#and they wondered how many more they would lose

[sparklingchim]

game on | jjk

pairing: jungkook x oc

word count: 2.7k

tropes: footballer!jungkook, fake dating, f2l

rating: pg

warnings: jk is a huge flirt, mentions of jk's past fights in school, lots of hand holding, paparazzi!!!, mentions of jk's flings 🫢, they love to bicker <3

summary: your fake relationship goes public - cue the unexpected butterflies.

a/n: she's finally back !!!! n i rlly hope u like it 😋

masterlist

⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒

So many nights spent wondering about the future, but you never imagined yourself in this scenario.

“I can see someone across the street.”

“That’s good – that's perfect.” Jungkook doesn’t even look back to catch a glimpse of what’s happening outside when he says, “Let them get their little shots. We’ll pretend we don’t notice.” He leans closer, elbows on the table. A grin lights his eyes. “Maybe we can even start the show right here.”

Jungkook begins to play with your fingers, gently tracing his fingertips along yours. Slowly, he lifts your hand, your elbow grazing the edge of the table, and links your fingers with his in the air.

You hesitantly mimic his smile. “Sure you don’t wanna switch paths and become an actor?”

“Hmm, maybe in my next life,” he ponders. “But only if you’re the co-star.”

“Can’t even leave me alone in our next life? I’d categorise that as obsessive behaviour, Jungkook.”

Kind of like the way most people in this café are obsessively watching you two.

The plan is simple: sit in a café with Jungkook, pretend you’re lost in your own little world, play the part of a love-struck couple – and wait. Wait until people become suspicious that this isn’t just another casual lunch between childhood friends, but that maybe there’s something more. Wait until a few more onlookers gather outside, cameras ready, eager to capture the moment your friendship seems to blur into something else.

“That’s just how a boyfriend would act, no? Be obsessed with his girl.”

“I guess? No one’s ever been obsessed with me.”

“Wasn’t Junwoo?”

You sigh deeply at the mention of your high-school ex-boyfriend. “Yeah, after I broke up with him.” If a two-month thing even qualifies as a relationship.

“Should’ve let me punch that fucker for treating you that way, seriously.” He says it with such contempt dripping from his voice, you’d think this happened recently and not nearly three years ago.

When Junwoo and you got official and had your first time, suddenly that’s all he was interested in. No more fun dates or random calls just to talk. Just a guy who liked the idea of you more than actually spending time with you. And once you called him out on it, he pretended it wasn’t true at all and tried to win you back with cute letters, random gifts or cringey apologies over voice notes.

“You got into trouble for that way too many times,” you remind him pointedly.

Whether it was for the sake of protecting you or losing his temper on the field – Jungkook had squared up to other guys more times than you could count. And still continues to do so on the field. Boys.

Jungkook’s sweet, charming, total golden retriever, until you piss him off.

“Ah, I really miss it,” Jungkook mumbles, wistfully brushing his thumb over your skin.

“Fighting?”

“No, just school in general. It was a silly time back then.”

“Don’t remind me. Life was so carefree.”

“Was it really for you, though?” Jungkook asks, tilting his head like he already knows the answer. “You were, and still are, a study maniac. Dragged me to the library so many times.” Jungkook rolls his eyes at the memory of the times you’ve spent in the library to study for exams and you nearly swat his arm for that.

You were stressed out and trying to survive under all the pressure of acing your exams. He was there for the vibes. You hunched over textbooks with color-coded tabs, he sprawled across the seat next to you, nearly falling asleep from boredom. Jungkook used to doodle on your notes while you crammed for midterms. At the time, it drove you up the wall. You’d flick his pen away, scold him for distracting you, threaten to ban him from ever coming again.

He always came anyway. And you always let him.

Now, whenever you’re studying – whether alone or with a study group – you catch yourself having memories popping up in your mind of Jungkook sitting next to you, twirling a pen, asking dumb questions like do you think mitochondria ever get tired of being the powerhouse?

You don’t miss the stress of high school. God, no. But you do miss that. Him in those moments. The silly distractions. The way he annoyed you so much it looped around into comfort.

“And you got us kicked out so many times,” you argue. “I get your hatred for studying, but you were doing too much.”

Jungkook shrugs, unbothered. “I did the best I could, honestly.”

Right then, the waitress appears with your drinks. Two iced americanos, his with an extra shot, yours with oat milk. She places them on the table with a polite smile before vanishing again. Jungkook thanks her absently, stirring his coffee with the paper straw.

“Kinda wish we could go back for a day. Just one,” he says, eyes fixed on the swirling coffee. “Walk the halls, eat lunch together, annoy each other in class.”

“You just want to relive the time you sneaked off with Hyejin and made out behind the gym hall.” You sip on your drink, eyeing him.

Jungkook nearly chokes on his coffee. “You know what, I wouldn’t say no to that,” he replies, a sly smirk forming on his face. But then he recoils dramatically. “No, ___. How dare you say that when we’re on a date? I don’t wanna go back in time to kiss other girls.”

You quirk your eyebrow, but he doesn’t budge from that statement. "You just said you wouldn’t say no.”

“Slip of the tongue.” He waves it off. “I’m – we’re still new to this,” he adds, eyes wide with mock innocence. “But I’m fully reformed now. Monogamous. Loyal. Emotionally available.”

“Oh wow. All three?”

“All three.” He nods solemnly. “All for you.” Jungkook leans closer, conspiratorially. “Do you wanna sneak off and kiss behind the building?” he teases, voice dropping the tiniest bit. A soft, short chuckle escapes him like he’s proud of his flirty jab.

You can’t help the smile tugging at your lips. “You wish.”

He sips on his drink, sparkling eyes trained on you. “Should we really, though?” he asks more seriously. “Maybe not in the back of the café but my car or something?”

“I don’t know. Is hand holding enough? Did Taesung tell you something about a kiss?”

“Lemme just ask him.”

Jungkook lets go of your hand. He grabs his phone and types.

You squint suspiciously. “What did you text him?”

Without a hint of shame, he flips the screen around.

should we kiss?

You nearly laugh. What an unprofessional, unhinged text message to your manager. But then you catch sight of his grin behind his phone – that wide, dimpled, full-teeth kind of grin that makes him look way too pleased with himself – and annoyance melts away.

“You’re so lucky he puts up with your shit.”

“I just add a little fun to his job. He needs it.” His phone pings. He reads the message aloud. “He said it’s not necessary. Do what you’re comfortable with.”

Suddenly, worry tightens your chest. “Do you think they’ll follow us? To your car?” you ask, voice low as your eyes flick to the café window, though you force yourself not to actually look.

“They’ll keep their distance,” Jungkook says calmly.

Your worry turns out to be nothing more than a fleeting flicker. Here one second, gone the next. Especially when he gives your hand a reassuring squeeze.

“I told you not to stress over these things. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

“I can’t stop the worrying.” You tap a finger to your temple. “This thing won’t shut up.”

“It doesn’t have to work when I’m around.”

“I believe you when we survive the day.”

“Yah,” Jungkook breathes out affronted, his shoulders sagging dramatically like you just wounded him. “Do I not take care of you?” he pouts, the expression softening every line of his face.

“I’m just joking,” you giggle, nudging his foot under the table with yours. “Don’t be upset.”

Jungkook crosses his arms, lips still pursed in that exaggerated pout. “I’m not upset,” he says, clearly upset. Or pretending to be. His foot nudges yours back, a petty little kick that barely has any force behind it.

“Thank you for risking your life in public with me,” you try, waiting for his reaction.

“Risking my life is crazy, no?” he says, drinking his coffee. “We’re just having overpriced americanos.”

“So you do still know the value of money and have a concept of what���s normal. We haven’t completely lost you yet.”

“Yeah, what can I say. I’m still grounded.”

“You’re paying a monthly fee for a dog-walking app, and you don’t even have a dog. I don’t think that’s exactly grounded.”

“I just like to know what’s going on in the dog community. Sue me.”

“That’s called being rich,” you shoot back, lifting your drink. “Meanwhile, I was checking my bank app before I said yes to this fake date.”

“You wound me again.” A disappointed sigh slips past his mouth as he slouches back in his seat. “It’s those boys you hang out with at university, isn’t it?” he asks, shaking his head slowly, dramatically. “Feeding you cafeteria food and making you split Ubers.” He tuts, tongue clicking. “You’ve been through so much.”

Jungkook is ridiculous. But he also has a point.

“Maybe this fake dating situation won’t be only beneficial for me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ll show you how a man treats his girl properly.” He leans forward slightly.

“You don’t even date.” And yet, throughout your friendship, he still manages to do better than half the boys you’ve talked to.

“Exactly.” He shrugs like it proves something. “And I’m still ahead of the curve.” On a more serious note, he adds, “It’s not that hard to not be weird.”

“Low bar, huh.”

“Painfully low.” Jungkook winks at you. “But I’ll raise it for you. Temporarily.”

“Until you send me off to the college boys?”

“The finance bros you’ve been collecting?” At least Jungkook has the decency to try and hide the smile that threatens to break across his face, but it’s a miserable attempt.

“It was one date,” you groan, slumping back in your chair. “Will you ever stop annoying me about it?”

“I fear I can’t.” He reaches out, fingers brushing yours before he gently takes your hand. He gives a light tug, coaxing you to lean forward again, and you do. “How long did it take him to bring up crypto again?” Your fingers end up loosely threaded with his, resting on the table. The contact makes the teasing a little less annoying.

“I think he made it a whole five minutes before he went into a deep dive of explaining cryptocurrency to me.” You swirl your straw in slow, disappointed circles. Whoever started the myth of meeting the love of your life at university is a big, fat liar. Or maybe just works in admissions. And definitely deserves jail time.

“Wow.” Jungkook nods impressed. “Do you want a moment of silence for your brain cells?”

“I’m surrounded by idiots. I’m used to it.”

“You’re a med student. How does that work?”

“Men. Lots of emotionally unintelligent men.”

“But now you have me!” Jungkook exclaims, eyes big and sparkly. He squeezes your hand as he triumphantly holds them up a little. “Isn’t that fun?”

You laugh at his silly antics. “It’s an upgrade, for sure.”

Jungkook drinks up your words with a huge smile. “I’m so honoured. You’re, like, the smartest girl I’ve ever had.” he says. “I won’t disappoint you.”

“Do you even know anything about the girls you’ve been with?”

“They’re pretty?” he answers hesitantly. “And they have amazing taste.”

“Finish your drink before I throw up, please.”

“Wanna end our date already?”

“Didn’t you want to head to the gym after this?” You take a final sip of your coffee, pushing the empty glass away from you.

“I can cancel.”

“For me?”

“For us.”

“All it took for you to spend more time with me is fake date you?”

“Says you,” he shoots back. “The one who always bails on me because she has to study.” He mimics your voice when he says it and does a terrible job at that. It’s awful, but he still manages to pull a little laugh from you.

“Speaking of,” you say, glancing at the time. “I actually have a study date in an hour. So I don’t have time to hang that long.”

“This relationship’s doomed to fail,” he says flatly.

You gasp. “Excuse me?”

“Fully admitting to going on another date during our first date?”

“A study date,” you clarify, rolling your eyes at his theatrics. “With my study buddy.”

“Side chick, you mean.”

“I should accuse you of that, not the other way around.”

“Doubting my loyalty already, I see.” Jungkook taps his fingers against his glass. “I told you, I’m a brand-new man. I’ve got the big three now.” He raises a finger for each one: “Loyal. Monogamous. Emotionally available.”

“I truly love that for you, Jungkook. Growth looks good on you. But I still need to study.”

Jungkook finishes his coffee, sighing when he places his glass on the table. “Lets go then.” But then suddenly he goes, “Hold on – what would you rate this date? One to ten.”

You ponder. “Like, maybe a seven?”

“Seven? Damn.” Jungkook exclaims. “What are you deducting three points for?” He tilts his head with a genuine confused pout.

“It was a cute date. Conversation was fun, good banter but...” You trail off, thinking. Jungkook raises his eyebrows expectantly. “The butterflies were missing.”

He scoffs. “I can give you lots of butterflies if you let me.”

“Don’t make me deduct more points,” you warn, unfazed.

“Ah, okay.” He bows his head in apology, muttering, “I’ll do better next time.”

You giggle, comforting him with small pats on his head. “Don’t feel too burdened. I really liked it.”

~

Leaving the cafe hand in hand, a shy smile playing on your lips, you walk beside Jungkook towards his car. Your shoulders are tense, awareness prickling at your skin as you feel the distant hums of cameras capturing every step.

You try to play it cool, telling yourself that this isn’t different from any other day, but the little waves of anxiety still roll through you.

Jungkook seems unfazed. When you glance at him, he’s already looking at you, the edge of his mouth curved upward. He pulls you closer, his body shifting ever so slightly to shield you from curious eyes.

Once you reach his black Bugatti tucked away in a quiet street, he opens the door for you, his hand brushing lightly against your back as you slide in.

He rounds the car and settles in beside you.

“You okay?” he asks softly.

You nod. “Are you?”

Concern flickers over his face. “Yeah, as long as you are okay.”

“No, I am. Really. Just worried that they would be more annoying about following us, but it’s all good.”

“They know better.”

“Think we did good?” You turn your body a little towards him as he starts the car.

“Of course we did,” he replies. “You looked like you were seconds away from falling in love with me. Got excited for a sec.”

“Delusional and confident.”

Jungkook checks the rearview mirror, his gaze flickering over the street behind you. “They’re probably still around.”

“You think?”

“Probably. But let them look. We are kinda adorable.”

You huff out a laugh. “You’re not wrong.”

Jungkook’s fingers rest lazily on the steering wheel. He turns his head to you again, eyes twinkling like he’s had an idea.

“Maybe we could do a bit better?”

“Better how?”

He leans a little closer, his cologne wrapping around you. His voice drops slightly when he says, “Come here.”

Jungkook cups your cheek, gently guiding you towards him. You lean into it without a second thought. Your eyes fall close, and you wait, expecting him to kiss you just like you had practised it at your place, but you don’t feel the gentle touch of his lips against your mouth.

Instead, you feel him press a slow, lingering kiss to your forehead.

Your chest stirs at his unexpected move.

There they are.

Butterflies.

⭒☆━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━☆⭒

a little extra from me to u 😋:

[revelboo]

AH

What if tfa longarm roleplaying as a decepticon but OH NO :))) SHOCKWAVE BE UPON YE

🤣 you read my mind. I actually have something similar planned for his actual story. Kinda non-c0n. Reader is in love with his Longarm persona, and scared of him

🔞 Mass displaced mech 🌶️

Roleplay

Longarm/ Shockwave

• “I can’t, little one,” Longarm growls, head turning as he looks to the door to Shockwave’s habsuite. Because you know you’re playing a dangerous game. That the Autobot spy is risking so much to keep sneaking you supplies, food and water. Knowing what Shockwave will do to him if he finds out and that you’re not Longarm’s problem. “I’ve been here too long already.” But over the months of his visits, he’s become a friend. Then more. A lover. And you pull him down, mouth covering his. Sneaking moments with him whenever you can.

• “Don’t leave me with him,” you whisper against his mouth and you’re such a delight to play with. “Please?” Begging ‘Longarm’ to steal you away. Curling his arms around you, he drags you into his frame. The softness and scent of you going straight to his spike. Nudging your head with his helm, he wonders if you’ll cry again. Servos flexing against your hip, he cups your face in his other hand. Trying to decide how much longer to string you along, to keep promising to steal you away. Because he’s looking forward to that final playoff. “Can you at least stay a little longer?” You ask, eyes wet.

• “You’re going to get us both caught, my love.” He whispers, a servo sliding against your cheek as he walks you back to your berth. And you sit when the back of your legs hit the edge, one of his arms bracing over you as his mouth brushes against yours again. When you grab his chassis and tug at him, he doesn’t resist. Climbing up you with you and hooking an arm around you to pull you further up the little berth. How many of these rendezvous have you two had? His servos stripping you as he shifts over you, feeling him cup you. “But you’re worth the risk,” he growls, a servo spearing into you, stroking. Know he can’t just steal you, not while he’s still trying to get intel from Shockwave. That rescuing you would compromise his mission.

• Smiling as you arch for him with a needy cry, he’s strokes you until you’re whimpering his name. Well, Longarm’s. That bothering him more than he likes, because you’re his. He’s the one you’ve been dragging to your berth, the one who’s claimed you, rutted against you and filled you over and over. And he’s toyed with the idea of bonding you, of claiming you fully. Because you love Longarm. “Please,” you moan and he smiles indulgently. “I need you.”

• All too soon he slips his servo free, but then he’s freeing his spike and shifting over you. Breath hitching as he stretches you with a growl, moving against you, hips pumping. “Would you bond with me? I don’t care about the mission, only you,” he growls venting raggedly, optics holding your eyes. “I can’t lose you.” Don’t really know what all that entails, but you don’t care. Want this, want him. To feel safe and loved. To go to sleep in his arms and never have to be afraid of Shockwave again.

• “I’m already yours,” you whimper, little hands clinging to him. Moving against you a little harder, hips snapping against you, eager to claim you. To see the look on your face. And you hook your legs around him, moaning Longarm’s name right before you tighten on him, crying out as you fist his spike and he overloads to fill you, hips still rocking against you before he shifts his plating against you, snares you in his spark. Wrapping himself around your lovely light, demanding and you’re so in love, so overwhelmed, you submit completely and it’s a delicious shock. Groaning, he lifts his chassis enough to sever the bond before you can go digging in his memories and realize.

• “My sweet, little mate,” he growls, rutting against you, spike stroking deep as you stare up at him and he smiles. “So trusting,” he says and the words are wrong. You know that voice and you go cold all over. Breath catching as Longarm’s face changes. Twisting and reshaping into Shockwave’s and his helm tips as you stare, frozen in horror and he groans as he overloads inside you again. “I love you so much,” he croons, clawed servos cupping your cheek. Realizing he’s been screwing with you this whole time, amusing himself with giving you false hope and a tear slides down your cheek. “And I’m keeping you forever, little one.”

[orimuraa]

• All I can do is try - 西村 力 ↳ ┊: one more last time - henry young, ashley alisha

꒰ 𝔖𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘴 ꒱┆you were the school’s sunshine while your boyfriend was the school’s cold, grump ⨾

۶ৎ grumpy!ni-ki x fem sunshine!reader┆flufff┆petnames, kissing, ynki making you feel single┆wc 778

⤷ 𝐲𝐞𝐣𝐢’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬: guys…i want a boyfriend 😭😭😭 but anyway, thank you to the anon who requested! + fb is always appreciated

꒰ঌ ℬℴℴ𝓀𝓈𝒽ℯ𝓁𝒻 ໒꒱

nobody expected this. the school’s sunshine who always had her chin held high and her grades just as high, and the school’s delinquent—the one who caused all the trouble and was never seen in a classroom during class time.

it shouldn’t have worked, but it did. you made him a better person—softer around the edges.

the way he would throw everything away just to be with you, the way he would actually smile and laugh when you cracked jokes, it was all so…wholesome. and nishimura riki was not ever associated with that word.

as you walked down the hallways, your classmates waved to you, smiling as they greeted you. they admired you, the way you carried yourself with all that confidence and the way you were so sweet to anyone without a thought. not to mention, your perfect grades.

your stroll was cut short when someone tugged your backpack back, causing your feet to slip and lose balance.

you fell back, expecting to hit the floor, but you never did. instead, you fell against a sturdy figure, their arms securing around you, effectively catching you.

you whip you head up to see the cause of your fall and your greeted with the smirk of none other than nishimura riki—your boyfriend.

“kiki!! i could’ve fallen!” you scold, straightening yourself out and brushing off your skirt.

“but you didn’t,” he shrugs, a smirk tugging at his lips. “besides, i was there to catch you, wasn’t i little love?” and for a moment, you forgot you were surrounded by your schoolmates in a hallway.

“whatever,” you flush, grabbing his hand and pulling him to class. “c’mon, we’re gonna be late.”

“love, class starts in 10 minutes,” riki says calmly, getting dragged to a class he only attends to stare at you.

“exactly! we’re late,” you huff, weaving through the crowds with your 6 foot boyfriend.

when you arrive at your classroom, you’re the first ones there.

“see?? no one’s even in here! can we go home? pleaseee? i’ll give you as many cuddles as you want, i just wanna go home,” riki pouts, despite knowing you would never skip school.

“we can do that after school, kiki. i can’t leave,” you smile sympathetically, aware that your boyfriend would rather be anywhere but that classroom.

he groans but slumps down in the seat next to you, resting his head on your arm as he sulks. he would never let anyone catch him sulking except for you. you were his safe zone.

by the end of class, riki was fully asleep and completely unaware of anything that was going on around him.

you were chatting with some friends when he stirred, grumbling something about wanting to go home again.

“sorry guys, i’m gonna head out now,” you politely excused yourself, packing up your bag while riki was already up and out of his chair.

the end of the day was always riki’s favorite part because it meant that you were all his now and that he could take you home and cuddle you forever and ever. of course nobody else knew that besides you because it would ruin his “bad boy reputation” and people would start to know hems actually a huge softie.

so here you were, wrapped in one of his giant sweatshirts and his arms were wrapped around your waist, holding you close. his face was nuzzled into your neck and he occasionally pressed soft kisses against it.

“tell me something interesting,” he whispers, just wanting to listen to your pretty voice.

“hmmm something interesting?” you pause to think. “did you know i love you with all of my heart? i’m so in love with you it’s crazy. sometimes i wonder how i ended up do lucky with you.” you say. anyone could tell from your voice that you were so in love. it was obvious.

riki lets out a small chuckle, sending shivers through your body.

“little love, god—you’re so smart and pretty and funny and kind and if anything, i should be the one saying how lucky i am. you’re someone who’s so pure and i definitely don’t deserve you,” riki smiles, peeking out from the crook of your neck.

“maybe it’s fate then,” you giggle. “maybe the stars drew us together.”

“well then i’m so glad they chose you to be with me because i can’t see myself anywhere else but with you,” riki sighs contently.

he kisses your jaw and your lips before snuggling back into your side.

and these were the moments you treasured most. the moments where the expectations couldn’t get to you and it was just you, riki, and the burning love you shared.

˗ˏˋ ꒰ ✉︎ ꒱ ˎˊ˗ 𝐉𝐢𝐣𝐢’𝐬 𝐓𝐚𝐠𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭: @vmpivory, @yuvany, @seozii, @pinknjm, @greentulip, @jomisu, @nxzz-skz, @ancnymcnzjy, @hyukabean, @annybah, @ijustwannareadstuff20, @chaeneu, @17ericas, @firstclassjaylee, @riribelle, @right-person-wrong-time, @cheruphic, @woniefication, @melodiessvy, @soona-huh, @kiwicup, @yuuuraaa

[darkmatilda]

𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝 | 𝐬.𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐝

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: you’re constantly confronted with a deceptive projection of your own mind when you start noticing a certain profiler with pretty eyes in unexpected places and people. The diagnosis is simple — you’re losing your mind.

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬/𝐭𝐰: spencer reader x diva!chemist reader, takes place somewhere before the vegas fic, diva’s pov, alcohol consumption, count how many times she mentioned his hands lmao, reader hooks up with a random guy, i’d say she’s ovulating but maybe it’s just typical spencer reid withdrawal symptoms idk

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 1.3k

𝐚/𝐧: request | i was planning to write this time a fic outside the series, but this request really spoke to me and i couldnt resist <3

Your attention was split three ways.

To your left came the quiet sound of music, soft enough to allow for conversation over pool or beer, lyrics that passed through your head and immediately left it again, not forcing your foot or the hands resting on the bar to move to its rhythm. Every single day, every word you say, every game you play, every night you stay…

In front of you, ice was slowly melting in a glass. Finely crushed, not cubes.

To your right...

A voice — gentle but engaged. Engaged in what it was saying, threads occasionally interrupted by a swallowed throat, a short pause after which he returned to the topic with ease. It was a book. At first, you were focused. You realized that the two of you had never actually talked about your literary tastes. That is, sometimes you mentioned titles. You backed your arguments in discussions with specific works, even compared yourselves in your verbal sparring to unbearable characters, but not once had you simply shared what you genuinely liked. What you reached for for pleasure, what had kept you up all night.

So yes, at first you were focused, and although you didn’t show it, you were also pleased. But it was evening, and at some point he rested his tired head — more precisely, his chin — in the palm of his hand. While speaking, he unintentionally applied pressure to his throat, to his vocal cords, and it seemed as though each of his words carried a slight vibration. It dispersed into the space around you, but because of how close you were sitting, it reached you. The small distortions gave his voice a pleasant murmur. You wondered how it would sound if he suddenly lowered it to a whisper. He’d probably have to come even closer for you to understand the words. Before them would come his scent, the movement of his lips near your ear, possibly brushing it by accident — which would make him freeze in embarrassment and glance sideways at your profile, uncertain, checking if you noticed.

Depending on your mood and the level of his awkwardness, you’d either point it out or let it pass in silence. That level would have to be perfectly balanced. Not too high for him to pull away. You wanted him to respond — to respond with a snort filled with fake nonchalance, but also to barely perceptible stumble over his words. You’d gone through this pattern dozens of times. Still, you found it satisfying.

A shadow of a smile formed on your lips when you realized your own analysis. How predictable he was when you broke it down into smaller parts over your drink, and yet so often surprising when you had a spontaneous, face-to-face conversation.

Speaking of the drink, you reached for it. But instead of touching the glass, you touched someone’s skin. A brief accidental brush — the man who had just been planning to grab his own quickly pulled his hand back. A hand. An unfamiliar pattern of veins on its back. An unfamiliar hand.

You turned your head sharply in his direction — the man with brown hair but green eyes, just tinged with brown at the right angle, gave you an apologetic smile.

You didn’t return it. What’s more, you didn’t take another sip that evening, deciding that maybe you’d had enough. Instead, you shook your head slightly, in disbelief at yourself. 

Fatigue. It was probably the fatigue.

*

The next time, the music was much louder.

In fact, it was bombarding your mind, not letting a single thought occupy your head for more than a second. You didn’t see that as a flaw. Wasn’t that the whole point? You couldn’t hear your own thoughts, let alone the words of the guy sitting across from you. You wanted to dance and have fun that night at the club, not focus on whatever it was he was trying to say to you.

You regretted that the friend you’d come with was currently a little occupied — in the arms of some woman in a sparkly skirt. She was much better company and a much better dancer. You didn’t intend to cling desperately to someone’s side — you never did — but something made you pause. And no, it wasn’t the guy right in front of you, more like a strange feeling that suddenly came over your body. A feeling that couldn’t be mistaken for anything else, a feeling that carried the trace of someone’s longing gaze.

Well, you were so used to those — especially in places like this — that it almost escaped your notice. Almost—because it was too strong for that.

You turned your gaze in that direction. It took effort to find it. The eyes that sent it were constantly being obscured by moving bodies, yet somehow the look never broke.

Your hips suddenly slowed their fluid motion — you couldn’t stop scanning the crowd, even though you wanted to. A certain suspicion crept in, a theory that almost forced you to confirm it. You gave yourself one last chance to suppress that need. One last chance — wasted the moment you were sure you’d seen a familiar face.

You scoffed in disbelief. Many hours later, you would scoff again — that time calling yourself an idiot for not even asking the obvious question first what the hell would he even be doing there? The last person to voluntarily step foot in a club.

But in that moment, you didn’t consider any of that — you slipped easily through the gaps between strangers’ limbs, not quickly, but with purpose.

But it was like trying to catch smoke between your fingers.

The comparison came to mind as you watched the cigarette loosely dangling from your friend Olivia’s lips, shifting slightly whenever she cursed under her breath, rummaging through her microscopic, bright pink purse in search of a lighter.

You were standing outside, the night air acting not only as a refreshment but also as a sobering agent. Which you definitely needed.

“I swear it was here…” she muttered in frustration, still digging. Determined girl — she’d always been that way. Suddenly, she caught your gaze. “By the way, why did you want to come out so badly? Something wrong?”

With your arms crossed over your chest and one hip pushed out, without hesitation, like a doctor giving a diagnosis, you answered:

 “I’m losing my sanity.”

Taking it as a joke, she twisted her lips into a smile.

“Your sanity’s always been questionable,” she snorted. She stomped her foot, pulling the cigarette from between her lips. “Fuck! It must’ve fallen out somewhere…”

“Need a lighter?”

Right on cue, a voice appeared between the two of you. Or rather, an offer. But the first thing you noticed was a hand, holding out a metal lighter toward your friend.

Your forehead tightened, and driven by some mysterious impulse, your gaze immediately travelled up toward the man’s face. You immediately recognized him as the guy you’d danced with for a moment—the one who’d tried to hit on you. Blatantly assessing, you dropped your gaze back down to his hand, then to the friendly smile on his lips as Olivia accepted the lighter. Again. The hand, the face.

He seemed…cute. 

Not a compliment, just an observation you could’ve made at first glance. There was a lot more you could say about him later. Though, far less about his personality, and much more about his build—shoulders harder than you liked, hair too short to properly thread your fingers through.

The hair thing really disappointed you, but oh well.

Aside from that, there were plenty of things you could simply fill in yourself. A solution loudly approved by the dim light in the bedroom, the kind that fixed all the details that didn’t matter anyway.

[dekariosclan]

Hello! Thought stuck in my brain, and I’m not sure how to craft the right search to see if this has already been discussed anywhere. So to the expert I go!

Gale flirting in the Shadow Cursed Lands (aka the “I once read a book” bit) - help me peel back the curtain into his brain here. At this point, Gale is aware that Tav is interested in him to some extent based on the Weave lesson where they pictured something romantic with him. He couldn’t do much about it before because of the orb, before it was stabilized.

Now, he openly tells Tav he is def interested, specifically in a physical way. What is his goal here? Just to gauge their reaction, see if Tav was serious when they pictured romance or a kiss before? He doesn’t make another move until he admits he’s in love with Tav, which tells me he doesn’t like to sleep around unless there are meaningful feelings involved.

I guess I’m just trying to figure out if he had a plan when he does this post battle flirting, or if he was just caught up in the moment (you know, the brush with danger affecting his desire for other forms of stimulation, lol). I mean, what if that same night at camp after he flirts with Tav, they tried to initiate intimacy with Gale? He had point blank said he wanted them, so it wouldn’t be outrageous for a Tav to try to follow up on that.

Hello anon!! You want to talk about Gale’s post-battle flirting scene?! 😍 Let’s do it!

So you’re wondering what Gale’s goal was with his sudden, impeccably timed dialogue (nothing like some steamy flirting in front of the whole team, surrounded by post-battle carnage!) and whether it was planned vs spontaneous.

Here’s the thing about Gale—he’s absolutely telling the truth when he says he’s ‘many things, but coy isn’t one of them’. He is not someone who says rehearsed lines or speeches. He says what he feels when he feels it. The famous ‘musk’ line at the Tiefling party is a result of this, as is the ‘tummy rub’ line, both which show him speaking a bit too freely because of how much he likes Tav (and his adorable embarrassment after).

So I believe that his Shadowlands flirting is a combination of a few things: First and foremost, that the orb being quieted has allowed him to consider being intimate with Tav as a real possibility, not just a fantasy; second, that he wishes to make up for lost time and wants to court/compliment/flirt with Tav a bit more now; and third, that he does actually find post-battle thrills to be quite invigorating, and cannot help but comment on it.

I think it must have been very hard for Gale in Act 1 (no pun intended) to know Tav shares his feelings, and is open to his affection, and yet he still has to put Tav at arm’s length and hold back for everyone’s safety. To wait and watch other companions flirt boldly and openly with Tav and offer them things that he can’t. Imagine how that must’ve stung, and how worried Gale must have been to think he could lose Tav—yet his hands were tied due to the orb.

So when the Shadowlands battle happens, and they survive, and everyone is a bit charged up (especially Gale) I think he realizes he can talk about the desire he’s feeling for once and know that it’s okay. The orb is stable, Tav looks amazing in all their sweaty glory—so he goes for it. And I do think his goal here is to make up for lost time, and remind Tav of how much he wants them, and assure them that the idea of them being together is now a real thing.

Finally, your question about what would happen if Tav had approached Gale that evening with the intention of being intimate: I don’t think Gale would have been upset by this. Not at all! But I do think he would have asked to hold off for the time being. Not because he was worried about the orb, or because he needed more time to develop feelings for Tav, but because he wants their first night together to be perfect. He wants to offer Tav everything he has, all of himself, and all of his skills in both magic and lovemaking. He wants to have a magical evening in a beautiful setting, with company to match. So he would ask, please, for Tav to bear with him just a little longer, to allow him to show them something truly spectacular.

I can’t imagine Tav would say no, can you?

[peachhcs]

i saw this tiktok and it was like media girls asking players who there favourite female athlete was and maybe you could write something like that of guys mentioning samy hahahah just hyping her up

WAIT YESSSS i like that because they'd definitely say her just because of how much they adore her and you knoww will is saying her immediately

au masterlist

the boys had never been too into media, especially when it was just answering the same questions over and over. it got old fast and most of the time the social media interns were catching them at their worst moments like after a hard practice or after losing a game, but today seemed like a good day. vicky, the boston college media girl, stood at the entrance to the locker room as the boys came off the ice to grab some quick content for instagram.

"uh oh, vicky's here, you know what that means," drew teased when he saw the girl with her phone and microphone.

"hi, yeah more media. sorry boys," she giggled.

"don't apologize, i'm ready. hit me with whatever you got," drew encouraged as aram, fowler, and vote walked in behind him seconds later.

"you three can join in too, but i'm doing a little series of getting to know the players better, so today's question is who is your favorite female athlete?" she handed drew the mic as the boy pondered his answer.

"oh easy, samy hughes," aram quickly answered with a smile.

"oh agreed. she's a fucking beast," the others quickly agreed after hearing aram mention the michigan soccer player.

"if you haven't seen her play yet, you better go watch one of her games. she knows her shit out there. i've never seen someone so confident on the field before," aram stole the mic to continue his thought.

"i was gonna say her but i didn't know if it would be weird," drew laughed.

"dude why would it be weird? she's our friend," fowler laughed too.

"yeah there are people probably so jealous we can say that," aram commented. vicky grinned at their answers and let them go as more boys came back from practice.

some of the older boys mentioned people like livy dunne, caitlin clark, and paige buckers, but when ryan, gabe, and james came in they were also quick to bring up samy's name.

"favorite female athlete? definitely samy. have you seen her play?" ryan chuckled while the other two nodded in agreement.

"i would also say my own girlfriend, hannah duke," james cut in with a shy blush.

"ah, yes, yes. well you've got your own girl," gabe teased a bit.

"although, both are very good athletes, so i'd say both," the freshman smiled.

"she's scored how many career points? like 100? she had her 100th celebration senior year," ryan said.

"yeah, she's probably close to like 200 now," gabe added.

over in san jose, a similar video was being filmed with the sharks players after they finished practice. will and mack exchanged a glance when they saw the two interns grinning at them with a microphone in one of their hands.

"hi, you know what time it is," vanessa laughed.

"can't evade this time. what's the question today?" mack wondered as him and will stopped to entertain their video.

"who is your favorite female athlete?" vanessa asked and chloe held the mic out for them.

"easy answer, my girlfriend. samy hughes," will quickly grinned without hesitation.

"i'd have to agree and also say my girlfriend, blaire stevenson," mack added.

"can you tell us why?"

"uh, she has a lot of dedication and has put a lot of time into the women's soccer team. she has successfully led them to the ncaa finals since her freshman year and helped win them their first national title in years," will said.

"i echo everything he said about samy. i've never been too into american soccer, but watching samy play is actually like super incredible to watch. she has a lot of raw talent and it's really cool to see her use it. my girlfriend is also a very talented figure skater and i envy the grace she has on the ice. it blows me away every time i watch a meet," macklin grinned.

"awesome answers, thanks guys!" vanessa and chloe waved as the two boys continued to the locker room.

when the videos were posted everyone was gushing about how quick the boys brought up samy and how endearing it was to see how much they love her (platonically and romantically).

comments

user1 STOP this was so cute?? all of the dev boys said samy awww

user2 i actually love how close they all are with samy and it's so cutie to see

user3 wow i knew they loved her but i didn't know this much. i loved seeing them gush about her

user4 u knowww she's so loved by them

user5 oh i'd know they'd do anything for her if she asked

user6 stop will was so quick to say samy

user7 will's blush awwww

user8 i hope they're all friends forever they're so cute

user9 where do i find friends like this????

user10 wait babiesss aw

[gayofthefae]

Expanding on this post and how by his own account, Mike does not believe in love at first sight. He doesn't even believe in love in the first week.

He believes that love can grow from there but that at the first week, what you have is a crush.

I do not think Mike's one-week crush lasted a year after he last saw her. I think his guilt did. And I think his grief did.

Mike used El as a means to find Will throughout the week, making his priorities clear, and at the end of the week, she sacrificed himself. He never asked her to do that or would have, but I'm sure part of him feels responsible nonetheless. With that survivor's guilt, he idolized - martyrized - their every interaction. She was always understanding and whatever is wrong would be right if she were just here right now again. He holds onto her memory and holds out just in case what he thought he saw of her was real and she is still alive.

But at the end of the day...he hasn't spoken to her in a year. And he was not in love with her. Joyce loved Bob and she asked out Hopper 6 months later. And by his own account, Mike doesn't believe it's possible for him to have loved her in that situation. So how could he have held onto those feelings for 12 months?

Simple answer, he didn't. He held onto their relationship. He held onto his care for her. He held onto his grief. He held onto his guilt. He held onto the idealized image of her he had in his head...But none of those are romantic feelings.

Simply put, Mike got over her in that time. And I'm sure he felt very guilty for it (see: Mike's Bassment Beats track 8 "absence makes the heart lose weight" "when love breaks down, the things you do to stop the truth from hurting you" "the lies we tell, they only serve to fool ourselves"). But with that, he was even more capable of falling for Will. Not just that, but much more strongly than he had for El. El met for the first time then had a week to develop feelings for. Will he had already known for 8 years and had up to a year for those feelings to grow. No wonder they're still lingering, haunting. (note: immediately following the above song falling out of love on his playlist is a song about being unable to stop yourself from falling in love with someone). He feels guilty for getting over El and who knows his awareness level on the feelings he had for Will, but he felt them, whether he had the name for it or not.

Then El came back. And he tries. And maybe he's able to develop those romantic feelings again but my theory is...he's not this time. He didn't move on from her, but he did get over her. After a year, he held out, but he was holding out for his friend. Because the friendship they built was great, but crushes are more fragile. His crush went away. And I think it didn't come back.

She tries to kiss him and he doesn't lean in, he doesn't even look down.

But from there, he is a victim of something so many of us are and have been. He wanted the Snow Ball more than anything, idealized in his grief, it was their beautiful plan. But he doesn't want it anymore...and of course, that's when it comes. Like most people, he takes it. It's all he wanted. He refuses to believe it's too late. He wills himself to want it again.

But we can see when we catch up with him in season 3...he doesn't.(see: Mike's Bassment Beats tracks 16 and 17 - an aimless relationship that you stay in despite the spark being gone)

Mike and El are laughing together when Eleven tells him she wishes he were still there - making out with her. I've also said before that this is the only possible "value change" in this scene and justification for it being included: we see his face fall and he becomes grumpy. After this, we see him enter the next scene irritable, tense, and unwilling to talk about El (when just before, he had been carefree and laughing)

That is my timeline. Mike had a crush on El. A year will make you get over any crush, let alone when another one is developing - and has the time to develop into love itself, whether you know it or not. When El comes back, he gets back together with her in the hopes that that spark will find him again, but it doesn't. And his love for Will grows, as does his fear of it, until in season 4, Will makes him not so afraid anymore. And that is when he is victimized by circumstance. He doesn't want El to die. And after she lives and they see what's become of Hawkins and Max, he doesn't want to leave her or even just add change to her life in any way on top of her existing grief. So he puts it off. As we know now, for a year and a half - until November 1987.

When I am very curious to see what inciting incident prompts this decision to come back up.

My take is that we last saw Mike have feelings for El in November, 1983.

God, the angst. The self torture. The self-"repair" attempts. The last time Mike had feelings for El was November, 1983.

This happened in March, 1986:

He is still with her as of November 1987.

I hope he's finding peace in between, as queer people have for centuries <3

[shysuccubusstuff]

Maybe in another life?

Content: After leaving you, Caleb has been unable to sleep more than a few hours, always waking up in the middle of the night with tears streaming down his face and breath unstable. Just how much is he supposed to suffer?; Non proof-reader

Note: If anyone reads this note, I was wondering, would you rather know when do you die or how do you die? I would choose when, so then I have time to make plans, I some times feel like I'm wasting my time but I'm always so tired of everything... I was thinking about this song while writing! I finally learnt how to do the little gradient thingy but it's so hard... On another note, this drabble is quite personal in the sense that at first was only about the game, but as I wrote it, I couldn't help but feel quite represented... I hope nobody loses a childhood friend that was almost like a brother/sister...

Note 2: I may be writing more angst these days cause I'm a bit low...

Caleb closed his eyes for a second, it had been over a month since he had last been at his house, the place still filled with the many cardboard boxes that were filled with useless things his supervisor had made him put as a way to seem more "natural". Not like it really mattered, since the only thing he had taken out of them was that picture of the two of you from quite a long time ago, with you laying on top of him before the photo was taken. He kept counting the days since the last time he had seen you, still reminiscing about his hand drifting over your soft face, your eyes glistening each time he cooked for you. He tried as hard as possible to not fall asleep, after all, the dreams had become more like nightmares, your gorgeous face haunting him as some kind of curse, still, he started to feel his eyes closing, finally surrendering to the lack of sleep.

Soon, the dream started, confused, Caleb looked around. This time, the dream took place in a different reality, one in which not Caleb nor MC have to suffer, no having keep constant watch in fear of the other being hurt while they are asleep, no fear of letting your guard down, no having to share the little food you get every day.

This time, the two of you are neighbours, not only that, but your mothers have known each other since the two of you were born, with both of you barely having a difference of a few hours, with Caleb being the oldest. The two of you soon become close friends, after all, your mothers kept encouraging it, always meeting together in each other's houses to talk while the two of you played together.

At first Caleb isn't really happy with this, he always felt as if you were too small (even if he's barely a few hours older) so he always prefers to spend more time with your other childhood friend, Zayne. With the three of you being of around the same age, it was only natural for the three of them to be close, specially because of the little time Zayne's parents had to be with him. With that in mind, it was only natural for the three of you to become close together since childhood. As time went on, all three of you becam taller, with Caleb and you becoming a bit taller, with a face a bit fuller and smiles a bit wider.

In this new reality, the three of you end up going to the same university, without any of you ever facing a major hardship. Just like in reality, Zayne chooses to leave the country for a whole year, after all, he had always dreamed of following his parents' steps. With Zayne away, it was clear that Caleb and you would become even closer, at least, that was what Caleb was expecting. He knew it was natural for the two of you to become less close, after all, the two of you were on different courses, and even if the two of you went to the same university, that never meant being able to share the same exact timetables or subjects. Caleb always acted as if nothing changed, his soft smile and kind eyes glistening each time he was able to spend time with you, still, he was unable to notice the little changes, the way you had started to enjoy new hobbies and series that you had seen with your new friends, your new tastes in music or in food. He kept trying to tell himself that it was completely natural for people to grow and change as time went on, even he had changed since he was younger. He knew it, of course he did, still, he couldn't help but feel the distance between the two of you growing bigger.

You no longer spent as much time together, barely going to his home to study together, and he kept reminiscing about the times the two of you had spent. Each weekend, the two of you would meet, spending the whole afternoon together as you laughed, even remembering the times he had accidentally hurt you while playing. He kept trying to tell himself that even if the two of you got a bit distant, that would not change your relationship, surely your friendship was deeper than a few new persons in your life, right?... Right?!

Who would have told him that he would end up begging you? Finally opening up and letting you know just how much it had been hurting him to see you spending all your free time with those new friends, and he tried to let you know that he didn't mean to be seen as needy, after all, he had no intention of trying to monopolise your... affection. Still, he only saw your slightly confused look, eyes looking to the sides as if trying to come up with an excuse: "Our relationship has always been like that!" Of course it wasn't. Just how could you say that to him with a smile on your face? Regardless, Caleb bit his lips so as to avoid letting any whimper leave, looking to the ground as he tried his best to keep those tears from falling down his cheeks. "You're right, pipsqueak. I was just getting anxious." You smiled at him, turning around one last time, rushing towards your new friends, one that looked a bit too similar to Zayne.

Suddenly, he woke up, sweat falling down his forehead and chest rising up and down. Those damn dreams kept pestering him every single time, always different scenarios, different events, but it always ended up like that. With you turning around and running towards God knew where, always leaving him without a reason, always leaving him crying in the middle of the night. Guess it was just one more of those nights.

[drabbles-mc]

Invisible Silver Linings (5/7)

Robert 'Bob' Reynolds x F!Reader

Series Warnings: 18+, Thunderbolts* spoilers, language, angst, mentions of scars, mentions of self-harm/suicidal ideations

Summary: You signed on to become part of a study when you realized that you didn't have anything left to lose. What harm could it really do? How much worse could it really get? ... You didn't expect to get answers to those questions. You also didn't expect to meet Bob. You'd end up thankful for at least one of those things.

Chapter Index

Word Count: 1.5k

A/N: it wouldn't be Thunderbolts* fanfiction without some suffering on Bob's part, i hate to say

The lights came back on again. Food got dropped off. You heard the sound of a door scraping against the floor as it opened. The only reason you knew it was Bob that was being taken was because he was talking loud enough as they took him out for you to hear him. He wasn't saying anything of consequence, but you knew from his tone that he was just trying to let you know that they were taking him somewhere. You wondered if that meant they were going to come for you soon too.

You got your answer a little while later. You were pacing around your room when they opened your door. It was a different woman than before, but she had the same outfit and clipboard. She stood in the gap of your doorway and watched you closely as you walked up to her.

“Cutting me loose, or?”

She motioned for you to step out. “We're moving onto the next phase of the trial, as long as you're still interested.”

You nodded, more out of desperation to be done with this entire excursion than anything else. When you'd signed on for this, you figured they'd stick a needle in you, or give you a few doses of pills to take and then keep you for a week or so to see if it killed you or balanced you out. You hadn't been expecting to get thrown into all of this.

She had you follow her to an elevator, and your eyes went wide at how many stories were in the building that you'd been stuck in. They must've been keeping you all in some hellish maze of subbasements then, since no daylight got in. Seemedlike adding insult to injury, keeping you all in the dark when there were so many other places they could've put you.

You had to squint your eyes when the elevator doors opened back up again. You'd spent who knows how long in darkness and manufactured light, but the floor she'd brought you to seemed to be wall-to-wall windows. Sunlight streamed in and covered anything. It was blinding, but you almost didn’t want to shield your eyes. You didn’t know if they were going to toss you back down into the dark again.

Half of the room looked like a lab straight out of the movies. Vials and beakers and monitors with scans on them. The other half of the room was sectioned off into tiny boxes, all glass and curtains. Sort of like exam rooms in a doctor's office only no doctor in their right mind would agree to this setup for their patients. You could make out silhouettes in some, your first assurance that there were in fact other people still here besides you and Bob. You wondered if he was in one of the rooms. Maybe you two were neighbors again.

The woman pushed open the door to one of the makeshift exam rooms. “Have a seat.”

You looked at the chair that was more of a chair-bed-hybrid, just like the ones at your doctor's office. After a moment of standing in the doorway, you looked at her again. “You guys gonna knock me out again?”

Her face gave nothing away, not even an acknowledgment of what'd happened to you before. “They'll be with you shortly to answer all of your questions. Please, take a seat.”

There was no use in arguing, so you went into the room. You were just going to stand and pace until someone else came in, but as the woman lingered in the doorway you realized she wasn’t going to leave until you did as you were told. Hopping up onto the seat you'd been provided, you made unwavering eye contact with the woman until she stepped away and shut the door behind her. You didn’t miss the click of the lock.

Since you were alone, you got right back off the bed and went over towards the window. You pulled in a deep breath, like you were breathing the fresh air from outside and not the over-circulated air coming out of the vents in the building. You could almost trick your mind into thinking they were the same, though, as you stared out over the expanse of the city. So many buildings, so many people looking so tiny on the sidewalks beneath you. It was peaceful in its chaos. Beautiful. You subconsciously rubbed at the insides of your wrists. To think that you'd nearly given it all up because—

Your enlightenment moment was cut short by the sound of someone screaming. Peeling yourself away from the window, you went back towards the door to try and catch a glimpse of what was happening out there. The curtains stopped you from seeing into the other matchbox-sized rooms, but you saw white blurs of lab coats as people ran past your door, presumably, towards the screaming.

The yell was definitely one born out of pain. You cringed at the sound, hoping for the sake of whoever it was that it would be over soon. If what was happening to them was that painful, maybe they'd just pass out. Hopefully you would too, if this was what you had to look forward to in phase two of whatever the hell this was.

“Stop! Stop!” they yelled. “I don't wanna do this anymore!”

Once the person spoke, you knew immediately that it was Bob. Your heart tightened inside your chest, like a set of vines were choking it out. Pressing your face against the glass door, you desperately tried to get a look at whatever it was that was going on. You flattened your palms on the door, one on either side of your head, and pushed as you continued to try and see what was happening.

The yelling continued. Bob begging them to stop whatever it was that they were doing to him. Doctors and scientists yelling for assistance in a way that had you thinking whatever was happening they hadn’t seen yet before. Before you realized what you were doing, you were pounding on the door and begging to be let out.

It reached a crescendo of screaming and then it fell silent. Dread seeped through every vein and artery of your body as you tried to figure out what had happened. Did they kill him? Was whatever this was too much and it killed him? Did the pain finally knock him out? But then why weren't they saying anything either?

You started hitting the door harder. You screamed Bob's name and waited for the glass to break beneath the slamming of your fists. Tears were streaming down your cheeks as you were forced to simply stand there and wait for whatever happened next. How did you always end up in this position? How did you always end up being so useless when people needed you the most?

Then the lights cut out. It was only for a second, two at most. But everything went dark. The brief power outage reset the lock on your door, so you eagerly ripped it open and launched yourself out into the expanse of the lab without a second thought. Looking around, you didn’t see anyone. The eerie part, though, was that nothing really seemed like it was out of place.

Your heart was thundering inside your chest as you took one tentative step after another. You called out for Bob but got no answer from him or anyone else. As you continued to walk, you glanced into each of the exam rooms. Most of them seemed untouched.

The second to last one gave you pause before you even got to it. The door was flung open, and black streaks were coming out of the doorway. Even on your best day, you wouldn't have been able to venture a guess as to what would case something like that.

“Bob?” You wished your voice wasn't so shaky.

Then you heard it. Footsteps. Slow and heavy. You stopped walking, holding your breath as you tried to gear up for whatever was about to happen. There was no more trying to predict the next move now—you just had to take them as they came.

The relief you felt when Bob stepped out of the exam room was indescribable. He looked like hell, his hair all a mess and tears on his face. If you thought that he'd looked scared before, it was nothing compared to the look in his eyes now. But it was him. He was alive. That was better than you had been preparing yourself for.

You didn’t even bother trying to stop the sob in your throat as you quickly went to collapse the distance between the two of you. “Thank god you're alright,” you said, managing a smile through the tears.

The deer-in-headlights look on his face intensified tenfold as you reached out for him. He held his hands up, palms facing you like he was surrendering. “Wait, wait don't—”

You'd hardly started to process what he was saying, or the fact that his hands and wrists were now an inky black color as you went to take his hands in yours. He tried to pull back away from you, but he wasn't fast enough. Your next kind words died halfway up your throat as your fingers brushed against his. Suddenly you were gone, and Bob was all alone once more.

He dropped to his knees just outside the room he'd been stuck in. Holding his hands out in front of him, he stared at his palms through his tears. Clenching his fists, he felt his fingernails bite into the meat of his palms. It didn't do anything to him, though, not like what it had done to everyone else, not like what it had done to you.

He stared at the shadow left behind where you had once stood. Reaching out, he pressed his fingertips to it, not knowing what he expected it to do. When nothing happened, he figured that it was fitting. That was about what he deserved.

Marvel Taglist (please let me know if you'd like to be added!): @garbinge @blackhawkfanatic @mommymilkers0526 @villainfan @i-heart-marvel

@katt58 @foreverchangingmind @ioonatv @wildtigerlili @darkwhisperswolf

@awesomenessfeet @qardasngan @justahopelessssromantic @itsmadamehydra @guiltyasreid

@beebeerockknot

[luli-lads]

My full thoughts and reactions as I read through it:

- EVIL LADY???? HOT VILLAIN LADY??? PERHAPDST??

- FRACTAL LIBRARY???!?!?!!?!!?! IM SO SICK HOLD ON

- WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING. IS THIS CHILD THE ACTUAL ADMIN???????? ....jas?

- I KNEW IT. I FUCKING KNEW IT. MY THEORY WAS CORRECT, THE LIBRARY MOVES. IT MOVES. OH MY GOD

- Is this the Phantom Thief Pea?

- Ohohoho more Hades-Persephone references I see

- Maybe Dimitri is going to be Sylus' antagonist hmm...

- MY SON!! HI MEPHIE :D

- PFFTTT HAHAHAHAHAAHHA NOT SYLUS PLAYING VIDEOGAMES WITH HIS SONS

- Oh my god the NDZ outfit without the choker....

- "You can definitely afford it..." IM WEAK. IM ON MY KNEES. OOOOUGHHHHH. I'LL GIVE YOU EVERYTHING

- we got stabbed 💀💀💀 can mc get some rest from the horrors 💀💀💀💀

- hehehe sylus yapping about cars is so cute

- 10.5 GRAMS OF SOUL. OW OW OW OW. THAT'S SO ROMANTIC AND ALSO PAINFUL

- OOUGHHHH THE SCENEEEEE HE LOOKS SO GOODDDDD KABDJABSKSBDKWBSKSBSJWBSJA

- pretty boy is sulking because his wifey won't believe in him *ant with bindle*

- what a hot couple. truly

- can we take this as confirmation that sylus noms souls/protocores(?)

- the association watching as mc participates in a killing contest with sylus: 👁️👄👁️

- DIMITRI WAS A RESEARCHER? i wonder if he built the arena there on purpose to hide the lab...

- maybe Westley is that woman we encountered at the beginning?

- OH MY GOD XAVIER CRUMBS???

- AND ZAYNE'S??? EMISSARY???

- AND RAFAYEL'S FUCK

- ARE ALL OF THEM TEST SUBJECTS!?!?!?!?!? DID THEY KNOW EACH OTHER?????

- "our little bomb" i'm going to cave your skull in

- ...origo core?

- thank god she didn't lose her memories 😭

- WAIT SYLUS WAS THE ONE THAT GOT US OUTTA THERE IN THE PAST TOO OMGGGG

- WAS THAT YOUNG SYLUS. HOLD ME

- i'm going to kill a hostage. we're gonna get more info on zayne's relationship with the divine???? u promise???? AAAAAAAAAAAAAA

- higher beings. yes. yes. fuck. yes. please. give it to me. the caller. please. please. please. please.

- Neroooo hiii 🥰🥰🥰

- i'm guessing Zayne wants to join the project to take it down from the inside??

- HAHAHAHAHA HOW MANY SWEETS DOES THIS MAN EAT

- hehehe there's that DB nudge, let's see how it develops though...

- oh.

- is this gonna be a split personality situation...

- THE EPISODE NAME IS 'DAWNBREAKER' STRAIGHT UP. NOBODY MOVE

- IM GOING TO FUCKING CRY. THEY MENTION HIM BY NAME. MY BOY.

- i'm literally shaking i'm not joking

- i can't believe Zayne has officially reached serial killer status in the main story

- his voice 🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠🫠

- IM??????????? LIKE I—??????

- HE'S OFFICIALLY DAWNBREAKER EVERYONE CHEERED 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳

- oh my god...............

- he still hates carrots lmao

- he DOES have some kind of DID omg........

- BAI!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S BAI!!!! fucking hell all of Zayne's timelines are converging...

- oh Zayne knows the boy? interesting

- hold on hold on hold on. i think i get it. this lil dude is the same boy at the end of the fractal library story, and not its actual admin. that's why he knows so much about it still.

- WAIT. FUCK. NEVERMIND I GUESS???????

- ASTRA SKDBANSBQJSBAJSBAKSBQKSBS

- 7 years ago... I wonder why Zayne made that promise though. Maybe he thought by accepting the role he could save MC? Or something?

- i don't vibe with this child anymore

- my theories about the library were right 😋💅🏻✨ they hate to see a bad bitch predicting better than the Foreseer

- CARTER MENTION. CARTERRR. CARTER MENTION WOOOO

- YOU BELIEVED RIGHT CAUSE I WOULD DO ANYTHING YOU ASKED

- i've been shaking my hands so violently that my wrists hurt now

- feeding zayne cookies while he drives 🥰

- YOUNG ZAYNE

- i'll be your lab hamster mouse

- Carter reminds me of Carlton Drake from the first Venom movie

- ksbsjssbsjs Carter is practically drooling at the fact that he got Zayne to visit

- no, he doesn't need any more sugar, trust me Carter 😭

- rip Shiqi 🫡🍫 i would've done the same

- me when i accidentally predicted Zayne freezing Carter to a surface in my fic about them

- "I have a more trustworthy colleague to work with now." HOW IN THE HELL YOU'RE GONNA WRITE THAT AND NOT MAKE ME THINK CARTER AND ZAYNE HAD SOMETHING GOING ON BETWEEN THEM HELLO?????

- also predicted his mouth being frozen shut for being a yapper woah. my power............

- HOT COUPLE NUMBER TWO OOUGHHHH

- can benedict die already

- I KNEW IT. I KNEW IT. I PREDICTED IT. THE MT ETERNAL VICTIMS. I SAID IT. FUCK. I HATE MYSELF

- was that astra. did astra say that. i'm going to throw him off a cliff

- ON THAT NOTE, we have confirmation that dawnbreaker was also caused by astra........... this motherfucker can't give it a rest huh

- can the horrors leave Zayne alone pls. why is he living Silent Hill

- did he just

- dawnbreaker....... tried to......

- RESIGNATION!?

- :((((((((((((((((((

- the creator???????????? whomdst????

- AW THAT'S THE END OUGH

.....time to pull out the whiteboard and red string once more

[lightshiningforth]

It would be great to have a longer season of Doctor Who for a lot of reasons, but right now I’m thinking about how much more interesting it would be to see Belinda lose trust in the Doctor after The Interstellar Song Contest. One minute she’s crying over how wonderful he is, and the next she walks in on him torturing a man. We move past that real quickly, in canon. She tells him that he scared her, but still says that he’s wonderful. He says that threat of mass killing triggered him, but doesn’t really express regret. They don’t do anything about the Corporation. And, boom! Season finale time.

What if Belinda had pushed the Doctor away when he guiltily removed the torture gloves and tried to hug her? What if she had confronted him with the fact that he went past stopping a catastrophe and into gratuitous violence without understanding the full picture? And the Doctor would go back to where Kid and Wynn sit in jail and appeal to them. Say that he was so harsh on them because he has known people like them, has BEEN the person like them. Say that mass killings never made up for the wrongs that preceded them, but here, now, he will help them stop the people truly responsible. Offer them a hand. Kid probably wouldn’t take it, but Wynn might, especially after Cora sings. And they go take down the Corporation, somehow. Maybe the CEO or the Board get a very scary Doctor speech and all of the earnings from Poppy Honey are returned to the people of Hellia, while all the Corporation’s crimes (the killings, burning the planet) get plastered on screens throughout the galaxy just as the song contest was. Poppy Honey is exposed. The Corporation loses everything. Maybe Wynn gets to kill the CEO/Board, either after the Doctor leaves or in defiance of his wishes. How can he reasonably stand in her way, after almost killing Kid in front of her? Then, after, the Doctor and Belinda have several more adventures… but she keeps him at arm’s length. She can’t believe she had trusted him completely and forgotten that she barely knows him and what he’s capable of. The Doctor works to win her back, and slowly reveals what exactly in his backstory triggered him so badly. The many losses of Gallifrey, at his own hands and at the hands of the Master. He will NOT let Earth go the same way. Slowly, slowly, they create a tentative bond of trust again.

And THEN, boom, season finale.

[emeraldserenade]

Songbird ~ Joaquín Torres

synopsis: every song you write is about how much you love Joaquín

tw: fem!reader, singer!reader, none?, barely edited.

fic, ficlet, drabble, request

I had a lot of fun at the ren faire yesterday, I was so tired when I got home last night. I got a tiara though! Every song I use is a real song, I'll add the list of songs in order they're used at the end.

➽──────────────❥

You met Joaquín in college, you were there as a music major and needed someone who was willing to be in the video for your final.

"Hi, I'm sorry to bother you," you walked up to a man that was sitting alone in the cafeteria.

"Hi?" He looked at you with a wide and confused expression.

"You can tell me of fuck off if you want, but I have to make a music video for my final and I need a guy for it. I was wondering if you'd be willing? I'll make it up to you with buying you lunch or something!" You rambled nervously but he just smiled at you.

"Oh, when?

"Whenever you're free, it would just be us and my friends who play the instruments," you explained, taking a hesitant seat across from him.

"I only have one more final tomorrow and then I'm free until I leave to go visit my family for break," he told you, and just like that, the rest was history.

✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧

You and Joaquín started dating a few months after the music video. Joaquín supported you and your friends when you all started to do small performances at bars and other places. Joaquín was at every one of your band's performances in the beginning, cheering from the side. When Joaquín joined the air force, you had to assure him that you weren't upset that he would miss performances. The same conversation had to happen when he became Falcon.

✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧

He was on a stakeout mission when his phone went off, he was tagged in multiple photos and videos from your latest show. He connected his earbuds and started to watch the videos after Sam promised that he was fine to do it.

"I wrote this next song about my boyfriend, Joaquín I know you're watching this somewhere. I love you," you announced before the music started up.

Joaquín had to start another video to actually see the song, it was one of his favorites. Not only because it was about him but because it was your favorite, you loved to sing it. The video started later in the song but Joaquín watched you sing and move on the stage with a smile on his face.

"Oh-oh, who knew I'd be falling like I am with you? Heart's up in my throat, that's what you do. Love is pretty scary when it's true. And oh-oh, we know every step is like walking on the tight rope. Gravity is begging me to let go. Love is pretty scary when it's true. Afraid of heights but you're my parachute. Afraid of heights but your my parachute. Might as well sit back and enjoy the view, oh-oh-oh-oh, you love. Oh, you love me," the clip ended and Joaquín swiped to the next one.

"We'll play Nintendo though I always lose. 'Cause you watch the TV while I'm watching you. There's not many people I'd honestly say I don't mind losing to. But there's nothing like doing nothing with you," Joaquín watched as you swayed side to side a little, a smile on your face. "Dumb conversation, we lose track of time. Have I told you lately, I'm grateful you're mine? We'll watch the notebook for the 17th time. I'll say it's stupid then you'll catch me crying. We're not making out on a boat in the rain, or in a house I painted blue. But there's nothing like doing nothing with you." Joaquín watched the end of the clip before looking up and out the window. There was still no movement so he went to the next video.

✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧

Joaquín was too busy listening and singing to your songs while starting lunch when you got home to notice you walking in. Your tour ended last night but you weren't supposed to get back until the next day; however, you decided to switch planes and get home as soon as possible.

"Baby, stay forever and a day. Learn to play with my body in a hundred different ways, learn to link u all ht edots. ith the soul, with the thoughts. Till' the drums cut you off going ra-tah-tah," Joaquín put the knife down and turned to the stove. He smiled at you and gave you a small wave before his brain caught up to what he saw. "Mi amor, you're home," he rushed to pull you into a hug.

"I am," you melted into his embrace with a breathy laugh. "I've missed you," you mumbled pressing your face into his shoulder.

"I've missed you too," he pulled away and gently pulled your face to his so he could kiss your lips.

✧°˖ . ݁˖︵‿❀‿︵˖ . ݁˖°✧

"I wrote a new song," you announced to Joaquín, your notebook held in your hands proudly. "Do you wanna hear it?"

"Always, baby," Joaquín paused his game and gave you his undivided attention.

"Ok," you cleared your throat for the joke. "Whale shark in the water floating by. Stingrays swim beside him, saying hi. The otters and belugas, they all salute us. Oh, what a beautiful say to stay inside. Oh, the blue blue water makes you look so pretty. Next to jellyfishes swimming in captivity. I know you're far more focused on the deep blue scenery, but I can't focus when you're next to me. Oh, Taroko. Oh, I love you so. Oh, Taroko. Oh, I love you so. Admiring the fossils on the wall. Not trouble about anything at all. The manta rays above us, they stop to say they love us. Oh, what a beautiful day to fall in love. Oh the blue blue water makes you look so pretty. Next to jellyfishes swimming in captivity. I know you're far more focused on the deep blue scenery, but I can't focus when you're next to me. Oh, Taroko. Oh, I love you so. Oh, Taroko. Oh, I love you so. There's Taroko swimming by, and there's Yushan not far behind. And your hand is falling into mine, and with you, I have nothing to hide. Oceanic wonders up above. A beauty that you're more than worthy of. The ocean all around us, the happiness that found us. Oh, what a beautiful day to fall in love. Oh, what a beautiful day to fall in love. Oh, what a beautiful day to fall in love," you smiled at Joaquín at the end, his eyes just looking at you full of love.

"I love it and you," he told you, his eyes running over your face. You smiled at him and let out a small laugh.

"I love you too," you watched as his eyes kept darting around your face. "Are you trying to commit my face to memory or something?" You joked.

"I don't need to, I already do. I was just thinking about how lucky I am to be with you," he told you and your stomach fluttered.

"Ok, you big sap," you laughed but hugged him nonetheless.

─── ⋆⋅·𖥸·⋅⋆ ─ ⋆⋅·𖥸·⋅⋆ ─ ⋆⋅·𖥸·⋅⋆ ───

Song List: Parachute by Song House & Kyndal InskeepNothing by Bruno MajorHow Did You Get So Good? by D'lourdes Taroko by August Greenwood

➽──────────────❥

Masterlist | Requests

[jesterbiscuits]

Jagged'munch redesign💜💜💜💥💥💥💥💥

Still testing out brushes but I love this one the most so I will stick to it for now :333

Info:

Jagged'munch used to be a woodlandclan cat and heir of the throne when he was named as Bristle'kit, along with his littermates being born, they died from still born, his father Hawk'star didn't allow this as he wanted his son to have a brother or sister or a sibling to grow up with so he kept forcing his queen/mate Stem'leaf to have more kits as jagged'munch grow older but Stem'tuft would have a lot of miscarriages and it would lead to where his father to have a lot of arguments about this in front of him

Unknown to the clan and him, his father has been having an affair with a former kittypet named Sasha until another member of the clan find out about this and expose both him and Sasha to the point where jagged'munch parents would have a deep argument and broke up afterwards completely forgetting about their only kit that is alive still, the clan also forgot about him too, which lead him to become both app and warrior late

Yadada moons later when he is a warrior as Bristle'munch he decided to rename himself as jagged'munch after getting his nasty scars from a pack of wolfs

Eventually he would also start to kill cats and lose faith in starclan while he was slowly dying of hunger and thirst until Mud'star would make an offer to him after the cold night gathering which jagged'munch accept with a second thought, he would tell Mud'star a lot of the clans that are against Mud'star and his clan and his allies, which lead them to know all of the plans the other clan has against them, behind jagged'munch clan back, which lead the coralclan king, Blackout'star to take a interest in him

His parents however move on and a new family with their new mates(including Sasha too bc now Hawk'star was mate with her instead) it cause him to become jealous including how his half sister also took his crush away where eventually he would murdered her when she was expecting the tom kits,

Yadada eventually Blackout'star would wanted to become his mate but he rejected him many times until he finally accepted it and became pregnant with his kits the clan didn't care at all until the kits were born he would give his kits away to Blackout'star and murder Sasha where his father would become outrageous and attack him wondering why he was doing this before

Jagged'munch remind him that he was abandoned and forgotten the whole time before he was exile, he would join coralclan with his mate and kits, and continued to murder another cat from snowclan and when the great war happen when Hare'heart fail to killed hare'heart kin after he was killed by his father, jagged'munch would take the opportunity to kill hare'heart kin in the middle of the great war not caring about that tom from snowclan until he killed him, but was attacked by his parents Stem'tuft and Hawk'star but mentioned to escape from them when jagged'munch mate Blackout'star attacked them both and took one of Hawk'star life and almost killed Stem'tuft

End of info💥💥💥

Anyways I'm gonna redesign his mate Blackout'star next CHAT💥💥💥💥💥

Link to his old design💥💥💥💥

[cath-lic]

if i think about the garden of eden too much i start transforming into john milton

[swordscleric]

I'm only halfway through the second phase of Predathos (which, to be clear is an incredible vibe for a bossfight, love a good head & hands/multitarget-same-entity boss) but I cannot shake the feeling of disappointment and just dissatisfaction I have had with this campaign that definitely started with Dusk/Yu, got followed up handily with the first Delilah/Sun Tree fight and then has been unfortunately reinforced with every discussion surrounding the Prime Deities since Hearthdell. This campaign is fascinating to pick apart, I have been really enjoying pulling apart why it isn't working compared to C1 or C2. But as much as I'm having fun dissecting where the worldbuilding has led to the current weaknesses in the gods' argument or reading other people's incisive commentary on the lack of personalities on the Ruby Vanguard's end, the "girlfailure" nonsense, etc etc, man do I wish this campaign was better than it is.

There are so many avenues of improvement -

Matt telling everyone to prep and write characters for this campaign instead of a C2-esque character-focused campaign.

Matt working religious organisations into the world properly.

The cast engaging with Marquet as a genuine location rather than set-dressing.

Otohan, Ozo and the rest of the Vanguard having more than "*insert snappy line here*" for their personalities.

No Delilah.

Bell's Hells having an iota of curiosity for anything outside of their own selves, including but not limited to: the gods, religious worship, the Elemental Titans and why they were sundered, how the people of Exandria feel about the gods, Vasselheim and its role in suppressing information about Predathos, Ludinus Da'Leth's plan and how it would still break the world if they did it in his place

I don't know why all of this fell into place in the way that it did, but it did. We can endlessly speculate why - the cast resting on their laurels after C2, not having enough time between the animated shows and Daggerheart and Candela Obscura and, and, and - but at the end of the day I really do hope that whatever form the final campaign wrap-up takes, they burn the damn questions asking the cast "what if the world was made of pudding and this character and this character kissed?" and instead pick questions that get them to introspect for a potential Campaign 4. Otherwise I don't know what will happen, but it sure as hell won't be Mighty Nein part 2: Issylra Boogaloo.

[luck-of-the-drawings]

POOR GABRIEL MONTEZ! YOU NEVER SAW THIS COMING DID YOU? ALL YOU WANTED WAS POWER. SECURITY. SAFETY. & THATS EXACTLY WHAT YOU GOT! JUST IN EXCHANGE FOR YOUR BODY. LETS JUST HOPE NO ONE FUCKS THIS UP. LETS JUST HOPE YOU WONT HAVE TO CLEAN UP THE MESS.