#and so here we are! very fond of this song. good hanging-in-there vibes

[ereborne]

Song of the Day: December 20

"Hard Won" by Lizzie No

[sashi-ya]

𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐁𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 [+18] 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐟𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐚𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐰 𝐱 𝐟! 𝐩𝐫𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲𝐞𝐫! 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 [chapter one] ʚ masterlist

ʚ synopsis ɞ reader enjoys cosplaying, slowly but surely she became more and more noticed by the community. However, from exposure also comes dangers. Thankfully, a modern knight will be there to protect a modern princess. Will they protegonize a cute fairy tale? or will be a tale full of dragons to defeat?

ʚ tw ɞ MDNI. not the sweetest story (yet). SEXUAL ABUSE INTENT (she is fine and safe). usage of drugs. medical terminology and treatment. I wanted to have the opportunity to spread some awarness about certain topics; being in danger is -unfortunatelly- something common nowadays when you are a woman or part of any minority, therefore having information to avoid those dangers seems absolutely necessary. So you will find some bits and pieces of information inside the story. If you need any type of support regarding these topics, please contact with someone who can help you. I am here to help you as a nurse and a woman.

ʚ masterlist: part 2, part 3 part 4; part 5; final

𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟏: 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧

He wasn’t very fond of conventions. Since Sora the Warrior of the Sea had ended, he didn’t enjoy the crowded space of geeky events. But his friends, did.

“You owe me one” Law grunts, as he clenches his tattooed hands to the steering wheel. They are absolutely stuck in traffic, the line to get to the convention centre parking seems endless.

“Captain!! Don’t get mad at us!” Penguin, one of his best friends, chime. The rest of the “crew” echoes him, giggling and full of good vibes.

“Do not call me captain, Pen… I- we were kids!” Law grunts feeling his cheeks turn red; he cringes every time he is called “captain”. Yet, deep inside his heart, the word reminds him of whenever there were no worries, and they would pass their free days playing “pirates”.

Half an hour later, and having listened to Uta’s song thrice, they finally find a spot to park. Soon, as they do, Bepo jumps off Law’s yellow SUV urging Shachi to help him fix his cosplay.

Bepo, the man of pristine white spiky hair and everlasting blushed cheeks, has taken a liking into dressing up as his favourite characters from books and anime. And so, his friends, are there to support him no matter what.

As they walk towards the entrance of the biggest hotel they ever been to, they hear some commotion approaching them. Like a violent gust of wind, a bunch of photographers and fans pass, pushing them to the side, completely unaware of their presence.

“What the fuck?” Law grunts, annoyed. -even more. “SHE- LOOK…!” Penguin and Shachi gawk at the beautiful angel walking through the entrance of the conference room. “It’s Princess Uta!!”

Law rolls his eyes. He seems to be over with those new idols, and, not to mention those who also cosplay. He considers that they are a bunch of “kids”, immature and annoying. Truth is, that deep inside of him, things weren’t like this that much.

“Come on, I don’t care who she is we should get going. Bepo, you will be missing the cosplayers alley… didn’t you tell us you wanted to meet someone in particular?”

The white-haired boy, with the cute expression of a polar bear, widens his eyes. His friend is right, he wanted to meet some beautiful cosplayers there.

The four friends begin to walk inside, avoiding a bunch of screaming teenagers -and not so young ones-. It’s hard to breathe, the place is packed with people buying stuff, taking pictures, or simply hanging out.

“Tch… all these people…” Law grunts; the more people around, the more he feels overstimulated. He hates loud noises, and the crowd around isn’t helping. However, despite his annoyed countenance, some merch catches his attention here and there. Deep inside, Law is still a nerd.

Many people pass by, scanning his façade that hides beneath a white dotted cap. His icy eyes couldn’t care a less; no woman receives a reciprocated smile, nor even a look. Law is above all things; he is not interested in finding love in a place like this.

In between many heads and fake swords made of cardboard, the banner that announces the start of the “cosplay alley” stands out. Law, who has noticed it before than anybody else, sighs. “Bepo… there” he points out, with his E inked index.

Desperate squeaks from Penguin and Shachi accompanies the excitement Bepo shows. The first two, run towards the place. Yet Bepo, stays right by Law’s side. They walk calmly; or at least that’s just Law, because his snowy haired friend seems to be consumed by the flame of anxiety.

“It’s just some guys dressed in weird clothes, Bepo. You are as great as them” Law spits, as if he didn’t understand the meaning of social anxiety.

“I know, Captain… but- you know…” Bepo fidgets his furred gloved hands; the character that he is cosplaying is some kind of hybrid in between a human and a polar bear.

Law looks at him, and reassures him with a soft smirk that’s barely noticeable for the rest of the world… but for his brother? It’s enough to feel encouraged.

The tables where many girls and boys are sitting, are all packed with people taking pictures with them, buying prints of their cosplay photos and some -like Penguin and Shachi- are simping. Some of the women are wearing pretty revealing costumes; other, show amazing props like their proudest treasures.

And the one that Bepo went to meet, was calmly taking some pictures with a red-haired little girl. She was dressed as a princess, or perhaps it was a warrior… no, she must be an angel…

“Captain, there she is! I wanted to take a picture with her since forever!” Bepo fans over the kind looking woman, smiling so sweetly to not so many people around like the rest of the cosplayers.

Law stands right there, getting pushed by many people as they pass and want to take pictures. He is just blinking slowly; never, in a million of years he has lost contact with reality just by looking at a woman… but it was happening, and soon the approaching rest of the “crew” noticed…

…

“Hi! A photo? Of course!” you chimed, happy to be reached by young kids willing to follow your steps in the cosplay career.

As you fleet goodbye the last kid, you notice some young men staring at you. One of them, particularly handsome, covered in tattoos, has a soft pinkish blush taking over his cheeks and seems to be frozen in time with no signs of even blinking whatsoever.

You think if he is ok. But soon you roll your eyes; surely he is watching at any other cosplayer looking bomb as all of them… he is probably another pervert.

Yet, you couldn’t be more wrong.

The white-haired guy by his side gets pushed to your booth by the other friends. He is wearing a cosplay that coincidentally share anime with yours. You smile, he is just timid.

“Hi… (Name). I’m- I am a fan of your work!” he shily says, when reaches your table. You smile, sweetly. This guy has never done anything wrong in his entire life.

You bow your head in gratefulness, standing up to get ready for yet another photo. “Thank you so much! What’s your name?” you ask, chiming and inspecting the amazing details of his costume. It seems made entirely by hand, and it couldn’t be more pretty.

“I’m Bepo!” he kinda screams, taking his hand to his forehead as if he was some kind of military or marine.

It makes you giggle, but soon the moment gets interrupted when the other two of them pull the frozen handsome guy with them to meet you.

“Hi! He is Penguin. And he is Law. Forgive him, I don’t know exactly what happened to his brain, but he wants to take a picture with you” a red-haired man with a funny looking hat says, pointing at the tattooed one.

That might have been the needed slap to wake him up. “NO!” he awkwardly screams, making you laugh.

He takes a look at you from the side, with sharp eyes that are pretty scary to look at. And it is enough to make you stop giggling. “I’m sorry ~” you whisper, looking down almost immediately.

“Captain!” the one that was introduced as Penguin scolds them, and the smile returns to your face. Why are they calling him captain?

“I’m sorry… I- I didn’t mean to scream at you” he stutters, looking now with that same hateful stare at his friend who takes two steps back.

You bite the insides of your mouth. He is way more handsome when he speaks, a raspier voice, low and sensual, that makes you kinda weak.

“Don’t worry. I get I look a little bit intimidating with this costume on!” you joke, taking a huge replica of a sword from the table and showing it to him. It’s almost as tall as he is, with a furry tsuba and golden details on its tsuka.

The man covered in tattoos look at the sword, and then at your eyes. You spend what feels like eternal seconds getting lost in them. He is something special.

Handing him the prop, your fingers delicately graze, and you discover how soft are his. He either never worked in his life or is some kind of surgeon.

He inspects the sword, amazed at the details. Bepo, while he does so, finally takes the picture he wanted to with you. And soon, the encounter has to inevitably come to an end.

All of them wave goodbye to you, but, you aren’t willing to let the man of frozen eyes go without learning his name.

“Bepo! If you post the picture we took together, please, tag me! I will love to follow your Instagram account” you chime, waving back at them. “You are an amazing cosplayer, we should team up someday!”

The white-haired boy has almost a stroke from your words; and you can only hope for his friend to also have an account…

You sit back for some minutes while more people come to your booth, and while you curl a lock of your wig you can stop thinking about him. “What a handsome guy…” you giggle, noticing your cheeks get hot as hell itself.

Sometimes, throughout the day, you take a look around. You wish you could see him again, but unfortunately you can’t get a glimpse of him.

Your thoughts, however, right an hour before the day of the con is over, get interrupted by a guy asking you something.

“Excuse me, I’m a photographer. You can see my portfolio if you scan my QR code. I would like to offer you a photoshoot for free” he kindly says, looking like the respectful man you’ve ever met. Besides, he has something attached to his cheek, something like a sweet? Did he seriously not noticed?

You aren’t fully trustful of him; you know some men, specially in your ambience aren’t exactly the best so you proceed with care.

“I… I really appreciate the offering. I would love to collab with you, but you see it’s been a long day” you try to decline, respectfully. It’s true that you are a little bit tired, but it was the fact that you had went alone to the event this time. Nobody could keep you company during the first day of the convention.

The man insists; he shows the pictures of his work, and they look awesome. “We wont go any further, I think right there will be enough for the pics to look amazing!” he chimes. You think twice, but since he didn’t request for you to go outside or far away you finally accept.

As you start packing up your staff, the photographer offers himself to help you. You are really happy someone is giving you a hand, and you kind of feel guilty for mistrusting him before.

When you crunch to pick up your bag you notice a little charm on the floor; a polar bear plushie lays almost forgotten under the table’s booth. “Oh… someone might have lost it! I will keep it and see if anyone comes back and asks for it” you think, clasping it to your bag.

 And soon when you are set to fleet, off both of you go.

Walking through the now almost empty halls, you get some chills running through your spine. Is not the first time you see the con’s alley deserted, but you usually end your day now and go back to your hotel. You shake the feeling and get distracted with the man by your side offering you a something.  

“(Name), bet you haven’t got anything to drink in many hours. Please, drink some water. You gotta stay hydrated” he says, with a smile that’s difficult to read. The bottle is closed, so you thankfully accept it.

Once you have finally reached the now solitaire photo set, specially adapted for the convention, you take a big gulp of water. It feels refreshing; you honestly needed it. You were taught to never accept anything edible nor drinkable from the people that come to see you at events, but since it the bottle was clearly new, you didn’t give much importance to the dangers.

When the camera is set, the man calls you to stand and pose in front of him. At first, things went smoothly. But then, everything changed…

“You should lower the cleavage a little” he suggested.

“I…” you stutter, fixing the collar of your dress. Perhaps it was too high and it wasn’t looking good.

“More, honey! You should show a little bit more skin. That will attract more followers!” he insists, pointing the camera towards your chest.

“No. I don’t feel comfortable!” you straightforwardly deny. You want to stop, but you begin to feel your ears buzzing, and the flashing lights of the camera become almost unbearable to look at. You try to look at your sides for help, discovering there is nobody around and the guy coming closer and closer.

The bastard laughs, grabbing your arms and whispering things you can barely understand. “Don’t get all worked up, honey… you shouldn’t drink stuff people give you… now, cooperate with me…”

You try to let go of him, scared of what he could do to you, unable to scream or even kick him away. Yet, there is always a glimpse of hope in everything...

ㅤㅤㅤㅤ ㅤㅤ ㅤ“Get the fuck away from her!”

continues in ➡ chapter 2

[straberrysworld]

Guys, I want to talk about something very... I don't know, about Noah Schnapp, sincerely as an actor I feel that he has a great future but it still seems that he wants to focus on other things, which, well, to each his own. But honestly, all that hurts me and disappoints me, what happened in 2019 with the video with his friends singing a song with the letter "N", which apparently he said neighbor but it's still like...why do you have that type of people as "friends"??? and then I don't remember that they canceled it in 2021 (I didn't have that many social networks to be honest) and well the video where she is with her friends where a girl has the "Zionism is sexy" stickers, where Other times I wonder... why do you have these types of people by your side??, I think that a true friendship should add to you, make you a better person, not the other way around. But here the saying comes in: tell me who you hang out with and I'll tell you who you are. Noah apparently sees this as normal, in Israel's video he appears happy with his "friends" with those stikers, he doesn't see it as bad because anyone would have walked away from that situation, the same with the 2019 video, start thinking that this is wrong, It's just wrong. It really hurts me because when I saw Noah he really gave me good vibes and I loved (I love) Will's character, this simply leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I see the 2022 interviews for season 4 of ST where Finn, Charlie and Eduardo talk so well about him, that he is very wholesome, the sweetest person in the world and that he is the best, seeing all this is like... ouch and also with the rest of the cast Millie who is his best friend, Sadie, Gaten, etc. It is seen that they appreciate him and are fond of him but simply because of these things you realize that you will never fully know the famous people, perhaps not even their own colleagues know how well, I don't know if those reviews of him (I'm talking about the 2022 interviews) are false because of course, it would look bad if you spoke badly about your coworker...and well, I wanted to somehow write what I think, I'm the same age of Noah and to be honest at this age we already have a certain maturity in seeing what is right and wrong, if I were him, I would think things through better because I really wouldn't like to screw up my relationships with my co-workers for years and my career as an actress, I'll leave it here

[farshootingstar]

The silliest boy is finally done and we finally get a cover of a guy without creepy eyes going on. I thought I would get some sleep before finishing this cover and stuff, but my body said no and Bear (my cat) is judging me hard over it.

Here's Kadsey's playlist for all the Main Squeezies! I'm not going to lie, this particular playlist is a weird one and I won't blame anyone for questioning my tastes here. I did what I could and certain biases are showing. You'll definitely notice I feel a stronger need to explain myself on this playlist, so buckle in for the long haul if you want to understand these weird choices I've made.

When I saw dubstep was listed as a favorite genre of Kadsey's (complete with a pic of Skrillex), I knew without question what the first song would be. It just had to be Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites by Skrillex.

The second song, the one that tends to be more about character vibes, sort of is and isn't when it comes to Kadsey. I gave him the song Spoiled little brat by underscores, since I liked the hyperpop vibe of it and that it definitely has references to e-celeb culture. Also, I can't help clowning on Kadsey just a little bit because of certain events in REBOOT (well, one specific one, but no spoilers in this section). Incredibly, I think this is the first song in one of the playlists to mention taking a picture. Took long enough! :p

Spoiler cut below, as usual.

The next couple of songs are some bangers to dance to. Also, the starting example of my Jamiroquai bias, since I think Kadsey would also like some acid jazz on occasion. Yeah, though: Canned Heat, Eat Sleep Dance, and Move Your Feet are all a ton of fun. I particularly have fond memories of Move Your Feet as a song I would sometimes play on Dance Dance Revolution.

One of the distinctly odd ones is next and I absolutely feel like I need to justify myself on why I put the song Skiptracing by Mild High Club in here. It's very chill, so I think it makes a good breather in general, but also I couldn't help thinking of this song for Kadsey chilling with Ashton. Don't know why I get that mental image, but I feel like this song could fit for Kadsey realizing he loves the guy. Is that kind of weird? I mentally debated over this inclusion for a while, but ultimately put it in the playlist. I can just sort of imagine they were hanging out, generally vibing, and Kadsey had a spark of realization. Also, it's interesting that the song is called Skiptracing when there's no actual mention of skiptracing to be had (skiptracing is basically tracking down someone's whereabouts, particularly when it's someone on the run, if I recall right). I guess I should trust my instincts, since I picked up on the crush in the first game but brushed it off by thinking that was stupidly presumptuous. Clearly, I was Boo-Boo the Fool all along. The next song, Mine by Slayyyter, kind of piggybacks off of that crush aspect I mentioned.

Since I kind of think the crush stuff in general probably started before the whole "discovering the code" business, I put in Virtual Insanity next to somewhat cover that event. I don't think Kadsey would feel so condemning towards the whole thing- since he was always more moderate with messing with the code for pranks and so just saw it as a little fun- but things do start going downhill sometime after that. It doesn't seem to right away, though, so I tossed in Bangarang next for some extra fun.

Digital Love and Meet Her at the Loveparade are the selections kind of around where things start going wrong and the player makes an entrance. I feel like Digital Love can be especially apt for Kadsey's awkward position in the weird love polygon going on, since he has an unrequited crush on Ashton, Ashino has an unrequited crush on Kadsey, and how the player feels can be a bit of a mystery (personally, I'm cool with being Main Squeezie Numero Dos). On a side note, I recommend checking out Interstella 5555 (an anime movie/music video that was made for Daft Punk's Discovery album, which Digital Love is from). And hey, Meet Her at the Loveparade is our second Radio Edit version song and instrumental track in the playlists, two things that both showed up in Ashton's playlist previously. Does it mean anything? No, but it's kind of fun to note.

I'll admit, when I saw there was a Skrillex Remix of the song SICKO MODE, I was just like "YES" and slapped it in. I just think it's neat. The energy kind of fits in around the time Ashton starts murking everyone and leads us into a strange little choice...

Yes, I did put in an EDM cover of Total Eclipse of the Heart in this playlist. Consider it my own little jape.

The next one has a title and artist name that I can't type at all. I mean, just look at the playlist. That's a nightmare to puzzle out. Anyway, it's an atmospheric song I chose for when Kadsey's stuck out in the void that is the recycle bin after Ashton got the drop on him in the first game. Poor guy had a really bad time.

Luckily, he at least gets back out of that particular situation soon enough, leading us to World's end Rhapsody and Hysterical Us. Little side trivia, but I decided to try looking up what lyrics were in World's end Rhapsody and what I found didn't look like what I was hearing, so I carefully listened to it for a while and I think it changes part of the way through and people tend not to notice because of how repetitive it is. It sounds like it starts as "Check it out, baby. You're gonna find, that I love you." and changes after the instrumental break to "Oh, baby. (Don't tease me.) Check it out, baby. You don't know why, I love you." and then back again. I found that interesting and I'll fully admit I put this song in because I really miss Nujabes (gone too soon). I feel like Hysterical Us is a bit more straightforward in terms of being "Wow, that was terrible and we're all kind of traumatized, huh?"

D.A.N.C.E. is when we start getting into more stuff to dance to, though I can never shake the feeling that this song sounds a bit desperate. Hence it being in the general area it is.

Give Me Back My Man- Party Mix is another one I knew I'd have to include. I always had a feeling I'd stick in a B-52's song somewhere, though I could totally imagine someone predicting something like Love Shack, Rock Lobster, or maybe something like Your Own Private Idaho. Nope, though. When I saw there was a Party Mix of a song as tragic as Give Me Back My Man, I knew it would be the pick. Also, I like the slightly more aggressive guitar in this version. Fortunately, Kadsey's not stuck with futile efforts in the search of someone lost and very likely dead (the song heavily hints that the man in question is at the bottom of the sea), so there's more coming.

Next up is Space Cowboy both because I wanted something chill but fun and also because it's totally a weed anthem. I headcanon that Kadsey occasionally tries a little and I will hear nothing to the contrary. Skiptracing also had one little mention of marijuana in it. I guess we can also take the whole song being about the return of the space cowboy to also potentially reference getting Ashton back, especially with the line "Everything is good, oh, and green. Say, I'm red again." Come on, it may be a weed reference, but it also fits.

And, if we need something more straightforward, then there's About Damn Time. I really wanted a happy song in there about getting through some shit and this felt right. We could all use some more Lizzo positivity, please and thanks.

Last of my Jamiroquai bias shows up with the song Seven Sunny Days in June, the other song regarding Kadsey's crush. They've been friends too long for it to be a thing, but it is some closure. Also, I just realized that so far, Kadsey has the most songs with references to drinking. That's kind of funny since, in an answer to a fan question on everyone's favorite alcoholic drinks, it's pointed out that Kadsey has been banned from drinking by the entire group.

Next up is Sandstorm and DARE, both as a fun little treat. Besides, if you're going to have EDM in a playlist, then Sandstorm is one of the most obvious picks to go for. I am not immune to the practical meme that is Darude Sandstorm.

Interestingly enough, Skiptracing has a very short and even softer cover by Luna Li called skiptracing lullaby and I decided to stick that in at the end as a fun reprise. Never really had the opportunity to put in some form of reprise in the playlists. So far, what happens at the end of REBOOT is still unknown, but I really hope things turn alright for Kadsey. That dude's been through a lot.

Next up will be Vincent and, surprisingly, I have even more to say on that one since several songs are classical pieces.

[princess-of-inarizaki]

Haikyuu manager headcanons!!

Okay so these adorable teams all have the softest spot for their tiny little manager-chan, and here's how they all treat her.

[Ari's note: okay manager fics and headcanons are my absolute favourite and I love writing them]

*.` | Karasuno

They are extremely laid back with you, compared to some of the other teams. They give you your space, at the same time listen to you when you have something to say.

Respectful simps. Similar to how they act with Kiyoko (ugh yes queen-chan) they're in tears whenever you do things to motivate them, like cheer at their practice matches or give them good luck charms.

They still have the good luck charms you fastened on their bag before one of the matches.

Tanaka and Noya would literally worship the ground which you walked on. Like wow how did they get so lucky as to have three?? Cute managers?? On their team??

Yachi and you would probably subtly simp over Kiyoko with them too ngl.

Hinata and Kags would probably see you as an older sister, eventho you're their age because you're so caring and responsible.

Suga is literally your mom and Daichi is your dad. They make sure you're all healthy and you're doing well in school.

Asahi gives you hugs whenever you're sad or upset! Fite me but I think this gentle baby gives the best hugs ever >:( he's like your comfort senpai and you'd do the same for him, especially when he's feeling insecure or down.

Yams would probably be very shy around you, but he'll warm up in time.

Ahhh the best part. Tsukki! He'd find you annoying and simply not get why you're so Mcfreaking happy at first (shut up u salty beanpole, manager-chan is just a ray of sunshine, okay?) But he soon finds it endearing and slowly gets closer to you.

You walk home with Yams and Tsukki every day since your houses are close, and Tsukki walks you to your door to make sure you're safe!

Ennoshita, Kinoshita and Narita all see you as a little sister and often help you with your managerial duties.

The team cares and respects you so much, and are so thankful you've joined them!!

Meat buns at Ukai's are your hangout spot, and everytime you see them chilling you're so thankful to have such great friends.

*.` | Aoba Johsai

Aaah we're at the team of one of my favourite characters!! I'll start with Oikawa (can't you tell I'm so biased omg)

Oikawa absolutely adores manager-chan because although she's tiny, she's very strict, and doesn't let his fangirls near the gym when he's practicing, which he appreciates.

"yn-chan, you're so good to me, can I take you out as a thank-you?" Cue Iwa-chan's ball which comes flying at Oikawa's head. "Stop flirting with the manager, shitty-kawa"

Iwa's very fond of you too, but he doesn't let it show too often. Sometimes he picks up your favourite coffee from the vending machine and claims that he bought it by "accident". (How believable<3)

Kunimi probably sends you weird tiktok videos and tags you in funny memes. Very wholesome 10/10.

Kyotani just?? Doesn't understand you?? Like wow, she's small but the team listens to her?? Why?? He later finds out you're the manager. Mad dork here didn't know you were managing the team for the past month, and thought you just came to the gym to watch them practice. Smh.

Matsukawa and Hanamaki give you headpats and like taking selfies with you, much to Oikawa's dismay. He wants to be the only one taking pictures with you.

Like no manager-chan. Stop. Get away from them. My phone's right here I wanna take selfies with you :(

Kindaichi is cool with you. Y'all are bros and you game together sometimes.

Watari and Yahaba join too, and they're surprised to know that you're so aggressive when you game.

Cue a jealous Oikawa who struggles learning how to game just so he's invited to play with you. Simp smh.

They're all very gentle with you, and since you're their first female manager, they make sure to never make you feel uncomfortable.

You guys like grabbing ramen together and having eating contests. They really bring out your aggressive side but you love them for it.

*.` | Shiratorizawa

Can I just say Semi bsf material? Yes? Yes. Semi Eita is best friend material.

Makes you cute little Spotify playlists and you help him write lyrics to songs occasionally. You play an instrument too and you guys can just jam out for hours on end together.

You get the idea of applying to be the manager because of him, and it all took off from there.

Goshiki loves you. You're fond of your kohāi, and you genuinely just give this touch-starved future ace a lot of hugs and cuddles, which he's SO grateful for.

Like wow, y/n-chan isn't just pretty?? She's also so sweet? And smart? And capable? Semi why have you been hiding her for so long??¿ >:(

Goshiki is just so protective of you, he'd commit murder if he had to.

You have to earn Ushiwaka's respect, yk? And slowly but surely he comes to realise how dependable and responsible you are, and treats you like an indispensable member of the team.

He's got your back. And if he ever senses you're upset, he's trying to cheer you up as best as he can.

"do not feel upset, those grades will mean nothing to you in the future. I doubt you will be able to remember what you got in your second year, third monthly test." You think he's being sweet, and yes he is (in a way), but he's also trying to be reasonable and logical.

Tendo loosens you up and you tend to play pranks on the others with him.

The funniest was when you tried to prank Ushijima by adding wasabi to his onigiri and he?? Didn't get it??

Like "y/n-chan, Tendo, why did you add wasabi to this onigiri? It would've been so much better with tuna mayo??" And he has no reaction whatsoever?¿?

Cue Goshiki who tries the onigiri because he wants to prove he has spice tolerance like Ushijima, eventhough you can low-key see him tearing up.

Shirabu is your voice of reason and you and him often study together. You also have deep and philosophical conversations at 12 a.m. over text, and it is just so wholesome.

He respects you so much, not just because you care for him, but because he finds your brain so fricking smexy.

These eagle babies bring out the best in you and you're always eager to push them forward and bring out the best in them.

*.` | Fukurodani

First thing's first, besides Akaashi, you are the only other person who can cheer up an emo-mood Bokuto.

Just say "Hey Bo, you're gonna look so much cooler when you spike the ball like the true ace that you are" and his hair's all perking up and his eyes are shining.

Akaashi thinks you are an angel sent from heaven.

You're very soft on your baby owls, and they genuinely just love getting positive affirmations from you.

Akaashi always blushes when you compliment him on his sets. And you can hear him murmur genuine words of gratitude.

The other members do too. They're glad because sometimes people focus on Bo too much and forget to give them recognition, yk? It's easy to get overlooked :(

But thanks to manager-chan who's so attentive with all of them, and who's aware of all their quirks and moods, they're all so touched and so so happy.

You have a habit of getting cold pretty often, especially since practice finishes late and it's pretty chilly by then.

Konoha always lends you his jacket and walks you home, since your home's are the closest. There's just something about you that makes you soft.

You get along really well with Kaori and Yukie, and you'd definitely consider them your best friends, considering y'all are in this thang togetherrrr!!

The Fukurodani team are just all a bunch of crackheads, but they're your crackheads and you wouldn't trade them for the world.

You're a very tight-knit family, (like ugh I just get lots of comfortable, safe vibes from Fukurodani :(( <3)

You guys hang out at the store near your school pretty often to recharge after grueling days of practice together.

*.` | Nekoma

My second favourite team, Nekoma!! They are precious, gentle, soft babies and I love them to bits and pieces >:(

I'll start with Kuroo. You've always had a tiny soft spot for Kuroo ever since you've become his lab partner in chemistry class.

His notes are immaculate. I mean, cmon we're all hoes for pretty notes

You think he's so incredibly smart and talented, so when he suggests you become the Nekoma manager, you just agree right away.

You guys grow closer since you've started spending more time with him, and you banter around more often than not with chemistry pickup lines.

"hey kitten, let's form a covalent bond"

He's so whipped after you retort back. Like wow she called me sodium fine and said I'm like an exothermic reaction? Permission to simp??

(Ari stfu this isn't a Kuroo fanfic)

Kenma and you definitely play animal crossing together, and he even lets you try his switch, after you guys grow closer.

Kuroo is so insulted, he's never even touched Kenma's switch before >:(

You also push Kenma to do better during practice and he starts to care more about volleyball, since you seem so enthusiastic about it.

Yamamoto isn't even subtle about his simping smh T-T unlike Kuroo, he shamelessly flirts with you, and can't wait to show you off to Tanaka and Noya at the next camp.

"we have such a gorgeous manager now, Nekoma is ThRiViNg" he says in his head with this ridiculous dopey ass smile on his face +_+

Since deep down inside, you're a huge baby, you, Lev, Shibayama, and Inuoka get along so well. They're just happy energetic kittens, and they make you feel so happy.

y'alls energy just match, yk?

Although Fukunaga is shy to tell jokes, he tells them to you, because he knows you'd never judge him, and you actually kinda enjoy laughing along :) he's so touched.

Momma Yaku!! Yaku always lends you his jacket and makes sure to carry snacks for you in his bag. He knows you care so much about the team that you often neglect your own health, which is why he's always there to make you're feeling healthy and good.

Kai and Teshiro help you with your homework and like talking about their favourite singers with you.

They're all just such amazing human beings who treat you so well, and you feel so blessed to be a part of their team. You adore them so much, and they adore you back tenfold.

*.` | Inarizaki

[Ari's note: Ello there luvs, you've made it to the bottom of this sweet hc post and just get ready for Inarizaki :( they're my favourite team of all time, and I'm just so biased, I'm sorry ;-;]

Inarizaki's entire team just adores you so much, they think you're the light of their lives.

They're all super touch starved babies, and once you realized that, you've made sure to ensure they never feel that way.

Aran is kinda like your protective senpai, and his heart flutters ever so slightly when you call him that senpai kink oops and give him headpats, and he loves patting your head in return.

The twins are so incredibly soft for you.

Their fangirls are sometimes pretty mean, but one glare from the duo is enough to shut them up.

Osamu cooks bentos for you and gives you the warmest hugs when you ask for them, burying his head in the crook of your neck.

Your hand is almost always in Atsumu's because he's so slick?? Like y'all, this mf would be like "y/n-chan, my hand has been aching for a while now" and when you go to observe it, he just pulls your hand into his and pulls you to follow him.

His entire body heats up when you kiss his cheek after a particularly good game, and his brain literally goes "grrrr empty", when he's usually so sly.

The twins are your bodyguards, they follow you everywhere and protect you all the time.

Enter Suna Rintaro, your meme king. He definitely records funny moments that happen during practice and send them to you, just to make you laugh, or memes of the members.

He also definitely takes pictures of you when you aren't noticing, simply because he likes the way your hair looked, or because you looked so beautiful.

Like the twins, his eyes widen whenever you kiss his cheek or ruffle his hair, and it's literally like suna.exc has stopped functioning.

Congrats manager-chan, you broke the kid -.-

Omimi might come across as stoic and cold but he's actually a huge softie, and you often give him positive affirmations.

He's also definitely a huge lover of your hugs, and looks forward to them as motivation to play well.

He'd never tell you though, he's shy™.

My baby Kita compliments you all the fricking time.

"y/n-chan, I mean this is the most sincere way, I think this hairstyle looks stunning on you"

Or "you're so capable and you work so hard, I'm so thankful to have you by my side"

And he has the most genuine expression on his face, his eyes are so earnest and shining so bright.

And when you smile at him, he's like oh shit I made her smile, depression whom? I only know serotonin.

Ginjima is usually rash but with you, he takes his time and weighs everything he says.

He doesn't wanna accidentally hurt you and regret it since he was being careless and not thinking at all.

You calm him down when he's getting too hotheaded with gentle words and he's suddenly a blushing mess.

Unlike some of the other teams that tease you a bunch, Inarizaki treats you so gently. Their little princess, as they think of you.

So mf-ing protective, like if someone looks at you wrong, you can totally bet Atsumu's going for their ankles, sangwoo style, or Osamu is trash talking them to their knees.

Would drop anything and everything to help you if ever needed.

They think you're they're entire world because you go above and beyond for them, and they genuinely love you. Like actually LOVE you to bits and pieces.

—*.`

[Ari's note: AHHH so the manager fic is done this was literally such a joy to write!! I hope you enjoyed it

Big big hugs <3 have a beautiful day, luvs!!]

[gingerteaonthetardis]

Thirteenrose + 23? Or NineJackRose + 42 if that ends up being more of a vibe

oooh, good picks. i went with the second option because i'd already done a fic for song 23!

"and i don't wanna go home yet / let me walk to the top of the big night sky"

(first love / late spring, mitski)

“So, Jack and I will go out first—”

“Hang on, Doctor—”

“No, that’s a good idea. We’ll go and—”

“Jack, you traitor!” Rose protests.

She hates when they get like this. Hates it when they gang up on her.

“Rose, the Doctor’s right. You should hang back,” Jack says, hands spread wide in a pacifying gesture that only serves to make her blood boil. His eyes are also doing that big, pleading thing. Well, it won’t work this time.

“Don’t patronise me, Jack Harkness!”

The accusation rings through the console room, and out of the corner of her eye, she sees the Doctor stop at the TARDIS doors. One of them hangs open, the inviting purple velvet of a night sky peeking from beyond.

“I’m tired of the two of you treating me like a child. I was perfectly fine before either of you came along—and Doctor, I’ve saved your arse more than once, so don’t look at me like that. If you’re going to keep me cooped up here, you might as well just take me home.” It’s a bluff, but—

The Doctor averts his narrowed gaze. Gotcha.

“Sweetheart,” Jack starts, “it’s just for a minute, while we check things out. After last time—” and he lands his hands gently on her shoulders, their warm weight making it hard to square them. But none of her defiance drains away.

“Last time? Last time, you got yourselves arrested and I had to come bail you out! And the only reason I was in danger was because you two wanted to be heroes,” she cries. She can hear the Doctor’s booted footsteps approaching behind her, and resists the urge to melt backwards into him. Instead, she lifts an eyebrow and says, “Neither of you were this protective before. So, what’s changed?”

Jack’s mouth closes.

Yeah, she’s definitely got them.

“Nothing changes.” That had been part of the negotiation. The agreement, as it were, when they decided to actually do this thing, act on the tension that had grown between them from the very first day Jack entered the TARDIS.

It was like his presence had shifted everything into fast-forward: Rose could no longer deny her feelings for the Doctor, or her developing attraction to Jack; Jack had been forced to admit that the Doctor and Rose both inspired emotions in him that were totally out of his depth; and the Doctor—

Well, the Doctor had two hearts and two hands and that was really all he had to say on the subject.

But—they’d agreed. “Nothing changes.” They’d promised to have the same sorts of adventures, and not to let their relationship get in the way of what needed doing. They’d promised they wouldn’t get weird or possessive or anything else that could potentially fracture the trio. They’d agreed on that.

Rose crosses her arms over her chest and waits.

Finally, the Doctor says, “I think she’s got us there, Jack.” He sounds surprisingly cheerful about the development, and Rose knows he really isn’t bothered when he slips an arm around her waist, pulling her back against his chest. She smirks, just a little. He's so easy to convince.

Jack sighs. “I know she does,” he says to the Doctor, though his eyes remain on her. “That’s usually the problem.”

“Well,” Rose begins, using her most diplomatic tone, “I’m not really ready to go home either.” She nestles back a little further against the Doctor’s chest; he’s so bloody comfortable, she really doesn’t know how he does it. “So, looks like you’ve got me, too.”

Rolling his eyes, Jack throws his hands out in surrender. “Fine, you’re right. We were being protective. But we go together, okay?”

Rose’s smirk turns into a fond smile, and she reaches her fingers out to tangle with his. He’s warmer than the Doctor, but his hands still fit just right.

“That’s all I ever want.”

[wisherbysharlight]

My God if I could only say, I'm holding every breath for you

Description: Patton Hart has been pining for his best friend's twin brother and his boyfriends for as long as he can remember. Word Count: 3067 Ships: Patton/Remus/Janus/Virgil, background Logince, established Remus/Janus/Virgil Warnings: Remus being Remus, twins squabbling AO3 This is a gift fic for @sunshineandteddybears​ for the @sanderssidesgiftxchange​. The “summer romance” piece kinda got away from me, but this is definitely found family! I hope you enjoy!

Patton was wiping down the counters, about 15 minutes after closing, sunset shining through the windows as he hummed along to the radio, a sense of peace radiating through the store. 

Of course, that’s when chaos erupted.

“Pattycakes, you gotta save me!” Remus cried as he threw the door open so roughly the windchimes actually smacked against the window above the door before falling back down and jingling merrily to announce his presence. He ran behind the counter with no hesitation, gripping onto Patton’s waist. (Patton only shivered because of the burst of adrenaline. That was the only reason. No other possibilities. Nope.) Remus angled them both towards the doorway just as Roman came bursting in with the same amount of urgency, fire in his eyes and shirt dripping wet and seemingly tinted a particularly garish shade of greenish-brown.

“Remus, you can’t hide behind Patton forever, you bastard!” he seethed, and Logan, Janus, and Virgil came through the door behind him, much more calm, almost to the point where Patton would call them bemused. Logan took a seat at one of the small tables along the wall, pulling out his phone with a very evident intention to simply wait the whole debacle out, while Janus and Virgil both leaned up against the glass case in front of Patton. “Get out here and face me, you coward!” Roman bellowed again, clearly not giving up anytime soon.

Patton grabbed an empty paper towel roll from next to him and turned at the waist to whack Remus in the head with it, “Remus you cannot use me as a human shield, go answer for your crimes.” “Kinky. I’d much rather have you issue my punishment,” Remus joked with an eyebrow wiggle, then cackled when Patton made a strangled noise and shoved him back to the other side of the counter. However, as soon as he was in range, Roman grabbed hold of him and pulled him into a headlock and his laughter turned swiftly into a shriek of “Oh shit!”

They were 12 years old, tearing through the woods in a dual-friend-group game of manhunt the summer before 7th grade. Virgil was hot on everyone’s heels and adrenaline was coursing through their veins. Patton leapt over a log and turned a corner, hunting for a good place to hide. 

He heard a curse of “Oh shit!” echo through the woods before the sound of three branches breaking in succession, a huge crash, and a subsequent groan. He quickly pivoted and went sprinting back towards the house, and the sound, easily finding Remus splayed across the forest floor even in the dim light of the moon.

“Why would you climb a tree, silly goose? Don’t you know the branches are weak that high? Scared me half to death!” he chided as he fell to his knees beside him, already pulling band-aids out of his wallet in his pocket.

Remus grinned impishly up at him, and Patton felt his breath catch in his throat, fumbling with the wallet briefly in a way he prayed the other boy didn’t notice. “What’s a lil fear in the face of a bunch of excitement, Patty?” he crooned, and Patton shoved a handful of band-aids at him with little delicacy in his haste to move past the tease. “Besides, I have the best nurse in the world to patch me up when my fun does go south, apparently.”

Patton flushed and turned away, positive Remus could tell even in the weak light, but he couldn’t keep the earnestness out of his voice, “I’ll always patch you up, Ree. Promise.”

Remus didn’t get a chance to respond before Virgil burst through the bushes and tapped them both on the shoulder to get them out and a loud, extended debate began about the validity of the “injury time out”.

Janus leaned on the counter in front of Patton, jolting him out of his reverie. He pointed at the menu, with three shiny new additions at the bottom, “You finally manage to find a flavor sweeter than you, sugar?”

Virgil shoved him out of the way with an eye roll and a fond grin, thankfully distracting from how Patton felt his cheeks would melt the freezers. “He can’t stop flirting even for two seconds, I swear.”

Janus gasped dramatically, swooning against the counter and batting his eyes at Virgil like a starlet in an old black and white, “Maybe if you and Remus gave me the attention I deserve I wouldn’t need to hunt it down in beautiful, endearing ice cream shop owners.”

Remus snorted despite the way he was currently trying to claw his way out of his brother’s hold while being noogied like they were still teenagers and not fully grown and employed adults, “We could give you all the attention in the world, Janny, it would never stop you from flirting with Patton.”

Janus sniffed derisively at them, then cocked his head to the side as the song changed and smiled softly, “Hey, I know this song.”

Patton smiled brightly back, “Yeah of course, have it on all the playlists for the shop!”

“Simp!” Remus called over just as brightly, and Patton glared back at him, assuming it was aimed at him.

 “Ok, you look miserable,” Janus said, making Patton jump from where he was staring down at his water glass watching the liquid swirl around the glass as he moved it in little circles and maybe lamenting his singledom a little bit in the face of a dance floor full of sappy teenagers in fancy clothes enjoying the crisp June night and each other as their last hurrah before graduation.

Patton plastered on a smile, “Oh Jan, I am perfectly hap-”

Janus arched a brow at him, tsking lightly and just loud enough for Patton to hear and stop speaking. “Don’t try to lie to me, I know what you look like when you are actually happy, Patton. And also you’re a god-awful liar.”

“...yeah ok. I’m a little bit lonely, maybe, with Ro and Lo gettin their dance on for the romantic stuff. But I’m not mad, they’re in love, and I told them to go hang on their own. We’ll hang out at the beach house after!” He couldn’t help but glance at the dance floor, where Logan was leading Roman in a waltz that was perfectly on time with the music, lost in their own little world.

“Well Ree and V bailed for the beach early. Not exactly their style of music or dancing, or my vibe to make them do something they don’t enjoy just to get my feet stepped on. Why don’t we be miserable together?” The song changed, to a song with a more Latin-inspired beat that Patton knew only one of every 10 words to, and Janus smirked, “Maybe you and I can even make the most of it and I can score a salsa partner.” Janus ended his proposition with an exaggerated wink and bow, and Patton took his offered hand with a genuine grin.

Janus didn’t miss a beat, switching eye contact to Roman on a dime, “Hey, did you know Remus was the one who’s been screwing with your guitar’s tuning?”

“NONONO HE’S LYING,” Remus cried as Roman tightened his hold and doubled down on his attack, this time poking at his ribs and making Remus shriek in laughter.

As Janus watched Roman wrestle Remus down to the floor of the shop, clearly satisfied with the reaction he managed to get, Virgil nudged him over with his hip to take his place leaning across the counter and whisper conspiratorially, “I bet it was actually Logan. Bastard can get away with murder, I just know it.”

Patton couldn’t help but giggle, with Virgil’s playful smile and dancing eyes across from him, so open and trusting in a way he never was unless it was just the group of them. He smirked a bit, nibbled at his lip in consideration, then leaned in to say in an equally conspiratorial style, “Logan’s only involved to see how long it’ll be before anyone catches on. My record stands.”

“You are a trickster Patton Hart,” Virgil gasped in mock-scandal. He wagged his finger with his hand on his hip in a not-half-bad impression of Patton during a lecture, though he was unable to match his Patton-ted Disappointed Frown while he was grinning, “I’d never expect my partner in crime to be doing something like this without telling me, shame on you. You know I always have your back.”

 It was their last weekend of freedom before they started high school, and as per usual both twins had both their friends sleeping over. Patton woke before Logan and Roman, also as per usual, and snuck out of Roman’s room down to the kitchen, only to jolt as he found the light already on and Virgil sitting on the kitchen counter.

“Whatcha doin?” Virgil asked, legs kicking in the air in front of the cabinets lazily.

“Gonna try to make pancakes! I’m positive I won’t burn them this time, I just know it,” Patton enthused, then squinted suspiciously at Virgil, “What’re you doing?”

“Oh just hanging around, keeping an eye out in case anyone tries to burn the house down again so I can help out. Figured they might need a partner in arson crime, ya know, and I could let them know I’ve got their back,” Virgil teased, nudging Patton’s leg with a sock clad foot. He looked so precious with his sleep mussed hair and eyeliner from the night before smudged under his eyes that Patton couldn’t even bring himself to argue that he really didn’t need a babysitter. Honestly, he couldn’t even begin to pretend he didn’t want the excuse to spend more time with him.

 The twins’ argument grew more heated, finally managing to distract Patton from where he was a bit lost in the way Virgil’s eyes lit up when he was amused.

“You fucked up one of my favorite shirts!” Roman screeched as he attempted to give his brother a wet willy.

“You put red koolaid in my shampoo two weeks ago, you baby!” Remus cried back, shoving at his shoulder to try to get him off, and succeeding rolling them only for Roman to roll them straight back.

“I know you were the one who put my script out of order,” Roman fired back.

“You should have been off book anyway! And you broke bro code and told Virgil I was the one who deleted his X-Files off the DVR. You are just as bad as me.”

“You gave mom’s computer a porn virus and blamed it on me!” Roman protested, and everyone else seemed to simultaneously sigh as they descended into their usual back and forth of dredged-up pettiness.

“Oh you're still - you squashed my bug collection.”

“You left me stranded in the yard after Remy’s homecoming party senior year.”

“That was absolutely justified, you made me listen to you wax poetic about Logan’s fucking lips for 3 hours.”

“You made me listen to you wax poetic about Patton’s EVERYTHING for 13 YEARS”

Everyone in the shop simultaneously went silent in a blink of an eye. Virgil went white as a sheet and swung to look at the twins with wide eyes, Janus gripped the counter white-knuckled and looked at Patton with a similarly stunned expression, and Remus turned nearly as red as the sash on Roman’s favorite Prince Charming costume. He shoved Roman off of him for real, a more severe growl to his voice as he seemed to realize there was no way to play it cool, “You are such a fucking dick!”

Roman stammered for a moment, clearly trying to digest the change in tone and the weight of what he’d said, before waving his arms above his head in apparent bafflement, “It’s not like he didn’t know you all were into him!” 

“Roman,” Logan spoke up suddenly, gesturing at Patton and what Patton knew had to be a completely shell-shocked expression.

Roman looked up and went just as wide-eyed as the others, “Pat… did... did you not know?”

“...all of you?” Patton asked, then winced as his voice cracked in shock. He watched Virgil flinch and seem to retreat into his hoodie out of the corner of his eye, and Janus’ face smoothed over into a perfect mask of calm in the blink of an eye. He felt his heart break just a little bit at the disappointment in both of their eyes at what he was sure they saw as a rejection.

Logan grabbed Roman’s arm and yanked him away roughly, though Roman followed easily, “You all clearly need to communicate. I will handle this one.”

“Don’t wanna know about you handling my brother, poindexter,” Remus joked hollowly, sounding almost like it was a reflex with none of his usual cackle behind it.

Logan rolled eyes and headed out the door, tugging behind him a Roman who was fervently whispering, just barely audibly, “He didn't know, how did he not know,” to himself over and over again.

There’s silence in the shop for a while, just the sound of the radio faintly playing over the loudspeakers echoing off the walls as they all just stare at each other, not knowing how to start. Then Janus took a deep breath and spoke first, “Patton, I refuse to speak for these two clowns, but I will absolutely tell you that I, at the very least, have had feelings for you for many years, feelings which i was unaware I was not making perfectly clear, or that there was a chance of any sort of reciprocation.”

“Around 7 years for me, give or take. That first morning we made pancakes together,” Virgil added quietly, fiddling with the zipper on his sleeve.

Remus averted his gaze, looking nervous in the way Patton had only seen the day before he confessed to Virgil and Janus in high school, and admitted in the quietest voice Patton’d ever heard him use, “I don’t know exactly when, Pattycakes. You’ve always been there and as far as I’m concerned I’ve loved you just as long. And-and I just assumed it wasn’t returned.”

Patton swallowed thickly, trying to push back tears because he knew these boys and knew they would take them for disappointment rather than the joy they were. He dove at Remus first, vaulting the counter the way he always scolded Roman against and sliding to his knees next to the other man on the floor before crushing him in a hug. He flailed back at Janus and Virgil with one hand to pull them in as well, “Come here, all of you, we’ve lost so much valuable cuddle time!”

Patton was pretty sure Janus broke the sound barrier with how quickly he was plastered to his side and burying his face in his hair, and Virgil wasn’t far behind, wrapping an arm around his waist and burying his face in the crease of his neck and shoulder. Patton took that moment to be a bit daring himself and press a kiss to the corner of Remus’ lips, then giggled brightly when Remus grabbed hold of his cardigan and used it to pull him back in to kiss him full on the mouth with just as much passion and impulsiveness and laughter as Patton had always imagined. His mustache tickled Patton’s nose a bit but he leaned into it, humming happily in the back of his throat and feeling like a puzzle piece clicked into place.

Virgil only gave them a minute before he untucked his face from Patton’s neck and grouched that he wanted a turn. Remus let Patton go with a very put-upon sigh that didn’t match his playful grin, flicking Virgil on the nose lightly. “You gotta give him his kisses or he’ll never shut the fuck up,” he fake-whispered.

Patton grinned and turned readily to Virgil, and his lips met Patton’s in a much gentler dance. His kiss was no less deep or passionate for its caution, and his hands cupped his face like he feared Patton would float away if he didn’t hold tight. His fingers curled and twitched upwards like they wanted to bury themselves in his hair but didn’t want to overstep, so Patton took the initiative to grip the back of his neck and tilt his own head to encourage Virgil to do what he wished.

Janus was more patient, waiting for them to part for breath a few minutes later before taking hold of Patton’s chin from Virgil without a word and gently but firmly turning Patton towards him. Janus’ kiss could only be described as a caress, light and teasing and peppered with soft nips to his bottom lip before building up to something more solid. His warm hands rubbed calmingly up and down Patton’s spine and over his shoulders like he couldn’t figure out where he wanted to touch first.

Remus soon demanded he get another shot, then Virgil wanted another, then Janus again, leaving Patton so beyond cloud 9 he could barely think any more. They spent at least 20 minutes there on the floor, lost in each other, rotating kisses that were long overdue, letting their actions make the confessions their words hid from for years, not daring to move and break the spell of the moment.

Then a camera shutter sounded, paired with a bright flash of light that made them all jolt and look up in surprise.

“I said communicate you know, not make out on the floor,” Logan sighed, digging through his wallet to pull a 20 out to hand to Roman, who was grinning victoriously.

“I’m sorry for being a dick, but I had to do something and I told Logan the “accidental slip” would work,” Roman said as he pressed a triumphant kiss to Logan’s cheek and pocketed the 20, “But you have to admit it was a pretty great performance on my part.”

“Can’t believe I was betrayed by my best friends, I don’t know whether I owe you a scolding or a fruit basket,” Patton lamented playfully, cheeks hurting from how wide he was smiling. Janus ruined what little remained of the facade even more as he shifted slightly and pulled him into his lap and Patton clung tight to Virgil and Remus’ hands, with no intention of disconnecting any time soon.

[beyondd-dazedd]

bren’s thoughts from this past episode because i’ve seen it so many times now and i’ve got a lot of thoughts so here’s season 2 episode 7 of hsmtmts (a rant):

portwell morning announcements?? ICONIC whether you’re vibing with a romantic or platonic endgame the fondness and their chemistry is amazing. (sofia wylie and matt cornett better be sending their hospital bill to disney because they are literally carrying season 2 on their backs and i said what i said.)

the rini drama?? feels bad. like the way they built up the end of season 1 with them to have it come crashing down feels like drama just for the sake of drama and honestly it’s a little boring to me which is unfortunate because i really did like them season 1.

ricky my sweet baby ricky. you need therapy. but also he was right about the rose song and i stand by that. it doesn’t fit the show and i think he has a right to try to explain his feelings without nini shutting him down. i am all for nini focusing on her own music and thriving through that but don’t shut him down sis that ain’t it

the costume reveal scene was so funny from the DEH thing to carlos popping off on kourt to seb mediating to EJ and kourt’s convo about the costume i thought it was all really funny. also carlos totally had the right to snap at kourt because wtf kourt. HOWEVER i loved seeing her all giggly and excited. it’s a side of her character we haven’t really seen yet and i think dara completely embodied that high school first real relationship giddiness. also loved miss jenn saying don’t dance with the enemy and all of them IMMEDIATELY ignoring her and going to north high followed by her also ignoring her own advice and going as well.

all of them joining together to sneaky steal the mask back?? iconic. peak friendship vibes. carlos being the leader of the group in a sense this season is something i’m LIVING for. also Gina 1.0 to 2.0 is a spiritual journey and i’m so proud of her. Ash dressing up for the mission?? that’s so her (she’s undercover let her live wildcats). the disappointment in carlos’s face when they all finished the wildcat cheer?? that got me. frankie does so well with carlos’s facial acting and i love it.

also gina baby you got all these boys vying for your attention why are you wasting your time on ricky?? ricky baby i love you but you’re being an asshat about that whole thing. the way ricky hasn’t really taken into consideration gina’s feelings is not it. he really is just kind of trapped in his own world and refuses to see anything from someone else’s perspective. i saw someone talk about how ricky is the beast in this season. like yes he’s playing the beast but he’s also metaphorically taken on that role. he’s lashing out at people who don’t deserve it, he feels misunderstood, he’s struggling, etc.

ANYWAYS that’s my thoughts of rina right now so back to the episode. EJ coming in to help get gina out of the situation with the guy was fake dating excellence truly. there’s no way he heard what was being said since you can’t see him in the background at all so either he’s picked up on gina’s reactions so well that he could tell she was uncomfortable or he had a lil jealous moment. either way i’m here for it. and again whether you like them platonically together or romantically together that portwell scene was adorable as hell. the teasing ?? the fondness?? both sofia and matt’s acting is incredible. also a GREAT parallel to the homecoming episode to show just how far their relationship has come.

the rini drama plus kourt being giddy again. portwell standing next to each other?? antoine’s use of the word fugly really shows how unhinged this show is. lily proposing a dance off and everyone being like ??? no that’s fucking weird was hilarious. gina standing up for her sister ashlynn like that was gold.

man you may hate her (i do too) but lily is damn good at stirring the pot. i almost admire her complete understanding of the drama going on in everyone’s lives. she knows exactly what she’s doing when she says particular things.

the scene with antoine and ashlynn was so hilarious. joshua bassett seriously does not get a break from this damn show comparing him to people that are way more famous than him lol. also red hitting himself in the face was adorable and no i won’t take criticisms on that. also antoine is BOLD bold.

EJ cheering while everyone is upset that it was the mob song?? big golden retriever energy. i love him.

i don’t know if this is an unpopular opinion but i actually really liked this version of the mob song. they really leaned into the whole stupidity of the dance off idea and i think it actually works out well. plus there’s a ton of talented people on that track which makes it so much better. (also thought east high should have won on vocals alone. no their dancing wasn’t better but they had that really nice blend on their vocals and they all seemed a lot less frantic than north did.) also if they had let sofia just be sofia and dance. east high wouldve won on that alone.

i liked the song with miss jenn and zack. the choreo was beautiful but god i hate zacky roy. and that’s all i’ll say on that. (miss jenn i know that’s derek hough but you got two other very nice gentlemen who want you. don’t go for the low hanging fruit sis)

what was the point of lily telling them they would be disqualified if they used the rose song?? the only thing i can think of is she wants it to be a fair fight. which is noble i guess?? i don’t have time to psychoanalyze lily and no one wants that.

EJ’s face when they all turned to him for the sports metaphor had me sCREAMING and all of them being disappointed and talking over one another was very funny.

nini joining up with the group at the last minute seems to be her thing lately huh? i’ve said it once and i’ll say it again ricky was right about the song.

the couples walking out together. ft. nini and ricky fighting (again). PORTWELL EXCELLENCE (and huge dorks. i love them). red and ashlynn getting a bit rocky which at first i was like why is red jealous but then i remembered its high school. seb, carlos and kourt is an iconic trio. seb and carlos running off to avoid the drama is the gay agenda but also being in on the drama is the gay agenda. you feel??

HOWIE?!! why am i gasping i knew that? the fact that some of y’all really thought they would cast roman banks on this show and let howie go free without any drama?? nah man he had to be the beast for north fOR THE DRAMA. my baby kourt looked so hurt im so sorry beautiful. howie looking so guilty and upset?? heart breaking.

all in all i really loved this episode. i thought it was well done and set up a lot of plot lines. i don’t love how much some of the stuff feels like drama for the sake of drama but we’ll see. i’m sorta over rini this season as of this point. rina is in shambles because wtf ricky. portwell is alive and thriving as they should. seblos is beautiful and wonderful as always (i think the sassy verging on mean and the literal ball of sunshine is always a great pairing) redlynn is a little rocky but they’re both so empathetic and sweet that i think it’ll work out alright. kourt and howie (kowie?? hourtney??) is not doing too hot but i LOVE them together so they better gets their shit together.

[oftenderweapons]

Cold Nights — Taehyung

Pairing: Taehyung x reader (nicknamed Lace)

Wordcount: 4.7k words

Genre: (mild) smut, fluff, romance

Rating: suggested 18+

Hi babes! I’m back with the Cold Nights drabbles, and after what happened in Girls’ Night, I think Taehyung’s was the story I wanted to explore the most, since the chemistry between him and Lace felt so natural and the conclusion naturally called for me to pick up the story from there. Although reading Girls’ Night is not necessary (even though I had lots of fun writing it and I selfishly took the liberty to write that before continuing with next prompt), I would highly recommend to read at least the second part, just to get the vibe of these two (you can find it here, btw.).

While Girls’ Night was written with the girls as OCs, in this case we have a classic readerxTaehyung fic.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: this is not explicitly smutty, though there are a few steamy passages (making out, teasing) and heavy flirting (mentions of masturbation). Also, Lace is a domme, as said in Girls’ Night, and the topic is discussed in this drabble too. Reader has pretty much a lot of experience in BDSM (mentions of lessons and club), and has had only one relationship, with a girl. Sexual orientation is discussed. Also, Taehyung shifts from cool kid to cute kid a lot. There’s a sprinkle of sexy driver Taehyung but also soft cuddlebug fluffy Taehyung. You can’t have one without the other, yk.

Wordcount is around 4,7k (I know, a bit long for a drabble BUT I GOT CARRIED AWAY).

Also, here is my masterlist

Enjoy!!!✨

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Watching Taehyung drive was something incredible. He looked like a demigod from Hollywood movies from the Sixties. He was so careless, so undoubtedly timeless, so iconic and unbothered. You wanted a picture.

And his driving was excellent. He was attentive, with a soft driving style, cruising down the half empty streets like a ghost, floating, decelerating with care before coming to a stop. He seemed to stop at yellow traffic lights a lot. He took the pauses to observe you, the way light seemed to shimmer on the silver details of your leather jacket. Rummaging in your handbag, you found your lipstick and mirror, deciding to reapply the cherry tint just because you could.

He stared, mesmerised.

You were so charming.

A diva.

A muse.

He was surprised at how such a small gesture unsettled him so much, making his insides flutter with nerves and arousal. He wondered how many of your ordinary actions could turn him on. He was eager to find out. Write a list. Submit it to your scrutiny. Show you how incredibly sexy you were in his eyes even when simply checking your nails or furrowing your brow in disapproval.

“Do you wanna stay in the car or do you want to take a walk?” He asked as he took a turn.

“Oh, I don’t mind. Your choice.” You said tentatively.

“I think it would sound extremely bad if I told you I know a spot.” He chuckled and you followed.

Looking down, you bit your lip. “I think it would sound extremely bad if I told you I’d like to see your spot.” You looked at him as both your faces tinged with a shy blush and two matching mischievous grins.

“Then we’re heading out, darling.” He said, focusing again on the road.

Apparently his spot was somewhere a bit out of the city, a ten minutes drive away. The winding street led you to a small clearing with a parking lot. You had never visited there, but you noticed an octagonal pavilion. Bukak Skyway, a sign read.

“The sky is a bit clearer here,” He said. “I swear I’m not going to kill you.” He laughed. “Namjoon likes to bike all the way here. It’s a famous spot among cyclists. I have a throw in the backseat. Do you wanna go out, sit on the bonnet?” He asked, trying to break the tension.

You thought about it. Staying in the car meant less chances of being seen. And staying warm. But going out meant Taehyung being way less dangerous; the public situation keeping both of you from doing potentially inappropriate things. “Will people see?”

“Does it bother you, being seen with me?” He asked, frowning, his expression dead serious.

“I don’t want you to get in trouble or people seeing you with a girl, starting rumors.” You shrugged and furrowed your brow.

“There’s maybe six or seven people. It’s dark. I’ll be covered. No one will see, sweetie.” Taehyung reassured you. “But we can stay in the car, if you prefer.”

“Let’s go out.” You said, smiling.

“Great choice.” He pulled out his phone and exited the car, grabbing the blanket he kept in the backseat.

You also exited the car, shivering and hugging yourself at the cold bite of the night air. “Wait.” He called, wrapping the blanket around your shoulders. “We can stay in the car if you prefer.”

“Let’s watch the city lights.” You replied, a bit uncomfortable since you felt your hands reaching out for him, but changing your mind at the last minute.

“Let’s do that.” He walked to the front of his car, propping his hip against the hood. As you walked closer, he held out his hands. “May I help you?” He asked, gesturing at your waist.

You blushed and nodded. “I’m sorry, I’m a bit heavy.”

Still he placed his hands on your waist, over the blanket. “Irrelevant. You’re a lady. Let me treat you like one.” He replied, unfazed before helping you jump and sit on his car. It was low enough that a small jump was all you needed. You fixed the blanket around you before he pushed himself up and sat beside you. The front of the car was right before a short wall, delimiting the parking lot from the street winding a few metres down. The quite steep hill allowed a clear view of the skyline, stretching out in front of you without any obstacle to your sight, Seoul and its towers glimmering in a humanly mirror of the night sky above. “How has it been?” He asked.

“Good. I’ve received a commission for a wedding so I’ve been busy.” You explained. “Plus spring-summer collection has arrived at the store. We’re studying arrangements.”

“Great.” He replied. “I’ve been working a lot too.”

“The girls mentioned your schedules.” You threw in.

“Yes.” He said simply, scrolling on his phone until a soft acoustic song came on. He placed his phone down. He had a playlist for moments like this. He didn’t have one for moments like this with you, but he aspired to build one together. He simply let his favourites play.

“You’ll be leaving for Japan tomorrow.” You said, half a question.

“Yes.” He replied again, looking at the lights of the city below. “The flight is at ten am. We’re leaving the city at eight.”

“And then the tour.” You commented.

He half saw it coming. “Yes.”

You looked at the sky. It felt like an old blanket thrown over your head, so old that bugs had eaten small holes through which light came in. It felt cosy. Domestic. Confidential.

“Is that why you have been running from me?” He asked, raising an eyebrow, placing his palms together and shoving them between his knees to warm his hands.

The blanket was big enough. You scooted closer to him and tucked him in too.

He looked at you, at your small gesture of affection, your eyes meeting. You simply smiled as your arm pressed against his, shoulder to elbow. “I’ll be very honest, Taehyung.”

One more thing about you that turned him on: the way your lips curled around the second syllable of his name.

“I like you.” He said, direct and shameless, spelling the words with such certainty and determination that your heart lost a beat. Seeing it written on screen was nothing similar to hearing him actually say it.

“I like you too.” You replied.

He smiled and looked down, acting like a coy schoolboy. 

“However, I think there is stuff you need to know.” You took a small pause to gather and organise your thoughts. “This tour thing scares me. I want to build something strong, something long term. I can’t do flings, Taehyung.”

“It’s okay. We can get to know each other and see if it works.” He replied, already trying to convince you to give him just one chance.

“We don’t have the luxury of time, though. You’ll be gone for how long? Two months?”

“Seven weeks.” He replied composedly and efficiently.

“And we have what? Four weeks between Japan and the Asian tour?”

“I’ll be in Korea until mid-May, then we actually start travelling.” He said, like a scolded puppy.

“That’s five weeks. And I doubt you’ll have time when you’re working for the concerts.” You objected. “You see how awful the timing is?”

“We can take it slow, see each other and hang out. No need for fancy, big things. We can do this.” He said, gesturing at your current location and activity. “No dating, no stuff. Simply getting to know each other.”

You bit your lip, frowning. “I’ll grow fond of you.” You said.

“Isn’t that the final goal?” He asked cheekily.

Your voice shook a little. “I don’t want to get used to you and see you leave.”

His eyes were wide and sweet when he met your gaze. “Well, I can promise you I’ll text, and call, and I know it’s not like being there, but we can use the distance to see how we handle stuff when we’re apart.”

“Isn’t it too early to be apart, a few weeks into a… an acquaintance?” You said, searching for the word.

“We’ll see if we miss each other like friends or more.” He said, trying to make everything sound sane and reasonable.

You looked at the city. How many people were out there, alone? How many girls were dreaming of being right here, right now, with him? “You’re dangerous for me, Taehyung.” You said, already feeling how easily he could manipulate you. “I would let you do wrong things to me. Because I like you that much.” You murmured.

“I promise I would never do anything to hurt you.” He said, turning to fully look at you. “I’ll make sure we don’t cross the line.” He said, and in that moment all the passion and the excitement and the arousal suffocated, tamed in his chest and stomach. It felt like turning an inferno into a candlelight. He would keep hormones at bay to grant himself a chance. He knew how fast the tour could go by. “We’ll go out. On walks. We could do this again, or we could go out early, watch the sunrise from Bukhansan. Whatever. I just wanna spend time with you. Give you a chance to know me.” He nuzzled into the blanket, but he was secretly looking for your perfume, trying to take in all the small details that made you you.

You let the conversation slip before trying to direct it on the topic that was worrying you the most. Gathering your courage, you spoke. “You aren’t curious about my bag, in the apartment?” You asked.

“If you were comfortable with it, you would tell. No need to ask you about it.” He shrugged. “I have nothing against it. I think everyone has their reasons. And there’s nothing strange or shameful about it. You like it? Good for you.” He smiled, not a pinch of malice in his voice or expression.

“I took lessons of several techniques of domming in a BDSM club here in Seoul.”

“So you’re a dominatrix?” Taehyung asked, his expression warm, as if he were asking about your hobby or the weather.

“Yes, but I’m not active anymore. If I wanted, I could be one.” You tried to explain yourself,

“What do you mean?”

“It means I have the technical and practical preparation but I haven’t participated in a scene in a while.”

“How long.” He asked, still chatting about it neutrally. 

“About… four months.” You counted them. “Yeah.”

“How did you decide to take lessons?”

You laughed at the memory. “A woman recommended I tried after my yoga classes were disappointing. I started learning and I found out I liked that. Back then I was in a very vulnerable moment. I wanted to enter university and study business, so that I could build a firm out of the atelier, you know. Unfortunately, I didn’t pass. I grew desperate, started eating a lot out of stress and gained a lot of weight. Not only I felt like I was losing my dream but also my reality. I was literally one of those skeletrical models before, and then with all the weight I gained…” You gestured at your body.

“But it helped you, the course I mean.” Taehyung ignored your reference to your body.

“Yes. After a year I was even more confident than when I was skinny and full of dreams. I got healthy again. And with the confidence boost and the new attitude I managed to enter an online university, which was more suitable since I was already working both at the shop and at the club.” You smiled. “Plus I liked the sense of control and peace you need when you’re involved in a scene.”

He nodded. “I’m happy it all worked out.” He nodded some more before his mind produced one more question. “Is domination a non-negotiable aspect of your relationships?” He asked.

“No, I think. My first partner was a girl I had met at the club, but after that I didn’t ever mix the two.”

He didn’t even react to the fact, he simply took it in. He would never judge and he himself was not the type to consider gender a determining factor in terms of sexual attraction. Although he was a bit worried you were attracted to women exclusively. What if you would never like him like that?

You continued. “I had a few dates, never anything serious. And of course, I taught and I took part in scenes at the club, but it never led to sex.” You explained. “Sexual attraction is a tricky concept to me, I think.”

“So you’ve had just one relationship?” He asked, his expression neutral, however his slightly raised eyebrows gave away a bit of surprise.

“Yes.” You replied.

“With a girl?” He asked again.

“Yup.” You confirmed, nodding.

“But you’ve slept with men too, right?” He said.

You grinned. “Are you trying to make sure you’re the first?” You teased.

“I’m just asking. I don’t want to—” He shook his head. “I just need to know that you like me. Sexually speaking.”

You shook your head in disbelief. Little do you know. “I do. I think gender has little to do with actual attraction. I don’t think labels are important.”

“I agree on that.” He said, nodding, biting his lip.

“And I’m really attracted to you.” You took a big breath. “I might say something inappropriate, but—” You laughed embarrassedly. “I don’t mind domming. I like it. I’ve been doing it for a while, I’m familiar and it feels comfortable, but I’ve never felt the kind of attraction that makes me want to bend over backward for someone.” You paused. Took a deep breath. Continued. “Having this thing, with you… It’s something I’m not comfortable with. Because I feel you’re so much stronger than me that I don’t even want to put up a fight.”

He looked at the city. 

He looked at you. You were rubbing your hands together out of embarrassment and the night chill. You placed one around the base of your neck, rubbing your wrist with the other in an attempt to warm yourself. You were so unbelievably beautiful. 

He tsked and smiled. “Stop beating around the bush, sweetheart. It doesn’t suit you. What do you really want to say?”

You frowned. “I’m not comfortable saying it.” You murmured.

A chill piano piece started playing from his phone, a warm, tender voice of a woman mixing up with it.

“Okay. I can’t make you do it.” He pouted and nodded, looking away in the distance. “You know I’ve liked you since I first saw you. And there’s little you can say or do to push me away.”

You exhaled and tried to explain yourself. This was exactly the reason why Taehyung was dangerous. He asked, you delivered. “I have rarely felt attraction for someone because I’ve rarely found someone stronger, bolder, smarter than me. But then I started talking to you.” You shook your head in disbelief at your own confession. “You make me want to do things I’ve never craved before. And you being more powerful than me makes me want to let you take control.” You took a pause. “It makes me want to submit to you.”

He turned. “Is that why you need time? You want to get used to this?”

He is so smart. So attuned to people’s feelings and thoughts. He might as well be a mentalist.

“Yes.” You confirmed.

“And you want to get to know me to see if you can trust me?” He asked.

“Yes.” You confirmed again.

“I get it.” He nodded. “It must be something new, to see things from a new perspective. You said you feel uncomfortable. Does it make you feel bad, this thing with me?” He asked gently.

“I’m afraid of people finding out of the club, bringing it up, using it against you.” You admitted.

He shook his head. “What are the chances?”

“I used a nickname, and we have strict non-disclosure agreements. The place is often dark and sometimes we use masks, but I couldn’t use those when teaching. Anyway, there are pretty famous and powerful people in the club. I think it’s in everyone’s interest to keep mouths shut. Still.” You shrugged. “I want to protect you, Tae.”

His eyes turned into sweet, dark pools. “I don’t care.” He stated. “For now it’s not an issue. I’ll talk to our lawyer, see if there are any potential troubles with this. We both have the duty to protect each other.” He stated with certainty. “And once we’re sure and if this becomes more, then we’ll find a way.”

You felt warm in your chest. It felt good to be protected. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for opening up, darling.” He caressed your cheek tenderly, smiling at you.

You smiled back and looked down, away from his intense gaze.

He moved his hand away. “So you want to sleep with me?”

You laughed. “Sleeping is not the word I would use, no.”

“Which one?” He said.

“Which one would I use?” You asked, trying to clear up his request. Sometimes he spoke so cryptically.

He hummed in confirmation.

“I would say…” You thought about it. “I would say ‘spend the night’.”

“We could spend the night here. Talking until we have no secrets left to say. The night is amazing for secrets.” He mused.

“What about your flight tomorrow?” You asked, suddenly serious.

“Let’s go back to secrets and spending the night.” He said, trying to make his incumbent dark thoughts evaporate.

“What about them?” You were both staring at the city lights. Seoul felt so far away. Like a hologram. Or maybe like for a moment you had been subtracted from that world. Like you were stuck into a mirror, where nothing really, truly happens. Where people could see possibilities and daydreams, an alternative reality in which everyone could have a fragment of fictitious life. You felt like a mirage, ready to turn into dust, sand and smoke, a bizarre refraction of light.

Taehyung turned and stared at you. “I’m dreaming you won’t disappear, once morning comes. That this won’t be just a fantasy.”

It all turned even less real when his phone started playing a ballad about lights and stars.

“I won’t disappear.” You whispered back.

He looked at the city. “I need to tell you a secret.”

You turned with an arched eyebrow and an upturned pout.

Adorable, he thought. He leaned in towards your ear. “I’ve been asking myself if you had a fling with Namjoon and Vixen for the whole night. It feels good to hear that you like me.”

You were so close. Apparently being out in the open air, in a very public space had done little to keep things appropriate.

“I have a secret too.” You whispered, so close to his face. To his lips. You leaned in closer to his ear. “I have no fling with them. I’ve had no one for months. Years, if you exclude the scenes at the club — and I never had sex during those — and I’ve never had a man. I can’t wait to feel ready to give in to you. I promise I just need some time. Be patient and I’ll make it worthy. I swear.” You confessed, so raw with emotion.

He looked at you, inscrutable at first; then his face melted with wonder and joy. “All the time you need, darling.”

You smiled.

You both turned to look at the city. And then you turned to look at him. He was so beautiful. Glowing. Happy. Meditative and cool, like an indifferent god. Like Seoul could suddenly switch off with a general black out, and he wouldn’t even notice. He would just smile and cheer for the stars glowing brighter.

“I have another secret, Taehyung.” You murmured. He simply brought his ear to his lips, his gaze still focused away. You licked your lip and whispered, “I feel like if you kissed me now, I would literally glow in happiness.”

He turned to look at you. “Isn’t it going too fast?” He asked before shaking his head. “I mean, I don’t want you to regret this.”

“I’m sure.”

He looked in the distance again. You frowned and took it as a ‘no’.

And then he turned, cupping your cheek, rubbing his thumb against your cheekbone. His hand could cover half of your face. It was enormous. You didn’t let your brain go that way. “I’m going to be sweet. Stop me whenever.” He murmured, before pecking your lips with his.

It was so short and light you almost didn’t feel it. Still, the tingling on your lips was a living trace of it, like stardust had inadvertently brushed over your skin. His body turned into a furnace beside you, or maybe you had suddenly warmed up when he pressed his lips to yours more insistently. “I’m gonna go harder at this.” He spoke on your lips.

Fuck, it was so sweet of him to tell you. He felt so gentle. Even when he started nibbling on your lower lip, encasing it between his lips, sucking it gently before pecking your mouth with his. The moment you held his upper lip between yours, tugging at it gently with your teeth, he lost control and moaned, letting your tongue tease the tip of his. His hand disappeared into your hair, pulling you close. His mouth forced yours to open as your lips crushed together, your tongues intertwining in a sensual and suasive dance made of twirls and small licks. Your hand flew to his hair, caressing his nape, the other one meeting his waist, turning him towards you.

Your whole body was on fire. The night felt so alight, so filled with possibilities now that even this was happening, too. It felt like the most appropriate time to begin something in the quiet and secrecy that the loving, protecting darkness allowed you.

His right hand appeared on your thigh, placed there gently, not gripping, not exploring. Simply staying, existing in that strange, assertive way Taehyung exists, like he is a totem standing in the middle of time and space, piercing them together, one to the other.

Your breath was laboured once you parted. His hand moved up, to your waist. He couldn’t resist from feeling the fleshy, material reality of this late night daydream, its real consistency. He let you breathe, nudging his lips against yours. “Another.” He whispered, diving in again.

And you let him. If this was the way he intended to do things with you, hell yes, you would let him.

His lips were soft, wet and warm, perfect around yours. He started alternating between your lower and upper lip, his hand finally grabbing the flesh of your waist, tugging you into him.

You pulled at the hair on his nape delicately, trying to part from him. It felt atrocious but it was necessary. Your judgement was beginning to get clouded. You should stop. “Tae, baby. Let’s take a moment.”

He nodded, pressing his forehead to yours and parting from you with a small peck on the corner of your mouth. “Sorry.” He murmured.

“Nothing to be sorry about. It feels amazing.” You smiled, caressing him on his neck. “I’m just cold. And I think it’s better if I head home before I do stuff I could regret.”

He looked a bit lost. “Would you regret getting carried away with me?” He asked, worried.

“No.” You replied without hesitation. “And that’s the problem.” You kissed his lips chastely. “But getting carried away is different from trusting you and willingly, consciously giving you everything I have.” You kissed him again, caressing his hair off his forehead, fixing his beanie. “And that’s the way I want it with you.” You bent to his ear. “I want to say ‘yes, sir’ to your every request. I want you to do to me everything you want. I want you to own me so fully that I’ll beg you to use me for your pleasure.” You whispered in his ear, slowly, the words getting tangled up in a net that you hoped would capture him and convince him.

His deep moan made you chuckle lightly, brushing your mouth against his. At this, his tongue lashed out, the tip curling around your lower lip. “I’m so drunk on you.” He growled. “I want you so much.”

You shook your head faintly, touching his face, the light stubble giving you the strange certainty that he was real, there, in front of you. “I know. I promise I’ll repay your patience in kind.” You looked at him intensely, trying to show him just how much you wanted him too. “I’ll repay generously, too.”

His eyes closed, his face nuzzling into your neck. “I don’t want to let you go just yet. I’m afraid this will turn out to be a one time thing.”

As your earring got caught in his beanie, you had a sudden eureka. “Sit up, Tae.” You said gently.

He got wide eyed and pouty for a second before wearing his poker face and obeying your command. Cupping his face, you smiled at him. “Let me.” You caressed his cheeks as you moved your hands away, bringing them to your earlobe and unlatching one of your earrings. It was a simple pearl surrounded by small rhinestones. Carefully you moved it to his naked ear, delicately pushing the needle through the tiny hole, securing it in the back with the clasp.

Looking at him, you smiled, biting your lip. “You’ll give it back on our next date.” You said, blushing softly, looking at him through your lashes.

Slowly his lips curled up, forming the cutest shy smile you had ever seen.

“My pretty boy.” You said, fixing the small lock of hair coming out of his beanie and framing his face. He wrapped his arms around your middle and hid his face in your neck.

“Thank you.” He said, simply.

“It’s okay, tiger cub.” You quipped back playfully.

Still blushing, he parted from you. “We should go, you’re shivering.” He said, jumping off the bonnet. “Come on.” He grinned at you.

God, you had a crush.

You followed him, still wrapped in his blanket, quickly opening the car and sitting, rubbing your hands together to muster some warmth to them.

He entered next to you and started the car, turning the AC on. He reached across the seats, grabbing your hands and rubbing them in his. “We should have stayed in.” He whispered.

“But the view...” You objected.

He smiled, bringing your joined hands to his lips, placing small kisses all over them. His lips were so hot.

“You’re right.” He smiled, placing your hands on his knee as he looked around, backing the car out of the parking lot and starting your drive back home. “You should insert your address on the GPS.” He murmured, his eyes glued on the road ahead.

“You sure? I can take pub—”

“Don’t you even dare. I’ll be sleeping on the plane. I can drive you.” He rumbled.

You raised your eyebrows and did as he told you.

“It’s just ten minutes from the dorms. Fifteen from my apartment.” He commented, noticing your address.

You shrugged and hid into your shoulders. “Thank you for driving me.”

“I’m being selfish.” He grinned, his eyes still on the road. “This way I’ll have you close for longer.”

Grinning, your sank into the seat. The drive was uneventful. Your left hand moved back onto his knee, his hand joining yours every now and then. 

Seeing your building appear brought a bit of disappointment. You had grown used to the warmth of the car, the low background music, the comfort of the fabric of his jeans under your palm.

“This is yours?” He asked, looking at the small five-floor building with a restaurant down below.

You hummed in approval.

“Any parking spot close?” He asked. “I only want to accompany you to your door. No fancy business.” He promised.

“There’s the alley — wait left now!” You announced hurriedly.

He did so quickly. The neighbourhood was quiet and thankfully the sudden turn didn’t cause any inconvenience.

Still, he managed to drive smoothly, finding a row of parked cars and following the order. “Here we go.”

You grabbed your bag and moved the blanket on the seat as you exited the car.

He quickly moved around the car, grabbing your hand. “I don’t think anyone will see us. Or recognise me.” He said, following your lead.

“Here we are.” You said, awkwardly standing in front of the entrance to your building in a slight penumbra which eased your nerves a little.

“When will I see you again?” He asked eagerly.

“After Japan.” You said, smiling.

“We’ll be back Thursday next week, around midday.” He said. “Would you be free in the afternoon? I have a friend in a gallery who could book us a late private tour.” He explained.

You laughed and tried to recall your shift. You could find an agreement with your colleagues anyway. “Then I’ll see you on Thursday.”

“Good.” He said, with his signature serious look.

Just to give him a sweet goodbye, you leaned forward, pressing your lips to his, without allowing him to deepen the kiss.

“Oh, come on.” He whispered, chasing your mouth with his, eyes closed. “More.” He whined.

You let him. His mouth met yours again, both his and your lips immediately parting to melt in that same scorching desire. Your arms were already wrapping around his frame.

“Let me go.” You murmured.

“You let me go, miss octopus.” He teased. You stayed in each others arms for a few seconds, your bag abandoned at your feet. You stared in silence before he spoke. “I’ll be thinking about this all night.” He said, cupping your nape and pressing a bunch of small kisses on your mouth.

“Me too.” You moved your lips closer to his ear. “My hands will probably be between my legs while I do so.”

He snarled and groaned against your ear. “You’re a tease.” His hand palmed your hip heavily. His voice was husky when he spoke again. “Am I allowed to think of you when I touch myself?” He asked.

You chuckled and exhaled seducingly along the crook of his neck. “As long as you tell me what you were thinking about when you cum.”

He exhaled a breathy laugh. “We’re taking this slow, I see.”

“I can’t go any slower with you.” You looked into his eyes, releasing your arms from around him. “Sweet dreams, tiger.” You said, saluting him and picking up your bag before entering your building.

“Goodnight, nymph.” He replied, shaking his head in disappointment and at the same time smiling at your teasing nature.

You both stayed up all night, thinking about the night you’ll be finally staying up together.

[collecting-stories]

Church - JJ Maybank

Request: maybe a obviously super fluffy and sweet church date with Jj? or they are leaving y/n’s church and JJ planned a brunch for her and gives her a speech how much he loves her?

Request: ik he’s not a cowboy (as a nc girl i love a good cowboy and a good surfer boy) but i feel like cowboy take me away by the dixie chicks gives off jj vibes. i feel like that would be him and his girlfriends song. don’t ask me why because i honestly don’t know, i just get jj vibes haha

A/N: I gave myself some serious OBX style Footloose vibes while writing this and now I really wanna go watch the Julianne Hough/Kenny Wormald Footloose remake. 

Outer Banks Masterlist

///

Set me free, oh I pray, closer to heaven and closer to you.

You sat in the front row of church, knee bobbing anxiously as you listened to the sermon. Your mom reached over, laying a hand over your knee to stop the movement, “cross your legs dear.”  

“Sorry,” you crossed your knees, smoothing down the atrocious dress your mom made you wear to church. It looks like something a Bates kid would wear and you felt stuffy in the warm nave, high neckline and elbow length sleeves itching.  

There was little you could do about the situation. Your father was the senior pastor of the church and it wouldn’t look good if his only daughter were off running around the island on a Sunday morning when he was here, leading his congregation. He had no idea that you’d been out all night at a kegger on the beach with your boyfriend or even that you had a boyfriend. You could imagine the absolute horror he and your mother would feel if they found out that you were dating or who you were dating.  

“Go in peace,” he announced, stepping away from the podium as people began to stand. He walked to the doors as ushers opened them, standing in the entryway to greet each parishioner as they left. You grabbed your backpack from beneath the pew as you stood up, following your mother to the vestibule where people were lingering to talk and have after-service refreshments.

You gave your dad a quick hug as you came up to him, “hi daddy-”

“Did you enjoy the sermon? You looked a little preoccupied.” He said, cutting you off.  

“No it was wonderful.” You replied, “would it be alright if I left early? I promised Sarah that I would meet her for lunch.”

Neither of your parents were particularly fond of Sarah Cameron because of her style of dress, the boys she dated, and the rumors they heard about her partying, but they would never tell you to not hang out with her because the Camerons had money. She was a good scapegoat. You weren’t actually going to see Sarah at all.  

“Be back early tonight alright, I want us to have dinner together.” Your father replied, giving you a kiss on the cheek before you hurried down the stairs, waving to a few people as you left.  

You had parked your car out of the parking lot, down the next street so no one would see it. Or see the sleeping blond in your passenger seat. When you got back to your car you knocked on the passenger door before opening it, JJ sitting up as you handed him your backpack.  

“You look like you’re Amish.” JJ laughed, handing you the pair of jean shorts from your backpack. After spending the entire night at the kegger you and JJ had passed out in the back of your Jeep and when your alarm had gone off this morning you’d driven to church, changed into the dress you kept under the seat for emergencies, and practically sprinted to service. Now that you could change back into the clothes from last night you were relieved.

“My mom would murder me if she caught me in any of the stuff I usually wear.” You replied, pulling the dress over your head to reveal the bikini top you still had on from last night. JJ let out a low whistle and you tossed the dress at his head. “Shut up.”

“I’m being appreciative of how attractive my girlfriend is.” JJ countered, tossing your dress in the back seat. “Are you getting in here?”

“Yeah, you can drive.”

JJ slid over the console and you got in the passenger seat, putting your backpack in the back. The seat was still reclined all the way back from JJ taking a nap while you were in church and leaned back, positioning yourself so that you could turn your body toward JJ while he drove. He took the back road leading away from the church so no one would see the two of you together.  

You stopped for food at the market before the continuing on to the Pogue. John B was with Sarah all day and JJ had proposed the idea of taking the boat out onto the marsh.  

“My dad said he wants me home early for dinner.” You mentioned as JJ untied the boat to push off.

“Well I can’t make any promises.” JJ replied, grinning when you glared at him, “what? The Pogue could mysteriously just stop working or something. She’s old.”

“And if you wanna see me before I’m old you’ll have me home early.” You replied.

“Fine, fine.” He promised, “don’t suppose there’s any chance I could go?” He had asked before, about meeting your parents. He knew how strict your family was and he knew that there was little chance they would ever approve of you dating him but he still wanted the chance to prove himself.

“I tried talking to my mom yesterday about the possibility of me dating and she told me that when I’m old enough to think about marriage...basically once I graduate high school, there is a very nice boy on the mainland that they want to introduce me to.” You replied.  

JJ looked over at you, frown evident on his face as he thought about what you said.  

“I think, when I graduate, you and me should just up and go somewhere.” You proposed, walking over to where he was standing behind the wheel and wrapping your arms around his waist.  

“I’m down. Anywhere there’s a beach.”  

“The west coast?” You asked, “we could live that surfer/skater life. Riding around in a van, vlogging about weed and organic living.”  

“I think you’re still drunk from last night.” JJ teased, giving you a quick kiss.  

“Why do you wanna meet my parents so bad?”

He shrugged, pulling you closer to him while he steered the Pogue through the marsh with his free hand. “Not a lot of things in my life have really worked out and I know I’m not exactly the church-going type that your parents want you to be with...and maybe I can work on that. If they want me in church every Sunday I’ll be there. I don’t know...I love you and I know you don’t put pressure on me or expect more of me than I can give but I wanna be able to be there for you when you need me and I don’t want you going through all these...sneaking around shit just to be with me. I want to be somebody you can be proud of.”

“I am proud of you. I’m not sneaking around cause I’m not...my parents are pretty close minded. You can come to dinner but I can’t promise it’ll be what you want it to be. I love you though, just keep that in mind. Nothing anyone else says can change that.” You promised, tilting your head so you could kiss him.

“I feel like I need some kinda bible cheat sheet.”

“If, and it’s a big if, my dad doesn’t freak out and lets you stay for dinner, he’ll probably make you pray over the meal,” you replied, “I’ll teach you the lord’s prayer, you should be fine passed that.”

“I stuck as memorization.”

“I’ll give you a reward if you get it right.” You replied.

“I do love rewards.” JJ grinned and you couldn’t help laughing when he pulled you in for another kiss, this one longer than before.  

-

taglist: @maplelattes22 @poguesrforlife  @freckled-and-daydreaming  @chasefreakinstokes @millie-753 @fangirlwithme @alex12948 @howdyherron @katherine097 @tangledinsparkles @tragicmisfits @carbonated-beverage @mariofgreengables @damonsalvawhore27 @ssprayberrythings @dopedoodes @dolanfivsosxox @belledutchess @poguelifeeee @jjsthumbring @faded-blue @parkerpetertingle @thebookwormlife @summer-clouds-and-long-days @jolomez @timotaychalabae 

[lovelyirony]

@ad1thi​ asked for nat singing ‘girls’ by girl in red every time sharon walked past her. and...well...who’s gonna stop me? i tweaked the prompt a bit, hope you don’t mind...

Because Natasha teaches advanced Russian classes, she usually doesn’t get to see most professors outside of the classroom, if that. She sees the teachers from her department: Tony for Spanish (and Italian, because he’s a try-hard), and Clint for ASL.

Usually, the conversation is about what students email too much, where to go for after-work drinks, and which person forgot to lock their office door, because Clint can and will steal your best pens.

But this time, Tony is hopping on his heels.

“We have a new Kinesiology professor,” he says, grinning.

“And I care...why?” Nat questions, eyebrow raised. “It doesn’t really have anything to do with us.”

“Well not for me, but for you it does,” Tony says, his eyebrows wiggling. “She’s cute. Here’s her profile, look!”

Natasha is surprised.

She’s...exactly her type. The sweet type, funny, and it looks like she’s excited to start at this new job.

She’ll need friends, obviously.

And Natasha can sort of...figure her out. Read her, see if there’s anything in the cards for a girlfriend.

-

Sharon is absolutely excited for this new offer. The last job had been good and fun, but...just not the right environment. Her friend Sam had promised to help her get settled and show her the sights and tell her the references that students say when it comes to restaurants or coffee shops.

What she wasn’t expecting was to see a woman who was probably the most beautiful person she’d ever seen in her life standing at the top of the classroom.

“Can I help you?” Sharon asks, gathering her bag and her jacket.

“Just with your name,” she says with a grin. “I’m Natasha, I teach Russian. I heard we had a new kinesiology professor in town.”

“And how’d you hear that?” Sharon asks. Natasha just continues down the stairs, still smiling.

“A little birdie named Tony. You’ll get to know him soon. I figured you’d want at least one more person to know around here.”

“That’s always helpful,” Sharon says. “I’m Sharon, nice to meet you, Natasha.”

“Likewise,” Natasha says, looking around the classroom. “How are you liking it so far?”

“It’s really nice,” Sharon says. “The campus is beautiful, and Sam Wilson-do you know him?”

“We’ve met.”

“He’s been helping me around, been a real sweetheart.”

“He always is,” Natasha says, grinning. “But here, give me your phone. If you ever need someone else to show you around or you’re just bored, feel free to text or call.”

Sharon takes the proffered phone, smiling a bit as she types in her number and sends a quick text to herself.

“I’ll see you around, I’m sure,” she says, and Natasha nods.

“Hopefully, yes.”

-

Natasha has a problem.

She doesn’t really know how to flirt that much.

Or, at least, get close to Sharon.

They’re in different departments, and all the way across campus from each other. Sure, there will be the staff get-togethers, but those are public. She also doesn’t know if Sharon even likes women.

They text occasionally, and she’s found out that Sharon now positively adores the little cafe down the road, but other than that she has no leads to go on.

-

“Why don’t you just ask your students?” Bruce says as he’s laying on her couch.

“What.”

Bruce gets up from his reclined position, leaning on one elbow.

“Ask your students. I had to ask them when Thor wouldn’t stop barging into my classes to ‘learn for free.’ They know a lot more than you think they know.”

“One of my students misspelled his own name,” Natasha deadpans. “I doubt that’d be of any help. Besides, I don’t think I’m the type to...ask them for advice.”

“Don’t knock it ‘til you try it,” Bruce says with a shrug. “I had one student email me because she was concerned that I didn’t know that Thor liked me, and she was right! Just reinforce the fact that they can email you.”

“They don’t,” Natasha says. “They ask questions in class, or they attend office hours. I don’t like to answer emails.”

“You amaze me,” Bruce says, getting up. “I gotta get going, it’s late.”

“It’s eight-twenty p.m.”

“Like I said, it’s late. Good luck with your lady-love-problem!”

-

She asks Tony for help next.

Tony cackles in her face.

“No,” he says.

“Why not?”

“Because you are hilariously out of your depth for once, and so I get to make fun of you because you made fun of me for acting desperate around Rhodey.”

“I was right, and I don’t regret it,” Natasha says. “I’ll ask Sam.”

-

Sam just shrugs.

“Why not just ask her?”

“I can’t just do things like that,” Natasha hisses. “We don’t even know each other that well!”

“Then get to that level,” Sam says. “Ask her to walk in the park or something! Be her friend first, idiot.”

“Don’t you dare call me an idiot when you and Barnes’ version of flirting is threatening to not buy the other’s cereal at the grocery store.”

“I’m going to pretend like I didn’t hear that,” Sam says, waving his hand. “Go be friends, loser.”

-

Friends is easy. She can do friends. She will just ignore the fact that Sharon is gorgeous and cool and funny and easily a crush.

She can do that.

-

It goes...well. She asks Sharon if she wants to come with a group of her friends to trivia night.

“Are you sure?” Sharon asks over the phone. “I don’t want to intrude on your friends night...”

“You are a friend,” Natasha says.

“Aw, you sap,” Sharon teases. “What kind of trivia are we doing?”

“They’re trying to get us professors in on the lingo of modern students,” Nat says. “I’m going to try my best.”

-

Sharon looks like a dream in casual jean shorts, a worn t-shirt, and low heels.

“Is this too much?”

“You look fantastic,” Natasha promises. “Trust me. How’s your day been?”

“Better now that I have plans,” Sharon says, getting into the car. “Where’s trivia?”

“A teacher-exclusive bar,” she responds. “My friend Pepper is a marketing professor, and so she’s been working for years to keep students away from here. She’s done wonders.”

Sharon laughs, and it’s the best sound.

-

Modern Student Knowledge: Nat knows none of it.

But.

There’s an interesting question.

She’s read about violets and "Friend of Dorothy” and all of the questions and hints that people have used.

“girl in red” is a new one.

“It’s a music thing, I think,” Maria says. “One of my students asked another student that. I was trying to figure it out.”

After the answer is revealed, Sharon’s tapping away on her phone.

“Oh, gay music!” she says brightening. “This looks good.”

Natasha’s heart rises.

-

She drops off Sharon and does not watch her go up the stairs, and then she drives to her own apartment and opens up her laptop.

Ignoring the three emails from campus that came over the last two hours, she googles the band.

It’s stuff she would definitely have wanted to listen to when she was that age.

It might be subtle enough, maybe, if she could reference it around Sharon. She had looked at the lyrics after all. It would be obvious if she had known about the lyrics, but not if she had just skimmed to see more about the answer.

-

Natasha starts off humming. She’ll do it in the sort of out-of-sorts way that one does when they are doing the mundane things, like dishes or laundry or grading papers.

On occasion, Sharon will invite Nat over for a “grading session” which essentially means idly grading papers while having glasses of wine.

(Sharon looks pretty with red cheeks. Natasha never gets drunk enough to tell her.)

But she hums it as she’s writing out another critique on a student’s spelling of the word “chicken.”

“What are you humming?” Sharon asks, and Natasha clicks her pen.

“I, um. I looked up that one ‘girl in red’ music thing from trivia night. I like their stuff.”

“I’ll have to give it a listen,” Sharon says softly. Natasha looks up, and she doesn’t know what Sharon is thinking.

“You’d like it, I think.”

“Oh yeah? And why is that?”

“Good vibes,” Natasha answers, because it’s not like you can say “because you’re hot and so are women in general.” It just simply isn’t done.

-

The lyrics start a little bit after Christmas break begins. Natasha doesn’t really celebrate the holiday, although her birthday is close by. She doesn’t necessarily like saying this, although Sharon wants to know.

“Why?” Natasha asks.

“Well obviously you get people you care about a gift,” Sharon says, as if she’s stated the most casual thing in the world. (Her heart races.) “So, what gifts are you looking at?”

“I, um. I don’t really think about gifts.”

What she wants to say: I would like a Birthday Date. Or a kiss. Whatever I can get.

She doesn’t know what to answer.

“Well then, it means you’ll be surprised,” Sharon says with a wink.

They hang out and go Christmas shopping together for other people. They both agree that they need to really hunt for Bucky and Sam, who surprisingly are the hardest to shop for.

They’re in a store when the song actually comes on. Natasha grins as she sings it off and on, and doesn’t exactly see Sharon staring at her.

-

Even when Sharon isn’t there, Natasha will off-handedly sing the tunes when she’s cooking or cleaning or doing things around the apartment.

She doesn’t hear Sharon come in as she’s washing her dishes.

“They’re so pretty, it hurts, I’m not talking about boys, I’m talking about girls,” Natasha sings, and when she turns Sharon’s looking at her with a fond look.

She jumps about two feet in the air.

“Holy shit, I didn’t know you were here!” she says, holding her chest. “Oh my god, you were quiet.”

“I like the song choice,” Sharon says. “That’s one of my favorites.”

“Oh?” Natasha asks. “Any particular reason?”

“Well, I do happen to like girls, you know,” Sharon says, words seeming almost careful.

“Me too,” Natasha says carefully, looking into Sharon’s eyes.

“I brought you your gift,” Sharon says, holding out a box that’s been tried to be wrapped beautifully, but has not been at the very end. (Too much tape.)

Natasha still unwraps it carefully.

Inside is a Halloween mug, a tube of the darkest red lipstick Nat’s ever seen, and a gift-card to their favorite coffee shop.

“This is too kind,” Natasha murmurs, lifting them out of their paper. “How’d you know that I liked this kind of lipstick?”  

“I had some help from Maria and Pep,” Sharon says. “But...I like that color too.”

Natasha looks at her for a moment.

“Sharon, you know what else would be nice for a birthday?”

“And what is that?” Sharon asks, grinning. “A nice dinner?”

“With the most attractive girl in town, if I can swing it,” Natasha says, grinning. “I’ll wear my lipstick out, we’ll take it for a test run.”

Sharon smiles back.

“You can be my girl in red, then.”

“I’d be glad to,” Natasha says. “Dinner tonight at six?”

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Their dinner goes smoothly. Their night even better. They find out that Sharon looks good with the red lipstick, although it’s rather hard to get off with just water and soap. (Nat ran out of make-up remover.)

[reineyday]

geraskier zoom conference hc's based on that 'and they were video conferencing' post

(this has turned into a fic in point-form oops; also it's more pre-slash 'cuz this quarantine is ongoing and i don't have any specific ideas about how a relationship discussion would go or be handled over zoom haha)

it starts as a group conference call between yennefer and triss and jaskier and geralt probably because yen and triss and geralt run some sort of small business and they need jaskier for something artistic probably (he's a freelancer)

let's say they have some sort of start-up to do with children's education somehow, inspired by ciri, and they want to start a small educational web series and they want music in each episode and so hire jaskier as a composer

geralt is in charge of episode content because this web series is gonna be about mythology and he has a masters in it and has done a fair amount of traveling for it (and lowkey has been learning about different kinds of myrhs and legends and heroes and monsters all his life alongside swordfighting thanks vesemir)

ANYWAYS at first they just talk about work: geralt knows which myths he wants to talk about and how, but can't quite come up with a good narrative because he has a bad tendency to ramble on about very precise specific details that get boring, and he also doesnt know how to set the tone for children despite having one himself

jaskier suggests they make the show centre around a hero that is a witcher who goes off on adventures meeting all these creatures, and jaskier already has some fun ideas for songs

jaskier thinks geralt isnt very forthcoming but he's clearly interested in the project and there's excitement in his eyes when he says ciri will like something they write together

geralt also gets kind of moody about inaccuracies (like a nerd 'cuz he is one lol), and jaskier thinks it's funny and likes to pull his leg by saying they should just change this detail or that detail and that he's allowed bc he's the composer and he's taking creative liberties

about three zoom meetings in, they decide the witcher should have a horse and jaskier says they should give it a name and geralt says "roach" and jaskier laughs and asks about cockroaches and geralt looks... petulant??? and says there are fish called roach too and he meant the fish, and jaskier feels fond and relents and says yes fine the horse's name is "roach"

the next video call they have, they start talking again about work and jaskier's trying not to focus too much on the fact that geralt has shown up with his hair braided but goodness it makes him look softer with the way it pulls back and some strands of hair escape to frame his face

geralt eventually notices and hmms his questioning hmm (and when did jaskier start distinguishing the difference?) and when jask asks about the braid, geralt's face goes EVEN SOFTER and says ciri can't practice braiding on her friends' hair at school anymore so she practices with him and jaskier's like "well fuck that's it this is it ive never even seen him in person but here we are this is a crush oh shit"

the first time geralt laughs is because in one of their meetings, jaskier decided he was gonna be chill and wear a work shirt but just his boxers with stupid cartoon pizzas on them, amd he feels so comfortsble he forgets he's just wesring his underwrar 'till he gets up to grab his acoustic guitar and geralt sounds like he was startled into laughter and yeah, that's right, he's wearing stupid boxers and he flushes but geralt looks pretty amused and jaskier did that so he's not too embarrassed

halfway through the session after that, where jaskier has given up on slightly professional looking clothes but has committed to wearing something over his boxers at all times, he hears some barking and he sees a german shepherd's nose enter the bottom of the frame by geralt's arm

jaskier is obviously like YOU HAVE A DOG and geralt explains ciri usually plays with him during their meetings but they decided to go earlier that day and when jaskier asks what the dog's name is, geralt pauses and looks a cross between irritated and embarassed and then says "roach"

jaskier laughs and laughs and geralt just looks on stoically and it's not on his mouth but jaskier can see the pout in his eyes, but after he's done laughing, all he says is, "like the fish" and geralt smiles a tiny smile and shakes his head and jaskier's a goner, truly

one day, jaskier is caught on trying to find the perfect wording and chord progression for one of the episodes, and focuses on his guitar and keyboard for a while as he toys with this key and that rhyme, and when he looks up, geralt is in a kitchen putting on tea and mixing something in a pot and it's an hour past when they usually hang up

"you could have stopped me, you know?" jaskier asks, but geralt looks at him and hmms and jaskier feels all warm goddammit

he tells jaskier to go take a break and jaskier obliges and brings his laptop to his kitchen and they kind of just have tea together for twenty minutes before something dings and geralt has to go 'cuz it's dinner time for him and ciri

the next meeting, geralt shows up and his daughter's there in the background and she has hair like geralt's and a sunshine personality the complete opposite of geralt (though they both give off disintguished kinds of vibes)

jaskier is charmed; she's a great cheerleader and a wonderful person to run ideas by especially considering she's the target age group for their show, and when she makes a comment about how she wishes she could play the ukulele she got as a gift two years ago, jaskier brightens up and says he can teach her

now jaskier zoom calls a little earlier so ciri can have a short ukulele lesson before his work meeting with geralt, and it's so nice whenever he hears ciri practicing off to the side or roach barking from out of the frame and jaskier wonders what it would be like to truly be in the house with them

the next meeting after, they go a bit too long again bc they were arguing (well, jaslier was actually pulling geralt's leg some more, to be honest, but he can't help it if that's how he flirts), and ciri shows up and says it's time for food and when jaskier says he'll leave them to it, ciri suggests he just stay on amd they can eat together

geralt doesn't immediately say no and actually seems to be waiting for jaskier's answer so jaskier says yeah okay, and he grabs some food and they all have dinner together and they get to talking and jakier and ciri bond over disney movies and ciri says she wants to watch them together the three of them and yennefer and triss

the watch party happens and over zoom yennefer seems deeply amused the entire time and triss keeps giggling and geralt seems extra annoyed for some reason but jaskier enjoys himself and sings along to the movie and he tries not to imagine sitting right next to geralt on his couch on the side not occupied by his daughter

jaskier wakes up with a headache very close to their meeting time one day, and kind of just opens his laptop while he's lying in bed and opens the window to wait for geralt to start the meeting while he reaches over to get his ukulele 'cuz it's the closest instrument to his bed and the easiest on his brain when it's pounding like this

when he settles back against his headbkard and pillows once more, geralt is looking at him with a frown and asks if he's feeling okay, to which jaskier replies he's fine it's not covid he just gets headaches every now and then and it sucks but he can still compose (and he shakes his lil uke at the camera)

geralt says no he should sleep and when jaskier pouts he says he's going to sit here and wait for jaskier to put down the damn ukulele and drink some water and eat a granola bar and then tuck himself back into bed and he looks all fierce about it while he says it and how can jaskier not lug his laptop around while he does these things and fall a little more in love

eventually it becomes totally normal for jaskier to just hang out for long stretches of time, whether or not they talk about their witcher web series, and they cook together and hang out in their pajamas and jaskier and ciri have their music lessons and their disney nights and geralt even starts getting him to work out during some of their work breaks by doing 8 minuts abs

(jaskier was pretty adamant about not exercising but said he's do it just the one time but after 8 minutes of pain, geralt was flushed and kind of sweaty and said he needed to chamge his shirt anf then just took it off right there on the camera before he walked out frame to grab a new one and jaskier had to rush to pick his jaw off the floor before going to change out of his own sweaty clothes and yeah so he does 8 minute abs with geralt sometimes now)

once, geralt sends him a zoom link for a meeting at 2am on a night when jaskier can't fall asleep (his sleeping schedule's been so fucked since quarantine started) and when jaskier joins him, he looks like hell and he apologizes but when jaskier says he probably won't sleep for another three hours anyways, geralt looks the tiniest bit grateful and asks if they can work so they do, and if jaskier writes a song that's a little more like a lullabye dyring their meeting, and feels like his heart is about to burst when geralt, who'd moved from his desk to his couch, nods off while jaskier softly sings to him, well... jaskier doesn't know what to do with himself after he makes sure geralt is properly sleeping and then leaves the zoom meeting

they work and work and really get to know each other and then, all of a sudden, there are no more songs to be written for their witcher series and jaskier says "that's the last song, i think" and geralt hmms but neither of them hangs up

jaskier bites his lip and says, "i'll see you at the team meeting we'll have with yennefer and triss to wrap up my contract, i guess?"

and geralt says, "you should add me on facebook; we should keep in touch for future projects"

jaskier tries not to feel too bummed out because this is still a connection point and also yay more creative projects with the hot man he is probably definitely in love with and also potentially more money! but he's still a little bummed and then he decides if he's going to feel bummed he should at least do something about it and he says, "i will! you know facebook has video chat too"

and geralt hmms again but there's definitely a smile, and it's even an actual smile! "im aware," he says, and then before he hangs up the zoom call he looks stern and adds, "dont forget about ciri's ukulele lessons" and honestly jaskier wasn't expecting to continue with them but he's relieved they can still keep doing those

he shoots geralt that friend request and sates the need to scroll down his wall by going through geralt's past previous profile photos instead (they're usually of him and ciri and they're adorable)

and then, delight of delights, the next day around when they usually have their meeting, there's a video chat request from one geralt of rivia coming through facebook, and even more delightful: geralt's clearly on his phone and he only waits on the screen long enough to make sure jaskier's there and to give him a quirked eyebrow and a trademark hmm before he turns the camera around and jaskier is treated to an outside view and a walk with geralt and roach via mobile

and thus geralt becomes a fixture of his every day life

[magicofthepen]

For the character thingy, romana and leela?? ❤

ROMANA - I’m going to answer for Romana I, since I already did Romana II!

favorite thing about them: so I fell in love with Romana I instantly when I watched The Ribos Operation. I was like “wait no one told me that Romana’s basically a recent graduate who always thrived in school but has now suddenly been thrust into the Real World and is a bit of a mess” and oh my god why is she so relatable, also I love that about her. I love that she doesn’t quite know what she’s doing, and her academic brilliance doesn’t necessarily help in the situations she’s finding herself in, but she keeps trying and learning, so by the end of season 16 she’s much more confident and capable on her own than she was when she started. I just absolutely adore the premise of her character and how she develops during the key to time quest. also her banter skills are so excellent. (….this wasn’t one thing whoops. 😄)

least favorite thing about them: I feel like it’s something about how she’s portrayed in the Gallifrey audios, but I can’t quite articulate what? but I feel like somehow, some of the things I really liked about her on TV (her witty fun banter, her determination even when she’s out of her depth) aren’t represented as much when we get glimpses of Actual Romana I (not Pandora or an alternate universe version). idk if this is even fully true, it’s just….she doesn’t quite have the same vibe as the character I remember from the TV show (but this is also tricky because the Lies scene, the Matrix projection in Lies (which *isn’t* really her technically) and the remains of her consciousness in the body that Pandora’s using are the only times we get Actual Romana I - which isn’t that much time to express all the nuances of her character.)

(continuing to skip the favorite line question because it’s too hard)

brOTP: her and the Doctor!! (like I said in the Romana II ask, I used to ship them more, but lately I’ve been more into a platonic interpretation.) I just as instantly fell for their dynamic in the Ribos Operation - two people with very different personalities who don’t get along but are forced to work together and gradually become friends?? this is exactly the kind of relationship arc that I adore. Their banter and snark is So Good (I was so entertained by their interactions in Ribos Operation that my brain refused to pay attention to anything but their scenes, and I ended up having issues following the plot later oops). And I love their growing respect and care for each other - how they go from being mutually dismissive of each other to valuing each other and being a solid Team and just really genuinely liking each other! their friendship is just Very Good (…..and now I really want to rewatch season 16….I’ve only seen it like one and a half times but I loved it very much….)

OTP: I don’t think I have any ships with Romana I that I would consider an ‘otp’? (the closest would be her and the Doctor since I have sometimes shipped them and I adore their relationship in general)

nOTP: Brax/Romana again….and tbh with Romana I it’s more of an actual nOTP (rather than ‘kinda nOTP, kinda ‘it’s complicated’’) because this is the time frame when she’s actually his student and so my discomfort with student/teacher relationships really rears its head (although there’s still one fic out there that I just think is so well-written.....but it does show the relationship as very unhealthy). 

random headcanon: .....so sorry to continue Sartia posting, but oops the first thing that popped into my head is my new maybe-unrealistic headcanon that Sartia was Romana’s first kiss. in a teenage “I’m curious and want to try this thing and you’re the only person I hang out with, but it doesn’t mean anything....or does it??” way. (.....this is so self-indulgent in such a terrible way rip.)

unpopular opinion: Armageddon Factor is my favorite Key to Time story! (I gather this is an unpopular opinion in Doctor Who Fandom At Large, it doesn’t seem to be liked as much as some of the earlier stories in the season.) technically I’ve only seen it once and it was a couple years ago, but I remember loving it as a Romana story, there were a lot of really interesting character bits for her!

song i associate with them: hmm I don’t really have one? my Romana playlist is specifically for Romana II in Big Finish so....yeah.

favorite picture of them: anything with her Ribos Operation outfit (with the full cloak), it’s iconic and beautiful! on a similar note, I love this Romana I art by @volucris-liga, it’s the first Romana fanart I ever reblogged and it’s so pretty!

more under the cut!

LEELA

favorite thing about them: her resilience and her kindness. Leela goes through so much grief and pain, she has her world upended again and again, she never really finds a place where she belongs. and yet she still keeps choosing to love, choosing to keep fighting for what she believes in, choosing to rebuild again and again. and sometimes it’s really hard and she doesn’t want to go on….but she does, and she finds moments of happiness again. and that strength is really powerful. and no matter how cruel the universe (and other people) are to her, she is still relentlessly kind - she listens, she protects, she wants to help, she cares. 

least favorite thing about them: I mean, the “savage” stereotype that her character references is a racist/anti-indigenous trope (especially the whole dynamic of the Doctor trying to “civilize” her ugh). and I hate that characters keep calling her “savage” (even when they’re the Bad Guys, it’s still bringing up this trope again and again, and it’s even worse when it’s the Good Guys). why are they still doing this.

brOTP: see all characters listed under otp, every relationship that I ship is also an incredibly important friendship in Leela’s life and I love all of them <33 as far as relationships that I see as entirely non-romantic….I really love the version of Leela and Ace’s relationship that exists in my head (and in fandom) - they didn’t get to interact enough in the audios, but I absolutely think they were really close, because of their shared experiences and the ways their personalities mesh. (I feel like I should also say the Doctor here, but tbh I don’t remember her TV stories that well, so I don’t really have a solid memory of what their relationship was like.) and of course, Leela’s parental relationship with Rayo is very important to me!

OTP: once again, ot3 my beloved <33 and Leela/Romana first and foremost (I already rambled about them here, so I’m just going to second everything I said earlier). 

and I also ship Leela/Narvin, although I’m not quite as invested in that pairing? (due to a combination of ‘Romana is my favorite character and so I’m just more interested in her relationships with other characters,’ ‘I joined the fandom when things were pretty much all Leela/Narvin all the time (I say with great respect and affection for the artists and writers putting out amazing content for that ship) so I was motivated to write fic primarily for R/L and N/R to balance out the ot3 content,’ ‘apparently I have a contrary streak with Gallifrey and the more the writers push a romantic interpretation of a relationship, the less interested I am in actually shipping it,’ and ‘I’m not really into Leela/Narvin as a pairing on its own - although I do love a lot of fic that portrays them that way bc it’s just very well-written.’) But just. how they form a grudging alliance for Romana’s sake and then develop genuine respect for each other and then build this really solid foundation of teamwork and fondness and care and really relax and feel comfortable around each other….the way they become ride-or-die for each other and just trust and love each other so much….it’s Very Good!! (And I did love writing scenes with the two of them in Call It Home - I might not focus on them, but I do genuinely love their relationship.) 

And of course Leela/Veega <33….I debated if they even interacted enough in the actual audios for me to consider it an otp, but I love the idea of their relationship and the story of them in my head so much?? going to link to this post because it really captures my feelings about them - they’ve both been through so much grief and pain by the time they meet, they’ve both lost people they love before, so the idea of them choosing to love each other and build something together against the odds is just. very powerful. plus I have a whole playlist for the family they’ve built together, which is a strong indication that I really love this ship. 😊

nOTP: Leela/Andred. last time I answered an ask meme about Leela, I had this complicated response about how I hated Leela/Andred when I watched Invasion of Time (bc it’s so abrupt and arbitrary), and then Louise Jameson’s voice acting Convinced Me To Care because oh she really did love him....alas i am a Leela/Andred detractor at heart, and I have been nudged back to my default state by re-listening….I simply hate how he treats Leela in Gallifrey.

random headcanon: I really like the idea of Leela being more politically involved in her own right after they all return from the Axis. She’s just spent a lot of time leading a group of people who don’t have a voice in the government, fighting for their rights against the established injustices of Gallifreyan society. I don’t think she’d easily slip back into only being Romana’s bodyguard after experiencing more political autonomy on the other Gallifrey. What exactly this looks like in practice I’m not sure about - in my one fic ‘verse, I wrote about her being more directly involved with the Academy as a political liaison and guest tutor, and also advocating to Romana for policies that would benefit those who live outside the city on their home Gallifrey. but there’s probably a lot of options to explore here!

unpopular opinion: hmm I don’t think this is necessarily unpopular but idk and I want to talk about it: even though Leela identifies so strongly as a warrior, a “happy ending” for her would, I think, need to involve getting away from fighting. too often she throws herself into a fight to try to avoid thinking about how much she’s hurting, and it doesn’t work, it doesn’t stop the pain. and in the Time War, she’s tied her identity so strongly to war (it’s inevitable, inescapable, and she will Fight and Defend because that’s all she has left). there’s a difference between “I am a warrior” and “all I am is a warrior,” and Leela’s slid too far into the second one, and she needs to untangle her own identity from war to heal. 

song i associate with them: Freedom by Karmina (it’s a song about going on defiantly in the face of heartbreak -  “Tearing my room apart, I’m starting over” / “Take my pride I can still survive I’ve got my freedom” / “Hunt me down you’ll never find me now that I’ve got my freedom”)

favorite picture of them: the first one that came to mind is this gorgeous art by @laurelhach (which I didn’t realize was based on a picture until I stumbled across the original picture and was like oh my god!! it looks exactly like the art!!)

[gayathreya]

leftist suriya characters appreciation post

since soorarai pottru, been thinking more about all the explicit leftist characters suriya has played in his career. and i actually mean explicit - characters that are supported by the narrative framing and structure and not just my own headcanons and stuff or a throwaway generic goody-shoe typical hero line. i have been itching to talk about this cos it’s obviously in my field of interests

suriya has played 4 openly various brands of leftist now, and that’s pretty cool! i love that none of them are cookie cutter personalities of each other, they all have their own select trait. this post is a toast to them;

michael vasanth (ayutha ezhuthu, 2004)

vimalan (maattraan, 2012)

iniyan (thaanaa serndha koottam, 2018)

maara (soorarai pottru, 2020)

[small write up on each character with pics behind the cut]

*****

1. michael vasanth (ayutha ezhuthu, 2004)

so michael was his first, said to be inspired by an actual university popular marxist student leader, george reddy. michael is very obviously somewhere along these lines - he himself is within the film known as the leftist student leader on campus with a huge following, much to the chagrin of his professors who want to stamp that out of him. he’s openly engaged in campus politics as well as politics outside, and he’s most definitely no weak willed liberal because he has no problems with violence or direct action, which he organises. he organises villagers to stand against others on their own feet, never once preaches about lying down and taking it easy or playing polite. which was nice to see lol i hate liberals who have morals about property damage but in ayutha ezhuthu, michael clearly doesn’t give a fuck. he and his group break things and smash cars and lorries on their way and threaten physical violence on their opponents too which is the way it should be because to him human lives are worth more than any property or vehicular damage. he never shies away from that. hell yes to violence and structural damage!

probably the most definite trait of michael compared to other suriya leftist characters is that michael still believes in the establishment and electoral politics, which u don’t particularly see his other leftist ones talk about. but here, michael works within the system, and trusts it to bring change if u put in the effort into that. though, it’s not as frustrating as it sounds cos michael’s work is not geared towards other liberals, but in villages and rural districts where he goes to spread word, and makes them choose their own leadership to represent. it’s way more marxist aligned and ~rise of the proletariat~ here instead cos he bypasses liberal bougie nonsense and never once is his voice used for that, but used towards and for the working class directly to both take up arms and resist violently themselves + hold ranks for themselves and choose their own leaders to influence their local politics/protect their environment.  

michael is fundamentally very marxist, with a dose of direct action plus violent resistance if need be, and supports organised proletariat uprising within an established political system playing towards electoral politics

(of course, a point to note in why this isn’t as frustrating as it sounds as mentioned above is cos this film was released in 2004. would michael still believe in the establishment and electoral politics now? things in 2020 are very different with all of us more aware of things around us and globally, it’s definitely a debate to be held. i doubt he will, since he’s not a pacifist or liberal. he’d say fuck electoral politics, all my homies hate electoral politics)

2. vimalan (maattraan, 2012)

second very openly communist character he played. prob gone a bit forgotten for others since he does die halfway through the film (which itself isn’t a favourite of anyone either, fans or neutrals) rip but can’t go by without mentioning cos i remember liking this character a lot and i teared up in the cinema first watch when he died. i was mad they killed the suriya i loved instead of the other one whom i found annoying lmao

vimal supports workers’ strikes and unions against bosses, even when that boss is their own shitty father. this automatically makes him stand out instantly considering he is sympathetic to the working class despite at the cost of his father’s annoyance with him. he’s also the first character suriya plays who’s explicitly anti-capitalist with line(s) about it, since michael had no canon lines regarding capitalism from what i recall. vimal outright does.

the leftist imagery tied to vimal the most is che, which is a nice touch. his room has at least one poster of him, and his phone’s wallpaper is also him. u can also see bhagat singh and ho chi minh books on his shelf. so.. safe to claim where vimal’s political ideologies are. it’s both tied in pictures and him siding with workers for their rights against corporations, since he obviously likes revolutionaries. vimalan was a class traitor and a supporter of the working class poor bb tragically gone too soon. ilu u didn’t deserve your terrible fate, sweet commie good boi :(

3. iniyan (thaanaa serndha koottam, 2018)

iniyannnnnn i love him and i think it’s a suriya char with one of the best character arcs in his whole career. mostly cos he had a very distinct ‘’yes i want to work for the government and change things from within’’ phase which gets squashed over the course of the film. we see him start off obviously in a very blatantly communist neighbourhood in a song that is also very specifically anti-establishment/politicians with a lot of hard resistance vibes. the entirety of sodakku is a very good introduction to him and what he stands for - in general the film promises upon wealth disparity, useless bougie politicians, and the rest of us being crushed under them.

what happens to him at the end of the movie is FANTASTIC because he no longer gels with what he wanted at the start of the movie. iniyan’s key leftist trait to me is that he’s the most anarchist of suriya characters, varying from other leftist suriya characters. he refuses to work with government powers and authorities, he looks down on their entire establishment and institutions (he does not at the start of the film, which is vital cos again, he wanted to work alongside them at first), and depends more on the good will of individual people over job titles, while clearly engaging in mutual aid and distributing wealth. these are very distinct anarchist ideals. i’d still peg him as anarcho-communist but would say he leans more towards anarchy and progressing on mutual aid over official state resources or state people for any kind of positive change since his faith in them has pretty much diminished by the climax. he does not give a shit about politicians, cops, or any kind of authorities at all, leaving them in the dust to raise his black flag and do his own anarchist hot shit.

iniyan is a good example of an anarchist arc for me in tamil cinema in simple commercial terms without heading too deep into actual words and phrases in a big hero movie, cos it’s also very easy to explain to anyone the shift in his ideas and his eroding faith in institutions with power. good for him!

4. maara (soorarai pottru, 2020)

this should be fresh in everyone’s memory, but yes, a character who is obviously in your face about it since he has an actual line - ‘’you’re a socialite, i’m a socialist’’ which caused all of us with good taste to whoop and cheer. plus he was very sexy in this whole scene, so what a bonus. it’s the most explicit thing said by him in the film, but there are also other little things peppered into his speech and background imagery showing u the kind of person maara is.

he gets married to bommi in a self-respect wedding ceremony. no priests or any kind of traditional hindu iyers/chants involved. u see it clearly with a periyar pic hanging behind him explaining who he is. he wears black a lot in the film, which fits him being a periyarist so i’d label him as such and consider it his standout trait from other leftist characters suriya has played previously because this is the only character with explicit periyar symbolism (i kid u not i saw multiple sanghis being very angry suriya dressed in black in this movie and were harassing him on twitter constantly since sp released. die mad, uglies). obviously, this also fuses well with the little things we see of him implying he’s ~lower caste~ like his in-laws being embarrassed about him on behalf of their own caste, and paresh sanitising his hands after shaking hands with maara on the plane, which is not subtle at all and trademark casteist behaviour about touching someone ‘’lesser’’ than you and u view them as ‘’dirty’’ or beneath you. as well as maara’s remark about breaking the class and caste barrier during his radio interview. being a periyarist fits seamlessly.

there’s also a bts vid of suriya on his bike where you can see an ambedkar pic pasted onto the side. i can’t remember any scene in the film where u can see his bike from this angle but it doesn’t matter, cos u can definitely tell the kind of person maara is and how he was envisioned as a character - an explicit socialist and periyarist, with a natural fondness for ambedkar too since ofc they overlap as many do irl as well. it is very in tune with his background in the film and i liked seeing the tiny aspects of these things seeded within the movie throughout from beginning to end. it’s explicit in a way that isn’t jarring or artificial, and a nice layer to him and feel endeared to since maara is a great character. u support him all the way with him being unquestionable in his stance and ideology. the sexiest leftist suriya character, if i say so myself, ahem.

/////

5. ngk (ngk, 2019)

bonus: THIS IS IT. THE BIGGEST SIKE. THE BIGGEST WHIPLASH. THE BIGGEST BASTARD.

it’s here cos damn, when they released that first look, i completely lost my shit cos that poster was sooo heavily che inspired and very, very obviously marxist. cue me thinking that holy shit suriya is openly playing some kind of marxist guerilla revolutionary in ngk and he’s gonna be some brand of violent radical leftist i’m gonna fall in love with. the beret, the raised fists, the red.. i was ready to be head over heels for this guy.

except of course, none of this was true, cos once the film released, u know that poster was only meant to signify how his village looked up to him before he sold them all out. it’s literally just a mural on the wall where a kid stares up at him in a larger extended poster. he COULD have been that character, but ngk’s character arc was a negative character arc and his moral downfall from the start to the end of the film, sacrificing all he stood for to arrive at his end point which was just dragging his village and all the youngsters who believed in him to the pits before jumping party to the winning group and abandoning all of them after manipulating them to act in his favour to gain sympathy. not to mention, also selling out to corporate tools to harness their power and influence in order to rise to the top himself, something he very openly states at the beginning of the film to his mum and wife that working like that is no way to live. he has a full reverse by this point, compared to how ngk was introduced to us as an audience with that first look of him.

the marxist poster was a complete 180 to how ngk falls on the spectrum at the end, but it was a great ride nevertheless and at least one thing was still true - i still fell in love with him cos he was such an asshole bastard but still so hot i had to give in. biiiicchh. i love u, non-leftist regressive jerk. u may have pulled the biggest sike on me, but.. my heart is yours, slut <3

*****

ok that’s really it and all i wanted to say so hopefully at least a few people read this lmafooo. i do think these characters and time have sort of seeped into suriya over the years as evident by his shifting left in the last couple of years, and openly also saying he has had a lot of perspective changes on things around him. he has been noted in recent interviews saying stuff like how he’s in favour of a cashless society, talking about a whole new level of poverty class being created during this pandemic. his written articles/statements/agaram related speeches takes jibes at india’s education system being brahministic/casteist in nature and how it creates barriers for the lowest strata of society while also being very sensitive about student suicides, showing understanding of it as a systematic failure and not an individual one, courts not functioning for justice, not demonising protests as it’s the only act left for the voiceless, etc. it’s nice. i wouldn’t go as far as to call him a leftist until he proves that to me (suriya is still very much in that liberal zone of appreciating the police and military institutions so i will never consider him one of us until he sheds these allegiances and rethinks his stance on them in society), but i’d say he’s definitely the furthest left of all prominent actors in tamil cinema as no one else really has said or written the things that he has, for which i’m very proud of him.

so keep up the good work and hot shit comments and ballsy articles, suriya, i look forward to u shifting further left and pissing off everyone from right wing patriotic assholes, to centrist bootlickers, and even cowardly liberal pacifists. i believe in u and i hope he crosses that steep liberal curve soon since we were all there at some point as well.

that’s all goodbye i love suriya thanks for reading 

[dinokolombo]

Pouli Island

Welcome to my first story that I’ll be posting on this blog. It’s pretty basic, vacation goes downhill into horror town. I’m pretty new to this whole writing/social media thing so if anybody has advice it’ll be greatly appreciated!

Rating: T (sexual themes, language, suspense, horror imagery)

Length: 9081 (~45 min at 200 WPM)

    It was around noon when we had reached the island. The warm summer breeze blew over crystalline waters. We were on a small boat, part of a rental service that brings people who can’t afford an entire cruise vacation to the island. It was still fairly expensive, though. Tracy sat next to me in the cabin of the ship when Vanya poked her head in through the doorway.

    “Hey, lovebirds. We’re almost at the island. Get your shit ready.”

    Once Vanya left, Tracy grabbed my hand tightly. “I’m so excited! Thank you so much for this trip, Tommy. It means a lot to me.”

    I smiled at her. “I just wanted to give you a break from work, that’s all. You deserve it with everything you’ve done for me.”

    She wrapped her arms around me. After a short hug we got up and left the cabin. It had been almost four years since I had even seen saltwater. I took Tracy to the front of the boat to meet up with Vanya and Rose. The boat slowly came to a stop at one of the private docks, which were on the westernmost side of the island. The captain called out to the four of us.

    “Welcome to Pouli Island! Make sure you folks don’t forget anything, we won’t be back until three nights from now!”

    “Thank you so much, sir!” Rose shouted back. She turned to Vanya. “Let’s go explore the town! I want to see all the people!”

    Vanya groaned. “Calm down a bit, Rose. We just got here, we still have plenty of time before we have to check into the hotel.”

Rose basically ripped Vanya off of the boat, dragging her down the dock excitedly. Tracy took my hand.

    “Come on, I can hear music!”

    I could hear it too. Small drums, guitars, and all other kinds of instruments seemed to be playing an upbeat tune from the town. Once all four of us got off of the dock and made it into town, I saw the source. A handful of people were playing in the plaza. There was a traditional island beat to the music, like playful waves moving up and down a sandy shore. There was one instrument that stood out, however. A flute, playing quietly behind the others, released a melancholy tune that weaved through the other notes in the music. Tracy didn’t seem to notice. She was bouncing to the joyful bongos, swaying to the playful guitars. I couldn’t help but focus on the flute, though. It was entrancing, absorbing. Before it felt like I was completely lost in the music, the band stopped, and the small audience around them clapped. Each player walked away in different directions, and the audience dispersed. 

    “Wasn’t that really good?” Tracy was still bouncing a little, as if the music was still playing.

    “It was nice.”

    “Nice? That’s it?”

    “I mean, I liked it, I just think the flute was out of place.”

    She raised an eyebrow. “Flute? I didn’t hear a flute.”

    “It was really quiet.”

  �� Tracy chuckled. “Come on. There’s more of the city to see.” She kissed my cheek, once again taking my hand and guiding me deeper into the town. She didn’t usually act this loving, although when she did it was mostly in private. Now she was willing to show it in front of complete strangers, in a foreign place. It made me happy, yet anxious at the same time. 

As we walked through the town, we got to see more of the local culture. Foods of various kinds were served all over the place, ranging from grilled meats to fresh vegetables and even frozen treats like popsicles. Children were playing with a ball in the streets while their mothers sat at nearby tables and laughed over a cup of coffee. Everything seemed to be full of energy and happiness, until we were almost out of town. In one of the many narrow alleyways, a small old woman ran into us, holding her hand out as a signal for us to stop. Tracy greeted her.

    “Hello, ma’am!”

    The woman looked up at her, then at me. She smiled as she looked into my eyes. “Child, have you seen them yet?”

    I pulled my head back in confusion. “What?”

    “The shadows, child. The ones who walk this island.”

    “I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”     “You’ve seen them elsewhere, haven’t you? In the corners of your vision. At the foot of your bed. Always watching…”

    “I’m sorry, what are you--?”

    Tracy cut me off. “Ma’am, please. We’re trying to enjoy our vacation.” She walked past the old woman, signalling for me to follow closely.

    As we walked away, the woman called out to us. “They come at night, child! Be careful!” Tracy began walking faster, and we eventually turned back onto the main street and started our way out of the town. It was clear she was upset. When we reached the dirt road that left town and stretched all the way to the hotel, we stopped walking. I texted Vanya that we were waiting for her, then turned to Tracy. 

    “Hey, you okay?”

    She sighed. “Yeah, that lady was just ruining the whole vibe. I was getting into exploring the city and talking to locals, then she had to make things weird.”

    I agreed with her, yet at the same time I couldn’t help but shake the feeling that maybe something wasn’t right with this place. It was as if a strange energy flowed through everything, everyone. As if that flute was constantly playing in the background of every interaction, big or small. It made me nervous, but I hid the feeling away. This trip was for Tracy, after all. It wouldn’t be right for me to act in a way that would make it less enjoyable for her.

    When Vanya and Rose finally met up with us again, we began the long walk from the town to the hotel. It was on the opposite side of the island, although the island wasn’t too big. Taxi services were available, but they’re fairly pricey, and I had already spent a decent amount on the ferry service to the island itself. Thankfully, Rose talked the whole way. She explained every little thing that she and Vanya did at the town, like how they missed the band because she wanted to chase a blue butterfly down an alleyway, or how a man tried to get her number but was met with a very angry Vanya. The goofy stories made the walk go by quickly, and before we knew it we had reached the entrance to the hotel. 

    The lobby was a massive hallway. It was two stories tall, with a crystal chandelier hanging from the tall ceiling. It was mostly empty, save for a few families sitting on couches to our right. Vanya immediately went to the receptionist, so the rest of us walked towards the far side of the large room. The wall facing the beach was entirely made of glass, giving us a good view of the beach. The sun was setting now, the water reflecting flame-like hues from the darkening sky. Tracy and Rose continued to look out the window while I scanned the rest of the lobby. Small staircases on either side of the room took you to the second floor of the lobby. There, rows of doors led to various rooms. A hallway also stretched from the second floor to the mall attached to the hotel. I looked down, seeing the many rugs covering the lobby floor. Most had the stereotypical beach aesthetic, with shells, fish, and coral being evenly spread about to create the sense that we were walking on an ocean. In all honesty, it wasn’t a look I was very fond of. Having grown up surrounded by similar sights, they’d completely lost their appeal to me. Vanya finally walked away from the receptionist’s desk, holding two keycards in one of her hands and a pamphlet in the other. She approached me first, as the other two were talking by the glass wall.

    “Take this.” She handed me one of the keycards, marked “406”. “They also gave me this paper about the island, you want it?”

    “Nah, maybe one of them does.” I gesture towards Rose and Tracy. Vanya took long strides towards them. When she reached them, she held out the pamphlet. Rose swiped it from her hand, read it for a moment, then handed it to Tracy. She folded it neatly before tucking it away in her pocket. The three of them exchanged some more words before Rose dragged Vanya towards one of the elevators. Tracy skipped towards me.

    “Do you have our keycard?”

    “Yeah, Vanya gave it to me.” I show her the blue card. “You ready to head to the room?”

    “You know it, walking around town made me exhausted!”

    We tried to get on the same elevator as Rose and Vanya, but Rose had already closed the doors in her excitement, so we got on the second elevator. The walls looked like copper, and were as reflective as a mirror. I grabbed onto one of the small railings as Tracy hit the button to our floor. The elevator moved slowly, playing a soft song similar to the ones we heard in the town. Almost by instinct, I tried listening for a flute, but there was none. When we had reached our floor, we stepped out of the elevator and turned left. I used the keycard on the door labelled “406”, hearing a click in the handle. I opened the door and walked into the dark room, examining my surroundings. A small kitchenette was to the left of the entrance, with the bathroom being across from it. Walking further into the room revealed a king-sized bed to my right, with a small table and a large flatscreen against the opposite wall. A glass door on the farthest wall lead to a small balcony, which overlooked the beachfront.

I threw my bag under the table and jumped onto the bed, groaning loudly. Tracy jumped on top of me, making me groan even louder. 

    “Why are you so heavy?”

    “Excuse me?! That’s a little rude, you know.”

    I chuckled to myself. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.”

    She scoffed as she got off of me, sitting upright at the edge of the bed. “You better be.”

    I shuffled over, sitting next to her. “How are you liking the trip so far?”

    “I like it, but it only just started. I’m sure it’ll get a lot better once we actually go to the beach.”

    I frowned. “Did you not enjoy the town? It seemed like you were having a good time.”

    She shook her head. “No, no, I didn’t mean it like that. I loved the town! I’m just more excited for the beach.”

    My frown disappeared. “Well, I hope it lives up to your expectations.”

    She looked into my eyes, smiling. “Even if it doesn’t, I’m sure it’ll be fun to spend some quality time with you.”

    I chuckled to myself before standing up and kissing her softly on the forehead. “I’ll be right back, got to use the bathroom real quick.”

    “All right! I’ll get a cup of cold water ready for you.”

    “Thank you.” I walked away from the bed, past the small table, and into the bathroom. It was a little small, although that was to be expected from one of the cheaper rooms in the hotel. I pulled my pants down and sat onto the toilet, relieving myself. The silence of the bathroom was eerie, almost piercing. I could hear Tracy pouring water into a cup and giggling to herself, but it sounded distant, as if she was three rooms away from me. When I was finished, I pulled up my pants and washed my hands. The water that came out of the sink was cold, almost freezing. It reminded me of the mountains, the place I called home. It always fascinated people how I had left the lush tropical paradise I was born in so quickly. Many of them didn’t realize that paradise tends to get boring quickly. I walked out of the bathroom and saw my cup on the table. I walked over to grab a sip, the cool water flowing down my throat. I sighed deeply before turning to Tracy, who was completely covered by the blanket except for her face.

    “What, are you cold?”

    “Maybe a little. Why don’t you come here and help me warm up?”

    I understood the situation then. I laughed. “You know, you can be direct with me.” I walked over to the bed, taking everything off but my underwear and sliding under the covers. Tracy held the blanket tight against her body, making sure I didn’t catch any previews.

    “There’s no fun in being direct. Besides, I know you love it.”

    I slid close to her, feeling her body against mine. She definitely wasn’t cold. She wrapped her arms around me, and I did the same back. We shared a deep and passionate kiss, before she pulled away suddenly. “I just realized we forgot to take showers.”

    “We could continue this there…”

    “You know, you’re a genius.”

    I got out of the bed first, making sure my phone was plugged in and face-down. “I’ll wait for you there.”

    “Just go already!” She giggled to herself as I rushed to the bathroom. 

~~~~~~~~~~

    I woke up the next morning exhausted. We had stayed up late the previous night, yet I still managed to wake up early. I turned to see my phone, face-up. Hmm, that’s weird. I thought to myself. I don’t remember moving it. I tried to think about the night before, but my mind was occupied by other thoughts. After shaking them away, I grabbed my phone and checked for any notifications. Nothing. I put it back face-down and wiped my eyes. To help me wake up, I looked around the room, at the pictures of various parts of the island hanging around the place, and at the wallpaper that was tearing slightly at its old edges. My eyes then locked onto my water cup from the night before, seeing that it had been moved to the opposite side of the table. I got up, looking around the room and checking to see if anything else had been moved, but there was nothing. I turned to the door to see any signs of forced entry, only to see it completely unlocked. I panicked, searching through our bags to see if anything was stolen, but nothing was touched. My sudden movements caused Tracy to wake up with a jolt.

    “Jesus, Tommy, you scared the shit out of me. What are you doing?”

    I realized I was crouched on the ground like an animal, so I stood up before responding. “Some things were moved around, and the door was unlocked, so I’m making sure nobody broke in.”

    She had a sad look in her eyes. “Are you sure you weren’t sleepwalking again? I’m sure everything we did last night didn’t let your brain properly prepare for sleep. Plus, you can’t open the door from outside, even if it’s unlocked. That’s what the keycards are for, right?”

    Maybe she was right. I put everything back into the bags I was looking through and walked back to the bed, sitting down on my side. “Sorry, guess I was spooked for no reason. How are you doing?”

    “Well, I’m a little tired, but I’m all right.” She put her hand against my head, probably to check if I was sick. “What time is it?”

    I checked my phone. “Around seven thirty. I’ll start brewing some coffee for us, I’m pretty sure Vanya and Rose will be up any second now.” 

    I stood up from the bed and moved into the small kitchen. I checked the cabinets until I found a coffee machine, placing it carefully on the table and plugging it in. After filling the reservoir with water and putting a coffee packet into it, I pressed a few buttons to get the water boiling. At this point Tracy was out of the bed, doing her morning stretches. She walked to her bag, giving me a kiss on the cheek as she passed by. She picked it up and grabbed her swimsuit out of it.

    “I’m gonna change real quick.” She walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her. I decided to do the same, grabbing my black swimming trunks and sliding them on. I had forgotten about the netting in them, and they were immediately uncomfortable. I took them off and cut the netting out before putting them on again. Much better. She walked back out the door wearing a thin yellow beach dress.

    Tracy and I sat at the small table, sipping on warm coffee and waiting for either Rose to text us or for Vanya to bang on our door. We heard them in the room next to us, room 405. It sounded like they were making jokes and laughing together. Rose was the only person who could ever make Vanya smile. Even though we’re best friends, the most I could get out of her was a snort. Despite their laughter, it was clear that they were moving around and getting ready for the day. 

    Tracy put her empty cup down. She always drank coffee very quickly. “So, what do you have planned for us today?”

    I put my cup on the table as well. “We’ll be swimming at the beach for a while, one of the small ones the hotel owns right here. Then I have a few jet skis I rented out for two o’clock, so we can ride those for a little bit. For dinner we’ll be eating at the beachside restaurant, and then we’ll go to the game room to relax for a bit before we hit the hay.”

    Tracy giggled excitedly. “I hope today goes super well! I’ve been waiting for a long time to see a beach. Wait, how many jet skis did you rent? One for each of us?”

    “Oh, no way. They’re pretty pricey, so I rented two, one for each couple. Plus, I wouldn’t trust you on a jet ski.”

    “Are you saying I’m a bad driver?”

    “Yes, absolutely.”

    She jokingly slapped my arm while I laughed. “You’re such a jerk.”

    “I love you too.” My phone vibrated on the table, grabbing both of our attention. It was a text from Rose.

    Vanya and Rose were waiting outside of our door. Rose looked like a native, wearing a straw hat and a pink beach skirt over her swimsuit. Vanya, on the other hand, was wearing her black wetsuit. They contrasted each other like night and day.

    “Good morning, guys!” Rose was as chippy as ever. “Are you ready to head to the beach?”

I checked the time on my phone. Seven fifty. “Yeah, they’ll be serving breakfast in ten minutes. Let’s head down to the dining room.”

    This time we all managed to get on the elevator together. That same island music was playing, and like before I tried hearing for the flute. Nothing but drums and ukuleles. When we reached the ground floor, we walked through the massive lobby and turned into a large room filled with tables and chairs. The hotel serves three meals a day here, and all of them are complimentary with the stay, despite the many restaurants on the island. We all got into a surprisingly small line and grabbed breakfast before sitting back down. We mostly ate in silence, so I turned to a small T.V. that was against one of the nearby walls (there were many in the room). It was playing an ad for the resort and other places on the island. The monotonous tone of the woman’s voice was as uninteresting as anything could be, until she started explaining the island’s history.

    “Many years ago, native islanders had settled onto this island and given it its name. They were only here for about two years before suddenly disappearing. Researchers have tried to find out why, only to find nothing. Many believe the secret lies in the untapped wilderness to the island’s north, while others say the answer lies all around us. Could you uncover the mystery of Pouli Island?”

    For some reason it reminded me of the old woman from the town. I shook my head and scarfed down what was left of my breakfast. Everybody else had finished before me. “Are we all ready to head out?”

    Vanya groaned. “I might’ve eaten too much. Do we have to go swimming right away?”

    Rose suddenly got excited. “We can tan for a bit before swimming!”

    “Rose, I’m wearing a wetsuit. Plus, I don’t really tan, that’s why I’m so pale.”

    “The only reason you’re pale is because you never go outside! Although I guess your wetsuit will get in the way…”

    Tracy laughed. “We did bring sunscreen, right? Vanya and I will definitely need it.”

    I looked through the small bag I brought with me. “Yep, we have sunscreen.”

    Tracy stood up first. “Let’s get going, then!”

    We all followed suit, grabbing our things and leaving the dining room before walking out of the lobby’s main entrance. We followed a brick path that quickly turned to soft sand. It took us around the hotel as we walked by several tiki huts. It was still fairly early, but many of the huts were already occupied by people drinking and playing music. We walked past them until we got to a calmer side of the beach. Only two other families were there at the time, so we had plenty of space. The ocean was absolutely beautiful. It had the iridescent shine of an aquamarine gemstone, and was so clear that we could see fish swimming through the coral reef in the distance. The sand was soft, almost impossibly soft. There were no sharp edges whatsoever, as if the hotel hired people to meticulously pick up shells that would be unpleasant to visitors. I laughed at the idea. Tracy heard me as she was laying out a few towels for us.

    “What’s so funny, mister?”

    “Ah, nothing. Just thinking silly thoughts.”

    “All right, put some sunscreen on already. I want to get in the water with you!”

    The women had already applied sunscreen, and Vanya was racing Rose to the water. I guess Vanya’s stomach didn’t hurt anymore, either that or her competitive spirit made her forget all about it. I took off my shirt and put sunscreen over my entire body. Even though I had more tolerance to the sun than the others, I knew living in the mountains and snow for so long meant that I could still get burnt easily. Once the lotion dried, I ran with Tracy to the water and jumped in. The cool water was refreshing after being in the hot sun. I opened my eyes underwater like I used to when I was young. The water was still perfectly clear, and I could see the fish moving between our legs. We swam in the water for hours, occasionally stepping out to play in the sand. By the time we finished constructing a gigantic sandcastle, we were completely exhausted.

    I went to my phone to check the time. One o’clock. “Hey, why don’t we go grab lunch? I’m sure there’s something by the jet ski rental place, so let’s look over there.”

    Tracy was the only one that heard me. Vanya and Rose were still in the water. “What time is it, babe?”

    “One.”

    “You said the jet skis were rented for two, right? We might as well head over there.” She grabbed a towel and started drying herself off. “Do you wanna grab the other two? Or do you want me to do it?”

    “Nah, I got it. Hey, Vanya! Rose! We’re gonna go get lunch!”

    Rose jumped out of the water. “Yay, food!”

    Vanya laughed at her, trying her best to cover it up. We all dried off and headed over to the jet ski rental place. I was right, there were plenty of little bars serving all kinds of food and drinks. There were a lot of people here, and it started to make me a bit nervous. I could tell many of them were drunk, their words were slurred and their movements were uneven. Their conversations carried with them that same strange sound from before. That same flute, echoing through sentences, footsteps, even the waves seemed to carry it. I grabbed Tracy’s hand, and without saying a word she squeezed my hand tightly. She knew I could get nervous from time to time, and she knew how to comfort me. We reached one of the more empty bars and began to order food.

    Vanya spoke first. “I’ll have the beef bowl, extra beef.”

    Rose was next. “A caesar salad, please! Oh, could I have a side of fries with that? Thank you!”

    Tracy’s turn. “I’ll just have a burger. Yeah, everything on it is fine.”

    The man working at the bar turned to me, and I froze. I was so focused on staying calm, I forgot to think of what to get. Tracy quickly spoke up for me. “He’ll have the same thing as me, just no tomatoes.”

    The worker nodded and disappeared into the back before walking back out and helping other customers. I sighed.

    “Thanks, Tracy. I owe you one.”

    “It’s no biggie. Everything all right?”

    “Yeah, yeah, just a little shook for some reason. I’ll be fine.”

    She smiled at me, holding onto my hand tightly. “I’m so grateful you did this for me, you know that?”

    “I know, I know. Like I said yesterday, I just wanted to give you a break from work.”

    She kissed me. It was a little unexpected, so I kind of fell backwards. “I really appreciate that.” The worker came up to the four of us, handing out our meals. My burger was absolutely delicious, I could tell the meat was fresh. I even tried a bit of Vanya’s beef bowl, and that was good too. I guess when you pay for quality you should expect it, but the food was so good I completely lost all of my worries. Once everyone was finished eating, we were all energized again. We walked away from the bar and to the jet ski rental. There were two people working there, a man standing by the jet skis and a woman at a counter. I got into the line for the counter when the woman screamed suddenly. 

    “Tommy! Your rental for two o’clock is ready! If you’re here, go see Dylan by the jet skis!”

    I slipped out of line and rejoined the group. “Come on.” I motioned for them to follow. I walked up to the man, who I now knew was Dylan.

    “Hey! You Tommy?”

    “Yep. Just here to grab my two rentals.”

    “Sweet. Do at least one of you know how to drive?”

    “Two of us, me and her.” I pointed to Vanya, who nodded. Vanya had the most experience with jet skis, but I’ve ridden a few in the past.

    “Awesome! Here are your keys.” He gave them to Vanya and I. “Once you get them started, just go ahead and take them out of the bay slowly. When you’re out past the green buoys, you’re all good to go full speed!”

    “Thank you.” The four of us walked past him, getting onto our jet skis. Vanya and Rose were quick, with Vanya being able to start the engine and pull out of the bay almost instantly. Tracy sat behind me as I put the key into the ignition, starting the engine. I slowly pulled on one of the handles, moving it back and feeling the engine hum under my legs. I moved away from the small pier the jet skis were lined up on, following Vanya and Rose. We cruised away from the beach, moving at a steady pace until we passed the buoys. Vanya turned to me, a competitive smile on her face.

    “Hey, how about a quick race?”

    “You sure, Vanya? It’s their first time, I don’t want to scare them.”

    “Oh, they’ll be fine!” Vanya went full speed in a circle, causing Rose to squeal and cling onto her tightly. “See? Come on, they’ll love it.”

    I turned around. “Are you cool with going really fast?”

    Tracy nodded. “Be careful, okay?”

    I planted my feet and grabbed the handlebar. “Might wanna hold on tight.”

    The speed was incredible. We zipped over the water, flying at sixty miles per hour over the surprisingly flat water. I managed to win the race this time, which obviously bugged Vanya, but everybody had fun nonetheless. Taking a look around, I realized how far we had gone from the original beach. There were no buildings on the island here, just dense forest. We were surprisingly close to the island’s mountain, its peak towering over us. A breeze came out of the forest. It was cold.

    Tracy tugged on my shirt a bit, grabbing my attention. “How long are we allowed to rent the jet skis for?”

    I stared into the woods, feeling the cold air. “I’m not sure but we better head back.” I heard a strange noise. I tried to listen to it, but Vanya interrupted my concentration.

    “That race kind of scared Rose, so we’ll take it easy back. You guys can go fast if you want.”

    I continued looking at the forest. “Nah, we’ll stay with you guys.” I turned away, and we moved slowly back to the beach. As we moved away from the trees, I could still hear the sound over the loud engines. Soft and shrill, as if it was produced by that cold wind. It was almost like the sound of a flute, beckoning us to come closer to the forest. 

    When we finally reached the beach again, we moved into the bay and parked our jet skis on the pier. The rental guy walked to us. “How was the ride?”

    Rose jumped up and down like a kid. I could tell the guy watched her chest move. Vanya seemed pissed. “It was so much fun! We went super fast, and made it all the way to where the forest is!”

    The guy was shocked. “The forest? You all went that far north?”

    Vanya got in front of Rose, blocking the man’s curious eyes. “Yes. Were we not allowed to?”

    He shrugged. “Well, normally we try to tell people to stay close to the beach, but it’s too late now. I’ll take your keys back.” Vanya basically tossed hers to him as she pulled Rose away. I handed mine to him.

    “Sorry we left the beach, we got distracted while racing.”

    “No worries, man. Take it easy.”

    Tracy and I met back up with Vanya and Rose. I checked my phone to see the time. Three. “Dinner doesn’t really start until later. You guys wanna swing by the game room now?”

    Tracy nodded. “Could we head to our rooms first? I’d like to get out of this swimsuit.”

    “Yeah.” Vanya said. “We should probably just take showers now so we’re not covered in salt by the time we sit down for dinner.”

    We walked around the beach again, going into the lobby. It was freezing inside, so we wrapped ourselves in our towels (except for Vanya, who’s wetsuit kept her relatively warm) and rushed into the elevator. When we reached our floor, we all stepped out and hurried into our rooms. I closed the door behind me.

    “Quick, you or me first?” I asked.

    “Why not at the same time?” Tracy answered.

    “Again? We’re about to go eat dinner.”

    “I didn’t mean it like that.”

    “Oh, sorry.”

    “Ah, whatever. Maybe I did mean it like that.”

    “Then let’s get in because I’m freezing!”

    “Sounds like a plan!”

    The game room was on the second floor of the lobby. It was completely empty, so we basically got to play whatever we wanted. There was a pool table, ping pong, air hockey, and even a few board games tucked away neatly in one of the corners. I personally wanted to play backgammon, but nobody else knew how to play, so that was shot down quickly. We started by holding a small chess tournament. I went up against Tracy and lost horribly.

    “How many times have you played chess?” She asked me.

    “I don’t know, a few times.”

    She laughed to herself. “Okay, that explains a lot!”

    She then went up against Rose, who was surprisingly good at chess. Vanya was furious at her loss, and dragged me to the air hockey table.

    “I’m mad now. Let me beat you so I can feel better about it.”

    “Vanya, it’s air hockey. I'm a killer at this.”

    She moved to her side, grabbing her striker aggressively. “I’ll kill your face.”

    “We’ll see about that.”

    While Rose and Tracy quietly continued their game, Vanya and I played what had to be the most intense air hockey game of my life. She’s a strong woman, and could hit that puck so fast I couldn’t see it. Somehow, I managed to still hit it back to her, almost at the same speed. It would go back and forth, barely managing to stay on the table, until it would finally go into one of the goals. When Rose and Tracy finished their game, they came up to the table and watched us play. The score was a tied six to six. One more would win the game. Vanya held the puck in her hand.

    “This is it. You ready to lose?”

    “Normally I would say yes, but I actually think I’ll win this one.”

    Vanya grunted. She carefully put the puck down on her side, grabbing her striker so tightly her knuckles turned white. In a flash her arm moved, sending the puck bouncing off the walls and straight towards my goal. I managed to hit it hard enough to send it straight back. We continued like this for almost ten minutes when I finally managed to slide the puck into her goal. She screamed in frustration. I screamed in excitement.

    “Woah, you guys are intense!” Rose had wide eyes the whole time we were playing. “I couldn’t even see the thing moving around!” Vanya sighed in frustration, and Rose gave her a hug. “You did great, honey.”

    I walked over to the other side of the table, extending my hand out. “Great game, Vanya.”

    She shook my hand. “Whatever. I let you win.”

    Tracy looked at the time on her phone. “It’s actually pretty late, guys. I think it’s time for us to eat dinner.”

    Rose raised her arms in the air. “Woo! Fancy restaurant time!”

    The restaurant wasn’t as fancy as we hoped. The main dining room was full of tables, many of which were occupied. There was a large stage near the front of the room, with a string quartet currently occupying it. We sat down and gave our waitress our order.

    “Tracy, are you enjoying the island?” Rose asked her.

    “Oh, yeah! It’s great!”

    “That’s good to hear! What about you Tommy?”

    “I’m actually having a lot more fun than I thought I would.” I looked around at the walls and ceiling. The architecture was fairly plain, and the paintings on the walls seemed to be of different places on the island. The girls continued to talk while I listened to the music. It was very quiet and mellow. When our food arrived, we were all somewhat upset with the bland taste, but tried our best to enjoy it nonetheless. Halfway through our meals, an announcement cut off the music.

    “And now, we’ll have a special performance from our guest for the night, Lady Ombre! She’ll be playing a Pouli Island classic, something even the original islanders would play. Take it away!”

    The room darkened, and light focused on a woman dressed in black on the stage. She had a wooden flute in her hand, and when she brought it to her mouth, she began playing a soft yet melancholic tune. It was entrancing, drawing everybody in the room to watch her performance. It was as if the notes themselves were trying to reach out to me. I began to feel anxious. I looked around the room quickly, seeing everybody watch her. I could also see things in the corners of my eyes. They looked like people, standing in the room, staring at me. The song reached its climax, the notes becoming faster and more aggressive. The shadows began laughing, as if they knew something I didn’t. Then the song was over, and the lights slowly came back on. The shadows were gone, and I let out a sigh of relief. Applause rose from across the dining room, then people went right back to their food. I wanted to ask the others if they saw what I did, but I brushed the thought away. Even if it was real, they probably wouldn’t believe me.

    After finishing our meals, we walked back to our rooms, completely exhausted from the day’s activities. Very few words were exchanged, we mostly just walked in silence and said good night when we reached our rooms. As I closed and locked the door behind me, I heard Tracy flop onto the bed.

    “I am so unbelievably tired. What time is it?”

    I checked my phone. “Almost eleven. We should probably go to bed.”

    She took off most of her clothes, leaving her underwear on. She slipped under the covers. “Are we going to the beach again tomorrow?”

    “Nah.” I stripped to my boxer briefs and joined her in the bed. “We’ll be walking around the mall and checking out some of the small stores they have, grab a few souvenirs, that kind of stuff. It’ll be a more relaxed day than today.”

    She yawned loudly. “Thank goodness!” She turned onto her side, facing me. “Not that I didn’t like the beach, but it is super tiring to be out in the sun all day.”

    “Heh, I agree. It’s the reason I moved up north.”

    “This place is nice, but I definitely prefer living in the mountains. All of this would just get stale too quickly.”

    “Yup. I lived here for about nineteen years before I finally left.”

    “Must’ve sucked.”

    “It wasn’t all bad. I just wanted a change.”

    She moved close to me, hugging me tightly. “Well, I’m very thankful you moved. Otherwise we would have never met.”

    I smiled, then gave her a small kiss on the head. “All right, it’s bedtime.”

    She gave me a kiss on the shoulder before moving away to her side of the bed. “Good night!”

    “Good night.” I turned off the lamp next to me, the room turning dark. The only light source was the moon, which peered through the glass door and windows. Tracy was out instantly. I followed closely, the sound of wind outside lulling me to a deep sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

    The sound of a door closing made me spring awake. I felt Tracy jolt up as well. I reached over and turned on the lamp, seeing our bags opened and things spread about everywhere. I jumped out of bed and ran to the entrance, seeing the door unlocked. I swung it open to see if I could catch who was in the room, but there was nobody in the hallway. I closed the door before moving back to the bed. Tracy seemed really tense.

    “Babe, what was that?”

    “I don’t know, I think somebody somehow got into our room.”

    “Should we call the police?”

    “Don’t worry, I’ll call them. You just breathe and relax.”

    I didn’t actually know the number for the police, so I called hotel security instead, and they arrived with a few policemen. While Tracy stayed in the bed, I explained to the officers what had happened.

    “We both woke up to the sound of our door closing, and our things were thrown around in the room.”

    The officer I was talking to looked down at me. He was surprisingly tall. “So you heard them leaving, but not entering? How would they get into your room?”

    “I’m not sure.”

    “Did you lock the front door?”

    “Yes, I’m certain of it.”

    He leaned towards his partner, muttering a few words before turning back to me. “I’ll inform hotel security to guard your room and keep a watch on this floor. I’ll also have a few of my men stationed outside just in case. You two can go to bed now.”

    After they left, I locked the door, even putting the chain onto it. I got into the bed, and Tracy gave me a big hug. She had been crying.

    “I’m so happy you're okay.” She said it very quietly, almost a whisper. 

    “Yep, everything is okay now. The police and hotel security are going to keep us safe until we leave.”

    “What if they come back?”

    I held her tightly. “Like I said, everything is okay now. We’re safe, there’s nothing to worry about.”

    Despite the situation, we both managed to eventually calm down by watching some funny videos on our phones. After I turned off the lamp, we shared one more hug before falling asleep in each other’s arms.

~~~~~~~~~~

    We gave ourselves the morning to relax and drink our coffee while watching a movie on the room’s T.V. Around 10, Vanya knocked on our door, and we let both her and Rose in. While they sat at the table, I filled them in on what we experienced the night before.

    Vanya scratched her head. “Well, at least you guys are safe now.” Rose was shaking, her normally immovable smile gone.

    “Yeah.” I replied. “The police said they’ll keep watch of the outside and this hallway, just in case.”

    “That’s reassuring.”

    We all agreed that taking the day easy was the best option. We sat in the room talking and watching the T.V. until around noon, when we all decided to go to the lobby and grab lunch. On the way to the elevator, we noticed two security guards keeping watch over our hallway. I waved to one of them. They didn’t wave back.

    After having sandwiches at the dining room, we headed to the second floor of the lobby, which had a hallway connecting it to the nearby mall. The walls of the hallway were adorned with pictures from around the island, with little snippets of information to match every photograph. I didn’t look at them too long. They made me feel anxious, as if there were something hiding in the dark corners, waiting to jump out from the still frames.

    Entering from the second story of the mall was an interesting experience. The second floor was more like a raised walkway, with openings to see down into the first floor. Stores were everywhere, ranging from souvenir and jewelry shops to game stores and small restaurants. One of the stores even had two floors to itself. We walked around the mall for a few hours, window shopping and seeing what we would want to bring back home with us. At one point, Tracy motioned for me to come see something.

    “Look at this necklace.” She pointed into one of the display cases of a small kiosk. It was a silver necklace, with a black jewel adorning it. The jewel seemed more like a rock, completely opaque and only shining with certain angles of light. The kiosk owner came up to us, a big smile on her face.

    “Are you interested in our obsidian pendant? The obsidian rock is actually obtained from the northern part of the island, where lava has cooled and hardened. The silver is eighty percent pure, with a small bit of titanium mixed into it to ensure more durability and to prevent oxidation. If you’re looking for even more toughness, we also have obsidian pendants with pure titanium, however they won’t be as shiny.”

    I turned to Tracy. “I think it’s pretty. Not too flashy, either.” I turn back to the kiosk owner. “How much would it cost?”

    “The pure titanium version will cost around three-hundred, while the silver one will only be about fifty more.”

    I went wide-eyed, looking at Tracy. She already had her card out. “I’ll take it!”

    The kiosk attendance snatched her card quickly, her smile never wavering. “And will you be taking the silver or titanium variation?”

    “Titanium, please.”

    Tracy put the necklace on while we walked away from the kiosk, holding the obsidian up to admire it. We met up with Vanya and Rose in a small bakery, sitting down at a table they had been waiting at. Both of them seemed to love the pendant as well.

    “The obsidian jewel is beautiful!” Rose exclaimed. “And I’ve heard that its energy can protect you from darkness.”

    Tracy nodded. “I don’t really believe that stuff, but I will say I feel safer with this around.”

    Vanya shook her head. “Energy or not, it’s gorgeous. I don’t even like jewelry and I would wear that.”

    A waiter brought us croissants, which Rose ordered for us while we were at the kiosk. After we finished those, we started heading back for the hotel, since there wasn’t actually much to do or see in the mall. When we got back to our floor, there were new security guards in the hall. It made me much more comfortable, and I could tell by the girls’ joyous expressions that they were still able to have fun despite the previous night. I waved to one of the guards. They waved back this time.

    We all decided to hang out in room 406, sitting down on the large bed and watching a movie on the T.V. It was a gritty action movie, and while they generally weren’t my favorite, I enjoyed relaxing with Tracy and the others. When the movie was over, we ordered pizza through room service. We got a large pepperoni pizza, along with a personal vegetarian pizza for Rose. We put another movie on (this time a comedy), and when it was finished it was almost eleven P.M. Vanya yawned loudly.

    “Rose, I think it’s time for bed.”

    “Oh, come on Vanya! Just one more movie, please?”

    “We need to be up early to catch the boat going home, come on.”

    When Rose didn’t move, Vanya picked her up and carried her out of the room. Tracy laughed loudly. I’m sure the guards outside laughed too. Wiping tears from her eyes, Tracy looked at me. “We should be heading to bed too.”

    “Agreed.”

    Before we got too comfortable, I went to the front door, locking it and putting the chain on. For extra security, I even made sure the balcony door was locked. I slipped my shirt and pants off before getting into bed with Tracy, who had already fallen asleep. I noticed the pendant on the nightstand next to her, the titanium reflecting the moon’s rays. I laid flat on my back, staring at the ceiling for a while before closing my eyes.

~~~~~~~~~~

    When I opened them again, I was confused. It was still night, and no noise had startled me awake. I tried getting up when I realized I couldn’t move. I panicked for a moment before remembering that it was just sleep paralysis. I breathed slowly, taking a moment to scan the room before seeing it.

    It stood at the foot of our bed, about the size and shape of an average man, yet it wasn’t a man. Despite the moon’s light, it was completely black. It twitched around, shaking frantically and moving its head and arms in ways no human could. A soft noise came from it every few seconds, like a quiet grunt. I tried my best to make it disappear, assuming it was another hallucination, but it stayed there. I even tried closing and opening my eyes, only to see it still shaking in the room. Now I was really panicking, trying my best to break out of my paralysis. It suddenly took a step, moving to the right side of the bed, Tracy’s side. It took another step. Its steps were stuttered and uneven, and it would stop for a moment before taking another one. It walked slowly towards Tracy. I followed it with my eyes, seeing as it stood over Tracy before leaning over her in a jerky movement. With an immense effort, I managed to turn my head, which caught its attention. It raised its head at me. I couldn’t see its mouth, nor its nose, but I saw its eyes. Large, almost circular eyes. It was as if its eyelids had been cut off. 

    After staring at each other for what felt like an hour, it suddenly stood up straight and stuttered away, walking frantically to the door. By the time I could fully move, I heard the front door close. I scrambled to it, seeing it was unlocked. I undid the chain and swung the door open, running out to the blinding beam of a guard’s flashlight.

    “Sir, is everything all right?”

    “Did you see a man leave this room?!”

    The guard lowered her light. “No, sir. So far you’re the only person who’s left any room tonight.”

    I shook my head. “Th-there was a thing in my room, and it ran out here. I swear!”

    The guard got closer to me. “Sir, I assure you, there has been nobody else out here but you. Please, return to your room. We don’t want to bother the other hotel patrons.”

    After locking the door behind me, I returned to the bed. Tracy was wide awake, shaking. “Did something happen again?”

    “I… I don’t know.”

    I explained what I saw to her. Her fear seemed to fade away. “Well, you do have a lot of sleep paralysis, and I’m sure what happened yesterday night really set it off.”

    “But Tracy, I promise you this wasn’t normal sleep paralysis. This thing seemed real!”

    She shushed me. “No need to be loud, everybody else is sleeping. I want to believe you, but there’s no way somebody could’ve gotten in, let alone run out without being seen by one of the security guards.”

    I shook my head. I know what I saw had to be real, because I’ve had hallucinations, and they weren’t like that. Either way, I decided to drop it. “Let’s just go back to bed. We can talk about this another time.”

    She hugged me, easing the worry I had that I had made her angry. “Good night.” She went back to her side, taking a moment to look at her pendant before falling back asleep. I laid down on my back again, but the image of those eyes never left my mind. I didn’t fall asleep for the rest of the night, staring at the ceiling until dawn. The silver light from the moon was slowly replaced with golden sunlight, and around eight I heard a knock at the door. When I opened it, Vanya was standing outside alone.

    “Tommy? You look exhausted.”

    “Thanks. Where’s Rose?”

    “Getting ready. Tracy?”

    “Sleeping. I’ll get her up.”

    After everybody was up, Rose and Vanya stayed in our room while I explained what happened the night before. Vanya scratched her chin, thinking about the situation. “And you don’t think this was a hallucination?” I shook my head. Tracy sighed.

    “Tommy, it had to be a hallucination. I think the trip triggered some memories or something that’s making your conditions worse.”

    Vanya looked around the room. Her eyes locked onto the sliding glass door, which she approached with powerful strides. “Tommy, did you lock this door?”

    “Yeah, I did.”

    She pulled on the handle, the door opening with ease. She closed it, locked it, then pulled on the handle again. The door opened again, unlocking itself. “Maybe they got in through here.”

    Tracy stood up. “That can’t be possible. We’re almost five stories off the ground, plus there were guards everywhere. Even if they got in, how did nobody see them leave?”

    Vanya shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know, how was both the front and sliding door unlocked when Tommy locked them both?”

    “Guys, stop!” Rose was standing now, tears forming in her eyes. “This trip has already been scary enough, can’t we just get along until we’re home?!” Hearing her shout made me feel horrible. I had never seen Rose this upset before. I think it had a similar effect on the other two.

    Vanya scratched her head. “Sorry, Rose. You’re right. Whether there was somebody here or not, everybody is okay, and that’s what matters.”

    Tracy nodded. “Let’s just enjoy the rest of the day together.”

    After checking out of our room and giving back our keycards, we began the walk back to the island’s town. The trip was mostly silent, with tension still existing between Vanya and Tracy. It was clear they were both upset they couldn’t win the argument from before.

    When we reached the town we wasted no time, walking along the main road straight to the docks. The city was as loud as always, with music pouring onto the main street from several different alleyways. We got to the docks to find our boat waiting for us. The captain called out to us in his booming voice.

    “Good morning! Climb aboard, I’ll be taking you home whenever you’re ready!”

    The girls all went below deck, but I decided to go to the back of the boat instead. I watched as we drifted away from the dock, the boat turning and moving away from the island. As we moved further away, the music from the town seemed to slowly fade, being replaced by the sound of strong wind coming from the island. When I looked at the docks one more time, I noticed a figure there I recognized. It was the old woman, waving at me. It was then that I realized that the wind sounded like a flute, as if the island itself was trying to pull me back with a soft melody. I shook my head and walked into the cabin with the girls, closing the door behind me.

[samwrights]

Still Into You - Punk!AU [Makki]

I can’t believe this is the beginning of the “end” of this series. Sorry for the long delay, I tend to go in and out with inspiration. Lyrics that are italicized are sung by you.

WARNINGS: Language, nicotine use

Word count: ~4k

Song Used: Still Into You by Paramore

A complimentary playlist can be found » here

Photo credit @scandeniall​ (I’m still so utterly in love with it, bb).

Everything about Makki’s public announcement of his breakup with Momoka was shocking, to say the least. For the most part, though, it seemed not many paid any mind save for the screams that erupted when he kissed you in front of everyone. New life surged within you well after that, giving you the fire and gumption to flow and sway through the energy of the last song—I Don’t Care if You’re Contagious. The song was a swanky creation of Kuroo’s that involved a lot of to and fro motions and lyrics, lines teetering back and forth between the two of you.

As fun and lively as it was, you were far from able to get your mind off of the song that came before it, the song that Makki had sang and wrote for you. Though it was unintentional, rather it was just a way that created fluidity within the set, it was time you returned the favor for the strawberry-brunette.

There was no little speech or segue-way into the song you’d written for Takahiro Hanamaki years ago, only the slow rolling crescendo of a symbol roll from Terushima before the poignant chime that queued your voice. With practiced performance and ease, the words flowed through your mind without concentration. It allowed your mind to wander, arriving at the question of: is this how Makki felt when he sang on stage to you?

And after all this time, I’m still into you.

Did he feel his heart thrumming in his chest out of anxiety and the rumbling of the drums? Did he constantly feel that he was on the verge of accidentally confessing? Did he feel the pride that washed over himself from hearing the audience cheer over a song that was so personal? You searched for the answer in his steel toned eyes.

I should be over all the butterflies

Did he ever think that the two of you would get to confess to each other in the form of art?

I’m into you

The look in his eyes said yes, said come closer. And without a moments hesitation, you sauntered over with microphone in hand, locking your eyes with his. The glassy, glazed over look that was typical of them was replaced with warmth, with longing. It’s raw and ready, and god damnit, you were going to take it.

Let them wonder how we got this far ‘Cause I don’t really need to wonder at all

A smile tightens over Takahiro’s face, causing a single cheekbone to protrude ever so slightly underneath his slightly sagging skin. His lanky form is relaxed, gaunt fingers slapping over the strings of his bass as he vibes to the rhythm. Minimally, he chimes in with his backing vocals but the serene look on his face unearths the peace he feels. It seems that he was just as lost in your own little world as he was.

And on the drive back to my house, I told you that I loved you

As much as you want to spend the entirety of this song gazing into Makki’s endearing eyes—something you’d already done enough of for the evening—you had a job to do. So rather than indulging yourself, you tiptoe and stretch over during the minuscule intermission between lines to place a kiss on your bassist’s cheek before sauntering off to interact with your other bandmates. There’s a slight swagger to your step, confidence fully fueling your strut as you belt every note.

We sang along to the start of forever

Even pre-confession, this song you’d written many years ago brought you to life. It’s vivacious and uplifting, even if you’d wrote it during the prime of your pining. If there could even be a definitive prime, considering you’d fallen fast and hard for Makki with only months in to knowing him.

And after all this time, I’m still into you

Now that you thought about the last twenty-four hours in a strange sense of peace, a part of you wondered how and when you’d even began falling for the bassist. Hanamaki had seen you at your most vulnerable moments—customer service tended to bring out the worst in you on occasion—when you’d been overwhelmed with menial problems. The strawberry-brunette had always been there to console you, encourage you were on the right path in whichever direction you were going. That even, maybe one day while you felt like you weren’t accomplishing enough, you were going to change the world.

Makki had actually told you that once on a blunt cruise. The proclamation had made you chuckle because, while he was applauding your tenacity and drive, he was also simultaneously rebuking your sometimes childlike wonder and tendencies. It was a game of cat and mouse in which you both loved to play since the very beginning, to the point where you wonder if you had loved Takahiro in a past life. That was the only explanation you had for the natural affection that bloomed between the two of you, even back then.

Some things just don’t make sense And one of those is you and I

No matter how much time you spent pondering a pinpoint in the timeline of when and how it all began, you realize it doesn’t matter in the slightest. What matters is the way his teeth are glistening in the spotlight as he bobs and moves along with his instrument. It’s lax yet prominent, a juxtaposition that is very much Takahiro Hanamaki. Very much your Hiro.

Not a day goes by that I’m not into you

And suddenly, as the song comes to closer and closer to the end, you’re swept and overwhelmed with a fondness for the three men that surrounded you on the stage. Not only for the man that grew up to be your person, but Tetsu and Yūji as well. These men, no matter what happened to the band in the future, were your best friends in the entire fucking planet. Considering you were only in your mid to late twenties, depending on your view, your life with them made up the better half of your cognitive years.

Regardless of the relationship between you and Hanamaki and the potential, unforeseeable future after this show, you needed to acknowledge that before moving forward. This could be the end of it all, this could be a make or break moment. But it seemed Makki acknowledges your sudden silent pessimism, that once severed mental connection stronger than ever tonight, by furrowing his brows. His two eyebrow rings move with the hairs as a pout comes to play.

Even on our worst nights

Takahiro was going to have words with you later, after the show. That much was obvious by the way he seems disgruntled at your onslaught of muted lack of perk. You should be happy, over the moon even, and you were. But recounting everything that you had in the last three minutes, you were slightly hesitant to finish this set. As if, once it were all over, Elixir was going to shatter as opposed to continuing being the remedy of your monotonous reality of life.

But there’s a look on Makki’s face, flooding his steely grey eyes that offers reassurance. It’s full of love and it makes you want to run over and kiss him, but your hand and mouth are a little occupied at the moment with a microphone. Instead, you saunter back over in his direction as you close out with your vocal range going higher and higher. The last word drops in intonation as the band ends their own respective parts, your fingers suddenly clutching at the thin fabric of the bassist’s shirt as you pulled him down for a kiss this time.

I’m still into you

“Thanks so much for hanging out with us tonight—we are Elixir if you’re just joining the party. Come visit us at our merch booth and support your local artists!” With the sound of the audience applauding, your bandmates began breaking down all the equipment to load it back up in the van while you were on merch duty. Running quickly over to your table, you began interacting and engaging with recognizable faces that were looking to grab stickers and shirts. Those recognizable faces melded into three very familiar ones—Momoka and the other two girlfriends—and each of them looking incredibly displeased to say the least.

“That was a cute little publicity stunt,” Momoka remarks. Her arms are folded over her chest as she stares you down. “Did you and Makki rehearse that?”

“Oh yeah. The last ten years were a rehearsal and last night we decided to cry over it and just use the stage to put on a show.” You rolled your eyes, fixing up a couple shirts that no longer laid neatly on the table because despite your sassy comeback, her presence was causing you to fidget. Not out of nerves, no. More so out of restraint because you were certain adrenaline was beginning to pump through your veins as a response to fight-or-flight. Momoka only sneers, hardening her glare as if to tell you she was standing her ground. “I don’t know what you want me to say to you—“

“I’d rather you say nothing,” she snapped, “just stay away from Takahiro.” The way his name rolls off her tongue sounds like nails on a chalkboard; like the sound of a worn down pencil eraser where the metal scratches along the paper.

“Bruh, how embarrassing. He broke up with you publicly in front of dozens of people and you’re still defending your non-existent relationship.” You probably shouldn’t have said that. No matter how good it felt to say it, you probably shouldn’t have done it, probably should have been the bigger person.

But with the way Momoka’s poise melts and her arms unfold are her hands are reaching for any part of you she can reach as she lunges towards you, you don’t really have time to ponder your invisible regret. Instead, all you can do is stagger backwards with hands splaying out behind you to brace yourself against the wall behind you. Though you expected to feel the plastic, painted bricks, you are instead met with a damp warmth that greets your skin. “She has a point, Momoka.”

The rich timbre of Makki’s voice sends your heart into erratic throbbing, completely disregarding the fact that the woman before you had quite literally attempted to lay a hand on you. Even in times of peril, nothing compared to the feelings that the man, your man, behind you brought to you. When you came to your senses, you relaxed ever so slightly at Makki’s gentle grip on your shoulders and the way the strawberry-brunette’s chin came to rest atop the crown of your head.

“Quit fucking around, Takahiro.” Momoka all but spits out, fingers clenching and grasping at nothing but air as if she were just itching to have something between her claws; preferably, probably, your throat.

“I meant what I said up there,” Hanamaki’s gaunt thumb gesture languidly towards the stage, all the while his chin remains rooted atop your head, grinding lovingly into your scalp. “We’re through.”

“And, what, you’re with [name] now?” The way Momoka tosses your name out like scrap paper into a waste basket forces the man behind you into the defensive. He’s no longer slouching or hunched over as he holds you protectively. Instead, Makki is standing at his full, six-foot height with his chin jutting out in pride as he nudges you behind him. The strawberry-brunette doesn’t say anything in response, merely prompts his now ex-girlfriend with his challenging pose. “You were literally making fun of her last night at practice and now—“

“She’s also been my best friend for the last ten years, we pick on each other and we picked each other. Now fuck off, Momoka.” Not wanting to entertain her further, Makki wraps an arm around snugly around your shoulder before all but dragging you outside and away from the merchandise table. Apparently it didn’t matter to him if anyone were there or not—he knew you well enough to know that you more than likely needed a nicotine break after the set and after the altercation. “Hey, I’m sorry about her. I probably should have thought out the breakup better than just deciding to do it on stage—“

“Takahiro,” you interrupt after sparking your cigarette and taking the first drag. Slouching as you stood, your free hand rested on your bicep, closing off the relaxed body language despite responding with, “it was perfect.” His shale stone eyes light up ever so slightly, almost refracting into an olive tone as he stands up straight while looking down at you.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” The two of you fall quiet once again, even as Hanamaki’s lanky arms come to encircle your closed off form. It’s a reassuring gesture, or at least you assume it’s meant to be, as his chin rests atop yours once again, smoking be damned.

“So we’re good?”

“As long as there is a ‘we’, I think so.” Your voice starts out muffled and subdued from being buried in his chest, crescendoing as Makki pulls back and tilts your chin up to look directly at you. That same thin hand guides you further until your bassist melts his lips against yours, pouring every ounce of love that he could into his kiss. Sandalwood and ink fill your nostrils as you pull him closer, tossing your forgotten cigarette onto the pavement to wind your fingers into his locks tickling the nape of his neck.

From an outsider perspective, the two of you probably looked a little trashy, for lack of better term, with the way you were clutching hungrily at each other; with the way the either refused to yield or break apart from the tongue-to-tongue contact. Like desperate lovers that hadn’t seen each other for long due to infidelity—spectators loved to write stories for situations like this.

And maybe one story teller got it right but that idea had gone completely over both of your heads because anyone else’s judgment at the moment just didn’t matter right now. The only thing that did matter was the way Makki held, trying to fuse every atom in both of your bodies as if to make up for lost time. “I love you so, so much, [name],” the strawberry-brunette pants out after needing to catch his breath, “more than anything.”

Those words became the catalyst to the start of forever.

Forever, included you not renewing the lease to your tiny duplex and Makki reciprocating the same action with his small studio in the city. Instead, the two of you took what savings you had and put money down on a cozy, three bedroom home together. It was slightly terrifying, making such a big decision together and not even just on the basis of the fresh relationship. If anything, the relationship was the least of your concerns.

Income was, of course, the biggest worry but, Makki being Makki, constantly reassured you that the two of you would without a doubt prosper. And his unfailing faith always seemed to pay off.

Takahiro, after slaving away as a journalist for the last few years, had finally risen through the ranks at the local alternative magazine he had been writing for and was promoted to editor-in-chief. The lazy guise that he wore daily never fooled you—you always knew he worked smart and hard and it was finally loud and proud for the world to see.

The same could be said for you, excelling in your field while simultaneously being approached to write songs for other artists you had the fortune to meet through Makki’s job. You could say there certainly were benefits to being his plus one to the many gala-type events he had to attend for work, and they most certainly benefitted you as an individual, as a couple, and as a band.

Elixir was still going strong, even with more years passing. The publicity stunt, as Momoka had deemed it, had been blasted through every social media platform known to man. Many found Makki’s public break up humiliating for his ex-girlfriend, but many comments defended the obvious love shared between the two of you on stage. Another vast majority of the comments laughed because whoever the ex-girlfriend was, she had to be shitty enough for that stunt to even be a plausible option for a break up — a treatment you didn’t necessarily agree with but that was your own personal opinion. Commenters also pointed out the dumbfounded look on your face and that you had absolutely no idea that any of that was going to happen.

The videos floating around online had helped the band’s fan base grow exponentially to the point where the four of you were performing at least once a month, as shitty as that may sound. The band that was originally started to just act as a friendly pasttime was growing beyond any of your wildest dreams.

Elixir was still going strong and rather than practicing and disturbing Terushima’s parents, the boys now all gathered in the Hanamaki household. Extra rooms were available for the boys if they needed to crash—namely Terushima who was still struggling to overcome his drug addiction. That was a fight for another day.

The band had bloomed exponentially to the point where Terushima, despite his personal demons, had reprised his role as makeshift manager, much like he had back in college when he was in charge of the underground distribution business the four of you had. In the group chat, he mentioned he had a big announcement for the band, which lead to the very moment of the four of you gathered in your backyard with drinks and respective smokes in hand.

“So? What’s this big news you got for us Teru?” Kuroo asks, languidly lounging in a wicker chair with one arm draped over the back. You and Makki were snuggled into a matching loveseat, a cigarette in your hand and a beer in his. Terushima had one hand around his cellphone, flicking through the screen while waving off Kuroo with his free one.

“Hold on, hold on—found it!” The blonde yells, almost startling you had none of you been used to the way his volume sporadically jumped at random intervals. He clears his throat before reading whatever news he gathered us to announce.

“Mr. Terushima, thank you for getting back to me promptly with your attached demo. We would like to arrange a meeting with all members of Elixir to discuss a recording deal. Please respond with a date and time the four of you are able to meet.

Sincerely,

Semi Eita, Eternal Records”

Only the crackling of the fire between all of you and the crickets chirping off in the suburban distance can be heard—everyone is silent.

“Is this—“ you start, but are immediately lost for words.

“Did we just get offered a record deal?” Kuroo finishes for you.

“We’re doing it, right?” Terushima’s eyes are hopeful and full of light and excitement, like this is the type of news he’d been waiting for. You looked between the guitarist and drummer sitting before you, both of whom looked more than eager, before you glanced upward to your left to gaze at Makki. Stone faced as ever, he was, but there was still that twinge of pride accompanied by the smallest tick of a grin.

“Any objections?” Your boyfriend looks back at the rest of the band. It was a silly question, all things considered, and Kuroo and Terushima made that obvious with the gnashing of their lips as they held back excited screams. “Babe?” The strawberry-brunette locks eyes with you once again, tightening his lax grip around your shoulder.

“As long as it’s all of us, I’ll always say yes.”

“Is that so?” Takahiro muses. The arm around you is removed as the man to your left rummages around the pocket of his old basketball shorts that he typically wore around the house to lounge in. His fingers are fumbling almost clumsily as he pulls back the lid of a small, black velvet box. “It may not be all of us, per se, but if you’ll always say yes, then will you marry me, right?” As he speaks, he sets down his beer bottle off to the side of the loveseat, clambering down to rest on one knee to better present the rose gold, diamond ring to you.

“I—w-what?” You splutter, darting back and forth between the ring and Takahiro’s face. When his face remained as stoic as ever, your eyes shifted between him and your two other friends who seemed just as dumbfounded as you did. Considering the information you gathered from your surroundings and just because that’s how Takahiro is, you figured he was being genuine. “For real?” The strawberry-brunette only nods, offering no further vocal context, and instead grabs your left hand and slips the jewelry onto your ring finger.

“Marry me.” His voice is firm and concrete with the slightest hint of trepidation, though it’s possible that it came from him pushing himself to stand at his full height. Hanamaki holds your hands in his, shale-stone eyes looking down at yours as he awaits his answer.

“I-I, yes? Yes!” In a flash, your arms wind around Makki’s neck, pulling him towards you tightly as his arms anchor around your waist and pull you as close to him as physically possible.

“I can’t believe that worked.” Kuroo deadpans from beside the two of you, shaking his head in amusement before coming over to clap both of your shoulders in congratulations. The statement alone clued you in on the fact that the boys did indeed know about the proposal.

“Makki’s always just full of surprises, ain't he?” Terushima adds, also stepping closer to offer his congrats. The blonde is grinning with his eyes shut as he fist bumps Makki when you broke apart from your embrace.

“Wait, but the record deal is real, right? Like that wasn’t planned out for Hiro’s proposal, was it?” You balk, hoping that the opportunity with Eternal Records was a genuine offer. Terushima gives a nod, opening his mouth to speak only to be cut off by Hanamaki.

“Come on, you know I actually didn’t plan anything.” The strawberry-brunette chimes, as if to try to reassure you that the record deal was in fact real while simultaneously drowning out Yūji’s spiel of how he would never make a fake announcement with such sensitive material.

“Then why’d you have a ring in your pocket?” Takahiro gives a nonchalant shrug, grabbing his once forgotten beer bottle off of the cobblestone floor of your patio and raising it to call a toast.

“Just had a feeling that tonight was gonna be the night. Besides, I’ve had it since before we bought the house.” The four of you clink bottles together in celebration—celebration of your band’s success and your apparent, sudden engagement. But while you’re cheering and drinking merrily, Hanamaki’s words are brewing and stewing in your brain as you mull them over.

“Babe, we’ve lived here for almost three years.” Takahiro tosses a languid, knowing grin at you. It was as if he were applauding you for finally putting the pieces together. “You’ve had a ring for that long? No joke?”

“No joke. I wanted to wait for the perfect moment.”

A perfect moment indeed.

A beautiful, mid-summer evening around a fire with your best friends and getting the announcement of a lifetime? There was no better time, was no better way than to start forever in the Hanamaki household. Yet, you acknowledge that his proposal could have started any time, any where. As long as it was Takahiro, as long as your best friends were there to enjoy the momentous occasion, you would have said yes because it was him.

[ A Part of Me  « Still Into You » In Bloom ]

And that is it for Makki’s route! I was asked to a couple spin-offs so those will (eventually) come about. Thank you all for sticking through this with me, I love and appreciate you all.

Taglist: @takingyouruwus​ @tamcitrus​ @norkinlove​