#and if i didn't have SOME outlet then i would snap and start making fuck-it purchases that would break my budget even worse

[starlit-mansion]

i'm gonna be honest... i have been getting GENUINELY upset at grocery prices lately. like i go to a store and i feel CRUSHED checking out with 4 days worth of food for 2 people for $80. it just feel like so much money falling into a black hole to never be seen again.

i'm not that good at meal planning but convenience foods are starting to rival restaurant prices, so why buy a $6 hoagie of 5 inches of dry ass bread with a meager handful of meat and cheese when it's not even a remotely pleasurable experience OR cheap. At least give me one of those.

i've always spent a good amount more at the grocery store than a super strict budget might allow because i don't like cooking very much and i don't want to spend mental energy fussing around with exact deals, but at this point, i have to download their stupid app and clip their stupid digital coupons to try to squeeze a few more items into my budget, and it just sucks, and i literally know the companies are price gouging, and now i have to give up my data to try to stay afloat.

it's just one more thing in life that makes me feel like i'm trapped in a car with a broken parking brake that's slowly rolling backwards into a freakin lake. it's impacting my HARMLESS LITTLE HOBBY of TRYING WEIRD FOODS because. at this point. who can spend the money to potentially not like what you get

[x-neurotoxin-x]

Question about ur rp:))) can u tell us a little about stains alters ? and how the hero commison took advantage of him? Ooo and can u tell us a little more about the mess that is known as reitouya?? what's dabis opinion on her now as he's older ?? What's the worst thing that they did ? Could he forgive her ? Why did she choose dabi ? Was it just him or did she prey on her other kids

You'd have to ask @leagueofidiots about Stain's alters more, i don't know a whole lot besides one of them is called Angel and she's super hypersexual and keeps messing around with Dabi's hypersexual alter and aggressively hitting on Jin. As far as I know, the hero commission stuff with Stain was kinda complicated since they were raising him as a hero, yet also had him involved in the csem shit like Dabi was (rp Dabi's hero commission trauma shit is similar to paper bag dabi's to summarize)- though there were probably some differences.

The ReiTouya shit is a mess, where do i start? Rei went off the deep end after being released from the hospital and Enji died. She got subjected to a lot of abuse within her marriage as well as in the psych hospital, she kinda snapped and took it out on Dabi bc he killed Enji (even tho it was on accident.) They always had kind of a warped relationship. She kinda resented him as her firstborn, and used him as an outlet to vent her pain on. She also has like, a fuck ton of delusions that started to evolve around him (like she thought he was possessed by demons, or that Enji was the devil and all the kids were demonic spawn, or became convinced that Touya wasn't actually Touya and something replaced him. Etc.) It really only got worse as time went on but they haven't seen each other for decades so it all came crashing down after Enji died and she went kind of crazy on them.

They've got complicated feelings about their mom mostly bc they feel bad for her and about how things were for her when they were a kid, so they kinda let her so whatever to "make up for it" plus the massive guilt complex they've got about accidently killing enji, they don't wanna hurt their mom. They kinda internalized everything with her. There's def times where they get sick of her tho.

Worst things she's done? Well, the whole reason he went along with the forced prostitution was bc she was blackmailing them with threatening to post noncon videos she made of them and/or giving up the league's location to heroes. She also got pregnant (by random hospital staff sa'ing her, but deluded herself into thinking it's Enji's) and was trying to make Touya raise the kid with her but Touya accidently knocked her down the stairs and she miscarried so then she went off. Uh. She sold them to Hawks. What else? As a kid, she frequently tried to exorcise them and locked them in closets and tried to drown them in the bathtub. She alai victim blamed them for their own abuse with Enji, like, basically told them they were asking for it. She'd purposely deprive them of affection, would protect and he affectionate to the other kids but neglect Touya and not let him be a part of it. The mommy issues go off here.

She had strained relationships with the other kids too, but didn't treat them like she treated Touya. Fuyumi was adultified a bunch and rei mainly ignored her. There was some heavy emotional incest with Rei and Natsuo, and her trying to turn him into "nice enji" and she was uneasy around Shouto, bc he was her way out ticket. She felt extra pressured not to fuck up with him or Enji would react badly. She def wasn't a good mom to any of her kids, it's bad mom Rei here, but she at least tried with the other three more than Touya. As for why she picked him specifically; combo of they're her first born so she views them as the cause to all her problems, they were already heavily fucked up and groomed by Enji so she could take advantage of that and use them in similar ways and they didn't know any better, she was projecting onto them, etc

[daintyduck99]

Childhood friends to lovers prompt: “some things never change.” “yeah, i guess they don’t…” + luke/bobby 👀

It'd be just Bobby's luck to have hit upon his type at six years old, and for said type to be mouthy brunettes who love music. 

Or maybe that first girl molded his type. 

Not that that's better, but. Anyway. 

Bobby takes one look at the guy hunched over a laptop in his usual booth, with headphones sticking out of his messy brown hair and muscular arms sticking out of his cutoff shirt, and decides: hell no.

Then the guy catches Bobby's eye, grins, and pulls his headphones off.

"Take a picture, bro, it'll last a lot longer." 

Scratch that. 

Bobby decides: absolutely fucking not. 

If only his body would get with the program instead of slamming his heart into his ribs. 

Bobby swallows. He musters up a glare.

"You're in my booth." 

The other guy only laughs. 

Why the fuck does he have such a melodic laugh? The hell?

Asshole. 

He must finally notice the way Bobby has tensed, because he actually apologizes. 

"M'not laughing at you, dude. I like you." 

"You don't know me!"

There goes that insufferable grin again. 

"You're Bobby, right? My name is Luke." 

And then Luke just. Makes himself at home in Bobby's booth. 

Bobby could probably manhandle him out. He's done it before, but Luke might actually put up a decent fight, and Bobby doesn't want to get banned from the only decent cafe anywhere near his house. 

The idea of touching Luke also isn't.

Something Bobby can think about. 

Even if he often pins Bobby with this look, as if he knows exactly what he's thinking.

Asshole. 

Nothing that Bobby tries deters him at all. 

Bobby tries acting aloof. It's impossible. 

Luke is just too. Luke. 

He demands attention. And it's usually not even on purpose. He. Does it by existing.

Bobby always ends up snapping at him, or saying more than he meant, and getting burned on the receiving end of one of those grins. So: that option is out. 

Bobby tries ultimatums. Stop hogging the outlet. Reorder for me and get it right. Let me run this by you. Otherwise: get out. 

Luke just caves to those. He never gets Bobby's order wrong. And he's actually really helpful with Bobby's English Lit assignments, the only thing about community college that Bobby loathes. 

Bobby even tries arguing with him about music, as he makes it obvious that that's usually what he's working on in one way or another, but the asshole just enjoys it. 

And once Bobby lets it slip that he plays guitar, Luke is relentless. He starts asking him for opinions on the stuff he's writing and inviting Bobby to shows and doubling down on all of his flirting and his…his…

His peacocking. With his stupid hair and his arms in those cutoff shirts and his eyes that always change colors and that grin. 

The worst part is Bobby's growing suspicion that he must be related to that girl he used to be so hung up on. It's just. Uncanny, how similar they are. And it would add up, for a small town. He's probably her older brother, or something.

That really would be Bobby's fucking luck.

Only: one day, after Luke makes one of his cryptic comments, like he's trying to share an inside joke that makes no sense at all, he props his cheek in his hand, studying Bobby with this awful, rueful smile. 

"You really don't remember me, do you?" 

And that's when it clicks. It's like one of those sliders that overlaps two images and suddenly shows you the whole picture. 

Bobby groans. "Don't tell me. It's you? You're the one I gave that fucking note to?"

"Yup," Luke says, popping the p, and Bobby's honestly never been happier to see that megawatt grin, even if it only intensifies his blush. Luke's eyes shine. "Bet you didn't think I'd actually do it." 

"What, get out of my school? I can't say I did. I just. I hated that I liked you so much and I didn't know how to deal with it, alright? Just. Tell me you didn't do it because of me. It wasn't about—I would've left you that note no matter what." 

"Aw," Luke coos, "that was almost sweet."

He grins wider as Bobby flips him off.

"But nah, I didn't leave 'cause of you. My mom figured that I—we—could use a fresh start. For—a lot of reasons. I lived with my uncle for a while. Things are better now."

Bobby swallows. Luke's eyes are really blue today, heightening their intensity. It's impossible not to hold his gaze. 

But maybe: it's not impossible to reciprocate, at least a little bit. 

"That's good, man. I'm glad. That. That things are good. And that. You're back."

Luke chuckles. "Was that so hard? A little sincerity goes a long way, bro." 

"I've changed my mind," Bobby deadpans. "Get out of my booth. And don't bro me."

Luke laughs harder. He hooks his ankle around Bobby's under the table.

"Some things never change, huh, babe?"

Bobby's heart slams into his ribs, hard enough to bruise, screaming and stunned.

But he doesn't pull away. He tries to smile. 

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess they don't." 

[bourbon-ontherocks]

unfortunately all of [gros canard]’s scenes (in this ep at least) are tainted by his turning violent during that one interrogation. it’s like they flipped a switch without a warning. et on tombe dans la caricature, comme tu disais… I knew they didn’t make david’s character sharper than your average suspect for nothing, and I figured it was for the dinner party, but turns out they were just setting him up to be the perfect outlet for anger and jealousy--il fallait un mec à l’air coupable et capable de balader la police. which makes it really hard to pretend that scene was simply some bad, ooc writing. (could’ve been different if there had been amends of some sort afterwards, when the guy is released… and tbh céline should’ve suspended him for real) bref roxane called it, [gros canard] est un flic border 🤷

now everything he does or says, I’m just like… yeah. wouldn’t expect any less from a grade A scumbag. and the GALL to stare at morgane and the end and leave without a word, as if to say ~you’re dangerous and I’m removing myself from the situation? that’s ice cold. and buddy, you’re the dangerous one here, if you can’t be normal around your crush or your antagonist of the day then take a fucking hike. 😡 pardon mais ça me débecte tellement cette fin ! I feel bitter. anyway. rant over.

(je note au passage que c’est la 2e fois que morgane se fait ~quitter dans cet épi 🥲)

Okay. So now we're getting to the unfunny part, and while I definitely didn't like this scene either, it might be for different reasons, or at least for me it didn't paint the rest of the episode as bleak as it did for you 😨

So. Adam's outburst of violence this ep felt clearly ooc, I agree, and especially considering what we've been given so far re his behaviour at work and in general. However, I gave it a lot of thought, and while it definitely does not add up with the image we have of him, it might not be *so* OOC from the show's point of view. After all, we've already seen Adam doing ooc stuff out of the blue, starting with kissing Morgane at the end of 208, and perhaps he's one of these people who bottle up their feelings and are in control 99% of the time but just happen to ~snap once in a while.

In that regard, his snapping after days of anger and jealousy (that he's unaware of) slowly building up makes sense, although not necessarily in the way they set it up, and not to such a dramatic extent. I'm not excusing him for what he did, just saying that from a characterization point of view, it *can* tie up not so terribly.

Now my problem with that scene has more to do with its setup than whether or not it makes Adam less likable. This was a textbook example of police brutality over an innocent Black suspect, guided by personal motives, but was never addressed as such. If the show was actually trying to make an extremely disturbing statement, they wouldn't have done better. I mean, Adam could have fought David during the dinner party for instance, it wouldn't have changed his own jealousy arc, but that would have made things much more palatable imo than him attacking his antagonist while on duty and during an interrogation.

In a more general way, I feel like the show has flipped a switch regarding violence and action this season that wasn't really called for. We went from des enquêtes pépouzes in early seasons to hostage situations where guns fire (depuis quand c'est la PJ qui gère ça d'ailleurs ? Il y a pas des équipes spécialisées ?), and I've never seen Adam's weapon more than during this season, so I guess this is all part of a more global agenda of darkening the show and the characters (I bet Audrey is missing her Engrenages era... But at least they had the decency to film police brutality in a smarter way back then 🥲)

Ngl, it makes me sad that you're now calling Adam a grade A scumbag 😭 I'm not gonna say he's got excuses for acting like he did, and like I said before his characterization this season is terribly written, but also I get where he comes from even though he's clearly hit rock bottom this episode... I mean, had he been a tad more self-aware these past 4 eps, we wouldn't have had to endure his surprised Pikachu beardless face upon discovering that Morgane dating someone else actually hurts him, nor would he have acted like a complete asshole. Sigh. What I'm trying to say is that for me this was more of a one-time fall, no matter how despicable he got, rather than a complete redefinition of who he is. At least I want to believe in that 🥲 (and send him to an anger management support group asap 😅) even though violence, possessiveness and jealousy are massive red flags imo 💔😰

I'm going to assume that his entire personality and set of, you know, human skills, was actually stored in the beard, because now that I'm thinking about it, it's mostly in the beardless episodes that he's acting nonsensically... Please Beardie come back! 🥹 Oh and I agree with you that Céline should have gotten him suspended! 100%! That's time-out for grownups and it would definitely have done him some good lol!

Now for this final scene of silent treatment with Morgane, I have a slightly different interpretation? At this point in the ep, Adam has gotten uncontrollable, violent, angry, and Céline rightfully reminded him that this is not the kind of behavior she wants to see in the team. I think it's the turning point when he finally connects the dots and realizes where all this rage comes from. He's finally admitting that he has feelings for Morgane (hence the 'we need to talk' to Roxane -> just saying, but if he dumps her next Thursday he'll definitely be the biggest asshole in the history of assholiness btw), but since he's still down that jerkland rock bottom, he puts it on her. He's sort of mad at her that she made him catch feelings that are clearly ruining his perfectly rounded little life, and that's, imo, the reason for his silence and closed face, and while that's still not cool, it's not exactly the same as the way you interpreted it.

Now, this will be a hit or miss, but there's a fic out there that actually explores Adam's violence during this ep by making it worse, and while it is based on this ooc premise of a scene, the execution actually makes a lot of sense and brings an interesting light to his characterization (also it is resolved in an extremely satisfying way lol), so perhaps it will be a cathartic read for you, idk! Anyway if you're interested, it's Rouge by PlumeDeChien

This post got super long so I'll spill over the next one to talk about Morgane's break up, okay bye!

[starlsssankt]

//Premise: Aleksander and Hypaxia had a secret relationship, could just be carnal or something for a bit. But she pushed him away after the bond snapped? Or as he and Anastasiya got closer and they couldn't deny the attraction?? I was thinking of why Sasha resisted the obvious? And maybe he was trying to be a gentleman and loyal to what he and Xia had?? Idk just ahhh. And he learned Xia started all of it to make Azzy jealous???//

Aleksander felt his shadows curling around his wrists. She had used him, she had used him and he hadn't noticed it.

He stepped toward her barely noticing her tears now.

"You used me. How many times should Azriel reject you before you take the hint? You think he'll want you now when you let anyone touch you?"

She didn't flinch at the words, but then she wasn't Anastasiya was she? She raised her chin to meet his eyes, green eyes dark like the sea weed that had nearly drowned him all those years ago.

"It - it started out like that Aleksander. But I didn't - I didn't continue it because of it. I did like you! I do like you -"

"Then why push me to her Hypaxia? I would have stayed if you had allowed -"

Hypaxia's smile was tear stained but it rankled him. There was pity there as if she knew something he didn't.

"Because she is your mate. Because she loves you..and probably would have killed me if I qsked you to stay. She's loved you as long as I've loved your brother Aleksander -"

His power snapped, slamming into her. He wanted to drown her in pain. For himself for being so fucking naive, for Anastasiya - for all the times she'd tried to make him see, to be there when he hadn't fully appreciated it. He and Anastasiya had always been close, closer than he and Hypaxia ever were. But he'd pushed her away as they got older, the restless nights. At least with Hypaxia it had been his choice.

He gripped her chin, her magic barely making a dent in his rage.

"I'm going to kill you. And then we'll see if Azriel wants a whore like you."

The darkness cloaked around him, the shadows thick and impenetrable. Fingers curled against her skin as he gripped her cheek, letting his nails dig into the soft flesh.

He was angry--no, he was infuriated. He didn't even want to think or dwell on who he was ultimately the most upset with, but for now--for now, Hypaxia would make a wonderful outlet for the burning furnace of fiery rage that ate through him.

Dark eyes met hers, but Aleksander didn't really focus on anything she might have said or did in that moment. He wanted her to hurt, he wanted to make her feel every agony that one could feel--

❝ Are you so desperate, so willing to part those legs for anyone, just in the off chance he notices you? You think he'll take some sloppy seconds? ❞ His voice, dark and thick, hard, bit every word out as Aleksander squeezed his grip on Hypaxia's chin.

He leaned in closer, hoping to make her feel even an ounce of what storm raged inside of him.

@siderealxmelody

[wcrldcfvtlvs]

" Typically yeah, but I ain't tryin' to get a buzz right now, so make it how you usually do, my man. " Tyler replied, truth be told, Tyler didn't really care for liquor anymore ever since he started his own place, he was more of a wine guy after Victoria had introduced him to it and suggested that the vampires would like it due to their ages and how they've around, and it was easier to mask blood and didn't screw with the taste as much, at least that was the feedback he had been given.

Hearing the male question his offer, he couldn't help but chuckle in response. " That's the point, I ain't gotta know you to help ya. " Tyler began to explain. " Listen, us fireheads, I think, because I don't know what you got goin' on in that noggin of yours, but I assume we have the common factor of not having control. I mean, my shit manifests into something that feels more intense than fire. It's like a hellfire and it comes with this freaky demonic form that I barely got a handle on. it used to be triggered when I was really pissed the fuck off, but over time I learned my outlets, got control, and became a better man, " he pauses for a brief moment. " Not sayin' you're a bad guy, again I don't know ya that well but if you're anythin' like how I was back in the day, you'll need a hand because I wish someone did that for me instead of me sufferin' alone. "

Tyler knew that he let his anger get the best of him from time to time and he felt like if he was truly alone he probably wouldn't have changed. However, with people like his family, friends, and of course, his goddess of a fiancé, he was able to be the man he needed to be all those years ago. Clearing his throat and reaching for the drink once it's in front of him, he takes a swig allowing the liquid to linger on his tongue before having it roll down his throat. " Good stuff, man. " Tyler stated as he lifted the glass a bit and set it back down. Hearing Dominic state that he might not be the best pupil he couldn't help but let out a deep laugh. " Yeah I'm sure you're stubborn as Hell to, don't worry, if things get to...., I'm not gonna say heated because that's literally the worst pun ever, if things get too intense we'll take breaks, do something else and try again. " Tyler stated with a bit of confidence. Clashing of heads was bound to happen, fire plus fire meant equaled more fire, fire plus hellfire, he expected some shit to pop off in the future.

" Well I'm sure you got the basics, lighting up, burning shit down, maybe even healing yourself and destroying things, well I can tell you there are ways that you can manipulate it to your advantage. " Tyler began to explain, talking with his hands as he did so. "For example, I own my own pub, y'know bar, and restaurant. Well, I can tell you I sure as shit don't use oven mitts when takin' shit out outta my ovens. I just absorb the heat. Of course, as you can see, " he then shows Dominic his hands exposing his minor burns and cuts. " Sometimes I forget when I'm rushin' but it is a thing I can do. That also includes absorbing flames. I can tell you I've stopped so many wildfires, might as well get me a big red truck and the weird-lookin' hat. " he pauses for a brief moment before snapping his figures. " Oh, same applies with smoke too, it's a bit harder but can't get a flame without a little smoke, you pickin' up what I'm puttin' down, boss man? " surely he overwhelmed him with information but it wasn't often Tyler actually got to talk with people who understood what he was talking about, let alone could relate to.

If he'd heard those words from anyone else, he might be more concerned. However, there was nothing about the way that Tyler spoke or acted since he'd gotten here that proved him to be hostile or someone he should worry about. It wasn't too difficult to find him after all, since Kallie had met him near his workplace to begin with. "I guess you're right about that," He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

Dominic gave a nod of his head when Tyler said what he wanted to drink and the bartender made quick work to get his drink in front of him. "Do you like it strong?" He asked before pouring it out in case he needed to add a little more alchol to it. "You want to help me? You don't even know me..." He wasn't used to people being so....nice. To offer help to someone who was practically a stranger was not something he was used to. However, he won't deny upon hearing that Tyler learned to control his abilities, it did leave Dominic intrigued and curious to learn if that was something he could do as well.

The pyrokinetic bartender didn't have many he could turn to about his abilities, so Tyler's offer is inciting, to say the least. He almost wants to agree right off the bat, but doesn't want to seem too eager either. "Well, I'm pretty sure I'm not the best pupil either, so we can figure things out together," He said with a shrug of his shoulders and chuckle. "I'll admit, there's a lot I don't know, I haven't really tried experimenting with what I can or can't do, so there's not much to really show."

[nanaminokanojo]

"Petty" | Oikawa Toru X You

CHAPTER COUNT: 1/1 CHARACTERS: Oikawa Toru X You | Haikyuu Characters (mentions) WORD COUNT: 3,300+ GENRE: fluff | romance | aged-up characters | university au | oneshot TRIGGER WARNING: profanity | strong/mature language | alcohol use SPOILERS: n/a

collection masterlist

photo/fanart credits to @/oikawalovesyouu on Twitter

"He's self-centered but he's insecure so naturally, he's petty."

Oikawa couldn't shake that comment off his head as he slammed yet another ball into the opposing court, aggressively wiping on the sweat on his forehead. The university gym was already deserted with all his teammates gone yet he was still doing jump serves as if he wasn't already so good at it. He just needed an outlet.

In his head, he was already thinking of counter arguments to what he heard being said about him. It was one sentence. One! And yet he was working up all his brain cells to think of a lengthy rebuttal to every single word in that single statement.

First of all, he wasn't self-centered. He doesn't just think about himself, or so he likes to think. He was sensitive enough to read the room most of the time and he can actually bring the best out of his teammates to the highest degree. An insensitive, selfish prick wouldn't be able to do that without proper observation and lack of awareness for others.

Secondly, he didn't think he was insecure. He didn't have to lift a finger to get the attention he wanted, and it was human to feel envy for those who are better than him because there will always be someone better. It’s just an inevitability he has to deal with.

And lastly, he wasn't petty. He's always been reactive, he knew that, but that was just reaction if not retaliation to those who want to belittle him. That's what he thinks anyway.

But why you had to say those things about him as if you were a female version of Iwaizumi – his best friend who seemed to get off of being too cruelly honest and straightforward about what he thought of Oikawa – was something he didn't understand.

Of course, he was aware of your blatant frankness. He loved that about you. You were just very insistent on your individuality and you had very strong opinions which you stood by without regard to anything. Most of the time anyway. He actually got a kick out of people's reactions when you say something without filtering your words especially when you were children, but like they say, it's never funny when one becomes the receiving end of anything negative.

The larger dilemma was that you were the only girl he sincerely liked, so much so that he was willing to lay down his pride just to have you and call you his. Solely and irrevocably his. But if you thought of him that way, then maybe you actually hated him. It bothered him to no end.

"What the hell did I tell you about over-exertion?" Oikawa heard that familiar deep voice from the direction of the entrance, and before he knew it, the ball crate was being wheeled away from him. "Enough. It's off season."

"Just letting off some steam," Oikawa stated, smiling Iwaizumi's way despite himself.

"You can do that at Kuroo's party," the other male said with finality. "Be out in fifteen." His last words were laced with a threat, and Oikawa didn't have a choice but to do as he was told. The former was right. If it's just to vent out, he could definitely do that at the party.

He couldn't be more wrong in his life.

The moment he entered the premises of Kuroo's house, the first thing he saw was you. You came in just after he did, but you bumped against him without even apologizing as you walked ahead, waving at someone else. You saw him there, but you walked off anyway as if you didn't.

"What the actual fuck?" he couldn't help but blurt out when he saw just who you were talking to.

You've always been agreeable to him as his childhood friend, but you were ignoring him on top of saying bad things about him to your friends. And now, you were talking to Ushijima Wakatoshi whom you knew he disliked with a passion.

The male simply got on his nerves for the fact that he was better at him in the sport they both played. Oikawa also hated how much the guy hounded him to join their team back in high school, talking about how he would be better off. Like how is it better to be in the same team as Ushijima was when he would just outshine him?

His mind started to run amok with questions. What could you possibly want from Ushijima? Better yet, what did he want from you? Since when were you even close to him? Oikawa almost wanted to throw up seeing how you were being buddy-buddy with the cold fish of a guy, actually managing to melt his severe expressions into a soft smile. Were you going out with him now? He couldn't take it.

Without thinking, he grabbed the shoulder of the person who was holding a tray of drinks, taking two shot glasses in his hand, and telling the person to stay where he was standing. He was able to down six shots while standing there, but before he could drink more, Iwaizumi came into view.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded gruffly, telling the poor guy with the drinks to scram.

"Not now, Iwa," he snapped, walking towards the direction of the stairs, rudely telling everyone to get out of his way.

He stayed there for almost an hour, trying to calm his nerves but ending up going feral over this couple who were making out as they pushed the door to Kuroo's room where he was lying down on the bed. To say that he killed their mood was an understatement as he harshly told them to fuck off. Nobody dared cross him being the famous star athlete that he was at the university you both attended. It was, however, useless if he finds himself losing even outside of court to Ushijima who was his equivalent in the neighboring school when it comes to volleyball. It left him with a bitter taste at the recesses of his mouth.

When he finally emerged from the room, deciding to get more drinks, he was still in a foul mood, glaring at anyone who would get in his way towards the kitchen. But his plan was all but forgotten when he saw you standing by the archway that led to the kitchen, leaning there as you nursed a plastic cup against your chest.

For the first time that night, he was actually seeing how beautiful you were, dressed in a crop top and tight-fitting jeans which were tattered in most places. As per usual, you were stuck in your own bubble, bobbing your head to the music as if you weren't aware of all the adoring looks you were getting. Well, you were a person who didn't know her strengths and denied them when he tells you. It was just unfair how he always has nice things to say about you but you didn't think the same way about him.

He closed the distance between the two of you, placed his forearm above your head, towering over you, that infamous smirk plastered on his face.

"Hey, baby," he said in a low tone, leaning down until your faces were just inches from one another.

"Hello, darling," you returned, smiling slightly. "I've been looking for you, but Iwa said you ran off somewhere."

"Have you now?" He eyed you seriously. "Weren't you just ignoring me a while ago for Ushijima?"

He wasn't able to elicit the reaction he wanted from you, and instead, you smirked at him. "Eh?" you responded in a dragged out note. "I wasn't with Ushijima for the sake of ignoring you, Toru. The world doesn't revolve around you."

He stood back in indignation, your opinions of him coming out to the surface. "So why were you with him?" He was aware that his tone made it seem like he had any right to be questioning you of your actions. He had been vocal about his attraction to you, but it wasn't as if he was your boyfriend. Still, he couldn't care less at the moment.

"None of your business, sweetheart," you told him, your words at odds to the saccharine smile you flashed him. He found himself disconcerted especially when you reached up and started fixing his fringe. "What are you acting so jealous for?"

Ah, he thought. It wasn't his place to be feeling that way but he didn't want to respond to your question in any way. So, like he did earlier, he stormed off, sticking to his original plan to get wasted.

He didn't want to say things he will regret even if you were being hot and cold. For a while now, he had the feeling that you were toying with him, but whenever he was around, your actions towards him were always the opposite of your words about him as of late. One time you'd be telling him to go away, but as soon as he does, you're grabbing his arm, telling him to sit still beside you. You'd be complaining to him one second that he was being an annoying brat and then sit on his lap peppering his cheeks with kisses. You'd be with another guy but tell him you're looking for him. You were confusing to say the least.

Oikawa didn't know what happened after he walked away from you. But when he finally came to, he had a throbbing headache and he wasn't in his room. He looked around him, straining to keep his eyes open as he took in his surroundings, shooting up from the bed when he realized he was looking at the familiar layout of your bedroom.

He had been there a million times ever since you were kids, and he had been a witness to all the changes your little corner of the world had gone through. He couldn't help but smile despite his feelings and headache at the thought that what was once a room that looked like it was made of cotton candy was now in scales of black and white, surrounded with things that were just so you.

But after all the changes, you still had that framed photo of you and him in grade school, where he was kissing you on the cheek while you grinned wide for the camera. You were wearing the matching shirts your crazy moms got you, and he knew you still kept them somewhere in your room.

Yes, he told himself, I was there before anyone else. You’ve always been the closest to him even when Iwaizumi came into the picture. Even then, he didn’t seem to understand you well enough to actually lay emphasis on the fact that you’ve known each other since you were in diapers.

Just then, you walked into the room, holding a glass of fizzy water. You were wearing only his old volleyball jersey, padding barefoot on the floor. You specifically asked for it when you both graduated from high school and you've been sleeping in it since then.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," you greeted, sitting down on the empty space of the queen bed which he noticed was also slept on. "Drink up."

"What am I doing here?" he asked after downing the whole glass in one go, setting it on the nightstand.

"I took you home. Your mom would have killed you if she saw how fucked up you were last night." You brushed his hair from over his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Like my head's about to explode," he muttered.

You clucked your tongue. "Why did you have to drink so much anyway?"

Instead of answering you, he laid back down on the bed, turning away from you. He had every intention to ignore you after that, but it wasn't long before he felt you coming closer to him, propping your chin on his arm while you draped yours over his waist.

"You're sulking, Toru."

He took the pillow from under his head to hide his head under it. "I don't wanna do this today, Y/N."

"Do what? What exactly are we doing?"

The audacity to ask, he said at the back of his mind, biting his tongue. He didn't say anything and just stayed still.

"Hey, I asked you a question," you continued to badger him. "You've been acting off since a week ago. What's up?"

He refused to satisfy you with a response thinking you ought to realize what it was exactly that you two had been doing, dancing around each other yet skirting around the real issues between you. You couldn't be that oblivious of his affections and you weren't exactly passive either.

Nevertheless, you always had a way of turning things to your favor, and before he knew it, he was falling off the bed after you kicked him off it, nearly landing face down if it weren't for his fast reflexes.

"Y/N!" he whined, remaining seated on the floor as he clutched on his head. He half expected you to laugh at his predicament, but when he met your eyes, he regretted it, seeing the serious expression you had.

"You should know by now that I hate it when I am denied things I want to know especially those which involve me," you told him, cocking your head to the direction of the bed. You sounded menacing, so far from the gentle voice you always used when talking to him. "Stop being a brat. Get back here and talk to me properly."

"You're the one who kicked me!" he protested as he stood up, doing as he was told nonetheless, sitting up and leaning on the headboard.

"So, what's your problem?"

"I'm jealous of Ushijima," he returned promptly his brown eyes also taking a severe quality to it as he eyed you.

You arched a brow at him. "What's new about that?"

"At least before, he didn't have you, too. Now..." He sighed. "You're friends with him now? What was that about last night?"

"Are you serious right now? I had business with the guy."

Oikawa scoffed. "What business are you talking about that he's all smiles at you like that? He only ever smiles around his girlfriend –"

"Exactly," you countered, openly savoring the look on his face when he realized just what he was saying. "He ordered a huge consignment of rare live flowers for his girlfriend so I informed him it had been delivered. Our family as ikebana* artists and horticulturist do that for a living."

"What?"

You shrugged. "You're assuming things again."

Oikawa blinked, feeling defeated at your sound reasoning, but he still has bones to pick with you. "That's not just my problem with you. What are we really, Y/N? I don't get how you're ignoring me and suddenly being sweet. I'm getting mixed signals here. And don't think for a second that I didn't hear about what you told your friends about me."

He narrowed his eyes at you, smirking when he saw how your eyes rounded, finally able to take you off guard like you usually did to him. For once, he wanted you to lose your footing and come clean about what you really thought about him…how you really felt.

"Hmm. What exactly did I say about you?" you asked, the caution in your tone obvious.

"You know it, Y/N. Don't you dare make me jump all the hoops!" he stated, losing his temper.

You shook your head, not understanding where his choleric attitude was coming from. You knew better than to level your irritation with his, and you were so used to his antics that you found yourself almost unaffected by his crusty demeanor. "I really don't know what you're talking about, Toru."

He glared at you. "You told them you think I'm petty because I'm self-centered but I'm insecure. Ring any bells, sweetheart? And don't lie, I heard it myself."

You ran your hand over your face, frustration emanating from you. At the same time, you wanted to laugh because he looked like an angry kitten instead of the fully grown man he supposedly is.

Oikawa didn't know where your exasperation was coming from when he's supposedly the one feeling it but then you nodded.

"I did say that."

"How could you?" he complained, aware that he sounded like a juvenile dipshit but he didn't know how to react to your lack of denial for it. In the end, he just wanted you to say you didn't mean it even if he already got hurt from hearing it.

"How couldn't I, Toru? That's the truth," you stated, no bars held and your voice ringing clear in the air between you. You were really merciless when it came to voicing out what ran inside your head.

"Well, shit, Y/N. Why didn't you just tell me to my face?" He was about to stand up, but you pushed him down, sitting astride his lap so he wouldn't move. He refused to look at you but couldn’t move at the same time cause he didn’t want to hurt you in any way although he didn’t exactly want you close at the moment. "Get off while I'm being nice about it."

"Iwa and I never fail to tell you every day," you started, placing your hands on either side of his face, gently making him look at you.

"You both hate me?" he asked weakly, unable to imagine life without the two of you beside him.

"No." You shook your head. "Toru, no. Of course not. That's just how you are, isn't it? We never asked you to change. We just couldn't help noticing it, and if we don't tell you, who will?"

Oikawa Toru. So used to being fawned over that he doesn't know how to react when he is being criticized. He could admit to that, but it still hurt hearing you say that.

"Sweetheart, I did say those things about you, but you didn't stay long enough to hear the rest."

He pouted, looking away from you. "And what is it?"

You tilted your head so you would be in his line of vision, grinning the moment you realized you had him. "That despite all that, you're a generally kind person who cares a lot for your friends, your team, for me, and even if you don't know how to show it, deep down, you're a sensitive soul. And I adore that about you."

"Really?"

You scoffed. "I love you, Toru. I thought we had an understanding."

"As friends, you mean?"

You rolled your eyes at him, but didn't say anything further, closing the distance between your lips, kissing him fervently and intensely in case the message didn't come across just yet.

He gasped against your lips, caught off guard as usual, but kissed you back with as much fervor, dominating you shortly after your mouths made contact. He nipped and sucked on your lips before shoving his tongue into your mouth, immediately finding yours and delving in to taste you. Oikawa grinned when he rendered you into a panting mess, reveling in the way your hands possessively held him close.

"I waited so long for this," he said against your ear.

"Make up for all those times you missed out then," you told him with a smug grin.

"Heh. You asked for it."

He flipped you both over on the bed making you burst out in a fit of giggles, kissing you stupid, his hands touching everywhere he could reach, your clothes and his mixing in a pile on the floor while he made sweet love to you.

Oikawa Toru. He's self-centered but he's insecure so naturally, he's petty. But he was not just that. He's also the guy you loved to smithereens because you knew that those other facets of him – the good ones – exist.

-the end-

TERMINOLOGIES:

*ikebana (活け花) - traditional Japanese art of arranging flowers

My first try at Haikyuu...god d*mn you, both, @kenkinori and @ushiwaikuroo !!! XD

Before anyone comes after me, the characters are aged up as specified in the story. The beauty of literary creativity!

Thank you so much for reading. Likes, comments and reblogs are deeply appreciated! Hope you enjoyed it.

© ORIGINAL WORK BY nanaminokanojo. CHARACTERS ARE INSPIRED BY FURUDATE HARUICHI’S “HAIKYUU!”. [20210704]

PHOTO/IMAGE/GIF/FANART CREDITS TO THE RESPECTIVE OWNERS.

[lsmu]

Book 1 Chapter 7: Date Night

"Jennie? What are you doing here?" "Ya! You promised to take me out tonight, asshole! Remember?" she exclaimed with a big smile. She leaned forward to kiss my cheek, then barged into my apartment.

Jennie was wearing a loose white shirt and blue jeans, her face had barely any make up, the most casual I'd seen her for a while. Still not fully awake and a little bit dazed, I closed the door behind us and followed her inside.

"How's Noona?" I asked the first thing that came up to my mind. "She's okay," said Jennie. "Woke up a few hours ago and ate like she'd never eaten before."

Jennie giggled as she threw herself onto the sofa in my living room. I wondered if Jisoo had told her about what happened in the morning, so I asked her.

"Did Noona tell you...?" Jennie shook her head.

"No. She said she wanted to wait for Rosé to come before telling us the whole story," she said. "Rosé hasn't come home yet?" "I saw her car when I left," said Jennie. "But I left... Because you didn't answer my calls, so I was worried about you!"

Thinking it was a joke, I laughed. But she didn't. Wait. Was she telling the truth? Before it got awkward, Jennie stood up and pushed me towards the bathroom.

"Ya! Go take shower! I'm hungry! Let's go already!" she yelled. Only then did I realise I had slept past lunchtime and was very hungry.

"Okay okay. Hang on!"

I rushed in and took a shower, then hastily dressed up. As I walked out of my room, I saw Jennie standing in the living room, wearing a face mask, a bucket hat, and sunglasses. She looked absolutely ridiculous.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I asked. She shrugged.

"I can't be seen going out with a boy without breaking the internet tomorrow. People will snap our pics and start a gossip about me dating a new boy," she explained.

"But... You look stupid," I said, truthfully. She laughed. "What? Why!" "You'll only attract more attention wearing those things! Nobody wears sunglasses at night anyway, unless you're trying to hide your identity."

She took her disguise off, almost embarrassedly, and glared to challenge me.

"You've got a better idea?" "I think I do," I said with a smile.

I walked back to my room and took out a hoodie and a baseball cap from my wardrobe. I went out and gave it to her. Jennie put them on and spun once to show herself to me. She still looked absolutely gorgeous, and I thought nobody would think that Blackpink's Jennie would go out so openly without any disguises.

"How do I look?" she asked. I smiled. I wanted to say that she looked cute, but that would be awkward, wouldn't it?

"You look like someone who looked like Jennie," I said. She laughed as she understood what I meant, and I felt my heart skipped a beat. What was happening?

"Ah... Arasseo... Hiding in plain sight, eh? Smart YeongYeong!" she hit my chest playfully, then hugged my arm. "Let's go! What do you want to eat?"

We went down arm in arm and took my car. We argued on what to eat as we drove, before settling for chimaek–chicken and beer. We arrived at the nearest outlet, ordered our food, and sat waiting. Jennie noticed how I was sitting rather quietly, so she grabbed my hand and stared into my eyes.

"You alright, Yeongi?"

I didn't know how to answer. I enjoyed having some time to relax with this absolutely beautiful girl right in front of me, not to mention the fact that she was practically the biggest idol in Korea right now, but I couldn't stop thinking about all the things that happened in the last 24 hours. What would Jisoo decide to do? How would Lisa and Rosé react to the story? Should I tell Jennie everything?

Deciding that I did not want to make my first experience going out with Jennie to be anything less happier than it should be, I forced a smile and squeezed Jennie's hand back.

"I'm fine, Jen... Just–" I paused. "–Many things to think about."

Jennie smiled her beautiful smile and leaned forward. I just noticed how every time she smiled, her nose wrinkled a little bit. So cute, I thought.

"You know what, YeongYeong... Let's forget about what happened this past day and just enjoy ourselves. Okay? Just for tonight," she said rather seriously. "We can talk about the situation later. Hm?"

I smiled. How could you say no to Jennie?

"Alright... I guess I do need some time to relax," I said eventually. She grinned happily, and right about then our food came.

We devoured the food and beer ravenously. I was starving and the day had been a stressful one, so I had an excuse for eating as if I hadn't eaten the entire week. But Jennie, to my surprise, was acting the same way. She ate piece after piece of chicken even faster than I did, and gulped down the beer like she had just come out of a desert.

"Jeez, Jen! Have you always been eating like this?" I said with a chuckle.

"Hm? Well... We can't always eat this freely, you see... Not with all the dietary restrictions and all that," she said with a full mouth, then giggled. "Rosé and Jisoo put on weight pretty easily, but not me. So... Fuck it."

I laughed seeing the girl sitting in front of me. I realised that even though I thought I was closest to her, I still didn't know a lot of things about her and Blackpink. I smiled as we continued to eat and drink happily.

After the meal, we got up and went back to my car, now a lot happier and warmer with our bellies full. Jennie threw her seat back to relax.

"Ahh! What a great meal! So, what should we do next?" she said while stretching her arms up.

I glanced at the clock in the dashboard. It was only around 7 pm. The night was still young, so we still had a lot of time to do anything she wanted.

"What do you want to do? Drink?" I asked her. Jennie pondered for a while. "Too early for that," she mused. Then she looked at me with her sultry eyes. "Why don't you just take me on a real date?"

My heart fluttered. A date? With Jennie?

"A real date? Like what?"

"I don't know... Whatever couples do on their first date, I guess?"

Couple? First date? Wait. What? Am I imagining things? I didn't know how to respond, but I didn't want to look like a fool after a Blackpink member said these things, so I thought hard for a second.

"Why don't we–uh–let off some steam? ... Arcade maybe?" I said eventually, rather nervously. Jennie gasped, then grinned widely.

"Oh, Babe! You're asking for it! Get ready to get beaten by Jennie Kim!!" she yelled enthusiastically, throwing her fist up in the air. "Arcade! Let's go!"

I laughed at how competitive she was, which suited me well. I started the engine and drove to an arcade center in Gangnam. It was a neon lit building, packed with teenage boys and girls who were gaming happily in the plethora of game machines inside. It was the perfect spot for us: No one would pay attention to Jennie because they were so engrossed with their games, and we both looked young enough to pass as a couple of teenagers.

"I'm picking the first game! Loser buys the drink after five rounds!" she yelled on top of the noisy machines as we entered the building.

"Game on!" I yelled my reply, accepting her challenge.

We bought our gaming cards, and Jennie immediately went for the basketball machine. She wasn't lying: She was super competitive, and was really good at this game. I tried matching her, but she was so quick and precise with her throws and managed to beat me significantly.

Next I picked the racing game. I knew I was good at this, but Jennie wasn't going to give up so easily. We raced furiously for the first two laps, and I only managed to beat her by the skin of the teeth at the last lap.

"One-one!" I yelled. She jokingly pouted her lower lip, as if being angry, but immediately grabbed my arm and dragged me to the fighting game machine.

This one. My gosh. She was so good at this! Her fighter beat me so quickly in the first round, with mine only managing to register a single kick to hers. My pride was hurt, so I fought even harder for the second round. The result? A flawless victory for her, mine didn't even make a single hit to hers. I won't even begin to describe how my fighter met a gory death in her fighter's hands.

"Fatality! Jennie wins! Flawless victory!" she exclaimed, repeating the game's announcer while throwing both of her arms up triumphantly. She then pointed at me.

"Two-one, loser! Give up?" she taunted me while grinning wide. I laughed as I jumped up off the seat.

"Never! I pick the next game!"

Jennie laughed and followed me to the table hockey game, holding my hand as we ran there. I thought I was quite good and might have a chance in beating her, and I was right. She struggled to keep up with me during the first round, but she was evidently a fast learner, so she caught up with my score pretty quickly, and even managed to lead the match for a while, but I beat her in the end nonetheless.

"Two-two! What's for final?" I asked. Jennie thought for a second, then smiled slyly.

"Follow me!" she exclaimed, then ran to the front of the arcade. I followed her, and watched in horror as she stepped onto the dancing game machine.

"Ya! That's cheating!" I yelled. She laughed out loud, and selected Blackpink's Boombayah as the song to play. She pulled me up and I begrudgingly stepped onto the machine, knowing I was about to be humiliated.

The song came up, and–as expected–Jennie danced like how you'd expect Korea's top dancer would dance. I stumbled left and right, my points not even close. It was practically a beat down for me. The song ended, and she jumped up and down celebrating her victory.

"I win! Drinks! Now!" she yelled, pointing at me. The song ended just at the right time, because some people had started to notice how Jennie danced–well, like a K-pop idol–and were starting to gather around and speculate if she was indeed who they thought she was.

I grabbed Jennie's hand and we ran to the concession stand. Jennie ordered a cup of boba drink, and I chose the same. We waited happily, Jennie still poking fun at me for losing the games, until we realised that the ahjumma who was serving us looked at Jennie suspiciously.

"You know, you look like that Blackpink member," she said, staring at Jennie. I started to panic and was thinking of a way out of this situation, but Jennie seemed relaxed.

"Really? Which one? Lisa?" she said excitedly. The ahjumma thought for a moment, then replied. "I don't know... Is it Rosé? My daughter loves the group," she said. "Ah, well," Jennie said. "We all kinda look the same don't we? With the plastic surgery and stuff..."

Apparently what Jennie said made sense to her, as she just laughed and mentioned the amount we needed to pay her. I paid the money in haste, and as we left the arcade, Jennie bursted out in laughter.

"I didn't know you had plastic surgery!" I said jokingly. Jennie hit my arm.

"Fuck you! I'm all natural!" she said. "Pretty good acting, eh?"

I laughed and flung my arm around her shoulder. She leaned towards me and gave me a tight side hug. I felt my heart starting to beat faster again.

"What should we do next?" asked Jennie. I looked at my watch. It was just past 8 pm. My competitive self started to come back to life. I wanted to repair my broken pride.

"What about bowling?" I said, knowing how good I was at it. Jennie laughed and nodded.

"Oh you're gonna get beaten again, YeongYeong!" she exclaimed confidently. I smirked.

"Don't be so sure!"

We walked back to our car and drove to the nearest bowling alley, which was closed for renovation, to my dismay.

"I know a place, but it's at Itaewon. You okay to drive there?" said Jennie. I shrugged. I guess I really wanted to beat her.

"Let's go!"

I drove my car through the busy evening Seoul street from Gangnam towards Itaewon. Jennie pointed the way, and we finally arrived at the bowling alley. To be completely honest, it didn't look like one from the façade. It looked more like a nightclub.

"Are you sure this is the place?" I asked her. She nodded while stepping out of the car.

"Positive. And I don't need to be anyone else here," she said cheerfully.

We entered the lobby, and sure enough, the guy at reception knew her personally.

"Jennie-ssi! Shall I open the room?" he exclaimed excitedly as he saw Jennie.

"Yep! And six bottles of beer please? Thanks!" replied Jennie. The receptionist bowed respectfully, before picking up the phone on his desk to input Jennie's orders.

A server girl greeted us and led us inside. Jennie walked confidently into the venue, and I was right, it was some sort of a nightclub, styled as a retro 1980s discotheque, colourful lights shooting everywhere.

The girl led us past the dance floor and the booths filled with people dancing and drinking, into a quieter private area, which to me looked like a hallway with a line of doors on either side. She reached a door further down the hallway and opened it for us, revealing a spacious private bowling room with two lanes. Jennie threw herself on the large brown leather sofa, and before long, another server came with her orders.

"Welcome to Blackpink's private bowling room!" she said.

I looked around the room and noticed that the walls of this room were covered with Blackpink posters, showing all their hit singles and multi-platinum albums across the years. My ears then picked up the music playing over the speaker, and noticed that it was Blackpink's Ice Cream. So this was indeed their private bowling room.

"Wow... Noona never told me you guys have a private bowling room for yourselves!" I uttered, genuinely impressed. Jennie smiled wide as she started drinking her first bottle of beer. "Eh... We come here every now and then to play," she said casually. "Jisoo-unnie sucks at bowling though!"

Indeed she was. In fact, she was never good at any kind of sports. I laughed, knowing what Jennie meant by saying that.

"Oh wait 'till you meet her brother!" I said challengingly. Jennie smirked, stood up, and walked slowly and sexily towards me.

"Let's find out, then!" she said. "Loser buys ice cream?" I said, inspired by the song currently playing. "Deal!" Jennie exclaimed.

We started the game, and I put on my A game. I hit Strike with my first roll, which made Jennie's jaw drop to the floor.

"Lucky bastard!" she exclaimed. "Nuh-uh. My turn to beat you now!" I said.

She tsked and pouted her thick lips, before walking forward, picking her ball, and rolled it down the lane. To my surprise, she hit Strike as well. She turned and pointed at me, taunting me. Man, this girl was good!

"Oh it's on!" I said as I jumped back up from the sofa.

We played as if we were two athletes competing for a championship title. Jennie was surprisingly really good at this, and halfway through the game she actually led me on points, albeit very very closely. I was starting to feel a little bit anxious about losing again. Jennie had just hit another Strike, and skipped back towards the sofa, dancing happily. I was really starting to feel threatened.

"Why are you so good at these games!" I said as I gulped my beer. Jennie laughed and hit my chest as she threw herself next to me. She picked her beer and gulped it.

"Why do you have to sound so surprised!" she said. "Because I was supposed to be better than you at this!"

She laughed again and hugged me suddenly.

"You're way better than anyone I've ever played with, I'll give you that..." she said sweetly. Why did I have to keep feeling my heart beat so fast every time she touched me tonight?

As I looked down on her, she looked up to me. Our eyes met, and for a brief moment, we stared into each other. What was this? I've seen her up close so many times before. Hell, I fucked her hard last night and came buckets inside her womb. Why did I feel like my face was burning now just by staring into those beautiful eyes of hers?

Before I even managed to think of doing anything, she giggled and pushed me.

"Your turn, YeongYeong! I think I'll start deciding on what ice cream flavour I would like!" she said confidently.

We continued playing, down to the last frame. Our points matched. I'd exhausted all of my turns, and it was up for Jennie to win the game. If she hit Strike again with her last roll, she'd win it.

I waited nervously as she picked her ball and walked slowly towards the lane. As I sat there staring at her from behind, I noticed how her bubble butt looked so delicious in those tight denim pants she wore. I felt an erection starting to build up.

Jennie exhaled to calm herself down, then with one graceful, almost balletic move, she tossed the ball. It rolled straight down the middle of the lane. It was perfect. I closed my eyes, accepting another defeat.

"NO! FUCK!" I heard her yell in frustration.

I opened my eyes, and saw that two pins were still standing. I won.

"YES!" I exclaimed while jumping out of the sofa. Jennie turned to glare at me angrily, as if it was me who made those two pins stand there. I laughed hard, my pride restored. At least we were even now. Jennie was still pouting, standing still in front of the lanes, looking like an angry little girl.

"Ice cream, chillin' chillin', ice cream chillin'!" I sang her song mockingly. She tried hard to stop herself from smiling seeing my silly act, but failed miserably. She bursted out laughing and offered me a high five.

"Good game!" she said sportingly. She threw herself to the sofa again and finished her last bottle of beer, before signing off the bill for the room. I sat next to her, still enjoying that victorious feeling. I glanced at my watch again, it was a little over 9.15 pm.

"What do you want to do next?" I asked her. "Do you want to stay here and order some more drinks?"

Jennie shook her head and stood up.

"Nah, I don't want to dwell in a lost battlefield," she said. I laughed hard hearing this. She was indeed competitive, and I loved it. "I'm hungry! Let's find something spicy to eat!"

That wasn't a bad idea. All this gaming and bowling was making me hungry too, and I could almost imagine a cup of hot and spicy tteokbokki. I stood up and was about to follow her outside, before she turned and said naughtily.

"Besides, you still owe me some ice cream!" "Wait... What? Bu–But I won!"

She stuck her tongue out and ran away. I stood there dumbfounded for a second, before following her outside, grinning.

"Ya! Jennie-ya! I won!" I yelled, vengeful yet couldn't stop myself from laughing.

"Ice cream chillin' chillin', Ice cream chillin'!" she kept running as she yelled the lyrics to her song back at me, no doubt to tease and taunt me. This girl. Seriously!

We raced outside to my car, where I managed to catch her and hug her. She laughed as she hugged back. Again, we stared into each other's eyes without words for a few seconds.

"I'm hungry, YeongYeong!" she said cutely. I smiled as I traced a stray hair from her forehead. I really wanted to kiss her right then and there, but I hesitated.

"Me too. Tteokbokki?" I said instead. "That, and other things," she said. "And also ice cream!" "Ya!" I pinched her butt. She squirmed and entered the car while laughing.

I drove the short distance from Itaewon to Banpo, hoping that we'd still get the chance to catch the last rainbow water fountain show of the day at Banpo Bridge. I figured that would be a nice way to end this wonderful night we had. A street food night market was there at Banpo Hangang Park, so we parked our car by the riverbank and walked into the market.

The night market was–like any good night market–packed with people, but also all kinds of delicious Korean street food items. From tteokbokki to eomuk to hotteok, all kinds of fritters, skewers, soups, stews, and sweets you could think of. I went straight to the first tteokbokki stand and bought mine, while Jennie bought some corn dogs. But that was just the first round. Again, Jennie surprised me with just how much she could eat for such a small girl. She bought items after items and happily stuffed them all very quickly inside her mouth.

After we finished our last rounds of street food, we sat side by side on the riverbank, watching Banpo Bridge's beautiful water fountain show, completely stuffed. I stared at her in disbelief and amazement as we slurped our soft serve ice creams, which I begrudgingly bought after much resistance and complaints.

"Where did all the food go?" I asked her. She laughed. "I told you, I can't get fat no matter how much I eat!" she exclaimed.

She rested her head on my shoulder. Again, I felt my heart flutter. I glanced towards her. She was gazing into the river, absentmindedly humming a tune I did not recognize.

At that moment, finally I realised what I had been feeling the entire night, the one reason why my heart skipped a beat every time we touched tonight.

I had fallen in love.

This thought made me smile. Jeez... To think that I was idolizing Irene all this time, and to eventually fall in love with Jennie instead in the end, someone I had known for a decade before this.

"You kissed Jisoo-unnie this morning, didn't you?" she asked casually, suddenly.

Her words startled me.

"Wh–What?"

"You kissed your Noona this morning, right?" she said, straightening herself up. "I saw you guys separated when I entered the room after you followed her upstairs, remember?"

I didn't know how to reply. Yes, we did kiss, and she was my sister. But how could I admit this to the girl I just found out I was in love with?

"Also the pillow..." she uttered, then chuckled. "... You must have had a full hard on." "I–I..." I stuttered. Before I replied, she held my hand.

"It's alright. I won't judge," she said assuringly. Her words confused me. "Wh–What? I–"

She giggled.

"It's okay, Yeongi. I know you two have always been close, and I could always feel the sexual tension every time I was in the same room with the both of you," she said. Really? Was there always sexual tension every time I'm with Jisoo?

She let go of my hand and gazed to the river again, as if wondering what to say next. I guessed there was no point in hiding the truth.

"I–Well... Yeah. I guess we've always been close, Noona and I," I said eventually. She gazed intently at me.

"My... Our dad passed away when we were younger, and mom was then always busy with work and stuff, so it made us very close with each other. I was a nerdy kid, you see... And at one point I think she was the only friend I had," I explained.

"Mom was... A very strict mom, but I guess raising two kids alone was not easy. She was always kind to me, but a little bit extra strict to her. They were never really close," I continued my story.

"So you were her favourite kid?" Jennie asked teasingly. I chuckled. "I guess? But sometimes it felt unfair because Jisoo was always a sweet and kind girl, you see... Never got into trouble, good grades at school and all that," I pondered.

"I guess Noona just reminded mom of dad so much... Maybe the way she handled her loss was to reject everything and everyone that reminded her of him?" I theorised.

"Or maybe because Jisoo-unnie was the eldest child," Jennie said. "What do you mean?" I asked her. Again, she stared into the river.

"A lot of expectations, you see..." she uttered. "I'm the only child, and my mom was strict to me too. She wanted to send me to the States to continue my studies to become a lawyer or teacher, but I just wanted to become a singer. We argued for a little bit, but thankfully she respected my decision and supported me eventually."

Her words made sense. I remembered how disappointed mom was when Jisoo decided to join YG as a trainee. Mom always did have high expectations for her.

"But–you know... I guess what our parents did for us... Was for our own good," Jennie mused. She smiled. "At least I know I am who I am right now, a large part of it was because of what mom taught me."

"What did she teach you?"

"To always be open minded, to never judge anyone by who they are as a person–you know, their skin colours, their beliefs, their sexuality–, and that everyone deserves to be treated with respect," she said.

I stared at her, smiling, impressed at how wise she sounded just now. I guess she was right.

"And that's who I am right now!" Jennie exclaimed, then giggled. "Bisexual, naughty, ... But always respectful. Right?"

Wait. Did Jennie just came out as bisexual to me?

"Ri~ght?" she pressed, as if asking for my approval. She leaned her face towards me, looking directly into my eyes, grinning wide as if daring me not to agree with her. I laughed.

"You're right. I guess mom being strict to Noona was what made her who she is right now. Principled, tough..." I said. Jennie smiled satisfactorily, and rested her head against my shoulder again.

"Speaking of... What did happen this morning? I mean, after you two were gone," she uttered.

I wanted to tell her everything, but I hesitated. Sana told us that there might be a traitor among the people closest to Jisoo. But it couldn't be Jennie, could it? Jisoo trusted her the most, and she was planning to tell all of them the story anyways. Also, the fact that I knew I was in love with this girl. I made my decision.

I told her the entire story, how we were abducted by Sana, and brought to an unknown location to meet with Suzy, who was the head of IPG. I told her what Suzy told me, how these abuses had been happening for a long time, how it affected people like Jessica, Sana, Sulli, and Hara. I told her about Sandara and that she was the one who alerted Suzy and the IPG of Jisoo's mistreatment and how it was Suzy who was our biggest creditor from last night, the one who asked Jisoo about her mistreatment. I told her what Sana told us about VLive's safety features, and how someone must have leaked the information to the bosses for them to know. Lastly, I told her about the plan, how Sana got the picture of the five executives, how we had identified two individuals, and how Jisoo wanted to tell the other three Blackpink members first before deciding whether or not to contact Dara because she didn't want the other three to lose their benefits, and how it was me who was supposed to meet Dara if and when Jisoo had decided.

Jennie's eyes were wide open, staring at me in horror and disbelief. Jennie had cried while listening to my story, especially when she heard about Sulli and Hara. She clasped her hands on her mouth.

"Fuck... I didn't know it was that horrifying..." she whispered. I felt anger starting to build up inside her. She then stared at me with resolve.

"You should just call Dara-sunbaenim now, Yeongi! Let's end this nightmare right now!" she said with confidence. I was taken aback at how determined she was.

"Jen, you–" I hesitated. "–You're the one who received the most from agreeing to the bosses, and you did it willingly. If we are to proceed with the plan, you might lose everything, and the bosses might retaliate not just to Noona but to you and the others as well."

Jennie shook her head.

"I don't care. I can't let them keep treating Jisoo-unnie this way! Not with what has happened at the other companies," she said resolutely. "We need to end this right now!"

"But what about Lisa and Rosé?"

Jennie fell silent, thinking.

"I–I don't know...," she said eventually. "... But I know I myself don't fucking care if they retaliate or what. What matters now is that Jisoo-unnie's mistreatments end. Fuck, she deserves nothing less than the best of everything, Yeongi! After everything she'd done for us Blackpink and for YG? She deserves to get everything she ever wanted and more!"

Jennie started crying out of anger, so I flung my arm around her. She leaned closer to me.

"I'm–I'm sorry, Yeongi... For ever agreeing to the bosses... For taking part in creating this unfairness towards Jisoo-unnie... I'm so sorry," she sobbed. I could feel her sorrow and remorse.

Her words touched my heart. Somehow, I always knew that Jennie would support Jisoo's decision, even if it meant that she would lose her benefits and might face the same retaliation from the bosses, but to now hear her apologize so remorsefully to me for what she thought was a harmless naughtiness, simply made me fall for her even more.

I looked down and placed my fingers gently on her chin, lifting her head slowly to face me. Tears streamed down her eyes as she met my gaze apologetically.

"It's alright, Jen..." I whispered. Then, out of nowhere, I uttered. "Saranghae-yo..."

Jennie paused in surprise. For a brief moment, she just stared into my eyes, as if not believing what she'd just heard. For a second I thought of taking back what I just said, but I felt an urge to make myself clear instead. There was no going back.

"I love you, Jennie," I said with more confidence, meaning every word. "I really do."

Slowly, she smiled, then giggled. She held my hand softly, and shifted it from her chin to her cheek.

"I was starting to think that I'm the only one feeling that way...," she whispered. "... I love you too, YeongYeong."

She closed her eyes. Gently, with heart pounding in my chest, I pulled her face closer towards mine, and we kissed.

I felt shivers like an electric current all over my body. Jennie placed her hand on my cheek as we kissed passionately, for once, not with lust. Only love. Our lips engulfed each other, we caressed each other's cheeks, not wanting to let go.

Suddenly, I felt something hit my hair, then another, then another in quick succession. Water. We pulled apart, and looked up. It was raining out of nowhere.

"Shit! Let's go!" I exclaimed. Jennie laughed as she stood up and followed me.

We ran like crazy to the car, and when we entered, we were already soaking wet. Jennie laughed and laughed, and it made me laugh too. I kissed her again before starting the car and drove away.

"Let's go to my place for tonight! I have booze if you want to drink," she said. I nodded. Her place was at Hannam, near Blackpink's Apartment, so it wasn't far.

We rode in silence for a while, letting the reality sink into our respective minds. I had just confessed to Jennie, and my love reciprocated. It almost felt too good to be true. Was I dreaming? I couldn't stop myself from grinning wide, and she noticed it.

"Why are you grinning?" she asked. I laughed. "I don't know..." I answered honestly. I really didn't. "I guess... I'm happy?"

Jennie giggled.

"Does this mean I'm your girlfriend now?" she asked. I pondered for a while.

"You'll be the first if you want to," I said. Jennie gasped. "Don't fucking lie!" she exclaimed. "You've never had a girlfriend before?"

I shook my head. I was telling the truth.

"Nope. Slept with a few, but never anything serious," I said. "Shit... Yeongi! How is it that the Kim siblings never been in any relationship?" she said. I just laughed.

We fell into a lovely silence for a few minutes. All we heard were the sound of the car's engine and the rain drizzling outside.

"You know... that... I'm with Irene, right, Yeongyeong?" Jennie broke the silence. I kept quiet for a while. So I was right. They were in some kind of a relationship. But I wasn't going to just let Jennie go that easily. Not with that reason.

"So?" I asked eventually.

"So... Are you... Okay with that?" she asked apologetically. I thought about this for a while. The fact that Irene was my favourite idol other than Blackpink actually helped me to make my decision. I decided to answer smartly.

"Irene... Is your girlfriend, right?" I asked her. She nodded. "You can say that..." Jennie said, slowly, as if not wanting to offend me. I wasn't offended.

"But you haven't got a boyfriend yet," I stated. Jennie took my words in for a few seconds, before she understood it and laughed.

"You can say that!" she exclaimed, then grasped my hand. Our fingers interlaced. She then asked me again, softly, "You're really okay with that?"

I nodded.

"You told me yourself that your mom taught you not to judge someone based on who they are as a person, including their sexuality," I said, smiling. "... I love you for who you are, Jen. Irene or no Irene."

Jennie smiled and squeezed my hand tighter in appreciation.

"Jeez... I have a boyfriend now..." she said quietly, almost to herself.

We pulled up to her apartment building in Hannam and parked the car. As soon as I stepped down from the car, Jennie ran to my side, hugged me tightly and kissed my lips again. There were a few people in the parking lot, and I felt embarrassed.

"Jen! We're still outside!" I said nervously. She chuckled. "Let's get inside, then, Boyfriend..." she purred. I felt my erection shot up immediately.

We walked hand in hand inside, then up the elevator to the 25th floor, hers. She opened her door, and welcomed me to her spacious apartment. Jennie's apartment was simple, clean and modern, with wall sized windows on the three sides. I knew every single thing inside this apartment was way above my pay grade.

I reached for the bar that stood in the middle of the living room, trying to get some booze, but Jennie hugged me tightly from behind.

"Let's save the drinks for later, shall we?" she said softly. I knew exactly what she meant.

I turned around and smiled. Jennie started kissing me, starting from my chest, up to my neck, then to my lips. Her slender fingers unbuckled my belt, while I took off her hoodie. We undressed each other like two seasoned pros, and in no time we were both naked.

I gazed at my girlfriend, admiring her perfect body; her perky tits, her flat abs, her slender thighs, her clean-shaven pussy, her bubble butt. My penis was rock hard. I really wanted to shove my cock in her mouth. As if reading my mind, Jennie knelt in front of me, holding my penis in her small hands, and started jerking me off, her eyes locked into mine. I could feel my cock pulsed in her grasp.

She started kissing my cock, then licking it, slobbering my cock with her tongue and saliva. She licked my penis from the tip to the shaft to the root, down to the balls, then back up again very, very slowly, making sure to cover every inch of my cock with her tongue. I closed my eyes and leaned myself against the bar. Warm sensations started engulfing my penis. I knew she'd put it inside her mouth.

I grabbed her head and thrusted my cock deep into her throat without warning. I could feel her gasping for air, but she didn't protest. I looked down and saw Jennie's eyes started to fill with tears, but she didn't break eye contact.

"Fuck, Jen... Why are you so good at this..."

I could feel her giggling with my cock in her throat, and the gargling movements of her throat sent a sensation like I'd never experienced before. I started to move my hips, pushing and pulling myself in and out of her. I could almost see her neck bulge with my cock every time I thrusted in.

Her face started to turn red, but she didn't show any sign of backing off and kept her beautiful eyes locked into mine. I kept fucking her face hard, gaining pace. Slobbering sounds filled the air. She clasped her thick lips tightly around the base of my cock, and I felt her throat tightened around my shaft, making my movements go slower because the pathway was narrower. Jennie grabbed my thighs tightly, then started wiggling her tongue underneath my cock. Fuck! I didn't want to cum yet!

Again, as if she could read my mind, she pulled back suddenly, releasing my cock from her mouth. She gasped for air, then stroked her neck with her fingers lustfully. I felt my cock throbbed in protest, robbed of the chance to cum inside her throat.

"Fu–ck..." she croaked. "I could lose my voice if I have to do this everyday with you!"

"Everyday?" I uttered. She planned on blowing me everyday?

She chuckled and stood up slowly. She kissed my neck again, and I kissed hers, squeezing her firm ass with both of my hands. I felt like tonight I should enter her from behind too. She smiled naughtily as she finished kissing my neck and chest, leaving hickies here and there. She tiptoed to reach my ear, and whispered.

"I want you in me, Daddy..."

I felt chills multiplying. Jennie took my hand and led me to her bedroom. A king-sized bed stood lonely in the middle of the room. She laid down on it, spreading her legs wide, revealing her plump pussy, already soaking wet. She smiled and wiggled her finger, calling me to join her. I couldn't resist.

I climbed the bed, placing my body on top of hers. My penis head was at the entrance of her inviting pussy. I knew she expected me to enter her immediately, so instead of doing that I started kissing her cheeks, then her lips, then her neck. She let out a soft moan right next to my ear as she wrapped her arms around me.

"You're such a tease..." she whispered. I answered by kissing her breasts. Her nipples were already erect, and I played my tongue around them. She convulsed and moaned louder. So this was one of her sensitive spots.

"Mm–hh... YeongYeong..."

I could feel her sharp fingernails started scratching my back. I sucked her left nipple hard while pinching her right with my hand. Jennie jolted.

"Fu–ck! Yeongiii~"

I kept sucking and licking her tits left and right interchangeably, while my hand reached down to her pussy. She was practically a puddle down there. I slipped two fingers inside and started finger fucking her. She moaned louder and louder, her body tensed.

"Aah–Ah! Yeon–Yeongii... Aa–F–f–f-uck!" she screamed.

I felt my fingers sprayed by her vagina juice. She convulsed and screamed, reaching her first orgasm of the night, but then the second came almost immediately after, and she squirted even more before slumping into the bed, panting.

"I haven't even entered and you came twice?" I whispered naughtily into her ear. She grinned, her face in raptures.

"Fuck you! Just put it in already!" she exclaimed, still panting for breath, flinging her arms around my neck.

"You gotta ask nicely..." I teased. "My gosh, you're a monster!" she giggled, licking her lips. "A lovesick monster?" I mused. She giggled again.

"That could be the title of our next album," she said, kissing my cheeks.

I let my penis head brush her clit, which made her squirm. I knew she wanted to be fucked so badly, and I planned to tease her until she begs me, so I pressed my head again against her clit. She squirmed again, now her eyes filled with lust.

"Fuu—ck, Yeongi... Just put it in me..." she begged, longingly. I kissed her neck and placed my head at the entrance. Jennie licked my ear.

"Beg me for it, Babe..." I whispered in her ear. "Fuck you..." she whispered to mine and giggled.

I wiggled my cock, slapping her clit with it. She shivered and moaned, then relented.

"Please..." she begged, "Please put your big fucking cock in my fucking pussy. Please Daddy... I want it so bad..."

I couldn't hold it any longer, and her saying those words with her sexy voice made my cock grew even harder. As I stared into her eyes, I thrusted in slowly, making sure she felt every single inch sliding inside her wet, sloppy pussy. Her eyes widened, her mouth gaping wide.

I felt my head reaching her womb again. She gazed into my eyes, her eyelids half closed from pleasure. She smiled and clasped her legs behind my back.

"Game on, Yeongi?" she teased me. I laughed. "Loser buys ice cream?" I said. She giggled and kissed me.

I slowly pulled my cock out, then rammed it back inside with speed and power. Jennie gasped and moaned loudly. I kept pummeling her pussy, hard and fast. I could feel her tightening around me, her fingernails sinking into my back. The pain aroused me more.

"F—fuck... fuck.. Y—Yeongi—Babe..." she moaned. Her mouth gaped open, drooling. I felt my climax building.

Just like last night, I looked down and pressed my hand on her stomach. She squirmed and jolted, moaning even louder.

"Yeong—Yeongi!"

I stared deep into her eyes. She got even tighter, and I knew I was about to cum. With one final thrust, I exploded inside her womb for the second night in a row.

Jennie convulsed and twitched, eyes shut, mouth wide open. I pulled out before I finished, and let a few shots land on her belly. Cum started leaking out of her gaping pussy.

I laid next to her, panting. My cock was still rock hard, not content with just cumming once inside this beautiful lady I could now call my girlfriend. Evidently, she wasn't finished too.

"Round two?" she asked naughtily while climbing on top of me, straddling me. I grabbed her ass and spread her cheeks open with my fingers. Her jaw opened as if surprised.

"Oh so you like that?" she said, knowing what I wanted. I nodded and smiled.

Biting her lips, she guided my cock to the entrance of her asshole. I spread her butt cheeks even wider, and slowly, she lowered herself. My penis head entered her asshole, then the shaft slid in slowly. The first few inches slid in easily, but then it got stuck, tight as hell.

"Fuck, Jen!" I exclaimed, surprised at how tight her asshole was. She grinned wide, then pressed herself down with force, making my cock thrust all the way in. She gasped and let out a loud moan, catching her breath, her face burned red. Evidently she was not as used doing anal sex compared to Rosé, as Jennie's was way tighter than hers, but she looked like she enjoyed it nonetheless.

I grabbed Jennie's waist and started moving her up and down my cock. She bounced around, her tits jiggling. She moaned and gasped with every thrust I made, and her rectum kept getting tighter and tighter. Shit. I won't last long like this.

Jennie suddenly came, hard. She squirted out like a firehose while screaming. Her body shuddered from the impact of her orgasm, and let out a large, loud sigh after she finished.

"Mmh–Mhh–Daddy–Dad–dy..." she uttered, almost incomprehensibly. I loved how she kept calling me 'Daddy', I guessed she's got a dad complex.

I thrusted even harder and faster, pistoning in and out of her ass. Jennie's mouth gaped wide, tongue wiggling, drooling everywhere. She looked absolutely a mess. I felt my climax was about to come.

"Fuck–Fuck, Babe... I think I'm about to cum..." I told her. Jennie didn't reply, but her body tensed, eyes rolling to the back of her skull. Her moans and gasps started to become less and less synchronized with her movements.

I thrusted harder and let my cum spurted inside her asshole. I came again and again before letting her slump on top of me. I stared at the ceiling, and for a few moments we just lay there, panting, both enjoying the intense pleasure after our explosive sex. I could feel Jennie's breaths starting to calm down.

"I think that was the best anal sex ever," she said eventually. I chuckled. "Just the anal sex?" I said. She slapped my chest, then kissed it lightly. "Fuck you and your competitiveness," she said, but then she smiled and corrected herself.

"... That was the best sex I ever had."

She crept up slowly to face me, then lovingly, she whispered.

"I love you, YeongYeong..." "I love you too, Jen..."

We kissed, her fingers tracing my chest, mine stroking her hair. We pulled apart, both smiling wide. We said what was inside our heads almost at the same time.

"I need to drink," we said. Laughing, we both got up from the bed, still naked, and walked out to the bar.

I filled two glasses with ice cubes, and poured us some scotch. We clink our glasses, and gulped it down in one go. The alcohol burned, but it made me feel alive. Jennie smiled at me, sitting at the bar stool. It was almost midnight.

"Babe, you want to check on your sister?" she mused after a while. "Let's tell her that you've told me everything and see what she's planning to do."

Fuck. My night with Jennie actually successfully made me forget about everything that had happened this morning.

"Yeah. You're right," I said. I took my phone from my pants which were on the floor. Jennie walked inside her bathroom and took two robes, tossing me one before wearing one herself.

I video called Jisoo. After a few seconds, she picked up. Her face looked much stronger and healthier now compared to how she looked this morning.

"YeongYeong! How are you?" "Hey Noona! I'm good. How are you?" "Yea I'm fine. No more headache, had a good rest and ate so much earlier," she said cheerfully.

"Hi Yeongi~!" I heard Lisa yell in the background. "Hi Lisa!" I exclaimed. I heard a door slamming. She must have just entered her room.

"You alright, Yeongi?" Jisoo asked again. "Yeah I'm fine. Rested well and fed. Hey listen, Noona... I... I've told Jennie everything," I said. "Have you told Rosé and Lisa?"

Jisoo paused, as if thinking.

"That's good. I've told Rosé and Lisa too..." she said, then paused again. "What's wrong?" "Nah... It's... They... Understand. But... We haven't come to a conclusion yet," Jisoo said slowly.

I knew it. So Jennie's the only one who fully agreed, just as we had expected.

"Ah... Okay. So... What do you wanna do?" I asked her. "I–I don't... Know, Yeoni," she said. "... What did Jennie say?"

I looked up to Jennie. She pondered for a while, then she walked to my side, entering the frame.

"Jichoo..." Jennie said. Jisoo was surprised to see her. "Jennie? What... Wait!" she exclaimed, realising what was happening. "YeongYeong! Are you at Jennie's place?"

I grinned sheepishly, somehow feeling like she had just caught me doing something wrong.

"Y... Yes," I said, almost apologetically. Jennie, knowing that Jisoo was shocked, grinned and kissed my cheek teasingly.

"Unnie! Your brother's mine, now!" she exclaimed, flinging her arm across my shoulder. "Jen! What are you doing?" Jisoo laughed, then I saw her eyes widened as she slowly understood. "Are you guys...?"

I smiled and nodded. Jennie did the same, hugging me tighter.

"May I? Do I have your blessing?" she asked. I felt like I saw a hint of jealousy in Jisoo's face, but then she smiled wide and started laughing. "Of course! I'm so happy for you guys!" she exclaimed. I knew she was being honest. "Jen! You know you're YeongYeong's first girlfriend, right?"

"Yes! What's wrong with you two good looking people not ever being in any relationship!" Jennie exclaimed.

Jisoo laughed.

"I don't know... I guess I'm the only one left now!" Jisoo said. Again, I felt a hint of jealousy. "Nah, you'll find yours soon, Noona..." I said assuringly. Jisoo smiled.

"Hey, Unnie... About what Yeoni said earlier," Jennie said seriously. "I'm all for it. Don't worry."

I saw Jisoo's eyes start to fill up with tears hearing Jennie's words. I felt like I wanted to walk the few blocks to Blackpink's apartment and just hug her.

"Are you sure, Jen?" she said through her tears. Jennie nodded. "Yes, let's just call Dar–" I stepped on her toes, cutting her off. Jisoo's was a company phone, so I feared that it might be bugged. Jennie looked up, but understood straightaway.

"Let's just call her now," Jennie said eventually. "But the other two..." Jisoo said. I knew how much she loved all of her members and wanted all of them on her side.

"You know what..." I said. "... Why don't we all just rest now, and meet together in the morning? Maybe if all five of us meet together we can convince Lisa and Rosé. Jennie can help explain it as well."

Jennie nodded.

"Let's meet together tomorrow morning, Unnie," she said. "I'll convince them. Don't worry."

Jisoo nodded, tears streaming from her eyes.

"Thank you, Jen–You're the best..." she uttered. "I'll tell Lisa and Rosé."

Suddenly, a third caller joined. It was Rosé. Jisoo accepted her request, and a second later Rosé's face appeared on screen. She looked concerned.

"Hi guys. Sorry to call you this late." "What is it Rosie?" Jennie asked. "Where are you?" I asked.

"I..." she lowered her voice. "I'm at John's investor meeting here at the Investor's Club in Yeouido..."

Only then did I notice that Rosé was in full make up and that she was at some sort of a party.

"Listen. John had just told me that five of YG's major shareholders suddenly pulled almost all of their shares from YG and invested in Naver," she said.

"Naver?" Jennie and Jisoo asked together.

"Naver owns VLive," I said, immediately alarmed at what Rosé was saying. Jennie's mouth uttered 'Fuck'.

"How big are we talking about?" I asked her. Rosé's eyes darted left and right, as if making sure that nobody's eavesdropping.

"Almost 10% of the company," she said.

Shit. This was serious. What were they planning to do?

"But that doesn't make sense," I said. "YG is much more valuable than Naver." "Why? Do you know?" asked Jisoo. Rosé shook her head. "I don't know. John's talking to a guy called Park Manse right now. He's YG's Investments Director. I..." suddenly Rosé looked up.

"They're back. I'll call you guys later," she said, ending the call.

Jisoo, Jennie, and I stared silently at each other, processing what Rosé had just told us. Almost at the same time, my Nokia phone vibrated, and I heard the same sound from Jisoo's end. Jennie took it out from my pants, giving it to me.

It was a text from Sana.

"Guys, hurry. Five bosses greenlit the news about Jisoo-Yeoni's VLive for lunchtime headline. Call Dara now. No time."

Jennie and I looked up in horror. It all made sense now. The five bosses were selling their stocks because the headline would affect YG's image negatively, which would make their stocks plummet, but would increase Naver's. This would effectively end Jisoo's career, and could even possibly end Blackpink's existence. Jisoo clasped her hand to her mouth, realising the same thing.

"I—should I call her now?" asked Jisoo nervously. "No. Stay home, Noona. I'll call her now and meet her immediately," I said. Slowly, Jisoo nodded. "Be careful," she said before ending the call.

I looked at the clock on the wall. It was a few minutes past midnight. We had less than 12 hours to stop this from happening. Jennie and I rushed to put our clothes on, then ran to the parking lot. As we entered the car and started the engine, I took out my Nokia phone and gave it to Jennie.

"Call Dara." I commanded. She nodded and dialed her number. Almost immediately, Dara picked up.

"Namsan Tower parking lot. Purple car," she said curtly, before cutting the call.

I stepped on the gas pedal, rushing to the location. My heart was pounding. This was a race against time.

[kevindayscrown]

Why Kevin Day is the most in-depth character in the All For the Game series

An essay by a Kevin stan, so you know it's at least 70% biased

Hello, hello everyone, welcome to another session of me, brainwashing you about the amazingness of Kevin Day. In this short essay, I'll discuss how our number Queen asshole striker is, in fact, not just a whiney bitch, but one of the most key characters in the AFTG series. I'll also discuss how Nora pretty much did him dirty and how much I appreciate the fandom for doing him better.

I've decided that it will be much easier to take things chronologically, so I can delve deeper into what makes Kevin the character whose stans won't shut up about.

Unlike the rest of the characters in the series, Kevin started off in a somewhat stable family condition. He was brought up by his mother, Kayleigh, but still probably had to live with the title 'Son of Exy' from the moment he was born. We've all witnessed what being on the spotlight from a young age has done to child stars. Kevin, upon growing up, would start feeling the burden of a whole legacy created by his mother. Because Exy, despite being a bastard sport, has a large fanbase around the US, and possibly further - since it's mentioned that it's also an Olympic sport.

It wouldn't be a surprise that Kevin more than likely looked up to his mother and wanted to play Exy for her. Suddenly though, Keyleigh died in a car accident (if it was even a car accident; knowing the Moriyamas, it could had been done on purpose) and left Kevin in the care of Tetsuji Moriyama, the head of one of the yakuza's branches, and his now adoptive brother Riko.

Let's be honest, both of them were just kids. They only had each other, so it was really easy to get attached. Kevin has lost his mother at this point and Tetsuji is not exactly a proper father figure, so Kevin had to cling on Riko. Despite us seeing him in the main timeline being an asshole who snaps at everyone, his willingness to submit into the position of 'number 2' even if he's better than Riko, shows how much he depends emotionally on people. Riko and Kevin had to meet certain expectations, had fans from a very young age, and Neil even mentions that he literally witnessed Kevin grow up from media outlets and coverages. Kevin had to stick close to the only other person who's going through the same thing.

As a result, it was easy for Kevin to focus on what he's taught to believe; he should aim for the stars, he should be good, great, but never the best. Because Riko is the best. Kevin accepts that.

I hate how people call him a spineless coward just because someone mentions it once in the book. Kevin isn't like Neil. Neil was given a chance to escape. Kevin could never escape Evermore. Even if he did consider it his home, he was still abused on a daily basis. Riko mentions in Raven King, when he's about to torture Neil, that Neil is basically in the same position as Kevin once had been:

People forget that, Kevin probably had to live through what Neil did ever since Riko turned into his fucked up self. Which literally means years of physical and mental abuse, with no hope of escape but the bright future he had ahead of him. So what did Kevin do? He focused on playing.

Stop making Kevin all about being an Exy freak or an alcoholic. Kevin was so obsessed with Exy because it's the only thing he has ever known. He probably couldn't even drink before he escaped Evermore.

Imagine being torn between loving and clinging on the boy you once called brother because it's the only family you've known, and being hurt by him, again and again at a later age, having him shatter all you think you are good at. Riko didn't just break Kevin's hand. He almost took away from him all he thought he had left, and possibly the only way Kevin had of feeling close to his mother.

Kevin loses all he's ever known, and he blames himself for it at first because he thinks it's his fault that he even dared to show he could be better than Riko. He's in pieces and the only thing he does is to cling yet on another person. Aka Andrew. And somehow like this, we come back to the point about Kevin not only being far from an emotionless asshole, but actually being the most emotionally attached character in the series.

Entering the timeline of the books, Kevin appears as the epitome of a narcissistic asshole. It's fair for someone (as a reader) to not like him at first, when we don't know all that much about him. But as the story unravels, a clear distinction is made:

Kevin is not a narcissist. He's egocentric.

Kevin knows and truly believes he's the center of attention. Because, admittedly, he is. The books could had easily had Kevin as the protagonist. Like mentioned before, being raised on the spotlight, has had a tremendous impact on how he sees himself. He's obsessed with what image he's presenting to the public. I don't think he said 'being heterosexual is easier' without a reason. Kevin has led a life full of suppression. He can flash a 'press smile' for the cameras, he can snap and be cold at the Foxes, when in reality, he's suffering from severe PTSD, with panic attacks that he's handling in the worst way possible:

Alcohol. Why? Because the Foxes are all assholes and hypocrites. Don't get me wrong, I love them. But the fact that they just ignored Kevin everytime he had a panic attack and simply thrusted a bottle of vodka his way and called it a day? Inexcusable. Kevin needed a lot more than that.

Oh jeez, I wonder why he didn't tell Wymack he was his father all along.

If I see another person saying that Kevin was an ass for not telling Wymack straight up, I might slap a bitch. Do you think that Kevin would have been able to handle another rejection, another loss of a parental figure? All he did, was in self defense. Yes, it was selfish, but it was probably the only time in his life he could really make a choice on his own.

But you know what? Kevin overcame all this. Maybe and most probably not completely, he will never be able to wash away some stains, but he became more confident and emotionally independent. He detached himself both from Riko and from Andrew, and became the best striker in the history of Exy.

One of the reasons why I love Neil and Kevin - especially Kevin - is because their healing journeys are more fleshed out than Andrew's. But in this case, Kevin's was not really given the attention it deserved, it happened on the side lines and he had to do it alone. Neil had the foxes, had Wymack and Andrew. Kevin had no one, because the foxes, despite being assholes themselves, kept dismissing him and his problems. I really do believe that, in the first drafts when Kandreil was canon, Nora had potentially explored his character more. I wish we had gotten that instead of this sloppy attempt to squeeze in his ark along with Neil's.

I'll end this with some highlights that also showcase how badass Kevin is. He's a mess, but he does grow some spine when he finally becomes his own person:

Oof, if you actually read through this, thank you for tolerating my probably incoherent thoughts. I actually barely scratched the surface of my thoughts on Kevin's character but for now, this will do.

[stanzoeywade]

Veronica x MC tinder!au

I headcanon Veronica to look like Barbara Lopez, and as you can see this headcanon was inspired by this tweet.

Summary: in which you are paired with Veronica for a project and she doesn't respond to your emails but you match with her on tinder. The both of you find each other attractive but you're both gay disasters. Also in this au the MC doesn't meet Poppy on her first day of school, so they don't know about the top 3 girls of Belvoire. (Where poppy is a switch (fite me), Veronica is a top.)

Warnings: swear words, and maybe toothache inducing fluff? Thigh riding smut.

Taglist: @somewillwin @belvoiresqueenbee @origmansello @clownery-is-a-new-personality @kamilahtrash @poppysminion @poppysimp @captain-hanadeleine @poppysmc @iiizdumb @uselesslesbianfr @scattered-to-the-winds @idiot-justidiot @toyhenoctus @coldbatfriendroad​

So it begins in one of your compulsory classes, where you have to be partnered up for a big project, like 20-30% of your final grade.

Cue your professor paring you up with someone who you've never seen before in class, and you're confused because wtf??? Who is this Veronica Lombardi person??? And why is everyone staring at you with mixed reactions, some look jealous while some look like they feel bad for you.

After class, you make you way to your dorm room and you ask Zoey if she knows Veronica Lombardi and that's how you find out about the whole ranking system in Belvoire. You learn that Veronica is at the number 3 spot as one of the most popular girls on campus. You're not really interested because in all honesty it sounds too much like high school and you're already over it.

Considering that she was going to be your partner for the project, you decide to email her so that the both of you can divide the work equally, as well as ask if she has any days where she is free so that you can discuss the project in person.

It's been a week and you still don't have a response, and you're starting to think that you'll have to do the project alone. Hopefully your professor will take that into consideration once she marks you paper.

You try to start to work on the project but you're quick to realise that you're bored, so in your frustrated state, you open tinder hoping to find an outlet for your stress.

Imagine your surprise when you're matched with your project partner, who messages you. It reads "Sup babe, what are you doing tonight?"

You feel your blood pressure rise as you type angrily. "I'M DOING OUR JOINT PROJECT YOU BITCH!"

She replies with the emojis "😤😒" alongside a gif of someone saying "Rude".

You're about to lose it when another message catches your attention. "Are you from Sociology 101? I haven't attended any of the lectures, it's boring af. But you know what wouldn't be boring? We could hook up 😜" it reads.

"Un-fucking-believable" you mutter to yourself as you read the message. 'Who the hell does she think she is?' - you think to yourself, annoyed.

"Are you seriously flirting with me right now?" you text as you feel angrier each passing second.

The only response you get is a selfie of Veronica smiling cheekily at the camera, which is followed by a message saying "I promise I'd be more fun than sociology. 😉"

You barely resist the temptation of pulling your hair out and respond with "look, I get it you're rich, but just because you can get away with not doing the work, it doesn't mean that I can." Veronica looks at your response and can't help but feel a pang of guilt.

Feeling guilty, Veronica messages you. It says "look babe, I'm sorry, I'll make it up to you, we can meet up and do the project together. And maybe when we finish we can do something more fun? 😜😉"

Letting out a resigned sigh you begrudgingly ask for her address and she's all too happy to respond. "I live on campus, I'm part of the Zetas so just walk over and I'll meet you outside."

Freshening up, you make yourself look presentable and you start to make your way to the sorority house. You're surprised to see someone waiting outside, and you assume the person to be Veronica.

As you get closer you're taken aback because of Veronica. There she was in all her glory. I mean you knew she looked attractive judging by the photo she sent you, but pictures can't exactly compare to seeing the real thing.

You can't help but think that Veronica is gorgeous, I mean with that face she could be a supermodel and ohh my god she has legs that go on for days.

Snapping out of your daze, you just see Veronica flashing you a charming smile.

You weren't the only one checking the other person out though, Veronica couldn't help but think that you were cute, especially in that crop top and varsity jacket. 'She's smart and easy on the eyes to boot, this will be fun.' - she thinks as she turns on the charm, ready to seduce.

You approach her, anger coming back as you poke your finger on her shoulder whilst saying "I'm so fucking mad at you, I could have finished the project already but your ass was MIA, so I couldn't start."

Veronica winces at each poke, irritated, she tugs on your wrist and pulls you close. "You could have looked for me personally you know." she says cockily.

Your anger dissipates a little because she had a point and with a resigned sigh you say "Fair enough, still doesn't make up for the fact that you didn't reply to my emails."

Veronica just rolls her eyes at you. "Well we could stand here and argue or we can go inside and actually work on the project." she says sarcastically.

As you make you way inside the sorority house, you can't help but feel amazed by the expensive furniture and decorations. It looked like a house fit for royalty and if you're being honest you're a bit jealous because they get to live in luxury.

You follow Veronica to her room and you're immediately surprised by what you see. Her room is big, however it is decorated modestly, and it's much simpler than what you imagined. The atmosphere feels a bit awkward and you make conversation by complimenting her room. "Your room seems really cozy."

Veronica looks at you, a soft smile graces her features and she says "Thanks." She puts a stray strand of her behind her ears and you can't help but admire her.

"If taking a picture of my room would've gotten you to come over, I would have done so already." she flirts.

You can't help giggle and you're relieved that the awkward atmosphere has been replaced with a comfortable silence.

Your giggle attracts Veronica's attention and her cheeks flush because who gave you the right to be so cute.

The two of you start to work on the project and you're pleasantly surprised to learn that Veronica understands the syllabus despite the fact that she hasn't attended any of the lectures. The two of you get a lot more work done than what you expected and before either of you realise, it's already dark outside.

You feel your eyes drooping as you try to stay awake, and you notice how dark it is and you're about to tell Veronica that you're about to leave when she says "It's already dark outside, you should probably stay it's not safe to be walking around in the middle of the night."

You mull it over and decide to stay. 'Fuck it, I'm too tired to walk back' - you think to yourself as you nod your head to Veronica.

Veronica walks over to her closet and pull out pyjamas, which she hand over to you as well as a spare toothbrush. "You should go and clean up, you can sleep on the bed." she says kindly. You raise an eyebrow at her. "This better not be a plan to get me to sleep with you Lombardi." you say jokingly. She just laughs at your joke and tells you to clean up, you're too tired to argue back so you concede.

Fast-forward to the next morning, you wake up in someone's arms and you snuggle closer until you realise. 'WTF, why am I being cuddled and where the fuck am I?' - you think to yourself slightly panicking. Your eyes open and you turn around to see that Veronica was asleep, you try to get out of her grip but she just pulls you closer whilst murmuring in her sleep.

You don't want to wake her up because she looks so comfortable and at ease and you know that you're stuck there until she wakes up.

Veronica wakes up and she feels something or someone in her arms, she then remembers that you slept over, not in the way she wanted but hey she's not complaining, especially since you were cutely staring at her with a confused expression.

Deciding to tease you, she plants a kiss on your lips and you freeze. A blush creeping on your face and Veronica was about to apologise for going too far when you cut her off by kissing her back. She could get used to this she thinks.

She pulls away and notices the blush on your cheeks. "I thought you didn't like me Hughes?" she says mischieviously, and you just look away.

Realising that her arms weren't around you anymore, you get up and Veronica whines at the lack of physical contact and warmth, you narrowly avoid being pulled back down onto the bed.

You just shoot her a soft smile and say "Thanks for letting me stay over, I'm gonna go get changed and leave, I'll see you later."

You quickly get changed and as you leave her room, you can feel your heart pounding in your chest because you can't stop thinking about the kiss you shared with Veronica. You continue to zone out for the rest of the day, wondering what it would be like to kiss her again.

The next time the two of you meet, Veronica is more straightforward when it comes to flirting, and you're always left a flustered and blushing mess. Veronica thinks you look so cute, especially since she's the reason why you're flustered. The two of you become friends and you exchange numbers because using tinder to communicate was getting annoying.

You're surprised when Veronica messages you with random memes at god awful hours and you can't even get mad because they make you laugh and it becomes something you look forward to each day.

That's when you start to develop feelings for Veronica, and you're not sure what to do because she's flirty with everyone and you're not sure if she likes you back.

Veronica invites you to a frat party, and as soon as you get there a few people introduce themselves to you. One of the frat boys tries to flirt with you and you're immediately pulled back by Veronica as she says "Fuck off Luis, she with me." Your eyes widen as you realise what Veronica said.

You don't have the chance to ask what she means as she drags you off to a room, where she immediately kisses you, hand finding it's way down to your hips and gripping it possessively. She continues to kiss you, each kiss deeper and rougher than the last. The barrage of kisses only stop due to both of you needing to breathe.

Your chest heaves as you feel Veronica lean in to whisper "You're mine, and I don't like it when people touch what's mine." You feel shivers down your back as she says that.

Veronica locks the door and she pulls you towards the bed where she sits and pull you in for another kiss. You're pulled onto her lap as her lips trail down your jaw to the base of your neck, alternating between biting and sucking to leave marks. You can feel a wave of arousal make it's way down to your core, and a small groans escapes your lips.

Spurred on by your reaction, Veronica starts to unbutton your shirt, quickly taking it off with deft hands. She starts to grope your breasts as she unhooks your bra with her other hand. Lips finding it's way to nipples, and you can't stop yourself from moaning when her teeth grazes against it.

Instinctively, your hips starts to jerk against her thigh and it quickly catches Veronica's attention as she looks at you with narrowed eyes and pupils blown.

She pulls your hips down flush against her thigh, and leaning in she whispers "Grind." and you're quick to obey her as she sucks and bites on your shoulder and collarbone, making sure to leave marks on each patch of skin she can reach.

You slowly start to grind against her, and in order to help you out, she starts to move her thigh against your centre, working you up faster and you let out long breathy moans and whimpers at the friction against your centre. Spurred on by your reaction, Veronica uses her fingers to touch and play with your clit, and this makes you moan out her name "V, that feels so good.", and she can't get enough.

She grinds her thigh faster and she starts to use her finger to help you climax. Your body starts to convulse and your back arches as you reach your climax. Veronica's fingers helping you ride out your orgasm. A loud moan escapes your mouth and for a moment your vision turns white, head empty except the pleasure you feel. Your chest heaves as you try to catch your breath.

As soon as you regain your bearings, you can see the smug look Veronica has, and you do nothing but roll your eyes as you say "Yeah, yeah that felt really good, stop being so smug." Veronica's eyes just lights up as she raises her arms in mock surrender and says "Hey, you said it not me."

"So, I guess this means we're dating?" you ask shyly, as your cheeks flush. Veronica just kisses you softly and says "Yeah."

That's how the two of you start dating.

A/N: I saw that there was a lack of Veronica x MC content so yeah enjoy, and please reply if you want me to write a dating Veronica headcanon like I did for Poppy. Thanks for reading, bye.

[limenysnocket]

In The Dirt... Pt. IV

Summary: Why did you leave... where did you go? I miss you. Fuck, I miss you... f u c k.

Warnings: Cursing, alcohol abuse, drug abuse (no real smut in this one sorryyy)

A/N: F U C K I T. I need to finish this series because I don't like having open stories on my pallet that need to be finished. GAWD. Short one for the gals.

○●□○●□○●■○●■○

After many years of destroying the senses, you really stop noticing or awknowledging fear. It just dims out eventually, and no one likes that one Debby downer. So, you just stop. Just like that, with a snap of your fingers. It just... disappears.

You know, I thought I had lost that sense of fear forever. I thought it disappeared, like everyone else's. That all was until I woke up this morning to find the sheets cold except for the spots I had been laying.

Did my fear suddenly return from the dead to replace you? Where did you go?

Why the hell am I worrying?

You probably just went home.

But you're usually here when I wake up? You wait for me, don't you?

Maybe you were just outside of my bedroom door, hanging with the rest of the band.

That seemed more plausible to me.

I get myself together (somewhat fine). It's still not the same without having you politely knock on the door and ask for entry while I'm dressing.

Music is already seeping through the cracks of the walls, since the rest of the band probably had woken up by now (or just didn't sleep the night before). I can feel the bass beneath my feet, sending pleasant shivers down my spine, but the pleasure isn't enough to get you off of my mind.

I feel like I slowly melt into the living room as my door opens, slinking across the floor like some malformed blob until I'm at an angle where I can survey the entire room.

You're not here.

One of the heavy stoners of the group finally notices me after peering through the glossy haze of his high, just for a moment.

"Shit, man, what's got you all squirrelly this morning?" he muses, lifting a plain cigarette up to his mouth and taking a long drag.

I can feel every inch of my body tense up and I shove my hands into my pockets, lips pursed. I sigh and shake my head. "Nothing."

He goes back to whatever he was doing, rambling on to one of the (also stoned) groupies that joined us this morning, while I have another look around. My mates cast me odd looks, but I toss them aside. I must have really been looking awful if those looks started to worsen (which I know they did).

"I heard the hotel door slamming shut last night..." one of them mused, "anyone anger their chick or some shit?" The group that gathered along the kitchenette chuckled softly and shook their heads.

"What 'bout you, Waititi? You piss another one off?" Someone spoke up to me. They knew now. They knew I had done something.

Luckily, I had my back turned to the group in my desperate and frantic search, so they didn't see the pained look creep over my face. "I don't know," I say slowly, not bothering to turn around. They all seem to shrug my answer off. I can't, however.

What did I do last night to really get you gone? Was it something I said? Did I not please you enough? Did you finally decide that the rock 'n' roll life just wasn't your thing, decide not to tell me, and up and leave me dry with no hope left to survive?

I'm being dramatic.

I slip a pair of slippers on and shuffle down to the main floor after awkwardly standing next to a polite family on the elevator. It was obvious they could smell the cigarette smoke on me.

Fuck, it's way too early in the morning to be doing this.

I leap for the front desk before anyone else could take the undivided attention away from me. A young receptionist had just sat herself down with a steaming cup of coffee.

"Did you see a girl come through here last night?" I mumble to her. She looks up at me, nowhere near as excited as you are when I talk to you.

"Sir, I just clocked in. I'm afraid the person you need to be talking to is already on his way out to his car," she says, nose raised up in the air snootily. My looks and manner clearly didn't seem to charm her (or maybe it's the fact that I'm in a fucking stained Purple Rain shirt and sweatpants).

The fact that maybe my last hope may possibly be in the parking lot excites me, so I don't think I could care any less about the way people look at me. My perhaps wobbly legs float me out to the street and I'm searching frantically for any trace of you or this man I'm supposed to find.

There, where the sidewalk ends, there's a man, bellboy cap in hand, waving and shouting for a cab driver's attention.

I slow my speed down to a brisk walk to approach him and not alarm him, but the glimmer of a hovering, yellow taxi catches my eye as it slows down and pulls next to the curb. All of a sudden I'm running. I'm running for you. Fuck, when was the last time that I actually ran?

Sure, it was a bad move grabbing the dude's arm when I reached him. He moved to swat me, yelling in a high voice, "The fuck, dude! This cab is mine!" His hand was about to come down, when I made the first sensible decision in my life and let go of him.

"Wait!" I hollered before we made any more contact. "You worked the front desk last night, right? I'm looking for a girl."

He gives me the most startled look ever, gripping the door of the taxi for fear life. He then recognizes me. "Your Taika Waititi, right? You and your band infested the hotel a couple days ago?"

I nod slowly, gulping and hoping he had some sort of information.

He sighs, looking at the warm seat of the cab, then back at me. He mutters something under his breath. "I did see a girl," he lets out. "But I don't know if she's any person your looking for. There's a lot of women that come and go from y'alls rooms, I tell you." And he shakes his head.

"What did she look like?" I pry at him more, and he cab impatiently honks its horn. He draws another long sigh.

"She..." he trails off, "look, there was one girl that passed by. She was wearing a Hunt For The Wilderpeople shirt, and that's all I can tell you."

"But was she upset?" I shout, just trying to get down to the point.

I receive another glare.

"Look mister," he said, one foot in the cab, "she didn't pay me no mind and I certainly didn't care about her enough to ask her what was wrong. Now, if you'll excuse me." He huffed, and that was the last I saw of him as he disappeared into the cave of the cab.

My heart seemed to quiver as I watched the cab go. I was getting stares from girls and guys alike across the street. A crowd was soon building. I had been standing on the curb for minutes, watching and waiting. As if the cab would suddenly turn around, open its doors and I'd see you inside, but no. Not in the slightest.

I return to the hotel room, tail between my legs, and head down. I should call. I want to know if you're alright. What did I do, my little groupie? What did I...

No.

No, that's not right. I said groupie. But... I also said my... meaning...

I return back to my room and sit on the frigid bed. I think of you with no trace of a smile left on my face. I want you here. I want to see you. I want to fuck this feeling out of me through you. An outlet. Is that all I see you as? But, what do you see me as?

I pick up my phone and search for your number. It's mixed up and I never miss it. I have a little nickname for you too, but I never use I when you're around. My thumb hovers over the call button for a moment. I don't know why I hesitate. After a big, deep breath, I press it. The vibration of it makes my ears ring. My heart is racing. Why do I het so riled up trying to talk to you? It's just you...

And yet you're you!

...

I don't know how to explain it. You're my groupie... my... groupie...

Fuck.

There's no response. There's not even the faintest sound of your voice. All I get is a computer.

I call again and again and again.

The dial tone makes my head spin. I call your home phone, hell, I was even two inches away from calling your parents. But then a text message. A single text message.

'Leave me alone.'

My heart seems to stop. I did something wrong. But I can't figure out what.

Why?

Why are you all of a sudden ignoring me? Why won't you tell me that you're safe? Is it something that I did? What's wrong?

I interpret my thoughts onto my phone in a text message and send it out without a momen'ts hesitation.

'What did I do wrong?'

You read it.

But you never respond...

~~~~~

17 calls and a single text message. You can't even deal with him. It's like he doesn't even remember how much being just his groupie shatters you.

You've asked for something more so many times. So many gut wrenching feelings as he tells you all over again, "I'm not looking for anything serious. You're just a groupie."

You've finally snapped. You're done. You can't keep getting your heart broken again. Not again.

[roselen-mylady]

In Another Life

Bucky Barnes x reader ° part ten

Summary: Waiting 88 years to find your soulmate? It was cruel. But it was a cruel fate Bucky would have to face whether he accepted it or not. Bucky was a tortured man all his life and he wasn't even granted the solace of having his soulmate at his side. All he had was the promise of one in another life. They were separated by two different times.

But the pain in their lives were connected.

Y/n had been alone ever since she could remember. All she could depend on was the soulmate that was destined to be at her side. Yet when the snap occurred she lost him.

And Bucky never got to meet her.

Though Steve showed no signs of leaving or the anger Y/n had feared, she still felt the anxiety that came from revealing her true past. He was supportive, as he always was and so was everyone else once they were told. Tony only had a mere, 'I knew it' to add to the subject and while Y/n was touched, she couldn't help the array of things she felt. 

Foolish was one of them. Hiding her past from them before was stupid but Steve insisted that her going underground was probably best since HYDRA would've searched for her. While that brought her some solace she was still uncomfortable with the idea of becoming more involved. Something always went wrong and Nat was proof. 

She missed her friend badly and Y/n couldn't help but feel it was her own cursed luck that had taken Nat. It was ridiculous to think that she could ever be happy. Stupid to think she could help her friends bring back everyone. Stupid to think she might actually meet her soulmate.  

"Hey, kid. We're going to put the stones together." Tony cut into Y/n's racing thoughts. Her gaze lifted from the drawing Steve had given her, settling on Tony as he leaned in through the doorway. 

She didn't know why she was still looking at the picture or why she had even accepted it. She wanted to believe she was still furious, still resentful. Wanted to force all the pain and guilt she felt into him once more. But in all reality she was just so lost. For years she pretended to be someone else and now that she was free to be the girl she once was, she didn't even remember who that was. 

A genius? A hero? A terrified little orphan? She had no idea but she didn't want to be any. She wanted to be Y/n, a friend and a psychiatrist. She now understood why Steve wanted her around. He needed someone to remind him of who he was, who he truly was. 

Was James that person once? 

Was that why she found herself gazing at the sketch, hoping for a split second that maybe she could go back to the moment that was drawn? Praying to go back to a time where James Barnes was fighting for his past and his own will. A time where he might comfort her like he did Steve over the death of Nat. A time where his thoughts were his own and so we're his actions. 

Y/m almost hated herself for despising him. Though she knew there was still much to his story she was too scared to ask, she knew he was nothing more than a tortured soul with a gun. She couldn't figure out how the man in the drawing was the same man who'd nearly killed her. 

It wasn't.  

Noticing her broken expression, Tony hesitantly stepped into the room coming to sit with her. Her fingers gently held the page and he looked down at it, recognizing the face instantly. It sent a chill through his spine, seeing the same face almost ripped the arc reactor straight from his chest. 

It had taken him years to forgive Steve but he still struggled to do the same with the man who murdered his parents in cold blood. All the hatred toward his parents' assassin had gone unresolved since Steve and Bucky left him at that frozen HYDRA base. And once forgiving Steve, Tony had no other outlet and he found it difficult to sit there with the picture.

So he tried to focus on something else.  

"So, you and Ms. Romanoff were close?" He mumbled trying poorly to begin consoling her. She nodded numbly, folding the paper and setting it aside. 

The emotions she felt were mixed and intense making it hard for her to filter through her feelings but one surfaced more than others. Guilt. 

"Ever since the snap." She replied, her shoulders slack. Tony and Nat had their own relationship, one much older than her own but they'd been apart for so long. Ever since Nat went off the grid with Steve and even after the snap when he distanced himself from all of them, they hardly interacted. But they were friends. The type of friends that wouldn't be parted even by death. 

"Do you think things would be different if I hadn't showed up?" Y/n asked him suddenly. He looked over at her studying her guilt ridden eyes that she kept trained on the floor. It was a familiar look, one he wore often. But not one he wanted her to. 

"Natasha wasn't the type of person to let anyone dictate her choices. I think she was ready to give her life for a cause and none of us could've stopped her." Tony sighed, the weight of her death finally reaching its max. "Not even a couple of geniuses." 

•••

"Let's hope this doesn't blow up." Tony mumbled next to her. The small group consisting of them with the addition of Bruce and Rocket stood in the lab, waiting in anticipation as Tony carefully placed the stones in the gauntlet. With his shaking hands it was difficult to be precise while he manipulated the machine but he managed to place all six stones in their respective places. They held their breath unsure if the stones would react or blow up the lab as Tony feared.  

"Boom!" Rocket yelled suddenly making all of them flinch. He began to laugh loudly and they all turned to him with annoyed looks. Y/n slapped the back of his head, cutting his laughing short as she walked off trying to ignore the trembling in her legs. Tony muttered something under his breath moving to bring the gauntlet to a more accessible area for the wearer. 

"You're an asshole." Y/n groaned. Tony walked past them, putting the gauntlet on a display table that made it hover a couple inches above. 

"Come on, it was funny!" Rocket argued, earning an unamused stare from both Tony and Y/n. 

It took a few minutes for Bruce to collect everyone but eventually everyone was gathered around the gauntlet. Most had expressions Y/n familiarized with PTSD and once following their gazes she realized their experience with the gauntlet Thanos wore was resurfacing. 

Hopefully, with the new one they'd be able to reverse what he'd done. But the trauma would stay. That she knew. 

"All right. The glove's ready. Question is, who's gonna snap their fucking fingers?" Rocket questioned, looking up at the group. Their options were limited since most people in the room were only human, even Steve. 

"I'll do it." Thor volunteered without hesitation. He drunkenly stepped forward making everyone turn to him with confused and reluctant looks. Their choices were limited but they weren't desperate enough to put such a powerful object on a drunk god.  

"Excuse me?" Scott asked, glancing around at the others for one of them to tell Thor what a bad idea it was. 

"It's okay." Thor insisted, marching forward with a purpose. Steve moved to stop him with the help of Tony making the poor large man pause. 

"No, no, no, whoa. Stop. Stop. Wait a sec. Hey, hey–" Everyone was a mess of refusal and Thor's face turned hurt as he tried to continue. 

"Wait, wait, Thor, just wait. We haven't decided who's gonna put that on yet." Steve explained. Thor shifted on his feet, clearly upset with their rejection.  

"I'm sorry. What, we're just sitting around waiting for the right opportunity?" He asked,

annoyed. Scott looked to Y/n hoping she might use some of her 'therapist powers' he called them after realizing she really couldn't read minds. 

"We should at least discuss it." Y/n tried to reason. Thor shook his head stubbornly, swaying unsteadily on his feet. 

"No, no, sitting here staring at that thing is not gonna bring everybody back. I'm the strongest Avenger, okay? So this responsibility falls upon me. It's my duty." He told them, gesturing to the gauntlet then himself. 

"It's not about that–" Tony told him gently, coming to stand in front of him as he started to move Thor back. Thor resisted but was unsuccessful as he started to grow emotional. "Hey buddy-" Tony tried again only to be cut short by Thor frantically shushing him and everyone else. 

"Stop it! Just let me! Just let me do it. Just let me do something good. Something right." Thor begged, tears filling his eyes. He was desperate to prove he was worthy, to prove he could still be the hero he once was. 

"Look– It's not just the fact that that glove is channeling enough energy to light up a continent, I'm telling you, you're in no condition." Tony fought. There was no way they were going to let him hold the fate of the world in his hand while he was drunk. Even the Thor he was years ago shouldn't have held that kind of power, it was too risky. 

"What do you– What do you think is coursing through my veins right now?" Thor asked, his eyes studying Tony's for any kind of hope that might tell him they would let him make the sacrifice. 

"Cheez Whiz?" Rhodey scoffed, earning a glare from Y/n. Thor looked over at Rhodey pointing a shaky finger at him as he tried not to cry in frustration. He held onto Tony, grasping at his shoulders and prying Tony's attention away from Rhodey's comment. 

"Lightning." Thor corrected, looking back to Tony with pleading eyes. Tony nodded but he knew he couldn't allow Thor to wear the gauntlet. "Lightning." Thor repeated, distraught but Tony's reaction. 

"Lightning won't help you, pal. It's gotta be me." Bruce announced suddenly. Thor shook his head letting go of Tony. "You saw what those stones did to Thanos. It almost killed him. None of you could survive." Bruce explained. 

"How do we know you will?" Steve questioned as Bruce paced over to the gauntlet. 

"We don't. But the radiation's mostly gamma. It's like...I was made for this." Bruce mumbled. He gazed intensely at the stones, silently calculating his odds. If the Hulk couldn't handle this, was this really how he was going to die? And if so would it even work? 

They looked at each other knowing it was their best chance at bringing them back. They had to take it. 

Tony stepped forward, grabbing the gauntlet and handing it to Bruce as they headed to a more secure part of the lab. 

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Y/n asked Bruce quietly. She knew how Nat's death had affected him and she refused to make the same mistake with him. 

"Yes. We have to finish this." He declared. Y/n watched as he paced forward to catch up with Tony as she lagged behind to Steve. 

"Do you think this will work?" Steve questioned. Y/n chewed her lip anxiously, focusing her stare at the gauntlet as Steve came to stand beside her. 

"Bruce's gamma radiation is stronger and most equipped to handle the energy but it's still dangerous. The stones are too powerful together, I didn't think they were ever really meant to be used together." She sighed, hating the sacrifices that came with saving the world. If they lost someone else just for this to not work was it really even worth trying? 

"Bruce is strong." Steve tried to ease her worry but it wasn't enough. 

"I know. I just-I can't keep losing people, Steve. It's like a curse. Every time I try to do something good…-" 

"Hey, hey, it's okay. You're not gonna lose anyone else. Not on my watch." Steve promised but both of them knew it was practically empty. There was no guarantee. "Let's just bring everyone back." 

Y/n tried to smile but like his promise it was hollow. "Yeah, okay." 

"Good to go, yeah?" Tony questioned as Bruce carefully held the piece in his large hands. He seemed anxious but who wouldn't be in that situation. 

"Let's do it." He confirmed as Y/n and Steve returned to the group. She walked around him, stopping beside Tony and sharing a steady nod. 

"You remember–everyone Thanos snapped away five years ago, you're just bringing them back to now, today. Don't change anything from the last five years." Tony told him seriously.

"Got it." Bruce assured. Then suddenly the room grew quiet and a tenseness settled in the air that Y/n was too amazed to catch onto. For the first time she realized she was living the dream of millions of people. Everyone had readied themselves and Y/n watched as they stood there in their superhero uniforms, the power and determination they all had washing over her. 

Tony pressed his chest allowing his suit to expand and morph to his body, a shield lighting up before him. His stare then drifted to Y/n who still stood there in her casual clothes, watching them all confused and out of place. Why were they getting ready now? They were doing this here? 

"Hey, kiddo. Come on." Tony urged, motioning to her earpiece. She gave a soft 'oh' mimicking him as she pressed the button making her own suit appear. A shield of her own design came to her forearm and Tony eyed it curiously. 

"Did you mess with the suit?" He asked, the seriousness in his tone startling her a bit. She shrugged, looking at him defensively. 

"Yeah, you said it was just a prototype so I fixed it a bit." She explained. He looked away, grateful she couldn't see the entertained smirk on his lips as he turned back to Bruce. 

"F.R.I.D.A.Y., do me a favor and activate Barn Door Protocol. Will you?" Tony called. Y/n had gotten used to the suit during the time she could spare to examine it and she put 70% power into the armor, figuring if something did go wrong it probably wouldn't hurt to be a little more protected. 

"Yes, boss." F.R.I.D.A.Y replied. Metal doors began to close off the lab as the compound went into lockdown and if the seriousness of the situation hadn't set in yet it definitely did then as Y/n widened her stance to try and brace herself. 

"Everybody comes home." Bruce reminded himself, cautiously reaching his hand into the gauntlet. The gauntlet expanded to fit his hand thanks to Tony's nanotech but as soon as it was fully on the power of the stones surged through him. He grunted in pain collapsing to his knees as the energy began to burn into his arm. 

"Take it off! Take it off!" Thor cried, waving his hands as Bruce shakily held the gauntlet. Steve stepped forward, keeping anyone from acting. 

"No, wait. Bruce, are you okay?" Steve questioned. He knew more than anyone that just because something was painful didn't mean they couldn't do it. 

"Talk to me, Banner." Tony called, becoming more concerned with each unresponsive moment. Y/n started moving to help but froze as Bruce looked up at them.  

"I'm okay. I'm okay." He insisted. They eased up a little and everyone watched carefully as he tried to regain control of the stones. Thor gave a double thumbs up, watching the scene before him with an astounded expression. 

"F.R.I.D.A.Y what are his vitals?" Y/n questioned anxiously. Charts bloomed around Bruce and she quickly read them realizing his heart rate was dangerously high. In fact everything was high, his blood pressure, his respiration rate, even his body temperature had increased. Bruce screamed again, fighting the instinct to remove the gauntlet from the overwhelming pain it caused him as he lined up his fingers. 

The world seemed to stop at the echoing of the snap, the fated sound she'd only heard about for five years finally filling her head the same way it had for the others. 

He fainted and the gauntlet fell off his arm, clattering on the floor before Clint quickly kicked it away from him. 

"Bruce!" Steve called, kneeling beside him as the others rushed forward to check on him. Y/n tugged the remains of his sleeve back gently as Tony kneeled beside her, holding up his hand. 

"Don't move him." Tony demanded, applying a coolant spray from his fingertips over Bruce's arm. Bruce groaned, reaching out and grabbing Steve's arm urgently. 

"Did it work?" He questioned breathlessly, keeping his large hand tight around Steve's arm. Thor gave him a reassuring smile while Y/n looked over the damage of his arm. 

"We're not sure. It's okay." Thor soothed, his voice hopeful as he turned his gaze toward the door where the lab was starting to open up again. Scott walked off to the now open area and some of the others spread out to see what had happened but Y/n stayed at Bruce's side. 

"You did great, Bruce." She told him, giving him a smile to which he returned, though it was a bit more pained. A muted vibrating came from the table on the other side of the room and Y/n turned to see Clint walking over to it almost numb. 

Did it work? 

"Honey? Honey." Clint spoke, his voice quivering in joy as Y/n looked at Tony. They shared a wide eyed glance, both rattled by the idea that they might have actually won. 

Y/n wished to look at her wrist, praying that the countdown she had before the snap returned. She couldn't even remember how many days it had read back then but it didn't matter anymore. She just wanted to meet her soulmate. Would he be looking for her?  

Were his eyes really blue? 

But their victory couldn't last long and Y/n knew that as she followed Bruce's gaze to the skylight above them. There flying menacingly above the compound was the biggest spacecraft she had ever seen and dread instantly set in upon seeing the missile coming their way. 

"Look out!" Y/n screamed, trying to warn the others but it was too late. Her helmet quickly came forward along with her shield which she tried desperately to put over Bruce's head, protecting her and him from falling debris. But the roof wasn't the only thing falling apart. 

The floor split and some of the group fell into the large hole while Y/n struggled to regain her balance. She quickly looked around her, catching sight of Steve sliding across the floor toward the hole. Using the thrusters, she launched forward, grabbing hold of one of the straps to his uniform and dragging him back toward Tony. 

The building was falling down around them and any means of escape were closing off faster than she could find them. Steve managed to climb to his feet again but before either of them could come up with a plan a large piece of the roof fell, striking Y/n down. She cried out falling through the floor to the room below, getting pinned on her stomach under the roofing. 

"Y/n!" Steve yelled, peering down into the hole. Y/n gasped, the impact knocking the wind out of her. Tony looked down too, the two men struggling to keep themselves up as they waited anxiously for her to speak. 

"Minimal damage to prototype armor." F.R.I.D.A.Y announced making Y/n groan. She slowly lifted herself up using her back to push off the rumble before leaning back on her knees, panting slightly. 

"You call that minimal?" She questioned, annoyed. Tony chuckled through the headset, her reply giving him a little relief knowing she was alright.  

"The suits can handle more than we can, kid." He explained. Y/n grumbled, climbing to her feet. She didn't care how durable the suit was, she was still very much human inside the metal and every hit the suit felt, she did too. 

"Are you okay?" Steve called, leaning closer to the edge of the hole. Tony put a hand on his chest, keeping him from falling in while Y/n slowly climbed to her feet. 

"Yeah. I'm fine, Steve." She waved her hand pretending to be nonchalant before coughing from how forcefully her lungs had been emptied. They were about to attempt to go down to her when the floor they were on shifted and Steve fell over, sliding off to another part in the lab. 

"Cap!" Tony called, trying to reach out and catch him. Steve called back that he would be alright giving Tony a little assurance as he turned his gaze back to Y/n. "This building is falling apart!" He called down to her. 

"What do you want me to do?" She asked, looking around at the floor around her. She had landed in the living room area, one of her favorite places but like the rest of the facility it was falling to ruin. 

"Find the stones. We can't risk losing them." Tony instructed. Y/n let out a short sigh, the weight of the task making her stomach turn. 

"Is it too late to go home?" She joked. Tony smiled softly unbeknownst to Y/n. The building shook again with another hit and he knew he wouldn't have long to talk to her. 

"No." He answered truthfully. If she could find a way out, there would be nothing stopping her. She could easily fly away and forget about this. "But you know what they say. It only takes one fight to make a hero." Tony explained. 

Y/n pierced her lips, knowing that she never really intended on leaving. She was all in from the moment Scott had been yelling into the camera and though she'd been doubtful before, she knew this was where she was meant to be. 

"Go be Iron Star." Tony chuckled, making her scoff and shake her head. Of course, he had to ruin the moment. 

"We really gotta talk about that name!" She called, turning away and running off toward the window to her left. Using the thrusters in the metallic boots she flew forward and smashed through the glass, unsteadily keeping herself in the air outside. 

"Just find the stones." 

•••

When Bucky had woken up he was right where he'd been in Wakanda. T'Challa ran to him trying very hastily to explain what had happened. They had been gone for five years according to the wizard man they called 'Strange' and now they needed to come fight Thanos again. 

While Bucky was usually quick to understand and move on to the next fight, he couldn't help but stop at this news. He'd promised himself that the fight with Thanos was the last time so that he could find his soulmate but he was still fighting. When would it stop?

For a split second he feared maybe his chance at meeting his soulmate had come and gone and he frantically ripped back his right sleeve to look at his wrist. 

"3 days?" Sam asked, peeking down at Bucky's arm as T'Challa organized his army. Bucky numbly nodded, his heart racing as he watched the seconds tick away. He was three days away from her. 

He had to make it through this time. 

No matter what. 

•••

"F.R.I.D.A.Y, can you scan the compound for the stones' energy signature?" Y/n questioned, looking over the wreckage of what was once the Avengers compound. It didn't even look the same, all blown to the foundation with rubble spread around like a battlefield. 

"I detect energy levels matching the stones underneath the building in the sewer systems. You should have access through what's left of the first floor." The A.I. answered. Y/n flew over to the nearest opening of the building, using micro lasers to burn a hole into the floor leading down into the sewers. 

She jumped down into it, landing as quietly as possible before looking around. It was hard to see much, the only light being the blaring red light of the alarm system but the tunnel appeared empty other than the obvious debris and flooding. She cautiously walked forward watching as her display outlined the surrounding area. 

It was eerily silent, the soft trickling of water putting her on edge as she continued down the tunnel, following the power signature of the stones. 

"I detect hostiles approaching." F.R.I.D.A.Y spoke suddenly. Y/n watched carefully as her display changed, showing a clearer picture using an x-ray of the surroundings. The stones rapidly approached as did the hostiles and she quickly held up her hands, powering up the repulsors as Clint ran into her vision.  

"Shoot 'em!" Clint screamed, narrowly dodging one of the creatures that lined the tunnel. Y/n did what he said, firing at the closest creature before moving onto the next, trying to hold them off long enough for Clint to run past her. 

"What the hell are these things?!" She yelled, following after him as they both broke off into a sprint through the water. 

"I don't know but I'm tired of this alien shit!" Clint shouted over his shoulder as Y/n glanced back at the creatures, firing again at one that got too close. Clint pulled out one of his arrows, throwing it into one of the pipes next to them before running faster. 

Catching onto what he was doing, she picked up speed as well, jumping with him as the arrow exploded taking out most of the creatures. Y/n looked up from the ground, noticing that some of them had started to crawl through the flames making her climb to her feet, grabbing Clint under his arms. 

She activated the thrusters and they launched up, faltering a bit since Y/n had barely learned to fly by herself let alone while carrying someone. Clint unsheathed his sword, yelling as he cut through some of the creatures that had climbed up beside them. 

Once reaching the top Y/n dropped him to the side before falling herself, tumbling a few feet away. Clint climbed to his knees, holding out his sword as he let out a threatening shout. Thankfully, no other creatures appeared over the edge and he collapsed onto his back next to Y/n. 

"Hey." Clint chuckled, nudging Y/n tiredly. "You're an Avenger now." He told her drawing a half-hearted laugh from her. She groaned the pain in her ribs increasing at the action and she put a hand over her side. 

"Being an Avenger hurts." 

•••

Once going through the portal the wizard had made, Bucky was met with a wasteland. Thanos and Steve watched as others arrived through the portals and while Steve's expression was much more relieved than Thanos', it was clear they were only evening the playing field as Bucky looked toward Thanos' forces. 

The Wakandan armies chanted as hundreds of other heroes came through the portals, each ready for the final battle. He walked forward, coming to stand a few feet away from Steve as he studied the enemy across the way. He was determined to finish what they had started five years ago. He wanted to find his soulmate and he wanted this fight to truly be the last. 

"Avengers!" Steve called. Bucky held his breath, hoping with everything he had that for all his misfortune over the years, today would end better. 

He'd suffered for a lifetime. 

Please let this be the last fight. 

"Assemble." 

Everyone yelled, running forward at Thanos' forces. The fight broke out and Bucky managed to find himself alongside the raccoon he'd encountered last time. They shared brief eye contact and Rocket's eyes flashed with recognition while Bucky tried to ignore him. 

"How about now?!" Rocket yelled, motioning to his arm. Bucky glanced over at him, growing annoyed with the talking animal's persistence. What the hell would a raccoon do with his arm? 

"No!" Bucky yelled back. He turned, noticing one of the creatures had been sneaking up on Steve while he had his back turned and Bucky quickly shot at it, knocking it down. Steve turned, giving Bucky a grateful and joyous smile. Bucky smiled back making sure to keep aware of the creatures around him. 

"What the hell did you get me into, Steve?" Bucky yelled teasingly. His friend gave a short chuckle, using the large hammer to slam back another one of Thanos's creatures. 

"Nothing two old men can't handle." 

Taglist:

Part eleven

@cancanmarvel

@jessyballet

@eldahae

@mc225g

@kissesofdeadforme

@wantingtobekorra

@sxphiiwrld

@lunaticbarnes

@indecisivedolly

@saiyanprincesswanie

@lextheflexsthings

@silver-winter-wolf

@whatifwedo

@arguedquill1226

@lunashaw57

@loushkspr

@3aileypage

@mela-noche

[fitmydaydream]

Apologies

Part 1/ Part 2 / Part 3

Prompt: The one where Y/N decides to give surprise to a stressed Shawn in studio but things don't quite turn out well.

Word Count: 2.3k

A/N: Thanks for giving this a read. I appreciate each one of you. I say sorry if this sucks lmao bc I'm still an amateur. Feedback is always appreciated. Happy reading :)🌸

Making music isn't that easy as someone thinks it to be. Whichever song it is, it always has a lot of efforts, several sleepless nights and anxieties behind it which can never be seen. The worries of the song not hitting the exact right note you think of eats up your mind. Constant tugging at your hair, biting your nails out of stress, several mental breakdowns and waves of lack of self-confidence hits you making you unsure of everything.

This is what Shawn has been experiencing since the past three months. He was working on a new album which he expected to be the best one till now. It was in the process with 8 songs already prepared and 4 more to go which were taking a longer time than the previous ones and it was making a nervous wreck out of him. He wasn't sure where this was leading to and was really anxious about the album.

On the other hand, he was also not realising how distant he was being from you in the process. Your conversations have started to get shortened from day to day and the time you both used to spend together can be counted easily on fingers in minutes. This being another reason that was bothering Shawn. And you as well.

You started to observe Shawn getting so self absorbed to the fact that he sometimes didn't hear a word you say or purposely act like he unheard whatever you said. He sometimes forgot to eat or wake up just in the middle of the night and walk down to his personalized studio at your house. This was not bothering you for the first few months but now it was totally getting you.

But you, however, decided to stay calm about it anyway as you know what it feels like to have a deadline. Being an office manager yourself, you had a proper idea about how Shawn must be feeling. The stress eats you up slowly until you get the work done before you meet its deadline. You were surprisingly quite understanding about this issue.

xx

Today you took an off from work since you wanted to give yourself a break. These past days you have been dealing with so much workload that you were feeling exhausted. Constant traveling and dealing with clients had made your legs and mouth sore.

Also, today was another one of those mornings in the past few months when you woke up to an empty bed and an empty house which meant Shawn left for the studio early without telling you, again.

Being used to this, you climbed out of the bed and decided to give yourself a good bath. You spent a good hour in your bathtub with some relaxing music and scented candles. You were pretty happy today and expected the day to go well. *whoops*

After having your breakfast, you settled on your couch to watch some Netflix and have a relaxing time. You checked your phone in between the scenes for any messages from Shawn but all in vain. You were wrong about even recieving a good morning text from your busy boyfriend. You sighed and shrugged it off.

After watching several hours of television, you felt the need to do something exciting and thought upon giving a surprise visit to Shawn.

You knew how stressed and distant he has been lately so why not. You planned that you would pick up his favourite food from Taco Bell and drop the food at his table, have a short conversation and leave him to his work.

So you put on your blue distressed boyfriend jeans, a black tank top which said "Bloom" and your black vans. You styled your hair in a half-bun half-down way and left the house with the car keys, a jacket and your purse.

You inserted the car keys, started the ignition and drove off to Taco Bell to grab the food for Shawn.

The drive to Taco Bell was meant to be a short one. You put on some music and hummed along to it while rolling the windows down. It was a pretty weather with the sun not shining that bright.

After about 20 mins you reached Taco Bell and ordered a soft Chicken Taco with some Nachos and Chilly fries. You picked up the order after about 5 minutes of waiting and drove off to the studio where Shawn was.

You parked your car and stepped in the studio. It was quieter than the usual times you've been here. After walking inside, you met with Brian and Andrew who asked you how you were doing followed by an exchange of smile. You were greeted with some assistants giving you some narrow eyed looks who have always been jealous of you being Shawn's girlfriend but you were now used to them.

You reached Shawn's room. You viewed your stressed yet beautiful boyfriend through the glass outlet of the door and smiled to yourself. He looked so pretty, with his brown curls all messed up with some of them falling on his forehead while his hands were in his hair, pulling on some strands of hair out of frustration. You wanted to let all his frustration and pain go so bad.

Your heart was racing thinking upon how he would react on seeing you here. Would he be happy? Would he be sad? Most of all, would he be angry? You shook off the thought from your mind, gulped and opened the door.

At first he didn't notice you because he was too engrossed in his work. He was scribbling something down with his headphones on. You didn't intend to disturb him in the midst of this so you just went behind his back and stood there and waited until he was done.

You watched him like he was an artwork. The way his beautiful brown eyes were so focused upon the sheet of paper in front of him. You missed him. You missed his touch. You missed how those eyes holding so much love in them, used to look at you. You missed how he used to peck your lips and gave the lame excuse that he forgot the last time he kissed them.

You didn't know how long you've been standing there looking at him but it but it has been about 10 minutes. You saw Shawn putting down the pencil he had and take off his headphones.

So you took the chance to let him know of your unexpected presence and wrapped your arms around his neck lovingly. Taking in the smell of the shampoo he washed his hair with last night.

Shawn was taken aback. He wasn't expecting you to be there. Not when he was in the studio in the middle of the process of making music. His forehead turned into a frown and he somehow felt angry. Felt angry at your casual presence in his workplace even though you've been there before a multiple times.

He pushed your hands off of him and turned around to look at you. You were a bit shock at the sudden aggressiveness but decided to put up a smile anyway. You thought he must be shocked to see you. In a good way. But you were wrong.

"Surprise baby!" you said in a low tone and stepped forward to hug Shawn. Shawn was quick to step back. You were now confused at his reaction. Didn't know what he was upto. You searched his face and there it was. The eyes that once used to shine at your sudden presence were now dark. Angry. In rage. And disappointment. You somehow you started to get a bit scared of him.

Shawn shook his head and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He then grabbed your hand aggressively, with quite a tight grip and lead you out of the room.

Once you were out of the room, he left your hand and asked you through gritted teeth "What are you doing here?". You were in shock by his sudden change of behaviour. This was not the person you recognised to be your lover. "God dammit Y/N! I fucking asked you something. Answer me would you?!" he said with his voice a bit higher than before. You flinched at his words.

"I-I meant to give you a surprise visit babe. Brought food for y-you" you stammered.

"And who bloody told you do that? Huh? Don't you know that I'm in my studio making music. Still in the process Y/N!" Shawn spoke to you in dark and loud voice that you've never heard off. Brian, Andrew and some of the assistants came running through the hall to see what was all this chaos about.

"You think you can walk in here whenever you want don't you? Being my girlfriend gives you every privilege to do what you want huh Y/N? This is such a careless attitude of yours! You're not a fucking queen. Snap out of your dream!"

Tears threatening to spill from your eyes as you were now preventing yourself from crying in front of the staff.

"Shawn stop it. I'm sorry okay. I'll go. Just don't yell please. If I knew you'd get this bothered, I would've never walked in here. I-I just wanted to make you happy." you said in a voice barely above a whisper. You were now avoiding yourself to look Shawn in the eye.

"Hey hey! Calm down brother. She was just here to check on you and give you your foo-" Brian said but Shawn was quick to interrupt.

"Oh fuck off Brian! This is between Y/N & me. You stay out of this." Shawn spat.

You nodded to tell Brian it's okay.

"And you Y/N. Do you think you can help me like you always think you do? Being the perfect person that you are huh? You managing your company well doesn't mean that you can manage me too Y/N! For fuck's sake get over yourself! You can't make everything right okay. All by yourself. Let other people do there work without your bloody magic!" Shawn was literally throwing words at your face like knives.

Your heart was breaking more and more with every word that was coming out of his mouth. Tears now streaming down your cheeks.

Andrew placed a hand over Shawn's shoulder to calm him down but he pushed his hand off.

"Oh right! Good. Now you'll cry and start with your little drama Y/N! Won't you? You're so wonderful. You're so perfect. Nobody can tell me otherwise or else I will cry. But guess what? I fucking said it. You always have to make everything about yourself don't you Y/N? You make me sick Y/N. You're so fucking selfish and self-absorbed that I can't even tell you. You thought you would walk in here, give your poor boyfriend a surprise and get another chance to make yourself look good in front of others. You're a genius by the way. You ar-"

"STOP!!! Just stop it Shawn. Just fucking stop it. Enough Shawn enough. You said too much. You've gone too far."

You've really had enough of him. He was talking rubbish. It was like someone else has taken over his body. He seemed so strange to you. You felt like you've never known him. But with the words he was saying, he was pushing off the limits. You felt angry now.

"I can't even look at you right now. It makes me sick. What happened to you? Who do you think you are Shawn? I don't have a perfect life. And I'm not perfect. If anything I've been miserable since the past months but you are becoming too ignorant to see that. I'm sorry for coming and giving you a surprise which I thought would make you feel bett-"

"Ahh! Now you're gonna play the good person aren't you?"

You were totally taken aback. The way things were coming out of his mouth were unrecognisable. You were exhausted. And broken. You can't let yourself get hurt by his words anymore. He has said enough. He has went way too far. This was not at all how you were expecting things to turn out. Your eyes were red now from being sad and angry. You looked around you and saw the staff. Some were giving you sympathetic looks while some looked pleased. This was making you sick to your stomach. The person standing in front off you was not the love of your life. You began to feel dizzy. Before it can get any worse, you decided to walk out of the studio.

"Fuck you Shawn" you said in a dark tone, not that loud not that low and threw the packet away which you brought with yourself and started walking out. Shawn was still uttering words which you were too emotionally exhausted to listen to. Tears were nowhere seen to be stopping anytime soon.

You walked to your car, opened the car door and sat there for a while. You expected Shawn to come out after realising what he had done and hug you forcefully and apologize but there were none of it.

You were now fully crying inside your car. You felt so pathetic. How could he say such things to you when all you've always been is supportive of him and looking out for him because he was your everything. You cringed at thinking about the fact that how long have Shawn been thinking about you like this. What have you really done to deserve such cruel words? Or were you really that selfish?

You looked at yourself in the mirror. You looked like a mess. A crying wreck. You weren't sure of what do to now. You cried even harder when you felt like the words Shawn said began playing again in your head.

xx

Part 2 soon 💕 Let me know what you guys think about this xx MASTERLIST

[fallout-4-freak]

I noticed you didn't write anything sad yet. Let me change that. >:) Reactions when the companions realize that Sarcastic Jerk Sole (taking the sarcastic option whenever it is available) is actually the result of A) watching their spouse murdered while helpless, B) losing their only child, C) Watching their world literally burn down around them, and D) Everything else the wasteland does to someone, especially someone like sole.

Yikes, sorry this took awhile to get to! It’s been awhile since I wrote something remotely angsty, so it was difficult.

Ada:

”I don’t really know how to say this, but… I think we need to talk about something.”

She feels awkward bringing this issue up to Sole. Yes, they lost their spouse… and woke up centuries later… and had their home torn apart… and had their son stolen… Ada understands to some extent, having experienced the loss of her own family. She’d hoped her first assessments of Sole’s obnoxiously rude personality were incorrect, but it seems like this is indeed the real Sole. If anything, it got worse the more they saw out in the Wasteland.Ada will miss their company, but there’s absolutely no way she’ll stay with someone so genuinely horrible. Grief flows through her circuits once more: she’d hoped she found a hidden gem of a person to travel with, one who was just a bit shaken up or something.

Cait:

”Good God Sole, even I’m not so rude! Get your shite together!”

Even her levels of assholery had a limit. In the beginning, Sole’s sarcasm and cruel tongue were hypnotic, inspiring even. Cait loved teaming up with Sole on just because of that! But it was getting old, Sole was just so violent and rude to everyone. Cait eventually realizes that what had happened to Sole— their spouse dying, child getting kidnapped, and waking up 210 years later— was a bit too much for them. They were fundamentally broken. She understands where Sole is coming from, of course. Her parents and home life made her into something similar. But Sole… Sole was just a bit too far gone in this regard… Cait is torn between leaving for her own health, and slapping some sense into Sole. She’ll probably slap Sole and then leave.

Codsworth:

”Ah, sir/mum/xir? We need to have a talk….”

He’s heartbroken that the Commonwealth had ruined Sole. From the moment they reunited, Codsworth knew something was wrong. The murder, the kidnapping, the time lost. All of it was enough to make them snap. He dared to hope that Sole would bounce back to their normal self, and he tried to make things right with whoever Sole harasses. But given time and travel, Codsworth begins to worry that Sole has been absolutely trashed by the appalling Wasteland. He’ll continue to hope for their recovery, but he might not be able to serve Sole much longer...At least until the day they recover... if it ever comes.

Curie:

”Excuse me, but I think we must discuss something rather… important.”

She’s trembling head to toe when she confronts Sole about their absolutely dreadful behavior. She knows that Sole has had a rough life, so she gave them time to recover. But Sole only ever got worse, got more rude and unpleasant. Curie had grown to tolerate them, but she hated how badly they treated people who really didn’t deserve it. She wanted to help people, not senselessly hurt them!

There’s no way she will ever travel with someone who just wants to hurt, who does no good in the world… even if she does care for Sole, in spite of their flaws. It’s painful to leave their company, but it’s for the best.

Danse:

”Soldier, allow me to phrase this delicately: either shape up, or ship out.”

He wasn’t keen on giving Sole a chance from the get-go. He did think that joining the BoS would help temper their appallingly sarcastic self, but oh boy, he was wrong. Sole seemed to get more angry by the day— Danse understands that they’ve suffered a lot, but goodness. If Sole doesn’t change their attitude and actions real soon, he’s going to have more than a few harsh words for them. And he’d probably let Elder Maxson know that their new, promising recruit is a scumbag. Sure, their firepower was welcome, but at what cost?

Deacon:

”Woah boss, maybe you could bring the hate-o-meter down a couple notches?”

He hardly believes that THIS is the true Sole. They’re so full of anger and hate, always overly sarcastic. Yeah, Deacon did like sarcasm. Guilty as charged. But boy, Sole was way too horrible to nice folks who don’t need that bullshit. He tries to talk to them repeatedly, even telling Sole about his own losses in life. If they don’t feel alone in their struggles, maybe that’d help?

Wrong. Sole just retorts that Barbara deserved what she got, hanging around with such a lying brat. With that, Deacon leaves in a huff. Yeah, he’s never working with Sole again. Fuck that.

Dogmeat:

Isn’t too bothered, as he doesn’t know what Sole is saying. He can tell other people aren’t too happy with them, though! Dogmeat tries to comfort Sole, giving them plenty of attention. As long as Sole treats him well, he’ll gladly stay with them…

Hancock:

”Listen up, ‘sunshine’. I’m only gonna tell you once…”

Being quite a sarcastic guy, he understands Sole well. At first, he even admired their wit and sharp tongue! But once he realized that Sole offends and hurts everyone who crosses their path, and that’s all Sole has to offer…. He’s out. After a failed talk to correct their behavior, of course, he did try. 

Not everyone on the receiving end of their strong words deserved it. Hell, most didn’t! And there was no way Hancock was gonna be around someone so toxic and mean— even if they had a tragic past. 

No excuses for such shitty behavior, especially when it just gets worse each and every damn day.

Longfellow:

”Can you please, for the love of all sweet and good things, shut your yapper!?”

Longfellow doesn’t mind Sole’s behavior initially. He’s a bit gruff himself, after all. He just thought he’d found a kindred spirit. Regardless, it eventually hits him just how rude Sole actually is. Yeah, they had a sucky past. So does everyone else in the damn world! Himself included, and Longfellow makes sure that Sole is aware of that. First, he tries to be kind and patient with Sole. When that yields no results, he starts snapping back at Sole, telling them off whenever they get too mean. Which is often, of course... 

Longfellow eventually just leaves when Sole is sleeping, making sure to cover his tracks so they can’t come crawling back. It breaks his heart to lose his only true friend, but this was not a good person to be around. 

MacCready:

”Hm. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re a real class-act jerk deep down inside!”

He wants to believe that Sole is actually so much better than this. They remind MacCready of himself, when he was a little tot down in DC. Still, at least he grew out of that! Mostly. And losing Lucy did a number on him, but he bounced back. Somewhat.

At least he’s not a total ass like Sole. 

MacCready really hopes that Sole will begin changing their ways… he’s not sure how much longer he can associate with such a toxic person. He also begins trying to make restitution to whoever is on the receiving end of Sole’s brutish acts— a very rare, very out of character thing for MacCready to do. 

He does understand where Sole is coming from, mostly, but there’s no excuse to be this mean to undeserving folks! 

Nick Valentine:

”Hm, y’know Sole? I’ve never met someone quite like you. And I hope I never meet another person like you.”

He didn’t really like how sarcastic Sole was to everyone in the first place. He tries to give them time, once he learns what horrors lay in Sole’s past. Hell, he can relate to some extent! But, as weeks and months go by, he grows less tolerant. Yeah, they had a real rough wake up call. No way to get around how traumatic their past is. But being so ridiculously rude? Couldn’t Sole even try to be a bit less of a sarcastic, cruel jerk?

He eventually stops traveling with Sole. Perhaps if they can work through their demons, he’ll be willing to give Sole a second chance. For now, though, it looks like he’s once again in the market for a new partner.

Piper:

”God, Blue, could you try and NOT be such an jerk?”

She’s got a sassy side, but she saves it for the people who deserve her wrath. Sole, on the other hand, is just a selfish little prick who can’t keep their mouth shut! Sole did have a horrific past that Piper could barely understand… but that really wasn’t an excuse! Piper gives Sole a couple chances, berating them for their hateful words. She’ll then apologize to whatever undeserving citizen received the business end of their ‘wit’. Eventually, though, Piper loses her temper and ends up in an ugly yelling match with Sole. The two part ways quickly after that horrid scene. Piper doubts she’ll ever travel with Sole again, even if they do become a better person.

She does wish them good luck before she storms off, though. After all, even becoming a mediocre person is difficult for someone like Sole.

Porter Gage:

”Hell yeah, you tell ‘em!”

No matter how sassy and arrogant Sole gets, Gage loves them anyways. Their wit and sharp words are quite fun, and seeing folks’ reactions is the icing on the cake! He gets it, Sole needs an outlet for their pent-up rage about their life. About how unfair the Commonwealth is, about how unfair it is that their family was ruined. And damn, they really have a way with words!

He sometimes has to fight down a very unfamiliar feeling, though: guilt.

That’s usually when Sole is particularly mean to a little kid, or someone equally innocent…Gage may be a raider, but he’s not heartless.

Preston:

”Damn, Sole, try to be a bit nicer to these people. Or, better yet, just shut up.”

He’s got very little patience with Sole’s obscenely rude demeanor. Yes, they did have a very tragic past. But descending to this scummy level? So far so fast?

That was inexcusable. Preston asks Sole many times to lighten up, or to just let him talk to folks instead. Sole keeps running their mouth and shoving people around, though. Preston then kicks them out of the Minutemen, and leaves them for good. He doesn’t feel bad about doing so, as they definitely weren’t doing the Minutemen any favors... He’s got a Commonwealth to try and save. 

Even if Sole does shape up, Preston will find it very difficult to trust them again... If ever.

Strong:

”Sole, you talk less! Bash opponents more!”

He’s fine with the threats and rude comments, but he sure wishes that Sole would just shut the fuck up. Strong is sure that Sole has changed for the better, after what ended up happening to them. You had to be the toughest to survive the Commonwealth! And they certainly were tough. Their trauma made them strong, like Strong. Powerful and callous.

He may occasionally tell Sole to shut up and fight, if they talk too much. Sole will respond with some biting comment that flies way over Strong’s head.

X6-88:

”Permission to speak freely? You, without a doubt, are the worst person I’ve ever had the misfortune to meet.”

X6-88 is used to throwing his weight around, to complete missions for the Institute. Regardless, he still had a very grudging respect for the people surviving— nay— thriving, on the surface. He was never too rude to children or innocents either, just forceful in his speaking. He did what he had to do.

But Sole was obnoxiously offensive and rude to everyone.Behind Sole’s back, X6-88 requests reassignment to another person. It’s granted, and the courser can breathe an easy sigh of relief. No more absurdly uncomfortable talks with people, no more snide comments from Sole.He did try talking to them once, before asking to be reassigned. 

That only ended with a harsh brawl, after Sole said some unforgivable things about X6-88 and the Institute.

[haleys-thoughts]

💜💙💜💙Positive💜💙💜💙

💜💙💜💙So throughout this stay at home ultimately tragic pandemic going on, I was worried about my mental health before this even all started. Since March 19th, I haven't work. As a matter of fact, the stay at home order was announced that very day. I got to experience some great things like my boss getting fired, see ya bitchass, which was quite a memorable day itself before the stay at home was announced. I'm doing alright, at first pretty shitty cause I didn't have a real outlet. I tried making some but it wasn't exactly my favorite way. Finally tumblr gave me back my blog. And now I'm just exploding with desire to be on there almost all day. Now I don't care if it's healthy or not, I fuckin love it. Considering the fact that I was almost using it every day before they terminated me by accident, I knew I was bound to explode if they gave it back to me. It's my art, my love of photographs and text, creativity on my personal blogs. It is a place where I've thrived for years. Ultimate peace and calmness. I fought real hard to get it back, I'm glad someone helped me significantly, everyone else was useless, sorry. But all that matters is I get to be here again. I felt violated like all my art was gone, my few mutuals were missing, I even missed them idk. They kinda like fam. A virtual fam. A place to not be judged. I like that so much. A place where I can be me. I don't get that from anywhere else. I cannot stop expressing it. Still, my mental health is giving me issues. I'm having much difficulties trying to motivate myself. Just getting sad sometimes. I hate it. It never leaves me alone. I guess all that shit is inescapable, it really is about how you snap back to reality again. Finding something to keep you grounded. Idk how life is gonna be after this virus. So many infected in my county, too many deaths. Just idk. Sometimes I just don't understand this world. Now I have too much time to think, since I have been furloughed. Oh and without pay, not fuckin surprised there, considering what a shit ass company they are. Acting like they give a fuck if I live all they care about is fuckin money otherwise their bitch ass would pay me the money I deserve. So kiss my ass take your bullshit lies somewhere else. Whatever, just cruising waiting to see what happens next, generally and personally. Till then, priority one is self care💜💙💜💙💋