#and then the few important ones do get to stay

[spiderb00bs]

- MANCHILD

Sabrina Carpenter x (g!p) reader  

“Seeing your best friend get married was like a stab in the heart. But she was happy, right?"

warnings – fluff, angst if you squint, Implied sex, crack? (I don’t know how to be funny), romcom kinda

Now playing – Manchild, by Sabrina Carpenter  

“Man-child, why you always come a-running to me? Fuck my life, won’t you let na innocent woman be?” 

You never had any problems with Barry. You didn’t even care about him, in fact. He was a normal guy, a little too immature for his age, and too cocky for everything he was offering. But you never had any problems with him.  

You didn’t spend that much time with him; you saw each other at Sabrina’s events, birthdays, awards ceremonies, family parties... You knew Sabrina would never let you miss na important celebration, so if you can’t beat them, join them.  

Sabrina is your best friend, and you’ve always supported her in everything. And even though at first you thought Barry would be just another dumb jerk – you still thought so – who would break your childhood best friend’s heart, you couldn’t deny that he did a decent job in the relationship, since now Sabrina would soon be walking down the aisle with him. 

The gentle summer breeze blew against your face, carrying the smell of smoke away from you. From a distance, you watched Sabrina and her sisters with smiles on their faces as they danced excitedly around the place where the ceremony would be held. The wedding would take place in five days, and the whole family—and close friends—would be staying at the large mansion Sabrina had rented. 

You remember looking for the place with her, you remember how she always said she wanted to get married in a house overlooking the beach, and how she wanted all the people she loved to be together for days on end before the ceremony happened.  

You remember how her eyes sparkled when she saw the place, you remember how she took your hand and ran to the back of the mansion, showing you her dream coming true in front of her eyes. You also remember how she convinced you to lie down on the grass and watch the view from afar. You also remember how she tried to call Barry to show him the place, but he never picked up the phone.  

The cigarette burned slowly, almost as if it was feeling sorry for you, as if it knew that if that moment ended, you’d have to go back to the hustle and bustle. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t last forever. With one last puff, you stubbed out the burning tip on the sole of your shoe, taking a deep breath and preparing yourself for the sea of smiles you’d have to face.  

“That’s the sexiest way I’ve ever seen someone stub out their cigarette.” You heard the sweet, dangerously seductive voice you always heard when you were with Sabrina, Jenna Ortega. 

You knew the short woman, the two of you had never had a long conversation, but flirting was always involved. Although you thought Jenna was one of the most beautiful, elegant and sexy women you’d ever seen in your life, you never went any further with her. Nothing more than the exchange of harmless flirtations and a few discreet glances.  

Although Jenna and Sabrina were close friends, the blonde never really liked the idea of you two being close to each other. You weren’t sure why, but you thought it had something to do with the fact that Jenna was a player. She was never in a serious relationship, she had one-night stands with people she found interesting enough to spend time with, but never interesting enough to share her work time with.  

“I hadn’t seen you yet. I thought you weren’t coming,” you said, still looking at all the women excited about the decorations and the scenery. 

Sabrina’s mother was helping the blonde choose decorative flowers, Paloma and the other Carpenter sisters seemed happy playing with the new Golden Retriever that Sabrina had adopted a few weeks ago, and at a considerable distance, you could see Barry drinking a large glass of beer, talking to some of his friends about some nonsense.  

“And miss you dressed in a formal button-down shirt? Of course not!” Jenna retorted, causing your cheeks to blush slightly as you tried to get your face out of her field of vision.  

“You really can’t be fixed, can you?” Finally looking at the brunette, you turned your body towards her, taking a step forward.  

“Come fix me!” Jenna mimicked you, leaving the distance between your bodies almost non-existent. 

The look on her face was defiant and rude, she seemed to want you to put her in her place. Everything about her screamed for you, and anyone there could see how desperate she was for you to take her the way she really wanted.  

“Hey!” The velvety shout pierced your ears, pulling you out of the cloud Jenna had put you in.  

Quickly stepping away, you arrived in time to see Sabrina’s furrowed eyebrows, your best friend looking at the whole situation with a judgmental and suspicious look. You had seen that same look before, more specifically when the girls at school hit on you when you were both teenagers. You never knew what that look meant. 

“I... I need you for a minute,” the blonde said. 

Scratching her head in agitation, the younger Carpenter didn’t even wait for your response, taking your hand and dragging you as far away from Jenna as possible. 

“You know, we were having a conversation over there...” Your tone was playful, but you should have known that Sabrina wasn’t in the mood for jokes.  

“Yeah, anyone could see that. You two were practically having sex on the lawn!”  

The blonde finally let go of your hand when you reached the kitchen. As if on cue, everyone who was working there immediately turned around, leaving the room and closing the door with a silent click. Sometimes even you were afraid of Sabrina.  

“Wow, okay, Miss Edgy, we were just having a conversation.” you said, raising your hands in surrender, only to see the short blonde roll her eyes and start pacing back and forth in the kitchen. 

“Bullshit!” she said, her footsteps making you dizzy, and the commotion making you slightly nervous.  

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” you asked, holding her shoulders as you made her look you in the eye for the first time all day.  

You knew Sabrina was going through a very stressful time with all the wedding planning. She was trying to get everything done while Barry lay around drinking beer and watching football games. She had barely had any time to herself since she started preparing for the wedding, so you understood when she exploded at you. 

Snorting, Sabrina just laid her head on your chest, grabbing your biceps like a lifeline.

“I’m exhausted!” Taking a deep breath, you moved your hands to her hair, stroking her blonde curls as you felt her relax into your body.  

“I’m here, I’ll help you with whatever you need.” Sabrina lifted her head from your chest, looking into your eyes with that sparkle she always had.  

“What do you need, Sab?” Smiling slightly, you asked, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.  

“For you to stay away from Jenna.” Your smile faded. 

“ALL RIGHT, LOVEBIRDS...” The unfamiliar voice startled you both, causing you to jump away from each other. “Oh, sorry, I thought it was you and Barry, Sabrina.” 

“It’s okay,” Sabrina said, sliding her hand from your bicep to your hand, intertwining them. “Yn, this is Rachel. She’s going to make the wedding cake. Rachel, this is Yn, my best friend since childhood.” “It’s a pleasure,” you said, shaking the woman’s hand, making her smile slightly.  

“How polite. You don’t find many like that around anymore.” And Sabrina’s frown was back. “So, I assume she’ll be deciding the flavor of the cake with you?!”  

“I will?” you asked Sabrina. 

“She will!” Sabrina smiled, looking at Rachel with a proud smile on her lips. 

Night had fallen quickly, everyone too tired and drunk to stay awake past midnight. Still unable to sleep, you walked quietly through the corridors of the large mansion, down the stairs and toward the oversized pool that came with the house.  

The night was silent, and you saw no one as you approached the pool. Taking off your fancy slippers—which Sabrina insisted on giving as gifts to all the guests—you dipped your feet in the cold water, shivering slightly at the change in temperature. Closing your eyes, you rested your hands on the tiles beside your body, throwing your head back and taking a deep breath, trying to release all the weight that had been on your shoulders for the past few months. 

Suddenly, the silent bubble that had settled around you was broken by two hands grabbing your shoulders, and the scream that escaped your lips was muffled by the sound of laughter from the woman you knew better than yourself.   

Sabrina fell beside you, laughing at how loud you screamed. “My God, you probably would have woken up the whole house if that shit wasn’t so big.” 

Sabrina’s hands were holding her stomach, and you could tell her stomach hurt just by the way she writhed beside you. Her smile reached her eyes, which closed as the sound of her laughter entered your ears like one of the most beautiful melodies you had ever heard. That deep, broken laugh, which nevertheless ran free and whipped the air with grace. You had always loved the sound of her laughter. 

“Very funny, Carpenter. You could have given me a heart attack, you know?!” You watched the blonde get up from the floor, sitting properly beside you, putting her feet in the water, next to yours.  

“You’ve always been easily scared... ever since we were kids,” the blonde said, laughing and kicking a few drops of water lightly. 

“Yeah, and you used to scare me all the time.” You look at her. “It was annoying.” 

“It was fun!” Sabrina’s laughter fills the space again, making you roll your eyes and try to hold back the smile that wanted to escape your lips. 

Sabrina’s eyes rested on you, shining as always, attentive, almost as if you would disappear if she looked away. She had a slight smile on her lips and breathed lightly, feeling the gentle breeze coming from the sea a few meters away.  

It had been a while since you had seen Sabrina so relaxed, so focused on something that really calmed her down. She was usually nervous, worried, or too busy solving something that Barry couldn’t solve—or that he himself had caused. 

“I’m glad you’re here with me,” the blonde said, sighing once more. 

You were trying to figure out why her chest still seemed heavy somehow. 

“Of course I would be here. I mean, I understand that I’m not very sociable, but...” You began. 

“No...” She laughed. “I mean here, like, always being here with me.” Emphasizing the word always, Sabrina grabbed your hand, bringing it to her lips and kissing your knuckles. 

Your eyes met the deep blue of hers, and you couldn’t help but be mesmerized by the way Sabrina looked at you. You never understood it, but her eyes always seemed to say what she didn’t have the courage to say out loud. You dreamed of the day she would tell you all the things she had ever wanted to say to your face, good or bad. 

“I love you, Yn.” Her voice came out as a whisper. Low and velvety, just so you could hear it, as if those three words were meant only for you, as if she had never said them to anyone else in the world. 

“I love you too, Sab!” you say.  

Your mouth opened and closed, like a fish out of water. You didn’t blame Sabrina for supposedly not saying the things she wanted to say, after all, there were so many things you couldn’t say to her. 

The next morning was quiet. Decorators passed by with huge vases of flowers, pastry chefs worked on each little sweet and each layer of cake, and sewing machines worked on every detail of Sabrina’s dress.  

You stayed away, watching all the organized chaos from under a parasol, lying on a deck chair, facing the pool where you and Sabrina had been talking a few hours earlier. The cigarette between your lips made you more relaxed with each puff, and the expensive wine that Sabrina had served to the guests was one of the best things you had drunk recently. 

It was a beautiful sunny day, perfect for a family barbecue, or maybe a dip in the sea, or even in the pool in front of you. However, you preferred to just stretch your legs and put on some sunglasses—hoping that everyone would get the message and leave you alone.  

“You look very bitter from here.” It seems your plan didn’t work so well. Opening your eyes and looking over your dark glasses, you saw her standing in front of you like a superheroine, the kind who always shows up at na inopportune moment, when the victim doesn’t want to be rescued. Jenna.  

She wore a black bikini—which contrasted nicely with her skin—along with her attitude. You would never know if you found her frown attractive or scary. 

“I’m not bitter, I just enjoy my time alone,” you said, repositioning your sunglasses on your face as you laid your head on the towel and blew smoke into the air. 

“Oh, lone wolf... I like that.” Jenna took the spot on the lounge chair next to yours.  

You rolled your eyes slightly, but the small smile on your face said you weren’t completely upset by Ortega’s presence.  

I mean, Jenna is na attractive, intelligent, funny woman... You weren’t sure why you had never really given her a chance. Maybe it was the gossip going around town, you didn’t want to be just another woman in her bed. Or maybe you liked to follow your best friend’s orders.  

Either way, you thought it best to avoid closer contact. 

“You don’t seem like the happiest person in the world that your best friend is getting married...” Jenna began. 

“I am happy,” you cut her off quickly. 

“Come on, everyone is drinking and talking, having the time of their lives in...” Jenna paused, looking around and trying to find a way to call it what it was. “A kind of weird bachelorette party disguised as luxury,” she finished, waving her hands dramatically and pointing to everything around you two. “And you’re smoking by the pool, looking like the kind of lone wolf you’d see in a Lana Del Rey music video...” 

“I like Lana Del Rey,” you said, raising your wine glass to your lips. 

“That’s not the point!” Jenna raised her voice slightly. She put her hands on her head when she realized she had almost started yelling at the bride’s best friend. “God, you really have a crush on your best friend, don’t you?!” 

Choking on your wine, you got up from the lounge chair, sitting up quickly, facing the Ortega girl, who had sat down next to you. 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Your expression made all the hairs on Jenna’s body stand on end. 

“Prove it to me.” 

Your back hit the mattress, breathing tired and panting, your hips burned, and the muscles in your arms were starting to ache. But the small hands on your chest distracted you from the nagging pain you felt, now fading into the background as Jenna lay down on your chest. 

You knew, deep in your bones, that you shouldn’t have done that to prove to her that you weren’t into Sabrina. But the way she looked at you, almost as if she would doubt you for the rest of her life, made your chest race in a bad way. 

Two pats on your chest woke you from the thoughts that consumed you. “You were wonderful, baby.” Jenna said, getting up from the bed and looking for the clothes she had thrown on the floor a few hours ago.  

You raised your torso, straining your sore arms and dragging yourself to sit up on the bed. “You too,” you said, embarrassed and scratching the back of your neck, looking for a hole to stick your head in and die of shame.  

Jenna gave you a friendly smile, but with that hint of sarcasm that you had learned the brunette had in her. “Tell her how you feel before she gets married.” 

Frowning and opening your mouth in shock, you stammered incoherent words, searching for anything your mind could force itself to find.  

“Wait, I proved it to you!” you said, getting up and putting on the boxers you found lying on the bedside table – the work of the little brunette in front of you. “I’m not in love with anyone, Jenna!” 

Sighing, the Ortega girl stopped what she was doing to look at you properly. Approaching, Jenna made each step she took seem like a movement a tigress would make before attacking her prey. You took a step back. Laughing at your movement, the woman pushed you onto the bed, making you fall back onto the soft mattress. Her hands went to your neck as she positioned her tanned legs on either side of your thighs. 

“Oh baby, you can’t keep lying to yourself like this...” She looked at you for a minute longer. 

Jenna left a pat on your cheek before kissing your lips, quick as lightning, and grabbing a piece of clothing behind you. Leaving you there, shocked and still a little horny, Jenna walked out the door, as if she hadn’t come to leave you with wobbly legs and a heavy heart. 

You took a deep breath before leaving the room, too stunned to pay attention to whatever was going on outside the room all this time. You walked outside, grabbed a beer from the ice bucket, opened the cap with your teeth, and downed the bottle.  

“My God, are you okay? Where were you?” Sabrina’s voice reached your ears like a distant voice, making you look at her over the bottle—its neck still stuck to your mouth.  

“HEY, YN!” The shout heard from a distance also sounded muffled, but for some reason you recognized Josh’s voice. One of Barry’s idiot friends. “Bro, isn’t that shirt Ortega is wearing yours?” He asked, putting his arm around your shoulder, as if you were old friends.  

You didn’t even bother to look at Jenna, but Sabrina did. One of her eyes twitched, her ears burned, and if you were in a cartoon, smoke would be coming out of her ears. Jenna was dancing with Sabrina’s friends, free, as if she had just had the time of her life.  

“Did you hook up with her?” Sabrina’s tone was irritated, and you could feel the confusion coming through even with the alcohol in your blood.

“FUCK!” Josh said again. “YOU’RE AWESOME, BRO!”  

Jumping with his arm around your shoulder, Josh took you close to where everyone was dancing, too excited to notice the deadly look Sabrina was giving you. Josh practically threw you on top of Jenna, making the girl cling to you as if she had something to prove to someone, as if she wanted to break na invisible line. 

Maybe she did. 

Aggressive banging on your bedroom door roused you from the fog of sleep you were immersed in. Still lying face down, you lifted your face from the pillow to groan in disapproval, before struggling to your feet and muttering a small "Coming" to whoever was pounding on your door.

When you opened the door, Sarah's fist froze in the air, and still rubbing your eyes, you caught a glimpse of Paloma and Jenna along with one of the Carpenter sisters. Hearing Jenna's whistle, you covered yourself with the door, remembering that you were only wearing boxers and a sport bra.

"What are you doing here so early?" you asked, trying to take the focus off your nakedness and your cheeks turning red with the attention.

"We need your help!" Sarah was the first to speak. "Barry is completely sick with a hangover, and Sabrina needs to go over her wedding vows with someone."

Frowning, you looked at the two women standing in front of you.

"Why don't any of you help her then?"

Opening and closing her mouth, Sarah stared at Paloma, who was doing the same. The wrinkles on your forehead appeared when there was no answer.

"Ah… I… I need to go to town, you know… take care of a few things for the wedding," Sarah said, taking a deep breath.

You looked at Paloma.

"I'll go with her!" the woman said quickly.

"Jenna?" you asked.

"I don't want to." Snorting, you narrowed your eyes at the short brunette, wondering what was going on and why Sabrina's incompetent future husband couldn't do anything right for once in his life.

"Give me ten minutes and I'll go downstairs." The girls agreed, disappearing down the hallway of the mansion and leaving you alone again.

When you walked into the garden, everything seemed increasingly hectic. Sabrina's wedding was tomorrow, and everyone seemed to be racing against time to make everything as perfect as possible. The altar structure was almost ready, and there were flowers everywhere. The wedding was planned for the morning, and everything had to be ready by nine a.m.

"Ah, there she is!" The man, whose name you didn't know, came up to you, intertwining his arm with yours and leading you to the altar. "It's a pleasure, dear, I'm Stephen, and come on, get up there, you've already delayed us too much."

The short man pushed you toward the altar structure, causing you to stumble slightly over your own feet. You hadn't spoken to Sabrina since yesterday, when she found out about you and Jenna, and even though you didn't understand why, you knew she might be a little upset with you.

"Hi…" you said.

"Hi…" The sound of Stephen clapping his hands brought you both out of the little cloud you were in, making Sabrina's cheeks flush and you scratch the back of your neck and look away from your best friend's blue eyes.

"We have to start! Sabrina, where's your speech?" The man asks, seeing no paper in the blonde's hand.

Sabrina's mother, who was standing nearby watching, spoke up for the first time. "Oh, she probably left it in her room, you know how she is." The older woman said, nudging the brunette sitting next to her with her shoulder.

"Jenna, why don't you try looking for it…"

"And lose all this, no way!" The brunette said quietly, hiding her words with a forced smile.

"All right, I'll get it!" Stephen stood up, running his hand over his bald head and heading toward the mansion, only to stop halfway there.

"While I'm gone… Yn, you can start."

"Wait, do I have to give a speech too?" you asked, confused and with a hint of panic in your veins. "But I don't…"

"COME ON, WE DON'T HAVE ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD!" The man shouted as he walked away.

Taking your eyes off the man's back, you looked at your best friend again. Her eyes seemed bright again, but the atmosphere had completely changed for you. Your heart was pounding in your chest, and the idea of saying nice things to Sabrina shouldn't be that difficult, considering she had been your best friend since you were five—when you met at the playground.

"I… I'm sorry, this took me by surprise…" You tried to say.

"I know." Sabrina came closer, taking your hand in hers and looking at you with those arms that could appease a war, those beautiful blue eyes.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to… but I'm not going to lie and say I don't want you to."

You swallowed hard, taking a deep breath before smiling slightly and searching for the right words for what you wanted to say.

"I love your eyes," you began. "They always make me say things I don't want to say, they seem to hypnotize me every time I look at them." You laughed softly, making Sabrina laugh with you.

"Maybe you hypnotized me in that park when we were kids, because I've never been able to stay away from you since. I loved seeing every achievement and every little thing you accomplished because your eyes sparkled in such a beautiful way, you know?!"

Sabrina's head tilted slightly to the left, and even though you were able to read her so well, you didn't notice how she was about to burst into tears.

"I never thought, not even for a moment, of separating from you, because it meant you wouldn't look at me the way you look at me anymore, and I don't know if I could survive without that. Survive without you."

Still holding hands, you couldn't take your eyes off Sabrina, you couldn't see her mother almost crying, nor the knowing smile Jenna was giving you both. At that moment, it was just you and her.

"I've loved you since the first moment I saw you," Sabrina said, and the tears she seemed so desperate to hold back earlier were now rolling down her beautiful cheekbones. "From the first day, I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you. Sometimes I feel like I'm making a mistake, sometimes I feel like none of this is for me. But with you, things make sense, with you, things seem to have color again, and I don't seem to be just another lost girl on earth, with you, things seem to have purpose, they seem right, and sometimes I still wonder why I'm so afraid. But the only certainty I ever have is that this fear always goes away when you're around."

Tears ran down Sabrina's cheeks, everything seemed so true and pure that neither of you questioned anything. It was just you, childhood friends, incurable romantics, who had strayed from the path and started walking down different roads without even realizing it.

Sabrina took a step forward—leaving the distance between you almost non-existent—and you leaned slightly—reducing the height difference between you. But the moment was cut short by loud, strong applause.

Stephen.

"BRAVO!" He said as he clapped his hands.

You and Sabrina jumped back, confused and with a burning sensation in your chest from things left undone, moments interrupted, actions not taken.

"You're more than ready to get married, dear!" The bald man said, before hurriedly dragging Sabrina away from the altar, rambling on about dresses.

And you stood there, watching it all unfold, your chest still pounding, the feeling of emptiness burning like never before. That wasn't for you, it was her speech to Barry. She was getting married, and it was time for you to get over it.

Sitting on the beach, you took another big sip from the bottle of vodka, the waves of the sea broke beautifully in front of you, and the salty breeze hit your skin like shards of glass. The drink in your hand didn't erase the bitter taste that the words you said earlier had brought, and your heart was still as tight as if it were tied to Sabrina's hands.

"You're going to catch a cold." Sabrina.

Her voice, sweet as honey, carried by the strong wind and brought directly to your ears. She was there, standing next to you, dressed in sweatpants and a jacket—which looked a lot like yours.

"I just needed some time alone…" You saw her approach out of the corner of your eye, before she quickly took your side, sitting cross-legged. "What are you doing here?"

Sighing, the blonde looked away to the sea, calm and slow, almost like everything that happened between the two of you. Almost as if the waves were mirroring your behavior.

"I had to keep an eye on Barry, you know…" She paused, almost as if wondering whether she should continue. "So he wouldn't get drunk again." You could hear her swallow hard.

"At least you made sure he'll be okay for the wedding," you replied, laughing slightly in an attempt to break the tension.

But Sabrina didn't laugh. She kept staring out at the sea, she kept trying to hold back all the feelings she had held tightly against her chest all this time. When she finally looked in your direction, her eyes were filled with tears, shining in a way you never liked.

"Tell me I'm doing the right thing." When the words came out of her mouth, you froze.

All you wanted to say was that she wasn't doing the right thing, that she was making the biggest mistake she could make, that she wouldn't be happy with that man, and that you would miss her every day as soon as she said "I do" at the altar.

"You're doing the right thing." Your chest burned. A sob escaped Sabrina's mouth.

"Then why don't feel like it?" Her question took you by surprise, but not as much as when she threw herself on top of you, crying like a child who was afraid of a monster under the bed.

Sabrina's body was shaking, and the only thing you could do was hold her tight, as if she would dissolve if you didn't.

"Sab…"

"I hate him, Yn! I hate myself for not being able to say no to him! I hate every minute of it!" She broke down completely.

The weight of her body falling on you reminded you of the weight you carried in your chest, and as much as you wanted to say that everything would be okay, you really didn't know how that would happen. She cried, enough tears to fill the ocean, and when she finally slept, you took her back inside.

Because it was always like that, you would always take care of her.

When you laid her in bed, Mrs. Carpenter approached you, patting you on the back before walking with you out of the room.

"I know when my daughter is happy, Yn…" The older woman began, causing you to stop in the middle of the hallway. "And this isn't one of those situations."

"I don't know what to do, I can't just tell her not to marry the guy she's been in love with for two years!" You said, frustrated with all these confusing signals everyone was giving you.

Smiling slightly, Sabrina's mother approached you, hugging you and kissing your cheek. "I've known you since you were a little kid." She took your hands. "You've always known what to do."

Walking toward her room, Mrs. Carpenter stopped suddenly, turning toward you with a gentle smile.

"Remember, dear, she didn't have any papers with the speech in her hand." It was the only thing she said before opening the bedroom door and disappearing from your view.

Being alone felt familiar to you at this point. You always seemed to end up alone when someone was about to reveal to you what to do, it was almost like a dream, where you would wake up at the most important part.

It was a sunny day, the guests were seated, the organizers were rushing around, and everything seemed ready to be perfect.

"Nice shirt," Jenna said, approaching you with a glass of champagne in her hand.

"Nice dress," you replied.

Watching the people, you saw Barry arguing with some of the people who worked on organizing the ceremony. He seemed nervous, irritated, as if something very important was about to fall apart. Before you could delve deeper into what was happening, the commotion quickly subsided, and you saw Barry being led away to prepare for the start of the ceremony.

When the music started, Barry entered with his mother, kissing the man on the cheek before sitting down with the rest of the guests. As the commotion began to subside, the bride's entrance music sounded over the loudspeakers, filling the room and clouding your thoughts.

You were a terrible friend! You were too selfish to share your feelings with your best friend, and too proud to tell her not to marry that boy. You felt wrong, you felt like trash in the middle of all those people.

"YOU!" The shout snapped you out of your cloud of thoughts. And you didn't have much time to think before you saw Barry coming quickly toward you.

Without giving you time to defend yourself, the man grabbed you by the collar, lifting you out of the chair you were sitting in and making a scene in front of everyone.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO HER?" He shook you, causing you to grab his shoulders and push him away forcefully.

"What are you talking about?" You smoothed out the wrinkles in your shirt.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY TO SABRINA?" He shouted. "DID YOU TELL HER NOT TO MARRY ME?" He continued.

"Are you going crazy?" You tried.

Then you realized, the music had stopped, Sabrina hadn't come in. She wasn't there.

"DO YOU THINK I DON'T KNOW?" He laughed in your face. His finger raised to poke your chest in defiance. "You think I don't know you're in love with my fiancée?"

"Barry, calm down, please…" Sabrina's mother tried to say.

"She would never be with someone like you…" Barry pushed you hard, knocking you to the ground.

"WHAT'S YOUR PROBLEM?" You asked, getting up and pushing the man back.

Barry didn't wait, he hit your face with his fist, making you stagger slightly backwards. "You're my problem, bitch!"

Recovering quickly, you punched him back, causing the man to stumble into some guests who were standing watching the fight. You didn't have much time to think, you just saw the whole situation, as if you were watching from outside your body. Barry's fist rising to hit you again, hard and fast. Everyone looked in shock, as if they weren't entirely sure what they should do.

"HEY!"

Sabrina's voice rang out, the arm dress she wore contrasting with the quick, sharp, and dangerous way she spoke, also contrasting with the punch she landed on Barry afterwards.

"FUCK!" The guests were shocked, and Sabrina stood there, clutching the hand that had delivered the blow while Barry was crying to his mother about the blood pouring from his nose.

"NEVER TOUCH HER AGAIN!" Sabrina said, pointing an accusing finger at the man who used to be her fiancé. Barry looked shocked, before finally breaking free from his mother's arms and quickly marching toward the petite blonde.

"Did you just punch me, you little whore?" Before he could get close to Sabrina, you acted, knocking him out with a strong punch to the mouth, and watching the man fall into the arms of his friends.

"Don't call her that, son of a bitch."

Before you could move, you felt Sabrina's arms around your neck, the woman quickly finding comfort from the chaos of the situation in your arms.

"I'm sorry I didn't realize it sooner," she said.

"I'm sorry I didn't do anything sooner!"

With that, you grabbed the blonde's face, sealing your lips with hers, and finally ending all the suffering that you both had tried to hide for so long.

Her hands caressed your baby hair, and she sighed during the kiss, as if she was desperate for you two to never let go. Your hands matched her desperation, pulling her closer by the waist, as if you two weren't already close enough to merge. Her lips tasted like strawberries, and you wondered why you hadn't just done this before.

Pulling away, Sabrina pressed her forehead against yours, listening to the applause and cheers of all your relatives and friends—who had realized your feelings even before you did.

"Let's go?" Sabrina asked, grabbing your hand and pulling you along.

"Where are we going?" you asked, even as you let her take you wherever she wanted.

"You'll see."

hey guys, I hope you're well.

i wrote this while i was in class, so i'm sorry if there are a lot of mistakes. Honestly, I had this idea and had to start writing immediately. The Manchild clip is just amazing, ever since I watched it I've been obsessed with the photography in this clip. it's just indie romcom movie energy, and I'm obsessed.

anyway, i hope you enjoy this. stay safe and drink water,

xoxo, spider.

[fiamat12]

Re: Sohoe - Friend or Foe?

Before you read, please note this post is to focus on a launch not on the character of the Sohoes. I believe all of them in the end have helped L w/ his legal obligations.

Many of us around these parts believe that there was a Part 1 and a Part 2 to the legal obligations w/ a negotiation period in between. The Lukola FBI looked back through Charmaine's ("C"'s) TT & IG activity to see if her current TTs could signal an end to obligations. What we found is that it lines up perfectly w/ our analysis - more specifically our timelines and what we think her role has been...

Let's start from the top w/ C's famous TTs:

1) TTs are similar now (possible end of Round 2) as to what we saw at the end of Round 1 (Aug/ Sept. of '24).

• This tracks. The overall repost sentiments are similar - bad friends and staying silent. She even reposted a TT from the same user, Iman Samone 😉 (see posts below)***

• The reposts after A's Sorrento dump indicated Round 1 could be done, as do the reposts now for Round 2. There was a particular repost on Aug. 25th that pointed to her being on L’s side and showing empathy for him. ⬇️

2) Scanning her timeline, she didn’t do this kind of post in Oct. as it was quite possibly renegotiation time, and she may have been asked to help w/ A's image rehab by then, so she wasn’t able to repost freely.

Now onto C's IG comments in regards to A:

1) She didn't seem to comment on an IG post of A’s prior to May 2024.

• It's curious, but not necessarily accurate since A constantly archives/ deletes posts. However, any difference would probably be minimal as A doesn't have that many posts.

• It could support the fact that she wasn't L's gf or an important part of his life as L's best mates who are active on sm would likely have been more consistently interactive w/ her.

2) From May-July of last year, it was sporadic.

• She’d comment on an occasional post like a new friend would - no dance videos but a few modeling ones, and mostly travel related posts like NY & LA (she is a flight attendant, after all).

• Technically, A should've been a known gf of her boyfriend's close childhood friend. Instead, it read like A was new to the group, because she was (!!) - except to R & S, maybe.

3) In August/Sept., there were no comments.

• Even on A's Italy dump, despite C being there, there were no comments, just a like. The lack of comments continued until Sept. 21st.

• This supports probable knowledge of an Antluke faux break-up, L "reuniting" w/ N and a cool down period

• The Sohoes' silence seemed two fold:

- Their job was done and they didn't serve the narrative anymore. (R's allusion to a drinking problem gave them a nice exit, stage right).

- They were being watched. As @jmuz09 stated: "I feel like this was that period where they were conscious they were being watched, and they all tried to act normal, like nothing happened in Sorrento"

4) From Oct 25, 2024 - March 6, 2025, C commented on every post of A's.

• This perfectly aligns w/ a timeline of image rehab and round 2 obligations and the friends & family support to "get this done".

• She hasn’t commented since March... perhaps the others chipped in for the last push - R did the dance video, JV, her boyfriend T and some musical theater friends did the marathon brunch, and L's sis, MD & S commented on A's last post..

Conclusion:

When all is said & done, I think we had a friend of Lukola helping out when she could... this post is analyzing sm activity but lest we forgot the in- person appearances C made w/ A (scroll back to Nov. if you must) and pics of her that she included on her own IG to likely help her image. More importantly, C has kept liking L's posts (21 out of 25 over the past year), commented "you were ROBBED" on his SMA post and has also regularly liked N's posts. 😊

Posts w/ C's TTs ⬇️⬇️⬇️

[svtswhorehouse]

SAFETY FIRST

pairings: bad boy!soonyoung x good girl!reader genre: mdni, smut, au warnings: hoshi teaches reader the importance of a safe word, mentions of weed, inexperienced reader, experienced hoshi, reader gets head for the first time, reader is a people pleaser, pussy eating, praise if you squint, MULTIPLE orgasms (seven to be exact), crying from pleasure, overstimulation, squirting word count: 6.5k synopsis: soonyoung considers himself to be an expertise at many things — pussy eating, is one of them.

sidenote: reader is close childhood friends with ALL of seventeen. i will be writing other members with this particular oc as well. so much lore!! this is a series :) feel free to drop into my inbox and ask questions !! hoshi is in fact my bias so i did get carried away with this one. between this installment and the last one, i’ve taken two eight week literature courses so hopefully my writing has improved. my brain is working overtime right now, i just finished an essay for a class in a few hours and grinded to get this out for you guys !!

𐙚 ggc masterlist 𐙚

𐙚 previous + next 𐙚

“Do you know what a safe word is?” Soonyoung’s voice cuts through the air, taking you by surprise. 

You whip your head towards him, eyebrows furrowed. “A safe word?” 

“Mhm,” He hums, briefly glancing up. He sits on a desk chair, facing you as he rolls a blunt to perfection. His tongue darts out to slowly lick the paper and your thighs unconsciously press together at the sight. 

“What’s that?”

Soonyoung sighs, a small chuckle escaping his lips as he sets the rolling tray aside. He leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees, taking his time to examine you. “Do you want to find out?” He asks, voice dangerously low. 

You can feel the air shift, his tone making your skin prickle. You tilt your head to the side, lips forming into a pout from confusion. “Okay,” You agree with a shrug.

Soonyoung’s lips quirk slightly. He nods his head slowly, scanning you from head to toe. Your cotton shorts rode up way too high, especially with your position on the bed, and your thin white tank top didn’t do much to hide your nipples through the fabric.

You’d opted out of wearing a bra today and needless to say — oblivious to you — all the boys had noticed.

His eyes settle back on yours and you fidget under his gaze. It was strong and intense, almost as if he was practically undressing you. 

Soonyoung’s always had sharp eyes filled with intimidation, but they’ve softened over time. At least — for you.

He rolls his chair over to the edge of the bed, right in front of where you sat. Even sitting down, only a few feet apart, he still towered over your small frame. 

Your heartbeat quickens, breath hitching as he leans forward. Soonyoung cocks his head to the side as he inches closer, smirking the slightest when he notices your composure beginning to crumble and fall. You were never good at holding it together, but that’s why the boys were always there — to catch you just in case you fall. 

And damn, are you falling in deep right now.

His hand smooths over your arm, causing goosebumps to rise as he trails it upwards to cup the side of your face gently. His fingers thread through your hair, getting a better grip so he’s able to maneuver your head to the side. As soon as he gets you exactly where he wants you, his lips are on yours.

He doesn’t hesitate, and he certainly doesn’t take it easy on you. The kiss is heavy and urgent, with a fierce passion behind it — an intensity that sends a jolt of electricity coursing straight through your veins. His lips move with purpose, the hand on the back of your head drawing you impossibly closer to him. 

You try to match his fervor, but staying true to your nature, your movements are slower and deliberate. You’re sensual where he’s demanding, your tenderness creating a perfect tension that neither of you has the will to break. Your pace grounds him, and Soonyoung can’t help but release a low groan.

Jeonghan was right.

You kiss like an angel — intoxicating.

He takes the lead as expected. You sigh softly when he traces his tongue along your bottom lip. His hand settles on your thigh, slowly sliding higher. You feel his fingertips slip just beneath the edge of your shorts, caressing the soft skin under and you can’t help but let a whimper escape quietly. Soonyoung seizes the moment, your lips parting just enough so he can deepen the kiss and dip his tongue into your mouth. His grip on your hair tightens when you tilt your head to accommodate him — your tongues dancing in perfect harmony as you explore each other's mouths.

He’s warm against your skin, anchoring you to the moment. Every brush, every tug, every calculated move that Soonyoung makes — he knows that he’s unraveling you. 

Corrupting you.

Not in a way that feels chaotic or rushed. And certainly not in a way with any ill intentions whatsoever. 

Soonyoung wasn’t just kissing you, but he was savoring you. He was reading every subtle cue as if a language only he understands. And with every second that passes, he pulls you deeper under until there’s nothing left but the warmth of his hands, the weight of his mouth, and the unfamiliar feeling of stickiness growing in your panties. 

He pulls away with one final lingering kiss, and your lips instinctively chase his own. Your eyes flutter open, still hazy as they focus on the man in front of you. 

Soonyoung leans back just enough to take you in. You were already a mess in the best way possible ��� lips slightly swollen, pupils dilated, and chest steadily rising as you try to catch your breath. 

The weight of his gaze only intensifies, drinking in every detail of you. Your eyes avoid his, cheeks flushed from not only the kiss but from his attention on you as well. 

He nods his head towards the pillows on his bed, and you take the hint. You grab one, handing it to him, only so he can place it directly behind you. Your eyes follow him as he does so, bringing your knees to your chest and hugging them close. 

“Pick a word.” 

Your brows knit together, “A word?”

Soonyoung hums. He disregards your confusion, standing from the chair and walking over to his desk. He grabs the blunt he’d previously forgotten about off the rolling tray, lighting it up and taking a long drag. 

“Why?” You press.

“Because I told you to.” 

Well, he had you there.

Now that you think about it, you don’t remember a time where you’ve ever denied Soonyoung of anything. Whatever he asked of you — you’d always deliver. 

If he showed up at your house unannounced demanding you to take a break from school work, you’d follow him without a fight.

If a random guy on campus was flirting with you and Soonyoung warned you about him, you’d abide like his word was law. 

If Soonyoung told you no, that meant no. 

If Soonyoung asked you to do something, you did it — no questions asked.

From the time you two were kids on the playground, even till now, you’ve never disappointed him. It wasn’t because you were passive or afraid. And it wasn’t because he was demanding and mean. Soonyoung had never gotten that way with you and he never intends to. But you trusted him. Maybe too much to the point where obedience wasn’t an option, but rather an instinct. It came as naturally as breathing.

And that’s what he liked about you.

The others only ever listened in the bedroom, but you — you’d never let him down. No. You’d listen even outside of it.

“Y/n.”

Your head snaps up to look at Soonyoung. You hadn’t even realized that your thoughts had begun to stray.

“I told you to do something,” He raises an eyebrow, a silent warning.

Your eyes narrow, drifting around his room. It was a simple task, one you could decide with ease. But you took your time as if it held more meaning than it appeared to. 

Your gaze wanders, landing on a stuffed animal perched on the highest shelf in his room. It was tucked in the furthest corner, collecting dust and worn from age. You had gifted it to him years ago, and it’s become a sight you look for whenever you enter his bedroom. The stuffed animal stood out amongst the rest of his things, not quite fitting his aesthetic or personality. Soonyoung nor the other boys cared for cute, sentimental things. But the small trinkets you’d either given them or left behind were never discarded. No matter how long they’d been there. 

“Tiger.”

“Tiger?” Soonyoung glances at the plushie on his shelf, having completely forgotten about it. He’d debated tossing it out a few times, but he never had the heart to follow through. Maybe it was guilt. Maybe it was sentiment. Either way, he would never admit to it. You brought a softness into his life that he didn’t know he could carry, leaving traces of warmth in your wake. 

He turns back to you, expression unreadable. He raises his brows in amusement, taking another hit of his blunt. The smoke lingers in the air as he exhales. “Okay,” He sighs, “Then that’s your safe word.”

You barely have time to react when his demeanor shifts without warning. The haze of smoke in the air seems to still, Soonyoung’s gaze on you fixed and unrelenting. His jaw tightens, both of his hands rising to cradle your face and force you to maintain eye contact. “Listen to me,” He murmurs, voice unwavering, “If you begin to feel uncomfortable with anything — and I mean anything, you say tiger. Got it?”

It should be comical. Soonyoung of all people, demanding you to say a silly word you’d playfully chosen on a whim. But his tone leaves no room for argument. 

You nod hesitantly, fully alert as you’re taken aback by the gravity of the situation. The room suddenly feels smaller, charged with tension.

“I need you to use your words Y/n.” 

“Yes,” You confirm, softly but surely.

“If something doesn’t feel right — if at any point you feel uncertain, uneasy, or overwhelmed — you just say the word and I’ll let up. No questions. No hesitation.”

“Is that why it’s called a safe word?” You ask. 

He nods, silently answering your question.

“I don’t —,” You hesitate, chewing the inside of your cheeks, “I don’t think I’ll need it.” 

Soonyoung smiles just barely. It doesn’t quite reach his eyes and it looks as if he’s holding back anger that may or may not be directed towards you. 

Kwon Soonyoung was a man who hated many things. He hated when the price of cigarettes would change in every gas station he entered. He hated when a professor constantly nagged him for his shitty attendance. He hated when a flock of girls smothered him at a frat party, desperation evident with the way their hands glided over his body. 

But the one thing that Soonyoung hated most, was your habit of sacrificing your own needs for others. As long as he’s known you, you’ve always been a people pleaser. The words “no” and “I can’t do it,” have never been in your vocabulary because you were sure that with a little more effort, anything was possible. You went above and beyond, going an inch for people who wouldn’t even bother to go a centimeter for you. The boys always watched you closely, ensuring no one took advantage of your kindness. But you were just too nice for your own good. It was what made you, well…you.

“Trust me baby,” His grip on your face tightens firmly, “You’ll need it.��

Your mouth opens to stubbornly protest, but the look Soonyoung gives you causes the words to die in your throat. You cower back, a chill skimming down your spine from intimidation.

“It doesn’t mean you’re doing anything wrong. I won’t be disappointed. I won’t be mad — I’d never be mad at you.”

Your eyes soften at his speech. The boys have never exactly been the talkative type and moments like this — honest, caring, thoughtful — are rare. 

“A safe word is put in place for a reason,” Soonyoung continues, “Even if you don’t think you need it.”

“Okay,” You reply, but it comes out flat. Soonyoung sees right through it, catching your half-hearted tone. He grinds his teeth, scanning your unsure expression. His fingers dig into your jaw, not quite hurting you, but with enough pressure to demand your undivided attention.

“I’m fucking serious Y/n,” He states sternly, “Listen to your body. Don’t try and test your limits because you think you can handle it.” 

Your heart pounds in your chest. Your words tumble out, too quick for you to process. “Yes sir,” You say unconsciously.

The label you had called him by isn’t calculated. It isn’t meant to provoke or please. It slipped out instinctively, a response to the kind of authority that doesn’t scare you, but steadies you instead. 

Soonyoung doesn’t acknowledge it. He doesn’t smirk or tease the way he would had it been anyone else. With the others, he might’ve raised a brow. Might’ve let a smug grin spread across his face as he leaned in close just to watch them squirm and fluster. He knew how to play that part — confident, commanding, and in control.

But you — you’ve always been the exception. The only one able to break down their stone walls and thaw their icy hearts.

You see the flicker of approval flash across his features. He finally lets go of your face and you find yourself missing his touch as soon as it leaves. You’d grown accustomed to the heat of his hands and now that they're gone, it makes you realize how much comfort you found in his hold.

Soonyoung takes a step back. “Good girl,” He mutters, so softly that you barely catch it. 

A whine tries to force itself from your mouth, but you urge it back down. A heat rises in your chest, the familiar feeling of warmth you’d felt with Mingyu a week ago. The praise left you feeling fuzzy — reassured. 

Soonyoung closes his eyes, thoughts racking his brain. He figures that he’s too sober for this. Reaching out, he picks up his blunt yet again and goes in for another hit. The ember flares briefly in the dim lighting, and he uses the incoming feeling of a high to anchor himself.

He was good at control. He knew how to wield it with precision. But you had him in a chokehold that constantly left him breathless. If he planned to have you laid out like a meal right in front of him, he’d need a much better grasp on himself. 

He knows he can’t do it on impulse. Not with you. You deserve intention — care. He needed to take his time with you. Not rush things. Keep his pace slow and calm…at least to the best of his abilities. 

“Say it again.” 

You blink, caught off guard. “What?”

“Your safe word,” He clarifies, “I need to make sure you remember it. That you’re not going to forget it.”

“Oh…” Your cheeks flush in embarrassment as the pieces click into place, “Right.”

Soonyoung arches a brow, eyes glittering in quiet amusement, “What did you think I was referring to?” 

You glance away, clearing your throat, “Nothing,” You shake your head to dismiss him. 

Soonyoung’s lips quirk and a teasing smile threatens to break across his face. 

“Tiger,” You repeat the word, hoping to appease him.

He hums in acknowledgment, “And you’ll do as I say and use it when you feel like you need to?” 

“Mhm…”

Soonyoung narrows his eyes at you. They scan over your figure, easily recognizing your body language. His lips press into a thin line and he struggles to contain his frustration. 

“Fine.” His voice comes out clipped, sharp even. 

Maybe it’s because of the endless years you’ve spent tangled in each other's lives, or maybe it’s because of the massive weak spot he’s grown for you over time — but Soonyoung knows you like the back of his hand. He’s slowly memorized every part of you. All the tells, all the signs. Your likes. Your dislikes. Even the smallest details that you haven’t figured out for yourself yet. 

So when you sit before him saying all the right things and giving him the answers he expects to hear, he’s able to read between the lines. 

You’ll endure it. Swallow it down and convince yourself you can handle it until you can’t. The instinct to please — to not disappoint — was practically in your blood.

He lets out a heavy sigh, turning his back to you. He runs a hand through his hair, foot tapping against the floorboard in a quiet rhythm to calm himself. 

A safe word has never been just a formality to Soonyoung. Especially when it came to scenes in which his usual dominance could possibly blur the lines between pleasure and intensity. He knew exactly how mean and demanding he could be, but despite that, he wasn’t heartless. At least, not completely. 

Unlike others who wielded dominance with cruel intentions, he knows what the word stop means. And he certainly knows that no means no.

So god forbid, he was trying to make sure it wasn’t your last resort. You needed to know how vital this conversation was — to know when to use it, understand your own limits, and most of all, realize that it’s okay to use it.

If you wouldn’t lean on the safety net yourself, then he would have to be the one to make sure it’s there. Not by force, never that. But with a precision that doesn’t thin the fragile line between challenge and care. The kind that gives you no room to hide even when you’re nearing that edge. 

Soonyoung grumbles, taking a swig from a nearby beer bottle. It was warm and flat, having been there for a few hours untouched, but it still does the trick. He sets it on his dresser with a clink, sitting back down on his desk chair and rolling it to the foot of his bed. He reaches out, arms wrapping around your thighs to yank your body towards him with a gentle force. 

You squeal in surprise, hands flying back to anchor yourself as he effortlessly drags you to the edge. The sheets bunch underneath your elbows, your pulse racing at the sudden motion. You blink at him wide-eyed, chest heaving in breathless anticipation. 

His calloused hands are rough on your smooth skin, fingers grazing over your thighs with a careful tenderness. His touch provides you with a comfort you always seem to long for.

One minute he’s talking to you — engaging in a casual conversation, or as much conversation as you’ll get from one of the boys; they weren’t much talkers. But the next, your shorts are suddenly discarded, thrown carelessly on the ground. Without even realizing, your body had responded — hips lifting unconsciously and making it easier for Soonyoung to pull off. His words served as a distraction and he’d made sure your focus was trained on him the entire time. 

You didn’t think much of it. You’ve occasionally walked around the house wearing far too little in search of a comfy hoodie or a pair of pants fresh out the dryer. Sometimes — even to make sure that your cookies didn’t burn, and that’s exactly how you ended up squirting all over Jeonghan’s lap last time. 

But usually, the boys never spared you a glance. And if they did, they never allowed their minds to wander anywhere inappropriate. 

You weren’t anywhere near the typical girls (sluts as they would prefer to be called) they hooked up with. 

No — you were you. 

There was always that unspoken line written in your friendship. One in which they never dared to cross. But with how men have turned into dogs over time, they’d rather it be them than anyone else. 

Soonyoung rests his hand on the inside of your thigh, dangerously close to your covered cunt. Immediately, your body stiffens. His thumb rubs soothing circles on your skin, but you can’t seem to concentrate on it as his breath ghosts over your neck. Your heart rate increases just as he lays a gentle kiss to your pulse point and it leaves you wondering whether he can feel the thumping on his lips. 

He presses soft kisses to your skin, trailing upwards towards your jaw. Your lids flutter, breath hitching as his mouth moves deliberately slow. A whimper almost escapes when one of his fingers swipe directly over your slit. The action causes moisture to spread in your panties; thin, white, and nearly sheer from sticking to your skin due to your arousal. 

“Relax,” Soonyoung mutters, noticing the quick rise and fall of your chest, “You’re too tense.” 

You nod obediently, granting him further access by unconsciously tilting your head. He sucks on the skin directly under your jaw and as he takes his time marking your flesh with his mouth, your pussy throbs in response. 

Soonyoung’s fingers slip beneath the waistband of your underwear. He lets his touch linger, toying with the material. It’s only when his lips find yours again, that he tugs it down. You lift yourself partially off the bed, too distracted to care as he deepens the kiss. It helps him remove the garment completely, tucking it into his back pocket. 

You whine as he breaks contact, pulling away. Soonyoung disregards you, instead pushing you down with a firm hand on your shoulder. Your back meets the mattress, legs clamped shut. Soonyoung clicks his tongue in disapproval. He shoots you a stern look, tapping at the side of your thigh. 

“Open.” 

You don’t listen, a small voice in the back of your head warning you that your dignity is fading even more so after your escapades with Jeonghan and Mingyu. 

“Y/n,” Soonyoung says, voice strict, “Open your legs.”

His tone causes you to whimper, your tummy turning nervously. You gaze up at him with wide puppy dog eyes — soft, pleading, and silently hoping it’ll melt the merciless wall he’s putting up. 

Soonyoung sighs, demeanor faltering. His eyes soften as they meet yours and he realizes that maybe he should be a little nicer. Your trust in him was currently at an all-time high and he would be damned to scare you away. 

“Come on baby,” He tries again. This time, he pries your knees apart for you. He keeps his eyes trained on yours the entire time, ignoring the pretty view between your thighs to save you from your nervousness of being on display. “Let me make you feel good, yeah?”

Your cheeks flush at his words, embarrassment flooding your senses. You squirm under his stare, holding it to the best of your ability. Coyly, you tilt your head in agreement.

Soonyoung subtly perks up. “Yeah?” He asks again. “You want that?” 

“Yeah,” You whisper lightly. 

His lips quirk into a smile, dropping as fast as it flashes across his face. His line of vision trails down to your neck, lingering over your tits, to your stomach, then finally settling on the prize. 

You were soaked, essence dripping onto the comforter below you. 

Soonyoung has to muffle a groan, his cock pulsing at the sight. He lays a delicate peck on your knee, unable to tear his eyes away. 

Out of all the girls he’s fucked — bent over, underneath, on top — your body was home to the prettiest pussy he’s ever seen.

Soonyoung bites his tongue, a degrading term threatening to roll off. He was meant to humiliate, to tease; but he could never do that to you. His respect for you outweighed his usual dominance by a landslide. 

His hand smooths over your pelvis and you flinch at the unexpectedness of his touch. You watch him between your legs as he kisses the inside of your left thigh, gradually moving downwards. You tense as he nears dangerous territory, but his fingers dig into your skin, massaging your muscles and loosening them. 

Both of his hands travel to the underside of your thighs near your ass. Gently, he rests them there, pushing upwards and further spreading you apart for him. Your mind screams at you to have a little more shame, but your body denies the request as your cunt gushes in excitement. 

Soonyoung focuses on your skin, laying pecks all around. He avoids your pussy, wanting to make you more comfortable before diving in. You feel his lips graze just below your belly button, moving south. 

A shiver rolls down your spine when you finally feel him place a kiss directly on your clit. A sound of satisfaction leaves your mouth and it gives Soonyoung the green light he needs.

Leisurely, he licks a stripe from your dripping hole to your bud. The action draws a whimper from you, a spike of pleasure easily spreading. He continues, keeping the same pace as he repeats the movement. Your lids flutter shut as you bask in the feeling. It dwells, enough to keep you content, but not enough to send you over the edge. 

Your wetness gathers on his tongue and Soonyoung figures that if he could have one meal for the rest of his life, it would be you. 

The taste of your cunt is addicting, even more so as he dips his tongue into your entrance. You whimper, legs spreading further apart. 

A choked moan slips out as he speeds up. His tongue moves rapidly and he bobs his head to add stimulation. You pant, chest visibly heaving as he looks up at you. Your head is thrown back against his bed, fingers gripping tightly at the duvet. He’s able to see the swell of your breasts from his line of vision and he reaches an arm up your stomach to fondle one under your shirt.  

His touch ignites a spark within you, his thumb grazing over your nipple and causing it to harden. He rolls the bud expertly, pinching it between two fingers and tugging slightly. You mewl in delight, hips bucking to grind against Soonyoung’s face. He chuckles into your cunt at your reaction, the vibration sending rippling waves of pleasure coursing through you. 

Your hand wraps around Soonyoung’s wrist, holding his arm there as his fingers play with your tit. You shut your eyes and he has half the right mind to scold you. He wants you entirely focused on him, but he decides that he should let you have this one — to be present in your pleasure instead of attentive to him. 

He shakes his head, the sudden movement causing your body to jerk. His tongue flattens against your clit, rough and wet as he quickly laps at the bundle of nerves. Your mouth opens, a string of whines escaping as your stomach muscles tighten. 

“Soonie,” You gasp, cut off by the sound of another whine escaping your lips. 

Soonyoung only hums. He pinches your nipple gently and you grind your pussy against his tongue again. He can sense your eagerness and it leaves him unfamiliar with the feeling of wanting to give in — to let you cum without begging or crying. 

So he does. 

He keeps the same tempo, refusing to change rhythm even just the slightest. His tongue flicks viciously at your clit, hands locking your thighs into place to ensure you don’t move. You try to thrash, but he keeps you grounded, unable to run away from him. 

You pull at the comforter, using it as your personal stress ball. It bunches in your grip but does nothing to put out the fire growing within your body. 

You’re hot — too hot. Your skin is tingling and ears are starting to hear a ring as Soonyoung transports you into a world of ecstasy. 

“Soonie, please.” You don’t know what you’re pleading for, but you can still decipher the desperation in your voice. The feeling is all too familiar to the one you’d felt with Jeonghan and you realize that you’d do anything to experience it again. 

Soonyoung hears you loud and clear despite your words coming out hurried and hushed. He uses his thumbs, spreading your pussy and giving him further access directly to your clit. You can feel everything a little better when he does and just as his thumb grazes through your wet slit, the coil snaps. 

Over the years, Soonyoung has seen you in a million different ways in a million different instances. But this — coming undone on his tongue, endless loud whines leaving your mouth, and legs spread far apart as he devours your pretty pussy — takes the cake. 

“Soonie!” You can do nothing but say his name, hole clenching around nothing. Your cunt gushes a fluid that you can feel drenching the sheets below you and Soonyoung lifts his head to admire. He replaces his tongue with his hand, fingers rubbing figure eights over your clit to help you ride out your orgasm. 

In a world full of sex, featuring Kwon Soonyoung — you’re either a creamer or a squirter.

In Soonyoung’s case, he just so happened to adore squirters. The messier, the better. 

“There we go,” He praises, “That’s a good girl.” 

Your legs threaten to close but he holds them open, fingers working expertly to prolong your orgasm. You can hear the audible sounds of your slick as he runs his finger through your folds and it only adds to the filth you’re experiencing. 

The pleasurable rush feels like it lasts for ages, but eventually, you come down from the high. Your mouth falls open as you try and catch your breath, endless pants falling from your lips. 

Your chest rises and falls, heart still racing as if trying to catch up. You blink slowly, trying to center yourself. You feel Soonyoung’s hand on your inner thigh, ghosting over your cunt as his other hand massages your trembling legs. You find strength within yourself to prop your upper half up, using your elbows as leverage. 

Soonyoung was nicer than usual, giving you at least a few minutes to rest before he attempted to thrust you toward the edge yet again. One minute, you’re staring into his eyes from between your legs, and the next, your back hits the mattress from the sheer hostility of his mouth. 

He greedily slurps up your arousal, tongue lapping through your folds. His lips hover directly above your clit, closing around the bud and sucking harshly. The action causes your back to arch, a cry emitting loudly throughout the room. Your hole clenches around nothing, excess fluid dripping onto the comforter. 

Soonyoung pokes his head up, mouth shining from your juices. “You're making a mess, sweetheart.” His thumb replaces his mouth, rubbing over your clit slowly. 

“M’ sorry,” You whimper softly, “Can’t help it.” 

Soonyoung hums, faux sympathy lacing his features. “Feels too good, doesn’t it?”

You nod with lidded eyes, hips bucking against his hand, “So good Soonie.”

He chuckles, head dipping low to dart out his tongue yet again.

Amongst the many rumors circling the grounds of your university, today, you’ve debunked one: Kwon Soonyoung lives up to his title of being a munch.

You try and count how many seconds pass by before your skin starts to tingle. Soonyoung shifts his focus solely on your clit, opting to suck instead of lick. The suction leaves you fidgeting from overstimulation, sensitivity from your last orgasm still fresh as you barrel towards another one. 

It washes over you faster than before — much stronger. Soonyoung doesn’t adjust his pace to accommodate your thrashing. Instead, he holds your hips down on the bed, lips attached to your clit. Your essence paints the lower half of his face, pussy leaking messily of wetness. 

An endless string of pitiful whines escape from you, but it does little for Soonyoung to show mercy. His mouth stays glued to your pussy, even despite the fight you put up. 

“T-too much,” You whimper, feeling somewhat overstimulated. You shuffle around on the mattress, trying to escape. It only grants you a short minute of relief as his lips detach from you, but it doesn’t last long. His hands grip your legs, pulling you back to him. 

“You know your safe word,” His hands settle on the back of your thighs to hold you open for him, “Use it.” 

You let out a choked sob when you feel him again, flinching as the tip of his tongue pokes at your entrance. It threatens to push further, but instead, he swipes it through your folds. It feels rigid against your clit, alternating between tracing circles and flicking.

You try not to get too loud, embarrassed that the other boys might hear you through the walls of his bedroom. But as the pleasure builds in your lower abdomen, your dignity fades away slowly, but surely. 

When you cum for the third time, you start to get antsy. Your thighs twitch involuntarily, attempting to pry themselves from Soonyoung’s grasp. They tremble when he urges them farther apart, addicted to the taste of your cunt. 

The fourth spirals into you out of thin air, only seconds apart from the last. Your hand darts out, tangling in Soonyoung’s hair. You nudge him away subtly, fighting the urge to pull him closer and grind your pussy against his tongue. He slows his pace until you calm down, but picks up not long after. 

Each time Soonyoung swears it's the last — but he was on an agenda to hear your safe word from your mouth. You could only last so long; and with the way he was wearing you thin, Soonyoung knew that you were nearing that brink.

“C’mon Y/n,” He encourages, “Just say it.” 

“No,” You whine softly, “I can take it.” 

You can feel his annoyance through his fingertips digging into your skin.

“I don’t think you can, baby.” 

“Soonyoung,” Your voice is a cry — desperate. “More please.” 

He sighs, eyes skirting over you. He blinks fast, visibly irritated, but nods. His tongue flattens against your pussy, getting to work once again. 

You can feel your muscles loosening, unable to control them as your fifth orgasm takes over. Your thighs spasm, legs flailing as you kick. Soonyoung’s arms wrap firmly around them, anchoring you. His hands rest on your stomach, pushing your hips down to stay still. He watches you like a hawk, tongue moving diligently.

By the time your sixth orgasm rolls around, you’re a mess. Your mind is hazy, vision blurry from the tears filling your eyes. You mutter incoherent babbles, words jumbling together. The only thing you can find yourself being aware of is Soonyoung’s mouth latched to your cunt and the bliss that surges through your body. You can mildly feel yourself squirting, soaking the sheets beneath your lower half. 

Your seventh orgasm is when the word finally tumbles from your lips. It comes out rushed, with a loud cry. Tears drip down the sides of your face, unbearable pleasure ripping through you. It borders on the edge of painful, but the familiar feeling of euphoria along with it, keeps you at bay. 

“Tiger, tiger, tiger.” You repeat, although you didn’t have to. As soon as your safe word met his ears, Soonyoung let up. 

Your body feels like mush, sinking deeper into the mattress. Your pussy throbs, yearning for more but you clench your thighs shut, thankful for mercy instead. Your palms cover your face, wiping at your wet eyes.

“That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” Soonyoung watches as you hide your face behind your hands. He rubs his own along the side of your leg, helping coax you into a calmer state. 

You respond with a short whimper, barely audible. You feel messy and in desperate need of a cold shower. You whine this time, suddenly aware and shy of your current predicament. 

Soonyoung’s touch leaves for a short minute. You have the urge to peek through your fingers, seeking out his comfort again, but he returns quickly. He pries your hands away from your face, nudging you to sit up. You do so reluctantly, curling your chest into your knees when you do. Your body is heavy and threatens to fall against the plush mattress again, but Soonyoung keeps you stable with a grip on your shoulder. 

He holds something to your mouth. The plastic material nudges against your lips, and you furrow your brows. 

“Drink.” 

You hesitantly sip the water he’s offering. It’s only then that you realize exactly how dry your throat felt. It makes you wonder how loud you were actually being. 

You try to pull away after a few gulps, but Soonyoung hums with disapproval. “Uh-uh.” He holds the straw steady in your mouth, refusing to budge, “Drink more, you need to stay hydrated.” 

Grumbling, you gulp down a bit more to appease him. You sip slowly, leaning into his touch as he pets the wild strands of your hair down. 

“You did good,” He praises, “I’m proud of you.” 

You stare up at him with doe-eyes, throat bobbing the more you drink. You acknowledge his words with the squint of your eyes, but your brain barely comprehends them in your fucked out state. 

Soonyoung removes the straw when he’s satisfied with your water intake, setting the bottle down. Your legs swing over the side of the bed when he’s turned away to get up, but a rush of dizziness consumes you when you start to stand. Your limbs feel like jelly and Soonyoung has to dart forward to catch you before you fall. 

“Not so fast baby,” His hands are firm on your hips, stabilizing you. Your palms rest on his shoulders, holding on tightly for support as he lowers you to sit on the bed. “I’ll get you all cleaned up. Just rest for a bit.” 

You want to protest, but Soonyoung’s tone leaves no room for argument. He crouches down in front of you, staring up into your eyes. They’re softer than usual, unlike the sharp gaze that tears through you whenever you glance into them. Your head tilts to the side when he cups your face, thumb gently ghosting over your cheek. 

“Tired Soonie,” You say softly. Your lids flutter, wanting to close but you keep them open to the best of your ability. The sleepiness stems out of nowhere, but now that Soonyoung is making you take a breather, it hits you full force. 

“You’re tired?” His eyebrows perk up, attentive to your growing sluggishness. 

You nod, leaning further against his hand cupping your face. 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah,” You confirm.

“Take a nap then,” He gestures his head to the pillows before standing up and towering over you. 

“But —,” You try to rebuttal, but he’s quick to cut you off.

“I’ll clean you up, don’t worry. Just sleep baby,” He ruffles your hair, urging you to crawl back against the bed, “I got you.” 

An argument sits at the tip of your tongue, but it vanishes as soon as your head hits his soft, fluffy pillow. His familiar scent of sandalwood and light musk fills your senses, providing you with a comfort that eases you into a peaceful sleep. 

Soonyoung disappears to retrieve a towel from his bathroom, but when he gets back, you’re already fast asleep. He almost chuckles at how quickly you’d managed to drift off, but he shakes his head instead, gently patting the towel against your skin. 

Your thighs were still drenched and pussy dripping, but he can’t find it within himself to care — he’s going to have to change his sheets anyway.

Most days he’s prepared for this, already having a towel laid down and bedsheets stripped before indulging in anything sexual. He knows that things can get messy when it comes to him, so he’s always one step ahead. 

But this is different — this is you. And you’ve always been the only exception.

[starmocha]

the idea of zaynemc having twins is honestly *chef's kiss*

snowdrop as an older brother 🥹🥹🥹🥹

would I be indulging you too much about this plot bunny if I asked:

snowdrop was carefully planned, would pregnancy 2 be as well or it'd be like oops 🫢

and the most important question of all:

how would they react upon learning they were having twins??

you don't need to answer if you don't want, it's fine, it's just that as much as I love the idea of zaynemc having their one little treasure, picturing them with two more and having a full house like that made me so happy. they deserve it so much. 🥹

🥹 lowkey hoped someone would ask~ This plot bunny has been sitting in my brain for too long. I really want to yap lol

☆-— The second pregnancy is both planned and unplanned, in the sense that both Zayne and MC have noticed how much time has passed and Snowdrop is already getting bigger and would start preschool and later grade school, so they're feeling the early signs of empty nest syndrome.

☆-— Zayne is holding it together well. He's feeling bittersweet about it, much like in the second to last scene in 'Keep It Icy,' but MC, on the other hand, is a little more visibly sad about her baby growing up. She's happy, of course, but still. This is her baby. She just wants him to stay little for a while longer. </3

☆-— So, one night, they are cuddling in bed, talking about their day, their son, and eventually it leads to them both admitting how bittersweet it feels that each day Snowdrop is becoming more independent and needing them both a little less. They're happy and proud that he's growing up as a happy, self-assured, and bright little boy, but it's so hard to reconcile this with their memory of the day he was born and he was just so small, and now he would soon be taking his first little steps into a new world where they won't always be the center of his.

☆-— Eventually, they both reach the same thought: "Should we try for another baby?" They're not trying to fill this sudden empty hole, but also realizing how they also want their son to grow up with a sibling. They can certainly afford a bigger family, and they both love the life they have built together so far.

☆-— But they also agree that this time, they're not rushing like with Snowdrop. They're relinquishing control to the Universe. They won't be using protection or being cautious, but they also won't be actively trying to get pregnant like the first time. If it's meant to be, then MC will get pregnant with another baby.

☆-— Cue some time later, MC notices her period is late. Zayne, too (of course). She also complains about how tender her breasts feel (Dr. Zayne to the rescue with some TLC for the titties). She's also more tired lately no matter how often she sleeps.

☆-— They suddenly look at one another, like, "Maybe???"

☆-— A few tests later and they're both shocked, because she's gotten pregnant much quicker than they both had anticipated. And then they're stupidly smiling and laughing, because, what do you mean they're now going to be a family of four????

☆-— Snowdrop, of course, is the first person to hear this news that "Mommy is going to have a baby. You're going to be a big brother soon!"

☆-— And sweet little Snowdrop is happy, because he senses his parents' happiness. Of course, he also hits them with an innocent "How did the baby get inside Mommy's tummy?"

☆-— MC says she has to go get reacquainted with the toilet because of her morning sickness, and abandons Zayne in a heartbeat. "You're a doctor, Zaynie, you have all of the answers. I just know how to shoot wanderers in the head. Bye~"

☆-— One awkward hour with a very inquisitive toddler later, Zayne is carrying Snowdrop in his arms as they go find MC, saying they should all go out and celebrate this news.

☆-— As the weeks pass during her first trimester, it kind of occurs to MC how she seems to be growing faster than during her first pregnancy. It seems like her bump is already showing, but Zayne reminds her how each pregnancy is unique. She shrugs and accepts his reasoning.

☆-— They soon find out just how unique this pregnancy is during one of her checkups.

☆-— They're floored. They wanted to try for a second baby, and they succeeded. Too well. Because, hello???? Did the doctor just say they heard two heartbeats? As in, twins??????

☆-— One ultrasound later, and they're driving home and MC is looking at the photo in her hands and then her bump and back to the photo before she starts laughing. Zayne is also still wrapping his head around the news and how overjoyed he is in this moment. It seems their family is jumping from three to five just like that.

☆-— Snowdrop, once again, gets first dibs on baby news. And once again, our darling little boy is very curious about some things. "Where did the second baby come from?"

☆-— MC conveniently forgets her marriage vow once more and abandons her husband during a hard time. "You're a doctor, Zaynie—"

☆-— "You can't keep using that excuse."

☆-— She still abandons him, reminding him that thanks to him, she's going to have to push out two babies this time. Zayne knew she would pull a dirty move like that. Cue him silently planning her future punishments.

☆-— Halfway through her pregnancy and they learn the twins' gender. They have Snowdrop with them during this checkup, so everyone learn that MC is pregnant with both another boy and also a girl.

☆-— Zayne and MC share a look, and she can just see the love in his eyes. He kisses her forehead and he's just whispering praises only she could hear.

☆-— Snowdrop is excited because he's going to have a little brother and sister. He asks them innocently, "Will they like me?"

☆-— Zayne and MC laugh. They're kissing his cheeks until he giggles, and saying the babies will love him so much, because he's their big brother. They also add that they love him so much, too, and won't ever stop or love him less, but now there would be more love to be spread around for their growing family.

[jacksonekennedy]

Relief washed over Jack like the first drop of rain after a six month long drought. Hearing Alice admit that she didn't want to go either. Couldn't she just stay? Forever? Yes, Jack was saying forever after four days. It didn't matter. Nothing did. Because it occurred to Jack that rules didn't exist for these types of things.

His relationship to Sophia had lasted nearly two years, including the one year of marriage, and that hadn't worked out for him. Jack had never been so happy to get divorced now. Because here was Alice, a stranger (but not really, not at all), telling Jack that she just couldn't stop writing about him. A dozen paragraphs about the waterfall.

Alice assured Jack that she didn't want to make anything worse — his public image, and she leaned in to kiss him in between her words, before continuing: she was excited about the way she felt for him, and she wanted the world to know.

Jack exhaled, and a strange wave of emotion passed over his eyes. He swallowed, stared down at her knuckles. She wanted the world to know how she felt about Jack. It was a public declaration of love, and Jack couldn't wrap his head around that. Jack had criminal charges pending. She'd walked in on him snorting an obscene amount of cocaine earlier that evening. She didn't know about the pills in his luggage, or the other skeletons in his closet.

Did he deserve it? It felt like he didn't, but he was working very hard to earn it.

"I think it's easy because of the person you are." 

The person that he was. Is.

Jack would've walked over a thousand miles of broken glass if it meant that Alice was waiting for him at the end.

Jack would've walked over a thousand miles of broken glass if it meant he got to read just a single line of poetry from Alice.

Despite what she'd seen earlier that day, Alice wanted to share her feelings for Jack to the world.

"Alice…"

His brows were furrowed, and he realized that maybe he was gripping her fingers a little too hard. He relaxed, soothing whatever discomfort he'd caused with a brush of his thumb, again and again.

They weren't far from the airport now. Just a few turns away. And he felt the faint vibration of his phone. Notifications, maybe, that the plane was ready to go, or that there was a delay. He didn't care. He didn't care whenever Alice was telling him all of these things that he didn't deserve. Things that made him feel dizzy.

Words that charmed him. Words that made Jack feel like the most important man in the world. Words that made Jack feel so loved.

Purpose. Alice gave Jack purpose, and he felt like it was to love her for the rest of his days. Little by little, Alice was picking up all of the broken, damaged bits of Jack. She was smoothing them out, gluing them back together until he felt brand new again. She was doing the impossible. Alice and her hands — did she know she performed miracles with them?

The car came to an abrupt stop. He looked up, and there was the plane. He wasn't sure how long he'd been staring at her hands for. Maybe a few seconds. Minutes. He wasn't sure. Jack swallowed, before finally looking at Craig. His driver of many, many years.

Craig who kept a secret better than anyone else on his staff. Craig, who'd heard some pretty cruel and damaging arguments with his ex-wife, and there were never any leaks. Jack trusted the man, but it didn't stop Jack from blurting something out.

"Can you get out?"

It took Craig an awkward silence to register that Jack was talking to him. Jack realized the bluntness of his request, and added:

"Sorry. Can we have some space?"

Craig dismissed himself pretty quickly. The driver's side door shut, and Jack remained silent because he didn't know what to say to Alice. Well, he knew what to say, but it had only been four days. But Jack reminded himself: there were no rules for this. He went back to staring at her hands, and more time passed, but Jack wasn't sure how long.

It was the good kind of silence. Comfortable and soothing. He hoped that he hadn't worried Alice with his rash behavior, and the quiet that followed. He was just … cherishing the moment because everything was about to change.

There weren't any rules. Jack wanted to tell Alice that he was grateful to have met her, that she'd changed his life. He wanted to tell Alice that he wouldn't have changed anything that happened in the last six months. It led them to this very moment. But the words fell short. He wasn't a poet.

Jack was always a fan of keeping things simple — in the moment. No thought, just action. He finally looked into Alice's eyes.

"Alice... I love you very much."

A lot could happen in four days. Significant events. Life-altering events. If you told Alice, sitting in her office, one finger tapping idly at her wrist cushion, that she was going to completely abandon her original pitch she might laugh, in a shocked, disbelieving kind of way.

But that was Before Jack. Even on day two ... Alice just would have nodded. And agreed. Because of course this wasn't a regular interview now— of course the chambers of her heart had already begun to re-orient themselves to include Jack. And now? Nearing the end of the second week?

It felt like Alice had a new heart entirely. Old one ripped out and gutted and replaced with something influenced by a new, entirely unique understanding of love. It could happen at any time. Strike immediate, and hard, and it could turn everything on it's head, and yet the new orientation was beautiful.

So when Jack responds to her idea about the article with approval— well. It makes her next inhale feel all the more oxygen rich. She had a new perspective, feverish bursts of writing that she wanted and needed to share.

'I'd be … so honored, Alice.'

And not only that— Jack was honored.

Fuck. He was honored, to be written about by her? Alice feels a wide smile creep across her face, relief and excitement and a very innocent sort of shyness peeking through her features.

'I fell for you so fast. Like, it scares me how fast it happened. It scares me how I don't ever want you to leave.'

Like Jack, finally breathing, it all starts to tumble out of her.

"I don't want to leave either. At all."

A sharp, heavy breath.

"And I'm really— like really— glad you said yes, because I've written so fucking much. I didn't even realize I could write this much? But I've written so much about our time together, and falling for you so fast, I think I have half a dozen paragraphs just about the waterfall—"

Another breath, because the idea of Jack feeling honored about this is making her feel oxygen-rich and dizzy all at once.

And now he's kissing her fucking fingers. God.

Alice could write thirty volumes about that alone. Jack falling for her too— fast. Jack kissing each little fingertip.

"—And I know everything has been hell in the media lately, I don't wanna make it worse for you, but." Alice smiles at him. Steals a kiss before his lip can descend upon her fingertips again. "—my feelings for you excite me. And... I feel excited about them in a way I want to share that. How happy you've made me in just a few days. And how... fucking great you are? And if you're alright with that ... I would like people to know."

Clever Jack. Beautiful Jack. Playful, quick, quicksilver Jack, so generous with time and affection and loving words. She hoped she'd captured it all in her writing.

"My mentor in college always said you have to be able to stand on your writing. Like ... you should be able to do that backwards and forwards. And I feel like I can with everything I wrote. And will end up writing."

Alice feels like she could defend each sentence in front of a thesis panel.

"I think it's easy because of the person you are."

[gomzdrawfr]

NAKED GRANDMA

Now that I have your attention, just wanted to put out a few things. This does not apply to anyone in particular, but set as a reminder to everyone, though I will be directing some of these to people who warranted it. This applies to both here on tumblr and on my twitter page.

At the end of the day, Raven is MY original character.

about the top/bottom thing

I get a lot of asks pushing the idea that Raven must be dominant or topping Price because she's a badass which let me be clear, Raven is a switch. Sometimes she tops, most time she doesn't. If I've already talked or drawn things where she's explicitly bottoming or just being submissive, you who comes in and push her to topping instead in an already established dynamic and context is kind of a dick move to me. Listen, just because a character is strong and competent doesn't mean she is also dependent in the bedroom, that they are only valid if they're dominant at all time. Get that misogyny bs out of here.

about requests and rude comments

If you're sending ask telling me to draw a mlm art with Price, going as far as telling me that Price is gay why do you have to do what every tiktokers/artist and ship him with a skinny copy and paste girl- Get out. This is my blog and you're coming here to frame her presence and existence as somehow inferior just because "it's better" then please fuck off. Take your sexisms and poorly disguised fetish FAR AWAY FROM ME. I won't entertain these asks and simply won't care. This is my main OC with stories and lores I care about. You want mlm? then find it elsewhere, there are places out there with this sort of content. Also, just fucking block me if you hate my OC stuff so much. Block the tags block my blog everything, if you need a tutorial here's one. I promise I don't give a flying fuck of your feelings.

Also, another subset of asks who's somehow disappointed about the fact with Raven marrying and having a family with Price (which mind you, the kids exist in a different timeline and not the canon one even), as though settling down with someone you love is????wrong???bad????? You people gotta be coming from the most narrow-minded or cesspool of tiktok/twitter to think settling down is downplaying her character. Again, this must be fucking linked back to the idea that "strong woman" must remain cold, isolated, work all the time to be valid. Don't bring your "oh she could've earned her Master degree and that high paying job at New York but noooo she settled with a boy without frontal lobe development who still stays at his mom's basement without a paying job instead :(((" and "just as worse as early Disney Princesses story" into MY NARRATIVE. Raven and Price are both approaching 40, coming from high demand and stress work who WANTS to settle down and build something NICE and domestic together. It's healing and they deserve it. Don't go around projecting your dislike for marriage and kids onto my, or ANYONE'S characters and dynamics (again, it's my OC??? like???? kindly fuck off once more??????)

Raven should and must do this or that

No, Raven should rest. Tone is important, if at any point it sounded like a pressure than a chill hey an idea :D then out the door you go as well.

Final note

I'm not trying to deter anyone from sending ask about Raven, you're welcome to make your HC and interpretations about Raven because well it's the internet and part of the fandom experience. I do enjoy and love answering ask about them! On the occasions I don't engage or respond to them, it's not personal alright? I just don't agree with or vibe with the take, I'm very specific with Raven specifically because she's the closest OC I've got here. But please please don't keep pushing your view onto mine, especially when I've already established my take on her.

I am sharing my OC with you, because I love her, I love her story and everything I've done to build her, and to share some of those moments both sad and joy with you because it's fun. I'm not here to warp her by popular demands or to change what she does just because you're whining about it.

Thank you for reading this far, and thank you everyone who has been kind and respectful. Here's to more OC shenanigans.

[creampuffqueen]

Pregnancy and Childbirth Headcanons -- Earth Kingdom

Pregnancy and childbirth are major events, and as such many traditions and customs surrounding them arise. These are some of my headcanons about what these traditions look like in the Earth Kingdom!

Masterlist -- contains links for the other A:TLA nations, as well as a small list of general content warnings if you feel you may need them

This post will discuss events from conception all the way to the first year of a baby's life. Enjoy!

Premarital sex is highly discouraged in the upper classes, but not so much in the lower classes, which is the majority of the Earth Kingdom

It's said that if you're having sex with someone you should be willing to marry them, but also that you should make sure you're sexually compatible with your partner before you marry. Essentially, premarital sex is fine, but hookups are discouraged

Women will use a small piece of cloth to create a "barrier" as a method of contraception. As well, the pull-out method is largely known and used by many

If someone suspects they may be pregnant, they will take a handful of wheat seeds and urinate on them. If the seeds sprout within the next few days, it means they are likely pregnant

Culturally, children are seen as blessings. In rural areas, many hands are needed for farm work, meaning overall abortion is largely discouraged. Abortion is much more acceptable and accessible in the upper classes

Family sizes tend to be larger. Most people get married and start families young

Pretty much every province has their own superstitions surrounding what mothers should and should not do during pregnancy. One province may believe it's vitally necessary that mothers eat bananas every day, and the next province over believe that bananas should be avoided during pregnancy at all costs

Acupuncture is a common way to deal with nausea in the first trimester. In areas where there is no access to acupuncture, mothers can be given massages with focus on specific pressure points to help relieve nausea

Pregnant women are encouraged to rest as much as possible. Many will still have to work throughout their pregnancy, but in the upper classes it is common to see pregnant women waited on hand and foot

It is seen as very important for pregnancy cravings to be met, as they indicate the kind of nutrients most needed for a healthy pregnancy and baby

Near the end of pregnancy, mothers are gifted bracelets made of green glass beads. It's said that the sounds of the beads is soothing to the baby, and a soothed baby will make for a calm and easy delivery

Almost all mothers give birth at home in their bedroom. The delivery room is incredibly busy. If you are a woman even slightly related to the woman in labor, you are allowed to attend the birth. Men, however, are expressly prohibited

When labor starts, word is sent to the father, who will then send home a piece of his clothing, usually his shirt. The mother will keep this article of clothing to squeeze and wring during contractions. It's meant to represent the toil of his labor giving her strength during her own

Typically there isn't any kind of trained professional present at the birth. The eldest woman, and/or the woman with the most children will take the lead. If problems arise then a medical professional will be found

Mothers are encouraged to eat as much as possible while in labor, to give them energy

They are also told to stay "rooted" during birth, to always have some kind of connection to the earth. An area on the floor will be set up so she has somewhere comfortable to be, and she will give birth on her hands and knees, or sometimes her side

The room will go up in a round of applause as soon as the baby begins to cry

A safe and successful birth is always big news, so family members will leave the delivery room to spread the news to the entire village

The father of the baby is responsible for disposing of the placenta. It will be buried near the entrance of the house, as a way to "introduce" the baby to the home

After the placenta is buried, the father will then invite his male relatives and friends over to "wet the baby's head", AKA have a drink in celebration

The maternal grandmother, or another female maternal relative, will give the baby their first bath. This shows familial support for the new baby

While the baby is having their bath, another relative will make a drink for the mother of warm, spiced milk, in order to aid in her own milk production

After birth mothers go through a period of confinement. They stay home, almost entirely in bed, for the next 30 days. She is supposed to eat, rest, bond with her baby, and get it into a routine. She will hardly have to lift a finger during this month, everything taken care of for her

Earth Kingdom mothers practice belly-binding after birth. Their stomach is wrapped in soft cloth to encourage the uterus to shrink and shift back into place

If you want to see mother and baby during their confinement period, you have to show up with a gift and a willingness to help out. Ideally the gift should be for the mother, as she is the one who just spent 9 months growing a baby and deserves a reward

After the confinement ends, the mother will spend the next few days introducing the baby to the village, easing her way back into work

In the middle and upper rings of Ba Sing Se, male babies are circumcised after birth, as they believe this practice separates them from the "unclean lower classes". Circumcision is not practiced widely outside of these specific areas

When babies begin teething, mothers get necklaces made of wood or amber beads. This way the baby has something to teethe on while they're being held

When children are too old to nurse but not old enough for school or work, they are taken care of by their grandparents. If they have no grandparents, often another set of neighboring grandparents will offer to look after them alongside their own grandkids

Thank you so much for reading! If you enjoyed, please don't hesitate to reblog or comment!

[polyamorousmood]

I think i might be poly but I'm from a tribal culture where are traditional legal system only recognizes monogamy, and not wanting to leave the fold of my community is deeply important to me. What do i do?

There are only a handful of cultures - tribal or otherwise - that recognize anything but monogamous marriages. Some allow for fun on the side more than others. I'm assuming yours doesn't.

Your options, so far as I can tell, are thus:

You swallow your polyamory forever. This is practically guaranteed to keep you in the good graces of your community (unless you do something else super taboo, I suppose). But it also sucks ass. Not the type of thing I have the strength to do, but others have. You can somewhat fill the hole in your heart with close friendships, but only somewhat.

You have a very big secret from everyone you hold dear. You stay a part of the community, and you take on extra loves without telling them. I would hope you could find people where the lovers would at least know about each other, because cheating is, uh, frowned upon, to put it mildly. But at minimum your friends, your family, your community members do not know about these huge sources of joy in your life. This is roughly the path I chose, and in many ways its "the best of both worlds" but maintaining those lines can be difficult, it naturally creates a wedge between you and the people you're hiding from.

You can leave your people behind. You wouldn't be the first, but obviously its scary and heartwrenching. Depending on the culture you'd migrate to, you could very easily get homesick over simple things every day. It could afford you more space to be public about your love (though again, few cultures actively endorse polyamory, so it would likely only be some).

You can make a scene. Depending on the culture, could be functionally the same as cutting ties. But if not, you might be able to live your polyamorous life, in your culture, with only the rudeness of those people to contend with. You'd be best to judge how much blowback that would get you.

And these are a sliding scale. You can leave your people behind, except you come home for the major holidays with your ✌️"one spouse"✌️to maintain some ties, which would put you between the second and third point. You could get some sort of long distance partner while staying in your community for 90% of your life. There's a lot of variance there, and only you can decide how much sacrifice on each side balances the scale.

Your situation is not unique. While your specific community will deal with it in their own way, virtually every polyamorous person has to make this choice between being accepted or being themselves. I hope whatever path you take is good to you, my friend. 🫂

[ickbite]

OFF THE RECORD SIM JAEYUN

PAIRING: superman!Jake x Reporter!reader, no romance but lowkey leading into it... click here for part 2 :) (currently not written)

AUTHORS NOTE: 3.4k words, getting back into writing so it's not beautiful but its something...

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

     When working as a news reporter, you’ve learned a thing or two about the world. Mostly that you are never safe… ever. In a world with superheroes and villains, civilians are the next target, getting involved with affairs that are far above them. It’s difficult to do anything nowadays, you couldn’t even go to the gas station without the fear of a villain blowing it up! 

     It’s important for you to stay neutral no matter what, writing articles about supers and villains and questioning if it's possible to love them despite the law breaking and dangers to society. You don’t write puff pieces, your articles are sharp, sometimes cynical. “Who’s protecting us from our protectors?” had been your most-shared headline last year. You still get death threats in the comments section… 

     “Guess what Y/N,” a brunette man walks in, glasses sitting perfectly on his face with a smug look. 

     “What do you want, Jake?” You ask. Jake Sim is one of the most brilliant and irritating people you’ve ever met. While you try to stay neutral in your articles, Jake dismisses them. He’s Pro-Hero, especially when it comes to the hero of your town, Superman. 

     Superman has made himself known to the public a year before, when an alien tried to make Earth the new Krypton with ships that drilled the Earth’s core. Superman happened to show up and save the day and you almost got a death sentence when the floor of your building collapsed (thank god you called in sick that day). 

     Jake put a file down on your desk, “New Superman sighting, he saved a jet midair with no casualties. Honestly, he deserves a national holiday… Superman day, what do you think?” 

     You sigh, “or… I could write about how air traffic control failed and a flying man had to fix it.”

     “You’re allergic to giving him credit,” he teases, dropping into his chair next to yours. “It’s okay. One day, you’ll admit you’re secretly in love with him.”

     “I’m not in love with anyone who can punch through a mountain,” you mutter, turning to your screen. “Too much risk. It makes for a great article, but a terrible relationship.”

     “I think Superman is more important to you than you lead on.” 

     And before he can retort, your boss walked out of his office, looking at the both of you and sighing, “L/N, Sim, I sent you a case file. You’re covering a media safety seminar downtown — Channel 7’s rooftop studio. Live taping, a few influencers, city PR, maybe a politician if we’re lucky. Nothing glamorous, just smile-and-wave coverage.”

     “Media safety?” you echo flatly.

     “Irony Isn't lost on me,” your boss says, already walking back inside.

     Jake’s grinning again, “bet Superman shows up. Wouldn’t miss a rooftop photo op with his favorite reporter.”

     “Bet he’s smart enough to avoid a clickbait trap,” you mutter, standing and grabbing your coat.

———

     The rooftop of Channel 7 glistens with sunlight, too clean for what’s about to happen.

     You and Jake stand shoulder to shoulder near the back, covering a press event about media safety. The backdrop is the skyline of Metropolis, with a few local news anchors droning on into microphones about “trust” and “responsibility.”

     Jake shifts beside you, bored out of his mind, “we could’ve just emailed in a quote and skipped the rooftop sunburn.”

     “And missed this riveting speech?” you deadpan, watching a pigeon land on the teleprompter.

     He smirks, “let me guess, you’re going to write about how this was a metaphor for the false sense of security in hero-worship culture?”

     “Don’t tempt me.”

     But then, the monitors blink.

     The lights flicker. The mic squeals. Then the air changes. You feel it, like pressure pushing into your ears, the metallic tang of a coming storm. 

     “Smile, Metropolis.”

     Her voice.

     Livewire.

     The LED screens burst into static, then show her glowing face, eyes wild and electric-blue. She floats across the rooftop’s giant display like a phantom made of lightning.

     “Time for your scheduled broadcast: an explosion. Featuring me, and maybe that walking lightbulb you call Superman.”

A pulse hits the rooftop, and the next thing You know all the power goes out.

     Cameras melt. Mics explode. A light fixture falls, nearly crushing a cameraman. Jake grabs your wrist and pulls you backward instinctively as the rooftop devolves into chaos.

     “What the hell—”

     “She’s using the grid,” you shout. “She’s inside it!”

     Livewire drops from the sky like a thunderbolt. She lands hard enough to crack the tiles beneath her boots. A cyclone of wires twist behind her like robotic snakes.

     “Oh look,” she purrs, stalking across the floor. “Reporters. My favorite critics.”

     Screens around the rooftop flicker to life again, showing your face. Your headlines.

     “‘Who’s Protecting Us From Our Protectors?’” she quotes with a sneer. “God, you’re dramatic.”

     Your blood runs cold.

     She raises a hand, crackling with white-blue electricity. A bolt forms in her palm, aimed directly at you.

     You can’t move fast enough, but someone else does.

     A blur of color, red, blue, gold, slams into you, tackling you to the floor just as the lightning hits. You land hard, dazed, the world spinning. Your head’s in someone’s chest, strong, unbreakable.

      Superman.

     “Stay down,” he says, voice low, urgent.

     And then he’s standing. Rising. Facing Livewire with fists clenched.

     She sneers.

     “Took you long enough.”

     Their fight is explosive.

     Livewire is faster than you thought. She zips between cables, surging through lights and wires, firing bolts with sniper precision. She launches them at civilians. At the structural beams. At the edge of the roof.

     Superman intercepts every single one, but he’s slowing down. You see it, the singed edges of his cape, the way his shoulder rolls like it hurts. He’s tired. One of her hits lands, and he stumbles. Blood drips from his mouth.

     This makes you gasp. You’re pretty sure no one has ever seen Superman bleed.

     Livewire pulls energy from the rooftop’s emergency generators, a swirling orb above her head, glowing like a miniature sun.

     “Let’s end this with a bang,” she snarls, her hair floating upward like static. “One rooftop barbecue, coming up.”

     She hurls the orb toward the center of the platform.

     You barely have time to scream when

Superman flies straight through it.

     He crashes into her midair, redirecting the blast upward. The sound is like thunder cracking open the sky. The rooftop shakes. The explosion lights the skyline for miles.

     When it’s over, Superman crashes back to the floor, cape torn, shoulders heaving. But he’s still standing.

     Livewire is gone, unconscious, tangled in a melted antenna.

——-

      Silence stretches over the rooftop.

     You sit up slowly, your heart racing. Superman turns, meeting your eyes.

     He’s bleeding, his knuckles are raw, and one eye is swelling.

     And yet

     “Are you alright, Miss L/N?” he asks softly.

     Your breath catches. The way he says your name. Not as a god, not as a symbol, but like someone who knows you.

     Still, you don’t dwell on it.

     You nod, “I… I think so.”

     He nods once. And then, still limping slightly, he launches into the sky.

     You watch him vanish into the clouds, heart pounding. Something inside you shifts.

     You’ve written so many articles about Superman — about power, risk, fear. But at that moment… he didn’t look like a threat.

     He looked like a person.

⸻

     Back at your desk, still shaken, you write without thinking.

     He bleeds, he flinches, he protects without asking for applause.

     Maybe Superman isn’t a god. Maybe that’s exactly why he matters.

     Jake walks in twenty minutes later with two iced coffees, “so… heard the Channel 7 rooftop is toast.”

     “It was Livewire,” you say absently. “She nearly killed me.”

     Jake leans against your desk, brow furrowed, “seriously? Are you okay?”

     You nod, glancing at his face. There’s a faint bruise on his jaw, like he bumped into something during the panic.

     “I didn’t see you after the first lightning hit,” you say.

     He shrugs, “I, uh… got stuck in the stairwell. Total system failure.”

     You don’t question it, you’re too tired and spun out.

     “Superman showed up,” you say softly.

     Jake smiles like it’s obvious, “obviously he did.”

All you feel is your own confusion. Your own surprise that maybe, just maybe… you don’t hate Superman after all.

———

     The newsroom was still buzzing after the Livewire attack, every screen flashing images of the rooftop chaos, sparks flying, screams echoing, and then the miraculous figure of Superman swooping in to save a passenger jet midair. The city was alive with chatter, but you were drained, your fingers aching from typing out the breaking news article titled “When Power Strikes: Civilian Voices on the Livewire Rooftop.”

     Your editor slid a thick folder across your desk with a sharp glance.

     “L/N, You’re interviewing him.”

     You blinked, nearly spilling your coffee.

     “Interviewing who?” you asked, already guessing but hoping you misheard.

     “Superman. He’s doing a rare press appearance, he specifically asked for you.”

     Your heart skipped a beat. You looked over at Jake, who was leaning against a desk, pretending to read something but clearly eavesdropping.

     He gave a small smirk, “guess they want the real take, huh?”

     You swallowed hard. Interviewing Superman was a huge opportunity, but you weren’t about to write a glowing fan piece.

⸻

      Later, you were led into a conference room atop one of the city’s tallest skyscrapers. Floor-to-ceiling windows revealed the panoramic city skyline, peaceful, glowing under the afternoon sun, fragile beneath the calm.

     The room was quiet except for the soft hum of security guards stationed outside. Inside, a table stood empty except for a pitcher of water and a single chair facing the window.

     Then, suddenly, the air shifted.

     A soft whoosh filled the room.

     And there he was.

     Superman.

     He entered with effortless grace. His cape billowed softly behind him, his blue suit gleaming despite the faint bruise darkening the skin beneath his eye. There was exhaustion in his face, but his posture remained commanding.

     When his gaze met yours, it felt like he already knew you like he’d read every article you’d ever written, even the critical ones.

     “Miss L/N,” he said, voice low and warm. “It’s good to finally meet you.”

     You struggled not to let your breath hitch.

     “You… you asked for me?” you managed.

     “I read your work,” he said simply. “You ask the hard questions. You don’t sugarcoat things, I respect that.”

     You felt an unexpected warmth, almost an invitation, as he gestured toward the chair.

     “This won’t be fluff, I promise.”

     He smiled, “Good. I don’t do fluff.”

     The interview began cautiously, questions about his origins, his mission to protect the city, his views on justice. But as the minutes passed, the tone softened, and the conversation deepened.

     “You put yourself in danger every day for strangers who might not even want your help. Why?” you asked.

     His eyes darkened, a flicker of vulnerability surfacing beneath the strength.

     “Because they can’t fight back. But I can.”

     “Even if they turn on you? Even if they question your motives?”

     “Especially then,” he said quietly.

     You swallowed and leaned in.

     “Are you lonely? I mean, someone with this kind of responsibility, it must be isolating.”

     He hesitated, a shadow crossing his face.

     “Sometimes. But then I remember moments like this. When someone writes the truth, even if it’s harsh, it reminds me there’s still honesty in the world.”

     Your heart clenched. For the first time, the invincible superhero seemed human, real. You looked down at your recorder, voice barely above a whisper.

     “Do you ever wish you were… just normal?”

     He met your eyes, and something unspoken passed between you.

     “Every day,” he confessed. “But then I probably wouldn’t get to talk to you.”

     Your chest tightened as your breath caught in your throat.

⸻

You stormed back into the newsroom with your press badge still clipped crookedly to your shirt and the interview recorder clutched in your hand like it might vanish if you let go.

“Where have you been?” Jake asked, spinning lazily in his chair, only to stop and do a double take. “Whoa. You look like you saw a ghost.”

“I interviewed Superman,” you muttered.

Jake blinked. “And?”

You dumped your bag on your desk, flopping into your chair.

“And he’s… weirdly thoughtful.”

Jake raised a brow, amused. “Thoughtful?”

You glared at him. “He quoted my article. Said I write ‘honestly.’ I didn’t know Superman had time to sit down and read op-eds between saving planes and punching lightning girls in the face.”

Jake leaned back in his chair, folding his arms across his chest with a smirk. “So what you’re saying is… you’re blushing over Superman.”

“I’m not blushing,” you snapped, trying (and failing) to stop the heat rising to your cheeks. “It’s just surprising. He was… not what I expected.”

Jake grinned. “Let me guess. You thought he’d be a meathead in spandex, but instead he was charming, articulate, and told you your opinions mattered.”

You narrowed your eyes. “Exactly. Which is suspicious.”

Jake just laughed under his breath. “Or maybe he just thinks you’re cute.”

You threw a crumpled sticky note at his head.

⸻

A few days later, you found yourself on assignment outside the Metropolis Energy Sector’s main building — a newly built LexCorp branch with rumors of shady tech being tested underground. You didn’t want to be here. It was too quiet. Too perfect.

And in your world, perfect was a warning sign.

You were half-listening to a PR drone talk about solar conversion rates when the ground trembled beneath your heels. Just once. Then again. Then harder.

Screams erupted. Concrete cracked. The street outside split open like a zipper and a massive hunk of machinery — all gears, pulsing green lights, and hydraulic legs — crawled up from below.

“Prototype AI Defense Unit gone rogue,” someone shouted.

LexCorp security scrambled, ushering civilians away as the mech aimed something that looked suspiciously like a cannon. You ducked behind a news van, heart racing, every alarm in your body blaring at once.

“Of course it’s today,” you muttered.

The mech charged the cannon.

Then—

A streak of red.

A sonic boom.

And him.

Superman slammed into the machine like a meteor, bending its arm backward before lifting it clean off the ground. The mech fought back, spewing blasts of kryptonite-charged energy. He flinched—actually flinched—but didn’t back down.

You stared. He was struggling. He could lose.

Before you could move, debris fell from above—ripping loose from a nearby building. You heard your name being shouted, but didn’t have time to react.

Then arms. Strong, warm, impossibly fast.

And you were flying.

Your hands clutched at fabric — red cape, blue suit — as he pulled you out of the collapse and landed gently several blocks away.

For a second, it was just the two of you on a rooftop. Heart hammering. His face closed.

“You okay?” he asked, his voice steadier than yours.

“…Why do you always catch me?” you asked breathlessly.

He smiled, gently setting you down.

“Because you don’t look where you’re standing.”

You half-laughed, shaking. “You’re bleeding.”

He wiped the corner of his mouth, looking surprised to find blood there. “It’ll heal.”

You looked up at him, really looked. Tired. Bruised. Still standing.

“Why don’t you just let people think you’re invincible?” you whispered. “Wouldn’t it be easier?”

He met your gaze. “I don’t want people to think I’m a god. Just someone trying.”

Your throat tightened.

“You’re… not what I expected,” you admitted. “Again.”

“And yet, you keep showing up.”

You didn’t answer. Not at first. But your voice was soft when it came:

“Because every time I think I’ve figured you out… you say something like that.”

He paused. “You still don’t trust me, do you?”

“I don’t trust anyone,” you said. “But I think I want to.”

A long silence.

Then:

“That’s enough for me.”

He took off into the sky.

And you stayed on the rooftop long after he was gone, hand still clenched around the edge of your notebook, heart still racing.

⸻

Scene 5 – Night Talk: “Superman’s Not That Great”

You stayed late at the office again, typing up your notes from the incident. Jake strolled in from the break room with a cup of something that wasn’t coffee.

“Let me guess,” he said. “Another Superman moment?”

You didn’t look up. “He saved me again.”

Jake flopped into the chair next to yours and threw his feet onto the desk. “You really know how to get in trouble.”

You smirked, but your eyes stayed on the screen. “I don’t know what to do with him.”

Jake tilted his head. “With Superman?”

You nodded. “He’s—ugh. He’s too good. It’s annoying. He makes me feel like the world might actually be okay for five seconds. And I hate that.”

Jake was quiet.

You glanced up, suspicious. “What?”

He stared into his cup.

“That’s dangerous,” he said.

You frowned. “Why?”

He looked at you. A little too long. Then shrugged.

“Because guys like that don’t exist. Not really.”

You scoffed. “So what, you think I’m being naïve?”

“I think… Maybe you’re starting to want to believe in someone. And that scares you more than any villain could.”

You sat in silence for a beat, his words unsettlingly accurate.

Jake stood, walking past your desk. But before he disappeared down the hallway, he added:

“Just be careful, Y/N. Even Superman has secrets.”

You didn’t see the faint flicker of guilt in his eyes as he left.

You didn’t mean to be on the rooftop again.

Not consciously.

You told yourself it was for the article, the follow-up piece to the Metallo incident. You needed quotes. Details. Verification.

But a small, traitorous part of you had noticed that this rooftop, the one overlooking the LexCorp building, was quiet at night. And more importantly…

He always showed up.

“You’re here late.”

His voice cut through the stillness behind you, low and unmistakable. You didn’t even flinch. Your heart did, though.

You turned slowly. He stood a few feet away, cape fluttering gently in the warm night breeze. City lights painted gold across his suit. His expression—calm, curious, almost… fond.

“Didn’t realize you did rooftop drop-ins,” you said. “Thought you were busy bench-pressing satellites.”

“You were thinking about me,” he said.

You blinked. “Excuse me?”

“You were writing about me. I can hear your keyboard from five blocks away.”

You laughed despite yourself, “that’s invasive.”

“It’s a gift,” he said, tilting his head. “But I try to use it wisely. I don’t read minds. Just… vibrations.”

“Convenient.”

“Also helpful when journalists wander into dangerous locations at night.”

You folded your arms, cocking a brow. “So what, you watch me now?”

“Not always,” he said. “Just when I’m worried.”

Your heart flipped.

“You’re worried about me?”

“I saw you fall through a ceiling last month. I think it’s warranted.”

He stepped closer, but you weren’t backing up. Superhero or not, your pride was stronger than anything else. 

“You’re hard to write about,” you admitted softly.

He raised an eyebrow. “How so?”

“I can’t figure you out. You say things like… ‘I’m not a god’ and then fly off like one.”

“And what would make me less confusing?” he asked.

“If you were more flawed.”

He chuckled. “I have flaws.”

“Like what?”

He hesitated. Then:

“I fall for people I shouldn’t.”

The breath caught in your throat.

“Like journalists?”

“Especially journalists,” he murmured.

There was a pause. A thick one. Charged.

You glanced down at your feet. Then back at him. “I’m not the kind of person heroes fall for.”

“Maybe you’re not the kind of person who lets people fall for you.”

You swallowed hard.

“You don’t even tell me your name.”

“If I told you, I think you’d look at me differently.”

“Would that be a bad thing?”

He stepped closer. Close enough for you to feel the warmth radiating off his skin.

His gloved hand brushed your cheek—gentle, barely there. Your heartbeat ricocheted in your ears.

“I think about you more than I should,” he said. “Even when I shouldn’t.”

You didn’t say anything, you only moved closer to him. How close could you get to him before his tough exterior was back up?

Apparently close, because if it had not been for the explosion that lit up the city behind you,making your body lurched forward, something would have happened between you.

“Go,” you said, breathless. “It’s okay. Go.”

His jaw tensed. “Be careful.”

Then he was gone.

Gone before your lips could touch. Before the question in your chest could be asked.

You were left staring into the smoke-streaked night, lips still parted, breath still caught.

And your heart?

It was no longer neutral.

[dinerdweller]

That's when I fell for ── .✦ the leader of the pack

───────── ౨ৎ ─────────

°˖➴ Rough bars were dotted all over Tulsa, and this one should be no different. Apart from these 7 boys who seemed to be regulars there with slicked hair and handmade bikes from old scrap material that seemed to live outside the packed place.

⟢ bikeriders! au for The Outsiders

⟢ The timeline starts in 1965, still taking place in Tulsa. I do not know much about motorbikes but I'll do my best!!

̗̀➛ main masterlist | rules

°˖➴ content warnings : violence [cannon typical] , mentions of sex , smoking & alcohol use and swearing . For every story , I will write the warnings, so any not listed here will be named .

CAST

the gang

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ Darrel Curtis - the stoic one

ꪆৎ Barely leaving the pool table, Darrel was always hanging around when he wasn't working. The only one here who seemed to have a job, his bike was usually on the back burner. But when he could finally get away, he really let free.

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ Two-bit Matthews - the jokester

ꪆৎ With a beer always in his hand, Two-bit knew everything about everyone in this place due to his overly friendly demeanour and nosey behaviour. His friends and bike were his passions, the alcohol was just there to fill the time.

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ Dallas Winston - the wild one

ꪆৎ Never seen away from a cloud of smoke, Dallas was the one to 'crack up' on his bike. The police trailing him and a courtroom being his second home seemed to only fuel his cocky nature.

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ Steve Randle - the mechanic

ꪆৎ The most important member of the gang, Steve seemed to be an unsung hero in ways. The one who would gather the parts, put them together and do free repairs for his buddies. That's just what friends do.

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ Sodapop Curtis - the movie star

ꪆৎ Handsome, charming and a bundle of fun, Sodapop always had a lemonade in hand and energy buzzing of him.

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ Johnny Cade - the quiet one

ꪆৎ Not being one for words, Johnny just hangs about for drinks and shelter. Once you get to know him, turns out there is a lot more to him than you originally think

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ Ponyboy Curtis - the baby

ꪆৎ Only being let in because of his brothers, Ponyboy can barely even clean a bike, never mind riding one. But he is slowly learning, thank god for his friends.

Readers

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ Photographer! reader

ꪆৎ Born and raised in Tulsa, you had always stayed away from these parts of town. But, when the final project for your photography class comes around, maybe it's time to see what really happens at these clubs.

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ Visitor! reader

ꪆৎ Visiting family was boring. Especially in a place where you had no friends. So, seeking some type of thrill, you spot a dingy bar with a row of motorbikes outside, and this seems like the perfect place.

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ Schoolfriend! reader

ꪆৎ The only girl brave enough to be seen talking to a greaser, Ponyboy had taken a shine to you. And when he invites you around to a bar to hang out with him and his friends, it seems like a good place to really understand what the other side gets up to. Especially when you start to become a regular...

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ Interview! reader

ꪆৎ You get interviewed for the photographers book, its finally time to share your perspective.

Special Guests

⊱ ۫ ׅ ✧ Cherry Valance & Marcia Meyrink - the bar girls

ꪆৎ Two best friends who wanted to work together, harmless, right? Or maybe it was where they were working, searching for some excitement away from their nice homes and rich boyfriends. Working the bar isn't the only thing they get up to, how could they pass up a quick ride?

ˋ°•*⁀➷ check out the playlist for this au!! Most of the songs are time accurate, a few may be a couple years out from the timeline {ends about 1973}

───────── ౨ৎ ─────────

I'm sorry I hurt you ── .✦ the leader of the pack

[k-germsworld]

another waterbomb fantasy. umji feel so hot before stage, she cant help masturbate with the condom-ed mic secretly, but a tech staff find her and give her some help.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C_VZ7kKvNPU/

Before the water bomb event started, Umji was very excited because she wanted to know how the fans would react when they saw her costume. The thought of this made her very horny. She wanted to find someone to help her but couldn't find anyone so she had to go to a small empty room. Inside, she put a condom-like thing on the microphone in her hand and stuffed it into her wet pussy. She moved the microphone in and out, causing her to moan. The sensation was very good. Her moans were a bit loud, so they attracted a technician. The technician followed the sound to the small room where Umji was staying. The technician opened the door and found Umji concentrating on masturbating with the microphone and rubbing her breasts with her hands. She had no idea that the technician had come in. The technician got an erection watching her masturbate. "Do you want me to help you with your needs?" the technician asked.

Umji was startled by the sudden voice and quickly covered her important parts. "Maybe I am better than your microphone." The technician had already taken off his pants and walked in front of her. "It will definitely be better than my microphone." After saying that, she immediately put the dick in her mouth. The technician pressed her head so that his dick could feel the temperature of her mouth until she patted his thigh. "Time is running out, hurry up." The time to go on stage was getting closer and closer, and Umji had to quickly let the technician put it in her pussy. When his cock was inside her pussy she moaned. "Your cock is so much better than the microphone." Then the technician started to pump her hard and she could only moan. Soon the technician ejaculated inside Umji. Time was running out so Umji had to quickly put her clothes on and leave the room. Before leaving she told the technician to do it a few more times after her performance. Umji made it to the stage and enjoyed it. Because there was so much water on the stage, no one noticed that there was still some semen on Umji's legs.

[jelly-sharki]

Let's talk about Michael Wheeler.

This is my first post, btw. I'm still new to this despite having Tumblr for more than 2 years.

I want everyone to know that I am a Byler shipper, I believe that they WILL get together in ST5. I feel it in my bones, in my nuggets, in my giblets.

Anyway.

What if Mike was the one to get possessed? I know, I know. There is clear proof that Will is the one who most likely gets possessed from the "RUN" scream and obviously passed out on his mum, but hear me out for a second.

The way Mike is clearly the hero/leader(or portraying himself into being the hero/leader) for the small group of kids and most likely a lot of other characters including Will, as we see here:

There's a clear sign of protection and sacrifice in this photo and scene alone. So the thought of Mike doing something to protect someone isn't bizarre, meaning the feeling to self sacrifice himself isn't something to ignore when thinking of Mike in ST5. What if that's what happens? Self sacrifice.

Will being possessed is something that will definitely happen noting the few scenes about it being a high possibility, but maybe Will fights that, the possession now not being a thing. Unless a new host is found, and who would be a perfect host? Mike. He is the next best option after Will, if we were right about some things in the theories, the theory about internalized homophobia might be something that fuels the easy control over Mike. His fear, regret, and sadness. Vecna/Henry/001 could use that to control Mike, and since he is now in a situation he's not familiar with himself, it wouldn't be hard to succeed.

This could also be seen the other way around, Will getting possessed and Mike being the one to save Will, back to the theory of Will getting Vecna'd and Mike playing "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" in the headphone, almost death scene, ect ect.

Honestly? BORING.

Yes, Mike saving Will is very nice and just MM, hero Michael all the way, but c'mon... Will saving Mike? A cleric is known for healing and support, meaning they also make shields and protection spells if needed. Will getting his hero moment, Mike getting an even more important part in Will's story that isn't just love interest and/or his saviour? Now that's cinema.

The idea came from the lawyer video by: @teambyler

And the ST5 ep 6 title: "Escape from Camazotz"

(Before I start, I have not seen the movie this references, all Google searches)

Camazotz is from the movie "A Winkle In Time", it's the name of a planet that is soon controlled by IT(the "Black Thing" I think??), at some point Meg Murry kept saying "I love you" over and over again to Charles Wallace, it instantly reminded me of Byler.

This could easily be seen as Mike saying "I love you" over and over again towards Will, giving him the courage to fight against Vecna and the Mind Flayer.

But think of that the other way around.

Will finally confessing his feelings towards the person he's loved for years, but out of fear one of them might die, the fear of not being able to say it later, the need to finally say:

"I love you Mike! Please don't leave me-- I need you! I love you!"

"That day you asked me to be your friend on the swings-- I've always needed you after that! Please, Mike! I need you!"

Like C'MON!!?!???!

[furinfry]

How do you think about suosakunirei as trio ? Do you feel that they barely get good moments together since noroshi arc?

Why do I feel that nii sensei is paying more attention to writing suonirei as duo more!... they always have moments and interactions together in almost every chapter!

I love SuoSakuraNirei as a trio! They are a package, do not separate~

But, also yes! Suo and Nirei are shown together a bit more than all three of them together (Though I would say they are still getting a lot of cute moments/panels together). And I think there are a few good reasons for that! One, as I've mentioned in previous posts, is that Suo and Nirei are Sakura's seconds, and a lot of seconds are often depicted as duos (Sakaki twins, Enomoto and Kusumi). The second, is that the narrative is focusing on Sakura's world view expanding tremendously and his connections are with a wide variety of different characters. This is ESPECIALLY nailed home for the audience in the most recent chapter, where we are directly given that Sakura's dream isn't JUST to stay with Furin, but to be with ALL the friends he's made since coming to Makochi. Togame, Suzuri, Kanji; they are ALL important to Sakura and he doesn't want to have anything to happen to any of them. He doesn't want to see any of them down. He doesn't want to lose any of them. His dream is for them too to have a place with him and Furin in the future.

Sakura's world is expanding, and it is expanding past just Furin and even Makochi. And Umemiya is a great, wonderful, amazing person (I mean this so genuinely) and this is felt by practically every character in Wind Breaker, even by those who are not a part of Furin. But, Furin and Makochi itself is Umemiya's family, his home, his garden. They are his whole world. He's friendly and likes all these other guys, sure, but they just aren't a part of his dream. He's had to fight tooth and nail to make Makochi and Furin what it is now. He's shed sweat, blood, and tears for this town, and that hasn't really allowed him to have his attention extend beyond that. He is the person who led the whole town out of winter and into spring. But, while there are MANY similarities between Umemiya and Sakura's beliefs, it is being shown that their form of leadership is going to be very different. There are so many layers to the fact that in the Noroshi War, Umemiya was bound to Furin High School (yes, outside of just that it was the terms set by Endo for the war) and why the rooftop of the school is where Umemiya is usually found in the series.

No one will ever be as equally important to Umemiya as the people of Makochi. As his younger siblings in the orphanage, as the shop owners, as the students at Furin High. When Endo and Takiishi declared war on Furin, to Umemiya, it was a fight between Noroshi and Bofurin. It was their fight in order to keep the people of Makochi safe and to preserve his dream. Their responsibility. But Sakura, to make sure he can keep as many of his family in Furin from going down as possible- to bolster their numbers/allies- he goes to Gravel, and Roppo Ichiza, and Shishitoren and asks if they would held defend Makochi and Furin. That said, it wouldn't feel nearly the same narratively to just say Sakura has these deep connections with people outside of Furin just from their initial arcs together and then continue to only give story beats of Sakura hanging out with Suo and Nirei. It wouldn't feel as solidified if we are even JUST shown him with other members of Furin. But that's not the case! We're shown that he continues to play video games with Roppo Ichiza and Suzuri, he's visiting and hanging out with Togame and the rest of Shishitoren. We're being shown that Sakura really does go out of his way to show his care and appreciation for these people who are outside of Makochi as well.

What's really interesting though is how I see Umemiya+The Four Kings and Sakura + Suo and Nirei foiling each other! Umemiya as a leader now is mostly focused on continuing to help everyone in Furin grow to their fullest potential. To impart his beliefs but also to encourage them to grow in their own ways, to make all these other connections. He's then focused on still helping people around Makochi, but, interestingly enough, I don't think we're ever shown him joining any of the Four Kings/Captains in patrolling town. He's relying on them to be his eyes and ears on the ground so that he can continue focusing on tending to Furin's wellbeing and growth. Sure he likes Choji well enough, and he greatly appreciates all the help that was extended to Furin for the Noroshi War Arc, but it wasn't because of his bonds with these people outside of Makochi. Interestingly enough, it is Hiiragi and Tsubaki (Members of the Four Kings) that are shown to have deeper connections to Shishitoren and Roppo Ichiza (and at the very least Suzuri from Gravel) respectively. In contrast, it is Sakura who has these deep bonds with people outside of Makochi, and his leadership involves giving these bonds his time and attention too.

However, especially with this scope being SO much more extensive than Umemiya's, that means Sakura is going to have to really rely on Nirei and Suo to be able to give support when he can't be in the classrooms of Furin personally. I think we're shown Suo and Nirei having an active role in making sure class 1-1 is doing well and are unified/on the same page. Nirei especially is already shown to be well suited for this role, helping Sugishita piece together and process his feelings towards Sakura and constantly updating information on practically everyone in Furin. Between being the middle people communicating Sakura's needs to class 1-1, coming up with strategies in their fights or connecting emotionally with members of the class, and finding seeking out opportunities to bring Sakura and their classmates in class 1-1 closer together, they are able to support Sakura and help him strengthen his connection with the members of Furin so that he can also go out and further these connections with people like Togame, Suzuri, and Kanji (like the speech Kotoha gave Sakura when he was sick about how relying on others to do things you could do yourself, but opens up opportunities for you to put your time into what you need to do).

But, I do think as such that has Suo and Nirei being closer connected to people within Furin than people outside of Makochi. Suo and Nirei are more closely working with members of Furin as Sakura's wings, making them like Umemiya. While Sakura and (at least Tsubaki and Hiiragi) the Four Kings have more and deeper connections with people outside of Makochi. Now, this may change, as Sakura may need Suo and Nirei to also support his efforts that extend well beyond just focusing on the people within Makochi, but at least currently that's why I think we're seeing Suo and Nirei more, and them having more panels placing them amidst the other members of Furin. Right now, Sakura still needs them to be his bridge in connecting with his classmates. They all have something that they need as far as support goes from each other too. Sakura relies on Nirei to help him connect emotionally and stay up-to-date with what's happening with their classmates. Nirei relies on Suo to teach him how to hold his own in a fight and also be aware of his limitations.

Now yes, Suo currently does assume the role of solely imparting wisdom/training/lesson upon others so far, but that does not he doesn't need their support. It doesn't take away from the fact that Suo does still put this distance between him and others. He doesn't allow himself to make these connections with others. Connections he himself says is important to have, but will take time and care to build. I really do believe that we are going to eventually get an arc that will require Suo to genuinely open up more to the others. And, for that, he will absolutely need Nirei and Sakura.

But also, let me take the opportunity to also share some cute SakuraNireiSuo moments from recent chapters~ They do still get panels together!

[fallendev0tionvn]

Hi! I just wanted to say I love your VN so much🥹 I live and breathe for Clive. I love our man for real. This is not a particularly an ask or maybe it is- I have no idea 👁️👄👁️ and I’m a certified yapper. I have been on a cruise ship for a few days now and I was playing back Fallen devotion, wondering who this ‘dead god’ was🫩 I was just.. hyperfixiated on it. It boggled me. I have always prided myself on my knowledge of the gods of older times and the fact I couldn’t get it on the first try really surprised me. So I went through all the gods that I could. I even went to Handy dandy trusted goggle and began to search there but the problem is.. I kept searching for a ‘forgotten’ god… not a dead god but then your previous post struck something odd. ‘God is dead’. I was a little confused. Gods can’t die… or can they? I really had to have an internal discussion with myself. I needed to at least talk about it with the one person who has all the wonderful answers- you! (Thank you for being an amazing story writer. I’m so fixated it’s not even funny 😄) Hopefully save from spoilers, I’ll try to keep it light. . There is one *sore* thumbed god that’s been scratching my brain for a minute and I need to get it out! Ahem! There’s a particular god with a staff with a single serpent wrapped around it. Now it may not even be this god considering I’m at a loss. A god that even the king of gods couldn’t bare to let him live because of his powers of ‘rebirth and revival.’ The kings of gods scared of this dead god upending the natural order, struck him down as fast as lightning can strike at the ground. The king of gods wouldn’t have it any other way. Maybe what’s **still** itching at me is- what’s Clive’s energy have to do with the fact of this certain god. What does this equate to? Is his drive to protect and to stay in touch with the one he loves the energy we speak about? Another thing which may not even be canon or maybe even the slightest bit true but if my memory serves me correctly- there was an answer from you that stuck out to me. You had said that even ‘we’ the main character has something to correlate with the myths and legends we know today? Who? I have no idea and I’m wondering what could we ‘represent’. The ‘dead’ gods wife? Who else? It strikes me odd and maybe I totally read that wrong! There’s so many questions and I just *know* this story is going to be rich with answers- we just have to *look* and I do love to act like Scooby doo and the gang when it comes to the meaning behind everything. Since this is a really big paragraph. I’m not even going to spend more time asking question but trust me! I will be back! I have so many questions. So many theories and I have so much love for this game you made and spent time on and this is a big thank you coming from and I would like to believe as a community as a whole. This is a beautiful story. A little angst with a dash of the magic only artists of any form can create. Thank you for that💕

fallen devotion is a dating sim, yes, but I wanted it to be more than just that. I wanted to raise awareness about SO many things, and the most important message is: communication, asking for help, and having someone you can rely on is the BIGGEST key to healing.

If any of you lovelies are struggling with mental health, you'll find countless hidden messages throughout the game. I'm literally begging you to give life a second chance. Bottling up your feelings is so harmful, and I want you to know that things do get better. Clive's "death" was his first step toward healing. He was reborn through pain, scars and guilt. And finally, he's able to be himself. He's able to be honest with you, to share everything he went through after carrying it all alone for SO long that not even you knew.

Once he opens up completely, that lovely boy will finally find peace, he'll finally live, not just survive.

ANYWAY. A little explanation: the death of God is one of the most important concepts in Nietzsche's philosophy. I used some of his ideas to build up the story, and to hide themes of mental health and everyday struggles without triggering anyone.

It's such a misunderstood concept tbh. Nietzsche didn't mean that God literally died, he meant that humanity no longer relies on a divine being to explain the world. We have science, technology. We've even reached a point where we can bring extinct species back to life. Humanity now sees itself as the "God", the center of existence. Just look around- any political or influential figure seems to have a god complex (😭). We've become so distanced from the essence of living that we barely feel anymore.

We're glued to our phones, so overstimulated that nothing surprises us. We've desensitized ourselves. (Death of the Dionysian).

That's why Clive is important, he's the only human being in the fallendev universe with BOTH Apollonian and Dionysian spirits. Most of us are purely Apollonian, restrained, rational etc. The Dionysian spirit "died" with Socrates and the birth of reason.

In Clive, these two sides are constantly clashing; one part of him is TRYING to hold on, the other is urging him to completely let go (meaning: emotional instability).

As for the forgotten God (you guessed right), I chose him because he really did die. The snake has many meanings, but the one on Clive's arm (connected to his guilt and mental health) eventually became an ouroboros, symbol of life's circular nature. No beginning, no end, just the same loop over and over.

It reflects the feeling of loss, that awful cycle of depression where we lose the concept of time. Clive has the power (from the God's energy) to make others relive everything he's gone through. The God's symbol is also a snake, which ties everything together.

Remember Silas saying "please make it stop. I want to die"? Clive has felt that way his whole life. But he never had the courage, he'd feel like a coward. He'd feel like he failed to protect you, that he always runs from his problems. AND here's something I'll tell you:

You represent avoidant attachment and empathy. Clive represents anxious attachment, your styles clash, and unless you both learn to communicate, things won't workout.

As for empathy, you'll probably find the demo and first chapter confusing, or a bit destabilizing.

That's intentional. You're meant to mirror what Clive feels. The game is meant to make you feel detached from reality, the same way brain fog does.

The more you push Clive toward the Dionysian, the more unstable you'll feel. The more you push him toward the Apollonian, the more cold and suffocated you'll feel.

If you balance him (from chapter 2 and on), everything will start to make sense.

:3

"dipingerò i tuoi occhi quando conoscerò la tua anima" -Modigliani

...

Do you truly know his soul, or will it take a tragedy to understand him?

[beannoss]

SxF RA 2025: volume 1! (pt 1)

Okay originally I had things all in one post but that was... a lot 😂 so now we're splitting into three posts! Here's the first one, answering the volume specific questions! It's a bit more scattered than I hoped but here we go...! (this post is spoiler free for future chapters)

There are several genres introduced/riffed on in volume 1 (comedy, spy-thriller, horror, slice-of-life, school age, and so on). Which stood out to you most on re-read? Is that different to your first read of the series? Are there any you want more of?

So when I set out, I assumed the spy-thriller and comedy would actually be the genres that stood out most, but for this volume, I think 'drama' was the primary one? I'm using drama broadly here, what I really mean is the focus was so much on developing the characters and family, wholesomely, that the other genres (spy-thriller, horror, school age, comedy, romance, etc) felt like supporting genres rather than primary. Even slice-of-life doesn't feel right just yet, since it's serialising the character, relationship and plot development so much in these first few chapters: though I suppose slice-of-life may be closest to 'drama' in that sense!

Do you think the themes introduced in volume 1 have stayed the same throughout the series? How have they changed or evolved?

I think yes! One of the things that I realised was that by having Twilight and Yor be at the top of their professions, it really enabled SxF to focus entirely on emotional development and personal growth. If Twilight and/or Yor were also trying to get to the top of WISE or Garden, story time would be diverted to their training or levelling up or whatever else. Instead, the focus remains where it started: the family, and growing and healing, together.

Which is long preamble to say: the central theme being finding a home and love and acceptance and safety remains strong through SxF, aye!

SXF feels unique among other manga within the demographic. During the re-read, was there a moment in volume 1 that made you go, "Right, this is what SXF is about"?

🤔 I wouldn't say a specific moment, no... There are standouts of course, but I don't think there was one that epitomised SxF for me, rather that happens when taking as a whole, or collecting several key moments...

"Family" is a big aspect in SXF. As the titular family, what do you think the Forgers represent within the themes of SXF?

This is such an interesting question and I feel like this might be my central guiding question for the re-read...! As it is, I don't feel like I have more than general percolating thoughts atm...

Many of the Forgers' interactions with each other and with other characters reveal important parts of their personalities and characterization. Is there a character-defining moment that feels extra special for you?

I'll do one each! Oddly, for Twilight, this moment stood out in a way it hadn't before:

Not character defining exactly, and I'm not entirely sure what to make of Twilight's reaction here. I'm leaning towards him not liking the joke namely because Anya's history of adoption isn't really all that funny. And potentially also that Twilight doesn't regard his work as funny either. But also Franky's right: as is clear in chapter 1 & 2 (and when Bond comes along!), and becomes clearer and clearer as the series progresses, each of the Forgers are made for one another as a group and in duos, because of their atypical statuses. Yor's right, in chapter 2, when she says no one else would understand or accept her (okay, maybe not no one, but very, very, very few would understand her like Twilight does) and vice versa. Who are better to adopt and raise a telepath who will have to live at least part of her life in secret? My thoughts aren't totally cohesive here, but this is the line I'm following!

I think this is an important character moment for Yor in chapter 3, and tells us a lot about her moral centre and also indicates something about her character arc, I think (and her affect on Twilight!)

And for Anya, this panel from chapter 4 I think says a lot about who she is, even as she's just a five year old who's also still becoming herself:

How do you think each Forger's secret identity plays into their roles within the family? What do they set up and what do they say about their characters, themes, or plot?

I'm really hoping other people have thoughts on this because I'm so curious! I've been pondering this question for days and haven't really landed on something firm...

Was there a character who you feel has changed the most since their first impression in volume 1?

Yor 💕 that's partly me paying much closer attention to her than on my first read-through (and watch-through), and it's partly her deliberate, intentionally written growth over the course of the story.

Was there a character who you expected to see later on but didn't? Or someone you thought wasn't important but later was?

I figured Swann would make another appearance, but honestly I'm happy Endo zeroed in on Henderson instead! I also thought there may be a slim chance the other interviewing teacher would turn up again? But not so far. He seemed kind though. Otherwise, I don't think I've been surprised by anyone who stayed important...

[onyx-brimmstone]

Unfinished Ren Comfort Fic

Word Count: 1,259 Warnings: Idek lmao

Btw, this was written MONTHS ago, back in February, then I lost motivation to write it :3

Opening: Angel getting to work? - Angel is definitely traumatized from their previous partner - Ren knows? Got rid of them, but they’d already done quite a bit of damage to Angel -Angel’s parents are unaware of the abuse

“Angel? Did you still wanna go w’me to the store later?” Ren was still on his bike, helmet resting on the gas tank as he watched the person of his dreams, his desires, his obsessions.

“Huh..? Oh- yeah, of course! What’re we havin for dinner again?” They’d been spacing out more than usual, struggling to stay focused on things, responding slower. It was obvious they were struggling but they wouldn’t tell anyone what was wrong, not even Moth knew. “I gotta go clock in.. I’ll see you later..”

Ren watched as his Angel went into the library, he waited awhile before putting his helmet back on. He’d probably stick around the area while he waited for them to get done with work, maybe bring them a snack or coffee later on.

They did their work on auto pilot, Elanor would catch them just staring off into space, she was worried for her colleague. Conan pulled them aside at some point, asking if they were alright, though seeing their thousand yard stare he ultimately decided to have them leave work early. They called Ren, who of course picked up on the first ring, he usually did.

“Ren..? Uh.. could you come pick me up? I left work early..” They were quieter than usual as they spoke, pacing the sidewalk slowly, picking at a scab on their collarbone.

“Of course Angel, I’ll be there in a few minutes.. But are you okay?” He’d been right around the corner, sitting at a cafe while he played some random mobile games. While he got up and went to his bike they responded, a quiet ‘yes’ was all they could muster before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone. They paced around slowly, still picking at the scab on their collarbone, though the actual scab was long gone, small specks of blood had beaded in the most center part of the small wound.

It didn’t take Ren longer than a couple minutes to get to the library, he called out to Angel but they didn’t notice for a moment, lost in thought until he called for them again. Once they registered who it was they walked over and put their helmet on, Ren adjusting the straps as usual before they got onto the motorcycle. He wouldn’t go until he was sure Angel was feeling secure on the bike.

Ren was keeping an eye on Angel as they walked through the store together, noting how quiet and withdrawn they were, it was so unlike them. His heart ached, wanting to help them, make them smile again.. They continued through the store just as quiet, it’d been nearly two years since they left, two years since they realized they couldn’t stay. It was terrifying to leave, they’d been on edge the whole time, only taking the most important things.

God.. how had it already been two years? What had they even been doing..? They couldn’t remember a lot of it, so many things had happened, and they’d reunited with some friends- met new ones.. They’d met Ren.. he was so sweet, definitely a change of pace.. They didn’t even realize they’d gotten done with the store and gone back to Ren’s apartment, which truthfully had basically become theirs too, given how much time they’d been spending there. They watched as Ren went to the kitchen, putting groceries away.. What had he said before? Something about food.. Dinner? Was he making dinner? They went to the kitchen, wanting to help, they should help with dinner.. Right?

“Angel? Did you need something?” He watched them, they were clearly spaced out as they shook their head and grabbed a pan out to cook up what they were gonna have for dinner.. What were they having?

“What.. what are we having for dinner again..? I.. I can’t remember.. I’m sorry..” They felt guilt wash over them, how could they forget something so simple? Ren sighed a bit and stepped towards Angel, though they flinched back a bit, they hadn’t done that for awhile.

“Angel- it’s okay.. I’m not gonna do anythin t’you.. We haven’t decided on dinner yet..” He offered a hand, hoping they’d take it, hoping they’d confide in him their worries and troubles. His hopes were short lived though as they gave a reassuring smile.

“Right- so.. How about uh..” They looked at the groceries, thinking, racking their brain for ideas on dinner. They couldn’t think, memories and emotions clouding their head, it’d been so sudden to them that they felt this way, but it’s been building for weeks, they just didn’t notice. Ren did though, he saw the way they began to jump at small sounds, look over their shoulder in public, the way they began walking around quieter, closing the doors as quietly as possible. He was trying to help them but it wasn’t really doing much, and somehow he knew pushing it would make it worse, perhaps it was from all the stalking he did, but who knows?

“I uh- I-I gotta use the bathroom- I’ll be back-” They stepped back before turning on their heel and going to the bathroom, vision beginning to blur as they went, tears welling in their eyes while they closed the door. They didn’t even bother with the lights, it was dark, and the dark was safer. They slid down the wall, head in their hands as they began breathing faster, though everything else felt slow, they could hear their heart pounding in their head as their ears rang. They clutched their shirt, trying to catch their breath, though it seemed like an impossible task. Their lungs wouldn’t fill, they kept trying, breathing faster as tears began falling. The seconds felt like hours, their muscles hurt, and their chest strung as their nails dug into it through their shirt. Words echoed in their ears, screams of anger, the sounds of dishes being thrown and broken. They clamped their hand over their mouth, muffling whatever noises they’d been making, fear ripping through them like a wolf killing it’s prey. How long had they been in the bathroom? They had no clue, but they couldn’t move, no matter how hard they’d try, they couldn’t move.

Eventually though, there was a small knock at the door, and their eyes snapped to it, their heart beat faster, and they tried to stay quiet, they couldn’t be heard.. Right? They scooted away from the door, they were tempted to go under the sink, though it was close to the door.. It was the safest thing for now. It didn’t take long for the door to slowly open, Ren peeking into the dark room, trying to figure out where they were.

“Angel..? What’s going on..? Are you okay?” He stepped in, looking around before looking under the sink, his eyes were soft, though it was hard to see with the limited light level. They were frozen, tears rolling down their cheeks, hand clamped over their mouth. Ren slowly reached for them, and they flinched away, turning their head away as if bracing for impact.

“Oh- Angel.. I- I won’t hurt you- I just wanna help..” He spoke slower, not squishing his words together, he didn’t want to startle them. It took awhile of just sitting quietly in the dark before they moved, they very slowly looked at Ren,