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glassrowboat · 4 months ago

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“you’re not fine, you’re trembling. let me help you, please.” Baizhu ofc. x reader or x whatever ship you feel like for him! Bonus points if he’s receiving this piece of dialogue rather than saying it 🫶

Scales of Time. Michi.

Author's note: I am not proud of this, but I wrote it so THERE. That's what matters! :) I can always write it again when my skills improve anyway.

Michi is she/they

Word count: 4100+

The market was the same as always, bustling even as the crowds were slowing down to a halt as shops started to close down. Vendors, just as always, were in a rush to pack up and head home for the day. Even the one Baizhu had just been visiting as the sign flipped to read closed the very moment he had been handed the exact amount of change.

Coins clinked against each other in his open palm as the vendor wished Baizhu a pleasant evening.

Many a passers-by echoed the sentiment as Baizhu strolled through Chihu Rock, all ranging from how good it was to see Liyue's best doctor out and about instead of being cooped up in the pharmacy to wishing he gets home safe. Many were patients Baizhu found himself smiling at and sharing their sentiments, telling them to rest well, and others were the last few straggling merchants trying to drag a customer in from the hustle and bustle Baizhu was making his way through.

Each step had the paper bag in his hand crinkling, only to sway back and forth like it hadn't just brushed against his leg. A pendulum to Changsheng's ever watching eyes as her head moved back and forth to watch it. No doubt she was already eagerly waiting to get back to Bubu pharmacy to partake in tonight's dinner he had picked up from the South Wharf.

“Patience.” Baizhu chastised.

“You say that, but I'm sure you're hungry too.”

“And I don't recall claiming otherwise.” Baizhu's fingers brushed along her head, scratching at the pearlescent scales even as Changsheng huffed in annoyance as he said: “but you need to wait a little longer.”

Even with his leisurely pace, Baizhu couldn't deny the smell was getting to him to, twisting his stomach.

“Qiqi won't even remember if we were to eat before her.”

“And Gui?” Baizhu asked.

“We could say we got caught up by some people. Or-” Changsheng's intense stare off with the bag finally ended as she looked up at the sky. Overcast clouds blocked out the sun, turning the once brilliant blue sky a dreary gray. “We were simply being cautious of the weather and decided to eat in the meantime.”

“It would be best to get indoors.” Baizhu found himself admitting as he looked up at the sky with a pinched brow.

Her other comment? Well, he could ignore that for now.

Another vendor called out to him, cutting off Changsheng from what she was about to say (no doubt another sassy retort) as they waved their hand in front of Baizhu's face. Umbrellas lined their stand, hanging from every string and piece of bamboo, keeping it together. Though, it still looked unstable as the bars kept the overhead canopy together tilted back and forth with each gentle breeze tickling his hair.

“Doctor Baizhu!” The vendor shouted even with Baizhu standing only two feet away from him. Clearly, Baizhu would have to check this man's hearing the next time he visited the pharmacy. “We're selling if you're interested? It's a buy one get one half off deal.”

Changsheng curled back into his neck from the loud voice as Baizhu shook his head. “No, I'm sure we'll make it back quite alright without one. Besides, I doubt it will rain just yet when the sky has been like this all day.”

From daybreak to now the sun hadn't peaked out once to shine light on a single soul's face. She must be shy today.

But oh, how wrong he was as Baizhu was now stuck under the red stairs lining Feiyun Slope's towering buildings. Some lanterns had already been lit, glowing a soft orange that barely rivaled the gloom of the downpour coming down.

The sounds of drumming came down endlessly as the concrete street quickly became dark and water pooled on the steps Baizhu was hiding under. With a drip, the pool spilled over and fell down onto his neck with a pitter patter.

Changsheng was busy hissing up at the puddle like it personally went out of its way to wrong her as Baizhu sighed at the predicament he found himself in.

The once bustling crowd seemed to disappear without so much a wet footprint once the rain had come down.

“You stranded us.”

“Hardly.” Baizhu breathed out, trying to keep his exasperation from creeping into his voice. “We're merely…taking a short rest. It is a rare occasion for us these days to sit and watch the day go by without having our hands busy. We are simply making up for that now, Changsheng.”

“And dinner's getting cold.”

“And we have a stove at home that could easily warm the food back up.”

She truly was in a mood today complaining about whatever she could. Usually, she would be whispering in Baizhu's ear about the latest gossip. Yesterday, it was about how Ying’er and her fling from Mondstadt were talking about their future together, including marriage. The day before that? Baizhu had been regaled with the entire situation involving Chaoxi and his two timing ways.

All Changsheng's words, of course, not his. A doctor couldn't possibly be caught gossiping about his patients, even if he found the drama entertaining.

Though it was always funny seeing Changsheng acting like an old woman desperate for her next soap opera.

Another drop of water landed on his back, startling Baizhu into standing up straight as can be as his head turned back to look at where the water was dripping down from.

Pitter patter.

“Do you think we can head back and get an umbrella?”

Baizhu replied: “I'm sure they have all been sold out by now.” Especially with how eager the vendor had been when Baizhu was passing by. Surely, they had gone out like hot cakes on a cool fall day.

“So we're stuck.” She groaned.

As soon as Baizhu hummed in confirmation, her eyes were back on the paper bag he sat down on the walk beside him. “Meaning we have no reason not to eat our orders to help pass the time?”

“Changsheng.”

With a grumble of something or another at his warning tone, Changsheng tucked herself back against his neck, settling herself in for what would likely be a long wait if the pounding of the rain was anything to go by.

The cold didn't do anything to help his aches either, slowly creeping in on his knees and elbows like bugs to stray bits of food left out in the open. Mindlessly, he rubbed at them, trying to find something to pass the time.

Pitter patter.

Baizhu was about to open his mouth, try to stir up conversation with Changsheng once again to keep him distracted from the chill in the air and the few lights dancing along the reflecting pools in the street only for his vision to be blocked by bright reds and oranges washing away the gray like the sun finally came out to say a quiet hello.

Shining her rays of warmth as poppies and dragonflies filled the sky.

They were painted on an umbrella, each brush stroke clearly done with as much love and care as the artist could manage as the wings seemed to almost come to life before his eyes that slowly dropped to meet the person holding it. And dropped a little lower as he realized the top of this stranger's head only reached his chin.

Their arm outstretched in an attempt at keeping him and Changsheng dry under their shared cover.

“You know, I may not understand Liyuean culture much, at least not yet, anyway, but I don't think getting caught in the rain is a part of it.”

There was a black painted smile on their face adorned by golden spiked piercings (ironically enough, they were snake bites), as she met his gaze.

For a moment, he was tempted to play along. To claim that: “actually, rain watching is an important tradition here. One we tend to take seriously so it ought to be honored properly,” but the way Changsheng tightened around his neck had Baizhu stopping short; forcing Baizhu to take the stranger in.

They certainly didn't look like she was from Liyue, only making her words about not being familiar with the customs here sink in like a foot in loose sand.

“Are you new to Liyue then, miss?” Baizhu asked.

“Michi. And yeah, I just got in about a…week ago? Something like that.”

Her hand smoothed out her dress, fiddling with it as she tried to wipe off nonexistent dust. It was a pale green color that had Baizhu wondering when his next visit to Chenyu Vale would be just to see the stillwater jade floating atop a pond. Ripples would alway float across the water every time a lily pad dared to move even the slightest bit sending the dragonflies flying off at the slightest disturbance, whooshing past him with little to no care even as they brushed past his cheek.

It was the image of home.

Right before the miasma started to creep in, Baizhu thought as his eyes flicked to her smile.

Pitter patter.

“Baizhu.” He offered in turn.

“Oh, I know.” They waved her hand dismissively. “You're a bit of a celebrity around these parts, or as much of one as a doctor can be….but tell me, do you have a hobby of rain watching, or are you just stuck here?”

Baizhu hummed softly, the timber causing Changsheng to peak out from her spot against his neck she had happily been curled up in. “As beneficial as watching the rain can be for relaxation, I'm afraid to admit I may have…”

“Misjudged the weather?” Michi asked.

Baizhu muttered a quiet yes as he looked back up at the umbrella she was holding above him. The painted bugs were easier to look at than the look Michi was sporting; it was far too obvious she was trying not to outright laugh at him.

“Happens to the best of us.”

With a nod, Baizhu said: “And always at the worst of times.”

“You can say that again.” Changsheng whispered in his ear as Michi took a step towards him and offered her arm out. Like she was expecting Baizhu to simply take it.

“Well, Doc, care to let me escort you out of this poor predicament you found yourself in?”

“Oh, I couldn't possibly-” Baizhu's hand moved from his elbow (the very one he had been massaging at while groaning about the cold) to Michi's arm, trying to encourage her to drop it back down to their side even as his fingers seemed to spark back to life, brushing away the cold like it never existed, as his skin touched hers. “I would hate to make you go out of your way.”

“‘Make me go out of my way’ you say? Maybe I just want to learn more about this pretty doctor I'm hearing everyone talking about.”

Changsheng chuckled in his ear as Baizhu's eyes snapped down to look at Michi as they called him pretty. He could almost hear the comments his companion had for him once the two of them were alone again; something along the lines of ‘trying not to be so obvious when he's flustered lest she need to cover for him again,’ was already playing in his head.

Baizhu's smile strained.

“That's too kind of you, really, but-”

“But?”

“I couldn't possibly bother you, miss, especially after only just meeting you. It certainly would reflect poorly-”

“Okay, we can do this whole back and forth thing for, like, ten minutes or you could just give in and let me walk you home.” Michi’s head cocked ever so slightly to the side, their brown hair tickling over her shoulders. “Unless you want to reenact a cheesy romance scene where it's raining and the two lovers are looking at each other longingly with hearts in their eyes?”

With a hand to her heart, Michi dramatically stated: “You’re not fine, you’re trembling from this pouring rain. Let me help you, please.”

“Are you always like this?” Changsheng asked, as straight to the point as ever.

“Yeah, basically.”

It took a moment for Michi to look back up at Changsheng who was happily wrapped around Baizhu's neck, the realization a snake had just talked slowly but surely settling in, only for them to mutter “this might as well happen.”

Certainly not the worst reaction he's ever seen, especially when she wasn't shrieking at him like the Traveler's little white-haired companion did.

Pitter patter.

“And if I were to turn your offer down, I suppose you will only insist once more?”

“You know it, Doc. But, I can go on about how you can't take care of Liyue if you don't let Liyue take care of you if that convinces you to play along.”

Baizhu hummed softly as he took in Michi’s tone. It was the same one he would use on stubborn patients who insisted there was no need to change their diet: completely no nonsense.

With a “no, that won't be necessary” Baizhu acquiesced. Moving out from the shelter he had no choice but to run to when the rain had started Baizhu ducked under her umbrella, leaving the red stairs and the drops of water constantly adding to the chill running down his back behind.

“Oh, and-” Reaching down, Michi grabbed his bag (and almost hit his face in the process). “Best not to forget this, yeah? Now come along.”

Michi didn't even give Baizhu the chance to take the bag from her as they walked, quickly holding it out of the reach of his outstretched hand.

“You said you only arrived in Liyue Harbor a week ago, then?” Baizhu asked as they strolled through the street, each step met with the soft splash of water that threatened to soak through his shoes.

In turn, her heels clicked against the pavement.

“Yeah, just set up my own stall and all that jazz.” Michi adjusted the umbrella in her grip, raising it a little higher so Baizhu didn't have to duck to fit under it with her. “Though, that's all a little boring in comparison to your talking snake there.”

“It's Changsheng.” The very same talking snake snapped.

“Cool. So, are you like a sock puppet brought to life by a wandering blue fairy with a stick that has a star attached to it? And this next question is totally unrelated, but does your nose grow when you lie?”

Baizhu held back his sigh as Changsheng huffed out a remark.

Puddles filled the street, pointing out every crack and divet that had been ignored in favor of putting the funds for proper care elsewhere. Funneled away while he was left occasionally seeing a child or two tripping over them time and time again even as their parents scolded them for not being cautious of their surroundings. In the end, they would usually be brought by the pharmacy for a quick clean up of their scraped hands and knees before being sent on their merry way.

The little kids would usually turn back once they reached the end of the staircase they were climbing down with a wave and a quick shout of "thank you, Doctor Bai!”

Baizhu's eyes dropped to another crack in the street, one he would have to personally put an order in for it to be addressed as he listened to the two going back and forth. They had been bickering the entire way up to Bubu Pharmacy, having no issue going back and forth making retort after retort that had Baizhu trying to stifle his laughter.

Michi’s comments of how Changsheng was a glorified necklace only stopped when the three of them were under Bubu’s roof standing all together as they were once again shielded from the rain.

Gui smiled at him from behind the counter.

Knowing him, Baizhu would have to explain how he got caught up in the rain only to be saved by a Good Samaritan when they close up the shop.

“Home sweet home.” Changsheng mused as she waved at Gui using the tip of her tail, wagging it back and forth.

“Indeed. It hardly suits either of us to be out here when it's so damp.” Scratching under Changsheng's chin, Baizhu looked over at Michi, placing his bag down on the wooden table in the pharmacy. Her heels left footprints along the floor leading up to where she was as Michi plopped it down. Rather unceremoniously to boot.

“Alright, Doc, it seems your trip has been completed. You even got home all safe and sound.” Michi said in a sing-song voice.

She passed by him quickly, moving back to the patio, shoes already threatening to meet the stairs as Baizhu spoke up.

“I truly must thank you. If it weren't for you, Changsheng and I surely would have been waiting under those stairs until the rain had finally stopped.”

“It's no sweat, really."

Changsheng whispered in Baizhu's ear, telling him how Michi had mumbled “just be sure to give me a five-star rating” under her breath. It certainly proved handy in more ways than one to always have her wrapped around his neck.

“Would you like to stay until the weather clears? I can put on a kettle and make you a cup of tea. It's the least I can do.”

Their heel fell back on the patio as Michi turned around to look at him, umbrella still in hand even as they stood under the beams supporting the green tiled roof of Bubu. Spinning it in her hold, he could see the poppies and dragonflies. A carousel in her hold. Round and round.

Though Baizhu could have sworn a single iridescent wing twitch, if only for a second. He pulled his glasses off, wondering if he might need a new prescription only to be met with a single drop of water sliding down the lenses.

“Chat and tea, huh? My, I might start feeling like a noble lady with such treatment.”

“I don't think a lady would be as snippy as you, miss.”

Michi shrugged, seemingly perfectly unbothered by his jest. “Maybe not in front of a gentleman like you, no, but who are we to say?”

Changsheng shifted against his neck, freeing herself from the cover of his hair to stick her head out towards Michi. Tongue flicking out. “And you need a towel.”

Sliding his glasses back on Baizhu, he could feel the crystal he had hanging off of them brush against his face as he looked back up at Michi. Their left shoulder was clearly sopping wet, her sleeve a hue deeper than the distinct green she wore.

Had she-

“A little water won't kill me.” Michi stated.

“This thing called hypothermia says otherwise.” Changsheng retorted.

“Hypo what now?” At both their looks, Michi added: “I was joking.”

Baizhu looked back at Gui, a silent look shared between the two. That was all it took for him to start moving to get up and grab a towel from the back even as Michi was rolling her eyes at the sight of the fluffy white material.

“I see the pretty doctor prefers it when people respect his wishes.”

She snatched the towel from Gui’s hand, almost startling the man as he took a step back from them. With a quick “you're welcome” at her thank you he was already back in Bubu ruffling through their takeout.

Baizhu could just barely hear Gui say “Oh good, it's still warm,” as he took out the containers and placed them along the table. Honey sesame chicken for Gui, egg drop soup for Baizhu, some cut up meat for Changsheng, and almond tofu for Qiqi. All aligned perfectly.

Odd, for how long he was out there, Baizhu could have sworn the food would have gone cold by now.

“It is my duty to make sure every patient that climbs up those stairs-” the very ones that had him taking a break just to sit down and recover from the strain they put on his body every time Baizhu climbed up them- “is well taken care of. That includes you.”

Michi looked up at him for a moment, only to wink and teasingly add in: “Aren't you charming?”

Baizhu's fingers tapped against his thigh as Michi once again brushed his concern off like it was nothing.

“Michi-” He tried to scold.

“And I have somewhere to be.”

She had an awfully bad habit of cutting him off. Not even Changsheng, with her need to always flex her sharp wit, would jump at every opportunity to stop Baizhu short.

He was about to say something else when Changsheng chimed in. “And what could be so important you have to handle it now?”

“Like I said, I have a shop to attend to, I just moved in so there's plenty of boxes to unpack, and I need to figure out the layout of this city because I can't handle asking that one kid with blue hair and a cheeky smile where I am again.”

Changsheng and Baizhu shared a glance as they both came to the same conclusion about who Michi was talking about.

“Then,” Baizhu said, “at least know the pharmacy is always open to all patients. Even shop owners with a bad habit of letting their tongue fly too freely.”

“Oh, you've been paying attention to my tongue now?”

As they spoke, Michi laid the towel, now slightly damp, over the wooden railing lining the platform Bubu pharmacy had been erected on.

“Kidding. I'm just kidding.” Michi laughed at Baizhu's wide eyes.

“Right…Right…” Baizhu whispered to himself. “I knew that, miss.”

Ignoring Changsheng's ‘sure you did,’ Baizhu looked back at Gui, now accompanied by a purple hat just barely peeking over the table (no doubt it was Qiqi) settling down for dinner.

Baizhu couldn't help the smile on his face at the sight, especially when he already knew Changsheng was aching to join those two and partake in dinner herself.

“Surely waiting for the rain to stop wouldn't hinder you?”

Turning back to Michi, Baizhu was stopped short at the sight of wet prints on the ground right where they had been standing, the towel she had been given before still hanging off the railing, and a dull orange glow out of the corner of his eye. Just like the lanterns that had been lining the street. Barely standing out against the bleak weather, but eye-catching nonetheless.

Looking down Michi had already descended the stairs, standing in the middle of the square like she belonged there with an umbrella held high in the air as rain came down hitting it with a pitter patter before sliding along and falling to the ground.

A pyro vision just barely flashed, swaying back and forth as it hung from a golden thread before poppies and dragonflies blocked it out of his sight again as Michi turned around to offer him a wave goodbye.

Baizhu was waving her goodbye before he could even think about it, half expecting her to call out a thank you despite knowing there was no need to.

With that, he turned back to the two waiting at the table and slid in beside them, already helping plate Qiqi's food.

“There's no need to hide anymore.” Michi scolded as she walked away.

That seemed to be enough to draw her little friend's attention as it whizzed around her, flying like a spark after the loud bang of a firework went off as a dragonfly covered in flames landed on her shoulder.

It didn't even sting as she looked down at the creature snuggled up against her, having long since gotten used to the heat it emitted. Wide eyes seemed to see all, even as smoke clogged its vision.

No longer were the sound of fluttering wings, only the click of her shoes and the endless drumming of the sky. Perhaps the gods were crying somewhere. Weeping.

Filling each crack and divet with their tears that splashed at her ankles as she stepped into a puddle.

Finally, her breathing slowed down, heart settling, and her fidgeting stopped as the umbrella lay still in the palm of her hand.

“What was I supposed to do?” Michi asked the dragonfly, a huff of annoyance in her voice. “Leave him there when that pretty boy looked like a wet cat stuck in a cardboard box? Honestly, it was absolutely pathetic.”

But he smiled at her nonetheless, took her arm, and-

Scoffing at herself, Michi's heel hit the pavement with a heavy click, throwing the thought of the doctor out of her mind with it.

“Come now, we can't afford to be distracted.”

#baizhu #baizhu x oc #michi #genshin oc #oc michi #banner by cafekitsune

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barry-j-blupjeans · 2 years ago

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19 with taako n dealer's choice

19. Offering a hand to help them up after they've fallen.

((101 ways to say I love you with actions prompts here - still accepting!))

Before this moment, Lucretia had only seen two actual, physical fights in her life.

The first had been at age thirteen, in the hallway to her last class of the day. She didn't know the exact circumstances for it, but it hadn't looked pretty. Until then, she had only read about fight scenes in books or, rarely, her parents took her to see plays that portrayed fights. In real life, it was bloody, sweaty, and loud. She had stood there, frozen, until a teacher came to break it up and get everyone back in motion toward their classes. She spent the whole period- after easily finishing her work- writing it down for prosperity.

Back then, she was planning on writing an honest-to-gods memoir, as if she had any interesting moments in her life to make into something worth reading. She had scrapped most of it later, because who wanted to read about a fight the narrator wasn't even involved in? She isn't a hundred percent sure if she regrets it or not.

The second had been during a summer visit home from college, at age seventeen. She and her brother had been on the boardwalk of Saltwood, a huge seaside city on the west coast. Their parents had paid for an extensive vacation, like they used to when Lucretia was a kid. Only they seemed content sitting by the seaside this time, watching the waves roll in as she and her brother walked around until the soles of their feet hurt.

The fight broke out further down the boardwalk, next to a candy store where Lucretia had stuffed her pockets full of sea salt taffy earlier. There was the sound of shattering glass as someone's drink went flying out of their hand, but Lucretia was more focused on her brother- her younger brother, the one she was supposed to be looking after, the one that had saved her ice cream from a seagull yesterday, the one that wrote her pages and pages of letters when she had to go away- rushing into the fray.

Later, she described it as reckless in her journal. Stupid, too. She wrote and wrote and wrote until her hands ached and then she joined her brother on the couch, sullenly icing her wrist as he pretended his leg cast was the neck of a giraffe.

"I coulda taken 'em," he had said, sounding so sure of himself that Lucretia couldn't help but groan.

If she counted the Hunger as a fight, she had seen much more than two. But she would describe the Hunger more as a battle. "Conflict" or even just "fight" was too small of a word to describe multiple worlds being destroyed in a matter of mere minutes. But war, however, felt too big, too personal. Too… endless. Battle was really the only other word she could think of. Everything else had too many strings attached.

Even then, she hadn't even stuck around to see the Hunger's destruction. Last year, she had been on the deck as they flew out of the world and even that had been much too close for comfort. Lucretia was lucky- as lucky as someone could be facing a yearly apocalypse. She had never had to participate in the fighting until now.

Davenport had sent her, Taako, and Magnus to retrieve the Light. It had landed in the middle of a thick forest. The burning heat from this world's three suns edged away as they trekked under the tree line. Out there, there never truly seemed to be nighttime. In here, Lucretia could barely tell this world had one sun, let alone three of them. Nothing got past the thick branches overhead.

The forest around them was silent, still. Recovering the Light had been easy with Taako's magic and Magnus's willingness to scale a tree even if he didn't need to. It had gotten lodged up in one of the higher branches. Taako used Levitate to lift Magnus into the air (Lucretia was so nervous she would have looked away, but writing it down accurately was more important) and Magnus cut the Light free, no problem.

The way back to the Starblaster was much more jovial, but the stillness and silence remained. As far as they could tell from before, this world was empty. But of course, that was then, and this was now.

Lucretia stumbled, falling back as a bright orange spell flung over her head. Her nose stung and she knew it must have broken- if the cracking sound wasn't enough to clue her in, then the various descriptions she had read in Merle's thick medical texts did. Her mouth started to fill with the bitter taste of blood. She was sure her hands were messed up, too- they must be, having fallen back like this. Possibly her legs as well, her lower back-

Lucretia had never been in a fight and she was positive she never wanted to be. Her brain didn't work for fights. She always tried to divide her thoughts into easy-to-work-through sections, so she could go back later and catalog the most important bits. But in an actual fight- here, right now, in this moment- that wouldn't help. One of the brigands that had snuck up on them had a weapon she didn't recognize pointed at her, his fist bloody. That was her blood.

"Hey, thug," Taako's voice said. Lucretia looked up- and oh, she needed to write this dow- … to remember this, that framing was brilliant- to see Taako standing over her, face illuminated from a slight gap in the treeline. "I think you've got some dust on your everywhere."

He cast a spell Lucretia didn't recognize (she needed to do more reading, she had to be accurate-) and the brigand stumbled back much like Lucretia had when he had punched her. There was a second where he caught himself, looking down at himself and back up at Taako in pure and utter confusion, before his body began to crumble. In the blink of an eye, all that was left was a pile of gray ash.

Taako held out a hand for her and she took it, a little dazed. He pulled her back up to her feet. A few feet away, Lucretia saw Magnus take a hard swing at one of the brigands, solidly hitting the side of their face.

"Duck real quick," Taako said, pushing on her shoulder slightly. Lucretia squatted, her legs aching and Taako shot off another spell. In the distance, she heard Magnus give a loud "nice!". Taako helped her back up and pressed the Light into her open hands. "You get this back to the ship and we'll take care of the rest."

"But-" Lucretia said.

"Luce," Taako said. "I would love fucking nothing more than to get outta here together but Beefy McPunchy over here isn't gonna back down until he's clobbered at least two of these idiots and, frankly, you're not gonna help any."

"I can-" Lucretia said, but both she and Taako knew she had no defense.

"You can get in my way, is what you can do," Taako said, turning her around so she was facing the direction the ship was in again. "Get Lup or maybe like, Merle, I guess, but just get the Light back. We'll be right behind you."

He patted Lucretia's shoulder- if she wasn't so- so- gods, she needed to find a word for this feeling- maybe she wouldn't have flinched. But she did, anyway.

"Don't do anything reckless," Lucretia said. She tightened her grip on the Light. "Or stupid."

"Stupid and reckless is Magnus's entire thing," Taako said. Lucretia felt like she wanted to cry, but she laughed instead. "But I'll make sure he doesn't get fucked up too bad. I can take 'em no problem, don't worry."

Oh, how familiar this situation felt. She blinked away tears and tried to ignore the throbbing in her nose, the sting of blood in her throat. She glanced over at Magnus, who had just taken a spell to the chest and winced.

"Go," Taako said, ushering her forward. "Now." Narratively, she should stay. But this was nothing like fight scenes in the plays she had to sit through as a child or the ones she read and reread over and over again in books. If they died- they wouldn't, they couldn't, they-

If they died, they'd be back. They had to be back.

Lucretia turned back towards the ship and ran.

#lucretia #taako #taz #taz balance #mine #asks #anon #ise cube writing #man. i tried so hard to make this taako centric but it was Not working with me sldkfdf sorry anon #taako's in here tho so! yay! least I've got that sldfksd

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neverheardnothing · 2 years ago

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Album + Iconis & Family concert breakdown/review

I wanted to consolidate my thoughts on Album after having enough time to digest the songs and their recorded versions. Here’s my track by track breakdown no one asked for. Warning, it’s a long one.

Album

A bit navel gaze-y, she types for her Iconis dedicated blog while wearing her Iconis and Family t-shirt she got on a trip she spent way too much money on entirely to see Joe, lol. On my generous days I’ll say I think he deserves it though, and then on my hater days I’m rolling my eyes. It’s very Joe, a sprawling mess of a too long song, it’s just that it’s too much about him as a person in a way that doesn’t excite me. Not to say I think Joe is boring but I don’t think it was written in a way that appeals to me. By itself, it’s mostly a skip because of sheer length, it isn't all that good/exciting of a song, and Joe isn’t the best singer. I think I like his live performances more because on professionally recorded it sounds just good enough that it’s in an uncanny valley between the rawness and messiness that live allows and which Joe does well in and the cleanness of recorded. I do enjoy the family coming in at the end as well as the little references to other songs of his littered throughout. That’s the main redeemable part of the song. Well, the music is nice but that’s usually a given. The ever so slight echo-y haunting quality is great. But not enough that I’m going to ever listen to it enough to remember the words and the order of the call and response at the end.

Best memory of the song was on the Saturday Iconis and Family Album release concert at 54 Below where within the first verse, Joe forgot the lyrics and had to start over.

The Answer

Interesting singer pick for the song. Yeah, Joe says that not one person is on Album solely for their name but, well, some people are clearly here at least partially because of it. Not discounting his performance at all, it’s very good. Just doesn’t stand out from the many other versions of this song that are out there. I haven’t seen Aaron Tveit in enough to be able to judge his acting in general, but everything in his version felt stock, standard, safe. It was very impressive vocally and sounds really good but this is a teenager having a breakdown about his life path, and it doesn’t quite sound like that. Again, it’s good but it’s like he didn’t put his stink on the song which is what I’m looking for when I hear new performances of a song other people have done.

Ammonia

Charlie R once said something of the sort that hearing a song fully/with new orchestrations for the first time is like only looking at line art for so long and then seeing a colored image. Yeah. Man, yeah.

All the other performances of Ammonia have cut that one verse since Heidi did it and I’m glad it’s back. I could and have spent hours listening to this version. The ominous bass was an obvious choice for orchestration but that doesn’t make it any less good when you hear it. I’m always a big slut for strings so hearing those spiccato high notes is great. The strings in general make this song feel so expansive. It sounds like the freedom of an empty house, taking up more space than there is physically. It’s loud and sweeping and epic in the exact way this song and the story told in it deserves. Fuck. I love Ammonia.

Heidi deserves awards for her performance in this song. Also I can’t believe it was one of the songs released early, I was thinking we would have to wait till the entire thing came out to hear this monster of a song, but no it was just out there. It forced me to listen to this one hours on repeat because nothing else was out (except for Kevin) and you’d think the song would be diminished on that many repeat listenings but yet during each one my mind was still fucking blown by how good it was.

Archie's All-American

The energy of this song is fucking infectious. At the concert, we went straight from Album into this song and the instant head boppin’ energy was palpable from within a second of the instrumental starting up. EWM was fucking great on this song in person and I’ll be honest I think I like that more than ABF’s version on the Album, though maybe I’m biased because I just really like EWM’s voice. Not to say that the Album version isn’t good, but I think the instrumental mix didn’t go as hard as it did in person (drums really gave it that extra oomph). ABF does bring a youthful energy to his version that’s very nice and fitting of the song. Speaking of ABF, apparently he did a demo version of Kaboom and I would kill a man for it. God, this song just makes you want to fucking dance.

Lydia's Song

I know absolutely nothing about Beetlejuice but Lauren doing this song is always such a weird goddamn delight. Lyrically, this song isn't my favorite but the music and performance Lauren consistently gives is unparalleled. I know it’s called acting, but her mood when she was singing this song in person was so dour I actually got fooled into thinking she wasn’t happy to be there briefly. Also, strings. The deep, sparingly used drum beats. They add so much to the atmosphere of this song. Fucking superb, Charlie.

The Protector

Joe, tell me what this song means you bastard. I know you saw my Reddit AMA comment because you acknowledged it when answering the other one!! Todd Solondz’s Happiness apparently helped inspire this song which means I have to go watch it at some point. This song wasn’t one of my regular listens before Album because it was so confusing but lately I’ve been thinking about it a lot.

I know I’m overusing this word and I’ll use it several more times before we’re through with this breakdown, but the music of this song is so fucking haunting and beautiful. The dissonant chords. The deep piano. The journey you go on with this song. First listen you think it’s an extended joke with the “in Florida” punchline but on repeat listens it starts to be more than that. The music and lyrics are both a bit too chilling. To me, this song has always been about a father, too beaten down by life and haunted by the past, to trust his son with his own safety, but that feels pretty surface level after you get past the Florida joke reading, though I do think my readings of songs tend to stay pretty surface level. I’ll be wondering what else I’m missing for a long time.

Another overused term, this song is a liminal space. It’s distant shores. It’s snowy fields of white. It’s record stores. It’s suburbs bathed in white. It’s too-real conversations that can only happen in kitchens late at night and are never accessible again, but have changed you and your understanding of the other person forever. I have no fucking clue what the Florida bit is supposed to mean, even still.

Maybe the placement of this song on Album, sandwiched between Lydia’s Song and Kevin, will provide further clues but for now the mystery of The Protector remains unsolved.

Kevin

I didn’t realize Andrew R was as popular as he was but I guess considering the 81k streams on this song at time of writing (second most popular being the title song at 13k), he brings in the listeners. I admit I’m more partial to Jeremy M’s version of the song. I think he fits in the character more and makes bolder decisions, but he doesn’t sit as well with the music. Andrew plays it very straight, sarcastic, and vitriolic while Jeremy’s is a bit more flighty and wondrous. I haven’t checked to confirm but it feels like the tempo is slowed a bit for the middle of the song which I’m pretty ok with on this track. His delivery on “I mean you didn’t even live here then so it wasn’t really a thing for you” is so good. You can taste the contempt. The police sirens are a golden touch. I can see it in my head, him stone faced, nonchalantly walking opposite past police cars racing towards the scene.

Another person who is probably on here at least partially because of the name, but I’m ok with it because he kills it (literally) on this track. Finished typing this and just remembered his numerous Broadway credits, yeah he’s popular lol.

Jeff

My disappointment is immeasurable and my day is ruined and you know exactly why. The goddamn lyric change. Changing “naked Korean girl” to “naked caucasian girl” makes the song instantly lose 1/3rd (literally a third, her 3 traits are: naked, Korean, and girl) of its meaning because at least for my reading, the fetishization of the exoticness of the east is baked into the song. I know everyone’s gonna be like IT��S NOT THAT DEEP and that’s fine, I’m still gonna rant here. The whole point of the song is that Jeff is looking to this person who he thinks is the complete opposite of him, of which the Korean part is intentionally drawing upon the long history of painting the east as foreign and other, and wishing to be like her.

The specific change to caucasian seems like such a weird one, too. Who SAYS caucasian? To my knowledge, no one is out here saying “I’m caucasian” in the way people say “I’m white/Korean/Black/etc.” I get why Joe changed it because if I were a white man I wouldn’t be writing a song like that, but well, he did, and I liked it the way it was.

Maybe it wasn’t intended to be read that way and Joe just needed a nationality that would fit with that number of syllables, but he wrote Korean originally and that’s how the song was popularized and now that meaning is part of the song, death of the author etc. Just like it’d be pretty impossible to change Just Means or Nerd Love to be less uncomfortable/offensive without changing the DNA of the song, you can’t change Jeff, even if on the surface the issue seems restricted to one word. Changing it seems both cowardly AND neuters the song. I would love to talk to Joe about this and why he changed it but that doesn’t ever seem likely to happen. Final take, it should’ve stayed as “Korean.”

Also, I don’t know how much I jive with the trans interpretation of this song. Yeah, we’re going even further down this rabbit hole. The original lyric of Korean makes me instantly think of the way white men specifically fetishize Asian women, especially in film and porn, in a way that’s so cishet and about the white male/Asian female (forgive my use of the term I promise I’m not going mrasian on you) interaction and yellow fever that it’s hard for me to see past it as anything other than fetishization. I don’t think Joe was intentionally writing about any of this other than to use Korean as a shortcut catch-all for Asian exoticness to highlight the otherness from Jeff’s experience. Even some lyrics within the song push back on the more sexual parts of this interpretation (“I don’t want her to think that I’m some perv on some voyeuristic trip” “I promise I’m not looking out of carnal frustration”) but then come the first “oh” part of the song where I take it to mean he’s deriving some sort of pleasure, sexual or not, from this, so who knows how reliable of a narrator Jeff is, though I do tend to take his word on it when he says it’s nonsexual. Not to say that it can’t be fetishistic without it being sexual. Nor that this and the trans reading of the song are exclusive, just that the former is what is overpoweringly what I think of when I hear this song.

Ok, we’re done with the it’s not that deep section.

With that out of the way, Jeremy is fucking great. He plays both the humor and the complexities of this song so fucking well. I love the very specifically chosen grammar incongruity in the line “a couple couples see me fall all over but none of them cares.” It’s subtle enough that you might miss it at first or think that the singer messed up the lyrics but it’s consistent throughout different people singing this song and you realize it’s supposed to convey Jeff’s drunken state. Such a small detail. I fucking love it. Jeremy’s delivery also changes a bit. You can hear the swallows and the slight lag in speech. I can feel his fantasy shatter and reality come crashing back in when he says “myself just staring back at me.” The ever so slight hint of bitterness in his voice when he says “your life will be the same.” It’s so subtle and so good. Man, Jeremy’s performance on this song is unparalleled and it’s a shame this version is ruined by the lyric change. I love this song so much despite how sinister it feels to me. It really is a masterful combo of music, lyrics, and performance.

BUT I AM NOT THE SAME!!!!!!!!!!!

Remember when people shipped Kevin and Jeff? Wild times and I never really understood why. Okay, I do in that they’re both named sadboi characters whose songs have a surprising life and death twist, but on a deeper level I don’t think these characters have anything that would make them compatible. At the core, their characters are based on apathy and self-hatred respectively and what about those two things go well together I’m lost on. It does make for good vibes and aesthetics I guess.

Using Joe lyrics to talk about different Joe songs. “I think about the legacy and all those who came before.” Guess all his street number songs are obviously going to be about history and legacy. The cyclic nature of inspiration. The deconstruction of the rose tinted glasses we see the past through. Alan is so good on this track it makes me almost angry. Slight growl on “drink at McHale’s.” His voice is so smooth. The new orchestrations for this song are so pretty and definitely on the subtler side. Touch of strings, brass, and drums that gives it some extra color but still mainly piano and guitar like in the live version. I love the not quite synchronization on the delivery of “good lord, nostalgia’s so complex!” Also just having 3 people who can really fucking sing on this tracks brings so much life to it.

Play the Princess

Much in the way I think Hosing The Furniture woman and Ammonia woman should leave their husbands and get together, I think the two women in Play The Princess should kiss about it. I think they kinda swapped out a jazzy style for a more country vibe. I can believe this version of the song happens in the backstage of Bloodsong. I do admit I really miss Katrina’s voice on this track, I don’t think L Morgan and Destinee’s voices go as well together. Like they talked about on the podcast, they both seem sorta type-less, but L Morgan sells the princess type a lot more than Destinee does the tough type. Or maybe I’m just too used to hearing Katrina’s powerful voice on this song. Overall, I just don’t think Destinee gave a good performance. Like at 3:40 you can hear her just fade out and it’s only L Morgan singing. What the hell is that? Maybe a lack of communication from having recorded separately? Whatever it is, this track turned out to be pretty disappointing and it was one of the ones I was most looking forward to when the tracklist was announced.

On one hand, I guess it says something about how these women perceive themselves to be that type and mentally put themselves in those boxes when in actuality they don’t come across as it and that they have much more in common than they give themselves credit for, but on the other hand they’re both just sorta same-y and the lack of contrast doesn’t excite me.

The Actress

All the Obie awards to this performance. This song is so Katrina’s that I literally cannot imagine anyone else doing it. I love the new zombie-like “yaaas queen.” It’s my exact reaction to her singing like this and that’s exactly why that line is in there. I love how you need to have that loud and high voice the song talks about to pull it off, but she also retains so much of her uniqueness in her performance that the song talks about throwing away. Also, god this song is so fucking bonkers. Just so classic Joe. The seven minute insane character story epic. This type of song is what I think of when I think of a Joe composition. For translation from live to studio, no complaints. Pretty much a replica and it works very well.

The Song

This fucking song makes me want to hide under sheets and never come out again. This is not the song I should feel called out by the amount of raw fucking lines that make me feel way too seen, but yet here we are. Songs to make my future therapist listen to for sure. Insert Gordon Ramsay’s it’s fucking raw.jpg here.

This along with the next song on Album is of those songs by Joe where you go “oh this is about him” to “oh it’s actually only about him in the same way that all the songs he writes are about him, but he uses the context of his real person to make it seem like it’s only about him on surface level reading.” Brilliance. That’s also why I have trouble believing that it’s solely based on any relationship in Joe’s real life. Sure, he probably drew inspiration, but I doubt this is anything close to a one to one recount of what happened in his life. Off topic, but it feels the same as when people think A Strange Loop is autobiographical for Michael R. Jackson. Yes they drew varying levels of inspiration from their own lives but it’s clearly about a character and not themselves.

Sometimes I lean towards maybe The Song could be about a real life relationship with the introduction he gives it (can only be sung when a certain someone doesn’t come to the concert), but I always wonder how true that is. I used to take it at face value but lately I've been thinking about the bits he's done in the past in between songs that aren't true so now we're back where we started. The introduction could be part of the performance. Then I also remember how Joe's material never is surface level about him, they're all done through characters, slightly more apparent in All The Mistakes than in this song, which makes me even more sure that this song is also about a character. Am I overthinking this? I'm probably overthinking this.

This is the song on the album that should have an intro, not fucking Muthers. I want that intro on here to fuck with people’s heads even more.

All the Mistakes That He Made About the Girl

Sad to say that it's not as rockin’ and angry as in the live videos. Unfortunately that’s a complaint about almost every single song on here but y’know, only so much you can do when translating live to studio. I feel like Joe just isn’t slamming on the keys as hard as he can like this song deserves. The electric guitar and drums helps but also Joe just doesn’t sound as aggressive as he does in other performances. I think there’s a slight synthetic effect on Joe’s voice throughout the song? Or maybe not, but definitely at “he’ll be back where he started” it’s very audible and I enjoy that a lot. I’m also liking the electric guitar arpeggios. Also once again, a sucker for strings.

I love that in a way this song is the opposite of The Actress in that while they both talk about how well the performer can sing, The Actress actually calls for that performance while this song is exclusively performed by Joe and anyone can admit he’s not the greatest singer.

Yesterdays / I Can't Relate

I’m so conflicted because I love the version Jared did at the Lincoln Center and the higher chorus a lot and yet Jason V’s voice is so deep and soothing and I think it fits song better. I could easily see this song on some indie artist’s 5 track EP. Both Jason T and Jared start off with like a weariness in their acting but Jared moves into almost reproachfulness by the end while Jason T stays mostly weary. Love both vibes. I do miss synthy piano, it evoked like an 80s sorta feel. This song so melancholy that I don’t listen to it that much but it really pulls off the vibes it’s going for. Old man too confused and tired to yell at clouds.

Building a Fort

I like this song only so far as it’s a good character song. I don’t really care for it musically or lyrically. One line that always throws me is “I’m not answering your email, I’m throwing out my phone” because I always feel like this song is a spiritual brother to Albuquerque Anyway. It seems very much from the POV of a child so having a phone and email to check seems so strange. Do children check emails? I really don’t think it could be an adult with the way the music is and the rest of the language of the song. If it is that sure would be weird. Anyway the song is cutesy but not for me most days. I love that the backup vocals though are also (as far as I can tell) all by himself alone.

Haddonfield, 15 Years Later (For Judith)

COME ON HOME!!!!!!! During the very first listen I was sort of concerned by how low energy it was but then it kicked into high gear and every single fear was assuaged. Jared fucking kills it so goddamn hard (sidenote: I’ve been re-listening to Isolated Thunderstorms and Elusive Particle is such a fucking jam). I like breakdown laughter a lot since now it isn't a solo song and he doesn't have to Carry the entire thing but also man, do miss those High Notes. The choir arrangements are so fucking fantastic I need to give Joel my life. I want to hear just the vocal tracks on this song. The arrangement and amount of people singing also really helps with the volume and energy. Love the drop out on the lyrics (same thing as in MITB). In the Sunday performance, Jared did a little inhale like he was gonna start singing before stepping away from the mic. God tier. Platonic hand in marriage to that acting choice. Jared so consistently brings like 200% to performances I really want to see him in a full length Joe musical one day. Oh, also time to admit I haven't seen Halloween.

Sympathy for the Killer

Not one of my regular listens before Album but Liz does so good on this song that she and the song are growing on me actually. Previously I had only really thought of her doing Velociraptor but she killed so hard on this song (or rather was killed) both acting and singing-wise (sidenote: definitely gonna be keeping an eye out on White Girl In Danger). As a song itself, it’s not my favorite, but it’s short enough, Liz gives a good enough performance, and the production is fun enough that I’ll listen to it most of the time. I love the dissonant piano, the laughing, the sighs. Fun fact it’s also the second shortest song on Album (behind Slide Whistle). A Joe song less than 3 minutes long is a rare, rare thing.

Helen Sharp

Previously a “Joe sings this so there’s a layer of extra irony/meaning” song but literally anything lost from Joe performing it is instantly made up for one hundredfold with Lorinda’s performance. Are you fucking kidding me?!?! I am literally fucking speechless. I don’t have words to describe how good she is on this. Charlie’s work on the song also helps elevate it to a new fucking level. I love the at times creeping and other grandiose strings, along with the brass (what is that, a tuba?) that joins in right at the end. It helps expand the world of the song so much. I truly know nothing about the movie Death Becomes Her but I can imagine this version of Helen Sharp actually doing something, anything, about Madeline. Meanwhile, Joe’s version is also angry and bitter, but seemed more content to just bitch about it, and the orchestrations definitely help with that difference. I love the venom in Lorinda’s voice at “everything you wanted for yourself” but honestly I could pick 10 different deliveries to put in there and they’d all be true. I love Lauren being so audible in that first shout of “Madeline” when more people join in. I love the scream. I love the whisper of “Madeline” at the end.

When the YT release of the Lincoln Center performance happened, Lauren posted a picture of this song happening on her insta story captioned with something along the lines of “if only you could hear the names Joe is shouting in our living room right now” and I would kill to be a fly in that living room wall right then. I mean I think we can all guess the names but it’d still be fun to hear.

The Nurse and the Addict

Heard that one version of Joe singing it at the MTF so many times that my brain leaves in the flub he did and not hearing it on this version always throws me for a loop momentarily. The typewriter clack noises are brilliant and so, so fun. My platonic hand in marriage to whoever thought of it. Probably Charlie. I love that editing gets us the complete dead silence for after "pull away a bit" to the point where someone thought the song stopped playing. It’s so jarring. This track is one of the best live to studio translations on Album. All the new additions to the instrumentation are so good. Taylor’s voice has this sort of innocence and optimism to it that makes the relationship in the song feel even more unbalanced. When he just straight up starts screaming at the end it even sounds melodic.

Out Of Sight / Out Of Mind

Rip “(The Buddy Song)” lol. A song that got that the banjo/country orchestration which I don’t know if I enjoy on this song as much. This is mostly a skip unfortunately, not even the strings can save it. Well, there is one part I very much enjoy which is the slow part at the 4 minute mark. That “and not care all about me like how I care all about you” reminds me instantly of Krysta singing Adore. I think if we cut a minute or so out of it I’d be more inclined to listened to it. I enjoy the lyrical contents and theme of the song a lot but musically it’s just not my thing and the style on Album isn’t helping. Krysta does a good job on the song though. Not that I would trade it for Jared’s version but I do want to hear her do Haddonfield with the new choir arrangements.

The Saddest Girl in the World

Liz did this song live at the concerts and I enjoyed it then but otherwise it’s a skip. On the Saturday performance on her way up to the stage she stopped by a friend of mine’s table during the “he don’t have to be of age” line and said hi to him, which killed me. Otherwise, I don’t enjoy pretty much anything about this song. Not the music nor the lyrics. Not really sure why there was what amounted to a pointless lyric change. I don’t think Kerry did the best on this song. Really I don’t have much to say about this song. The only way I can really enjoy this song is solely as a snapshot of a character like Just Means. Wish this had been replaced by one of the songs on my missed list. Definitely a skip.

Norman

This version elevated Norman from a skip. It’s because of the strings. I’m always a sucker for violin no matter the situation. The very slow run right before 2 minutes in is so lovely. The contrast between the elegance of the violin and the lyrics and mood of the song is so stark and I love it. The staccato. The anger and volume and scream behind “I wish we were.” The stutter. The numerous girls in the background laughing and talking and calling his name. I definitely picked out Lauren’s distinctive voice. Haven’t seen Psycho but this performance seemed much more of a character than other ones I’ve seen. I am also always just constantly blown away by how new orchestrations can make it feel like you’re hearing a song for the first time. Thanks Charlie for literally my entire life.

(Run Away from You)

It regrettably does not go as hard as that one version of Joe at Two River which is my all time favorite which is unfortunate. I love the slight distortion/electronic effect on Jason’s voice during “girl I swear with all my werewolf heart” as well the crunchy electric guitar throughout. The “hide behind the bushes” etc part just does not have the level of intensity as it needs to make the song really work. It needs to build to frenetic levels and leave you feeling like you’re stalking down the street right alongside him but instead I feel like it didn’t go anywhere and I fell asleep inside the bush. I miss the werewolf breathing sounds. I’m wondering if Jason wasn’t feeling well or something when recording because this is not as good as it could’ve been. There are videos of him doing better. I think I’m being a bit overly harsh on this, it’s honestly not that bad and nowhere near the worst live to studio adaptation on this album, it’s just that I know it could be a lot better so I’m disappointed.

The Prisoner's Christmas Song

Not one of my regular listens before Album. I don’t think I care much for the song in particular but Grace gives such a performance and musically it fucks severely. Honestly just copy paste my exact feelings on Sympathy For The Killer. I am a huge sucker for a lot of growl in voices when singing so generally have a very fun time listening to it.

Right Place / Wrong Time

Yee fuckin’ haw. Legendary goddamn song. Maybe thee Joe Iconis of all time? It has all the major qualities: a story with a twist, vivid misfit characters, so fucking long, the struggle of being an artist, obsession with the past, repeating chorus, nonsense syllables. Yeah, this is thee Joe Iconis song of all time. I like that one of Katrina’s lines is “tell me my singing’s out of style” when she’s talked about how her style is actually what’s hot right now but it wasn’t when she started.

I miss the piano sirens, they’re a lot more subtle here. Not much to say about this one, just a very solid recording of what’s done live and I appreciate it.

Sometimes I think to myself “why is Joe so hung up on Broadway” and wanting his shows to play there. I had a conversation with a friend around when LIHN was happening at Two River where I was saying it’d sure be something if Revolution Song one day played at the Tony Awards. They said they’d rather the institution actually be torn down and at the time I couldn’t quite articulate why I didn’t think Joe would ever want that. Well, this song is why. For better or worse, he much too much respects the legacy and meaning of Broadway. He considers himself a pretty traditional guy, not trying to break new ground, be witty/impressive/insincere etc. He too desperate to make it within the place he loves to ever do anything else.

I don’t know why there’s a single soft clap/snap along the middle of the track. It seems like it’d much more belong in an a capella version of this song. It’s pretty clearly intentionally added because it cuts out eventually but it seems a bit too soft and the rest of the song is overproduced so that it doesn’t add much to the song and it just feels a bit like a distraction. Not that the song was overproduced, I just think it was past the level of being able to add a clap track along it. I actually like the level of production and new instrumentation.

Admittedly, I’m not much one for history. That’s one of the topics Joe talks about a lot that least resonates with me. I love that as time goes on, fewer and fewer people will know what this song is talking about without looking it up. I know I had to. I’m the people who don’t understand how much they meant, but this song gives me a small window into the mindset of people who care. It makes me care more than I did before.

A Guy That I'd Kinda Be Into

A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one. I liked the live versions of this cover a lot in the past when I heard them but I wasn’t expecting it to make it onto Album. It’s weird to hear this song without the backing vocals and dialogue. It’s sweet that the last line is changed so it’s a pure-ish love song and it also subverts expectations like this song originally did. Guess we’re in covers/cabaret versions of songs from full shows section of the album.

Joey Is a Punk Rocker

Another one that wasn’t one of my regular listens and that I only enjoy as a character song. For both this and the last track, I really do like that the people singing are so different from the character that usually sings it in the show. In general, I really enjoy Annie’s voice and how full of character it is. The one section of the song I do have to admit I enjoy is the line “that his nipples were pierced but his heart was too.” Banger fucking line. Also the hilarity of Joe writing the line “I’m in love with a punk rocker named Joe” has not worn off for me.

Social Worker

Now this is a bonkers version of Social Worker. Immediately the synth is like whoa, what the fuck. I love the increasing echo effect on Nick’s voice during the panic attack section of the song. I enjoy it just as a listen but I’m really curious as to why they decided to go down a synth route for this song. Seems weird and I don’t know if I tonally agree with that choice, but I also don’t really disagree? Just want to know why they did it. Also, low-key I think Nick could’ve done better on this track. Like it was very good but I think the instrumental was definitely carrying.

I Was a Teenage Delinquent!

MAYBE THE GREATEST THING THAT HAS EVER GRACED MY EARS??? I think within the first goddamn second I had my tiny little fucking mind blown. This song and the fullness of the orchestrations makes me want to scale several stories of brick wall so I can scream from rooftops “I FELL IN LOVE IN JUVIE HALL!!!!!!!!!” I truly mean it when I say I love how bad, overdramatic, and trashy this song is. She’s writing on bathroom walls in lipstick! She’s romanticizing her suicide scars! She’s falling in love in anger therapy! I love the incongruity of the line “I am a teenage ne'er-do-well” like a teenager would ever, ever say that. Well, maybe they did in the 60s. I love the brief saxophone bit while they almost kiss. I also love that they cut like the 30 seconds of dead time. This song is such a violent, cheesy, goddamn banger. As always I’m in love with the uniqueness of Lauren’s voice and performance. I can’t believe that LIHN came from this. It would be interesting and fun to hear Amina and Kelly do this as a one off but I’m glad it was Lauren and Molly, I want Amina and Kelly’s rendition of I Fell In Love In Juvie Hall to remain a sacred, earnest, triumphant gay love jam.

(Do) the Slide Whistle!

What the hell is this. Why did they go all out on this song. I don’t know the story behind this song. I don’t think it would help even if I did. It’s catchy, I’ll give them that. Who the hell are Suzie and Jenny and [Turp?], what is this song? All around confusion.

Muthers R Speshel (Wen Yer Sad)

I guess they lined up Slide Whistle and this one next to each other so I could double slam on the skip button. The nicest thing I can say about this song is that at rare points it’s charming and heartwarming. Another case of “well... some people are here at least partially because of their name.” It is not like LMM has been out here at concerts doing Joe’s songs.

My Best Friend's a Skeleton

Jeremy is delightful as the skeleton as always. I wonder if the skeleton jumpsuit he wore in the 2013 video is the same one in the 2022 shows. I think I enjoy Lance’s version more but they’re really incomparable since that one was live and George’s was a studio recording. Lance is just. Such a silly guy lol. Don’t know which I like more, the “I cannot wait for you to pass” in the live version of George or the “that’s gross why would you say that” but really just all the awards for Jeremy. For the Album version, it’s another one that got that sorta banjo/country twang in the orchestrations which I’m enjoying on this version of the song, but honestly overall it’s a skip. It’s the sort of song that lives on the banter they have between verses so it’s best in a live recording. Makes me wish they swapped this song out for something like Blue Hair.

Velociraptor

A real win for my media comprehension skills that this song is next to Him Today, Gone Tomorrow. I was like “yessss” when I saw it when the tracklist came out. It makes the skull line very weird but with an extra layer of meaning I guess.

I love the sort of what I can only describe as elevator-style music. It gives the song a very modern, cosmopolitan feel. I can easily imagine this as an anonymous woman lost in the size of NYC. I love how bold the guitar noise is after the “there’s a dinosaur” noise. It kind of sounds like it’s supposed to be a dinosaur roar. I love the line “where the species intertwine” because suddenly that line feels like it implies everyone on the street is a different species instead of nondistinct/normal/human like I was imagining them before. Everyone sees themselves as an animal in a city of humans but really they’re all their own kind of weird and Velociraptor is just looking for people who are weird in the same way as her. I don’t usually think about this but this song really is similar to Right Place/Wrong Time.

Also I have absolutely no memory of where I heard about this but once Liz said that she was complaining to Joe about feeling tired of singing generic songs about people feeling out of place and then he wrote this for her haha. Liz consistently kills it in an under-appreciated way, very much hoping she’s in the official White Girl In Danger cast next year so we can see/hear her in something.

Him Today, Gone Tomorrow

Not as much of a banger as it is in the live performances. Unfortunately nothing about this performance of this song is that good. A combo of audio mixing, instrumentation, and vocals all make this song not live up to its potential. There’s a real variance and buildup of energy in the live version but in this one it’s all mostly samey. I don’t like the addition of background vocals, it’s not loud enough to actively contribute to making the song better and in fact it feels like it helped make this a more lulled song this version. I do prefer the emotion and acting in the vocal performance for this version though.

I love the “she” transitioning from sounding like a tentative question to a celebration with many exclamation points after it. I want to see Manifest Pussy in full. I always wonder if there’s more context for this song that I’m missing.

Starting to Forget

Not one of my regular listens before Album. I actually used to think that this song was about a woman walking the line between still missing and starting to forget their abusive ex and healing, and I thought that for longer than I care to admit. I think it was only when I went to transcribe the lyrics to this song a few months ago that I finally really started paying attention to exactly what was being said and I realized how incredibly sad it was. Then even more recently I found out it’s about Joe and his grandfather. But you know what I still somewhat stand by my reading of this being about one person’s complicated journey moving on from their ex-lover. It could work.

I love Badia’s voice on this so much. It’s also interesting because on the Album podcast, they said they recorded all the band stuff first, but this track sounds very singer lead with the liberties taken with tempo. It sounds like a song that requires the accompaniment to come after or be live with the singing, but apparently that’s not what happened so props to them for making it sound like that’s what happened.

Also shout out to this song for apparently being able to always bring a tear to Michael R Jackson's eye.

Tightrope Walker / Mountain Climber / Me

So Joe has this old song called Tightrope Walker but I’ve never heard it. I have to imagine this song is a reworking/expansion of that other song and it makes me really curious to hear what the old version was. Regardless, new Joe Iconis song!!! [Has a life crisis].

This song is so interesting and I’m still trying to figure it out. The latter half captures the feeling of being an observer in your own life, the detachment and distraction of living in our social media age, and the ease at which we can compare ourself to others now. However, I don’t understand why the tightrope walker and mountain climber bits exist. To draw comparison to the “me” bit, but is it saying that they’re more similar or different than one would expect? Or neither? Is it saying that the career of an artist is in some ways comparable and as dangerous as tightrope walking/mountain climbing? The biggest hint is the some people are fueled by terror/praise meanwhile I live vicariously through others line. Do they exist only to lay down examples of other’s accomplishments that the starving artist feels they’ll never have their own version of? The song is a lot about what motivates people and I guess the artist’s lack thereof? Or maybe they do have motivation but it’s slowly been eroded over time by not reaching their goals while everyone else seems to be. Still, I don’t understand why. And then it also gets meta with the “I hate my vocals on this song” so then it’s implying that the starving artist wrote and is performing this song. I don’t know what any of this means! Would love to hear what other people think of this song. Can’t wait for the podcast episode of this song.

Since Joe almost never shares his lyrics verbatim I think I’ll be wondering forever if the “and days and days etc” part eventually ends on “and daze” because I love a good homonym. Would be cool if it did.

I love Molly H and her voice so much. I also really want to hear Lauren do this song. I think her voice lends to the style a lot. I love how casual this song sounds, very fittingly for the message of the song. In the Sunday live performance of this song it went heavy on some sort of synth-y rock guitar and there were also backing vocals. It was weird.

Flesh and Bone (The Robot's Song)

I'm sorry. What the fuck? It's like they decided to suck literally all of the energy out of this song during the recording. And I know Jason can go hard on this song, I've seen it before. So what the fuck. It started out a bit more low energy than I was expecting but I was expecting it to pick up but then it never did and we got to the nanas at the end and I was so disappointed. I just checked and it’s literally 10 bpm slower than live versions. I’m back again wondering if Jason got sick or something because this was not it. His voice sounded a bit off, like it was more tired/weaker. I’m just am in shock at how bad they ruined this song. Like how did this happen. This is one of Charlie’s favorite songs so like, how did he listen to this and think “yeah that’s good.”

The string pizzicato was nice but I’m still not sure how I feel about it in this song specifically. I miss the versions where the guitar in the background plucks an alarm going off/warning signal of low battery. The wind and rust sound effects were also lame as hell in this version, and by lame I mean almost nonexistent. I very much prefer versions where they do something outsized and wacky. Overall, I don’t know why you would choose to listen to the worse version of this song out there.

Party Hat

The new interjections are so fun and I love it. I think my favorite is “you are quite something” and “that’s what my therapist says!” It reminds me of Lauren’s Our Show. Also love the funky lil banjo and melodica. Thank god they kept the kazoo. This song is almost good enough for me to forgive EWM for making smacking lips noises right in my ear. Honestly I don’t have all that much to say about this song. Good song, good recording. Okay, I’ve been trying to find a way to word this without sounding weird but there is no good way. I want EWM to be my cat. No elaboration. You either get me or you don’t.

Amphibian

About to say something sacrilegious. I only like Amphibian an okay amount and it definitely is one of those songs whose charm lies in live performance, though this track translated pretty well from live to studio. I think they’re also aware of this so starting it off way more cutesy helped. Also that the ensemble choir was made up of so many people was great. On some tracks you can tell the ensemble had less people and as a result felt much less full. It’s very cute that Lance joined in for a duet. Double Natos! Shamefully, I thought it was Joe the first few listens until Al told me otherwise. I like the crowd/general chatter noise at the end with very low ribbits that then transitions straight into It’s All Good.

The Amphibian on Sunday when Will was out with COVID was by far my favorite performance of this song, ever. Amara was so good at the beginning that I want an entire version of her and John’s energy was so innocent and quickly turned rockin’ that I am obsessed.

It's All Good

I feel like the audio mixing could’ve been better on the ambient crowd/chatter noise to not have it cut out as abruptly? It felt a bit jarring. Regardless, I like it. It creates a feeling of a live performance where people just get up and go to the mic that fits well with the content of the song. Not one of my favorite songs of Joe’s, but it’s so nice to have the boys from the 08 cast all singing together on this and their voices mesh very nicely together. It also sounds like they recorded together to match up the vocals or at least they did a much better job of it here than some other tracks.

Find the Bastard

I have to fucking talk about this shit. After the Saturday concert, the performers were talking to audience members outside and I had a short conversation with EWM where I told him how much I loved BSOL. He ribbed me a bit about being 12 when the original production happened, which is totally fair, and I thought that would be the end of that interaction. But he remembered because the next night during this song, right after the first “what’s your name, what’s your name,” (I guess I shouted loud enough that he noticed me) he made eye contact and pointed to me in the audience briefly as he sang. I am still replaying this moment in my mind. And also physically replaying it on the vid I took lol. Literally the amount of joy that those brief seconds have brought me is immeasurable. Months later just listening to this song is still a free happiness machine.

Last on Land Whomst? This is my new favorite, no I'm not biased at all (ok but can you blame me after what happened). I guess I should talk about the actual song now.

Ok, on the Album version right at the beginning of the instrumental after the very first measure (0:03-0:04), the guitarist accidentally plucks another string when changing fingerings and it bother me to no end. Can you tell I’ve been listening to this song on eardrum shattering volumes? Other than that, almost 0 complaints. The snake rattle effect sends chills through me. I like that there’s clearly a lot of people in the mix for the ensemble part but you can hear Jason ST and Katrina distinctively in the mix. I love the new brass. It fits so well. Loud and brash just like the show. Speaking of the brass, I’m in love with the drawn out instrumental crescendo right before “they done me wrong.”

AND FROM NOW ON, WHEN THEY ASK MY NAME (WHAT’S YOUR NAME, WHAT’S YOUR NAME) MY ANSWER ALWAYS GONNA BE THE SAME (WHAT’S YOUR NAME, WHAT’S YOUR NAME) I’LL SAY MY NAME IS AWFUL LONG AS IT’S THE LYRICS OF THIS SONG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I do not know how a single person in the world could possibly listen to this song and not feel the hype in their fucking soul and The Musician’s mission as their own. For three minutes and twenty-nine seconds, I’m a guitar wielding musician recently freed from prison on a mission to get my woman back from a dastardly kazoo playing villain. And it better be yours too.

I don’t know why on these TBS and BSOL tracks, there’s noise/people talking at the beginning/end. I assume for like atmosphere/continuity to signify that they’re from the same show/should be listened to together?

Last on Land

Don't look at me, I'm listening to Last on Land. As always, thinking about that one review that called this song the out of nowhere number about sailing. Watch your fucking back, I’m about to turn you into an out of nowhere number about sailing. Though I’ll be honest, parts of this song are still lost on me but I enjoy that. I’m always thinking about what certain lines could mean when I’m listening to this song. Some parts mean a different thing to me every time I listen to it. I guess I can understand how someone who wasn’t paying attention and hearing this song for the first time could think it was just a song about boats. I mean, admittedly that’s what I thought the first time I heard this song. But then you listen again and you notice the raw fucking lines like “we find the solution to escape our fate, it lies in the equal distribution of our weight” and I dare you to not feel even an ounce about community and what we owe and willingly give to one another when this song plays.

Since it’s in a different key on Album as it is in the show, the octave jump on the piano backing is even higher and everything feels even more perilous. Like oh my god, things are beginning to sink!!

Sorry I am continuously ragging on it, but it’s noticeably not as good in an album of mostly good to stellar performances. I don’t think Jason ST’s performance on this track is the greatest but the tiredness sort of fits the opening of the song so it’s not as egregious on this track. I don’t know there’s any standout performances on this track actually, it starts getting very good later into the song.

I love the angelic choir sort of quality the “ohs” in the vocal only part, and it carries that quality even when everything else comes back in. It feels like prayer and community to someone non-religious like me. The only thing on this earth for us is each other. The new harmonies are so fucking good it makes me lose my entire goddamn mind every time I listen two minutes of this song. Especially the new high part on “if you weren’t here with me.” You know the one. The echoing on the chorus. Thank you Joel for these god tier vocal arrangements. It’s what this song fucking deserves. It really feels like it’s taking full advantage of the size of its goddamn cast list. I wouldn’t be surprised if almost all the people in that image of people on the album were in this chorus.

Can you believe that Joe originally wasn’t going to do any songs from full shows of his? Thank god Jen convinced him otherwise. Lord, what would I do without [this version of this song].

Try Again

I connected like a year ago that the "lifeboat manned by me" line was in reference to Bloodsong but it took me up until a few weeks ago to realize the "fuck those bastards, find a friend" is also probably one. With how connected this song is to other works of Joe now I'm realizing the suicide attempt off the roof is not at all random and definitely calling back to Broadway, Here I Come! lol. It takes me a minute...

Ending with Try Again instead of Last on Land is fun and interesting. The placement of this song makes me think Joe still feels like he hasn’t made it in the way he wants to in this industry, which, fair. It’s just funny how a song he wrote with a large inspiration about BMC after TRT is still the message he wants to go out on, that even with that very show making it to Broadway, he still feels he’s at the stage where he’s picking himself back up and trying again. And I guess YMMV on if he deserves to feel that way. With how much he talks about being a fan of traditional musical theater and having traditional mindsets of what being successful in musical theater looks like, he certainly hasn’t made that original show that’s been reviewed well by the NYT regionally and moved to Broadway and had a successful run in the way he thinks/thought shows should do. And both BBH and LIHN, right after BMC had a similar trajectory of not being the success he wanted, with LIHN being especially similar to how BMC started out.

Though honestly I don’t know what Joe Iconis would be like if he had his well-loved Broadway hit and I don’t know if it’s ever gonna happen for him. It seems like he just somehow grates on people in a way that in his eyes, he’ll be almost making it forever. Like if you just shift your viewpoint a bit, this track would’ve also fit very well after Right Place/Wrong Time as the 26th track, at exactly halfway through Album. With this song as the midpoint, it would’ve sent a message of how despite the NYT review, he tried again and BMC was eventually able to get to Broadway because of the love people had for it, and he saw that result of trying again and is past that part of his life.

Am I reading into all this too much? Probably. Maybe he placed it here as an upbeat message about trying again to loop back to the beginning of the album. But reading and listening to what he says in interviews I’m inclined to think he still feels like he’s in the trying again stage of his life.

#teresa talks #album #refusing to use full names lol on the off chance one of them somehow finds this #im being a little mean a little bitchy i dont want people to see mean words about them lol #iaf #my posts #ive been working on this post since june 24 lol #then joe started posting on tumblr and i got scared hed namesearch himself and see this #oh well if he does ill just die #i continue to ramble in tags in hopes that this will make it not show up in search #please god i just dont want creators to see me talking about them #this is my space!!!#anyway i hope if he does find this he knows i say this with as much love as possible #i mean i wrote 9k words of thoughts i think about it a lot #every day i live in fear #the irony of loving if you like it so much and desperately hoping he doesnt find u talking about him #i just think there should be a separate spaces between fans and creators #where we can be a lil mean amongst ourselves with the understanding it's all love #joe iconis

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georgi-girl · 2 years ago

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Babble: Track Five

Baby I’m preying on you tonight

Hunt you down eat you alive

Just like ANIMALS! ANIMALS

There’s nowhere that you can hide

I can smell your scent for miles

Just like ANIMALS! ANIMALS!

@@@@

I want to assure my fellow Autistics that this is not a magical fix narrative, it’s more like a Flowers For Algernon narrative. Renee will eventually go back to being nonverbal and everyone will be okay with that.

@@@@

Beneath the clinic was the basement. In the basement was a freezer, duct-taped shut and plugged into the wall. Every now and then a loud knocking sound came from inside the freezer. Chief heard knocking whenever she passed through the basement.

Beneath the basement was the sub-basement. That was one big empty dark space. Chief went there to talk to the dark. Or to be exact, she talked to the horrible thing living in the dark. If it wasn’t for that horrible thing, she would still be wandering the woods, hunting the trolls. She found him instead. And he told her the way to get everything she wanted and more.

“How are you coming along?” She asked this with more respect than she had ever shown to anyone.

“Excellent... A few more days now... Continue as normal...”

@@@@

Miguel was the first to respond to Renne. “You... like my playing?”

Renne smiled at him. “I thought something... and you heard it.”

“Yeah! That’s talking! I thought you were couldn’t talk!”

“I... don’t... know... how I’m... doing this. I... think... the Tribes... are helping... me.”

“SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE” Riley squealed like she was still in high school. “That’s awesome! I have so many questions for you!”

“Riley...” Renne said her name, and it sounded like a bell. “Ask me… questions.”

“Okay, first: What’s it like having all those people inside you?”

“They’re all sleeping… dreaming about memories… I can feel them all having… feelings inside of me.”

“Uh-huh. What about when the strings are plucked?”

“When that happens, the dreams all blend together… I come out of myself… and they come out of me… and I’m so much bigger than I am.”

Her voice was so cute! Just like the actress, Keke Palmer!”

“But when only one string is plucked, when one song summons someone, then it’s just the few people who wake up. Their minds blend together with the core aspect of their...” she searched for the right word. “Element. And when they wake up, they glimpse everyone else’s memories and everyone else’s feelings, and it’s confusing and upsetting, and when they see the Bergen people....”

Renae started to freak out. Riley took her hand. “It’s okay. You don’t have to talk about it.”

Miguel glanced around. A lot of the patients, the Bergens, were watching them. That was bad. Zodiac had told him all the employees and mainstream patients were really Bergens disguised as humans. That meant they couldn’t trust anyone.

“Come on,” he said, “Let’s get back to your room.”

@@@@

Renee’s room was the most sterilized and impersonal room in the whole clinic. Everything was white, the walls the floors the bed the blankets the dresser the clinic-assigned shirts and pants in the dresser, even the surveillance camera was painted white. It was all really off-putting.

Miguel’s first action was to repeat the spell Zodiac taught them to disable the camera.

“There’s a patient here named Zodiac. They know all about magic and other worlds and stuff. They can help you out.”

@@@@

Most of the other private rooms just held Bergen children who were too young to work. But a few rooms held other actual people who had been brought to the clinic and tested on. One of them was a middle-aged man who wore sunglasses all the time.

@@@@

Zodiac was thrilled to meet Renee. They looked her up and down from every direction asking many of the same questions Riley had asked and some that didn’t make sense.

“How many minds currently inhabit you? Can you tell the individual from the crowd? Do colors have sound to you? What about the strings? Do you knowtheir origin? Do the colors have a symbolic purpose? What happens if you like them?”

As they asked these questions, Zodiac paced circles around Renee, barely giving her time to answer. Finally, they asked.

“Do you mind if we call you Tone like Tone of Voice? It’s such a fitting nickname!”

“Sure.”

“Well Tone, let’s run some tests together.”

Renee found she could project the trolls’ memories into screens. She showed them on Riley’s phone. There were centaur people having a square dance, fluffy long necks dancing inside a spaceship, tiny smiling humanoids surrounded by giant flowers. There was no sound, but the view was plenty.

“Each tribe is dedicated to a distinct music genre. The songs they create are reflections of real-life songs here on earth.” Renee explained things as the screens flicked through different memories.

“They’re so cool.” Riley exclaimed. There were trolls that looked like mermaids, trolls that looked like fairies, trolls dressed in lederhosen or covered in brilliant patterns…

“They each saw their communities as paradise, completely detached from the world.” Renee frowned. But no matter how detached you are, the world can still come after you.”

The latest video showed a singing blue troll boy. He was so tiny compared to the tree branch he was dancing on. Behind him, was a looming shadow.

“What is that?” Miguel asked, concerned.

Renee unplugged the phone. “This was a mistake. We shouldn’t intrude on their privacy.” The screen went black.

“Was that a Bergen?”

“Why is it so big?”

“What happened to him?”

WE SHOULD NOT INTRUDE ON THEIR PRIVACY!” She refused to answer anything after that. Zodiac said it was enough for now.

@@@@

During his first few days, Miguel had subtlety asked around about other employees. Now he asked Gristle outright: “Does the name Russel Jin mean anything to you?”

“Oh he was so nice. But we shouldn’t talk about him.” Gristle wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“He worked here. He willingly signed up for medical testing because he didn’t want testing done on animals. Now he’d disappeared into the cold and you think you shouldn’t talk about him.” Miguel left in disgust.

In the security room, Miguel looked up old tapes, trying to learn what Russel had to do with all this. He looked at every tape from October 10. He saw Russel getting blood tests. He saw Russel talking to Bridget. He saw Russel receiving shock therapy. He saw Russel being led down to the basement on November 1 while an ambulance came to the clinic, dropping off body bags.

A little man was talking to Chief. He kinda looked like a Guinea pig.

“Thank you so much for these lovely subjects.”

“I told them this was community service. I lied.”

The bags were unzipped to reveal... either animals dressed like people, or people that looked like animals. They were laid on the ground around an unconscious Russel. Shadows came out from under the door. The shadows swallowed the people, becoming a dark gelatinous mass. The mass entered Russel through his mouth, his ears, between his eyelids.

And when he woke up, he was Species.

Species was kept in solitary confinement. Comatose Renne was brought in during December. The shadows kept coming into her. She woke up on December 21. And the pleasure sessions started.

“They used him to test out possession methods.” Miguel gripped the desk, overwrought.

Riley asked Zodiac “How did they all get here do you think?”

“Good question…” Zodiac watched the screen with clinical detachment.

“Remind me when you were brought in.”

“Beginning of December. After Species was put together, and before Renee was brought in.”

None of these new tapes show what happened to him.”

“I know what happened.” Bridget’s voice came from the other side of the door. “He ran away right before the Trolls were fused into Renee. Some of us wanted to look for him, but Chief wouldn’t allow it.”

Riley swung the door open. “YOU! how long were you listening to us?”

Bridget rubbed her arm bashfully. “The entire time. Can I come in?”

Miguel was about to yell out No, but Zodiac stopped him.

Bridget took a step forward. Tone took a step back.

“I...” Bridget swallowed, then wrapped her arms around Tone’s torso.

“I won’t bother asking for forgiveness. But know this. I’m on your side. No matter what, Bridget the Bergen will always be on your side.”

@@@@

Species turned on his camera and pointed it at himself. “There’s a religion where we come from, that worships Mother Nature and her entourage of Earth Mothers. One of the most popular stories is about an Earth Mother that came from the sky to escape her demonic father. None of us believed in those stories, until now. Now that we’ve met the demon...”

#crossover #I'm still doing it #I don't care how sloppy it is #gravity falls #inside out #coco #Up #Pixars' Loop #dreamworks trolls #rise of the guardians #the bad guys #animals #lyrics #maroon five #babble

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troublcmakcrs · 9 months ago

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Upon hearing the phrase ‘rectal belch,’ Craig sucked in a huge breath and held it for a moment to keep from guffawing out loud. No, his sense of humor hadn’t progressed terribly, but he didn’t see anything wrong with that. Some things were just funny all the way down, no matter how you sliced them. “Goddamn, that was really good,” he said, unable to stop the bright smile from lighting up his visage, even if he had successfully suppressed the laughter. He wasn’t making the best case for himself, but he didn’t care. He was having fun, enjoying this conversation much more than Pip was.

“I didn’t know you knew any of those words well enough to string ‘em together in a sentence. I’ll have to remember that for my own reference.” He found that he was already forgetting some of it, though, like the exact word Pip used before ‘rectal belch,’ she he shoved the smaller man lightly on the shoulder. It was a sign of playful affection, often exchanged among Craig’s friends, and he didn’t stop to think that Pip might not take it that way. “Hey, what was the full phrase again?” Actually, now that Craig thought about it, it might not sound as good without Pip’s accent, but whatever. He’d try it for himself, anyway.

“And hey, I am being polite,” Craig said, but the way he shrugged made him appear none too wounded that Pip felt otherwise. He barely gave a shit on a good day, and it was now way too late for him to care. Maybe when he had gotten some more sleep, but for now, Pip was shit out of luck.

“Look, I haven’t even duct-taped you to a bench or anything. I’d say that makes me perfectly fucking civil.” Maybe not perfectly—‘Frenchy’ may have been uncalled for—but come on. It was a well-known fact that most guys in South Park just roasted each other for fun. Sometimes, it was bullying, but other times, it was just a good time—not that the two were mutually exclusive. Pip was just sensitive and couldn’t recognize a decently amicable Craig when he saw one.

“But it’s like you said yourself.” His grin cracked a little wider, teeth gleaming in the moonlight. “I won’t make it if I’m too polite, will I? You know, Frenchy, I think this is the first time we’ve actually talked, so that’s got to count for fucking something, right?”

Hearing the nickname angered him more than he would like to admit. Pip was ashamed of his anger most of the time, and he regretted how he acted back in school when his classmates would call him that. Still, as much as he disliked getting angry, that nickname was still something that deeply affected him. Pip had always been proud of who he was and where he grew up. He truly loved his home country, and he learned that no one would really share his enthusiasm, but that didn't stop him. There was nothing initially bad about being French, either; at least Pip didn't think so. It was the fact that everyone ignored him when he attempted to politely correct his classmates, saying that he was British and not, in fact, French. Kids, of course, picked up on his frustration and began to call him names on purpose, until he couldn't take it any more during the dodgeball match.

So, hearing it coming from no one else but Craig after all these years, immediately got him angry, and he took a quick step closer to him, anger visible only in his eyes. There's just enough patience in him to hold his fist back for now, but it would be better not to test him. Especially if your name was Craig.

"You can't really survive South Park without having a 'little bite'" he huffed, looking up at him. Pip learned it the hard way, but never dared to be actually violent, spare for dodgeball. "Frankly, you haven't changed your attitude much, you slow-witted rectal belch." he hissed, but was immediately taken aback by what he just said. These weren't his own words, of course, just a name he remembered Estella called him. How fitting, and ironic at the same time, for him to remember it now. It was embarrassing, to say the least, but Pip didn't let that show. He knew showing his weakness was key to getting insulted himself, and he would rather avoid that. Still, he would not take those words back. Back then they sounded cruel, but now they sound nothing but ridiculous.

"I have to agree. That you only changed a little, I mean." he finished, but didn't move away. "Because some politeness would have looked good on you, on the other hand."

#ic :: ( craig )#int :: ( thread )#ver :: college ( craig )#angelicgentleman #//craig really just makes himself the most punchable lil guy in the world huh

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sehunniepotwrites · 2 years ago

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(it’s nice) to have a friend | one

SYNOPSIS. Best friends since childhood just don’t become lovers overnight. Sometimes, there are speed bumps along the way. One is that you are secretly in love with Jeno who is smitten with someone else, more specifically, your pretty roommate. And the other is that he asked you to be his fake girlfriend in order to gain your roommate’s attention. No other sane person would say yes to a situation like this but then again, you weren’t sane, to begin with. In situations like this, you wonder how much of a fool you were with going through this plan. In situations like this, Lee Jeno thinks it’s quite nice to have a friend like you.

heartbreak prince | you are in love | cruel summer | how you get the girl

You’re halfway through your first semester of college and you are still not a morning person. You have had difficulty waking up in the morning since you were a kid; because you weren’t living at home anymore, Lee Jeno had the honor of being your daily wake-up call. It should’ve been your sweet roommate’s job but Choi Ara’s voice wasn’t enough to keep your eyes open. Jeno, on the other hand, could make his voice boom throughout the room if he wanted to. Being someone who was at your side since you were eight, he had done it many times before in the past. You could recall the countless times he did it during the weekends while growing up, his voice ringing in your ear as he shoved you off the bed.

Now, it’s a little different. One word out of his mouth—whether soft or loud—and your eyelids are fluttering open. Maybe it’s because you’re used to his voice.

“Good morning, beautiful.”

Or maybe, it’s because you love him.

Deep in your sleep, you didn’t hear or feel the vibrations of your phone when he texted you. You didn’t hear the sound of your dorm room swinging open or your roommate greeting him with a smile. But you did hear him. Just him.

You rub the sleep away from your eyes as you stretch and try to adjust to how bright the room is. The lights are on and Ara is humming away by her makeshift vanity on top of her dresser. Like always, she looks pretty and you can’t help but frown at how effortlessly gorgeous she is in a crewneck, biker shorts, and a cap. You shouldn’t feel this way but you’re secretly filled with envy. The insecurities inside you continue to build up as your eyes remain on her.

The trance you’re in is broken by someone clearing their throat. “I said, good morning, beautiful,” a deep voice calls from your open door.

Your head turns and lands on Jeno—who like your equally beautiful roommate—looks effortlessly handsome. His hair is neatly styled and his defined chest is covered by a button-down shirt; you hold back a swoon. In his hands is a cup of coffee—medium roast, hazelnut creamer, and three Splendas—and a croissant, your usual order from the cafe down the block. It had been your order since high school; it was almost impossible for Jeno to get it wrong.

The boyish grin he wears combined with the sass in his words makes you roll your eyes from underneath the hoodie you wore. Your best friend’s hoodie to be exact, one that had his name and old high school ice hockey jersey number printed on the back. Back during your senior year, he had lent it to you for Senior Night. The tradition was for a senior’s significant other to wear it during the game to show support. Since he had none, it had been handed to you. It was also a favorite of yours, so instead of asking for it back, Jeno merely let you take it home and never return it. Besides, the player thought you looked cute with the hood thrown up and the strings tied in a bow to keep your head warm in the arena. Why would he take back something that only highlighted your cuteness?

“Feel far from that but thanks for the coffee, Jen,” you reply with a yawn that you cover with a sweater paw.

You slip out of bed and take the coffee from his hands. The boy leans against the door frame, watching you as you take a long sip of the caffeinated delight you held in your palms.

“You’re welcome,” he whispers as he pushes your messy hair out of your face. The action makes you hum.

“You are a godsend,” you sigh as the warmth takes over your body. You can already feel the caffeine kicking in to wake you up.

Jeno chuckles, the sound of his lower register making your heart slow down for a moment and speed up the next. He kisses your temple in the sweetest way and you lean into his comforting side as he does so. The press of his soft lips lingers long enough for your roommate to see when she leaves the room to head to her first class of the day.

“Wow, wish I had a cute boy to bring me coffee in the morning,” Ara dramatically sighs with her book bag in hand as Jeno pulls you closer into a good morning hug.

You find yourself snuggling into his firm chest, basking in his scent. The fabric of his button-down shirt cools your heated face and you want to remain in this position. His arms always feel like a safe haven to you but the sound of his rapid heartbeat tears that feeling of security away. You bite your lip harshly as it grows faster and faster; the iron taste of blood mixes with your sweetened coffee.

“I have a couple of cute guys you could be interested in!” you yell down the hall. Ara simply raises a manicured middle finger while walking away, the length of her ponytail swinging with each step she takes.

As soon as your roommate is out of sight, Jeno lets you go and wordlessly hands you your warm croissant. Another frown takes over your bleeding lip as his gaze lingers on the door Ara just walked through.

“Do you think Ara bought it?” he asks as he rips his sight from her disappearing figure.

“I mean, she’s clearly jealous of us,” you reply as you take a bite out of your croissant. “Ten points to us, I guess.”

“Do you think this will work?”

You open the door to fully let him into your room. Jeno follows behind you, kicking the door closed with his foot. “No, I think this is the stupidest plan in the entire universe. There are other ways to make a girl notice you, you know.”

“Yeah but you went with my stupid plan anyway,” Jeno replies cheekily as he plops onto your soft bed.

He hugs one of your pillows, infiltrating your space with his signature scent, and closes his eyes. His hair flops backward to uncover his forehead and the sun hits his handsome, almost princely face so perfectly that your eyes have no choice but to follow his every move. With each second your stare lingers on his features, your heart forms another crack. It had been breaking for a while now, the reason being the person in front of you: your best friend, the prince of your imaginary fairy tale, and the secret owner of your heart.

“Well then, I guess I’m just as stupid as you are, Lee Jeno,” you say with a smile that only showcases how deeply your heart is aching.

No other person can go along with his idiotic plan. Then again, it wouldn’t have been believable any other way. You’re one of the only girls Jeno was close to. He never showed any interest in the past in others and the other girl he shared close relations with, Yeeun, is like an older sister to him more than anything else.

The thing is you went along with his stupid because you’re stupidly in love with your best friend. As desperate as this sounds, if fake dating Lee Jeno is the only way you can have him as your own for a little bit, then you’ll gladly take it. At least he is yours to hold so terribly near for a while.

“At least we can be stupid together.”

At least he is yours.

“Yeah,” you laugh, taking another sip of your coffee to disguise the bitterness seeping through your lips. Your mother always told you that if you played stupid games, then it would result in stupid prizes. You finally understand what she meant. “Together.”

> back to the masterlist > next part

TAGLIST. @keemburley @johtenrecs @emmybyeakitty @sokkigarden @bat-shark-repellant @suhnnyskiess @shiningjaehyun @taeyongslilkitty @ferxanda @neowritingsnet @czennienet @ppangjae @ankathi-a

AUTHOR’S NOTE. Here’s the first part of my four (maybe, five) part series <3 I hope y’all enjoy it! I decided to re-write it because I noticed that my writing has improved over the years and there was so much more to add to that little timestamp <3

©sehunniepotwrites, 2022

#neowritingsnet #cznnet #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct x reader #jeno scenarios #jeno imagines #jeno x reader #lee jeno

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yuujilogy · 4 years ago

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trouble (gojo satoru x reader)

REQUEST: what do you think about fem reader and gojou sensei having a secret relationship like they’d be sneaking late at night to fuck or smth but they have to keep quiet or else the other students will hear esp with them thin ass walls

| PAIRINGS: satoru gojo x fem!reader

| WARNINGS: smut, explicit, little bit of degradation, little bit of cum play, breeding kink if you squint, exhibitionism, rough, unportected (be safe), grammar errors

| WORD COUNT: 2,745

A/N: OH FAWWK YEA some gojo spice to make things more interesting!! kinda went off with this one bc c’mon, we all know gojo is freaky and sexy in bed 😳 anyway i hope this is what you expected !! enjoy !! ʕ•́ᴥ•̀ʔっ

Satoru pulled you inside of his room as soon as he opened the door after knocking just once. It was almost as if he couldn’t wait anymore, capturing your lips in a feral kiss as he pushed your back against the door to close it, you both moaning into each other’s mouth as his hand groped your ass to press you against him.

It’s not like you minded these kinds of escapades with rough sessions, where Satoru just threw you over the edge over and over again, showing his stamina off and fucking you stupid.

But right now, you were at the dorms of the Tokyo facility at midnight, where the other students and teacher were probably already sleeping soundly not that far from here. When he called you to this room, you thought he wouldn’t actually take the risk of taking you to bed, considering your relationship was still being kept a secret from your professional lives for two reasons: you were both teachers, and the heads above were just assholes who wouldn’t let Satoru−or you−hear the end of this.

Well, turns out this man is still full of surprises even after two years of dating, revealing at least one to you almost every day.

“S-Satoru…” you said between kisses, your hands flying to his hair that was already styled down due to the absence of his blindfold. He pulled away and looked down at you, smirking. Oh, he knew what was coming. “W-We are at the school right now, Gojo. What if they hear?” Your cheeks were already heating up, flustered by the surprising, wet kiss.

Satoru limited himself to let out a low laugh, his free hand caressing your cheek with slender cold fingers before travelling to the side of your neck. You could barely see the brightness of his blue eyes thanks to the moonlight coming through the windows.

“And what about it?” Satoru said indifferently, the hand previously on your ass making its way to your hip, too slowly it was sending chills down your spine. “You scared everyone will hear how I make this pussy mine the whole night?” his hand cupped your centre, making you jump and gasp. “I can already feel how wet you are just from some sloppy kissing, baby. I wonder if I could just slip my cock inside.”

God, you hated to admit it but he was so right. Satoru was always right and knew the right buttons to push at the right moment. You couldn’t help the grinding of your hips against his hand, already throbbing and clenching around nothing, in need of relief. Your hands grabbed the frame of his shoulders, moaning softly as you tried reaching for his lips once again. Yet he didn’t give you the chance to get what you wanted, pulling farther apart from your face. You complained with a huff, frowning, and he kissed your forehead.

“You’re so whiny tonight, baby. Better keep quiet.” He started making his way towards the bed with you, making you fall over your back, positioning himself on top of you. “Because I sure won’t hold back with you this time.”

With ease, he unbuttoned your jeans with one hand before pulling them down along with your panties. Both of his hands gripped your thighs, opening your legs to feel the chill weather hit your centre, feeling way too exposed. You were so sensitive already for some reason, you had to cover your mouth with your own hand when his fingers started rubbing your clit softly, your hips starting to move involuntarily trying to meet his movements.

You don’t know if it’s the fact you must stay quiet regardless of his sweet torture, or if it was the way he overpowered you so easily, but you were so turned on right now.

“So fucking wet already” Satoru groaned under his breath, more to himself than to you, the friction coming to a stop. Uncovering your hand to complain, you couldn’t help but let out a loud moan when two of his fingers entered your warm core. Talk about timing. The sting of being stretched open feeling so good, arching your back as you bit your lip harshly. He knew your body so well and the fact you liked a little bit of pain from time to time. He chuckled. “You’re such a wet mess, Y/N. This dirty pussy is swallowing my fingers so easily.” Satoru brought his face to the exposed skin in your neck to start sucking softly at your sweet spot behind your ear.

It was too much. The risk, Satoru’s fingers and demeanour, and just overall the situation. All of that was making you feel so aware and sensitive, making it harder to control your whimpers.

“F-Fuck, ‘toru. I need-“ your words were interrupted by his fingers increasing their pace and going deeper, hitting the perfect spot inside of you, and, before you could make another sound, Satoru kissed you roughly, swallowing every single noise. He could feel the way you were tightening around his fingers, letting out small cries, and smiled against your lips before pulling away with a string of saliva between you.

“You naughty slut,” his fingers left your insides, looking at his fingers covered with your slick and then back at you. “You thought you were going to cum with only two fingers, didn’t you?” he guided them towards your mouth, which you gladly accepted by sucking them, tasting yourself, without breaking eye contact with him. “Are you that desperate of letting everyone know who makes you feel this good?”

You could only nod, humming around his fingers with pleasure before releasing them with a pop, your lips coated with a mix of your juices and saliva. Gojo pulled away from your body to get rid of his shirt, unbuttoning his pants afterwards and pulling them down, his throbbing hard cock springing free. Your mouth salivated at the sight of him wrapping a hand around his shaft, pumping it a few times while staring at you.

Satoru totally loved this sight: you spread open for him, your tortured wet cunt in display waiting to be ravaged by him. Only him. Just the thought of it made him eager to finally be inside you, his thumb smearing the pre-cum over the tip of his cock as he bit his lip. God, he wanted to ruin you so badly.

“You’re so lucky I can’t wait to fuck you either” Satoru almost growled as he positioned himself again between your legs, his nails digging in the flesh of your legs to spread them further apart, the head of his cock pressing against your entrance. You held back a whimper as your small hands rested against his stomach as he was entering you. “Let’s see how quiet you can be.”

And almost too easily, he slides inside of you with a steady pace, his long hand covering your mouth as he bottoms out with just one thrust. You instinctively want to put your legs together, but Satoru’s hands didn’t let you, his nails digging into your flesh. His long cock was rubbing exactly where it had to, your insides pulsating and clenching around him. The feeling of his hips connecting with yours in such rough manner was too much you couldn’t help the heat in the pit of your stomach from appearing, throwing your head back with a muffled sob before you could even stop it.

Fuck. Satoru could cum from this sight alone, watching you tremble around him as his free hand lifted your shirt to reveal your breasts, squeezing them as you tried your best to stop the moans from coming out. You were sinful. Fuck. Fuck.

“Look at you” He started circling his hips still inside you, rubbing your inside walls deliciously. “Fucking losin’ it over some cock” the way he was degrading you this night, in this exact place where anyone could hear was way more pleasurable than you would like to admit.

Satoru didn’t want to hold back anymore, pulling almost completely out before slamming back roughly, even pushing your body back due to the force of his next thrusts, quick and deep. If it wasn’t for his hand still covering your mouth, you were sure your loud moans would be joining the wet, slapping sounds filling the room. Satoru was actually being nice here, helping you stay quiet as he kept hitting your g-spot repeatedly as he growled lowly at the feeling of your walls clenching around him, knowing he went crazy whenever you did that.

Oh, but he wasn’t going to be nice anymore. His hands grabbed your waist tightly, leaving your mouth suddenly uncovered as you looked up to him through hooded eyes, mouth hanging open, drool starting to run down your chin as you gasped for air instead of making any sounds because, god, you were about to break at any point now. Satoru started controlling your movements, impaling you with his cock however he pleased with his own force, as if you were his fuck toy. You threw your head back, grabbing a pillow and biting it harshly because, lord, have mercy, you were about to scream if he kept fuck you so good.

“Yeah, just like that, baby” He was basically using your body as a toy to pleasure himself, looking down at the part you were connected to each other, biting his lip and letting out a sigh of pleasure as he continued his rough thrusts. The sight of his cock disappearing inside of you was so perfect, your juices coating every inch of himself; you were born to take his cock, nobody but him could pleasure you. “Mm, fuck, I’m making such a mess out of this sloppy cunt. You hearing that? So wet it’s almost pathetic.” Your mind was going blank at this point, your eyes rolling to the back of your head as your legs started shaking around him as the pillow muffled all your cries of pleasure, feeling that familiar heat in your core.

You were close and Satoru knew it. He was fucking you stupid this early into the night and he could go for hours now that he was actually fired up. He wanted to make you struggle a little more, so he decided that throwing away the pillow you were holding onto with dear life was a good idea. Your eyes opened in surprise, no longer being able to hold your moans at the lowest volume, raising higher in tone as his thrusts went by. He wanted to hear you come apart, secretly wanting the rest of his colleagues to hear how you were falling apart in pleasure because of his ministrations to your pussy. One of Satoru’s hands flew to your cheeks, squeezing them roughly to make you look at him, his thrusts slowing down a notch, but still going deep.

“You wanna cum around my cock, baby?” He asked through heavy pants, a smirk never leaving his face as he watched you struggle to form even a word. You whimpered a little louder this time. “C’mon, say it. You can do it. Tell me how much you want me to fill you up.”

“P-Pleawse.. Nghh… Satoru m- Ahh!” You babbled non-sense through your moans, and you knew it, the pleasure being too much for you to handle right now, the grip in your face making it even harder to speak. God, you were actually pathetic, huh? All you needed to do was answer one single question and you would be seeing stars. But Gojo thought that was enough for this one time. Only this one time.

“Please, Satoru” He mocked, ridiculing you and releasing your face to grab your legs once again, spreading them open as you shook uncontrollably and continued with his fast pace. Tears started forming around the corners of your eyes due to the stimulation and how close you were to bursting, your walls pulsating around his cock so badly as he hit your cervix with every thrust. “You’re allowed to cum, baby, don’t hold back.”

And that was all you needed to throw you over the edge, head falling back with a silent sob once again as you squeezed the sheets into your fists. Satoru chuckled lowly, placing a finger over your mouth to remind you to stay quiet but you were far gone, still shaking for the still ongoing orgasm you were having. You bit Satoru’s finger subconsciously to avoid your whining getting louder. It seems he was also a sucker for pain as he was the one to let out a louder than before moan, bending over to get closer to your body, his face mere inches away from yours.

“F-Fuck, baby, I’m gonna fill you up so good.” The way you were squeezing around him was suffocating and the pain he was feeling from your biting was also bringing him closer to his release, his thrusts becoming sloppier and erratic as his free arm helped him for support when he grabbed your face again as you looked at each other. Everything else was a blur except for his cloudy eyes, foreheads pressing together as he kept groaning all the way through his release. You squeezed with the little force left in you, expecting to push him over already. “Ugh, yeah, just like that. Fuck, yes… Fuck, Y/N!”

He captured your lips into a sloppy kiss, muffling his own groans of pleasure as he stilled inside you, painting your walls white with every spurt as you felt him throb inside you, moaning against his mouth as he grinded against you. Satoru was cumming too much you started feeling it dripping out of you with the small movements of his hips. He pulled away from the kiss, panting heavily as you both were coming down from your highs, and smirked, caressing your cheek and pressing another kiss to your lips, softer this time.

“God, baby…” a low chuckle escaped him as he pulled away, pulling out from you as he saw his seed coming out of you. He felt himself throb again at the sight. “We made such a mess.” Satoru gathered some of his cum in his fingers and smearing it in the outside of your walls. You whined hoarsely as you watched him play with his own release with his fingers, his cock still hard for another round.

After all, he was a big fan of sloppy seconds.

“Well, whose fault is that?” You kicked him weakly with your feet, rolling your eyes in annoyance, even if your body was feeling numb. You enjoyed it, of course, but reality was hitting you like a truck right now. It almost seemed as if Satoru made it his goal to actually get you both caught. Oh, girl, if you knew. “You sure are dumb.”

“Oh, c’mon baby, don’t be so mean. There’s no way we were heard.” Satoru pouted, his whole demeanour changing quickly as if he didn’t just fuck you into oblivion a few seconds ago. He opened his mouth to say something else, but the sound of his phone inside of his forgotten jeans interrupted him. “Wait, someone is calling me.” He pressed a kiss in your forehead and stood up quickly, roaming through the room to find his phone to answer it. The light of the screen lighted up his features before bringing it to his ear. “Yeah, my dear director~?”

Oh, no.

“I seriously don’t know what you’re talking about, hehe~” Satoru laughed sweetly, scratching the back of his head and sparing you a quick glance before a blush creeped up his face. You frowned. You knew the director Yaga wasn’t just calling to talk with your boyfriend at 1am on a Friday. Hell, he wouldn’t call Satoru at all if he could. “Haha! That’s funny because− What? Y/N?”

Oh, no, no. Please, no.

“I mean, yeah but− Yeah. Yeah, I understand” He let out a loud sigh, closing his eyes in frustration. You swore you could hear Yaga’s loud, angry voice all the way to where you were. “Right. Yeah. Goodbye.” Satoru hung up and gulped harshly when he felt your glare piercing through his thick head. He turned to look at you with a sweet but nervous smile, forgetting the fact he was still fully naked. You could almost see the cold sweat running down his face. “Teehee~, we are in trouble.”

You were actually going to kill him.

#jujutsu kaisen #jujutsu kaisen x reader #gojo satoru #gojo satoru x reader #gojo x reader #jjk gojo #jujutsu kaisen writing #jujutsu kaisen smut #satoru x reader #jjk smut #gojo smut #satoru smut

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stripperblvd · 2 years ago

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Might As Well Take It (Eddie Munson x Harrington!Reader)

Summary: Your idea of fun wasn’t always the bar, but when a certain long haired boy from school reappears on stage, those beautifully skilled hands against the thin strings of his electric guitar, your heart begins to shift, the only question is, will your love for each other withstand the biggest misunderstanding? Warmings: Cursing, angst, Eddie under a panic attack. Word Count: 6.7k

Note: Based loosely on this costume try out for Eddie Munson.

You drummed your fingertips on the counter, you reveled in the music, the atmosphere. You didn’t come here often, only when you truly needed to get away. When the wine from your parent’s cellar wasn’t hitting the spot anymore, when the annoying horniness of a living room full of teenagers wasn’t enticing in the slightest. So the bar it was, watching people perform on stage, their loud lyrics and rhythm allowing the tip of your foot to tap against the dark wood floors. Robert, or Bobby for short came over to you, his white rag over his shoulder and a smiling face indicating his acknowledgement of you. You shot a smile at him, watching as he leaned across the counter. “I haven’t seen your face here in a while.” he said.

“Thought I’d pay a visit, plus I needed a drink, my fucking boss has been up my ass all week.” you groaned, your mind traveling back to the annoying old man who swore up and down you gave discounts to people. “The usual then?” Bobby asked, stranding a bit straighter. “Yeah, and some fries please?” you nodded, feeling hungry for a snack but not for a full meal. Your friend laughs, walking away to get one more customer's order before going to retrieve the refreshments. Your gaze shifted back to the stage, a new seemingly draped banner now hung, and a fresh new set of young guys, probably around your age, set up. The banner read “Corroded Coffin” and a small est print with a number you couldn’t quite distinguish.

You watch as the boys start playing, your eyes setting on the lankiest one, with fluffy dark curly hair fanning across his shoulders, a lava looking print adorning his electric guitar. You scan the placement of his hands, chunky silver rings adorning the base of the fingers that so skillfully glided across the neck of his guitar. Your eyes landing on a specific piece, trying your hardest to detect if what your eyes were telling you was true. It was, a smirk appearing on your lips as you determined that the same ring that’s on his left hand, right on his ring finger is the exact same one you have, in the identical placement. You thank Bobby for the food, not taking your eyes off the boy’s hands as you rake your eyes up his body, noticing the tattoos on his forearms, his pretty neck, sharp jaw. And those beautiful brown puppy dog eyes.

You forgot how absolutely attractive Eddie “the freak” Munson was. Your mind traveling back to your high school days. You were never in the same social circles, mostly because of your utter repulsive feelings towards the entirety of Hawkins High. Their obsession with societal hierarchies was enough to put you off from every single person in there, except of course your own brother, who although was the absolute worst of these teenagers, was still family. But you never overlooked Eddie, the guy who always was outspoken about sharing your same feelings, albeit he wasn’t aware you even had these thoughts yourself.

Your smirk only widens when you both lock eyes, his round baby stare shooting right at you, and damn near choking as you keep eye contact while you swallow the shot of whiskey from beside your coke, your left hand setting the glass down on the countertop before wiping your thumb across your lip to catch a stray drop of the liquid as it burned pleasantly down your throat. You swear you can see the vibration of a sound bubbling in his throat, as he quickly looks away, turning his guitar towards the drummer to feign a nice performance hit. You can only laugh, grabbing a fry from your little basket and popping it into your mouth, leaning back to watch the rest of the show.

By the time “Corroded Coffin” ends their set, you realize it’s almost 10, and you sigh knowing you’d like to be back in your apartment before 11 so that you can start your shift at noon the next day with a fresh morning. You raise the glass of coke to your lips, finishing off the last ounces and leaning over to place it behind the counter, into the plastic bin that you know Bobby takes every hour to the back for the glassware to be cleaned. But as you lean back over, trying to blindly sit back on the chair to grab your bag you feel a warm, ring clad hand on your hip, making you gasp as you grab the wrist of whatever stranger just touched you, ready to rip them a new one on the counter. But before you can do or say anything, your eyes meet soft brown ones, a few pieces of his bangs sticking to his forehead as he speaks.

“Oh, shit sorry didn’t mean to startle you.” Eddie spoke, eyes going a little wide but relaxing when he hears you let out a laugh. “Jeez Munson, is this how you always say hi?” you shoot him a smile, not ignoring how the way you are both situated gives the misunderstanding scene that you’re holding his hand to your hip. He looks down, quickly gulping but not making any efforts to move his hands, not when the small sliver of skin he caught feels so nice in his palm. So he just opts to lean on the counter, trying to relax and not let on how truly nervous this was making him. “Nah, just I wanted to catch you before you left.” he smiled, a little dimple peeking from his cheek, and winking at you. You slide your hand from his wrist to his forearm, knowing your fingers are just above the ink on his skin, your thumb pressing into the back of his elbow.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” you grin again, letting out a small huff of laughter with your words, your tongue darting out to lick your slightly dried lips. “Just, ya know.” a nervous laughter broke his sentences for a moment. “Saw you take that shot at the beginning of the gig, thought I might come over, ask if you uh… if you wanted to I dunno. I guess hang out after?” his thumb unknowingly started rubbing the small spot of bare skin that had shown when your shirt lifted while you stretched over the counter, so you reciprocated, your thumb softly going over his skin. You grinned, looking down at your shoes before locking eyes with him again, speaking. “Well I’m flattered, but I’m gonna have to say no,” you paused, watching his smile break a little, god he was gonna feel like such an idiot. Why the hell would a chick like you even want to go out with a freak nerd like him. “However, if you pick me up at 5 when my shift’s over tomorrow, I’ll let you take me anywhere for that date.” you grinned, running your index finger across his temple and tucking his hair behind his ear.

Fuckkkk, he was gonna melt if you kept touching him like this, your warm hand right over his arm, now your fingers in his hair. His face lit up, brighter than the stage lights he was just under as you grab a pen from the cup Bobby kept on top of the counter. He was a little disappointed when he felt your hand leave his arm, but nearly fucking yelled when you brought his other arm right to your chest, his skin feeling the squish of your boobs as you wrote down your house number and the name of the little store you worked at. “Yeah, yeah no yeah that sounds awesome” he said. You grab your bag, clutching the small purse in your hands and bring your hand up to his cheek to pinch the little smile that he sported. “I’ll see you then sweet cheeks.” you smirked, walking off to the exit to head home. Eddie was so damn entranced as his hand left your hip, his mind quickly snapping into reality so he could ask you one more thing. He had to yell a little to get his words across to you. “Hey, is that a succubus ring?” he asks, watching as you turn to him giggling, raising your hand to him, showing off your fingers and wiggling them as your other hand opens the door into the shiny night. - The next day was spent with an irritating amount of over thinking. Would he even show up? Was he maybe just drunk or dared to hit on the one lone girl at the bar? Your mind raced with so many thoughts, but you would quickly brush them away, reassuring yourself that Eddie was not likely someone to place such embarrassments on someone else, especially being the kind of person that those same “pranks” were likely pushed on.

So you carried on with your day, making sure your little bit of makeup stayed intact for the 5 short hours of your half day shift, your lips smacking every hour or so with a reapplication of lip balm to make sure they stayed smooth. You couldn’t keep your eyes off the clock for more than a few minutes at the time, thanking whatever higher power there was that at 3 rush hour started, students bustling out of their classrooms and into the streets of Hawkins, giving you enough work to keep your mind off the date you had later that day. You watched as kids from the middle and high school walked in, some greeting you and others just heading straight to whatever form of entertainment they needed, whether it be the music cassettes that ran along your side of the room, or the vinyls in the back. Some bustled around in the book area while others simply walked in for the candy that was at the counter right beneath your tapping arms. The clock read 3:30 when you went to prop the door open, the sound of the constant ringing bell that signified yet another customer’s entrance getting on your nerves.

By 4:50 you were already impatiently attending to customers, sometimes being a little too snappy with the kids who couldn’t form enough brain to understand that if their artist’s name started with an E then it wouldn’t be in the freaking J section. You thanked the gods that Clarrise, your coworker, arrived, at this time, allowing you to get your things together and clock out exactly at 5 knowing about your plans right after work. You were in the back room when Clarrise’s shift partner, a newby who’s name was Jacob came in just as you were clocking out. “Hey Y/N, there’s a scruffy looking dude looking for you, says he’s here to pick you up but it’s not Steve.” he said, a small worry in his tone. You smile, “Yeah, long hair, brown eyes, about yay tall?” you ask, and watch as the boy in front of you nods, relaxing a little. “Yeah we have a date tonight, thanks for looking out though kid.” you smile, walking past him and slapping his shoulder with your hand as a goodbye.

You walk out of the little room, your mini backpack resting on your shoulders as you enter the main part of the store, Clarrise giving you a knowing wink as you make your way to one of the tables with the vinyls on them, rolling your eyes at her as you smile. Eddie’s looking through some metal records, flipping through the thin packages. “What’re you looking at Munson?” you hum, placing your hand right above his ring clad one that’s supporting his weight as he browses the selection of tunes. His hair shakes as he turns to you, an adorable smile blooming on his pretty face as he turns his head to you. “Nothing, just kinda killing time.” he says, looking at you through his eyelashes. You roll your eyes, smiling at the obviousness of his statement. “You, uh you look good Y/N.” he says, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand, not wanting your touch to disappear from his other one. You feel a small tug in your heart as you laugh a little, “Thanks, you do too I like the shirt.” you point at the little red devil man and the words “Hellfire” across his chest. HIs eyes light up again, reminding you of a little puppy getting a treat shoved under his nose. “Shall we my lady?” he asks, taking a leap and intertwining your fingers, feeling the comfortable weight of your hand on his. His own heart takes a leap as you squeeze his hand. “Lead the way, good sir.” you mock in a posh accent. - “So you’re really not telling me where you’re taking me?” you laugh, slurping the slushie that you had just poured for yourself at the 7/11 stop Eddie made, claiming that he wanted to bring you to get the snacks in case you didn’t like something or wanted a specific treat. “Sounds to me like attempted kidnapping.” you mock, a teasing smile pulling right at your lips as you wrap them around the straw and take in some more of the sweet ice into your mouth. Eddie gasps, clutching his chest and faking a stumble towards you. “You really think of me as such a barbarian sweetheart?” he dramatically exclaims, one of his hands reaching out to you as if comically trying to change your mind. You burst out laughing, damn near spitting your drink, god he could be so charismatic. “You’re such a dork Munson.” you take a step to be right in front of him, looking up at him a little as he locks his eyes with you, his pretty lips spreading wider. “Hope that’s not a bad thing then.” he says, much lower than his previous sentences. You shake your head, taking the nearest strand of hair in his face and again running your finger across his temple to tuck it away for him.

Before you can drop your hand back to your side, Eddie grabs it, placing a kiss at your knuckles without breaking the intimate gaze you both have created at the back of this 7/11. You don’t drop it after that, opting instead to place the same hand at the base of his neck, cupping the warm skin and letting your fingers lightly graze his baby hairs. Neither of you really know where this continued comfortable and mutual feeling came from, chalking these moments to just feeling right. “There’s nothing I can do for you to tell me?” you grin sweetly at him, tilting your head just a little. His eyes flicker to your lips, before looking at you and leaning into the touch of your hand. “It’s a surprise, I promise you’ll like it.” he says softly. You nod at him, snaking your hand away from his neck and wrapping it again around his slightly bigger, calloused one. “Let’s go then.” - Your eyes grow to an almost cartoonish size as you arrive at the spot Eddie wanted your first date to be at. You knew now why it was almost half an hour away from Hawkins, the beautiful expanse of green with splashes of pastel colored flowers had finally splayed itself for you to feast your eyes on after a few minutes of walking with Eddie into the woods at the outskirts of town. Eddie had parked behind a few trees, grabbing the bag of snacks, a small cooler and guiding you until you reached this patch of greenery that was surrounded by large oaks. You look at him, noticing that there's a little twinge of anxiety behind his eyes, his shoulders are tense and his posture is rigid as he scans your face for any sign of displeasure. “Jesus Christ Eddie.” you let out, looking back at the gorgeous landscape. “Is th-this okay? I mean do, do you like it? I wasn't sure if you would but if you don’t we can go back into town and go to a diner or something ya know? Like we don’t have-” you interrupted him with your own voice. “Eddie! Oh my god it’s perfect. How’d you even find this place?” you watch him relax completely, a shy grin and red tint showing on his face. “Oh you know, just a smoke spot I like using.” He walks further, and you follow his footsteps until you’re at the center of the patch, noticing that there’s a nice little light brown blanket laying over the grass. “I brought this so we can sit.” he said, placing the item’s he had on the ground next to it.

You both sat on the blanket, and he grabbed the cooler, opening it and showing you the contents. Inside the neatly packed box are two little brown packages, ones that you only recognize as the sandwiches that you can buy at the Smith’s deli shop in downtown, some strawberries, chocolate syrup and a can of whipped cream. Eddie lays the food down, his cheeks going a little red, “You did all of this for me?” you asked softly, the look on your face making Eddie so light inside, you looked at him like he’d just brought you the stars and moon and in his heart he knew that he would if you asked him to. Hell, he’d do anything that you asked him to do if you kept looking at him like that. It’s his turn to place his hand on your knee, the touch sending little sparks into his arm and straight to his heart. “It’s not much, I just figured our first date could be like, I dunno, more private. For your sake.” he smiled almost sadly.

Your grin falters, your eyes going soft as you look into his eyes. For the first time you see the little droop of sadness, knowing exactly what he was hinting at. It was no secret that the majority of the town was less than polite with Eddie, the parents looking at him like a walking ex-con, the students in the high school calling him every insult under the sun. You raise yourself to sit on your knees, scooting just a little closer to the boy at your side, you cup his face, his cheeks going as red as they can when you make him look at you. “ Don’t say that, I don’t care what this stupid ass town thinks of you. It’s an honor to be going on a date with you Eddie Munson. I wouldn’t care if it was just the two of us or if the whole damn town was looking.” God you were gonna make him fall so hard in love that the only name he would ever know was yours.

The date went as amazing as can be, the food was delicious, and Eddie’s company made sure that there was never a dull moment in your conversation. As the day end breeze picked up, you shivered slightly knowing you had forgotten your sweater at home today. Eddie looked at you from his side, “You cold?” he said slowly rubbing your upper arm as he turned his entire body towards you. “Yeah a little.” you smile. “Here.” he says, taking off his leather jacket and then removing the red flannel that he carried underneath. Your heart speeds up, you knew for a fact that he’d been wearing that flannel for the better part of the day, the item intoxicatingly filled with his warmth and aroma. Yep, just as you thought, Eddie’s scent of cigarettes, men’s shampoo, cologne and a slight hint of weed swarmed your senses as he placed the item’s sleeves on yours, and tucking it nice in front of you before putting his leather jacket back on. “Thanks, it smells nice.” you said. Wrapping your arms around yourself to encase your frame in this piece of clothing. Eddie grins, pulling you closer to rest on his side as he rests his hand on your shoulder allowing you to lay your head on his shoulder, “Might as well take it princess, look’s better on you anyways.” he smiles. He thanks his guts for forcing him to speak to you yesterday, his reward couldn’t have been better. The prettiest girl in all of Hawkins was now wrapped not only in his flannel but his arms too. - Your feelings for Eddie Munson only grew as time went on, spending nearly every day of the past 6 weeks with each other. About two weeks into your little dates Eddie would start dropping by work, spending an hour or two talking with you after school before his band practices or picking you up in the evening after Hellfire when you closed the shop and needed a ride home albeit you had your own car. You took it upon yourself to spend every Tuesday afternoon with Eddie, cheering him and his band on as they played a gig. Every week or so you and Eddie would go on a date, usually ending up at his trailer and spending the night with each other. You didn’t know how to put a label on this new found bond you had with the boy, even if many a time you found yourself making out with him on his bed, or feeling his arms snake around your middle from the back as you plated some breakfast for him in the morning, a little “good morning sweetheart” leaving his raspy throat as he buried his face into your neck to give you small tickling kisses in the kitchen of his trailer.

On today’s occasion you found yourself laughing your absolute ass off as Eddie ran into the shop, eyes wide and legs bouncing. “You gotta let me use the bathroom sweetheart. I’m about to fucking piss my pants here.” he said, whining your name as you burst out laughing only nodding at him before watching him sprint off into the back, his little curls and waves bouncing as he swiftly locked the door behind him to relieve himself. Your laughter seized a little, going back to writing out the new month’s calendar to see where you could put the other employees and schedule them around any day they had already called off. The bell that rested on top of the entrance, a sound that muffled Eddie’s exit from the bathroom, a smile on his face that quickly left, as his feet stopped dead in their tracks, his big eyes watching Steve “The Dick” Harrington walk in, smiling at you.

“As promised Ms. Harrignton, here's your lunch.” he grinned at you, placing a white plastic bag with a foam container in it right on the counter. Eddie’s heart dropped to his stomach, a weird sour taste crawling its way into his mouth as he heard what Steve called you, ‘Ms. Harrington’

“You’re the actual best.” you exclaimed, leaning over to hug Steve, placing annoying kisses all over his head and forehead. Now Eddie felt the same heart that dropped being crushed into tiny little pieces. “Yeah yeah, you can thank me by doing my laundry tomorrow. Speaking of which, we still gotta call the plumber to take a look at the shower, I don’t need you complaining anymore about it.” he grinned, before looking at the clock. “Shit, Y/N/N I gotta go. I promised Robin I’d pick her up from band practice, I’m already late. K, love you” he said, giving you another hug. “Ok, go go I’ll see you at home later okay? I love you.” you said ushering him away absolutely destroying Eddie’s soul with the words that left both your lips.

He didn’t know what to do except storm out, ignoring how the slam of the door behind him cut you off as you called to him, frowning as he completely ignored you.

Eddie’s eyes prickled with tears as he drove back to his trailer. Was it all an elaborate joke? Did you and Steve just plan a month long “Fuck with Eddie “The Freak” Munson and his feelings” event? Did none of the times you spent together with him mean anything to you? All the kisses, all the nights spent wrapped around each other’s arms, the mornings after where you let him bear his entire soul out to you? Were you just too ashamed of even liking Eddie that you had made him into this side piece, someone to cheat on your beloved little asshole Steve with? Anger pricked his broken heart. Was this why you never spent a night in your apartment? Did you just lie to him from the very fucking start, making him feel like there was actually any honesty in your feelings?

He didn’t care.

You were dead to him. - The sudden exit that Eddie had made at the store earlier that day didn’t affect your plans that night, other than the fact that tonight you’d have to walk to “The Hideout” on your own since Eddie never came to pick you up like he’d promised to. You figured he had simply forgotten, especially when he’s got a gig to prepare for tonight. So you didn’t mind, grabbing your keys, bidding Steve a goodbye and pulling on the flannel that Eddie had given you on your first date as you left the apartment to begin your short walk to the bar.

The place was packed as you walked in, Corroded Coffin already rocking out the stage as you sat down, a grin splattered across your face as you were greeted by the sight of Eddie, his face scrunched up as he played out an intricate part of the song, his head thrown back as he reached the end to go into the main chorus. You looked at the bartender, holding your finger up and mouthing “beer” as you directed your gaze back to the stage the expression fades from your face. Because instead of the same Eddie that you saw moments ago, you saw a flirting one, who was leaning down at a woman who was most definitely a town skipping groupie, winking at her as he pinched her chin before continuing with the song. Jeff and Gareth eye Eddie weirdly, Gareth’s eye catching your fallen expression as you watch Eddie continue playing as if he didn’t even notice you.

Your stomach churned, the song ending and a lost expression overtaking your features as Eddie looked to where you were, a look you never thought you’d see coming from his pretty face being directed straight at you. His eyes were cold, as he leaned back down to the same woman from before, taking a pick from the floor and locking flirting eyes with her as he shoved the small object between her fake boobs, Jeff’s eyes nearly fucking popping out of his head as he looks back at Gareth neither of the two knowing what to do when Eddie’s acting like a maniac mid show. You hear your name being called, Bobby trying to reach you across the other side of the bar counter, but you can’t stay in the room, the amount of people suddenly becoming overwhelming instead of comforting, an intense nausea overtaking your sense as tears start flooding your eyes, a small one falling as you push open the doors to be met with cool night air. You feel like you can’t breathe, so many thoughts rushing across your mind. Why would Eddie do that, why was he looking at you like that.

You were glad you hadn’t worn mascara on this night, or all the patrons who were now leaving the bar 30 minutes later as the music ended would’ve seen your distraught face. You hear giggling, a bunch of uncoordinated heels clicking towards you as you watch a trio of women, one of which was the same bitch that had Eddie’s hand between her boobs, walk towards you. You watch as she reaches into the same spot Eddie’s hand had been in, rolling her eyes as she throws the pick to the ground. The tallest one of them stops mid track, her smile fading, “Oh honey are you okay?” she asks, a slight southern accent is present in her voice as she walks towards you, the two other women following suit. “Hey what’s wrong sugar pie.” the third one asks, handing you a tissue. You smile softly, “Just some relationship problems I guess. I’m fine.” you realize that your anger shouldn’t have been directed to any of these women. They had no idea what you and Eddie had. They cooed as they closed in on a group hug with you, a string of ‘okay’s and ‘take care’s following as the trio walked away, still stumbling on their pointy shoes.

Your breath hitched as you watched most of Corroded Coffin exit the bar, but no sign of Eddie. You huffed, now you were just angry. What did you do to have Eddie play with you? As if called upon by your brain, your eyes set their locked gaze on a moving cloud of dark curls as they head into the alley with a guitar case in hand. Your feet carry you to where he’s at, your throat calling out to him

“Eddie!” His feet don’t even falter as he continues walking.

“EDDIE!” Now you’re raising your voice.

“I’m talking to you!” your tears are long gone. Replaced by betrayal and a need for answers.

“Edward! Hey asshole, I'm talking to you!” you’re screaming, never having called him by his first name before, but watching as he turns to you, walking right back to where you are, his long legs only taking a couple of strides before he’s all up in your face. Your breaths combine together.

“The fuck do you want Y/N” he seethes, you ignore the twist of pain in your heart, only being used to being addressed lovingly by the man in front of you.

“You don’t get to fucking walk away when I’m talking to you. What the hell was that, grabbing groupie tits?” you scoff, glaring right back up to him. The tension is so strong, so heavy. You’re not used to this. This doesn’t feel correct. “Oh now I’m the bad guy.” he laughs, damn near spitting in your face as his eyes squint with mockery. “Pardon me for not fucking finding any humor here. Last time I checked I didn’t give the guy I was dating permission to fuck around with other women at his shows. Especially when he leaves me hanging.” His words sting you, “Please, you’re not any less of a fucking slut than those groupies. Don’t act innocent Y/N/N, stupidity doesn’t suit you.” your eyes widen, and Eddie laughs thinking he’s finally caught you in your own lie. As much as it might hurt. He loved you. He loves you.

“Why would you say that? And the fuck do you think you are calling me Y/N/N, only-” You don’t know how to feel, your words are intercepted by Eddie’s venom, “Yeah yeah Y/N, only Steve gets to call you that. So why the fuck don’t you carry on and go back to him huh?” Eddie turns, walking towards his van. His chest hurts, everything spinning. God why couldn’t you have loved him the way you said you did. You never said the three words, but Eddie thought your actions spoke much louder than them.

“Don’t walk away from me goddamit. Eddie!” you race towards him, catching him just as he’s putting his hands on the driver’s door. You turn him around, hands cupping his face so that he’ll look at you instead of rolling his eyes and leaving. “Baby, why are you acting like this? Why are you saying these things about Steve?” you can’t help the nudge of care that forces you to soften your eyes and tone with him, you hated this. You never thought you’d have to ever direct these kinds of words to him. It was a moment of weakness for Eddie too, he wished he could stay like this, that it could all be okay, that you were holding him like this because you truly cared. But Eddie’s not used to rationalizing his emotions, so he just lashes out again, slapping your hands away from his face, as much as he doesn’t want to.

“You have some serious guts to come at me like that. You didn’t think I wouldn't find out? Didn’t think I saw the whole fucking thing today?” He wanted to say more, to cuss you out, to yell in your face. Demand to know why you broke his heart like this, what made him the target of your games. Your face contorted in confusion, another wave of hurt passed through your heart. “I don’t give a fuck about your games anymore Y/N, just be honest to Steve about it.” Your mind was spinning. The hell was he talking about. “ Be honest? Eddie, you seriously think Steve doesn't know? Hell, why would I even care what he thinks in the first place.”

“Jesus Christ you really have no shame do you?” he laughs, cupping his face. “I don’t care anymore Y/N, I’m not just your guilty pleasure when Steve’s not playing “Boyfriend of the Year”, I get it okay? Mess with the freak, the one guy in town that isn’t worth anything so that no one believes it.” It’s your turn to laugh. “That’s a sick fucking joke Eddie.” disbelief is written all over your face. Your eyes are wide, head cocked. “Wait… you are joking right?” you receive silence. Now you both are standing there like idiots, confused expressions and an incredibly awkward silence between the two of you.

“Eddie fucking hell that’s disgusting. Why would you say that about my little brother?” you don’t know what to even think. Did Eddie really think you and your brother were in some sick relationship? “What?” his face falls. Eddie’s eyes are finally clearing a little, his entire day crashing down on him. “Eddie please, talk to me. I don’t know what you think or heard or think you saw, but seriously. Did my brother do something? Was someone saying something about us?” you asked, you took the opportunity to cup his face again, making sure one of your hands snaked into the base of his neck and tangled into the back of his hair. “He called you Ms. Harrington. You said I love you to him.” Eddie’s voice was weak, he was such a fucking idiot, did he just create the most embarrasing mistake of the year? You scoff, looking at your side and shaking your head. “Well I’m sorry Eddie but it’s not as if our parents can give us different last names. And yes, I may love both of you in a different way but it’s still love.”

It all made sense now. Eddie thought he could faint, knowing how stupidly and ignorant he had acted. Siblings. You and Steve were literal fucking siblings. Eddie’s shock at his own stupidity forced him to glaze over the fact you said you loved him. But it snapped him out of his trance. His eyes watered, so big that you thought they would pop right out and roll down the street. He wanted to say something. Anything, but the words got stuck in his throat, instead all you heard were small and barely audible whimpers. He watched as it clicked for you. Of course, you thought. Not many people were aware that the two Harrington’s were siblings, mostly due to the fact that you had your fathers looks while Steve looked a lot like your mother’s side of the family. You didn’t blame Eddie for the confusion, you didn’t talk in high school, there’s no way he could’ve known your last name. You’re snapped back by Eddie’s hand, gripping your side harshly.

“Oh baby come here, c’mere sweetheart.” you cooed, using your hand that had been previously set on his head to bring him to you. Eddie’s mind was empty, miserably trying to process everything that was happening, the dots connecting so fast he barely had time to react. All he could register was your voice, and your touch, and suddenly he found his face pressed right into your neck, eyes soaking your shirt, the same red flannel that he had given you on your first date. He didn’t even have to think for himself, his body knew that he was safe, he was warm and there you were, cooing at him, stroking his hair, taking care of him as the panic wafted over and out of him. His weeping was broken by a raspy “I’m sorry!” one that came tumbling along with a hundred more, the phrase repeating itself in his mouth, finding its way through his lips time and time again.

“Shh, it’s okay baby it’s okay. You’re okay sweetheart. I’m right here, you’re okay.” your heart broke for the boy in your arms, his tears soaking right through the shirt that had once belonged to him. It took a while to calm him down, but before he could even speak you made him look at you. “I’ll drive, yeah?” you proposed, watching as he sighed and nodded, dropping the keys in your hands and walking over to the passenger side. The drive to the trailer park was silent, your hand on the wheel while the other held one of Eddie’s hand across the console, his legs spread and his forearm draped across his eyes. He needed time to process, to realize what had happened, and most importantly, to find a way to apologize to you.

When you finally arrived at the trailer you parked the van, both of you getting out and you reaching to grab his hand as you opened the door to the small home, Wayne long gone to work. With this in mind you locked the entrance, walking with Eddie to his room and sitting him on the bed’s side. “Let’s undress okay? It’s late.” you whispered, Eddie refusing to look at you, his eyes firmly on the ground. You sighed, grabbing his leather jacket and pulling it off him. You knelt down, untying his boots and allowing him to take them and his socks off. His pants and shirt followed suit, being dropped on the floor as he watched you walk to the chair he had in his room and drop your bag there, taking your clothing off until you were left with only your underwear and Eddie’s red flannel. You walked towards the bed, climbing to where Eddie was still sitting, grabbing a hold of his bicep so that he would be forced to look at you. “Let’s lay down.” you said, laying down first and making sure Eddie had enough room to lay on your chest, settling his weight on your thighs. He grabbed his covers, draping them across the two of you as your arms wrapped around him, holding him close.

“I’m so sorry. I’m a fucking idiot, I don’t deserve you.” he whispered voice cracking again. Eddie was scared, what if you only drove him home so he wouldn’t have an accident. What if you left after he fell asleep and never talked to him again. “You don’t have to apologize, Eddie. It was a misunderstanding, we all make mistakes honey.” you cooed softly, racking your fingers across his scalp. He shook his head, playing with your shirt’s buttons, noticing how one was missing from this very habit of his. “I didn’t even talk to you. I touched that girl at the bar, I called you names. I’m worthless.” His words broke you. But tonight wasn’t the night to let your emotions out. “Don’t say that Eddie. Don’t you ever say that again. You’re not worthless. God baby you’re the best thing that has ever happened to me. You’re so sweet, so caring, so thoughtful and loving. I’m so proud to call you mine, if you’ll let me.” you laughed slightly, not wanting the mood to set too heavy on the two of you. Eddie looked up at you, puppy dog eyes watering so heavily. “You still want me?” His voice was soft, cracked.

“I’ll always want you Eddie Munson.” you whispered, kissing his forehead.

Tomorrow you’ll talk things out. For now, all you needed was each other. The apologies could wait.

Someone take my computer away bro, 11 google doc pages, (with 11 pt font yall) and almost 7 thousand word count man. Hope yall enjoy it, proofreading this sucker was a bitch.

7-9-22

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x female reader #stranger things 4 #stranger things #ST4 #st4 vol2

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secretxxpaladaiseu · 1 year ago

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"A being of eternity, hm? Then perhaps I won't quite be the doll of your nightmares…Though I could still hope to be the doll of tonight's fantasies." Every word that left the younger man's lips were intentional, as was the tone of voice he used. Just loud enough to be heard on the much quieter night street, if only because the sound had more room to spread out. His attention was very obviously piqued at Hibiki's mention of an eternal being, his head turning towards him as they walked. It was indeed turning into a rare night, as he rarely came across someone else like him. Or, at least someone that had the same lifespan.

In fact, it was only raising his anticipation for the night. There was hardly any need for caution, except for his face. That was the one thing Yeong would never budge on. His face was perhaps the part of himself that he was the most proud of, and protective of.

A whine of his own left him as his hand was slapped, huffing afterwards as he quickly pulled his hand back. "Maybe I don't look to tame anyone…Just wrap them around my finger." Rolling his eyes, he whined once again as he rubbed dramatically at his hand as if he had been seriously injured by such a small action."As I said, it's a standing reservation. I'm very particular about where I go, and it's just easier this way. Plus, it's easier to leave should someone attempt to be too clingy."

A grin was quick to spread on the male's face at the mention of being kidnapped, imagining the responsibilities he'd be able to get out of. "Please, by all means, if you enjoy me this evening then feel free to kidnap me. I have no desires to return to my life tomorrow, so I'm quite eager for an excuse to ignore it all." Almost every word that came from the brat's mouth seemed to emphasize his personality. How self-absorbed he presented himself to be, how obnoxious and demanding he could be. The exact image he wanted everyone else to have of him.

"You look like a gentleman, yes. I can give you that, though hopefully that's not an image you intend on keeping the entire night." He wiggled his finger in the air, as if he was wrapping a string or someone around it as he finally headed inside the hotel.

He tilted his head as he examined the other's adam's apple, exploring it like a potential prey. Or looking at it as if it was a work of art. Well, perhaps it was a mixture of both. Sometimes his feral side mixed with his creative one. And bodies were calling onto both of them after all. "Temporary you say", he repeated thoughtfully. "Do you expect a creature of eternity to deliver you a temporary experience, mrow?" His lips curled to a smirk. "The doll of nightmares. Now I have quite high expectations. My nightmares are quite horrible, so I am curious to see you compete with them." During his long time of existing he had experienced a lot of things after all and several of them didn't leave some pleasant traces onto his soul. But this was something he most likely would keep to himself tonight. "To me bunnies are not for cuddling. They are for hunting", he purred joyously and bared his fangs again, licking over them as his finger brushed over the other's jaw. "And dolls are for making them the way you want to have them, mrow. Yes. They are."

The talk had been refreshing; it was more than Hibiki had expected for tonight to happen in fact. So things looked auspicious - and this when he wasn't easily entertained by other persons and even more seldom impressed by them. Though him having been quite unfazed often in the past had probably been a symptom of him being so utterly worn out. He was better, a lot, and he was acknowledging and appreciating something exctiting if it appeared right in front of his eyes. He followed along, letting the other pull him with him for now. It was a bold gesture, but why putting up an act? "Well, felines are known for being playful after all", he approved. "And they are known for being not tamable." His fingers brushed over Yeong's hand. "So if you are keen on trying, be aware of it not being successful most likely." With this he loosened the other's hand from himself in a not too gentle manner, giving it a scolding slap.

"You already make plans, mrow. I might kidnap you if you are not careful." He chuckled sinisterly and let his fingers run over the other's back, imitating a spider, before he laid his arm around Yeong's shoulders, walking next to him like this. "Oh, I do not care about how this hotel may look like. I do not have a lot of use for luxury. Although I can certainly pass as a rich gentleman tonight, can I?" He fixed his tie with one claw.

@secretxxpaladaiseu

#yeong rply;

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hyuckshaze · 4 years ago

Text

zoom shenanigans - l.dh

✩‌ haechan ‌x‌ ‌fem!reader‌ ‌|‌ boyfriend!haechan | smut | ‌1.6k+ words ✩

SUMMARY‌ ‌⇾‌ you don’t quite know how hyuck convinced you to sit on him while in a class zoom call

WARNINGS‌ ‌⇾‌ exhibitionism, unprotected sex, dom!sub themes, asphyxiation, edging/overstimulation, spitting, slight humiliation, degradation (use of words such as whore, slut etc.), dumbification, slight dacryphylia, salirophilia, dirty talk - basically pure and absolute filth!

AUTHOR’S NOTES ⇾ i couldn’t stop thinking about this throughout the entirety of my online classes today, so i just had to write about it to get it off my chest. i am an absolute slut when it comes to dom!hyuck, so this is just self-indulgence really. enjoy! not proofread so please message if there’s any errors, or anything missing from the warning list! - lex

You don’t quite know how Hyuck convinced you to sit on him while in a class zoom call.

He’d driven you insane. You’d been sat on his cock since the start of your lesson, for which your teacher, thank God, had decided that cameras did not need to be on. The class only lasted an hour, with you sitting on his lap in his gaming chair because ‘your desk chair just isn’t comfy enough, Y/N’, according to him anyway. You thought your desk chair was perfectly comfy, but he insisted. 60 minutes doesn’t seem all that long in the grand scheme of things, but with a boyfriend as evil as Donghyuck, of course he knew just how to make that hour feel like an eternity, teasing you relentlessly throughout. His lips brushing against your ear as you tried your hardest to complete the set work, whispering unspeakable promises into your ear and sending dark shivers down your spine. Though you couldn’t see his face, you knew the exact expression that was plastered on his face as his wandering hands roamed your body, squeezing and pinching all the spots that he knew would have you squirming in his hold. By far, the most infuriating thing he would do, though, was to snake his hand around your body whenever you had to turn your microphone on, fingers rubbing your clit in circles that had you biting back loud and sensual moans, managing to suppress the noises down to sighs which, as a University student, were not all that uncommon to hear.

It’s when the time hits 11:50am, exactly 10 minutes before the end of the lesson (you know because you began checking it, what seemed like, every few seconds, sensing his growing impatience), that his self-control evaporates. With a raspy grunt, his hand wraps around your neck and he thrusts up into you, hard, fast and rough. You gasp, face contorting in pleasure at the sudden movements which have you crying out and grasping at the desk in front of you in order to stay upright. You whine as his grip on your neck tightens, pulling you back towards his chest in one, swift movement. A yelp escapes your lips, now blindly grabbing at the armrests on either side of the chair in order to stop your legs from giving out. Not that you’d go anywhere, Hyuck’s rigid grip on you made sure of that. His hot breath against the back of your neck caused goosebumps to form on your exposed skin, a shudder going through your body at the overwhelming amount of pleasure. His hand on your neck pushes your jaw backwards, the back of your head resting on his shoulder as he looks down at your flushed face, tears of pleasure collecting at the corners of your wide and innocent eyes, perfect pink lips parted so beautifully, not to mention the dream-worthy sounds escaping them. How could he have ended up with such a perfect little girl? His hand moves for only a split second from your neck, squeezing your cheeks together in order to open your mouth. He spits harshly into your now open mouth, pressing your cheeks shut again afterwards. You let out a sudden and uncontrollable moan at the sound of him doing such a filthy thing, feeling his spit hit your tongue forcefully. You know what he wants. You close your mouth and swallow, his hand creeping back down towards your neck as you show him your empty mouth.

“That’s my good girl.” He rasps, giving a tight squeeze to your neck once more.

With your eyes squeezed so tightly shut, you almost forget that you’re supposed to be listening to your Biomedical Sciences lecturer drone on about Haematology and Transfusion. Almost.

“Right, now that’s done, everyone turn your cameras on for this last task. We’re going to be going through the homework assignment that I set for you all last week, don’t think you can get away without speaking either! I’m gonna be asking you all questions about the task.” His words barely register in your mind, your head fuzzy and body shaking at the feeling of your boyfriend rearranging your insides so delectably. After a few moments, his words seem to sink in and your eyes shoot open, urgently whispering Hyuck’s name. There was no way you could turn on your camera, you’d have to lie. I dropped my laptop; my WiFi is lagging; my room is a mess. A thousand ways to excuse yourself ran through your mind, albeit at a much slower pace than usual. You could only focus so much through the feeling of Haechan fucking into you so hard and fast. Your desperate whines of his name are interrupted as he hums into your ear, not slowing his hips or showing any sign of stopping. If anything, it becomes even harder to think at his words.

“We both know that’s not what you call me when I’m fucking you, baby.” He growls into your ear, pounding into you with even more force, rendering you barely capable of thinking, let alone talking. Your walls clench tightly around his hard cock, a string of curses escaping your boyfriend’s pink lips as he grunts loudly at the feeling.

“M-my professor s-said-” You start, barely able to string a sentence together.

“I heard what your professor said, baby. Turn on your camera. Show your entire class how much of a filthy little slut you are for me. Show them how this perfect A* student cums all over my dick, huh? You’d like that wouldn’t you? Everyone seeing the perfect little teachers pet coming all over her boyfriends cock during her class? Everyone seeing how fucking dumb you get for my dick?” You bite your lip, holding back a scream. You can’t, however, stop a broken whimper from escaping you.

“Fuck! Yes, yes, yes, yes! Please, oh my God!” The hand that isn’t clutching your neck so tightly moves downwards, fingers brushing your clit so delicately.

“Please... Please what, slut?” He spits, tears now leaking down your face, chest shaking as you hold in overwhelmed sobs.

“Please Daddy!” You cry out, mascara beginning to smudge as you clench your eyes shut so tightly. You no longer care about your waiting professor, you no longer care about the entire class, it’s only Haechan. He is all you can feel and think.

“Y/N, we’re waiting on you to turn your camera on...” Your professor presses, but you don’t even hear him. It’s only when your boyfriend stops all of his movement, hand slipping away from your throat, reaching down and reclining his gaming chair into a laying position, that you realise what he wants.

“No, no, no. Please, Hyuckie!” You whine, head spinning at the loss of movement. He’s laying practically flat now, out of view of the camera. You try to move, rolling your hips atop his dick but his fingers dig into your hips hard, almost painfully, as he holds you in place, smirking up at your shaking figure with mirth.

“Go on, baby. Turn on your camera.” He warns, fingers digging even harder into your hips. You send him an exasperated look, to which he gives you the look. You know what that means. ‘Do as I fucking say, or you’ll regret it’.

Your shaky hands reach over to the laptop, clicking the camera button as you let out an uneven breath. After a few seconds, your face appears on the screen. Your eyes widen. What your boyfriend had failed to inform you, was that your face was flushed and sweaty, mascara smudging your cheeks in obvious tear streaks, a drop of his spit glittering as it sat upon your chin. You wiped your face on your sleeve as soon as you catch sight of yourself, moving forward to pretend to be sorting a non-existing wire behind your screen as you try to make yourself look more presentable. As you do so, you hear his voice whisper.

“Don’t think I’ve forgotten what you called me just then and don’t think you’re getting away with it. ‘Hyuckie’ doesn’t fuck you the way Daddy does.” His low tone causes you to clench around him, taking a deep breath at his teasing words. He scoffs at your silence, squeezing your ass, hard, so that you let out a small whimper. He hums in satisfaction as you plaster an obviously fake smile onto your face before leaning back, clicking on the unmute button for only a moment before abruptly turning it off again, barely having finished your sentence, as Haechan’s rock hard dick twitches inside your sensitive pussy.

“Sorry, Professor. I had tech issues.”

✩ ✩ ✩

Those last 8 minutes of class felt like an eternity, and your boyfriend made sure of that. You thought you’d done a pretty good job at hiding it, though. Not one person gave you a funny or disgusted look as you answered the Professor’s questions and kept a small, albeit forced, smile on your face. You couldn’t help but feel a twisted form of pride at your ability to pretend as though nothing was happening as you sat atop of Hyuck’s dick, enduring his endless verbal and physical teasing throughout.

It wasn’t until after the two of you were finished, long after the class had done so, that your boyfriend checked his phone

“Y/N...” You heard him call from the bathroom. You couldn’t find the energy to move, simply humming in acknowledgement at his hesitant-sounding call. He enters the bedroom in all his naked glory, carrying a small, wet cloth in order to clean you up in one hand, his phone in the other. Your eyes trace his naked body, focusing on the smooth, tanned skin. He really was a sight for sore eyes, somebody that you could never get tired of looking at. You’re disrupted from staring at his body when he holds his phone out in front of your face. You reluctantly tear your eyes from his torso, focusing in on the brightly lit screen, squinting slightly to read the text upon it.

“

MESSAGES

Jaemin

fucking your gf during her zoom class, nice one bro. though, you might wanna make sure that you actually hang up next time. the whole class was still there, apart from the prof. not that they’re complaining, i saw their faces. they’re gonna be getting off to that for the entirety of lockdown, i swear!

“

Needless to say, nobody in class called you the Teacher’s Pet anymore.

✩ ✩ ✩

#haechan #donghyuck #nct smut #nct #kpop smut #haechan smut #nct 127 #smut #leehaechan #leedonghyuck #donghyuck smut #kpop imagine #nct imagine #nct 127 imagine #nct dream #nct dream smut #nct dream imagine #nct 127 smut

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etherealeeknow · 4 years ago

Text

the fwb rules

• rated m for mature

• pairing: fwb!hyunjin x fem!reader

• wc: 4.559

• tw: explicit language, light characterization of an insecure reader, unprotected piv sex (stay safe, lovelies!), fingering & oral (f), nipple play, cream pie— i think that’s all, please do tell me if you find more c:

• note: last time i said long fic isn’t my forte and this time i’ll still say the same hahahahaha. but still, i hope i don’t disappoint 🥺 please kindly note that english isn’t my first language. therefore, i apologize for any mistakes. feedbacks are always appreciated because i’d love to grow! thank you for waiting and enjoy 💞 pretty banner made by my bestie!! ilysm 😽😽😽

• tag list: @charlieshelves @es-kay-zee @formidxble @oh-my-sparkle @bobateastay @http-hyxnjxn @lyralurexrattle @hyunsluvv @healinghyunjin @sailorhyunjinz

—

what happened to the rules?

it didn’t start off like this. you can’t remember when exactly you started wondering about the five word question. all you know is that you were one bite away from gobbling a spoonful of jisung’s ice cream when it struck you: since when did you and hyunjin stop going by the rules? he’s been occasionally texting you out of the blue lately just to know what you’re up to, and today he even asked you to stay the night at his, and as much as you want to believe they’re all normal, again, it didn’t start off like this. from the beginning, you and hyunjin have come up with three rules so your relationship can work: one, be very casual. two, no strings attached. three, no fucks given outside of the, well, literal fucking. but look at you now, lying naked and out of breath under his blanket while facing his ceiling, driving yourself insane over the haunted question. you have to get it off your chest somehow, but how?

“hey, why so serious?” asks the culprit behind your overthinking, causing you to jump slightly over his sudden appearance and your hands instinctively pull up the blanket to cover your naked chest, which as a result, makes him chuckle. cute. “here. it’s my cousin’s,” adds the topless man as he sits on the edge of the bed and hands you a white shirt that even under the dim light, you can already tell won’t fit you.

“your cousin? the model? hyunjin, she’s tiny,” you utter, hands still gripping onto the blanket. “i’m—“

“you,” he cuts you off, placing a hand on top of yours while carefully glancing at you to make sure you there aren’t any signs of discomfort. “are fine, y/n. now hurry up. i’m sleepy,” he adds before letting go, leaving behind a lingering warmth on your knuckles.

nodding, you turn your back on him to change, and the room falls silent, causing you to hear how fast your heart is thumping even more than it should have. is it because you had too much coffee this morning? or it can probably be because the shirt is too tight that it’s cutting off your air circulation, right? right, of course. you tell yourself because as much as you dislike both reasons, they are still far better than having hyunjin as the cause.

once you’re done, hyunjin already has his back lying against the bedhead, his head tilting slightly to the side, avoiding the light coming from the night lamp on the bedside table, while his eyes bore deeply into yours. unbothered that he’s been caught staring, he averts his gaze downwards till they reach your chest and spot how your nipples are sticking out through the thin fabric.

“see? it fits you just fine,” he says, turning his vision back to your face as he opens his arms and motions them at you, only to have you remain in the same position with your increasing heartbeat.

“aren’t you gonna, uh, wear something?”

instead of a proper answer, all you get is his laugh—hyunjin’s contagious laugh that usually always succeeds in making you laugh too. but today hits differently. has his laugh always sounded this lighthearted before? no matter what the answer is, one thing for sure is that despite how sweet hwang hyunjin and his laugh are, they have never made your cheeks burn like this before, and this is forbidden. it’s against the rules.

“an hour ago we were naked while sucking each other’s face, y/n,” he finally answers after a while. “besides, i always sleep like this. now, come on,” he adds, repeating the same gesture, except this time his hands are open wider, eager to have you near him again because the space around him is starting to make him feel lonely.

complying with him, you fall into his embrace and hyunjin immediately lets his hands travel to the exact places of where they want to be—one around your head and the other around your waist. despite the room turning less cold with his warmth directly passing onto you, your heart and cheeks conditions remain the same especially since you can hear how hyunjin’s heartbeats are beating just as fast as yours when he lets you lay your head on his chest.

“hyunjin,” you call out, hands fiddling with the collar of your shirt.

“y/n,” he replies, replacing the collar with his fingers instead, intertwining them with yours.

what happened to the rules?

“do... do fwb do these?” you ask, the bravery in you finally decide to show up, even just for a little.

“do this?” he asks back while squeezing your hand with all his might, as if he’s nervous.

no. not ‘this’, but ‘these’. not only the hand grabbing, but also the fact that he asked you to stay the night, that he’s cuddling you to sleep, and that you’ve been getting unusual symptoms over them until this very moment.

“yes, this,” you nod and hyunjin becomes muted, but his heartbeats are growing louder, and his grip on you has become tighter.

after what feels like forever, he whispers, voice slightly cracking, and hands getting a little colder, “yes. yes, they do.”

then the two of you become muted, but both heartbeats keep growing louder, and everything stays that way until sleep eventually takes over.

—

as a homebody, you’ve always against the idea of sleepovers. you believe home is the sweetest place and your own bed is the comfiest even when your mattress is older than a decade and your favorite plushie has had too many holes here and there. but waking up in hyunjin’s bed has broken your stigma—never in your whole life that you’d have thought someone else’s bed can provide you twice the comfort.

“looks like someone had a good sleep,” chirps jisung as he sits beside you, causing you to wipe off the smile on your face before going back to your laptop.

“wow suddenly my best friend’s a psychic?”

“hey, that’d actually make a great drama title!” he exclaims and you roll your eyes. “please do spill the tea though. what happened?” he adds.

“what happened?” you ask back, eyes still on the screen, but the corner of your lips are on the verge of breaking into the smile, knowing full well he’ll complain—which he does by lamely calling you a meanie.

laughing, you tell him nothing happened, but the way he rolls his eyes is a sign he’s not taking any of your bullshit. you are telling the truth though. besides spending the night with each other, nothing really happened, right? it was just another casual fucking session. yes, it was amazing, but that’s no news for jisung. the guy’s practically your wingman—setting you up with hyunjin was his idea because he believes you should, “live your life. have that dreamy college sex orelse you’ll regret it like my old man changbin!”

right on cue, a notification popped out on your big screen, and the sender’s name makes your heart pop too.

“aha, see!” jisung points at it. “y/n, where are you?” he reads out loud, earning yourselves all the eyes from every other student in class.

“oh my god, jisung. shut up!” right when you’re about to log out from the chat app, hyunjin sends another one.

“can i call you?” jisung reads once more and you’re only one second away from smacking his head, but your vibrating phone holds you back.

shooting jisung a glare, you make sure to close your laptop before leaving the class, answering hyunjin’s call even when you’re still half way through the door. right when you’re about to greet him hello, hyunjin beats you to it—his voice a bit raspy, but the softness in his tone still lies within, and it creates endless questions in your mind.

has he just woken up? so is this how he sounds in the morning? why is he calling?

and the list goes on because this isn’t like hyunjin at all. sure, he’s not validating the rules, but he’s breaking his character despite already alarming you to anticipate morning booty calls from him at times. he’s never actually done that though.

“hi,” you reply, startling yourself with how small your voice came out.

“you left,” says hyunjin and you can hear him sighing from the other line, which somehow causes a slight pang in your heart, wondering if perhaps he is disappointed. “can you come back? wait, actually, let me go to you instead.” he says and you can hear the rustling sounds coming from his side.

“hyunjin, i have class. that’s why i left. i—” should you apologize? but why should you? casual, no strings attached, and no fucks given, remember? “i’m sorry.”

“oh.” hyunjin stops on his track before plopping back down onto the bed, smiling. “i’ll pick you up after class then. when will you finish?”

unconsciously, a smile creeps up your face too, but the realization hits you right after, then followed by the five word question, and you know—you know this is your guts telling you that now’s the time to ask him about it, but your heart hates confrontation. plus, wouldn’t it be rude to reply to someone else’s question with a question? “hyunjin, are you, uh, horny?”

just like yesterday, hyunjin laughs, and with the raspiness in his voice still present, he doesn’t fail to make you laugh along, but at the same time waking the butterflies in your stomach and makes you rethink your decision. mayhaps, you should’ve left him a note or told him that you’ll leave early in the morning; or even, you should’ve ditched classes today and stayed so when he wakes up, you can get him a glass of water, not leaving the boy uncared for like this. but who are you to do so?

“isn’t it normal for a guy to have a morning wood?” he jokes before quickly adding that he’s not horny. “i just want to see you so let me go get you.”

pressing your lips together, you contemplate on whether you should let him. if you do, won’t you be turning whatever the two of you have right now into something far more complicated? but it’s only until hyunjin adds a desperate “please?” that all of your dilemma disappears, as if you’re being cast into his spell—“okay.”

—

while heading to the gate, you have the biggest urge to book a massage appointment. dodging jisung’s questions and running away from him after the first period was draining, but having to spend the day running back and forth between two buildings because thinking that volunteering as the lecturers’ teaching assistant was draining on a whole new level. other than feeling like your legs are gonna come off, your mind also feels like it’s gonna blow off—you can’t stop recalling all the things you need to start working on as soon as possible, but stepping into hyunjin’s car turns everything to 180 degrees.

you’d like to think that it’s because of the faint lavender aroma coming from his car freshener along with the heavenly cool air conditioner, but no. you know full well it’s because of the way hyunjin’s smile lit up, his eyes disappear into two small crescent moons, and his blonde hair which is becoming one with the warm orange sky that brings peace to your heart.

“hi,” he breathes out the moment you close the door, and you do the same except for looking at him, which causes hyunjin to furrow his eyebrows while speeding away.

the way home is silent, just the way you like it, but you know full well that it’s not hyunjin’s cup of tea. he doesn’t need to say it, his action is showing it all as he’s been fidgeting non stop, wiping his sweaty palm along his jeans while occasionally licking his plump lips. hyunjin’s a very vocal person. he’s talkative and loud—including in bed. you press your warm cheeks over the realization of your own thoughts, embarrassed. you can’t possibly suspect hyunjin for being horny in the morning when you yourself are being like this in the afternoon. it’s uncalled for.

noticing you from the corner of his eye, hyunjin calls out, asking you if there’s anything wrong, totally catching you off guard. what should you say? lying is not your forte, but being honest clearly isn’t the best option right now, at least, not before you shower and appear presentable in front of him—but wait, since when did that matter so much? a few months ago, you even fucked after you ran a marathon.

“y/n?” calls hyunjin for the second time.

“look, hyunjin, really, it’s okay if you’re horny. you can pull over and i can, uh, relieve you and i can just take the bus home after,” you spit out shamelessly while looking at him straight in the eyes, eager to get far away from hyunjin as fast as possible before you go out of your mind.

just like the night before, hyunjin laughs. and just like the night before, his laugh hits differently and it does nothing other than burning your already burnt cheeks for the worse.

“i swear to god, y/n, i’m not horny. i genuinely want to take you home. nothing more,” explains hyunjin, head straight at the road but eyes repeatedly stealing glances at you. “and nothing less,” he adds, voice barely audible but you caught it.

“o— oh.” is all you manage to respond before the ride quickly turns quiet and hyunjin’s hands begin fidgeting again, all the while you’re trying to decode what he has just said—what does he mean by genuinely wanting to take you home? do fwb do this too? what happened to no fucks given?—and it goes on until hyunjin hits the break in front of your old apartment building.

“we’re here,” says hyunjin, breaking the silence by unlocking the car door.

“we’re here,” you repeat after him, already opening the door and setting a foot out. “uh, thank you.”

“don’t mention it.” hyunjin shoots you his signature smile the moment you lower yourself to meet his eye level from outside the car; this time, you have no choice but to fall under his spell.

“hey, uh, you wanna come in?” you ask, biting your lower lip as a way to punish yourself for being so indecisive. one second you want to run away from him and the next second you want to be near him. come on, get a grip.

as if the punishment isn’t enough, hyunjin declines your offer, all while chuckling with his head thrown back. “for the third time, y/n. i’m not horny. go in and rest up.”

“if you say so.” you shrug, giving him a small smile before turning around, making sure not to look back, only to fail when you hear the engine driving away.

—

you can’t quite tell—no, you can’t tell. you don’t get it. there’s an unexplainable empty space in your heart that is caused by hyunjin’s rejection. is it because you’re just not used to see him without having to fuck him? or is it because you’re hurt over the fact that he’s not in the mood to touch you? is it because of last night? is he finally sick of your flaws? things would probably be different if you had retouched your makeup or at least combed your hair before seeing him, would they? either way, you’re fully aware you shouldn’t be torn over your friend with benefits, yet your aching heart says otherwise.

and so when the doorbell rings only a few seconds after you get in and the figure you see through the peephole is no other than the man in question, you spare no time to swing the door open. hyunjin, in return, spares no time to lock his lips with yours right after he utters a brief apology. just like the way hyunjin sneaks his playful hands down your ass, you sneak your tongue in his mouth, and your action makes him smile into the kiss as he leads you back into the room and kicks the door shut with his long legs.

the way to your bedroom is actually pretty short, but with your tongues moving in sync, bodies pressing—glued, even, and eyes continuously closing in pleasure, the short way to your bedroom consists of endless stumbling, tripping, and bumping the door. once inside, you break the kiss and are about to undress yourself when hyunjin beats you to it, settling you down on the bed as he begins taking off your attire one by one ever so effortlessly. and in just a matter of seconds, his lips are back on yours again, floral scented hair falling and brushing against your cheeks, leaving you no time to wonder over the fact that it’s the first time hyunjin has ever undressed you.

as the kiss continues, you can feel yourself gushing more and more that you start grinding on him mindlessly, needing to feel more than just his bulge poking you. your hands leave his blonde strands to tug on his hoodie, only to have him stop you—one hand around your grip and the other rests on your hip.

“what do you think you’re doing?”

“need you. need to feel you,” you mumble, desperation so visible through your cracked voice.

“what happened to the girl who was all flustered to sleep with me last night just because i was shirtless?”

autumn nights aren’t supposed to be hot, but hyunjin has proven he has the power to make the impossible happen just with his words and mocking smirk. but the rising heat on your cheeks is nothing compared to the emptiness you feel below, clenching around nothing surely isn’t the best feeling.

“please, jinnie,” you whine, tugging on his hoodie once more, hips moving against his hold.

“fuck.” is all he manages to say before getting off the bed to disrobe himself—hoodie and track pants thrown across the room, now showcasing his toned body and thighs altogether as he hovers over you.

“please take this off too. it looks suffocating,” you say, index finger running faintly through the bulge forming from his tight boxer, making it stand up even more and hyunjin has no choice but to obey you. “put your hair up too please,” you add just when he’s about to dive right back in, and again, your wish is his command.

biting to pull off his hair tie from his wrist, hyunjin smoothly ties his hair back and you’re only given a few seconds to admire his feature before his plump lips coming in contact with your hardened nipple while he toys with the other using his fingers—rubbing and pinching, making your breath hitch over the sensation, fingers digging into his bare shoulders because you don’t want to mess up his hair, and hyunjin’s low grunts pretty much indicate he’s loving it.

“more, please. give me m—”

hyunjin retreats his hand and tongue away from your breast, moving them to your naked pussy, drawing circles on your outer labia with his middle finger. he teases you just enough and quickly slides in his digit and at the same time sucks on your clit right before you’re about to complain, making you tingle from head to toe.

“you hear that?” he asks, voice muffled, the effect of being too tongue tied from licking every part of your heat, but finger working its magic perfectly, creating loud wet noises from your fluid. “drenched. my pretty y/n is drenched,” says hyunjin, and as much as you want to comment on him for the pet name, you’re too caught up on how his lips vibrate against you the moment he starts palming himself with his unoccupied hand. if he keeps it up, you know you would come undone there and then, and you don’t want that—not yet. so you ask him to stop and he instantly does as told.

“what’s wrong? did i hurt you?” there’s fear written across his expression and heard from his tone, but you’d like to believe your eyes and lips are just playing tricks on you.

“n— no. i just,” you pause to avoid his gazes, but something within you pulls your attention back on him. “i wanna cum with you inside me,” you confess, voice barely audible due to embarrassment; all this time, it’s always been hyunjin to say such things, but perhaps, all the strange tension lately has finally gotten the best of you. you hear him mutter a low “fuck” while his pupils shakes for a brief moment before they somehow appear a shade darker. licking his lower lip, hyunjin pulls you by your legs and rests them on his shoulders, and proceeds to align his tip with your entrance, once again teasing your throbbing core.

the moment you whine is the moment hyunjin pushes himself inside ever so gently, but the stretching still has you throwing your head back, while hyunjin letting our airy moans upon your walls clenching around him. none of you can tell how it’s possible for your vagina to remain so tight after all the countless fucking session for the past half year, but hyunjin doesn’t find that troubling. in fact, he lives for that and it shows from the way his eyes roll to the back of his head as he begins thrusting in and out of you—slowly but steady, veiny hands secured on your hips, vision goes back and forth from your half-lidded eyes to your parted lips.

hyunjin leans down to kiss you for a couple of seconds, and when he lets go, he quickens his pace—leaning down once more so his length can go deeper in you, hitting your g-spot. at that very moment, you mentally praise yourself for placing the bedroom mirror right across the bed. it presents you with the magnificent view of hyunjin’s rounded, firm ass bouncing rhythmically whenever he snaps his hips, and placing your hands around them, squeezing them, nearly makes you drool over the sight. with hyunjin constant thrusts, the familiar knot in your abdomen starts to bubble up.

“oh my god,” the two of you whimper in unison as hyunjin begins to lose his tempo, moves also grow sloppy, but never once misses your spot.

“y/n, i— ah— i’m so close. fuck,” he breathes out, sweat forming on his forehead, wetting his baby hair down to his neck and chest, and you can only drool helplessly at the sight.

“me too. please cum inside me, cum with me, hyunjin, please, please,” you beg, voice a pitch higher, almost sounds like you strain your throat, and it stays the same. when you feel hyunjin twitch inside you, your hands automatically reach for the bed sheet again, but it only lasts for a second before they’re being taken by hyunjin’s own hands—he has never done this. while intertwining your fingers, his cock twitches again and his eyes roll to the back of his head, jaw falls open as he calls out your name—you naturally do the same, fingers pressing flat against his white knuckles

“hyu—”

“cum, baby,” he cuts you off, averting his hazy eyes on you, and that’s all it takes for you to break—your orgasm washes over you like waves and you cum undone around hyunjin, shaking and mewling altogether while feel the wet coldness around your inner thigh. hyunjin follows right after, shooting his hot cement inside of you; the man can no longer keep his eyes open as he buries his face on the crook of your neck, his choked moans bring music right to your ear all a while his hot breaths bring goosebumps to your unrecovered body.

after riding out your highs, none of you move. hyunjin stays on top of you, his chest rises and falls according to your hard breathing. somehow, it’s calming you down, but it shouldn’t.

“hyunjin, you’re heavy.”

“oh, sorry,” he chuckles and even without looking, you can tell his eyes are smiling too. with his remaining strength, hyunjin pushes himself up and rests on your thighs to pull his dick out of you, momentarily admiring the mixture of his juice and yours dripping down your cunt before fixing his eyes on you to study your face—also something he has never done before.

“i’m sorry,” he mutters a few moments later, eyes now on you.

tilting your head, you sit up, resting your upper body with your hands on the bed. “all of a sudden? i came? you always make me feel good.”

“that’s what i’m sorry about. i— i didn’t mean to— i mean, i—”

you reach out to him, gently patting his thigh. “hyunjin, calm down. this isn’t like you,” you whisper the last sentence, knowing that perhaps, now’s the time to talk things out, to stop whatever is going on, and go back to how things are used to be, maybe? your heart’s just been restless for too long and apparently, hyunjin seems to be in a similar situation too.

“i’m sorry. i didn’t mean to keep using you like this. i genuinely meant what i said. i only wanted to take you home, but we ended up here and—”

“isn’t that what fwb do?” you pull your hand off his thigh, and a frown painted across his face as if he’s questioning your question. “that’s what we agreed on. we have our fwb rules, remember?”

“one, be very casual. two, no strings attached. three, no fucks given outside of the, well, literal fucking,” says hyunjin, proving he has memorized every words to the back of his mind.

nodding, you carefully bring back your hand to his thigh, repeating the same movement you did before. “exactly. so you don’t have to be sorry. don’t worry, i’m not feeling used at all.” you end it with a smile.

hyunjin mirrors you, he smiles too; his eyes fall to where your hand is. “but what if i’m breaking them? the rules,” asks the boy whose cold hand is now on top of your warm one. “what if i like you?” his eyes find their way back to you, and that’s when you know. the difference between your temperatures; the difference between your smile and his—the sadness that lies within.

that’s when you understand. everything finally makes sense; every one of hyunjin’s unusual acts. the constant texts and calls, the undressing, the pet names, the facial expression, the hand holding.

what happened to the rules? feelings. that’s what happened. to hyunjin, it’s his feelings over the rules.

but you, what about you? the butterflies, the irregular increasing heartbeats, the flushing cheeks, the overthinking, the disappointment at some point.

“y/n,” hyunjin calls out and you don’t get to get back to him because he’s already an inch away from you, momentarily eyeing your lips before he closes the distance. once again, his blonde hair falls down, brushing against his cheek before meeting yours and it tickles you, but not in the same way as how his kiss tickles your heart; giddy.

what happened to the rules? unwanted feelings. that’s what happened. to you, it’s the unwanted feelings against the rules. and for now, the unwanted feelings are too strong for you to push him away, so you pull him close instead. for now.

—

gen’s masterlist

repeating this!! special note: HUGE THANK YOU for my awesome bestie for the banner 🥺💞💞 ily, bish!! thank you for being my beta reader too 😽😽😽

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