etc etc!!! Full of lovely ladies (again, not mentioning 2024's changes) and honestly the true stars of the show in my eyes. In this group is where you'll find our other main character! But would you believe they've also undergone swaps? Originally it was Pearl the observation car/first class carriage, Dinah the dining car, Ashley the smoking car, and Buffy the buffet car, and it remained that way for a long time...but there was an odd period in which Ashley was replaced with a sleeping car named Duvay, though Duvay didn't last very long in the grand scheme of things. Upon the 2018 rehaul, Buffy and Ashley were replaced with Carrie the luggage van and Belle the bar car. Belle actually shares her name with a coach that was present all the way up into the broadway production, though not really used afterwards. Belle the sleeping car was a companion to Poppa and while not part of the main quartet of coaches would usually appear with the other girls for Girls Rolling Stock! Broadway did OG Belle dirty but that's another rant for another day. Again, for simplicity's sake, we'll only individually cover the gals you absolutely gotta know about. _______ Pearl the observation car/first class carriage: Pearl girl!!! Very near and dear to me, our secondary main character and Rusty's love interest. The label for what type of coach she is varies from production to production, all you need to know for certain is she's a super shiny new coach and Rusty is absolutely INFATUED with her...but she's her own coach too, and she's not as quick to settle as he is. She makes it very clear that she wants her choices to be her own and she's not going to let someone else make those choices for her no matter what. She has her own little arc too. While in older productions Pearl is painted as being new but still having an established bond with Rusty, newer ones (aka bochum and london's current shows) paint Pearl as a completely new coach who doesn't know anyone and literally just got here, making her and Rusty's relationship a bit more fleshed out...but we'll discuss that more later!

Pearl (Bochum, 2011), Pearl (Bochum, 2019) _______ Dinah the dining car: HARD to not just ramble about how much I adore her. I am her she is me we are the same person, ESPECIALLY her 2024 variant same taste in women fr. A southern accented (usually) dining car, Dinah is Greaseball's partner with honestly a very inspiring little arc of her own, she's emotional and devoted to her partner but is not to be mistaken as someone who can't stick up for herself, because she makes it crystal clear that she's not someone to be pushed around. She was given even more of a powerful and independent personality in the 2018 rehaul/london revival, but she's always had fight in her from the very beginning!

Dinah (Bochum, 1993), Dinah (Bochum, 2018) AND WHOOPS TOO LONG OF A POST FOR TUMBLR. I'M GONNA HAVE TO PUT THE PLOT IN THE REBLOGS HOLD ON TIGHT. EDIT: I AM GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE A SEPARATE POST NOT A REBLOG BECAUSE TUMBLR WON'T SAVE THE REBLOG AS A DRAFT.

[runningfrom2am]

all my ghosts - (d.s)

an ‘on the one screen in my town’ oneshot

summary: drew gets cast as the love interest in mason's newest music video.

this is set after 'kinda famous' but before the rest of the plot! this was also a request from @winterrrnight and i cannot disappoint my girl duh

watch the mv i based this on here!

wc: 1.2k

tags/warnings: none!! unedited?? intentional use of lowercase?? also a heads up that i did not come up with this song any of the lyrics or the music video!! all credits go to the original artist and her team (lizzy macalpine!)

requests (currently closed- feel free to send whatever but it will be a while before I get to them!)

nav/masterlists

series masterlist

"do you know who they casted yet?" este asks, brushing back mason's hair away from her eyes to pull it up in to a messy bun for the opening shots.

"no, no clue." mason replies, watching her friend in the mirror and trying to stay as still as possible.

"don't you get to make these decisions?" este laughs, throwing the bun loosely into a scrunchy and reaching for her bobby pins to secure it.

"nope." mason giggles. "but i trust my team. i just said someone who gives kind of a 'boy next door' vibe but in a very relaxed way, who's taller than me, and doesn't look like he's forty."

"jeez, lower your standards." este chuckles, shaking her head. "i'm sure they found the perfect person. it'll be so, so good."

"i'm a little nervous." mason admits. "it's my first single after the last album, after the breakup- i don't want to disappoint anyone. you know?"

"i get it." este nods. "but this song is amazing, the video will do it justice. i know it." she assures her friend, leaning down to get a better look at her hair in the mirror. "i think you're ready! just don't throw your hair around too much. it takes a lot to perfect a messy bun."

mason smiles and turns her head to look at her makeup and hair, grinning in satisfaction. the bags under her eyes were emphasized and her brows darkened, but the rest of the makeup was meant to look very minimal. "i'll be careful." she assures her friend, standing up and stretching out.

"mason! we're ready for you." one of the producers is sticking her head in the door of the trailer, and the star quickly adjusts her costume, sweat shorts and a tank top before following her out, waving goodbye to her best friend who is already getting ready for her next client; mason's costar.

mason goes out and shoots a couple casual shots, walking into the corner store and browsing at a few different aisles and coolers. they don't know what will make the final cut just yet, but they'll gather an array of footage just in case.

"okay, we're going to get you guys together now, just act natural, have a look around and be very casual but definitely make it your own. it'll make it real- but we can always try again." the director says and mason nods, looking past her as the bell on the door rings and they bring in her costar.

mason stands on her top toes to look over the shelves in front of her, and smiles wide when she sees who they had casted. "drew! hi!" she grins, quickly making her way over and dodging cameras and mic's to give him a hug.

"hey, mason." drew smiles, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"oh my god!" she laughs, quickly pulling away. "i didn't even know you auditioned!"

"well, i thought i wouldn't tell you until i got it. it would be embarrassing if i didn't, hey?" drew chuckled. "and then i figured i'd just see you here."

"of course you would get it, are you joking?" mason smiles, hugging him quickly again. "i'm really glad you're here. this will be fun."

"it sounds like it." drew nods, that ever lovely smirk present on his lips.

"basically, we're just fucking around and they're filming it. minimal acting required." mason shrugs as drew slips an arm over her shoulders.

"perfect- let's do this." he nods, quickly pressing a kiss to the side of her head before moving away.

"okay we're ready." the director says, grabbing their attention. "whenever you guys are, just act like we're not here."

"somehow that makes the pressure worse." mason giggles, shaking her head slightly and avoiding eye contact with him now.

"you know all the words, right?" drew asks, a teasing smirk on his face as they walk down the aisle, followed behind and ahead of them by cameras at different angles.

mason gasps, gently shoving him. "how dare you! i wrote every word myself. of course i know them." she giggles.

"okay, well, what's it about?" he asks, grabbing something random off the shelf and turning it over in his hand for just a moment before returning it to its spot.

"you haven't heard it? ouch."

"of course i've heard it. i just want to hear it from you."

"okay," mason nods, continuing to walk beside him slowly as she thinks it over. "it's about falling in love again after being heartbroken, i guess. like, everyone has something that has happened to them in their lives that kind of... haunts them. that they can't let go of, but you can grow around whatever happened and be happy again."

"i see." drew nods. "i get that feeling. it's an amazing song, by the way."

"thank you." mason says, pride evident in her voice along with a slight nod.

it only took a couple of days to shoot the whole thing, most of it just pulling random clips of drew and mason talking and giggling outside of the clips she filmed herself, dancing and singing to the lyrics of her own song.

the last one they filmed together had been the wedding scene, and drew was smiling like an idiot the whole time. the finalized clip only lasted a few seconds, but as he looked her up and down in the white dress, something in him had changed. usually acting to him was no big deal, he could compartmentalize himself from his characters, but this shoot had been entirely different with the producers pushing on them over and over to just 'be themselves'.

"okay! that's a wrap for drew." the producer called as they cut the cameras, the two of them standing face to face at the front of the church.

"thank you so much." mason smiles, reaching around him with the bouquet in hand to give him a hug.

he gladly returned it, gently rubbing her back. "thank you for having me. this was so fun."

"anytime! seriously." mason says, pulling back from the hug after a moment. she's in a bit of a rush to get out of this slightly itchy wedding dress, so she's already stepping down off the small preachers stage.

"hey, wait," drew calls after her, following on her heels as she turns to look at him. "are you free this weekend? to grab lunch or something?"

mason is taken a little by surprise at this, pausing in her step toward the costume tent. "i.. yeah! i would like that. maybe not this weekend, but i'll call you, yeah?"

"okay, yeah. whatever works for you." drew nods, shoving his hands into the pockets of his dress pants.

mason's cheeks are flushed as she looks up at him. "sweet. okay. i've got to get going, but i'll see you soon."

"yeah, see you soon." drew smiles, shifting his weight back onto his heels.

he lets her go, walking the rest of the way down the aisle dressed fully as if she was getting married today. he's quick to lift his hands and rub his palms over his face when he encounters the thought that one day he'd like to see her like this again, be marrying her for real. is he crazy? god, he hopes he isn't crazy.

as she passes off the bouquet to the prop girl, giving her a polite and grateful smile, drew knows he can't wait to see mason again. whatever that may take.

taglist: @bookishbabyyy @madelynie, @whore-4-drewstarkey, @slut4drudy, @winterrrnight, @totalswag, @sadfury @fullfledgedemo @rafemotherfuckingcameron, @urfaveluvr, @alimaythings, @chenslucy, @s-we-e-t-t-ea, @tahliac11, @saccharinesammie, @suzyheartsrafe, @maybankslover, @redhead1180, @lovelyxtommy, @thelomlisrafecameron, @realwifeofjackharlow

[the-fever-dream-highs]

Hey!, can i ask for some scott bartlett writing?

where the plot is something like this: scott has a best friend who is outgoing and problematic, sometimes she gets into fights and defends scott a lot, one day she finds out about the awkward action with adrianna in the boy's room and she decides to teach him, you know

it must be counterfiet- s. bartlett

"Nights are so starry, blood moon lit. It must be counterfeit. I think there's been a glitch, ah-yeah."

ship- Scott Bartlett x fem!reader

summary- You're sitting in your room with Scott after you ended up in a fight with some guy. After, smoking some of your secret stash you guys start 'talking'. He tells you about what happened with him and Adrianna and how awkward it was. A few blatant hints come from Scott, so you offer to teach him.

content warnings- cursing / mentions of sex / drugs(weed) /mentions of violence / mentions of blood /

word count- 761 (Would Y'all like a part 2. since this is short?)

(Use of she/her pronouns and use of y/n)

Your head was throbbing, the cold rag only doing so much. The bleeding had pretty much stopped but the gash above your ear still hurt like a bitch. You laid sprawled out on your bed waiting and wanting the pain to subside. After some ill faced comments about Scott, you had lost it and started hitting the guy like usual. You just couldn't let the guy get away with it. You took it upon yourself to defend Scott.

You could feel Scott's eyes burning into you. "If you keep staring at me, I swear to god, Scotty," you said, bringing an arm to lay across your eyes. The lights were blinding and seemed to be making your head hurt more.

"You shouldn't have done that. I could've handled it..." Both of you knew that wasn't true. He began walking over to you slowly, as if you were asleep and he didn't want to scare you. Truthfully, you knew exactly where he was because of the small creeks from the floor. You also could swear you could feel the guilt and sadness radiating off of his body. "You know I hate when you do this cause you end up hurt."

Yeah, you knew. Did you care though was the real question. (No.) This was just you. You already had an ever-growing reputation around the town, but you didn't mind. To you it was fun. Let's just say you had a problem with authority but only in the way if they tried to silence and control you. Of course, there is more that has gone on to give you such a bad reputation but that's a story for another time.

"Pain is a part of life. Plus, he's a douche and he shouldn't be able to talk about people like that without consequences." You sat up, ignoring the pain that shot through your whole body. You looked up at him, guilt still covered his face. "Wanna get high?"

"I just don't understand what you see in her. She seems, I don't know, bitchy," you said. You both leaned against the headboard of your bed, smoking some blunts from your stash. The current topic was Adrianna. It wasn't like you knew personally but just from observing her from afar she just didn't seem like a girl you wanted to know. "But y'all would be cute."

Your tolerance was rather high so the blunt wasn't affecting you too much. Scott on the other hand was a different story. It wasn't like he was gone or anything, but he was just more confident and open. Not scared to speak his mind. "Did I tell you we did 'it'."

Your head whipped around to look at him, your eyes widening slightly. "Y'all had sex?! Holy shit Scotty," you exclaimed, nudging him with your shoulder.

"Only issue, it was awkward. Like more awkward than I can even," he tried to find the word, "describe. It wasn't very good honestly."

"What do you mean," you asked, taking another drag. You felt sort of bad. Sex wasn't supposed to suck or be awkward. Maybe some awkwardness after words but only if the guy was bad.

He sighed and blew some smoke out his mouth. "It was just bad. I didn't know what I was really doing. I know like the basics of it but- I don't know. I wish I had more experience, so I knew what I was doing." he turned to look at you. You couldn't even recognize the look in his eyes. Was he wanting you to show him?

“Are you?-“ You were quickly cut off.

“Yes,” he said eagerly. "But only if you want to. Sorry, this is weird. I’m sorry I should never have asked.”

“Hey,” you grabbed his face, forcing him to turn to you. The confidence from the weed was starting to wear off of him. “I will if you want. But the only thing is no invisible strings. It would have to be completely loveless, and it is to never be used against each other. Got it?” He nodded, still staring deep into your soul. “No strings?”

He thought for a moment, debating if he should pinch himself to see if this was real or not. “No strings.” He smiled at you before leaning in, placing his lips gently on yours. There was no love in the kiss. You had said no love so he would listen to you. (He had seen you how handle people not listening to you.) This would all be counterfeit. The mocking image of love. Nothing real.

a/n- Hellooooooo! Okay, firstly, would you like a part two to this? I felt really bad for leaving this in my requests, so I wanted to get something out for you. Please tell me if you want a part two because I will happily write it. Scott is so adorable and underrated and there is a minuscule amount of stuff for him. I also might come a work on fixing it cause there's parts I hate.

For this being my second one-shot ever I wanted to try writing it differently to see what I like to do!

Please leave requests of what you would like to see next!

Bye! Love you all! <3