#and i remember that he was a kid once too.

[gojoest]

ex husband gojo satoru on the brain….you have two kids together and after the divorce you get shared custody but the whole family gathers together only on special occasions like your children’s birthdays or important school events etc etc.

of course, this doesn’t mean you don’t cross paths with satoru for the rest of the time. on ordinary days he comes up with all kinds of ways to force his presence back in your life (and yours in his).

at least three times a week he drops by your house with a lousy excuse that “the kids forgot this, the kids forgot that” back at his place. other times he pretends to have forgotten that it’s your turn to pick them up from school, so you accidentally run into each other and he shamelessly invites himself over for dinner which you can’t bring yourself to decline because the kids are already too excited about spending time together.

even if you’ve parted ways on paper, satoru is still not over you, at all. in fact, he thinks he can win you back because you never stopped being his, not even for a second. you’re just being too difficult right now. you must’ve forgotten that it’s not really marriage that made you his to begin with, so divorce doesn’t change a thing. it stings him though, really it does, that you took the ring off and abandoned his name.

but it’s okay. you belonged to him way before he gave you the ring and his last name. those are only some minor formalities. it’s just back to square one. everything will fall back into place again, he just needs to remind you of the basics. but the order in which things fall into place will be different this time around.

if it’s the kids that bring you together, all he needs to do is make you give him another one. if he plays his cards right he will get to fuck you soon, he is certain. your heart might be confused right now, but your body seems to remember him way too well. he can smell it, the scent of your arousal whenever he’s around.

it’s just a matter of time. he’ll make sure to blow his load only inside you. multiple times so it works.

once you get pregnant again, he’ll use his unborn as an excuse to be around you all the time — “the baby is still in your belly, this is the only way i can spend time with my child”

he’s got 9 months to make you fall for him again, and by the time the baby is born, he’ll make it so your last name is gojo again. he’s already picked a ring.

[ofoceansandtombsanew]

simple math

cw. fem!reader, childhood friend au, pre-relationship, dawn island era (ace is a brat)

pairing. portgas d. ace x reader

synopsis. the math is simple: ace is cool, so you like him.

notes. oh the beauty of growing up on dawn island, running around mt. corvo. i love you, post-war asl brothers flashback arc. i'll have to rewatch you. again

"Hey, you," Ace's voice pulls you out of your thoughts. "What's your deal?"

When you turn to look at him, his characteristic frown is plastered across his face, glaring all the while. It's a strange circle of events, being here in this moment.

Just the other day, what would have been typical of your coming to Mt. Corvo was Ace ignoring you and Luffy for the better part of the day. That spliced with him Tarzan swinging across the trees to avoid you both following him to wherever it was he went all the time. If you really got lucky and it was too late to head back into town, you'd help yourself to staying over at Dadan's much to the bandit's dismay.

"Damn brats keep multiplying by the day," she'd growl, going back and forth between pulling her flame-colored hair and smoking another cigarette. "Go home! We're bandits, not a daycare!"

Still, the bandit and her clan were too nice to kick you out. So you'd remain the rest of night, talking and talking and talking until Ace would snap in irritation for you to shut up. After a few days, you'd actually go home for a few days to tell your grandfather of your most recent attempts at getting Luffy to befriend his angry companion.

Rinse, wash and repeat.

This is all new, however.

Luffy is snoring, belly round with fish and a dope smile on his face and Ace is there. So is another kid ー Sabo, Ace's best friend ー who decided the other day he'd be living at Dadan's from now on. Dadan relented and now all four of you are outside by a lake, no more chasing although a dash of mortal peril still remains considering how Luffy almost got eaten by a crocodile. Again.

Something changed the day you got up the mountain too late to join Luffy in his nth attempt in chasing Ace down. By the time he finally got back, he was battered and bruised. That was consistent. What wasn't consistent, however, were Ace and Sabo's accompaniment also looking as if they'd all come back from a great battle. According to Luffy, there had been.

Now the four of you were all together, a new standard. Grandpa's not gonna believe this! You can't help giggling, wondering how the old man will react. Ace's frown only deepens and you remember you still haven't said anything to answer his question. "Sorry," you say quickly, scratching the back of your head. "I was thinking about my grandpa. What do you mean?"

"It means what I said," Ace squints at you with suspicion. "What's with you? Him I get because he told me," Ace kicks a foot at Luffy's, the younger boy's sleep completely undisturbed. That kid could sleep through anything, you're absolutely positive. "Plus he lives here. I don't get you, though."

You blink, owlishly, not quite understanding what the boy wanted from you. "What don't you get?"

"Why you were chasing me all the time!" Ace snaps, looking much like Dadan with how he clutches his hair. "You don't shut up most of the time, but now you do?!"

Sabo sighs at the freckled boy's reaction, the brim of his top hat covering his eyes for a moment. "Ace," he sighs once more. Rowdy as the blond could be, he's easily the calmer of the two and is constantly donned in your favorite color. You like Sabo, you decide for the millionth time in the past few days.

"Don't you have a reason?!" the wavy-haired boy stares you in equal parts disbelief and distrust.

You cock your head, blinking curiously, "does there have to be?" You find the bony remains of the fish you'd eaten more interesting, continuing your efforts in collecting them. You are a simple child, it doesn't take much for you to be impressed or for someone to make you like them. You figured that's how it was for everybody until you met Ace. Apparently you were wrong.

You like Demarius, Stacey, Pierre and Lisa Lisa so you play with them even if all Demarius wants to play is marines.

You like the sea so you always jump in the water without a second's thought.

You like collecting bones, empty snail shells and whatever else you can get your hands on so you take them home.

It's never been your best subject but the math has always been simple. 'Live freely and happily', that's what your grandfather always told you to do. It's why he didn't mind what you did all day as long as you checked in once in a while. Not that it was necessary because he somehow always seemed to know what you were up to anyway.

As for Ace… you look the boy over with his warm, freckled skin and wild hair. You decide, for the nth time, that you like him. Even if he thinks you talk too much, Ace is probably ー no, no, definitely ー the coolest kid you know. "I like you, you're cool," you say at last and it's nothing for the rest of your words to flow like a river to the ocean. Excitedly, you look at Sabo paying Ace's look of surprise no mind, "you should have seen him before, Sabo," you drop your haul, trying your best to mime someone swinging through the trees. Considering he's known Ace a good five years longer than you, he likely has but you still go through with the motion. "He was like phyoo!"

With a laugh, Sabo nods. "I was the one who taught him that, for the record," he tells you smugly. "I told him about this story I read about a human raised by gorillas and Ace said he wanted to try it. I'm pretty good too."

Puffing your chest, you are happy to tell Sabo you know the story well. "I knew he was being like Tarzan!" You weren't nearly as good at the movement, considering your natural clumsiness. Ace somehow makes it look easy, though. "I'm not that good yet, but it's fine I'm good with-"

"You're such a weirdo," Ace pipes up suddenly and you look over at him. It isn't much of a difference but his brow isn't as furrowed and his shoulders aren't as tense. Maybe one day you'll be friends the way he is with Sabo, you hope so at least.

You wear the title with pride, "heck yeah I'm a weirdo!"

Sabo snickers and Ace pushes him half-heartedly. "Yeah, yeah," the de facto leader of this newly founded quartet grouched on.

[beelinx]

Could you do Leo Valdez dating a hypnos kid..🥹🥹🥹

leo valdez dating a hypnos kid hcs

a/n: got a bit carried away </3 honestly my fav one yet it’s the cutest ever 😭 hypnos cabin ilysm

If there is one thing Leo is, it’s dedicated.

That man built a whole ship in a few months.

Sadly, a trait that comes with that attribute of his is also being very sleep-deprived.

He spends so long working on projects, he misses many hours of sleep.

Sometimes deliberately, when he’s fully immersed in a project, and sometimes he just gets distracted and completely forgets that it’s a basic human need.

Anyway, during one of these sleepless nights, he met you.

As a child of Hypnos, you definitely love sleep.

Therefore, being awake so late at night was definitely not your ideal situation.

There was plethora of loud noises coming from outside, and the council of sleepy mumbles in your cabin decided that it was you who had to check it out.

Your slippers shuffled on the ground as you grumbled about your misfortune and sleepiness.

Well, that misfortune quickly turned into quite the opposite when you knocked on the workshop’s door, and it was Leo who opened it.

You always thought he was cute, whenever you saw him around camp. But – seeing him up close felt way more different.

You shoved down your intrusive thought on how hot he looked, and simply told him to be more quiet, since others were trying to get some sleep, and staggered back to your cabin to get some more quality rest.

Well, his first impression of you was that you were just about the cutest thing ever, with your sleepy face and silly looking pajamas.

He definitely started seeking you out more and more afterwards, trying his best to make conversation with you.

He’d constantly go to your cabin, claiming he’d been having issues falling asleep.

You’d help him, obviously, but his excuse soon became futile, as you had helped him enough times for him to not be having these issues anymore.

Clovis had to straight up tell him to quit it, because he was interrupting the afternoon nap time.

After that, he starts talking to you during the campfires.

Unlike most of your siblings, you were awake during these, so he decided this was a better time than ever to make a move on you.

One of these nights, he finally asks you out, and lucky for him, you liked him, too!

Once you two were actually dating, then I guarantee he’s absolutely the sweetest <3

Leo would definitely alter his schedule so that you’d be able to hangout while you have more energy, and quiet down his work while you sleep so that you aren’t disrupted.

He got you noise-cancelling headphones so that you’d be able to nap inside his workshop without being awakened by all the loud sounds.

If you can remember your dreams then he’d be more than down to listen to you narrating all these crazy dreams.

Sometimes he’s really shocked at what your mind somehow manages to come up with.

He also asks you if you can enter his dreams, thanks to your parentage, because he would love to be with you there, too.

This one might be stereotypical but (obviously) cuddles!

Easily the best pastime activity, since it does kill two birds with one stone.

1. Getting your annoying boyfriend to finally get some rest.

2. Sleep!

Anyway… since I do have a track record of mentioning siblings, I’ll get to that.

Your siblings quite literally don’t care about him.

They weren’t very fond of him at first, especially after the nosey nights he caused, but they quickly warmed up to him.

Now they feel neutral about him!

Not the biggest fans of him when he sleeps over, though.

He talks in his sleep.

And snores (sometimes)

It can get pretty annoying…

But back to sleeping over, it’s slightly against the rules to sleep in a cabin that’s not your own, but he hasn’t gotten caught yet.

Therefore, he basically spends every night at your cabin now.

He can’t really help it, he usually has issues falling asleep, and your cabin’s just so comfortable, he rarely has any issues there.

He swears he’s never sleeps better than when he sleeps over at your cabin.

It’s just so cozy and calming.

Literally prime nap location.

His friends thank you endlessly for helping him finally get some rest.

Piper and Jason are eternally indebted to you.

Honestly I think the Hypnos cabin would be incredibly cozy and I can’t stop thinking about cuddles with a bunch of fluffy blankets and I

Leo would look so cute sleeping all bundled up there.

He never looks as peaceful as he does then, so you always make sure to take a bunch of pictures to make sure to treasure the moment.

Then you immediately put down the camera and snuggle up with him.

[re4rlyr4e]

‘Adore me, hold me and explore me’

Daisuke x Fem! Black! Anya’s intern! Reader

⚠️Warning!⚠️ : this has smut in it but I won’t say mdni because I am minor too

You were Anya’s intern. Helping her in every way you could! You weren’t the kind of girl to fall for people quickly so when you got on the tulpar you weren’t expecting much. It was just an internship….right? Wrong. The other intern on the ship, the mechanical intern…you knew him, but didn’t know from where. So, you were going to ask his name. There was no way he was who you thought he was. “Excuse me? Sir?” You tapped his shoulder and looked up at him playing with your braid “oh hey! Reader, long time no see, I’m kidding it’s been like 4 months, how are ya?” He asked, IT WAS HIM, your high school crush Daisuke was really on this ship with you, for the 382 days you would be in the same ship as him. That was a dream come true.you couldn’t wait to see what would happen!

It had been 3 months on the ship, everything was going great! You were talking to Swansea about Daisuke because you didn’t want to wake him up yet so you were waiting for him to wake up “sooooo Swansea, how’s I been working with Daisuke” you questioned wanting to know if he was a sweet as you remembered “good if he would shut up about you, he won’t stop taking about ‘how pretty you are’ or whatever” he replied. You would have been bright red if it were visible. You felt something you hadn’t felt since you had math right next to Daisuke, who would ‘accidentally’ grab your thigh mid class. That’s when you felt a pair of warm hands on your hips, Daisuke had come from behind you and hugged you “what are we talking about?” He asked with his usual smirk, go that smirk made you wet….Wait what? Was he making you horny on purpose?! It’s fine, but god damnit you wanted him to make you Juno, isn’t that a song? Whatever you didn’t want to think of anything other than Daisuke “nothing Daisu…” you giggled while playing with your braids. For once you wanted to get them messed up, as long it was because of him. You wanted him so bad… wait…you felt something on your back…..were you crazy? " daisu can we talk for a second.... outside?" you asked him like he was being demanded, did guys like that as much as some girls did? you didn't know but the question couldn't wait. "Daisuke do i make you hard or something?" you asked up front and strong, you knew he would probably deny it and be all rude about you even asking about tha- "yea. you kind of do..." in any other instance you would have blushed like crazy. But you were horny so you did something you would normally never do. You kissed him..hard. In the middle of the hallway and he pulled you into a nearby room. “Daisu….i need you” your reached to try and take off his shirt but he stopped you. “Wait…how long have you been waiting to do this?” he giggled with that stupid smirk, you loved it but it was still stupid . “a while now fuck me or I’ll do something stupid” you kissed him again you could feel how hard he was through his stupid pants, you just wanted them gone at this point. He started kissing down your body, he was trying to make sure that this was perfect for you, even if you were in a closet. He was playing with your ass as he kissed you, he wanted you badly “take your pants off” you demanded him. You wanted him to be rough but you wanted a little control “what?” “Take them off” “that’s so hot” that’s the last thing you heard before you felt him…he wasn’t being gentle at all ”fuck baby! Right there! YES! FUCK YEA!” you were already on the edge and you both knew it….thats when he pulled out, flipped you over and made you look at his cock, what you did to him. You were so excited you grabbed it and….licked it…was this reality? Were you dreaming? Or were you really giving your crush of 4 years head in a closet…? Yea, and you’d do it again “I want you to knock me up…I like myself and all but two would be better right?” You bent over and let him go at it. As he did so his hands were roaming you, exploring every inch of you. “Fuck I’m so close baby!~ “ at that moment, you both came. Panting and sweating, you were shaking and he was just chuckling and grabbing his pants “come to my room after dinner, we can cuddle and talk about what we are from now on” that was a offer you couldn’t resist, “okay see ya?” You said unsure “yea, I love you” he had said it. He said the L word. “I love you too, Daisuke “

[typicalopposite]

fuck it friday

Ok so technically it’s still Thursday but it’s like REALLLLY late Thursday! and @beanarie asked for 9-15 sentences of amnesia fic so to kill two birds with one stone I’m giving 15+ quite a bit more to make it a good little snippet 🫣 (also it’s a Thanksgiving scene sooo 🫶)

“Tommy!” Howie exclaims happily, leaving his arms open long enough it’s clear he’s waiting for a hug. With that big cheesy overly happy smile, who is Tommy to deny an old friend. He laughs as he leans down into Howie’s embrace, and tries to swallow the lump that feeling so welcomed back into their family causes. Maddie is already at Howie’s side ready for her turn and after she pulls him in he feels little arms wrap around his legs. Jee smiles up at him, and he— okay, he’s a little glad he came. 

Eddie and Chris get to him next and it’s the first time he’s seen Chris— that he remembers— since he left for Texas. The kid’s creeping up on being his height, it shouldn’t make him emotional; it does make him emotional. “Hey Tommy!” Chris says with a bright smile, and damn it’s good to see him genuinely happy again, Eddie too. More hugs ensue. This is… nice. He thinks he might even be able to drown out the inevitable awkwardness coming if he keeps riding this high. 

Bobby is out back deep frying the turkey and Athena catches Tommy when he’s dropping his measly pan of devil eggs and store bought rolls off in the kitchen. “You came!” she says with a shock smile. “Oh, I’m glad!” She opens her arms and then it’s more hugging— passing him off to Karen, and even Hen. That’s just about everyone, Tommy thinks… 

“Oh… Tommy!” 

God, he really hopes he is able to control his face. 

Dylan pulls the patio door shut behind him, and makes his way over to where Hen and Tommy are still lingering in the kitchen while she fills him in on everything recent with Denny and Mara. Try as he may, he can't stop the tension tightening every muscle in his body as the lone stranger (to him) approaches. “Uhm, hey…” he replies, trying to not sound hostile… wondering if he sounds hostile anyway. 

“You know,” Dylan says, a surprisingly genuine smile spreading across his face. “We have yet to be properly introduced.” He extends his hand— Tommy does a quick scan of it to make sure there’s no shock button— and he waits patiently for Tommy to make the next move. He swallows every ounce of pride, jealousy, and resentment and shakes the guy's hand. He is met with as firm a grasp as he gives and Dylan’s smile doesn’t falter when he says, “Better late than never thought, am I right? Come on, Buck is out back.” 

Tommy feels his brows pulling together, and Dylan nods towards the glass door where Evan is staring in at them. He quickly waves once he is caught, and Tommy really hopes he can control his face as he waves back, feeling the flood of butterflies he has no right to still get… especially not standing three feet from Evan’s boyfriend. Dylan puts a hand on his shoulder, nudging him in the direction of the door; he nudges him in the direction of Evan, and can’t help but feel a little weird being pushed towards his ex by his ex's new boyfriend. 

Bobby hugs him as soon as he steps outside, which is expected; Evan stalls for only a moment before hugging him as well, which was not. Tommy can’t help but try to sneak a peak of Dylan. He half expects him to speak up, or lash out… What right does Tommy have to hug Evan? He doesn’t seem bothered in the least. He lets Evan get his hug, then reclaims his spot at Evan’s side, and although there’s not much Tommy is feeling too particularly thankful for in this very stressful and confusing point in his life… he’s thankful Dylan doesn’t appear to be threatened by him in Evan’s life. 

The day passes far smoother than Tommy had anticipated, and the Dylan of it all is nowhere near the thorn in his side Tommy had thought he would be. In fact, Dylan is— fuck, he is great, actually. as much as it pains him to admit it, Dylan really seems good for Evan. He is charming, and funny. He gets along with everyone; he talks about Evan’s parents like they get along well, too. Tommy wants to find things to be jealous of, but he makes himself so likable it’s hard to justify not liking him. Most importantly he looks at Evan like he hung the moon, and can make Evan smile and blush the way Tommy used to be able to do... 

At least he calls him Buck. At least Tommy gets to keep Evan. He supposes he’s thankful for that, too.

and throwing in the tags for those who want to join in and those who are following the fics progress (let me know if you want to be added or removed!)

@30somethingautisticteacher @sunnywithachanceofbi @nine-one-wanton @herrmannhalsteadproduction @judymarch15

@onthewaytosomewhere @lavenderleahy @bangpop91 @hyperfocusthusly @weewookinard

@beanarie @leashybebes @somethingaboutfirefly @silversky9 @bucksxkinard

@sweaters-and-silly @quintessenceofdust88 @sierrarreads @saibowtie @kinardsevan

@unhingedangstaddict @portinastorm @ladyeyrewrites @rubydaiquiri

@mmso-notlikethat @a-mel0n @rdng1230 @fenrirscarsback

[sxmmerberries]

Escapade - park gunwook x reader

✦ genre: romance

✦ pairing: park gunwook as your bodyguard

✦ word count: 1691

✦ summary: your overprotective father sent gunwook to protect you due to them not being in the country for a business trip. you and your friends decided it'd be a great idea to sneak off to have a picnic in the middle of the night without gunwook knowing. it was a fail and gunwook is now looking for you.

“Yes, Sir. She is safe and sound. I made sure that she didn't get into any dangerous situations. You can rest assured,” Gunwook gave his daily report to your father after making sure that you went to bed.

“I know she can be a little troublesome at times. You know, how kids are at that age. She thinks we are being overbearing by hiring a bodyguard even though she is an adult. Please don't mind her words or actions in any way,” Your father sighed as he remembered you complaining about Gunwook following you around everywhere even though it is technically his job.

“No worries, Sir. I understand. I'll continue to abide by my duties no matter what,” Gunwook reassured, standing near the window of his room in the house, staring outside blankly.

“That is nice to hear. Please keep us updated,” Your father responded.

“Yes, Sir. I'll report everything to yo-” Gunwook's eyes widened in shock at what he saw from the window. Three hooded figures escaping through the front gates.

Gunwook hung up the call and immediately ran to your room, his mind coming up with the worst possible scenarios.

“Were they intruders? Did they come to harm you? Did they try to harm you? Did they kidnap you? What was he going to say to your parents? He just reassured them that everything is okay”

He knocked on your door, silently hoping that you'd open the door completely unscathed but to his disappointment, there was no answer.

“Maybe, she is asleep,” He thought as he sighed, raising his fist to knock again.

“Miss L/N? Can you open the door, please? Are you okay?” He spoke through the door but once again, there was no answer.

He sighed as he took out the keys of the room which were given to him for emergency purposes. He knocked one last time before unlocking the room and entering the room.

He cautiously walked towards the covered figure on the bed.

“Miss L/N?” He called out but there was no answer once again.

“Miss L/N?” He called out a bit louder before noticing something strange. He yanked the covers of the “figure”, discovering a bunch of pillows under it, shaped to look like a human.

His eyes fell on the slightly opened window. He quickly walked towards it and saw a huge rope hanging downwards from it.

Gunwook put all the pieces together before screaming “L/N Y/N, Don't you dare!” out of the window, making the hooded figures look at him in shock.

You made the mistake of making eye contact with Gunwook who was warning you from your window, before making a run for it, grabbing your friend's hand.

You were going to get in trouble anyways for trying to sneak off at night so why not just do everything that you planned with your friends and then get in trouble with him?

Gunwook quickly rushed downstairs and out of the front door, glaring at the guards for not noticing you and your friends running away beforehand.

“If someone doesn't kill her, I am going to kill her myself,” He thought as the images of you escaping flashed before his eyes.

He did everything he could to protect you, even going as far as standing outside the washroom to not let any sort of attack happen. He followed you around when you went out with your friends, sitting at a nearby table, staring at you. Sitting in the corner of a class to ensure no one hurt you and no one did.

Who would want to pick a fight with Park Gunwook?

He drove in the direction where he last saw you and your friends running, hoping that you guys wouldn't make it out too far.

He raked through his brain, trying to figure out where exactly you could've gone. He scanned through the neighbourhood for any signs of you or your friends in the darkness of the night.

After a while of driving and seeing no signs of you or your friends, he sighed as he mentally prepared what he was going to say to your parents when his phone suddenly rang. He mentally braced himself, thinking it was going to be your parents. He saw an unknown number flashing on his phone screen, picking the call up cautiously.

“Hello?” A familiar voice spoke from the other side of the line. Gunwook sighed in relief as his brain finally registered that it was one of your friends.

“Where are you guys?! How can you do this to me?! Where is Y/N? How is Y/N? Is she okay?!” Gunwook exclaimed, attacking your friend with a string of questions, surprising your friend as Gunwook never lost his cool before ever.

“We are near xxxx Convenience Store. You wouldn't have allowed us to do it if we told you. Y/N is with us and she is uhmm…..drunk?” Your friend answered his questions one by one.

“Wait there, don't go anywhere. I am coming,” Gunwook quickly drove there, hoping that they'd actually listen and stay there.

Gunwook parked the car as he quickly got out and walked towards your friends who were standing near a tree with worried looks.

“Where is Y/N?!” He scanned his surroundings as he looked for you.

“Geez, hello to you too and she is there,” Your friend pointed towards the tree. Gunwook's eyes widened in shock as he saw you sitting on a branch, clinging to the tree for dear life, clearly drunk.

“She got drunk and we couldn't control her so we called you. She fought us and then climbed the tree after hearing you were on your way,” One of your friends sighed as the other tried to coax you into coming down.

“Miss L/N, please come down,” Gunwook moved closer to the tree, making you clutch the tree even more.

“No”

“Come down”

“No”

“Come down”

“No”

“Come down”

“No”

“If you say no one more time-”

"No”

“Should we throw rocks at her?” One of your friends proposed, clutching a rock In her hand.

“No,” You and Gunwook screamed in unison.

“Miss L/N, please come down,” Gunwook tried to be patient, mentally planning to resign tomorrow morning itself.

“I don't know how to…….” You admitted sheepishly, holding onto the tree for dear life.

“Then why would you get up?!”

“I thought you'd get mad at me!”

“I was already mad at you the second I saw you escaping!”

“...........”

Gunwook sighed, running his fingers through his silky black hair. He took one last look at you before saying “Jump, I'll catch you,”.

“Stop lying, you'll drop me as revenge for running away,”

“As much as I am tempted to do that, I'll have to answer to your parents. Now, come down,” You reluctantly jumped, landing in Gunwook's arms.

"Put me down," You squirmed to get out of his grip.

"So you can run away again? Not a chance,"

He wasted no time in walking towards the car with you in his arms and your two friends walking behind you two, silently gushing about shipping you two.

He placed you in the passenger seat, fastening your seat belt before turning to your friends, “Get in. I'll drop you guys off too. It is quite late,”. Your friends got in the car without any argument.

You mentally braced yourself for any type of scolding as he dropped your friends off at their houses. The car was filled with silence as he drove with a pissed off look on his face.

“Are you mad at me?,” You asked hesitantly despite knowing the answer.

“Well, what do you think?,” He smiled sarcastically, not even looking at you.

“You looked pissed off” You felt him stop the car and look at you with an angry look.

“That's because I am pissed off. How can you run off like that?! Why couldn't you have done all these tomorrow morning after you let me know? Do you know how scared I was? It is literally pitch black here and I couldn't find you! What if something bad happened to you?! What would I have told your parents?! What would I have done?! Do you know how worried I was for you?! How can you do this to m-” He was interrupted by you suddenly pulling the collar of his shirt and crashing your lips against his, effectively shutting his rant up.

He fumbled a bit at the sudden kiss. What was he supposed to do now? Kiss you back? Is he allowed to kiss you back? Is it professional-

“F*ck it,” He thought as he pulled you closer and placed his hands on your cheeks, deepening the kiss.

He could taste the alcohol on your lips but he didn't care. All he could think about was how he finally lost his composure and did the thing he was afraid of doing from the very beginning. He had no idea how he was going to explain all this to your parents. All he could think about how good your lips felt against his soft ones.

He looked away after you pulled away, starting the car once again to avoid the conversation.

"You look hot when you're pissed off," Gunwook's cheeks flushed a little pink as he pretended not to hear you.

“Guess, I finally broke you. How long were you planning on doing that, Mr. Park?” You smiled mischievously as he continued to avoid eye contact.

“From the start,” He mumbled quietly, focusing his eyes on the road.

“I can't hear you~” You giggled. You heard him perfectly well the first time.

“You're even more insufferable when you're drunk,” Gunwook rolled his eyes, cracking a small smile.

“Hehehe but you love it,” You smiled.

“Yes, I do but that doesn't mean you aren't in great trouble when we get home, Y/N” You froze, hearing his response.

“The first time, you say my name and it is a threat? Can't you let it go this one time?,” You pouted as he laughed at your reaction.

“Considering the time and patience it took to find you, no” Gunwook smirked, making you sulk in your seat.

[angelflms]

Cobra Kai has a tone-deaf problem.

Now, I am a Black woman so all of my observations are through the lenses of that. You can critique my words all you want, but don't be disrespectful because I will be equally as disrespectful in the replies.

I have this phenomenon that I've noticed for a lot of shows I have watched called The Leo Dooley effect, inspired by character from Lab Rats, where the main character, a POC who set the tone for the whole story, is surrounded by a white ensemble cast that slowly but surely pushes that character aside to serve their purpose.

Cobra Kai does the same thing with Miguel Diaz, as he seems to be the sole reason why any of these things on the show are happening (for better or for worse) and gets one of the worst character driven storylines throughout the series post-coma (I rewrote his story on my blog. Go find it under the Miguel or Xolo hashtags) to further make the show The Robby Show (we'll get into the tone-deaf writing of his character this past season in a minute). He becomes a shell of a character, empty, boring, and in the sidelines all up until the final season, where the writers seem to remember *snaps fingers* oh shit, Miguel's one of our protagonists, and writes an okay story for him. Better than his s5 plot, but not as good as the stuff we got in s1, 2, and the last half of 3 and 4.

Now, s6 has him in his true prime (not in the way people claimed he was in the past seasons). He's got a clear mind, he's goals-oriented, you wouldn't even be able to tell that this kid was paralyzed from the waist down a year ago (in-universe time). However, he's out-performing everyone, was single-handedly saving his team, and it wasn't even enough for Johnny. It was very interesting to watch as People of Color, especially Black and Brown people, tend to have to go above and beyond to prove that we're the shit, but it'll never amount to anything if our white associates (minus Devon in this case - more on her later) aren't doing anything. But the second they do, everyone is getting praised. Miguel knocked his opponent out in forty seconds. FORTY SECONDS. But because the team wasn't doing good overall, he got no attention. I know that feeling all too well and it sucks.

As much as I thought Johnny's "Miguel is our anchor" line was powerful, it also didn't at the same time. The Magical Negro is such an annoying stereotype, as well as the Strong Black Woman/Man, and the Brown and Asian variations that come with it.

Miguel is the Brown equivalent of the Magical Negro, trying to tell the white Johnny what's right and wrong. Teaching him what's okay to say and what's not, despite Johnny being grown enough to probably understand shit on his own. He basically is teaching Johnny in a sense despite the fact that it should be the other way around. And I know that's a typical mentor/mentee thing trope but with how the show goes out of its way to show how self aware of modern problems it is, it's hella tone-deaf.

In terms of the Strong Black Man trope (or in this case Brown), Miguel isn't always strong. He breaks down and cries pretty often but it's viewed by the fandom as annoying, weak, and pathetic, as well as not manly which pisses me all the way off because every time he gets emotional, it's with valid reason. Losing his girlfriend (both times), finding out he's paralyzed, apologizing for running away, his mom possibly dying, not getting into Stanford (tho this would've had more of a punch if Stanford actually mattered but it doesn't whatever). Also, he's a 16/17 year old Brown kid in poverty who was embarrassingly bullied MULTIPLE TIMES. You're telling me you didn't cry as a kid? But when Robby cries every once in a while (which is also equally as valid because he was also a kid in poverty who was bullied), everyone holds his hand and says "it's okay."

"He's our anchor." It just sounds so off to me. Like has to be the one to help everyone else, when you have two Captains who can do the exact same thing. We as POCs have to be the ones to hold down the fort and keep things steady on our backs while white people can settle for mediocrity and not have to do to much because "hey, the POCs got us." It's just like that "if you're in danger, find a Black woman" thing. Because we're expected to be the ones to save y'all when y'all are in trouble. But when the roles reverse, we're expected to save ourselves because we're strong. Y'all don't like it when Miguel isn't emotionally or physically tough because y'all expect him to push through since he's the main character, but it also feels like he's expected to push through because he's a Brown boy in poverty so he's been through enough.

Tory's "we have to fight to get a spot in life" speech was well performed by Peyton List but it felt strange to see a white woman explain privilege to a Brown boy who has less privilege in comparison to her. I have always had a problem with that scene and I never won't have an issue with it.

Moving on to Kenny. Kenny is the only Black character of current time to be in the ensemble. Aisha was on the show but left ofc. Kenny, like Miguel was brutally picked on, primarily by white kids, especially by white rich boy Anthony LaRusso. In the fandom Anthony tends to be the more favored overall. Kenny is primarily favored on the Black side of the fandom (much like Miguel). Similar to Miguel, there was a moment in s6 part two that may have not been intentional but in my eyes, felt very racially targeted.

Hawk and Demetri were very skeptical towards Kenny because they assumed that he was working with Silver despite the fact that Kenny didn't even want to do the Sekai Tekai to begin with after he became publicly bullied again. During a round of tag-teamed fighting, the boys refused to let Kenny in, causing them to lose the round due to Robby not being prepared to be tagged in (he thought they were gonna tag Kenny). Kenny gets mad, rightfully so but the boys didn't back down on their theory (the only reason this theory was even a thing was because they say Kenny and Silver talking and assumed the worst). It took the team's "anchor" to give Robby a pep talk to lead and the others will follow (you know, something a Captain should already know) for Kenny to get the attention he deserves. And then Hawk and Demetri finally accept Kenny. All because the white guy said "hey, we should tag him in."

That sounds so off in so many ways.

It wasn't intentional, I know. But the fact that this was something that happened and the boys didn't even apologize to Kenny after for the assumptions they made only furthers my point on how tone deaf this show can get. Amanda, Miguel, and Robby are literally the only people who see Kenny as more than just a Silver puppet and it sucks because Hawk and Demetri were in the same spot as Kenny once upon a time.

And then there's Devon, the overworking, overwhelmed Asian girlie who tries her hardest to seek validation and gets overlooked. Similar to Miguel in this new part, Devon got ignored badly in the first part. It was so bad that she cheated to get into the Sekai Tekai and got her ass handed to her. And like Miguel, it takes her to have to explain to her white sensei that she's being ignored for him for her to be taken seriously. She's not the best fighter by any means but I thought we were done with this Asian stereotype years ago. And the way Sam talked to her after literally celebrating her victory with all smiles and everything in the first part??? Like it felt so fake as hell.

Finally, Robby. Robby is written well, we all know that. But this shit that they did to him in the second part pissed me off, especially since it's not gonna get addressed apparently. So Robby gets drunk at a bar and basically follows Zara back to her hotel room. Next time we see them, he's disoriented, and she's kissing him. I'm sorry, but that's sexual assault, yes? Robby was drunk and didn't remember anything. So that's her taking advantage of him, yes? Well the creator apparently doesn't think so and is saying that Robby made a mistake and that the interaction won't be talked about next part.

Bitch, Robby is a VICTIM.

Zara sexually assaulted him. Just because he's a man doesn't change the fact that the man got taken advantage of by Zara.

Like did we watch the same scene?

This show has so many problems and I feel like since it's a show about fighting no one cares. But as a Black woman, I see this shit and in between the lines, there's so many issues that won't even get fixed because the show is over.

[reveryfics]

Thanksgiving

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x male reader

Summary: Bucky can't remember the last time Thanksgiving was ever a thing for him. The reader having grown up in a big family invites him over.

A/n: I realize this is late and I apologize, I've been sick so I'm pretty much been stuck in bed. The readers family is Hispanic which is because I too am Hispanic and am thankful to have grown up in a larger family.

⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯

Bucky stood in front of the worn red door, his heart pounding in his chest. This was it. His first Thanksgiving in decades, and his first time meeting his boyfriend's family. A wave of anxiety washed over him as he glanced at his boyfriend, who squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Take a deep breath, Buck," his boyfriend said softly, a gentle smile playing on his lips. "It'll be okay."

Before Bucky could respond, the door swung open, revealing a short, plump Hispanic woman with a messy bun and a flour-dusted apron. "Oh, my baby boy!" she exclaimed, enveloping her son in a warm hug. Then, turning to Bucky, she flashed a wide smile. "You must be James." Without hesitation, she pulled him into a tight embrace and ushered them both inside.

The house was alive with activity. The air was filled with the mouthwatering aroma of home-cooked food, and children were running around, laughing and playing. "Tío! You're here!" a young boy shouted, latching onto his leg before dashing off to join the other kids.

Bucky felt overwhelmed by the sheer number of people and the curious glances he was receiving. His boyfriend, sensing his discomfort, suggested they retreat to his old room for a moment.

As they sat on the old pull-out sofa, Bucky took a shaky breath. "Give it some time," his boyfriend reassured him. "My family might seem a bit chaotic, but they're good people."

Bucky shook his head, a sigh escaping his lips. "It's not that," he admitted. "I'm just not used to...having a family."

His boyfriend hummed softly, running his fingers through Bucky's hair. "Consider yourself lucky," he said. "Once this family chooses you, they never let go."

After a while, they returned downstairs, where Bucky was immediately pulled into the kitchen by his boyfriend's mother and abuela.

"Venga a saborear la comida!" Abuela urged, offering him a spoonful of one of her many delicious dishes.

"He's a good man," his mother whispered. "He'll always be welcome here, el cariño." She watched as Bucky was surrounded by relatives, all eager to meet him.

His boyfriend smiled, a sense of pride evident in his eyes. "He's something special," he agreed.

As the day progressed, Bucky found himself playing with the children, being used as a makeshift jungle gym. Despite the initial shock, he couldn't help but smile. He was finally part of something, and it felt incredible.

By the time dinner rolled around, Bucky had eaten more than his fair share. After helping with the cleanup, he and his boyfriend retired to the bedroom.

"Thank you for all of this," Bucky murmured, lying down on the pull-out sofa.

His boyfriend climbed on top of him, his warm breath fanning against Bucky's face. "Bienvenido a la familia, Bucky," he whispered.

As Bucky drifted off to sleep, he felt a sense of peace and belonging he hadn't experienced in years. He had found a home, and it was more than he could have ever imagined.

[laconchadetumadre]

"broke all of his stuff"

cartman gave kyle aids, and while kyle did laugh at cartman it WAS ironic that cartman was always threatening to give kyle aids and then got aids himself, kyle was not to blame for cartman getting aids and he wasnt mocking him, cartman's situation is ironic and thats intented on the creators side, kyle is meant to be a stand in for the audience (since only the audience would remember cartman's aids gag).

"stole his girlfriend"

kyle didn't set out to "steal" heidi from cartman, he recognized that she was in an abusive relationship and wanted to help (because he related to her unbalanced power dynamic with cartman, hence the whole "we are all going out with cartman"). although i do agree he should have stayed out of it, i don't believe this is enough to justify cartman's harassment towards kyle.

"sabotaged his happy future with a wife and kids"

cartman was planning on murdering 10-year-old kyle, and at the end it isn't even kyle or any of the boys who ended up activating the time traveling machine, it's cartman's baby who does after shouting "Fuck you, Uncle Kyle!". It is the hatred against kyle that Cartman himself had instilled into his own family that ended up wiping them from existence. It might not be super on the nose that cartman had been badmouthing kyle to his family even since before reuniting with him, but it is definitely hinted at in the Post Covid special given that Yentl recognized kyle right away and didn't seem happy about him.

"REFUSED to help him when he was sucked into a parallel dimension"

kyle wasn't looking when cartman was sucked into the portal though, he was skeptic about the whole thing so he probably didn't even think cartman was in danger. cartman also tends to overreact or emotionally manipulate the boys so it is pretty reasonable that kyle is doubtfull whenever cartman asks for help. kyle is also usually critized for "sticking his nose where he shouldnt", so i actually think it's nice when he gets to walk away from things tbh. Also, Kyle isnt responsible for cartman, its not his job to care for him or do anything whenever he is in trouble.

"still kept fucking harassing him for being fat even when cartman stopped making jew jokes for the most part"

did you skip the cupid ye episode? cartman has definitely not grown out of his antisemetisism or harassment of kyle quite yet.

"and ya'll have the nerve to shame cartman just for lightly teasing kyle at the end????"

people are allowed to have their own takes on the specials. i personally did like the final punchline even if kyle was the butt of the joke because it was very in character for cartman.

"the reason why this episode was such a breath of fresh air was bc it finally showed kyle being nice to cartman for once and being a good friend BACK"

there are multiple other instances of kyle being nice to cartman or helping him out, this isnt the only time this has happened. off the top of my head i can list off a few episodes here: jewpacabra, tegrity farms (when kyle tried to pay off cartman's and butters debt to some vape dealer), mexican joker, "help, my teenager hates me!", manbearpig, etc. the biggest difference between kyle and cartman when they are helping each other out is that cartman is often forced into helping kyle out (tonsil trouble, mexican joker if you squint, since stan got cartman deported) or is doing so in order to make up for some atrocious thing he has done to kyle previously (mexican joker); on the other hand, kyle is often helping cartman out of a shitty situation that cartman put himself in (tegrity farms, jewpacabra, manbearpig, its a jersey thing, etc).

"cartman helps kyle with shit all the time too i mean deadass remember when he got out of the hospital bed to save kyle from the PC people????"

while there are moments where cartman's actions end up benefiting kyle or the other boys, what happens more often is that cartman realizes helping out the others will result in something beneficial for himself, just like in the very example you provided. kyle says so himself in the end of the episode "It just seems to me like we all lost in this, and that the only person who won was you" his opinion may be biased but, at the end, cartman did get to pull a very racist scheme with the whole mexican pregnant women and tacos thing and faced no consequences for this in particular and, to top it all of, it isn't this particular scheme what solves the problem, it's kyle deciding to succumb to peer pressure that fixes everything.

"yet, kyle didn't appreciate it and still broke all of cartman's stuff"

correct me if im wrong but if this is referring to that one time kyle threatened to break cartman's xbox then we are talking about "tounsil trouble" (12x1), which happens before cartman "saving" kyle from the PC people in Stunning and Brave (19x1) so it's imposible for kyle to "appreciate" something that hasnt happened yet.

"and tried sabotaging his relationship the next season"

cartman self-sabotaged his relationship with heidi, he had already attempted murder and kidnapping on her and successfully jeopardized her health by tricking her into eating junk food and then fatshamed her for putting on weight.

"kyle going out of his way to help cartman with a weight loss drug is honestly the LEAST he could do"

considering how many times cartman has endangered kyle's own health, i dont really think so. even if they were both on even terms, no one really owes you any help to get your own medical records straight (except for the health system itself but that's besides the point).

"to make up for all the times cartman was nice to him and tried helping him and he was an ungrateful little bitch about it."

like i said, kyle has helped out cartman just as many times, and kyle actually does it out of the kindness of his heart, unlike cartman who is usually trying to get something for himself.

"that's why i'm rlly not that mad abt cartman making that ginger jew joke at the end"

this is the only thing i agree with from this whole rant.

"at least they're even now"

i think cartman would end up getting screwed over a thousand times more if kyle tried to make things "even".

ya'll forget how much cartman unconditionally supports kyle

ok so i HATED how after the end of obesity special all the people who shit on cartman while blindly supporting anything kyle does were all like "ugh i can't believe cartman insulted kyle even after how much he helped him in the episode!1!1 😤" or "wow kyle is such a good person he's still willing to help cartman even after everything cartman's done!1!1!" like ok i'm gonna stop you right there LOL. are ya'll forgetting how much of an ASS kyle's been to cartman the past few seasons?!?!? (and rlly the whole series lol) that piece of shit deadass broke all of his stuff, stole his girlfriend, sabotaged his happy future with a wife and kids, REFUSED to help him when he was sucked into a parallel dimension where everyone is replaced with a diverse woman, and still kept fucking harassing him for being fat even when when cartman stopped making jew jokes for the most part. and ya'll have the nerve to shame cartman just for lightly teasing kyle at the end???? the reason why this episode was such a breath of fresh air was bc it finally showed kyle being nice to cartman for once and being a good friend BACK. ya'll are forgetting the fact that cartman helps kyle with shit all the time too i mean deadass remember when he got out of the hospital bed to save kyle from the PC people???? yet, kyle didn't appreciate it and still broke all of cartman's stuff and tried sabotaging his relationship the next season LOL. so yeah kyle going out of his way to help cartman with a weight loss drug is honestly the LEAST he could do at this point to make up for all the times cartman was nice to him and tried helping him and he was an ungrateful little bitch about it. that's why i'm rlly not that mad abt cartman making that ginger jew joke at the end bc i mean at least they're even now and it's rlly nowhere near as bad as all the unappreciative ways kyle has tried to screw cartman over after cartman was there for him.

[call-me-copycat]

Michi…. Shinsou’s hero name… how are we feeling?? It’s okay but def not what I expected 😭

Leaks for those unaware:

Ok, being a huge MHA fan once I saw an update about Shinso I nearly cried on instinct but now some time has passed I'm able to think about it more

It doesn't seem too bad for a hero name? There's worse after all: Tail Man, Sugar Man, Invisible Girl, Grape Juice, etc

Still, I like to think we as a fandom have grown close to the conjectured name MindJack for him so it's certainly a little unfamiliar

That being said, while I do wish his hero name had something to do a little more with his quirk, I do like the name NightHide (it's cheesy but so are most of the Hero names - look at All Might's!)

It fits the same pattern Horikoshi goes through when he's made most of the other Hero names, which I like because it fits Shinso in just a little more (so nice seeing him not sticking out anymore but now a part of the group)

It also makes sense in hindsight that his hero name doesn't allude to his quirk because the whole point of his quirk is depending on others not knowing what it is

That's why I'm a little confused that he seems to be a Pro Hero instead of an Underground Hero? I feel that with a quirk like his he might be better suited for the Underground life (most would speculate based on his similarities to Aizawa after all)

Maybe he wanted to forge his own path? Maybe he just likes being part of the group? Aizawa only really had Hizashi and Nemuri growing as a hero, so he might've been better suited for the loneliness that came with being an underground hero. Shinso throughout the series seems to always be surrounded by people, so he's probably more used to it than solitude like Aizawa (just speculation)

That being said I definitely liked the Shinso cameo, it made my day (because most of the leaks seemed to bring lots of pain to me ૮( ̳ т ̫ т ̳ )ა)

I might share the rest of the leaks I got from Twitter actually, this is very exciting for me (very exhausting too)

That being said, look at him in the back!

I really hope he kept his original Hero outfit we saw in the anime because I thought that looked fantastic, so that's why I'm a little worried about people talking about how his outfit looks more like Aizawa's (⁠´⁠；⁠ω⁠；⁠｀⁠)

As much as I like the Aizawa - Shinso dynamic, I want to see Shinso grow! I want to see him carve out his own path in life!

I'm always happy to get Shinso content at this point so I can't be too picky, that being said it's not a bad name at all! (´∇｀)

Edit:

I feel the need to point out in Japanese it'll sound a little different than when it's spoken in English

In English, "Night" and "Hide" sound a little similar, only due to the middle "I"

In Japanese, "Night" will be said similar to "Nai-to" (high to low pitch) and hide will be "hai-do" (since this is also high to low pitch, the D is sharper and sounds similar to the T in "to" in "Nai-to")

It just sounds a little more uniform in Japanese, so I kind of understand why more people are put off by it in standard English

It's an okay name, not bad, and I think it actually fits Horikoshi's habits when it comes to Hero names -⁠ᄒ⁠ᴥ⁠ᄒ⁠-

"SunEater"

"EraserHead"

"All Might"

"Red Riot"

"BackDraft"

Combining 2 English words into 1 typically (obviously with exceptions like "Ingenium" or "Tsukuyomi")

"EdgeShot"

"Loud Cloud"

Overall he's just one to come up with quick, cheesy, partial English names for his characters - I think we've gotten so used to calling these people by their hero names that we forget how odd they must sound to outsiders (I remember thinking "Eraserhead" was a weird name for awhile as a kid actually) (⁠๑⁠¯⁠◡⁠¯⁠๑⁠)

[httpsnali]

WEALTHY CHARADE

CHAPTER FIVE: Sacrifice

✬ Pairing: Park Sunghoon x Female Reader

✬ Genre: strangers/enemies to lovers!AU, angst!romance

✬ Synopsis: Forced into a union that promises more complications than peace, you must confront the ghosts of the past and decide if you will bend under the weight of family duty or carve out your own path.

✬ CW: toxic parenting, mild depictions of anger, y/n is really emotional, mild descriptions of anxiety, y/n is a mess

✬ WC: 7.6k

Sunghoon was exceptionally tired. Tired was an understatement. He was exhausted. He had spent the entire day responding to emails and rescheduling his appointments, and was now on his way to the dinner that his father had so frustratingly withheld the details of.  

His friends had expressed their concerns, and Jay had gone as far as threatening to lock Sunghoon in his apartment if he didn’t set aside some time to take a break. Sunghoon suspected they weren’t wrong. When his friends would nag at him concerning his work habits, he would brush it off like it was some playful concern. While he appreciated their sentiments, he knew he had no choice.

He wasn’t kidding when he told Jungwon that he was the backbone of the entire corporation. His father did a good job of being the face of the company, however, he was the one who handled everything behind the scenes. He secured deals with investors, both overseas and locally, sat in directors’ meetings and made sure that they were all in line and made sure to keep up appearances in public. He kept PTC afloat. He wasn’t CEO or anything, his father still held that title, but he might as well have been. He had done well to gain the trust of the directors and knew how employees would whisper in the breakrooms about his incredible dedication and contribution to the company. Sunghoon led the company because no one else could.

The man sitting quietly beside him as they drove to this mysterious dinner, whom he referred to plainly as Mr. Park, was as lousy a businessman as he was a father. Sunghoon regarded him with thinly veiled disdain. From as early as he could remember, his father only saw him as someone he could use to handle his affairs while he went about kicking back enjoying his wealth. Mr. Park would rather spend his time hunting or golfing with stepmom of the month, leaving his responsibilities to his son. The thought made him sneer but he was way past giving his father any kind of reaction.

The silence stretched until his father, staring out at the passing cityscape, finally spoke. “How are things at the company?”

Sunghoon let his father’s question linger for a moment before responding, “Fine.”

There was a pause, then silence befell them once more. Minutes later, Sunghoon’s phone buzzed with a text. He mentally cursed himself for not silencing his phone earlier only to see it was a text from Jungwon. He wasn’t sure how to feel about him still working despite him giving his cousin the rest of the day off. He didn’t linger on it for too long since it would be like the pot calling the kettle black. Jungwon was just as much of a workaholic as him, but he was in no position to say anything about it.

Jungwon: Hi Boss, I know you are at dinner with your father, but I looked into the joint venture rumors with AhnPharma. The media outlet confirmed that their source was credible. Although they didn’t disclose who it was, they said it was from one of the higher ups at PTC.

Sunghoon could feel a migraine coming in. Higher ups at PTC? What were they talking about? No one bypassed him on major company decisions, let alone something as big as a venture rumor, yet he knew nothing about this. Did someone skip protocol and release false information to the public? Unless…

He turned to his father, his suspicion growing.

“Is there something I should know about?” Sunghoon demanded.

“In regard to what?” Mr. Park replied, unfazed.

“Well, for starters, this dinner,” said Sunghoon. “You have given me no details about who we are meeting except that they are old friends of yours. I think I deserve to know more than that.”

Mr. Park scoffed and turned to face his son for the first time since they got into the car.

“It’s easy to believe we deserve things when we have done nothing to merit them.”

Sunghoon arched his brow slightly, already starting to get irritated. “I don’t have time for your word games. Just tell me who we are meeting and while you do that, tell me why I am seeing stories on talks about a joint venture with AhnPharma. Did you know about this?”

“Yes, I did.” Mr. Park admitted without sparing a beat.

Sunghoon pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to contain his frustration, “Why wasn’t I informed about this, since when did you approve of this?”

“Not too long ago, about a month or so.” His father responded casually.

“Why wasn’t I told about this?” Sunghoon took a deep breath, to avoid giving his father the satisfaction of seeing him upset. “How could you agree to this without running it through me first?”

Mr. Park gave an arrogant smirk, “I am running it through you. This dinner.”

“What do you mean? Are we having dinner with people from AhnPharma?” Sunghoon narrowed his eyes, glancing sideways towards his father.

“Just to finalize some details. Shouldn’t take too long.”

Sunghoon didn’t know what was more frustrating about this; his father’s nonchalant tone, or the fact that they were in the finalizing stage of a deal he knew nothing about. His thick brows knitted together in a frown, “This makes absolutely no sense. Why would you agree to this?”

His father looked away and stroked his jaw, ignoring the urgency in Sunghoon’s tone. The car came to a stop signaling their arrival. Sunghoon looked out the window recognizing the neatly kept estate of the Ahn family. He recalls attending a gala dinner with his father years ago, but the memory was too hazy and insignificant to remember much of.

“These are old friends of mine,” Mr. Park explained, “I am just doing them a favor.”

“I didn’t think you had any friends,” Sunghoon said sarcastically. “I can’t help but to wonder if you have a different motive.”

“You always expect the worst from me, Sunghoon.” He accused in a honeyed tone.

“Old habits die hard, I guess,” he pocketed his phone and clutched the car door handle. “And anyway, the company can’t go into a joint venture right now, so I guess the only thing we will be finalizing tonight is the fact that this deal is over.”

Mr. Park grasped his shoulder which made Sunghoon flinch slightly. “I gave them my word. We can’t back out now.”

“I don’t care about your word,” Sunghoon shrugged his father’s hand off his shoulder. “Don’t go making promises that you can’t keep. I am the one who gets to decide what is good for this company and what isn’t. You haven’t set foot in that building in thirteen months, you don’t know how things work around here. What makes you think that you can go around making decisions for this company when you don’t even know the people who work there?” he closed his eyes briefly, “Do you realize that a joint venture means we would have to lay off nearly half of our employees? Have you considered that these are people with families to take care of? And what about new policies that they would have to adapt to? Did you consider that at all?”

Sunghoon pressed his lips into a thin line. He needed to keep himself in check. There was no use getting angry over a deal that he was not going to allow to go through. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“Look, whatever reason you had for making this deal, I’m sure was…noble.” He said hesitantly after noticing his father’s sullen expression. “However, I’m afraid it’s come in too soon and we can’t handle this right now.”

Mr. Park cleared his throat and adjusted his collar. Sunghoon made a good point. He was so caught up in trying to do a good thing for his friend that he forgot to factor in the people that would be involved.

“Still, we should have dinner with them. Hear them out first, you might reconsider.” He concluded before stepping out of the vehicle.

«

You had just put the final touches into your look for tonight when a soft knock was heard on your door. Thinking it was one of the maidservants coming to assist you, you asked them to come in without glancing at the door. The sound of heels clicking made you look up to see your mother walk in and shut the door behind her. You stood up quickly unsure of yourself. This was the first time in a very long time that she had been in your room. It was an odd sight, nevertheless, you greeted her hesitantly.

“Good, you’re already dressed,” she said, dismissing your greeting entirely. She scrutinized you, looking for noticeable flaws before she approached your vanity and selected a pair of diamond earrings from among your jewelry. “These look better, and get rid of the pearls, they age you up.”

You followed her instructions, hands trembling slightly as you switched the dangling earrings you had on before for the plain but simple diamond studs. With a strut, she walked to the windows gazing out at the lush green gardens. Your mother was a picture of poise and elegance. She wore a perfectly tailored tweed set and had her hair pinned up into a classic French bun. She let out a soft sigh before she turned back to look at you, now having put the earrings on.

“Those earrings were a gift from my father,” she started. “I never got to wear them much, didn’t think they suited me.”

Your fingers flew to your ears as if on instinct and your heart started to beat fast. You realized you were nervous. Your mother was actually holding a conversation with you, and she was being…warm? You weren’t sure how to respond, afraid that anything you said could be used as a point for criticism from her.

“They are beautiful,” You settle on simply stating the obvious. You cleared your throat softly before adding, “are we celebrating tonight?”

Your mother observed you inquisitively, not giving much away with her unreadable expression. Part of you wanted to believe what Aeri said about things starting to look up, that maybe this was your welcome dinner and that they were finally going to admit they missed you through their actions. That maybe distance did indeed make the heart fonder, and your parents had missed you terribly and that just because they were not good with their words didn’t mean they couldn’t show you.

Your mother glanced down at her skirt, brushing away some imaginary lint before she took a step toward you. Still keeping her distance, she clasped her hands in front of her.

“Y/n,” she said, “we’ve decided something important for you. It’s time you stepped up and did your part for the family.”

You held your breath in anticipation as though bracing yourself for impact. You were not sure what had prompted you to act this way, but you didn’t like the sound of it, so your heart sank.

“You know how important family is, don’t you?” she asserted, and you swallowed.

“We’re at a stage where big decisions have started to come into play, and an opportunity has come up for us. You know your father and I have always worked so hard for this family. And sometimes…well, sometimes sacrifices are necessary.”

Her tone was curt and cold. All of a sudden, the room felt smaller, and the air felt thicker. You willed yourself to calm down and stop overreacting because you had no reason to. Still, you suspected that she was about to drop something on you.

“Sacrifices? What are you talking about?” You winced slightly as your hand instinctively rose to your neck, fingers searching for the pendant you always played with in moments like this. Disappointed to only find bare skin your hand lowered, lightly brushing over your collarbone instead.

“It’s about the future. Your future. And the company’s future. This is bigger than just you.” She raised her chin, her tone firm.

“What is bigger than me? What are you not saying?" you pleaded anxiously. Why couldn’t she just get to the point? She sighed deeply glancing toward the door as if wishing she would rather be anywhere else than here, having this conversation with you.

“The company hasn’t been doing so well, and a year from now, we could be on our way to bankruptcy,” she paced the floor cautiously with a solemn expression on her face, “We haven’t been able to acquire new investors for some of our trials and are slowly losing the trust of the ones we have. Two have pulled out already in the past six months, and if others get a whiff of this…well, it could be disastrous for us.”

“Okay, that sounds really unfortunate. But what does that have to do with me?” you ask as she takes a seat on the little bench at the foot of your bed. She arched her brow and scoffed lightly glancing at you for a moment.

“We’ve come to agreement with the Park family. Our investors need a solid succession plan and their son is…he’s an excellent match.”

You stare at her in shock, refusing to believe the words currently coming out of her mouth. There was only one way the Park son could be a successor of the company.

“You don’t mean…” it comes out in a mumble as this gnawing feeling begins to grow in your gut. You grab onto your vanity, leaning on it for support. Your mother avoids your gaze and glances at the door again.

“This is about stability, Y/n. Think about our family’s legacy.” She is defensive and trying to prove her point but all you are wondering is why breathing suddenly feels so hard to do.

“Are you serious?” it takes everything in you to make your voice sound stable and clear, “you’re marrying me off like some business deal?”

“This is not just a business deal. It’s an investment. You stand to benefit from this too!”

Something flips inside you and you’re furious now, “Benefit? How? By being a pawn in your plans? Did you even consider asking me about it? Did you think about what I want?”

The notion of arranged marriages wasn’t new to your family. Your parents’ marriage had been an arranged one. Still, you had expected them to want different for their children. Times had changed. Even if they had still insisted on an arranged marriage, you had expected to at least have the freedom of choice when it came to selecting who you would marry. You didn’t consider yourself reckless and irresponsible when it came to your choice of boyfriends. Granted, you didn’t have that much experience in dating, and most of your past relationships were short-lived, but they were all good people. You were able to choose someone good enough on your own.

“We know this is sudden, but you’ll come to see this as the best for everyone. Sometimes we have to put the family first.”

“No, you decided to put the company first,” Tears began welling up in your eyes. You felt utterly betrayed, unheard and alone, “You never cared about what I wanted. I can’t believe you’d do this to me!”

“Enough!” she snapped and stood up, “It’s already decided. The sooner you accept it, the better.”

It then hits you like a freight train. This whole evening, the dress, the jewelry. They were getting you ready to present you to your so-called future husband. You had walked into their trap without even knowing. You now felt stupid in that dress. You hated it. You hated yourself even more for having a sliver of hope that your parents actually cared about you. You didn’t want to go to that stupid dinner.

“Don’t make this difficult, Y/n. You know how much we’ve done for you,” she bores her gaze into you and takes an unwavering step forward. She tilts her head to the side ever so slightly in a way that makes you shrink back in shame, “You know how much you owe us. It’s time to repay by being useful, don’t you think?”

A shiver runs down your spine as goosebumps rise all over your skin. You swallow, hard and break away from your mother’s gaze. Your palms feel clammy as you dig your fingernails into them. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. You clench your fists harder to distract you from the pain you feel elsewhere.

Your mother seems to take pleasure in your reaction. Or distaste over it. Either way, she finally makes her leave but not before telling you to fix yourself up as the guests should be arriving soon. It was only after she shut the door behind her on the way out that you gasped for air releasing the breath you didn’t even realize you had been holding.

You collapsed to your knees on the floor and began to sob. Once the tears began to flow, you couldn’t stop them. You hated this. You hated this so much. You wanted to scream for help, but you knew no one would come to your rescue. It felt worse to know that your mother was right about you owing them. Technically, they were in this position because of you. This was your karma. You deserved to be treated this way; still, it stung like hell.

You squeezed your eyes shut and took big breaths to calm yourself. Straightening back up, you reached for a tissue on your vanity and blew your nose and wiped your tears. You weren’t going to go along with this, you decided. Whoever this guy was, you were going to make him realize just how big of a mistake he would be making to be marrying into this family. You were going to make him run for the hills terrified.

Oh, who were you kidding? There was nothing you could do to undo this. Your mother was very clear that their decision was final. And the part of you that loved to punish yourself suspected that this was the universe’s way of making you pay for your actions. You had lost the resolve to fight years ago when you left this place.

You lifted yourself off the ground and onto your chair. Your makeup was ruined, and your eyes were red. You fixed yourself up really quickly, occasionally hiccupping and tearing up. In the end, you decided to let your hair down to hide your flushed skin. After making sure there were no remnants of your little outburst, you stood up and made your way to the dining room.

«

Sunghoon was reminded of just how much he couldn’t remember this place the moment they entered the foyer. The room looked foreign. The interior design leaned toward vintage with various art pieces on the walls and placed strategically in the corners. It was evident that the owners of this house had a taste for art and finery—he could see why they were friends with his father. An expensive looking Persian rug stretched over the floor and up the staircase, seamlessly uniting the place. Seconds later, a man who looked to be in his late 50s came in through one of the doors.

“Jihoo!” the man greeted boisterously. He gave Mr. Park a fierce hug like they hadn’t seen each other in years.

“Hyung‑nim!” Sunghoon’s father responded, “it’s been a while. How are things going?”

“How many times have a I told you to stop calling me that, you’ll make me seem older than I actually am!” he let out a thundering laugh giving Sunghoon’s father a firm pat on the back. “I’m so glad good to see you in person, Jihoo. We’re so used to seeing just your face through a screen,” he paused and took a step back to study him, “Have you lost weight?” he joked.

The two exploded in laughter and it felt odd for Sunghoon to see his father be so likable to someone. He noted how the man mentioned seeing his father through a screen. The two must have been in contact for a while, discussing the details of this business deal. He silently hoped this wouldn’t complicate things too much when he inevitably declined it. The man finally seemed to notice there was a third person in the room when Sunghoon shifted his weight.

“This must be Sunghoon,” the man said addressing him directly. He bowed politely then shook his outstretched hand. The man’s grip was firm and steady.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”

“Sir?” the man repeated, “what’s with all the formalities tonight, eh?” he chuckled.

“We are quite tired,” Mr. Park explained, “the drive from the city was a long one. Hey, why did you have to live so far away? Why can't you get a town house like a normal person?”

The man pocketed his hands and stood up straight. He had an air of confidence and entitlement around him as he said, “The city is way too crowded, and my wife can’t stand the pollution.”

Sunghoon resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He hated entitled people. They were the worst sort to go into business with. They would never agree to compromise and always had unrealistically high expectations. Still, he let out a light chuckle to be polite.

“Come though, you must be exhausted.” The man directed the two gents into another room that he could only describe as a waiting room. Similar art pieces were placed around the room while the walls were lined with shelves of different sized books and other vintage looking clutter. The man encouraged the two to take a seat while he walked to the mini bar in the corner and offered them a drink. Sunghoon was more of a cognac guy nevertheless he accepted the glass of whiskey. From the first sip alone, he could tell that wasn’t any cheap liquor.

“So Sunghoon,” the man started once he had sat down as well. He chose the single armchair across from where he and his father were sat, as though choosing to purposely single himself out. “How are things at Park Tech? You father tells me business is going well.”

Sunghoon sat up straight. It was now time to get into business, he didn’t enjoy beating around the bush and believed in tackling his problems head on.

“Things are going quite well. The company’s latest software release exceeded sales expectations and investors are more than pleased with the rise in quarterly earnings. Updates in the weekly board meetings are nothing but good news.”

The man nodded slowly, evidently impressed. Sunghoon felt a twinge of pride. He knew that his efforts did not go to waste, even if they did sometimes take a toll on his personal life.

“I like the sound of that,��� said the man then he nodded to Mr. Park, “some talented kid you’ve got here.

“I agree, I wouldn’t have trusted PTC to anyone else. No one knows how to run the company like he does.”

“Which is why he is the perfect man for the job.” The man leaned back into his chair, taking a sip from his glass with a knowing smirk.

Sunghoon took a sip from his glass as well and shifted uncomfortably. He relished the burn of the amber liquid as it slid down his throat.

“Tell me, have you two discussed the details or our arrangement? I’m open to hearing your opinion…or any recommendations.” He laughed in a very businesslike manner that held no real delight in his voice.

His father beat him to it before he could answer. “No, but that’s what we’re here for, isn’t it? I thought Sunghoon should hear it from you first, then we will decide on the way forward.”

“Decide on the way forward? What do you mean, man? The decision was already made, was it not?”

This time, it was Sunghoon to interrupt his father. “With all due respect, sir, the announcement of this venture came quite unexpectedly,” he glanced sideways at his father, “so we have not been able to make the proper arrangements to accommodate it. Especially around this time of year. We have not allocated resources for growth or diversification.”

The man set his glass aside and leaned forward. “But based on your mid-year performance reviews, you seem to be doing well enough to pivot your strategies a little. And who knows, this could boost profitability before year-end.”

Did he know about their current performance? How much had his father divulged to him already? Sure, they were exceeding performance expectations, but they had already used the surplus funds to invest in new hires. They would have to go back to the drawing board and create a fresh budget, and possibly hold back on a few product launches. It was too much, and too soon, and he didn’t understand how he was expected to just say yes.

“What do you know about AhnPharma, boy?” the man questioned. Sunghoon hated the way the word boy sounded on his lips; almost demeaning.

“Aside from what’s common knowledge, I don’t know much, I’m afraid.” Sunghoon admitted sheepishly. He felt so unprepared for this. Had he known sooner, he would have studied more about AhnPharma which would have given him a broader idea of what they were getting into.

The man stood and walked towards a large painting that Sunghoon now realized was of his family. He recognized the man, who sat next to a poised woman who he assumed was his wife. In front of them stood two children: a boy and a girl. They both had similar features, but the boy seemed to be a year or two older than the girl. The painting was done years ago, the man before him currently looked older, grayer. Everything about him felt calculated. Even the way he slowly paced the room as if deciding on the best approach to take with this. Sunghoon wondered if he approached everything in his life in the same manner.

“The company was first started by my great grandfather in the 1920s. He discovered that by mixing and using simple herbs, one could cure different diseases. Together with his brothers, they were able to provide healing salves and medicine to the poor people who were not able to afford professional aid from the hospital at that time. By the time the Korean War broke out, they had already made a name for themselves in medicine and even provided our troops with aid.” He paused and now looked directly at the two and offered a tight-lipped smile.

“I’m not going to go into heavy detail, lest I bore you…”

“You could never bore us…” Mr. Park offered pathetically.

The man gave Sunghoon’s father a brief glance before fixing his gaze back on him, as if knowing where the true power to make the decision lay, and that it lay with him, not his father.

“My point is this; AhnPharma has always been the people’s favorite. We provide the best kind of medical aid to the people of this country and aside from that, we have some of the best investors lined up to support our work.” He sighed and stroked his beard, appearing to be deep in thought. “However, of late, we have started to lose the trust of some of them,” he continued before muttering an insult under his breath. “They believe that they should only invest in something if that thing is guaranteed to be profitable long-term.”

Sunghoon carefully took in his words. He was slowly starting to understand what the man was trying to say.

“So let me get this straight,” Sunghoon started. His glass, which he abandoned long ago, sat on the small table before him. He didn’t like drinking when talking business. “You are essentially looking for investors? You need money?”

Something flashed in the man’s eyes but then it was gone in an instant. He felt his father tense up beside him.

“Well, if you put it like that it makes us look like we’re begging!” He laughed but no one laughed with him. “What we need is something more long-term–”

He is cut off by a soft knock on the door. A servant came in and after bowing announced that dinner was served. He thanked her before she scurried away, looking obviously irritated at having been interrupted.

“Well, we will have to continue this conversation in the next room. My wife hates tardiness.” He says as he stands. They all stood up with him and made their way to the dining room. If money was all he needed, why didn’t he just tell his father that? Why did they need to go into a joint venture? PTC could just invest, that wasn’t so hard to do. He made a mental note to ask Jungwon to see if it was plausible, in the coming week.

They came back into the foyer, and he saw the man’s wife coming down the stairs with a practiced smile on her face. Then, his eyes fixed on you, who was just a step behind her, with your eyes downcast. He immediately recognized you from the painting. You had the same adorable nose and seemed to have grown into your other features. Your hair flowed angelically down your back and the dress you wore hugged your curves so perfectly, he felt his jaw go slack for a second. His face lit up for a second before sensing your sullen mood, then his expression dulled.

Your mother had given you a stern look for choosing to wear your hair down. She hadn’t approved of that; she had started to say. But before she could get a word out, you heard voices coming from the bottom of the staircase. She quickly plastered her welcoming expression and descended to greet them. You followed suit with a solemn expression on your face. Your appetite was long gone, and you could feel yourself starting to give out internally.

“Darling,” your father greeted. You couldn’t stand to see him right now, still bitter that he didn’t consider telling you of his plans to sell you off. “I believe you know Park Jihoo.”

Your mother stretched out her hand for Mr. Park to take. He stepped closer and bowed slightly before reaching for her hand. He brought her hand to his lips, brushing a brief, almost ceremonious kiss against her knuckles—a gesture that felt both old-fashioned and deliberate.

“So, you’re the man that’s been keeping my husband locked in his office at odd hours in the night?” She giggled.

“I apologize, time difference is the one thing I’m afraid I cannot control,” he pauses briefly and takes notice of you “And this must be your daughter. My, what a striking resemblance to you Mrs. Ahn.” He remarked.

“Please, call me Hye Sook.” Your mother chuckled giving him a playful shove.

“Y/n,” said your father, “be respectful and greet our guests.” His tone was firm and commanding. You stepped forward, greeted them and introduced yourself. Sunghoon noticed your forced smile and how you closed off you were being. He also took note of your red rimmed eyes and slightly puffy face. Had you been crying? The evening was proving to be quite strange, if he was being honest. He couldn’t wait to get home after this. Your mother directed your little group to the dining room. Your father walked in step with Mr. Park and spoke to him in a low tone while gesticulating vehemently. This left you with who you assumed was Mr. Park’s son.

The two of you remained silent for a beat while you wondered to yourself why you didn’t just follow your family to the dining room, and why your feet still seemed rooted to the ground even despite thinking this. The tension was so thick and awkward. Sunghoon was the one to break it.

“Y/n, right?” He stretched out his hand which you took albeit hesitantly. “Sunghoon. Just realized I didn’t get a chance to introduce myself,” he chuckled. You must have been around his age. And while he wasn’t exactly on the hunt for new friends, it wouldn’t kill him to be friendly.

It didn’t work. You didn’t even smirk. It was obvious that there was something going on with you, but it felt out of his place to ask. But the way in which you now looked up at him with your round eyes made you look so vulnerable and docile. In a way, it made him squirm in fear that he might spill his darkest secrets if you asked him to. You were small in comparison to his height, so he still towered over you. His breath began to hitch as you blinked slowly, scrutinizing his features.

He was handsome, you could give him that. He had good bone structure and nice teeth which you took note of when he spoke. His hand felt slightly rough to the touch but not too much, an indication that he probably used them a lot. He had very faint eyebags around his eyes. Did he not get enough sleep? His gaze was sharp, and you cocked your head to the side as you lowered your eyes to his lips which parted slightly. You caught a whiff of cologne and whiskey from him. You were studying him, which made Sunghoon uncomfortable. His face contorted and his expression visibly hardened. He cleared his throat and spoke again.

“Uh…maybe we should follow after them.” He stepped back and towards the direction your parents had gone. You quickly fell into step with him as you both made your way. What the hell was that? Why did she look at me like that? What is wrong with this family? He racked his brain and wondered if he was missing something. He then concluded that he was either just exhausted or that there was something strange going on. The sound of voices of laughter poured out of the room and everyone seemed to be in high spirits. You followed behind Sunghoon and went to find your seat. Your parents were opening a bottle of champagne clearly in a celebratory mood. Again, you felt betrayed by their lack of empathy. You quickly shoved your feelings aside, deciding to pull yourself together. You sat in your usual seat only for your mother to tell you that you would be sitting on the opposite side of the table tonight, which put you on Sunghoon’s left while your father sat on his right.

Dinner went by fairly smoothly and by the time you were done with the entrée, your parents had managed to turn almost every conversation topic into talking about you and your achievements and talents. You didn’t even know they knew you like that. It was clear that they were trying to show you off to Sunghoon, to make him realize what a ‘catch’ you were. It was utterly humiliating to sit there and listen to them talk about you like that. Like they were describing the specs of a product to an interested customer.

While he appreciated the gesture that the Ahn’s were making, for whatever reason, Sunghoon was eager to continue his conversation with Mr. Ahn. The three parents were consuming the champagne at an alarming rate which made him anxious. He did not want to continue this conversation another time, or worse, have to come here again. They were now laughing over something his father had said, and he took that opportunity to bring them back to business discussions.

“Mr. Ahn,” he interrupted, tone clipped, “I believe we were in the middle of discussing how we at PTC can help you out of your predicament. I still have a lot of questions.” All attention shifted to Sunghoon, but he did not waver. Business was business after all, and he wanted it to be treated as such. They were behaving in a way that made him feel crazy for being the only one to want to take this seriously. You held your breath and took a sip of your water. Your father’s cheerful expression slowly fell, and he set down his glass with a chuckle.

 “Ah, always straight to the point,” he gave a slow nod, “I admire that. But tonight, it’s less about business and more about celebrating what’s to come.”

Sunghoon frowned and glanced around the table. “Celebrating? What exactly are we celebrating? Nothing’s been finalized yet.” His posture was rigid, with a tightness to it, like he was holding back from speaking his real thoughts.

“Oh, but it has, son,” Mr. Ahn retorted with an almost patronizing smile. “There’s more to this than just contracts and plans.”

You glanced sideways at the man seated beside you. His eyes narrowed and the cords of his neck became rigid. He was clearly not having it, and you had to give it to him for displaying such control. Your stomach tightened and churned in anticipation.

“Then perhaps you would like to explain, because I don’t recall to agreeing to anything yet.” Sunghoon continued.

The older man leaned forward, his elbows on the table. “You see,” he spoke as if recounting a fond memory, “your father and I have been connected for years—through friendship, through shared values. And when my company began facing some…challenges we knew we needed a solution that went beyond mere collaboration.”

“What kind of ‘solution’ are we talking about?” his voice was sharp. His forehead creased as he gazed at the man before him. Out of his periphery, he felt you shift beside him. He heard your breath hitch as though bracing yourself. Mr. Ahn gestured between him and you, and he felt his stomach drop.

“You and my daughter. A union that ensures not just our company’s safety but the strengthening of both our families’ legacies.”

You wanted to collapse. You fixed your gaze firmly on the tablecloth before you, not daring to look at Sunghoon who had turned to see your reaction. You hated every single moment of this. You felt helpless and defeated. This is my fault. This never would have happened if it weren’t for me. This is my karma.

Sunghoon turned back to the man with a scoff, “You’re joking.” He stated simply. He was either joking or just plain crazy. This whole family is full of retards.

Your father reached back for his glass an air of calmness around him. He was being very casual about this like he just successfully bargained on a pair of vintage shoes. “It’s already been agreed upon, young man,” he declared, “There’s a binding contract, with penalties for breach—20 billion won to be exact. The contract has already been signed…”

“Woah, wait a minute,” his voice was now rising, “what contract? You signed a contract? Without telling me? Without my consent?” He was speaking directly to his father now, enraged at this revelation.

It took you by surprise as well. Your mother hadn’t mentioned anything about a contract. Disdain with a mix of betrayal began to fill you. You glanced at your mother only to find her wearing an unimpressed expression as if she was bored by the topic of conversation.

“Now, now, let’s not overreact,” Mr. Park tried to calm his son down, “this is a strategic decision, one that benefits us all.”

You flinched as Sunghoon’s chair loudly scraped the floor as he stood abruptly. His anger bubbled over as he addressed his father. “Benefit? Who?” he turned to your father, “This only benefits you. Your company is failing, isn’t it? And this is your way of saving it—selling your daughter off like some corporate asset.”

You suddenly felt the urge to let him know that you weren’t in agreement with this either, “I had nothing to do with this.” Your voice trembling, but firm.

He whipped his head around. “Didn’t you? You have been sitting here quietly, going along with all of this. You’re just as manipulative as your parents.”

Words could not describe how offended and outraged you were at Sunghoon’s words. You cast him a smoldering gaze as you grit your teeth in rage.

“How dare you?” Your tone was icy as you stood. “You know nothing about me, and you certainly don’t know what I think about any of this! I didn’t ask for any of this!” you felt your face get hot like you were going to explode.

Sunghoon scoffed, incredulous, “Didn’t you? You’ve been sitting here, letting them speak for you. Don’t act like you’re not part of this.”

You began to feel the sting of tears once more and clenched your hands into fists. “How am I part of this? Do you think I wanted any of this? You think I want to marry a total stranger who clearly thinks so little of me?” you exclaimed, your voice rising in exasperation.

“You’re not exactly making it hard to think that. Sitting there, letting them dangle you like bait in front of me—what does that say about you?” his words cut through you with hostility. His own face had turned red, but Sunghoon was past trying to be polite by masking his emotions. This entire night had been a set up and he felt stupid for not having caught on earlier. What, did they expect him to be easygoing and accept their little arrangement? This was his life they were talking about.

Your voice was shaking with anger and hurt. “It says I’m trapped! And unlike you, I don’t get to storm out of deals I don’t like. I don’t get to live my life on my own terms.” You gestured towards your chest feeling your tears begin to well in your eyes. You didn’t miss the way your mother scoffed as she continued to watch the scene unfold before her eyes.

“Oh, spare me the sob story,” Sunghoon narrowed his eyes. He didn’t believe you for a second. “You’re just as complicit as your parents, playing along with this whole charade—”

“I am nothing like my parents!” you stepped closer, jabbing a finger to his chest. “You don’t know me—you don’t know anything about me! All you’ve done is sit here and judge me as if you’re somehow above all this. Newsflash, you’re in it just as much as I am.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Did I ruin your perfect little arrangement?” he countered, voice dripping with sarcasm.

You ran a hand through your hair making a mess of what it already was. You couldn’t care less about it. “You’re impossible!” you scoffed. “You think the world revolves around you and your precious work. You can’t even see that I hate this as much as you do.”

Sunghoon paused for a moment, genuinely taken aback. You took a deep breath before continuing. “I don’t want to marry a man who sees me as nothing more than an extension of my parents’ schemes. And for the record, I’d never marry someone as arrogant and self-absorbed as you.”

Still angry, but faltering slightly, he watched you closely, pondering on what you just said. You were trapped. You hated this.

“Then why are you even here? Why haven’t you said anything to stop this?”

You turned to your parents, voice raw with emotion. “Because it doesn’t matter what I say! It never does!” Your mother sneered while your father avoided your gaze altogether. “I’m just a tool to you, aren’t I? Someone to pawn off for your convenience. Have you ever cared about what I want? About what this does to me?”

“Y/n, that’s enough! Stop embarrassing us.” Mrs. Ahn said coldly, giving Sunghoon an idea of the kind of relationship you had with her.

“You will do as you’re told. You will not speak to us like that.” Mr. Ahn’s tone was sharp and threatening causing a twinge of anger to bubble in his gut on your behalf.

Your shoulders slumped in defeat and your voice dropped into a whisper, “Why do I even bother? You’ll never listen.” Your eyes are mixed with hurt and defiance. “You already hate me so much.”

You glance at Sunghoon one more time, “Welcome to the family.” Your expression was that of anger and despair, like you had given up on this conversation, or on something else entirely. You walked out of the room, steps heavy as they echoed in the now silent dining room.

A tense silence followed. Only the soft tick of the clock that was at one end of the room and the sound of crickets outside could be heard. Mr. Park was the first to break the silence, his tone condescending as he spoke.

“She’s just emotional. You’ll see, with time—"

“With time?” Sunghoon turned on him, his tone cold and biting. “You think this will blow over? You’ve sunk to a new low. Using a sham like this to manipulate me into something I’d never agree to. You’re exactly the same as always, selfish and untrustworthy.”

Mr. Park’s tone hardened, “Watch your tone, Sunghoon.”

“No!” he cut him off, voice rising. “I’ve watched my tone my entire life. You’ve done nothing but disappoint me, and now you expect me to just go along with this insanity? You’re as horrible a father now as you were back then.”

Sunghoon turns to leave the room as well but not before casting a withering glare at your parents. “You deserve each other.” His voice dripped with disdain. Without another word, he storms out of the room grabbing his coat at the door.

✬ A/N: first written chapter woohoo! it's actually embarrassing how long this took to write. we finally get to know a little more about the characters personalities. i'm still trying to figure out how to work this app so forgive me if my layouts aren't so cute. i haven't posted in so long and unfortunately i can't promise it will get better anytime soon. i start my exams next week so i won't be working on this fic. still i wanted to get this first written chapter out of the way. please look forward to more. also let me know if i should make a taglist for this and then tell me HOW to do it lolll. n e ways reblogs, likes and feedback are highly appreciated. i would love to hear what you guys think is going to happen next. i hope you enjoyed!!! xx

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[year2000electronics]

I’m also gonna propose the OTHER side of the coin.

Mom!Tippi

Wouldn’t it be so tragic if Timpani had been that much closer to Bleck this entire time? If potentially Luigi were to meet and befriend her, neither having the slightest clue who the other is, prior to the events of SPM? And by the time they do all realize who everyone is and fully reunite, they only have like 5mins max to cherish it before two of them have to sacrifice their lives to save the third :)

Then on the other hand it’s also lowkey kinda hilarious?

Tippi is just kinda going through the motions with the prophecy. No memories and very little sense of self, she’s putting all her focus on the Pure Hearts and stopping the Void. Very… clinical-like. And gradually she starts to open up more to Mario & Co, grows a bit more lively and starts remembering things.

Like her lost love.

So imagine her surprise as things are starting to click and she’s piecing things together, and for the latest piece to the puzzle, there’s her exchange with Bleck when the group’s confronted by the Count in Sammer’s Kingdom. And then he not only mentions the name “Timpani”, which is very familiar for some reason, but also mentions a son.

There are many questions once she’s got her full memories back. At least she thinks so, but she certainly doesn’t remember having a child with Blumiere before they were torn apart and she was cursed to wander dimensions forever! Who IS this child? Where did he come from? What does this mean? Does this make her a mom? Will the child want her as a mom? Can she be a good mom? This was way less terrifying and complicated when it was just saving all reality from violent oblivion!

At first she thinks it’s Mr. L based off observations from the heroes’ fights against him. But then surprise! It’s actually Luigi! The sweetheart boy she’s known and befriended a few years prior to the adventure… how they were this close to have preventing it altogether had they figured it out sooner.

Picture the final thing that confirms for them both without a doubt their shared connections to Blumiere with the MOTI song that’s the duet to the Memory/Bounding Through Time track. A cherished melody between the lovers when they were together, that was also used as a lullaby for Luigi as a kid when he had nightmares.

Btw Luigi and Tippi being amnesia buddies throughout Ch7 Underwhere and Overthere segment is super cute. Criminal that this wasn’t capitalized on in the game either, like c’mon! Amnesia Buddies! Just supporting each other and helping the other get through the more intense flashbacks when they hit in addition to quest/adventure stuff.

Makes Luvbi’s teasing comments hinting that Tippi’s got a crush on Mario, Luigi or both a lot more awkward, tho.

That awkward moment when you accidentally call your mom friend “mom” out loud to their face, but it later turns out she was your actual mom the whole time.

It’s hard to hug on account of Tippi being a butterfly Pixl, but she carries the intent when she sits on Luigi’s nose and stretches her wings out across his face as best she can.

…I have far too much to say on potential relationships between characters that barely interact canonically.

AW YES... let tippi and luigi bond theyve earned it

i think the funny thing about that, too, is that even though tippi and luigi don't get much together, tippi does have some VERY strong opinions on mr. l (calling him greasy, saying he's weak, and her tattle on him specifically says he has 'no other outstanding features of note') so if she thinks mr. l is bleck's son (instead of luigi) i'm sure her first reaction would be... Interesting... LMAO

[lemelon]

Usually I don’t post about anyone or even anything but I feel like I need to say something about what’s happening…

Talent doesn’t disappear overnight. Skills don’t disappear just like that. Leadership isn’t destroyed in seconds. A player of this stature doesn’t diminish this quickly.

Everyone calling him washed, a fraud, unable to kick a ball doesn’t understand how much psyche plays in sports. Sometimes more than physicality and skills. There comes a point in sport where it’s really mind over matter.

Put yourself in his shoes: as a kid he always wanted to play wearing the white shirt and now after the back and forth drama over the years, he has finally made it to the club of his dreams. Imagine how blessed he must feel despite all the pain he has gone through. Then, had one of the biggest presentation for club. Imagine how many expectations and amount of pressure he must feel. Especially joining an almost perfect team that destroyed almost all teams in Europe and still coming off the high of the UCL win. Now he’s put in the position to maintain all of that. And show the world why RM (the best FC club in the world) CHASED him for years (while also knowing that most of the public believes that he toyed with RM by saying yes and no when in fact, he was under so much political pressure to remain in PSG - just recall what President Flo recently mentioned “you guys can’t imagine what he needed to do to get to RM”). He had to sacrifice one of his best years in PSG and was almost benched/mistreated in the last year in the club. Let’s not forget that he’s still in a legal battle with over unpaid wages. Having gone though the equivalent of war in the football world before all the pieces are now laid out in front of him. He’s in a club of his dreams, his club’s president actually understands and he has some of the best teammates in the world right now. It’s almost too perfect. And now he has to deliver.

Remember the first game he played, made a fab goal and won a trophy instantly. Now in his head, he basically has to repeat that every game. His first few games were actually alright, may not be strongest but it wasn’t as bad it is today. Then he got injured. Then he got blamed for not playing for France. Then he went for a holiday which turned into a slew of fictitious SA allegations. Then he performed worse. Then got even more hate. Then didn’t play for France again and got hated once more. And now he is at his lowest where he can’t even pass or dribble properly in front of an audience. And I say audience because you can tell the form he trains in and the form he plays in are worlds apart. That’s because the public not only holds expectations of him being the best player in the world being in the best club but also critiques everything he does to a level that no one (other than the greats of course) get criticised at. The scrutiny of the public eye has gotten to him and I’m not surprised given how involved everyone has been with him since he was young. Even now, he’s the worst if he doesn’t score a goal. When he does score a goal, it’s just a tap in. Nothing can satisfy the fans at this point.

So how can I tell that it’s not a physical deterioration but rather a mental one? Just look at the way his coach, teammates and those in the footballing world talk about it. No one is saying that he’s a bad player but in fact are saying to have patience. The RM coach has benched players for less but he keeps Kylian in for every match and all 90 minutes because they are trying to bring back his confidence. Look at the way Modric, Jude, Lucas & more have spoken about how amazing he is at training and now just needs to showcase himself.

What is worse is that you can tell he is being hard on himself for that. You can see his want to over perform and prove himself everytime he gets the ball which just leads to a worse performance because he’s not in flow state of mind but rather wanting to showcase to the world why RM chose him. The motivation has gone in the wrong direction resulting in poorer and poorer performance. Sometimes trying too hard results in a worse outcome. Also, he may be on the brink of overtraining himself because he might just believe that if he trains hard enough, all of this will go away. And lastly not to forget, he’s also afraid of getting injured after breaking his nose in the Euros and seeing half of his team get injured. None of this is good for delivering a world class performance.

It’s actually really sad to see how lost he seems on the field, how much of a shell he has become of his former self. Not because the talent and skills has disappeared over night but because he has become afraid of the sport that was his true love. The expectation to deliver has gone to his head. It’s truly a sorry state to witness because everyone who has watched him over the years knows what he is capable of but for some reason isn’t able to bring it out.

Whatever he needs at this point from the mental perceptive, it needs to be done quickly. Or it would spiral way out of hand leaving him worse than before. And we can’t have a generational player like him going down that path. We must support him, we must protect him and we must love him. More so now, even more than before.

[kooksvspogues]

Happy 1st Birthday Liliana!! 🥳

Part 5 -

———————————————————————

I wake up the second I heard Lilian crying. I look to see what time it is, 6:34 a.m.. I slide out of bed and open the door to see if anybody has gotten up, so far nothing, so I go ahead and make my way to Lilian’s room, opening the door seeing her sat up in the crib rubbing her eyes and crying.

“Happy birthday sweetie pie” I say walking over to her, picking her up, her crying automatically dying down as she looks up at me before laying her head on my shoulder. I go ahead and take her over to her changing table, laying her down, unzipping her onesie enough to be able to pull her diaper off. “Goodness girl” I said in a funny voice as she smiled at me. I smiled back, grabbing another diaper sliding it on, and zipping her onesie back up.

I pick her up and head out her door to come face to face with Mack. “I figured it would be you” she smiled at me as I smiled back

“Sorry, I just couldn’t help myself” I admit

“No, you’re fine, I’ll show you where her formula and everything is and good morning birthday girl” she said leaning over and kissing Lilian on the forehead before pointing me towards the stairs.

“If you want, you can go back to bed for a bit, I don’t mind watching her” I tell her

“I may take you up on that” she grinned sleepily as we made it into the kitchen, opening up a cabinet door to reveal the bottles and cans of formula. She pulled one of each out and sat it on the bar before getting it all started. While we waited for the bottle to warm up, we just stood in a comfortable silence waiting.

“Did you have a good time last night?” Mack smiles, crossing her arms

“Yeah, you were right, they were fun to be around” I tell her

“Oh yeah, they’re a hoot” she laughs, “thinking about giving Austin a shot?” She asks

“We’ll see” I say grabbing the bottle out of her hand

“That’s better than a no” she remarks “I’m gonna go try to get another hour or so of sleep if that’s okay?”

“Yeah, go, I got her” I smile walking over to the couch taking a seat, before turning on the tv, trying to find a decent cartoon, settling for Scooby Doo.

Once Lilian finished her bottle and a few snacks, we got down on the floor to play. Mainly just working on her walking. That’s when the guest bedroom door opens up, revealing a shirtless Drew that’s wiping his eyes.

“The tv didn’t wake you up did it?” I ask quickly, startling him

“What? Oh no, I didn’t even know it was on” he said putting his hand on his hip looking over at me, smiling when he realized I had Lilian.

“Okay good” I smile

“You want something coffee?” He asks me

“Yes please” I plead as he smiles heading to the kitchen.

After a few minutes he walks back in the living room handing me a mug, “you like a little milk, sugar, and carmel vanilla flavoring right?” He asks as I look up at him with wide eyes

“Uh.. yeah.. how’d —“ I started

“We talked about coffee that night too” he said taking a seat on the floor about a foot away from me, leaning back against the couch.

“Wow.. thanks, that’s sweet” I admit giving him a smile

“Sorry if that’s weird” he defended

“No no, just shocking a guy can actually remember something” I say and he smiles

“When you have good company, you tend to remember everything, even the bad” he says taking a sip as I turn my attention back to Lilian, taking a sip, watching Lilian crawl her way over to me, right into my lap.

“She really loves you” Drew smiles

“Are you kidding? She loves her uncle Drew, don’t ya kiddo?” I say holding her up to him making her smile real big, Drew smiling just as big in return.

“I hope when I have a kid, they’re as easy as she is, she’s the best baby I’ve been around” he says letting her take hold of his pointer finger leading her over to his lap

“Yeah, she seems to be really easy, I wonder how long it’ll last” I laugh making Drew nod

“Why do y’all look like a married couple and Lilian is y’all’s kid” Logan says making me and Drew both jump at his voice

“You scared me!” I said looking at him

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to, I just walked out, and there y’all were, talking and looking at each other like a married couple with a kid in your lap, it was kinda cute but you’re my future wife, so” Logan explains making me laugh

“You’re right” I say agreeing sarcastically

“What are y’all doing anyway?” He asked us

“Just watching scooby doo, talking, and hanging out with Lil’s, what are you doing?” Drew asks

“Wanting some of that coffee, is there any more?” Logan asks as Drew nods making him rush into the kitchen

“He scared the shit out of me” Drew said making me nod

“I was half way expecting him to be hungover” I admit

“He tends to be fine once he wakes up most of the time” Drew says and I smile

“Lucky us” I grin

“No kidding” Drew laughs as Logan walks back and joins us on the floor.

“You look good this morning” Logan says looking at me

“You too Logan” I tease back

“Oh I know, I always look good” he jokes making me smile

“Without a doubt” I sarcastically agree

Logan gives me a playful dirty look before turning his attention to Drew, “What time is mom getting here?” Logan asks

“I’m not sure, call her” Drew suggests

“Ehh, I’ll give her some time” he says brushing it off as me and Drew both shake our heads.

~~~~~~~~~~

Eventually, Mrs. Jodi finally arrived, immediately pushing her own boys out of the way to give me a hug before going to find Mack and Liliana.

“So even my mom likes you more than me” Logan rolls his eyes pushing me away playfully

“Don’t be jealous, I can’t help she loves me more” I joke, sticking my tongue out at both of them making Logan scoff while Drew just laughs.

We go back into the living room, Liliana sitting on the floor playing, now with Mrs. Jodi, while Mack is taking a break from decorating to talk to her mom for a bit. I go to take a seat on the couch which is quickly followed by Drew and Logan, Drew sitting in the middle.

“What do I need to do?” Mrs. Jodi asks Mack

“Nothing right now, got a few more things to put up, nothing major, and then it’ll be on to the food and getting all that set up, but that’ll be closer to time. Besides they have been a major help” she says motioning to us on the couch.

“Now Maddie, I believe, but your brothers, I’m not so sure” she teased

“For Liliana” Drew smiles as Logan agrees

“That makes more sense” she laughs looking at her two boys, “Maddie, how are you honey? Finally done with vet school?” She asks looking up at me

“Yes ma’am, one of the hardest things I’ve ever done but I believe it’s gonna be well worth it” I smile

“I know you’ll do great honey” she pats my knee before looking up at Drew with a look.. a look.. the look.. like she knows something… “boys, will you go get my bags out of the car and take them to my room” she asks then and they quickly get up and head towards the front door. “You have a little boyfriend yet?” Mrs. Jodi teases looking at me

“Oh no ma’am” I shrug

“Chase and Austin came over last night and Austin seemed to be VERY interested” Mack informs her

“Austin? Yea, he is a very sweet young man” Mrs. Jodi adds

“He’s okay” I somewhat agree with a slight smile

“Oh my gosh, just give him a chance, let the other guy go” Mack drags out

“Other guy?” Mrs. Jodi raises an eyebrow

“Maddie has been hung up on some random guy for years it feels like, and won’t give anybody else the time of day” she explains to her mom

“Well baby, you deserve the world, you’re an incredible young woman, and if you can’t allow yourself to be with somebody else, maybe finding this ‘random guy’ and trying to see what it could be, would be worth it for you” she says getting up to sit next to me on the couch.

“I can’t” I simply say

“What’s his name, I’ll do some stalking” Mack says, my eyes immediately going wide, shaking my head, “I’ll be right back, gonna get Lil’s some juice.” She says getting up and walking into the kitchen.

“Why do you feel like you can’t” Mrs. Jodi asks just as soon as Drew and Logan are walking through the house with her bags. Mine and Drew’s eyes meet for just a few seconds and when I look back over at Mrs. Jodi, I’m face to face with a knowing look.

“You know, don’t you?” I whisper, my face already getting red

“That you two snuck off, talked for hours, made out, and you ran off, yes ma’am I do” she smiles brushing a piece of hair behind my ear. “When you came back downstairs, you were freaking out, just trying to get to your uber, you told me ‘I kissed Drew, I’m sorry, Mack’s gonna be pissed, I got to go, I love you” really quickly and ran out like you were in shock, then when I found Drew, he told me everything”

“Mack doesn’t know right?” I ask quickly with begging eyes

“If she does, it’s not from me, so is it him that you’ve been so hung up on?” she asks me

“Cause she can’t know, we have that pact, ya know? And yes ma’am…” I answer and she nods

“I truly believe that Mack wants you to be happy, regardless of who it is” she smiles at me and I shrug just as everyone comes back into the living room, “I know I’m all for having you officially in this family” she whispers to me just as Drew and I make eye contact again, feeling my heart skip a few beats as he takes the chair a few feet away from me, slightly smiling at me.

~~~~~~~~~~

Closer we got to 4, the more kids we had running around the house and more of the cleaning we did, felt like a waste of time. Parents were standing around outside watching as some of their kids were in the pool while others were drawing on the concrete with chalk.

I was able to meet quite a few of Mack and Garrett’s friends that I haven’t got to meet, along with a few of the friends I met at their wedding. But, no matter what I was, Drew stayed within 3 feet of me at all times. His excuse was, “you may feel overwhelmed and if I can help, I want to” which was just another thing he was proving that he remembered about me saying that night; how I hated meeting lots of new people at one time and being the odd man out, but in this case, it’s all for Liliana.

Finally, after everyone has made their rounds on introducing each other, it feels a look like stressful. I was sitting on the side of the pool next to Logan, our feet in the water, just watching the kids, waiting for Drew to bring us a drink.

“You know when you move back, I get a key to your place” he says with full confidence making me laugh

“We’ll see buddy” I laugh

“It’d be for emergencies” he clarifies

“Anything is an emergency to you, especially if you can’t get your answer within 5 seconds” I point out

“Exactly, emergency” he says grinning making me shake my head.

“here’s your Dr. Peppers” Drew says handing us one before taking his seat back on the other side of me slipping his feet back in the pool.

“Drew, shouldn’t Maddie give me a key to her place for emergencies?” Logan asks making me throw my head back in light laughter

“You ain’t even got a key to my place, why do you need a key to hers?” Drew asks looking at him

“Incase something happens” he explains

“I can handle myself” I argue

“And if she needs anybody, she can call us, we’ll answer” Drew adds giving me a smile which I return

“If you’re just saying that cause you want to come see me at any time, just knock, I may or may not let you in” I giggle nudging his arm making Logan roll his eyes.

“See.. that’s just rude” he said making me and Drew laugh

After a while of just talking and laughing, Mack hollered for everyone to come sing happy birthday to our sweet Liliana. Mack brought out the cake for Lils while Garrett brought out the cake for everyone else. As soon as Mack sat the cake down on the high chair table, Liliana was already tearing it up making us all laugh, trying to get her to hold out for the song. But the moment she got her chance, she was back at it, getting startled when all the kids screamed happy birthday at the top of their lungs.

“Okay! Who wants cake!” Garrett yells and everyone comes flying up to him waiting for their slice.

Mack, Mrs. Jodi, and I were all just in awe of Liliana and trying to capture every moment of her with her first cake. I felt a hand placed lightly on my back, making me look back quickly, only to see Drew.

“I got you a slice” he smiles down at me

“Well thank you” I smile back, snapping a few more pictures before grabbing my plate from him, “she’s so cute” I tell him

“It’s the Starkey genes, I’m telling ya” he said making me smile

“I can’t even argue with that” I shrug

“Ohhh, so you think I’m cute?” He whispers

“Don’t get such a big head” I tease nudging my elbow into his side lightly making him laugh

“You said it, not me” he says

“Technically, you did” I point out making him think back of what he just said

“Shut up” he jokes, laughing, nudging me with his elbow, “you ready to go out tonight?” He asks me

“Yeah, I guess so, I ain’t been out to a bar in a while” I answer

“Mack said you were always the life of the party when y’all were in college together” He says

“Yeah, I was everywhere, always dancing, always finding a new adventure” I chuckle

“What kind of dancing to you do?” He asks

“Really any, but was always a sucker for some line dancing, went out when I first moved to Florida, found a great dancing partner, but then as classes got harder, I never went.” I explain and he nods

“Well maybe you’ll find a new dancing partner tonight” he smiles at me we lock eyes

“Yea, maybe so” I smile, putting my attention on the kids instead.

Once everyone got done eating, it was time for presents. By the time the last present was open, it felt like we were in a target aisle, there was so many toys. Some of the toys were opened and already being played with some most of them, were moved into the house for later.

“Can we fill these up please?” A little boy, that I’m pretty sure his name was Tyler, asked me holding a bag of water balloons. I glanced over at Drew and he nodded

“Cmon buddy, we’ll help you” Drew said taking his empty hand and leading the way to the faucet. I couldn’t help the feeling I got in my stomach watching him lead the happy little boy.

“Can you go find us a bucket please?” Tyler asked me

“Of course” I smile turning to go find something, that’s when my eyes land on the kiddie pool leaned up against the house in the corner. I go to grab it an drag it back over to the opposite corner of the yard, right where Drew and Tyler were waiting.

“Get her!” Drew yells before they both throw a water balloon at me, immediately busting the second they meet my body.

“Drew!” I yell

“It was his idea!” Tyler defended pointing at Drew making me laugh

“I know honey, but I’m gonna get bath of yall back” I tease

“I knew it was a bad idea” tyler said scratching his head nervously

“I’d love to see you try” Drew says winking at me as I put my hands on my hood

“Fill em up Starkey” I say pushing his head to face the faucet.

Once he gets majority of the bag done, I lean down and grab a ballon, looking at Tyler, putting my finger over my lips making him smile. I put the balloon right over Drew’s head and squeeze it tightly until it bust and soaks his hair and his shoulders.

“Maddie…” he says grabbing a few balloons as I start to walk backwards, taking off into a sprint as he stands up coming after me.

“WATER BALLOON FIGHT!” I hear Tyler yell as loud as he can, grabbing a few out of the pool and throwing it, making everyone laugh and cheer as they go to grab some.

“You threw one at me, what’s wrong with me doing it back” I yell back at Drew laughing as I feel another busted ballon by my feet, “ha ha, your ouuut” I say slowing down and turning towards him, “truce?” I ask as I feel somebody quickly slip a ballon in my hand that’s behind my back

“Truce” he says throwing his hands up coming closer slowly, “show me your hands”

I start to grin and quickly throw the water ballon towards him, landing on his chest. But just as fast as I turn to run away, I feel my body being picked up and immediately going into the pool. When we come back to the surface, we’re laughing, splashing water, and pushing each other away playfully.

“Truce?” He asks me holding out his hand

“For now, Yeah” I smile slapping my hand into his

“For now?” He teases

“Never know when I may need to throw another at you” I wink before pulling myself out of the pool, being thankful I did put on a swimsuit under my clothes.

~~~~~~~~~~

Once everything died down and everyone left, it was about 7:30. So, Mrs. Jodi told all of us to go get showers and get ready, that she had everything else handled.

I went to my room to got a quick shower. Blow drying and curling my hair afterwards. I decided on wearing my other pair of blue jean shorts, with a white cropped tank top, and a bluish green button up, with my cowboy boots.

“It’s me!” Mack yells knocking on my door before walking in, wearing some jeans and a strapless cropped tank top, “well you look cute” she says eyeballing me

“So do youuuu, do you think I should lose the boots or wear pants instead?” I ask her

“No, show Austin what them boots make you do, we’re going to the bar we used to always go to, so I know you’ll put those boots to work” she winked and I laughed, shaking my head, putting my other earring in.

“You ready?” She asks

“Yes ma’am” I say grabbing my phone, license, and some cash before following her downstairs where the boys are waiting. Drew was in black jeans, white tank top, and a short sleeve button up, the color very similar to the one I’m wearing.

“Y’all are almost twinning?” Mack laughs pointing it out as we just shrugged it off before piling up into Garrett’s truck. Leaving me in the middle between Drew and Logan.

“You look good” Drew whispers, smiling at me.

“Thanks, you too” I smile

“Chase and Austin are still meeting us there right?” Mack asks Drew

“Yeah, as far as I know” he answers

“Great, cause I can’t wait for all of y’all to see Maddie in this kind of environment. Especially Austin” she says as I look down, feeling Drew’s eyes on me.

Tonight is gonna be interesting..

———————————————————————

Tag list: @percysley @dilfs-4life

[signedaiko]

Hi do you mind if I please request a oneshot where tfp Wheeljack thinks that the human reader is uptight and just no fun, but that's only because she goes adult mode around the kids especially in dangerous situations, but she's actually a total nerd and very chaotic. And he develops a crush on her.

Seasons Changing

Wheeljack X Reader [Prime]

In which Wheeljack finds you're just like every other strict bot, until he gets you alone.

Song - September by Sparky Deathcap

Reader is: Female | Cybertronian | Autobot. Romantic.

Hidden beneath the crumbling red rocks of Jasper, Nevada, a bot that'd spent the last few decades racing across space as the war came to a dwindling and depressing close found himself bunkered in with a conglomerate of Autobots. 

Some he knew well, some he'd never heard of. 

"Wheeljack! Watch where you're stepping!" Once again, you'd turned from your datapad that had your servos practically dented into it from many months of use just to nag at him. 

Another Autobot gone soft; all you did now was read Earth fiction, old Cybertronian articles, and tell him off since he'd landed here. 

"Yeah, yeah, the kids aren't stupid. They can dodge, too." He groaned under his breath before sitting down away from the kids, resulting in a whine from Miko, who'd been trying to teach him to play some rock on her new guitar. 

"Kids shouldn't be dodging anything; they're kids." You corrected him before setting your datapad down in between the two of you to get up. 

Wheeljack glanced down to catch a glimpse of whatever you were reading, finding some pre-war article on quantum engine engineering. He never got how someone so annoying could be interested in cool things. 

Ushering the humans back onto their elevated space so they wouldn't be in danger of moving mechs, you took the chance to apologize to Miko for interrupting her lessons. 

Normally Wheeljack would be out for a mission, but the boss insisted he stay back with you in case you were needed elsewhere. 

Ratchet was also busy working on one of their larger projects: expanding the range of the ground bridge. It meant they needed someone to distract the kids and watch them as much as possible, and so the two of you were left alone. 

Well, as alone as you can be with a bunch of teens and Ratchet. 

"Hey! You and Wheeljack still at base?" Arcee's voice broke in through static, likely interference from the base, lighting up your comms. 

"We are. Need something?" You pressed a servo to the side of your helm to respond, standing up to alert Ratchet you may need to use the groundbridge. 

"We found some locations worth investigating. Our team is splitting into two, but we need you and Wheeljack at the third. Prepare for anything." Your comm beeped, informing you of some coordinates, just as she hung up. Somewhere in the snowy mountains of Northwest Territories, Canada. 

"Looks like we're needed elsewhere, Wheeljack. Let's get going." You turned to wave him over, which resulted in him getting up with a groan. You couldn't think of the last time you saw him do anything but frown. 

With a few digits punched into the machine and Ratchet calculating the rest, the green and purple swirls of the ground bridge ignited into a vortex, which you led the way through. 

Your temperature indicator quickly dropped by the double digits, from 35C to -20C in a matter of a few minutes. As cold as you remembered space being, you'd been subjected to such a warm environment for so long that it took a while to adjust. 

Wheeljack, on the other hand, had only been in Jasper so long and immediately pushed past you into the several feet of snow, nothing but tall pines and thick brush surrounding the two of you. Any trees had their branches thick with ice and snow, making them look as pure white as the rest of the landscape. 

It was so quiet you could hear your own spark pulse. 

"There should be a strong energon signal somewhere around here. We're looking for some kind of mine." Wheeljack had already pulled out the signal detector while you slowly warmed your engines up, hot steam escaping your mouth in an exhale. 

"Yeah, I'm picking up a few right now. Looks like they'd even defend a place as desolate as this." Wheeljack turned the reader off so no one would pick up on its signal either. 

If there was defence, the longer you were out here, the longer they'd have to notice your trace energies. 

"What are we waiting for? Let's break in!" Much to Wheeljack's surprise, you ran ahead of him, sword in hand, as you sliced through branches to clear a path. 

"Whoa! Wait up! What are you doing?" Wheeljack yelled out after you as you charged ahead in the direction of the signals, watching as you broke into a con-made clearing where two Vehicons guarded the entrance to a dugout cave. 

In a moment, you were on top of one with your sword, plunging it into their chassis. 

Wheeljack had no choice but to engage as the other one aimed in your direction, slicing its gun in half, which resulted in the explosion blowing its arm apart. You were already off the Vehicon and running into the cave, which forced him to kick the vehicon he was attacking down and slice its helm off in one swift sweep. 

His mask engaged, covering his mouth as he chased you into the cave, muttering under his breath. Just a moment ago you were as calm as ever, and now you were running ahead of him with no regard for the dangers.

This was when Wheeljack didn't do the buddy system; bots are just too complicated. 

When he caught up to you, you were in the main chasm of the dugout hole, surrounded by stashes of energon, though they varied in colour from mostly green to blue. 

More vehicons, which appeared to be working, turned to the two of you, and before he could react, you were already running at the two closest to you. 

The wrecker had worked with many before, but not many that'd throw themselves into a fight as casually as you did. Even as he bashed two vehicons helms together while making a sword swallowing act out of the third, his optics kept glancing your way. 

If he didn't know any better, he'd say you were a wrecker at some point, too. 

With your combined efforts, you were able to pile the vehicons into a corner and tie them together with some chains, left to the cave on your own. 

"Arcee, we're all wrapped up here. What do we do?" 

It took a couple of minutes before you got a reply, which Wheeljack spent looting the corpses for anything good. 

"Jeez, already? You two comm Ratchet and get as much energon back to base as you can; we'll see you there in a bit." 

Looking to Wheeljack, you pointed to the blue crates of energon, which he offered a thumbs up to. With his mask retracted, you could see his frown was a lot closer to a smile, which was the first of its kind. 

You were able to contact Ratchet, who opened up a ground bridge for the two of you, and Wheeljack got to lugging through crates while you took to collapsing in the cave entrance. 

You wouldn't want humans to find any evidence of this or for the wildlife to interact with the toxic substances in the crates. 

As you two grabbed the last few crates, Wheeljack stopped you before you went back to base for good. 

"Hey, what was up with all of that?" He gestured with his helm back to the pile of vehicons, to which you shrugged. 

"I mean, why act out like that? Aren't you supposed to be Miss-Don't-Do-That or Miss-Wheeljack-Stop-Screwing-Around?" You took a moment to consider what he was referencing before laughing in realization. 

"Oh god, that's right! You've only seen me at base!" He only stared at you with narrow optics, which eventually softened; he'd come to like that laugh. 

"No, Wheeljack, this is me. I just really want the kid to know they're safe. Can you imagine how scared they are, surrounded by a big wad of sentient metal as a small, fragile organism?" 

Thinking about Miko, Raf, and Jack had you worrying again, and you pushed forward to the portal. 

"If you want to know more, you'll have to stop begging to go on missions alone." You disappeared into the swirling lights, leaving Wheeljack on his own in the cave. 

"Yeah, right." The mech mumbled under his breath. He could take this crate of energon, get on his ship, and leave anytime he wanted; no femme was going to change that. 

Yet, he found himself chasing you through the portal, without a second thought.

Author's Note - I tried so hard on this you don't even want to know! I hope its what you were looking for <3

Words - 1,405

[pumpkinsy0]

ive been hit w the seasonal sick i think. yall got any sick hcs?? cant remember if someone already asked this

idk if u mean just for papercut or like in general so ur just gettin both!!!mostly papercut tho

•when ur sick in the curtis house, that sickness doesnt go away till EVERYONE ELSE gets sick, its like a torch that only gets passed around when the last person gets it

•darry has a “sick shirt” just a shirt he always wears when he sick bc he doesnt gaf about it at all

•if either pony or curly is sick but the other isnt and they RLLLYYYY dont wanna go somewhere, they get the other to get them sick as a way to get out of it, yes this would go on into adult hood, they have no shame

•tim is lowkey like a bother who says “if ur sick enough to not ____ u cant ____” but to b fair, curly and angela do overplay their sickness to get out of things

•pony and curly cannootttt make out while sick, they can barely just kiss, they cant breath properly and turn into mouth breathers when sick

•everytime i think about tim getting sick, i think of that one cutaway gag from family guy where peters like “i CANNOT get sick rn” and yea, thats pretty accurate for him

•if curly has a fever hes not passing up on the opportunity to tell pony “its bc hes so hot”, mind u ponys looking at the thermometer and his fever is at 103 fahrenheit, this is NOT the time to say this

•two it was that kid in elementary/kindergarten who just threw up for literally no reason, no reason at all just threw up

•speaking of, as a kid sometimes johnny puked when he was too nervous and ppl called him a squid for it, some of the gang did it but they stopped

•curlys never thrown up before, like ever, he has a strong ass stomach

•pony and curly both make shit tea, they will never finish the others tea they made, but in a way its cute bc they try making it the way their brothers taught em how to make it, they just add too much of one ingredient and argue about which was is better

•curly gets like super cranky when hes hungry, and once he decided to cook meat, but he aint cook it all the way and pony trieedddd telling him and helping but curly got mad at him. curly ate what he made and got food poisoning, i want u to just imagine the amount of told u so’s pony said the next day

•when angelas sick, u could not get her to leave her room, she locks herself in there till shes better

•pony and curly have gotten multiple concussions from rumbles and once someone left a concussed pony and curly in the same room cause “nothing would happen” and they were right, but also got into a lotttt of trouble

•pony and curly both being sick together would tire each other out, they r bedridden and cant do much but talk and lord knows theyre too good at that, so they bicker, pass out, bicker, pass out, etc etc