#and then one of them was complaining that the new management was actually cracking down on people for the acrylic nails

[beautiful-songbird]

Yesterday I got together with some ex-coworkers and coworkers who are about to quit and I can tell they all deeply misunderstand the rules at work because they were complaining about rules we have in place because we work at a food company that sells food and therefore has food health regulations

But no we should be able to wear long nails every once in a while because "we never get to wear them"

[steddie-island]

Champagne kisses

@softsteddieseptember week 3: Anniversary Rating: G | WC: 1,406 | Tags: Getting together, first kiss, Eddie Munson lives Find full list of tags on ao3 | Divider credit

Eddie woke to the sound of pebbles hitting his window. He looked around for his watch to check the time, then carefully climbed out of bed.

He'd expected to see Dustin, or Mike, or even Max, one of the shitheads. He hadn't expected Steve on the other side, with a palmful of gravel— a piece of which narrowly missed hitting Eddie as he opened the window.

"Steve, what the fuck?" Eddie's nose wrinkled and he looked at the other boy with one eye cracked open. "You have a key, you couldn't just let yourself in?"

"I was hoping you'd come out, actually." Steve bounced his hand, letting the rocks drop back to the ground around his feet. "I've got a surprise for you."

"A surprise, huh? And it couldn't wait until tomorrow?" Eddie heaved a put-upon sigh, his head tipping back and his gaze catching the swirls of paint on his ceiling. "All right. Let me grab my shoes."

Steve grinned and watched as Eddie disappeared back into the darkness of his bedroom.

Eddie climbed out the window and dropped carefully to his feet. It pulled his scars, made his joints complain, made Steve curse and step forward to help him. He held his hands out with both thumbs up to show he was okay before tugging his leather jacket on. "This better be good, Harrington."

Steve just grinned and jogged to his car to grab a black totebag. "It will be. I hope you brought your keys, Munson."

Eddie was dying to know what was in the bag, what couldn't have waited, but found that he was willing to be a little patient if Steve kept smiling the way he was. He followed after Steve to unlock the van, and a few moments later they were bumping their way down the road in Eddie's new used van.

The quarry stretched out before them. Eddie smoked a cigarette while he watched the place where the stars and the ground met. Even if he hadn't been threatened with loss of life and limb if he'd tried to watch what Steve was doing with the black bag behind him, the horizon was where his eyes would've strayed to anyway.

There were a million possibilities in that horizon. He could point the van and just drive until he ran out of gas, start over as whoever and whatever he wanted to be. It made him feel small, insignificant, but not in a way that made him feel bad. It was comforting, knowing that there were stil places he could go where people wouldn't think of dead teenagers as soon as they heard his name. He just had to get up and do it.

And he would. Someday. Eventually.

Still, as beautiful and comforting as the horizon was, the sound of paper, of a tape dispenser, the crinkling of plastic, it was definitely harder than usual to keep his eyes locked there and not behind him.

"C'mon, Harrington. How much longer is this gonna take?"

"I'm almost finished— Eddie I told you, do not turn around!" Steve said. "I tried to do this before I woke you up but your van was locked. Now just— be patient."

Eddie rolled his eyes, but he was smiling as he tossed the cigarette butt to the ground and stubbed it out with the toe of his sneaker.

There was the flicking of a lighter that washed the van in Eddie's peripheral vision a soft orange color. "Okay, look."

Eddie turned around with a smartass remark ready, but it died on his tongue.

There were streamers taped to the walls of the van, and there were plastic champagne flutes sitting next to a cake that had something nearly illeligable written on it. And there was Steve, smiling almost shyly as he picked the cake up, showing the candles he'd lit around one edge of the cake. Candlelight flickered over his face, danced in his eyes, and Eddie felt his breath catch in his chest.

"Happy… what?" he asked, when he managed to talk again.

"Anniversary," Steve said, flushing. "Sorry, it said happy birthday and I had to wipe that off, but then I had a hard time trying to write over it. But— you should blow the candles out before your cake gets coated in wax."

Eddie leaned in and blew the candles out, turning the van dark again. "Hold on." He dug in the crate he'd learned to keep full of shit that would come in handy in an emergency and came away with an "A-ha!" before turning the little lantern on. It filled the van with gentle orange light again. It didn't dance the way the candlelight had, but Eddie was still struck once more by how beautiful Steve was.

It didn't last for long, because it occurred to him that he wasn't sure what exactly they were celebrating.

"So… what… anniversary is this?" he asked.

Steve huffed out a laugh and passed over a plastic fork. "You don't remember?"

"Shit, no. I'm not good with— any of those things." Eddie ran a hand over the back of his neck. "I'm sorry, man, it's— I'll try to remember next time."

"Eddie, it's okay. It's… it's your anniversary." Steve picked wax drips off of the cake, avoiding Eddie's eyes. "You woke up a year ago today."

Eddie was quiet for a long moment. He could only watch Steve, until he noticed more pink flood into Steve's cheeks as the other boy looked up at him again. "I did?" he asked finally. "You… you remember?"

"They thought you might never wake up," Steve said, shaking his head. "Jesus, man. I spent so long at your bedside. We— we all did, just… begging you to wake up. Then… you did." He flicked a piece of wax onto the store bag he'd pulled the cake out of. "Of course I remember." He shrugged one shoulder, and Eddie all but heard the, "how could I not?" that he didn't say out loud.

Of course Steve had remembered. Steve, who had spent so many hours, so many days sitting beside Eddie's bed. Eddie didn't remember any of it, but he did remember the first face he saw when he woke up. He remembered Steve, slumped down in the uncomfortable hospital chair, his legs hanging over the arm of it. He'd been dozing lightly, at at the smallest movement from Eddie he'd been up and beside Eddie's bed, grabbing his hand and ringing for the nurses.

Steve's relief had been palpable. He'd looked the way Eddie had felt. He still looked that way sometimes, when Eddie caught him not watching whatever movie they had on. It was like Steve could hardly believe that Eddie was there, like he might've been lost if Eddie hadn't survived.

Eddie watched the way the lamplight played on Steve's face, casting part of it in shadow. Somehow he hadn't just survived, but he'd found this beautiful boy who liked spending time with him, who listened to him talk about D&D and music. Steve remembered, too— or tried to. After all of the thumps to the head, some of the details slipped away sometimes. But Eddie could see how hard he tried.

Steve made Eddie want to try, too. Made Eddie want to learn about sports even after all the shit he'd said about them in high school, just so he could chime in when Steve and Wayne were watching the game together. He liked the way Steve smiled when he noticed Eddie listening to him, too. He wanted Steve to always smile like that.

He wanted to be the one to make Steve smile like that.

Not for the first time, Eddie found himself wanting to kiss Steve Harrington.

Only this time, for the first time, he actually did.

Their first kiss tasted like chocolate cake and champagne and Eddie never wanted it to end. Even so, it didn't last long.

When Steve pulled back he looked surprised, but he was smiling. "What was that for?"

"Something else for us to remember when this rolls around again next year," Eddie said.

Steve's smile softened, and Eddie felt his heart skip a beat in his chest. "I like the sound of that," he said. "Maybe we should keep practicing, to have something even better to remember next year."

Eddie laughed, but when Steve leaned in again, he was happy to meet in the middle.

[justalildumpling]

⇢ 3, 2, 1

synopsis: at this point of your pathetically unrequited crush on your popular friend, it didn’t faze you when you found out that he wasn’t going to be at the same NYE party as you. but when he suddenly turned up to come find you, did you start wondering that maybe you weren’t the only one with harboured feelings.

pairing: mark x reader genre: friends to lovers, mutual pining, fluff word count: 2.3k warnings: swearing, drunkenness/mentions of drinking and partying, the word sex was said once note: lmao the way i’ve literally had this idea in my wip documents since like last year… anyways, here’s a little soft boi mark to start off your year <33 happy new year everyone!!

It didn't really make much sense.

Well, according to the resident drunkards Haechan and Chenle that is, being sober on New Years Eve.

Or any house party for that matter.

"It's literally free alcohol Y/N, why not make the most of it?" Haechan protested, cracking open another can of Jack and Coke, letting out a satisfied hum after hearing the bubbles fizzing up to the rim of the lid.

"Cause some people want a functioning liver by the age of thirty Lee Donghyuck," You rolled your eyes at the tipsy boy, clicking your tongue in disapproval as he downed the alcoholic drink in his hand, "And actually be able to recall all the not stupid things I did the night before."

"What? Like accidentally telling our little Markie boy that you're head over heels for him?" Donghyuck fired back, shaking the last droplets of the drink into his mouth before chucking it in the kitchen bin, "He's not even with us tonight!"

Unfortunately for you, the little devil man dressed as your best friend was right. Mark Lee was nowhere to be found at the party, though you couldn't complain as you were already notified of his absence last Wednesday.

You and your group of friends sat basking in the sunlight outside on the picnic benches of the park, taking in the rare appearance of the sun within the rainy week.

"What do you mean you're not coming to Lele's?!" Donghyuck squabbled, letting his burger fall onto the wrapper with a thud.

Mark merely shrugged, guiltily scratching the nape of his neck, "Johnny had already invited me two weeks ago and I said I was gonna go, sorry guys."

You frowned at the boy's statement, swirling the fry that you had stolen from Jisung's tray into the ketchup tub.

Though Mark was an important member of your high school friend group, it was hard to align your meet ups with his hectic schedule. Sometimes you couldn't seem to understand your crush in question, how he managed to juggle his school work alongside the university basketball team, internship plus a somewhat abundant social life was a mystery in itself.

Mark Lee was a relatively popular figure at your school, good looks, a chill and caring personality and godly talented at everything he did. It was no surprise that his inbox was flooded with invitations all the time let alone the holiday break.

Despite this, he always made sure to keep in touch with you, checking in with you about how your day had been or if he's lucky to squeeze in an ice cream run by the beach with you, which you very much appreciated and made your heart swell just a little bit too much than the average person, not that he ever needed to know.

As if he sensed your disappointment within the group's chaotic wails and cries, Mark reached over to give your hand a little squeeze, sending you an apologetic glance.

It was things like this which made up your hopelessly harboured feelings for the Canadian, making you think that it wasn't just you that had pathetically pined over him but being the nice guy that he was, probably treated others the same way.

Jaemin and Renjun though seemed to argue otherwise, whining to tell the clueless boy about your feelings, saying that there's no way that he wouldn't like you back before you quickly shushed them, snapping to keep their delusions in their heads.

"Hello? Earth to Y/N?" A voice broke you from your thoughts, causing you to peer up from your seated position on the couch, eyes trailing up the body of a boy to meet an amused Jeno.

He held out your phone, his cheeky grin growing exponentially the more you stared at his hands in confusion.

"Lover boy texted," He finally explained, nonchalantly chucking the device onto your lap, "Figured you'd want to know."

You grumbled, throwing the nearest pillow at the boy in which he barely dodged as he chuckled at your embarrassment, slipping off to the kitchen, most likely reporting the incident to his best friend.

Rolling your eyes, you unlocked your phone to find a couple missed calls from Johnny, unsent message notifications from Yuta and Mark's little message.

markie: hey :)

you: hi!! how's johnny's?

markie: too loud, yuta kept tryinhg to kisss me and johnny keeps bullyibg me markie: so i left

You giggled at his poor attempts at coherent sentences, covering your mouth with your hand to avoid the potential teasing from your friends.

You've seen Mark drunk a couple times, mostly at Johnny's parties after finals week. He was a cute drunk, clinging onto your figure rambling on about things which you couldn't quite decipher, in turn making him an easy target for the playful teasing from his seniors.

Which now that you thought about it, explained the random notifications from Johnny and Yuta, the two culprits behind most if not all of Mark's misery.

you: mark, are you drunk?

markie: no, im repsinsible heh markie: you're still at lele's right?

As you started to type your response, a loud groan was made from the left of the couch, causing you to switch your attention from your phone screen to Donghyuck sitting cross legged on the timber floors with Renjun, who was holding the infamous vomit bucket in front of his mouth, disgust ridden over his face.

"How much did he have tonight?" Jisung asked, almost horrified by the older boy's pitiful state from across the room. His eyes quickly darted back to the array of party mix lollies and the lukewarm pizzas displayed on the dining table, as unidentifiable contents threatened to spill from Donghyuck's mouth.

"We've already lost count," Jaemin resonated from the kitchen, his voice slightly drowned out by the rushing water, "Lele's isn't doing much better either, he's currently occupying the toilet bowl instead of the bucket."

You shook your head, silently chuckling at your best friends' suffering.

you: i am you: lele and hyuck's drunk as fuck you: they're currently hurling their guts out you: one using the vomit bucket, one using the toilet bowl

markie: those idiots hahahah markie: btw could u come outisde for a sex markie: *sev markie: fuck markie: *sec

you: pfft and u said u weren't drunk you: also, ur outside?!?!?

markie: shut up im fine i djust cant type rn

you: lol whatever u say markie you: i'll be out in a sec

You sat up from the couch, quietly squeezing past the crowd formed around the unfortunate boy and up the stairs.

Slipping on Jaemin's drunkenly bought La Coste slides, you swung open the door. A shiver slivered up the small of your back as the cool breeze hit your bare arms, a contrast from the warm stuffy atmosphere from inside.

You spotted Mark standing by the gates of Chenle's house, the dim street light illuminating his facial features, making him look more ethereal than he already was. With a little smile tugging at the corners of your lips, you began making your way towards him.

The sound of gravel shuffling from underneath your feet caused Mark to whip his head around to face you, he was pretty certain that most of the alcohol in his system had disappeared on the walk from Johnny's house but why was it that as soon as he saw you happily skipping down the path, greeting him with the sweetest smile that made him feel so euphoric?

"I can't believe you came!" You exclaimed, bringing him into a warm embrace.

His reply came in the form of a shy laugh, tickling the back of your neck with his breath.

He held you in his arms for a few minutes, with only the occasional squawks from inside breaking the comforting silence.

"Can you believe it's already the new year?" You whispered in awe, pulling away from his body to face him.

"Yeah dude that's insane, it feels like this year went by so quickly," Mark replied, adding his favourite form of endearment to the start, "Do you think you're ready for it to be over?"

You pondered for a few seconds, reflecting back on all the events that occurred within the past year before shrugging your shoulders, "I'm not sure."

"Don't get me wrong, this years been great but I feel like due to school, work and whatever, I wasn't able to fulfil all the things I wanted to do."

Mark nodded his head at your words, resonating with every word.

You always seemed to have the right things to say to him, always so understanding about his hectic schedule but never failing to let him know that he was missed whenever he couldn't make his friend's gatherings. It was things like this which caused the gradual course of his feelings for you.

For a while, Mark believed that he had made his crush on you subtle, not overly flirting or showering you in gifts in front of your friends. But one friendly reminder from Jaemin about his drunk habit of becoming a koala and latching onto you as if his life depended on it, broke his oblivious bubble. He quickly realised that many people had caught on, with some making it more obvious than others.

"I'm telling you, she likes you back bro!" He remembered Johnny exclaiming a few hours back with Yuta nodding enthusiastically as he half hazardously sipped on his beer.

Mark, Johnny and Yuta were situated in the secluded areas of the host's bedroom, with the party hammering hard downstairs. He wasn't too sure how he had ended up on his bed getting lectured by his two teammates about love pestering him to confess his feelings.

"C'mon, just text her saying to meet up," Yuta encouraged, handing him his phone to unlock, "You saw what happens when Johnny and I have our phones."

Mark pinched the bridge of his nose, remembering the sheer panic he had felt when the older boys dialled your number on their phones a few moments back, threatening to spill his secret before he had lunged at their figures wrestling to press the red hang up button.

"You literally have the best excuse to kiss her tonight," Johnny huffed, flopping down on his bed with arms crossed, "It's New Year's Eve."

"No way dude," Mark flatly responded, slapping his phone against his forehead, "What if she doesn't like me?"

"As if a girl would ever reject you," Yuta snorted, nudging the sides of his arms with his elbow, "Now hurry up and text her you fool."

And here he was, standing in front of you in the middle of the gravel pathway, with his face flushed.

Though whether it was due to the alcohol or whether it was the thought of kissing you tonight, he wasn't too sure. But taking into account his palpitating heart in his chest as he waited anxiously for midnight, it seemed to lean towards the latter.

"Sorry for rambling on," You scratched the base of your neck, hoping you didn't talk his ear off.

Mark frantically waved his arms around, shaking his head.

A muffled shriek awfully similar to Chenle's interrupted your conversation, startling both you and Mark as you whipped your heads back to the house. It remained quiet for a few seconds before a range of shouts counting down from ten resonated shortly after.

You giggled, turning around to focus on Mark's smiling face once again as the both of you joined in.

"Three," Mark cleared his throat, wiping his clammy hands on the sides of his ripped jeans.

"Two," He grabbed onto your hand, taking in your sweet smile and the way you reciprocated his touch, clasping your fingers around his, your rings clinking with his.

"One, Happy New Ye-"

The moment his lips hit yours, it had felt like all the daze of the alcohol was wearing off. Regaining consciousness of the way his lips perfectly moulded against yours and how he slipped his tongue into your mouth, tasting the watermelon lollipop you loved so much. Gripping onto your waist and tugging you closer, his heart began to mirror fireworks, matching the way the real ones sparks crackled and thundered in the background.

Pulling away from your touch, the confidence he had going in had simmered down as he gingerly met your eyes once again.

"What was that about?" You whispered, your eyes carrying a sense of wonder.

"Sorry, I shouldn't have done that without your permission, but you just looked so beautiful and I've had a crush on you for god knows how long and I just couldn't help it. God what am I saying, you can slap me if you want-"

You cut him off by pressing your lips against his once again, jerking him forward by his hoodie strings.

"You kissed me," Mark's eyes widened, awestruck by the sudden gesture.

"I did." You replied, fidgeting with the hems of your shirt as you added, "You said that you liked me."

"I did," Mark confirmed with a shy smile, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

"Does that mean you like me too?"

You could feel your cheek heat up as you dipped your head in response, making him beam at the small motion as he brought you into his arms, snuggling his face into the crook of your neck.

"Happy New Year Y/N," Mark kissed your forehead, his hands resting on the top of your shoulders as he gazed into your eyes adoringly.

"Happy New Year Mark.”

permanent taglist: @polarisjisung @wooyoung-a @w3bqrl @xxxx-23nct @maeumiluv @produmads @shwizhies

[b0nten]

COOKIES

[SYNOPSIS] ˚⁀➷｡ baking cookies with ran

[NOTES] ˚⁀➷｡ fem reader, rindou guest appearance🤗; requested by anon !! not proofread

“girl, you know damn well we could’ve bou—”

“shut it.”

RAN snaps his mouth shut — as instructed — while his brows raise and eyes widen.

“yes ma’am.” he nods, looking at you expectantly, like he’s a puppy waiting to be rewarded after doing a trick.

he looks around the kitchen, and sighs. if it makes you happy, then he’ll bear the burden of spending the next hour in front of the stove, melting butter and sticky hands from separating eggs.

‘if it makes you happy’ has become his new mantra, at this point.

“come onnnnnnnnnnn!” a whine echoes from the living room, “i’m hun-”

“you go to your room.” you command, and rindou quickly shuffles away, shōchū bottle slipping from his hand and hitting the hardwood floor before he quickly picks it up again; followed by the sound of his door closing.

“now,” you hum, tapping your index against your chin, “preheat the oven at 170°C.” you say, and even though he barely understood half of what you just said, your boyfriend speeds towards the oven and starts turning the buttons, “and when you’re done, separate a yolk from the white, and keep it. then, sift me the flour.”

“am i gonna be doing everything?” ran complains, but quickly quiets down when you give him a glare.

how you managed to tame ran haitani might have to be considered a new wonder of the world, but in all honesty, it’s fun. he — somehow — behaves whenever you’re around, and whenever you need him to. and despite his childish antics, he’s actually quite sweet, especially when he wants to be.

“do you need the larger ones, or the smaller ones?” he asks, inspecting the eggs like he’s never seen one before.

“large, please.” you reply, stirring through your bubbling butter, “do you know how to properly separate them?” you add.

“i’ve seen you do it plenty of times.” he shrugs, and cracks the shell. you absolutely try your best not to laugh while he gags in silence — egg white slipping through his fingers into the sink — recoiling in absolute disgust.

sometimes you wonder how he can beat people bloody but he draws the line at a freaking egg.

against your initial expectations, ran actually does good — everything exactly as you ask him to. he mixes the dough, something he insisted on since he’s “the man of the house”;

(said louder than normal to elicit a ‘whateeeeeeeever’ from rindou)

and you don’t even have to ask him twice to pop the tray into the fridge for the cookie dough to chill. he even offers to put the cookies into the oven, all by himself, like the proud baker he’s become in the span on an hour.

and when you lay your head on his shoulder and say “wake me up in fifteen.”, accompanied by a small yawn, he feels like he’s on cloud nine.

except for the fact that he understands fifty instead of fiteen, so after fourty-five minutes you feel him nudge you gently.

“hey, sweetheart-babycakes-honeybunch?” he pokes your cheek sheepishly.

“hm?” you hum, eyes fluttering open to see him in his apron, gloves on his hands.

“i might have… accidentally..misunderstood you….” he says, “and…. kinda let you sleep for fifty minutes, and the cookies bake for about the same time… haha!” long, bouncy hair sways in front of your face while ran tries his best to look not afraid.

you glare at him.

“they’re still edible…!” he defends his creation, placing a burnt cookie in your mouth.

‘deep breaths.’ you tell yourself, ‘deep breaths.’

“NO THE FUCK THEY’RE NOT!”

looks like rindou’s good for something, too.

[seasirengirl]

LEO VALDEZ DATING HCS

pairing: leo valdez x reader (godly parent not specified)

a/n: sorry for the super duper slow updates, my life has been a mess🫶🏼

ೀ friends to lovers is a trope owned by leo valdez and no one can change my mind

ೀ he’s such a shameless flirt

ೀ nicknames in spanish.

ೀ i repeat

ೀ nicknames in spanish.

ೀ he’s such a fun person to be around

ೀ always cracking jokes and all that

ೀ but

ೀ hold up

ೀ he doesn’t crack jokes at times when you don’t feel like hearing them, even though he’s known for doing that to others, you’re his exception

ೀ you two went everywhere together

ೀ quest? together

ೀ spending nights at bunker 9? not without you

ೀ he felt guilty for making you stay there though

ೀ but then you started ranting about how much you loved staying there

ೀ and he just couldn’t say no to you

ೀ or your pretty face

ೀ but we all know that you didn’t really think bunker 9 was the most comfortable place to sleep in

ೀ you just wanted to stay with your repair boy

ೀ after being two idiots who were very much in love but would never admit it

ೀ your friends got sick of it

ೀ y’know what that meaaannssss

ೀ at first percy and annabeth started talking about it

ೀ apparently piper and jason also had discussed it before (mostly piper)

ೀ frank and hazel are just there yknow

ೀ chilling

ೀ with no clue about what’s going on

ೀ anyway

ೀ doing very couple-ish things all together

ೀ there were eight of you.

ೀ obviously meaning that

ೀ you and leo had to be dragged into all of that

ೀ which neither of you complained about

ೀ but you wouldn’t say it

ೀ going on carnival dates <3

ೀ well they weren’t technically dates for you and leo

ೀ but they felt like dates

ೀ the other six ditched you every second

ೀ and you two still managed to be clueless

ೀ smh

ೀ honestly thank the gods for piper

ೀ when you AND leo both found out about your feelings at the same time

ೀ you were both ranting to her

ೀ cause she’s the daughter of aphrodite

ೀ ykyk

ೀ and also a great friend

ೀ but she needed a break atp

ೀ hearing both of you yap about each other not knowing that the other feels the same

ೀ until one day she had ENOUGH

ೀ bro was tired fr

ೀ so she decided to make both of you a bit jelly

ೀ not a bit tbh, a lot

ೀ yk, telling leo that the new guy from cabin 7 was talking about asking you out

ೀ or telling you that one of her sisters were going to make a move on leo at the bonfire tonight

ೀ leo couldn’t let some guy try to make a move on his girl

ೀ and you couldn’t either

ೀ so

ೀ both of you decided to confess at the same time

ೀ leo walked up to you just as you were about to find him

ೀ “can we go somewhere private?”

ೀ such a simple sentence left you speechless, only managing a nod

ೀ “i don’t want you to go out with him” leo blurted out

ೀ “with who?” you asked, did you have a date you forgot about?

ೀ “andrew, the new guy from 7?”

ೀ “i’m not going on a date with him, oh wait- piper...”

ೀ silence. total silence.

ೀ “i have something to-“

ೀ “i have to tell y-“

ೀ you couldn’t help but laugh at that, “go ahead.”

ೀ“i would say ‘ladies first’, but i have to say this, ever since i stepped a foot in camp, i’ve had a crush on you, so will you do the honors of being my girl?”

ೀ “i’d love to.”

ೀ “so would it be okay if i-“

ೀ “shut up, valdez”

ೀ and he did shut up, because his tongue was too busy being down your throat

ೀ ok what.

ೀ anyway

ೀ after that night, your friends wished they never set you two up

ೀ they were just jealous that you two were a better couple than them

ೀ or that’s what you thought

ೀ leo was actually the best boyfriend you could ask for

ೀ he would make you the coolest gifts ever

ೀ any kind of jewellery a girl could dream of

ೀ he made it

ೀ flowers that never die, all yours

ೀ honestly you can’t recall a night that you haven’t slept without leo in winter

ೀ slept.

ೀ he kept you so warm when it was cold out

ೀ cause he’s your fireboy

ೀ he’s so touchy and always has to have his arm around you somehow

ೀ but he wouldn’t be much of a pda guy

ೀ especially it it makes you uncomfortable.

[san8ny]

FINISHING AT EIGHT OR NINE ?

!: First chapter of this introduction: PROLOGUE

?: Ellie Williams x Fem!Reader - SFW - Stalker!Ellie

Ring! Ring!

The phone calls, causing you to rise from the high-chair you sit by near a counter, chilled AC blaring cool air from it’s vents while you shiver. You didn’t complain however, this being one of the only jobs you’d actually secured with your resume consisting of goat-hearding, plowing fields with no real training whatsoever. Upon answering and reaching for the phone, a somewhat grumpy man answers, asking if there were lumber planks he could pick up for a project. You ask for a name, crouching down to grab the notepad and pen placed away in a small cubby.

Joel Miller.

Jotting it down, you ask for a total amount of planks to which he asks for a dozen. You nod, twelve.

“Alright, and will that be a pick up or would you want it delivered? I will say, we have a large influx of orders out currently so our delivery services won’t get to you until tomorrow evening.”

He mumbles a few incoherent phrases away from the phone-reciever, likely speaking to someone else before returning to it, “My daughter will pick them up actually.” You give him the okay, jokingly commenting on it’s usual for people to go with the pick up option to lessen the charges of the total cost but he doesn’t seem amused, scruffing out a blunt bye before abruptly hanging up.

Rude.

In around ten minutes, a rusted truck pulls up infront of the shop; In what seems like a tee, some muddy sneakers and a cap was a woman, hopping out of the vehicle, and lightly jogging to the front door. She taps on it once, pointing a finger to the lock with an inconvenience expression.

Right, it was locked.

You mouth a small sorry, walking over to let her in as you open the glass door. “I’m so sorry, it’s late so I usually lock the doors unless I know someone is coming.” You say a bit embarrassed at your lack of attention. She dismisses you with a small wave, cracking a smile before speaking, “It’s alright.”

She’s average height, slightly maybe even shorter than your own frame. Leading her to where the order was stacked and ready to go, you assist her in carrying it back to her car. She lets out a long breath, thanking you for the help. You reassure her it’s fine, that’s it’s apart of the job. Before she can even take out her wallet, you’re leaving. Huh?

You’re actually clueless of your surroundings that it strikes something in the other woman. She eyes you for a moment while you retreat back into the shop, clicking her tongue in confusion when you immediately lock it and return to the magazine you were busying yourself with. You really did forget. Ellie wasn’t dumb. Anyone with eyes could see you weren’t from here, and frankly, she hoped you weren’t always this forgetful. Instead of reminding you, she revs the truck up and goes on her merry way.

You’d learn after this

Ellie tells herself at the redlight, fishing out a cigarette from the glovebox.

Oh, did you learn.

You were given quite the earful when you informed your manager about the incident the next morning, only even remembering when checking the cash register before closing the previous night. Fuck, I didn’t charge them.

Abby Anderson was quite the powerhouse, shaking your shoulders in anger when you broke the news you’d been scammed out of a good 120 bucks. She sighs, peering down at your remorseful face, your bottom lip quivering in guilt at your own wistful mistakes. “Alright, ‘gimme a name. Our shop doesn’t get all that many new customers often so I can probably recognize and tab them before dad gets a whiff of this.”

Miller.

Abby leans her body over the counter when you say that, resting her forearms on it’s cold surface as she lets a scoff out, “Joel Miller?” You nod in reaffirmation from where you stood with crossed arms meekly. She squints her eyes in disbelief, shaking her head ever so slightly trying to make sense of it all. Joel was a man with a temper for sure, but he wasn’t no thief.

She quickly grabs your wrist and the plentiful keys that hang on the nailed wall, “They live in your apartments, we’re getting that money.”

Abby quickly exits the shop with you behind her, flipping the sign on the window CLOSED before scurrying to meet her pace down the street. Thankfully, your building wasn’t that far away from work, however, now you had to make it known to yourself that you likely resided in the same complex as kleptomaniacs.

Abby knocks on the door that reads 207, waiting for a response. It seems like forever that you two stand there waiting, getting even tired that you opt to sit down on the carpeted hallway floor. Eventually, it’s cracked open by the same woman you recognized yesterday to have picked up the order. You scatter to stand up, pointing a finger behind Abby’s broad shoulder, “It’s her!” You shriek, to which the girl looks you up and down. “I have a name.” She spits out annoyed, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, Yeah. You tried punking my employee, Williams. That the shit you’ve lowered yourself to?” Abby equally retorts venomously. Ellie shrugs, “I ain’t do that. She didn’t ask for the money so I assumed it was paid for or ‘sum.”

You immediately drop your jaw, how could she justify that? She knew it wasn’t paid for! “Joel called and said you’d pick it up and I have the call log so don’t even.”

She seemingly rolls her eyes again, leaving the door before returning with a wallet, “Quit bitching in my ear and name your price. Jesus.” Abby’s eye twitches ever so slightly at the audacious act put on; “120 and don’t call me a bitch.”

“Actually, I didn’t call you one, I said—! “

Abby snatches the money anyways, forcing you to follow her like a kicked puppy as she trudges towards the elevator and practically punches the button. Once it arrives and you both step in, she rubs her face with a calloused palm in an attempt to soothe the irritation away.

“Ask for money next time. We don’t have pre-paid shit.” Before you can even respond back, you’re both exiting the cart, and the building— walking back to the shop.

While you believe it was done and over, Ellie watches you two from her bedroom window. Something ever so slightly glosses over her eyes when she watches you walk with Abby, obviously struggling to meet her fast-pace. Maybe it’s the weed she’s smoking, or maybe it’s something deeper. However, something about you rubs Ellie, and she can’t tell for the life of her if she likes it or not.

In the span of that very same week, she finds out your name and where you reside, and just her luck, it’s close!

So very close.

Ellie emphasizes, watching you tiredly slug past her unit door through the peephole a couple minutes past 9 everynight.

[rose-of-the-grave]

Her Eyes

Pairing: Lily x James

Hey everybody, I hope you enjoy this! It was based off of this request. As always I'm the author (please don't repost)

Masterlist. Read on Ao3

Warnings: fluff, literally just James simping over Lily, the fluffiest fluff ever with a smidge of the rest of the Marauders in the background

Word Count: 1113

Description: On a peaceful May evening, Lily and James enjoy a picnic on the front lawn of the castle while the other three Marauders realize that things are changing.

(Read: now our quartet is down to three a la Lion King) iykyk

Taglist: @sylveryfire

It was a warm, sunny day at Hogwarts and most of the students were out on the front lawn, reveling in the warmth that had been gone for so long. Under one particular tree sat three boys. Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Now these three boys were seemingly not as content as they might otherwise have been, usually joking around. The reason for this could be found not too far away from them, sitting on a blanket having a picnic with his new girlfriend.

“You know, staring at them isn’t going to make James come back over here.” Remus said from where he lay on the ground.

Sirius grumbled, “I know.”

Laughter echoed through the spring air.

“I’m happy for them, ya know? But she stole him! The least she could do is let us borrow him every once and a while.” He complained.

Remus sat up slightly, shielding his eyes with his hand. “After all the years Prongs spent mooning over her he’s probably afraid that if he leaves her alone for one second she’ll revert back to not liking him.”

Peter looked over at the two of them from where he sat. “We’ll all get to hang out during the summer though, right?”

“Nah, she’s staying with us for the first part of the summer.” Sirius said, referring to the Potter household. For the past few summers all four boys had stayed together there and all of them saw it as a home away from home, though now, since Sirius had started actually living with them, he did truly see it as home.

“Finally. Now I’ll have someone to have intellectually stimulating conversations with.” Remus joked.

Sirius clutched his chest in shock, “Are you saying that we aren’t stimulating you?”

Remus gave him a look. “Don’t you dare laugh.” He warned.

Sirius grinned back, barely holding in laughter.

“I’m seri...” Remus stopped, realizing his blunder. “Shit.”

Sirius started cracking up, saying through laughs, “No, I’m Sirius.”

Remus and Peter exchanged a look.

“You walked right into that one, my friend.”

The werewolf sighed, “I know.”

Across the field, Lily and James were finishing up their food. Lily was still munching on the last remnants of her meal while James was already done so he took the time to admire the beautiful girl that sat next to him. She was absolutely stunning. He already knew that but it wasn’t until recently that he had been able to admire her beauty up close.

As if she could sense his gaze she looked over at him, her eyes meeting his.

“What are you doing?” She asked in bewilderment.

“Gazing at the most amazing girl I have ever met and wondering how I managed to get her to agree to go on a date with me.”

She laughed, pushing playfully at his shoulder. “Flatterer.”

“I mean it.” He insisted.

She ducked her head down in embarrassment, “Thank you.”

Lily shifted a bit to look out into the distance at the Black Lake, the sun shimmering on the surface.

Staring into her beautiful green eyes he couldn’t help but ask, “Lils?”

She looked over at him, “Yes, Jamie?”

“Were your eyes always this wonderful?” He asked, with a dazed expression on his face.

Her cheeks flushed a deep pink, “You are the first person to say that besides mum & dad.”

“Does your sister not like them?” He asked, puzzled at how anybody could stare into her gorgeous emerald eyes and not think they were absolutely stunning.

“No, she thinks they are ugly.” Lily admitted.

“She needs to get her eyes checked.”

Lily giggled.

“No, I’m being serious.” James said earnestly.

“That’s sweet of you.”

Lily smiled inwardly, ever since she had finally said yes to going on a date he had been acting over the moon. Flowers had appeared at her door every morning with a handwritten note that always had some compliment or, occasionally, a quote. She had been quite amused and very touched when she discovered that he had been asking Remus for recommendations and had even created a list of the ones that reminded him the most of her.

He was always being sweet to her, offering to carry things for her. While he had never been known to particularly care about getting to class on time he was frequently late because he always walked with her to class and somehow left his class early to arrive right when hers got out.

Her friends joked about how they were attached at the hip but she couldn’t be happier. Maybe it was too soon to know but she had a feeling that they were going to spend the rest of their lives together. When she looked over at him she could see herself marrying him, starting a family, and growing old together.

She ruffled his dark hair, leaning in to kiss him on the cheek. He looked up at her with a smile. A smile that earned himself yet another kiss, this one was a bit longer.

From a ways away came a few hoots. Laughing, they both turned to look at where Remus, Sirius, and Peter sat. James casually flipped them off before slipping a hand into Lily’s hair to pull her face towards his, kissing her again. They eventually pulled apart, but Lily sidled up closer and laid her head down on his shoulder, both of them looking out into the horizon at the sun starting to fall behind the mountains. They would eventually have to pack up and return to the castle but for now they simply enjoyed the mostly peaceful May evening side by side, wishing that they could just stay there in that moment together forever.

[poppy-metal]

okay but if mafia!jordan exists What is their breaking point where you feel dumb and demeaned but something Happens that threatens you/your safety and they lose their mind and oopsie maybe they actually care about you

heheheheh cracks my knuckles.

dk how many words this is but a little more than a drabble so under a cut.

also warning the word r*pe is mentioned ( not executed) - this is a mafia au so dark shit should be pretty obvious.

you probably get lost one night, like you manage to slip past your constant gaurds while you're out because you've never really been out - you just wanna explore a little. the threat of being recognized and hurt doesn't even register to you.

n jordan has kept a leash on you but its a pretty loose one, trying not to care about you - trying not to fall. thinking it means they're giving up a part of themselves if they do. that's why they're mean to you. but they let you go out - with gaurds - because they're not a fucking dictator. when they come back though, panicked and worried because you were there one moment and then gone the next jordan feels a sense of panic they've never felt before. and not because losing you would look bad on them, genuine fear chills their blood. worse case scenario running through their head - you've been kidnapped, you're tied up and drugged in the back of some guys car rn, you're already dead, you've been sold to sex trafficking ring, just the thought of you being touched makes them grip their gun and empty the clip in the gaurds heads - just for letting it happen.

they call you - again and again and again. (your phone is dead and you forgot to charge it.) jordan has their staff and their close friends and anyone else they can call out looking for you while they pace back and forth, hands gripping at their dark hair, yanking it out of style, making it erratic and messy. biting their nails, kicking their desk. blood pumping faster than it ever has before. they think about never seeing you again, or of seeing your corpse and they wanna be sick. they think of your sweet smile and how you find things every day to be chipper about even when jordan has been a dick to you. god, they want to put a bullet in their own skull. thinking of you being alone and frightened. they're supposed to protect you, goddammit.

cut to you strolling through the doors to jordans study three hours later - buzzing with contentment because you'd gone to the new mall that opened! "jordy!" you call, bumbling into the open door, not catching the serious atmosphere because you're looking down at the bags in your arms. "you know that new mall that opened i told you about the other day? i went! and i got you something-"

when jordan hears your sweet voice they stop dead in the middle of the room. just kinda staring at you in slack jawed amazement. alive and well and back at home, your home together, where you should be, with a flush to your cheeks from the cold weather and a smile on your lips. alive and not dead. not hurt.

you're cut off from speaking with an oompth as jordan strides across the room and crushes you to them, one hand coming up to cup the back of your head, the other around your waist. your face immediately fits against the crook of their neck and your body kinda melts on instinct. you drop the bags to the floor and return the embrace immediately, you dont know why its happening, but the soldid warmth of jordan all around you makes you liquid. when your arms tentatively wrap around their waist, you feel jordan shudder against you, their grip becoming almost painful.

"jordan?" you ask softly. you're not complaining but this is certainly out of character.

they pull back, and its like their eyes cant skan over you fast enough - in their mind they're checking for injuries. but you look okay.

"fuck." they say and it echoes through the room. more emotion packed into that one curse than they've ever showed toward you. they run a hand down their jaw, "fuck."

you blink, noticing the tension now. glancing around the room. it just registers now who the mansion was empty when you came home. usually someone would have been there to greet you, take your bags.

"where is everyone? why is it so quiet?"

jordans hand starts to shake and they have to shake it out, flex their fingers so they dont - they dont know. strangle you? grab you and kiss the fuck out of you?

"you went to the mall." they say it slowly and deliberately.

you nod enthusiasticlly.

jordan breathes out very slowly, chest expanding.

"you ditched your gaurds."

ah.

"they were hovering!" you pout, "I know they're supposed to, but i didn't want two hulking men following me into -" here you squirm a little, getting flustered. jordan is staring blankly at you. "following me into the uh, feminine stores. it was just for a few hours though! I'll apologize to them-"

"they're dead."

"what?"

"i shot them."

"jordan-" you gasp, stomach dropping. guilt filling your lungs. tears sting your eyes immediately. "but - i didn't mean -"

"do you know what happens to mafia wives when another family finds them alone." jordans looking at their hands now, rolling a ring around their finger. their birth stone. they dont wait for you to reply, "they get shot if they're lucky - but that's usually not the case. waste of good blackmail. usually its beatings - rape is most definite. cut off limbs to send to her husband or her father as a threat or a gloat. sometimes they keep them alive, sex traffikers aren't picky after all. most of the time though, the rest of what's left gets dumped in the ocean."

a hand comes up to cover your mouth, shaking. you knew it was a dangerous idea, but. you didn't think - you didn't feel under threat. and now people are dead because of you? your bottom lip trembles. you dont know what to say.

you think jordan might really kill you, with the way they're talking, so when they reach out and tip your chin up, you flinch a little.

you're shocked to find fire in jordans eyes. every other time jordan has been pissed at you - its been ice.

"you made me -" their jaw works. "you worried the hell out of me today. do you understand what i was thinking? what could have happened to you... shit."

their grip tightens to the point of pain and tears fill your eyes again, but not from that. from your own guilt.

"im sorry," you whisper. "i didn't mean to."

"that can't fucking happen again."

you nod, a bobble head. but their gaze hardens and you squeak when their hand slides from your jaw to wrap around your delicate throat. they back you up against the wall. their eyes still blazing, two dark coals glaring down at you with so much passion you feel your cunt pulse between your legs. you can't help it.

"no. not a fucking nod, mouse. that shits not happening a second time - or I'll fucking be the one to kill you. do you understand?"

you tremble. gasp when you feel their rings dig into your skin.

"words. use them."

"yes," you eek out, wondering whats wrong with you that you're getting wetter. "yes i understand, jordan. im sorry."

their eyes flick to the bags at their feet. "go upstairs." they let you go, but dont step back. "I'll deal with you later. i have about twenty fucking phone calls to make."

you squeeze by them, gulping when your hard nipples brush against their chest. running upstairs like theres a flame under your ass. little do you know, your ass WILL be flaming later, but for a different reason.

when you're gone jordan visibly slumps in relief. putting their head in their hands for a second to calm the fuck down, to quell the desire to go upstairs after you and beat your ass with a belt for worrying them so fucking much. they dont trust themselves right now to not break you.

oh. you'll be punished. but if today has taught them anything, its that they want you in one piece.

[cheynovak]

Between Power and Freedom

Part 3

Characters: Dean Winchester x Y/N Shurley Female character     

Summary: Y/N, the ambitious daughter of a powerful CEO, grapples with her father's choices, while she secretly takes a job with Dean Winchester, the rugged CEO of a rival company. Sparks fly between Y/N and Dean as they navigate their growing attraction amid corporate rivalry and family pressure.

Warnings: This story will contain parts that are 18+!

English is not my first language 

*Please do not copy my work, reblog/comments/likes are appreciated* 

The next week, I officially signed my contract with Winchester industries. It felt surreal—walking into that building, knowing I was a spy for my dad. Sam was there to greet me, and we went over the business, everything I needed to know as I settled into my new role. It wasn’t long before I met Bobby, the finance manager Sam had mentioned.

Bobby was an older man, gruff and not one for small talk, but it didn’t take long for me to realize he was more than just an employee. He was like a father to the Winchester boys, more so than their own had ever been, from what little they’d mentioned about him. Despite his rough exterior, I respected him immediately, and over the next month, we worked side by side as he started to trust me more and more.

It was about a month in when Bobby pulled me aside. He’d been grumbling about his health for a while, but that day, he told me he needed to take a long overdue vacation—doctor’s orders.

"I’ll be gone for a month, at least," he said, rubbing the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable with the idea of stepping away from the business. "I want you to take over while I’m gone, make sure everything runs smooth, can you do that kid?"

I was surprised by the offer, but honored that Bobby trusted me enough to handle things in his absence. "Of course, Bobby. I won’t let you down," I promised, and he gave me a short nod, the closest thing to a smile I’d seen from him.

The work was challenging but rewarding. Every night, though, my father would call, demanding a status update. “What have you found? Any cracks in the books? Anything I can use?” he’d press. But I had nothing to give him. Winchester industries was clean, their financials solid, and no matter how much I combed through the accounts, there was nothing shady to report back to my father. He grew more impatient by the day.

“Slow process,” he sneered during one of our calls, his voice dripping with disappointment. “I expected better from you, Y/N.”

But I no longer cared about meeting his expectations. I loved my work at Winchester. Bobby treated me with respect, Sam made sure I felt supported, and Dean—well, Dean was a different story altogether.

He was charming in a rough-edged way, always surrounded by women like Jo. But I was focused on my work, and I wasn’t going to get distracted by Dean Winchester, no matter how my heart might skip a beat whenever he walked into the room.

On Bobby’s last night before his vacation, he invited me over to his place for dinner.

It was a family affair, with both Sam and Dean there, along with Sam’s wife, Eileen, and Dean’s girlfriend, Jo. As soon as I arrived, I felt the tension between Dean and Jo. She had this loud, flashy persona that clashed with the grounded, hardworking energy in the room.

Jo wasn’t like Eileen, or even me. She seemed more interested in flaunting her relationship with Dean than actually being a part of his life. She gave off that sugar-baby vibe—more interested in what Dean could offer her than in Dean himself. It wasn’t hard to see why the two of them clashed.

Dinner was lively, with everyone sharing stories and laughing. I learned that Sam and Eileen had married last summer, and they were the picture of a perfect couple—gentle, caring, completely in sync. Jo, on the other hand, seemed to dominate the conversation, throwing little digs at Dean, complaining about how long it was taking for him to propose.

"Dean, when are you going to stop playing around and put a ring on it?" Jo teased loudly, and I saw the way Dean's jaw tightened. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes.

It was obvious she was pushing him, and I could see the discomfort it caused. As the evening wore on, tensions between them escalated, and soon enough, they were outside, having what seemed like their daily argument.

“Well, that didn’t take long,” Sam said with a sigh, shaking his head as he glanced out the window at his brother and Jo, now arguing on the porch.

I looked confused, turning to Eileen. "Do they fight often?" I asked, wondering how a relationship like that could survive.

Eileen gave me a sympathetic smile. "Every day," she explained, as if it was common knowledge. "Jo wants more—marriage, status—and Dean… well, Dean isn’t ready. He likes his freedom. And Jo doesn’t really understand that."

I nodded slowly, trying to make sense of it all. Jo wasn’t Dean’s type, at least not from what I could see. She seemed more like an accessory to his life than a partner, and it was clear that the tension between them was only going to grow.

I couldn’t help but wonder why he stayed with her, why he didn’t just let go. But then again, maybe I was projecting my own feelings. Maybe I was starting to care about Dean more than I should.

As the night wound down and the fight outside continued, I realized something. This family, despite its complications, was accepting me as their own. And no matter what my father said, they didn't use me in a way like he does.

I had found my place. And I wasn’t going to give it up.

Dean walked back into the room, his expression tense but composed. “Jo went home,” he said, almost nonchalantly, though I could sense the frustration behind his words. He apologized to Bobby, who just waved it off, clearly not bothered by the drama that had unfolded.

I was in the kitchen, finishing up the dishes. The last thing I wanted was to leave a mess after Bobby had been so kind to invite me into his home. Dean wandered over and stood beside me, his presence heavy but not unpleasant.

“So, how you feeling about the company?” he asked, his tone casual but curious.

I glanced over at him, surprised he was even asking. “It’s different,” I admitted. “In a good way. Everyone’s more… open. It’s not just about numbers or control. I actually like it here.”

He nodded, but the silence that followed felt a little strained. I hesitated for a moment, my mind flashing back to the argument he’d just had with Jo. Against my better judgment, I spoke up.

“Are you okay?” I asked quietly. “It’s not really my place, but… if you want to talk about the fight with Jo—”

His response was immediate, cutting. “It is indeed not your place.” His voice was cold, his words sharp, and I felt the sting of them as if he’d slapped me.

I lowered my head, instantly regretting the question. I should’ve known better than to pry. Dean Winchester wasn’t the type to open up easily, especially not to someone like me, who was still relatively new in his world. The silence between us was thick, and I just focused on the dishes, trying to push away the awkwardness.

A few minutes later, I was ready to leave. I hugged Bobby goodbye, thanking him for dinner and telling him that if he needed any help during his recovery, he could always call me. Bobby grunted in his usual way, but I could tell he appreciated it.

Just as I reached the door, I heard Dean’s voice behind me. “Let me drive you home,” he offered. “You don’t need to walk in the dark.”

I was surprised—especially after how cold he’d been earlier—but I didn’t decline. “Alright, thanks,” I said softly.

The drive started out awkward, with only the sound of the car’s engine filling the silence. Dean kept his eyes on the road, his expression unreadable. I kept my hands folded in my lap, feeling small and unsure.

But then, after a few minutes, he spoke. “Hey,” he said, his voice softer than before. “I’m sorry for biting your head off earlier.”

I glanced at him, taken aback by the apology. Dean wasn’t the kind of guy who usually admitted when he was wrong, at least not from what I’d seen.

“It’s fine,” I said quickly, not wanting to make a big deal out of it. “I shouldn’t have asked.” He shook his head. “No, it’s not that. You were just trying to be nice. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”

I offered him a small smile, feeling a bit of the tension ease. “Thanks. I just… I could tell something was bothering you. But I get it, it’s personal.”

Dean sighed, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. “Jo and I… it’s complicated. She wants more than I can give right now. And I’m not sure I’m the guy who’s ever gonna be able to give her what she wants.”

I didn’t know what to say to that, so I just nodded, letting his words settle in the air. It was strange, hearing Dean Winchester—a man who seemed so sure of himself in every other aspect of life—admit to doubt and uncertainty.

After a few more minutes of silence, he pulled up in front of my apartment. He put the car in park and turned to me, his green eyes soft and maybe a little weary.

“Thanks for the ride,” I said, giving him a genuine smile as I unbuckled my seatbelt.

As I stepped out of the car, something clicked in my mind. Maybe Dean was looking for someone to be there for him. I hesitated for a moment, then turned back around and leaned against the open window, my heart pounding a little faster.

“Dean…” I began, trying to sound casual, “would you like to come in for a talk?”

I could see the conflict on his face, his eyes searching mine, unsure if he should accept the invitation. For a brief second, I thought he might decline, but then, almost as if the weight of his thoughts became too heavy to carry alone, he nodded.

We walked up to my apartment in silence. Once inside, I offered him a glass of bourbon, which he accepted with a quiet “thanks.” The dim lighting made everything feel a little more intimate, a little less tense. I could see the guarded expression on Dean’s face starting to soften.

He took a deep breath, staring at the glass in his hand. “I met Jo when I was in a bad place,” he began, his voice low. “My sister, Charlie, died in an accident. I was... I was wrecked. My dad, he was always tough—never the soft kind of guy—but after we lost Charlie, he became... unbearable.”

His eyes darkened at the memory. “Jo was my escape. She was wild, unpredictable, and I thought I needed that at the time. A way to forget, you know?”

I nodded, staying quiet so he could continue. I could hear the pain in his voice, and it was hard to imagine the confident, carefree Dean Winchester I’d come to know carrying all that weight. It was as if, beneath the exterior, he was still that little boy, yearning for his father’s approval, for something solid to hold onto.

“I thought Jo could fill that void Charlie left, because Char was wild and free, she loved to travel.” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “But now... I don’t know. I think maybe I’m just hanging on because it’s familiar.”

"There are days I don't even know what I do with the company. I kept it because it was my dads, but I'm sure if he was alive he'd smack my head for what I did to it."

I reached out instinctively, my hand finding its way to his shoulder. I gave it a gentle squeeze, feeling the tension in his muscles. “Dean,” I said softly, “you’re doing great. You’ve built something incredible with your company, and you’re an amazing boss."

He turned his head, locking eyes with me, and in that moment, the air between us shifted. There was something intense in his gaze, something raw and vulnerable, and before I even had time to process what was happening, his lips were on mine.

The kiss was sudden and fierce, his hand reaching up to tangle in my hair as his other arm wrapped firmly around my waist. His lips were rough, yet desperate, and when his tongue sought entrance, I froze for a second, startled by the sudden rush of it all. My mind was racing, caught between shock and the undeniable pull I felt toward him.

I quickly broke the kiss, my heart pounding in my chest. Dean pulled back immediately, his face full of regret, his hands dropping to his sides as if he didn’t know what to do with them.

“I—I’m sorry,” he stammered, his face flushing with embarrassment. “I didn’t mean to… God, I’m an idiot.”

He stood up, clearly flustered, running a hand through his hair. “I shouldn’t have done that,” he muttered, his voice thick with guilt. “I don’t know what the hell I was thinking.”

I stayed silent for a moment, my own emotions swirling in confusion. The truth was, I didn’t know how to feel either. The kiss had caught me off guard, but it hadn’t felt wrong. It was just... unexpected.

“Dean,” I said, my voice soft, trying to calm him down. “It’s okay. Really.” He looked at me, his expression still conflicted, but I could see the apology in his eyes.

“I just… I don’t know how to handle all this,” he admitted quietly, almost as if confessing it to himself. “I’m a mess, and you don’t deserve to get caught up in that.”

I shook my head, taking a step closer to him. “We’re all a little messed up, Dean,” I said gently. “But you don’t have to deal with it alone.”

Dean looked at me for a long moment, as if trying to figure out if he could let himself believe that. Then he nodded, his shoulders relaxing slightly. “Thanks,” he said, his voice more grounded now. “I mean it.”

I offered him a small smile, trying to lighten the mood. “Let’s just... chalk that up to the bourbon and a long night, yeah?” Dean chuckled softly, the tension finally easing a little from his face. “Yeah. Let’s do that.”

He stayed for a little longer, and we talked—about work, life, anything that wasn’t too heavy. When he finally left, there was no awkwardness, just an understanding that something had shifted between us.

I wasn’t sure where it would lead, but one thing was clear: Dean Winchester wasn’t as untouchable as he seemed.

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[torscrawls]

DP x  DC - Mad Scientists

Summary:

The Justice League is investigating a pair of evil scientists in Amity Park. Danny is panicking over a pair of new villains in the area and over the fact that he has no idea who they are.

Hopefully his parents will stay out of the whole mess since they have nothing to do with it.

…Right?

Words: 2 872

Can be read on AO3!

-

Danny's phone rang, but it wasn’t his usual one with a cracked screen and case decorated with several planet-stickers. No, the phone that was ringing was his sleek black one, the one he had gotten from the Justice League just a few months ago, the one he had gotten after he had started working together with them. They had said something about wanting a stable way of contacting him outside summoning circles.

Danny supposed that was fair.

They were nice enough and Danny had actually even started to relax a bit around them. Hanging around people who didn't hate him just for what he was could be nice, who knew?

Even so, they usually didn't call him for a friendly chat.

He picked the phone up and fumbled with it for a few seconds before he managed to answer it, still unused to handling it. “Hello? Phantom here.”

The voice that greeted him was smooth and self-assured, impossible to mistake after hours of missions together. Red Robin. “Hey, Phantom. We have a mission in Amity.”

Danny blinked in surprise, looking down at the town spreading out in front of him from where he sat high above on top of one of the few skyscrapers in the small city. “Here?”

“Yes. Have you heard anything about a pair of mad scientists in the area?”

 Mad scientists? Danny shuddered. There were some new crazy scientists in town? He didn’t even think to question the validity of the claim; if the Bats said there were some crazy scientists in the area, then there were. But how had he missed them? He tried to keep tabs on all the players, old and new, that were involved in the mess that was Amity Park. They really didn’t have room for any more players. “No I haven’t. Where?”

 If they were here, he had to stop them.

 Red Robin’s voice didn’t allow for any argument as he said, “Don’t act on your own. We’re not sure of their exact location at the moment but we’re working on it as we speak. We plan on carrying out the mission next week. Can we count on your help?”

 Uh-oh, that was Red Robin’s serious voice. Best not to antagonize him, and it didn’t really matter who these people were or where they came from, they couldn't stay. Not if they threatened the strenuous peace he had fought so hard to achieve between humans and ghosts over the years. So he simply said, “Of course I'll help.”

 “Great!” Red Robin said, and Danny could hear the smile in his voice, “We'll keep you updated. Stay out of trouble!” And then he promptly hung up.

 Danny stared down at the silent phone with pursed lips. The people in the League were—almost—always very down to business, especially the Bats. That didn’t mean that he hadn’t been able to joke around with a few of them, especially Red Robin, but  Danny still felt a bit intimidated by all the planning and thought that went into all the League's missions. Not that he was complaining; he hadn't been mortally wounded even once since starting to work together with them.

 Not counting what he did in his free time, of course. 

 But their planning and cunning was also part of the problem; most of them were scary smart and Danny wasn't a huge fan of the League coming to his hometown since it severely increased the chances of them figuring him out. 

 Still. He had considered telling them more about himself anyway. Maybe even the whole truth. It was just a matter of time before they figured him out anyway and he would rather the information came from him. But that could all wait for now; he had a job to do.

 He pocketed the sleek black phone before fishing out his own as he took off over the city. He sent out a quick message simply reading, Meeting in five outside Nasty Burger. He might not be able to act, but he knew two people who could. Besides, they hadn’t said anything about some light investigating.

 No matter how much he had come to trust the League, he wasn’t about to just sit around doing nothing when his own town might be in danger.

—

 A week later, exactly as Red Robin had said, he got a text to his sleek black phone that simply said that they were waiting for him by the park.

 So much for a heads-up, Danny thought with a sigh.

 A downside of people thinking he was a full ghost; they didn’t even consider the fact that he might have a life…Which was only half-true.

 Luckily, his parents had run out of the house half an hour ago screaming about a ghost and for once, Danny had been happy to leave them to it.

 Unluckily, he had actually been trying to get his homework done for once.

 He grumbled as he put his pen down and changed into Phantom, sending Tucker and Sam a quick text to let them know what was going on.

 Their own investigation hadn’t turned up anything on the new scientists; no one seemed to know what they were talking about, no matter how thoroughly Tucker dredged the internet and no matter how many people—and ghosts—Sam “persuaded” to talk.  It had almost been enough for Danny to start doubting Red Robin’s words.

 Regardless of whether they were right or wrong about the existence of these villainous scientists, he guessed it would be settled tonight.

 Danny arrived by the park to see Red Robin and Batman standing on the street outside the entrance. How they arrived, Danny didn’t know, but he trusted them to not have attracted attention as they did.

 It was… bizarre to see them in his hometown and Danny found himself grateful that it was dark and consequently not that many people out and about. Amity might see more than its fair share of strange things, but he doubted that seeing the Batman and Red Robin standing ominously beneath a birch tree would go completely unnoticed, even here.

 The Bats were always slightly intimidating; giving off the impression they knew more than they let on, that they were always at least one step ahead. They probably were.

 Batman nodded to him as he landed next to them and greeted him in his usual gravelly tone of voice, “Phantom.” 

 “Big Bat, Red Robin.” Danny spread his arms wide with a smile to match. “Welcome to my crib. Do you need a tour?” 

 Batman simply scowled, but that wasn't anything out of the ordinary. 

 Red Robin on the other hand laughed as he shook his head. “We're good.” 

 Danny leaned to the side to look behind them. “It's only you two? Where's the rest of the gang?” 

 “Are you saying we're not enough for you?” Red Robin asked in mock offense. 

 Danny held up his hands in a calming gesture, but he couldn't keep the grin off his face. “No, no, of course not! I wouldn't dream of it, I love you guys. Cross my heart and hope to die! Oops!” He broke down cackling, quickly joined by Red Robin.

 “Enough chit-chat,” Batman cut them both off, “Let’s focus.”

 Danny straightened up with a mock salute. “Yes, sir, Double B, sir.”

 Red Robin rolled his eyes so hard that Danny could tell even from behind his domino mask. Batman himself didn’t even twitch, but Danny refused to lose hope; one day he would get Batman to react to his nicknames.

 For now though, he was unable to keep his curiosity in check any longer. “Sooo… Where are these crazy scientists you were talking about?”

 “They were last seen downtown,” Batman said gruffly.

 Danny clapped his hands in delight. “Ooh! So I'm the one getting the tour?” 

 “This is a mission,” Batman deadpanned, but Danny had been around him enough to pick up on the exasperated tone underlining the clipped words. He was getting to him.

 Danny waved him off. “Yeah I know, but that doesn't mean we can't be civil to each other.” 

 Red Robin snorted. “He’s right, B.”

 Danny held his hand up for a high five from Red Robin as Batman scowled. “I’ll investigate downtown. You two can investigate their house. Stay focused.”

 “Sure thing!” Danny agreed with a smile and wave. “See you later Batguy.” Unsurprisingly, he didn’t get a response. I will get him next time, Danny thought with a grin as he watched the man disappear more effectively than most ghosts he knew.

 “Alright, let’s go,” Red Robin said as he gestured for Danny to follow.

 They chatted as they walked—or in Danny’s case hovered—down the street, even as both of them kept their eyes peeled for any potential trouble. Even so, it wasn’t long before Red Robin stopped and Danny frowned in confusion. “Why are we stopping?”

 Red Robin gestured across the road. “That’s where the villains live.”

 Danny followed his gesture even as he knew what house was on the other side of the road. Knew it intimately. “But that’s my—” Danny hesitated, then decided to take the plunge. “That’s my house.”

 Red Robin stopped. Slowly turned to face him. “What.”

 And that was the moment it really clicked for Danny. “The scientists we’re here for… Their names are Jack and Madeline Fenton, aren’t they?”

 “Yes,” Red Robin said before turning the full force of his attention on Danny. “I thought you said you didn’t know who they were?” And there was a hint of suspicion in his expression as he said it.

 Danny couldn’t bring himself to care. And it was too late to back out now. He had given them enough; they would be able to put everything together with or without his help. So he said, voice sounding strained even to his own ears, “They’re my parents.”

 The suspicion was replaced by shocked surprise. “But you're a ghost??” 

 Danny raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? I still have parents? I was still born??”

 Danny didn't think he imagined the red that dusted Red Robin’s face at that. “I just didn't think—Right, sorry. Of course.” 

 And then he could see Red Robin pause and really think about what he had said; the implications of it. Making connections that Danny really would prefer that he didn’t.

 The ghost hunters and the ghostly son. The lab that they no doubt knew about after their investigations. The hazmat suit that Danny always wore.

 Red Robin stared at him with his mouth slightly open before breathing out, “Your name is Danny.” And Danny knew he wasn’t talking about his identity as Danny Phantom, but as Danny Fenton.

 Of course they had looked into the family of the people they were here to investigate, he should have known.

 He still forced a smile on his face and said, “I thought you were supposed to be a great detective! Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten my name!”

 “But then you—” Then Red Robin cut himself off as he abruptly touched a hand to the side of his face, to his comm, Danny realized. After a few seconds of silent listening he spoke quickly into the comm, “Wait for us. Something new has come up.” Then he tapped at his ear and turned to face Danny. “We have a situation, we’ll have to continue this conversation later.”

 Danny had a sinking suspicion of what the situation could be. Or who. His parents had been away an awfully long time and that never resulted in anything good. Still, he could think of several things he would rather be doing than continuing this conversation. “You can continue this conversation over my dead body!”

 And then he cursed his big mouth. Maybe Red Robin didn’t want to joke around with him anymore, maybe he didn’t—

 Then Red Robin barked out a short laugh. “No different than usual then!” before taking off down the street at a run.

 Danny reluctantly followed, mainly because of the relief that flooded him. He was almost glad for the distraction this new situation provided. The keyword being almost.

 As they moved down the street Danny found himself asking, “Sooo, what’s going on exactly?” He might know who was going on, but not what.

 Thankfully, Red Robin took pity on him and accepted the change in topic. “The two villains are wreaking havoc down by the city center. Apparently there are a couple of ghosts involved as well.”

 “They’re not villains!” Danny instinctually argued.

 Red Robin held up a hand to stop him, but didn’t slow his pace. Danny was both jealous of his stamina and very grateful for his own ability to fly. “Okay. Okay. Just— Let me get this straight.”

 Danny nodded, but couldn’t keep the frown from his face as he said, “Sure.”

 Red Robin held up a finger. “Your parents? They are consistently the cause of massive amounts of property damage to the city?”

 “I mean… Yeah.” His admittance was ironically underlined by a massive boom a few blocks down. They were getting close.

 Red Robin didn’t bat an eye at the noise as he continued, another finger joining the first, “And they have a lab underneath your house?”

 “Yes.”

 A third finger. “And they experiment on sentient creatures in said lab?”

 Danny winced. Evidently, they had done their research well. “Sometimes. But not for the last few years. I’ve been able to stop them bef—”

 But he didn’t get to finish as Red Robin abandoned his counting and threw his hands in the air in frustration. “How are they not mad scientists?”

 Danny hated how unsure he sounded as he said, “Their hearts are in the right place?”

 In the background they could hear the booming voice of Jack shouting out, “Get back here you ectoplasmic scum!” Immediately followed by Maddie screaming, “We’re going to disintegrate you! Strap you to the table and see what makes you tick! We’re going to dissolve you into base components!”

 Red Robin crossed his arms and sounded decidedly unimpressed as he asked, “That them?”

 Danny just gave an unconvincing smile before flinching as another explosion rang out between the buildings. Of course it had to be his parents causing problems today… But, really, what day weren’t they? Danny let out a defeated sigh as he said, “Let’s just go.”

 They rounded the corner and arrived at what looked like a war zone.

 This in and of itself wasn’t strange for Amity on a Saturday night, but what was strange was the sight of Batman in the middle of it all, hunkered down behind an overturned car as he watched the chaos unfold.

 And of course Danny’s parents were in the middle of it all; guns blazing, hazmat suits on, screaming themselves hoarse as they chased after a madly cackling Johnny and Kitty on their motorcycle.

 Ectoplasm was everywhere; splattered on the street, the shops, the cars, even on the edge of Batman’s cape. Everywhere except for the duo of laughing ghosts.

 There were a couple of holes blasted in the road as well as the side of a building. The GAV was half-embedded in the glass front of a clothing store, because of course it was.

 Kitty and Johnny had managed to tie a long string of shirts to the back of their bike and were dragging them around like a colorful banner. Jack had a pair of jeans tied around his head as he blindly shot the Fenton bazooka at anything and anything, like a deadly game of piñata with a gun.

 Danny could see the way Red Robin took in the chaos with wide eyes and a slightly open mouth. It wasn’t worse than a typical Saturday night, but that didn’t mean that it was good.

 Red Robin slowly turned to face him, his face unimpressed and a single eyebrow raised in challenge.

 …Maybe his parents actually were evil scientists.

 But he would never admit that out loud so Danny just groaned and started making his way over to the chaos. “Not a word. Let’s just go stop them before they try and capture the big B.”

 “Why would they do that if they’re not mad scientists?!” Red Robin asked with a decidedly unwarranted amount of snark in his voice.

 Danny thought back to countless heated family discussions over literally animated dinners about the Gotham vigilantes and then admitted, “…They might be convinced that he's a ghost.”

 Red Robin groaned. “Of course they are.”

[harusaki-hugo]

Calling Them By Real/Full Name.[MONDSTADT VER]

Warning: Pure Crack, a bit angst[on jean], jealous reader [jean], fluff [jean], you can see the fav, some characters real name spoiler.

Headcanon:- Calling someone you close/love by their full/real name can sometimes strike fear inside them. But sometimes calling their full/real name affectionately can make them melt inside.

Characters:- Diluc , Kaeya and Jean

Diluc:-

Once again, Diluc forgot about you two dinner nights to chase after some Fatui guys. You sit there on the Tavern chair seething in anger while Kaeya tries to calm you down.

“i-I’m sure he just wants to get you some flowers?” Kaeya smile nervously flinching in fear when you glare at him, “One more word, Kaeya. You going to wear two eyepatches.” You manage to shut the male.

Diluc enters the Tavern with a tired sigh, his expression twisting in displeasure when he sees Kaeya but brightening when he sees you. He seems ignorant at how a dark aura seeps out of you and the warning look Kaeya gives him.

“My love.” You cut him off with a dark smile, “  Diluc Ragnvindr.” The way Diluc's face becomes more pale hinting that he realizes his mistake, you jump out of the chair summoning out your weapon, “You going to meet you father-” Kaeya quickly wraps his arms around your torso lifting you from the floor yelling, “Diluc, ruun!!”

The red hair male does not need to be told twice, kicking down the tavern door he frantically throws himself out of the door to avoid your wrath, and perhaps this time he should stay out of regions for another year until you calm down [again].

Kaeya:-

You feel your eyebrows twitching in anger as you wait inside your boyfriend's office room waiting for him to come back from his so said patrol. Standing beside you are Traveler and Paimon, eyes still red from the crying. Early today the two come to you crying, complaining that Kaeya lies to them about some treasure and force them to become bait for some treasure thief.

Having a soft spot for the honorary knight and their companion, you decide to scold the male for them only to find out that the male is currently at Tavern drinking in the middle of the day and annoying his brother.

Your eyes snap at the door when it clicks open revealing your boyfriend, he smiles widely when he sees you but confused at the sight of the traveler and Paimon. 

“ Kaeya Alberich.” He went rigid at your tone, smiling nervously he take a step back only to let out a yelp when the door suddenly slam shut. You stand up from the chair summoning your weapon, “Say hi to crepus for me~”  

Lisa and Jean look up from their work when they hear the familiar scream of Kaeya, “And here you thought he learn his lesson.” Jean sighed.

Jean:-

She didn’t come back home, again. You sit on the couch in your shared home living room glaring at the clock on the wall, it’s already morning and another new day, and your fiance still hasn’t come home. It’s been a week and you start to think that the headquarter is her home rather than here.

It’s her idea for you two to move in together and now, she is the one who rarely comes home. She always says she is busy, with too much paperwork to do, then why did she have time to spend a day with Lisa than her lover.

The front door creaks open making your eyes snap toward the door revealing a very tired-looking Jean, she looks in your direction and smiles softly at the sight of you but you just click your tongue and look away from her, puffing your cheeks.

She looks confused at first, entering the house, she takes a seat beside you calling your name softly, and asks what’s wrong, “...Go spend more time with Lisa...” You grumble, “This is not your actual home, right..” She looks shocked at your words, looking at her lap guiltily she leans forward until her forehead hit your shoulder, you flinch at first but let her stay there.

When she see you didn’t move away from her, she wrap her arms around you leaving a soft kiss on your shoulder before snuggling her face on the croak of your neck. “J- Jean Gunnhildr!” You try to say her name in a stern tone but she just sighs liking the way you say her name, “Yes? “ She says your name back but instead of your last name, she put her last name onto it. You finally give in shifting around wrapping your arms around her bringing her close to you, Jean beaming at you pushing you down on the couch cuddling you to her heart's content.

Goddamnit,  you over-working woman, just come back home. I don’t want C2 Diluc, I just want jean.

[messrmoonyy]

so I had a thought and Uhm uhm uhm Tess fucking you in front of a mirror, holding you against her and making you watch yourself as she uses one of her toys on you 👉🏻👈🏻😵‍💫 whispering in your ear and telling you to watch and how good you look 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 I don’t want to put you out and ask for a big thing I’m sure you have lots of writing but if you could just do a little something and put my horny thoughts to rest

Hello my love! You are always welcome to off load feral thoughts into my ask box and I will write you a lil something in between my usual request uploads please don’t be shy or feel like you’re putting me out I love this shit.

All requests that I can’t write much for because I can’t come up with anything longer like this are also linked on my masterlist if you wanna give them a read

let’s pray this actually reads right in app seeing as tumblr keeps chopping off the bottom chunks of whatever fic I post

Smut under the cut 18+ ( 444 words )

Your head fell back onto Tess’ shoulder, too overwhelmed to maintain the focus that keeping your head up required. How long has you been sat there now? On the floor at the end of the bed, held back against her chest as she fucked you mercilessly, the long mirror from the bathroom propped up in front of you. There was a crack across the middle and you were thankful for it, it helped you obscure your own face if you tilted your head a certain way.

But she knew that. She knew you too well.

“ no no baby, eyes forward “ she grabbed your face with her free hand, forcing you to look back at the mirror again “ that’s it “ she caught your eyes in the reflection, a smirk plastered across her face “ so disobedient today “

“ I’m sorry “ you whimpered, cheeks burning as your eyes fluttered down to where she was dragging one of her biggest toys in and out of your sopping cunt at a torturous pace. You didn’t know how she managed to find them, it was like she had some sex toy radar. You’d complained she was taking up valuable space in her bag once or twice but according to her. They were essentials.

Because apparently fucking you to within an inch of your life was the most essential part of survival in a post outbreak world. Not that you were complaining really.

“ I’ll forgive you if you keep those eyes forward baby girl “ she pressed kisses across your neck as she changed the angle of her wrist slightly, hitting some new devastating part inside of you that made you shiver. You couldn’t deny there was something about watching her fuck you with such a clear view, seeing the fucked out look on your face that she loved so much. Seeing for yourself how easy it was to destroy you, to bring you to your knees in a whimpering pathetic mess. It was almost too much.

“ cant- cant take much more “ you spoke, voice barely audible, the stretch of your cunt combined with the way her teeth grazed over the soft skin of your neck boarding on making you see stars.

“ yes you can. You’ve done it before so you can do it again “ she caught your eyes in the mirror again “ if you hadn’t of been such a disobedient slut earlier you wouldn’t be in this position would you? No“

“ I’m sorry. I’m sorry “ “ I know “ she cooed, lips brushing against the shell of your ear “ but I need you to prove it. So you’re gonna keep your eyes forward like a good girl. I want you to watch yourself when you come “

[wonijinjin]

dust: a christmas special (ot7)

author’s note: to end the holiday season here is a little special with your favourite boys! have a peaceful day, take care.

synopsis: the christmas chaos vanished, time to clean up your mess, but it is not easy with those seven.

word count: 1.0k | genre: fluff, humour/crack | pairings: enhypen x gn! reader (platonic!) | warnings: mentions of being deaf, yelling, playfighting

“i think we should start cleaning up guys, the situation is not sustainable anymore.” it was the last day of christmas, the holy spirit and the holiday atmosphere slowly fading as time went on, you and the boys getting full and sick of stuffing yourselves with delicious special meals which you partly helped cook as well as got delivered to make sure you had enough of everything. wrappers of chocolate and presents were all over the kitchen counter, not leaving any space for you to make your morning drink; moreover the house looked like a mess, the two floors were terribly packed with all sorts of stuff you had to get in order to complete the decoration or to ensure that everyone was having the time of their lives (which included a karaoke machine, darts, and a table tennis court just to mention some activities you did), them being a bit damaged due to the excitement of the day before, the boys handling them roughly. “what did you say? sorry i’m literally deaf, yesterday’s karaoke destroyed my eardrums…even though i wanted to just sleep peacefully…” jake complained while moving into the kitchen, eyes barely open since he didn’t get enough sleep. “oh shit-“ “WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT OH MY GOD!”jake whined when you accidentally knocked the pot next to you over, its fall chattering on the marble floor, making your friend jump in surprise. “whoops, sorry. can you get the others? we need to clean this mess up.” you said gently, trying not to startle the poor boy even more.

ten minutes later all of the seven men were on their feet, sleepy gazes pinned upon your figure while waiting for an answer as of why you needed them so badly since jakey had no energy to even finish his sentence. “this is disgusting guys. i don’t even know where this suspicious substance came from, but i think it is better for all of us if we try to get rid of it.” you said with a face of shock, holding a roll of wipes and pointing at the countertop which had what you suspected was some kind of juice, sticking to everything of course. “hee please take the ornaments down from the rooms with riki, they are like broken in half or ripped into pieces anyways, so you can just throw them in the trash can.” you ordered, ushering the oldest and youngest boys of the group out of the mentioned room, and grabbing jay by his hand. “you are gonna help me clean the kitchen since we are probably the only ones who actually know how to do it.” he smiled at your words; you often came around to their dorm to spend time with them, meanwhile getting into a habit of cooking with jay, and this holiday was no exception; you had a blast with these silly boys whom you loved dearly, but the fun was over and everyone had to get back into their normal lives soon, not to mention new year’s eve rolling around soon enough. “sunoo, sunghoon please collect the wrappers.” you pleaded, the duo already hurrying to get the bags. “and lastly jakey and wonnie, can you go out to buy some new garbage bags and cleaning stuff? we are gonna run out i think.” you wondered, looking around the cabinets to find out what was necessary.

after hours of mopping and like ten bags of trash later you finally managed to get the building squeaky clean. “good job guys! i miss the christmas spirit, but i think this little session did wonders to the house! isn’t it nice to have a clean surface to sit down on?” you grinned at them, however they weren’t that happy. “yeah yeah great…” jay said while scratching the back of his head. “i wasted half a day for this…when i could’ve went out to get that ichiran ramen i got from heeseung!” riki added right after, surely not being satisfied with how his holiday came to an end. “i will treat you to a big meal on new year’s eve okay? yall are so dramatic!” you said with a blank expression. “you guys did nothing but eat and play for DAYS…a bit of hygiene doesn’t hurt you know.” sunoo sided with you, happily skipping around the house in the sunshine that was coming in through the big windows. “hah! that’s it for you all, sunny is on my side! i knew you would never let me down!” you ran to him, hugging him tightly to which he responded with a bubbly laugh. “are we gonna argue about this any further or are we gonna finally try to solve that 20000 piece lego set you bought for us?” jungwon asked with a cocked brow, you not even having time to process what happened when sunghoon started screaming. “YEAH FINALLY, THE LEGO!” he quickly grabbed it and poured it out onto the ground, sitting down next to the pieces. “now that i think of it it was a good decision to put away the stuff which has been laying here. now we have all the space for the fun!” heeseung commented, already lowering himself next to hoon. you watched the seven idiots fondly, looking at how their eyes sparkled. “okay big boys, let’s start then!”

bonus:

“YAHHH RIKI DID YOU LOSE THE LAST PIECE?” “I TOLD YOU I HAVEN’T SEEN IT, ARE YOU STUPID?” “HEY! that is not how you talk to the older members!” “it was sunoo’s fault anyways, he was dancing around i bet he kicked it off somewhere…” “I WILL MAKE SURE YOU WILL BE THE ONE KICKED OFF YOU LIAR!” “here we go again…”

[slicznymartwy]

hiiiii i have something really short (i can’t remember if i already posted this tbh since i wrote it a few weeks ago ..)

billy x sorority reader

no actual billy in this one. only implied billy. the notion of billy.

You love your sorority sisters, you love being in a sorority, you love sharing a house with them - all things you have to remind yourself when come home to the sound of sobbing in the living room.

Hesitating by the front door, you glance at the stairs and wonder if it’s possible to get away without being noticed.

Unfortunately, you make the mistake of looking back at the girls and see Clare’s pleading eyes. You sigh, condemned to acting like you don’t know what this is all about.

“What‘s wrong?” you ask, anxiously eyeing the crying girl on the couch.

It was Kathy, if the shrill wailing was any indication; she was in the same year as you, but you were never close to each other. Not that you minded, based on how she was blubbering into Clare’s ear.

“She lost her new camera,” Clare says through a sympathetic pout by Kathy’s side, rubbing her back.

“I didn’t lose it!” Kathy snaps at Clare, before putting her face back into her hands. Glancing at Barb on the other couch, who was shamelessly ignoring the theatrics, you pray to get out of this unscathed.

“Should we look for it?” you offer, despite the fact that you would rather tear your face off than search for the camera. You don’t know how long you can act like you don’t know where it is.

“We already searched the entire house,” Clare says with a little sigh. “The only place we haven’t looked is the attic, but we’re sure no one would take it up there.”

“Definitely not the attic,” you say, as convincingly as you can manage. You’ve never been a great actor, but Kathy and Clare both nod in agreement.

Suddenly, Kathy lets out a frustrated groan, hitting her hands against her thighs. You hadn’t noticed it before when she looked at Clare, but now you can see how her mascara was smudged and running down her cheeks.

You almost feel bad, but only almost. Kathy had a funny way of sapping due sympathy whenever she opened her mouth.

“My parents are going to kill me! Don’t you have any idea how much that thing costs?” Kathy cries. From the couch, Barb sighs and finishes her drink.

“Then you shouldn’t have lost it,” she mumbles, getting up and beelining to the liquor cabinet.

“I didn’t lose it! I put it on my desk before bed, so I wouldn’t forget to take it with me today, but when I woke up, it was gone! Someone stole it!”

You shift in your boots, the wooden floor creaking underneath you.

“Come on, let’s look in your room again,” Clare says sweetly, hooking her arm through Kathy’s.

“I already did!” she insists, but she lets herself get dragged off the couch and up the stairs anyways.

You still feel a little queasy as you shuffle over to the now vacant couch, falling onto it with a heavy sigh and taking up the length of it with your legs. Cracking open an eye, you see Barb take the same position on the opposite couch, careful to keep her glass upright.

“I don’t know why she lets herself get so worked up. It’s just a camera, no need to get hysterical,” Barb complains to the ceiling.

Closing your eyes again, you nuzzle your head into the pillow and nonchalantly say, “You don’t think someone actually stole it, do you?”

Barb scoffs, and you can hear her ice cubes rattle as she sips her drink.

“No way. If losing things were an Olympic sport, she’d be a gold-medalist,” Barb says, unknowingly calming your racing heart. “Seriously, she lost a record player two weeks ago. A record player. Who does that?”

“No way, really?” Laughing, you feel the last of your tension leave your body. Barb hums a mhm, and you decide there’s no harm in letting Billy keep the camera. From the sound of it, she’d probably lose it one way or another.

Now, if only you can grab the rest of her film from her desk. It’s not like she’ll get any use out of them, and Billy’s almost out.

[mycomfortblanket]

Like it's the First Time

Chapter One Written for Zukka Week 2024

Sokka is sitting at his favorite tea shop slurping his drink while scrolling through his phone when his roommate plops down in the chair across from him. Zuko drops his head down onto the table with a thump and grumbles something unintelligible. 

Without looking away from his phone, Sokka says, “Can’t understand you when your face is pressed into the table, numbnuts. We’ve been over this.” He clicks the lock button and sets his phone on the table to look at Zuko, his eyebrow raised expectantly. 

Sighing in that deeply dramatic way he does, Zuko picks his head up off the table and reaches behind him to untie his apron before pulling it up and off from around his neck, setting it down on the table. He purses his lips a little as if debating how to form the sentence. Eventually, he raises his chin and looks Sokka dead in the eye. The intensity of Zuko’s gaze makes Sokka sit up straighter, his eyebrows coming together in a worried furrow. “My dad is coming to town.” 

“Oh?” Sokka acknowledges in a low voice. For normal human beings, their parents coming to visit can cause a wide berth of emotions, but he has never met someone who has such a strong (and understandable) fear of their father while still maintaining contact. 

“And I need you to do me a favor,” Zuko continues. Sokka’s mind is instantly running with all of the things they are going to need to do if Zuko’s dad is as bad as he says he is (and Sokka has the horrifying feeling Zuko is downplaying a lot of things about his dad). 

“Yeah, sure, buddy. Name it.” 

“I need you to be my boyfriend for the week.” For a split second, Sokka thinks he is joking, that Zuko finally figured out how to make a gay joke except this one doesn’t make sense and the look in his eyes is deadly serious. 

Realizing he is 100% serious and there is no punchline, Sokka finally says, his voice cracking a little. “Okay, yeah. Yeah, I can do that. Can I ask why?” 

Zuko’s shoulders finally drop and he averts his eyes as if he is ashamed. Oh, Sokka thinks. That wasn’t even the hard part of this conversation. 

“I’m going to try and cut him off,” Zuko mumbles, his voice barely comprehensible enough for Sokak to fully grasp what he said. Zuko swallows hard but then sets his shoulders back, raises his chin, and looks Sokka in the eye again. “But I want him to see that I do have a boyfriend, that someone does actually want me. It’s going to be the most polite ‘fuck you’ I can manage.”

Sokka is nodding along even though he still isn’t fully understanding what the fuck Zuko is on about, but he is the type of friend that is a ride or die in any and every situation. “Right, totally,” Sokka says, still nodding. “And me pretending to be your boyfriend is going to do what exactly?”

“Zuko!” both of them turn their heads towards the counter of the tea shop and see Iroh, Zuko’s uncle, gesturing to the register where two women are currently looking at the menu. “Could you take these ladies’ orders while I brew up some more tea?” 

Sighing heavily, Zuko stands and grabs his apron, slipping it over his head, “We’ll talk about it more tonight.” Moving back towards the counter, Sokka’ eyes follow his movements and he thinks to himself, This is going to go so badly in so many different ways.

~~~

Sokka has his feet propped up on the coffee table as he munches on a bowl of CocoaPuffs while watching New Girl when the door to their apartment opens. Zuko comes shuffling in looking worse for wear as if his shift really kicked his ass. He falls down onto the couch with Sokka and rests his head on the back cushion. 

“I don’t think I can do customer service much longer,” he complains. 

Scooping up another bite of cereal, Sokka says, “I don’t know why you work there in the first place, it's not like you’re hurting for money or Iroh needs the help.” He takes another bite of cereal and looks over at his roommate. 

Sighing deeply, Zuko rubs the palm of his hands into his eyes, “I know. I don’t know why I do it either, I guess because it makes Uncle happy to have me around.” Zuko lifts his head up and stares at the bowl in Sokka’s hands, “Is that what you’re eating for dinner?”

Sokka is sensing that Zuko wants to avoid the topic of pretending to be boyfriends for a while, but putting things off has never been Sokka’s strong suit. He was more of a run into the burning building and worry about consequences later. He nods his head to Zuko’s question but starts in on the conversation from earlier. “So, this proposition…” He trails off letting Zuko decide  where he wants to take the conversation. 

“Yeah,” he sighs deeply, “I know it pounds fucking stupid and it’s not going to fucking work, but…” he looks down at his hands, his thumbs twiddling. 

“What made you decide to cut him off finally?” 

It’s a moment before Zuko answers and he sounds so dejected, “He called the other night and was telling me how I was amounting to nothing, why couldn’t I be like Azula- who, mind you, is not doing too well, but he doesn’t know that, I guess. But he continued on telling me no one is going to want someone who is-” he hesitates on the next word, “as pathetic as me,” he finishes lamely. 

“And so you told him you have a boyfriend,” Sokka tries to finish for him.

“Yes and no… I just told him I was dating someone.” Zuko glances up at Sokka and he watches as realization dawns on his face. 

“Oh, okay. So this is like ‘Hey, I’m gay and there’s really nothing you can do about it so fuck off’ kind of thing?” Zuko gives him an attempt at a smile that is mostly apologetic. Sokka thinks about it for a moment, would they actually be able to pull something like this off? Flirting with Zuko would be no problem. Sokka’s bi-awakening had occurred the day the two of them moved in together four years ago. The guy is fucking hot, despite the massive scar that takes up a third of his face; actually, his scar increases his appeal. The fact that he doesn’t know the extent of his attractiveness makes it all the better. Sokka always has to restrain himself from staring a little too long when Zuko walks around the apartment shirtless, so no, flirting won’t be a problem. But the physical part of it might be a little difficult. 

Although okka can flirt with anyone, especially someone as hot as Zuko, it’s different when it comes to the physical stuff. He has no problem admitting a guy is attractive but actually doing something about it? Kissing him? That seems a little too far for what he is comfortable with- he only fully accepted his bi-ness earlier that year. Before that, it was complete denial and several long talks to himself in the mirror. 

Zuko’s panicked look grows the longer Sokka is quiet and he isi just about to say ‘forget it’ when Sokka exhales long, “Okay. I’m all for the ‘fuck you’ part. As for the dating part,” Sokka hesitates. “I’m not going to lie to you dude, I don’t exactly know how comfortable I am with all of it. Flirting, sure… but the rest of it?” he shakes his head.  

“No, no. I totally get it. I don’t think there has to be more than just hand holding and maybe the occasional arm over the shoulders, I don’t think it will have to go to-” he swallows, “to do any of that.” Sokka nods to this. 

“Okay. Yeah, yeah let’s do it. Let’s fuck with your dad.” 

~~~

As the end of the week draws to a close, Zuko and Sokka have finished making their apartment look as presentable as possible. The mysterious stains on the couch have been scrubbed out, carpet shampooed and vacuumed, and they even managed to put the tv stand together rather than still having it in the box with the tv sitting on top of it. 

The day before Zuko’s dad is set to touch down in their part of the country is probably one of the worst days they have had since they moved in together. Not because they’re fighting but because the tension and anxiety that is radiating off of Zuko can be felt throughout the apartment. The guy in question has been pacing up and down their flat for the past 30 minutes muttering to himself about possible scenarios that could go wrong. Sokka, having always been the more chill of the two, is lounging on the couch with his Lucky Charms watching as Zuko paces. 

“Dude, you’re going to wear a hole in the carpet if you don’t stop,” Sokka says around a mouthful. 

“What if he is immediately able to tell that we’re not together?” Zuko asks, biting at his nail, his eyebrows coming together in the middle. Sokak can see imaginary scenarios playing through Zuko’s mind and all the possible outcomes that could come from every single scenario. 

Taking another bite of cereal, Sokka sighs deeply. They’ve had this conversation several times over the past few weeks about how they were going to act around each other, around his dad, asd well as boundaries that should and shouldn’t be crossed. It’s only after he slurps the sugary remains of milk from his bowl and sets it down on the coffee table does he stand up and move into Zuko’s path. 

“Hey, man,” Sokka’s hands rest on Zuko’s shoulders, bringing him to a stop. Zuko looks up at him, the crease in his brow is still there along with his thumbnail between his teeth. “If we need to go over the rules again, we can. If you want to practice, we can. Just tell me what you need. Let’s not worry about it, let’s work through it, yeah?” 

Zuko nods his head, his thumb leaving his mouth but the furrow in his brow even deeper than before. He moves to sit down on the spot that Sokka had just occupied a moment before and he drops his head into his hands. Sokka, being the good man that he is, takes the empty bowl into the kitchen, rinses it, and places it in the dishwasher so that it’s not another thing that Zuko panics about. Coming back into the kitchen, Sokka sits down next to Zuko with a respectable distance between them, but close enough for whatever they’re about to do. .

“So, what exactly did you have in mind? Touching? Kissing?” Sokka says easily enough but it feels like his tongue is incredibly thick. His heart is threatening to beat out of his chest. He hasn’t touched another male since his sexual awakening and although he trusts Zuko with everything and has no problem doing this for Zuko, a part of him is a little disappointed that all of his firsts with a guy are going to be fake. 

“Let’s just start simple. I don’t think it would go much further than physical contact like hand holding,” Zuko says in a low voice and then holds his hand palm up resting on his knee. Sokka stares at it for a second and then slowly raises his own hand and interlaces their fingers together. 

Sokka lets out a breath and laughs a little. He doesn’t know why he hesitated so hard about holding Zuko’s hand. It’s not the first time they’ve held hands. Their friend group is pretty touchy and sometimes, the games they play require physical contact like this. Maybe it’s because it’s more than just holding hands this time. It actually means something to Sokka this time unlike last time when it was a game. 

“Yeah? Good for more?” he asks Zuko and looks up from their clasped hands. 

“Seems like I’m the one that should be asking that. You seemed kind of shocked there for a moment.”

Sokka laughs again and looks back down at their hands, “No, I’m good. Just… I don’t know. I’m good, let’s continue.” 

Zuko nods and bites his lip a little. “Could I kiss you?” 

Sokka jerks his gaze up and maybe Zuko can read the panic in his eyes because he immediately backtracks, “I meant on the cheek. Can I kiss you on the cheek?” 

Oh. Right. He literally just said that it wouldn’t have to go further than the physical contact and while a kiss on the cheek is just a smidge further, it’s not necessarily the worst thing in the world. He nods his head and then turns his head so he is facing forward, waiting for the kiss. 

Zuko scooches over a little until they’re pressed together from their hips and along their thighs to their knees. He leans in slowly and Sokka feels his breath caress his cheek a split second before his lips do. Immediately, once they make contact, Sokka’s eyes close and he sucks in a breath. 

The kiss to his cheek isn’t anything scandalous, nor is Zuko pressing into him heavily. If anything, it’s the barest of touches, could probably hardly be considered a kiss. When he pulls away, Sokka turns his head to face Zuko and they’re close. Incredibly close. There’s a slight blush on Zuko’s cheeks, not prominent enough that Sokka would’ve noticed if they were standing apart like they normally do, but since they’re so close… 

Sokka licks his lips and he can’t tear his eyes away from Zuko’s. Had they always been this enticing? Up close, there are honey colored specs littered among the depths of brown. His eyes roam over Zuko’s cheeks, taking in the ever so light freckles that dust the bridge of his nose, the slight ridges of his scar, the thickness of his eyebrows. He takes it all in like he is seeing Zuko for the first time. 

He swallows hard and pulls back a little. “That was good, right? You felt good doing that, felt normal enough?”

Zuko clears his throat and pulls away as well, “Yeah. I think we’re good. Shouldn’t be anything more than that I think.” 

Sokka nods and stands up, “Right. Well, I need to,” he gestures towards his room and Zuko nods looking away. Sokka walks to his room and closes the door as gently as he can and then rests his back against it, releasing a large breath. 

There’s absolutely no reason it felt like that…right?

[edenalieth]

the cicada's song

Pairing: Jeongin x gn! reader

Genre: angst/horror

Warnings: violence, blood, demon odd spiritual sh!t, anxiety, death (yeehaw)

Words: 4.4K 

Hidden in the dense shadows of the trees, even more noises could be heard. Some cracks, some things falling on the ground, more insects. You tried to concentrate on your breathing, a chill going down your spine as you silently walked. Inspecting the ground, you could feel some light air telling you the exit was near by now. You raised your head, your eyes expecting to be met by Jeongin’s large shoulders. Nothing.

A.N: happy halloween everyone!! 👻 i've been wanting to write a story like that for a while now, idk if i managed to convey a stressful atmosphere in my writing but i hope you will like it. also the "kss" refers to the sound cicadas do. sorry for the eventual mistakes, enjoy!

« Ah I can’t stand this weather anymore » your friend complained, shaking his shirt in an attempt to catch the slightest breeze. He grimaced when his try ended up into an other failure. You could only relate to this statement. You had never been a real fan of summer. Everything was sticky and uncomfortable. You had to deal with the heat day and night, mosquitos and that annoying piercing buzz cicadas made all day long. « Ugh, should we go grab an ice cream at the convenience store ? » you offered. Jeongin immediately nodded. 

Calling this shop a convenience store was a bit of an exaggeration. It was owned by an old woman all the kids of the village considered as their grandma. It was far different from the ones you could find in Seoul, smaller, less choices. However, even if you were in your high school senior year now, you loved to stop by with your best friend to eat some sweets. As the black haired boy pushed the entry door, you were both welcomed by the jingling bells above it. The air was fresher inside thanks to the fan working full force in the corner. « Good afternoon Miss Choi! »

Looking over her glasses, trying to recognize who the new customers were, a smile illuminated her wrinkled face when she noticed who you were. « Oh! Jeongin! Y/N! How are you angels ? » she asked. « Actually craving an ice cream » you sighed. Miss Choi chuckled at your answer. « There’s no much left, the little monsters of primary school almost robbed everything ». You bent over the freezer, quickly followed by your friend. Only one sample of your favorite ice cream was sadly resting at the bottom. You glanced at each other and started to fiercely bump your shoulders to know who would win it. As usual, Jeongin was the victorious one. « Got it! » he claimed, a smug on his face. Rolling your eyes, you protested « That’s unfair! You know I have literally no strength ». 

« Not my problem », he replied with a mouth already full, « if you worked out a bit more maybe you would beat me ». He handed the money to the lady before leaving as you hastily bowed and followed him outside. Surprised by the sudden vivid light of the sun, you shielded your eyes to let them get accustomed to it. The heat seemed even worse. It felt like you were walking through fire, maybe the fact that you were upset didn’t help either. The boy was heading toward a bench near by, slightly sheltered by the shadow of the trees around. He put his bag to the side and sighed in relief. Pouting, you joined him. « What ? Come on ! There was also some cool drinks ! You just had to tell me if you wanted it that bad… » the end of his sentence was more of a grumble. You glared at him, he didn’t care, this is what eighteen years of friendship looked like. « If this damn place was bigger it would not have been a problem… » you seethed. 

Jeongin looked at you, knowing your aversion for this village. You liked the people who were living here but you hated everything else. The fields and mountains spreading as far as eyes can see, the forest you were so scared of, the lack of network and mostly, insects. 

Finishing his ice cream, he wiped off the sweat going down his neck and was playing with a rock, using the tip of his snickers. He always wore those ones. They were worn out but he loved them, especially because of the smiley you had drawn on it. « So… You’re truly going to Seoul University next year ? » he sounded resigned and somber, perfectly knowing your answer. You gazed at your best friend, your heart slightly breaking at his miserable state. « Yes. There’s no way I’m spending one more year in this rathole. And you’re going to Busan, so you can’t blame me. » He pouted. « You could have come to Busan too, it’s a great city and not too far to come visit our families. » 

The village was indeed an hour’s drive from Busan but all you wanted was to be as far as possible from here. « You could have come to Seoul too. » you retorted. 

Kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss.

You both glared at each other, cicadas loudly singing as if it was encouraging you to fight. You already had this conversation before and the outcome was never good. Obviously, you would miss Jeongin really bad. After all those years spending all your free time together, being at school together, having the same friends, same routine, it would feel kinda odd to meet new people. However, you needed that fresh air, you needed to discover new places and Busan was unfortunately too close from your hometown for you to get this detachment feeling. 

The air was getting thicker, just as the mood. Jeongin grabbed his bag and began to walk towards the road. « Are you coming or no ? » his dark foxy eyes reflecting his annoyance. You took your belonging and followed him without a word. The journey back to your homes felt ridiculously long. You saw some of your neighbors, greeted them, most of them coming back from work, some others bringing in the laundry as you could hear some thunder from afar. As you arrived closer to the edge of the wood, your stomach twisted. You did this every day and still apprehended it. The only reason you didn’t run was because your friend was here. He was always by your side since you were living fifteen minutes apart from each other. The rare times he wasn’t able to walk you home, you just sprinted until you were locked inside. Hidden in the dense shadows of the trees, even more noises could be heard. Some cracks, some things falling on the ground, more insects. You tried to concentrate on your breathing, a chill going down your spine as you silently walked. Inspecting the ground, you could feel some light air telling you the exit was near by now. You raised your head, your eyes expecting to be met by Jeongin’s large shoulders. Nothing. What the hell ? When did you pass him ? Maybe he was really angry and decided to walk faster without you noticing but that was not his type to do such a thing… Your palms were getting moist as you scanned the area, looking for your friend. Your throat was tight and aching. « Jeo-Jeongin ? Where are you ? ». A crack  resonated behind you. A sensation of déjà-vu was slowly creeping inside your brain. It was too familiar, like that time… « Jeongin ! ». Still no answer. Maybe he really left you behind. Your breath became jerky, your mind foggy. You couldn’t think straight. And that incessant noise, preventing you from hearing anything else. 

Kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss.

Suddenly, you felt something on the top of your head. With a trembling hand, you felt something soft yet stiff. You carefully grabbed it, when you recognized what it was you let out the scream you were holding back and rushed out of the forest. The relief you felt once outside was incredible. Soon, you could hear some footsteps, making you turn around quickly. Panting, a pretty amused Jeongin was there, hands on his knees and shaking of laughter. You frowned, slightly confused, before it hit you. « You asshole! You’re so fucking stupid, you know that ? » you fumed. Still trying to catch his breath in between two chuckle, he said « C-come on ! It was just a little prank. I wanted to lighten the mood ! You were so silent back there. » 

You scoffed « Can’t say you were the talkative type either. You know I hate those woods. And a cicada molt, really ?». Some tears were threatening to roll down your cheeks at any moment. His smile vanished as the tension grew back. « The real question is what you don’t hate Y/N ? » he talked back. « Get lost, Yang Jeongin. »

The black haired boy was about to answer when he saw your watery eyes as you kept going on your way. He didn’t mean to hurt you that much. You were his most precious friend. He wanted to stop you and apologize but his ego held him back. A thunder broke. It was close. Just as he thought that, raindrops started to fall. The noise had made you jump and you glanced back to see what was your friend doing, only to see him run down the road, covering his head with his bag. 

The storm was raging outside. The loud thunder was making the shutters shake, the rain hitting the ceiling tiles relentlessly making it impossible for you to sleep correctly. You took your phone, the screen lighting up and making your eyes squint. 4:44am. You had no news from your best friend. You sighed. Fine. You would sent him a message. 

you: hope you went home safely… the storm is crazy, right ?

You waited few minutes but it was silly to think he would answer at this hour. He was probably sleeping. You put your phone back on the nightstand and covered your ears with your pillow. Shortly, you fell into slumber. 

You were surrounded by trees. Trying to escape the place but it seemed impossible. You ran continuously until you fell something on your skin and stopped. Crawling on your arm, a cicada. Taken by a surge of disgust, you hastily got rid of it with your hand. However, an other one was already flying towards you, and an other, an other one, an other one. Endlessly. You could feel the small hooks of their legs clinging onto your epidermis. The loud buzz of their wings becoming deafening, covering your cries. Between the brown mess of insects, you distinguished a silhouette. Those eyes. You could recognized them amongst a thousand. You held your hand out for help. He shook his head from left to right, a cruel smile blooming on his lips. Then it was all dark and noisy. Kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss. 

You gasped, eyes wide open, facing the ceiling of your room. A hand on your chest, your heart beating at the speed of light. A nightmare. A terrible one. The back of your shirt was soaking wet. You checked the time. 10:24am and no answer from Jeongin. That was weird, he wasn’t resentful. You decided to take a shower and go meet him at his place. 

Thunder was gone but the rain kept going. At least, the air was fresher now and insects were silent. Thank god. After last night, you weren’t sure you would have been able to handle their song. As you walked, you saw a mass of people clumped on the path. Coming closer, you could see them actively removing dirt. 

« Oh! Please don’t come any closer. » a worker told you. « What happened ? » you asked. « A landslide because of the storm last night. It might still be dangerous so you will have to take an other road. » the man went back to digging when you noticed something else. There was several remains on the side, branches, rocks, some waste and a shoe. Jeongin’s shoe. Your heart stopped for a second. You had to calm down. If something had happened to your friend, rescuers and police would be there too. It was fine, he was fine. Not wasting another second, you rushed to his house taking the longer path. When you arrived, his little brother welcomed you and let you in. You knew this place by heart and directly went to Jeongin’s room. You knocked. 

« Hmm ? » Just hearing his voice was a relief. « It’s Y/N. » There was some fidgeting behind his door before he opened it. You jumped into his arms and hugged him tight. The boy didn’t move at first, surprised, and finally wrapped his arms around you. Detaching yourself from him, you checked if he was okay. He looked pale and tired but nothing seemed to be broken, just some scratches here and there. « I’m glad nothing happened to you ». He seemed confused, scratching his nape. « Why would something happen to me ? » he replied. « I saw the landslide and your shoe was there ! I thought something bad happened to you. How it ended up here ? ». His eyes widened. « Oh ! I slipped on my way home… You would have laughed a lot… My butt was covered in mud. » he said sheepishly. That was explaining the scratches and the dirt under his nails. « But how did you loose your damn shoe ? » You insisted. « It fell down the hill and the rain was pouring. I thought I would just get it back the next day… ». You shook your head, rolling your eyes, he could be so clumsy sometimes but he had chosen the safest option. « I would have been sad to loose my best friend because of a storm. » you chuckled. He smiled but his eyes seemed… distant. « You’re not sad to abandon me here though » he sarcastically answered. You sighed. « Jeongin. Can we just stop ? I don’t want to fight about this anymore. I promise I will come see you and you could come to Seoul too, okay ? ». You left your pinky to promise him. He looked at your finger, reluctant, and finally sealed the pact. His hand was cold. « Sure. »

You didn’t see each other much the next day, he preferred to stay inside since the summer heat was fully back with all its disadvantages after the storm episode. You tried to lure him with some ice creams, which actually worked. His scratches were fully healed but he still seemed tired and strangely had a lot of appetite. « Man, you’re eating a lot like… a lot. » you stated as he already had devoured his snack. « You think so ? I don’t know, maybe I’m still going through puberty. » he shrugged. « Should we go buy something else ? » he happily asked you. « If you’re getting sick it will be your fault. ». The black haired boy laughed and went back to Mrs’ Choi shop. Kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss.

Waiting for your friend, you looked at the woods below, suddenly remembering your nightmare. Just thinking about it gave you some cold sweat and you slightly jumped when you felt Jeongin’s hand on your shoulder. « Sorry, I called you but you weren’t answering. » he handed you an other ice cream, his eyes scanning you. « I was lost in thoughts » you evasively said. He kept staring at you for few seconds, his gaze looking a bit bleak and annoyed. You didn’t want to tell him about your dream, it was just a dream after all. The rest of the day went by, and then the others and so on. It had been three weeks since your little fight and things had gone back to normal, at least you tried to convince yourself. However, you felt some uneasiness when he was around you. He acted like before, being the joyful guy you always knew but some of his habits had changed. He used to never eat rare meat and now it was almost raw, he went to sleep excessively late, you found him aimlessly roaming around your neighborhood a lot of times. Also, you never thought you would say that, but his smile was odd. It used to be sparkling and warm, seeing him grin could cheer you up instantly. Nowadays, it felt cold, empty, fake… It seemed off. It wasn’t big changes but enough to make you wonder of what was possibly going on with him. The most disturbing thing was the fact that you caught him several times staring at your house, doing absolutely nothing. It scared you. You felt preyed on, trapped, watched. 

As usual, he walked you home and waved you goodbye as he was going back to his house. You smiled, still looking at him until he disappeared behind the trees. You were probably imagining things or overthinking about his acts. Maybe your last argument affected him more than you thought… However, you wanted to have a clear mind about it and know why he was acting weird. The next morning, when he asked you to hang out during the afternoon you lied to him. You told him you got sick during the night and had to stay at home. He gently mocked you for being the one getting sick but still wished you a good recovery, telling you he would bring some fruits. Yet, your plan was far different from staying at home. Jeongin and you had been sharing your locations on your phones since middle school. You couldn’t believe you were spying on him. During the whole morning, he didn’t move from his house and went out in the early afternoon. He passed in front of your house and stayed maybe a hundred meters away from it for several minutes, as he had been doing for a while now. You were tempted to look out of your window but you were scared he would see it. Waiting, you noticed that he started to move again towards the woods. When you considered that he was far enough for you to go out, you put your shoes on and started to follow his path. Checking your phone from time to time, you saw he was out of the forest and going downtown. When you arrived in front of the trees, you couldn’t bring yourself to go inside. The fresh air and all the noises coming out of it just incessantly reminding you of that day. You turned around and decided to hide around the spot he was a bit earlier. Minutes turned into an hour and your muscles were getting sore when he finally came back. You heard his footsteps and the friction of the plastic bag he was holding in a hand and something red on the other. You thought it might be an apple but its color was too dark and the juice running down his chin and hand wasn’t supposed to be red as well… He took a rough bite in it, bestially. It looked like a small animal… The sight of it had you gagging. What the fuck was that ? You couldn’t believe it was your best friend, it didn’t look like him. Something evil was emanating from his aura and the blood splattered on his face and hands was just confirming it. He was probably heading to your home now, you had to quickly go back or he would found out you lied to him. Still shaken by the weird sight you had just witnessed, your thoughts were fuzzing. Tapping the ground, searching for something to stand up, the loud crack brought you back to reality. You held back your breath, listening to your surroundings. Kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss kss. 

The footsteps stopped and you could only hear the cicada’s song. « You’re such a liar, Y/N ». Towering you, Jeongin hummed those words, a bloody smile adorning his face. It was the same cruel grin he had in your nightmare and all your senses were screaming you to run, which you did. Going to your house wasn’t an option since he would definitely catch you. Taking the long road was too isolated, you had to quickly go downtown and ask for help. But… Asking help for what ? He hadn’t done anything yet… Yet. You had to take the path through the woods, it was the fastest one. You ran through the trees, closely followed by the black haired boy. « Y/N, come back! » he screamed. Hell no. He needed to stay far away from you, it wasn’t your friend anymore. You felt the familiar air warning you that the exit was near by, when you felt a hand forcefully catching you. His strength was nothing like before and the shock made you fall on your knees. « I told you to come. » he snarled. « Please, Jeongin you’re hurting me. » you pleaded, trying to remove his fingers. « Am I ? » he stepped on your leg and ferociously pressed on it. You felt your bone breaking, drawing out a guttural scream from your throat. He placed his dirty hand on your mouth and you could smell the iron scent on it. You body was uncontrollably shaking from the pain, fear and sobs. « Shut up. » His face was so close to yours. You noticed that he was even paler, the blood on his skin making a big contrast. « I didn’t want to do that Y/N. I tried to be nice. Really. » he said, almost imploring you. « But you’re too nosy, I could tell you noticed that I’ve changed… » The pain was horrible. It was hard for you to keep consciousness. « The night we fought… I did slip but I fell down the hill because of the landslide and  got covered by the dirt and mud. I was dead, Y/N. Then, it came to me. That thing you were scared of. » The most human part of him still remembered the panic filling his veins when he got buried alive. How he desperately tried to dig his way out of this nightmare. Thinking he would never see the light again, nor his family or you. When it offered him to live, he didn’t hesitate. No matter what the price would be. Dizzy, you wondered what he was talking about and asked him. « I remember why you are so scared of those woods, you saw it. The demon living here. But it saved me, it’s a part of me, Y/N. » he seemed insane, his eyes widened and red. The sight of this scene was terrifying. You wanted to escape his grip but you were too weak and you wouldn’t be able to go far with a broken leg.

You needed a weapon, anything. However, he was right. You did see that thing more than ten years ago. Its odd, diaphanous and horrifying shape. You were a kid at that time and you were getting used to come back home by yourself. You got lost, insects and strange sounds scaring you, making you cry. When it appeared few meters away from you with its twisted dreadful figure, you prayed for something or someone to save you. As if they heard you, the foxy boy and his parents arrived. Since then, you never stopped to feel its presence. And now, it was controlling your best friend ? It had to be another nightmare… Tears started to roll down your cheeks. « Please… Jeongin… Let me go. » you begged. « I can’t do that. You know our secret now. You have to stay with us, you will be safe. » his body was lightly shaken by spasms. Finally, finding what you were looking for, you grabbed a stone and hit him in the head. He seemed stunned for a minute, his grip being weaker. He ferociously glared at you, more blood covering his face. He straddled you, blocking your arms. « You wanted to leave this place, leave me. » he accused. He would never forget the day you told him you would go to Seoul. It wasn’t what he had in mind. He didn’t want to be far away from you, he didn’t know how to be happy without you. His feelings were stronger and clearer than ever. Was it his true feelings or the entity’s ones, though ? « No, no, no… not you, Jeongin » Your sobs made it hard for you to talk, black dots appearing in front of your sight as the pain was getting more and more intense. Your head was buzzing, the sounds of the cicadas surrounding you becoming deafening. « I can’t trust you anymore, but you’ve always been precious to me… I’ve loved you and still love you so much Y/N… that’s why you have to stay with me forever. » Your friend was long gone. You cried at the idea that you would never be able to enjoy the simple things of life with him anymore. You wish you could turn back time, save him…

Plunging towards your throat, the last thing you saw was his dislocated jaw and eyes rolling into the back of his head.

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