#at least i think i did it justice? idk it's hard to answer when i don't share the same keiwa views but i do want to respect them ^^

[iristial]

As a fellow Aruto fan sorry for contributing to the disk horse 😔. I love Keiwa for very much the same reasons as Aruto but holy fuck does the boy have some mental illness and personal issues to work through before he can become his best self. Nonetheless, I have hope for him!

Takahashi has this thing where his good boys are still allowed to be flawed and nuanced and hurt people in rather unique ways (they are allowed to be ANGRY and VENGEFUL when they are hurt) and it’s hard for fandom to accept the whole of this kind of character. I think it does a disservice to Keiwa to ignore his flaws as much as it does to act like he isn’t still Trying.

He pinned his hopes through twisted words of those using him on “make the goddess repent for her sins” and without that promised easy fix of course he wonders about the worth of playing Ace’s game.

The struggle us Aruto and now Keiwa fans go through 🤝 It's been chaotic these past few months, for sure >-<

I've never really perceived Keiwa to have Issues as I did with Aruto so I differ from you there, but I do agree that Takahashi good boys are ultimately human. They make bad choices and mistakes like anyone else. They can get stressed, hurt, vindictive, fall apart. We can't always expect them to withstand the pressure, and by expecting them to only make good choices, it makes it harder to allow room for error, to forgive, or believe someone deserves many chances. Yet they still push on to change and grow, whether they recognize it themselves or someone gives them the nudge they need to emerge from the darkness. So I also believe Keiwa will come around. Because sure, Keiwa hesitated, what with no mystical way to achieve the great ideal of world peace. But he decided on his own terms to protect what's left and focus on the present. Meaning he's always been trying, up to the day - even after - this questionable plotline happened. And if he never did, then why would Ace insist on believing in him? Supposedly granted his ideal world in the hopes that peace, not violence, will make him come around? That's the real push Keiwa needed. Now all that's left is how long it'll take for him to come back...and spare us the agony, as fruitful as it was at times xD

[syuga-s]

i made my fiancés tinder profile

w.c. 8.5k pairing. non-idol!jeon jungkook x fem!reader genre. cute and angsty friends to lovers <333 a/n. idk guys i wrote this like a month ago but I JUST GOT THE ENERGY TO POST IT so i apologize in advance if you find mistakes here and there, ALSO i made the playlist that inspired me to make this fic so i'll just leave it here if you want to give it a listen or save it don't look at my other playlists tho they're a mess 🦦

You always thought you were pretty good at giving dating advice. It’s easier when you’re not the one doing the dating, right? That’s how it all started with Jungkook. You two were chilling at your apartment one lazy Sunday afternoon when you suddenly blurted out, “Why are you still single, Jungkook? You’re amazing, good-looking, and fun. You should at least be on like three different dating apps.”

He laughed, running a hand through his hair in that effortlessly cool way he always did. “Dunno' just haven’t found the right person,” he said with a smile that made you heart do a weird little flip. “I don’t think I’m good at dating, haha.”

“You’re ridiculous,” you shot back, sitting up. “Let's make you an account. We’ll get you some matches in no time.”

He hesitated for a second, then shrugged. “Sure, let's do it.”

And that’s how you ended up setting up his profile, not realizing that this would be the beginning of the end of your denial and the start of a love story you never saw coming.

You grabbed his phone and he settled onto the couch next to you. “Okay, first things first. We need some killer photos. Let’s start with your main picture.”

You opened the camera app. You sat there, looking at his phone for a minute before he let out a loud laugh.

You looked up. “What is it?"

He grinned, pointing at something behind you. "It's just Tae taking a picture of us setting up a dating profile," Jungkook said, chuckling.

You turned around to see Taehyung standing in the doorway, holding his phone up with a huge grin on his face. "Don't mind me," Taehyung sang out, winking at the two of you. "Just capturing this for posterity."

Tae showed Jungkook the picture and a fit of laughter erupted again, now from the two of them. "Your face! You look so focused and super serious right now."

Rolling your eyes, you lightly smacked his arm. "This is serious business! We need to find the perfect picture to reel in all the potential matches."

Then you started browsing through his photo gallery to curate the most attractive selection of pictures.

There you had him on the gym doing weights, him on his boxing gear, with his dogs, him doing the dishes with a strangely tight black shirt, a few selfies on his car, with his motorcycle. You could sell a whole album with his photos, how on earth would you do him justice and only choose 10 of them?

"Why is this so hard?"

Jungkook chuckled. "Because you're not choosing photos for a profile, you're trying to find a reason to stare at me and my body for too long."

"Boy, I'm trying to help you here, and if I'm gonna do it, I might as well do this like a professional matchmaker." You retorted.

His eyebrows furrowed. "When have you ever paired someone up?"

You smiled smugly. "That's none of your business, Jeon."

"It is, actually, since you're helping me with this thing."

"Fine, if you must know, I hooked up one my friend's older sister with my college roommate."

"Really? How did that go?" He asked, curious.

"Pretty well, they've been together for a couple years now." You answered, still going through his photos.

"Wasn't your college roommate that guy with the blue hair?" He asked, his tone changing slightly.

"Uh-huh, why?"

"Wasn't he the guy you were dating during our third year?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that."

"How can you forget about him?" He sounded annoyed. "You spent an entire week crying in my bed because he broke up with you."

"Oh my god, did I? I don't recall." You were playing dumb, of course you remembered but there was no need to talk about that. "What do you think of this one?" It was a shirtless picture, point blank.

"I think you look kinda slutty but everyone's gonna eat it up, you'll get a date in no time." You continued.

"I am not posting a shirtless picture, are you crazy?" He snatched the phone from your hand.

"Well, it's not like we're gonna sell the damn picture, it's just your torso and the picture is really nice, you look good, I don't know why you're making such a fuss."

He didn't say anything, just looked at you.

"What? I'm complimenting you, it's the truth." You rolled your eyes.

"Okay, thank you." He was blushing.

"Are you blushing?" You asked, amused.

"No, it's just really hot in here." He took off his hoodie, throwing it somewhere in your living room.

You didn't even realize how close he was sitting next to you. It wasn't like it was the first time he'd been on your couch, but something felt different today. It was strange.

All the photos that you chose showcased different aspects of Jungkook's personality. Each photo told a story about him - his love for his dogs, his passion for staying active, his playful side with silly selfies. As you scrolled through his gallery, you couldn't help but notice the genuine smile on his face in many of the pictures, a smile that seemed to light up the whole world.

After him putting up a fight on choosing his favorite photos of him, next you had to write him something for his bio.

Jungkook leaned in closer to read over your shoulder.

"This is stupid, what do you want me to write? My name, my age, my occupation?" He was whining.

"Yes, those things obviously, but also things like, I don't know a joke or something to sum up your personality. I want them to know you're fun and cute, mind-blowingly good at everything, something along those lines."

"I am mind-blowingly good at everything." He said, his tone confident.

You rolled your eyes.

"So let's say, what if I write 'shit i'd date the hell out of me', you like it?" You asked him with a smile.

He laughed. "I do, I really do."

"Okay, it's settled." You wrote down the phrase, and a bunch of things about him.

"Now we just have to add something that will hook them up."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, just be honest. Just, don't write that you're looking for a girl to have sex with."

"But I am looking for a girl to have sex with." Blank expression on his face.

"You are so dumb sometimes." You threw a pillow at his face.

He caught it mid-air. "God, you know I'm not look— this was YOUR IDEA IN THE FIRST PLACE!" He yelled, trying to defend himself.

"Yeah, but, just write something that will make you look not like a manwhore."

He thought for a moment. "I know, I got it."

"Okay, shoot."

"I'm a manwhore." He had the brightest smile.

"Oh, for the love of..." You couldn't help but laugh at his antics. "Alright, fine. If that's what you want to go with, who am I to stop you?"

You two were done, and he was already getting notifications.

"Woah, that was... surprisingly fast." He was surprised, and you were proud of yourself.

"Of course, you're hot and cute. We don't see your type in dating apps very often."

He gave you a weird look, you couldn't quite figure out. "Thanks?"

"No worries, I'm sure you'll find someone in no time." You patted him on the back as you were getting up and ready to go to the kitchen and make some dinner. "See who you like and I'll help you on how to ask them on a date."

"Okay." He smiled.

"What are you smiling at? Are you looking at them already?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to see which one of these girls will be our first victim."

"Don't call them victims." You laughed.

The truth is that Jungkook only agreed to this because he loves spending time with you.

As you busied yourself in the kitchen, Jungkook couldn't shake the warmth spreading through his chest. He scrolled through the notifications on his phone, half-heartedly swiping left and right. His mind wasn't on finding a date; it was on you.

He couldn't believe he agreed to this. Making a profile on Tinder just to humor the best friend he was in love with, seemed harmless at first, but now, seeing the app light up with potential matches, he felt burdened. He wasn't here to date. He was here because he wanted to be closer to you, even if it meant pretending to search for someone else.

Each time a new message popped up, he found himself wondering if you'd approve. Would you laugh at the cheesy pickup lines together? Would you help him craft witty responses? He realized he didn't care about meeting any of these girls; he only cared about spending time with you.

But as much as he tried to focus on the dating app in front of him, his thoughts kept drifting back to you. To the way you laughed and teased him, to the way you always seemed to know what he needed even when he didn't realize it himself. Jungkook found himself longing for something he couldn't quite name, a feeling that stirred deep within him whenever he was near you.

He sighed, setting his phone down on the coffee table as he leaned back on the couch because he didn't bother looking through any of the profiles. Instead he made his way to the kitchen, where you were standing over a pot, stirring absentmindedly.

He stepped up behind you, watching as you stirred. His chest was warm, and he had a strange urge to wrap his arms around you and nuzzle his nose into your neck.

"Hey," he said, his voice soft.

You turned your head slightly, not looking at him but smiling. "Hey."

Jungkook took a step closer, placing his hand over yours. "Let me help," he said.

You handed him the wooden spoon, your fingers brushing against his in the exchange. He stirred the pot gently, mirroring the way he wanted to handle your heart. Neither of you spoke, the only sound filling the room was the clinking of utensils against the pot.

"You okay there?" Your voice broke through his daydreaming.

He answered you softly while running a hand through his hair nervously. "Yeah, just... thinking."

As the aroma of the dish wafted through the air, you felt his warmth seeping into you, comforting and familiar. You couldn't ignore the heavy tension that hung between you, thick like a fog.

He cleared his throat, breaking the spell. "So... what do we do now?" His voice was low, almost a whisper.

You turned around to face him, his eyes searching yours for answers neither of you dared to voice. "We eat dummy," you said with a laugh.

You and Jungkook sat down for dinner, the tension from earlier still lingering between you. As you ate, you caught each other stealing glances when the other wasn't looking.

"So...have you looked at any of the matches yet?" you asked, trying to break the silence.

Jungkook shifted in his seat. "A few, but no one really caught my eye," he said evasively.

You nodded, poking at your food. "Well if you see anyone you like, let me know. I want to help."

"Thanks, I will," Jungkook said with a small smile.

You returned the smile weakly, a pang in your chest at the thought of Jungkook dating someone else. You had pushed the feelings down for so long, not wanting to jeopardize your friendship. But your dumb decision of making him a dating profile forced you to confront how you really felt.

After you finished eating together, Jungkook helped you with the dishes. You dried off your hands, and he was ready to leave. Almost as if he was on a rush.

"Thanks for making dinner," he said with a smile.

You nodded. "Of course, you know I love having you over."

You stood at the door awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

Jungkook cleared his throat. "I'll text you," he said.

You gave him a thumbs-up, your voice coming out more high-pitched than normal. "Yeah, cool. See ya later."

He chuckled and leaned down to give you a hug. You wrapped your arms around him, breathing in his scent. You held him a little longer than necessary, wanting to memorize the feeling of his arms enveloping you.

Jungkook's hand lingered on your shoulder as he pulled away.

"Goodnight," he said softly, his thumb brushing against your cheek before he turned to leave. You watched him go, feeling a mix of emotions swirling inside you. As the door closed behind him, you leaned against it, aching with the realization that you might have just pushed away the one person who meant more to you than just a friend.

If only you had the courage to do something.

The following week, you found yourself cleaning your house, the mess had piled up and you had a bunch of your clothes all over the place and that's when you found Jungkook's hoodie from last week. It had fallen between your couch and the wall, so you pulled it out with a considerable amount of force. That's when his iPod fell to the ground.

He still uses this thing? The corners of your mouth turned up involuntarily as you recalled teasing him about the ancient device.

You were surprised, most people uses their phones, or maybe he still has this thing because it was a present from you. If you hadn't seen it you wouldn't have remembered that you had given him this iPod for Christmas like 7 years ago.

You took the device in your hand and turned it on. You figured it would be nice to hear his playlists while you kept cleaning.

You should have just connected it and played it on shuffle. But I guess humans are very nosey creatures. Creatures who love to go through someone else's things, just to see another hidden side of said person.

So, like any other normal human being, you opened his lists, and started to go through them.

"Golden mix", "Euphoria", "OST's". Those were pretty standard. "Lonely nights" a bit of a stretch, "Best of the 00s", "Dance party" and "Songs to sing along". Fork found in kitchen. And there was one more playlist that caught your attention.

Simply labeled with— "Your name."

Your heart started beating faster. What is this?

You opened the playlist and you were welcomed by a list of what it seemed like... love songs.

The first one was "Best Friend". You didn't know what to think. Why did he have a playlist with songs like "Kiss me" by Matt Maltese, "Mountains" by Charlotte Day Wilson, "Making Time" by Rex Orange County. All love songs.

Then it hit you. He's in love.

You started panicking. Your heart racing with thoughts you couldn't ignore any longer. The playlist named after you echoed in your mind.

You couldn't believe it. Jungkook, your best friend, the one who always seemed so casual and carefree, had a playlist dedicated to you filled with love songs. Your mind raced as you tried to process this new information. Was it possible that he felt the same way you did? That the tension between you wasn't one-sided after all?

You sat down on the couch, still holding his iPod in your hands. The weight of it felt heavier now, as if it held all the unspoken words and emotions that had been swirling between you and Jungkook. You couldn't bring yourself to put it down; instead, you scrolled through the playlist again, each song title tugging at your heartstrings.

A sense of warmth washed over you, mingled with fear and uncertainty. What should you do now? Should you confront Jungkook about the playlist, lay all your cards on the table and risk changing everything between you? Or should you keep quiet, pretend you never stumbled upon this precious list?

You knew there was something going on, you weren't stupid. But you couldn't bring yourself to accept the possibility that the guy you love, might like you back. It's easier to pretend like nothing is happening. You have built this whole imaginary life with him in your head, but not once did you consider that it might be a two-way street.

"I already said I'm in love with you Can't you hear me? Why do you act like you don't? You know well the spark in my eyes when I look at you Can't you see it? Why do you act like you don't?"

You had been listening to the song on repeat for an hour. It was stuck in your head. Your heart was aching.

The reality was finally sinking in.

"He's in love with me," you whispered to yourself, the realization hitting you like a tidal wave. It explained so much—his kindness, his attentiveness, even his willingness to go along with making a stupid profile for a stupid dating app. But you had built walls around your heart, afraid to acknowledge the possibility that your feelings were reciprocated.

You felt a surge of emotions, a mix of joy and fear swirling inside you. Jungkook's unspoken confession through his playlist left you feeling exposed and vulnerable, yet strangely hopeful.

"Falling" played softly through the speakers, its lyrics painting a picture of longing and uncertainty. It mirrored your own inner turmoil, the battle between fear and listening to your heart for once.

You had spent so long convincing yourself that this was just a friendship, that any romantic thoughts were one-sided. Now, faced with the truth, you didn't know what to do next. Should you tell Jungkook? Should you pretend you never saw the playlist?

Your mind raced with questions, but deep down, you knew you couldn't ignore this any longer. Jungkook's feelings were out in the open, laid bare through these songs that said a lot about his emotions.

Taking a deep breath, you closed your eyes and let the music wash over you. Each melody, each lyric felt like a confession, a plea for you to see what had been in front of you all along.

"I already said I'm in love with you," the lyrics repeated in your mind, echoing the words you longed to hear from Jungkook himself.

The weight of the situation settled over you. You constructed the exact same playlist on your own phone, replaying it endlessly, searching for answers in the same songs he had chosen. It became a ritual, a way to understand what Jungkook hadn't yet said aloud. Each track felt like a message, a confession hidden in plain sight.

As days passed, the playlist became a lifeline, a connection to Jungkook that transcended words. You wondered if he knew the impact his secret gesture had on you, if he realized how deeply you analyzed each song, each lyric, each subtle hint of affection.

It was as if the playlist had become a conversation between your hearts, a silent dialogue that spoke volumes about your unspoken emotions. You couldn't deny the truth any longer—the love you felt for Jungkook had bloomed quietly, nurtured by his unwavering presence in your life and it reflected in the selection of songs carefully chosen by him.

And so you continued to listen, to immerse yourself in the music that spoke of love and longing. It was a soundtrack to his emotions, a testament to the unspeakable love that had grown between you and him.

The guys had planned a small gathering at your house. Hoseok, Jimin and Tae arrived at the same time around 8:00 p.m. with food, drinks and Cards Against Humanity. They were already having fun when they rang the bell.

"Hey," you said as you opened the door.

"Hey!" they greeted you.

You all headed towards the living room and they placed the things they brought on the table.

You chuckled, feeling a wave of warmth at their enthusiasm. "Thanks for coming, guys. I've got the place ready—cleaned up only for you the other day," you teased, motioning towards the neatly arranged living room.

As you all settled in, chatting and unpacking the snacks and games, there was a noticeable absence. Jungkook hadn't arrived yet, and though you tried not to dwell on it, his absence didn't go unnoticed by your friends.

"Where's Jungkook?" Tae finally asked, voicing the question that lingered in the air.

You shrugged nonchalantly, though your heart skipped a beat at the mention of his name. "Not sure. He said he might be a bit late."

Hoseok raised an eyebrow, exchanging a knowing look with Jimin. "Didn't he say he was gonna meet with someone from Tinder?"

"Tinder?"

"You know, the dating app," Tae chimed in, taking a bite of a snack.

"I know what Tinder is Tae,” you replied with a laugh, trying to keep your cool.

"So you didn't know he was on a date?"

"No, he didn't tell me. Are you serious? He's on a date right now?" Your voice came out louder than expected, and you cursed yourself for the slip.

Jimin frowned, concerned. "Are you okay, Y/N?"

You waved dismissively, trying to downplay the hurt and disappointment. "Yeah, all good... well, more food and games for us until he gets here."

You tried to push down the gnawing feeling of jealousy that threatened to surface at the thought of Jungkook on a date with someone else. The idea of him with another person stirred up emotions you had been trying so hard to accept the past days. You forced a smile as you joined in the banter and laughter, attempting to bury your own conflicting emotions.

Despite their casual remarks, you couldn't shake the unease settling in your stomach. You hoped Jungkook would arrive soon, eager for his presence to dispel the nervous tension building within you.

The minutes ticked by, filled with laughter and infinite jokes over Cards Against Humanity. Each time the doorbell rang, you found yourself tensing, hoping it was him. But each time, it turned out to be someone else—a delivery person, one of your neighbors...

As the evening progressed, you couldn't help but steal glances at your phone, checking for any messages from Jungkook. But you decided not to keep waiting and decided to send him a text first.

'whats taking you so longggggggg' it read.

He replied instantly. 'i'm outside, coming now'

You put down your phone, your heart pounding. A few seconds later, you heard familiar footsteps approaching and there was a knock on the door. You got up, heading towards the door.

"He's here!" Tae exclaimed, a grin spreading across his face as he jumped up to answer the door with you.

You held your breath as Jungkook stepped inside, a sheepish smile on his lips as he greeted everyone. His eyes met yours briefly, and for a moment, the world seemed to slow down.

"Sorry I'm late guys," Jungkook said, setting down a bag of drinks next to Tae's.

Jimin smirked teasingly. "Lost track of time, huh?"

Jungkook chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. "Haha nah,"

Absolutely not. It was a disaster. Why did I agree to this? She seemed nice enough online, he thought, but in person... It just wasn’t there. The conversation felt forced, and I couldn’t wait for it to end. He grimaced, recalling how he struggled to find common ground and forced a laugh at her jokes. I should've been with y/n tonight, helping her get everything ready for this.

Of course, all of that stayed in his head. He was embarrassed to tell everyone how much he hated meeting someone new. It would just give your friends the opening to tease him more about it.

"Well, you made it, and we're all here now. So let's start" you suggested, breaking the silence.

His eyes sought out yours, finding a mix of emotions reflected back at him—surprise, curiosity, and something he couldn't quite place.

Everyone nodded in agreement and moved to gather around the coffee table, pulling your cushions closer.

With Jungkook's presence, the gathering felt complete, as if a missing piece had been found.

And as you all laughed and played into the night, you couldn't ignore the way Jungkook's gaze lingered on you, a silent reassurance of the feelings you'd been trying to suppress.

"I'm going to take a photo of this." Tae announced, lifting up his beer.

You and the others followed suit, holding your drinks up and smiling. Jungkook on your right got closer to you for the picture, cheek to cheek, his scent surrounding you. You wanted to lean in and practically inhale him.

"Perfect." Tae snapped the shot, and then showed it to the group. "What do you think, everyone?"

Everyone agreed that it was a good photo.

"We all look great," Tae said.

"But not as good as those two," Hoseok joked.

You rolled your eyes. "Please."

"It's true," Hoseok insisted. "You guys look good together."

Jimin nodded, taking another sip of his drink. "They're right. You’d make a cute couple."

Jungkook felt shy at their words. It's not like he was trying to hide his feelings for you, but he hadn't exactly made his intentions known, either. It was frustrating, wanting to be closer to you but not knowing how.

At least it was encouraging to know that your closest friends were seeing you both that way. That meant he had hope, right?

"Okay, that's enough," you said, feeling your cheeks heat up. "Let's keep playing."

As the game resumed, the group's attention shifted back to the cards.

You cleared your throat, shifting awkwardly on the cushion. "So... how was your date?"

Jungkook winced, not meeting your eyes. "It was okay," he said, his tone lacking enthusiasm.

You bit your lip, curiosity gnawing at you. "Just okay? What happened?"

Jungkook shook his head, still not meeting your gaze. "I don't know. It just didn't feel right, I guess."

You tilted your head, searching his face. "What do you mean?"

Jungkook shrugged, a sheepish expression on his face. "It was just... awkward. We didn't really click. I don't know."

Your chest tightened, a mix of emotions swirling inside. "Oh," you managed, turning back to the game. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not good at this kind of thing, you know? Meeting new people, going on dates. It's hard for me. I'd rather be with people I already know and trust."

You knew what he meant. The same went for you. It was hard enough trying to navigate your feelings without having to worry about other people, too.

You nodded, giving him a small smile. "I get it."

"I just wish it could be easier, you know? Like, finding someone you actually like who happens to also like you back, and not having to worry about anything else. Just enjoying each other's company."

Your breath caught, your mind reeling from his words. And from the way he was looking at you, you could tell he wasn't just talking about friendship.

"Why would you say something like that?" you questioned, the words tumbling out before you could stop them.

Jungkook's brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean? Say something like what?"

"That you wish you could be with someone who actually likes you and not have to worry about anything else."

"I... because it's true. I don't want to go on stupid dates anymore, I want to be with someone I care about. Someone I can laugh and have fun with."

You swallowed, your pulse quickening.

"Someone like who?"

Jungkook exhaled, a nervous smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "I think you know who," he said quietly.

You stared at him, speechless, as his words sunk in. Your heart was racing, your body buzzing with adrenaline.

Hoseok, who had been unusually quiet, suddenly made himself heard, "I think I'm stuck in your bathroom!"

You and Jungkook turned to find your friend, who sounded flustered and slightly panicked. Jimin and Tae burst into laughter, trying to contain themselves as Hoseok continued to tug at the bathroom door.

"What do you mean you're stuck?" Jimin managed to ask between giggles.

Hoseok yelled helplessly. "I went in to use the bathroom, and now the door won't open!"

Jungkook glanced at you with a bemused smile, the tension from earlier dissipating with the absurdity of the situation. "Seriously, Hobi?" he chuckled.

Hoseok sounded exasperated. "It's not funny! How am I supposed to get out of here?"

"I'll go get some tools," Tae offered, still chuckling as he headed towards the kitchen.

You stepped closer to the bathroom door, trying to assess the situation. "It's just stuck. Let me try," you suggested, reaching for the handle and giving it a firm tug.

To everyone's surprise, the door swung open easily, revealing Hoseok looking both relieved and slightly embarrassed. "Oh, thanks, I swear it was stuck…"

Jimin clapped Hoseok on the back, still laughing. "Sure it was, Hobi. Sure."

The rest of the evening passed by in a blur of laughter and games, and despite the lingering awkwardness from earlier, you were glad that the night had gone well.

It was close to 2:00 a.m. when your friends finally began to call it a night, and you were exhausted.

"Thanks again for coming, everyone. I had a lot of funnnn," you said, giving them each a hug goodbye.

Jungkook was still on your kitchen helping you clean up all the mess you made. Drying the dishes and placing the glasses on your cabinets. You were cleaning up the table when he walked up to you.

"Need any help?"

"I'm done, thank you."

"Are you sure?"

"I am, thanks Kookie,"

You started walking towards your room when you heard him speak up.

"I really liked being here tonight."

"I know it was a lot of fun," you replied with a small smile. You grabbed his hoodie and his iPod to return them. Staring at the endearing device. Almost as if it were something fragile.

"I'm glad you had a good time," you responded as you walked back to the kitchen, handing him back his belongings. As you stood there in the dimly lit room, a comfortable silence settled between you. Jungkook's gaze was intense as he looked at you, his eyes searching yours for something unspoken.

Jungkook paused his moves, as if weighing his next words carefully. "I was thinking... maybe we could hang out again this week, just the two of us."

"What about the girl from Tinder?" you asked as you returned to face him, your tone sharper than you intended.

Jungkook frowned, confusion clouding his features. "What are you talking about? You know I went on one date. I told you it was a disaster."

You sighed, suddenly feeling foolish. "Yeah, I know, don't know why I asked that, haha" you muttered. "Didn't know you still used this thing,"

He smiled, his fingers brushing over the iPod. "I still love my music in here, you know, it sounds a lot better"

"Yeah, that's what I thought,"

He looked at you intently, and the air between you seemed to grow heavy.

"I've missed spending time with you, Y/N."

Your breath caught in your throat, your pulse quickening as you stared at him. "Me too," you whispered.

"So, is that a yes?"

"A yes to what?"

"The offer to hang out,"

"Oh, right. Um, yeah, sure. Sounds nice."

Jungkook's face lit up. "Cool. Well, I guess I'll see you later, then." With a final smile, he turned and left.

You watched him go and your mind was spinning. Jungkook's words echoed in your head, his words sending a flutter through your chest. You couldn't help but grin. Maybe there was hope for you two after all.

The following day, you woke up to the sun streaming in through your curtains, illuminating the room in a soft glow. You stretched lazily, savoring the warmth of your bed, before reluctantly climbing out and heading to the bathroom to wash up.

Unconciously, you began to shut yourself out. You had spent the whole night awake, thoughts about the possibility of being with your best friend swirling around your head, preventing you from falling asleep.

As you brushed your teeth, you heard your phone buzz. It was a text from him.

'Good morning'

A smile tugged at your lips, butterflies erupting in your stomach.

'good morning'

'can we go out today? im craving pizza'

You bit your lip, considering the invitation. A part of you was eager to see him, but another part was worried that it might be awkward, especially after the scenarios you created in your head last night.

You ended up refusing to go out with him. And he started to get anxious. He thought he may have done something wrong. That you were actually angry for going on a date or that you no longer wanted him to be part of your life just because he went out with someone else.

Jungkook started panicking.

And so, he called the guys.

"I don't know, she's just not acting normal." he sighed.

"Did something happen the other night?" Hoseok asked, concerned.

"No, I don't think so. She didn't say anything to me,"

"So why is she mad at you?"

"I have no idea. I was hoping maybe you had an idea,"

"Did she say she was mad at you?"

"Not directly, but she didn't want to go out today,"

"Well, I'm not surprised. She's probably just tired,"

"Tired?"

"Yeah, from work and all that, she's probably exhausted. I'm sure it's nothing."

"Do you think so? You don't think she's mad at me?"

"I really don't think she is. She'll probably just want to rest for a few days, and then things will go back to normal."

Your attitude changed so suddenly. You kept on cancelling on him. It’s been weeks.

"You have to talk to her, man," Jimin said.

"What do I say? How do I bring it up? Do I just ask her why she's been avoiding me? What if she doesn't know what I'm talking about?"

"Then ask her. Don't overthink it. Just say it."

Jungkook sighed, frustrated. "You make it sound so easy,"

"Look, I'm not gonna lie to you. It's probably gonna be awkward as fuck, but you can't let it get in the way of your friendship. You've been friends for so long, and it's obviously important to both of you. If she really is mad at you, then you need to find out what's going on. But if she's not, then you need to clear the air and move on. Because otherwise, this is just gonna keep getting worse and worse for you."

"Yeah, you're right. I'm just... worried, I guess."

"I know, but don't be. Everything’s fine. It’ll work out, especially if you let her know that you like her."

"What? Are you crazy? I can't just tell her that."

"Why not?"

"Because... what if she doesn't feel the same way?"

"So what if she doesn't? You'll never know unless you tell her. And if she does feel the same way, then you can finally stop being all sad and pathetic."

"You think she likes me?"

"Well, only she can tell you that, but you'll never know if you don't talk to her. So suck it up and go for it."

"Fine. I'll talk to her."

"Good."

"But... how do I tell her?"

"Just be honest. Tell her you've been worried that something is wrong, and you want to make sure everything is okay. Then let her know how you feel. But, be prepared for her reaction. If she doesn't feel the same way, it could make things weird. But you need to deal with it and move on."

That same day you were laying down in bed, scrolling through your phone. Reading over and over the lyrics of one particular song on the playlist.

"Is there a place for me? Is there a place for us? I can't tell you how much I love you, babe Open the door Open your heart Tell me how you're feeling, I miss you so bad I'm falling to pieces"

And just like that, your phone began vibrating, your heart beating rapidly as his name flashed across the screen.

"Hello?"

"Hey, are you free? Can we talk?"

"Uhm... sure, yeah. Now?"

"If it's okay, yes."

"Okay,"

"I'm coming up now."

"Wait, wha-..."

Jungkook was already at your door, knocking frantically. You opened it for him, your heart in your throat.

He stood before you, looking determined. His eyes were wide, his hair tousled, and he was out of breath, as if he had just run a marathon.

"Sorry, I was already on my way. I had to do it now. I have to say it, because otherwise, I won't have the courage to say it some other time,"

"Okay?"

He inhaled deeply, his eyes locked on yours.

"Y/N, I really, really like you. And I've been so confused and conflicted because I've always liked you, then I started thinking that maybe there was more. And then I realized there was. I really, really like you."

You swallowed hard, the words ringing in your ears.

"I-..."

"It's okay, I just wanted you to know,"

You shook your head, struggling to comprehend what he had just told you. "I'm sorry, I'm just..."

"I know, and I'm sorry. But I had to say it."

"So, does this mean... what are you saying exactly?"

Jungkook hesitated, running a hand through his hair. "Look, Y/N, I don't expect anything from you, and I don't want things to get weird. But I just had to tell you. I'm crazy about you."

You nodded slowly, processing his words. "uh. I-... uh."

"I know it's sudden, and I'm sorry. I just couldn't hold it in anymore. But I don't want anything to change, I promise. I'll just go, and we can forget this ever happened. We can go back to the way things were, I promise. I'm sorry,"

"Jungkook, stop apologizing. It's not a bad thing, I'm just... processing. I've never had anyone say they're crazy about me before," with your phone in your hand an idea immediately came to you.

"Can I show you something?" you asked him.

"What is it?"

You walked up to him, your phone in your hand. You handed him your device and let him see your screen. There it was, the infamous playlist.

Jungkook's doe eyes widened, a small gasp escaping his lips as he noticed. "What... is this...?"

"I went through your iPod when you left your hoodie last time," you told him with an embarrassed grin. "They’re the same songs you have on yours,"

"This is so embarrassing," he groaned, his cheeks red. "You... you went through my iPod?" Jungkook asked, now with a hint of amusement in his voice.

You nodded, feeling a mix of embarrassment and relief that he wasn't angry about it. "I was curious about the music you listen to. And I found… this,”

He stared at the playlist, then back at you, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "So... does that mean you... already knew how I felt?" Jungkook asked, hope flickering in his eyes.

Your heart raced at his words, a mix of excitement and uncertainty swirling inside you. Could this really be happening? Could your long-standing friendship truly be blossoming into something more?

"Jungkook," you began, your voice barely above a whisper. "I... I like you too. More than just a friend."

"So what does this mean? That we are supposed to be together?"

"Maybe, or maybe not. It could just mean that you have great taste in music and I admire it,"

Jungkook's eyes widened with hope, a grin spreading across his face. "I've been wanting to tell you for so long, but I was afraid of ruining everything between us."

You smiled, your heart fluttering. "Me too, I’m sorry for making you worry these past few days,"

"Can I hug you?" he asked, his voice trembling slightly.

You nodded, wrapping your arms around his neck.

Jungkook held onto you tightly, his arms snug around your waist. You rested your chin on his shoulder, closing your eyes and inhaling his familiar scent.

After a few moments, he pulled away slightly, his hands still resting on your hips.

He looked at you with a mix of relief and uncertainty in his eyes. "So, I didn't ruin anything between us?" he murmured softly.

You shook your head, a small smile playing on your lips. "You didn't ruin anything, Jungkook. If anything, you've made everything clearer."

His shoulders relaxed slightly at your words, a hint of a smile returning to his face. "I'm glad."

"I'm glad too," you began again, your voice steady but tinged with nervousness. "But I also want you to know that... I've been thinking a lot too."

Jungkook turned to face you fully, his expression a mix of anticipation and apprehension. "About...?"

"About us," you admitted softly, meeting his gaze. "About how much I enjoy spending time with you, about how much I admire you, and... how I've felt something more than just friendship for a while now."

His eyes widened slightly, hope flickering in them. "A while?”

You nodded, a shy smile playing on your lips. "Yes, Jungkook. A while. I've just been afraid to say anything because I didn't want to lose you in case you didn't felt the same way about me."

He stepped closer to you, his hand reaching out tentatively. "Y/N... I wish I had known sooner. I've been struggling with these feelings, not knowing if you felt the same way."

"I'm sorry for not saying anything earlier," you murmured, your fingers brushing against his. "But I'm glad we're talking about it now."

He squeezed your hand gently, his eyes never leaving yours. "Me too. More than anything."

There was a moment of silence between you, the weight of your shared emotions hanging in the air. Finally, Jungkook spoke again, his voice filled with determination.

"So... what do we do now?"

You chuckled softly, feeling a surge of affection for him. "I think we take it one step at a time. We've already taken a big step today."

He nodded, a smile spreading across his face. "Yeah, you're right. I'm just... really happy right now."

"Me too," you said, squeezing his hand.

"I guess the only question now is... are we... together together?" he asked hesitantly.

You grinned, your heart pounding in your chest. "Only if you want us to be,"

"Yes, yes, yes. Of course, yes,"

"Then it's settled. We're together," you giggled.

Jungkook laughed, the sound sending a warm feeling through your chest.

Cut to 4 years in the future.

There you were at a dinner with friends and family. It had been four years since you got together, but it felt like an eternity. You both were so excited for each other, for your life from now on.

"Hey, you got a little something," he whispered, brushing away a strand of hair from your cheek.

You couldn't help but smile, his touch as tender as ever. "Thanks,"

"No problem," he smiled.

Then you could hear someone clinking a glass. "A few words from the fiancé!" Jin's voice reverberated through the dimly lit restaurant.

"Y-yeah, yeah," your boyfriend stuttered, clearing his throat and standing up. He was a nervous wreck, and it was adorable.

"Um, first, thank you all for being here. It really means a lot to us. We know how important it is to have your loved ones around you on a special day, and we're so grateful for everyone who's supported us. Second, a special thanks to my future father and mother-in-law. Thank you for always being there for us and for supporting our relationship. And, um, thanks to my own parents for, uh, also supporting us."

As the guests began to laugh, your boyfriend cleared his throat and continued, his gaze fixed on yours.

"But most importantly, I want to say thank you to my amazing girlfriend. Thank you for making every day better. Thank you for always being by my side and for loving me unconditionall—"

"We know that already! Entertain us or I won't pay the bill!" Jin's loud voice interrupted again.

You couldn't help but chuckle and the guests laughed again, amused.

Your fiancé smiled, clearly enjoying the teasing.

"Alright, alright," Jungkook cleared his throat before he continued, "actually, we agreed that we'd never tell anyone how we actually got together but I guess we're past that, right babe?"

"Oh no, don't!" You blushed, a little embarrassed.

"It's a funny story," he continued. "It's kind of a long one, but this girl right here thought that the best course of action was to make me a dating app profile before telling me that she was in love with me."

Everyone burst into laughter.

"I was dumb, okay?" you joked, earning more laughter from the guests.

"So, we ended up talking to some people on said dating app and went on a few dates, which were terrible—"

"Hey! It's not my fault that you agreed even though you were also in love with me!" — "Everyone, he had a playlist with my name filled with sentimental songs like the most lovesick boy on Earth!"

"But babe trust me, it's a great playlist, by the way," you added.

"And then we got drunk, and the truth was revealed."

"What?! No way," Hoseok laughed.

"We weren’t drunk, I’m kidding, I just told her that I had liked her since the beginning," he said. "We just made a disaster, and we were both scared shitless."

"But here we are," you added.

"So, yeah, thanks for coming everyone," your fiancé concluded, his voice breaking a little as he wrapped up his little speech.

You could see him trying to blink back tears as he sat back down next to you, and you gave his hand a squeeze.

"You did great," you whispered, leaning in to give him a quick kiss.

"Thanks," he replied, his voice hoarse.

Your parents got up, taking the floor after him.

"Thank you, thank you," your mom said, a bit embarrassed.

"We’d like to share a few words as well. First, we'd like to thank everyone for coming. It's such a privilege to have all our family and friends here, and we're so thankful for your support. And we're especially grateful for our beautiful daughter and our soon-to-be son-in-law. We are so proud of both of you, and we know you'll have a long and happy life together."

"Thanks," you managed to say, overcome with emotion.

"So, now, we'd like to present the couple with a little something. It's just a small token of our love for them," your mother added, signaling for someone to come forward.

Jimin, Hoseok, and Tae stood up from the table and approached the stage, each of them holding a framed collage.

"Here, you can pass these out," your mother said, handing each of the guests copies of the photos.

You and your fiancé were stunned as the three guys presented the photos to you.

The photos were a collage of different memories: you and him during his graduation, another one from yours, a candid shot of him cooking for you, a photo of the two of you smiling in front of the sunset, and a picture of him holding your hand while you were asleep.

Tears welled up in your eyes as you took in the beautiful photos, each one capturing a special moment in your relationship. The love and happiness radiating from the images made your heart feel full to the brim. You glanced at Jungkook, whose eyes were also glistening with unshed tears, and you reached for his hand, holding it tightly.

"Thank you so much," you managed to say, your voice choked with emotion. "These are... perfect."

"I have a gift for you too," you told him, reaching under the table. You brought out a box wrapped in bright pink paper and a bow.

He looked at you with surprise, his eyes shining with curiosity as he took the box from your hands. Slowly unwrapping it, his mouth fell open in astonishment when he saw what was inside. Nestled within the box was a beautifully crafted watch, the silver band gleaming under the soft light of the restaurant.

"Oh wow," he breathed, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "It's... it's incredible."

"It's engraved," you whispered, pointing to the back of the watch where a message was etched. His eyes widened as he read the words: 'Forever yours, Y/N.'

"I was hoping you'd wear it to the wedding," you said, grinning. "But don't cry, you'll make me cry!" you exclaimed.

"I'm not crying, I just..." he trailed off, sniffling.

"I love it," Jungkook finally managed to say, his voice filled with emotion. He stood up abruptly and pulled you into a tight hug, “I love you.”

As you both separated, there was a collective 'aww' from the guests, making you both blush.

The rest of the evening continued with laughter and joy, surrounded by the love of friends and family. People danced, sang, and shared stories late into the night. It was a celebration of love and new beginnings.

As the night winded down and guests started to leave, you found yourselves standing alone in the dimly lit space. Jungkook wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you close.

"Thank you for everything today," you said sincerely, looking into his big brown eyes.

"Thank you for being mine," he replied softly, feeling overwhelmed with happiness.

"I wouldn't want to be anyone else's," you whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to his lips.

Jungkook cupped your face in his hands and placed a lingering kiss on your forehead. The world around you seemed to fade, leaving just the two of you in a bubble of the deepest affection you’ve ever felt.

[javier-pena]

in plain sight, chapter ii

Pairing: Tommy Miller x f!reader | Joel Miller x Tess Servopoulos

Word Count: 9.7k (idk what happened there)

Rating: Explicit

Summary: Tommy invites you over to dinner and you meet a man you thought you'd never see again.

Warnings: mentions of food and alcohol |drug use (weed) | mention of complicated family dynamics | mention of a family member’s death | voyeurism | exhibitionism | lots of confusing feelings | a tiny bit of bi-curiosity | Joel is kind of a dick | ecouteurism | oral (f receiving) | some dirty talk | (brief) masturbation (f) | some possessiveness | fingering | (protected) p in v sex | light choking | overstimulation

Notes: I know that no one updates stories as slowly as I do, considering I posted the first chapter all the way back in February. But this fic is on my mind constantly, and the one thing I'm always thinking about is Tess. So I hope I did her justice in this chapter - at least Dani @alexturner thinks so 🤭 and no spoilers, but the next chapter is going to be wild, so stick around ...

[Chapter I] [Masterlist] [Chapter III]

***

“When will you be back?”

The question makes you roll your eyes. “I don’t know,” you answer with a sigh. “He’s making dinner … I don’t know what he has planned.”

Your sister glances at the tidy front lawn, the grass neatly cut and dark green in the evening light, and beyond it at the bungalow with its cream-colored façade and dark gray roof. Behind the windows, light is burning, but you don’t see any movement.

“If you’re going to be later than ten, don’t count on me to pick you up.”

“I’m sure Tommy will drive me,” you reassure her. Those logistics aren’t even on your mind – you’re not counting on going back home tonight.

“Well, have fun,” your sister says, the look on her face telling you she thinks you’ll have anything but.

“Thanks,” you reply, checking your makeup in the tiny mirror in the sun visor before climbing out of the car.

Your high heels clack loudly against the driveway as you make your way past Tommy’s red pickup and a black one that probably belongs to his brother up to the front door. You’re very aware of your sister’s gaze on you – at least she didn’t comment on your outfit this time, but you know she wanted to. The dress you’re wearing is longer than the one you had on the last time you met Tommy, but it’s still tight, even though the skirt is slightly flared. You went for an innocent, floral pattern, hoping it would keep your sister from commenting, and it did. Still, you were anxious the whole drive that she would turn the car around and make you get changed.

Before you ring Tommy’s doorbell, you turn around and wave at your sister, a broad smile on your face. The last thing you need is for her to see Tommy sticking his tongue down your throat because you wouldn’t hear the end of it. But she’s set on staying until you’re safely inside. With a small sigh, you ring the doorbell and await your fate.

“Wow,” is the first thing Tommy says when he opens the door. He’s wearing jeans and a checkered shirt, a big belt buckle with a snake on it, and he’s holding a dishtowel in one hand. As soon as he’s standing in front of you, nothing else matters. “You’re …,” you see him swallow hard. “You’re beautiful.”

“And you’re very –,” you start, but he interrupts you by grabbing your wrist and pulling you inside. As soon as the door closes behind you, he presses you up against it and claims your mouth like a starved man. You’re dimly aware of a car speeding off.

It’s so easy to get lost in him for a while. One of your hands finds his chest, the other the back of his head. This is such a new experience for you, that things between the two of you are never awkward. There is no, “Hi”, no, “How have you been?”, no hesitation as you’re trying to figure out if Tommy missed you as much as you missed him. Every single time you see him it feels like a lightning strike, and every single time he sees you he treats you like you’re the most important person in his life. It takes some getting used to that this summer fling feels like the most grown-up relationship you’ve ever had.

“I missed you too,” you tease once he lets go of you, and you watch a flush creep onto his cheeks.

Tommy takes your hand and leads you toward the kitchen. It’s only then that you notice the smell of a charcoal grill. “Do you want somethin’ to drink?” he asks you. “Beer? Wine? Water? Juice? I have some sodas too.”

You laugh. “I’ll have a beer,” you answer, then kiss his cheek. “Don’t be so nervous.”

“I’m not nervous,” he protests with a huff but hides his face behind the refrigerator door.

You walk to the kitchen window and glance outside at the tidy backyard framed by a low, brown picket fence. There’s an unlit firepit in one corner, a smoking charcoal grill in the other, and in the middle there’s a table, already set for four people. You thought you’d have Tommy all to yourself tonight.

“My brother Joel is havin’ dinner with us,” Tommy says, handing you an ice-cold beer bottle. “He’s bringin’ his girlfriend Tess along. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not,” you answer with a shake of your head, but the truth is you do. Well, some warning would have been nice, at least. Maybe you wouldn’t have worn a dress that displays quite so much of your back. Maybe you would have worn more sensible shoes. Maybe you would have told your sister to pick you up at ten. And maybe you wouldn’t have counted on a romantic dinner followed by mind-blowing sex.

“Joel’s older than you, right?” you ask, swallowing your disappointment.

“That’s right.” Tommy laughs. “Don’t call him older to his face though.” He lowers his voice. “I’m not older, I’m more mature.”

Just like that your disappointment vanishes into thin air. “It has to be quite a few years. I don’t remember him from high school.”

Tommy takes a swig from a half empty beer bottle on the counter. “That’s because he graduated before I started. He’s five years older.”

You nod, quickly doing the math in your head. He has to be almost thirty then. “And you work together?” you ask next, but the last two words get drowned out by the sound of an engine growling like a pack of wolves.

“That’s them!” Tommy quickly empties his beer bottle. “Let me check on dinner real quick.”

You stand there, watching him hurry off into the backyard. Should you follow? Should you pretend to be busy in the kitchen? Does he expect you to greet Joel and his girlfriend (Tina, was it?) on your own? In the end, you find yourself walking back toward the living room, straightening your dress, tightly clutching your beer bottle. Meeting Tommy’s big brother … it sounds so official, like you’re taking the next step in this relationship.

Outside the living room window, a motorbike has pulled up in the driveway. It’s big and black and chrome, long enough for two people to sit behind each other, loud enough to alert the whole neighborhood. A man and a woman sit astride it, he in front, she holding onto him. They’re both wearing dark leather jackets and dark helmets, and big heavy boots, and you never felt so overdressed and like a fish out of water. They’re going to take one look at you and think you’re a silly little girl.

No! You straighten your back. This goes both ways. They probably want to make a good first impression just as much as you want to.

The woman takes off her helmet first and undoes her low ponytail that kept her long, auburn hair out of her face during the drive. She’s … you wouldn’t call her “pretty” but she’s stunning in a way that makes your mouth go dry. When she runs her fingers through her hair and laughs at something Joel says you wish you could just disappear. No matter what you do, you could never compete with someone like her. But when Joel takes off his helmet you know wishing you could disappear won’t be enough. You’ll have to find a way to actually do it. Because you know this man, there’s no doubt about that. You could never forget those eyes and the way his gaze pierced into yours while he was fucking a woman you couldn’t see. This is going to be the worst night of your life.

Joel unzips his jacket, exposing a tight, white shirt underneath it, while his girlfriend waves to a neighbor on the opposite side of the street. Then she holds out her hand for Joel to take and they walk toward the front door; she’s chatting away while he watches her, a neutral expression on his face.

It’s like that one time you were eight years old and your mom picked you up early from school because lunch had made you throw up. She was driving home along the freeway, switching radio stations and checking your temperature with the back of her hand pressed against your forehead. The car in front of you suddenly swerved to the left and into another car. It lifted into the air, spun around, and crashed down on its roof. Your mom screamed and veered off to the right, avoiding the wreck but almost landing in the guard rail.

The funny thing was you could see it all happening in slow motion, convinced that if you just focused enough, you could skip forward and backward in time, maybe even prevent the accident altogether. You weren’t scared, you didn’t cry; you thought your mom was overreacting when she stopped the car on the side of the freeway, her hands trembling uncontrollably. Later, you found out you were in shock, and later still you couldn’t stop crying until you threw up for the second time that day.

You’re convinced now that if you just focus enough, you could make those two people outside Tommy’s front door walk back to the motorbike and drive off. All you need to do is close your eyes and …

The front door opens and heavy footfalls make the ground beneath you shake. “Tommy?” a deep voice shouts and you flinch. “Tommy?” it repeats and then, in a softer tone, Joel says, “Oh, hey.”

You open your eyes. Joel has taken off his jacket and discarded it over the back of the couch. He has placed his helmet on the windowsill and is now looking at you with mild surprise on his face. “Hey,” he repeats, and you’re not sure whether it’s a greeting or a complaint. Then he closes the distance between you, easily wrangles the beer from your grip with a, “Thanks, sweetheart,” and then walks off into the kitchen.

He doesn’t remember. You’re not sure if you should feel relieved or disappointed.

“Hi, I’m Tess.” His girlfriend kisses you twice, once on each cheek. You heard about people greeting each other like that in Europe, but still your face heats up. “Don’t mind him, he’s annoyed because he just lost a bet.”

“What kind of bet?” you ask, the sound of your breathy voice foreign in your ears.

Tess takes off her jacket and places it on top of Joel’s before answering. “I bet him ten dollars you’d be pretty,” she says with a big smile. “He lost because he thinks no pretty girl in her right mind would go out with his brother.”

Then she takes your arm and leads you toward the backyard and the two men waiting for you.

*******

He doesn’t remember … but how could he not? How could last Friday not have meant anything to him? Shit! Does it mean something to you? It shouldn’t, should it? No, it definitely shouldn’t. But still, you wish he’d give you just one sign that he remembers.

Or maybe you’ve got it wrong. Maybe Joel isn’t the man from the other pick-up truck at all. Maybe Tommy has another brother, maybe he’s Joel’s identical twin. No, that’s ridiculous, this isn’t one of those soap operas your mom loves to watch. No one in real life has an evil twin.

“What are you smirkin’ at?” Tommy asks, handing you a bowl of potato salad.

Your cheeks heat up. “Nothing.”

Joel is the man from the other car, you’re certain about that. You keep coming back to how his eyes looked that night, how they look fixed on you now. It has to be him. Even though he’s relaxed and there’s an easy smile on his face, Joel looks at you as if he wants to see inside of you, right to your very core, and figure you out. And if he isn’t the man from the car, why would he be doing that?

And if he is, why did he brush you aside earlier?

You slump back in your chair. What were you expecting? Did you want him to say, “Oh, it’s you! Tess, it’s the girl who watched us fuck last week, do you remember?” Of course not. You want to forget the whole thing, pretend it never happened. It’s bad enough you let it happen in the first place, but it’s even worse now you know who that stranger is … he’s no stranger at all, he’s your boyfriend’s brother.

Boyfriend? Where did that come from?

“You okay?” Tommy squeezes your hand. “You barely touched your food.”

“I know what’s the matter,” Joel announces, and your entire body freezes up. You hear the blood rushing in your ears. “Now that she’s seen my bike, she’s realized she’s dating the wrong Miller brother.”

“Joel!” Tess protests, but laughs. Is she mocking you? She is, isn’t she?

Tommy rolls his eyes. “A man needs more than a bike to make him interestin’.”

“Like what?” Joel challenges. When Tommy opens his mouth, he quickly adds, “No, never mind, whatever it is you ain’t got it.”

Tommy lets go of your hand (you hadn’t even realized he was still holding it) and turns to Tess, who is sitting opposite you. She’s trying to hide a smirk, but she’s failing miserably. “Tess, please control my brother.”

“I’m sorry they’re like that,” Tess says, ignoring Tommy. “You’ll get used to it though.”

Joel turns to you. “Do you have siblings?”

You sit up so fast you bump your knee into the table and topple over your beer bottle. “Shit!” you swear. “Sorry. Let me –,” but Tess stands up.

“Don’t worry about it.” And she’s off to the kitchen.

You don’t want her to clean up your mess so you make to follow her, but Joel pins you in place with a glare. “Well? Do you?”

“Do I what?” you ask, watching Tess come back with a roll of paper towels.

“Siblings,” Tommy says with a laugh. Then he turns to Joel. “Yes, she has an older sister. She’s even less of a people person than you.”

“Well, this one could do with a little loosening up herself.” Joel nods toward you.

Your stomach curls tight with annoyance, but before you can say anything, Tommy replies, “She’s pretty loose, thank you.”

Tess, mopping up your spilled beer, throws you a pitying glance. “Guys, stop embarrassing her.”

“They’re not,” you say quickly, but it gets swallowed by Tommy shouting, “I’m embarrassin’ her?”

Joel winks at you and you wish the ground beneath your chair would open up and swallow you whole. He has to remember, right? And he’s tormenting you to test you or to get you to crack. You just can’t figure out why.

You clear your throat. “I have two older sisters,” you say, and when Tommy raises his eyebrows in surprise, you quickly add, “One lives in Europe, and I never get to see her. My parents … they had a falling out, and she doesn’t talk to any of us.”

Tess squeezes your shoulder sympathetically before going back to the kitchen to discard the used paper towels. Tommy and Joel glance at each other, unsure of what to say. You didn’t mean to make them feel uncomfortable with your complicated family dynamics, but you do feel some subdued glee at their speechlessness.

When Tess comes back, none of you have said anything yet. “I think every good family should have drama,” she says, sitting down in Joel’s lap instead of her chair. “There’s no point in surrounding yourself with boring people.”

Joel tickles her and she squeals. “Says the only child whose parents would do anything for her.”

You look at Tommy, a question on your lips, one you haven’t asked yet because it didn’t seem important in the whirlwind of the last few weeks. But before you can ask it, Tess changes the subject.

“So, how’s college?”

This time, you manage not to jump out of your skin when being addressed. “How do you know I’m in college?”

“Because Tommy boy can’t shut up about you,” Joel answers, flicking a potato wedge at his brother.

“Hey!” Tommy protests loudly, but to you it sounds like he’s far away, maybe somewhere below water. You try to focus on something solid, like the plate in front of you, but everything is blurry. You’re feeling about a million feelings at once, and yet your inside is an empty void that is longing for something to fill it. Tommy has been talking about you to Joel and Tess. A lot, apparently. And yet here you are, your head spinning from the cocky way Joel teases his brother, the protective way he holds onto Tess, longing for his attention on you. This is wrong.

“It’s good,” you answer Tess’ question, taking a sip from a fresh bottle of beer that makes you cough.

“That’s it?” Tess asks. “What are you studying? Where do you live? Do you have a college boyfriend who dreams about you raising his babies?”

You laugh loudly and Tess beams. “I don’t know what Tommy told you about me, but one man is about as much as I can handle.” You smile at Tommy. “He’s all I need.” Tommy’s chest swells with pride. “But I live in a dorm, and I want to go on to law school.”

“Wow.” Tess sounds genuinely impressed, but there’s a strange glint in her eyes. “We have to watch what we say around you then.”

“As if the law has ever kept you from doing what you want,” Joel teases.

“Oh, shut up.” Tess laughs and kisses him, hard, a hand in his dark curls. Joel’s eyes flutter shut, and your stomach flutters in response.

Tommy clears his throat and you jump. “We have company.”

Tess bites Joel’s bottom lip and you think you hear him growl. “What are you, my mom?”

For some reason, Tommy’s comment rubbed you the wrong way. You’re not a child. You can handle two people kissing in front of you. “I’ve been to frat parties,” you laugh. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”

Tess lets go of Joel’s hair. “Really? What was it like? I always wanted to go to one.”

“They can be fun,” you answer cautiously, glancing at Tommy. “But they’re also … if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.”

“So they’re not like in the movies?” Tess presses. “You know, strippers and booze and then someone draws a gun?”

Joel turns to her, one eyebrow cocked. “What kind of movies are you watching?”

“Never you mind.” She pats his cheek.

“There are no strippers and no guns,” you answer seriously as if you’re used to answering questions like that. “But there’s a lot of alcohol. That’s why they’re all the same. People get drunk, punch each other, and then throw up.”

“Sounds like a typical Tuesday night for us, doesn’t it, Joel?” Tommy winks at his big brother.

“Can you take me to a frat party?” Tess asks suddenly. You’re not sure if she’s mocking you, but her face is serious.

“I …,” you start slowly, not sure what to say.

“Oh, come on.” Tess laughs. “You’ll be the most popular girl, bringing a cool older woman like me.”

Now that you know she’s mocking you, it’s easy for you to play along. “I don’t think those frat boys are into older women,” you say with an apologetic smile.

Tess’ mouth falls open. “You’re just gonna let her talk to me like that?” she asks, turning to Joel.

Joel shrugs, then looks directly at you. The hairs at the back of your neck stand up. “I like her. I think she’s funny.”

*******

“Sorry about my brother,” Tommy says, a crooked smile on his lips. “And Tess.”

It’s later. You’ve moved from the backyard into the living room. The heat of the June day still lingers in the slight headache you have, but it’s nice and cool inside. Still, your cheeks feel hot to the touch and you’re lightheaded, your heart hammering in your chest, even as your head is comfortably resting against Tommy’s shoulder. It’s the heat, you tell yourself. Nothing more. Certainly not Tommy’s brother who watched you come a week ago and doesn’t even remember it.

You laugh. “It’s alright. I like them.”

You do. It’s not important that your stomach curls tightly whenever Tess touches Joel. That’s an understandable, reasonable reaction, one no one could blame you for, one you can easily ignore. It’s not important. It doesn’t matter. What’s more important is the fact that you’ve survived the dinner without embarrassing yourself, that the panic you felt when recognizing Joel was completely unfounded. You did well, all things considered, and there is absolutely no reason why Tommy should ever find out about your little secret.

You lean in closer to him. “Do you think Tess likes me?” you ask.

He shifts against your cheek. “What makes you say that?”

“She was making fun of me, right? When she asked me to take her to a frat party?”

Now it’s Tommy’s turn to laugh. “No, she was completely serious. Tess has a very … direct way that makes her sound like she’s not being serious. But believe me, you’d notice if she wouldn’t like you. She’s also very direct with that.”

“And Joel?” you ask carefully.

Tommy slings his arm around your shoulder and pulls you closer. “Joel is … he’s … he’s very protective of me. It’s annoying, believe me, but it always takes him a while to warm up when I bring someone home.”

Your heart stutters. “Protective? How?”

“He doesn’t want me to get hurt. As if I can’t take care of myself.”

“Has that happened before?” you ask carefully, but you might as well have asked the wall. Tommy doesn’t reply, he doesn’t even shake his head or shrug his shoulders. Maybe that’s a conversation for another time.

“I think I’m gonna get myself another beer,” Tommy finally says, and shifts to get up.

“No,” you protest. “Let me. I wanted to get one for myself anyway.”

You stand, and Tommy smirks up at you. “I could get used to that.”

“Well, don’t.” You give him a quick peck on the lips. “I’ll be right back.”

You make your way to the kitchen, taking pleasure in Tommy’s wistful sigh as you walk out of sight. He probably has been hurt in the past, you decide, but that doesn’t stop him from opening himself up to another person. Is that fun summer fling you wanted to have about to get much more serious than you had planned? At the threshold to the kitchen, you turn around to look back at Tommy lounging on the couch and return his soft smile. You’re not prepared for anything more serious between the two of you, but that doesn’t mean you can’t do your best to treat Tommy right.

The kitchen isn’t empty. Tess is standing by the sink, taking care of the dishes. Maybe you should feel bad for not having offered to help her, but it’s obvious your help isn’t wanted. Behind Tess there’s Joel, pressing his chest into her back, holding her tightly against his body. Tess makes a sound somewhere between a laugh and a moan when Joel nuzzles her neck and simultaneously moves an open palm downward against her stomach. You stop, your smile frozen on your lips, your hands cold and clammy, balled into fists against your sides. It’s nothing you haven’t seen before (and what is there to see, really?), but you should leave or make your presence known at the very least. You don’t.

Joel bites down onto Tess’ neck and she gasps. You almost do too, but the sound gets stuck in your throat. Joel’s other hand finds its way to Tess’ throat and he lightly closes his fingers around it, moving her head to the side so he has better access to her neck. Her neck disappears under his broad palm and big fingers and your chest tightens with adrenaline. You hadn’t noticed the size of his hands before but suddenly it’s all you can think about. That, and what it would feel like to have them around your neck, to feel the callouses on his fingers against your skin, to feel the heat radiating off of him.

With a low growl, Joel presses his crotch against Tess’ backside and she sighs. You feel both sounds all over your body; it’s as if Joel and Tess aren’t caressing each other but you. You wonder what it would feel like to … You take a step forward and bump your foot into a box that’s stowed against the wall. Its contents rattle insistently and Tess straightens her back, her head snapping in your direction.

You can’t read the look on her face but you know you’d feel embarrassed if someone caught you and Tommy in such an intimate situation.

“Joel,” she says. Is it a warning?

Maybe he doesn’t hear her, or maybe he doesn’t care, but he doesn’t stop. The hand that’s been resting against Tess’ stomach moves lower and lower, and you can’t really tell from where you’re standing but it looks like his fingers are disappearing inside her jeans. And she’s still looking at you, her green eyes sharp in the dim kitchen light. What should you do? Stay and watch? You almost laugh at the ridiculousness of that idea, pushing aside an ever-growing desire to do just that, but there’s also something else – an irritation bordering on jealousy that you have no right to be feeling. The smart thing to do here would be to avert your gaze, get the beers from the fridge, and leave.

But then two things happen at once and you can’t move a single muscle in your body.

The first one is that Joel’s fingers inside Tess’ pants must’ve reached their destination and she moans, her eyes still locked to yours. Then she nods at you and smiles and you think … you think she might be telling you to join them. That thought terrifies you. You won’t cheat on your boyfriend who’s waiting for you only a room away, but there is an insistent pressure between your legs that’s harder and harder to ignore.

The second thing that happens is that Joel whispers in Tess’ ear, loud enough for you to hear. “I know, baby. You’re doing so well. You’re drenched, do you know that?” The way he says drenched captures your attention much more than Tess’ presumed invitation ever could. He knows you’re there, he must know it, and yet he … A hungry, growling desire awakens in you and you realize that no matter how hard you try, you can’t play down the encounter in the parking lot; you can’t even walk away from this, even if it would be so easy.

“Joel …” Tess’ eyes flutter shut when he cups one of her breasts with his big hand.

You want to say his name too, want to make him look at you, but then Tess’ fingers go slack and she drops the cutlery she’s been holding into the sink. It hits the steel with loud clanks and shakes you out of your stupor. Hot shame rolls through your stomach and up into your throat, settling there in the form of a lump. You stumble toward the fridge on unsteady legs like a newborn fawn, ignoring Tess’ giggles and Joel’s breathless pants that could also be a chuckle. You grab two beer bottles and rush out of the kitchen without looking back.

The last thing you hear is Tess saying, “Shit, Joel. Do you think we scared her?” and Joel replying, “Who cares?”

*******

The joint between your lips helps you relax and you sink deeper into the couch, hoping it will swallow you up. Tommy takes it from you and takes a drag, sighing happily. It doesn’t matter, really, that Joel and Tess don’t like you, that they were trying to rile you up. Let them think you’re young and stupid and inexperienced. What does it matter to you? You giggle and pull Tommy, who was just trying to pass the joint to Joel, toward you. You take it back instead and inhale deeply.

“Careful, darlin’.” Tommy laughs. “Ain’t no need to impress me.”

You ignore him and kiss him instead, letting him taste the sweet aroma of the weed on your lips. He returns your kiss but takes the joint from you and finally passes it on to Joel who’s sitting on a chaise longue, legs spread widely, Tess on his lap. You don’t know what happened between them after you left the kitchen, but the flush on Tess’ cheeks when they finally emerged left no room for imagination. You feel a stab of jealousy.

“First time?” Joel asks you with a smirk.

You shake your head. “I’m not as innocent as you think.”

Joel’s eyes glide over your body, from your relaxed eyelids down to your exposed thighs where your dress has ridden up your legs. “Who said anything about innocent?”

“I know you think I’m young and stupid.” Under different circumstances, the words might have sounded like you were hurt but the big smile you can’t seem to turn off softens the blow.

Joel laughs, and it sounds real. At least the flutter in your stomach is real. “I don’t,” he says. “But it’s funny you should think that.” He places his hand possessively on Tess’ knee and Tess leans into him. “I’m just making sure you’re alright. And that you’re not getting yourself into a situation you can’t handle.”

You wrinkle your nose. “I can handle more than you think.”

“Oh, I’d like to see that,” Joel teases.

Next to you, Tommy sighs. “Can you flirt with your own girlfriend, please?”

Your reaction to the weed dampens the feeling of shame that would have consumed you had you been sober. Joel tightens his hold on Tess and Tess closes her eyes, a happy smile on her lips. Is she saying, “He’s mine”? He is, that’s obvious. She doesn’t have to rub it in though. Wait. Why do you care? You’re with Tommy … you don’t care who Joel is fucking.

“If that’s flirting to you, I’m surprised you got her to agree to go out with you,” Joel retorts.

Her … why does your stomach flutter when he talks about you like you’re not in the room? You turn to Tommy, a seductive smile on your lips … or at least you hope it looks like that. “Tommy’s very good at flirting … he had me wrapped around his little finger in no time.”

Tommy kisses you and you close your eyes to focus on the glide of his lips against yours. He manages to sneak a hand between your shoulders and the backrest of the couch, and cups the back of your head, pressing you closer to him. You melt, forgetting why you felt so irritated and somewhat lost only a few seconds ago.

But then Joel’s voice bursts your warm and happy bubble. “That’s just because you’ve never dated a real man before.”

“Joel,” Tess warns, but you’re already confronting him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you ask, your chin raised in defiance.

Joel’s eyes flicker with triumph at how easy it is to get a rise out of you, and you wish you had ignored him. But it’s too late to go back to making out with Tommy and pretending you haven’t heard him.

“You’re what … 19? How many boyfriends have you had? And they were probably kids like you.”

Your face heats up with anger but before you can say, “Why is everyone so obsessed with my dating history?” Tommy snaps, “That’s enough, Joel.”

You watch as Joel’s shoulders tense and for a moment you expect him to ignore his brother but then he laughs. “I’m just messing with her.”

For some reason, you focus on Tess’ confused face – not Tommy sinking back against the cushions or Joel’s raised palms. She looks as lost as you feel.

“Wouldn’t hurt you to be nice for a change,” Tommy grumbles.

Tess leans forward and extends her hand holding the joint out to you. You take it from her with a grateful smile, your hands briefly touching over the coffee table. “Thanks,” you whisper.

“Tommy’s right,” Tess says and looks down at her boyfriend. “Relax, Joel.” And before Joel can protest, her hand is on his jaw and she kisses him. Just like before, his eyes flutter shut, and just as before, your stomach flutters in response. You ignore it, the irritation you feel now palpable in a pressure on your chest.

“He ain’t always like that.” Tommy’s voice is low as he plucks the joint straight out from between your lips. “He’s –”

“Hey!” you protest. “I wasn’t done with that yet.”

Tommy only smirks at you, takes a drag, then passes it on to Joel. “He’s quite nice once you get to know him.”

Joel snorts. “You make me sound like a dog.”

“Well, you’re behaving like one,” you snap.

Everyone turns to you and you clap a hand over your mouth in shock. You hadn’t meant to say that out loud, hadn’t even meant to think it. It must be the weed talking. Or the alcohol. But you haven’t had much of either.

“I’m sorry,” you apologize, bracing yourself for the inevitable cruel response.

Joel only laughs, his chest vibrating, head thrown back. “Please, you have nothing to apologize for,” he snorts between two laughing fits. Tess smiles, whether at your discomfort or his amusement you can’t tell. Tommy puts one possessive arm around your shoulders. Joel manages to catch his breath eventually. “Where did you find her, Tommy?”

When Tommy doesn’t respond, you turn to him. His face has gone dark, and you feel like you’re missing something. “Joel, that’s enough,” he repeats and you don’t quite understand what’s going on.

Joel sighs. “Oh, come on, Tommy.” He drags on the joint with practice movement, then passes it on to Tess without looking at her.

After that, everyone is quiet. Is it your fault? Is Joel angrier at you than he lets on? But why is Tommy staring at his older brother like he’s planning on slashing the tires of Joel’s truck later? You don’t quite know how to save the evening but you have to try.

“We went to high school together actually,” you answer Joel’s question. You lean into Tommy. “I had the biggest crush on him but he never noticed me.”

Joel smirks mockingly, but it’s over in a flash. “He can’t keep his eyes off you now.”

A warm tingling sensation crawls down your spine. “Well, he ain’t half bad to look at himself.”

“He has your full attention then?” There’s something in the way he says it that makes your blood run cold. And for the first time since Joel walked in through the front door this evening you wonder if he might remember after all.

“I enjoy every minute I spend with him, if that’s what you mean,” you answer.

Before Joel can make things worse, Tess climbs off his lap and stands. “I’m going to the bathroom.” Then she looks at you. “Are you coming?” she says with such authority you don’t even have time to think about it before you find yourself following her down the hallway.

Tess pulls you into the bathroom and closes the door behind you. “Listen to me,” she starts. “I love Joel but he can be an asshole. Especially where Tommy is concerned. I don’t know if Tommy has told you this, but their parents died young and Joel feels responsible for him. He thinks no girl is good enough for Tommy. Ignore him. I can see the way Tommy looks at you. Everyone can.”

You’re stunned into silence by Tess’ words, but the longer you wait to say something, the denser the tension between you grows. “We’re just having fun,” is what finally comes out of your mouth.

“And Tommy knows that?” Tess presses.

“We haven’t talked about it yet.” Or have you? You don’t remember everything you said to him in the heat of the moment. “But I’m going back to college in the fall.”

“No one is trying to keep you here,” Tess assures you. “And if Tommy is just after a summer romance, then that’s none of Joel’s business. Just be honest with him. And don’t hurt him.”

“I wasn’t planning to.” Then why does guilt gnaw at your conscience?

Tess smiles at you softly, unaware of the churning in your stomach. “I know you weren’t. Just don’t dump Tommy because his big brother was weird to you.” She grabs one of your hands and squeezes it. Then she opens the door and winks at you. “But I know you’re too smart for that anyway.”

You have a few seconds, no more, to try and make sense of it all. You fail. Your feelings are all over the place and you wish you could sit down somewhere quiet for a few hours and sort through them. Why does it feel like everyone expects certain things from you and you can’t seem to keep them in their place because you have no idea what you want yourself? When did this summer fling get so serious?

Before you can find an answer for just one of these questions, Tommy is calling for you, and you make your way back to the living room, your heart hammering in your chest.

*******

You wake up with a start. At first, you think you’re back in your college dorm, but your surroundings don’t make sense. The dresser is standing against the wrong wall, the window isn’t where it’s supposed to be, the bed is so big … and you’re not sleeping in it alone. You’re at Tommy’s place! The world rights itself as you regain your sense of direction. It’s so dark in Tommy’s bedroom that you can barely make out the shapes of the objects around you. It must still be the middle of the night or very early in the morning, but you can’t be certain.

Your head hurts, your mouth is sticky with thirst, and you have no memory of how you ended up in Tommy’s bed. You remember that dinner, you remember Tess asking you to be careful not to hurt Tommy, you remember Tommy’s hand under the hem of your dress, his hand climbing higher and higher, the way Joel looked at you … You inhale sharply, and Tommy stirs but doesn’t wake up.

You need to get some water. Once you’re not thirsty anymore, it’ll be easier to make sense of it all. Carefully, you climb out of the bed, your eyes glued to Tommy’s naked chest to make sure you don’t wake him. The last thing you need is some deep talk at 2 AM that has you making promises you can’t keep just because the late hour makes you feel closer to Tommy than ever before. Tommy sleeps on though, even when you open the bedroom door with a creak that makes you jump.

Outside, the dark hallway reminds you of how unfamiliar you are with Tommy’s house. Yes, this isn’t your first time sleeping here, but the last time you weren’t trying to find the kitchen in the middle of the night, sneaking around the house like a burglar. Maybe Tommy’s bathroom is the safer option if you don’t want to wake everyone. You remember it being on the right of Tommy’s bedroom.

You haven’t taken more than three steps before you hear it – the creaking of a bedframe. At first you think Tommy has woken up but he doesn’t call out for you. And then you realize the creaking is coming from the other bedroom – Joel’s bedroom.

No! It’s no business of yours to find out what’s going on behind that door, no business at all. You’re going to get some water and then you’re going back to bed. For once you’re going to follow your sensible brain and not …

There is a soft moan your body immediately responds to by setting butterflies loose in your stomach. The voice that says, “No,” is fighting, but it’s growing weaker. Your hand on the bathroom doorknob feels sweaty but you make no motion to turn it, listening into the quietness of the house. For a short while, everything remains quiet and you think maybe all you heard was someone moving in their sleep. You feel a hot wave of embarrassment when you realize you’re disappointed – what is wrong with you? You should feel relieved instead.

It’s the drugs and the alcohol that make you feel and think and act like this. Once you’ve sobered up, everything else will be fine. One hand pressed against the bathroom door to prevent any creaking when you open it, you finally turn the knob, suddenly missing the warmth and comfort of Tommy’s bed. Just a quick glass of water and then you’ll be back with him, falling asleep in an instant.

It’s not the creaking or the moaning that makes you halt in the doorframe, but it’s the deep rumble of Joel’s voice this time. You can’t make out the words, but they still make you freeze, dry up your throat and set your heart pounding. There is no way you will be able to ignore that, not with your mind still clouded and your body humming with a desire impossible to control.

The bathroom door quivers when you let go of the knob but doesn’t fall shut. Nothing seems to be moving in the house except you, as you carefully tiptoe to Joel’s bedroom door. You don’t know what it looks like, that room behind it. Tommy didn’t include it in the house tour and you’re not one to snoop. You giggle at how wrong you were about yourself, but there’s no merriment in it, just a dry realization. There is only so much you can blame on drugs and alcohol.

“You like that, don’t you?”

Joel’s voice hits you in the pit of your stomach like a bullet. Before you know what you’re doing, your ear is pressed against the thin plywood, eager to hear more.

Tess’ answer is an appreciative moan that rushes down your back in a pleasant shiver. The bedframe creaks again before she sighs, “Oh, Joel! Fuck!” and then gasps as if coming up for air.

You almost gasp too, but the sound gets stuck in your throat when you hear Joel chuckle. “You’re making this too easy for me.”

“Don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop,” Tess begs, and in her eagerness makes it all sound like one long word.

What comes next is a series of wet sounds mixed in with Tess’ moans and pants. It’s only when Joel moans too, and it’s a muffled sound that you realize what it is they’re doing. You press and open palm against the door to steady yourself while your other hand hangs down at your side, your fingers flexing eagerly. Your core feels like it’s on fire and when Tess sighs, “Yes, yes,” and Joel growls like he’s too far gone for human sounds, you whimper desperately. But you won’t touch yourself, no matter what, you won’t …

“No, no, no, Joel, don’t stop,” Tess suddenly groans and Joel replies, “I don’t want you to come yet. You taste like heaven.”

Maybe a stronger woman would be able to walk away from this. Maybe a stronger woman wouldn’t press her fingers against her clothed clit and swallow a dry sob of relief. Maybe a stronger woman would feel guilt and shame. But you’re not that woman. And you have never felt this alive.

Tess whimpers and groans and the bedframe creaks and creaks. Joel is eerily quiet now except for the occasional sigh. And you don’t dare to move; only when you hear his voice do you press your fingers tighter against your clit. It makes you feel closer to him.

Tess’ moans are slowly but surely reaching another crescendo, the bedframe seems to be fighting for its life, and you exhale shakily when –

“Do you like what you hear?”

You twist around so fast your elbow bumps into Joel’s door, but they don’t hear the noise or they don’t care, because the sounds don’t die down.

“Tommy,” you whisper, your face burning with the shame and guilt you were supposed to feel earlier.

He’s leaning against the doorframe of his own bedroom door, arms crossed in front of his chest, hair rumpled from sleeping. He doesn’t look angry or disappointed or disgusted. Instead, there’s a cocksure grin on his face that you can’t read properly in the darkness of the hallway.

“Again, darlin’, do you like what you hear?” he repeats.

Your throat is completely dry and you don’t dare to move, afraid your legs might give way if you do. Tess’ moans fill the silence between Tommy and you; they heat up your cheeks and make it impossible for you to form a single, coherent thought. A single, coherent thought that would get you out of this situation unscathed that is.

“Yes,” you answer breathlessly, as if you just climbed innumerable flights of stairs. Your heart beats as if you did, too.

The cocksure grin on Tommy’s face doesn’t flicker. “Thought so,” he says with a superior tone, as if he just proved a point. “Knew you weren’t as innocent as all that.”

You wish he would keep his voice down. “But it’s not what you think it is.”

“It’s exactly what I think it is.” He takes a few steps toward you until you feel trapped between his body in front of you and the lewd sounds behind you. “I’m sure they’d let you watch if you asked.”

That same terror you felt in the kitchen earlier grabs a hold of you again. “I don’t –” you start but Tommy interrupts you.

“You’re allowed to want that,” he whispers against the shell of your ear, breath hot. “Doesn’t mean I’m willing to share you.” His hand closes tightly around your wrist and when he pulls you toward his own bedroom with sure steps, you stumble after him. The moans have stopped and, with a slight irritation, you realize you miss them. When you pause to close the door behind you, Tommy takes your other hand in his and shakes his head. “Leave it.” Those two words send a bolt of excitement through you, the irritation forgotten.

Tommy pushes you onto the bed, not forcefully but not gently either, and you lie there, propped up on your elbows, watching him. His naked chest is heaving, and even though his words were nothing but steady, a storm is brewing inside of him. A shiver runs down your spine as he pushes back his hair with both hands, his eyes flickering lower to where you let your knees fall open for him.

“You’re so fuckin’ hot,” he sighs, falling onto his knees at the foot of the bed.

You’ve been called other things before, more eloquent things, but never before have you actually believed those words. With Tommy it’s different. With Tommy, you feel like he means what he says and isn’t just using lines on you that he picked up from a bad porn movie. You take off your underwear without him having to ask.

His left hand lands on top of your right thigh, his skin warm against yours, the callouses on his thumb brushing against one of the most sensitive spots of your body. You flex your fingers, fighting hard to keep your hips steady. With his right thumb, Tommy brushes all the way from your opening through your drenched folds up to your clit in a slow pace, as if he’s cataloguing every inch along the way. Self-consciously, you trap a desperate groan in your chest by biting down hard on your bottom lip.

Tommy laughs incredulously. “You’re drenched, you know that?”

It’s not the first time tonight you hear those words, the memory making your hips twitch against Tommy’s grip. You nod.

“Should I be jealous?” he asks and you sit up so fast something in your neck cracks.

“No!” you blurt.

Tommy chuckles. “I’m just teasin’ you. Nothin’ wrong with a bit of healthy competition.”

Maybe your attraction to Joel isn’t all that bad, you think, lying back down, eyes firmly fixed on the dark ceiling. Maybe it’s something Tommy wants to encourage even.

Tommy’s thumb is circling your clit now, and you feel yourself clenching around nothing. With a soft moan, you try to relax against the mattress but can’t stop yourself from listening for sounds from the other bedroom.

“Relax, darlin’.” Tommy presses a soft kiss against the side of your knee, then rests his cheek against it. “Let me hear how much you’re enjoyin’ yourself.” Then he adds, under his breath, “Let them hear.”

When he pushes a finger into you, you groan loudly, but immediately bite down on your wrist to stifle that sound.

“Come now, none of that,” Tommy says. “Don’t you want to get back at them?”

There is something in the way he says it that makes you pause. For a few moments, you allow yourself to imagine Tess, lying in Joel’s arms, giggling at something funny he just said, the sounds dying in her throat when she hears you groan. Maybe she would tell Joel to be quiet, startled by your gall, maybe Joel would pretend not to care but secretly commit every single one of your sighs to memory, no matter how little. Maybe he’d even be impressed with you, telling Tess, “Sounds like Tommy finally has a fun girlfriend”.

What you want him to be, though, is jealous.

Tommy adds a second finger and this time you don’t try to stifle the sound that escapes you. You shift, so Tommy can reach deeper, transfixed by the wet sounds of his fingers moving between your legs. You meet Tommy’s thrusts with small rolls of your hips, eager for friction, panting under your breath. Your forehead feels clammy with sweat, the air in the room is stifling, but you don’t care about any of that when Tommy licks from where his fingers are buried inside of you up to your clit, the sensation of his mustache brushing against your most sensitive spots overwhelming.

Still, you’re not all there. Your ears keep straining to hear sounds from the room across the hall, any sounds. You’d be happy with a door creaking in its hinges. At the same time, you’re reluctant to give voice to the pleasure you’re feeling, no matter what Tommy told you, no matter how much you want to be that girlfriend. What if Tess isn’t impressed? What if Joel isn’t jealous? What if they’re over there, laughing at you? What if –

“Darlin’,” Tommy mumbles from between your legs, “you’re thinkin’ so loud I can barely focus.”

“Sorry.” You shift with a sigh, forcing your thoughts to focus on Tommy’s fingers in a way that usually makes you turn into an incoherent mess. Tommy kisses your thigh, the prickle of his mustache making you squirm. “Don’t you ever apologize to me. Just tell me what you need.”

To your annoyance, his kindness makes your eyes sting with tears. “I don’t know,” you whimper.

“Close your eyes,” Tommy orders.

You do as you’re told. The loss of one sense makes your others heighten immediately, especially your hearing. To both your relief and disappointment, you don’t hear any sounds from Joel’s room.

“Stop thinking.” Tommy chuckles. “Tell me how this feels.”

He changes the angle his fingers push into you, stretching you with each slow thrust. It feels amazing. You tell him so.

“Shhhh,” Tommy makes. “Don’t use your words. Tell me with your body.”

“I don’t –,” you start, but he interrupts you.

“Yes, you know how. Just give it a try.”

It’s only then that you realize how desperate you are for him to hold you in place and make you take whatever he gives you. That thought alone is enough to make you shiver.

“Good,” Tommy encourages you. “Now –”

It’s your turn to interrupt him. “Hold me down,” you say so fast it makes it sound like just one word.

Tommy obliges you immediately, pushing you down, palm planted firmly on your hip. You groan in response, your worries from earlier only a dim memory at the back of your mind.

“You like that, huh?” He gives you three vicious thrusts before slowing down again, leaving you gasping for breath.

You sigh in confirmation, but your voice breaks in the middle of the sound, making it come out like a sob. Your hips twitch against Tommy’s hold, eager to meet his thrusts halfway.

“Stop moving.” Tommy squeezes you hard. “You’ll take what I give you.”

Your responding moan is loud enough to make Tommy lose his rhythm, but not loud enough to satisfy him.

“We could do a bit better, don’t you think?”

You shake your head. “I don’t know.” You feel the pressure of a mounting orgasm brushing against the base of your spine. Your heart is beating so loudly, all the way up into your throat, that you couldn’t hear any sounds from the other bedroom even if you tried.

Suddenly, Tommy’s fingers are gone, and so is the hand on your hip. You sob with longing. “Tommy …”

“I’m here,” he mumbles, climbing onto the bed. “Just give me a sec.”

You watch as he rolls a condom onto his completely hard cock, and swallow hard. For some reason, the evidence of how much he’s enjoying this leaves you speechless. Still kneeling, he pulls you toward him and right onto his lap. He’s so much bigger than two of his fingers, but in your heightened state of arousal him pushing you down onto his cock barely scratches a superficial itch.

“It’s your turn now.” Tommy’s smile rekindles the prickling at the base of your spine.

You roll your hips tentatively and immediately feel the pressure mount. Tommy’s eyes flutter shut and he groans, a sound you can feel deep within your core.

“Fuck.” The word slips out from between your lips before you can stop it. And Tommy’s eyes fly open.

“What was that?” he growls.

Now it’s your turn to ask, “You like that?”

Tommy wraps his hand around your throat, framing your jaw with his thumb and forefinger. You roll your hips faster, the sound of skin slapping against skin filling the bedroom. You don’t need him to reply; you know the answer already.

Tommy brushes his thumb along your bottom lip and then pushes it into your mouth, pressing it down against your tongue. Eagerly, you close your lips and suck on it, watching as Tommy’s eyes widen in surprise. The air between you is so heavy you can feel it weigh you down and you lose your rhythm, your hips stuttering.

With a jerk, Tommy pulls his thumb out of your mouth. “Look at you.” He tightens his hold on your throat, making you gasp for air, before pushing his index and middle finger back into your mouth. When you taste yourself on his skin, you moan, a sound that turns into a gag when he brushes his fingers against the back of your throat. “Joel is wrong. There’s nothin’ innocent about you.”

The mention of his brother catches you by surprise, as does that moan that rises out of your chest when you imagine Joel looking at you with condescension in his eyes. Luckily, Tommy flicks your clit with his thumb at the same time, giving you an excuse for the lewd sound you’re making.

Tommy eagerly licks his lips. “Louder,” he demands. “I don’t care that they’re in the other room.”

You wrap your hand around Tommy’s arm to steady yourself, your body screaming for release. All you manage is a soft moan, muffled by the fingers pressing down on your tongue.

“You can do better than that.” The note of condescension in his voice makes you clench around his cock. “Let them hear how well I’m fucking you.”

With a sob, your head falls forward, your forehead connecting to Tommy’s almost painfully. He pulls his fingers out of your mouth while rolling your clit under his thumb at the same time, and you lose yourself in whines and groans and pleas that don’t make any sense. You can’t even tell if you’re being loud enough for Tommy, if they hear you across the hall, but just the thought that they might, so daunting a short while ago, finally pushes you over the edge. All you know with absolute certainty is that you scream Tommy’s name when you come, loud enough to wake the whole neighborhood, and that he fucks you through it relentlessly, lowering you down with one smooth motion until your back is pressed into the mattress and he pounds into you with desperate thrusts.

“Tommy,” you groan, holding onto his hips. It’s too much; you want him to stop but you can’t form a single, coherent thought. “Tommy, I don’t …” You feel raw, coming down from the high of your orgasm, but he isn’t done with you yet.

“You’re mine,” he growls into your ear. “Say it.”

Despite your guardedness when it comes to this relationship between Tommy and you, and despite your refusal to apply a label to it, you catch yourself replying, “I’m yours, Tommy. Just yours.”

With that, he empties himself into the condom, twitching inside of you. He kisses you, you kiss him back, your muscles relaxing around him. And from somewhere in the house you think you hear bright laughter.

[whyse7vn]

KIM TAEHYUNG

RANDOM 01:

!gc taehyung who is actually a sick little loser who does not know how to genuinely talk to women at all !! like no joke had like 1 genuine girlfriend he thought he was in love with when he was 18 but she broke up with him 3 months later

!gc taehyung whose only real girl LARGE SPACE friend is you

!gc taehyung who openly and horribly flirts with you finding comfort knowing you can’t actually leave him because you work together (kinda sick of you ask me)

!gc taehyung who DID fly all the way to paris for jennie only to be told “this isn’t working out” “you’re just not what i thought you’d be”

!gc taehyung who told himself he wasn’t upset about being broken up with

!gc taehyung who never told anyone about his short lived relationship with jennie and profusely denies it any time it’s brought up

!gc taehyung who despite being broken up with for many months now thinks about the phrase “you’re just not what i thought you’d be” everyday

!gc taehyung who realises when it comes to you everything comes naturally whether it’s flirting talking eating or just being him it is always easier with you

!gc taehyung who doesn’t seem to realise his normal “harmless” flirtatious remarks towards you hold some extra weight to them these days

!gc taehyung who after a unbelievable miracle a free weekend one night with you namjoon and like 6 bottles of soju managed to get you into his bed

!gc taehyung who is genuinely so sacred about where you and him stand now you’re dating jaehyun

!gc taehyung the most bullied man in the gc (justice for him)

!gc taehyung who took the furry bit waaayyyyy too far and now genuinely likes being called a good boy

!gc taehyung who is NOT actually going broke but simply looses his card way more than he would like to admit

!gc taehyung who finds it hard making new friends

!gc taehyung who counts his lucky starts every night for that day with you and joon

!gc taehyung who is extremely surprised you tolerate him after all the crazy shit he’s said to you

!gc taehyung who is definitely NOT a bad influence on jungkook

!gc taehyung who can not physically go a day with out talking all of his members at least once

!gc taehyung who once literally SOBBED to you for hours about the bullying yeontan had received in the gc (he was extremely high) (and they weren’t even talking about yeontan he just saw the word rat and fell to his knees)

—

hiiii so this is a new concept i’m trying out idk if i like it yet but basically the whole idea of it is to give a bit more insight into every one in the gc and what’s going on??

i think in the future i want to add more structure into these like each post to have a theme maybe idk but i would like it to be less random

like maybe people can ask questions about a certain member and then i can put the answers here like this???

for example someone could ask oh how come jk lives with y/n? and then i’ll answer like this.

i feel like this allows more of a look at each member individually and explains why they act the way they act or why they might of done some of the things they’ve done

anyways lmk of you fucking with it or not or if you have anyways to help me improve this at all luv you all mwah mwah

tags: @piw6n @92jinnies @birdie-vhs @kooksmilitarywife @hob3loveofmylife @jujubiism @bloopkook @ratchetpizza1 @myntalks @arloo00 @watamotee33 @y2kcy3brz @taiwan0618 @indigobsessed @freyadanvers @gguksbeloved @raetf @bbsantc @winuvs @medicinemybish @bxnnyhime @leleluvsbts @baetukki @zyaaaszn @thelilbutifulthings @jazminethecreator @k4ngelz @jmnscutie

[xoxoalette]

Maybe its only me who noticed this but is Eddie the fan favorite on here? I feel sad for Diva so lets give her some love and attention too! Are there any interesting facts about her that you want to share with us? Leave Eddie at home today lol

This is more of a personal one but does it ever bother you (the creator) when fans ask about Eddie more than Diva? You don’t have to answer this part if its too personal

Eddie sure is a fan favorite yeah !! I wouldn’t say it bothers me— I do get a bit sad but Ik the community prefers yandere men over women, so it makes sense for everyone to levitate towards Eddie. Not to mention I haven’t really done Diva any justice with my writing ^^

There have been times where I considered changing Diva’s sex but eh, I like her how she is rn :3 I just gotta work on her character

But onto the facts !!

Diva actually owns a collection of guns, her grandfather enjoys them and she picked up that interest from him. He’s also where she gets her interest in cars from !! She also has pretty scary aim.

Diva also does cam services, and it’s how she makes a lot of her income— glucose benefactors, onlyfans. That being said— she does it just for fun and would have no problem quitting once she got a partner and they voiced their discomfort towards it. That being said— Diva would not do twitch streaming, idk she’s just not v into gaming streams, so she’d probably get a job related to fashion/marketing.

I think a lot of people missed this since I’ve only mentioned it a few times and waaaay back— but Diva has a large scar on her back due to conflict with Eddie in the past. While she holds no grudge against him, I don’t think she cares too much about how he’s still hung up over it. (Not in like ‘get over it’ kinda way but like, ‘it’s not my problem’)

Diva doesn’t live in the same town as Eddie, she moved after getting a scholarship to a university a few towns north, so she lives in a city that’s a few hours away. While Diva typically comes off as a bimbo and almost airheaded, she’s very smart and it comes more naturally unlike Eddie who has to actually study.

Cannot cook, can barely bake. It’s just not in her genes and she has a hard time following recipes because she can be pretty lazy geehee… so she typically eats out or someone she knows cooks for her.

And here’s some things I’ve been thinking of rewriting/adding to her character:

Under read more cause I’m typing on my phone and done know how long this post actually is 😋 keep in mind, the canons below might not be set in stone

Cw:

Diva is still very social and bubbly, and she’s extremely friendly. It’s her natural personality, but also— it sure helps draw people closer, and those she’s interested in even closer.

Not to mention when someone likes you, they’re more malleable. Diva’s thoughts not mine !!

Her toxic trait? Poking a bear with a stick. But not in the sense that she wants to get people mad at her— in fact, it goes the other way, she wants to see how far she can push someone when they’re into her.

Unlike Eddie who is repulsed by his violent tendencies, ever since Diva moved to the city, she’s had bad influences. But at least when she needs people to disappear she knows who to call. There’s no blood or dirt on her hands. Usually.

Maybe she isn’t a yandere after all, maybe she is. All that matters to her is how far you can prove how much you love her :)

She wouldn’t stalk MC babes actively, but she would so put an AirTag on one of their possessions without them knowing just so if she did want to check on them, she can check her phone.

Impulsive. Impulsive impulsive impulsive. You’d think because she’s smart she’d make better choices, but Diva is only human.

[strangeshoepatrolbandit]

Really excited for how your brotherly love series will go. And I just love how you included Tim and Jason because they’re my faves.

Can’t wait to read about some bonding between Jason and the reader

Sorry this is gonna be a long ass ask because there’s just a lot of things I want to comment on and ask.

There’s so many avenues you can explore. I’m kind of surprised only Damian is the only one who decides to take up crime fighting while the twin is fine with staying behind and exploring the mansion. One question I have is does the reader ever feel as if they’re living in Damian’s shadow? Like especially since Bruce bonds with Damian since Damian has taken up the mantle of Robin, then I’m gonna assume that Dick and Tim also spend time training their successor. Between training, vigilante duties, and time running Wayne Enterprises, that doesn’t leave a lot of free time. Does the reader ever feel left out/ignored or that Damian is the favorite? Or in other words, since the reader hasn’t thrown a tantrum that they’re stuck at the manor and they mainly seem to keep to themselves, do Bruce, Dick, and Tim seem to think Damian is a higher flight risk/the twin that is more reckless and needs more attention?

Poor reader. It hit a little close to home on the insecurities of being irritating/a nuisance to those your love.

Two, I think it’s so sweet that the reader was able to open up to Alfred that Damian yelled at them. I love how at least one of the Wayne’s is able to be open and express their emotions in a healthy way.

Three, you know how DCAU’s Batman vs Robin, Damian has a hard time getting past the security system. Idk but especially since Damian is the one who took up the mantle of Robin and it seems as if his primary focus is on training, I think it’d be such a funny thing to see him frustrated that his twin can bypass the security system with ease when the last time they picked up a sword or did any kind of conditioning was months ago before they lived with Bruce. And even Bruce, Dick, and Tim are scratching their heads since they thought you were the more well behaved and quiet one they didn’t have to worry about.

Damian: *fuming* I trained 18 hours every day for the past two months and couldn’t bypass the electric fence. How were you able to get pass the security system and then travel all the way to another country without any one detecting you until you got back?

Reader: *shrugs* don’t know. Maybe you’re rusty.

Next point, I mean especially since you mentioned that Jason’s eyes were an unnatural shade of green and he has that white streak in his hair, you can have the reader get inspired after hearing Jason’s story. They sneak away from the manor and try to (or successfully??) revive Ra’s by digging up their grandparents corpse and dunking it in the Lazarus pit.

That would be such an interesting parenting moment between Bruce and the reader. Poor Bruce can’t catch a break. He has to sit one kid down to explain why murder is not justice and then talk to the other kid that death is a natural part of life and it is not normal and somewhat questionably unethical to sneak out of the house to dig up your grandfather’s corpse and dip them in a magical lake to bring them back to life

Bruce: *sitting across from the reader rubbing his temples* so hypothetically if your hamster died, would you dunk it in a Lazarus pit because you missed them

Reader: I don’t know. I’ve never had a hamster.

But judging by your tone, I assume you want me to answer no..? You told Damian it was wrong to kill Deathstroke to take revenge for killing grandfather. Hypothetically, if if a very very very bad parakeet killed your hamster—

Bruce: dear god you’ve spent way too much with Jason

Anyways sorry to bug you with the long ass ramble. Hope some of it made sense. Bottom line, I’m looking forward to what comes next and if you ever need a beta reader or just want to spitball/brainstorm with anyone I’m all ears

You were not bugging me at all, I'm so glad that you enjoyed my story!!<333.

(I hope I make sense in this I have issues explaining things so bear with me)

To go over some of your topics, I feel that Damian is more career driven and felt comfortable being Robin because his life was spent being trained to be an assassin. I feel as if the reader is taking a break from the life they were forced to have by trying to live a "normal" life at the Manor. I will now go more into the topics of reader's insecurities, as we know they feel like they are annoying the people they are around, after a while they start to see how everyone is treating Damian like a normal person, whilst they are being treated like a child(even though they are), and they start to think that since Damian has been proving himself they just like him more. Everyone in the Manor does love them though, it's just Damian has hobbies in common with them so they feel that they have more to talk about(Wayne enterprises/Vigilante work), plus reader just stopped hanging out with everyone so how can people get to know them?

Yes, I wanted the reader to be able to have a healthy coping mechanism such as talking, literally all of the batfam has bad issues with talking except for Jason because homeboy goes to therapy(he too is an ex emotionally constipated person). Also yes reader does just have that magic touch, they are an Al-Ghul/Wayne, everyone knows reader was trained the exact same as Damian so it's a little bizarre that they are so good at something after being away from their training.

The reader is much aware of Ra's dips in the Lazarus pit and how it's kept him alive all these years, but I think that they understand that there is no help for Ra's, just like Talia said "the pit can't help a body that far gone"(or something), the reader is a little upset that after Jason had been beaten and put in a building with a bomb that the Lazarus pit still had a way to revive him(Reader and Damian both love animals and have definitely been in trouble for reviving random animals with dips in the pit LMAO). Reader, Damian, and Talia all share the same hatred for Deathstroke and all want him gone, whilst Damian and Talia are attempting to find and kill Deathstroke, reader just sits back because they know Talia has it handled. After spending time with Jason and sympathizing with him about his death, Bruce realizes that reader is all for getting revenge on people, they never did anything about Deathstroke but fully agree and understand Jason's reasoning behind wanting the Joker dead.

This actually meant so much, I'm sososososo glad you enjoyed Pt.1 of Brotherly Love!!! I have had a terrible night and this made it better!!!<33

( I definitely projected in this story, does anyone else have sibling issues?)

....Much love, Strangeshoepatrolbandit....

[hellbubu]

Hello!! Ik im super late, I spent the whole saturday travelling back to my hometown (a 7 hour travel turned into 10 so i just wanted to sleep after) and today was fathers day here and i had a family asado, so i got home at 5pm and also wanted to sleep after so many hours of ~socializing~ lmao Also, here I have next to zero privacy and it's very difficult to have 'unproductive' time online ¬¬ My mother demands at least 6 hours of conversation a day and its...exhausting

Anyways, finally watched the ep! And it left me with more doubts than answers tbh

First, I think Blue house really doesn't give a shit about the tournament. Its a given they're gonna lose, so why bother with much training? I think they participate out of obligation, but I bet being in the team is more like a chore than an honor at this point lol (idk how Derrick would fake it, except by saying he's the leader when he just played for fun and left the rest of the responsabilities and strategizing to others?)

Somehow Derrick IS less creepy as a zombie, ngl. His dead eyes at least make sense when he's, you know, dead.

And I must say that I already didnt think much of the P4, but after this??? Bitch, be fr right now. Did they seriously just slaughtered 6 people??? And did it for the 'school traditions' not even the student body who are the actual victims!? Cause I'd totally support them if they had thought of the students, since the fucking 'Lower Master' (which i guess would be the vicedirector/vicerector???) was in on it (which eeeeeeeeeeewwwwwwwww????????' like, are you some kind of pedo sadist? or just so hard up for that whiskey? what is your deal, man???) and they had no recourse for justice. But eh, maybe plan a little?? The tiniest bit???

Also, we don't see what became of the others!!! Did they kill them all? Did they knock them out and left them tied up somewhere and waited for Druitt's people to murder them?? (Imagine you expect your nephew to have killed 1 (one) boy and then he just throws SIX corpses at you lmao) And WHY were they more worried about Derrick than about the Lower Master? WHERE ARE THE TEACHERS IN THIS SCHOOL? You *cannot* pay me enough to believe that 4 teenage boys have more autority than the full roaster of teachers? *They* never wondered where the man was? Why were they following orders from children??? How little did they interact with their superior than a zombie didn't arouse any questions?

(Also, HOW did they took them all out? Wheter they killed them or knocked them out, there were 4 other robust boys and a full grown adult and they had one single weapon! I was kinda expecting Violet to start throwing butter knifes a lá Sebastian when he crouched before the door lololol)

And that post-mortem hit really was overkill. I guess they felt Derrick was completely to blame and wanted to let out some anger. How do you even coordinate a hit like that tho? Awkward xD

I did not expect Ciel to keep up the innocent act lol. Yeah, suuuure you don't understand a little murder as a necessity (or as a treat xD) And admitting murder so readily is the epitome of stupid!! They didnt even ask you directly if you killed him! You could have said he died accidentally and you just...stumbled into UT's cult. Bluff or something, man! Amateurs

Yeahh I totally believe people with more wealth and prospects have more 'episodes' planned out. Poor people tend to just think about the end of the month and then the next one and so on. Rich people don't have many limits to their imaginations (I mean, the men dont.). I believe the LM, being an 'educator' had probably plans for multiple of the boys and their futures and how that'd affect his, bla bla bla and that's why he became so...lifelike.

Oh, so you're in the UT is Ciel's grandad train! Or is it canon now? Idk, I feel lost xD (But ALSO. Why is UT not chasing the people that killed his son/other Phantomhives and instead antagonising the only actual Phantomhive left???????? It makes no senseeeeee)

I don't give a s h i t if bullets didn't do UT harm. The SECOND I heard that 'heh-heh-heh' I'd be shooting. Three bullets at least (Ciel's gun is a modern one, why the f idk, so he prob has 20-25 bullets instead of the 5-6 of revolvers). I'd just want some *blood*. (Kudos to Ciel for keeping his head straight tho, UT would have probably bounced the bullets and injured the others)

Hartcourt is going THROUGH it today. He was probably very relieved when Blue House humiliated themselves in front of the Queen cause people would probably forget what happened to him in the pitch. But now this??? Poor baby. He's gonna have nightmares for YEARS.

I love the idea that O!Ciel still has an inner goodness that neither of his blood family had, even without being hella traumatized as a child.

Sebastian being pre-cog is bullshit. Just say you're insecure, Seb. It's okay. UT kicked your ass before, it's fair to be scared lolol

And poor Joanne passing out. I kept expecting Ciel to shoot the zombie Sebastian was protecting him from in the head, making his head explode, to remark the fact that he can (kinda) protect himself (sometimes). Alas, he didn't. Wasted oportunity!

Sebastian totally wants the Queen dead. He hates his master being someone else's dog xD

I LOVE that Ed went away but only to look for a weapon and come back!! Love that kid lol

The P4 were expelled and left probably in disgrace, but really, how much?? Like, they obviously end up working for Druitt (WHY?) but....adopt a new identity? Leave the country? I love that they sticked together tho. And even this the crown had all of THIS covered up; so really, they could have just done better.

Love the servants and the little glimpse we got of them! Ciel missed them too, it's obvious ha.

Oh, the Queen is 10000% evil (like pretty much any monarch of this time period) and very much had something to do with Ciel's family dying. Why tho, is the question.

Traveling for so long is tiring, adding to that socializing, amor you should probably rest a bit more. Just imagining me traveling 10 hours plus having to socialize that much makes me feel like one of UT's bizarre dolls.

Maybe Derrick just made the others play badly so that he'd look better? But that just makes it funnier when the time for the tournament comes and he's shit. "I'm just here to have a good time." "Well, stop having a good time and start properly playing!"

Honestly, I kinda like how much they value tradition because it makes the school seem a bit evil. Others have already pointed out that this arc is a mundane horror arc. The pace and the goals make it seem like one of those teen movies but not quite right. Ciel needs to get rid of a bully, he needs to get close to the popular kids (the P4) so he can get invited to the party (the midnight tea party) like in the movies. Ciel is almost like that unpopular kid who wants to become popular. But at the same time, the arc reflects how society as a whole works. You need to network, gain trust, etc. to get invited to certain things. There are traditions or processes that could be changed but aren't because "they work just fine rn. if it ain't broke don't fix it."

I don't like that the P4 are idiots that share 1 brain cell, because in what universe do you decide to try and bring your victims back to life???? They'll tattle on you.

The Lower Master is 1000% a pedo sadist. Why else would he be hiding in the shadows watching kids get beat? IMO he's as bad a Druitt because those kids are under his care, the parents put their trust in that institution, in that fucker and he does that? he's a bitch.

There is only one teacher in that school and it's Sebastian. Otherwise, the other houses would have a coach too. But it only seems like the Blue House has a coach, that does spend a lot of time with one particular young boy and carries him when he's hurt and kinda flirted with another and made him confess to being bullied... yeah, that school has too many faculty that's into kids... poor kids.

Violet kinda just blocked the exit while Redmond + Bluewer held one person and Greenhill beat up Derrick. I love Violet, I really do, but there's no way he took down the rest of the boys. Those boys should've been able to run and the P4 should've been forced to hunt them down for sport.

The P4 are lucky to live in an era where they can't be easily voice-recorded. Because if Ciel wasn't the Queen's Guard dog, it'd be a he said, she said kinda thing. The moment Ciel started asking, they should've just said," I have the right to an attorney and won't speak without one present."

Gender and socio-economic status must play a big role. There would obviously be exceptions, there's always people eager to climb the social ladder (marrying kids into a better-off family, a middle-class family pushing for one of the kids to go into a good, respectable, career, etc.) The LW was probably just eager imagining what kinda of kid he'd see beaten up next year and what success story would decide to mention his name as an inspirations or whatever, maybe he even wanted to become the headmaster.

Amor, I don't think he's Ciel's grandpa. I just think he was Claudia's sidepiece. She probably rode that D while away from home when he was busy being the Guard Dog. She probably left after fucking, meaning UT wrote their names and drew hearts around them in a notebook. Maybe they're canon in the manga, but I just find this funnier.

I feel like UT would've either been offended had Ciel fired at him or found it hilarious. Because that kid knows not even 2 reapers and a demon can take him on but he still shot at him? He'd burst out laughing.

Harcourt is the real victim. He shat himself in front of everyone, he discovers one of his crushes is a butler, then his body goes into shock because there are hungry, hungry zombies and he pisses himself, lastly, his two crushes are being gay in front of him and he passes out. And by, like, the next day, his boss is expelled, his crushes leave, and he isn't allowed to talk to anyone about what happened. My boy needs therapy.

I think Yana has spoken at times about how Vincent is kinda very evil and just the fact that he's evil (even if he's so soft and attentive to his sons) was kinda passed down to them. I think R!Ciel might've inherited more of the Phantomhive evilness because he was the oldest and Vincent might've spent a bit more time since he'd inherited everything. I also think that Ciel has always been the one with more inner goodness, I think. I've seen screenshots here where O!Ciel says he wants to start his toy company because he's almost always inside (cause he's sickly) and wants kids like him to be able to enjoy themselves because most toys are outside toys. Meanwhile, R!Ciel tells him that it's dumb and stuff. There's also a difference when it comes to how they speak about the Earl's duties to the people who live in the Phantomhive land and how they talk to servants from the little I've seen.

Ed is such a sweet boy. I like the dynamic between him and Ciel.

I am 10000000000% Druitt approached them and gave them the job because he "loves" his nephew. The only way Druitt becomes tolerable to me is if I HC him hating his family and going out of his way to fuck them over. That's why he's doing this to poor Redmond. Because I doubt even he (Druitt) is stupid enough to think that any of this is a good idea.

and very much had something to do with Ciel's family dying. Why tho, is the question.

I can answer this question. She had Claudia killed because she UT's D but he was too in love with Claudia. She obviously had to wait until there was a Phantomhive heir old enough to be a Guard Dog before killing her, hence she waited until Vincent was around 15 years old. Then she got impatient because UT had still not gotten over his ex and killed Vincent. She probably wouldn't give a shit if the twins dies because if UT didn't want her, then she'd at least have killed all he loved and would just give the title to the Midfords or some other family. (joking)

My best bet is that they were turning against her or knew something that they shouldn't and she didn't trust them to keep their mouths shut.

[hollywoodsargeant]

chapter 11 thoughts (amazing chapter as always) and damn is it a chapter (and my thoughts are long so as always sorry if it’s a pain to read)

first of all i love how even oscar’s coworker thinks that him and logan are in a relationship. ‘he’s just touchy’ i mean sure touchy is definitely when you have sex with your friend, make out with your friend and whatnot, that’s just him being ‘touchy’ obviously. if a coworker is saying that youre and you still arent convinced idk how oblivious you can be

and logan saying that the best parts of him are oscar, i mean yeah youve kissed youve fucked and youre both inseparable so that makes sense i guess but i love though that kyle is all so confused about this everytime logan is like ‘you know what i mean’ bc no logan i dont think kyle has a life long friend that hes done more than friend things with before

speaking of more than friend things, i still dont know how they can call themselves just friends when they’ve now both fingered each other and one has eaten the other out (first thing i thought of when i saw that scene was a similar scene in shark bait). i know i keep saying this but every chapter i always think ‘wtf do you mean that you’re just friends???’ and logan saying that he likes oscar whilst he’s naked is not helping my point

also i get logan’s entire college thing, moving away from everyone is so weird and especially when you know your best friend is going to be moving away from you. i wonder what will happen between the 2 of them and whats gonna happen after they go to college (unless somehow they magically cross paths in the same college or whatever)

anyways we need more of drunk logan thoughts bc i think it’s really interesting to see how he as a character thinks about things (just without a filter stopping him anymore) like just full on saying he cant get hard when he thinks about fucking oscar, no filter stopping him. i like hearing these thoughts just bc they’re so unfiltered

and kyle again… poor kyle i swear if i were him i would be scheming with callum to get logan and oscar together bc the man must have at least heard logan talk about oscar as if he’s his partner (no sorry i meant ‘friend’ obviously) like a million times

maybe kyle’s teasing might actually work idk (does it? perhaps it does, only you can tell us haha), and with that, that’s the end of my thoughts, sorry for it being so long and again thankyou for another great chapter!

HELLO. THANK YOU FOR YOUR THOUGHTS <3 never a pain to read i love and appreciate your thoughts very much me taking like 4 days to answer this ask is no reflection of my appreciation i just suck and am busy. Anyways

justice for oscar’s coworker tbh. she has been forced to witness their antics and then also put up with oscar’s insistence that they are Just Friends. at least she’s getting paid to be there…

logan literally does not know what he would do without oscar. i mean oscar doesn’t know what he would do without logan either but he isn’t really talking about it… but like. idk. just in life stuff like that is pretty wild to think about. like who would i be without this person in my life. logan thinks he would be Much Worse without oscar and does not understand why kyle doesn’t just Get exactly what he means like hello. logan. pretty sure You are kyle’s best friend and he is not gay for you. but i digress

THEY’RE JUST STUPID. aware of the fact that they do things “normal” friends don’t do but not aware of the fact that they’re just not friends. “it’s different with him” yeah because you are IN LOVE? whatever. my bad i did write it like that!

college will be fun. hehe. they’ll be fine… going to different colleges for the plot but it will be a spectacular time. they can keep arguing about who will drive to visit who until the end of the world probably. AND THEY WILL VISIT EACH OTHER! and i’m scheming.

DRUNK LOGAN WAS SO FUN TO WRITE. something something the first person he thought to call when he needed help was oscar. something something his angel. something something oscar being stupidly nice to him and why the fuck are you untying his shoes for him buddy stand up. Anyways. i agree more drunk logan i love him

i will disclose that kyle is a catalyst in thee ending of all time. i have it all planned out in my brain and not written down but shoutout kyle. he’s evil and i am evil and logan is fucking stupid

[wowowwild]

You said Sick Days was your favorite of your fics right now so could you do idk... If I just list some numbers you can pick which ones you want to answer, right? 3-6, 8-12 any of those. Thank you!

I love this fic so much I will do all of them ily for this.

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

Is it cheating if I don't choose only one? I'm not choosing only one, this blog is my domain and I will do what I want forever.

I really want to include the section where Apollo says 'eugh' but it might rightfully gross people out.

'No time for that, Justice! Your sopping wet boyfriend needs a towel and at least eight hours of sleep, stat.' -Apollo desperately trying to avoid psycho-analyzing his boyfriend

'Apollo was a vision standing in the doorway with a tray of breakfast and Klavier thought he might die.' -Klav just really wanting his eggs

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

Also not choosing only one.

“You’re thinking too hard. Feed me my ice cream.” -Klav being a brat (well deserved)

“Ja. I can do anything if I put my mind to it, Herr Forehead, so jot that down.” -Klav being sassy yet entirely too genuine

“It appears he has no court appearances, so please tell Prosecutor Gavin he has the rest of the week off and that if he shows up despite this I will suspend him.” -Edgeworth being the best boss ever and caring for his subordinates

There were also some exchanges but I'm sticking to single liners as prompted, I do follow some rules.

5: What part was hardest to write?

I had to rework the part where he went to get the medicine and ice cream a couple times, but mostly this fic just flowed out of me.

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

So I started writing it while sick and I just wanted to be taken care of so I thought 'What are things I would want someone to do for me?' which made this fic really more about their relationship and how they support each other than some greater narrative. Usually I am struck by a funny concept and then work around it, but this one was genuinely about the kind of love that comes with a healthy extended partnership.

8: Did any real people or events inspire any part of it?

Answered this above, I was sick. I was sooooo sick. Next time I get sick we're doing the same but in reverse and Apollo is going to be so grumpy, representing the part of me that gets grumpy instead of pathetic when sick.

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

Nope! I wrote most of this in one sitting so there wasn't time for there to be multiple versions. Most of the scenes were one and done as well.

10: Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story?

I wanted Apollo to take care of me. Klavier is my special boy. It just worked out.

11: What do you like best about this fic?

I made so many quick character decisions, particularly about Klav, and I'm happy with all of them actually. My favorites are that he was very close with his Oma and that he just casually keeps a story book by the bed, probably one that his Oma read to him. He is also specifically Austrian in this fic which is reflected in book choice but idk if that's even something people would notice.

12: What do you like least about this fic?

I don't know how else I would have written it, but I made a lowkey ad for Project Gutenberg when referencing the book and it feels clunky to me, but I might just be nitpicking. I genuinely enjoy everything else. I think as a story it's good, I think technically it's good. I stand by my assessment that this is the best thing I've written so far.

[thebestofoneshots]

Hi! U need to add Poland to the country list, im sorry luvie. Ur spreading like a Plague Inc. virus, im sorry hahahah also im the guy that some time ago send u an annon about GC some time ago, You have asked me some questions which im sorry for not responding to ig life got busy(i did do a mountain bike marathon tho very epic). Anyway,

1. You are not fucking anything up luv, it's not coming of fetishy or objectifingly. Ur doing allright

2. When it comes to portraying falling for someone, there is no inherent difference between falling in it as a men or a woman. But I am just a guy and never been a woman so idk. Everyone is diffrent too, and I think you write them all very emotionally charged. Full of nuance and depth qnd all those feelings that just might burst.

(I might be a few chapters behind but I really like the emotionally repressed and self destructive Remus as in it makes sense. It makes a lot of sense for a guy I think. Irl he would most probably be the typa fella that starts going to the gym or gets into 1200cc piss missile motorcycles. Maybe even drink a bit too much, but "strong" enough to get over himself and use that toxic masculinity to go back to "normal")

However, after thinking about it and like whilst keeping in mind what I said earlier - I do have a gf. Looking at me and my Sunshine, whilst strongly generalizing - I think it took me longer to fall for her. Like acually fall for her, not just like her and think she is one of the most beautiful woman on earth. But now as a guy, idk I just think about her a lot, I'm more on the logical side then her. Also way more reserved idk uhh I have some sa experience so it might be just me but after chatting a bit with some people yeah guys usually more reserved waiting for the sign or something. Idk it's ig hard to describe normality bcs it's just normal to me lol

3. When it comes to specific scenes uhhh pooki what can I tell you xD they have great chemistry, with Rem hoping back and fourth. It makes sense that a lot of them are sexually charged since they cannot connect romantically (at least as far as I've read). If you have more specific ones that would be easier to say xD

A mountain bike marathon? OMG that sounds AMAZING! You guys are all mindblowing ૮꒰ ˶• o •˶꒱ა

Thank god I'm not coming off as objectifying, I swear I was terrified, I feel like there is a very thin line, especially for BL and I wanted to portray it right and do it justice, especially since I know a lot of fanfiction can be complicated, and I have read plenty of people (specifically queer men) complaining about the way their relationships are typecasted and portrayed in said media.

I definitely focus heavily on their feelings, but that's kind of the reason I decided to write GC in the first place, I wanted to explore the complications of a throuple hehe.

It makes so much sense that guys would be more reserved I think, but I think especially in queer situations, both for men and women would be, since you might not be sure if the other person is actually queer too, idk if that makes sense?

Regarding specific scenes, I remember I was super nervous when I wrote the library scene with Sirius and Remus in Chapter 26, since it was Sirius' first time to feel something for Rem, and panic over it, I was so scared it wasn't doing it right. And also in chapter 31, when Sirius sees Minho and Tom kiss and has another gay panic revelation moment. I mean, I'm not sure when I figured I was pansexual but I think if I had seen two girls kiss in a closet and I didn't know about it, it would have definitely done something to me if that makes sense.

Sending a bunch of love all the way to Poland, thanks for answering all my questions, darling ☆૮꒰•༝ •。꒱ა

Read Gilded Constellations

[bcofl0ve]

Being a person outside the fandom and I think a lot of people here weren't until Elvis (2022) came out and I'm still not in the fandom but I wanted your opinion, don't you think Priscilla should have lived a life without Elvis? like since she was a kid she lived elvis, she doesn't know what life is without elvis, and i understand her honoring his image but you don't think she could when she got divorced and even when he passed away like 'stay away' from his image? obviously it's something she must like otherwise she wouldn't be doing it but idk i feel she could have been more, have an image for her without having her ex husband's name attached to it. And I'm not criticizing her willingness to do justice but don't she get tired of living a sort of Elvis Elvis Elvis Elvis? And I keep checking Linda's Instagram too and it's like idk, it feels that they can't get over the past, i know it was your partner you loved but idk you move on? 😭 it's just a feeling that i have

(Also, hypothetically if Priscilla was more distant maybe doesn't lessen the hate she gets?)

i think the short answer is “grief is hard and sad and weird”.

but re: priscilla, she couldn’t /really/ escape it at least in the ‘early years’ after his death given that she was the mother of his child. when e died his dad become the executor of his estate, and when vernon died two years later he put priscilla in charge until lisa turned 25, and she formed what we now know as EPE (elvis presley enterprises).

this (long) la times article from 1989 is a really good explainer of all that ^ but the tldr of it that the estate was in massive massive money trouble when priscilla took over. and she didn’t even *want* to turn graceland into a tourist thing, but when it was down to the wire it was lose/sell graceland, or figure out some way to save it and bring it money. so she made the decision to go forward with opening it, and the gamble paid off tenfold.

all that to say, she put so much into the estate after elvis died that i imagine saying well okay, lisa’s 25 now bye y’all! felt like, understandably, a very very hard ask. not to mention that she was doing all of that while grieving the man. a lot of people in their lives, her and allegedly elvis included, never truly thought the door was closed between them and assumed they’d eventually get back together. then he died, and all the “maybe somedays” died with him, something i imagine was soul destroying to process. i think being so involved with his legacy and his fans helped her in that grief, even if she isn’t loved and adored by all of them. and it probably feels especially more 💔❤️‍🩹 now that lisa is gone. i’ve seen some really nasty instagram comments about her current tour in london acting scandalized that she “can even leave the house right now”. but being surrounded by and talking to people who loved e and loved their baby girl is, tbvh, probably the glue holding her together. (and apparently navarone said something to this effect on a recent instagram live).

re linda…i do not like her. i don’t find “well she likes a lot of instagram comments!” an excuse for the comment she liked after lisa’s death saying cilla didn’t give her love when she’s a grown woman capable of reading. and capable of not liking comments that are so nasty about a grieving mother. but. but. i do feel for her even so. she did a lot for elvis when they were together, saved his life multiple times and was for all intents and purposes a really good partner. i’d go as far as saying that if he was with her in his final couple years he might’ve lived.

i’m almost positive she’s had that thought too, and i can’t even begin to imagine trying to process and live with that type of grief. i may not be a fan, but i do have a lot of empathy for the woman outside of her reckless instagram habits. and understand why she continues to talk about him and grieve him (and now yisa 💔) publicly.

i hope all of this made sense! and if anyone has any other ‘hey i’m moreso in the austin fandom but can you explain xyz presley thing’ questions i’m more than happy to answer as best i can. ❤️

[genlirema]

Character ask meme:

Eusine

and Morty !!

Character Ask Meme (Accepting)

Eusine

What I love about them: God I wish I had even half of the drive & ambition (and energy) this man has to chasing his dreams he’s like Sonic but less cocky and more free-willed & i don’t think I can remember any other Pokemon character being this excited over just the slight chance of achieving their goals c’:

What I hate about them: It’s been a long while since I played SoulSilver but I didn’t find him creepy/stalker-like at all like the fandom likes to assume…? So I don’t really hate him for anything ._.;

Favorite Moment/Quote: Still cry over the fact that he congratulates you if you successfully catch Suicune. Man could’ve said nothing or told you off for crushing his dream but he decided to thank you instead for the chance to meet Suicune what did we do to deserve this man ;-;

What I would like to see more focus on: I do find it kinda weird that only Suicune gets the focus and not any other Legendary Beast…? We don’t get any context for why Eusine is only focused on Suicune specifically instead of the other two so that might’ve been cool to see i guess ._.; (I mean we kinda sorta got a special episode with Raikou I think but idk I don’t think that counts)

What I would like to see less focus on: Why did they make Eusine yell at Ash. I mean…I get why (kid basically claimed to see the gay chicken god but Eusine wasn’t having it) but why c’: (he never yelled at the player in-game so I see the anime Eusine as very ooc)

Favorite pairing with: Morty x Eusine! (Sacredshipping) but sometimes Jasmine x Eusine too (I think it’s called Simpleshipping…? Kinda basic if you ask me :P but still cute ^-^)

Favorite friendship: Guzma & Steven Stone. Guzma cuz of my oc phase (where basically my oc was friends with a bunch of Pokemon characters & became a crime-fighting team i dont care if its cringe shut up). Steven because I can see these two accidentally/coincidentally running into each other a bunch of times for them to eventually meet up & eventually become travelling buddies.

NOTP: …nobody ships him with Suicune right? …Right?

Favorite headcanon: I still like to think he’s a waterbender who learned from his uncle (which is the dude in Celadon City that can only be accessed through Surf). I mean…it gives further context for why he’s searching for Suicune specifically, plus I doubt any of his Pokemon know Surf either & it’d be kinda hard to chase a water deity if you don’t know how to use Surf yourself ._.;

Morty

What I love about them: He was the only male Ghost Gym Leader until the shy guy kid from Galar came along & stole his title :c in all seriousness tho I think he has the best character design out of all the Ghost Type Gym Leaders, even the Gen 4 design wasn’t too on the nose (like Agatha or the shy guy kid again, yeah yeah I know his name but i never played Sword/Shield so i’m not using it) or too obtrusive (Fantina…) Also his voice actor’s AMAZING and very underrated I wish people knew about Andrew Rannells more :c

What I hate about them: The Gen 4 design was still kinda pushing it as far as Ghost Gym Leader aesthetic goes & I still like his Gen 2/Anime design better but that’s just me :/ (also he killed my starter on my nuzlocke run when i was 11 ;-;)

Favorite Moment/Quote: I love the part in the anime where Ash asks: “wait you can talk to/understand Ghost Pokemon how?” And Morty just immediately answers “Practice.” (Also again thank you Andrew Rannels for the way the line was delivered I can’t do it justice but it’s like he saying “uuuh how do you do anything Ash huh?” xD)

What I would like to see more focus on: I don’t really see much of a problem with how he’s portrayed in game and/or the anime actually! True, more screen time and/or backstory is greatly appreciated for his interest in Ho-oh (at least in game, the anime is fine) but for what we got, I’m glad we had a Gym Leader who actually paid attention to/studied the mythos of the region for once instead of just being generic miniboss no. 14 (it might’ve been kinda cool to see his clairvoyance used more like in the manga but idk how that would work ._.;)

What I would like to see less focus on: idk he doesn’t get much screen time so there’s not much i can say about him that wasn’t needed…? Unlike Eusine, Morty’s initial attitude towards Ash (dismissing his claims about rainbow birb) made sense for his character (because he didn’t yell at him) but I guess if anyone was going to give Ash a hard time it should’ve been Morty, not Eusine. (Though this would’ve made for some annoying/petty/unnecessary drama so I can’t complain ._.;)

Favorite pairing with: Eusine (Sacredshipping) & Steven Stone (Knightshipping I think…? idk the pokeship list is a mess) Morty & Eusine both hold a special place in my heart for being the first Pokemon characters I liked (and for fueling the oc dream team I mentioned earlier) but I can also see some chemistry with Steven too! They can be chill together c:

Favorite friendship: uuuh does frenemies count cuz I still think Yellowjacket (Guzma x Morty) is the best Guzma ship I’ve come up with yet, platonic or otherwise (though I see them more as frenemies than lovers) I can also see AZ & Morty being close friends too…? idk i just want my top two favs to be buddies & share stories about their history and legendaries together 🥺

NOTP: I used to see Falkner x Morty EVERYWHERE on deviantart and it was very yabai 😬 (though hopefully that’s changed now…? It was less about the characters themselves & more about how they were portrayed…shota…)

Favorite headcanon: because I have been sucked into a new fandom hell I like to think Morty is Keito Hasumi’s uncle and I’ve been meaning to recreate my old dead rp blog just to write about their dynamic but he basically taught Keito everything he knows about music (and possibly magic) and was basically Keito’s second dad (since his real dad is probably too busy working as a monk) and no this totally isn’t just another way for me to put two of my fav characters together whaddya talking about (also the fact that both of these characters have the voices of an angel seriously go look up Andrew Rannells and Yuichiro Umehara right now they are too good for this world ;-;)

[demon-fetal-harvest]

ASKS TIME!! 2, 3, 13, 14, (15?), 39, and 44! :DDDD

Ohhhhh thank you very much for the ask @randomfoggytiger! I had fun answering these

2. David Duchovny or Fox Mulder

This is a little hard to choose from. I love David, he is a very talented man and he essentially gave life to some ofy favoritecharacters, but this time I have to choose Mulder, just because he is my baby girl an I love him.

3. Gillian Anderson or Dana Scully

When it comes to Gillian I have to give her credit when it's due. She is an excellent actress, and I have loved her work for a very long time. She also basically carried the whole show after David left but again, I have to choose Scully. Tbh she has been short off an inspiration to me, she is partly the reason why I decided to go into the career path im currently in, which is realated to criminal justice, you could say I was also a victim to the scully effect lol.

13. Favorite Season(s)? Why?

I'm between season 5 and season 7 for this one.

Season 5 has some of my favorite episodes. Including bad blood, detour, kill switch and although I normally don't like the mythology episodes, the ones in season 5 are not that bad and kinda like them for all the angst and overall drama (also some shippy moments).

With season 7 is less about the quality and more about vibe. Idk how to explain it, for me it fells lighter than the others if only by the shift M and S relationship at the very beginning of the season. Although I don't think the way the decided to finish Samantha's story was the best, at least Mulder got his closure. This season felt at the time like they were preparing us to say goodbye and if they decided to end the show there and get rid of requiem I would have been happy with that.

14. Favorite episode(s)? why?

I mentioned before some of my favorite episodes in the previous answer, but for the shake of choosing one, I'm going to go with the safe choice and say Bad Blood. That episode is just so fun to watch and so meta and also was one of the first episode i ever watched. It was a nice change from the normal motw format, and the changing point of view was extremely entertaining. I personally like how it showed the perception one had over the other (although I think they were exaggerating to get on each other's nerves) and idk, re-watching that episode just makes me happy

15. Favorite MSR moments?

There are tons of MSR moments to choose from but I think that my favorite one has to be the hand holding at the end of field trip. There's no words exchanged, they are not even looking at each other directly, but they almost die and still, their first instinct is to try to reach out to the other, to know they are there and alive and well. It's such a small thing compared to the "my one in five billion" speech or the baseball scene in the unnatural but for me it's the best one.

39. When do you think Mulder and Scully started dating?

I believe the earliest something could have happened is after closure for sure. Amor fati opened season 7 with one of the greatest love confessions I've ever seen without even saying I love you, and the millennium kiss is further proof of how much they want each other. But I don't think they went any further than that until latter in the season. Yes, they where flirting a lot more but they weren't quite ready. Many think that All things was when they finally got thogether but for me was less about that and more about Mulder being the right choice for Scully and her finally accepting him wholeheartedly. I believe they got together somewhere after closure in the middle of season 7 but they were not completely sure what they were (specifically Scully) until after All things.

44. When did you first start watching the x files?

I started watching somewhere around 2011-2012 I think, there was a re-run marathon with the best of the x files on the fox Chanel and I remember the first episode I ever watched being Duane Barry, i was hooked from the beginning.

The funny thing is, that the first x files thing I ever saw was I want to believe, way before I started watching the show. I didn't even know it was based on a show. I didn't connect the dots until much later, Mainly because I originally watched the show with the latinoamerican Spanish dub so the title threw me off a little bit (the Spanish version is something like "The Secret Archives X", also the guys who worked on the dubs and subs where shippers and it shows).

[deadlykitten-404]

okay I know this show has been around for awhile, BUT I just binged Doona! and I need to talk about the ending bc I'm upset at how unsatisfying that was (spoilers under the cut)

okay so what was that?? I really thought that won-jun's miscommunication was going to be his resolved character arc but it wasn't?? like Doona went through so much and grew so much because of him (like it literally shows that she starts singing again because of him - as a side note I really liked how they used her ability to sing to physically show her burn out and anxiety and how she began to like herself and find joy in her music again with won-jun)

those last two episodes were difficult to sit through because why did he never grow like at all??? every time Doona sat him down and talked to him she was so honest with him and he wouldn't even give her the respect to answer? like I was hoping he would get over himself in the end and work with her where she was OR if he didn't change she would accept that he helped her grow and could acknowledge that he was stuck where he was and she could move on to do what's better for her life but instead he refuses to communicate and she still loves him???

it felt like such a weird ending because of won-jun's "I don't kiss my friends" and then he slept with her multiple times and with the couple rings like clearly he cared about her significantly, and I don't understand why her not being around him 24/7 was enough for him to give up on her. like, we see him writing to her so he clearly wanted to keep in touch, but at soon as she approaches him in the precious little time she has he's just like "nah, I'm good"????

she literally told him her manager would make them break up and then did everything in her power to stop that from happening and when it did happen he just,, what,, got intimidated by her?? got upset that she finally was pursuing the career that she loved (THAT HE ENCOURAGED HER TO FOLLOW????) AND THEN HE LEAVES FOR MILITARY??? like this man is physically running away and I still don't understand the reasoning behind him abandoning her like it just didn't feel in character like she opened up to him about her struggles and insecurities and he should have known that it would hurt her and if he regretted every moment since then why wouldn't he just go with her then when she directly stated that she had a plan to make it work

idk the ending scene where he finally admits that he regrets losing her was good, but I was just hoping that they would have had more of a conversation where he like straight up told her he would do what he needed to to meet her where she was but instead she just like forgives him. id say it was good to see him pursuing his career but it wasn't because it really felt like he was just leaving her behind.

I guess I just wish there was more scenes that explicitly showed that they were still together (or even if they were still wearing the rings!!) like the deleted final kiss scene helps a bit and it's implied that they at least still care for each other but he was so annoying and whiny the last two episodes he was frankly being really selfish and I was hoping that it would show how he grew in that so he could still be there for her. but I guess not.

I am happy that it implies that they manage to stay together but I don't like the way it got there. I wish there was one last episode that like actually explained all of that. (and also I've noticed that kdramas don't tend to show full conversation I think I also wish we got to see more of their resolution conversations on screen bc without it it's hard for me to understand why she's still putting so much effort into him)

having said all of this I really enjoyed this series and I really liked the characters and I really liked these two as a couple I just feel like the ending didn't do their story justice

[beguilingcorpse]

ok so. i am a DEFENDER of adaptational differences. i think they SHOULD EXIST. i HAVE NOT MINDED any of the ones so far. HOWEVER.

- the fourth pearl was... useless? lost immediately??? had no real bearing on the plot??? i understand wanting to make it seem like they had a chance of getting sally out, and i understand that that Could Not Have Occurred, but the way that they decided to resolve it felt lazy

- ??? WHY DID THEY TAKE ANNABETH OUT OF THE UNDERWORLD EARLY???? WHAT WAS THE REASON??? JUSTICE FOR MY GIRL

- hades having a cool gay uncle vibe kind of.. ruins the tension? idk i understand wanting a Fan Favorite God to be a Fan Favorite but also the climax of the entire quest led to a short conversation in some guy's living room. no danger, fewer stakes. they could have at least designed the palace differently. it felt so greyed out and boring

- speaking of.... the greenscreen..... i have to laugh. disney PLEASE let them build physical sets. PLEASE give them a bigger CGI budget. i am BEGGING

- i understand that (a) they have a limited amount of time for each episode and (b) they're actively trying to portray percy as smart which i do appreciate. but every time he's like "i know who you are, you're procrustes" or something similar it feels SO out of nowhere. annabeth functioned in the first book as a World Encyclopedia so that percy (and, by extension, the reader) could learn about mythology and other pieces of exposition through her. giving those moments to percy both takes away annabeth's main purpose AND distances the audience from percy

- related: i Knew the kronos answer and it STILL felt like that came out of left field. kronos was mentioned by ares one (1) time. he wasn't connected to tartarus in any meaningful way. for annabeth to connect those concepts would have been different (because, again. that is literally the narrative function of her character) but they nerfed her!! and so instead percy has this INSANE (and to him unconfirmed) theory that feels incredibly sudden!!! idk man i just think that it should be ok for percy not to know things! i think he needs to be a little lost and overwhelmed! it's ok for him to be so focused on getting his mom back that he can't think about the bigger picture!!! he's TWELVE this can be hard for him!!!!

- for the most part i didn't mind the bonus sally flashback scenes, and i get that they wanted to use virginia kull. but they also beg a LOT of questions. how often did poseidon and sally keep in touch after percy was born? why was it ok for poseidon to see sally but not percy? why was SALLY ok with poseidon being so distant from his kid's life, even though he visited her? his involvement with sally weakens the Whole Point of the gods abandoning their kids and ex-partners in a way that doesn't feel justified. if sally can drop a match in a milkshake and summon poseidon whenever she wants, then what are the actual effects of his absence? if one of the Big Three can return to their former lover at will, what's stopping any of the rest of the gods? if poseidon will end up being a Good Guy After All, then what even is the point of kronos reaching out to try to sway percy to his side? how are percy and luke going to be narrative foils? how is percy supposed to see his own mother in may castellan? where are the stakes? where's the DRAMA???

tl;dr version: hi showrunners. i get what you're trying to do. but please, PLEASE start considering the narrative and thematic implications of the changes you make when adapting the source material.

just watched percy jackson episode 7

[99-nct]

OOO ASKS YOU SAY!!! okayokay so, I'm not sure if you like scaramouche, but I feel like you'd do him justice!! i wanna know if you had any thoughts on him or anything, and how he would treat his darling. maybe a darling in an arranged marriage, something like that???

OOO WAIT I FEEL LIKE YOU'D DO ANY OF THE INAZUMA CHARACTERS JUSTICE SO WHAT ABOUT KAZUHA. he's such a scary yandere and I feel like no matter how hard you try you just cant escape him. I had this idea of kazuha and a childhood friend reader who just couldnt escape him no matter how hard they try 0:

idk if you like either of these characters so um I can send smt baal related too because I'm starved for content when it comes to her and I saw your baal post with the statue and screamed! I just wanna be her loyal dog ): feel free to not answer this either I'm just excited vdyyrjurd -saekogun

( tw; yandere, violence, implied noncon, kidnapping ( ? ), delusional mindsets )

i do like both characters a lot!! i just haven't gotten to write anything for them so here <3

scaramouche ... he's another bastard. i think he'd get off to courting you and treating you nicely only to reveal his true colors once it's too late 🤗 he finds the shocked look on your face to be the hottest thing he'd ever seen <3 definitely strikes me as sadistic; he will view you as a cute thing with no intelligence. scaramouche isn't a reverent yan either ... poor darling

"awww did you really think i loved you? that's so pathetic," he sneers as he grabs your hair; pulling up harshly. the wedding garb you spent months picking out is now stained with tears and blood from your family members lying dead beside you. what was supposed to be the happiest day in your life quickly turned into the worst. this feeling of despair sunk in as tears escaped your eyes.

the slight whimpers that escape your mouth seemed to arouse him further; you could vaguely see a slight blush on his cheeks and he forces your head to his crotch.

"get on your knees and suck whore, least my generosity for you run out."

kazuha scares the shit out of me 😖 that's hot 🥵 no because there really is no way to get away from him!! pretty boy can smell you from a mile away. i don't think he'd even get mad if you ran away - he thinks it's cute that you think you could ever escape ( if he's lucid )

but your idea of him being a childhood friend!! i'd say he leans more on the delusional side which is even more annoying. regardless he won't really let you out of his sight whether you know he's there or not - his friend's death shook him up and he doesn't want to lose you too <3

you couldn't breathe; you had been running for hours. you were exhausted, the state of hypervigilance you endured is catching up to you.

was he behind you? was he above you? you didn't really want to know as you slowly moved forward.

"where are you going?"

it was that damn voice. it was smooth and unassuming; you'd almost forget how he kidnapped you.

"it's getting dark out," you didn't turn to face him but you knew he was frowning, "what if you got lost or hurt yourself?"

"do i have to spell it out for you?" you shout whipping your head around to face him, "i want nothing to do with you. imagine how i feel, you suddenly kidnapped me and dragged me along with you? i'm trying to leave you!"

"i know you're a little tired from all that running. it's okay now shhh shhh you obviously don't know what you are saying love," before you could blink kazuha had wrapped his arms around you, "you promised me we would always stay together."

"we were kids kazuha!! did you seriously expect me to follow through with a childish promise? you-"

"yes"

you shivered as his eyes went dark for a second. kazuha would never hurt you right? his grip suddenly became bruising; your squirming did little to loosen his hold on you.

"i've tried being considerate of you, but if you keep being difficult i will have no choice but to punish you. you understand me love, right? you don't need to say such mean things."

you could only nod as your gut sank, you weren't bold enough to rebut his statement

PLEASE SEND SOMETHING EI RELATED!!! i'm so happy you liked my thoughts on her!! i am starved for her content as well; which is why i wrote some <3