#and the fact that half the time when I open up any app for socialization it's aggressive proudly confident arrogance

[ittybittyfanblog]

Error 404: (Self-Aware!AU, Sylus Edition) – Pt. 3

Summary: A LADS self-aware!AU featuring Sylus and a (now skeptical!) player. That’s it, that’s the plot. A/N: I’ve already outlined the entire thing–now it’s just a matter of writing it, so don’t worry! Even if some chapters take me longer to update, I’m gonna finish this one way or another. Promise. *fingers crossed* Tags: player!reader x sylus, fem!reader x sylus, reader x lads, self-aware!au, strong language, reader thinks she’s losing her marbles because of a certain someone

Pt. 1 - Pt. 2 - Pt. 3

“Alright—okay, don’t be stupid,” You chant to yourself as you pace restlessly from the kitchen area of your studio, to the coffee table where you’ve set your phone lying facedown. “Just open the damn thing.” 

You’ve just arrived back at the condo a little past seven PM after a, frankly, productive–if not slightly distracted–day of running errands. You’re home, and you haven’t even got to unpacking the two paper bags (and a box) worth of groceries that were all but thrown carelessly on the kitchen counter, and already, you’re back to stressing over all the weird shit that's been happening lately.

Throughout the afternoon, you tried your hardest to resist the urge to check your phone, especially whenever you see the screen light up–whether it was in your hand or stashed away in your half-zipped fanny pack.

It’s at the most random times too, but always when you act on your unfortunate tendency to monologue your thoughts out loud. 

Sure, it could just be some random push app notifications. Text messages from the few people that hit you up on the weekends–invitations to hang out, maybe. A few newsletters you forgot to unsubscribe from, if you’re unlucky. 

But you think the timing’s far too deliberate to be purely coincidental. 

“Do I get a dozen eggs or just half? What do I even need a dozen for?” (Phone vibrates)

“Oh, hey, Indomie’s on sale if you buy in bulk. How much for a box?” (Screen flashes. Twice.)

“Who the hell is holding up the line, damn–oh, it’s an old lady. Better hurry the fuck up, grandma.” (Screen flashes) “...Sorry! I didn’t mean that.” 

“Ughhh… my tummy hurty…” (Phone vibrates) “What—” 

“Everything’s perfectly normal. Just your average, sunny Saturday! You are an independent, capable adult… who’s fucking losing it.” (Screen flashes–after a minute interval) 

Of course, you have an inkling as to what’s–or who’s–blowing your phone up; in fact, he’s never left your mind since this morning.

So presently, you’re in the middle of having a small existential crisis over what that means, for you and your sanity. No big deal. 

You puff out your cheeks for a couple of seconds before letting out a deep breath. Don’t be a pussy. I’m sure there’s a logical explanation to all of this. You’re–you’re not crazy. 

Landing heavily down in front of the low table, you finally grab your phone, hand shaking with the teensiest amount of trepidation. Not giving yourself any more time to think and second-guess, you flip it over, switching it back to Ring mode as you swipe up to see—

—a barrage of notifications; one popping up after another. 

Some of them are what you’ve expected: plain, old push notifications from banking apps, others from varying socials. There’s one from your mom. A reminder to email her the flight tickets you still haven’t gotten around to booking yet. 

And. Six banner notifications from the game. From… from–him. It’s something you’ve already braced yourself for. It doesn’t prepare you, however, for what they actually said. 

A knot grows in your chest, spreading rapidly like slithering twine as your mind tries, and somewhat fails, to make sense of what your eyes are seeing. 

Grab a dozen, sweetie. It won’t add much to the total cost, and you need that protein every morning. Cereal’s not gonna cut it. 

You really ought to lessen your sodium intake, kitten. (and) Do NOT get the box. Stop. 

Haha. A feisty one, aren’t you? 

Mmm, poor baby.

I– we can talk about this later when you get home.

Each notification contains a completely unique dialogue you’ve never seen before. A play-by-play commentary specifically in response to you— to your personal remarks from earlier, spoken out loud— that there is absolutely no way anyone could still pass it off as simply being system-generated. 

A faint ringing echoes in your ears as you slowly draw back, putting some distance between the onslaught of text and… you. You can’t seem to tear your gaze away from the screen, though. Even if the back of your head bumps against the seat edge of the sofa behind you from how far you’ve already leaned back. 

Blinking in stunned silence, the only thing you could croak out is a strained “what the fuuuck.” 

... Ping!

Still mustering the courage to face me? Don’t keep me in suspense, darling. 

The sudden message jolts you back to reality. You suck in a deep breath.

… Despite everything, you can’t help but find his nonchalant response to your gradual spiral into hysterics–because he knows–a little amusing. Also rude. But mostly funny. 

(It’s also probably just your brain’s last-ditch effort to find some semblance of control, but whatever.)

At this point, you know that you’re merely delaying the inevitable. Swallowing, you press on one of Sylus’ messages and it immediately boots up the game. 

Instead of soothing your nerves like it usually does, the orchestral background music from the loading screen puts you more on edge; your anxiety builds up to a crescendo, harmonious to the heralding of what you know will undoubtedly change the trajectory of your life. 

Dramatic, but true. 

48%... 82%... 98%...

There’s a hollow drop in your stomach when the screen–finally–reveals the familiar sight of the café. The golden ambient light enters your field of vision for a split second before your eyes flit reflexively to the man standing in the middle of the screen, whose presence commandeered your full attention.

He’s wearing his motorcycle jacket–the black one with the red and white thorn(?) accents, paired along the pair of leather pants with the iconic double zipper. Aside from the black zircon studs, he’s not wearing anything out of the ordinary. Nothing is looking out of the ordinary, actually. 

Holding your breath, you wait for the other shoe to drop. 

“Are you waiting for me to say hello? Then–” Sylus muses with an amused lilt to his voice, sauntering closer to flick “my” forehead. There’s a beat before he continues: “That’s my way of saying hello.” 

… Huh? 

That’s—this isn’t how it’s supposed to go. You… you don’t know what you were expecting, but this wasn’t it.

The man in front of you doesn’t look any different from how he usually does; the way that his… character animation (Should you call it that? It doesn’t seem right, given the circumstance, but you don’t know how best to describe anything anymore) flows is so–-so infuriatingly… normal. As if it’s just like any other day that you’ve logged in the game. 

Where did the sentience go? Why is he reciting lines he’s programmed to say? None of it adds up.

Your mouth tries to form words, but nothing comes out. With wide eyes, you helplessly gape at him. Speechless. For a moment, you feel like you’ve actually gone mad. 

A small “what’s happening?” slips past your lips. Your eyes dart across his face, trying to analyze every microexpression, any hint of sentience on him–in his eyes, in his movements. 

You find none. 

Mechanically, you exit the game.

“What the actual fuck?” You whisper-shout at nothing in particular, and maybe to the biggest cause of your current disconcertion; one who you thought… Who you were sure was—

-

-

Fuck it. It’s time to put your detective skills to work.

[skinnypaleangryperson]

The combination of being used as an adult and being told that this is the rest of my life, and not being able to afford my dreams of a family and never being creatively successful even in a mediocre local way has spewed my brain out into mental disorders that I didn't even know existed and has unfortunately affected the way that I can healthily navigate social media. One of these days I'm going to get smart enough again and I'm not going to come on here and spew out every possible issue or insecurity and I'm going to obtain basic sense and a sense of individuality and confident core sentiment again, unfortunately, not anytime soon

[delusionsofgrandeur13]

girl, i wanna see you undo it

i wanna see you but you’re not mine.

how the other batboys react to a breakup

18+, mdni !!!!!!

readers can expect: a fem reader, lotttta angst, cursing, mentions of violence, sexually explicit scenes including mentions of penetration, oral, and masturbation. also tim drake being a creep via e-stalking but reader is aware of it and more or less okay with it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

your ex boyfriend, bruce wayne, was avoiding alfred.

his butler was insisting on signing him up for therapy, and bruce was dodging him, hard. he didn’t have it in him. he wouldn’t go pay a professional to hear how pathetic he was over the lack of you in his life. couldn’t. he’s found a much more effective way to get out his emotions.

one that involves his fists and a goon’s face.

it was probably cruel, these poor goons were just trying to feed their families, or something, but batman was indifferent.

he was now always nearing dangerously close to breaking his no-kill rule. almost always teetering over that edge. even with his own life. he’d head out in the batsuit, prowling the seediest streets of gotham, hoping, practically praying, for someone to do something illegal. he would put himself in the most deadly situations just to feel alive. wasn’t the healthiest solution, but.

did he care? no.

bruce was numb, unfeeling to those around him. he couldn’t even look at himself in the mirror, not at the stupid fuck who’d lost the love of his life. he’d lagged behind in his case solving, gordon was growing increasingly more concerned. he was rude to the paparazzi asking after you, almost able to hear your voice in his ear, telling him to be nicer to them, whacking him on the bicep. he’d throw his usual charity galas, sure, but would send dick or jason in his place to showboat. he didn’t have the patience to talk to reporters. didn’t want to show face if you weren’t there on his arm. you always made the social aspect much more bearable. would always help him relieve the stress of it all after the event had ended.

but did he still care about you? yes.

just like when you were dating, bruce taking care of you was second nature.

he wouldn’t dare cancel the flower deliveries he’d set up when the two of you were together. they appeared at your apartment door every week and a half, always something different, but always in your favorite colors. you couldn’t stay mad at them either, the flowers brightened up your kitchen so nicely. when you and bruce were dating, he’d merged your calendars, just so scheduling was easier. you’d since deleted the connection, but he somehow still knows when you have appointments, as you’ll come out of your building’s lobby to a sleek black wayne enterprises car. the chauffeur opening the car door for you silently. you’d take it over the subway every time, even if it was a little awkward.

the dating app you’d downloaded after the breakup kept glitching, never letting you text any of your matches back. if you cared more, you’d contact support, but it was so odd. everything else on your phone works perfectly fine! but you had a gut feeling it had something to do with your ex boyfriend.

bruce might’ve slipped oracle a few bills for her silence over that favor.

he tried not to think about the fact you were already willing to start dating again. he couldn’t fathom being with anyone else. could not possibly wrap his head around it. why would he want anyone when he could have you? when he had already had you? everyone else seemed..lackluster.

it’s the same reason he’d been celibate since the breakup. after you, he was tainted. he didn’t think he’d ever be able to have sex again without thinking of you. especially in his own house. the two of you had fucked on every surface possible, seriously. tried every position.

it’d been difficult just sleeping in his own bed when he used to share it with you. used to make your legs shake as you gripped at the sheets. would never make you beg for anything, eating you out until you couldn’t take it anymore. that’s when bruce would press you up against him, holding you up with his huge arms as he pounded into you, his balls slapping against your clit as you whined, barely able to form words.

he’d never been with anyone the way he had with you. so obviously he wasn’t even able to finish with his own hand. it was nothing, nothing compared to the way you felt. his imagination would never have him moaning the way you could. could never make him melt the way you oh so easily were able to, with just a look.

so he was numb. and bruce just figured that’s how he’d stay.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

your ex boyfriend, jason todd, throws his book across the room, flinching when it thuds against the wall opposite.

annoyed at the surprise romantic subplot, he huffs out a breath from behind his hands. he has to get over his sudden aversion to romance, but it feels impossible after losing you. he can’t watch any of his favorite movies, can only read a select few of his favorite books.

he barely even goes out anymore, mostly to avoid seeing couples on dates. the two of you loved going out together, loved going out to community events like concerts in the park, fairs in the summer. he missed accompanying you to your nephew’s t-ball games, watching you cheer and beam up at him in one of his old baseball hats.

so he barely goes out. he doesn’t have you with him!

he saw an elderly couple strolling in the park the other day. jason had promptly turned in the opposite direction, to avoid crumpling into a ball and sobbing or throwing up into the nearest trash can.

he’d gotten back onto his bike and rode home, going way over the speed limit. he didn’t care about being safe on it anymore, not when you weren’t there to ask him to or be his backpack. he missed the way you’d hold on to him, your thighs bracketing his torso as the bike roared. how at stoplights you’d rub your palms over his chest, grabbing his pecs with your gloved hands. your resulting giggle was muffled through your motorcycle helmet, but it was still the sweetest sound in the world to him.

but jason stopped bothering trying to function out in public after that, only ever really leaving his place for missions and to train at wayne manor.

and boy, had he been training. ever since the two of you had broken up, he’d been working out to the point of exhaustion.

barely peeling himself off of the floor after each workout, always heading straight to the shower to rinse the sweat off while he zoned out into the steam. after his workouts was the only time he would relieve himself. he’d hunch over with one hand propping him up opposite the tiled wall, the other fisted around his cock as he thought of your pretty smile, your gorgeous eyes, the meat of your thighs, the curve of your ass. how you’d clench around his cock with yet another orgasm, moaning his name into the mattress.

he’d finish, hard, his body shuddering, leaving him to be ashamed with himself.

he wasn’t allowed to do this, he wasn’t allowed to think of you like you were still his. all this and yet the pain in his muscles still didn’t ease the pain in his heart, the pain seeping into his bones whenever he thought about you.

jason was still hesitant to be around his siblings.

you had left your perfume in his bathroom, and while he knows it sounds crazy, he's been spraying it on his clothes. he misses the way they would smell like you after you’d borrow them. he still hadn’t touched one of his flannels, the one you loved to steal and loved to see him in. he didn’t see the point in wearing it if you weren’t there to see it.

the last time he’d seen damian, his little brother had loudly asked him why he “smelled girly.”

jason had turned bright red and mumbled something probably unintelligible before briskly walking away, bumping into the doorframe on his way out.

he’s been spraying your perfume on the pillow you’d always use too, snuggling it close to his chest like he used to with you while he fell asleep.

it’s definitely not the same, but it’s the closest jason has to the real thing.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

tim drake, your ex boyfriend, swiveled in his desk chair, spinning back and forth. the monitors covering the wall above his desk were alive with various video feeds and social media websites.

@user892548276 was viewing your instagram story, a gorgeous selfie of you that tim had already screenshotted. he had plans for that later. @gothamite69 was liking your latest tweet, while @ilovedoggiess couldn’t get enough of your latest tiktok.

he knew he had to switch up the users so you’d think it was bots. you’d figure it out otherwise. too bad he had a thing for smart people.

he nodded, satisfied at the cctv feed of the street your apartment building was on, before throwing a hoodie on over his bare chest. tim strolled into the kitchen, his sweats slung low on his hips. he ran a hand through his hair, using the other to grab the coffee pot to refill his mug.

“hey, tim. whatcha up to?” jason leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed.

tim jumped, turning around.

“just some surveillance, nothing much.” he replied, hoping he sounded nonchalant.

“ohh, that case for bats?”

“mmhm.” tim cracked his knuckles, something of a nervous habit he’d developed after the breakup. and his serious lack of sleep.

“well, i won’t keep you. tell y/n i said hi!”

tim flinched at the mention of you as jason left in the direction of the garage. it’s not his brother’s fault. jay had been really busy with the outlaws lately, never home long enough to realize tim hadn’t brought you over in weeks. tim scrubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. maybe it was the exhaustion muddling things, but tim can’t remember the last time he’d had a full night’s sleep. it was already difficult falling asleep. it only made it worse that every time he did fall asleep he dreamed about you.

but dick had noticed. he had slowly transitioned tim’s assignments to mainly desk work. his older brother was probably worried about him being too tired on the field and getting hurt. but he hadn’t told bruce. tim preferred it that way. he didn’t need a big fuss about if he was okay or his performance level as a hero.

tim grabbed his mug, making his way back to his bedroom. he caught a glimpse of a dark figure in the window, spooking himself. he was on edge so much worse than usual. his reflection stared back at him, his face skinny and his eyebags dark against the pale skin of his cheeks.

tim shook his head, heading into his bedroom. he swayed a little, locking the door behind him. he set his mug on his desk, sitting down in his chair just in time to see you heading down the street.

he stood up so fast his chair rocketed back, hitting the wall. you usually don’t go out on thursday nights. is everything okay??

he types frantically, finding different angles to effectively follow you down the street, physically recoiling to see you stop at a restaurant. just another date.

you stopped, looking around, waving when you spot a blond guy walking towards you. tim enhances the best he can, zooming in on this asshole who thinks he’s good enough for you. tim scoffs out loud at the wrinkled shirt your date has on, looking ridiculous in comparison to your beauty.

the sundress you’re in is one of his favorites, red and white and flowery. he gulps down a sip of coffee at his screen when you turn around, the fabric hugging your body. he blinks, snapping out of it as your date ushers you into the restaurant. tim cracks his knuckles. he reaches for his phone, pulling up your contact. he itches to call you, to pull you out of the date you’re on, to make you think about him instead of that tool you’re with.

but he can’t. he shouldn’t.

he pulls up the screenshot of your story instead, staring at the selfie of you in his favorite sundress. his cock twitches against the fabric of his sweats. he can’t even count how many times he’s had you rutting against him with that dress hiked up to your waist.

he tosses his phone onto his bed, sitting back in his desk chair as he palms his cock, his brain full of thoughts of you.

you pressed up against him in a slinky dress as you slow dance at a wayne gala. waking up in your bed how the two of you fell asleep, naked, limbs intertwined. dancing in a gotham nightclub together, your hair in your face as you throw your arms up and swivel your hips in his direction in your shortest dress. the texts and pictures you’d been sending back and forth after the breakup, unable to let each other go.

tim throws his head back as he finishes, your name on his lips. his body rigid, the warm liquid all over his hands. he cleans himself off, staring into nothing until his computer dings at the motion detected on your street. you’re strutting down the sidewalk, the street empty. before you head inside your building, you stare into the cctv camera across the street. you wave, smiling coyly. tim sits up straighter, holding his breath. you hold up your thumb, and tim groans. that guy??

but you flip your thumb down at the camera, shaking your head. bad date.

tim whoops, beaming.

he shuts down his computer before flopping onto his bed, burrowing under the covers. five minutes later, he’s fast asleep as his coffee grows cold where it sits on his desk.

[concreteangel92]

Oh my god, this will be the 3rd time I’ve tried to upload this 🙄 stupid app, hasn’t showed up in the tags twice so I pray this works

Thank you for the request! I’m glad you enjoyed part 1 and I hope you enjoy this one as well!

Noah Sebastian x female reader

No warnings

“Oh for fuck sake!”

You turned your head at Noah’s sudden outburst as you both sat on the sofa in your living room.

“What?”

Noah sighed and threw his phone onto the coffee table in front of you.

“That was my manager, apparently our social media is blowing up because the fans have seen pictures of us with our rings on”

You smirked at him slightly.

“So?”

Noah looked frustrated as he turned his body to face you.

“So? I wanted to try and avoid this for as long as possible, we have only been married for 3 weeks and it’s already out there!”

You picked up your phone which has been on silent and saw that your phone had indeed been blowing up with messages, texts, etc all about you two. When you opened the article, you saw a photo of you two smiling with your coffees and walking hand and hand down the street. Clearly a fan had snapped them and both your rings were on full display.

“God that’s an awful picture of me”

You giggled as Noah looked at you in disbelief, “sorry I just don’t see what the big deal is? They were going to find out eventually”

“The big deal is that half of these ‘fans’ are fucking crazy! I don’t want you being exposed to the hate and the drama that these people bring! I know it’s not all but some of these ‘fans’ will pick apart anything I do!”

You gave your husband a small smile and took his hand in yours.

“Being with a famous, talented and extremely handsome frontman of one of the biggest rock bands in the world right now, was always going to have some backlash. This is no different, I don’t take any notice of the ‘crazy fans’ and most are actually very lovely and respectful”

Noah sighed again and looked defeated.

“I know but…you don’t deserve any hate at all and it’s not fair on you to have to put up with it”

“As I said, comes with the territory. Stop worrying and let me deal with the fans, I’m not going anywhere so the haters will have to get used to it won’t they?”

Noah smiled and nodded before leaning in and pressing his lips to yours softly which you returned.

“Besides, they only hate me because they are jealous that I get to have you every night”

“Oh really?”

You smirked and lent in closer.

“Yeah, in fact, I’m really pretty tired right now”

You watched as Noah’s smile grew and he laced his fingers with yours.

“Well then maybe I need to take you up to bed, it’s only what a good husband would do”

“Always looking after his wife”

Noah stood up with you and started leading you out of the room.

“Of course. Now get up those stairs Mrs Davis”

[verstppism]

Boy's Talk (About You) - Chapter 8

Chapter 8 - take me anywhere but home

word count: 1957

masterpost.

synopsis everyone has their secrets, a group chat formed by charles leclerc, pierre gasly, alex albon, lando norris and george russell knows all of them. the 'kill the grid' chat has only one purpose: gossiping about other drivers' lives, romantic and social

or, a casual chat leads to charles confessing a crush on max, who's has been his rival since childhood

If Charles was still half asleep, the iMessage notifications coming from Max definitely woke him up. All the nervousness and anxiety from last night made sense: Max was leaving Brazil and his girlfriend to spend New Years in Monaco. But what were his intentions behind such a sudden decision? If Max really broke up with her, then he wouldn’t be texting the older one on a cold December morning. Or would he? Max Verstappen was a confusing person. One night, he says he’s not happy with his girlfriend, the other he goes on a private padel match with his ex-rival. Things seem to go well between them.

It’s when he posts a photo with his girlfriend after the race that tears everything apart. Still in his racing suit. Messy hair. Still sweating. Everything that belonged to Charles and to him only. In fact, Max was his. Who does she think she is? Charles only thought about how he could talk so casually about Kelly right before calling him “Charlie” and pushing him as far away from Lance as possible in the sprint podium. It was driving him insane — More than he already is. After eternal minutes discussing his own love life and its frustrations, Charles notices he left Max on read, he had accidentally opened the app and his conversation with the other one.

“charlie: good morningg “

“charlie: i am! are u okay? “

Charles was really at a loss at words, so he decided to pretend that he didn’t know where Max was nor that he was a few meters from the blonde’s house.

“maxiee: yeah “

“maxiee: just had a little change of plans and came back to monaco “

“charlie: oh really? “

“charlie: did anything happen or? “

“maxiee: can we talk about this in person? “

“maxiee: we can go to that café you mentioned in the padel match “

He… Remember. Their meeting (date?) was months ago, and he remembers it. Something he slightly mentioned once in a lifetime, and he recalls it in perfect detail. Charles wonders if Max remembers everything that pondered his mind. He asks himself if he recalls their discussions back in their karting days, or when they slowly started to use pet names for the first time. In the end, did Max realize that they were made for each other, even though they were predestined to fight for a whole life?

“charlie: of course! what time? “

“maxiee: im just getting ready, i’ll be there in a couple minutes “

“maxiee: nothing is too far here “

Charles giggles at the last message, like he always did when he exchanged messages with his beloved. After all, it was more of a date orchestrated by Max — he is good at setting up dates so subtly. Or maybe Charles just accepts every invite from the other. — and again, alone together. A more casual reunion this time: without any sport or anyone that could get in their way. It seemed like a dream, Charles hoped it wasn’t.

He didn’t even mind telling his friends of such an important event, just got up from his bed and quickly got ready. Casual clothing and sunglasses to go unnoticed. It wasn’t easy to go on a date in broad daylight in a city as small as Monte Carlo.

—————

It really didn't take long for them to meet. That little cafeteria was one of the secret gems of Monaco, hidden between beautiful historic buildings. As Charles arrived, he already could see Max, stirring coffee and sugar on the delicate little cup. He was looking down, his face with little to no emotion, more like hesitant of… something. 

The doorbell ring filled the quiet place when the older entered the place getting the other's attention, which gave a soft and kinda sad smile to him. A smile that wasn't common as the post race ones or those shared in press conferences. ‘This is not the moment to overthink your relationship with him.’ Charles thought. 

“I’m not late this time. '' Leclerc broke the awkward silence between them as he sat down. “Yeah… I mean, you live around here, no?” Max sounded somewhat different. Nervous? Sad? Reading his feelings through his face wasn’t Charles’ best ability. “So remember when I told you I would spend New Years in Brazil?” 

“Of course! I was also about to ask you about it. Why did you come back home?” He said as he sat down. Home. Not the best wording at the moment, given that he’s actually Dutch and we are somewhere around near South France. It’s what they say: ‘home is where the heart is’. “Like… Did anything happen?”

“Yeah, uh…”  Apprehensive. A worried tone filled his voice. “Me and Kelly had a little fight right after Christmas and I thought it would be better for us to part ways. She wasn’t very willing to but… Can I be honest? I was growing tired of being stuck with her.”

Stuck with her. Stuck. Max was tired. Max doesn't like her. At All. Charles felt like his chest was collapsing in the best way possible. How was he supposed to act normally and feel pity for them when butterflies filled his stomach?

“And you know, I only kept the relationship up because of her daughter…” Verstappen smiled while looking at the cup. The older’s intrusive thoughts were telling to adopt a child with that man. He was such a good dad after all! “And PR too. I think our love wasn't reciprocal… I was there for the kid and she was for the status of being a Formula One driver's girlfriend.” 

“Oh Max… That's too bad. I’m so sorry for you” A pitiful look surged on Charles’ face, trying to show empathy and not that he was going insane over all of this. “I’m sure you and her will be able to meet again.” A shy smile appeared on the younger’s face when ocean and emerald eyes met. A comfortable silence surrounded them, only the ambient sound and smell of fresh coffee filled the empty café.

“Now that we are on the topic, it may sound rude but I need to get this off my chest. I doubt you two would still be together if you didn't win in 2021.” Still apprehensive, Charles felt safe to talk shit about Max’s ex-girlfriend. When he saw the other’s eyes glitter at the comment, he was sure: the blonde has been waiting forever to do this. “You doubt? I'm 100% sure! After we left RedBull’s party she started talking about marriage, mate. Can you believe that!?” 

Minutes that felt like hours passed by. Charles and Max talked about many secrets they've kept for each other for the mere thought of “this is not something you usually tell your best friend, especially when he’s dating a person you don’t really like”. In fact, they would never get to these specific topics – mostly about relationships. Maybe both were scared of oversharing and confessing their true love, ruining it all for once. The older didn't know if delusional thoughts took over, but he felt things were getting intimate, at some point, their feet touched and so their legs proceeded to slightly intertwine. 

They didn’t even bother to order food or anything. — and so the waiters did not ask them to. Perhaps it was an obvious date to whoever passed by. When leaving, Max only paid for this coffee cup that was now cold, half drunken and long forgotten on the table. Both got so deep in conversation they forgot the world keeps spinning, and the day goes by, like they always do. Like it always happens. If you didn’t know, you would guess that they were long-distance boyfriends meeting for the first time.

It was almost dusk when they left the café. The orange-ish colors in the sky implied the sun was setting, and so Max and Charles decided to walk home. Staying side by side on a very narrow sidewalk made their shoulders brush at all times.  

As they got closer to Leclerc’s house, he noticed that Max started to tense up. Was he scared of something? Scared of leaving Charles? That reaction started to worry him but as soon as they got to the older’s doorstep he spoke up, point blank:

“I… Charlie, the true meaning behind this all-of-a-sudden meeting is that… You are the love of my life. I’m sorry for not noticing it earlier.” Max stuttered, a subtle way to let the other know it was hidden and buried deep inside with fear for years and years. Maybe even his whole life. It drove Charles insane. It’s like he was feeling every single emotion at the same time. He swore he was dying or something. The older man fought every desire to kiss him right here in the middle of an empty sideroad right in front of his house, but he knew it would appear in every headline in worldwide newspapers. “Charles ‘il predestinato’ Leclerc is found kissing Life-long rival Max Verstappen”. That is not the best way to be in the news, probably something that would end their careers or worse: their friendship. With no words left to say, Charles just hugged him tight as if he would disappear at any time. “Je t'aime moi aussi, mon amour” He said as one or two teardrops slid across his cheek.

Feeling something wet hit his shoulder, Max broke the hug but still kept their bodies suspiciously close. He held the other’s face with both big hands as their eyes met once again, but now with much more compassion. After all they’ve gone through, all their ups and downs brought them to this moment. What they’ve been waiting for. 

“Wait wait wait.” Charles popped the little bubble they builded to protect themselves from the rest of the world. “Can we get inside first? I mean, it’s very romantic to kiss in the middle of the crosswalk I know but we’re kinda famous so yeah…” Max chuckled at the comment. “Of course we can, schatje”

He unlocked the door and let Verstappen enter as if nothing almost happened a few seconds ago. “Uh… So are-” He’s interrupted by the softest of lips crashing into his own, almost cornering him into a wall like a (ironically) raging bull. For the very first seconds they are both surprised by the feeling but locked in very quickly. This kiss felt like heaven, the way both mouths swayed together felt like they were pieces to a puzzle, just waiting for it to be finally found and placed together. It was definitely not what Charles thought it would be like but it was good nonetheless. 

They only broke the kiss when there was no oxygen left in their bodies still, they stayed close, panting and hanging on by a thread of spit. Leclerc hid his face on his lover’s shoulder and started giggling, ending up with a lowkey confused Max.

“Why are you laughing?” He said, with a broad smile on his face. Charles’ laugh was contagious.

“This is so stupid. Why did we take so long to do this?” 

It all came down to them snuggling together in Charles’ bed. The moonlight that invaded the room through a slightly opened window shines in their features, giving both an godly look. After a whole day spent with Max, Leclerc seemed to forget about his friends, who might’ve gone insane by his disappearance. So he was right: when checking his phone he’s welcomed with 86 missed calls, – all coming from 4 different people – and at least 300 messages coming from his group chat, Kill the Grid. Charles opens it, doesn’t read any of the past messages and starts typing.

“charlie: guys, youll never know what just happened '' Send it.

taglist: @mrsbrxkkxr , @nyxstice , @thedecalcomania-blog ,@sebastianize <3

[bakhiu]

18th Floor - Geto Suguru x Reader

You and Suguru have been casually hooking up for awhile. The two of you finally meet up after some time apart and you break the news that you have a boyfriend. The two of you agree on one last hookup before parting ways.

✩ Artwork: JUHi on Twitter (NSFW) ✩ Pairing: Geto Suguru x Reader ✩ Rating: Explicit ✩ Contains: public sex, jealously, cheating, public humiliation, feeling realization ✩ Available on AO3

“Waiting alone for an hour is pathetic enough, getting a sympathy drink takes it to a level I don’t want to experience again.” you glanced behind you, the older man who sent the drink over winked at Suguru. 

“I’ll make it up to you.” Suguru tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. “I always do.”

A late summer sunset, an overpriced cocktail at a half empty rooftop bar and Suguru’s shoulder brushing against yours. You rested your elbow on the guard rail, admiring the last few rays of sunshine disappearing behind the cityscape.

“Were you waiting long?” he asked, leaning against the balcony. 

You turned towards him, admiring the way a sunset could make even the worst people look warm and inviting. 

“Waiting alone for an hour is pathetic enough, getting a sympathy drink takes it to a level I don’t want to experience again.” you glanced behind you, the older man who sent the drink over winked at Suguru. 

“I’ll make it up to you.” Suguru tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. “I always do.”

There were worse instances of his lack of care; him leaving you stranded after your birthday bar hopping extravaganza was high on your list. There was also the incident where he hooked up with your ex roommate at your best friend’s wedding. Suguru argued it wasn't hooking up, he was just getting a blowjob. It was always an apology, an excuse, an argument, nothing was ever his fault and yet this time, it was. 

“It’s fine.” you replied coolly, staring into the pool of melted ice in your glass. “One more drink and I’ll be going home.”

“Seriously?” Suguru scoffed, glancing at his watch. “Since when do you go home so early?” 

“I have someone waiting for me at home.” you gazed up at Suguru. “I think it’s time we end whatever this is.”

“So, I take it this will be our last night together?” 

“What makes you think we are hooking up tonight?” 

Suguru tugged your arm towards him, pressing your body firmly against his. His finger gently nudged your chin up, giving you a quick wink. “You think your little boyfriend is going to stop me?”

“No,” you wrapped your arms around his neck, your lips hovering over his. “I’m going to stop you.” 

Before you could pull away, Suguru pressed his lips against yours, his hand cradling the back of your head to deepen the kiss. You resisted, pressing against his chest and surprisingly, he relented.

Three weeks ago was when Suguru last saw you. When did you find the time to date and get a steady boyfriend? He didn’t see you on the dating apps he trolled to pass time, and you gave zero indication during casual conversation that you were dating. 

Suguru could send you a text and within two hours you’d be at his place, naked and writhing under his touch, begging for more. He showed up to your place a few times after one too many drinks with Satoru, and you were both naked within the minute, barely making it to the bedroom half the time. 

While your relationship wasn’t serious by any means, it was mutually beneficial when it came to social events. Suguru being able to rely on you as a plus one for work related events was enjoyable for two reasons. One, you made the rounds and talked with Suguru’s coworkers and potential investors, charming them with polite conversation and debates about current affairs. Two, you let him fuck you in his office, leaving the door slightly open so his coworkers could hear your soft moans. By definition, you were single, but Suguru had you in the palm of his hand. Well, he thought he did up until now.

No one could make you feel as good as he did, a fact you admitted more than a few times while bouncing on his cock and cumming for the fifth time. And yet, another man has the sole privilege of being able to fuck you whenever they want. Knowing your sex drive, you two probably fucked on every surface of your apartment by now. 

“Listen, maybe we can talk about this–”

“We can have one drink and then I have to go.” you interrupted, hitting send on a text that Suguru didn’t notice you were typing out. “My boyfriend will be home late tonight, so I need to kill some time.”

Suguru forced a smile, motioning towards an empty table a few feet away. You were expecting him to pick a more secluded seating arrangement, waiting for the opportunity to caress your inner thigh and whisper filthy things in your ear. 

“Surprised you didn’t pick the back corner.” you stated as he pulled a chair out for you. 

“Did you want a more private spot to chat? We can go to my car.” Suguru questioned innocently.

“No thanks.” you responded flatly, opening the menu to look at the lengthy list of cocktails, wines, and craft beers.

Your mind drifted to the day Suguru picked you up from the airport. Your returning flight was delayed twice and the airport was packed, no rideshares or taxis available for the next two hours. Despite him complaining over the phone and making you walk a mile to the short term parking garage, you thanked him profusely by giving him a blowjob in the backseat.

There was another time where he drank too much at a bachelor party and called you, begging for a ride. You heard his friends cackling in the background as he climbed into your backseat, telling him to enjoy his midnight snack. Before you could question why he chose that spot, he told you to hurry up and park somewhere so you could sit on his face. Suguru made you cum twice in the backseat before demanding you drive to his place so he could fuck you in the comfort of his own bed. 

Another time, Suguru borrowed Satoru’s car for whatever reason and proposed that the two of you ruin his leather seats as payback for when Satoru–

“Are you going to order or just stare off into space the whole night?” Suguru questioned, interrupting your rumination of car sex escapades. 

You felt heat rush to your cheeks as the server smiled and greeted you, pen poised on his notepad ready for your order. After quickly ordering your drink, you turned to Suguru who was staring at you with that stupid smirk again.

“Thinking about all the car sex we had?” he questioned with a wicked grin. 

“You’re disgusting.” you scoffed. 

“That wasn't a no~” Suguru replied in a sing-song voice. “Does your boyfriend know how much of a freak you are?”

“That’s not your business.”

“I think it is. How else will I know if he’s fucking you right?” Suguru questioned, scooting his chair closer to yours. 

“Why do you care?” you questioned, ignoring his hand caressing your knee.

“Is he that gossipy coworker who asked if you were single at the holiday party?” Suguru ran his finger delicately up to your thigh, gauging your reaction. “You’re too afraid of him blabbing his mouth at work and ruining your reputation so you put on this innocent good girl act.”

Your breath hitched as Suguru trailed his finger back down to your knee before returning his hand to the table. The server arrived with your drinks, setting them down on the table and promising to check back in later.

Quickly reaching for your drink and almost knocking it over, you took a long sip and winced as the alcohol hit your stomach. Suguru took a slow sip of his whiskey sour, trying to hide the pleased look on his face.

“You’re right about the coworker part.” you finally answered. 

“And the rest?” 

“He’s…pretty tame, so I tone it down.” 

Suguru took another sip of his drink before placing his hand on your thigh, the coolness of his palm making you shudder. You glanced up at him, his eyes locked on yours as he slowly inched his hand closer to the hem of your skirt, his fingers tracing the underside of the fabric.

“That must be so hard for you.” Suguru whispered, his hand gently nudging your thighs apart. 

“He treats me with respect, not like a sex doll.” You retorted, trying to steady your breathing. 

You could have closed your legs, pushed his hand away, gotten up and left but you didn’t. Instead you let his hand travel dangerously close to your heated core, not caring if the nearby patrons noticed. Suguru’s eyes darkened as he leaned closer, his lips ghosting over your ear.

“Poor thing, you must be so pent up.” His finger softly pressed against your clothed clit, slowly circling. “Do you have to finish yourself when he cums after five minutes of missionary and falls asleep?”

You pressed your thighs together, but he did not pull his hand back. Suguru used his other hand to lift your chin, gazing deep into your eyes. You bit your tongue, not wanting to give Suguru the satisfaction of knowing his ministrations were getting you worked up. He put more pressure on your clit, circling faster and in wider strokes.

“Want me to make you cum in front of all these people?” he questioned, a devious smirk spreading across his face.

“This is so wrong, Suguru.” 

“It didn’t stop you all the other times I made you cum in public.”

“I have a boyfriend and–”

“I don’t give a fuck.” Suguru pressed a soft kiss on the nape of your neck. “One last time and we’re done.”

“Fuck it,” you groaned as he slowly moved up and down your slit, wetness seeping the fabric of your panties. “One last time.”

“Too bad~” Suguru cooed as he pulled his hand away. “Cheaters really are the worst, especially easy ones.” 

You resisted the urge to slap the stupid smirk off his face but you reached for your drink instead. You quickly drank the remainder of the liquid and set the glass down a little too hard.

“Well, I guess I should get going then.”

“We’re having so much fun.” Suguru replied innocently, running his finger around the edge of his glass. “One more drink?”

You abruptly turned towards Suguru, leaning into him and placing the palm of your hand on his belt buckle. Immediately spreading his legs open, you began palming his cock, watching it harden under his slacks.

“Who's the pervert now?” Suguru questioned, glancing down as you trailed your fingers over his growing erection.

“I want to be wet and ready for my boyfriend, so I’m going to go home and touch myself.” you whispered in his ear.

Suguru groaned as you squeezed his cock, grabbing your hand and pressing it harder against his erection. Fingers tracing up your thigh, you worked your way up your skirt, softly rubbing your clit. 

“My boyfriend thinks I get wet waiting for his cock.” you whispered, inching your face closer to his. “In reality, it’s because I touch myself to the thought of you fucking me.”

Suguru cleared his throat before abruptly scooting away from you, quickly reaching for his wallet and throwing a hundred dollar bill on the table.

“Get up.” Suguru demanded, glancing at his watch. “Now.”

“Excuse me?” you questioned, smoothing your skirt over.

“Touching yourself in front of all these people,” Suguru mumbled as he yanked your arm. 

“Suguru, what the fuck–”

“Get up, or I’ll fuck you on this table in front of everyone.” You almost tripped as Suguru dragged you towards the exit.

“Where are we going?” you asked, trying to steady your breathing. 

“Back to your place.” Suguru replied immediately, fishing for his car keys. “I want to meet your boyfriend after I fuck you on his bed.”

Suguru had your legs spread, two fingers deep in your pussy as he steered with his other hand. 

“Rub your clit.” Suguru demanded as he pressed harder on the gas. “Stop stifling your moans, you aren't fooling me with your pathetic attempt at disinterest.”

You let out a soft moan, your fingers quickly tracing circles on your clit. Wetness pooled out onto Suguru’s leather passenger seat, but he didn’t care. He would make you cum a million times on his seats if it meant keeping you away from your loser boyfriend.

“Impatient?” Suguru mused as he rapidly pulled his fingers in and out, admiring the loud squelching sound. 

“Shut up.” you breathed, gripping his wrist in place. “Take this exit and make a left.”

Suguru followed your instructions, curling his fingers and slowly massaging your sweet spot. You cursed, lifting your hips and grinding on the palm of his hand, desperately chasing your high. 

“Which building?” Suguru asked as he yanked his fingers away.

“I was so close!” you cried out, reaching for his hand again.

“The longer you take to give me directions, the longer you have to wait to cum.” Suguru brought his fingers to his lips, licking the essence of you off his fingers delicately. 

“Red brick building, at the corner of Ridgeside. My parking garage entrance code is 2489, spot number 107.” 

You glared at the parking garage elevator, wishing to whichever god that was listening to make the doors open now. Suguru noticed your pouting and bit his lip, not wanting to antagonize you further. 

“This is a new god damn building!” you blurted out as the elevator remained paused at the 6th floor. “Why does this elevator take so long to work?”

Suguru tugged your arm and pressed your body against his, tilting your chin up before locking his lips to yours. You placed one hand on his chest and slid the other slowly down his torso, ghosting your fingers over his crotch. He grinned, breaking the kiss off and turned to press you against the wall. 

You pulled him back into a kiss, your tongues tangling with each other as you gripped his growing erection. A soft moan escaped your lips as Suguru’s thigh pressed against your cunt, an invitation to seek some much needed relief. 

“Suguru, let me touch you.” you moaned as he pressed his thigh harder against your thrusts.

“Keep going baby,” Suguru whispered as he pressed a soft kiss to your neck. “Think you can cum before the elevator gets here?” 

Your heart skipped a beat, desperately wanting to cum but worried that someone was on the elevator and would see you in a debauched state. You turned your head to the side, noticing the elevator was still stuck on the 6th floor. The leasing agent warned you that the elevator was notorious for being extremely slow but it was going to be fixed soon. This was almost a month ago and it clearly was not fixed. 

Suguru grabbed your waist and rocked you harder against his thigh, his forehead pressed to yours as you breathed heavily. You were close, dangerously close, but too nervous to cum right there when someone could appear at any moment.

“Stop worrying.” Suguru demanded as he angled his leg in a different position, eliciting a sweet moan from your lips.

“What if someone catches us?” you breathed out, slowly stopping the grind on his thigh.

Suguru grunted, gripping your hips harder and urging you on faster. “You could have came by now if you weren’t so stubborn.” 

“You were the one edging me the whole ride here!” you retorted, pushing his hands off your hips. 

Before Suguru could quip back, the elevator dinged and you both quickly pushed away from each other and readjusted yourselves. Suguru cleared his throat and greeted the groundskeeper who was pushing a cart of trash out of the elevator, his view partially blocked.

You quickly walked into the elevator, heart pounding as you pressed the 18th floor button. Suguru leaned against the wall next to you, the corners of his lips turning up into a smirk. Once the elevator started its ascent, you turned to glare at Suguru. 

“What? He didn’t see us.” Suguru shrugged and stepped closer to you. “Let’s continue, we have 16 more floors to go.”

Suguru towered over you once more, his thigh nestling between yours and you lowered yourself slightly, slowly rocking your hips back and forth. You were taking a gamble on being interrupted again, but you could cum soon if you were able to concentrate on something else. 

You wrapped your arms around Suguru’s neck and pulled him into a kiss, feeling him smile before reaching to cradle the back of your head into his hands. You opened your mouth slightly and Suguru eagerly deepened the kiss, his tongue wrestling with yours. You rocked your hips faster, grinding harder against his thigh, feeling the pressure build up rapidly. Suguru broke the kiss off and leaned in to whisper in your ear. 

“You’re so close, I know you can cum for me.” 

You glanced up at what floor you were on and you prayed you were stuck on 6 like the groundskeeper was. Suguru’s hand traced the outline of your breast through your shirt before squeezing it a few times gently. You moaned, arching your back into him, silently encouraging him to continue his ministrations. 

Suguru lifted the hem of your shirt, snaking his hand up to your breast and pulled your bra down. He pinched your nipple softly, smiling to himself when you gasped and glanced back at what floor the elevator was on.

“Stop paying attention to that.” Suguru snapped as he squeezed your breast harder. “We’ve been stuck on this floor for the past 4 minutes.”

“I can’t,” you groaned. “I need more, please let’s just wait until we’re in my room.” 

“You will.” Suguru commanded, lowering his thigh away from your dripping cunt. “Spread your legs.”

You spread your legs, forcing yourself to not check what floor you were on. The longer you held back, the higher the chance of someone walking in and knowing Suguru, he would make you stay on the elevator until you cummed, even if you reached the 18th floor. Suguru’s fingers quickly found their way to your entrance, immediately shoving two fingers in your vagina, causing you to moan loudly. It was exactly what you needed.You were right on the edge of cummming, just needing a little bit more to cum. 

Before you could ask Suguru, he shoved another finger in and placed his thumb over your clit. You moaned loudly, squeezing your eyes shut as your orgasm washed over you. Chest heaving, you opened your eyes and noticed Suguru immediately pulling away, leaving your disheveled body out in the open as the elevator doors opened. Horrified, you scrambled to adjust your skirt and top, forgetting that Suguru had yanked your bra down. 

“Sorry about that.” Suguru bit back his smile, trying to appear as sincere as possible. “We had a bit too much to drink and she couldn’t wait.”

You glanced up and realized it was your neighbor down the hall; the two of you spoke often in passing as she worked in the building across from your workplace. Your neighbor, looking a mix of horrified and embarrassed, stepped to the side and averted her gaze. You yanked Suguru’s arm and ran out the elevator, feeling your whole body burn hot. You could have killed him, and you probably would once you got into your apartment. Scrambling for your keys, you shakily unlocked your door and slammed it shut behind you once Suguru crossed the threshold. 

“You fucking asshole.” you seethed, glaring at the back of his head as he surveyed your apartment. 

“Your fault you took so long to cum.” Suguru shrugged as he walked down the hall towards your bedroom. 

“At least take your shoes off!” you shouted, trailing after him once you clumsily took your own off and threw them by the front door.

You walked into your bedroom and Suguru was standing by the window, admiring the view of the city skyline. You cleared your throat and waited as Suguru turned around before pointing towards his shoes. Suguru wouldn’t admit it, but he was too eager to fuck you after getting caught, his cock throbbing painfully against his slacks. He sat on the armchair in the corner, slowly unlacing his shoes before placing them neatly to the side.

“Think your boyfriend wants to sit here and watch me fuck you?” he grinned as you walked over and towered over him.

You leaned in to kiss him before slowly trailing your fingers down to unbutton his shirt. Suguru eagerly complied, tossing it to the side once you finished unbuttoning it. He quickly unbuckled his belt and threw that on top of his shirt before making quick work of his pants. You glanced down and noticed his cock straining against his underwear, a wet spot forming at his leaking tip. Biting your lip, you slowly kneeled and gingerly kissed his erection, eliciting a soft hiss from Suguru. 

You peeled his underwear down, admiring how his cock slapped against his abdomen and twitched at the cool air. Tossing them to the side, you softly palmed his cock, glancing up at him with a soft smile as you licked your lips. Before Suguru could force your lips to his cock, you squeezed the tip of hit hard, grinning as he tried to push you away.

“What the fuck that hurts.” Suguru spat but you moved your hands to his balls and squeezed just as hard. 

“You embarrassed me in front of my neighbor.” you spat as you stood up, sliding your skirt and underwear down in one motion. 

“That was your neighbor?” Suguru resisted the urge to laugh, not wanting to piss you off even more. “Afraid she’s going to tell your boyfriend?” 

“Nope,” you replied flatly, removing your top and tossing it in the pile with Suguru’s.

“So why am I being punished for making you cum?” 

Stradling Suguru’s lap, he tilted his chin up to you and stared down at him, feeling his chest heave under the palm of your hand. You contemplated how to break it to him, how to get your revenge on him and it finally clicked.

You slowly got up and motioned for him to stay seated. Suguru stared as you turned you back to him and made your way to the bed, sitting on the edge and spreading your legs. His heart raced as he watched you scoot a little further back on the bed and prop one leg up, your fingers trailing towards your clit. 

“Now, you’re going to watch me make myself cum and you can’t touch yourself until I say so.” you gauged his reaction, smirking at how he glared at you.

“That’s not fair, you already came.” Suguru argued, feeling his cock throb harder. 

“It won’t take too long.” you replied with a smirk. “It took us about an hour to get back up here to my place from the bar?”

“Don’t…” Suguru pleaded. 

“I think you can wait another hour.”

“Your boyfriend could be home any minute now.” Suguru argued. “Do you want to get caught again?” 

“There is no boyfriend.” you answered, shrugging as his confused expression.

“So you lied?” Suguru questioned, trying to sit up. 

“Just wanted to see how jealous you’d get.” you replied. “Sit back down and watch me play with myself.” 

Suguru was seething but he listened to your instructions and leaned back into the chair, trying to ignore the now painful swelling of his cock. He replayed the conversation in his head to try and distract himself from the soft moans you began to let out. Was I jealous? Suguru thought to himself and then the words he spoke to you as he dragged you away from the bar replayed in his mind 

“Fuck.” Suguru groaned as he threw his head back. 

“Enjoying the show?” you teased as you slipped a finger into your vagina, throwing your head back as pleasure washed over you. 

You didn’t realize Suguru was making his way towards you until you felt the bed dip under his weight. He was now towering over you, pushing your hand away and placing them above your head. He pressed his lips to yours and before you could return the kiss, he pulled away and stared at you until you shifted uncomfortably. 

“No more lying.” he stated as he pressed another kiss to your lips. 

“So, you were jealous?” you grinned as he rolled his eyes. 

Instead of answering, he rolled away from you and laid next to you. Suguru tugged your arm and instead of curling into his side, you chose to straddle him and grind your pussy against his cock. Suguru groaned, staring up at you as you rocked your hips back and forth. He reached for your face and pulled you into a messy kiss, your heart pounding. Breaking the kiss, Suguru held you there, lips ghosting over yours as he placed his hand on the small of your back, encouraging you to grind harder. 

It would take a lot more work on your end to admit that he was jealous, but Suguru knew it was time to end this game of playing it cool. He wanted you from the very beginning, that was obvious when he continued to sleep with you, but he wanted to keep his options open out of greed. But no one else made him feel as good as you did. There was no doubt in his mind that there was something more between you two and neither of you wanted to admit, until tonight. 

And so, the back and forth game would continue, just for tonight, until one of you finally admitted how badly you wanted the other, and no one else.

[dancingwiththedevilallnight]

Angel

Dark!Joel Miller x Reader AU (outbreak never happened) This a second part to a previous fic also called Angel lol

 Warnings: 18+ for smut, minors do not interact, age gap, Joel is in his 50s reader is in her 20s, no y/n, corruption kink, mention of religion, some things take place in a church, stalking, Joel is kind of a perv, unprotected sex, rough sex, pet names, praising, degradation kink. There is also a Chase Atlantic lyric included from their song Church cause I thought it fit there lol. Maybe more so read at your own risk!

Disclaimer: my first language is not English, if you have any ideas feel free to let me know my asks are open

I don’t consent my writing to being translated, or posted on any other social media app however likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated. 

 ____________________________________________

Joel Miller continued the hunting of Angel. Taking the stalking and obsession onto a different level. Today he won’t be sitting outside to see her walk to church he will be sitting second row during Sunday service hoping he can drive her home safely. The filthy images in his head started the second their eyes met she sat in the front row like she always does. Joel was admiring her, the way her baby pink dress hugged her curves drove him wild. After the smile, she shot him with a slight wave the sinful thoughts began. He immediately noticed the pink ribbon in her hair tied into a bow to keep half of her hair up. Well, he most definitely wanted to use that ribbon for something else. Joel has thought about this before corrupting his little Angel in front of the altar or taking her to the confessional to hear her beautiful sins rolling off of her tongue. He would ask her “Tell me your confessions baby, what’s the worst?” How many times he imagined her in the confessional on her knees begging for forgiveness after confessing her sins. With a simple answer from him, “Your sins will be forgiven after you work for it Angel” - he said while opening the door to the confessional towering over her. “Open up” - he demanded with desire laced in his voice. Like a good girl, she opened her mouth while sticking her tongue out letting Joel claim her as his. Joel put two fingers in her mouth letting her suck on it while he slowly undid the belt of his black dress pants to pull his briefs down to expose his hard cock leaking precum his angry red tip begging to be sucked. Her eyes widened at the sight of his length “Don’t be scared Angel you wanted to be free from your sins. Look at you such a little slut sucking on my fingers like a good girl” She closed her eyes at the praise while a little blush crept up on her cheeks. Joel slowly pulled his fingers out of her mouth to replace it with his aching cock. He placed his tip on her lower lip, and she slowly stuck her tongue out tasting it. Joel started to put it further and further until he hit the back of her throat her eyes widened she quickly placed her hands on his thighs trying to push him away, but that wasn’t working when Joel had a tight grip on her hair not planning to let go of it any time soon. She was trapped with zero chances of escape. He slowly started to move fucking her mouth he is enjoying every second of it. This was his dream to see her on her knees with tears streaming down her cheeks drool coming out of her mouth dripping from her chin down to her cleavage. He pulled back completely to let her breathe.

 “Mr. Miller what brings you here?” - her angelic voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

 “Hello sweetheart, I’m sorry what were you saying” - he turned to her putting his hands on his lap trying to hide the fact that he got hard at the thought of her on her knees in the confessional in front of him.

 “I asked what brings you to church I never saw you here” - she shot him a little smile that made Joel’s pants grow even tighter. 

“Well sweetheart umm the new pastor is an old friend of mine and you know I just stopped by to visit him” - He said while standing up and walking out of the church with her. He stayed a little behind to see her hips sway a little while she walked when her pink dress rode up a little on her thighs exposing more skin that he wanted to kiss..devour.

 “What about you sweetheart you came here alone?’’ - curiosity got the best of him. As they walked out the bright blue sky turned grey the sun nowhere to be seen the wind swaying the trees left and right making her dress ride up more exposing the white lace panties that drove Joel wild. Her hands immediately smoothed it down she couldn’t look Joel in the eyes due to the embarrassment.

 “umm I came with my um p-parents but they already left for a friendly get-together” - her cheeks were bright pink from the previous events.

 “Can I offer you a ride home?” “oh no It’s okay just call an Uber or wait for the rain to stop” - she tried to protest she could have put a little more effort into it. Joel wasn’t the only one who had dreams. She was no angel, she made people think she was one. Every morning she was looking out of her window looking at Joel going to work in that tight t-shirt that showed his strong arms. All those nights she spent in bed bringing herself to a sweet release moaning his name like a prayer. This time Joel wore a white dress shirt the rain made it stick to his skin, and his lips formed into a little smirk noticing her checking him out. She grew wetter by the sight, her clit starting to have a heartbeat begging to be touched by Joel’s rough fingers.

 “Nonsense I can’t leave you out here come on sweetheart I’ll give you a ride home safe”

 She smiled at the nickname and they started jogging to the car. He opened the passenger door to his truck like a gentleman for her. As soon as he closed her door and made sure no one is around his hand went to his pants to adjust himself. He got into the driver’s seat and started driving her home. After a few moments, he realized she was squirming around and pressing her thighs together. She was admiring Joel the way his arm flexed while holding the steering wheel, the tight grip he had on it wishing it was her neck instead while he was ruining her from behind. The car ride was silent after a few moments they arrived Joel stopped his truck in front of her house the thunderstorm doesn’t seem like it will calm down in a while. 

“Thank you so much Mr.Miller for taking me home” 

“No problem sweetheart anytime”

“Do you wanna come in for a drink? I made some pie earlier you can also bring some for Sarah”

“Sure dear” - Joel had a slight smirk on his face he knew he is going to get her tonight. 

They exited the car like a gentleman he opened the door for her. He sat on the couch while she was getting him a beer and a slice of the pie. As soon as she sat down she was looking at his hands and the way they gripped the bottle. Her thighs pressed together trying to ease the throbbing sensation. 

 "Why are you pressing your thighs together sweetheart? Is the poor little angel feeling needy? -  "No" - she muttered trying to hide the fact that she was so turned on by her hot neighbor who was also her dads pretty good friend. “hmm, Come here bend over my knee. I'm going to slip a hand between your legs and find out myself.” 

Joel grabbed her by the waist and bent her over his knee “Look how pretty you are bent over my knee” - he said while slowly moving his hand under her dress to pull her white lacey panties down her legs. He parted her thighs a little so he can slide his fingers over her slit, he smirked when he felt how wet she was for him. She let out a slight moan waiting for him to do more. 

“Please Joel”

“What do you want pretty Angel?”

“Touch me, please”

“Where do you want me to touch you, baby? Use your words”

“Anywhere please Joel” - He sat her on his lap so he can look at her face.

“Angel this pussy will never be the same after I touch it” - He whispered in her ear and laid her down on the couch spreading her legs while leaning over her supporting himself on his right hand next to her head. He pulled down the top of her dress exposing her tits. Joel started to leave kisses on her neck while playing with her nipples with his free hand. Her moans started to fill up the living room thank god her parents won’t be home all night. Joel started to move down leaving kisses on her chest, he took one of her nipples into his mouth he was licking and sucking on it while still playing with the other one. He took his hands off her boob and then started slowly moving it down where she needed him most. Joel looked at her to see if she changed her mind or not but she gave him a nod confirming he can continue. Her skin burned under his touch. The second his fingers touched her clit circling it she closed her eyes and let out a small moan. 

“Has any boy used this sweet pussy before Angel” 

“No sir, no one, just me”

That answer took Joel by surprise. His sweet little Angel gave into the temptation and sinned. That knowledge drove him wild.

“Tell me Angel what do you think about when you touch yourself” - he was torturing her, he drew slow circles on her clit sometimes dragging his finger to her sweet hole but never sliding in his fingers.

“You, Joel only you, I..I think about you touching me”

“What else am I doing to you in your dreams pretty girl, tell me”

“I think about your hand on my neck, while you are fucking me from behind” - she couldn’t take it anymore she needed him inside - “Please Mr.Miller i-i need more” 

This drove Joel to the edge he needed to be inside her. He took off his belt and pulled his pants with briefs down enough to take his throbbing cock out. He aligned himself with her entrance and leaned over her figure supporting himself on his left hand while the right rested on her waist. He looked into her gorgeous eyes filled with lust and desire. He leaned in for a kiss, oh how long he was waiting for the moment he can taste her lips and finally he slowly started to sink inside of her. She let out a gasp, eyes tearing up at the sting. He can feel her manicured nails digging into his back through his shirt Joel tries to control himself knowing it’s her first time.

“Angel you are so tight” - she let out a soft moan out of pleasure and pain. It was absolutely evil the way she felt around him. She kept clenching around him making it harder for Joel to hold back and not start pounding her. 

“S-stop clenching around me, Angel” - He moaned out as she dragged her hand up to his hair. He took a deep breath through his nose trying not to move.

 “Gotta loosen up baby just a little bit, fuck Angel p-please”. She tried she really did but couldn’t he is so big she couldn’t stop squeezing around him. Joel gave up, his hips betraying his mind he slammed his whole length inside her. She let out a scream and hugged him around his neck, quietly begging him to slow down. She could feel every inch of him, every vein up and down her walls his tip hitting that spongy spot inside of her, his hands traveling down where their bodies connected to rub her clit.

 “Such a good girl, baby you feel like heaven, my pretty girl taking me so well” - she turned her head to the side hiding her face in Joels neck. “Don’t hide from me, baby let me see those pretty eyes” She turned her neck so she can face him. She can feel her release coming, her pussy tightening up, clenching, a desperate feeling washing over her all at once. “Joel I’m so close, please”

“Cum for me pretty girl, cum around my cock, I wanna feel you” - she broke immediately at his words, knot snapping as her orgasm flows through her body. He grunts out as her walls flutter around him slamming in once more he releases inside her. He thrusts slowly a couple times then sits back just watching his cum dripping out of her, sending him into a daze. She winced at the pain as he eases out. He got up to get a washcloth to clean her up. He gave her a soft loving kiss, he knew this wasn’t the last time, he won’t let her go.

“You are mine now baby, all mine, I won’t let anyone take you away from me my little Angel. 

[nodulemodule]

Camp Camp S5E1 opinions (spoilers)

I just watched the new episode of Camp Camp and nobody cares but here's what I have to say, first:

(this is your disclaimer to please watch the new episode LEGALLY and in a way that supports the creators. Even if that means blocking spoilers for a bit so you can watch it for free when it's available. It's a small team, and they deserve all the support they can get because making cartoons is hard!)

All this is my opinion, if you disagree, let me know! I genuinely want to discuss it. If you agree with me, then feel free to vent along with me and we can be excited or dissapointed together. The show qualifies as art and is open to criticism. Also WARNING: SPOILERS FOR THE NEW SEASON PREMIERE OF CAMP CAMP!

Ok with all that garbage out of the way, here's what I have to say:

Likes:

• Max’s new voice is pretty good. I got used to it pretty quick. Props to the VA!

• Dolph’s new design is cute. I totally understand why they changed it and the redesign is good.

• DAVID WITH GUN. DAVID WITH GUN.

•I think the idea of the whole camp hating the trio is funny and I kind of wish they made it real even though it went against the point of the episode kind of.

• The part where the trio is shaming Preston and they all move in sync was the one part that made me laugh. I love when they're all being goofy together.

• I liked the idea with the circle in the dirt at first because I thought it was just Max’s way of illustrating a point and I thought it was cute how he included his friends. Started as a nice moment

• Nurf lovingly flipping them off was funny.

• my gwenvid heart was soaring. They were very cute and I wish we got a more overt gwenvid moment as a send-off. Like, it doesn't have to be made canon and can stay subtle but something for the fans would have been nice.

• Gwen’s new voice did a good job. Slightly different vibe to her but it wasn't bad at all. I liked it. It was an interesting change and I didn't mind at all.

• The scene with Max and David’s hike was beautiful and the best part of the episode by far. They're both so in character, they are well-written and their dynamic is so sweet, and the message rings true. It was a nice moment and something I think Max needed to hear.

• “somebody. Fucking. Has to.” GUYS WHEN I TELL YOU I FJGKRNGKRHDNR WHAT A CALLBACK. I wish they made David’s reaction a little longer and made it more of a moment because I nearly missed it at first but once I heard it I got so excited. Really, Max’s whole pep talk in that moment is very good.

• The camera is such a thoughtful and fitting gift for Max because he's struggling with letting go of camp, and the fact he uses it himself too makes it all the more sweet.

• My lil Makki heart jumped when Max came back and Nikki shouts his name. It was sweet, the excitement and joy in her voice. I forgot it was meant to be a joke at first honestly it was so sincere.

• the animation was great! I loved the facial animations, especially on David and Nikki. Idk why those two had such good expressions but I'm not complaining.

• the trio. They're such besties. I'm love them.

• Honestly the fight cloud with Nikki and Neil was fun idk why I liked watching them wrastle. Children fighting is amusing.

• I'm glad Gwen finally got recognized for her talent. It’s a running theme throughout the show that Gwen is more talented and capable than she lets on and this was a fine way to end it. Good for her.

• Whe- WUH- THE ENDING. WHERE ARE THEY GONNA GO FROM HERE? I AM EXCITED AND INTRIGUED

Dislikes:

• opening narration was unnecessary

• wish they introduced Dolph’s new look more organically. It deserves to be it’s own moment.

• why can't Nikki write? She's 9 not 4. She was never stupid.

• plot is all over the place. It's like two or three episodes smashed into one and there's not enough extra time for any of them. It lacks focus. If it were up to me I would have cut out the first half with the social media app and the trio trying to get people to like them. It felt like filler.

• it's just not very funny. There was maybe one joke that made me laugh. And not even hard. Camp Camp is usually pretty funny to me so I don't get what happened. The comedy is all so slow despite the plot being so crammed so I wonder if the delivery was faster if we would have more time for plot. Anyway, they just lacked any sort of setup or punchline. Just nothing jokes.

• Why does Max go along with trying not to be bossy? He clearly didn't care before and the way it's written it isn't implied he's doing it for his friends. It's like he suddenly did care about being liked out of nowhere. I think it would have been funny and made more sense if maybe Nikki or Neil made him play along, like Nikki bit him until he stopped.

• the circle thing. It was a cute idea at first because I thought Max was just making some kind of metaphor, and I thought that it was cute. I wish they kept it like that and just made it a sweet moment of Max expressing his devotion to his friends in his own way but instead they stay in the circle and are just unfunny for a few minutes and then Nikki says they ran away?? Like first of all why are you running away and also no, you didn't run away because you're still at camp. WHY ARE THEY IN THE CIRCLE IT DOES NOTHING FOR THE PLOT AND MAKES NO SENSE?

• I HATED THE CLOSE-UP OF NIKKI’S NOSE SO MUCH IT WAS SO UNFUNNY WHY IS SHE MADE TO BE SO UNLIKABLE FOR THAT ONE BIT JUST SO MAX CAN LOOK AT HER IN DISGUST IT WAS SO BAD

• Is it just me or do they keep playing sad music like... A lot? It just keeps popping up every other scene and at some point it just became funny to me. It's so badly paced out lol

• I mentioned Max’s pep talk was good and it was but also I wish that it was in a better written context. Like, I think it would have been a better end to the cliff scene instead of a way to motivate David to... fight a robot cause... He thinks he can't... Because reasons? It doesn't make a whole lot of sense and I think that it's supposed to connect but it really doesn't.

• Too much Preston. Never liked Preston never will. Why did he talk so much.

• the running gag of everyone being like “oooookay” when the trio assumes they hate them is just... So unfunny omg

• This episode suffers from season 4 syndrome, which was a characteristic of season 4 that I heavily disliked where they sacrifice the outrageous personalities of the characters to have them sit around and discuss life lessons that aren't even that profound to begin with. It's boring, unnatural, and uncharacteristic. At least make it funny. I don't want to see them sit on the ground and calmly discuss basic friendship lessons like I KNOW THAT NOW PLEASE DO SOMETHING INTERESTING.

• I wish David and Max got a better goodbye. I kind of liked David’s line of “That's good enough for me.” but I wish they expanded on it. Maybe have Max struggle to be sincere and make it more obvious that he's trying to act tough and David still sees through it. So he's like “I get that's you're struggling to be sincere so ill take what I can get because I appreciate the effort.”

Overall, it was kind of a mixed bag. It had some very VERY good moments and a lot of good ideas, but I think it was messy and didn't use it's time well, as well as not taking advantage of a lot of potential jokes. I understand that they likely had limitations but they tried to tackle too much with one episode. If I were to change anything I would cut the first half and work on giving the characters a more clear and smooth arc from beginning to end. Pick a focus and stick to it! Still, I'm excited to see where this will go!

[kaythefloppa]

Wild Kratts - Fish Out of Water Review [Spoilers]

April is finally here, and with it, three new episodes have been released on the PBS Kids Video App ahead of their release. At the time I'm posting this, it is midnight and the one hour special "Our Blue and Green World" is yet to air on televison and streaming, so I will get to that when I get to that. Given that I have already reviewed No Name Dream and Backpack the Camel, I'll give a review to this episode as well. Spoiler warning and opinions ahead under the cut

First New York, then Hawaii, and now a goddamn University on the list of areas I would never expect these guys to film. Bros are everywhere.

As someone who is about to graduate high school, I feel IMMENSELY jealous of the college students who saw the motherfucking Kratt Brothers filming an episode on campus. I can already begin to see the floods of social media posts bragging about this on Tumblr and Twitter threads.

Ok I feel bad for being a bit salty earlier, I actually think it's really sweet how these people outside of the show can share their interests and expertise in biology and physics to help children educate. The entire live-action opening where they study the locomotion of mudskippers is honestly really sweet, and we haven't even gotten to our main animal yet!

God these are such cute animals. But beyond that, the term "fish out of water" could not be a more fitting title. They have joints like we do, can adapt to different environments, and can swim and climb like we can. This is probably my favorite live action segment because of how well structured the clips and movements are and just how fun it is seeing these little blorbs move around the place.

I should talk about how it took us half a decade to see a mudskipper on the show, and 13 years overall to get a focus episode, but so far, up to a great start and definitely worth waiting (for the most part).

Oh so is it like the Hermit Crab episode where in all of the official releases they leave out the determiner but in the actual episode it's there? This has no overall bearing on the episode but I just felt the need to point it out.

I should check off on my S7 bingo card about seeing the old inventions again because holy shit it's been almost a decade since we saw the Butterflier XT

Also can anyone identify those butterflies? I know for a FACT that those motherfuckers aren't monarchs because of their patterns (the only pattern variation in butterflies is sex-linked, and while I'm aware they live in Asia, this again, does not look like a match) but they also aren't viceroys because they lack the line around their wings. I only ask this to bring up my next point.

I thought the Butterfly Disc we saw in Season 1 was specifically programmed based off of Monarch Butterflies. But as established (until proven wrong), these are not monarch butterflies. So unless Aviva retrofitted or reprogrammed the disc to be multi-familial, as in they can touch any butterfly regardless of classification and activate accordingly (like with the Crocodile, Dragonfly, and Gecko Discs), the activation should not work. I only ask this because while it seems miniscule, Chris' decision to bring out the disc is what sets off the plot - It's what causes him to loose the discs in the butterfly swarm, so I feel like, while not a critique, it's a legitimate question as to the direct programming of the discs vs. the animals used to activate.

Man, Zach wasn't even in this episode and somehow they STILL lose their discs? (Actually, I am pleasantly surprised that they didn't take the opportunity to have this be a Zach-related episode).

You think they'd put a tracker on the collection or encode a chip the actual discs so that they wouldn't get lost this easily. This again, sounds like a nitpick, but earlier seasons set up a firewall for the Creature Power Discs and a tracking device/rocket-device on the Creature Power Suits and gloves because of how frequent these types of contingiences are, so there's really no excuse for this.

(Suck my ass PBS Kids Video App, I'm still able to get high quality snips even with your bullshit formatting!!!)

They really went all out with the "other-wordly" vibe that the mudskippers' territory gave off. Once again, we waited two years for this to be put to animation and to see come air.

I've made enough jokes around these situations in the show, so I think we'd all benefit if I just changed the subject: That front-facing mudskipper is fucking hilarious.

*Martin's voice* - Slimy Skin-breathers!

Okay, but I actually did not know that. At all. Even 10 years later, this show is still teaching me new things about animals in the most beautfully unexpected ways. This is one of the many reasons I will never give up on the show.

[Unexpected angst in bagging area - Also, with the inclusion of No Name Dream, which will air two days before this episode, that brings our Krangstt quota to #2]

Okay so I really like the set-up here, and it genuinely was a surprise seeing Jimmy angst in this episode as a subplot in a series that rarely operates on A-plots and B-plots (unless you count the villains' schemes which are usually just A^2 plots) like most shows. And as someone who legitimately was going through rough times (S7 was actually one of my few reasons to keep going), I heavily related to Jimmy. So yeah, a Jimmy angst episode? Can totally buy. What I'm not gonna buy is how they execute it with the ending, because that and the implications.... yikes...

C'mon! "Mudspitter" was right there! Right there!

Ok, here is where my main problem with this episode's subplot is. If I could boil it down to one word, it would be: Incomplete. Jimmy feeling inadequate based on an observation he made is one thing. Him immediately leaving afterwards on a whim moments after said observation is completely another and doesn't align that well.

Like, this would only work if Jimmy had attempted to be a fish "IN" water. If he tried to help Aviva and Koki with the data-research and inventing, but he failed, and they politely turned him down. Or if there was any basis as to why he suddenly disregards his piloting skills or teleporting, whether he doesn't care or doesn't think them to be enough for him to fit in. Like, he wants to be in on the action because some part of him doesn't feel like sitting around by the teleporter is enough. What I'm saying is, there is no pathos. I personally find it to be relatable, but on a narrative level, it doesn't work. I know the "character feeling left out so they leave" thing is cliche'd, but there's a reason it's a cliche, and that's because it follows a lot of writing beats that this particular episode doesn't, so on top of being cliche'd as fuck to begin with, it feels very awkward. And this is going to be apparent both here and in this episode's climax (which I also do not have many kind words for,) so I had to use my allotted time to talk about why this doesn't work.

Could... could they not call him on his Creaturepod? Could the brothers not call him on his Pod? Did he even have his Creaturepod?? Again, there are so many plot-holes in this B-story that could've easily been written around with a change of dialogue or scenery. Have Jimmy's Creaturepod be shown left lying around which makes them realize they have no way of getting him back to the teleporter in time. Jimmy would have no reason to even bring his Creaturepod on his adventure, so that just raises even more questions. Like, this isn't an active diss on the writers, but I think there should've been more proof-reading of the script since this is a massive oversight.

I think now is the time for me to bring up this question I've had for years now; How exactly does the teleporter work? In several episodes, we've seen that there is a coordinate code in the teleporter that allows it to be sent to the target. Koki's "the communication queen" as Aviva puts it, so she'd likely be able to triangulate the brothers' location. So I'm not sure why the show presents this as a struggle for Koki. This isn't the only example, so I won't hold it against the episode, (they have this be the case specifically to emphasize the point that they need Jimmy, which I can forgive) but it's another piece of lore that I should probably theorize about lmao.

Also

YOU HAVE LITERALLY TELPORTED THE CREATURE POWER DISCS FOUR TIMES.

TWO OF THOSE TIMES BEING IN A ROW.

AND ONE OF THEM WAS FOUR EPISODES AGO IN THIS EXACT SAME SEASON.

This whole episode spent the past five minutes making its main characters look incredibly idiotic for the sake of its B plot.

Once again, this episode's spitting facts that I didn't even know.

This is actually a neat seguay, having the brothers figure out the abilities of the mudskippers while exercising their own cool abilities. It feels really natural, and again, is an inventive way to show off the locomotive abilities of the mudskipper.

I feel like this falls very well between "accurate enough to be admirable" and "uncanny." I can (maybe on my deathbed) get used to this suit's design (though I'm partly glad Chris doesn't activate it because spoilers, he doesn't).

I've given this subplot a lot of flack, but credit where it's due, even with its misses, it does hit with the emotional beats.

Very conflicted on this:

On one hand, Jimmy actually taking the initiative to miniaturize is pretty ballsy. The show, despite not being serialized, does develop its characters in a way that you can sense a clear difference of them when you compare the modern seasons to the earlier ones. And this can be seen as a positive development for Jimmy, since it's his "Creature Adventure."

On the other hand.... back to what I was saying about consistency. Why did Jimmy bring the miniaturizer?? What was his prompting?? Was he planning on shrinking himself down the whole time? Like, he left his friends for god knows how much time and is now out of nowhere shrinking himself down to fish size because he feels inadequate? Uhm, Jimmy, ever heard the idea of therapy?

Also, again, very weird presentation of the episode. They don't at all put any attention to Jimmy's coms and whether or not he has them, (which would easily solve a bigger issue of why he's not contacted), yet they have him carry the Miniaturizer with him. Now, the latter is plot-relevant, but so could've been something about the Creaturepod.

This [from what I interpret] gets Jimmy out of his slump, making his "scientific discovery." Not realizing that his job of piloting and teleporting are equally important. Again, this is structured poorly. I like what they were going for, but it shouldn't have been the only thing that altered the trajectory of this subplot. Again, he can teleport discs to the brothers and pilot and while those are mentioned later on, it's not something he comes to himself in an "oh shit" moment. So this just feels unearned and weird. I really hate how harsh I am, since it's a Jimmy centric episode and it was the #1 requested thing on all the chat-boards during the hiatus, but this is one of those things where it has to be done right if at all. This isn't done right, and the fact that it takes up 50% of the episode just... ugh.

You can't tell it through screenshots but with the way Aviva says it and the scene cutting to her and Koki laughing at it, I'm 98% inclined that this was a specific innuendo, and ngl, I kinda laughed too.

Oh look, it's Kenge's cousin! [For you Lion Guard fans that also recognize Wild Kratts] - [I was inclined to make a reference to Jessie, but that felt in bad taste considering y'know]

Ok, but that has to be an Asian water monitor. Correct me if I'm wrong. What I'm definitely not wrong about is that their bites contain venom; To a human it's not lethal, however to small prey, including mudskippers, or anything around that size, it's lights out. So yeah, Chris and Martin are fucked.

Ok this line is absolutely badass.

Also, grey?? Grey?? I thought Jimmy's signature color was orange/yellow? Or red with the implication of the tail episode? Great, now there's another color that'll be in the debates for his future Creature Power Suit.

Once again, this arc feels weirdly put together. This notion comes up specifically at the climax when it should come up beforehand as Jimmy realizes his worth. Because otherwise, it gives the implication that he knew this all along and yet still felt like a fish out of water, which doesn't mesh together properly (it could, if the episode actually tried to do so which it didn't).

The episode, Sea Otter Swim, does this plot so much better. We see Jimmy's doubts, and we see how he overcomes said doubts in a way that is presented clear to the audience, and the climax where he actually realizes what he's capable of feels earned. This is not earned. So even though I am rooting for him to win, this whole thing just feels messy.

So is nobody gonna ask why Jimmy left his post? Is Jimmy not gonna tell everyone why he left, or at the very least ask why nobody bothered to call for him? Is nobody going to at least let Jimmy know that he can't just... abandon his post without warning because of the fact that they need him? Is Jimmy not going to come to that conclusion himself? Is anything in this episode gonna be earned??

This entire ending feels like an ass-pull: First off, Jimmy and the brothers had enough time to head back to the miniaturizer and then the Tortuga, and in none of that time, did Jimmy ever give them the Power Discs? Why? Yes, it was for the sake of the fake-out defeat/joke, but was there any reason why Jimmy just kept the thing hidden waiting to give it to the brothers?

The entire emotional climax to this episode is basically everyone putting Jimmy on a pedestal. It's unsatisfying because there wasn't any acknowledgement or follow up to Jimmy's conflict at the beginning, nor is the lesson learned in the right way, and the conclusion just overreacts by hyping up Jimmy instead of just having a reasonable "We're a team!" thing, or through any self-actualization of his good qualities that Koki pointed out. None of it, friggin' none of this is earned! Now it comes across as Jimmy being uncharacterstically boastful and cocky and the others just kissing his arse. That's probably not the intent but it was the result.

That is actually like, so fucking cool. I have massive respect for all of these people, like legitimately (also, considerning that's the exact opposite of what Zach does on an ethics scale, I find that really interesting). But beyond that, I think this episode has the best live action segments ever, they are so ingenuitive. I could easily see someone at my high school showing a clip of this episode in robotics' or biology class.

CONCLUSION:

PROS:

The live action segments.

The info dumps about the mudskippers.

The Kratt Brother's adventure with the mudskippers.

The animation

The background music (a lot of which is recycled from earlier seasons)

CONS:

Everything else (specifically the B plot). I feel like the writers wanted to give Jimmy his own storyline, either out of interest or seeing how popular the character was in chat-boards, but they didn't know how to do it so they just went through the motions without really connecting anything at all, so it's a lot harder relating to the exact conflicts in some cases, and you feel disatisfied by the cimax. It reminds me of what they did with Vitani in the Lion Guard finale, a case of giving this one character the spotlight, but hitting all of the wrong marks that does the character and the audience a disservice and leaves a bitter taste in the viewer's mouth by the end credits.

This is the first episode this season that has made me cringe, primarily off of its premise, not just a particular scene, a dated pop culture reference, or a weird-looking Power Suit. It is the first to make me cringe because of its story, which again, the B-plot takes up 50% of the episode, so it's constantly in your face. It's definitely not bad, not hateable bad, and it's far too early in the season to call it the worst, and there are definitely worse episodes out there, ones that have aired and ones that probably will inevitably air, but I can safely say, thus far, it's the one Wild Kratts episode that I enjoy, but only to an extent. The live action segments were by far the only thing that I got extremely engaged in, but other than that, and the other pros, it's not that good.

Final Ranking: 6/10: Above Average, but Needed Improvement.

[holdmecloser-gandydancer]

So uh, it's @taznovembercelebration time yet again! I wanted to at least get one out so when i pulled Celebrity AU, i had a pretty perfect opening (because the au that lives in mine and Hali's head is constantly rotating like a chicken in my mind)

---

“So that neighbor guy.” Lup states, nary a preamble in the same square mile. She’s perched on the counter, supervising while Taako scrambles a half-dozen eggs. It’s entirely too early or perhaps too late for food, guess it just depends on your perspective. But, far be it from either of them to ever ask for someone else’s perspective.

“He’s certainly a neighbor,” Taako says. He’s not willing to take whatever bait it is that Lup’s dangling. He pokes at the eggs with a spatula and sprinkles a hefty pinch of salt on top, mixing as he goes. 

“He was remarkably kind, given how obnoxious the party was. And his pajamas were awfully cute.” 

Taako fakes a gasp. “Lup, I thought you’re with a very dashing Apple store employee! How quickly your eyes wander.” He hasn’t thought about whatshisname (Kravitz Queen in apartment 22F) since the party he so rudely intruded on. And then fell asleep at. Right at Taako’s own kitchen table. 

She groans and rolls her eyes. “Taako, you’re being purposefully obtuse.” 

“I’ve been told I’m quite acutie.” 

“Awful, I want a new brother.” 

“Sorry, no returns,” he says gleefully. He shuts the burner off and grabs two plates from the cupboard, evenly distributing the eggs across them. “Like. I dunno, Lup, what do you want me to say? He’s cute, sure, but I thought I wasn’t supposed to be pursuing new relationships right now.” That’s what all the doctors at Hollybrook suggested, anyway. He’d rolled his eyes when he first heard that, but as the months have progressed, it’s been a nice break. 

“I’m not saying you need to get married or anything, I’m just saying he’s cute and nice and a musician. Simply stating facts,” she says around a bite of scrambled eggs. “I’m supposed to be on set today, the director apparently has a bold new vision and needs some more cash to make it happen. You wanna come?”

He mulls it over for a moment. “Anyone cool? Last one you produced had that shitbag Jerre whatshisnuts and he was so smarmy at the premiere and I think if I ever saw him again I’d deck him.” 

“No Mr. Whatshisnuts, scout’s honor,” Lup says, giving him a faux-serious two-fingered salute. 

Taako snorts and rolls his eyes. “We were never scouts, goofus. But, nah. I’m going to sit this one out. Probably do some journaling and go to bed.” 

“Okay, call me if you need me. I’ll be back this afternoon, probably. Maybe we can get dinner tonight?” 

He nods. “Sounds good, be safe. Love you.”

“Love you!”

—

“—And rather than scripting this out, we feel that this sequence is going to be shown best through a kind of dream ballet scene that’ll last for about seven minutes,” The director excitedly explains to Lup. She’s trying hard to focus, she really is, but her phone seems intent on boring a hole through her leg. She sneaks a quick glance to see that she’s missed a fourth call from Lucretia. That’s never good.

“Hey, Todd, love this idea you’ve got going on. My publicist is like, blowing up my phone so let’s regroup in half an hour, okay? Okay!” She says as she extricates herself from the conversation. 

“Luce, what’s up?” Lup asks, just managing to catch this fifth call. 

“I thought Taako was off Twitter for now,” Lucretia says, sounding exasperated. 

“Uh. Well he was while he was in Hollybrook but you said it’d be cool for him to reconnect with the fans now.” 

“Remind me not to have any more stupid ideas.”

“Is it bad?” Lup hasn’t been on the damn app since the last premiere. She usually lets Lucretia handle her social media except for her Letterboxd. 

“Not bad just…thirsty?” 

Lup does her best not to laugh. Well. She makes some attempt to not laugh. “Thirsty?”

Lucretia sighs. “It started off fine, just him tweeting about this musician, but a few fan accounts started stirring the pot and. Well. I guess he’s ‘down horrendously for that kravitz guy’ as @taacocat69420 so eloquently put it.” 

“God he’s a mess,” she says fondly. “I think it’ll be fine though. Kravitz is cool. Hope this gets him some extra streams or something.” 

—

Kravitz stirs at eleven. He’s a little surprised that his alarm never went off, though a quick glance at his lockscreen lends some light to why. His notifications are atrocious. Good atrocious, it just looks like the whole internet threw up in them maybe. When he finally traces the source of why, he starts to get dressed. Best not to make another pajama clad impression. 

[vashtijoy]

I don't know if people who grew up with the Internet can appreciate how miraculous it is. When Douglas Adams wrote "The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy" in 1977, the idea of a pocket device holding everything you might need to know (kind of) was pure science fiction. When I got really into Star Trek in 1990, the idea of a computer like that was still science fiction.

Like, the Internet existed, sure. But it was tiny, really only linking universities and tech companies. And though the Web was invented around that time, search engines wouldn't exist for another few years—everyone was dependent on curated directories like Gopher. A bit like today's dark web, where if you don't know the address already, you aren't coming in.

To give you some idea: I got Internet access at home (finally!) in 1995. But I didn't look at the Web for months. The Web was not the "killer app" yet—for me, that was Usenet, essentially a big discussion forum we had in place of social media.

So I'd grown up with my big two-volume dictionary at home, and the atlas, and incomplete mini-encyclopaedias of nature, places in Britain and so on—gifts from my dad, who prized reading and knowledge, and was also, in retrospect, clearly a hyperlexic autistic communication-hobbled nerd like me. (incidentally, if any researchers want to know if hyperlexia is inheritable, my ask box is open? please do something with hyperlexic adults already, we're literally magic.) I also had a couple of children's encyclopaedias, gifts from an aunt who'd found them at a car boot sale, but they dated from the 50s and 60s and were... really kind of outdated and racist. Which is a whole other story: the fact that books get old.

But if I wanted to know something, I looked it up in my books. If I was interested in something, I looked for it in the library. But the city library only had so many books. I didn't have adults around me I could ask—Dad lived on the other side of the country, which might as well have been the moon since neither of us were good on the phone, and the rest of the family is, to this day, not so big on education. I remember, when I was like 15, reading in Carl Sagan's "Contact" about how kid Ellie went to the university library to look up a thing, and thinking "... you can do that??". But the university library was in the city, and I didn't know where it was, or particularly think they would let me in... if I'd known how awesome university libraries are, though, I would have crawled over broken glass to get there, lol.

Plus, the limited pool of knowledge I had limited what I could be interested in. Something can't catch your attention if you never hear about it. (this is why wide reading, and reading outside your bubble, is important, btw.)

Mainly I made do with the patchwork of things I remembered reading, or had seen on TV, or heard at school—a bubble of half-misremembered, unconfirmed rumours and instincts and facts. And this is where it gets important: when you're thinking about your parents and grandparents and olds generally, and how dumb they are about rumours and shit on Facebook, remember this is how we grew up. Information literacy is precious.

But yeah, the point of this was that I went from knowing almost nothing, from having no way to find out anything or any real research tools, to being able to sit down and question the whole world, about anything.

And it was magic. It's still magic. It would have made the little kid I was, who just wanted to read everything and know everything, so happy.

[age-of-flower-power]

Give Love a Chance (J.T.K)- Chapter 11

Pairing: Jake Kizska x f!Reader

Summary: rom-com inspired au, quirky girl who has given up on love meets boy in a band who might or might-not-be head over heels for her… if she can realize that.

Word Count: 4k

Warnings: partying, mentions of 18+, and alcohol 

A/N: I was so busy this week, but here is chapter 11! I’d say our story is about 2/3rds of the way completed! Enjoy

Just a reminder: my ask box is open and I am taking requests!

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, okay. Don’t come for me.

chapter 6 chapter 7 chapter 8 chapter 9 chapter 10

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With the seasons changing Halloween was a weekend away, leaving you to decide if it was actually worth it to go out this year or stay inside and binge horror movies. Instead of actually deciding on a plan or idea you conferred internally to text the one person who you suspected would have some semblance of an actual plan for the season. 

Grabbing your phone off the desk in your room, you shut the lid of your laptop and leaned back. Your thumbs typed out a response before you almost chickened out. 

        You:

        Any plans for all-hallows-eve?

        Sent, 11:39am

You clicked your tongue in wait of a response, finding entertainment in scrolling aimlessly through some social media app. Soon enough however (you knew you could either wait forever for a response or have one immediately from him) your phone chimed and the notification popped up on the top half of your screen. Immediately your thumb swiped over it so you could read the reply. 

       Joshie K:

        Oh, miss me that much? You’ve come to the right place. I have a buddy who’s throwing a “bash”. Sammy and Danny are coming too :)

        Sent, 11:43am

Honestly you were surprised he’d responded fast and without sending a paragraph to do it. Josh had a habit of texting you at odd hours of the day, he was honestly who you talked with most besides Jake… 

        Joshie K:

        Wait, have you texted Jakey today? I think he just woke up. Looks sad lol.

        Sent, 11:43am

The second text caught you off guard a little but you rolled your eyes lovingly at Josh’s subtle hint to send Jake a good morning text. 

        You:

        I have no plans for Halloween, that’s why I asked… and ok i'm on it! Jakey cheer-up, here I go!

        Sent, 11:45am

You sent that text back and now considered asking Jake if maybe he wanted to go to a party with you this year. You could always invite Annie along too. You’d taken notice of the fact that she was hanging around the actual apartment a lot more. You didn’t mind, but it would occasionally cut into your Jakey-time when she would watch movies with you both. That meant minimal time to make-out with him if she was always around. 

You pushed the thought of asking her if something was up to the back of your mind when you pulled up Jake’s contact information and sent off a good morning text. 

        You:

        Hi lovie, hope you slept well! Do you want to attend a party this weekend with me?

        Sent, 11:47am

You didn’t wait long for a response from him, both of you equally whipped for each other. 

        Jake (from the bar):

        Hey baby, good morning to you too ;) 

        Party sounds good 2 me

        Sent, 11:48am

Now that you were reading his contact name you figured you should definitely change it. You kept it that way mainly for nostalgia sake because meeting him that night would forever replay in your mind, but now it was just a running joke for you and you only. That was okay, you weren’t sure Jake knew- your contact name in his phone was literally your name with a red love heart.

Anyway, you sighed and held the phone to your chest after reading his little response. Even over text you could hear the crisp tone of his voice in your head and it made you feel content all over. 

------------

Later in the week you managed to ask Annie if she wanted to attend the Halloween party with the boy and you. At first she seemed pretty skeptical, mainly because she didn’t want to be a third wheel all night but after you scolded her about how you had done just that and met Jake on the same night she seemed to not be so fussy about it. 

The boys would pick the both of you up at 9pm, claiming there was “enough room” in Danny’s van and that if there wasn’t then you could suffer by taking Jake’s lap. (You had replied that out of anyone, Sammy should be the one to sit in a lap but he had whined about long legs). Either way, you and Annie got ready in the bathroom together. She settled on a cute red-riding hood costume, her long dark curls and tan skin accentuating the contrast of the red and black color palette of the costume. 

You had tried to work up the courage all week to ask Jake what he might’ve worn to maybe subtly ask him to match with you but since the two of you weren’t really a couple officially you decided to go with your gut and ended up wearing a simple pirate-captain costume. It was cute, the hat dipped off to the side of your head and your voluminous hair filled it well. The boots you’d borrowed from Annie and your shirt was a worn and old white blouse. All together with the jewelry you thought it was hot enough for one night. 

All together you and Annie made your way to the kitchen and took a round of shots together for confidence and soon your phone chimed from your little clutch alerting you that the boys were outside and ready to go. 

On the way out of the apartment you did one last little tussle of hair, making sure to ask Annie if you looked alright. 

Annie just rolled her eyes, stepping out of the apartment with you and taking your hand to lead you both down to where Danny was parked. “Babe, you’re stunning as always- now c’mon let's go! I need to get laid.” She smirked at you, squeezing your hand. 

You laughed along with her up until your brain clicked a moment later and suddenly you halted right before the final steps of the complex, turning your face towards her. “Wait- laid? What happened to your boyfriend?” 

Annie simply tossed you a little forced smile and stepped out into the cold October air with you. She didn’t give you time to ask any lingering questions because Jake and Sam were outside the van sharing a cigarette when the two of you walked over. 

Jake did a low whistle when you stepped closer, dropping the last little bud of the cigarette and squishing it under his boot. You looked him up and down from head to toe to take in his costume, quite surprised when you found he too was dressed like a pirate. Huh, maybe you both had similar tastes, or maybe you’d gotten very lucky. Either way, it was an unintentional couples costume and you were living for it. 

Sam ushered the ladies inside the van, holding the door open and letting you and Jake sneak past first to sit in the back so everyone else could find their rightful places up ahead. Sam obviously popped in the passenger’s seat to keep Danny company while Annie was left to slide in next to Josh. 

You’d almost forgotten she hadn’t actually formally met any of the guys before, seeing that she was mostly at work when they were over- or that she’d seen them perform at least once all the way from a table in the back of the bar. You figured you’d make it easy and introduce the little group to her while Danny drove off and to the address of the party. 

You leaned forward in your seat from the back, pointing towards Danny and Sam in the front seat jamming out to the radio. “That’s Danny and Sammy, they’re the youngest here so feel free to pick on them for us.” You joked with Annie. 

Sam turned his head from the passenger’s seat and stuck his tongue out at you. You just laughed along with the twins, directing your hand to Josh next. “Joshua, you can introduce yourself.” You granted, sharing a smile with him. 

Josh turned to Annie but when he did and they made eye contact you watched him fumble his words strangely. “Yup. That’s me. Frontman, ya know?” He said in a hurry, quickly averting his gaze from Annie. You shared a deep look with Jake who raised a questioning brow but shrugged it off anyway. 

Annie seemed charmed, snorting behind her hand and then finally turning to Jake. You rolled your eyes at her, gesturing to him. “You already know Jake, but he’s here too.” You said through a smile. Jake slung his arm around your shoulders as you leaned back into him. 

The rest of the car ride consisted of Sam and Danny’s terrible singing, Josh’s awkward attempt at conversation with Annie for some reason, and you and Jake leaning on each other and watching it all unfold. 

Right before they pulled up to the house Jake leaned his lips close to your ear and whispered, “you look good.”

From the smell of his breath you knew he’d taken fireball shots with the boys before picking you up, but you didn’t mind one bit. You knew what cinnamon alcohol did for him and it had you biting your lip. Tonight would be fun; you were more than ready to get loose. 

------------

The party was a little out of hand by the time all of you walked in. Apparently some of Josh’s buddies were supposedly the hosts but you hadn’t seen them anywhere so it was a mystery to your little group. Josh made himself busy  by leaving to find the mountain of alcohol but apparently Annie had the same idea because when you turned to speak into her ear over the loud music, she was nowhere to be seen. Huh.

You whipped your head around to gaze through the living room and maybe locate anyone else you might know but everyone was dressed up and the music was so loud that you didn’t think at this rate you’d even be able to tell anyway. No matter, Jake had a firm grip on your hip, pulling you closer into his side as the four in your little ensemble sauntered deeper into the house. 

You hadn’t been to a social event even close to a party in months- maybe even since college. Well, any party you went to certainly wasn’t outrageous like this and that was saying something since Annie could be a bit of a social butterfly. You remember inquiring about her boyfriend tagging along earlier in the week and she’d outright dismissed you, but now she was nowhere to be seen and Jake didn’t even seem worried about Josh. 

Eventually you found the kitchen, seeing a few people scattered around the various cups and bottles. A few girls were by the fridge talking and some other people were sitting along the counter but there were no issues for Jake to simply saunter over to the breakfast island and pour both of you two shots of more fireball. 

Now that you thought about it, Danny and Sam were nowhere to be seen too! You slightly remembered them veering off in the direction of the back patio but you could never be too sure with them. 

As Jake handed you a shot he smirked, “Baby, it’s just us. Live a little.” He told you, downing his shot in one go. You gave a sheepish smile at his words but downed your own shot anyway, feeling the sting in alcohol in your throat as you swallowed.

“Lovie, I plan to live as much as I can while I'm still here. Another one?” You held your shot glass out to him again, Jake pouring you one without any fuss and another for himself. 

This time, before you could bring the glass to your lips, Jake intertwined your arms. “We’ll take this one together- liquid courage to loosen you up for a dance.” Before you could inquire further Jake lifted his arm which caused you to follow through- both of you downing your shots. 

Now you were for sure ready to go dance, your body a lot more heavy but also free enough that the nagging eyes of anyone around you simply wouldn’t notice. Jake seemed to be on the level of sobriety as you because he led you to the living room which had become a somewhat dance floor for everyone involved. Together you danced in tandem to some shitty pop music that filled your senses with a loud beat. You giggled as Jake and you let loose, making eye contact occasionally and watching the way his gaze raked up and down your frame every so often. 

You figured out early on that Jake was the type of person to really wear his emotions on his sleeve. When he was angry his eyebrows would knit, or when he was sad his eyes would drop ever so slightly- even when he was happy his smile gave it all away. However now, you watched the way his face contorted into something else entirely. It was like every time Jake watched you move or shake he looked hungry- ready to pounce on you. 

You weren’t sure whether you were scared or flattered by this new expression, but it was fulfilling in a way. You felt like he wanted you in a way that your body understood but your mind couldn’t… you bit your lip and the song changed. 

Jake leaned into you now, both of his hands splayed against your hips and gripping possessively. Jake whispered your name as his nose found purchase against the shell of your ear, you found it hard not to stutter as he placed a gentle kiss there. 

“I’m glad you came, have I already said that?” Jake asked you, his voice an octave lower than you’d ever heard. 

Somehow the feeling between your legs was tight- warm. Jake understood, sliding one leg between your own to part them and rest right under where you needed pressure the most. You tried not to squeeze your thighs together, just so you wouldn’t give away fully his effect on you. 

“You haven’t…” you replied back, pulling your head away so you could look up at him and in the face. His eyes were so deep and easy to get lost in, it was ridiculous and you felt like an idiot as you realized the only thing in life you wanted to see forever was this- him- his eyes- Jake. “You’re so glad I came, but would you be mad if I said I want to leave?” 

Jake’s eyes flicked down to your lips, watched the way you took the plump skin on your bottom lip and wet it with your tongue. Jake mimicked your action, eyes flashing back up to your own once more. Your innuendo was like a shot to his heart, one that he was fully prepared to indulge in.

“Oh hell no, let’s get out of here-” But before Jake pulled away he stopped and squeezed your hips once more. “Only if you’re sure, that is?” 

It warmed you in the best possible way to watch him stop and ask if you were sure. Even if both of you were a little tipsy you knew that there was no one you’d rather be with (or doing) than Jake, and watching him fumble his cool-guy exterior for a moment to make sure you were okay with it maybe got you even a little more flustered. 

“Take me home Jake.” Was your response, followed by a kiss to his cheek. You nipped his skin just lightly enough and telling by the way his eyes rolled back he was now dead-set on his mission to get you both home safely. 

------------

You remembered waiting out on the front porch with Jake as he pulled up an uber on his phone, muttering to himself about the time it was taking and what-not. You both had shared a cigarette while you stood in the October chill, staring at the road as you tapped your foot and Jake chewed his cheek. It wasn’t an unwelcome restlessness- but it was definitely new for you. 

Never in your life had you felt like this with anyone else, but maybe it was the shots of whiskey or the way Jake looked ridiculously good as a pirate. You weren’t sure, but you knew you were suffering with keeping your social space. 

“Are your brothers going to mind us just taking off?” You asked Jake, staring out and looking at the shitty Halloween decorations that lined the house you both were marooned at. Jake shrugged from beside you, dropping the butt of his cig and stamping it out on the chipped wood underneath his boot just like he’d done earlier in the night.

“I honestly don’t think they’d notice- but I'm sure if they did they wouldn’t care. What about Annie?” Jake nudged his elbow into you lightly and you giggled as it made contact with your rib. 

“She’ll live.” Well she better anyway, you could count on one hand how many times she’d left you at parties to go make out with a cute boy. Now it was your turn to be a big girl and step up your game. 

Jake simply chuckled, watching from beside you as the uber driver pulled up to the curb. He led you down and opened the door for you like a gentleman, sliding in after you. As you both fit into the space Jake’s palm found a home on your upper thigh, just resting there. 

Some formalities with the uber driver were shared but nothing major. You listened to the music that played through the car speakers, busying yourself with trying to ignore the throb between your legs as Jake’s hand slid higher the closer you got to his place. 

Now that you thought about it, you’d never actually been to his place before. At least, you’d never been invited. It wasn’t like Jake didn’t want you there, but one time he had explained it could get a little messy and he didn’t want to make you uncomfortable with its condition. Now though, Jake seemed to understand that this was the only place you’d have privacy tonight- whatever that meant. 

Right before you pulled up to the desired location the driver hit a small pothole in the road while tousling the car ever so slightly- Jake’s hand squeezed down on your thigh. You weren’t sure how much longer you could wait, especially not when you looked up from the hand on your inner thigh and noticed Jake strained against his pants. 

Finally the driver arrived and you thanked him quietly. Jake slid out of the car, offering his hand to you, and you slid out right after. Jake pulled you into his side gently, leading you up the steps and to the door of his shared living space. Right as he put the keys into the door and pushed it open with a ‘click’ he was on you. 

You didn’t even register dropping your purse or Jake’s keys falling to the floor because the next few minutes were just two bodies clawing and gripping each other for purchase to be closer and closer. 

One moment Jake’s hands were in your hair and his lips were on yours in a feverish kiss and the next your body was laid out on a couch beneath you and your hands were feeling up and under Jake’s white blouse. 

Needless to say, Jake was an amazing kisser. You knew that, you practically melted every time his lips found your own but this was different now. He was devouring your love and being so greedy with everything you were letting him have. You were no different, every kiss and every breath shared edged you more to wanting that final goal. 

Both of you pulled away to pant as things began to slow down. You looked up from your spot beneath Jake, hair splayed out around you in knots. One of his hands rested right next to your ear, the other held the back of the couch to keep him hovering above you. The way he panted dangerously offset his now open blouse, the necklaces he wore dangling down as he looked at you. 

You almost felt self conscious with the way his beauty could’ve remarked on your own. His messy brown locks, his blissful lips, the sheen of sweat over his forehead. You reached a hand up gently and pulled him back down to lock lips once more, moaning into the feeling of his affections. 

“Jake…” you whined against his lips. 

“I know.” He groaned back into your own. Jake knew what you wanted. 

Jake always knew. 

------------

You were sure that waking up beside Jake was a feeling you longed for but also that when you did wake beside him you treasured it so much. Now, as you opened your eyes to the sight of him asleep and laid out against the soft sheets of the bed… you knew you were in love. There was no possible way to escape that feeling- not when his eyelashes fluttered with every other breath and his tangled locks framed the rose tint on his cheeks so adorably. 

You were glad you’d woken before him because now you got to lie back and admire him in such a natural state of existence. Jake probably would complain to you later about you not getting enough rest- the hypocrite that he was- but you just couldn’t care at all. 

Your hand gently pushed his hair out of his sleepy face and behind his ear, stroking his soft waves. Suddenly you scrambled and remembered just hours before. Just how raw and passionate it had been, every minute of it. 

You remembered the way Jake whispered praises against the mounds of your chest and how you cried out against the first feeling of him inside- or even the final kiss when you both climaxed and fell into each other's arms. It was so sensual, you felt exposed now even just thinking about it. 

Jake stirred at your ministrations, eye peeking open to study you before he let out a groan and buried his face into the fabric of his pillow. You giggled, tugging his body closer so he could rest against your chest instead- which he did. Jake kissed your collar bone gently and didn’t speak for another moment, trying to wake himself up. 

That was fine. You had something you wanted to say to him anyway. 

“Jake.” You started. He didn’t look up from the sanctuary of your chest, instead he simply hummed to let you know he was listening. “Will you be my boyfriend?” You blurted. 

Maybe it was the soft light of the November morning, or the tangled knots of Jake’s hair that were perfect to you, or maybe it was just how beautiful the night you shared had been… but you felt ready now, more than ever. 

Jake sat up on his elbows then, his back muscles popping slightly as he held himself above you. The stupid boyish grin on his face gave his exact thoughts away as he answered back. 

“I’d love nothing more.” Jake told you, leaning down to nudge both of your noses together. You saw the light flash in his eyes at his glee and your own heart palpitated too at just how right it felt being here with Jake. 

Even with the trees dying outside, the weather getting colder day by day, and all the emotional stress of life outside none of it truly mattered the way that being with Jake in that moment did. No matter how bare your bodies were It was safest in bed with Jake, the temperature was warm, and the love was endless.

As you two kissed to seal the deal you realized you hadn’t told your friends where you both went last night… oh well, Josh hadn’t come home to you and Jake’s mess anyway- so who cared. 

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Taglist:  @theweightofstardust @joshkiszkas @kiszkawagnerwhore @oyoke  @mgk777 @carlybubs @myownparadise96 @doodle417 @turtleskane @way-to-go-lad @eeeloraaa @jazzyllemmon​ @baguettejuliette​

Let me know if you’d like to be removed or added! xoxo (or if I missed you on accident!)

[jupitermelichios]

i put some stuff in the comments but i ran out of space so i'm reblogging

firstly, lying about the tuition isn't great, but i can't say i wouldn't have done the same in your situation, especially at your age. being 20 is fucking hard.

secondly, your dad sounds like a piece of work, and you would be absolutely 100% justified in lying to him about not deleting your discord. a) you're a full grown adult who can make their own decisions, b) the idea that having social media accounts makes people fail exams is some technophobic nonsense, and c) it kind of sounds like he's trying to isolate you which is really not okay. lie to his face about it without guilt, just be careful. definitely delete the app now rather than waiting for him to check, password lock your devices if you haven't already, get in the habit of closing tabs when you're not using them so you don't accidentally leave discord open, and stick to incognito tabs or clear the browsing history if you're using a shared family computer at all

second-and-a-half-ly, medical care is confidential, if your dad does decided to seek mental health treatment no one but he and his therapist ever need to know unless he wants them to, don't worry about it hurting his reputation.

thirdly, i hope you'll accept some tips from someone who also really struggled with physical and mental health all through university, and ended up having to repeat a two years (but got there in the end)

a lot of people irl are probably going to tell you some real bullshit about yourself and your situation (maybe not, for your sake i hope not, but it's unfortunately more likely than not based on my experience). so you need to look yourself in the eye now and accept that no matter what anyone else might say, you did the best you could. yes even though you didn't sit the exams. yes even though you didn't get the grade you needed. you did your best, and the fact that you didn't end up where you wanted to be is no kind of moral reflection on you. you did your best in a crap situation, and you should be proud of yourself

but, and it's kind of a big but, accepting that you tried you best also means accepting that 'next year i'll work harder, be healthier, be better at the things i struggle with' isn't a plan, it's wishful thinking. accepting it means sitting down and making a plan for how you cope if things don't get better, because sometimes you try your best and things still end up being crap.

that doesn't mean they won't get better of course, and it doesn't mean you haven't grown or learned important stuff over the last semester that will help you cope if things get bad again in the future, and it doesn't mean you're giving up, even though i know it can feel like it at times. think of it like putting on a lifejacket before getting onto a boat. you might not need it, but promising yourself you won't crash the ship won't do anything to stop a storm blowing in, and trying to get back to land to collect one after your boat is in trouble is going to be really fucking hard. putting on a life jacket isn't you giving up on being a good sailor, it's just taking reasonable precautions. so you make a plan now, and then you've got it ready for when you need it.

there's four main things you need in your plan:

1. getting medical support if at all possible, and getting it now while you're relatively okay, so that it can help you stay okay, rather than waiting until a big crash comes. see if your university offers any kind of student mental health services (they often do in my country but every country is different), and if it doesn't, try to find services yourself. without knowing your country i can't advise on what that would be, since every country is different

in addition/instead you can look into what doctors recommend people do for themselves to manage your particular flavour of mental health problems, and try to incorportate that into your daily life. don't try and fix all your problems yourself, or set huge goals (it'll just end up being a source of stress when you inevitable struggle if you aim too high), find something you genuinely think you can do most of the time, whether that's a guided meditation app, mindfulness excercises, going for walks (i know it sounds like bullshit but unfortunatly all the resrarch agrees it helps with most mental health stuff), yoga, drinking more water, whatever the research recommends and you think you could do on an average day. the point isn't to cure yourself, it's just to reduce the chances of a big crash and generally give yourself a bit more mental energy to deal with problems if or when they do happen.

2. talk to your personal tutor if you have one (i don't know what other countries call this - universities here assign students a lecturer to act as your first point of contact for any concerns or academic issues you might have, we call it a tutor), and when you know what classes you're going to be taking this next semester, talk to the lecturers, as soon as you can. let them know now that you have some chronic health problems. that's scary the first time, but it gets easier every time, I promise. if you prefer not to do it face to face (and having a paper trail can be useful anyway) you can write up one formal email and then just tailor a few details and send it to each tutor. you don't have to tell them anything about what your health problems are, although it's best not to actually lie because you might need to produce medical evidence at some point down the line. just tell them you're looking forward to their class, and you wanted to let them know in advance that you have chronic health issues which can occaisionally impact your studies. you don't anticipate it being a problem, but you wanted to check, if it does impact you ability to attend class, whether lecture notes/slides are shared anywhere online, and if not, whether they would be willing to email them to you, and whether there will be classes (such as practicals/labs/presentations etc) which can only be done in person this semester, so that you can plan accordingly.

this works regardless of whether you actually think you'll need the slides or whether there will be in person classes, because the actual point isn't the slides, it's a) to make sure that if things get bad again and you have to ask for accomodations there's already a record of you having issues, which usually makes people more likely to accept you're being genuine, and b) make sure they know that you're pro-active and eager to learn, so they'll want to help to you if you need it.

(and since lecturers are only human, and sometimes humans are unfortunately dicks, it also lets you know which lecturers are the most likely to be kind and understanding)

3. find out now what the policy is on extensions to deadlines for coursework or homework. it might be university wide, or it might be department by department, or it might be lecturer by lecturer (in which case you can incorporate it into your email above). if you have a personal tutor, start there, or ask the university office who should be able to point you in the right direction, or if you have a student union, they probably have someone who can help. find out if you need medical evidence, and how much in advance you need to request the extension, so that if you do end up struggling, you know in advance what to do.

4. take a serious look at the last semester, and the one you dropped out of before, and try and figure out what the big stressors are. i know it probably feels like the answer is 'all of it', but there will be some stuff that stresses you out more than others. if you're living away from home, is it stuff about that, like cooking for yourself, or washing up, or laundry? do you have a friend who stresses you out every time you talk? is there a specific class or type of class you really struggle with? is it having too many exams all at once? did you have to do a lot of academic reading you found difficult? did all your classes combined involve more outside study than you had time for? do you really hate having to chose what to wear to class? have you used alcohol or drugs in a way that's stressing you out? are there noises or smells that you find seriously unpleasant? is it a person you live with? sometimes surprisingly small things can have a big impact. I have to limit how many crime stories i read, which sounds kind of silly for a 33 year old adult, but for some reason they happen to be one of the things that sets off my anxiety really badly. brains can just be assholes like that sometimes.

figure out what your stressors are, and then you can start figuring out ways to reduce or remove them. don't worry about what a "normal" person would need, who cares about them. everyone everywhere needs some kind of accomodation or has to compromise between that they think they should do and what they realistically can do, it's just that it usually happens behind closed doors so we don't see other people do it. it's not weak or shameful to alter our lives to fit what we need, it's a sign of maturity. and there's almost always at least a partial solution to stressors or mental health triggers. if you can't think of one, try searching online or asking people because there are no new problems, and chances are you're not the first person to ask. if the issue is about the number or type of classes, try and mix up what classes you take to balance out the ones you find particularly hard with easier ones (if you don't get told in advance automatically what coursework or exams will be like, or if you don't know what the lecturer will be like, ask other students - if the school has a message board or forum online for students you could ask there, if you don't know anyone irl to ask - there's usually someone who'll know).

and then, with these done, if things do get bad again, you know the process for asking for extensions, you've primed lecturers to support you if you need to skip class or ask for extra support (and in the unfortunatle situation that any of them didn't respond well to the email you know which classes to prioritise if you have to let some things slip), you'll have coping strategies and ideally professionals to support you, and you'll know what makes things worse and you can take steps to temporarily remove it from your life while you get back on your feet (for example, if you know cooking is a stressor, you can't permanently remove it from your life because you need to eat, but if you hit a bad patch, there's no shame in living on bananas and sandwiches for a few weeks to remove that stress from your life until you're feeling better)

good luck! you've totally got this 💚

AITA for asking my parents to pay my tuition for the semester, lying about how I lost my scholarship, and then planning on lying to my dad regarding his requirements in exchange for him paying the tuition?

My (20X) college has a scholarship for offspring of faculty members, and I was lucky enough to have my application accepted by the college that my dad (53M) works at. This means that I get a full ride scholarship; if I graduate within 4 years, I won't have to pay a single penny to my college (books and supplies not included, of course).

Unfortunately, the scholarship does have two requirements; I need to have taken at least a certain amount of credits semester before (not a ridiculous number), and for that semester, I need to have gotten over a 2.0/4.3 GPA. Easy enough, right? Who can't get a GPA over 2.0?

Well. I suffered a mental health downfall the past semester and I ended up failing half my classes. I was unable to sit my finals. I know this wasn't smart of me, and I think I should've done something about my academic situation other than just wait for the semester to be over, but I had quit a semester due to my mental health decline previously and I didn't want a repeat of that. In any case, I got a GPA of about 1.6. I'm not on probation but I did receive a warning.

Fortunately, this doesn't mean I lost my scholarship for good. I just need to fulfill those requirements in the upcoming semester and I get it back.

I realized I did need to pay my tuition this semester two days before tuition fee acceptance closes and I debated telling only one of my parents. My mom wants me to finish college no matter what, and my dad has told me that he does not care anymore as long as I don't stress him out. He's also told me he no longer has any expectations for me whatsoever. I did also consider talking about it with my brother and borrowing money from him to put together the tuition fee.

I figured I'd bite the bullet and just told my dad, who I know has been stressed about my future and how badly I'm doing in college. I just casually dropped it as I was making breakfast for myself and then we had a lengthy conversation that my mother (51F) joined when she got back home.

I don't remember much of the conversation (I may have memory problems) but the AITA mentioned part is that I lied to my parents and told them I did sit all my finals and try my best. I didn't. I tried that for mid term exams but I had nothing to write, so for finals I didn't sit them at all. This happened with three of the classes I was taking. I just didn't take my finals. My dad was suspicious of my claim; he said that as a professor himself he wouldn't fail students who at least submitted homework and sat their exams to write anything at all, but I maintained that I tried.

The conclusion was that my dad would be willing to pay my tuition if I got my shit together and also deleted my social media, which he thinks is a drain on my time and energy. He's not wrong. I deleted my Twitter accounts immediately afterwards (which my parents don't know about) because I've been thinking about it, but I can't really bring myself to get rid of Discord, where so many of my friends are. People I've met while studying internationally, long-term friends who moved to other countries; Discord is the only way to contact these people.

This is the AITA part; if my dad follows up on that particular requirement to check if I deleted Discord, which he particularly dislikes (he has previously confiscated the electronics I bought with my own money that I earned, after he saw me on muted call at night with some friends), I plan on deleting the app/program on my devices but using it anyway as a website. This would be a betrayal of my dad's trust in me, but there's no love lost between us anyway. He's already told me he doesn't love me unconditionally. (Yes, I'm his biological child and he did raise me.)

I also feel like an asshole because I could've settled this with the help of my brother; I'd pick up a job during the winter break to pay him back, but it would have been done eventually. Or I could've just gone to my mom. She works her own job, and we could've figured it out together without telling my dad. I told my dad anyway, wanting him to pay the tuition, even though I knew that talking about having to spend money on his kids stresses him out deeply.

My mom also told my dad to go to therapy (in detail, so I know it wasn't just something she said as a throwaway thing) during the conversation. It did get heated. I don't disagree, but I don't know if that'd be okay; mental health is stigmatized where I am, and my dad as a grown adult man and a respected professor if seen going to therapy could have his reputation kind of effected. It wouldn't have happened if I just brought up this whole situation quietly up to my mom, or just my brother.

So I lost my scholarship, I lied to my parents about the technicalities of how that happened, and I'm asking for some amount of money from my parents but also planning on lying to them in regards to the terms they set out. AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[freddyjumpi2nd]

Amphibia x NB!Reader: Chapter 2- Thai Go

A/N: This Chapter contains Abuse. Be warned!

You were currently lying on your Bed, scrolling through Social Media.

You had no idea what to do, except think about your meeting with Sasha.

It was a very sudden thing, that only happened because you were mad at your ex-Friend, Dimitri.

You and Sasha even exchanged Numbers, due to the fact that you both got along surprisingly well.

Now that you remembered that, you were  thinking about messaging her.

You didn't really have anything to do, except for homework that you weren't gonna do.

Your Father was at work and your  mom is still dead, like always...

Even if tour Father would  be here, he wouldn't want to do anything with you, due to how much he despised you.

Yeah, your Father really didn't like you.

You returned those feelings, even if  Your Father didn't physically abuse you .

Before you could think further about how your Father hates you, you snapped back to reality by a notification you saw on your phone.

It was from Sasha, she send you a message per Dm.

You tapped on the notification so it would open  your messaging app.

Once there, you read the message that was send to you.

Sasha: Hey There (Y/N)! I know  that we just met yesterday... but i wanna hang out again!!!

“She wants to hang out again?”You , mentally questioned.

But you didn't mind, considering that you have nothing to do.

(Y/N): Hey sash! Yeah sure, I would love to hang out again.

Don't have anything to do except honework that I ain't gonna do.

(Y/N): Homework*

(Y/N): all that I would need to know is when and where.

Just As you finished typing and sending these messages, a reply was send back fast.

Sasha: Oh Man, i know the perfect place!

Idk if you ever heard of it, but it's a restaurant called Thai-Go. Like the name says, it's a Thair restaurant.

Sasha: Thai*

Sasha: It's owned by the Parents of an friend of mine, and it's absolutely amazing!!

We could meet in about half an hour.

Huh, sounds neat.

(Y/N):Yeah that sounds good, I'll just have to look up where that is on Doogle maps.

Sasha: Alrighty then. See ya there. :)

(Y/N): Yee, see ya soon! :D

You now had a smile on your face. You were excited to meet Sasha

Just then your brain came up with a very important thought.

Who is gonna pay for the food? You could simply ask Sasha, but you didn't wanna bother her.

You decided to play it safe by taking your wallet  that was laying On the drawer right next to you,  pocketing it.

Now all you would need to do is look up where Thai Go is and then wait until it's time to go there.

Skip to the reader/you going to Thai Go because I'm Lazy!

Here you were, at Thai Go. Ready to eat! Well, almost, Sasha sadly is late. How long?

For 30 godang Minutes so far.

You did not get any calls or messages warning you that this might happen, so your good mood took a tiny hit.

'But hey! At least She is not like Dimitri and cancels the Dat- ergh the meeting at the last minute when you were ready.'

You thought.

Just when you finished that thought, you heard a voice, it was Sashas.

You looked up from the ground to see that it was her.

"Sorry for being late dude, I had to help a friend of mine with something."

She had an awkward smile on her face while putting an  hand on her neck.

You had an slightly annoyed look on your face.

"But couldn't you have told met that you were gonna be late?"

You asked her, with a hint of annoyance.

„Well I would have but my friend alway made sure that my attention was on her and not on my phone so I  couldn't."

She answered, sounding passive aggressive.

You decided that this an good enough of an explanation and let it go.

"Alright, sounds... reasonable."

You let out with crossed arms.

Awkward silence ensued.

„So... i think we should go inside now."

Said Sasha.

„Yeah I think we should."

You replied awkwardly

Once spoken, you two entered the restaurant.

A Bell being Heard as you two did so.

It was nicely Decorated, you couldn't really judge on how much of it actually was Thai since you never were in Thailand but it was still nice looking.

There was also a counter, presumably where you are supposed to order the food.

You weren't the biggest fan of doing that, it gave you this feeling that if you take too long, that the person at the counter might get annoyed with you and think that you are wasting their time.

Especially when it's a new restaurant you haven't been to before, meaning you have to find out what new food there is before you decide what you wanna eat.

"So... uh,  do we go the counter to order our food or..."

You spoke with your hands behind your back.

Sasha was about to reply but didn't get the chance to, because someone came from the Door(?) from behind the counter.

It was a older looking Woman.

She had brown Skin, brownish bushy hair, a red bandana on her hair, golden ear ring or at least they looked golden,  purpleish pullover with a green apron, white pants and pink crocs.

She had a neutral looking expression on her face, until she saw the face of Sasha, her neutral expression changed to that of a smile.

"Oh hey Sasha, it's nice to see you again. What can I do for you?"

She greeted cheerfully.

"Hey Mrs.B! I'm here because me and my new friend (Y/N) agreed to meet up here."

She replied cheerfully while pulling me in for a side hug and pointing at me with a big and cheerful smile.

"Ah, Well it's nice to meet you (Y/N)."

She greeted you cheerfully.

"Uh.. it's nice to meet you too Mrs..."

You didn't know what her last name was.

"Boonchuy"

She finished.

"So, what can I get you two?"

She questioned, moving on from the introductions.

Sasha put a hand hand on her Chin.

"Hmm... im feeling like Gai Tod today."

She exclaimed, putting her hand back down.

Mrs. Boonchuy wrote down the Order.

„Okay, what about you (Y/N)?"

Uhhhh dangit, You never had Thai food before so I don't know why to order.

"Uhhhhh..."

You let out, not knowing what to order, since you literally don't know what there is that you can order.

Mrs. Boonchuy looked at you with slight confusion.

All you could feel is pressure, from Mrs. Boonchuy's confused face and from Sasha's slightly annoyed face because of the fact that you needed so long.

Mrs. Boonchuy spoke again.

"Do you not know what to order?"

She asked, her expression not changing.

"I'm pretty sure it's because it his first Time ordering here Mrs. B"

Still being called "He", I think I should correct that.

"While that is correct Sasha, I would like it if you would use They and them when talking about me, you too Mrs. Boonchuy.... Please..."

Wait... how do you even know that they'll be accepting of that...

Welp, looks like you gotta deal with the consequences now.

You turned your face to look at Mrs. Boonchuy.

Mrs. Boonchuy looked at you with a neutral face but quickly changed to a small smile.

"Of course I can do that (Y/N), no problem at all."

She answered sounding actually very genuine

You then turned your face to look at Sasha,  she looked.... confused?

You couldn't really tell.

"Umm... sure... I could do that..."

She paused between words,  as if she didn't know what to say.

What's the problem here? Did my request surprise her that much or something?

"Anyways, just go ahead with your order.."

Said Sasha quickly  in order to distract from you casually coming out .

"Uh... Sure."

You replied awkwardly, still not knowing what to order.

You decided to be a brave Child today and do the impossible action of simply asking her what you can order here.

"Umm, Mrs. Boonchuy, what kind of  Food is it that I can order here?"

You asked her, sounding nervous.

Mrs. Boonchuy looked at you with a smile.

"For that just go to the Counter, we have a menu with all the things we offer on there."

You let out a relived sigh.

"O-Oaky, thanks."

You let out.

You then began to walk to the counter and looked down on it, and there in fact was a menu on it.

There were many interesting choices to make, but you decided to be a basic bitch and go with some Noodles.

"I would go with... Pad Thai."

Did I pronounce that correctly?

Mrs. Boonchuy wrote down the Order and spoke.

"Okay, anything else?"

She asked.

"No, that would be it."

You replied now calmly.

"Okay, you two take a seat somewhere, your food will come soon."

"Okay"

"Sure thing Mrs. B"

Both you and Sasha replied.

You two then went to the closet Table and sate down.

You sat on one side while Sasha sat down on the other side.

As you two sat down, it became quiet between both of you.

You decided to try to break the silence.

"Sooo... Sasha. How has your day been?"

It might be the most basic Question, but you didn't  know what else eto ask.

"Well (Y/N),  I been doing pretty Good.

What about you?"

A ver valid question, how were you doing? Not just the you in the fanfic, but the you who is reading this right now. I certainly hope that you are doing good, and if you are having a hard time, please go seek professional help.

"Well, I been doing Okay, I think."

Sasha looked confused.

"You think?"

She questioned.

"Yeah, generally I been doing okay, but there is this one thing that's been bothering me for a long time."

You explained, looking Sasha directly in the eyes.

Sasha looked at you with curiosity, she wanted her curiosity to be filled so she decided to ask what exactly it is that's been bothering you.

Not because she cared about you, but because she wanted to fill her curiosity.

"What exactly has been bothering you?"

She asked.

"I don't know if I wanna talk about it Sasha.."

You replied, feeling a bit uncomfortable now.

"Im your friend you can trust me!

I won't tell anyone."

You weren't really any more comfortable in sharing why, you and Sasha just met yesterday.

"I don't know Sash-"

Before you could finish your sentence, Sasha interrupted you.

"Common, (Y/N), it can't be that big of a deal, just tell me.

She questioned, sounding more hostile now.

Just like yesterday, that hostility caused you to comply, even if unwillingly.

"Fine."

You started.

Sashas face then returned to have a smile on it.

"Now that's bettter. Go on"

She replied, sounding friendly again.

"Well, it has to do with my father."

You started, Sasha kept quiet and listened.

"It's.. just the fact that my Father hates me and I don't even know why."

Sasha looked confused.

"You Father hates you? Does he actually hate you hate or do you jus think that he hates you?"

She questioned, making you a bit upset with her.

"I know he hates me, I always overhear him Talking shit about me."

You answered, sounding upset, just wanting this convo to stop.

Luckily it did stop, since your food finally arrived.

You knew because you heard footsteps from behind you, you turned your head to see a young looking girl with a bored expression, with two Plates on her hands.

She looked similar to Mrs. Boonchuy.

Brown Bushy Hair, Brown Skin, similar facial Features and in General looks like her mother, just younger.

As for clothes, she is wearing a red bandana on her hair, A grey Saint James Middle School shirt with a green apron on top of it.

She was wearing a purple skirt with it along with a pair of yellow and white shows.

Overall, she did look pretty.

Once the Girl saw Sasha, her bored expression turned to a face of Happiness.

"Oh my God Sasha! I'm so happy that  you are here."

She let out excitedly arriving at the desk and putting both plates down.

My Pad Thai (noodles) in front of me and Saha's Gai Tod(Fried Chicken) right in front of her.

"How's it going? And who is this random guy with you?"

She questioned, making you a bit upset that she referred to you as a "random guy."

"Well Anne, I been doing Pretty Good. And this "random guy" here.

She said using Air quotes.

"Is my New Friend (Y/N), I invited him-"

"Them"

You quickly corrected.

"Them.. here to eat something."

She sounded a bit agitated when corrected.

Anne then turned to face me.

"Hi there, you are (Y/N)? Did I hear that name right?"

Anne questions, looking you in the eyes.

"Yes you heard it right, and you must be Anne.

Nice to meet you."

You said, offering your hand for Anne to shake it.

She took and shook it for a while, it also ended quickly.

"So, are you the Daughter of Mrs. Boonchuy?"

You asked her curiously.

"I indeed am."

She answered with a smile.

"Nice! You know, Sasha told me how this place was owned by the parents of an friend of hers, so I kinda knew it would be you as soon as I saw you here."

"Okay..."

Answered Anne, not knowing what to say after hearing this Information.

Before the conversation could continue,  the voice of Anne's mom could be heard.

"Anne! i need you right now! Come back!"

Yelled Mrs. Boonchuy from the Kitchen.

"Looks like i gotta go! Was nice to meet you

(Y/N) and nice to seeyou again Sash. Bye!"

She said going back to the Kitchen.

"Wait!"

I let out, with a outstretched hand.

„Do you wanna exchange phone numbers?

Maybe all three of us could hang out someday."

You suggested.

Anne put her hand on her chin, thinking about it.

„Come on Anne, it'll be fine!"

Added Sasha.

„Mmm, Yeah sure why not."

She replied, agreeing to the Idea.

Anne then pulled out her Phone opened up her contacts, turned her phone to you so that you could see her Phone Number.

You pulled out your Phone as well, opened the Photo App and took a photo of Anne's Phone number.

You decided to do it like that because you wanted to add her Phone Number later and not now.

„Should I give you mine as well?"

You asked her.

„Yeah, just in case you forget to message me."

She answered.

You nodded and opened up your contacts app to and turned your phone to her.

Unlike you, she immediately typed in the Phone Number and saved it.

„Alright, now I really gotta go or my mom will kille me. Bye!"

„Bye, Bye!"

Sadi Sasha.

„Goodbye"

You said.

„Alright (Y/N), let's waste no more Time and Dig in."

Said Sasha, immediately starting to eat her meal.

„Enjoy it!"

You said, grabbing a Fork, starting eat your meal as well.

You Both quietly ate your Food, not really talking to each other, because you didn't really like talking with a full mouth, only when you felt it to be really necessary to answer to answer to someone.

Soon, you two finished with your meals.

Sashas hands were greasy while your Lips were covered with various food items that were part of the Noodles.

You and Sasha had to laugh at the Sight of each other. Finding it amusing to see the other like this.

The Laughing soon ended, but it was fun while it lasted.

Sasha then grabbed a Paper Towel that was laying on the table and began to clean her hands with it, well as much as you can clean greasy fingers with a towel.

Sasha then got a playful smile on her face.

As if she got an Idea all of a Sudden.

„Hey (Y/N). Come closer to me with your face."

You looked at her confused.

„Why?"

You questioned. Confusion entering your face.

„Trust me, it'll be harmless."

Eh, what's the worst that can happen.

You did just that.

Sasha then took the Paper Towel and put it over your Mouth getting rid of the food items that were stuck on your lips.

Sasha then began to speak to you as if you were a Baby.

„Aww, look at my wittle (Y/N), making a Mess on yourself."

„Shut up."

You playfully with a chuckle, pushing the Towel away from you.

You both laughed at this. Finding this very comedic.

Soon however, your laughing Session got interrupted by Mrs. Boonchuy.

It was Mrs. Boonchuy who somehow managed to stand right next to you two without either  of you noticing.

Your and Sasha's laughing stopped.

„Im glad to see you two enjoying yourselves.

But you two need to pay for the meals or one of you two."

She said.

„Oh yeah, of course, I'll pay."

Replied Sasha, she then went down with her Hand, presumably to grab her Wallet.

How nice of her that she is willing to pay for this.

„How much will this cost?"

She asked, still trying to find her Wallet.

„This is gonna cost you Two 28 Dollars"

She replied, waiting patiently for the Money.

Sasha Widened her Eyes, realising something.

„Oh shit... I forgot my Wallet."

Sasha then looked at you sheepishly.

„Do you have your Wallet with you?"

She asked, sounding nervous.

„I in fact do."

You replied casually. How good that you thought of bringing your Wallet, that could have ended badly.

You took out your Wallet, opened it, and took out a 20 Dollar Bill, A 5 Dollar Bill and 3 three 1 Dollars bills.

Not wanting to bother with any Change.

You then gave Mrs. Boonchuy the Money.

„Thank you. I hope you both enjoyed your meals."

You and Sasha both smiled.

„Thank you, we did."

You thanked her.

„No problem, I'll be heading back to the Kitchen now. Goodbye."

„Bye!"

Both me and Sasha said in Unision.

Both you and Sasha were now Quiet for a while.

Until you spoke up.

„So, wanna do something else when we leave?"

You asked her full with hope.

„I would love to, but I gotta do something important pretty soon. So sadly not."

You were a bit upset at hearing this but understood her.

„Okay, I'll be heading home then."

You said, standing up from the Chair.

„Have a nice day!"

You yelled, as you left the Building, opening the door.

Now you were outside, making your way back to home.

You were happy with how it went today.

Sure Sasha was but Pushy a bit pushy when talking about how you felt, but it didn't ruin the meeting too much.

You smiled, satisfied with how it Went.

~~~

You were now back in front of your Home, you opened the Door, heading inside.

Once inside, you decided to got the Kitchen, not because you were, but because you were thirsty.

You forgot to order something to drink when there, eh. Next time.

You walked to the fridge, opened it and looked for some. [Favourite Soda]

You didn't look long and soon found it. You took it and closed the fridge.

You turned around only to be face to face with your father.

What did he want?

„Where were you?"

He asked, sounding hostile.

„Why do you care? You never care what I do."

You asked, about to just walk away, but he blocked the path in front of you before you could.

„Don't speak in that tone with me boy."

He raised his tone even more.

„Or what?"

You questioned, in a provocative tone.

„Or I'll make you fucking regret it."

He whispered angrily, sounding menacing.

You were actually shivering for a bit.

With Sasha you would have just complied,

because while she could be a bit harsh, you still liked her, but with him, you were absolutely not gonna comply. He didn't deserve your respect.

„Seriously?! Is that what Mom would have wanted?"

You asked, raising your tone yourself,

He remained, quiet. Looks like as if That made him realize tha-

*SMACK*

He punched you in the face. Hitting your nose, so hard in Fact that it was Bleeding. You dropped the Bottle that you were holding in your hand, and instead put them under your nose.  To stop some of the Blood from dropping on the floor.

"IF IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN FOR YOU, SHE STILL WOULD BE HERE!"

He yelled, full with rage.

"You are such an asshole"

You whispered, tears threading to come out of your eyes.

You ran to your room.  Still in pain.

Once there, you closed the door so he couldn't come in.

You jumped on top of your Bed and cried.

He blamed you for her Death. Even though it was their Decision to have you.

You continued to cry. Hating everything.

Why? Just why was life like this?

Why do you have to live with him?

You don't know, and sadly won't ever know.

So you just went ahead and cried yourself to sleep.

Even if it was far from being late.

[parkers-gal]

yay! okay so I was thinking, what I'd the reader and Tom had a fight, could be over anything, but the reader was pregnant and a few years after, they bump into each other and they get back together. Sorry if it doesn't make sense.

this has been sitting in my inbox for a fat couple of months… sorry 😭

wc: 1.7k ! <3

—

“No, because you’re selfish and you can’t handle the fact that my life doesn’t revolve around you and your needs.” Tom spits out the words angrily, viciously, voice harsh and crisp.

You’re both frustrated beyond belief, and the bubble that had been overblown had finally popped, splattering your relationship and all the joyful aspects of it. Right now, you felt as if all that was left was the toxicity of two unbearable people who happened to love each other. You knew, deep down, that you loved each other enough to get through this, but with every passing moment, with every exchanged word, you realized at least one of you wouldn’t survive the damage.

“No, Tom. You’re selfish. You’re conceited and you only care about being a goddamn movie star. What happened to the family man, huh? What happened to staying tied down with me and your brothers?”

“Nothing happened to him! I’m still that person. I am a family guy.”

“Not to me, you aren't.”

“Well you’re not family!” He seethes through his teeth, anger radiating off of his short-tempered demeanor. You don’t even know how to react, so you spend the time soaking in the situation and how you should respond instead of actually doing it.

“You’re a fucking jackass. I asked when I could spend time with you and now you don’t even consider me as part of the family.”

“No,” He’s clear and concise even through the anger. “You asked when I’m going to stop living my life.”

“I said no such thing.”

“You didn’t have to! We both know that’s what you meant.”

“You’re not even on the same page as me anymore,” You scoff, arms crossing. “Seems like all this time in Hollywood made you forget that you’re not always the main character.”

“Fuck that, Y/N! Fuck! That!”

“No, Tom. Fuck. You.” You over-express your emotions, and after two more minutes of unbearable silence and screaming, he’s leaving your apartment just as fast as he arrived. You’re in shock, fingers shaking while you clear your throat, which is frayed and sore from all the yelling.

You sit back, elbows on your knees while your hands smoothen out your forehead. Tear after tear escapes your sobbing body, and eventually, you fall asleep on the couch.

In the weeks to come, you’ve realized the blow-out of a breakup could’ve been handled so much differently, but Tom hasn’t seemed to cool down at all — he’s petty enough to unfollow you on all social media, and you figure it’s time to let the hatred be mutual. You don’t touch your imessages, however, letting the love in those texts linger for a little longer.

Before you know it, you’re throwing up into the toilet boil, coughing violently at the action and spitting the bitter taste as best you can. You clean up, and when you check your phone, a small notification from your period tracker app alerts you that this is the second period in a row that has gone by without a hello.

Worried, you call Aisha, your closest friend and confidant. She’s over in no time, bringing along her girlfriend while you rant on the phone about your worries. They stop at the drugstore on the way.

The cause of your problems is discovered that day, and you collapse on the bathroom floor in agony, hands wiping at your face — through all the anger and fear and worry, you still love Tom. So much that Aisha even attempts to call Tom. But, alas, it’s sent straight to voicemail, and you realize he might’ve gone to extreme extents in blocking everyone.

You’re stuck going to the ultrasound with two lesbians and a frail old cat. Aisha is as supportive as ever, but as the doctor explains the process of each option, you feel sicker and sicker about the idea of getting rid of the fetus. In the end, you choose to keep the child you’re bearing, even if your ex-lover isn’t even in the picture.

Inevitably, the months pass, and as baby Charlie is brought into the wonderful world, you realize life as a single mother isn’t as scary as you thought it would be. In the first few months of your pregnancy, you’d kept tabs on what film Tom was doing and which was coming out next, but after the hormones and cravings, you’d decided to let the past sizzle and fade out in the way it was meant to all along.

It’s been almost three years since that fateful breakup, and Charlie is just reaching two and a half years old. You’re still single, and you’re okay with that. Charlie is all you need, all you’ve ever wanted, and the most important thing in your life. He’s young, and school is still a couple years away, but you enjoy having the toddler by your side, walking hand in hand with you because you’re his guardian, his provider, his only parent. You make him your only priority, because you don’t want him to grow up without anyone to love, or anyone to love him.

It’s hard, though. It’s hard because he’s a constant reminder of what didn’t happen, a constant reminder of what went wrong and of what you no longer have. You miss Tom more than words can express, and Charlie’s mop of brown curls reminds you of all the moments you’d run your fingers through Tom’s hair. You reminisce more than you’d like to, about Tom and your past, and though Charlie is technically half of the Brit, he’s one hundred percent yours. Because you’re the only one here, and that’s alright.

“Mummy,” Charlie tugs on your shirt’s hem while you move the shopping cart forward through the aisle. “Can we get the goldfish with superheroes?”

You jutt your lip out in a smile, nodding happily. “Of course we can, bub.”

As you step forward, you pit stop in the aisle, nearly tripping on the cart. You make direct eye contact with the man you used to love with your entire heart. The man who walked out with your heart and never gave it back. He’s staring right back at you, curls looking as fluffy as ever, face still a soft glow. Your breath hitches, and it’s then that you realize Charlie is still talking.

“Mummy?” He asks, and it’s just loud enough for Tom to hear. Harry, who’s beside Tom with an arm full of crackers and chips. Tom moves forward a few steps, hastily in an attempt to get more information.

“Uh, hi,” His smile is tight lipped as he stands at the other end of your shopping cart. Charlie shies away from strangers, standing behind your leg and holding your shirt with his grubby hands.

“Hi,” you return his awkward, reserved demeanor.

“Mummy who’s this?”

“‘Mummy?’” Tom has a follow up question for everything, and you internally panic, unsure on how to approach this.

You’d spent so long deciding how you should tell Tom that he was a dad. You spent hours debating on if you should pick up the phone or drive over just to tell him a truth you’ve kept inside for so long. You’ve abandoned social media, only sharing aspects of your life you can afford to post. Charlie is only occasionally on your page, but it’s not like Tom would see that, not after all that’s happened.

Your mouth opens and closes while you debate on how to reply. You’re physically incapable of saying your response, and it makes you even more nervous. You’re nervous on how he might react, what he’ll say, but most importantly, if he’ll stay.

“Is this…?

“My kid…” You fill in. “I- I mean our… our kid.” You pull your bottom lip between your rows of teeth, and you watch as Tom’s face undergoes thousands of expressions all at once. He’s surprised, shocked, happy, afraid, uncertain. You want the world to swallow you whole, suck you up so you don’t have to go through any of this again. But you don’t. Instead, you hold Charlie’s hand a little tighter.

“Our kid?” He drops a can of soup and you flinch at the loud noise.

“Mummy, who’s that?”

“That’s…” You don’t know how to answer his question. Instead, you lean down to his level, comfortingly and gently. “He’s a man.”

“Who’s that man?”

“He’s… your daddy.”

“I thought… no daddy?”

You purse your lips and furrow your brows. Tom’s watching the entire encounter from his place, but after a few beats, he steps forward, entering your bubble. Charlie doesn’t cower away this time, but looks up in curiosity.

“Hi, Charlie,” Tom extends his hand, adjusting his jeans so he can lean down just as you are, kneeling beside the young boy.

You look down, avoiding your worries and Tom’s gaze. He’s tearing up, and you want to cry too. You’re in a fucking supermarket, for god’s sake. This wasn’t how you envisioned any of this planning out, and though you’re mentally kicking yourself for letting it happen this way, you can’t help but feel like maybe this was meant to be. Written in the stars or whatever the folks say — you’re just grateful Charlie has at least a sliver of hope for two parents. Not that you can’t handle it, because you can, but you know someone like Tom wouldn’t want to miss something as important as this.

“I’m To- I’m…” He swallows thickly, making brief eye contact with you before looking back at Charlie. “I’m your dad.”

“Do you love my mummy?” He’s not shameless, but he’s still that shy little boy. “My friend says daddy’s love mommy’s so you must love mine, right?”

Tom lets a tear fall while he exhales a chuckle. He swipes the drop with the tips of his fingers, and the hand gripping Charlie’s squeezes it a little tighter. A glance in your direction is all it takes for him to answer Charlie’s question. “Yeah, buddy. I do.”

want more? my masterlist.

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th + pp taglist: @spideyspeaches @strawberrytom (no smut) @turtletaylor98 @parkerpeterparker2004 @peterbenjiparker @kelieah​

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[asthmark]

❝ 10 things i know about you ❞ l.jn

synopsis → there are ten important things you learn about lee jeno during your time in quarantine.

request → “if you're still accepting requests, can u make a domestic roommate!jeno? 🥺🥺 thank you and have a nice dayyy”

word count → 7.1k (bruhhh)

sharing an apartment with lee jeno isn’t ideal.

it’s not that he’s a lousy roommate or that you disliked him in any way; you just didn’t know him. you had first met through a mutual friend. they knew jeno was looking for someone to split rent with and that you happened to need a place to stay. they promised you he would give you privacy and assured jeno you were excellent roommate material. with that, arrangements were made and soon enough you moved in together. of course, it was a bit awkward at first but you two eventually got used to each other’s presence. although you were never in the same room for too long and oftentimes went days without speaking, you coexisted.

for a long time, you only knew a couple things about your roommate. for example, you were aware of his strong love for cats, especially his pet calico, seol. you also knew he kept the freezer stocked with pizza rolls that he would use as energy when he stayed up all night playing video games.

what you didn’t know, however, was that you would be spending the next couple months locked in your apartment with him. on top of that, you would begin to learn more things about him—his life, his personality, his feelings.

there are ten important things you learn about lee jeno during your time in quarantine.

       1. he’s a heavy sleeper.

at 10:28 in the morning you find yourself seated at the dining table in the kitchen, spooning froot loops into your mouth. as you stuff your face, you scroll through your phone for entertainment. you decide to open instagram first but you quickly find that to be a mistake. as soon as you open the app a picture of lucas and who you thought was his ex-girlfriend greets you. if that was bad, the caption hits you like a ton of bricks.

@lucas_xx444: should have never left you

in only five words, lucas has completely erased the months you spent dating. it meant nothing to him. sure, things hadn’t ended things the best way but going right back to his toxic ex and even admitting to missing her—now that was a new low. was this his way of getting back at you? his way of making you hurt just like he had throughout your entire relationship? the thought alone leaves you feeling sick.

you decide you’ve already had enough social media for one morning so you decide to check your messages instead. your friends usually left a couple of them overnight. to your surprise, you find that your main group chat has accumulated 241 messages.

[10:48 am] you: good morning i see u guys have been vry chatty

[10:49 am] yeji: ur finally awake!

[10:50 am] yuna: we thought u died lol

[10:50 am] lia: YUNA

[10:50 am] lia: NO

[10:51 am] ryujin: the timing for that joke could not be worse

[10:52 am] yuna: humor is my coping mechanism leave me alone

[10:52 am] you: ??? what happened

[10:53 am] chaeryeong: we left msgs for a reason dummy read them!!

[10:53 am] you: umm there’s over 200 and im not abouta read all that

[10:54 am] yuna: well then lemme break it down

[10:54 am] yuna: the world is ending :)

[10:55 am] you: welp it was about time

[10:55 am] lia: why r u guys like this

[10:56 am] yeji: there’s been a covid-19 outbreak and it’s spreading like wildfire so the government issued a stay at home order :/

[10:57 am] you: omg WHAT

[10:57 am] ryujin: ikr it’s crazy we literally can’t go anywhere

[10:57 am] chaeryeong: and we can’t get boba today either ;( i was so looking forward to that

[10:58 am] ryujin: let’s pls take a moment of silence for all the current and future boba dates that will have to be cancelled

[10:59 am] yuna: no way am i gonna let some wannabe flu make me go boba-less i’m still going out >:(

[10:59 am] lia: ...ur joking right

[10:59 am] yeji: what color casket do u want yuna?

before the groupchat can distract you any further, you place your phone down on the table. you sit back in your chair and let the newly revealed information sink in.

you were stuck inside.

you sigh before standing to clean your dishes. as you’re scrubbing away at your bowl, you feel something brush against your leg. you smile, not even having to look down to know it was seol. the cat would often wander into your room or sleep next to you when you watched tv on the couch. in fact, you were pretty sure you spent more time with seol than his owner.

you gaze at jeno’s room. as always, the door is shut. you wonder if you should let him know what was happening. you two usually kept your distance but you figured that the circumstance you found yourself in was an exception. you quickly dry your hand and shuffle towards his room.

you knock once, quite softly. you assume he’s asleep so you try again, this time a little harder. still, no avail. the third time you put even more force into it. by this time, seol has found his way beside you and claws at the door.

“jeno?” you knock a fourth time. “jeno! lee jeno!”

after more shouting accompanied by incessant meowing, you hear some muffled movement. moments later the door knob twists open and there stands your roommate with disheveled hair and a robe that had obviously just been thrown on his body. seol has taken the open crack in the door as an invitation inside the bedroom.

jeno blinks a couple times as he watches the feline get himself comfortable on his bed. he turns back to you, looking slightly disoriented. you’re not sure if he’s half asleep or your sudden presence has thrown him for a loop. his voice comes out raspy when he asks, “was he, um, bothering you or something?”

you shake your head, vigorously. “that’s not why i came. it’s just that my friends told me that there’s been some kind of virus outbreak and we’re supposed to stay home. so, i thought i’d let you know.”

his face softens. “oh, cool.” suddenly, the look changes. “not the virus thing! that’s totally not cool. i meant, it’s cool that you let me know and stuff. you just saved me a huge freak out so, uh, thank you.”

you smile and nod. “no problem.”

jeno��s eyes linger as you retreat back into your room down the hall. the sound of his door shutting is heard only once you’re out of his eyesight.

   2.    he can cook better than you.

most of the time, you would go out to eat dinner with your friends in the evenings or at least stop by a drive thru. obviously, this was no longer possible in the midst of a pandemic. you found that to be incredibly frustrating as you sat on your bed, stomach empty. no matter how badly you wished to fix it, your laziness had gotten the best of you. apart from that, you already knew how unlucky you were when it came to cooking—the memory of burning noodles at lia’s house one night had been permanently seared into your brain.

you almost believe your mind is playing tricks on you when you catch a whiff of pasta in the air. for a moment you think it’s your next door neighbor, taeyong, cooking again. you knew he was quite the chef. but, the smell is getting stronger by the second and you decide it must be in your apartment.

you wander into the kitchen, only to find jeno standing over the stove. he’s stirring red sauce in a pot when he notices you watching him.

“oh, hey,” he greets with a polite wave.

you can only stare at the rest of the kitchen—pots, pans, and ingredients all over the place—in utter awe.

he chuckles, awkwardly. “yeah, sorry about the mess. i’ve been told i’m a decent cook but i can never seem to get the tidiness down.”  

“no, it’s not that. this just all seems so... professional.” you sniff the air once more. “smells amazing, too.”

he smiles, sheepishly. “thanks. are you a fan of spaghetti?”

you nod.

“good. i wanted to make something you’d like.”

“you really didn’t have to,” you say, leaning against the fridge. “i mean, i’ve never done anything for you.”

he uncovers a pot to check on the pasta. you watch as hot steam rises out of it. “what about this morning?”

you can’t help but laugh. “that most certainly does not count. you’re making an entire meal. that takes a lot of effort.”

he waves a hand, dismissively. “i used to cook a lot with my old roommate, doyoung. the guy was an asian gordon ramsey, i swear. so, yeah, this is nothing too crazy. and i really do enjoy it.”

“well, i’m still gonna repay you.” you fold your arms.

he looks away from his dish to raise a brow. “is that so?”

you nod in confirmation. “definitely.”

“tell you what, if you wash the mountain of dishes that are gonna be left over, we’ll be even.”

you stare at the sink that’s already overflowing with dirty kitchen tools. that wasn’t even half of it. “uh, sure, sounds good.”

he laughs at hearing the uncertainty in your voice. “that’s the spirit.”

   3.    he’s allergic to cats.

the familiar sound of soft purring is what pulls you attention away from the movie playing on your laptop. already knowing exactly who it is, you launch yourself off your bed to allow your furry guest inside.  

“hey seol. what’ve you been up to?”

the calico meows, almost as if he were responding to your question. you close your door and go back to your original position. you notice seol sitting directly in front of your bed, looking up at you with wide eyes.

“come on up.” you pat your sheets, invitingly.

he obeys and stretches before laying down beside you.

“have you ever watched ‘avengers’?” you ask, eyes going back to the explosive fight scene on the screen.

this time, seol doesn’t even bother humoring you with a meow. he stays silent with his head tucked into his paws.

you scratch his head and his tail wiggles. “i’ve gotta stop asking you questions.”

both you and seol’s heads snap towards the door when you hear a knock.

“come in!” you call out.  

jeno swings open the door. his eyes briefly scan the room before landing on the furball on your bed. the unmistakable look of adoration shines in his eyes when he sees how lovingly you caress him.

“seol! what are you doing in here? bothering y/n?” the cat jumps off your bed and towards his owner standing in your doorway. jeno scoops him into his arms and faces you. “i’m so sorry. he saw me running a bath for him and bolted.”

“it’s all good. he’s a great movie buddy. besides, i could always use the company.”

jeno curiously glances at your computer screen. “is that ‘avengers’?”

“yep. i’ve seen it like a dozen times.”

“same here.“ he pauses. “hey, if you ever need a movie buddy—like you know, one that talks—just let me know.”

your face lights up. “i’m gonna hold you to that.”

”i hope so. well, if you’ll excuse me, i’ve gotta give this guy a bath.”

seol yowls as if he understands the meaning behind the words and attempts to escape jeno’s grip.    

“here we go again,” he mumbles under his breath.

you snicker at the sight. “looks like you could use some help.”

“oh, no. it’s fine. he can just be a little bratty someti—seol!”

in the blink of an eye, the feline has successfully hopped out of his arms and made a run for it.

jeno gives you an exasperated look before rushing off to catch his runway pet. you find yourself caught up in the excitement so you follow him, the two of you now in pursuit of the calico. you’re sure the image of you both chasing the fluffy animal around the apartment looks like something straight out of a comedy. even you and jeno can’t contain your laughter when he finally catches seol only for him to slip out of his hold a second later. this exact situation repeats itself a couple times before you finally get lucky.

“i got him!” you screech. “jeno! oh my god! what do i do?”

“bathroom, bathroom, bathroom!” he chants in response.

you head in that direction with jeno trailing behind you, ready to catch seol if he somehow manages to get out of your death grip. you bend over the bathtub, slowly lowering the cat into the water. it’s clear he doesn’t have a problem with making a fuss as he wails and flails his limbs around.

after a while, he finally calms down enough that you can lather him in shampoo. jeno insists on scrubbing him, arguing that you had already done way too much. you sit back on your heels, observing the way the seol leans into his delicate touches.

“looks like he likes it now.”

“he likes to make a big deal but he ends up enjoying it every—“ jeno cuts himself off with a sneeze.

“tissue?” you offer.

he shakes his head. “that’s okay, thanks. i’m used to it. i’m just surprised my allergies haven’t acted up ‘til now.”

“allergies?” you echo.

“yeah, i’m allergic to—“ another sneeze. “cats.”

your eyes widen. “really? and you still have seol?”

“i could never get rid of him. he’s too good of a boy. isn’t—“ sneeze. “that right?” he tickles seol under his chin.

“wow. you must really love him.”

“so much.”

“he’s lucky to have you.”

“what about you? you get both of us. doesn’t that make you the luckiest?”

you snort. “i guess it does.”

   4.    he makes a good shopping buddy.

“i have officially cooked everything we have.”

“i can order some takeout, if you want?”

he juts his lower lip out and gives you puppy eyes. “but i like to cook for you.”

you laugh at his expression. “oh god, you look like that one pouty emoji people use when they try to be cute.”

he sits up. “did it work?”

you nod and pinch his cheek.

he yelps. “ah, stop! you’re acting like my grandma!” he manages to get out of your grasp. he rubs his face, soothing the spots you had squeezed. “seriously, though, we really do need to stock up on food.”

“i’ve already been looking into it.” you show him the screen of your phone. “says here you can still go shopping as long as you wear a mask and try to stay six feet away from other shoppers.”

he cringes. “i don’t know if i like the idea of being so close to so many people.”

“i can go by myself, then,” you suggest with a shrug.

he doesn’t hesitate to deny you. “no way are you going alone.” his possessive tone has you staring at him curiously so he adds, “you know, in case you can’t reach something on the top shelf.”

the teasing comment paired with his innocent smile makes you gasp in disbelief. “lee jeno! that’s low! and to think i almost thought you were worried about me.”

“who said i wasn’t?” he smiles at you again before standing up. “i’m going to find us some masks and then we can head out.”  

once you arrive at your local grocery store, you find it to be packed. everyone seems to be in a hurry, grabbing things left and right.

“wow, it’s already gotten crazy,” jeno mumbles, stopping to stare at the flood of people that rush by.

you don’t hesitate to scold him. “well, don’t just stand there! we gotta get our stuff before there’s nothing left!”

without another word you slip into the frenzy of people. jeno struggles to stay behind you. after almost losing sight of you a couple times, he walks a little faster to catch up and places his arm firmly around your waist once he does. you look up at him, your mask covering your slightly agape mouth.

being the gentleman he is, he apologizes. “sorry but i don’t want us to get separated.”

you can only nod and mumble, “good idea.”

jeno pushes the shopping cart with his right hand and holds your figure with his left. once in a while, you’ll break apart from each other to grab an item you need but once it’s in the cart, he’ll make sure you end up in the same position. after an hour or so, you’ve grabbed enough and you decide it’s time to pay.

despite the mask she has on, you can tell the middle-aged woman behind the cash register has a big smile on her face once she catches sight of you and your roommate.

“well, just look at you two.” she sighs. “how cute.”

“oh.” you glance at her then jeno then her again. “oh, no. it’s not like that.”

you attempt to move yourself away from jeno only to find his grip to be so incredibly strong that you almost begin to think he’s trying to hold you in place. once you finally detach yourself from him, you begin loading your groceries onto the counter for the employee to scan. she does so, but not before giving you a displeased look.  

“oh really? he holds you like that because you aren’t together?”

jeno assists her in placing the scanned items in bags. “i didn’t want to lose her.”

she pauses scanning a can of tuna to stare him down. “darling, that sounds like a line from a cheesy hallmark rom-com.”

you can’t help but chuckle. “what he means is that there’s a lot of people here and we didn’t want to get separated.”

jeno adds, “desperate times calls for desperate measures.”

the woman adjusts her glasses. “well, you do certainly seem desperate to have her close to you.”

jeno doesn’t say a word as he continues bagging but his smile reaches his eyes.

   5.    he works out.

why did the pandemic have to hit in the middle of summer?

you often asked yourself this, complaining about how inconvenient it was. especially on the days that made your apartment feel like it was on fire. the days that required a thin tank top and shorts. even then, you found yourself to be drenched in sweat.

you sprawled your arms and legs farther on the sofa, the leather material proving to be very uncomfortable. it was either that or your bed with the warm cotton sheets that stuck to your body. just thinking about it brings you discomfort. the only relief you could think of was a cold shower. you would have already taken one if jeno hadn’t been hogging the one bathroom in the apartment.

“jeno!” you yell.

silence; other than the sound of the water running.

“lee jeno!”

the water stops, temporarily for him to shout back an answer. “what?!”

you wipe at the sweat that has accumulated on the bridge of your nose. “hurry up! i’m melting!”

the water starts back up again and you groan. hoping to distract yourself, you pull out your phone. the group chat with your friends is surprisingly silent so you go to instagram for some entertainment. this time, your ex-boyfriend’s post isn’t the first thing you see. it takes you some scrolling but you do end up seeing another one of his pictures.

it’s simply two intertwined hands with a black and white filter. you identify the one on the left as his and although you aren’t as familiar with the one on the right, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who it belongs to. contrary to the last, this photo has no cheesy words for a caption, just a red heart.  

but, your stomach doesn’t drop. you don’t feel hurt, either. obviously, you still don’t enjoy seeing him just because of all the awful memories that came with it but other than that, you feel unaffected by the image.

in fact, you feel so confident in yourself that you block him.

you’re surprised you hadn’t done it sooner. you had known you didn’t need him in your life any longer so why keep in contact? you feel like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders when you press the red button that would keep him and his girlfriend out of your life. you knew with your whole heart that you didn’t need to see either of them.

before, a bit if you had felt the need to keep an eye on him. to see how he was handling the breakup and torture yourself with the fact that he didn’t seem to care. now, you could say you truly didn’t either. you didn’t need him or his stupid pictures. you had other, better things.

your friends.

your cat (yes, you considered seol to be yours).

your roommate.

you had to admit, jeno was the best thing on that list. quarantine had brought you and him significantly closer and you were over the moon about it. he was so wonderful that you kicked yourself for having lived with him for so long without ever really getting to know him. but it was easy to say you two were making up for lost time seeing as you spent every waking moment together. the record long showers jeno took being an exception, of course.

the moment the door to the bathroom opens, you rush into your room and quickly grab an oversized t-shirt and loose pajama pants to change into after your shower. you nearly drop them when you’re met with jeno’s soaking figure in the hallway.

his hair is damp and you can clearly see how long it had become. his skin looks healthy and moisturized, lotion among other skin care products had probably been applied. what really has you in a shock is the fact that the towel barely hangs below his waist. the droplets of water that fall from his hair and down his neck trail down his chest and toned torso towards the only area he has bothered to cover up. his bulky arms are also slightly wet, his veins popping noticeably. he shakes his head in an attempt to rid his hair of any water. then he runs his fingers through it, his muscles flexing ever so slightly as he does so.

“dude!” you exclaim, without a second thought. “you’re ripped!”

he smiles, his round cheeks growing at the unexpected praise. the way he could have such a rugged body but soft-featured face puzzled you to no extent. “thank you. i lift sometimes.”

“sometimes?” you repeat. “don’t be so humble! you’re basically hercules!”

he clicks his tongue. “ah, c’mon. i’m just an athletic person.”

you keep admiring his physique. “clearly.”

“oh god,” he groans, obviously flustered. “you’re looking at me like you’re gonna eat me or something.”

you hold yourself back from making a less than appropriate innuendo. “no comment.”

his eyebrows shoot up in disbelief. “quarantine is really making you go crazy.”

you point a finger at him. “you try being stuck inside with your hot roommate!”

“trust me, y/n, i know all about hot roommates.”

you tilt your head, acting purposefully oblivious. “are you talking about doyoung?”

“what? no i—“ he sighs. “you know what, just take your shower.”

   6.    you can’t say no to him.

jeno ruffles his black locks with his hand and frowns.

you give him a disappointed look. “knock it off, you’re gonna get dandruff in your soup.”

he ignores your comment. “i look like a hobo.”

you pause, spoon halfway to your mouth. “this i know.”

“y/n, this is serious!”

“okay, okay. what’s the issue?”

“i already told you! i’m a bum!”

“you? a bum?” you pause to think about it. “i mean, mentally? maybe. but physically? no.”

“my hair, though. it’s so long.” he grabs a strand of it and pulls it to emphasize his point.

you shrug. “if having lots of hair is the standard for being a bum, i think most of the population is.”

“i want to cut it,” he announces.

“you should,” you say, pointing your spoon at him. “wanna know why? because if you mess up, no one will ever know. other than me, of course. but if you pay me enough i’ll let you forget it.”

he smiles at the joke for a moment before he leans forward and his face goes serious. “will you help me?”

“what? no way. i’ll mess up. and it’s only funny if you do it.”

he pouts. “please?”

you stir your soup around. “just watch some youtube videos. after three, you’re automatically a professional.”

“i want you.”

the statement has your neck snapping up from your bowl to him. the smug grin on his face lets you know that he was well aware of the double meaning behind his words. it was clear he was trying to fluster you enough to get a yes.

“you think you’re flirty enough to straight up brainwash me into doing stuff?”

“well, i wanted to say that to you anyway but... kind of?”

you feel a smile creep onto your lips at hearing the genuine tone in his voice. you down your last few spoonfuls of soup and quickly stand up. jeno looks up at you, eyes hopeful.

“finish your dinner. get the scissors. meet me in the bathroom.”

not even ten minutes later, jeno practically dances into the bathroom, a pair of red craft scissors in his hand. he sits on top of the toilet lid, figuring that’d be the easiest way for you to reach him. you walk in moments later.

“i’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to be using these types of scissors for hair,” he mumbles as he hands you the sharp utensil.

you twirl them in your hand. “oh, definitely not. do you want to wait then?”

he shakes his head, his shaggy bangs swaying with the movement.  

“alright, let’s get this going then.” you thread your hands through his thick locks to collect some of it in between two of your fingers. you bring the scissors forward and snip the small amount just to test the waters.

you slowly begin to get more comfortable and once you feel like you’re in your element, things begin to speed up. you move and cut faster but with efficiency. you do the spots on the back of his head and work your way forward. when it finally comes time to touch up his bangs, your small bathroom proves to be an inadequate spot to be doing this.

you end up standing balanced inches above jeno’s thighs that he’s pressed together tightly in an attempt to give you more room. you’re constantly readjusting your stance and when he notices, his hands go to your hips. you know he’s just trying to help you stay upright so you do a decent job but you still inhale sharply at the feeling of his hands on you.

not long after, you’re standing next to jeno as he inspects himself in the mirror. his fingers flick his newly shortened bangs around.

“not bad.” he tilts his head in a new angle and nods. “looks super good to me.”

you tuck the scissors into your back pocket with a relieved sigh. “oh thank god. i didn’t want to tell you before we started but i only watched two youtube tutorials on trimming hair.”

he runs a hand through his hair with a chuckle. “now that’s truly worthy of praise. and a tip.”

you raise a brow. “oh yeah? what’s th—“

he cuts you off by pressing a chaste kiss to your forehead. he pulls back and drags his thumb over the skin that has come into contact with his lips. “thanks again.” with that, he leaves you standing in the bathroom, eyes wide and face warm.

   7.    he has six best friends.

“can i borrow your laptop?” asks jeno, from outside your door, nearly breathless.

you look up from your book. “uh yeah, sure.”

he rushes in your room and takes the item off of your dresser. “do you happen to have zoom on it?”

you shake your head and he groans. without another word, he disappears, running off into the living room. you hear his frustrated sighs as the minutes pass and he attempts to download the application. you finally decide to go check it out once it becomes too much to bear.

“it sounds like you’re in pain over here,” you comment.

he runs a hand through his hair. “i’m supposed to meet with my friends through a zoom call but it’s so complicated.”

you put a hand on your hip. “bet you five bucks i’ll be able to get it in five minutes.”

“are you kidding? i might be technologically challenged but i’m not stupid. i know you can do it fast, just help me out already, would you?”

“alright, grandpa.”

you type and click away at the screen, jeno watching you do so, entranced but equally as lost.

“well, i was wrong,” you say after a couple moments, leaning back in your chair.

“you couldn’t get it?” asks jeno, worriedly.

“no, it’s not that.” you click something on the screen and the app opens. “turns out i could do it in three.”

he rolls his eyes and shoos you out of the chair. he sits down and enters the code and password for the zoom meeting. it takes a minute, but he finally connects. you count six other people in the call. they all immediately cheer at seeing jeno and you hear them excitedly exclaim his name.

“hey guys,” he says, a smile already reaching his eyes. “it’s so good to see your faces.”

they all nod to agree. you get a good look at each one of them and realize they’re all boys. your eyes read over each of their display names.

mark me in ur heart

hyuckie~~~

moomin enthusiast

nananananana

chnele

lil huddy

“nice name, jeno,” ‘moomin enthusiast’ guy comments, snickering slightly. “glad to see you finally came to terms with it.”

‘jenojam’, his name reads. the rest of the group laughs, also teasing him about it. you assume it’s some kind of inside joke.

the self proclaimed ‘lil huddy’ furrows his eyebrows. “wait, did you choose that name yourself?”

jeno simply nods in response.

he glares into the camera. “donghyuck, you told me i had to put this as my name or else it wouldn’t let me connect!”

donghyuck—or ‘hyuckie~~~’, you presume—shrugs. “oops. guess i was wrong.”

you laugh at the humorous exchange. it seems like the sound has drawn some attention to you when ‘nananananana’ speaks up, eyes trained on you.

“um jeno? don’t you want to introduce your guest?”

jeno beams, dragging you closer into the frame. “i’m sure you all know about my roommate. say hi, y/n.” 

you do so, waving and smiling politely at the group.

“you know, even though we used to always hang at jeno’s, i don’t think we’ve ever actually seen your face,” ‘chnele’ says, tilting his head.

you agree. “me neither. i’ve mostly just heard you guys.”

the ‘mark me in your heart’ boy sheepishly rubs his neck. “sorry. we tend to be a little loud.”

‘chnele’ lets out a high pitched screech of a laugh. “only a little?”

“i recognize that laugh!” you blurt. “i would hear it all the time!”

”that’s our little dolphin,” coos ‘hyuckie~~~’.

“oh god, stop. i hate that stupid nickname.”

“it’s well deserved.”

“i think you should apologize to y/n for being a nightmare to her eardrums.”

“and ours, for that matter.”

“what about all your little freestyles? i’ve had to sit through hundreds of them and i never got an apology!”

“because they’re not bad! could you do any better?”

“you’re a soundcloud rapper, i think anyone could.”

jeno turns to you as the bickering on screen gets louder and louder. “this is gonna be a long call.”

once the group has moved on from roasting the life out of each other, you’re able to engage in some good-natured conversation. jeno teaches you the names and the other basics about the group. some points that stand out about the group is that mark is the oldest, renjun specializes in contemporary dance, jaemin inhales six cups of coffee on the daily, and chenle is insanely rich.

“what about jeno?” you ask them. “anything i should know about him?”

“he’s allergic to cats but the idiot still adopted—“

“she already knows about that, renjun,” jeno chuckles.

“oh. well. that’s pretty much the only interesting thing about him.”

jisung pipes up. “oh wait! he works out religiously too!”

you and jeno share a look. you burst into laughter and he simply glances away, slightly embarrassed. “oh yeah, i know that all too well.”

“and what about the unhealthy cooking obsession?”

you nod at mark’s question. “that too. he cooks dinner almost every night around here.”

renjun purses his lips. “he already cooks for you? wow. he must really like you.”

“you think?” jaemin asks. “didn’t you read any of the messages in the group chat? he’s practically in love with her. his words, not mi—“

“okay! i think it’s time for us to go! bye guys!” jeno doesn’t even give you a chance to say your own goodbye before he’s clicking the ‘end call’ button in the bottom right corner.

you give him a confused look. “what was that all about?”

“they’re crazy.” he laughs. “well, if you need me i’ll be in my room screaming into my pillow for the next couple hours.” he dashes off leaving you standing alone, trying to comprehend what had happened.

   8.    he‘s a great listener.

jeno has officially replaced seol as your movie buddy, not that you have a problem with it. you thought it was nice to have someone you could actually converse with but of course, you make sure seol still sits in.

“what i’m saying is that iron man just wants to protect his team.”

“well, if they sign the accords, they basically surrender themselves to the government.”

“and?”

“you don’t see a problem with that? see, captain america knows what he’s doing. he’s literally an avenger—“

“so is iron man!”

“let me finish! so, he’s an avenger, right? he has the best judgment because he’s saved the world countless times. he knows how to operate his team and do the right thing.”

“okay but there’s casualties. and that’s what iron man is trying to fix.”

“how do you save the world and not have casualties?”

“you just—“ your phone rings mid argument and you raise your finger towards jeno. “this isn’t over.” you put the phone to your ear, not bothering to check the caller id. “hello?”

“sweetheart?”

you feel a chill go up your spine. was it him? no, it couldn’t be. you had blocked his number shortly after you did so on all your social media.

“baby, don’t be so shy. i know you’re there.”

you can’t hold back. “please don’t call me that.”

he chuckles, breathlessly. “oh, c’mon. you used to love it. you still do.”

“no, i don’t. actually, i don’t want to hear your stupid pet names or stupid voice or see any of your stupid posts. just go bother your girlfriend and leave me alone.”

you notice jeno perk up beside you out of the corner of your eye. he must have been caught off guard by your irritated tone.

as always, lucas is unaffected by you. “i’m being nice and giving you a second chance. i even called you behind soyeon’s back.”

“is that something i’m supposed to reward you for?” you scoff. “congratulations, you’re now awful, toxic, and a cheater.”

he growls. the sound was familiar. in your relationship, if you heard it you knew he was going to snap at you until he had the satisfaction of making you cry. “i know you miss me so don’t say things you’re going to regret later. because even when you’re back in my arms, i won’t let you forget it.”

the thought of being back with him made you feel icky. but the fact that he sincerely thought you would crawl back to him set your entire body on fire. “are you joking? i was always aware of the fact that you treated me like the dirt you walked on but do you seriously think that lowly of me?”

you’re rendered speechless and apparently, so is he because the other line stays silent.

“i wouldn’t go back to you if you were the last person on earth,” you spit. “you treated me horribly, wong yukhei. i won’t ever forget it. move on. i have.”

you glance at jeno, his expression more serious than you’ve ever seen it. his eyebrows are furrowed and his eyes are trained on your cellphone. the glare he gives the device is so strong you wouldn’t be surprised if even lucas could feel it, wherever he was.

you hang up and block the number, wishing to never talk to him again. you toss your phone onto the sofa with an exasperated sigh. you find jeno’s gaze to still be focused intensely on it.  

“if you gave lucas that look, i’m pretty sure he’d cry.”

he breaks his concentration, eyes going to you instead. his entire face softens. “all i’m going to say is he better pray we never cross paths.”

“well, if you happen to, call me up. i wouldn’t mind helping you beat the crap out of him.”

jeno chuckles for a second then lowers his voice to a whisper. “he was really bad to you, huh?”

you nod. “he messed me up. i hate to admit it ‘cause i know i was stupid to stay with him for as long as i did.”

your roommate shakes his head. “don’t say that. it’s not your fault he messed up the best thing that would ever happen to him.”

“i thought i was the problem for so long, jeno. i was so blinded by love. then, i realized there was no way he truly cared for me when he treated me like i had no heart to be broken.”

jeno scoots towards you and rubs soothing circles into your arm. “you have such a big heart. and i can’t tell you how sorry i am that he took advantage of that. i’m sorry that you were stuck with someone so insecure and ignorant. please, don’t think about him anymore.”

you hold in your tears. you refused to cry over someone like lucas. “i know. i try so hard not to.”

jeno holds your head into his chest. his arms are placed securely on your back. “oh, baby.”

when jeno uses this pet name on you, it feels so completely different from lucas. you could tell me meant it. he wasn’t using it to make you stay a little longer, to assure you he loved you. strangely enough, you do not need to be convinced of that. you feel like you have known it for a long time.  

   9.    he likes to be the big spoon.

you’re not sure how he’s done it but you end up falling asleep in jeno’s arms. you assume it had been so long since you had been cradled and rocked so delicately that the foreign yet extremely delightful sensation knocked you right out. even seol is deep in sleep, laying down peacefully at your feet.  

you relish in the feeling of jeno pressed right into your back. he fits so perfectly against you that it reminds you of a puzzle piece. to be exact, the moment when you connect the last two pieces and the full picture becomes complete. that was how you felt—complete.

with jeno’s soft breaths tickling the back of your neck and his soft snores filling your ear, you know there’s nowhere else you’d rather be. his arm that is wrapped around you makes sure you can’t escape his embrace. you are positive that even if you had the liberty of doing so, you would stay exactly where you were.

you lean farther back into your pillow, closing your eyes. you let every thought fade away as you try to fall back asleep as soon as possible. you wanted the moment you found yourself in to last as long as possible.

   10.    he has feelings for you.

jeno mumbles sweet nothings into your ear as he toys with your hair.

it just seemed right to him. like something he was meant to do with you. he had seen these types of things in films and shows before. it was intimate and touching, the scenes were always meant to tug at the audience’s heart strings and show how in love the two characters were. perhaps, even though you lay asleep in his arms, he wants you to finally know.

“honestly, being inside with you all the time is kind of the best. i know the whole virus situation is less than ideal but being able to spend so much time with you... that’s all i could ask for.” he pauses. “isn’t it so crazy how before this we were all weird and awkward around each other? well, i guess we still kind of are. that’s mostly my fault so... sorry. i just don’t know how to act around you sometimes. we’re barely getting close and i’m already this attached to you. as jisung would so kindly say, ‘i’m simping’.” he chuckles to himself. “all jokes aside, i really do like you. ever since you moved in here all cute and nervous, you’ve taken your own little place in my heart, as cheesy as it sounds. and these past few weeks, you just keep on taking up more and more room in there. not that i have a problem with it. i just...” he stops as if he doesn’t know how else to express his feelings. “really, really like you.”

“thanks.”

you feel him jolt then abruptly stop stroking your hair. there’s silence until he asks, “you don’t happen to be a sleep talker, do you?”

you shake your head.

“and did you hear like, a lot of what i said?”

“only the important stuff. like how awkward you are and how much you like me.”

“o-oh.”

“but don’t worry. it’s mutual.”

you feel his relieved breath hit the skin of your neck. “that’s the best thing i’ve heard all day.”

you tilt your head back and stare at him, confused. “what, did you seriously think i wasn’t into you?”

he shrugs. “i was too busy simping, i guess.”

you can’t contain your laughter at the use of the slang. “park jisung would not be proud.”