#and once it's all done you guys will never fucking respect artists again

[elizeshiro]

'sorry its the way of the world' god that comment pisses me off so much lmao-

for years I've been a pretty big tech enthusiast, always fascinated with the world of AI and AI learning but holy shit, draw the line somewhere. of course an AI can do better than what a human does in mere seconds, it's a fucking *AI-* that's not the point, and it never has been — it sure seems like a whole load of hypocrisy with all the talk of AI stealing normal jobs in recent years, but just because of that you can't just.... fucking discredit real artists??? they spend years cultivating their skill in art to create a style that's pleasing to them and just get hit with the good ol' 'sorry this do b the way of the world'???

look, i don't care if you enjoy AI art. i know there's a big spiel about it being glorified art theft (which it is) but i'm going to leave it aside for this post for now to focus on this aspect of AI art, which is discrediting human artists. why the fuck should a person, a real, FUCKING PERSON, who's spent *years* of hard work practicing and learning change their art style just because it looks 'AI Generated'?

sorry jimbo, that family recipe your family has passed down for 10 decades tastes like this factory made one that just launched last week! better change it up or you're going outta business!

i don't- i don't post much on this hellsite since 99% of my blog's contents are just rbs with no additions like comments or tags but holy shit this pisses me off so much. i love and am fascinated by AI, and that may never change, but enough is enough.

monkeys on a typewriter creating macbeth will never match up to the works of shakespeare.

No because theres already a case of an actual artist being accused of doing AI art because their art is "familiar to the AI art style."

Theres already people who have gotten the AI to learn correct hand anatomy (albeit a bit wonky, but it's 5 fingers on two hands now.).

Literally what the fuck. This is the scariest shit. People now are teasing it to "hold objects" and "do complicated hand gestures" . My partner you and I both know in months time they will. This fucking sucks. It feels like theres no hope to stop this shit anymore aside from clients and art customers to FUCKING STOP AND LOOK CLOSER AT THE ART.

Like, please if you are commissioning from an artist, ask for like a psd. Or a .clip file. You cant even ask for a "sketch" because theres already programs able to simulate art progress, sketch to render. What the everloving tit shit.

[mrsoftthoughts]

Maybe im late to do this

But I'm bored, so come with me to my rambling about my personal opinion towards some of Nico di Angelo ships and Rating each one

(Disclaimer: Nothing here goes with intention of offend someone,i always try to be respectful but if something that i say here sounds rude, feel free to tell, I never notice how bad can sound something until someone else points it out)

-Percico/ Nicerci 4/10

Honestly i admire the people that ship this and doesn't give a fuck about what other people say, some of the fan artist and writers make things soo good that should be in a museum

But it's not my personal liking, i only like this when its the exploration of Nico's unrequited crush on Percy , but i honestly I never liked when Nico and Percy had a 100% good relationship of any kind, because their dynamic is complicated at best ( i could talk about it for hours while im probably crying because both are pretty dear to me) and i prefer to think that now their are just "neutral" to each other ( see that part of my description that says "bittersweet relationships sucker" this is why is there) and all that extends to that i cant see these two in a romantic relationship

But that's all, is just not my personal liking, i don't mind the existence of this couple and once again, the people that makes content from them are really talented an deserve all my respect, you guys always come out with the best ideas for angst and i love that of all of you

-Jasico 9/10

They're Cute!! Honestly i don't have my own ideas for them but the Romantic content of these two 90% of the times it's good and i enjoy it ,I really value their friendship more that any other dynamic so i prefer them in a platonic way,but that doesn't mean that i don't get the vision, they really had potential and the people out there are using it

-Solangelo 5/10 or 11/10

The two rates exist because i honestly feel they relationship in canon as one of the worst ways that existed to make them a couple, it's obvious that they are supposed to be something cute and healthy, but all their development is out of screen and then they are just introduced as a couple when Apollo and meg made it to camp, some of their scenes leave me feeling that Nico is out of characters and also in order to give Will the rol of "protective boyfriend" Nico feels quite weak and Will doesn't get many chances of get out that role for being his own character, and he had a lot o potential

(And I'm not be talking about TsatS because is just all the fails of their relationship but multiplied by 1000, ooc, plot holes and toxic traits all around, it's not that bad as a read, but as canon content it is)

But as the saying goes "if you want something done right, do it yourself"

And that's exactly what I do with them, because in this housedhold we don't tolerate wasted potential of any kind, and they relationship deserved better , because honestly the things we know about them and their individual personalities just feels as a good mach and even if the things wouldn't be perfect, no couple it's at the start so it's ok

I also like them in a platonic way, but i think that just like i appreciate more platonic jason and Nico because that how i was introduced to them i lead more towards see them in a romantic one

So Canon gets 5/10 because " it's the tough that counts" ig?

And 11/10 goes for what they could have been ,should be in canon and are in my mind

( i talk abou my thoughts of them a little bit more in this Post if you want to check)

-Nicobaster 9/10

I know, it's a rare ship, but They can be interesting on any kind of relationship and why not make it romantic?? there's a lot of dynamics of where to chose and the alternative AUs that i see of them are great,Cthonic demigod X Cthonic demigod is a good base, I don't have much to say apart from that

Except that you can blame @drksanctuary content for make me like the ship in first place

-Valdangelo 4/10

Not a bad ship ig, i just don't see them as a couple and I don't even now why, i just can't see it , and i also have a pretty strong headcanon of Leo as aromantic so its hard for me to see him in Romantic relationships, but i have nothing against it so that's all

-Clovico 7/10

Another rare ship, one that I've seen around but honestly don't have a a lot to say, i like the little that we see from Clovis and i always like the Cthonic demigod X Cthonic demigod so 7/10 just due the lack of content

-Nico x literally any woman -80000000/10

I love Nicos platonic relationships with the womans in his life, can we keep that PLATONIC ??

[just-prime]

I'm not sure if you've been watching The Acolyte, but my critically high levels of sodium over the Ahsoka series have returned with the revelation that Rosario must have fought Lucasfilm over fight/lightsaber training stipulating in her contract.

Manny Jacinto, who came to the role with a black belt in Tae Kwon Do trained for four months for his fight scenes before filming. Rosario repeatedly said in interviews that she trained for two hours a day while filming, and it was clear that she thought this was a lot.

I tried to write it off last year. Budget and time constraints, George Lucas overspent and Disney is doing things differently, the prequel era is dead-

No.

No, this is not the case.

Prequel era love and care in the arena of bringing characters who are expert sword wielders and martial artists to life is alive and well at Lucasfilm.

Daphne Keen fights like Ahsoka plucked from the middle of the Clone Wars and brought to life. Dean Charles Chapman's saberwork is a beautiful hybrid of Obi-wan and Anakin with lightning fast, graceful Soresu and saber spins, lightsabers are deadly once more and used in ways we haven't seen outside of animation and video games, and characters far, far older than 11 ABY Ahsoka have kinetic, energetic choreography because a 42 year old Jedi is nowhere near over the hill, and I'm done with being gaslit about her age.

There are many issues with this show, yes, but there are no cameos (save for one blink and you miss it), no name dropping to make the audience tear up and feel something based on the hard work of previous content. Nuggets are plucked from the EU and made fresh, like the delightful and creative use of cortosis. New force worshipping sects with their own beliefs are brought to life without being the Nightsisters. The galaxy feels large again.

It's everything Ahsoka wasn't and shows just how soulless an effort that show was. Ironically this is the show that's getting raked over the coals while nearly all criticism of Ahsoka was met with dismissal despite the show being desperately mediocre.

If you had asked me to go in without behind the scenes knowledge and tell you if Filoni or Headland was the one new to Star Wars and who was approaching this effort with genuine love of the material and passion for world building and adventure, it wouldn't be the guy who was recently made Creative Director.

I'm sorry for once again paragliding into your inbox (yes, this is the salty anon from last summer lol), especially if you aren't interested in The Acolyte, but it just sheds so much light on everything wrong with Ahsoka and how valid our criticisms were. Salt doesn't have an expiration date, so I hope this is a little bit of vindication!

Hello, hello! Hang up your paraglider, you're always welcome in my ask box.

I have been watching the Acolyte! I'll admit, I saved off answering this until the final ep had come out so that if there were any more cool fight scenes, they were not missed in my response.

Thoughts I had Pre Finale

All in all I agree completely.

While flawed (personally I feel like the acting on Osha and Mea is the weakest part of the show as a whole, as well as the fact that this very much felt like a movie idea stretched into a tv show) the Acolyte has been legions better than the previous slop that Disney Star Wars has put out recently. You know why? Because I had fucking fun watching it. Sure, afterwards I'd usually say something along the lines of 'wow the pacing is a bit weird' but all in all? Actively enjoyable. It never made me angrily close the D+ tab mid episode.

It's also been a facinating litmus test for what people are able to be chill about Star Wars and which ones are not able to handle it. The amount of reviewers and reactors whom I previously had massive respect for who just are acting like utter tools is really getting on my nerves.

Because in sooooo many ways this has been exactly what people have been asking for. A new perspective, with new ideas that isn't just focused on the Skywalker saga. And on top of that, holy fuck the fights are glorious. You are absolutely right, both Dafne Keen's and Tommon's fights prove just how well you can have lightsaber skills look from a single person, as well as the Wookie fight showing off some truly impressive choreo between the three.

And then you have Manny Jacinto...hello ARMS

The man is by far the standout joy of the series (followed closely by Sol) as the man just oozes charisma. His big fight against everyone was brutal and I'm glad to see that lightsabers are once again deadly in the Star Wars universe. Watching him mow through a legion of Jedi was so incredibly satisfying to watch, and again he is just knocking it out of the park with the choreo. LOVE the way that they've introduced cortosis into live action, especially in a fighting style. Headbutting a lightsaber was fucking amazing to witness. Though it's actually not the first time that it's appeared in Canon star wars, as it appears in the second canon Thrawn book, Thrawn : Alliances!

The exploration of the Dark Side is being done in such an interesting way, because none of the practitioners we've seen would self identify as 'dark side users' at all. Because sure, you have Manny Jacinto who is out being evil because the Jedi were going to label him as dark side either way so he might as well defend himself, for him it's just the way he connects with the Force. But you also have the witches, who's mind infiltration is certainly Dark Side, but are just out here living their best witchy lives. They live by their Thread, regardless of what the Jedi would call it.

As always, also the "the jedi need to be the coolest and the morally purest people in the whole wide world" people are having hissy fits, which is just like...no? Stop being allergic to nuance? We've seen time and time again how the Jedi were in fact a child taking cult (yes, yes they are, if you disagree i'd recommend going and rewatching TPM which spells it out pretty clearly) usually we've just been on the Jedi's POV so it seems justified. The Sol flashback episode I think shows off this mentality very well. He had good intentions, sure, but all in all, he wants to take and even Trinity calls him on it. It's a fascinating examination of what decades later would lead Anakin down a path of desperation.

Speaking of Anakin...People getting suuuuuper protective over Anakin's super special status as 'the chosen one' was also rather surreal to witness. Personally, I don't see how this invalidates his 'the chosen one' in the first place? But people were definitely scraping the bottom of the barrel for things to complain about, as opposed to offering actually constructive criticism, of which there are plenty of options.

Thoughts I had Post Finale

All in all, nothing really changed for me, as usual, the pacing was absolutely fucked and the action was absolutely incredible, and in the end, I enjoyed the experience of watching it.

I certainly appreciate seeing more of the Jedi actively covering shit up, both in little ways as well in big ways.

Also *waves* Hi Plagueis!

My main little gripe

I really don't get why they needed to actively tie Mr. Darth Hotpants over here to Venesta specifically? I get the want to connect him to an established character, it just rang a little hollow for me. I think I'd have preferred it if he was just a rando youngling who never even got to being a Padawan cuz the Jedi kept trying to basically de-dark side him ala grade schools punishing for being left handed. Donno, I just think that would have been a bit more compelling.

My main BIG gripe

Why...THE FUCK...did they split up??? They burned waaaay more time having their little heart to heart then had it been all three of them fucking booking it to the ship. I just don't get it. I don't get why Mae or Osha would want to leave each other again, and I don't get why Manny Jacinto would willingly give up an additional fighter. I get the whole "There can only be two" bit, but A) Plagueis is already there on the island, so Osha makes it three and B) Osha's probably going to be more motivated with a little living reminder of the Jedi's lies being right there and present and C) Osha and Mae are both so fucking powerful why would anyone just let one half of the pair walk away????

It just didn't fit with any of the character's previous actions so it annoys me.

Kinda ended as I began, relatively neutral on it all. Think if pressed would give it a 7/10 just because the action was SO FUCKING GOOD, otherwise it would probably be lower due to the rather painful pacing issues and the meh acting on display from Amandla Stenberg which was just such a huge shame cuz I know she's got more range than this.

Mainly, I just really really hope future shows take from this just how good lightsaber combat can be when you have properly trained performers. THIS should be the standards, and it's painful that its not.

As always thank you for dropping into my ask box! You always give me so much to work with it's a joy to respond :D

[anotherdayforchaosfay]

I've done this more than once. Because i very much cannot read the room (autistic) and ran out of fucks to give a long fucking time ago. The most memorable? Ahem.

For a decade, I worked as an art model. This means I often modeled nude in front of artists of all sorts. I was part of a group of artists and fellow art models, and we sometimes had group events with some local artists. One of the male models, however, made the rest of feel ery uncomfortable. I have zero tolerance for ignoring boundaries, especially physical ones, and he started to complain very loudly that I was being difficult to work with because I refused to pose with him. This is the simplified version of what happened...

Creep is sitting about ten feet away, very loudly saying things like "Chaosfay is being such a fucking prude" and "wtf? How can I work with someone who shouldn't be doing this kind of work?" He was being loud and pouting. Keep in mind, at this point no one was willing to work with him, and I had been modeling for almost 10 years at this point.

Finally, thinking he was being smart and gonna have a gotcha moment, he loudly says "why tf are you acting like this? Why are you behaving like someone who was raped?"

You could hear a mosquito fart, it was that quiet.

"Because I was raped." Everyone else in that room is 100% aware I'm a rape survivor. "Modeling has been part of my therapy, and it has made a huge improvement on my recovery. It gives me back the feeling of having ownership over my body, and gives the strength to say no to people who they have ownership over me."

He was white, but was gradually turning a very bright shade of red.

"You're behaving like a filthy unwashed child set free in a candy store, thinking you can grab whatever you want because you want it. You're behaving like a creep and making the rest of us feel unclean. You touch us without our consent, refuse to respect boundaries, and act as though you're owed something."

He's damn near purple at this point.

"The only thing we owe you is a slap across your face, but we respect physical boundaries. We're professional. If you refuse to be mature and grow up, leave. Your presence is unwelcomed and unwanted. Yes, I was raped, and you're acting very much the sort if guy who would do such a thing and see nothing wrong with it. Because you think we owe you something."

He got dressed, grabbed his things, and left, and I never saw him again.

Do not ask questions if you don't want answers. You nay get an answer you do not want.

i think it’s appropriate, funny even, to trauma dump on ppl who are intentionally being an asshole to u.

“lmao u just don’t wanna be bald bc then u’ll look like ur dad”

“i mean yeah honestly it’s kinda traumatic bc i have a rough relationship with my dad. it was rough to go from ‘daddy’s little girl’ to ‘gross gender freak’ after i came out, i’m used to him being my biggest cheerleader even when we didn’t see eye to eye, so to lose his support overnight has been really traumatizing and i’m really sad about it. and like how do i find positive male role models if my own dad doesn’t want to be one for me? who’s supposed to teach me to shave or take me to my first suit fitting or teach me how to be a good man when he doesn’t even believe i am one? what happens when i actually do start to look like him and he still rejects me? it’s just been really stressful to deal with all the—”

[fa-by]

AMA’s 2018

Hey guys 👋🏼🤗. As promised, ta-daaah 🎉✨🎊🎉✨🎊✨. Before diving headfirst into this big, detailed ass analysis, I’d like to say a couple of things.

First thing: I'll repeat what I already said in my previous post.

I absolutely don't want this analysis, this post, to get out of here. Nope. If you've known me for a while, then you guys already know how much I don't want to be involved in any way. Most of all, I don't want my stuff to get to their teams or Camila and Lauren themselves. Like, never. Never, ever, never in a million years. I'd rather go back to being a silent fan. You also already know how much I despise Twitter, but by ‘I absolutely don't want it to get out of here’, I really mean nowhere else. So, no YouTube, no Instagram, no Facebook, no TikTok, and yes, especially no fucking Twitter of course.

I love Tumblr for a reason, but unfortunately, I'm aware this is the internet. I'm aware of the risk that the same thing that happened with my very first post, could happen again with this one. I can’t control the actions of others, and I certainly can’t decide for you. I can, however, ask you to have respect for my decision. If you really have the need to publish it elsewhere, then please ASK ME before doing so. This also applies to the proofs you'll see in the post. Please, ask me first, and we'll arrange what's good for me for you to post and what's not, okay? That's all I'm asking. Don't make me regret even creating all this. Please and thank you 🙏🏼.

Second thing: This post was possible also thanks to the help of @romanticentropy and @mentesimploria​, who helped me collect the proofs. I've already thanked them many times privately, but I'm also doing it publicly. I would have done it regardless because, you know, it’s the way I am 🤷🏻‍♀️😄, but someone, *cough* Nadi @mentesimploria​ *cough*, insisted by even wanting a whole paragraph to thank her 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣. Sorry, bish, but as I already told you, not gonna happen. Just settle for it 😜.

All kidding aside, thank you. Thank you so much once again, you two 🤗. Thank you for dedicating your free time to the research, thank you for sending me what you found, thank you for the patience, and thank you for helping me in general 🥰. For real, thank you so much 😘.In the post I'll point out when one of the two of them has sent me something, so you'll know exactly how much this has actually been possible thanks to their help. They haven't read the post, so it will be a surprise for them too, and I really hope they both like it 🤞🏼😊.

Oh and, a little special shoutout also to my friend, lil J (@jane-ellie​) 👋🏼😁, for that conversation that helped to confirm even more other things.

Last important thing you need to keep in mind, is that this post is based on the real hours that happened. Like, literally. They won't all be 100% accurate and you'll see why, but they're still those ones anyway, and they're based on the actual Los Angeles hours. I believe this is why this post will be different from all the others and make a difference in your eyes.

Having said that, let's get started. Enjoy, babies 🙃.

‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍

  That year's American Music Awards took place on October 9, 2018, as always at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. By starting with Lauren, she was at the JW Marriott Hotel getting ready before the show. Justine Marjan (celebrity hairstylist and beauty influencer) and Carlene Kearns (celebrity makeup artist) took care of her hair and make-up. Justine and Carlene have known Laur for a long time:

Justine since August 2017 when she started hairstyling 5H https://www.instagram.com/p/BYUXonwHeSi/?utm_medium=copy_link, while Carlene also for longer and for many more things than Justine (tours, awards, performances, etc.), since March 2016  https://www.instagram.com/p/BC_2XrKpuWd/?utm_medium=copy_link (👈🏼 first time she did their makeup). But focusing only on Laur, Justine and Carlene have both hairstyled/put makeup on Lo for many things, including the music videos for All Night, Expectations, and More Than That. And about that night, they both posted pictures and IG stories:

Including that famous IG story that Carlene still has among her posts (third slide).

Besides Justine and Carlene, it obviously couldn't miss her oh so precious PR with which she immediately started the stunt thanks to the help of Tara Beikae (manager of both of them at the time; Lo's since the end of December 2015 with 5H) and some people/friends from Tinky Winky's personal team who were there in that room with them. Now. Why am I so sure that that room was in the JW Marriott Hotel? Because first of all, the hotel was tagged in one of the proofs that I'll exhibit later, and second of all, because I compared their first stunt video of the evening with the actual pictures of the hotel itself:

See that particular floor design? Here:

With this, even the color of the wall:

Oh and, the JW Marriott Hotel and the Microsoft Theater are basically attached to each other:

Let's move on to Camila. After performing at the Live Austin City Limits Music Festival on October 7, 2018, Mila arrived in L.A. the day before the AMA’s, which is on October 8, 2018: (remember this pic for later)

She and her parents stayed in the same hotel for two nights before leaving for Brazil to continue the stops of her Never Be the Same Tour:

The same evening they settled in the hotel (the 8th), Mila posted a video in the room with her dad to advertise the orchestral version of Consequences which would've been released at midnight of the same night, and which she would've performed live for the first time the next day at the AMA’s:

Contrary to Lauren, Camila got ready directly in the theater for the AMA’s. She left the hotel in this outfit, and yes, this picture was posted days later when she was already in Brazil, but it actually dates back to October 9:

and she changed into the theater. Besides her parents, there were three people on her team that night with her: Dvora Englefield (her publicist since October 2016), Roger Gold, and Gian Mitchell (both her managers; Roger since March 2015, Gian since April 2017). Dimitris Giannetos (celebrity hairstylist) and Allan Avendaño (celebrity makeup artist) took care of her hair and make-up:

Mila's been friends with them for years now:

and they're the ones she calls most of the time for her projects/events. Allan met Mila and started doing her makeup since September 2016 https://www.instagram.com/p/BKTv6OXDfRk/?utm_medium=copy_link, while Dimitris knew her much earlier because he started hairstyling her and 5H since November 2014 https://www.instagram.com/p/vY85TMjoFy/?utm_medium=copy_link.

Having said the pre-show, let's move on to the actual show. As I said at the beginning, this post is based on the actual Los Angeles hours which are in the Pacific Time Zone. The AMA's started at 5 pm and finished at 8 pm: (Thanks, baby, for the website of the second pic 🥰)

I’m going to write the whole schedule setlist of the show, and my love’s sent me all the tweets (except the last one) from the official account, so thanks for these too, babe ❤. They were punctual to both start and finish according to the schedule, therefore, keep in mind that we have to calculate that the team behind the account took about 5/10 minutes, sometimes even a little longer, to receive the pictures or videos, edit them, write the caption, and lastly post the news, okay? Oh and, I've used the bold font for Mila and the performances, and I've of course only picked the key tweets we're interested in.

                                  AMA's schedule setlist:

- Taylor Swift: I Did Something Bad

As you can see, the show opening was tweeted at 5:06 pm, but it started at 5 pm sharp, and by 5:02 pm, people were already tweeting about Tay's performance. Indeed, the team of people or person behind the account, used the present continuous because the performance was still ongoing since it lasted for about 6 minutes and 30 seconds. In fact, it was ending at that moment.

- Tracee Ellis Ross (the host) with her opening dance routine

- Bebe Rexha and Florida Georgia Line presented Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist (winner: Cardi B)

*commercial break*

- Amber Heard introduced Twenty One Pilots = Twenty One Pilots: Jumpsuit

- Macaulay Culkin presented Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist (winner: Post Malone)

*commercial break*

- Heidi Klum presented Tour of the Year (winner: Taylor Swift)

5:59 pm, so let's say 5:52 pm.

- Chloe x Halle introduced Mariah Carey = Mariah Carey: With You

*commercial break*

- Shawn Mendes, Zedd: Lost in Japan (Remix)

- John Stamos and Busy Philipps presented Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist (winner: Khalid)

*commercial break*

- Tracee Ellis Ross introduced Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin = Cardi B, Bad Bunny, J Balvin: I Like It

- Ashlee Simpson and Evan Ross presented Favorite Pop/Rock Song (winner: Camila Cabello)

6:15 pm, so let's say 6:05.

*commercial break*

- Sara Gilbert and Thomas Rhett presented Favorite Country Female Artist (winner: Carrie Underwood)

- Normani and Liza Koshy introduced Benny Blanco, Khalid and Halsey = Benny Blanco, Halsey, Khalid: Eastside

- Billy Eichner and Kathryn Hahn presented Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist (winner: Shawn Mendes)

*commercial break*

- Constance Wu and Rita Ora presented Favorite Pop/Rock Duo or Group (winners: Migos)

- The Chainsmokers and Kelsea Ballerini introduced Post Malone and Ty Dolla Sign = Post Malone, Ty Dolla Sign: Psycho & Better Now

6:34 pm and 6:43 pm are 9 minutes, but the introduction and the performance actually last for about 5 minutes and 10/12 seconds, so you see what I mean? And according to the calculations I made, the performance ended at 6:33 pm.

*commercial break*

- Dua Lipa: One Kiss & Electricity

- Vanessa Hudgens introduced Jennifer Lopez = Jennifer Lopez: Limitless

- Lauren Daigle and Kane Brown presented Favorite Soul/R&B album (winner: XXXTentacion)

*commercial break*

- CAMILA CABELLO: CONSEQUENCES

7:08 pm, but actually started at 7:02.

- Amandla Stenberg presented Favorite Pop/Rock Album (winner: Taylor Swift)

*commercial break*

- Taran Killam and Leighton Meester presented Favorite Country Male Artist (winner: Kane Brown)

- Tracee Ellis Ross introduced Ciara and Missy Elliott = Ciara, Missy Elliott: Level Up & Dose

*commercial break*

- Tyra Banks presented New Artist of the Year (winner: Camila Cabello)

7:32 pm, but actually around 7:23 pm.

- Tracee Ellis Ross introduced Carrie Underwood = Carrie Underwood: Spinning Bottles

*commercial break*

- Rami Malek, Joseph Mazzello, and Gwilym Lee introduced Panic! at the Disco = Panic! at the Disco: Bohemian Rhapsody

- Lenny Kravitz presented Artist of the Year (winner: Taylor Swift)

7:47 pm, but actually a couple of minutes before.

- Tribute to Aretha Franklin = Gladys Knight: Amazing Grace - Donnie McClurkin: Climb Higher Mountains - CeCe Winans: Mary Don't You Weep - Ledisi: How I Got Over - Mary Mary: The Old Landmark

8:10 pm, and 8:05 pm tweeted by a fan, but the AMA's actually ended at exactly 8 pm.

Now that you know the schedule setlist, let's delve into the events that happened during it. We're interested in three: PRen/Tyren, one of the commercial breaks, and Consequences. All three are connected and intertwined with each other, and all three of them are about Lauren. But before that, you need to have an understanding of the surroundings to understand everything better.

Both Camren were seated in the Microsoft Theatre area that's called the orchestra. It's divided into five parts by six hallways. Those five parts, are in turn subdivided into let's say invisible sides of the right and left as regards the assignment of the seats (thanks, mi corazón, for having understood this 😘). Lauren was sitting in the center-right orchestra on the invisible left side in the third seat of the fifth row. While Mila, was in the central orchestra on the invisible right side in the ninth seat of the first row. Because of the semicircle shape, the center-right and center-left parts have one row fewer seats in front, and that’s why Lauren turned out to be in the fifth row and not the fourth; because the assignments are calculated by the central orchestra as a reference point.

I created the layout of the theater of that night and compared it with the original floor plans to make you understand better what I'm talking about:

And with these, you can understand even better:

Do you see Mariah Carey's seat? Despite being the first row of the center-right orchestra, it's calculated as the second row because it's prospectively in the same line as the second row of the central orchestra.

Having explained that, let's move on to those three events that I mentioned earlier and, I'm sorry for this, but I'll also debunk some moments in which many thought that Lauren was there when in reality wasn't.

During the commercial break after Mariah Carey’s performance, PRen left the theater to go to the trailer they assigned to Tycoon so that he could change for his performance. This means that Laur wasn't there when Mila won the Favorite Pop/Rock Song award. I saw that picture that spread around, but that's not Lauren. Don't worry, I'll show it to you later along with other proofs.

Laur returned during the commercial break between the Migos' winning for the Favorite Pop/Rock Duo or Group award and Post Malone and Tinkerbell’s performance. Right after the performance, PRen left the theater again, and Tara posted that boomerang to let believe that they were leaving the AMA's:

Now that I've shown you that collage, I can delve into the topic of one of the commercial breaks specifically. You see, once back in the theater and before going to her seat, making those stories, and attending Tympanum’s performance, Laur made a small detour:

Yeeep 😏. Despite the painful pixelation due to the zoom for the distance and the potato ass quality, we can very well see that it's them. I even took the pic where Laur is from behind and I mirrored it, changed the perspective to have her more or less in the same position as the other pic, and I played with colors, shadows, and other things to compare them. Here:

I defy anyone to say that that's not Lauren even after this 😎. But anyway. She did it at that moment precisely because it was a commercial break. Risky? Yeah, 100%, but at least she had a public excuse: to say hi (as if they hadn't seen each other for a long time 🙄🤣) and congratulate on the award that Mila had won. Let's talk for a moment about why she did it knowing the risks, and mind you, this is just my theory, and no, it's not about Camren in this case.

3 out of 5 former Fifth Harmony members were at that event. The fake narrative of the feud was still going on. Hell, it still is today when it's convenient 😒. They knew, all three knew that the media would create rumors for gossip, and I don't know if you remember, but they were all pretty sick of playing along in that period. So what did they do? They played in advance. Both Laurmani met Mila at different moments in front of everyone (and by everyone, keep in mind that I mean more like ordinary people/fans and not industry people since they know everything about everyone most of the time). Why? Because they wanted people to see them together, even if briefly, to be able to disprove the rumors that were then indeed created. Fans didn't capture the moment of Normila's meeting like they did with Camren, and so we don't have visual proof, but we have proof thanks to Mama Dre:

I mean, why should Laur have risked being seen talking to Mila in such an open way? She, who's forced to pretend to be allergic to Camren? Because it's the same plan they used the year before at the 2017 Jingle Ball. And same thing with Mani. What reason would Andrea have had to clarify that if that wasn't the plan? She could very well have said nothing and let another fake rumor spread, but she didn't. Especially after they ‘had buried the hatchet’, of a war that never really existed 🤭, from the 2018 Billboard Music Awards:

So this is my theory. Of course I could be wrong, but that's the only thing that makes sense to me. Let’s move on.

When Tara posted that boomerang to let believe that they were leaving the AMA's, PRen were heading back to the trailer they assigned to Typod. Remember that Twix's performance ended at 6:33 pm and that Mila's one started at 7:02 pm? Good, because this means that Laur had exactly 29 minutes between one thing and the other. And what does that mean? That she had all the time in the world to go back to see Mila. Hell, in 29 minutes you have time to take a shower, or read a couple of chapters in a book, or have a meal, and I mean, you get it, right? So let alone go back to the theater 🤣.

Now not only will I give you the proof that Laur wasn't there when Mila won the Favorite Pop/Rock Song award as I mentioned earlier, but I will also debunk another big proof that unfortunately spread throughout the fandom, and at the same time, I will confirm the true version.

So. I created this collage of the stories she posted just before Tyco Bell's performance to show you the people around her:

In addition to those people, you can also notice how the stairs were slightly to her left from her perspective. You can also compare it with the layout of the theater that I created in that collage that I showed you previously.

I created this collage to show you both the people around her and in her proximity, and her seat position from a better and more realistic point of view:

And lastly, I created this one to show you the people who were around her and how SHE DIDN'T APPEAR:

First pic: as I've already explained to you, Laur was sitting in the center-right orchestra on the invisible left side in the third seat of the fifth row, and the stairs were slightly to her left from her perspective. That girl? She was in the central orchestra. Lo and Tijuana (and his sister) left during the commercial break after Mariah Carey's performance, so she wasn't there when Mila won. And as if that weren't enough, the dress the girl was wearing was black. Take a closer look and notice how there's also the lack of the tulle of the skirt that Lo wore:

The rest of the collage pics: I'm sorry if everyone thought the one in the famous Consequences video was Lauren, believe me, it hurts my soul 🥺, but it's just not her. That girl, the “fake Lo” as I named her, has always been there. You can also notice her in the previous collage in the second pic (Post Malone's speech). Not to mention that that's the third row, while Lo's seat was in the fifth row. Here, take a look at this other collage I created to better understand:

I know perspective can be deceiving. It mostly depends on the starting angle, and I mean, what the hell, look at this other picture:

From this angular perspective, it looks like Laur’s seat is very close to Mila’s, but as I showed you even with the previous collage, they weren't at all. I mean, Mila and Cardi were sitting in the front row of the central orchestra, while Laur, Angel, the guy from Lo's IG stories, and the guy in a suit were sitting in the fifth, sixth, and seventh rows of the center-right orchestra respectively. And does it look like that in this pic? Absolutely not because it's a matter of perspective, and as I've already told you, it can be deceiving.

Going back to the collage where Lo doesn’t appear, I even zoomed in on the third pic (Taylor's speech (after Consequences)) to show you not only the same people, but also how the seats that belonged to Angel, Laur, and Tipsy were empty:

And, I had already edited the screenshots of the original video for the collage so that you guys could see better, but I also zoomed in on the “fake Lo” to compare her with the real Lo:

This girl had shorter hair, and even here like the other pic with that other girl, the dress was black and no tulle skirt. The only thing similar to Laur's dress is the neckline. I'm sorry, babies, but that's not Lauren. BUT, don't worry. I said that girl isn't Laur, but I never said she wasn't there. Indeed, if you remember, I also said that she had all the time in the world to go back to see the performance. Just because we didn't see her in the videos, doesn't mean she wasn't there. I mean, she did it on purpose since she couldn't be seen, but unfortunately for her plan and luckily for us, there are four proofs that confirm it.

Proof number 1: (Thanks, Nadi, for the link of these two tweets 😄)

This proof is the least reliable because it's just words. Don't get me wrong, it's still proof, but it's just an attestation without actual visual proof, like, I don't know, even a shitty-quality pic.

Proof number 2: I think you all remember that fan's IG stories, right? In case you don't, her name is Raffaella Lamar and she posted 9 IG stories in order of how the show unfolded:

As you can see, the pic with Lo was posted after Consequences. People asked her if Lo stayed during the performance, and she first said yes, but then changed her answer to no when she saw that the news began to spread. Now, let me tell you and show why she did it. Raffaella has known them for many years. She's part of that group of fans (who understands, understands). Plus, she is or she was a Camren Shipper. She had a Camren/5H fan account. Oh and, remember how I told you to remember that picture from when Mila arrived in L.A. the day before the AMA's, which is October 8, 2018? You'll find it again in this collage, because yes, it's the same girl: (thanks, Nad, for the translation of that tweet 😊)

Honestly? I would've done exactly the same thing in her place to protect them. Actually, I wouldn't have answered yes to the question at all, but you know, we're not all the same, and there's also the excitement/adrenaline of the moment of knowing something beautiful and important that no one else knows and that you'd like to shout at the top of your lungs. So it's understandable on the one hand. But, we have to consider that the biggest risk Laur took that night wasn't the one of going to Mila to ‘congratulate’ her after the award since, as I told you, I think all three of them decided it together, but it was the one of coming back to see her performance.

Now, I don't know how things really went. I don't know if it was Raffaella's own idea because she saw how the news spread and therefore changed her version so she wouldn’t get into trouble. I don't know if she did it on her own initiative to protect them after realizing that her answer “Ela ficou até o final” (She stayed until the end) spread everywhere. I don't know if she was contacted to declare that Laur wasn't there. I know nothing. I can only hypothesize. But one thing is certain. Laur was there, and the order of publication of the stories proves it in itself, with or without her confirmation.

Proof number 3: Another thing that proves it is in that same picture:

If you zoom into the one with Lo, you can notice how the pic was taken in the hallway (n° 3) between the center-right orchestra (Laur's) and the central orchestra (Mila's). You can even notice G-Eazy, who we know was seated in the front row of the center-right orchestra. The other thing that can be noticed, is how that pic was taken during yet another commercial break (you can even see how all the people are standing up talking to each other), and that makes me understand that Raffaella was going to Laur, saw her, and stopped her just as she was about to leave the theater to go back to Tic Tac’s trailer. This explains the reason for the location: the hallway.

Proof number 4 (the best one in my opinion 😏): Once she got back to Tyred’s trailer, they both took a picture with the GD Media Enterprises guy:

Yeah, the guy messed up in the caption which he then corrected, but, in this case, you don't have to focus on yet another proof of their PR even though it was important. You have to focus on why I'm so sure it happened after seeing Mila's performance.

Let's do a little calculation before showing you this other proof that's connected with that picture. Consequences' performance began at 7:02 pm, and lasted for 4 minutes. Amandla Stenberg’s Favorite Pop/Rock Album presentation and Tay's speech lasted for about 2 min. 6 min for everything, so 7:02 pm+6 min= 7:08 pm. 7:08 pm+let’s assume another 2/3 minutes between talking and taking the picture with Raffaella, it gives us approximately this time: 7:10/11 pm. Now, I don't know exactly the distance between the trailers and the theater, but also calculating another ten minutes of time for Lo to get back to Typology's trailer, it gives us approximately this time: 7:20/21 pm. Maybe a little more or maybe a little less, who knows 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Having explained that, this is the other proof:

As you can see, the sunset (so when the sun disappeared below the horizon) happened at 6:26 pm. From 6:26 pm to 6:51 pm, the civil twilight occurred. From 6:51 pm to 7:20 pm, the nautical twilight occurred. And lastly, from 7:20 pm to 7:49 pm, the astronomical twilight occurred. Remember that Post Malone and Tyronic's performance ended at 6:33 pm? That means the sunset occurred when PRen were still inside the theater, and that the boomerang that Tara posted, was made once outside during the civil twilight. When Lo arrived at the trailer according to the calculations I made earlier, it was approximately 7:20/21 pm, and this means it was during the astronomical twilight. I don't know exactly if that pic (PRen+PR guy) was taken right after she arrived or a little more time after that, but you can literally see the lights on even in the back buildings if you zoom in. You can also notice how Twinkle Twinkle Little Star wore the same after-party outfit that I’ll show you later.

The GD Media Enterprises account unfortunately no longer exists, so we can't know the exact time when that picture was posted (because yes, there is a way, and you'll see it in other proofs later), but I believe these two proofs and my calculation show us very well that PRen were still in the Microsoft Theater at that time. So, Miss Tara Beikae from Maverick, with that boomerang and like so many other times during that PR, you failed 🤣. Besides, I don't think Typecast needed almost an hour to get changed, and he certainly couldn't leave without Lo. So he leisurely changed, waited for Laur, they took that picture with the GD Media Enterprises guy, and left the Microsoft Theater together. Most likely, Lo went to get her things from the JW Marriott Hotel room where she got ready before the show, but once outside, they both went their separate ways 😏. We'll come back to that later 😉.

Let's go back to Mila now. She stayed inside the theater until the end of the show (8 pm), and right after, she went to the press room for the pictures, both single and with the awards won (for New Artist of the Year, Collaboration of the Year, Video of the Year, and Favorite Pop/Rock Song). 2 min for the pictures. For the interviews we have E! News: 1:41 min. Access: 1:41 min. EntertainmentTonight: 2:20 min. Stingray Music: 35 sec. ExtraTV: 1:21 min. InStyle: 52 sec. Variety: 1:26 min. On Demand Entertainment: 51 sec. And lastly, Billboard with Chelsea: 2:23 min.

15:10 min for everything to be exact. So it was 8:15 pm when Mila finished with the press and went to her dressing room for the last time to collect her things and change. You can also see here how the various press account teams started tweeting about it once she left (still because you have to calculate the time needed to receive the pictures or videos, edit them, write the caption, and lastly post them): [thank you, amore mio, also for these two 💖]

After gathering her things and changing into the same outfit she’d arrived in (the same as the afternoon and the pic she posted on the 12th, but with different shoes), Mila was out of the theater around 8:20 pm. She met a bunch of fans both outside the Microsoft Theater and in the parking garage where they had their car: (thanks, Nadi, for the link of the video and for the one of the third pic's tweet 😁)

Among these, a girl with her hair gathered up whose pic was photobombed by a girl and none other than another fan who has known them for years, Ricardo De La Cruz:

Ricardo then posted the same pic, but cropped and with the location:

He was also at the AMA's:

And once the show was over, he staked outside and waited in hopes of meeting celebrities exactly as he did before the show when he met Chelsea Briggs as I've shown you, J Balvin (singer), and Bryan Tanaka (dancer, choreographer, and boyfriend of Mariah Carey). Same thing he did hours later managing to catch Debby Ryan (actress), Luc Mbah a Moute (basketball player), Josh Dun (Twenty One Pilots drummer), and PRen at the JW Marriott Hotel:

You can see the location at the top also in these two as well as in the one with Mila, and you can also notice that Typo has the same outfit (you can notice especially the same shirt and the same jewelry) as the pic with the GD Media Enterprises guy as I mentioned to you before:

People thought that the pictures Ricardo posted with Camren were taken in the same place mostly because of the type of road, but that's not the case. First of all, the location is indicated in both pics, and second of all, as I've already shown you at the beginning, the JW Marriott Hotel and the Microsoft Theater are basically attached to each other, so it's normal they have the same type of road. I even checked by making the road route with the Google Maps little yellow man 🤣.

After people's insistence even years later since that day, Ricardo posted TikToks on January 31, 2021, to explain again how those pictures weren't taken in the same place, and how the times were also different. The TikTok that interests us in this case, is this one (thanks, Nad, for the link 🙃). I took the screenshot and circled the info at the top to give you another proof:

As you can see, there's a difference between the two. The one with Mila only indicates the date and the time, while the one with Laur also indicates the location (South Park is a neighborhood in downtown Los Angeles that includes both the Microsoft Theater and the JW Marriott Hotel, btw). Why's that? Because unlike the selfies he himself took with PRen, the pic with Mila wasn't taken with his phone because he just photobombed by appearing in the camera view of the other girl while she took her selfie with Mila. That pic with Mila, was sent to him by that girl, and that's why the info of the pictures we see in the TikTok of his gallery/camera roll are different.

Oh and, another important thing. In the TikTok, Ricardo said that people told him that he got paid to say those things and that he was leaving stuff out for that reason, but he was actually telling the truth for real. BUT, and yes, there is a but 😏, at the same time, he actually really left a detail out. He said that PRren left at 10:27 pm and that Mila left at 9 pm, and proved it by showing the details in his gallery/room roll. The time indicated in the pics with PRen is accurate precisely because, as I've just explained to you, he himself took those pictures, but the time indicated in the pic with Mila? Nope, it's not. 9 pm is the time he received the pic from the girl, and not when the pic was actually taken 😎. So that's not the accurate time Mila left the Microsoft Theater, and this is another proof that further confirms my calculation, which is that Camila left the theater around 8:20 pm, and calculating more or less another ten minutes spent with the fans on the way from the theater, the parking lot, and lastly to the car, she left at approximately 8:30 pm.

An umpteenth proof I can give you is the precise time when Ricardo posted the pic with her. Remember how I told you earlier that we couldn't know the exact time the PRen pic with the GD Media Enterprises guy was posted because the GD Media Enterprises account no longer exists, but that there's actually a way to see it and that I'd have shown it to you in other proofs? Here, this is the moment. Thanks to my tech baby 😍 who viewed the HTML source code of the picture for this:

See the blue part? [<time class="_1o9PC Nzb55" datetime= "2018-10-10T04:42:05.000Z" title= "Oct 9, 2018">October 9, 2018</time>] What interests us is the datetime part. The letter T indicates the end of the date, and the letter Z, indicates that the timestamp is expressed in UTC+0 (Universal Time Coordinated) timezone. So we need to read it like this: (2018-10-10) October 10, 2018, (04:42:05) 4:42 am in UTC+0. And doing the calculation with the Los Angeles time in the Pacific Time Zone, we get: October 9, 2018, 9:42 pm in UTC-7.

Ricardo posted that pic with Camila at 9:42 pm, which is 42 minutes after receiving it, and certainly in one of the free moments before going to stake out in front of the JW Marriott Hotel or while he was already there waiting to catch the other celebrities that I mentioned to you earlier. I'll also show you later on the exact time in which he posted the one with Lo because it's very important, but for the moment, let's go back to Camila and Camren.

After leaving the Microsoft Theater, Mila and her parents went to the hotel. It took them about 29/30 min to get there, so they were there by 9 pm. Once they arrived at the hotel, they stayed there for a while, surely also to relax for a moment and catch their breath after the show, and in the meantime, both Camila and Alejandro changed because they would then have to go out to dinner at Madeo Restaurant in Beverly Hills (an Italian one 😜 ayy, wassup!):

I think you’ve all recognized that it's the same tracksuit that Mila wore also in those two of her famous IG stories 😏. We'll get to that, don't worry, won't be long now 😉. Now let me prove to you why I'm 100% sure Camilita and her parents went first to the hotel and then to the restaurant. These are Ale and Sinu outfits:

And these are Mila's:

If they had gone to the Madeo Restaurant right after leaving the Microsoft Theater, then both Mila and Ale would’ve been wearing those same outfits and not the tracksuit for Mila and different pants and shoes for Ale. But as I just proved to you, that wasn't the case 😜. Mila tweeted this once she changed while still in the room:

And now, why specify and show you both Mila and Ale’s change of clothes, and the time of that tweet? Why are all those details so important? Just because I'm a perfectionist who has to know and explain every little detail? Yes 🙈🤣, but also because with those two famous IG stories, Mila purposely confused the timing of the events. It was her plan, and it worked perfectly. Let me explain.

In the story, she said “I'm in a food coma”, but she hadn't even gone to the restaurant yet in reality 🤣. So how did things really go? It's time to reveal to you also the name of the hotel where Mila and her parents stayed for those two nights. I didn't want to mention it before on purpose *sound effect* 🎵dun, dun, dun🎵. Sorry, not sorry 🤭🤣. Believe me, it was a challenge, but after searching every hotel for five hours non-stop, I finally found it 🥳. The hotel was the Sunset Marquis in West Hollywood (that's why I knew it took them about 29/30 minutes to get there), and I even managed to find the room:

I also created this collage so that you can see how it all coincide together:

Oh and, if you've ever seen this around:

please, don't believe it because it's not true. As you can see here:

that was an IG story by songwriter/producer Blake Slatkin made on October 11, 2018, in the studio. It's not a proof! I always say it and I will always repeat it: this is the reason why we're called delusional shippers, and I hate it 😒.

But anyway, back to the post. Remember I told you that PRen left the Microsoft Theater together and that once outside they went their separate ways? Good, because Typic went to have dinner in a restaurant with his friends (I'll show you later) and instead Laur went to Mila's hotel. When Mila arrived at the hotel, Laur was already there and had also ordered room service by dining directly there. Reason why we can see the congratulatory dessert ordered by Lo which they most likely shared:

When Mila said “But I still have dessert left”, it was actually the first thing she was eating 🤣. So Mila arrived, changed, tweeted her thanks to the fans by saying she was going to eat, and stayed with Laur to celebrate for a while by even recording those two IG stories which, however, she didn't post right away. And yes, babies, of course that was Lauren:

And why didn't Mila post them right away? Simple: I remind you that paparazzi are called. Especially during awards nights when so many celebrities are in different places scattered around the city. Mila knew that when she'd have gone to the restaurant they would've been there, and since for some unknown reason which I'm very grateful for she wanted to show Lo, she waited to post the stories when they both were already in different places. Which is when? When she was at the restaurant herself, and when Lo was already with Tiresome for their stunt of the night. She did it so as to have a cover. An excuse like “no, it wasn't her because, see? I'm in the room (but I'm actually in the restaurant), and she's in a club. Look at her IG stories”. Let me prove it to you.

Typhon was the performer of dj Dre Sinatra's birthday party at the Avenue. Their after-party, took place in that club. Same club in which Lo posted a couple of stories; the same ones I mentioned in Mila's example:

And other people who were there also posted stories: (thanks, mi bebé, for the link 💓)

The party started at 10:30 pm, but thanks to the fan, Ricardo, we know PRen were outside the JW Marriott Hotel at 10:27 pm when he met them there. So Lo went to Mila's hotel, had dinner, waited for her to arrive, they spent some time together celebrating, she changed, left the hotel around 10 pm to reach Tyro outside the JW Marriott Hotel, and together, they then went to the club for their stunt by arriving there around 10:50/11 pm.

The proof I was telling you about, Mila's plan, is this (they're three related in reality):

N° 1: The time of the publication of the IG stories. This is a screenshot of the update account that took longer to post it, 11:44 pm:

N° 2: The time of the publication of Mila's stories and Ricardo's pic with Laur, was exactly the same: (thanks, Nadi, for these two 🤗)

N° 3: Remember I told you that later on I would also have shown you the exact time in which Ricardo posted the one with Lo because it's very important? Good, because it's super important actually: (thanks, my tech cutie, also for this 😻)

Remember the blue part as before? [<time class="_1o9PC Nzb55" datetime= "2018-10-10T06:13:46.000Z" title= "Oct 9, 2018">October 9, 2018</time>] Remember that what interests us is the datetime part? So we need to read it like this: (2018-10-10) October 10, 2018, (06:13:46) 6:13 am in UTC+0. And doing the calculation with the Los Angeles time in the Pacific Time Zone, we get: October 9, 2018, 11:13 pm in UTC-7.

This shows that Mila's two IG stories were latergrams because, if Ricardo saw Lo at 10:27 pm, but posted the pic at 11:13 pm which is the same moment as Mila's stories time of the publication (the update account took longer to post it, 11:44 pm), this means that Mila already saw Lo, and she was in the restaurant at that moment and not in the room 😎.

Remember I'd also have shown to you that Tyrannosaurus went to a restaurant for dinner with his friends after PRen left the Microsoft Theater together? Nadi managed to find these two tweets, and I asked my boo to contact the first account for having more information: (thanks to both of you 🤩; oh and, the translation is a mix of all three of us 🤭🤣)

We have no visual proof of those stories, but at least they're two attestations, and we know that the first account, said that Typewriting was at the restaurant at the same time as Camila's video, while the second one, said that he was at the restaurant while Lo and Mila were in the hotel together, and the latter, confirms what I said and is another proof that proves that while Camren were in the room, Tyro was in a restaurant on his own.

All of this, is what we know for sure. Unfortunately, since after Lo's podcast with Becky G, many accounts no longer exist, and with them, some proofs of that night. I found another ‘proof’ in which a fan implied that PRen left the club around 12:40 am and that along with other fan friends of theirs, they then went to Mila's hotel at 1:40 am to ask for her, and that the receptionist told them she wasn't available because she had a guest. This is the ‘proof’:

I found out that that IG account no longer exists. I managed to find that account's girl and we tried to contact her to have the confirmation that it was her in the first place, and then eventually ask her about it or if she had concrete proofs of what that fan said, but she unfortunately never replied. But now, why did I write proof in quotes? Because n° 1, there's no visual proofs, and unlike the previous proof, it's just an anonymous person who said it. I mean, it's just words, you know? But more important thing, the n° 2, the thing that makes me think it's not true, is that whoever that fan who wrote to @itscamrenbish was, said that the club and Mila's hotel were 30 minutes apart when in reality, it wasn't true. These are all the distances:

If that fan was telling the truth, then they should’ve known that the club and Mila's hotel were actually only 15 minutes apart 🤷🏻‍♀️. I truly do believe Laur really went back to Mila after the stunt, but I'm sorry, I don't believe this fan's words and times just because they should’ve known the distance between the two places if they really had been at Mila’s hotel reception.

So. Quick recap before leaving you:

The AMA's started at 5 pm and finished at 8 pm. Lauren got ready at the JW Marriott Hotel and Mila directly at the Microsoft Theater. During the commercial break after Mariah Carey's performance, PRen left the theater and returned before his performance in the commercial break during which Laur made that little detour to go to Mila. After the performance (6:33 pm), PRen went to the trailer again, and Tara posted that boomerang to let believe that they were leaving the AMA's, but we know that's not true. Laur went back to the theater, saw Mila (Consequences, 7:02 pm), took that picture with Raffaella, and left during the commercial break by returning to the trailer (7:20/21 pm) where PRen took that picture with the GD Media Enterprises guy before leaving the AMA's together. Once outside, they arranged to see each other later, most likely Lo even got her things from the JW Marriott Hotel room where she got ready before the show, and while he left with his friends then eventually to a restaurant, Laur went to Mila's hotel, the Sunset Marquis (distance between JW Marriott Hotel/Microsoft Theater and Sunset Marquis: 29/30 min), where once arrived, she called room service by dining directly there while waiting for Mila’s return.

After the show (8 pm), after the press (8:15 pm), after having changed by leaving the theater (8:20 pm), and after the pics with fans including the photobombed by Ricardo one, Mila left (8:30 pm) by arriving at her hotel at approximately 9 pm. Once there, Mila changed (Alejandro too), tweeted her thanks to the fans by saying she was going to eat (9:37 pm), and stayed with Laur to celebrate for a while by even recording those two IG stories which, however, she didn't post right away. After dessert, Lo changed and left the hotel (10 pm) by reaching Typable at the JW Marriott Hotel where they took that selfie with Ricardo (10:27 pm) before heading to dj Dre Sinatra's birthday party at the Avenue (10:50/11 pm) (distance between JW Marriott Hotel and Avenue: 24/25 min). Meanwhile, Mila was at the Madeo Restaurant (distance between Madeo Restaurant and Sunset Marquis: 13 min) with her parents to celebrate (paparazzi photographed them both when they arrived and when they left), and posted those two IG stories at the same moment that Ricardo posted his selfie with Laur (11:13 pm). After the restaurant, Mila returned to the Sunset Marquis and waited for Laur to reach her after her stunt at the club (distance between Sunset Marquis and Avenue: 15 min).

If you want to believe what that fan implied, then I also add that PRen left the club around 12:40 am, and that by 1:40 am when they together other fans went to ask about Mila at the reception, they were told she wasn't available because she had a guest.

‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍🤸🏻‍♀‍

 Aaaaand that's really all, babies 🥳. I tried to cover really everything for real, but this is all we could find. Obviously if you have other information (must be valid tho) feel free to contact me and I'll add it to the post 😊.

I would like to thank both @romanticentropy​ and @mentesimploria​ again for helping me collect the proofs and making this possible. Thanks, guys 🤗, and I hope you both liked it 🥰. Please give them a virtual round of applause 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼.

After this post that took me really but a really long time, I will take at least a couple of days off before starting to answer the 31 asks in my inbox. Please understand me 😅, and don't hate me 🙏🏼. Hope you enjoyed it, and see you at the next one 😄. Byyee 👋🏼.

As usual, remember to be nice. Always. Both with others and with yourselves. Be a good example. Be patient. Be safe and take care of yourselves. Don't let our ship sink. Keep shipping them, but please respectfully 🙏🏼 Sending you virtual love and hugs 🤗🤗🤗 I love you, babies. Always with love, F ❤️ ​

[the-timeless-founder]

Out of respect for this person who wished to keep their identity a secret but asked me a few questions, you're gonna see some random reaction stuff here. Starting with this one:

Thank you so much for the questions though, it means the world to me ❤️🥺

Saeclus and the Sakamaki Brothers

Shu:

He knew Shu at a young age too, although barely. They had seen each other in the few times Saeclus visited the Vampire Clan's royal castle as a diplomat. And he liked Shu a lot as a kid.

Shu was energetic, talented and strong, so Saeclus really viewed him in a similar lens as Carla (despite them having vastly different personalities, even as kids, they do share some traits) and had high hopes for his future.

He also told Shu once that he wanted to hear him play the violin.

Flash forward to a few centuries and they meet again. Saeclus is absolutely astounded at how much Shu has changed since the last time they met. And not in a positive way.

He's almost disappointed in what became of a promising young man, but then again, an environment as toxic as his was bound to fuck him up one way or the other.

Still though, Shu and Saeclus get along well. Saeclus himself is very artistic and hated the pressures of being a military leader as a young man, so he and Shu have a lot they can talk about. And both of them are comfortable in silence too, they don't have to talk much.

Eventually, Shu does play violin for him sometime. Saeclus loves and absolutely encourages it. He knows it's a bit too late for that kind of energy, but he provides it nonetheless.

Even now, Saeclus is a little impressed by some of the things Shu does - and how despite being known as lazy and useless, he still commands authority in the house - and believes he is the one who will claim the throne someday.

Reiji:

While Saeclus never really saw Reiji as a child, like he did Shu, Reiji did see him visit the palace and have brief exchanges with his older brother sometimes.

Honestly, adult Reiji reminds him of Caranthus. Like... A lot. A painful lot.

It's not that this makes him dislike Reiji - far from it, actually - but it does make him have a faraway look on his face every time their conversations end. Which may or may not leave Reiji with a questioning look in his eyes.

Saeclus knows a lot about the Demon World, more than almost any other Demon, through hundreds of years of studying and experiences. So if anything, Reiji understands that he has a lot he could learn from him.

He's also smart enough to not badmouth Saeclus. Unlike the triplets, he knows of what his rage would be like. He's not risking that, thank you very much.

Saeclus doesn't know what Reiji has done to Yuma and his village, but his opinion of him would vastly deteriorate if he were to find out.

Ayato:

He doesn't know shit about who Saeclus is. At all. My guy is expecting to become King of the Vampires at this rate too.

The first time he meets Saeclus is as an adult, and he's immediately put off by the fact that he's a First Blood. That being said, he is wearing red. So Ayato's willing to be a little polite.

Saeclus is very confused by Ayato's air of arrogance, and two seconds into his introduction, he's already figured him out. Overcompensating for insecurities and incompetence.

And that is something that leaves a bad taste in Saeclus' mouth. Because of the Founders and their blatant arrogance and idiocy.

So while Ayato annoys him with his behavior, Saeclus is trying his best to be lenient with him. I promise, he's doing his best.

So yeah basically. Ayato annoys him, but he's willing to bear with him because it is kind of funny how he shoots one ball through a designated hoop and thinks he's the king of the world.

Kanato:

Like... How do I...

In the nicest way possible, Kanato both angers him and makes him feel sympathetic.

He is repulsed by the thought of Kanato's behavior towards certain things, like his mother's ashes or the brides' corpses, and at the same time, he understands that it makes sense in Kanato's own fucked up head.

And it's weird, my dude, he doesn't know how to feel about this little freak.

One minute he's thinking of incinerating him on sight, and the next he feels bad because he can practically taste the bitter loneliness of being Kanato.

The way he acts like a kid and talks to his bear because no one else would talk to him makes Saeclus really sad.

And then he remembers how he drags ghosts out of tombstones to literally frighten helpless girls and he feels less sad.

They have a weirdass relationship. I don't think Kanato would ever really approach Saeclus, one wrong word from him could potentially set the man off and he isn't risking death... Yet.

Laito:

Again, in the nicest way possible, Laito either grosses and freaks Saeclus out or makes him feel pained and uneasy with sorrow.

His behavior towards women is inexcusable in Saeclus' eyes, and he tells him as much. Not that he expects Laito to care, even if he is considering burning him to a crisp while he speaks, but he had a feeling that wasn't all there was to it.

So he did some - because he's a curious soul at the end of it all - and found some clarity through hushed whispers and behavioral patterns.

He doesn't know exactly what happened to Laito, but he has an idea of it, and he isn't sure if he ever wants to know if it's true or not. Because the thought alone haunts him in the dead hours of the night.

Now, to be clear, Saeclus doesn't think this excuses or justifies any of Laito's actions. In fact, as someone who has experienced something similar on a much smaller scale, he expects Laito to become more empathetic.

Still, Laito's behavior towards women (or people in general) disturbs Saeclus and repulses him, so he tends to keep interactions with Laito to a minimum. Plus, he doesn't like the way Laito's always trying to figure him out.

But he can't quite bring himself to end Laito because of that same twisted sense of empathy he feels.

Long story short: it's complicated but if Laito makes another attempt at putting one of those hideous hats on his head, Saeclus will burn him to ashes. He won't hesitate, bitch.

Subaru:

Ah yes. Subaru also saw Saeclus, extremely briefly, as a young child.

He was wandering the gardens while Saeclus took a walk through them, and he was seen by the older man quite quickly.

He didn't stay around to chat - actually bolted almost immediately after being spotted - but he does remember seeing Saeclus' eyes soften at the sight of him. Still wonders why.

His anger issues, in the present, often exasperate Saeclus more than anything else. He isn't necessarily annoyed - if he's being non-biased, Shin is just as prone to an outburst as Subaru - and he's also not enjoying this.

But when Subaru's on one of his more peaceful days - or is feeling a bit shy around Saeclus - he thinks of him as a rather cute boy.

Saeclus loves nature, and by default, flowers. So it's quite often that Subaru and Saeclus have a chat on the subject away from any eavesdropping sleazebags. Subaru's worried he'd be made fun of.

Saeclus honestly doesn't mind Subaru, he's fine. Sure, he could - and should - work on that temper of his and stop throwing tantrums every time something goes south, but other than that he's okay.

You can catch Saeclus giving Subaru a lecture on why a small mistake does not put his overall ability in question, and how to start working on himself to become more confident. And seeing a demon like Saeclus might help Subaru, you know with the whole "because I'm a demon" thought process.

Honestly, I am not very confident in writing for canon characters, so if you think my portrayal can be improved in any way, do tell me! I hope you enjoyed this post ❤️

[royalelusts]

Could I have a request for upper demon moons with s/o gender neutral in a date in modern world ?

A/N: Here you go anon! I hope you enjoy these.

Kokushibo

I feel like he really enjoys quiet places

A day at the book store is usually you twos go to date

Just helping each other pick out books

Or finding really funny ones to make fun off

Another date you two go on regularly is to the park with your dog

Just watching you play fetch with her is enough to make Kokushibo laugh to himself

His favorite part about the walks though dont happen until the sun goes down

You two were walking hand in hand through the part

“Hey is something wrong?”

Your question caught him off guard. “Why would you say that love?”

“Well you keep checking your watch like somethings going to happen.”

Knowing you caught him he sighed leading you toward the tunnel of trees

As soon as the clock hit 9 the fairy lights in the tunnel turned on

“Oh so this is why you were in such a hurry.”

Pulling out his phone he put on a slow song and held out his hand

“May I?” “You may.”

And you two danced in the tunnel like you were the only people left on the planet

Doma

Did somebody say shopping?

He will buy you anything and everything

Oh you want that new book that your favorite author just dropped?

We’re picking it up right now

You want those shoes?

On it

Want the new video game that’s really hard to get?

Already in the bag

He absolutely loves to take you to buy clothes the most though

He pushes you out of your comfort zone in a good way

“Come on out darling. Let me see~”

“Doma I don’t know...”

“Nonsense. I bet you look amazing.”

After taking a deep breath you walked out of the changing room

“Look at yoooouuuuuu.” He squealed. “Do a turn for me won’t you.”

Rolling your eyes you complied to his wishes

“Ah you just look amazing. Yep we’re buying it.”

Yeah dates with Douma are a real confidence boost

Akaza

His dates are usually very chill

He’ll walk around town with you all day if he could

Doing whatever you wanted to do

But there is one time of year that is absolutely necessary for a date

And that my friends is fair time

You two wear matching outfits cause you’re that couple

He definitely makes it his mission to go on all the rides

Even the pirate ship

“Babe just one more time.”

You’ve had to pull him away from things more than once

You two were walking around having just got done eating when a certain clown started flying insults at your boyfriend

“Oh look at the big tough guy.” The clown teased

Of course Akaza ignored him cause he’s got self control like that😌

You two were walking away from the clown until he made a comment

“Oh I see you got a nice looking s/o with you. I would love to take them on a date.”

Yeah all self control out the window

Akaza walked straight up to the dunk booth and paid the vendor

“Come on big guy. Lemme take your lovely s/o on a date.”

Akaza smiled at the clown before hitting the target sending the other in the water

When Akaza came back you laughed

“Seems he got under your skin~”

“I can’t stand assholes like him.”

“Haha my hero.” You say giving him a kiss as a reward

Nakime

Dates with her are somewhat difficult

Don’t get her wrong, regardless of what you pick she’ll love it

But you really wish she would have some input sometimes

But that aside, stay home dates are more her style

Cuddling on the couch watching a movie, cooking together, self care nights?

The whole package

Absolutely loves when you play with her hair

Makes her soft

Lo-fi music played in the background as you typed away on your computer

Nakime, who just got out the shower, got behind you resting her head on your shoulder

“Rough day?” All she did was hum a yes

“You know what that means~” You turned around hugging her tightly

“Self care night!” She let out a soft chuckle at your antics

Hantengu

Like Kokushibo, his ideal date would be someplace quiet

But with less people

So he always has weird places to take you

There was this bookstore in this part of town very little people knew about

Or rooftop cafe that served your drinks in the strangest cups

Your favorite thing is when he find small events to take you to

“Sweetheart...I found this new cafe. Would you like to go with me?”

“Of course I will!”

The cafe was a little bigger than the ones you usually went to but not by much

There were plants everywhere, chairs were shaped like teacup mugs, and there were teddy bears of different sizes at each table

“Tengu this is adorable”

“It makes me happy you like it” He gave your hand a soft squeeze before deciding to head to the counter

Gyokko

He’d probably take you to an art museum

Since he himself is an artist he goes there to analyze insult the art pieces

“My art looks way better than whatever this is”

He said that about the Mona Lisa….THE MONA LISA

I actually see him to be a really respected artist in the art world

So he’s constantly being invited to art galleries

Of course he brings you along

Before you two met he went alone and got bored really quickly

None of the art truly caught his eye

But with you there?

He has the absolute time of his life

You two were staring at a painting

“...what is it supposed to be?” You asked tilting your head

“It’s fucking atrocious that’s what it is.”

You laughed at your boyfriend’s comment

The artist having overheard you two didn’t like the comments you were making

He was so fed up he went right up to your boyfriend

“You don’t know the first thing about art. How would you know what looks good?”

Already knowing where this was going you unhooked your arm from your boyfriend

“How would I know? Anyone with eyes can see that this doesn’t deserve to be here. These brush strokes aren’t even going the same way and you have the audacity to yell at me for not knowing anything about art?!”

(please know I know nothing about art so I’m sorry if I offended anyone🥲)

The artist having been embarrassed in front of everyone quickly exited the room

Gyokko wrapped his arm around your waist again smiling

“Ready to go love?”

Kaigaku

Dates with Kaigaku will either be super chill or chaotic

He once took you both to a rage room

It may or may not have ended with either of you crying

Another time he took you to paint pottery

It really depends on how he’s feeling that day

Tonight was going to be a chill night though

You two were laying on a mountain cuddled up on a blanket staring at the stars

“Babe look it’s orion.”

After a few seconds of him not saying anything you raised your brow “Babe?”

You looked over to see him staring at you

“Sorry I was just looking at the prettiest star ever”

You laughed at his horrible pickup line and pecked his forehead

“Thanks babe.”

Gyutaro

(ah the love of my life)

He’s not a guy who would take you to an extravagant restaurant or to walk around in a crowd

Unless that’s really want you want of course

Even then it would take a lot of convincing

You know that he doesn’t see himself that highly

(no baby you’re literally perfect please don’t talk down on yourself🥺)

He would much rather stay at his/your house and vibe

But if you REALLY REALLY want to go out he’ll arrange something

He has a spot he goes to that overlooks the city

It lets him forget his responsibilities for a while

Gyutaro: i’m outside get dressed

You raised your brow at the text but got dressed regardless

Outside he was waiting next to his motorcycle staring at the sky

“Sooo what’re we doing?”

“It’s a surprise. Here.”

He held out one of his hoodies and a helmet

You two drove for about 30 minutes before he stopped on a cliff

“We’re here.”

You walked up to the edge in awe

“Taro it’s….it’s amazing”

He hummed wrapping his arms around you resting his head on your shoulder

Yeah this is all he could ask for

Daki

Did someone say parties?

She 100% sees going to parties together as dates

I mean you get to see her in an amazing outfit

Who wouldn’t want to see that?

Now if this is your scene then there’s nothing to fix

If it’s not you’re going to have to explain that to her

You would probably take her to a flea market

Daki look around the building in utter disgust

“What the fuck? Why are we here?”

“Babe please just trust me.” You gave her a soft smile

Remembering this was supposed to be a 'date' she begrudgingly goes along with it

First you take her to the food section

She’s never seen food like this before so she’s a little hesitant

“...what is that?”

“It’s ox tail. Try it.” Hesitant she ate a piece and omg she absolutely loved it

You walk around some more until you get to the section with the perfume and jewelry

She’s absolutely amazed. They are so many different sizes with different colors.

“I want them all.”

“Babe no-”

[soobadnoonecanstopher]

Touch it for Real, Part 9

Genre: Humor / Fluff / Angst / (Eventual) Smut 18+

Warnings: OMG they were roommates / slice of life / slow burn / mutual pining / crude humor / cursing / virgin!baek / idiots to lovers / unresolved sexual tension

Characters: Baekhyun X You/Female Reader

Description: You teach Baekhyun how to date. (Basically the Get You Alone M/V)

A/N: DO NOT YELL AT ME! It is going to be okay. 

Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5 , Part 6 , Part 7 , Part 8  , Part 9 , Part 10

You had a secret.

For such an abstract and shapeless thing you could sure feel it sitting in there.

It was pulsing.

Your secret felt like a splinter lodged just under a single taste bud that sat in the center of your tongue. You could feel your white blood cells attacking it, trying their best to push it up and push it out, but still it clung tight with its sharp barbs lodged within your cell walls. You brushed your tongue against your teeth.

The secret did not budge.

What you knew about them though, was that secrets did not like to stay hidden forever.

Your fork slipped and clanked noisily against the ceramic plate and the bright orange carrot ball rolled across the smooth white surface nearly sliding over the edge onto the white linen. Whoever decided that your steamed vegetables needed to be shaped into spheres simply for aesthetics should be forced to come out here and explain how you were supposed to spear one of these things while also avoiding the risk of it shooting across the table and hitting your date in the face.

Ben turned out to be very nice. If you were into tall, handsome, clean-looking, and responsible guys who drove their own cars and also had things like health insurance and retirement plans. When you first saw him, you were struck by the firmness you felt when he shook your hand and smiled brightly at you. He had all of his teeth and a head full of hair. He was definitely walking around on his real legs too. He looked like the kind of guy who didn’t let the clean laundry sit in the dryer for longer than a day and changed out his toothbrush every three months. You couldn't see a single fault.

You were trying your best to make a good first impression.

Really, you were.

Well, while also keeping an eye on Baekhyun who sat beside you with his focus down on his plate as he sliced his food into bite sized bits. His control of the fork and knife felt so careful and so exacting, it neared obsession. He had not ordered the steamed vegetables. None of his food rolled.

Across from him, looking just as cute in person as her online dating profile pictures conveyed, was Mia.

Mia was fine.

She was fine.

You didn't want to get into it.

Her clothes were fine. They were exactly the kinds of clothes you had expected she would wear.

Her hair was fine.

She actually had a hairstyle that reminded you of one of the characters in an anime you watched with Baekhyun once and you wondered about the upkeep costs of that particular shade of blue that streaked through her hair. You wondered if she had to switch to blue towels and blue pillow cases or if everything in her house was just stained forever.

Baekhyun’s cheeks blushed when he shook her hand and his smile was bashful, if not a bit tight when she complimented his glasses. Your mind briefly considered the plush, expensive white towels you both owned at home and a flash of horror overcame you for a split second when you imagined those towels streaked with a blue stain from the shower.

He bought those glasses at a store. Anyone can go to the store and buy glasses. Did such a superficial compliment really warrant such a deep shade of pink on his cheeks?

You took a sip of your glass of wine and the sweet, cool liquid had a tart aftertaste that lingered on your taste buds long after you swallowed and you stabbed roughly at the runaway carrot again, impaling it with the prongs of your fork.

Finally.

“I got it,” you said out loud to yourself with a wide smile and you held your prize up in front of your face for a second. Long enough for your eyes to drift across your table to meet Ben’s and you caught the soft amused chuckle that puffed from his nose.

You’d already gotten through the backstory. Starting with the curious question from Mia about how you and Baekhyun got to know each other and you took a quick glance toward Ben as Baekhyun explained that you and he had been roommates for a couple of years. You caught the slight smile on Ben’s lips as he looked down into his water glass and you wondered if he was pleased that he already knew the answer to this question as you had been quick to tell him this important detail about your life as you chatted with him during the last week or so.

Mia on the other hand simply let her eyes drift over from Baekhyun’s face to land on yours for a moment and you offered a disarming smile by way of explanation. Not that either of you had any explaining to do. You could live with whoever you wanted to live with. It took her ten seconds to return your smile, although you didn't quite believe it, or believe that she was done with her curiosities about this topic.

You couldn't really blame her although you’d given her nothing to be suspicious about. Not in the last 20 minutes since you’d all arrived and nibbled on shared appetizers, at least.

Hell, you hadn’t even touched him all day. From before you both arrived at this fancy restaurant and just relinquished your coats to some stranger simply because she held a hand out and sported a severe enough hairdo and manic look in her eyes that was too frightening to question. From the morning when you woke up and wandered into your kitchen to make toast for one and you ignored the sound of his feet shuffling in, half-asleep to grab a yogurt from the fridge. You hadn’t even helped him style his hair; which looked stunning, by the way, with the waves and the faded brown color that absolutely looked like something the perfect boyfriend would let you play with as he laid on your lap. He hadn’t even asked for your help picking out his outfit. He’d simply done it all on his own and waited for you by the front door wearing those jeans and smelling like that familiar scent that he bought for your date with him weeks back.

When had this all become so awkward? You’d never been afraid to touch Baekhyun before but now, well, the touches hadn’t ever concealed quite so much meaning before.

By the time the entrees arrived the conversations had moved on to hobbies and interests.

Ben was a movie buff, and his favorites were mostly mainstream blockbusters of the Marvel Superhero variety. He enjoyed many of the genres of films you’d mostly seen just the previews of. His top ten contained a bit more horror than you were comfortable with. One in particular, a prolific film based on a Steven King novel, had been the kind of psychologically terrifying film that made your chest rattle and you had spent most of the second half of that movie with your face buried in Baekhyun’s arm begging him to just describe to you what was happening and to tell you when the scary parts were over.

When he asked you what your favorite movie was you hesitated for a moment before pulling the movie Forrest Gump out of basically thin air. Yes you had enjoyed the movie. Yes it was something you’d seen more than once and if it was on television right now you would sit down and watch it from start to finish and you would enjoy it. It was a respectable favorite to have. It was the kind of favorite movie you would not be embarrassed to show to your grandmother.

But it wasn’t actually your favorite and you could feel the burden of Baekhyun’s eyes as he turned his head to look at your face when you said it.

Something about naming, out loud with your own lips — the light and fun, mindless guilty pleasure of the film that was actually your favorite movie that you’d watched hundreds of times and returned to watch again and again every time you felt even a little bit upset; something about saying it out loud to this table of people with countless of hours of media consumption under their belts and opinions about things like prolific directors, production companies, hefty CGI budgets, and overused, tired tropes that absolutely should be dropped in 2021, well it just felt too vulnerable for you to say out loud.

You swallowed a sip of your wine and refused to turn your head to look at Baekhyun until you heard the sound of his throat swallowing the ice water he sipped.

When Mia changed the topic to Anime you felt Baekhyun come alive beside you and Ben slinked back in his seat a little as the two of them got to talking about something that was highly anticipated and was slated to be released next year. Rumors about artists and directors with names you could not know flew easily from their lips and Mia mentioned the name of one previous work that you recognized.

In fact you had watched the entire thing last year with Baekhyun and you remembered talking excitedly about it with Mia during one of your early text conversations.

Your face lit up and you happily joined in, excited to finally know what in the world they were talking about when you accidentally let something slip when you reminded her of what she had said about the anime before. Luckily you stopped yourself before you could admit that you had actually been the one she had been chatting with at the time.

Still, she caught it. She was very quick and sharp and you watched her face as she registered that you’d referenced something that only Baekhyun should know about. Had you just fucked up?

“Ahh, we,” you raised your index finger and waved it lightly toward where Baekhyun had stiffened up in his seat beside you, “he told me about what you said.”

There was a moment when her eyes widened and she looked at Baekhyun briefly before returning her focus to you.

“He...told you about me?” She lifted a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, straightened her back and leaned forward with her forearms rested in front of her plate on the table. Her off-the-shoulders number dipped when she leaned in and you caught a bit of black lace and the bunch up of her impressive bosom.

She smiled a coy smile aimed across the table.

You followed the smile and your eyes reached Baekhyun. He’d been hit with the smile and had been too stunned to return it. Instead, he lifted a hand and rubbed it over the back of his neck twice before reaching the same hand forward to grab the ice water he’d been sipping all night as he pulled in a mouthful and puffed his cheeks before covering his lips with his flattened palm and swallowing noisily.

“I also mentioned you to my friend,” Mia said not quietly enough for it to be just for him and you dropped your eyes down to the half finished chicken on your plate.

She was fine. Mia was fine. She’d done absolutely nothing wrong. She was nice and she was probably a good person, but you kind of wanted her to die.

“So,” Ben interjected suddenly and you looked across the table at him as you tried to conceal the surprise on your face to find him sitting there.

You noticed he was done with his food and his plate had already been cleared away by the super attentive waitstaff.

The negligence of your own date weighed heavily on you and you angled your chest forward to face him directly for whatever questions he had for you.

He was pointing toward Baekhyun and Mia with his extended finger and raised eyebrows.

“You two work in computers?” It was a work question. He’d gathered this much from the brief introductions everyone had given and while you had failed to offer any insight as to what you did for a living, Baekhyun and Mia had both mentioned computers.

“He’s a software engineer, and I’m a programmer. Similar but not the same,” Mia explained. You weren't sure of any of the details or of how they were different. You hadn’t really put much thought into it. You knew Baekhyun worked the magic with the keyboard and could fix anything that you happened to break.

“I’m in advertising. Just got scouted by Comma Entertainment and I’ve accepted.” Ben had a hand raised to his chest and his eyebrows were up. This seemed important to him and you let your lips form into an impressed O shape as you raised your eyebrows. His tone and the way he said the name of his new employer seemed to warrant the excited reaction.

You weren't familiar at all with his industry but you knew how to react like you knew what he was talking about. He certainly seemed impressed by himself. Who were you to discourage his enthusiasm.

“You’ve heard of it?” You sold it too well. Baekhyun had leaned close to you and whispered an aside question and you shot him a tense look with your eyes as a warning, but you quickly pushed your smile wide for Ben who was, deservedly, very excited about his new position.

“Of course, who doesn’t know Comma for advertising. That’s a very big deal. Is that why you were so busy last week? We hardly got to talk.”

Your subject change was so slick. If you hadn’t been the one to do it, you’d have been impressed by it. The disappointed pout on your face sold it well.

“Actually I was at the bank a lot last week. It was so weird. I had a few accounts that seemed to be hacked but then it turned out to be nothing. Had to change all my passwords though, so that was annoying.”

“That sucks. They didn't take anything did they?” Mia spoke up from beside Ben; concern written all over her face.

“No. Whoever did it just seemed to access purchase histories mostly. Some loser of a hacker. Didn't even get any money.” Ben’s lips pulled wide and he was laughing with his head thrown back at his perceived victory over the hacker that had been messing around in his bank records.

“You can learn a remarkable amount of information about a person’s bad habits from their bank history, Ben. Sure utilities and rent; that’s boring. You can find out how often someone gets hammered at bars. How many of those bars are also strip clubs. How many maxed out credit cards they make minimum payments on each month just to keep their head above water. Their gambling losses and the motel rooms they book in the bad part of town…”

Baekhyun was speaking up beside you. You turned and you looked at his profile as he spoke so candidly and with what you could only describe as a certain smugness on his voice.

The only reason he’d stopped talking was to catch his breath. It was the most he had spoken all night and you honestly felt taken aback by the suddenness of his words and more, the topic he spoke on. It felt weirdly pointed. It just felt so detailed; almost accusatory.

“What?” You hissed the question; focused it hard and as under your breath as possible to the man seated beside you.

His lips closed up before his eyes turned to look at you and you caught a quick blink of his eyes that preceded a softening of his features that had no business looking that confrontational in the first place.

“I’m not saying any of that stuff applies to Ben.” Baekhyun lifted a slim dismissive hand to wave toward your date. “It’s just an example. For all we know Ben’s only weakness is eating fried chicken every day.”

Ben’s lips were pulled into a thin line on his face and his jaw unclenched when you looked back at him. Then he was smiling at you and it was bright and convincing. You smiled back at him and shook your head at your wacky roommate’s antics.

“Actually it’s pizza. You caught me buddy, I’m a hardcore pizza addict. Every night.”

“Well, not tonight.” Baekhyun shrugged with an odd smile landing on his lips.

Ben’s tight smile flattened and the two men seemed to be staring at each other for longer than you thought was polite for a shared first double-date.

“So what is it that you do?” It was Mia who ultimately broke the tension and you looked across the table into her eyes. She had a pleasant smile on her face and was still chewing on a piece of bread, clearly unbothered by the strange standoff that had just been going on between the two men at this table.

Surely you weren't the only one to notice how odd it had been. Had you just imagined the tightness in Baekhyun’s fist that laid over his thigh and the hard glare in Ben’s eyes?

With Mia’s question though, you felt your own lips pull closed and your eyes danced around the table to the other curious parties who also were now looking at you to answer the question.

You’d prepared well for this date. You’d made sure Baekhyun had the detailed first date topics, questions and answers for perfect small talk, even the section on table etiquette. You’d made sure he knew you’d be here to steer the conversations toward topics he was comfortable discussing and you’d even set up a safety signal he would use if he wanted to bail and just go home.

You’d planned it all out, down to the detailed progression of the evening and how at the end someone might even suggest going together for drinks. And should one of the dates wish to split off, it would be completely okay as long as the corresponding person felt comfortable. You’d even promised that under no circumstances would you abandon Baekhyun to do this on his own if he didn't want to. Not even at the behest of Ben, your date.

They were looking at you and you'd gone quiet. You’d been so busy preparing for this date that it never occurred to you that you were also actively involved and that someone might possibly ask a question about you and your work.

Your work. Well…

“Uhh...I don't really do anything worth mentioning.”

You felt it. It was a warmth that had pooled in the skin around your nose. Your cheeks felt warm and you felt just insignificant enough for it to take your undeserved confidence and throw it out the window.

Ben and Mia were watching you. You pulled your bottom lip in between your teeth and bit down on the dry chapped skin on the surface.

“Nothing?” Ben said and his eyes were wide with a look of confusion on his face.

“Well, not nothing.” You were not completely unemployed. You had been quite impressive before. You’d been working with the best publicists of an entertainment company and had been in charge of crafting and perfecting the asset sheets of many of your company's highest profile artists. You’d been the best at it and at one time had been highly sought out for your expertise. You had a way with it. You could work some real magic. You could make a dud of a raw potato sound like a five star course in a Michelin star restaurant. Losing your position in the spring of 2020 had really been a huge blow to your confidence. You looked back at how far you had fallen. Boring data entry jobs to make ends meet. Taking on weird side gigs so you could afford tiny luxuries like your favorite scented lotion or the name brand tampons instead of the store brand.

“I do have a job.” You added lamely. “It’s just not at all interesting.”

Ben dropped his eyes from yours and Mia shrugged her shoulders and stabbed a carrot ball expertly on the first try.

“Yeah but what is it?” Mia said as she chewed daintily. The heat in your cheeks spread and you let your eyes wander away from hers over the various dinner items that covered this table.

Beside you, Baekhyun’s movement caught your eye and you turned to see him place an elbow on the table in front of him and he leaned forward.

“She’s a dating coach. She’s really good at it, but much too modest when she talks about herself.”

Oh no. He wasn't about to spill the beans was he? This was definitely not something in the approved list of first date dinner topics. Wasn't this topic too incriminating? Wouldn't Mia put two and two together and figure out that you had been coaching Baekhyun all along? Also, wasn't this new profession of yours too brand new to start talking about so freely like this? What the hell was he doing?

“A dating coach? What’s that?”

Strangely, Mia didn't seem to be looking at Baekhyun with wheels turning and sirens blaring. She was looking at you with her mouth empty and hung open with a look of genuine interest in her eyes.

“Do you like, feed them what to say in an earpiece?” Ben was speaking up from the other side of Mia and you laughed at the absurdity of such a silly rom-com movie cliche.

“Well no. I’m not a pickup artist. I am a dating coach. Think about it like a sports coach. I am teaching my clients the skills to play the game. Skills to overcome dating anxiety, or I’m teaching them to identity and move away from self-sabotaging behaviors, limiting beliefs, or preconceptions that are detrimental to a healthy relationship.

I have clients that don't even know where to begin. My goal is to strategize with them and place them effectively within the dating scene so they stand the best chance. It’s incredibly hard to be objective about your own love life, but I provide an outside viewpoint. I step in and intervene when I see something that isn't in line with their relationship goals or the vision they have for dating.

I’m not teaching manipulation or just telling them what to say. There are no love spells to make someone fall in love with you. I’m changing the way they believe in themselves so they can present themselves to someone else in the absolute best way to begin a real relationship with someone.”

You’d been leaning in as you spoke animatedly with your hands. You felt the genuine excitement building with your words. You were surprised at how much of your previous profession’s language applied to this new exciting endeavor you were embarking on, but there really were tons of overlapping similarities between the two fields. The explanations just poured out of you.

You hadn’t said any of this out loud before to anyone but the more you talked about it, the more elated you felt about what you were doing with your life. With how much you had been helping Baekhyun and how much progress you had seen in just one day of helping your clients — Baekhyun’s friends Minseok and Sehun. Sehun had finally, finally sent you his first selfie that wasn’t taken from his lap after you’d sent him many examples of good selfies taken from different angles. Minseok was already halfway through the materials you’d sent him to study and had been working hard on identifying and changing the self-defeating language he’d used in his rough draft dating profile.

“She has an app.” Baekhyun piped up from beside you. He’d leaned back in his chair as you spoke.

Both Ben and Mia’s faces mirrored each other’s. Their eyes were wide and their mouths hung in amazement and you quickly closed up your own mouth and grabbed anxiously at your wine glass, feeling a little bit embarrassed about having talked so much. You couldn't resist the chance to smash their misconceptions about what your goals actually were with helping your clients. None of these people were unlovable. They were all worthy of finding someone and you were going to give it your all to help them see their own value.

“Not at all interesting?” Mia spoke up, “that’s super interesting. That’s really, really cool. Can—Can I have your contact info? I have a friend that would be interested in your services.”

“You have an app too? This is something we could advertise online. It would do extremely well on certain kinds of reddit forums and definitely in most online gaming communities.” Even Ben sounded excited, if not a bit overly judgmental, and you heard a quiet, but hostile scoff next to you.

You ticked your head toward the sound but did not turn to look at him. You knew that scoff well enough to hear the annoyance in his voice at whatever he thought Ben might be insinuating about online gamers and the connection to the incels that haunted the forums of reddit.

“I think it’s a bit premature to think about online advertising. I’m still only one person.”

Ben smiled and shrugged off your quick dismissal of his idea to partner up and advertise your business to the desperately lonely and pathetic gamers of the world. Hell, the more you thought about it, the less inappropriate Baekhyun’s annoyance was. Ben could use some coaching on choosing less insulting words.

Thankfully the dinner was over and the check had been taken care of. You looked away from the palpable awkwardness that slapped you across the face when Baekhyun waved away Ben’s card and paid for the entire bill with his own.

“You can get me next time, buddy.” He definitely said this word sarcastically. It was out of line and you simply could not find the right moment to pinch his leg under the table to get him to behave himself in a discrete enough way that would not get you caught by the other two people at this table.

You let it slide simply because you had no way to stop it. He was ignoring the way you waved your finger frantically at him down by your calf. You knew he could see you in his peripherals.

No, Baekhyun. Stop that. Be nice. Your hand was saying. He wouldn't even look at it.

The dinner was over and the movie was starting soon. You’d picked a restaurant that was close enough to the theatre that you could walk.

You paired off. It was far from natural. You actually caught Baekhyun’s eyes as you stepped quickly and walked ahead of him, falling into step beside Ben and you left behind Baekhyun and Mia to bring up the rear. It took every ounce of self control not to turn around and look behind you to see how closely they walked to each other. To see if Baekhyun kept his hands shoved securely in his pockets or if he swung his arms at his side as he walked, inching a hand closer and closer to Mia’s swinging hand in the hopes of a back of the hand brush of his warm skin against hers.

Your steps must have stalled. You’d reached the theatre and you looked up to locate Ben, only to find him at the box office purchasing four tickets for the movie you’d all agreed to watch days ago. For the life of you, you couldn't remember what you were seeing. You merely followed where you were led and found yourself seated in a center row of a movie house sandwiched between Ben and Baekhyun. You noticed the center armrests had been lifted when you arrived and simply did not bother to lower them since everyone was too full from dinner for any movie snacks or drinks.

The house was mostly empty and then lights dimmed as the movie began. You searched your brain and nearly pulled out your phone to check your chat logs for the name of the film but decided against shining a tiny bright light in a dark room.

The movie began and you were quickly drawn into the narrative. It was a dark film and as the soundtrack began to take on more sinister sounding tones you recognized that your heart was racing and you were feeling the tension all over your body. It was not a gorey horror film, but it was leaning more toward the psychological suspense thriller genre. Not really something you watched much of.

To your left, Ben sat completely still; focused only on the movie screen. He looked so calm and nearly unaffected by the terrifying things happening on the screen. He occasionally shifted in his seat but did not react to the jump scare that flashed before your eyes and made you flinch hard in your seat. You’d reached the point in the film when the main characters were in genuine danger and you began to wonder if anyone would make it out of this movie alive. Was this one of those films where everyone was doomed?

It happened again, another jump, another loud shocking sound and another noise startled you and you dove to your right, hiding your face in the warm shoulder of the man sitting beside you.

The realization was instantaneous. The second you felt the warmth of his arm, and the smell of him hit your nose, you pulled your head up and you straightened out your spine, mumbling a quiet apology to Baekhyun for using his arm to hide behind as you removed any and all contact points you had with his body. You angled your hips and your knees away from him and even went so far as to stick your hands well under your own thighs and keep them there so you didn't grab for him again. You had been doing so well by not touching him at all today. Why did it have to be a scary movie?

Things grew more frantic on the screen. You held your breath and tried your best to keep from reacting as much as you could. How long was this movie? How much longer did you have to endure this? You should have paid more attention to the details of this part of the date. This was your own fault. You were acting like a big baby because you couldn't handle a little frightening scenes in a movie.

It was coming again. You could feel it building. You closed your eyes and terrible sounds were erupting all over. You would just not look. You could make it through if you just didn't look. With your eyes closed the sounds felt louder than ever and when you thought you couldn't take it anymore you considered committing the enormous sin of getting up during the climax of the movie to use the bathroom just so you didn't have to sit through this anymore.

There was a shift beside you then. You felt warm fingers inching down your forearm, traveling the path your hand took that led below your thigh and someone was reaching for your hand and pulling it out from where you’d been sitting on it. Someone to your right was gripping your hand with his own warm hand and you opened your eyes to look down between the hidden space between your hip and Baekhyun’s hip. There, you saw the grip of his hand that wrapped securely around yours.

He squeezed down once and you followed the length of him up to catch a glimpse of the side of his face. He was looking up at the screen. His eyes were open and he did not flinch at all. He was so still aside from the occasional movement of his lips when he moistened them with his tongue.

You could handle this if he lent you a little bit of his strength like this. Your eyes returned to the screen but your mind wandered back down to the secure comfort you felt in his hand.

You felt your own secret throb.

It made you flinch just a little bit and Baekhyun’s hand shifted then. He moved, lifting the tight grip for a moment and you wondered if he was done, would he take his hand back and leave you cold and afraid again? The lift was for the shift of his fingers and you felt the push of each digit between yours. He pushed his fingers between yours; interlocking your hands together with his and his thumb moved lightly over your own thumb, brushing comforting strokes again and again through the loud and scary and shocking scenes that played over that screen.

This time the racing you felt in your chest had nothing to do with the scary movie. He was touching you. He was holding your hand in secret. It felt forbidden with his date sitting right beside him like she was and with your date seated right beside you like he was. All of your attention was down on the slow pressure you felt from his thumb as it traced the shape of your own thumb down from the very bottom up to the tip, around again. The simple up and down had a slow and sensual rhythm to it. When he lifted his hand his thumb moved and you held your breath to feel that same very slow touching trace the outline of the palm of your hand again and again. He drew absentminded shapes into your skin with the pointed tip of his thumb and your eyes drifted closed as the longing grew within you. He followed the paths of the creases in your skin like a palm reader. He did not even need light to see them, he simply felt them and traced along the paths.

You let him.

You felt bewitched.

You loved him.

The credits rolled on the screen and the lights switched on. The change was abrupt. You were taken by surprise and shocked by it like you were from the jump scares in the film.

His warmth left you. His wandering light touch, his deliberate and careful exploration of the lines that made up the palm of your hand vanished.

Everyone was standing and everyone was walking out of the theatre house and your mind felt clouded and dazed but you followed where their steps led and you found yourself standing outside of the exit doors with the three other people who you entered with.

Baekhyun stood beside Mia and Ben occupied the space of the sidewalk square that you also stood inside.

It was the end of a night. You felt an overwhelming urge for this evening to be done so you could go home and shower and maybe eat something sweet and distracting and maybe made out of chocolate.

“Well this was fun,” it was your own voice that ultimately called it.

Mia had been looking at Baekhyun who had been looking down at his own feet as he lightly tapped his foot on the concrete below. Three taps.

Tap, tap, tap.

You felt a jolt of realization. Baekhyun had just tapped his foot thrice on the floor below him well within your sight and you recognized what that meant. He was feeling done. He was done with all of this exhausting socializing and being out in public with so many people around and he wanted to go home now. This was him asking you for help now as he wasn't sure how to end the date but wanted it to be over.

“What about...grabbing some drinks, maybe...” Mia was talking only to Baekhyun as she looked at him, “if you aren't too tired.”

“Hey Baek, isn’t your grandmother coming over early tomorrow? Do you still have to get ready for that?” You interjected suddenly and Baekhyun looked up into your face with his mouth open and you watched his eyes move slowly over your face as he recognized what you were doing. You were giving him an out. Mia had asked him to go for drinks and you were giving him an excuse, should he need it.

You both knew his grandma came every other Sunday. You both vividly remembered the wonderful visit you had at the beginning of the week with her and she wasn’t due to arrive again until next Sunday.

He could simply correct you if he really did want to go with her. He could call you a dummy and tell you that you had the wrong week again and playfully tap you on the head to jog your brain back into functioning the right way as he often did when you got something mixed up.

“Oh, yeah she is,” Baekhyun grabbed your convenient reminder from the air and smiled a rueful smile directed at Mia. His smile widened with the wince on his face, “that’s too bad.” He added and Mia took it well.

She smiled and nodded her head and there were well wishes for a safe trip home all around as you all parted ways.

Ben said he would text you later. Baekhyun told Mia the same and you waited until they both walked away to follow Baekhyun back to his car for the quiet ride home.

The silence was heavy, but it was comfortable.

Baekhyun didn't speak at all and you could tell by the way he carried himself that he was tired. He wasn’t normally an extroverted person and found it very draining to carry on a full conversation with friends he knew well. Strangers like he had been with tonight, well, you could see the fatigue in his movements and you knew he needed something warm to drink and maybe some comfort with a familiar favorite tv show to zone out in front of.

You handled it better. You were used to having to go out of your home occasionally and you even enjoyed socializing with your coworkers on the few days you went in to the office for work. You felt a bit drained but mostly you were preoccupied with watching how he was handling it and you were also burning with curiosity to know how Baekhyun felt about the whole thing.

He’d wandered into the living room and he found the sofa. You followed him close behind and grabbed the remote, flipping to a familiar and funny cartoon that you often saw him playing in the background as he worked on things. He didn't usually watch it that closely but it was comforting enough to stay on and keep his mind occupied for a while.

You didn't speak. Everything you had to ask him could wait. Even the scolding you had for him about how he acted toward Ben could also wait. You’d let the man breathe a little first.

You busied yourself in the kitchen making two cups of hot tea and when you returned you found his head leaning against the back of the couch with his eyes still glued to the screen. He had a passive smile on his face and he reacted positively to the wacky scenarios the characters found themselves in. He would occasionally speak out loud, speaking along with a funny line he knew by heart and you found it impossible to resist saying the follow up joke. You knew this show as well as he did.

He accepted the tea with a smile and had a few sips and you set your mug on the coffee table in favorable of the comfortable side of the sofa, the side with the pillows that allowed you to rest your head comfortably as you watched the big tv.

You were feeling pretty good. Baekhyun had now officially gone on his first date with a real girl who wasn’t you and he’d had a nice time. You could see from where you laid your head down how relaxed his face was as he giggled at the show.

You stretched and you felt his warm thigh with your foot. This sofa was long enough for you to stretch out completely and you only barely reached where he sat at the other side. You wiggled your toes, unable to resist the light messing with him that you often gave in to and his hand reached down to grab ahold of your foot, which he held in place as he paid attention to the tv.

Your phone buzzed in your pocket and you sat up a little bit to pull it out.

You saw a text message from Ben.

From the preview you got the idea of what kind of text message the man would be sending you an hour after your first, and apparently your last date with him.

-Hey you seem like a super cool girl, but...

The preview showed you enough to know that he was dumping you before you’d even gotten anything started with him.

You opened the text. Your curiosity outweighed your sense of self preservation.

-...but whatever’s going on between you and your roommate, well it doesn’t really seem like there’s much room for me. I just don't think I can start something knowing I’ve already lost. Thanks for inviting me tonight. The movie was fun. Good luck with everything. - Ben

You felt the sting.

You couldn't help it. You’d spent all evening watching Baekhyun interact with Mia with every ounce of your self control devoted to not letting your jealousy show at all. At one point you’d been so damn engrossed in them that you forgot Ben was even there. What an unfair and shitty situation to have put him in. You quickly keyed out an apology for your crappy date etiquette and thanked him for going out with you tonight.

You couldn't even blame him for anything. He had been sweet and he had tried his best to be the perfect gentleman. What had you expected?

You sent the last message you would ever send to Ben and tossed your phone roughly toward the coffee table. It bounced but landed in the middle.

The racket called Baekhyun’s attention and he turned to look at you with his eyebrows raised in question.

“Ben just rejected me.”

Somehow saying this out loud to Baekhyun felt better than hiding it from him. It felt less miserable than keeping it inside of yourself and letting yourself suffer the sting of the rejection alone.

Baekhyun’s lips pulled into a small frown and he took out his cell phone from his pocket and tossed it roughly on the coffee table beside yours. It took a similar bounce and your eyes widened in surprise at the sudden gesture.

“No way, not Mia too,” you said in genuine fear and Baekhyun shook his head with his shrug still well in place.

“Nah, I just can't lay down with my phone in my pocket,” he said as he wiggled on the sofa trying to get comfortable, “though in hindsight I can see how you would think that, sorry. Mia hasn’t texted yet.”

He was wiggling, finding no comfort in all the positions he tried and you caught his wandering eyes for a second as you lightly tapped a hand over your belly.

This…

This would be fine. This was something you both did sometimes. Baekhyun said your belly was warm and comfy and made the best noises and he liked to use you as a pillow when he was just too tired to go to his own bed.

He moved right away at your invitation and you let your legs part around his chest as he laid his head down right on top of you. He turned his head to face the tv and didn't even squirm too much before he sighed out loud. His arms laid on either side of your waist and you felt the constriction as he lightly squeezed around you.

You really hadn’t gotten to touch him all day. Your fingers found their way into his hair and you felt a low moan from the back of his throat travel though your body as you raked your nails down the back of his head to his nape.

“Peanut,” you said softly, feeling every little bit of the annoying little tickle of that stupid secret sitting inside of you.

You could feel the heaviness of his body as he gave in and relaxed his muscles on you. You felt every breath he took and they seemed to be changing as you played with his hair and he gave in to the relaxing comfort you offered him.

“Hmm?” He replied after a long while. You angled your face and could see that his eyes were closed.

“How was the date? Was it nice?”

You had so many hopes for him. You were trying your best to ignore the pangs of your own selfish jealousy and get past it all to get to something good for him. Something that would make him understand how incredible he was. How beautiful he was inside and out and how precious of a human being he was.

“Mhmm, I liked it.” He said softly and he shifted and you felt him tighten his hold around your waist briefly before he relaxed again.

“Did you really? Do you think you liked Mia?” You kept your voice strong. You did not allow your fears to overcome your voice. You were okay with this if he was okay.

He did not answer right away. You’d stopped playing with his hair and you kept your hand rested over his head. He was so warm. He was so lovely.

“Do you want me to like Mia?”

No.

Mia would be so good to him.

You did not answer. Your answer would have been no. It would have been selfish. You’d just been dumped by your date, how dare his date have gone so well. You’d both been on the same date. You could still see the way she looked at him. She found him just as lovely as you did.

You felt a thickness at the back of your throat and you swallowed it down.

“I’m trying, Bug. She’s very nice to talk to. Do you think I should like her?”

Was this because of his mistrust of people? Was this his shyness about letting someone he didn't know very well in close?

You couldn't respond. You did not trust yourself to do the right thing.

“You should go rest if you’re sleepy,” you said, you know, like a coward.

It took him a few minutes of laying on top of you before he realized that you were right and he would be much more comfortable in his own bed. He nodded and pushed up with his arms, and his eyes stayed closed and his head stayed hung down as his feet shuffled and he made his way into his bedroom, leaving his door open you merely heard the loud sound of him plopping down on his bed.

You were stuck where he left you.

Stuck in about as crappy a mood as you’d ever found yourself.

You hated everything about this. You hated how much you loved him and you hated how receptive he was to the idea of dating Mia. You hated how she looked at him and giggled at his small jokes and you hated HATED the way his cheeks blushed and the shy smiles he gave her when she talked to him.

You laid there and you stewed in your mood for longer than was good for you and the only thing that made your it up was the simultaneous buzzing that brought both of your cell phones to life on the coffee table.

You reached for yours. It’s as your dating coach app. Baekhyun had received a new message from Mia. The feelings that surged through you were taking over your sense of what was good and what was right and what was proper behavior for someone like you to participate in.

You swiped to read the message.

-Hi Baekhyun. Sorry I couldn't wait until tomorrow to text you. I had an amazing time tonight and I was wondering if you would like to meet up tomorrow after your Grandmother’s visit for coffee? I have something I’d like to ask you.

You felt as if your body was on fire.

You could feel it deep inside your chest, deeper still inside your belly where his head had been resting moments before. You felt it in the palm of your hand where his thumb had traced the patterns of lines there. You felt it in your lips that he had kissed and in your tongue ached inside of your mouth from your stupid secret.

You reached for your phone. You opened the app for the power he’d given only to you and you responded to her message as if you were Baekhyun.

-Hi, Yeah, that sounds fine. I’ll meet you at 1pm.

Your hands moved on their own. You moved to the internal commands of your app and you deleted both of the messages from the chat history. When you picked up his phone you saw the notification for Mia’s message vanish before your eyes and when you unlocked it and accessed his chat log, there was no sign of the unimaginable and unforgivable sin you had just committed against him.

Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4 , Part 5 , Part 6 , Part 7 , Part 8  , Part 9 , Part 10

Tag list: @j-pping  @blahblahblah-boo  @his-mochi-cheeks  @amyeonzing@littleflowercrown13  @baekinmylife  @insta1010  @nana-banana  @f4ncyvelvet@bbhbeth  @totallynerdstuff  @byunbabybaek @maijinki @bbyunz@theclawofaraven @kingkushdealer  @uhobob @baekswifey​ @punchmebaekhyun @xlxbaekhyuneex

[esc-is-holding-me-hostage]

 I'm finally done with writing my opinions on this year's songs! This post took way too much time and it's not even as funny as I hoped it would be :/

Anyway, enjoy.

Albania

When the revamp was announced, I was afraid that they'll have to get rid of some of the best parts of the song (like the opening chanting and that RRRRAAAAA), but not only they kept all of them, they even added a new drop, without removing the old one. And it works! Yeah, it's still a structural mess but it works!

Wish it was left fully in Albanian though. I also wish I had thighs like those...

 Armenia

Well, guess now we know the answer to "Will Armenia win ESC right after winning JESC". The answer is no, obviously.

But whatever, Snap is fine. It's pleasant and inoffensive. Which seems to be a recurring theme this year.

 Australia

He's a good singer, and there are genuine emotions put into the performance but I find the song really boring.

 Austria

It's alright, but I'm worried about how it'll gonna sound live, her voice sounds really processed.

Update: I originally wrote about Austria when only the studio version was available, but now the live vocals have been heard, and I was right. The girl can't keep up with the song at all.

 Azerbaijan

And once again, Azerbaijan gives us a song that could be sung by literally anyone. Are Azerbaijani artists forced to sign a contract specifying that they can't show any bit of their personality or their country's culture at Eurovision?

Belgium

Belgium has decided to shake up the formula a bit for the first time since 2017. Too bad that was a formula I really loved.

I genuinely don't have anything to say about Miss You, sorry. Pleasant and inoffensive once again.

 Bulgaria

A lot of people seem to genuinely dislike Intention but in my opinion it doesn't deserve any strong emotions. There is nothing to hate and nothing to love. Just some mediocre, toothless dad rock. Guitar solo is kinda cool tho.

 Croatia

Booooring. I'd call it pleasant and inoffensive too, but the lyrics rub me the wrong way. So, pleasant and a tiny bit offensive?

 Cyprus

Ela doesn't sound like it was written specifically for Eurovision and I mean it in a best way possible. It's still not really my thing, but at this point I'm just happy that Cyprus has given us something different from the usuual.

 Czech Republic

It's fine, just Czech Republic sending their trademark modern pop stuff.

 Denmark

The ballad part in the beginning does not need to take up a third of the runtime. Otherwise it's... cute?

 Estonia

Who would've thought that an Armenian guy from Estonia will give us a better country song than any of a dozen country artists at ASC?

 Finland

Ok, that guitar riff slaps. Then the lyrics start. Honestly, half of  them sound like placeholder lyrics someone put there just to keep the rhyme and then forgot to change them. "Killer shark in heels", my god. Also that tiger roar followed by a Johnny Test whip sound never fails to make me chuckle.

 France

You've heard of Slavic spring-worshiping rave in the woods.

Now get ready for Celtic devil-worshiping rave in the woods!

Fulenn slaps, I love it.

 Georgia

Gotta love how Georgia just keeps doing whatever the fuck they want, qualification chances be damned. That said, I respect what they're doing more than I like it.

 Germany

People weren't lying, it IS like Stressed Out but lame.

 Greece

Bittersweet love songs are just *chef's kiss*. Some people find Die Together creepy, but I think that it perfectly encapsulates young love in all of its overdramatization.

However, I like the lyrics more than the song as a whole. The first half is just a bit of a drag.

 Iceland

Oh, I love this one. It just feels so cosy and wintery, I can almost feel the cold wind on my face.

Ireland

Favourite "bop" of the year.

 Israel

This is probably the most flamboyant song I've ever seen at Eurovision, but there isn't anything else I can say about it.

 Italy

Okay, I know I've just said how much I love bittersweet love songs, but Brividi isn't really making it for me. Maybe it's because we have so many sad boy songs this year, maybe because I don't like falsettos, maybe because I had a clear favorite at Sanremo and still salty they didn't win, dunno. It's just alright for me.

 Latvia

I'm convinced that people who unironically love this song only do so because they're vegetarians/surface level environmentalists.

That said, I don't hate Eat Your Salad. Yeah, the chorus is repeated waaay to many times, but the song is fun, it has a sax solo, which is always a good thing and yes, it has that goddamn gutpunch of an opening line.

I BET they came up with the pussy line first and then based the whole song around it. And the way it's pronounced, jeez. The smugness is fucking palpable, you KNOW the guy is saying it with the biggest shit-eating grin on his face without even seeing him.

 Lithuania

I didn't get the hype around this one during PiN, but it grew on me.

 Malta

So instead of revamping a decent-ish song they had, they just threw the whole song out and replaced it with the blandest self-empowerment song they could find in the dumpster behind Melfest's HQ, huh? Ingenious plan, what could go wrong?

 Moldova

Is it the weakest out of Zdob si Zdub's entries? Yes. Does it still make me wanna dance? Yes.

Look, I'm from Eastern Europe, I'm basically genetically programmed to like this kind of music.

 Montenegro

Hey, Montenegro, glad to have you back, love the outfit in the music video. Oh, the song? It's also there, I guess.

 Netherlands

Okay, if I'm not gonna get my yearly fix of dark and moody™ pop from Belgium this year, I'll get it from their neighbors! I like it, but I  wish they went with Dans Mij Naar Huis instead.

 North Macedonia

It's very bland and mediocre, but I have to give Circles a pass, because at least it's not Superman.

 Norway

It wants to be a joke song but it misses a certain je ne sais quoi, the DIY charm of the best ESC joke songs. It's basically a prep cosplaying as a nerd. It's way to polished and professionally-produced to the point that the only thing that separates it from "normal" songs is the costume gimmick.

 Poland

I guess I like it slightly more that the rest of the sad boy ballads we're plagued by this year. Slightly.

 Portugal

I fucking love the instrumentation on this one.

 Romania

It's a song.

 San Marino

Is San Marino just gonna send horny Italians from now on? I mean, I'm not complaining.

P.S. if I see one more "Achille is just a Måneskin copycat" post, I'm gonna fucking scream.

 Serbia

Watching Konstrakta's performance with subtitles is an experience. But same as with Georgia. I respect it more than like it.

 Slovenia

It sounds surprisingly... Japanese. To the point that having lyrics in Slovenian almost feels wrong. I wish the guy had a bit more emotion in his voice though.

 Spain

I've said it before and I'll say it again. THIS is the true successor to Fuego, this is what Cyprus has been desperately trying to recreate.

 Sweden

Me? Liking Sweden? It's more likely than you think.

It's not groundbreaking for Sweden or anything, it's still a well-produced, professionally made Swedish pop, but I like it way more than any of the Sweden's previous entries from the past 10 years. Probably because it is, again, a bittersweet love song, and I have a soft spot for those.

 Switzerland

The pauses between words in this one really test the limits of my attention span.

 Ukraine

A song in Ukrainian for the third year in a row, thank God! (Not because I'm particularly patriotic, but because our singers apparently aren't allowed to have good English pronunciation)

 United Kingdom

It's better than what UK usually sends but not "Top 5 in the odds" better.

[krreader]

BTS scenario → falling for you, their newest make-up artist.

pairing: bts x make-up artist!reader fandom: bts warnings: mentions of sex ; language genre: fluff ; smut ; hints of angst word count: 2.4k+

a/n: heeeey @yuu95line​, I really hope this is how you had imagined it to be and I hope you like it ♥

kim seokjin

The first thing that Jin noticed about you was how hardworking you were, desperately trying to prove to everyone that you were here for a reason and that you were serious about this. An attribute that he appreciated greatly.

However, there was also this other side to you that he loved even more. He loved how bubbly and cheerful you always were, even if they didn't have a good day, you always tried to keep the mood up and make everyone happy (again), something that he could relate with.

But it was also your kindness and that youthfulness that made him fall for you.

“What's that?” he asked with a chuckle as you had handed him a drink.

“They call this the 'volcano of flavors'. Honestly, I'm not 100% sure what's in it, but it looks freaking cool and so I thought of you and wanted to know what you think.”

“You value my opinion that much?”

“Are you kidding me? You're the only opinion I can trust when it comes to something to eat or drink. You're the master of that.”

He was flattered. More than that, he loved compliments such as this one. And he wasn't sure whether you were just really good at making someone feel good about themselves, or if you genuinely meant it. Whatever it was, he was just really glad that BigHit had decided to hire you.

Life would be extremely dull for him these days otherwise.

You waited to apply his base so he could try it first, beaming happily when he obviously liked it.

“Yes! Mission successful!”

My god.. he really found his soulmate, huh?

min yoongi

Sometimes the artists liked to pretend as if the make-up artists were invisible when they did their make-up.

They never hid what they were doing on their phones when you guys were around, because most knew not to say anything.

But you were new and you couldn't keep your mouth shut when you saw him play a mobile game and fail at it, again and again and again.

“Shit, you're bad at this,” you muttered, mostly to yourself.

But he heard.

Yoongi was so perplexed, looking at you from under his eyelashes through the mirror, “Excuse me?”

“I said you're bad at this. Wasn't tongue technology one of your verses in a song? Guess 'finger technology' isn't in your skill book.”

Yoongi wasn't used to this anymore. Someone talking like this, so straight forward and brutally honest, without holding back. He was used to being pampered and people lying to him to make him feel good, people treating him like he was special, so instead of taking offense to it, he actually decided to play this game with you.

“So you want to talk plainly, yes? Alright then,” he straightened his back, looking directly into your eyes when you applied some blush, “How about I show you my finger technology? There's a really quiet room next door we could go into. I’m sure I could convince you how good I actually am.”

“Oh yeah? Sure,” you shrugged, “I'll be nice to show you the ropes and how it’s done these days. My generation has a lot up their sleeves, you know?”

He loved this. Oh, he loved this more than he could say.

“I don't think you'll show me anything. It'll be the other way around. Experience comes with age, you know?”

“You'd wish,” you snorted.

That was probably the moment that Yoongi had found his favorite make-up artist ever. And... fell in love a little. It’s been too long since he’s had a relationship like this and he immediately never wanted to lose it.

“Where's Yoongi and (Y/N)? They should be done by now,” a make-up artist asked into the room at one point.

“Don’t know. They walked out fifteen minutes ago and haven’t come back. Maybe gone to eat something.”

“Hm, must be.”

Yeah.. must be.

jung hoseok

It was the annual BigHit party that every staff member and artist was invited to.

It was spread out over every floor, the party was in full motion, with people playing games on some floors and just talking on others.

And then there were those few on the rooftop, that including you and Hoseok as you were sitting on a bench next to each other, watching the stars with the music faintly being audible.

Suddenly, you could feel his hand on yours, you whispering, “Not here.”

“Why? Let them see.”

This wasn’t the first time the discussion had come up and you were sure it wouldn’t be the last.

However, your answer hadn’t changed since the last time you talked about this.

“And then what? They will make up rumors, how I only got to the point where I am because I'm sleeping with you.”

Hoseok sighed heavily and turned his body to really look at you, “Or maybe they will be happy for us. Have you ever considered that?”

“I can't. Not when there is so much on the line for me and so little for you,” you sighed just like he had, “I know you mean well, Hoseok, but right now, at this time, I can't risk my career, not even for you. You know how much you mean to me and I know how much I mean to you, it is not something I take lightly. So just.. leave it like it is for now. Because I don’t want to lose what we have. Career and relationship wise.”

He loved you. Not just a little, but very much.

And he wanted to tell the world just that.

But that was selfish, especially when what you had said was true. It would probably cost you your career, but it would cost him absolutely nothing but – at worst – a scolding.

If he really loved you as much as he thought and you said, then he'd accept that and do what you asked.

"I promise you, my love.. one day,” you smiled at him.

“I’ll hold you to that,” he smiled back.

kim namjoon

Out of all the members, Namjoon would have been the last person you had suspected to do this. Not that you had suspected any of them to pull a stunt like this, but him? The most responsible one out of all of them?

No way.

“I.. don't know what to say,” you were holding the strap of your bag tightly, staring at him with wide eyes as he was standing in front of you with a bouquet of flowers after just having come clean about his feelings for you.

Feelings, that he had developed over the last couple of months and the many deep and heartfelt conversations that you two have had. After he had opened up to you and you to him, he started to realize that this wasn't merely a friendship anymore. He wanted.. more.

“You don't have to say anything if you don't feel the same.”

“No, that's not what this is about. I just don't know.. how you think this is going to work out. I'm your make-up artist and probably not even that yet. I'm just someone who helps out when one of the others is busy. I'm a nobody that worked really hard for this position, even if it sucks sometimes. If we were to date and they'd find out.. I'd be fired immediately.”

Namjoon nodded, immediately understanding your concerns, placing the flowers on a table nearby and then approaching you slowly, gently taking your hands into his and looking at them, “I've spent the last few years hiding my relationships and my feelings for people. I've become quite good at it and so has everyone else in this company. It is.. one of the skills that you’ll have to develop once you start working in this industry,” he finally looked up into your eyes, “I wish it weren’t like that, but that’s the truth.”

“I’m scared, Namjoon.”

“You don’t have to decide right now. I just wanted to be honest with you about my feelings,” he hesitated for a second, but then he settled for a small kiss on your cheek, “Think on what I said. I will wait for you.”

He didn’t pressure you that night. He gave you the choice on what would happen next. And you couldn’t thank him more for that.

park jimin

This was extremely unprofessional in any situation, with you working for him and not just that, but having only started working for him four months ago. You were the rookie that still had to prove herself. And to top it all off, you were seriously doing this on concert day.

“Don't!” you stopped him when he wanted to kiss you, “I just applied your make-up, don't ruin it.”

Jimin chuckled darkly, “You'll need to re-apply it anyways,” he turned you around, pushing you against the stall in the bathroom, “I don’t intend to go slow.”

You wished you could resist him, but you simply couldn't.

This attraction between you two had started out the moment you walked into the room and introduced yourself as the new make-up artist and had only grown within the last few months.

Now, it had come to the point where you couldn't keep your hands off of each other anymore, not even on concert day.

And so here you were, having sex in a bathroom stall with Jimin for ten minutes, because he had to go up on stage soon and if you turned up any later, people would be angry at both of you.

“Where the hell were you two?!” one of the make-up artists asked, inspecting Jimin's make-up and being.. rather impressed.

“He needed some.. touch-ups. I finished it real quick, so that you wouldn’t have to.”

“Hm.. not bad, rookie. You were good.”

And as she walked away, Jimin whispered into your ear, “So fucking good, baby girl.”

And you got chills all over your body.

kim taehyung

You looked absolutely gorgeous.

That was the first thing that he noticed when you walked into the room, bowing to every single person in the room, because you were the youngest and wanted to be respectful.

Taehyung beamed happily when it was his time, “It's nice to see you.”

“It's nice to see you too. Did you have a good weekend?” you smiled as brightly as he did, taking off your sunglasses and brushing your hair out of your face to get ready for applying his base make-up, so that the older and more experienced artists could do wonders to his eyes.

“I did. Very relaxing.”

“Ah, that's good to hear that you actually didn't work for once,” you chuckled.

Taehyung watched you silently as you gathered everything that you needed, but that smile never faltered. He just let out a dreamy sigh, like a teenager that was in love.

Which was exactly the case, minus the teenager part. He had fallen hopelessly in love with you, or maybe just with the idea of you. He made up scenarios in his head of what the future might look like and even more of ways of telling you what he felt for you.

But as of right now, they were only imaginary scenarios. 

“Okay, here we go,” but even as you continued applying the base, he never looked anywhere other than your eyes, until you eventually asked, “Do I have something on my face? Is it.. mascara?”

“No, just.. I really like your eyes.”

“Oh..- well, uhm. Thank you,” you could feel your cheeks heat up and quickly turned around so he wouldn't see the effects his words had on you.

As the newest and youngest member, you had to prove yourself to everyone. That you weren't just here to get with one of them. Them letting you do Taehyung's make-up, the one that everyone yearned for, meant they trusted you a lot. You didn't want to break their trust.

However, you've noticed that this had become harder and harder in the last few weeks. He'd make you compliments, he'd stare at you and what you thought was simple niceness at first, had made you wonder nowadays, if maybe, he had something else in mind.

“You're welcome,” he smiled once again when you turned back around to look at him.

Maybe one day, when your position would be more secure, then he could figure out how to make this work. Until then, he’d just keep showering you with compliments to see your beautiful smile that brightened his day.

jeon jeongguk

Normally, Bangtan would get their make-up done at the BigHit building if they had a mere video conference, but one of the staff members had shown symptoms of the virus and now no one was allowed into the building for the next week, until everything and everyone was cleared.

But because Bangtan hadn’t been to BigHit in a while and they had a video conference scheduled today, some of the make-up artists had to go to their dorm to do their make-up there, you being one of them.

And as the youngest, you were assigned to do Jeongguk's make-up.

In his room.

Alone.

While the door was closed.

And he could feel how nervous you were.

“It's this room, isn't it?” he asked with a cocky smile, “Gives you flashbacks.”

“Don't,” you just continued applying his base with a slightly trembling hand.

“What furniture is it that makes you most nervous? The bed? The chair? The rug?”

“I said stop.”

Jeongguk let out a chuckle and leaned back when you walked over to his desk to grab something else, cocking his head to the side, his eyes on your butt.

“I bet it's the rug. It's still ripped by the way. And you haven't paid me back for it.”

“I tried giving you money, you didn't want it, what else do you want me to do?”

He was quiet for a moment and when you could feel his arms around you from behind and his mouth right next to your ear, he whispered, “I want you to stop lying to yourself and admit that you loved it as much as I did.”

You had started out as colleagues, then friends, then you blurted out that you liked him and the next thing you remembered was being in his bed. That had continued on for weeks, with you two not really dating, but not being nothing either. Until you had called it quits because you just couldn't focus on your work anymore whenever he was around.

Not that it was any easier now.. actually just harder. But you tried telling yourself that it was better this way.

“I still like you. A lot,” he whispered when you hadn't answered him, “And that won't suddenly go away. And I know you feel the same way.”

You turned around in his arms, his eyes had become a little sadder, hoping you'd say what he wanted you to say.

But just as you tried to, a knock on your door from one of the other make-up artists interrupted you, both of you jumping away from each other.

One day, you'd talk to him about this. But today was clearly not the day, even if he wished it were.

[ilooklikeaburntchickenugget]

Loyalty

A/N: I got inspiration for this piece from the Tumblr account @xxfanfiction-emo-trinityxx​ (I got their permission to tag them!) however I think they’re a wonderful writer and always one of the top ones with a huge amount of Gerard x Reader fics that I keep on crawling back to. They have a work called “Gotham City Rivals” (with two parts) that I fell in love with and decided to do my own spinoff of with their idea. I also don’t know that much about any DC comics, most of Gerard’s character in this is based off of Bruce Wayne, but I didn’t do a bunch of research so I apologize for any inaccuracies. Hope you guys enjoy! Pairing: Batman!Gerard x Catwoman!Reader Word count: 2,781 Warnings: Angst, minor fighting, swear words, injury, mentions of blood.

You slipped off your skin tight suit with a harsh gasp, your teeth grinding together at the rough cuts that the latex and leather of your suit now brushed against. Yet the sounds of a hot shower and the steam that you could already see promised some element of relief to the pain. “You alright?” You heard your boyfriend walk in the room, armor still on in it’s completion besides his mask and gloves that he was currently carelessly throwing on the marble counter.

“Yeah, I think so.” You responded, examining the damage of your wounds in the mirror. “Not the worse I’ve taken.” Reflecting back on the various gun shots and stabs you’ve received over the years.

He came over, standing behind you. His metal armor always looked so good on him, solid black with small decals that you felt lucky enough you only got to see. He gave small kisses on the cuts and bruises along your shoulder and collarbones. It wasn’t in a sexual way, more in a caring one.

He finally decided to take off his suit as well, revealing his soft muscles but well built frame. You always found it funny how comic and cartoon artists portrayed real life heroes. They ignore your hip dips, made your waist the size of a pencil, and even overemphasized your boobs. And with Gerard, well, he was actually a lot like what artists portrayed him as, maybe just a little less triangle shaped.

“Next time,” You sighed as you look at him in the mirror that was now fogging with steam, his eyes on yours through the reflection, “You’re taking more hits.” He lightly laughed.

“Fine.” He agreed with a kind smile, “If you insist.”

“I’ve told you a million times, Gerard, I don’t know anything about those two!” You paced around his marble office trying to explain to him, “They are batshit crazy. They hold no patterns, no compunction, it’s part of their game and it makes it fun for them.” Your feet hastily moved back and forth on the gray tiled floor, the only light source was the sun creeping through the gray clouds outside and small desk-lamps around the large room.

“You’ve worked with her a few times,” He argued back from across his desk where he sat, “You have to know something.” “Those ‘two times’ happened probably five years ago, and it was exchanging files for some cash that’s it.” You sighed, “They don’t have a plan, ever, that’s what I’m telling you. Gerard, I know you’re incredibly smart and think with a plan. And the Joker’s really fucking smart too, but he’s also mentally insane and has no grip on himself other than to kill. He’s like a wild fucking animal.” Your boyfriend leaned back in his chair with a heavy sigh, his finger holding his temple together as he collected himself. “If I could help you on this, you know I would in a heartbeat.”

“Would you though?” His anger was growing, both he and you knew it. In fact, the entire room and all its objects were now drowning in the tension.

“What?” You asked barely above a whisper and through teeth clenched together, eyebrows furrowing as your vision grew red. There was no response. “If you’re questioning the integrity of my current work then fuck off. You’re too scared to kill the man, and now you’re gonna put some of this one me?” You snapped, he remained emotionless. Damn he was good at his job. “Go fuck yourself Gerard.” And with that, you stormed out of the room and up to your shared bedroom.

This stupid mansion he lived in was still a maze to you, and stomping through it in your utter fit of rage didn’t help, the sound of your feet bouncing off the large halls. It made your head want to explode.

You had never once blown up on him in your two years of dating and partnership. But never had he ever questioned your morals, or more importantly your loyalty. And you were expecting some form of an apology in the least.

Sure, you felt a little bad about bringing up his own methods of working. He had his extremely valid reasons, but it was a button to push in response to him pushing yours. You knew you would apologize eventually, but you needed him to come to you first.

After all, he was the one acting like a child. It was almost like an interrogation of you, despite the fact you had told him countless times that you knew nothing about the Joker or Harley. Other than the two deals you made with them in your early days for some extra money, those two were wild cards.

So you sat in the absurdly big California king with decorated in a gray and black and decided to do some breathing exercises so you didn’t use the wall as a knife throwing target.

It was hours, no, more than hours before you saw your lover again. And if it wasn’t for your stomach grumbling in hunger you would’ve stayed cooped up in the room. You wandered your way into the grand kitchen, beginning to look for whatever you could.

Grabbing a cookie from a batch you had baked just the day before, you began brewing some coffee for yourself. Of course you didn’t hear Gerard walk in, since you two had begun this whole partner/dating thing he had begun picking up on some of your specialties, such as being extremely quiet. On missions and such you were thankful for it, considering his armor was quite clunky, but now you regretted it.

The two of you didn’t even acknowledge each other’s presence, despite the fact that you were only a few feet a way. It was like a silent game, but just completely ignoring each other. It was like the other person didn’t even exist.

But the tension was a whole other level. You literally felt suffocated by how tense it was. And you knew your lover felt the same. With the extremely small glances you took you were able to piece together how he was definitely a form of uncomfortable, his emotions starting to break through, which you knew they would eventually.

You decided once your drink was done to leave the room, leaving Gerard and the extreme conflict behind. Well, some of it at least. And back in your room you grew bored, fast.

You didn’t want to show your weak side, determination to not be the first to apologize flowed through your veins. So, you decided to relieve your stress the way you always did.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” You heard Gerard’s voice echo through the hallway next to you. Your skintight suit hugged your body, kitten heels hitting the ground in rhythm.

“Going out.” You replied.

“In your suit?” He questioned, this time grabbing your arm tightly with his hand. “I don’t think so.”

“Oh?” You questioned, turning to him and eyeing him through your mask, “And what are you gonna do about it?”

“Don’t test me.” He warned, his voice growing deep. This time, you pulled your arm harshly from his grip, which he didn’t fight back.

“That’s what I thought.” You spat, walking off.

Patrols were not the most enjoyable thing, the only time they were was when you were stressed and needed something to take your mind off of all your problems. A relationship limiting argument between you and your boyfriend was a perfect example.

Very rarely, if ever, did big stuff happen in Gotham. Small crimes like robberies, domestic cases, so on and so forth could be dealt with by the excuse of a police department the city had to offer. You were wondering when the federal government would finally come and kick a shoe up their ass.

It was funny, Gerard with all his power, I mean being the Gerard Way (despite the fact absolutely no one knew he was Batman) still couldn’t convince major officials to bring in more backup despite his numerous requests hidden in comments within conversations. The excuse was always that Gotham didn’t need help: they had Batman.

And let’s not forget his stealthy partner who did a lot of the work as well, the wonderful Catwoman who always got overlooked by the patriarchal influences that still flushed their way into society today. You scoffed at it.

On your earpiece you heard an incoming for an “escalating situation” at one of the prisons, which was just icing on the already destroyed caked for “a bunch of dangerous prisoners just got out.” Great.

It took you less than five minutes to be at the scene, strutting in and flashing your badge. It wasn’t that you actually needed one, it was just for good measure.

You got led through the dozens of police cars lining the outside of the prison all with flashing lights and a few sirens still going, escorted by one of the main detective inside where you were met with another officer talking to the one and only man himself.

Those hazels eyes hidden well under the mask looked up and met yours, softening just a bit from the black optics of Batman’s as you approached him. “Catwoman.” He said in a stern tone.

“Batman.” You responded the same, arms crossed over your chest.

You were briefed on the situation: A bunch of highly dangerous criminals did escape and were on the loose. The police felt that they needed help because some may or may not have ties to the Joker, therefore it made it a case for you and Gerard to deal with.

“Be careful,” Gerard told you, the two of you walking side by side in the street on patrol and looking out, “I don’t want you getting hurt again.” “Please,” You scoffed, “These guys probably have guns and a destructed god complex. I don’t see a problem.” “Some of these are former Arkham patients.” He warned, “They could be dangerous. And crazy.” “Like we haven’t dealt with that before.” You reminded him, “Or more specifically me, because I could have connections, ya know?” A verbal stab for sure. He looked over and glared.

“We’re not having this conversation right now.” “So when we get home are you finally going to grow up and have one after the entirety of today?”

“I told you-” Before he could even finish the two of you were surrounded by men with guns and various other forms of highly illegal weaponry. “Shit.” He muttered.

“Yeah shit.” You responded as bullets began shooting towards you. A few of them managed to ricochet off of nearby metal beams hitting your attackers, while other nearly missed you as you managed to jump behind them. With a few solid kicks and swings you were able to disarm and knock out four or five of them, Gerard getting the other 10 of them or so considering his suit and physical ability was greater than yours.

“How many were there again?” You asked him.

“15.” He responded. You looked around, mentally counting the bodies.

“Perfect, 15.” You responded with a sigh. “Do they not know how to scatter?” He shook his head.

A deafening silence filled the car on your way home, the only thing being heard was the soft engine rumbling of the mobile. You were still going to be strong about this whole thing, despite the fact that you wanted it to be over with.

You looked around out of boredom, and down at your suit to see if there was any damage. And, well, there was more than damage. “Well, would you look at that,” You lightly laughed, looking at the left side of your torso where a big slash and blood was seeping through. You hadn’t noticed any pain or anything until you looked down.

“What the fuck?” He asked, looking down to from the road.

“Gee, pay attention to the road.” He reluctantly huffed and put his gaze back there.

“You have a huge fucking slash on your side.” “I know,” You commented, “Oh well, we’ll fix it when we get home.”

You hadn’t noticed his increase in speed or the extra few minutes he cut off as you pulled into the large and modern mansion. Before you could even step out of the car in the garage Gerard had already opened your car door and picked you up, carrying you bridal style.

“You know I can walk.” You lightly laughed, holding on to his arms, “I think it was just a bullet graze.”

“I don’t want you hurting yourself.” He placed you down on the couch, “Let me grab the first aid kit.”

He was gone for only a few moments, coming back with the kit in handy, no mask and gloves this time, with no time to remove his armor. It wasn’t a life threatening wound, that’s for sure. “May I?” He asked, motioning to the zipper on the back of your suit. It was so cute to you how he always asked, despite your years of being together. You nodded, moving your hair out of the way.

He took your suit off with ease, helping you step out despite the harsh feeling you got from the slash. Carefully he sat you back down, dabbing your wound with a bit of alcohol and making sure not to directly touch the affected area. There was a certain spot where he had to touch the wound with the cottonball. You couldn’t help but cringe and gasp at the painful feeling, shutting your eyes as it felt like your flesh was burning. “I’m sorry baby.” He commented, squeezing your thigh for support. “You’re doing so great.”

It took him only a few more minutes, and the two of you deciding stitches may be stretching it too far, for you to finally be all bandaged up. You slowly got up, Gerard coming right to you and helping to hold your hips up. “I would suggest a bath but-” “Not a good idea.” You lightly laughed, placing your head on his shoulder. “Thank you.” You mumbled.

“No problem.” He responded, kissing the top of your head. “You alright?” You nodded as he picked you up again, taking you to the bedroom to rest.

He placed you lightly on the bed while removing the covers on the side you always slept. You crawled into the open area he had created, placing your wounded body onto the sheets and covering it up. “Do you want some pajamas?” He asked, now removing some of his suit, his unbrushed and tangled black hair fell just below his eyes.

“Yeah, actually,” You lightly smiled, “If you wouldn’t mind. This sports bra is kinda tight.” He nodded, walking into your closet and grabbing some sweatpants, while walking into his own to grab an old t-shirt, knowing those were your favorite things to wear.

He gave them to you, and stood there watching to which you rolled your eyes, “C’mon now, turn around.” You instructed, his eyes went wide with a form of embarrassment, “You don’t get to see my tits, yet.” He sighed, complying with you as you slipped your bra off and shirt on in a few seconds.

You decided against pants, considering that would take a lot of extra effort. So you just pulled the covers over you, sinking back in. “You can turn around now.” And Gerard did, looking at you with the shirt on and residing to his own side of the bed next to you.

You chose a petty play next, completely ignoring him, waiting for an apology. “I’m sorry.” He said, leaning back on the frame of the bed and looking at you. You looked back at him signaling him to do more explaining, “I’m sorry for questioning your loyalty and moral of your work. I know those two things matter to you very much, and I had no right to question either of those.” You took a moment to let the words settle in.

“Thank you,” You responded, “I’m sorry for bringing up the way you work. I know why you do it and I, too, didn’t have the right to do that either.” “Thank you.” He responded, both of you taking sighs of relief as most of the tension alleviated. “I love you.” He told you next. It had taken him a full year to speak those wonderful three words to you, and whenever he said them you always cherished the way they sounded.

“I love you too.” You responded with a small smile, placing your head on his shoulder which he happily complied with.

[wiypt-writes]

Stark Spangled Banner

Chapter 12: Fairy Tale Of New York Part 2- Love In An Elevator

Summary: In the run up to the Festive Period, Katie presents the Publishing Company proposal to the Stark Industries board, and our favourite couple spend their first Christmas together in New York. New Year’s Eve is welcomed in with a bang at a Stark Industries Gala and Steve’s simply happy he has his girl by his side…even when there’s a little mishap in The Elevator

Pairing: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

Warnings: SMUT (NSFW!) So over 18s only please. And some teeth rotting fluff… and LANGUAGE

A/N: This part was a smutty one shot written as a request from @icanfeelastormbrewing​, but I decided it sits better as a part of the main story line.  

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Chapter 12 Part 1

Stark Spangled Banner Masterlist // Main Masterlist

 “What are you wearing?“ Tony asked as Katie looked up from where she was sat with Natasha in the main area of the party room, the two of them watching re-runs of Friends on the large holo-screen.

She looked down, “What does it look like?”

“A hoody with a Captain America shield on it.”

“You’re clever…” Natasha quipped. Tony ignored her and continued talking to Katie.

“Did he give you that?”

Steve, who had at that moment walked into the room, sighed and crossed his arms.

“No I didn’t.”

“I’ve had it a while.” Katie shrugged, smiling up at Steve “Hey Soldier. All sorted?”

He nodded “Tony and I did a full sweep of the venue. Evans is keeping an eye on it now until we turn up. We’ll do a final check before we start.”

“Where’s Pepper?” Katie looked at Tony. 

“Meeting us there.” Her brother answered, dropping onto the sofa. “Thought I’d get ready here and head down with you guys.”

Katie smiled and checked her watch, giving a start. “Oh, shit, Franco will be here soon to do our hair…then we need to get dressed before make up…Nat, we need to go.”

Natasha and Katie stood up, Katie giving Steve a quick peck on the lips as she passed him. “I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come up”

“Okay.” He nodded, watching the pair of them as they headed off to get ready.

“Safe?” Tony looked at Steve, and he gave a shrug.

“I’m assuming she means once they’re actually dressed…” His eyes flicked to the TV. 

Tony pondered for a moment before he stood up. “Drink?”

“Sure, thanks Tony.” Steve nodded, his eyes turning to Clint as he walked into the room.

“Hey.” The Archer greeted them both, a huge grin plastered on his face.

“What are you looking so pleased at?” Tony asked him as he rounded the side of the bar.

“I am excited!” he smiled “To see this huge New Year’s celebration to End all New Year’s celebrations you’ve been talking so much about…”

“Well, you know I can throw a party.” Tony mused, grabbing a bottle of scotch and three glasses.

They were joined shortly by Bruce, and the four of them sat drinking for an hour, talking about anything and everything, before Tony looked at his watch and decided he too needed to get ready. Following suit, Steve decided to brave whatever chaos was going on in the apartment upstairs and as he walked into the living room he could hear chatter coming from the bedroom.

“Well, it kinda fits, but I fall out of the top a bit.” he heard his girl say. “I only wore it once. You can have it if you want.”

Steve approached the bedroom, to find the door open. He took one glance inside and once he had stopped staring at his girl, he felt his mouth drop open at the chaos the two women had created.

“What the hell?”

Katie and Nat both turned in unison to find Steve leaning on the doorframe, staring wide-eyed at the mess they had created.

“We got side-tracked…” Katie shrugged before turning back to the closet. “Nat decided her dress wasn’t flashy enough after seeing mine so we’re looking for alternatives.”

"Is that supposed to explain why it looks like the closet threw up all over our room?” Steve asked, arching an eyebrow.

Katie smiled as she kicked an errant heel out of the way and reached down to dig something out of the pile of clothes on the bed. “What do you think about this?” She asked, holding the shimmering navy mini-dress up.

“Do you actually own that?” Steve asked, “I’ve never seen it.”

Nat turned to him and raised a single eyebrow. "But you’d like to see it on her now, wouldn’t you?”

“I happen to like the one she’s wearing.” He said, and he meant it. The scarlet-red, number which she had agonised over buying clung in all the right places, but it was the thigh high split up the right side that was setting his blood pumping, as with every move she made he got a flash of her long, delectably toned leg along with a cheeky flash of that thigh tattoo. Her hair was falling in sleek waves around her shoulders expertly framing her pretty face.

“Oooh, now this I like.” Nat said, pulling out a black silk jumpsuit from the closet.

“Yeah that’s nice.” Katie nodded “I got that in London. Try it on.”

Nat turned and looked at Steve, jerking her head to the door. Instantly realising what she meant he held his hands up and hastily backed out of the room.

Once he was gone Natasha stripped off and shimmied into the jumpsuit, turning to look at Katie.

“Nice…” Katie nodded, and she meant it. Nat’s legs looked about a mile long, her waist was tiny, and the deep V neckline at the front flashed her boobs perfectly. “We just need…” Katie moved to her dresser and pulled out a roll of tit-tape, flashing it at Natasha. Once they’d adjusted the front, it looked perfect.

“Very nice.” Katie affirmed before shouting out into the hall. “Steve, come here.”

Steve re-appeared in the doorway, arms folded stoically over his chest, with a rather alarmed-looking Tony by his side.

“You weren’t kidding.” Tony muttered as he surveyed the mess.

Katie ignored him and looked at Steve. "Tell Nat how sexy she looks.”

“Katie!” Nat exclaimed, and for the first time in the history of knowing her, Katie was amused to see Nat’s cheeks burning red in embarrassment as Tony barked out a laugh.

“Yeah, I’m not gonna tell her that,” Steve sighed, rubbing at his temple in exasperation.

“I think you look very nice, Natasha.” Tony offered, smirking. “For a merciless assassin, that is.”

“Fuck off, Shell-Head.” She narrowed her eyes at him.

“Rude.” Tony sniffed. “Anyway, I came to tell you your make-up artist has arrived. I sent her to Nat’s.”

Steve let out a sigh of relief and Katie looked at him.

“Okay, we’re done here anyway,” Natasha shrugged. “Let’s go.”

"What? Wait,” Steve stammered, spinning around and following them to the living room. “You can’t just come over and trash the place and then leave.”

“Of course I can,” Nat shrugged. “Watch.”

He rolled his eyes. “I’m blocking you from this apartment.”

“Errr technically it’s my apartment.” Katie looked at him as Natasha left, following Tony, and he folded his arms. “Just shove it all on the floor, I’ll sort it later.”

“You’re a pain in my ass.” Steve grumbled and Katie grinned.

“But you love me. I’ll be back up once my make-up is done.”

He rolled his eyes again before he smiled softly “You look great already. That dress is gonna kill me you know?” Katie flushed slightly before she leaned up and gave him a soft kiss. “I can’t wait to see you a tux again.” “Yeah?”

“Yeah…but I’m gonna enjoy getting you out of it even more.”

******

“Katie looks nice.” Bruce commented.

"Nice,” Rhodey repeated “She looks unbelievable. Mind you I still remember her as an eighteen year old student with blue streaks in her hair…”

Steve smiled as he watched Katie from where he was propped up against the bar talking to Rhodey and Bruce. She was mingling alongside her brother, talking to a group of people from Stark Industries. He saw her throw her head back in a laugh that was ridiculously over the top yet somehow she managed to make it look perfectly natural. He knew his girl was a knock out. But when he had seen her earlier that evening when her and Natasha had been getting ready he had been lost for words. The dress she had agonised over hung to her every curve, skin bare at her back. Her hair was set in soft, thick waves which framed her face. Her lips were painted in a smiliar red to her dress and the thick, smoky shadow and eyeliner over her lids made her green eyes stand out even more. As he watched, the dark haired, slightly overweight man she was stood next to dropped a hand to the bottom of her back and she turned to smile at him, gently patting his shoulder before she glanced over as Steve, rolled her eyes and mouthed “help me.” He let out a chuckle “Scuse me fellas…” and he strode across the room.

“Ah, the man of the moment.” Tony greeted him, “We were just talking about you.” “Oh?” Steve smiled, dropping a kiss to Katie’s cheek. “All good I hope?”

He didn’t even have to shoot Mr Wandering Hands a glare, the man instantly moved away as Katie stepped gently towards Steve, his hand curling around her waist.

“Yeah.” Tony nodded “Sorry, Cap this is Jeremy Saul, Finance Director for Stark Industries. Jeremy was just asking where you were.” “I couldn’t believe for one second this gorgeous lady would be here on her own” Jeremy smiled offering his hand. Steve’s left hand gripped Katie’s hip a little tighter and she smirked into her champagne flute as he shook Jeremy’s hand with his right. “Good to meet you Captain Rogers.” “Jeremy is part of the board.” Katie said, levelling Steve with a look. A look that was blatantly telling him to be nothing but charming as Mr Wandering Hands could veto her proposal. So Steve was. He politely listened to the man, answered questions and nodded along until Wandering Hand’s attention was diverted elsewhere and he excused himself from their company, but only after dropping a lingering kiss to Katie’s cheek.

“Slimeball.” She muttered when he had gone “I swear to God Tony, it’s only a matter of time before someone files a sexual harassment case against him.” Tony snorted “Until he does something outta line he’s staying Kiddo. For one thing he’s good at his job, and for another I don’t fancy the rigmarole and bad press associated with a tribunal.”

“Mr Stark…” Happy called to him. Tony spun round to see the man tapping at his watch and gesturing to the stage.

“Better go before Happy has a heart attack, can’t have my speech being thirty seconds late.” Tony rolled his eyes and he span on his heels, striding over to Happy, placating the man who as making furious gestures with his hands.

Katie chuckled to herself and grabbed another 2 glasses of champagne off a waiter as he passed, dropping her empties onto the tray. She handed one to Steve who dropped a kiss to her head.

“I know I said it before but you really do look incredible.”He still couldn’t believe his luck at times. She beamed up at him.

“And you.” And she meant it. He looked good enough to eat in a well fitted black tux and slightly off-white dress shirt, along with the cufflinks she had given him the previous year. She had watched him before as he looked himself up and down in the mirror and now, looking him over as he stood by her, she felt her stomach flutter again. A wicked smirk crossed her face. “Can you leave the suit on later?”

He was about to quip back that he’d do whatever the hell she wanted if she left those heels on too, but there was suddenly loud music blaring out and the light on the stage all started moving around zooming in and zooming out.

Katie, upon hearing the music gave a loud scoff “Egotistical dick!” She snorted, unable to hide the laugh in her voice.

“I don’t…” Steve began but she shook her head.

“You won’t” she smirked “It’s by a band called Queen- One Vision. Listen to the lyrics and you’ll understand why he chose it!”

The introduction music finished and the screen sprang to life at the back of the stage showing Iron Man flying over the tower in New York, and as the first lines of the song sounded in Steve’s ear he let out a snort.

The video continued, various bits of footage of Tony in the Iron Man suit, in the office, then there were some of Pepper in the office, Katie, the Avengers…it was all very showy for want of a better word, but at the end of the music it abruptly stopped and Tony stepped onto the stage, right hand held up, thanking everyone for the applause that had broken out. Steve noticed that Katie wasn’t clapping, instead she was shaking her head and trying not to laugh.

To give Stark his dues, Steve could see the man knew how to work a crowd. Just like he had seen Howard do many, many years ago. He welcomed everyone, thanked them for coming and talked about the company achievements for the year, the declared turn over, the charity work and thanked everyone for their continued work making Stark Industries a huge success. Katie however had zoned out until she heard her name being mentioned, and Steve nudging her lightly with his elbow.

“Where are you Kiddo?” Tony repeated

Katie’s eyes grew wide “Oh fuck.” She muttered shrinking into Steve a little as the spotlight found them.

Tony beamed, looking at his sister as she was flushing bright red from being the centre of attention. “I’d like to boast for a few moments about my sister if I may. As you will know, Katie and I lost our parents when Katie was only seven years old and some wise guy deemed me responsible enough to become her legal guardian.” There were some chuckles “But I can’t have done too bad a job. She graduated with a first from Oxbridge and worked in England heading up our UK branch, and more recently left to serve if you will, as an analyst for an Intelligence Agency before resigning a few months back due to a difference of opinion with the boss.”

“That’s one way of putting it.” Steve muttered, causing Katie to smile a little.

“And, as of yesterday the Stark Industries board voted in favour of a proposal Katie brought to the-” “What?!” She spluttered loudly, glancing at Tony who was on the stage, laughs ringing around the room at her reaction

“Yes Kiddo, they voted in favour of your proposal, which means next year will see the launch of our latest venture, Stark Independent Publishers. This is a great opportunity for anyone in the business who would like a change in direction and we will be opening positions up internally before we advertise. Keep your eyes peeled.” Katie gulped, her eyes wide. They’d accepted her proposal. She was officially in business.

**** The party carried on through the night, and about fifteen minutes or so before midnight Katie, feeling the effects of various drinks grabbed Steve’s hand and pulled him onto the dance floor. A dance with his girl was something he’d never disagree to so Steve allowed himself to be steered into the throng of partygoers. He moved a little closer to her, slightly put off by all the people surrounding them. But as his arms found their way around her waist and hers snaked around his neck he felt himself relax as they began swaying to the music. The song finished and the music changed pace slightly, but their slow rocking motion remained the same and then Steve realised what the song was.

“Hey…” he grinned and she looked up at him with a small smile. “This is our song.”

“I asked them to play it.” she said, a little sheepishly, but this only made him pull her closer so that their foreheads were resting together before he rubbed his nose gently against hers as the music crashed over them. Steve adjusted his and her arms so they were in a proper dancing hold and they swayed to the song, just as they had done those months ago in her living room.

Tony was watching them out of the corner of his eye as he revolved Pepper around the dancefloor.

“Stop it.” Pepper said, laughing at him.

“What?” He turned his head to look at her.

“Watching them”

Tony smiled, not even trying to hide it anymore as he looked over at where his sister was dancing, her cheek was resting on Steve’s chest, top of her head tucked underneath his chin, as she laughed at something he said, tilting her head up to look at him and the smiling captain dropped a soft kiss to her lips.

“I’ve never seen her so happy, Pep.” Tony sighed fondly as he watched the pair of them dancing together.

“I reckon they’ll make great babies.” Pepper teased, causing Tony to choke on nothing and look at her.

“What…why would…is she?” Pepper let out a laugh and shook her head “Not that I know of but they’re in it for keeps. I can tell. He’ll have a ring on it by this time next year.” “Well, so might I.” Tony teased and Pepper looked at him, smirking.

“Yeah, don’t bank on that. I told you, we’re not ready for that yet.”

“Kiddo is fourteen years younger than me.” Tony pouted.

“And fourteen years more mature.” Pepper smirked as the song drew to an end.

“Miss Potts you are breaking my heart.” Tony muttered, dropping a kiss to her lips. She smiled and gently pulled away from him, patting his chest and heading to the bar.

The band finished that song and then there was a loud cheer as the large clock on the screen began to count down, Steve and Katie moved to one of the windows to get a look over the city. As the room erupted as the countdown finished, Steve turned to the woman in his arms and smiled at her gently.

“Happy New Year, Beautiful.” he said softly.

“Happy New Year, Handsome” She beamed, as his lips met hers.

*****

“You ok?” Steve asked Katie as she leaned against the wall of the elevator, letting out a huge sight.

“Yeah.” she said, “Just tired…that was…”

“Draining, I think is the word.” Steve’s hand reaching up to first undo his tie and then pop the top button of his collar undone. “I don’t know how your brother hosts those galas so often.”

“Well, Tony’s Tony.” Katie shrugged, “He’s a show off. I enjoyed it though. Been a while since we held a formal New Year’s party.”

“Yeah, it was kinda fun, and that was brilliant news about the publishers. I’m proud of you, ya know?” Steve chuckled and turned to his girlfriend. “And you looked beautiful tonight.”

Katie smiled and turned to look Steve over, and raised an eyebrow as she took in his now undone bow-tie, the snug white dress shirt, and his expertly tailored black suit which fit his physique perfectly. “You don’t look bad yourself, Soldier.” She grinned, her eyes meeting his and he gave her a smirk.

“I should hope so, the amount this suit cost.”

“Oh stop complaining” she said, “You’re dating a billionaire.”

“Oh, don’t I know it.” He looked at her, arching an eyebrow. “You have no idea how hard it was tryin’a figure out what to buy the woman who has everything for Christmas…”

Katie shook her head with a snort “I thought you did amazingly well, your Ma’s ring was a perfect gift. Plus socks are always a good bet.”

“Yeah, I’m not getting you any more so you can just mix them all up to make odd pairs.”

Katie let out a laugh as her arms slid up round Steve’s neck, “You know I only do that now to piss you off.”

“I’m well aware of this fact.” he looked at her, his hands gently resting on the small of her back. “It’s a good job I love you.”

She grinned as he leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to her lips but just as he was pulling away the elevator jolted slightly, and they were plunged into darkness. Steve steadied the pair of them, before the emergency lighting kicked in and he looked at her.

 “JARVIS?” She called out.

“Apologies, Miss Stark.” the AI replied “We have a temporary power outage along the left side of the tower.”

“How?” Katie frowned “I didn’t think that was possible with the Arc reactor?”

“It isn’t.” JARVIS replied “This is down to a planned system shut-down. Mr Stark has been running some updates and as a result there has been a temporary outage on the…”

“Ok, Ok.” Katie grumbled, “Don’t need to know. How long till you fix it?”

“Mr Stark is currently aware that the pair of you are…”

“That’s not answering my question, you know what? Just patch him through.” Katie sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose as Steve gently rubbed at her back. He knew she didn’t particularly like confined spaces, and whilst the elevator wasn’t exactly small, she wouldn’t be happy at the fact they were stuck.

“Kiddo?”

“What the fuck Tony?” She blazed at him “A System update?”

“I forgot all about it!” Tony chuckled. “I thought I’d postponed…”

“You thought wrong.” Steve chipped in “We’re stuck.”

“Yeah, I know. Want me to send Clint through the air-vents for you?”

“I am NOT crawling through air-vents in a fucking Galliano gown!” Katie seethed “Get it sorted.”

“Update should be done in 20 minutes.” Tony replied. “Sit tight…”  

“Twenty…twenty minutes? I swear to God, Tony, when I get out of here you are dead!”

“Yeah, yeah…” Tony replied, sounding bored “If you killed me every time you threatened to I’d never have made my 40th birthday…”

“You’re such an ass hole.”

“Errr, be nice or I’ll make it an hour.”

“Fuck you.” Katie snarled “JARVIS, I don’t want to hear from him again until this is fixed!”

“As you wish, Miss Stark.”

“Why is he such a dick?” She turned back to look at Steve, leaning against the wall of the elevator.

“He’s Tony.” Steve shrugged. “Hey, come on. It’s only 20 minutes. It’ll be ok.”

Katie took a deep breath before she let out a groan “My feet are killing me.”

“Take your shoes off then.”

Katie went to kick them off before she let out an exasperated noise. “Ankle straps…forgot…”

She went to bend down to undo them but Steve gently laid his hand on her arm.

“I’ll do it, Sweetheart.” He offered, dropping to his knees. He gently took her left foot, placed it on his thigh and undid the buckle on the gold leather that looped around her ankle. Once that was off he repeated the process with her right foot, and in doing so the slit on her dress revealed her leg to him once again and he couldn’t help but slide his eyes up her frame, over her tattoo which was peeking through the space in her dress and up to her face where her eyes locked onto his and he flashed her his best cheeky grin.

She arched an eyebrow at him, smirking “Down boy.”

Rising to his feet once her second shoe was removed, his hand traced up the outside of her bare leg through the slit in her dress, and continued underneath the soft material, before he stopped suddenly, hand on her hip and looked at her.

“You’re not wearing any panties.” His eyes were wide.

She shrugged “Would ruin the line of the dress.”

Steve let out a groan as he grabbed at her skin. “Seriously, you’ve had nothing on under there all night?”

“Nope.” she grinned at him.

“Doll.” His voice was a whine.

“What?” She looked at him, innocently “Not like anyone could see.”

“No, but it’s kind of a turn on.” he muttered, his hands moving so they were flat against the wall by her head.

“Yeah?” She asked, her eyes locking onto his.

“Yeah.” He mumbled, his lips nearing hers. “You know, we got 20 minutes.”

“Well, about fifteen now.”

“Good job I only need ten then isn’t it?” He smirked, his lips crashing onto hers. She kissed him back, hungrily as he pressed into her more, his hands creeping down to grab at her dress, hoisting the materiel upwards. His fingers softly caressing the outside of her thighs and his lips moved from hers to the pulse point of her neck and she gave a soft, sultry sigh. Steve couldn’t help but react to her noises and movements by pushing against her harshly, and the noise she made as his crotch rubbed up against her bare core was fucking sinful. His cock twitched but somewhere in his brain his logical mind crashed through.

“Fuck, are there cameras in here?”

“The power’s out, they won’t be working.” Katie mumbled, as her hands went to his belt buckle. “Shut up and stop thinking.”

With a clink she’d undone his belt and the top button of his flies, before she slid down the zip, pushing his suit pants down slightly over his hips. Her hand reached into his boxers and she grasped him in her hand and Steve let out a hiss.

“Buy a guy a drink first, Doll.” he mumbled, his lips returning to hers.

“I bought you plenty, not my fault it doesn’t have any affect coz of your stupid serum…”

“Stupid?” He grinned against her mouth before his lips and teeth skated over her jaw line to her neck “Not what you say after we’ve gone a few rounds.”

“Quit talking and fuck me, Steve.” She groaned, her head rolling back against the wall of the elevator. With a smirk Steve reached down, flipping the waistband of his boxers over before he grabbed the back of her thighs and lifted her easily off her feet. Her legs immediately wrapped around his waist, arms looped around his neck as he pressed her further against the wall using it to keep her supported as one hand gripped at her waist, the other flat against the cool metal behind her.

She rolled her hips, hard against him, causing Steve to let out a groan as his lips found hers again, hungrily kissing her while his hand skated from her hip over her bare stomach, reaching down to grab his cock before he lined himself up. With a swift drive forwards he pushed into her, a little forcefully, making her cry out sharply, one hand going to grip his bicep, the other against the wall to steady herself.

“Fuck…” she groaned as he pulled back, thrusting again, deeply as her head fell back with a bang against the wall. Steve reached round and unhooked the fastenings of her dress at the back causing it to fall forward, groaning as he found she was also bra-less.

“You’re a fucking minx.” He panted, his thrusts still deep and powerful as he gently circled a nipple with his tongue, teasing her with his mouth as she groaned, pushing down onto him further. She arched her back, the motion made him go deeper inside of her, drawling a loud moan from them both at the feeling.

“Stevie, you feel so good.” Katie moaned and he let out a groan of his own at her words, his thrusts still powerful, jolting her with every move he made.  Her hands moved round to his back, clawing desperately at his shirt as her head fell forward and her teeth nipped at his ear drawing a deep rumbling growl from his throat. Her hands moved into his hair, where she pulled sharply back, jolting his lips from their current positioning on her chest so she could kiss him again, sloppily, messily.

He pushed up again, bottoming out once more and she cried out into his mouth and he gave a smirk as he looked at her, utterly wrapped up in the sensations she was feeling, and so was he. This woman was his absolute downfall.

“Fuck, Captain!”

Especially when she said that.

“Jesus, Doll.” his words were broken through his panting, and he watched as she gave another sultry growl, her head rolling back against the wall as her hands clamped onto his shoulders. Steve felt the tell-tale flutter of her clamping around him and he continued his fast, deep pace until she cried out, a loud scream before she dropped her head to his shoulder, moaning his name, again and again whilst he pounded through her orgasm chasing his own.

“Shit, Katie…I’m…fuck!” His words tumbled into her hair as his movements became desperate and he came with a force he wasn’t quite sure he’d felt before. His knees threatened to buckle but he managed to keep himself upright, pressing into her more as the pair of them struggled for breath. Katie watched him for a second, smiling to herself as those ridiculously long eyelashes fluttered against his flushed cheeks. Her fingers gently skated up his neck and into his hair as he pressed his forehead to hers, his eyes remaining closed as he regained his composure.

“You good?” He asked her softly as he opened his crystal blue eyes to look at her, and she gave him a grin, nodding. Gently he set her back on her feet where she re-arranged her dress, and he sorted his pants out, tucking his shirt back in. Grabbing his jacket he gently placed it over her shoulders as he could see she was a little cold now, before he looked at her and gently brushed the tendrils of hair that had fallen over her face back. His hand on her cheek, his lips gently caught hers in a soft, tender kiss, a stark contrast to the violent ones they had shared moments before.

“I love you.” He said softly, and he pulled her to him, nuzzling into her hair as he sighed.

“Love you too Soldier” She murmured, causing him to chuckle before the emergency lighting flickered and the main lights of the elevator flashed back on, causing them both to blink.

“We have movement Kiddo!” Tony’s voice rang round the elevator “Told you it wouldn’t be long…”

“It was long enough.” Katie replied back, winking at Steve who gave a snort of laughter as the elevator once more began to rise, before it stopped at their floor. Steve bent to retrieve Katie’s shoes, taking them both in his right hand as he offered her his left. Her fingers linked into his and he led them out of the elevator and into the apartment.

*****

“We all good J?” Tony asked, leaning back in his arm chair glancing at the screen which were projecting out of the coffee table in front of him. The levels seemed ok and everything was back online. He’d completely forgotten he’d scheduled that update and he hadn’t really been planning on dealing with it after he’d drunk so much. Still, even drunk he was a genius so…

“Yes, Sir. Systems are all back on line and Miss Stark and Captain Rogers are safely back in their apartment.”

Tony sighed. “I’ll be getting my ass kicked tomorrow for that.”

“I don’t doubt it sir.” JARVIS replied.

“Thanks J.” Tony smirked “Happy New Year buddy.””

“And to you Mr Stark. Seeing that it is, indeed, a New Year, would you permit me to give you some advice, Sir, to ensure it starts off in the best way possible?”

“Advice?” Tony frowned, before he shrugged, necking the scotch in his glass. “Sure, shoot.”

“May I suggest you delete the security footage from the Residential Elevator.” JARVIS spoke. “Miss Stark wrongly assumed that the power outage would cut the security systems. I’m not sure that the video of the twenty minutes they spent in the elevator should remain on file.”

Tony frowned for a moment, before he understood what JARVIS was implying and let out a low groan. “Gross.” he mumbled “Yeah, yeah, delete it, permanently. And then get someone in there to give the thing a deep clean.”

“Certainly Sir. Goodnight.”

“Night J.” He said, standing up. Tony stretched, looking down at the screens as they turned off before he gave a snort. “Happy New Year Kiddo.” he mumbled, before he headed into his bedroom to find Pepper.

****

The first slivers of the New Year daylight flitted across Steve’s face and he gave a soft hmmm of contentment, rolling over, pulling his girl closer. Nestling his face into her neck he allowed her warmth and softness to wash over him as Katie muttered something, her body soon relaxing again as she continued to sleep. Simply put, he couldn’t remember a time he had enjoyed the holiday period so much. He’d had good times as a kid, even though his Ma had never been able to afford much she had always made Christmas as special as she could, but this…this just felt good. More than good actually, it felt better than anything ever had before.

If Steve was honest he couldn’t ever imagine waking up next to anyone else. Not now, not ever. His Ma had always told him “When you know, Stevie, you know…” and he knew. 

If this was how he spent every morning for the rest of his life, well Steve Rogers would die a happy man.

Last night had been their first proper public appearance as a couple at a formal event, there hadn’t been any others to attend really, and he knew there had been a few heads turning their way, but instead of the awkwardness he had expected to feel at all eyes being on him dancing with his girl, he’d hardly noticed. Everything had faded to black except the woman in his arms.

He placed a soft kiss to her shoulder as he continued to doze, feeling utterly relaxed. It was another hour or so before Katie stirred besides him, her legs stretching out, brushing against his and she shifted a little, before she tilted her head, brushing her nose against his.

“Morning, Handsome.” she whispered and he smiled, eyes closed, his lips pressing to hers in a soft, hardly there kiss.

“Morning, Beautiful.” he hummed as she turned in his arms, snuggling closer to him, her face pressing into her chest as his finger-tips brushed up and down her spine, before he gently caressed her neck and cheek. Then the the simple morning cuddles turned into something a little less innocent. Bruising kisses, teasing touches were shared as Steve gently rolled Katie over onto her back, his hands linking with hers as he pressed them into the pillow at the side of her head before sliding home. It was lazy, gentle, loving as he kissed every single part of her he could reach, thrusting up against that spot over and over before he felt the tell-tale signs, heard her breathing turn ragged, shallow as she gently encouraged him not to stop, declaring how good she made him feel, how much she loved him. With a soft cry of his name, that pet name, Stevie, she tumbled straight over the edge she’d been teetering on and with a quiet groan that rolled in his throat he followed, his hips stuttering before he gently fell forward, burying his face into her neck as her hands softly tangled in his hair.

An hour or so later, after a shower they were sat on the sofa eating breakfast when Katie heard her phone going off. Reaching for it she frowned and then smiled a little…before she smiled a lot.

“Stevie, look.” She said gently, handing him the phone. He took it from her and blinked a little before he too felt the grin spreading across his face as he looked at the photo. It was one taken of them the previous night as they had been dancing. His girl looked good, as always, but Steve felt his eyes drawn to his own face, the look of unadulterated love on his features was something he wasn’t overly shocked to see, but at the same time it surprised him a little. He had no idea he made himself that easy to read.

“Who took that?” he asked, his eyes flicking to Katie.

“Tony said the photographer did.” she smiled “He just emailed it to me along with the message, and I quote ‘Thought you might like to see this one. Pepper thinks its cute but the puppy love eyes Spangles is giving you make me wanna barf.’”

Steve snorted and rolled his eyes, although he couldn’t give less of a shit about Tony’s starkasm if he tried.

“They’re looking at ones to put on the Stark Industries website, they always publish a gallery you know for people to see and stuff.” Katie continued “Do you mind if they use it?”

“Why would I mind?” he asked, handing her the phone back.

“Well, I know you’re a private person…well, behind all the Star Spangled man bullshit that is.” she shrugged.

“It’s fine Doll.” he said, “On one condition.” “What’s that?”

“Can I get a copy?” he asked, “I’d kinda like one for my apartment.”

She grinned and placed her phone back down on the coffee table. “I already emailed Tony back asking for two.”

Steve chuckled and leaned over to place a kiss to her cheek. “I love you.”

“You too.” she smiled, turning her lips to catch his.

***** Chapter 13

**Original Postings 1 2 3 ***

[weaselbeaselpants]

Weird week behind me weird week ahead of me but I’ve done a lot of self reflection and came to the weirdest epiphany. The older I get the more I realize all my ‘problems’ with VivziePop - her thoughts on criticism;  the choices she makes in story telling; some of the people she’s worked with (not that any of that’s my business; I’m not her mom) really aren’t about Viv, but more about her fandom.

I’m speaking of the preHazbin era Viv here and as someone who’s only watch horny fish jump at the surface rather than jump straight into the Hazbin-fandom, but given my ‘noncritical’ fellow fans have told me that the Vivziefandom now is also terrible - I guess I’ll go over my experience and make the most out of what I do know.

I followed Viv in 2009 and fell off in 2013 cause I kinda just lost interest and found myself wrapped up in other fandoms. I’ve always felt amicable about her content; I could give or take designs or the way in which she wrote characters -- ((Zech represent!!!)) but it’s honestly surreal and really fun seeing this person I recognize make it big and improve so much. Like I’ve said before I am very happy and very impressed with Viv doing all she’s done in the span of TWO YEARS. wow gurl.

Trouble is, there was the particular breed of fan who really made me...uncomfortable. They felt almost possessive of Viv’s attention. They sang praises about her work in a way that just made me want nothing to do with it because I was worried if I drew those characters these people would be like ‘hey, I’M Viv’s fav artist, not you!”. They would  unironically write Viv messages like:

“you are a GOD” -- “I’m so not worthy compared to you” --“I wish I was as talented as you” -- “YOU ARE EVERYTHING AND CAN’T DO WRONG VIV”.

The kind of messages which were meant to sound flattering but, intentional or not, came off as gaslighting, like they were guilt tripping Viv about being better than them. This behavior, treating your favorite artist/internet personality like your superior and groveling like Starscream, it strikes a nerve with me; partly because I was this way with my favorite artists and influences back in the day,  but also because once I got a taste of that treatment myself I realized just how bad it could be:

There was once a girl on dA who was jealous of me because of the attention I got on my art instead of her. I told her that I wasn’t gonna stop drawing but also that there was nothing wrong with her art and she’d find her place. It was weird being put in that position where someone is very clearly upset at you but also looking for your approval.

The second was some scumball who I blocked in 2016. He wouldn’t speak to me, only write condescending, backhanded comments on my art; check on my profile daily; call me a bootlicker (cuz I took commissions) behind my back; redrew my art and would talk about me in his personal artist notes about how I ‘probably wouldn’t see this’ - oh yeah all the while he did fan art of my characters but again never spoke to me when I replied. When I finally messaged him about his behavior he said he thought I was “really overrated” and “bad for the fandom” cuz I took money and kept him from getting the love he deserved. It took messaging another person within our fandom, one I had been in spats with online before, to finally realize I shouldn't put up with that bs....

That guy who was stalking me btw did so while I was well under 1.K watchers and am still pretty obscure. Anyway, I had one guy unhealthily watching me for the wrong reasons. Just one. This is why when Viv says she “hates creeps” I 150% believe this woman and am not about to call her a liar who just can’t take criticism. Like, if you really think that, I’m sorry but you don’t know what Viv’s gone through from both her critics AND fans.

Of course, a lot of people will be like “I bet you’re just jealous and really just want that kind of attention yourself so you’re preaching to the choir”, but like...no. I am envious of just about any creator who’s the social butterfly I’m not, but, like, if I'm jealous of an artist none of that is that artists’ fault. Ever. It’s my own issues with being comfortable with myself are at stake. If I criticize Viv’s work it’s not because I see her as competition or my Squilliam Fancyson; it’s because I’m a critical fan of animation and cartoons and have my own thoughts to share on the cartoons of an artist I’m familiar with.  Jealousy/envy/mixed-admiration/godIwishthatwereme.jpeg feels are totally natural and valid emotions when you’re a creator. Envy becomes a problem when you internalize, weaponize, and scrutinize people on the basis of them being what you aren’t which -yes - some people do in the name of criticism. ((Although, I would hardly say some of the nastiest AntiViv folk are jealous as much as they are angry that this project they think is harmful is getting attention and using that as justification for some really shitty behavior of their own, which no, this post is not a part of by virtue of coming from a critical fan.))

Critique can come from either a good place or bad place; good critique can be used to bad ends and bad critique can come from a well-meaning place, and vice versa.   It’s the difference between many a criticalfan having a sour taste in their mouth regarding the Viv’s base but persisting in a critique+admiration separate of that, and this asswipemonster trying to weasel his way into Spindlehorse while also bashing Viv on a public forum for clearly vitriolic reasons. He was a creep.

So yeah um please stop insisting that every Hazbin critic is just jealous’ because a) there are people who have a past with Viv’s base and that clouds their judgement, but in a lot of cases that doesn’t invalidate their feelings or thoughts on her work separate from that, and b) I’ve seen what clingy gaslighting jealous fans are. Spoiler: they’re not so much Annie Wilkes as much as they are Tommy Wiseaus. You don’t want Tommy Wiseau following you.

Another bad vibe I really picked up on that I can kinda confirm is still probably the case now: people think that they know Viv and the Spindlehorse crew and have the right to send them shit they don’t need or WANT to be seeing.

Like, I talked with Viv once ages ago. I don’t remember what I said other than we were talking about Frankenweenie, I think. She was nice. Outside of that she said “thank you” to my comments on her deviations but that’s it. I DO NOT KNOW THIS WOMAN AND unless you’ve worked with or are a legit friend/mutual of hers, NEITHER DO YOU. But I don’t think every Vivzie stan/critic knows this. Whether it be people assuming she MUST think they’re headcanon is now canon-canon cuz she liked a comment they made; or some critic thinking they must have seriously hurt her pride because they’ve been blocked by her on twitter (or you know, maybe she and the rest of Spindlehorse is tired of getting @s and don’t have to time to read through your analysis so they’re gonna just block and move on cuz they’re busy).

Just because the creators talk with fans doesn’t mean fans are literally their best friends and have a part in the show’s direction. And yes, critics and reviewers fit that bill as well. Know your damn boundaries people.

If you find/make some kind of contribution as a viewer that’s awesome but you should never expect nor DEMAND the creator see it. The most obvious horror stories involving this and Helluva/Hazbin have been the Instagrams made by the crew being harassed by incestpedo enthusiasts, but it applies even to just @ing creators as well.

I’ve seriously had someone tell me to just take my criticisms directly to Viv and like...no. Why would I do that?

I respect Viv and the artists working with her enough to know that they’re working their asses off on an animated series and should not be bothered. I don’t want them to stop all they’re doing and reply to me. I want them to keep working. Also, that kind of logic makes me wonder how many critics Viv’s found because she found it on her own or if some obsessed fan told her about it - which is really messed up cuz if it IS just good critique you’re, again, just pestering her, and if it wasn’t critique but full on harassment WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU MESSAGE HER ABOUT THAT ANYWAY? I’m sure she doesn’t need to be reminded that people drew and said really awful shit about her on Tapatalk. My point being I’m sure what people think they’re doing is

“OOOoh Viv lookitwut this person is doing in our fandom we need to ban together against this toxic behavior”

but what they’re actually doing, and sounding like, is -

“Hey Viv I know you are working so hard on the show and you’re trying to figure out where to go from here but LOOKITWHUTTHISHATERSAID. LOOKATIT! VALIDATE ME VIV AND PUT’EM IN THEIR PLAAAAAACE!”

TL;DR Viv’s fanbase back in the day consisted of everyman artists and interests but there was this one breed of fan -who I hope was just a vocal minority- that ruined it for everything else.

Call it stanning or ‘simping’ or as it’s classically known, ‘white knighting’, whatever it was it really soured a lot of people on her because of those fans.

That’s why the DollCreep drama got so bad from what I can tell. Doll and Viv had a falling out and then called out eachother online where people who took it upon themselves to speak for them starting throwing mud.

Back in the day I remember Viv used to get mad at artists for ‘stealing’ her style. I think this attitude from Viv directly has vanished but I remember it happening because one of the people she thought was stealing her style did art for me at some point and they were basically shamed/chased off deviantART by a gaggle of these really nasty Vivfans.

inb4> “VIV WAS AWARE AND STILL WEAPONIZES HER FANS THO”

I don’t know that. And honestly, where I’m inclined to believe she’d do something like that then I think Viv is really different and has improved her business and public image from her college days. I’d be very disappointed in her if she was pulling a Butch Hartman or Derek Savage, but I just don’t think she is one, k?

Viv is more self critical and aware than any of these uber protective-gatekeeping fans give her credit for. She said on the Pizzapartypodcast that she knows the Hazbin pilot wasn’t perfect; she’s been able to identify the problems with old Zoophobia; this woman knows that criticism of all kinds need to exist and from what I see she sounds like she’s trying to get used to that. It’s just, you know, when you have nasty antis badgering you, stalkers, obsessive yes-mam’ fans, opinionated shit posters, r34 artists, entitled shippers and the NDAs of a company alongside your own branded image - all that negativity, even the constructive bits, tend to clump together and you just want to scream at it so you can finish the damn cartoon already!!!!

TL;DR: PART TWO

VivziePop/mind is basically indie Tim Burton.  Her work is fun, shallow and made with love but is marketed as being for everyone when it’s really not. Parts of it I love to watch; parts of it drives me crazy cuz of reasonswhatev this isn’t a review.

BUT any fanbase where people tell me I should just “expect what’s coming to me” when I’m trying to argue against dragging creators into fandrama is troubling. People have a parasocial bond with fandoms and their creators and they need to learn when to back off.

[ladykissingfish]

Under The Mistletoe with the Akatsuki // Part Three //Sasori

Sasori

Why must he do this? Why must he comply with such an inane human “game”? Things sure have change since he was a child; it used to be that kisses were an expression of intimacy shared by people who loved each other, not public fodder for critique and criticism. Regardless, here he is, so he prepares himself for the inconvenience.

Kisame

Kisame is one of the taller members of the group, so he has to bend quite a ways to bestow his kiss on the minuscule redhead. He chooses to go with a kiss on the forehead, which slightly annoys Sasori; he’s NOT a damn child, for God’s sake. But perhaps it’s for the best, because even from this angle Sasori can see the shark-man’s incredibly sharp and pointed teeth. A kiss on the lips may have caused damage to Sasori’s wood (which was made from softwoods so as to present a more human look than the rest of his body). Kisame tells him he’s a good sport, to which Sasori nods and smiles. If he ate food, he’d join him and Itachi for tea later. As it is, he says that when his time here is done, they can enjoy a game of Shogi later, as both of them are avid, excellent players.

Itachi

This child always looks so timid before he has to do things like this. Itachi presents one of the most interesting case studies for Sasori within the Akatsuki; he’s unique even among this unique group. Itachi and Sasori have spoken in-depth before about the sharingan; it’s techniques, the different levels. One of Sasori’s ultimate goals is to find a way to replicate the sharingan into one of his puppets, thus making it the ultimate weapon. Itachi often says that when he “finally dies”, Sasori can just take one of his eyes and transplant it into one of his creations. A “joke”; but this kid sure jokes about death a lot. Anyway, Itachi leans down and lightly kisses Sasori’s cheek. Sasori is once again struck by that powerful feeling of chemical imbalance, of chakra that’s rotting and a body thats just barely holding on. This kid; Sasori is a talented medical jutsu user, and could surely help him in no time at all. But once again, this is the path Itachi has chosen. Even if Sasori doesn’t understand it, he will always respect Itachi and his choices.

Hidan

Expectedly loud and unpleasantly crude. “I’m probably gonna be picking fucking splinters outta my damn lips!” “He’s so goddamn short I’m gonna bust my back just bending down!” Eventually he shuts up, puckers up, and delivers a dry kiss to the redhead. Very dry. Dry even to the one made out of wood. When the kiss ends Sasori tells Hidan that he’s clearly dehydrated, and should make it a point to drink more water. “Ah? So you wanted a wet kiss, eh? Always knew you were gay!” Keeps berating Sasori until Kakuzu comes up and drags him away, much to Sasori’s (and everyone else’s) relief.

Pein

Although he and Sasori only have about a four year age difference between them, as with everyone else, he looks at the puppet master in a very fatherly way. However he hold’s Sasori’s maturity level to be a bit higher than most of the others, and their mutual respect for one another is in a different league. Pein asks if Sasori desires a kiss, and Sasori responds by saying that it’s unnecessary. Pein nods, and continues on to whatever tasks he was engaged in before.

Kakuzu

Is really starting to think that instead of playing childish games like this, the Akatsuki’s free time would be better spent trying to earn the organization some much-needed money. Still, the others are playing along, so he may as well. He goes to kiss Sasori’s forehead but, being without his glasses, misjudged the distance and ends up kissing the bridge of his nose instead. Sasori thinks to himself, Kakuzu may be a gruff S.O.B at times, but he’s really not such a bad person. He’s calm, smart, and conscientious. Sasori’s intention of turning himself into a puppet was so that he would live forever, and if Kakuzu truly was immortal, then Sasori would be in good company once everybody else died out. Well, IF they could find a way to do away with Hidan, anyways.

Konan

Konan always smells good. Incredibly good. Does she wear some sort of manufactured scent, or is that her natural odor? Sasori wants to ask, but is hesitant; he doesn’t have much experience with women, and therefore isn’t aware of what may or may not be deemed an offensive question to them. Konan gives him a very soft butterfly-touch of a kiss to the lips, but Sasori barely notices it, he’s so focused on her aroma. This actually presents an interesting chemist challenge for him; to try and replicate her smell using no data other than his olfactory senses. He’s always grateful for an opportunity to try something different, so he thanks her; the fact that she thinks he’s thanking her for the kiss is completely irrelevant, as she goes away smiling.

Tobi

This kid ... or is it man? How old is he, exactly? Sasori has no idea. Almost everything about Tobi is a complete mystery, and that bothers somebody like Sasori, who strives to find the truth in all things. Underneath the mask, past the voice and the continued ridiculous antics, Sasori often gets the impression that there’s more to this individual than meets the eye. Absurdly, something about him reminds him of Itachi, although the two act like compete polar opposites. For the kiss, Tobi doesn’t take off his mask; instead he just presses the object against Sasori’s left cheek, and then his right, telling him that this is how they kiss in other countries. An interesting tidbit, if true ... and how would this guy know something like that? How extensive were his travels, before joining this group? How much does he actually know? Well, regardless, Tobi’s turn has ended, so Sasori shelves his musings for another day.

Zetsu

Zetsu approaches Sasori and asks if he can kiss his neck. He explains that in humans, their strongest scent comes from that area, and he wants to see if it’s true for Sasori. Sasori consents, and Zetsu leans in and delivers a peck to the arc of Sasori’s throat. He stays there for a long time, sniffing, and when he emerges, he informs Sasori that he smells much like a tree, although the scent isn’t any stronger from that area than at any other point. An interesting observation, maybe, but not really one that Sasori has any use of.

Deidara

The young blonde artist is so crimson that he rivals the best tomatoes out in the garden. Sasori wonders if he’s seriously that angry that he has to kiss Sasori. After all, he doesn’t think that Deidara exactly likes him; he’s always complaining about the way Sasori leads their missions, and the arguments about what “true art” is were never-ending. But when Deidara gets close to him, Sasori can see a different reality; Deidara is scared. Sasori can see the throb of his temple as his heart pumps, he can hear the harsh breathing that Deidara is trying (but failing) to keep hidden. What in the world is this brat scared of? He’s not speaking (for once), but now Sasori is concerned that the kid might be nearing a stroke. He figures the only way to calm him is to take the initiative himself. So he steps out from under the mistletoe, cups Deidara’s cheeks, and pulls his face down into a kiss. Immediately, there’s a change. Deidara’s body temporarily goes completely limp in Sasori’s grasp, making the redhead think that he’d actually fainted. He goes to break the kiss to administer aid to him, but before he can move, Deidara suddenly grips Sasori’s face, and his lips are no longer bystanders but aggressors, exploring his older partner’s mouth. Sasori stands still, feeling a twinge of surprise. This kiss feels ... different, from the others. Are humans always this soft, this warm? He hasn’t noticed these things as strongly with the others as he is with Deidara, although that could be because the latter is much closer than the others were. After what seems like an eternity, Deidara breaks the kiss, and smiles. Another rarity; Sasori doesn’t often see an expression from him that isn’t a smirk or a sneer or a scowl. He smiles ... but then he promptly tells Sasori that he’s “a terrible kisser, hm!” and goes back to his room, leaving Sasori ((and everybody else)) staring after him in confusion.

[xpao-bearx]

Part 1 HERE

NOTE: OMG I really wasn't expecting for the previous first part of Heavenly Sins to blow up as it did, but I just wanted to give a huuuge THANK YOU to all of you amazing folks!! 🥰🥰🥰 Your support truly means so fooken much to trashy ol' meh and y'all are the reason I am writing this story series in the first place :')

I do have my ideas, but I still don't know much yet of what to do or even how long (or short) this story will get. So, if you would continue to give me your mindblowing support, it would seriously mean the W O R L D.

I do, however, very much enjoy writing Negan in particular so far. He's one of my absolute fave characters ever and JEFFREY DEAN FUCKIN' MORGAN NEED I SAY MOAR?!? 🥵💕💕

But this second part will be focusing a bit more on our beloved sheriff Ricky boi! Of course, Daryl will also get some much deserved love and attention tho I think he will appear in the story a lil later on.

Also, if you ever feel compelled, you are more than welcome to take some inspo from this story and make your own imagines and such! I'd love to see 'em, so please tag me 😁

P.S. There won't always be long ass notes like this, only if I wanna say something or bring up whatever is important. Also, if you wanna be tagged on any new/future story parts, then just tell moi and I will dedicate the latest one to the people who wanted to be tagged!

DEDICATED TO: The wonderful @buttercandy16 💖

"Heavenly Sins"

Part 2

After your little spiel, you haven't spoken to Negan since then. But on the way home after church, you passed by his house and found him tinkering away on his motorcycle (which you previously learned he interestingly named Lucille) in the garage. Not being able to help yourself, you paused in your tracks and just curiously watched him for a while.

His leather jacket was off, revealing a plain white t-shirt. The shirt was quite tight, and you noted how it perfectly hugged the taut muscles of his chest. Your eyes then slowly trailed to his toned arms, adorned by tattoos you wished you had a better look at. He stopped briefly, placing his tools down before grabbing the hem of his shirt and wiping the sweat on his forehead.

You didn't even think twice as your eyes dropped, hyperfocused on his abs. He wasn't the buffest guy out there, but he was lean and fit and--to put it bluntly--hot. A part of you screamed bloody murder to get a grip on yourself, to just turn your stiff body around and proceed on home. But another part completely squashed down those protests without even a fight; as if your pathetic excuse of a resolve wasn't even meant in the first place.

"Take a goddamn picture, darlin'. It'll last longer."

Your head snapped up, meeting the tantalizing hazel stare of Negan. His lips were curled in a smug smirk, and nevermore in your entire life have you wanted to both slap and kiss someone so badly.

But you only clicked your tongue, shooting him a sharp glare before (at last!) turning and walking away as you hid your blush. In the distance, his amused chuckle begrudgingly sounded like the sweetest fucking music to your ears.

♡♡♡

You woke up at 7:05 a.m. like you typically did the next morning, Monday. It was the dawn of a new week, and while most people dreaded it you actually didn't mind it so much. You had your job to thank for that.

Sure, it wasn't always easy, but it was worth it in the end. You loved teaching and spending time with the children, and you were even more ecstatic since you knew Judith was going to be at the daycare.

As you finished eating breakfast and preparing for the day, you grabbed your bag then went out the door. You opted to walk again today, the weather far too beautiful to miss plus the daycare really wasn't that far away.

Eventually arriving at your destination, you approached the daycare building's doors with a little spring in your step. Once inside, a young woman with her blonde hair high in a ponytail smiled and waved.

"Hi, Y/N! Goodmorning!" Beth Greene greeted energetically.

"Morning, Beth." You chuckled, the girl's radiant smile infectious. You've known Beth for some time now, especially since the Greenes were one of the oldest families in Alexandria and they were well respected. But you got along best with Beth, you thought she was the friendliest and she was also the latest hire of the daycare.

Stashing your bag away in your personal locker, you fixed yourself up a bit before getting your nametag and sticking it on your top. Looking up at the wall clock, you read that it was 7:50 a.m. Perfect, just in time for the kids' drop-offs.

You waited outside with Beth and the rest of the daycare workers, until finally the parents started rolling in. It was the usual; some of the children were wailing, snot snivelling down their nose as their embarrassed parents tried to tug them away from clinging onto their legs. You could only offer a sympathetic smile as you tried to help, while other children were much more relaxed and didn't even spare a second glance at their parents as they were dropped off.

"Well, that's about all of them." Beth piped up.

"Wait, we're still waiting for Judith." You said, searching for the toddler. "Rick said she'd be here."

Beth checked her watch, her brows creasing a little in worry. "That's odd. Sheriff Grimes is never late when he's dropping Judith off."

Just as she said that, there was a honk that disrupted the peace. You and Beth both spotted a crying Judith being held by Lori, the woman appearing utterly exhausted before her eyes locked with yours and didn't waste another second dashing towards you.

"Please don't run when you're holding Judith. Also, no honking is allowed on the premises." It was hard for you to keep the malice out of your voice, but you mentally gave yourself a pat on the back since you miraculously managed to not make it sound the worst it could get.

Lori raised a brow at you, but only handed Judith over to you. Judith immediately quieted down when she saw it was you, you cooing gently at her as she giggled and snuggled up comfortably against your chest.

"Rick will be picking her up later." Was all Lori said, pressing a quick peck on Judith's curly little head before parting ways. As Lori rushed back to the car, you saw Shane in the driver's seat shamelessly attack her neck with fervent kisses and you couldn't restrain an eyeroll.

"Fucking bitch..." You grumbled.

"Uh-oh. Bad!" Judith giggled again, clapping her hands gleefully.

"Right, right. Bad. Don't copy me, okay?" You laughed, completely forgetting about your aggravation as you rubbed your nose with Judith's and went inside.

♡♡♡

The rest of the day rolled along splendidly. No one threw a tantrum and for the most part, all the kids properly shared the wide assortment of toys and even did their activities orderly and on time. So, you decided to indulge them with a small yet much sought after reward.

Painting.

When it comes down to children, painting can be utter chaos. But you figured since they were being so good, you'd allow it. At the daycare you worked in, painting was quite a rare occurrence and that only solidified how much the kids adored it.

Once the materials were set out, it was a dizzying flurry of excited hands grabbing anything it could latch on to. As the kids went about doing their creative business, you found Judith all alone sitting in the corner playing around with some blocks.

"Whatcha doin' there, Judi?" You asked, sweetly calling out her nickname. "You don't wanna paint?"

"I wanna, but not with papers." She replied, shaking her head.

"Oh? Then where do you wanna paint?"

"I wanna paint on faces, but no one wants me to!"

"If that's the case, then I'd be more than happy to let you paint my face." You smiled.

"Really?!" Judith's whole face lit up, jumping up and wrapping her tiny arms around you as tightly as she could. "Thank youuu!"

You chuckled, ruffling her hair and watching as she happily gathered some paint and brushes.

♡♡♡

It was finally the end of a long day, and your face felt a bit itchy from the paint Judith put on you. But it didn't matter; as long as the little girl was happy, it was the best damn day ever.

You were holding Judith's hand as you waited outside for Rick to pick her up, and once he came up with his car Judith beamed.

"Daddy!"

"Hello, sweetheart. Did you have a nice day?" His face looked tired, his greying beard making him appear slightly older than he really was, but his smile was genuine as he carried Judith in his strong arms.

"The bestest! Y/N lemme paint her face!"

"She did, huh? What did you pai--oh my god."

You bursted into laughter at his reaction, flashing him a toothy grin. "In the words of Judi: You're a pretty tiger! Grr!"

"Now that you mention it, I can see it." Rick joined in your laughter, nodding his head. "Looks like we've got a talented lil artist in our hands!"

"Daddy, I wanna paint your face next! You can be daddy tiger and Y/N can be mommy!" Judith proclaimed.

You and Rick flushed pink at the same exact time, but Rick was quick to clear his throat and change the topic. "A-Anyways, Y/N, how 'bout me and the kids give you a ride? Thank you for today, by the way."

"No problem, and sure! Thanks so much."

As you settled in the passenger's seat, two hands covered your eyes from behind. "Guess who~?"

"Hmm..." You hummed, making a show of thinking. "Are you an elf?"

"No!" The hands were removed, Carl popping his head out from the backseat to look at you as he laughed. "It's me!"

"Oh, sorry! You're just so short, I thought you were an elf." You teased good naturedly.

Carl huffed, sticking his tongue out at you. "Y'know, in a few years, I'll be way taller than you!"

Once Rick was done buckling Judith into her carseat, he took his place in the driver's seat and drove out of the premises. You just talked about anything that came to mind: work, the weather, Alexandria's local shops, etc. To anyone else, maybe it seemed like regular boring conversation. But speaking with Rick was truly one of the highlights of any of your days. He was extremely easy to talk to, and he never failed to cheer you up. And it was obvious Rick was the same. He was allowed to simply be himself around you; to loosen up, momentarily forget about the stress and sometimes even the woes that came along with being the town's upstanding sheriff.

As you were nearing your home, Carl decided to cut in.

"Y/N, can we stay at your house? It's been a while since we had a sleepover." Carl asked, his baby blue eyes identical to Rick's alight with hope.

It wouldn't be the first time Rick and the kids would be staying over. You were very close to the Grimes family, sometimes even almost considering them as your own. You didn't mind it. Since you lived alone, it can get pretty lonely. And having people around surely brightened up the house and made you keep your sanity.

"I don't mind, but you gotta ask your dad." You chuckled.

Carl turned to Rick, pouting and giving his best puppy dog eyes. Rick rolled his eyes, but couldn't suppress an inkling of a smile.

"Yeah, yeah. But let me drop you and Judith off with Y/N first. I'll be back, I just need to get some extra clothes and essentials."

"YAY!" Carl cheered, Judith following suit as they both raised their arms and hollered.

"You're so whipped for them." You laughed, shaking your head as you looked at Rick.

"I ain't denying that." He sighed dramatically, grinning.

[smuttyjenos]

The Heartbreak Series

A Short Overview of Mark’s Love-life Throughout the Years

Mark-centric AU

Pairings: markhyuck, markten, yumark, renmark, jenmark, lumark, and side!johnten

word count: 3.4k+ words

written in bullet form cus I'm a lazy shit

unbetaed so read at your own risk lmao

very self-indulgent; i.e., I just really wanted to hurt Mark... sorry Mark

suggestive themes. contains swearing and mentions of alcohol, drugs, sex, and cigarettes. reader discretion is advised!

—————————————————————————————

MARKHYUCK - “The timing wasn’t right”

Mark didn’t hate Donghyuck when they first met; he just didn’t get him

Where Mark was quiet, respectful, and peace-loving Donghyuck was loud, brash, and always spoke what was on his mind without any regard to anyone’s feelings

But somehow everyone loved Hyuck and Mark couldn’t understand why

Until he took the time to properly get to know him

That was when he realized how irresistibly magnetic he was

He was funny in a crass way

And was horribly honest (for better or for worse)

He knew the best ways to rile people up but somehow always smiled his way out of any fight

And god was his smile beautiful

He made you want to be his friend with a single look

But understanding this didn’t mean understanding his own feelings (especially as a supposedly “straight” Catholic boy), so nothing truly develops between Mark and Hyuck aside from a weirdly tense friendship

Where Mark was constantly craving his attention

And Hyuck was constantly torn between giving it to him or staying away for his own sanity

They move away from each other after high school and end up in different universities so they don’t hear from each other again until years later

MARKTEN - “the mentor”

Mark was in his first year of college when he realized he might not actually be straight after all

Being away from his Catholic parents and being exposed to other types of people really helped broaden his horizons

But meeting Ten was the turning point

They kissed during a game of Truth or Dare and the next thing Mark knew was that Ten was bringing him home to his bed

The morning after a confusing but terribly pleasurable fiasco, Ten was laughing at Mark's naivety because

(1) he hadn’t left like most guys do after a one night stand and;

(2) Mark was a cuddler when he was drunk off his ass

A literal octopus that pouted and whined and unconsciously sucked hickies unto exposed pieces of skin he could reach overnight

Mark tries to make sense of what happened

He thought that he and Ten HAD to be a thing now after what they had done (and they had done a lot)

Mark doesn’t really understand yet the concept of a one night stand

Ten explains to him that they don’t have to date or be exclusive (Ten just doesn’t roll that way)

They can just keep things casual between them

But poor Mark just looked so lost

So Ten takes him under his wing

Ten spends the next few months helping Mark explore his sexuality

They try different positions and different roles and even have a few threesomes with Ten’s more regular hookup: Johnny

Ten goes to great lengths to teach Mark about the wonders of hookup culture and one night stands and bars with sexy drunk men and sex full of passion but without any of the strings attached

He does all this before sending him off into the world like a chick leaving the nest

But Ten is still Mark’s favorite go-to for a long time

He just never had a chance with Ten

Not really

Especially not with Johnny always around

YUMARK - “the first heartbreak”

Yuta was Mark’s first boyfriend

He was known around the school as the problem-kid in Johnny’s year because he had skipped and flunked so many classes, has repeated his 3rd year twice

He was also notorious for his black-painted nails, devil-may-care attitude, and smoking on school grounds

He was the type of boy your parents warned you to stay away from

And he was also Ten’s go-to supply for happy pills and alcohol whenever he hosted parties at Johnny's frat house

Mark had known about him for a while

Had heard about him from all his seniors and even his batchmates

But they first meet at Ten’s graduation party when Mark was in his 2nd Year

By then Mark had been well-taught and fully immersed in hookup culture and he wanted to try his hand on someone different like Yuta

He let the older boy take him to his dorm room which smelled of weed and cheap beer

This isn't really what Mark would call attractive

But somehow spending the night with Yuta made Mark crave more than was deemed healthy

Even Ten wanted him to stay away from Yuta after hearing he had slept with him

But something about his aura made Mark fall to his knees

So they spend a few more nights together wrapped up in each other’s embrace

Yuta showed Mark things that Ten didn’t dare (and that was saying something as Ten was quite kinky himself)

Mark would probably never disclose to anyone the kind of shit he and Yuta regularly got around to doing

But one of their tamer endeavors, and one that they particularly enjoyed doing, was fucking raw while they were high or drunk

During this time their inhibitions would be completely thrown out the window and their fucking would often border on dangerous

Like fucking on the windowsill with the window wide open

Despite living on the 3rd floor

On one of those blurry nights where their vision was hazy with smoke and their throats burned from liquor, Mark blurted out that he had fallen in love with Yuta

Yuta didn't exactly reply

But he pulled him into a kiss and they didn’t speak of it again

They spent most of their free time together making out, fucking, or chilling at Yuta’s dorm with bongs and Japanese horror movies after that

They skipped classes to go on long drives to the countryside where they’d happily fuck in (and occasionally on) the car

Mark picked up smoking as a habit after having been given the task of carrying around Yuta’s lighter and lighting his cigarettes for him

The hefty metal had ‘N.YUTA’ messily carved into its body with a box cutter

And carrying it around made Mark feel useful, powerful, and gave him a sense of purpose

But he didn’t realize how dependent he was becoming or how much of his life he was slowly ruining

Mark lived in this toxic relationship believing Yuta needed him

Yuta told him that he needed him

When in reality it was actually Mark who needed him to feel alive

One day the relationship took a nosedive when Mark finds Yuta cheating on him with Winwin

Mark had never known what rage felt like until that moment

Mark cried angry tears

And he threw the metal light out the window, shattering the glass and causing Winwin to wince at the probable cost of the damage

Yuta tried to apologize but ultimately they decided that the relationship had already died months ago

They weren’t good or healthy for each other

And this was apparently just an incident waiting to happen

So they broke things off without another word

Mark has long since forgiven Yuta but only because it was in his nature to do so

But despite having uttered the words “I forgive you” he still feels the sting of heartache every time he sees Yuta and Winwin together

Because he couldn’t deny that Winwin made Yuta better than he ever could

RENMARK - “the one that got away”

Renjun was unique and enigmatic in many ways

He was smart, funny, artistic, and had a great personality, but was closed off and always kept his guard up

He made Mark want to use big words he otherwise would never use on a daily basis (like Abstentious, Deleterious, and Grandiose) simply because it made him smile

And Mark really loved his smile

Renjun would tease him for it, saying Mark probably didn't even know half the words he spewed out

But Mark could handle a few hundred blows to his ego if it meant Renjun would look at him for a few seconds longer

Following his relationship with Yuta, however, Mark just couldn’t find it in himself to ask the damn boy out

Renjun wasn’t an overly affectionate person and was stingy with skinship

But that made it all sweeter when he would lean against Mark while laughing his loud, full-bellied laugh at something Mark had said

Mark avoided smoking around Renjun because he had said once that he didn’t enjoy the smell

And he had associated cigars to his absent father

So regardless of the heavy withdrawals he experienced, Mark eventually quit smoking altogether because Renjun was less likely to recoil from a hug if he smelled more like sweat than if he smelled of burnt nicotine

Mark thought that maybe this was Renjun making him better (the same way Winwin had made Yuta better)

This made Mark think "Ah yes, he's the one"

But he wasn’t

He knew he wasn’t because of one night where Mark invited Renjun to his dorm to watch a movie over some beer and popcorn

They watched Love, Rosie, because Renjun wanted something cheesy to cringe to

They weren’t cringing though

Instead, they had the lights dimmed and the movie set to a low volume as they seriously talked about what could’ve happened if Rosie and Alex had just confessed to each other sooner

Hearing Renjun’s thoughts made Mark want to confess his love for him sooner too

And it was a little deeper into the night when Mark was on his 5th bottle and Renjun was on his 3rd that Mark found himself staring at Renjun’s side profile

He allowed himself this moment to trace the boy’s features

From the soft curve of his eyebrow down to his dainty ears and his perfectly carved out jaw that was hidden underneath a smooth expanse of unblemished skin

When Mark looked up again, Renjun was staring back

A moment passed where Mark’s heart felt like it was trying to jump out of his chest

And then he was leaning in and kissing Renjun on the lips

It wasn’t rough or passionate

It was slow and all-encompassing

All sighs and deep breathes before a gentle brush of parted lips

Renjun ended up on Mark’s lap, his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes closed like he was scared to know if this was real or not

But he knew it was real because he was holding unto Mark’s shoulders for dear life while Mark held him gently by the waist

Renjun sleeps over at Mark’s that night but they didn’t go beyond soft kisses and lips against smooth skin

Mark thought it was perfect

But when Mark wakes up the next day, Renjun had left him a note on his bedside table that said

“Please, let’s not talk about last night.”

So they don’t

Because when they meet again, Jaemin was all wide smiles and sparkling teeth

“I finally got the courage to ask Renjun out, and he said yes!”

Mark tries his best to forget about his crush on Renjun because he still wanted him around and because he couldn’t ruin his friendship with Jaemin

Even if he couldn’t rest his hand on his lower back or press gentle kisses on his forehead, having him around was enough

Mark tells himself that this is enough

Seeing Renjun happy, even if it was in the arms of another, is enough

Renjun’s presence and his friendship is enough

It was Mark that wasn’t enough

MARKJEN - “the rebound”

Mark wasn’t enough for Renjun and Jeno wasn’t enough for Jaemin even when they both gave their all for the other

Mark still avoided smoking around Renjun but without the boy teetering him down his withdrawals became too hard to resist

So he allowed himself a butt or two whenever he was out, drinking his sorrows away with Jeno

Jaemin and Renjun’s relationship became their common denominator and they decided, after multiple bottles of whiskey and gin, that they should fall into bed with one another

Sex with Jeno was surprisingly rough and fast-paced

There was no love there; just calloused hands on his body and teeth marking his tanned skin

And a battle for dominance which Jeno was surprisingly unwilling to relinquish

After having been emotionally used by Jaemin for years, something snapped in Jeno that made him refuse to bend over for anyone ever again

And Mark, after having Renjun take everything he could give, was happy to let Jeno take the reigns and give it to him harder than anyone else ever did

They didn’t fall in love with one another

They never shared gentle kisses or whispered sweet things to one another

But between them bloomed a strong friendship that helped patch the emptiness in their hearts and anchored them back to the ground all the way until graduation

MARKHYUCK (2) - “it was you all along”

Of all the people Mark thought he’d meet on the bus, he didn’t expect Donghyuck to drop unto his lap (quite literally) during his commute home

After suffering multiple heartaches throughout his years in college, Mark thought himself too old to believe in fate or soulmates

He instead believed in the art that is hooking up with strangers he would meet at bars (Ten liked to call it “going back to his roots”)

(Not that Ten had any right to speak when he and Johnny were getting hitched in two month’s time)

But meeting Hyuck had him thinking that maybe fate wasn’t all just a can of baloneys

Even after Donghyuck had quite literally fallen unto Mark’s lap, he still had the audacity to get mad at the older boy for sitting in that particular seat that he could’ve fallen into without incident

And Mark could barely believe his ears at the words

Donghyuck was still just as brash and rude as he was when they were in high school

But the mischief in his eyes was aged, more mature, and less childish

Clearly, he's seen and experienced things and grown up a little

Even if it wasn't obvious

Perhaps they shared a few experiences between them?

Mark didn't have time to ponder on this as he was completely stunned to silence

Mark got up from his seat and offered it to the angry boy, who wasn’t really all that angry to begin with because he didn't know what else to do

Donghyuck was hesitant but he eventually sat down on the chair that Mark offered

It was the wrong decision though as Mark decided to stay rooted to his spot, right beside the seat, a little rigid and causing Hyuck some intense discomfort

Mark stared down at Donghyuck who was getting red from all the attention

After barking out a “what?” Mark asked the first thing that was on his mind

“Do you want to get some coffee with me?”

Of course, Donghyuck was taken aback

But the guilt of having stolen Mark’s seat and STILL acting rude despite all of that made Hyuck turn away with a blush high on his cheeks and a silent “sure” falling from his lips

The silent 'sure' that made a smile blossom on Mark’s face so Donghyuck didn’t really mind (to him, Mark was still as handsome as he remembered)

They stop by the first Starbucks they see and sit down to catch up

Mark finds out that Hyuck had just started working at the same company he and Johnny worked at

Donghyuck was also scheduled to move into the same apartment complex Mark lived in–albeit on a higher floor

Something pleasant wriggled inside Mark at the knowledge that he could potentially be spending more time with Hyuck depending on what department he'll be working in

He was pretty fucking convinced that it was fate paying him back for all the years of heartache he endured

Mark quickly offers Donghyuck his assistance for the move but the younger of the two quickly rejects, telling him that he was plenty capable of doing it on his own

Mark wanted to argue further but he feared it would scare Hyuck away, so he let it be and simply settled with buying the boy jjajangmyeon to celebrate getting his own place

They quickly become close friends after that and Mark takes Hyuck as his + 1 for Johnny and Ten's wedding

Mark decides that slow and steady was a good move for him and Hyuck

But what he didn’t anticipate happening was Donghyuck meeting Jeno at the wedding and seemingly becoming infatuated with the other boy

Mark was starting to think that life was a bit too unfair to him as he watched Hyuck and Jeno become fast friends

He wanted to scream and retaliate

And tell Jeno to stick to his lane as he was already flirting with Jisung anyway

But instead, Mark runs away wanting to spare himself another heartache

And Hyuck was left to stand there, baffled by Mark's sudden inattention

LUMARK - “it’s not me, it’s him.”

In a desperate attempt to forget about Hyuck, Mark starts sleeping around once again and meets Lucas

He was a boy his age who he likened to a giant puppy

A puppy he definitely shouldn't have met at a gay bar because he was much too kind for his own good

Lucas is as sweet to him as life is cruel

On the first night they met, Lucas had bought him a drink, danced with him on the dance floor, patted his back while he hurled into a toilet from drinking too hard, and then let him cry on his shoulder after bringing him back home (supposedly to make out so more but that didn't exactly go as planned)

A week later and Mark finds himself getting picked up after work every single day

He walks him home, regularly takes him out for dinner dates, and even asks him if he wanted to move in after his lease was up

All within a month of dating him

Once again Mark finds himself thinking that maybe Lucas is the one even if he knows very well that he didn't deserve the giant puppy

He couldn’t deny, however, that the relationship fell short

Lucas was very kind about this and asked Mark if maybe there was someone else

Technically there wasn’t

But really... there was

Because Mark couldn’t get the thought of Donghyuck out of his head

Mark blurts this out one night but hastily explains to Lucas that nothing is going in between him and Hyuck

Mark could never cheat on anyone after suffering so badly with Yuta

And Mark hasn't really been out to see a lot of his friends since he met Lucas (mostly to avoid Hyuck) so he didn't really have the time to cheat on him

He will just try harder to love Lucas as much as Lucas loved him is what Mark says

But all Lucas says in response is “I am not Donghyuck, and that's okay."

MARKHYUCK (3) - “say yes”

After the relatively peaceful breakup with Lucas (who agrees that they should at least remain friends), Mark is once again alone in the world

Mark and Donghyuck still work for the same company and still go home to the same apartment complex

But where Mark used to have Lucas pick him up and walk him home, he now had no one to spare him the uncomfortable small talk that Hyuck has insisted they have

“What happened to Lucas?”

“We broke up.”

“Oh.”

“What happened to Jeno?”

“He’s with Jisung.”

“Oh!”

Mark was clearly taken aback as he knew Jeno used to flirt with Jisung long before he even met Hyuck

Shouldn’t having them hang out make Donghyuck uncomfortable?

Just like before, Mark was deeply baffled by Hyuck’s behavior

“Is he not crushing on Jisung anymore?”

“He’s literally head over heels in love with him.”

“Then why’d you let them hang out?”

An uncomfortable silence envelops them that causes Mark to look up at Hyuck properly

“... cus they’re dating?”

Mark was confused by this

It’s true he hadn’t been with his friends in a while, completely focusing on Lucas and avoiding Donghyuck

But he couldn’t have possibly missed something this big

“I thought you and Jeno were dating? You two became so close after the wedding.”

This time it was Donghyuck who gave Mark a confused look (although his was laced with anger)

“Mark Lee you can’t be that fucking stupid! I was asking him to help me ask you out.”

A whirlwind of emotions washed over Mark as he stared at the angry boy in front of him

He found it more and more difficult to do anything BUT stare at Donghyuck; he just had that effect on him

He stared so hard that he didn’t realize they had reached their stop and that Donghyuck was getting off the bus

Mark allowed his body to move on autopilot as he helplessly followed Hyuck into their apartment building

As if he was watching his life pass by like a movie, Mark watched as Hyuck pressed (slammed) the button for his floor for him and allowed himself to be pushed out of the elevator when he had reached his supposed destination

But instead of walking to his apartment, Mark turned back around to the closed elevator and stared some more

When the elevator doors opened again to reveal one of his startled neighbors, Mark suddenly snaps out of his trance-like stupor

What the fuck was he doing out here?

As the moments before suddenly rush back to him, Mark makes a move for the elevator (even getting slammed between the doors as it was closing) to go to Hyuck’s apartment

He bangs on the door loudly, not bothering to put down his suitcase that was undoubtedly scuffing the wooden door

Donghyuck flings the door open angrily to yell at Mark but is instead cut off by the older boy’s voice

“What do you mean ask me out?”

Hyuck stared at Mark in disbelief for a moment before attempting to close the door on his face

Much to his delight and Donghyuck's anger, Mark’s reflexes were much faster than either of them knew and he easily pushes himself into the room to simply ask again

“Hyuck, what do you mean ask me out? You were going to ask me out?”

“Yes you big oaf, I was going to ask you out! But your stupidly small brain encased in that big forehead of yours decided to date Lucas before I even had the chance.”

Mark bites back a smile but ultimately fails as he backs Haechan further into the apartment

“Ask me now.”

“What?”

“Ask me out now.”

At this point, Donghyuck looks downright murderous but Mark pays him no heed as he keeps smiling down at Hyuck

“I’m not asking you out anymore, Mark Lee.”

“Then I’ll ask you.”

“No you won’t, I’ll say no.”

“Go out with me, Donghyuck.”

“No!”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to anymore!”

“Please?”

Hyuck stared up at the soft, pleading look on Mark’s face and feels himself crumble for a moment

So he turns away from temptation, a scowl deepening the lines on his face

Mark only follows his gaze and smiles back at Hyuck

He could see the younger boy's resolve breakaway but he also knew that Hyuck was a stubborn bitch

So finally, in a last-ditch attempt to get what he hoped will make them both happy, Mark decides to take Donghyuck’s hands in his and looks directly into his eyes

“I know I was a dick, Hyuck.. but please give me one more chance? Go out with me...”

Hyuck seemed like he was at a loss for words

The last of his dignity and his inflated ego had been chipped away and he felt like he was suddenly laid bare in front of Mark

Completely and 100% at his mercy

So instead of dignifying Mark’s begging with a response, he looks away once more and gives him a curt nod

The small affirmation, however, lights up Mark’s face and he hurriedly throws his arms around Hyuck and pulls him into a tight hug before spinning him around once (completely ignoring the shrieking it caused)

When Mark pulls away, Donghyuck's face is flushed red and he's scowling at him once more

But that didn’t dim Mark's smile at all

Instead, he asks Hyuck if he could kiss him

And Donghyuck, of course, says yes