#bro the second half i was like actually interested and kinda paying attention

[kuiinncedes]

zbxhdhdh

[kikiwooo]

i’m the anon that asked about xavier and fredrinn tag teaming me and i haven’t been brainrotting about fredrinn lately but i’ve been thinking about xavier as a camboy alot 😭 idk the idea just appeals to me. and i’ve been trying to think of other characters that would fit this trope, like i could totally see lancelot, yin and gusion as camboys HAHAHA

MANNN GODDAM Y'ALL HAVE SOME QUITE INTERESTING FANTASIES 💀😭 I kinda didn't liked what I wrote and some parts might be short because I died

notes; gn! reader, camboy! mlbb boys

Gusion

lmao gus after his brother didn't give him enough money or overall he doesn't have enough money for himself, quite pitiful indeed. Let's jump straight into it cuz if I ever go into detail that would be an essay +he's paxley so probably there's like lot who knows him and his ego just wouldn't allow him

He probably does challenges about how big and deep he can take in and people just following cuz he's not only a new face but a pretty one too+he's also stubborn. He reads every donation out loud, also those shitty and troll ones too, he's that gullible but he learns it after it happens a few times. his eyes does go wide and his system stops for a few seconds after receiving big ass donation (while having a big ass dildo up his ass, his challenge not mine) will also smirk if the person who donated him challenge to another thing and says they'll pay him even more if he does this and that, Gus will do it no matter how impossible it is. (is that dragon di-

Will frequently invite you to his streams or videos if you guys are in relationship irl, but if you only watch and donate and maybe sing in membership(he has the silliest emotions of himself) he'll favor that one person(it's you)

Yin

INEXPERIENCEDDD I TELL YOU, but somewhat he's pretty good with those dildos, bro's born for it. Lieh is tired of hearing Yin's sloppy whimpers and half moans which he tries so hard to hide.( They're twins) most of the people favor him and only him cuz he's cute.

He recording videos cuz he heard it from Lieh that one makes so much money from it and only it. Yin was insecure at first so he first talked it with one of his very very close friend(you), but like super duper close, he can't handle anyone else other than you so you're his go to. He's pretty vanilla but from time to time he doesn't skip to try new things (𝓯𝓻𝓮𝓪𝓴𝔂), also somehow gets lots of donations even if he does literally nothing and just sits in front of the camera (you know the deal shh)

But if you're one of his viewers, and probably the nicer one than those of the perverts and just keep him in his ground and offer him to do new things to not lose the attention+also keeping him updated about literally everything going around, somehow Yin even offered you a private video just for you- or just a simple invite (lieh didn't liked that)

Lancelot

ALRIGHTTT, lance is experienced and probably has been in this camboy things for years, he's pretty proud of his own body and shamelessly shows it into the camera without any hesitation maybe that's why he's so popular.

Though he's open to the camera, you can never get anything from him real life, he shuts the topic really fast that you can't even argue back. If you're one of his viewers+have membership probably the earliest one, yeah lance over here has a VIP room for y'all like the first seats of the cinema. Lance cares about what his viewers want because that's where the money comes from, no?

Lancelot is actually fond of tight clothes/gears?? Like how they squeeze is skin so deliciously(he knows his chat loves it, he also himself likes them so win?)

Everyone's literally there for his girly moans what are you talking about.

Xavier

Y'all how we got him on here, 's like we won the lottery???? despite being quiet both irl and in front of the camera, we can hear soft grunts and gasps whilst he's taking it hard(I'm not the one salivating no it's you) AHHHH HE'S JUST, PERFECT??? the way his waist and they way he turns around to check, the way his muscles mmhmmmmhmhmhm. Though he likes you interrupting his streams when you come behind him to tease, he scolds you from after the stream (damn). if one of his viewers with membership, he quietly thanks those people (he whispers, asmr fr) at the beginning of the video/stream, doesn't show much of a reaction at the donates, he's doing it for it anyway, but his eyes will visibly widen whenever reaching such lot donations with cute messages(his fandom is 🎀yes both genders),

He's always sore after the streams and videos, no matter how he took it from low, he always ends up sore which he complains about it, but does he make money? yes so so much and he doesn't thinking about giving it up any time soon.

[shurisneakers]

harmless (v)

Summary: Bucky volunteers to go stop a small time villain, but nothing can prepare him for what exactly he has to deal with. (Bucky x villain!reader, drabble series)

Warnings: cursing, ghosts, frustrated bucky, dramatic reader, rats

Word count: 2.3k

A/N: why did i like this chapter sm someone explain. anyway!! y’all are so passionate about these two i love it mwah

if you have any ideas for future inventions/evil plans, lemme know! i might actually end up using them

here’s my ko-fi if you’d like to support my writing <333

Previous Part || Series Masterlist

He dislikes the subway. 

Other than his other valid reason to have disdain for trains, the subway is dark, it’s shady and he’s sure he’s seen rodents fight to the death here on several occasions.  

Still, he’s following you down the stairs of the station, watching as you whistle along to the song blasting through your headphones. There’s a backpack swung over your shoulders, hands stuffed into the pocket of your hoodie and converse doing a skip every now and then. There’s a bandana that’s tied across your face, acting as a mask to hide your identity. 

He realises that you’re dressed like a commuter. Were you going to dress the part every single time?

You walk along with the crowd. He follows, a few feet away.

Until you stop. He abruptly stops too, leading someone to walk right into him. 

“Watch it, dumbass,” they hiss with the courage of someone who has no idea who he is. He ignores them. 

He looks on as you dig around your backpack and pull out a roll of paper. A poster, he realises soon when you peel off a layer from the back and press it to the wall. 

Was it legal to put up posters in the subway? He wasn’t quite sure. 

He observes as you turn around and continue down the path. He waits a few seconds before trailing up to the poster.

Volunteers needed!

If you’re interested in being turned into a ghost for a couple of hours, this is your chance! Should be okay with being on camera so that we can make money off of taped paranormal sightings.

Paid opportunity. You get to pick your outfit. Randos don’t apply.

He yanks the poster of the wall before continuing down the same place you did.

He finds another poster along the way. He doesn’t hesitate in pulling it down. You were advocating to kill people. 

He knows he’s going in the right direction because more posters creep up along the wall.

The both of you are on the platform by now but to him, something changes about the placement of the posters. They were growing in frequency, the distance between them decreasing as they were situated close to each other.

He pauses in front of the next one, hand hovering over the paper.

All it reads is ‘STOP’.

He furrows his eyebrow, pulling it down before peering over at the next one.

‘TAKING’, is all that it says.

It doesn’t take him very long to make his way through all the posters in the hallway. 

‘THESE’

‘DOWN’

The train’s arrived by now but a quick scan over the crowd and he knows that you haven’t entered. That, and he knew that you were too dramatic to leave without a trace or a small conversation with him. 

‘DICKHEAD’

Tasteful, he thinks. 

“It took effort to make them, stop ruining it,” you whine from the end of the hallway. It’s empty, given that rush hour was over a while ago. 

Even though the mask covers half your face, it’s obvious that there is mischief etched under it. The twinkle in your eye is telling. 

“You’re literally killing people.” He holds up the poster. Not the ‘dickhead’ one. He pockets that for later. 

He knows there are a few minutes before the next train arrives and more people flood the station. The eccentricity of today lay in the lighting from the incandescent lamps and acoustics of the platform. It made his voice echo like a movie scene. 

“I very much am not,” you huff. 

“You’re turning them into ghosts. That’s what a murderer does,” he says pointedly. 

“Well, only if you keep saying it like that. You’re making me look bad.” You cross your arms across your chest. “What are you, Fox News?” 

A scurry next to him earns his attention. Two rats nibble at a piece of fallen food. He wonders when they’ll starting brawling. 

“Explain this.” He waves the poster around. He isn’t taking it too lightly he hopes. If it’s actual murder then it’s going to be an issue. 

You pull out a black cylinder, slightly bigger than a pen. He can’t really see any more details, but you hold onto it like a wand. 

“I’m turning them into ghosts. I’ll post videos of them doing stupid shit. I get famous and then boom, cash money.” You rub your index finger and thumb together. “I’ll give you a share if you volunteer.”

“You’re not explaining the death part.” 

He can feel it. You’re about to start derailing. 

“Winter Soldier, the ghost story. Literally.” You grin, yanking down the mask from your face to prove it. It pools around your neck. “That’s so funny, c’mon, it’d be amazing.”

It’s been years since he’s heard that. Never in this context. 

“No,” he says sternly, “and I’m going to have to bring you in if you’re going to kill people.”

The rats were ignoring everything that was going down like the hardened criminals that they were. They had probably seen worse. He can’t stop paying attention to them.

“I’m not killing them, bro.” You raise your hands in exclamation. “I’m just moving some molecules around, some frequency shit. They’re alive, just ghosts.”  

He’s always been one for science. Straight As throughout high school, attended science conventions as a hobby, alive even at 100 through some mad experimentation, definitely seen some weird shit during his lifetime. 

But this doesn’t make sense.

“No,” he repeats. “Give me the thing.”

“Fine, I’ll show you.” You roll your eyes. “Since you have absolutely no faith in me.”

He does a quick review of his surroundings. 

No one’s around, which is good. 

But that just leaves him in front of you, which is bad.

“Don’t you even thin-” he starts, muscles tensing as he shifts into a defensive stance.

You whip out the little pen thing from beside you but before he can react you turn around and duck. 

The click of a button releases a bright light, small but intensely stronger than the fluorescents in the station.

He reels back, feet carrying him away from where you’re crouched. His eyes quickly look down at his body. 

Nothing’s changed. 

He lifts his hand to check, runs it over his face. Still alive. He thinks.

“Behold,” you declare, “Ghost rat.”

He looks to where you’re pointing. The two rats from earlier were still nibbling on their food but something was off about them. 

He could see the faint outline of the tiles on the wall behind them, almost like they were... translucent.  

You aimed at the rats, not him. He doesn’t know whether to feel relieved or annoyed at the fake threat.

He watches as they move. They don’t look hurt or injured.

“Cool, huh?” you say smugly. 

He can’t stop staring at them. 

“Bring them back.”

“They’re fine, look how abstract it is.”

“Bring back the rats.” He can’t believe this is what his life has come to.

Bucky Barnes, Rodent Protector.

You aren’t fazed by his indifference, instead wonder filled eyes gaze at the animals. “Astral mice, sarge. Embrace the miracle of modern science.”

“You killed them.”

“They’re alive, they’re just ghosts.” You raise a finger to point. “Look, they’re still eating. Biological functions are still taking place.” 

 Which was true. But still. He doesn’t know what is going on.

“Bring them back to... non-ghost alive.” 

“You sure you don’t want one? That one kinda looks like you.” One hardened glare after you realise the answer. “Jeez, alright then.”

You dig through your bag before pulling out a matte black replica of your current invention. 

“Sexy colours, right?” You hold them up. “I modelled them after your arm.”

He looks down. Sure enough the gold and black matched his cybernetic limb. It was oddly flattering. 

“Say thank you, Y/N, for letting me be your muse-”

“Un-ghost the rats.” 

“Ungrateful,” you narrow your eyes at him. 

Still, you comply with his demands, ducking down to their level again.

A click of the button, a bright light and the rats are back to normal. Non-transparent normal.

“Okay, give me that.” He takes a step towards you. 

“Nuh uh.” You pull your arm back. His mouth twitches at your response; what are you, five?

The black one is stuffed back into your bag but you wave around the gold like a threat. 

He sighs, making a pass for it. In a second his arm is twisted and shoved against his back, forcing him to spin so that he’s facing away from you. His eyes widen.

What the fuck?

“Now we’re having a good time,” you whisper into this ear. 

He swiftly turns around, grabbing your wrist to rotate his own out of your grip. 

“Since when can you fight?” he asks.

“Are we getting to know each other now?” You raise your leg to give him a semi gentle kick in the side, using his momentary distraction in blocking it to give him a knock on the head with your free hand. “This is so romantic, sarge.”

There’s a low rumble in the distance and he knows the train would soon start pulling into the station. It was still a distance away, but his heightened senses warned him that it wouldn’t take much time. 

He groans. How much longer would he have to go at this?

He could easily win this fight and he knew it. But something in him itched, pulled him back from doing it.

He blocks another attempt at his head. “Stop that.”

You grin. “You know what’d be fun?”

He knows you’d reply even if he didn’t encourage it. The lights from the train light up the tunnel around the corner. 

“This.” You don’t give him a second to recover before you flick your wrist away from him.

The device flies out of your hand and right onto the track. The both of you watch, you in glee, he in horror, as the train runs right over it, unleashing the brightest light he had ever seen. His eyes shut instinctively before it blinds him.

He forces himself to pry open his eyelids, look at the damage caused. 

The train, sure enough, is translucent. He can see the posters on the other side of the platform through the carriage, through various people holding onto the poles for support or seated on the seats.

“Ghost train!” you cheer. He’s mortified.

“Fuck no,” he mumbles, yanking the backpack off your shoulder. He rummages through it, looking for the gold version.

“You lookin’ for this?” you ask nonchalantly, holding it up in your hand like it isn’t the solution to stopping a bunch of ghosts from wandering around New York. 

“Turn them back.” He gives you a chance. 

“Do it yourself, coward.” You grin, holding it above your head. The train is going to stop and he needs everyone to be alive and non-ghost before they leave.

He doesn’t wait this time, instead turning to you. The thing is still held in your grip above your head. He rolls his eyes, doing a quick assessment before grabbing your free hand, tugging you closer and plucking the device out of your hand before you have the opportunity to retract it.  

“Great, now figure out which button to press.” You’re dangerously close to him. He can feel your hoodie brush against his tactical jacket. “Also if you wanted to be all pressed up against me, you could have just asked.” 

He furrows his eyebrows, letting go of you as you give a loud laugh. He looks down at the device. It has several buttons, littering up and down the side. Each look the same. 

The train’s slowing down. 

“They’re both the same device; this version is not a magical solution to the other one. If you press the wrong button then both of us are going to be fucked.”

The last carriage is getting closer. 

“Say I win this round and I’ll fix it.” 

There’s a gleam in your eye. He knew this was exactly what you wanted. 

He wishes he was as stubborn as Steve, just run through each button until the right one worked.

“You win this one.” He hands it back. He wasn’t like Steve and judging by the number of items the idiot jumped out of planes without a parachute on a daily basis, Bucky was glad about it. At least Bucky did it sporadically.

“Yay, two each for the both of us, then,” you say, taking it from him and twisting, eyes running down the sides. “Close your eyes, old man, or else your cataract’s gonna get worse.”

Right as the train pulls to a stop, you press down on the button before throwing it and the blinding light that emanates from it. It lands on the top of the train right as the doors open. 

The passengers start stepping out. Some of them are looking at their hands and legs in a little disbelief, most just push through the crowd to leave.

He can’t see through them. It’s a good sign. 

He turns to look at you but you’re not there. Instead, the weight of the small device weighs down in his pocket.

The sound of a thud on glass draws his attention. 

He looks up at the train. The window of the carriage in front of him has a bit of fog on it. You trace a heart in the condensation and blow him a kiss before pulling your mask back on.

The train starts moving, leaving him alone in the platform again with your invention.

He lets out an exhale, wandering outside to grab a sandwich before waiting to catch the next train to go home. 

Later in the evening, he catches hold of a bit of tape and the ‘Dickhead’ poster finds a place on Sam’s door. 

He doesn’t appreciate it.

So now it’s tucked away in the shelf of Bucky’s bedside table along with a freeze ray, a ghost-inator, and some discount Pym Particles. 

Next part

[i-just-like-goats]

Miya Atsumu x Female Reader

Warnings: none

Summary: The Inarizaki team have all placed bets on when you and your longtime best friend Atsumu will finally get together. Kita is close to losing the bet, time for him to step in.

It is known to all students at Inarizaki High that Atsumu was a lady’s man. Sure he wasn’t a womaniser or a player, but that didn’t stop him from breaking hearts everywhere he went. His mere dismissal of a girl would lead that girl to burst into tears, straight up rejections even worse. His casual flirtatious comments did not at all help with his reputation, leading oblivious girls to believe he actually held interest in them. How wrong they were.

Whereas you. You deemed yourself nothing special. Nothing too flashy, unlike a certain someone. You didn’t stand out in a crowd, and most certainly never attempted to shine or take the spotlight. You left that to your best friend.

Miya Atsumu.

“Hey could you-“

“No.”

“Will you please put in a good-“

“No.”

The first two girls had left, their hopes crushed, you felt relieved they had gone to class until another girl replaced them and effectively disrupted your short lived peace.

“Y/N!” She said, her voice oozed with fake sweetness.

“Do I know you?” You asked bluntly.

“We sit next to each other in chemistry, silly. Don’t you remember?”

“And?”

“So I was wondering if I could ask you a favour?”

“If it’s homework we had none. If it’s class work I’ll send you my notes. If it’s anything else; leave me alone.”

“I just need you to give this little gift to At-“

“Not interested.”

With that you swiftly walked away, which left the unnamed girl open mouthed with shock. This was the daily routine you had to put up with. Reject all of Atsumu’s fan girls who approached you in order to reach him. Truth be told it was extremely tedious, but you couldn’t really complain - after all you were the one who befriended him. It was a small price to pay for being friends with him.

“Hey I was wondering if you could set me up with Atsumu?” A different girl asked.

Scratch that it wasn’t small. At all. It was a big price to pay. Very tedious. Very irritating. Very time consuming. By the time you reached your first class - English - you were already exhausted and plopped yourself into your seat.

“Don’t you look wonderful?”

“Well you wouldn’t look so hot either if you had to fight off Atsumu’s admirers in the space of one morning.”

Osamu noticed your sharp tone and held his hands up in mock surrender. You shook your head at him and started writing down what your teacher was saying.

Lunch came around and you made your way to your usual table next to your best friend.

“There’s my favourite best friend!”

All eyes were on you as you made your way to Atsumu. Some looked with contempt. Some with envy. Others with anger. All harboured ill feelings towards you. He had that certain look in his eye when you walked over to him, like you were the greatest thing in the world. His smile widened once you took the seat across from him, Atsumu’s eyes sparkled with joy as though it was his first time seeing your face again. Suna scoffed at his expression, not before taking a sneaky picture of proof about how much Miya Atsumu was whipped for Y/N L/N.

“Where were you all morning! I missed you so much,”

“I was dying,”

Silence. Atsumu tilted his head in confusion. Next to him, his twin stifled a laugh.

“Bro, your girlfriend here was busy fending off the wild animals that make up your fan club. She had no time to see your stupid face, and the last time you saw her was yesterday,”

Everyone in proximity of your table tensed up at Osamu’s words. From the table next to yours, Atsumu’s fan girls glared daggers at you.

“Yesterday was ages ago,” Atsumu whined.

“That’s what you focus on?” You ask incredulously.

Instantly Atsumu’s demeanour changed and he glanced to his left.

“Way to go Osamu, now Y/N’s on their hit list,” Atsumu said dryly.

“Well if you didn’t flirt back none of us would be in this mess,” Kita kindly passive aggressively informed his teammate.

Ever since Atsumu’s first official match, girls had been flocking to Atsumu like a swarm of bees to their queen. Every day the Inarizaki volleyball team had to deal with squealing fan girls gushing over Atsumu’s talent for volleyball, essentially distracting the players and disrupting practice. At first Atsumu shamelessly flirted back, basking in the attention, now he, as well as the others were fed up. In short, Kita was tired. Tired of the fan girls. And most importantly tired of the fact that you and Atsumu weren’t dating yet. At this rate Kita would lose the bet that Osamu and Suna had coerced him to take part in. He had bet that you and Atsumu would be dating by the end of the month, which was this Saturday, and the way things were going between you two, he’d probably have to ask you out himself for Atsumu in order to win the bet. On the other hand, Osamu bet that Atsumu would ask in their third year, Aran bet that you would actually ask instead of Atsumu and Suna bet that Atsumu would ask at the end of next month. It was decided that the losers would do what the winner wanted for a day, with no complaining whatsoever. A whole day of getting the team to do what he wants without complaints. A dream come true for Kita.

“It’s the end of the month on Saturday. Two days,” Osamu sing songed.

“So?” You asked.

“Oh, nothing,”

You dropped it and shrugged. Opposite you, Kita sent a saccharine smile towards Osamu, while the latter playfully smirked back. Kita had a plan.

Two day passed as usual, nothing significant happened; that is until the end of the second day. As usual, you made your way out of Physics with Atsumu; your best friend filled in the silence with his cheerful chatter. Unusually, Kita stood there at the end of the corridor.

“Hey cap! What brings you here?” Atsumu inquired.

Kita seemed to snap out of whatever was bothering him, for his face returned from his previous scrunched expression to his more neutral expression.

“Hm? Oh I came here to speak with Y/N. If that’s alright with the two of you?”

You nodded, though intrigued as to what Kita wanted to talk to you about, Atsumu on the other hand stayed silent. Before you left with Kita, he crushed you with a hug and sent puppy eyes at your retreating figure, walking next to his captain.

During the walk out of school grounds, Kita mentally prepared himself to convince you to ask Atsumu out, allowing both his and Aran’s plan to work, so that the pair won the bet - Kita was too engrossed in his thoughts. A while passed before you and Kita spoke; you were already halfway home before you confronted Kita.

“Kita?”

“You have feelings for Atsumu, don’t you?”

Kita panicked at your sudden dialogue and spoke the words that first came to his mind. His panic was not conveyed through his steady tone of voice. Truth be told, it was more of a statement than a question, it certainly caught you off guard. The latter half of the sentence seemed to be added hastily as though to soften the bluntness.

“What makes you say that?” You answered evenly, and turned your face away from him, a small blush settled firmly on your cheeks.

“Answering my question with a question I see,” he teased, “Everyone knows, the both of you don’t hide your feelings very well, it surprises me that you two aren’t dating yet,”

“I know he has feelings for me, I’m not an idiot, I see the way he looks differently at me and I see how he’s more clingy towards me than the others. I’m not an idiot,” you repeated.

“Then what’s stopping you?”

“I don’t know,”

“I think you do know. Idiot,”

You pouted and let out a huff.

“Fine. Fine,” you finally conceded, “I’m not an idiot but I am a coward. I guess - as cliché as it sounds - I don’t want to ruin our friendship. What if it doesn’t work out and we end on bad terms? Years of friendship would be wasted and gone in an instant. I just. I just don’t want to risk that happening,”

“What’s life without a little risk,”

At Kita’s attempt at lightening the mood, you scoffed and shook your head.

“Sorry, that was unlike me. What I meant to say was you won’t know until you try. Sure there is that possibility that the relationship may end badly and the precious friendship between you and Atsumu would probably be lost, but there is also a chance that this relationship will end happily, with no heartbreak. I can’t guarantee that everything will be peachy; obviously there’s going to be some problems along the way but knowing your stubborn personality I am confident that you will fight for you and Atsumu, because I know you care way too much for him to let him go,”

Kita’s speech surprised you, this was the most encouraging thing he had said to you. Ever. You smiled.

“Thanks Kita. I really needed that,” you said as you finally reached your house.

Kita made his way to his house, waving as he walked down the steeet. He left you with a lot to think about.

Later that evening you called Kita again, and talked until he decided that it was time to go to sleep.

That morning you walked to school with Kita in a comfortable silence. Once you reached school you spoke.

“Ok I’m going to do it,”

“Yes you will,” Kita encouraged.

Confidently you walked up to your long time best friend, then suddenly turned the other direction.

“I can’t do it,” you cried out.

Exasperatedly, Kita shook his head and forced a strained smile.

“Y/N do you want to do this or not?”

“I do,”

“Then go get him,”

“I’ll do it while we walk home,”

Anyway, the school day passed, honestly you couldn’t remember what happened, it was all a blur.

“Atsumu?” you called.

“Yup?”

“Do you want to walk home together?”

“Yes! I’m still kinda annoyed you walked with Kita, Kita of all people instead of me,”

“Sorry about that ‘Tsumu,” you replied bashfully.

With that you both made your way out of school. Little did you know Kita, Osamu, Suna and Aran followed you both from a distance. Osamu and Suna because they just wanted to go home. Kita and Aran to make sure you confessed.

“Get ready to do what we want for a day,” Kita stated.

“What do you mean ‘we’?” Suna questioned.

“Kita and I formulated a plan,” Aran answered cryptically.

“Guys shut up Y/N stopped walking,” Osamu whisper shouted.

You had indeed stopped walking, leaving Atsumu to carry on walking and talking. You had been quiet the whole walk, which wasn’t unusual, as you normally let Atsumu talk, while you listened. You were just too lost in your thoughts.

“Y/N?”

Atsumu had finally noticed that you were no longer by his side.

“Hellooo. Earth to Y/N,”

“I like you,”

Atsumu was taken aback. That was not a reply he was expecting.

“I just really like your smile, your personality even though you can be quite big headed at times, I like your laugh, I just like you for you, not in the way that those girls like you for your looks and skills. I like everything about you even your flaws,”

“Whoa, for real?”

You glanced at his expression and burst out laughing.

“You look like surprised Pikachu!” you wheezed out.

Atsumu joined in with your laughter. The two of you continued laughing for several minutes.

“I like you too,” Atsumu said once both your laughter finally died down.

You turned your gaze towards his eyes. His beautiful eyes that held all the stars in the galaxy.

“That’s a relief,” 

[itsthemoofacewriting]

Zoro doesn’t flirt

I wrote my first ZoNami story just over a year ago and I wanted to post something around that time again (okay, so I’m actually late. This was originally planned for the 25th) to celebrate the milestone!

Sanji being jealous is a guilty pleasure of mine but I also like him being a total bro and matchmaker. Like yeah, he’ll nudge Zoro in the right direction, but he’ll also make fun of him whilst he does it. Takes his shots where he can get ‘em.

Summary: Roronoa Zoro, the fearsome pirate hunter, bounty of 320,000,000, does not flirt.

Except he totally does, and it takes a guy talk with Sanji of all people for him to admit it. Kinda. Rating: T

This can also be found on AO3 and FFN. 

Enjoy.

“It’s adorable, you know,” Sanji trailed off, interrupting the silence in the kitchen. He didn’t turn to look at Zoro, who he knew was at the table behind him, he just carried on drying the dish in his hands. But he knew it would be enough to engage the other man.

There was a brief silence and Sanji wondered for a moment if he was wrong, but then Zoro was grunting at him.

“What was that?” Sanji threw over his shoulder, still not turning. He’d heard Zoro just fine, knew that grunt was for him to elaborate, but he knew it’d get under his skin. He can almost see the scowl that would inevitably be on his face without having to turn around.

“What’s adorable?” Zoro bit out and his tone’s suggesting he knows that whatever Sanji’s about to say is going to piss him off.

Sanji turned then, deciding that he wanted to see Zoro’s face for what he was about to say. His previous thought was right, there’s apprehension but also irritation rolling off of Zoro from the kitchen table where he’s sat.

“Your attempts at flirting with Nami-san.” Sanji’s lips curling into an infuriating smirk.

Zoro’s face went blank and Sanji’s almost disappointed at the lack of expression, felt like he’d been cheated out of his prize for a second before Zoro’s lips are curling downwards to match the deep scowl forming on his face

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Zoro said it with such conviction that to the untrained they would believe him, but Sanji did know him.

He could see right through it.

“Oh so your little scene at the table this morning during breakfast wasn’t flirting?”

Zoro looked incredulous. “It was an argument! What kind of idiot are you?”

“Normal people don’t enjoy ‘arguments’-” Sanji made air quotes then and Zoro’s grinding his teeth at being mocked- “or seek them out with the person that is apparently ‘the devil itself’,” Sanji finished.

“I do not enjoy them!” Apparently all Zoro has in his arsenal is denials and it’s all the confirmation Sanji needed. Sanji just wondered how long he’d be able to keep this up before it ended it an all-out brawl.

You can only corner a wild animal for so long…

“Only because you lose all the time, but you love the attention. Everyone can see it.”

Teeth clenched? Check. Knuckles white and gripping his sake? Check. Tense? Check. Silent? Check.

He’d achieved that sooner than expected.

Time to deliver the final blow.

Sanji dramatically sighed and turned to the side, to face away from Zoro. He looked at him from the corner of his eyes as he said:

“Roronoa Zoro, esteemed pirate hunter, whose name brings fear to those that hear it,” he has to resist gagging as he said it, no doubt adding to Zoro’s already inflated ego. It’s all worth it though with his next words, “can’t flirt like a grown man. It’s kind of pathetic really.”

The response is immediate, Zoro’s chair falling back with a clang on the hardwood floor as he shot to his feet, his hands reaching to rest on the hilt of his swords.

“You wanna go, is that it?”

“Running from the conversation like a coward? Poor Nami-san, having to deal with a brute like you,” Sanji goaded, even though he was already pushing away from the counter to take a step towards Zoro. “A brute with no flirting skills or ways to woo a woman.”

“I don’t flirt!”

Before anything could escalate further, the kitchen door’s swinging open and the very person they’re talking about entered. Zoro’s throwing him a foul look which screamed ‘keep your trap shut’. Sanji ignored it as his eyes zeroed in on Nami.

“Nami-san!” Sanji greeted cheerfully as she walked towards him, paying no mind to Zoro at the table or the fight about to break out. From the table, Zoro’s watching her like a hawk.

“Sanji-kun,” Nami greeting back, but left it at that as she stood in front of the fridge, fingers gracefully sliding around the combination lock with practiced ease to reach in and retrieve a drink.

“Nami, grab me one too,” Zoro called over to her just as she was about to close the fridge. Sanji frowned at his lack of manners but Nami beat him to it.

“What’s the magic word?” She teased; the fridge door still cracked open. Only Sanji, Nami and Robin knew the combination and between Sanji and Nami, Zoro had a higher chance of getting a drink relatively easily with her… and he could flirt with her, of course.  

He snorted before firing back, “I’ll remember that when you start barking orders.”

And just like that, it was like Sanji wasn’t even in the room anymore. They were both swept up in their bickering (flirting) that he was now openly watching the scene before him and neither took notice. He wasn’t even subtle about it; he’d put his pan down, his arms crossed and leaned back on the counter to watch the show.

It was an interesting watch.

You could tell a lot more with these two with what was said physically than verbally. And right now it’s screaming in the quiet kitchen. The way Nami’s leaning over Zoro where he’s sat, berating him as he moved the beer just out of her reach, despite her being nice enough to bring it over.

“How old are you?” Nami complained as her fingertips brushed the bottle, then Zoro’s moving it out of reach again.

“Sounds like loser talk right there,” he laughed and it sounded cold and cruel, at least to Sanji’s ears anyway, but his expression held a softness that is normally reserved for her (and Chopper, but that’s a given at this point).

To anyone else that wasn’t on this ship, it’d look like they were genuinely arguing. Both frowning now that Nami’s reclaimed her drink and voices gradually growing louder in their verbal ping pong match, but behind that, you could see Zoro’s eye lighting up as he leaned in as they went back and forth. He was enjoying this and Sanji was instantly reminded of that little boy that wouldn’t leave the girl alone, despite saying he didn’t like her. Except that girl enjoyed it too and gave as good as she got.

And then Zoro brought Sanji’s metaphor to life and actually tugged on Nami’s braid. He wasn’t even keeping up with their conversation anymore, it moved so quickly sometimes, so he’s not sure why Zoro did it. But it brought a blush to Nami’s face that has Zoro smirking in triumph before they’re launching into a new argument, one he does take interest in because she’s giving him shit about his hair and he wanted some of that material for later.

It seemed after all of that, Nami had come out the victor on their verbal spar but Zoro wasn’t one to go down easily. He got up and crowded into her space, something that wasn’t hard as they’d already been leaning into each other, and the atmosphere thickened as the space between their faces started to disappear and even Sanji held his breath- even though he wasn’t directly involved. It looked like he was going to kiss her, the way he was staring her down, his gaze flicking around her face, and despite inwardly thinking about how lame that would be (where’s the candlelight dinner?), he would still begrudgingly admire it because he honestly had no idea where Zoro suddenly got the balls from after all his pussyfooting.

That thought quickly came shattering down, along with the atmosphere, when he instead swiped the drink from her hands and took a long swig, his own drink abandoned next to him on the table. Sanji wanted to groan because honestly, what an idiot, but he stayed silent just so he could see how this played out.

It played out pretty much how Sanji expected.

Nami looked stunned and then in the next moment outraged, probably not at him drinking her drink (he’d seen them share many times before- something he might bring up, actually, when this had finished), but at being one upped. Sanji had seen her face just moments ago, she’d expected something far different from that, and no doubt the embarrassment was washing over her now.

She spluttered a few times, mouth trying to form words until she gave up. When no words appeared, she huffed instead, flicked her braid over her shoulder and turned on her heel to storm out of the kitchen.

Zoro grinned viciously as he watched her leave, his gaze straying much further south than it probably should.

It’s silent in the kitchen after the door closed, Zoro’s gone back to drinking his own drink and ignoring Sanji like their previous conversation hadn’t happened.

As if Zoro’s getting off the hook that easily.

“So… you don’t flirt, huh?”

Zoro doesn’t grace him with a response, at this point what can he say? Can hardly keep denying it after that show, so he settled for glaring at him fiercely instead. Something that didn’t affect Sanji in the slightest. He’d survived his biological brothers growing up, this is nothing.

“It’s…. giving as good as I get.” Zoro finally settled for, but even he doesn’t look convinced at that one.  

Sanji gave him a bland look. “So flirting?”

Zoro’s face is pinched painfully and it’s because he’s boxed into a corner. There’s no way to escape the inevitable and with a tight jaw he’s admitting, “Fine. I’m ‘flirting’.” He added the air quotations sarcastically, half giving in but still being stubborn and Sanji begrudgingly accepted that. Anymore pushing and it really will end in a fight.

“So, now that we’ve established you are flirting- don’t give me that look shithead, you are, and you know it-” Sanji pointed his finger as him but Zoro didn’t give anything other than a sour expression so he continued- “what’re you going to do about it?”

There’s a long pause and it’s because Zoro’s currently warring between continuing the stubborn streak and giving in.

For once, he picked the right direction, because they both knew Sanji would keep going until he gave anyway.

“I can’t believe I’m talking to you about this,” Zoro muttered and sighed, running his hand through his hair trying to stall. “I have a plan; I’m doing things at my own pace.”

“Any chance this plan happens before we find One Piece?”

“I don’t want to rush anything.”

“Strange, you’re not normally such a coward. If anything, you rush in like a moron.”

“You can stand there and pretend all you like but you’re no different, pervert.”

Sanji rolled his eyes in response. But then, a thought came to mind, something that Zoro had said just before was bothering him and it sounded far too vague. “Hang on, just to be thorough, what exactly is your plan?”

Zoro shrugged as he responded, “Wait for the right moment.”

What an idiot. Truly. Nami must have done something in her past life to be stuck with him. He’d pray for her.

“That’s not a plan!”

“I don’t plan anything normally and it turns out alright,” Zoro said simply.

“You can’t just fight and stumble your way through this, you idiot!”

Zoro turned to him then, placing his empty drink to the side. “Alright then self-proclaimed ladies’ man, what plan do you have? Huh?”

Sanji opened his mouth to respond but Zoro interrupted-

“I swear, if you say candlelight dinner.”

Sanji’s shoulders sagged and Zoro’s laughing nastily.

“Oh, not so easy is it? And you call yourself a lady’s man, really is all hot wind in the end, huh?”

As much as Sanji knew how to get under Zoro’s skin, it unfortunately worked the other way around and Zoro’s comment has Sanji biting down his temper, his leg begging him to stop holding back. So instead, he chose to ignore that, be the bigger man. And maybe soothed himself with the thought of hiding one of Zoro’s weights later.

Sanji pushed away from the counter to distract himself, walking through the kitchen to open the fridge. He could hear Zoro playing with his drink behind his back, even though it’s empty and then Sanji’s grabbing another drink before walking over to the table. He placed it down in front of Zoro but doesn’t let go as he reached for it.

Zoro raised an eyebrow at the gesture.

“I don’t know what you’re really worried about and don’t deny that you’re not, but Nami’s interested.” Then he’s releasing the drink for Zoro to take.

Zoro’s gave him a sharp look. “She say something?”

Sanji took a step back to lean on the counter in the dining room. “She doesn’t have to. When you have people skills, you can see these sorts of things. Maybe add it to your to do list, along with playing with your swords.”

Zoro snorted then and for the first time since he entered the kitchen, it’s not in anger, or annoyance but in amusement and Sanji’s chuckling as well. Maybe not at his own words but at this situation. He never would have put money on his evening ending up like this.

They’re back in silence again but that’s fine, because Sanji’s pretty sure he’s got his point across. Zoro had half-heartedly admitted he was flirting and that he was going to do something about it. Good enough.

But then Zoro surprised him by speaking, offering up information that wasn’t asked for.

“I don’t want to ruin what we have.”

Sanji’s almost speechless and his face is flabbergasted by Zoro’s quiet words. Something that he quickly got under control because if Zoro saw it, he would get cagey instantly and that would be the end. He’d never be able to touch on this again.

For a second, he hesitated, unsure what to say. He didn’t think Zoro was capable of doubting himself. He was normally such a smug bastard. This didn’t sit right with Sanji and its then that he found the words.

“I didn’t realise Perona was around, maybe it was those two years you spent with her. You sound like you already lost. How depressing.” It’s tough love but he’s sure that’s what’s needed. Then again, he wasn’t sure it was possible for him to give Zoro anything else.

Zoro said nothing and that doesn’t seem like a good thing either. He dug deep for the next one, “You can’t move forward if you don’t move at all.”

“You get that from a fortune cookie?”

Snark is better than silence, even if it does piss him off. “Seemed to work, what does that say about you?”

They’re glaring at each other now and they’re just about to tip over the edge when a weird look crossed Zoro’s face.

“Wait, why are you sticking your nose in anyway? You’re nosey at the best of times but this is a step too far for you.”

Oh shit. Time’s up. Play it cool.

“Like you said, I’m being nosey.”

Zoro’s eyes narrowed. “Bullshit-” and cruel smirk crossed Zoro’s face as he leaned back- “you’re pushing too hard and don’t think I don’t see your twitching leg. You’re holding yourself back.”

“I care about Nami-san and, unfortunately, you’re a part of that now.” Good save, Sanji, go with that. He mentally clapped himself on the back.

“Kinda sounds like you care about me too.”

“Don’t push your luck.” Sanji pointed a finger at him threateningly but it did nothing other than add to the infuriating expression on Zoro’s face. It’s superiority and it grinds Sanji.

“What other explanation would you like to give it? Why not just talk to Nami if it’s for her.”

God damn it. What a prick. He refused to say anything and that’s all Zoro really needed to hear as he chuckled and finished the last of his second drink.

“It’s painful to watch you two dance around each other,” is all Sanji supplied. It basically confirmed what Zoro said but he’s not saying anything other than that. He refused.

“That bad?” Zoro grimaced.

Sanji smirked. “There’s currently a betting pool.”

Zoro groaned loudly, head tipped back. “Fucking course there is. Meddling idiots, the lot of you.”

“She won’t say no. Well, as long as you ask like an adult and not pull on her hair like a child.” Sanji shook his head. “You literally did it earlier too, where did you pick this up from?”

“Got her attention, didn’t it?” Zoro looked far more satisfied than he deserved to look.

“I don’t want to badmouth Nami-san, but she normally has such exquisite taste, so I really wonder what happened here.” Sanji’s hand wafting in Zoro’s direction.

“Seriously though, stop hanging around. I know you’re worried about your friendship but give Nami some more credit-” Sanji paused, mulling over whether to say anything further, was this going too far? Ah, screw it, he got this far- “She won’t say no.”

Zoro gave him an assessing look, like he was trying to see if the other man was messing with him before he nodded, “Got it.” He stood from his seat then, apparently done with the conversation once and for all.  

Sanji stopped him before he could turn to leave, “Let’s agree to never do this again.”

“Agreed.”

And just because Sanji’s an absolute shit that cannot resist, “Unless, of course, you need advice about sex because you look hopeless in that department.”

“You piece of shit!”

And his time was truly up then, something that Sanji welcomed because he was actually starting to feel friendlytowards the moss head.

“What do we have here? Bro bonding and I wasn’t invited?!”

Both Zoro and Sanji whipped their heads towards the new voice, stopping dead in their tracks and gaped. Because there stood Franky in the doorway of the kitchen, one hand on his hip and the other lifting his glasses, like he couldn’t believe the sight in front of him.

How either of them missed him they weren’t sure, nor did they know just how long he’d been standing there… or what he’d heard.

“We are not bonding!”

“What’s wrong with you.”

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

Sorry to ZoSan shippers, no hate whatsoever, but in my eyes, they have such brotherly sibling energy. I’d wanted to write this for a while.  

As always, forgive any errors.

Happy new year everyone!

[streets-in-paradise]

I want to talk about some of the main family relationships in Troy

As I already told once in one of my posts, I adore to overanalyze family relationships in the media I consume. I’m still in the process of writing another one as a second part to my sibling relationships post talking of more family relationships from various of my fandoms but, since that one is taking me too much time to finish, I'm writing now this shorter one for my Troy appreciation series. 

I already started this ramble in the same post I referenced. There I talked about my favourite family bond in the entire film, the sibling relationship of Hector and Paris. Still, there is a lot to discuss about family dynamics in the story this movie tells. Even since I was writing that post I kept thinking on how many family related story arcs this movie has and how, if you pay close attention to those, you can capture the essence of the characters. Because of this, I decided to dedicate a separate post to the main family relationships portrayed there and the important role they play in the development of the story. I will try to skip the ones i already talked about before. This are, for most part, the relationships inside the trojan royal family. Since i already discussed those, most of this will be about family bonds of the greek characters. 

As i stated in previous posts, this is a talk about the characters and actions in the movie. I’m not talking from an adaptation” movie vs book” point of view. I can occasionally mention some of the differences but there would be more references than comparisons. 

As always, i apologise for any possible mistakes in my writing. I’m still in the process of getting used to writing long texts in english. Also, I give proper credits for the images to the original sites hosting them. 

Agamemnon and Menelaus 

The movie establishes them clearly as the main antagonists. Precisely, one of the many scenes I love in this movie is the one in which they show up to the gates of Troy commanding the greek army and they argue with the trojan princes over the terms of the combat between Paris and Menelaus. The first thing I always notice in that one is how alike Hector and Paris look when they get down from their horses, it reminds me of the actual part of the Iliad in which it is said that Paris gets confused for a brave man because of his looks. Going back to my point, in that scene I get the vibe of opponents these characters have just by the display of the dynamics between siblings. 

Agamemnon is using his brother’s problem as an excuse for a war highly profitable for him. Menelaus is aware of this and he doesn’t care because he is too consumed by his wish for revenge and, it seems that this mutualistic beneficial goal is what sticks them together. Their first scene together, when Menelaus goes to Mycenae asking his brother for help, summarizes their relationship in a great way. Menelaus seems to have a rather servile attitude towards his brother and Agamemnon clearly takes advantage of that, having in that particular time a perfect excuse to attack an enemy he had wished to conquer for a long time. If you think about it, this is the exact opposite relationship of Hector and Paris. I love how well this scene fits as a contrast to the argument in the ship scene of Hector and Paris . In both, Menelaus and Paris are basically asking for the help of their older bros, one doing it on purpose and the other one half aware. Their family relationships are established so well by those two scenes. 

Going back to the one scene I mentioned first, the exchanges between characters are awesome. Not only because you can appreciate directly how this differences play a role in the conflict, but also because you can totally appreciate how every character involved is the exact opposite of the one who challenges. The exchange between Hector and Agamemnon is fantastic. I love how Hector cuts the crap on Agamemnon’s cocky bullshit, their short interaction is priceless.Also, i almost feel bad for Paris because “ the sun was shining when your wife left you” is his best line in the entire movie and he gets his ass kicked by Menelaus immediately afterwards. I like how, despite being a coward, Paris is a sassy little shit. 

Something i need to add about these brothers is that the Director’s Cut adds a better perspective on Agamemnon’s care for Menelaus. There are many short hints, especially after Menelaus’s death, that show how he actually cared for him. I think that this small glimpse should have stayed in the final version. Even when Agamemnon is a piece of shit of the worst kind and his brother was not very different, it is nice to see him caring for something else than his own imperialist desires from time to time and to get a real family vibe from those two.

Achilles and Patroclus 

Before starting with this two i want to clarify that i am fully aware of the very different interpretation their relationship got in this movie. I heard that the romantic approach was explored in Troy: fall of a city. I haven’t watched it yet, it is on my to watch list and at some point i will do it. Now, speaking of what we have seen in the context of the movie, i have to say that i love the adorable family bond they have since the first scene they share. This is by far my second favourite family bond in the film. 

As i said before i have a weakness for family relationships and tragedies regarding them are the biggest pain i can imagine. I don’t have anything against romantic Achilles x Patroclus, i just enjoy a lot the family approach it took here. First, i think it happens because i saw the movie far before reading any piece of trojan war related fiction and second because I happen to enjoy seeing family bonds more than romantical ones. My basic example for explaining this is the complaint I had over Kili x Tauriel and how it kinda shifted the focus of the previously established family story of the Line of Durin. If i have to choose between  a family or a romance story of any kind, I will always end up more interested in the first option because i relate to and enjoy those better. 

In this version, they are cousins with a very brother like relationship. I feel like here Patroclus acts like a little bro that hero worships Achilles. We know that his parents died and Achilles took care of him but we don’t know when that happened. What we do know is that his protection is the only aspect Achilles feels responsible for in his life. His bond with him reflects the best and the worst of him. It displays his softer and his most terrible side. Without paying close attention it looks like the romantic subplot with Briseis is the part of the plot that is supposed to show his soft side and, partially, it does but i think that job is already done earlier with the introduction of Patroclus. The story with Briseis serves mainly as support of what was already established there. The kindest, more human side of Achilles is clearly there when you look at his interactions with Patroclus. 

One of the main reasons why i enjoy this relationship so much is because, plotwise, it serves as a perfect point of encounter for the two main heros’ characterizations. Despite all the effort the storytelling makes in pointing out the many differences between Hector and Achilles, these two apparently opposite men share the same limitation. Hector’s goal is to protect his country, Achilles’s goal is immortality through fame, but both find themselves lost when their reckless younger relatives endanger themselves and both react the same way. When Paris was at instants of dying by the hands of Menelaus Hector had to choose between saving him or letting him get killed for the good of Troy. The man who serves as paradigm of honesty and sacrifice, the most noble hero of the story, broke the agreement and killed Menelaus. He broke a pact and gave his enemies an even better excuse for war that will doom Troy because his brother’s life was at risk. Achilles’s madness over grief for Patroclus fits so well family related in this particular narrative because it originated in the same feelings. Paris and Patroclus may be opposites, one being a coward and the other the embodiment of reckless courage, but both become the limit of tolerance for Hector and Achilles. At the end, both heros are driven by love for their families. In this version where Hector and Paris have this strong bond that works perfectly as a mirror for Achilles and Patroclus, it fits so well for them to be family. The chain of deaths unleashed with Patroclus’s death becomes a natural response to the bonds previously mentioned between the four characters involved. Everything becomes a big family tragedy and that is devastating. 

One more comment i will make about them is that i also love how some of Achilles’s friends add some more sweet or happy hints to some scenes. Eudorus, despite the formal servant-like way in which he speaks to Achilles, gives me a long time friend who is almost family vibe. Of course, i have to mention Odysseus here as well. Patroclus and Achilles sparring scene has an amazing chill domestic fun tone and he adds even more fun to the moment once he arrives. They are the most likeable greeks of the movie and you get such a friendly feeling of them. I live for these guys. The main scene they shared is the happiest of the film. 

Bonus mentions 

The Director’s Cut has a lot of scenes that help you understand some of the characters' motivations and lots of them are family related. One small scene I wish really hard the should had kept is the one in which Priam explains the reasons for his deep religious devotion. He listens to the high priest’s terrible advice and ignores his son’s wiser words not because he is a nice but dumb and inept king. He believes Apollo saved Hector from a disease when he was a baby boy. There is a reason for his blind, sometimes naive, faith in Apollo’s protection.Other cut out moment with a similar meaning is the one in which Andromache tells Hector she lost seven brothers in a previous war. She is tired of losing people, her husband is all she has. Having this in consideration her story turns even more tragic. 

I could mention a few more characters and moments but this is getting too long so i will end it here. I think it is enough for the topic i wanted to write about and the only main character i feel i skipped a bit here is Priam but i had talked enough about the trojans and how much i love them so i think it is enough. 

I enjoyed writing this, as fast as i can i will upload the general post for family relationships i’m working on and i’m thinking of making a special one like this for lotr.  @hrisity12​  I tag you as i always do in all my Troy content. 

Thanks for reading this ramble i intended to keep short but, as always, ended up longer than i expected. 

[writingfortoomanyfandoms]

Neighbourhood Barbecues

Pairing: Calum Hood x Reader

Summary: Its been a rough couple of months for him so he returns home at the plea of his mother and gets reunited with a distant friend from school

Requested: It won the vote so I guess it kinda was 

Warnings: Swearing, it’s also excessively long so I figured that deserves a warning as well

A/N: I’m actually really happy with this one, I loved writing it and that’s probably why it’s as long as it is. I hope you guys like it as much as I do! This is another fic it would be cool to do spin-off blurbs for so if you have any spin-off requests then just let me know! Please remember to let me know what you think, if you liked it then please reblog or comment or send me an ask telling me so, I love hearing from you guys, getting those messages honestly make my day :)

Calum regretted coming.

If it wasn’t for the facts that he’d promised his friend he’d make an appearance and that he’d already rung the doorbell and that his arm was aching from the beer he had brought, he would have scarpered.

He figured he’d suffer through awkward conversations with old acquaintances for a bit and try to ignore the fact that most of them were just showing an interest in him because of his fame and then hang out by the food table and make use of the fact the food was free and so was the alcohol being provided.

And then he’d return home and find a new Netflix series to start binging and there he’d try and ignore his mother’s disappointed eyes on him.

God, she would be disappointed in him. 

She had been so excited when Calum had said he was going to a barbecue today. He had been trapped inside the house almost the whole time he had been home so her excitement at his plans was understandable. He knew how worried his mother had been about him recently. He didn’t want her to hurt anymore than she already was.

He supposed he could stretch the awkward socialising from an hour and a half to two hours, just to keep his mum happy.

“Hey! Caleb said you’d be coming!” The smile on the woman’s face was wide and Calum desperately tried to place her, knowing that she must have been someone he went to high school with.

“Yeah, hi - he said it’d be fine if I came along?” He offered awkwardly.

“Yeah, course it is, Calum!” Yeah, he should definitely know who she was judging by her familiar tone of voice. “It’s good to see you again!”

“Who is it, bro?” Another voice called from the hallway and the woman who Calum assumed to be the hostess of the barbecue turned around to grin at the other woman who was walking down the hallway, a bottle of beer in her hand.

“Calum - you remember Calum right?”

“How could I forget Calum! He once kicked a football at my head,” this woman he recognised.

She looked different from the last time he saw her - though that was understandable considering that they had last seen each other in high school. She wad a little taller than before, held herself with more sureness but the smile on her face was the same, as were her eyes.

Yeah, perhaps she was difference appearance-wise but her mannerisms remained the same.

“Are you ever going to let that go?”

“Not until I get pay back and kick you in the head with a football,” Y/N assured him, placing her arm around the hostess’ shoulders. “I came to tell you that Rowen decided he’s a real man and so he’s in charge of the barbecue. I figured you should know before... you know, the house burnt down or something.”

“Fucking hell, again?” The other woman groaned, turning back to Calum. “Make yourself at home, Cal - it’s nice to see you again.” Y/N’s eyes fell onto Calum as her friend walked away, a  half smile tugged at her lips.

“Admittedly it’s probably my fault - I’m on Rowen duty today but sometimes it’s just so funny to watch him when he’s pissed.” Calum was surprised by the laugh that her words caused in his chest.

“He still can’t handle his alcohol?” Calum asked in disbelief.

He remembered Rowen from high school - he was the life and soul of most of the parties held once their year group had discovered alcohol. Rowen was famous in school for being a complete lightweight and not giving a shit about it, and it was comforting to know that nothing had changed.

“I think he’s actually worse than before,” Y/N confided, turning to walk back through the house. She paused when she realised Calum wasn’t following and looked over her shoulder at him, eyebrows raised. “You coming? I mean, I know we kinda annoyed you in high school but I promise we’re not quite as insufferable anymore.”

“You didn’t annoy me in high school,” Calum protested, following Y/N into the house.

“Dude, we pissed off everyone. We were all so fu-hecking annoying but we’re slightly less so now.” Y/N scoffed.

“’Hecking’?” Calum quoted, his eyebrows raising.

“Oh right - yeah, these barbecues are a no-swearing zone. Didn’t Caleb warn you?” Calum shook his head and Y/N let out a breath. “You have been gone a while, Hood - a lot’s changed since you got too good for us small towners.” 

“That’s not what happened,” Calum immediately said and Y/N let out a loud laugh that Calum wanted to join in with.

“I’m joking, Cal.”

“So... you say a lots happened - fill me in,” Calum insisted as they moved out into the garden of the woman’s house, filled with the familiar smell of barbecue food.

Y/N led Calum over to the table of drinks for him to deposit his beers down on.

“Well... that’s the reason over there that we’re a no-swearing zone,” Y/N nodded over to the other side of the garden.

A man he vaguely recognised was over there holding a toddler in his arms as he chatted with some friends - Caleb included.

“One of your lot has a kid?” Calum asked and Y/N nodded in confirmation, tipping her beer bottle up and finishing it off, throwing it into the trug being used as a bin and getting herself another one, seeing Calum’s look she scoffed.

“It’s my second, Cal, don’t worry,” she picked up a bottle opener and Calum picked up his own bottle, holding it out for her to take the top off of. “But, yeah, Alistair had a kid - she’s two years old and the sweetest child in the world. Her mum, however, is a complete bitch who we don’t talk about,” Y/N filled in and Calum nodded.

“Okay so... what else is new, then?” Y/N looked at him with cocked eyebrows. “Come on, I don’t care about you judging me for being so out of touch with the people I went to high school with but I don’t want all of them to think I’m a complete arsehole.” 

Y/N watched him for a minute with a level gaze before nodding.

“Alright - well, I can’t imagine this coming up in conversation but Rowen is asexual and aromantic, a new thing. He cried when he told us and his parents weren’t best pleased either so it’s still a bit of a touchy subject anyway-”

“Why did his parents care?”

“Oh, none of us know. Rowen doesn’t either but hey ho, his parents always were dicks.”

“I thought it was a no swearing zone,” Calum deadpanned and Y/N raised her middle finger at him.

“Kind of an important one, actually but, you know...” Y/N gestured at the woman who was hosting the barbecue who was stood at the barbecue with the rather drunk person who Calum assumed to be Rowen.

“Yeah - I can’t remember her name, though,” he admitted a little sheepishly.

“Good - that’ll serve you well. They came out as non-binary a few years ago and while they’d understand you getting it wrong because you haven’t seen them since, try and make an effort?” Y/N suggested and Calum nodded, guilt flooding him from the assumption he had made. “Hey, don’t worry, Cal, you’re not the first one and you will make an effort so Charlie - that’s what their name is now - will be understanding.”

“Y/N!” The woman looked away from Calum and towards Alistair who was calling her.

“Yeah?”

“Can you watch her for a moment?” He requested, approaching her and Calum. Caleb was behind him, clearly only now noticing that Calum had arrived and he raised his hand in hello before walking towards Charlie and Rowen, clapping his hand on Rowen’s shoulder and Calum could hear him let out a loud laugh.

“Of course I can!” Y/N beamed, handing Calum her beer, who took it so that Y/N could take the young girl from her father. “Heya, sweetheart, you look exhausted,” Y/N chuckled. The young girl nodded tiredly against Y/N’s body.

“Who’s that?” She mumbled, her eyes only half open and fixed on Calum.

“That’s Calum - he’s a friend from school and he’s back in town for a little while.”

“C-Ca-Cal.” The girl struggled to say his name and Calum felt a smile come to his lips.

“Just Cal is fine, buddy - what’s your name?” He crouched down a little to be more on eye-level with the small girl.

“Emma,” she mumbled.

“It’s nice to meet you, Emma.”

“You know, Em, Cal’s really talented,” Y/N stated and Calum had to restrain himself from letting out a sigh, having reserved a slight hope at the back of his mind that Y/N wasn’t going to bring up the band and hark on his ‘talents’. He was having a nicer time than he had expected talking with his old distant school friend. He didn’t want it to be ruined now.

“Why?”

“Cal used to play football for the school team.”

“With Uncle Caleb?” Emma asked, her head perking up in interest.

“Yeah, that’s how we all met Cal, through Caleb.” Y/N confirmed.

“And I was in some of your classes.”

“Yeah but you only started talking to us because you made friends with Caleb on the team,” Y/N pointed out and Calum gave a conceding nod of his head.

“Where?”

“What was that, sweetheart?” Y/N asked, her attention returning to Emma, who was reaching a little for Calum. He placed their drinks down and took Emma from Y/N’s arms.

“Where?” She insisted.

“Where has he been?” Y/N offered and Emma nodded, curling up closer to Calum, her eyes drooping tiredly.

“I’m in a band, Emma.”

“A band?” 

“Yeah - we go touring so I left Australia a while ago which is why I’m... never here.” 

“But he’ll be coming to our barbecues, right Cal?” Y/N said, grinning at the bassist. 

“What?”

“This is a weekly thing, Cal,” Y/N laughed. “Come on, Caleb must have told you.”

“I guess he mentioned something.”

“So you’ll come, right? Next week it’s at Rowen’s? He probably won’t be quite as drunk.”

“I - uh - I don’t have his address.” Calum mentioned and, truthfully, that was the only thing he was thinking about.

Because he’d spent half an hour with these people - with Y/N and her friends. And it was like he was back in high school, with nothing more to worry about than just one friend being a lightweight, than thinking of a funny comeback to a friends response. 

It was the first time since leaving high school that he’d felt truly normal. Surrounded by people like Y/N. People like Caleb, Charlie, Rowen, Alistair and little Emma. Their other friends who he hadn’t yet managed to speak to.

“I’ll text it to you, Cal - and Emma will bring her trainers and you and Caleb can continue her football lessons.”

Yeah, Calum reckoned he could manage a few more barbecues.

///

“Calum! No way man! When did you arrive back in town?” Calum was surprised by the hug Rowen brought him into. 

“Ro, dude, seriously how pissed were you last week?” Alistair asked, raising his hand at Calum from behind Rowen in the hallway.

“Were you at Charlie’s barbecue as well?” Rowen asked in shock, furrowing his brow as he tried to remember.

“Yeah, we actually had a very similar conversation and hug last week as well. It’s still good to see you again, though,” Calum told him, a smile on his face. Rowen stood back and allowed Calum to enter into his house. “You doing alright, Alistair?” 

“Not bad, Calum. Yourself?”

“Yeah I’m good, thanks.”

And it was true. For the first time in a while, Calum was actually feeling good. He felt normal. At Charlie’s barbecue Y/N and Calum had exchanged numbers and they had been texting almost all week, about irrelevant things. It had started with Y/N sending him a photo of a dog she had seen on a run in the park that she thought he’d appreciate the photo. It had sparked a conversation and Calum found himself smiling more than before.

The day after the dog photo Y/N had added him to a WhatsApp group chat. She had texted him immediately after, apologising because she had realised she forgot to ask him if he wanted to be added. He didn’t mind at all, it was the only group chat other than the one with his bandmates that he hadn’t muted.

It was almost constantly going and it had taken a couple of days with Y/N encouraging him for him to get in the swing of writing responses.

“Wait - are you on the group chat?” Rowen asked, following Alistair and Calum through his own house. Calum and Alistair looked at each other in evident amusement and Alistair chuckled, shaking his head.

“Come on, man. Y/N has been waiting for you to turn up so that you can take her place in ‘football training’,” Alistair informed him, clapping his hand onto Calum’s shoulder in a friendly gesture and Calum’s heart soared at the mention of Y/N looking forward to see him.

“Oh - about that! I remembered Y/N saying that Emma was into football? And I saw what you were saying on the chat about, y’know, getting her some actual boots?” Calum said awkwardly.

“Oh, Calum-”

“No, no, man... I was just looking through some of my old stuff and I found my first pair of football boots and so I know they’re not much and it’s a kinda crappy gift but...” Calum reached into the bag he found and brought them out as an awkward offering. Alistair looked between Calum and the football boots before nodding.

“If you’re sure then... that’d be great... Emma’ll love them.” 

“Okay, uh, cool,” Calum smiled and put the boots back in the bag to pass to Alistair.

“Go give them to her,” Alistair laughed, shaking his head a little. “I’m going to get some beers from the fridge - you want one?”

“Yeah - oh, can you put these in the fridge for me, then?” He asked, holding up the box of beers he had brought with him.

The moment that he stepped outside he felt his heart flood with instant relief, he felt free upon entering Rowen’s garden, surrounded by his new friends. Especially when he caught sight of Y/N. She was running around with Emma and Caleb. Emma was in a swimming costume and a pair of armbands, Caleb in a pair of trunks and Y/N was in a bikini and a pair of shorts, a flannel shirt unbuttoned adorned her shoulders and a pair of sunglasses perched on her nose.

The three of them were barefoot, kicking a football around, Caleb and Y/N taking it in turns to help Emma and ensure she didn’t stumble and fall.

“Cal!” Emma changed course quickly and Calum laughed, dropping his things to the floor to accomidate her rushing towards him.

“You made it!” Caleb cheered.

“I did,” Calum agreed, sweeping Emma up.

“I’m glad you’re here,” Y/N said, her tone a little soft and Calum wished she would take off her sunglasses so he could see her eyes.

An hour later, when food was being served up, Calum joined Y/N by the edge of Rowen’s pool, sitting down with his own legs dangling over the edge and into the cool water. Y/N looked over at him and offered him a grin.

“You stink,” she informed him.

“Well some of us have been entertaining children all day.”

“If you’re trying to bag a spot as being Emma’s favourite aunt or uncle then I’m afraid you’ve already missed the boat and you’re looking at her - she’s more loyal than you’d think.” Calum joined in with her laughter.

“I wanted to say thanks.”

“What for?”

“Y’know... all of this,” he gestured at the people around him and shrugged. “Just wanted to say thanks.”

“It was Caleb who invited you, remember? The rest of us just put up with that decision.” Calum smiled down at his plate of food and shook his head.

“Tell me something?”

“What’s up?”

“If Rowen’s parents were so pissed about... you know... him coming out... why do they let him have all of you guys at their house?”

“Well... he’s their only kid, you know? They’re... trying to get better with it all and... they’re on holiday anyway for the summer so they wanted someone to house watch.”

“It’s weird that you’re all back home for the summer.” Calum commented and Y/N shrugged her shoulders sighing and allowing her head to drop and land on his shoulder. Calum felt his heart rate pick up.

“Well Alistair moved back so Sydney a little after Emma’s mum abandoned them to be with his parents for support and all, and Tate moved here a couple of months ago for a job, and I guess you know why Caleb’s home,” Calum nodded, remembering what Caleb had told him about his mothers health. “Jess recently got together with Tate - but they think none of us know that - so while she says she’s back all summer to spend time with all of us we know that’s just a lie,” Calum laughed a little. “And then Rowen agreed to house sitting in an attempt to appease his parents.”

“What about you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Why are you back all summer?”

“Well it’s nice being home and seeing the family, Calum. Not all of us have a rockstar life in LA to be missing out on,” Y/N said with a meaningful glance his way, her eyebrows raised in challenge and Calum understood the meaning behind her words.

“Well I’m glad you’re here,” Y/N’s expression softened as she listen to him and took in his somewhat bashful appearance.

“I’m glad you’re home too, Cal.”

///

“So are you feeling better, Cal? After being back home?” Michael asked his best friend down the phone. 

Calum had been in Sydney for approaching three months and for two of a half of them he had been spending going to the weekly neighbourhood barbecues held by Y/N’s group of friends. He had very quickly been accepted into the group and had formed close friendships with most of them, the only two who he wasn’t as secure with being Tate and Jess, but Y/N had assured him that that was because the two of them were too wrapped up in each other at the present moment.

And he and Y/N had gotten especially close. He liked being around her. He appreciated the feeling of contentedness she brought him. He liked that she made him feel normal. He liked that she made him feel wanted as more than just ‘the bassist of 5 Seconds of Summer’. 

“Yeah, man… I feel a lot better than I did.” Calum agreed. He was currently walking over to Y/N’s house. It was her week to host the barbecue, admittedly some of the others had had to have it multiple times but it was fair enough seeing as though Y/N’s parents were still home for the summer as well, but had agreed to get out of the house for the day to allow Y/N to play hostess to her friends.

Y/N had joked down the phone that it really was just like being in high school again, having to wait for her parents to be out of the house for her to host a party.

That was another thing, him and Y/N spoke almost constantly. Outside of the barbecues that were fairly regularly scheduled, almost always landing on the same day every week, often at the same time as well, they would invite each other out to get coffee or ice cream or walk down the beach. Much of his summer break from the band had been spent accompanying Y/N when she took Emma to football practice to help out Alistair as much as she could.

Calum would likely never admit it to anyone but it was fairly doubtless in his mind that Y/N was much of the reason he was getting better by being back home in Sydney. 

“That’s good…” Michael trailed off and silence fell between them over the line. For the first time since Calum’s somewhat downward spiral had begun, though, it wasn’t an awkward one. It felt as though he could feel the happiness radiating off of his best friend that he was feeling better, the pride that Michael felt in him that he was taking steps towards recovery. “I think-”

“I’ve been-” they began to speak at the same time, the two of them letting out chuckles. “Sorry, what were you…”

“No, no, you go first,” Michael said. Calum wasn’t surprised by that response. He hadn’t been willingly speaking much in the past few months before returning home so his friends encouragement made sense.

“I was just going to say I’ve been writing again.” Calum admitted as he began the walk up Y/N’s front garden to her door.

“Really?” Michael’s excitement was almost painful to hear and Calum winced, it hitting then (not for the first time) how much his mental state had been affecting his friends. 

“Yeah! I was… I was thinking about maybe emailing what I have to you? You can check it out, see if its worth anything, you know?” He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

“Dude, I don’t think you’ve ever written a bad song, even when we were first starting,” Calum was laughing at Michael’s words when Y/N opened the door, raising her eyebrows as she saw Calum on the phone.

“Who is it?” She mouthed.

“Michael,” Calum audily answered.

“What?” Michael asked.

“Oh, shit. Sorry man, Y/N wanted to know who I was talking to,” Calum explained as Y/N stepped back to allow him into her house, mild amusement dancing over her features.

“Wait, Y/N from high school?” 

“Yeah, Y/N from high school,” Calum confirmed, giving the aforementioned girl an exaggerated eye roll and Y/N covered her mouth to stop herself from giggling.

“The same Y/N you harboured a crush on for, like, three years and invited to our first concert to impress her?” Michael teased and Calum felt the blood rush to his cheeks, infinitely grateful that Y/N couldn’t hear Michael’s side of the conversation.

“Yeah, that Y/N… plus, at least I invited someone to that who actually showed up.”

“Is this your first concert?” Y/N asked Calum quietly and he nodded. “Showed up and brought friends - remember, Rowen somehow got in.”

“Yeah, remember how she brought a friend who got completely smashed?” Michael remembered at the same time, the coincidental nature of the situation causing Calum to laugh again. 

“Is he coming home as well?” Y/N questioned and Calum relayed the question to his friend.

“Ah, yeah that was what I was trying to tell you - we’re all coming back for a couple of weeks. We’ve had our tickets booked for a while but didn’t want you to think we were checking up on you.” Calum explained Micahel’s answer to Y/N who nodded thoughtfully before grabbing the phone from his hand. Calum made a noise of indignation and chased her down the hallway and out into her garden.

“Cal’s having a barbecue at his next week, you should come! And the other guys too,” Y/N invited.

“It’s my fucking house!” Calum complained, but he didn’t really mind, truthfully he was thrilled at the idea of Michael, Ashton and Luke meeting his new friends properly.

“Language, Calum!” Alistair scolded, Emma was giggling in his arms after having heard Calum swear.

“Sorry Em!” Calum called, still chasing after Y/N.

“Yeah, of course they can come! I didn’t realise you were engaged, Mike, congratulations! And Luke’s really got a girlfriend? I figured he was still too awkward to talk to girls. He almost shit himself that time I congratulated him after the gig.” Y/N mused. She turned around and couldn’t stop herself from letting out a yelp of surprise when she saw how close Calum was. “I think he wants his phone back,” Y/N explained. “Yeah, it was nice speaking to you too, Mike… yeah, see you next week then!” Calum had his hand stretched out and while he tried to hide it his amusement from the situation was clear in his eyes. Y/N was reluctant to pass Calum the phone but placed it in his hand nonetheless with an innocent smile.

“She seems like fun.” Michael commented and Calum met Y/N’s eyes as he replied.

“Yeah, she’s pretty great.” Y/N’s embarrassment was clear and she excused herself away, joining Jess and Tate, stepping in the middle of the ‘secret’ couple and clapping a hand on each of their shoulders.

Calum and Y/N met again almost an hour later. He was last in line for food - all vegetarian this time since Y/N’s whole family were veggie and Y/N refused to cook meat and they walked together over to where two deckchairs were on the patio outside of her house, giving them a view of their friends.

“You okay?” Calum asked after a moment's silence and Y/N nodded. “You just seem quieter than normal,” he mentioned and Y/N sighed a laugh, leaning to rest her head on his shoulder.

“Sorry - I get a bit nervous when it’s my turn to host,” she admitted.

“Well it’s all been pretty great,” Calum assured her. “Excepting the lack of meat, of course,” he added, nudging her gently and Y/N laughed again.

“Cal?” He made a noise of acknowledgement. “Why… why are you back?” For the first time, the silence between them felt awkward. “Sorry - you don’t have to answer, I was just…” Y/N sat up, shaking her head. “I’ll go.” Calum’s hand was working on its own when it reached out to stop her from standing up.

“Stay,” Y/N looked at him, her eyes a little wide, unsure at his command but she gave  hesitant nod. “My mum told me to come back,” he admitted and suddenly their closeness didn’t feel close enough. He wanted the comfort being near her brought him and he tugged her closer. 

Y/N didn’t fight back against his affections and moved over from her deckchair to his, allowing his head to fall into her shoulder.

“I wasn’t… I wasn’t doing well in LA. I mean, I was. The band was doing great, we were planning for the tour and the next album and everything but…”

“But you weren’t great?” Y/N offered gently and Calum let out a long sigh before nodding. 

“I was sad… I was just so sad so much of the time and I couldn’t find inspiration to write, I didn’t want to talk to anyone, I didn’t want to go anywhere and I just didn’t feel like me… do you know what I mean?” Y/N gave a wordless nod of understanding, knowing that if she spoke now, Calum would never finish his confession and she got the idea that he needed to get it off of his chest. “And I knew the others were worried about me - Mali wanted me to visit her in London because she thought a change of scenery was what I needed, Ash offered to let me move in for a bit but then my mum called and… she basically begged me to come home.”

“I’m glad she did,” Y/N confessed, rolling over so that they were face to face, her hands gently playing with the curls of his hair. He smiled gently at her, nodding.

“So am I… with you and the others I feel more like me than I have in a while,” he admitted.

“Because we’re all a bit more fucked up than you?” Y/N offered and Calum laughed, shaking his head. 

“Because you don’t just see me for the band.”

///

“Am I early?”Calum was equally shocked at seeing Rowen on his doorstep.

The man was the least prepared of the whole group, consistantly late to anything they organised, always forgetting to respond to messages on the group chat and when he did send something it tended to be prefaced by something dumb he had done, he was almost always borrowing food from other people because he would forget to do his weekly shop.

Rowen was an idiot, but they all loved him.

Though it was the aforementioned reasons that their friends gave for not putting Rowen as their accountant, despite that being what his job was.

“Yeah, man - you feeling okay?”

“Yeah - I’m fully going to rub this in all of their faces when they arrive, though,” Rowen declared, entering through Calum’s house before pausing in the hallway and turning back.

“What?”

“I left the beer at home.”

“It’s probably for the best for you, Ro,” Calum mused, patting Rowen on the back. “And I know I said you’re early but there are already some people here.”

Ashton, Luke, Sierra, Michael and Crystal had arrived in Australia two days ago and had barely left Calum’s side the whole time. While they had assured him countless times that they weren’t checking up on him, Calum was well aware that they were, in fact, checking up on him. As a result of his friends suddenly developed clinginess, it was unsurprising that they were already at Calum’s house helping him prepare for the barbecue.

“Y/N also said she was going to try and come a little early,” Calum added after informing Rowen of his band mates presence.

“That was something I wanted to talk to you about, actually,” Rowen added as they moved into Calum’s back garden. “Dude you didn’t say you had a pool!”

“I one hundred percent did, but what did you want to talk to me about Y/N for?”

“Oh shit yeah. Right so, are you planning on telling her you like her or not?”

“Valid question!” Michael called from where he was attempting with Luke to light the barbecue.

“I-I don’t know what you mean,” he stammered out, awkwardly scratching the back of his neck. 

“He’s lying!” Ashton called from where he and the girls were arranging the drinks in the coolers on the table. Calum flipped off his friends.

“It’d be cool if you did because she likes you too.” Rowen informed him and Calum froze.

“She-she does?” 

“Please, Y/N is never normally this friendly to anyone,” Rowen scoffed. 

“She’s lovely!” Calum argued, growing a little defensive of the girl he had been harbouring a crush on.

“Yeah she is but she’s also a sarcastic bitch a lot of the time,” Rowen pointed out, rolling his eyes. “Either way, my point was that you should tell her.”

Rowen walked away to take a beer from where Ashton, Sierra and Crystal were, leaving Calum stood stock still alone on his porch, his mind racing. 

“He’s right,” Ashton said as he approached his friend, passing Calum a beer as he joined him.

“Not you too,” Calum sighed, rubbing his forehead.

“Dude, this is the happiest I’ve seen you in months and I know for a fact its thanks to her, I’ve never heard you talk about any other girl in the same way that you talk about Y/N so… you need to tell her.”

“I can’t, Ash. She’s so painfully too good for me that the idea of telling her I like her with the hope of her liking me back is laughable. Actually, she probably would laugh if I told her. Look, you’ll meet her today and you’ll see what I mean.”

“I don’t need to see her to know she’s out of your league but that’s beside the point,” Ashton argued. 

“You’re doing a great job at boosting my self esteem and building my confidence, by the way. Have you ever considered going into counseling if the band doesn’t work out?” There was a knock on the door and Calum gave Ashton an incredibly pointed look. “I’m going to get that. When I come back I want you to have learnt how to shut the fuck up.”

Calum walked away from Ashton, his friends infectious laughter following him down the hall and bringing a smile to his face.

“Sorry - I know I said I’d be earlier than this,” Y/N greeted him apologetically.

“Don’t worry about it - the guys were here to help set up,” Calum assured her, taking the box of alcohol from her hands.

“I just need to grab the rest of the stuff from my car,” she smiled.

“Do you need a hand?”

“No, no it’s fine. I’ll see you out back?” Calum nodded his confirmation and carried the box of booze she had brought out to his garden. 

“Did you tell her?” Luke hollered across the garden, everyone but Calum erupting into laughter as the bassist groaned heavily.

“You make me want to slam my face into a table!” 

“Don’t do that - you have quite a nice face,” Y/N responded as she came out of the hallway into the garden carrying two carrier bags. Rowen wolf whistled loudly and Y/N struggled with her luggage for a moment before managing to extend her middle finger at him.

“What do you even have in there?” Calum questioned, trying to move so that Y/N couldn’t see his face, which he knew would be red from embarrassment at her compliment. 

“I made too much food last night for tea so I brought some leftovers for Al, Emma and Ro. And then I also picked up a bottle of wine for your parents to-”

“To thank them for letting you come over?” Calum interrupted, seeing where Y/N was going and she nodded. “Wow, we really are back in high school.”

“Fuck you,” Y/N groaned. “I’ve met your parents, like, once and we literally have come over and kicked them out of their home so we can be here and have a barbecue instead, I feel bad.”

“Trust me, they like you because they think you single handedly are the reason for me being happy again.”

“Are you trying to say that’s not the case?” Y/N gasped in offense, her hand going to her heart. 

“Come on, we both know that Em was at least half the reason.”

“Valid point - I also bought some champagne that was on offer? Figured we could celebrate your band coming back or, if that’s too cheesy then there’s more alcohol for us to drink away our sadness with!” She cheered, bringing the champagne out of her bag.

“I like the sound of option B,” Luke chipped in, joining Calum and Y/N.

“Bro, you look absolutely nothing like I remember you,” Y/N commented, her eyes widening in surprise as she looked Luke up and down. 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“It was meant as one,” Y/N assured with a smile. “I’m Y/N, by the way. Not sure if you…”

“I remember you,” he confirmed, grinning and his gaze slid over to Calum. “Besides, with the amount Calum-”

“Alright, Luke, that’s enough,” Calum had never been more grateful for Sierra’s presence. “Hey, I’m Sierra, Luke’s girlfriend. It’s lovely to meet you.” Calum watched Y/N take her hand, her smile a little more nervous than he had seen it be before.

“Y/N, it’s nice to meet you too. Mike mentioned that you and…” Y/N’s face dropped a little, her eyes widening as she seemed to search her mind for the name.

“Crystal,” Calum filled in for her quietly.

“Yeah, of course. He said that you and Crystal would be coming,” she confirmed, turning to give Calum a grateful smile.

“Luke, I need your help with something,” Sierra mentioned and Calum and Luke’s faces both furrowed in confusion until Sierra shot a look at Calum and he quickly cottoned onto what she was trying to do. Calum shook his head, his eyes wide but the couple left, giggling as they did so.

“Everything alright, Cal?” Y/N asked, seeing the panicked and mildly pissed off look on his face.

“Uh, yeah! I was actually going to ask you the same thing, you seem nervous,” he added, allowing his concern to outweigh his own personal worry.

“Ah, I’m just not great at meeting new people.”

“You’ve already met the guys.”

“I never spoke to any of you guys really in high school, though,” she pointed out and Calum nodded a little, conceding to her point.

“You didn’t seem nervous talking to me,” he said after a moment of thinking.

“Yeah, but… I dunno, you’re you, you know? Plus, I had all the others to fall back on if you did decide you hated me so that was less pressure than this,” Calum snorted in laughter.

“You’re such a dumbass.”

“I take pride in it.”

Calum could feel the eyes of his bandmates, their girlfriends and Rowen burning into them as they lapsed into conversation. When there was another knock at the door, Calum was unsurprised to hear someone else call to say they’d get it.

“They’re… they are all acting kind of strange today, right? I’m not just imagining it?” 

“Oh no, they’re definitely acting strange.” Calum confirmed.

“Do you know why?” She asked, observing them, though now they had gone into their own individual conversations. Calum had a feeling it was to try and play off that they were watching him and Y/N.

Calum sighed. He had a feeling that it was better to just tell her rather than have Rowen or Luke drunkenly blurt it out, knowing that the likelihood of that happening was quite high.

“I need to tell you something,” he began and his nerves came to hit him flat in the face when Y/N turned to give him her absolute full attention.

“That sounds serious,” she said, a nervous smile on her own face. “Is this a ‘sit-down-with-a-beer’ kind of serious talk or a  ‘stand-up-and-shut-the-fuck-up-Y/N’ kind of serious talk?” Calum chuckled, his nerves easing just a slight bit from her familiar mannerisms. 

“The second one, but I don’t want you to shut up,” Calum took a deep breath. “In fact, I’d gladly listen to you talk forever,” Y/N’s expression softened a little. “I… I’ve been really lost for the past few years of my life. Perhaps… perhaps I never really knew who I was because of what happened to the band happened so early in our lives that we never got a chance to figure out who we were. And the months before I came to Sydney I thought that… that maybe I wasn’t anyone other than ‘Calum the bassist from 5 Seconds of Summer’ but… when I’m with you I feel like I know who I am,” he explained, his gaze dropping down to his hands.  “I thought being home would be shit, just another reminder of who I am and I thought when I went to Charlie’s barbecue that anyone I met there would just see me for the fame and not see me. But… you never did. You saw me for me and you accepted me and looked out for me and cared for me despite me being kind of standoffish that first barbecue,” when he risked a glance up he saw the tears in her eyes and sadness swamped him. “Fuck, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you cry.”

Calum lifted a hand to her cheek to catch the tear that slipped from her eye and Y/N giggled a little, leaning into his touch.

“Happy tears, Cal, I promise - now go on, you were about to profess your undying love for me,” it was teasing, of course it was, but Calum could hear the underlying insecurity in her words, the worry that she may have misinterpreted what he was going to say.

“I really like you, Y/N.” 

It was easier to say than Calum thought. He thought the words would be groundbreaking, momentus and earth shattering. But no. It was easy. Simple and sweet and natural. He wasn’t sure why he was so surprised. Everything with Y/N was easy.

Just like how it was easy to allow her arms to wind around his neck.

Easy to place his hands on her waist.

Easy to relax and let her tug him down to meet her.

But easy wouldn’t be the word to describe their kiss. Groundbreaking, phenomenal and otherworldly wouldn’t be quite right either.

No, their lips sliding together, the kiss tasting of beer and spearmint gum, the way that when they broke apart they laughed gently into one another's mouths, it wasn’t any of those things.

Being with her like that was natural.

[honeydots]

200. “He loves you, you know? He’s just afraid of admitting it.” ~~ This has some Vibes and I kinda like them so? I'd like 2 humbly request your take on this w/ shukita or akeshu if it's ok to ask for!! -- dorky-arsene (a sideblog)

“He loves you, you know? He’s just afraid of admitting it”

Hello no I didn’t forget about these I am just slower than a little baby turtle!!!!! Anyway

Summary: Goro’s new job leads him to discover that dealing with both a crush and an idiot while flipping burgers is, unarguably, the worst turn his life could’ve taken.

cw: sexual themes (+p5r spoilers)

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(ao3 link)

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“Hello! Would you like to try our Big Bang Special Combo Shot-Straight-Through Promotional Meal for ‘Thy Father of Corruption 2: The Daughter of Rejection’ for ¥850?”

Goro wanted to quit. 

You need this job. You need this job. He’d repeat to himself each time a customer decided they were feeling peckish. You will have no money if you quit and then you will have no home and then you will drop out of college and then you will die. 

He’d left the police department after graduating. With his past plans of an 18-year life expectancy having slipped down the drain, he hardly had a reason to stay. High school had been an uphill battle with cases of murder and robbery breathing down his neck, and he’d hesitated to even make an attempt at trying to juggle his priorities in university. Dropping the detective gig meant dropping the media attention, too, which gave him breathing room he certainly knew he needed, but never really had. 

The problem was, after three years of fading out of fame and living off his savings, he realized this wouldn’t stretch as far as he’d predicted. He hadn’t accounted nearly enough for the expenses that came with the unwelcome enforcement of trying to live as a proper human being. His bank account was growing meager. If he wanted to keep living (which was arguable) in the way that he was (which he did) he’d need an income. Almost anything would do, as long as it would bend and break to his schedule. 

And, all things considered, he technically had connections here. And ever since… that, the pay had actually increased to a respectable amount. The management had rehired, retrained, and improved. It was fast food, but it was livable. Nothing shameful about being livable. 

And god fucking dammit he had already done three interviews with no hires and he needed food other than half-cooked ramen noodles and bread slices. 

“Can I get you anything else, sir?” 

That didn’t mean he didn’t loathe every minute.

It was bad enough that he had a job at Big Bang Burger. And, bad enough that he’d been desperate to get it. It was bad enough that he had to bring in his homework like some anguished used-to-be honors student now getting barely passing marks. And christ, it was bad enough each time a customer would walk in, a hamburger-shaped icepick would slam itself into his frontal lobe, forever ingraining the memory of his premeditated brain murder of the former CEO of this very restaurant. 

All of that, and he couldn’t stress this more, was bad enough. It was entirely shitty all around. Completely awful, and damming, and humbling, though he hated to admit it. He’d like to say it couldn’t get any worse. That this was the end of the line, get off the train before it turns around, don’t get stuck in the never ending cycle of beef patties and sesame seed buns. 

But, god, of all the coworkers. 

“Ya know,” said Sakamoto, leaning down on the front counter after their customer had left,  “I dunno if clenching your teeth like you’ve got peanut butter stuck in there counts as ‘service with a smile.’” 

Sakamoto Ryuji. The boy who had the opposite of a filter, and more like a megaphone spewing recordings of every profanity in the Japanese language. He, who had walked in on Goro’s second day and loudly declared, ‘I thought I smelled something, what’s this a-hole doing here?’ Really, who else could he tolerate spending eight-hour shifts with; greasy stoves, piss poor customers, and the ruthless scent of lysol on tile included?

Ah, right. Anyone else. 

Goro pressed his lips together. “Hm. Well you know, I was almost certain that elbows on the counter was a fireable offense.” 

Sakamoto snatched himself up in a second, elbows up high. He hung there and looked around the empty restaurant. 

He pouted. “Not cool, dude. That’s only when there’s customers.”

Goro raised his eyebrows. He was really just going to stand there? He looked like an idiot, or a chicken. A hybrid that, if anyone could pull off, would be him. He was making a great show of it, too. 

Sakamoto narrowed his eyes. “Unless you’re a snitch.” 

Goro spoke in his most syrupy sweet voice. “Are you implying then, that your job is in my hands? An entertaining thought, Sakamoto.” If it were only that simple to really get him fired. Unfortunately, their manager seemed to love his enthusiasm. Every moment he spent enthusiastically mopping floors and singing into the handle was a moment Goro could’ve been writing soliloquies of his growing and newfound hatred for Carly Rae Jepsen. 

Sakamoto folded his arms in a huff. “That’s what I’m talkin’ about, man! Look at that fake-ass smile.” He shook his head. “And I get customer service blows and stuff, but you use it for everything. Lighten up dude! Take a break.”

Sakamoto said things with such confidence, such surety. It made his teeth grind. 

“I’d prefer to keep my job,” Goro said, and gave him the sweet smile Sakamoto was arguing against. “Though, if you’d like to pay my rent for me, you’re more than welcome.” 

He acted like he hadn’t even heard him.“Maybe it’s ‘cause you’re so gloomy all the time, your face just doesn’t know how to work it. Look it, check me out.” Sakamoto pointed his thumb at himself and flashed a toothy smile. “Just like that! All natural, bro. It’s easy. Come on, you really try it this time.” 

Goro very clearly did not. He stared with his most obsolete and ‘stop-trying-to-have-a-conversation-with-me’ look he could muster. He’d communicate it telepathically, if given the chance. 

“That doesn’t look like trying to me,” Sakamoto said expectantly. 

Couldn’t they just sit in silence and wait for their fabrication of getting-along time when the next inevitable customer came in? “Perhaps, and please let me know if this is too complicated, I simply have no intention of trying, because I don’t believe there’s anything to fix.” 

“Nah, that’s not it,” replied Sakamoto, as if he was being thoughtful.

Another reason why he was completely obnoxious was because the longer they knew each other, the less that Goro’s flawless stone faced looks worked. Sakamoto kept spewing hot air. He’d gained some kind of tolerance, and it was tedious to work around. 

Sakamoto leaned back down, previous elbow warnings forgotten. “I bet you’re the kinda guy who’s super ticklish, so you act all boring so no one suspects it.”

“I’m not,” Goro snapped. 

“Quick reply there, buddy.” 

Goro didn’t answer to that. He didn’t owe it to him. This was pointless; why did Sakamoto find such pleasure in talking about pointless things? 

He slouched further down. “So it’s silent treatment now. You’re checking all the boxes over here.” He waved his finger through the air. “Check, n’ check, n’, check.” 

Goro was getting a headache. “I don’t want to talk about this.” 

“Betcha you’re super ticklish. And like, one of those cry-laughers.” 

“Sakamoto, did you hear what I just said.” 

He stretched up from his position on the counter. “Like if I poke you in the side, I bet it would make ya jump.” 

“Do not.” He could just try it. Goro would bend his finger back so far it’d break. He wondered if that would be a viable option to get him to stop talking sometime. 

“Didn’t say I was gonna.” He rested his arms behind his neck. “You’re just proving my point more, though.” 

Sakamoto was annoyingly stubborn at times. Once he found a niche with Goro, he’d hack his way in and grab on like a tick. Bother him like it was his last chance he’d ever get, as if they didn’t work shifts together four times a week. He was bound to get lyme disease at this rate.  

Goro felt like a very frustrated pair of tweezers.“Can we talk about anything else, please?”

Sakamoto went quiet. He was just looking at him now. Goro tensed up. Was he really going to try and poke him? He meant it, he’d break his hand. 

“Ya know, there is something I wanna talk to you about,” he said.

Goro did not like the sound of that. “Oh really.” He tried to sound like he was just told he was about to be given a lecture on the intricacies and details of lentil soup. Which, perhaps could be more interesting than whatever topic Sakamoto was about to pull out of his ass. 

Sakamoto sniffed. “Yup. It’s about Akira.” 

Oh, he really didn’t like where this was going. “Sakamoto, I—” 

“When’re ya gonna like, confess.” 

Goro visibly winced. Dammit. He knew he’d bring this up one day. He was absolutely infuriated Sakamoto knew about that, and he hadn’t even told him. He’d been making guesses and Goro had been just tired enough during his shift to let a hint of a sigh out, and Sakamoto had taken that to new heights. Another example of conversations being had that Goro would’ve just about died to get out of. 

Sakamoto was still staring at him. Didn’t he have anything better to do? Goro knew they didn’t at this good for nothing job, but what was so hard about just acting like you’re busy. You’re pretending then, at least, and that’s something. 

“Well, dude?” asked Sakamoto. 

Any conversation is better than that one.

Mother of fuck. 

“I…” Goro started, adjusting a piece of his hair, “I suppose I am a little ticklish.”

Sakamoto’s face lit up. “Dude, for real? Called it,” he said triumphantly. Had Goro not known him as well as he did, he’d think the divergence in conversation was a trick to get him to admit he was a bit… touchy. But he did know him, and he wasn’t one for games like that.

“Most people are, it shouldn’t be a surprise. It’s skin sensitivity, nothing more.” 

Sakamoto shrugged. “Still funny you admitted to it.” 

Sure. Very hilarious. Yet another fact Sakamoto now knows about him that he’d really have rather not shared under any circumstance. 

“Satisfied, now?” Goro asked, but it wasn’t really a question. He didn’t plan on expanding, this was embarrassing enough as it was. 

“Nope,” he replied, “cause that’s great and all, but I really gotta know the game plan.” He leaned in close to Goro, and he in turn leaned farther away.

“There’s no ‘game plan,’ Sakamoto. Please don’t get so close to me.” 

“Yeah, yeah, sorry.” He moved back, obviously not finished. “Come on, though, you gotta have something.” And back down on the counter he slouched. 

‘Something,’ he’d said. Yes, and that something was to keep his mouth shut and go about his life keeping each and every one of those mortifying feelings to himself. It was humiliating enough that Sakamoto knew. Telling Akira? He didn’t even want to imagine it. He’d rather face Okumura-san herself and ask her to buy one of their Shot-Straight-Through combo meals. 

“There’s nothing. And I don’t plan there to be anything. And, it’s not really much of your business, is it?” Goro could feel himself growing irritated. 

Sakamoto melted further into the counter. “I just don’t get why you’re not gonna ask him out if you like him. You might as well, man, it’ll be fine.” 

What simple ways of thinking. Do this, get that in return. Black and white, and right and wrong. Spill your fleeting moment of vulnerability and try not to think about the extensive hole of commitment you’re burying yourself in. One turn of phrase, one word, one misplaced breath to Akira would forever rupture the sorry excuse of acquaintanceship they’d been flip flopping through for the past three years. Akira was a blank slate and simultaneously the person he knew best. He knew him, but didn’t really, and he could never tell what he was thinking. Suddenly he was gambling again, and this time it came entirely unwelcome. Risks you face before death and risks that you’ll keep living through no matter the outcome tasted different. One was tangy and sweet and thrilling, the other was bitter  shit. Not to mention that Akira was too kind to him for his own good. He couldn’t even tell what was a lie. 

But, Sakamoto didn’t need to know all that. “You say that like there’s nothing to consider. As if I’ve never even given this thought. You do not belong in my head, Sakamoto. And I do not need to give you, an obvious outsider on the entire dilemma, any sort of justification for why I’m going to continue to abstain on something as trivial as a confession.” 

Sakamoto huffed at him. “What if I said that I gua-ran-tee he’s not gonna say no to you.”

Goro was already sick of this. What, had Sakamoto expected his heart to skip? His pulse to rise? That just the very thought of mutual feelings would send him into some flustered mess? Please. He told the tingling feeling going up through his legs and down his arms and up the back of his neck to shut the fuck up. 

He couldn’t stay quiet for long. Sakamoto could and would get ideas. “Then why doesn’t he just tell me that himself? Why are you playing wingman for him?” 

“Cause he’s not gonna say anything cause he’s got to be worried that he’s gonna freak you and your crazy attachment issues out!” 

Of course, there it was. The blind bet. Sakamoto’s one-way thinking at it again, and Goro would not have it. “I’m not going to start playing some game with him about the complexities of whatever idea of consent he has in his head. I don’t need his sympathy, and I am certainly not looking for it. I don’t have time for something messy and half-assed. I don’t want that, and surely he doesn’t, either. If he feels any way about me, he’d ought to tell me, because then maybe we’d find some kind of leeway. But I will not let him sit there and wait for me to make the first move, like a key element in his plan. This is not some teenage romance, and I am not a caricature of his love life. He can wait patiently all he’d like, but I’m perfectly content as I am now.” 

Sakamoto seemed a little stunned. 

“Man, he’s just…” He trailed off. They sat in silence. 

So ways still existed to get Sakamoto to stop rambling on. He was sure he’d regret saying this later, for a multitude of reasons. He didn’t hate Sakamoto, even saying dislike felt strong, but he always talked about things that Goro had no interest nor inclination to discuss. Maybe silence was for the best between them, for now. 

“He loves you, you know? He’s just afraid of admitting it. That’s all it is, dude,” said Sakamoto. 

Goro inhaled. So he wasn’t done, then. “Love… is an entirely different conversation.” 

“Okay, fine, you want me to say he ‘like-likes’ you like some fifth grader? Cause he does.” 

Goro didn’t reply. He’d made his point. 

“He isn’t playing one of your weirdo mind games,” Sakamoto continued. “I think you’re thinking too hard about this. He’s just a guy. He just wants to make sure you’re all comfortable and shit. Cause it’s not like we don’t all know the bullshit that was goin’ on for you.”

“I am not looking for his pity.” A fine thing to say while working at a Big Bang Burger in a bright yellow shirt and starred apron. It didn’t matter. He didn’t wear this with pride, per say, but he wouldn’t ask someone to feel sorry for him.

He didn’t exactly want to be seen, either. Especially not Akira, but of course he’d make habits of visiting. That was just like him, and it was just like his pity, too. 

Sakamoto looked frustrated. “He ain’t pitying you, man! He’s tryin’ to respect you! He knows you got things to go through on your own and he’s trying to give you space and everything.” 

Goro clicked his tongue. “If you know that’s his tactic, why are you trying to pressure me into this?” 

“Cause I don’t care, dude!” Sakamoto said, and then stopped himself, and promptly looked very guilty. “Well, okay. I do care. Like, I do. But sometimes…” He looked like he was trying to pick his words out carefully. He had an idea, just no way to form it.

He settled. “Sometimes, you just gotta get laid, man.” 

At this point, Goro found himself shocked that he wasn’t banging his own head against the counter. 

“Excuse me?” 

“You’re twenty one years old! Dude, I know you haven’t gotten any,” Sakamoto argued. “Your gay ass with emotional problems? Get outta here.” 

“This is not—”  

Sakamoto put his hands up nonshalontly. “And like, yeah, no judgey stuff, take your time if you gotta. But have you considered it? Tell me. I betcha you haven’t.”

Goro opened his mouth, expecting to reply with an incredibly well thought out ‘fuck off,’ but the automatic doors slid open, and suddenly Goro was all smiles and greetings, so what came out instead was, “Hello! Welcome to Big Bang Burger! Would you—ah.” 

Sakamoto snorted loudly, and Goro wanted to kick him so bad. 

And actually, what was stopping him? Sakamoto had earned this, and it’s not like this customer would care. 

Because, who else could’ve been just about summoned by the trouble than Kurusu Akira himself; strolling in so casually through the doors, like he hadn’t just become the most unpleasant topic of conversation Goro had ever had with Sakamoto. Speak of the devil was an understatement, or perhaps he was the devil himself. 

“What the eff, man!” 

“Hey you two,” said Akira, hands in his pockets and clearly bagless. He didn’t even register Goro’s kick, like that was just some normal occurrence. Somehow, that made him angrier. 

“Yo,” said Sakamoto, recovering annoyingly quickly. Goro wondered if he should’ve considered breaking his finger. 

Sakamoto reached out to Akira for a fist bump. “You don’t have the cat with ya?” 

Akira bumped him back. “Nope. Just me today.” 

“Sweet,”  Sakamoto replied, a smile growing wide. Goro hated the look. It was the hungriest and most dastardly shit-eating grin he’d ever seen him dare to make. So, knowing Sakamoto and his terrible poker face, he had thought up some idiotic ploy. 

“What’s up with you?” Akira asked, and thank god it wasn’t directed at Goro. Sakamoto’s obviousness did not go unnoticed. 

“Oh nothin’, nothin’,” said Sakamoto, entirely conspicuously, “I gotta go, though, grind never stops. Super secret stuff in the back.” 

Goro glared at him. So now he would pretend to be busy? 

“Burger secrets,” Akira said, and Ryuji gave him a finger gun in reply. He walked off without a word, but apparently felt the inclination to jerk his head back at Goro, as if he didn’t know what he was doing. 

He sighed. No amount of alone time would ever compel Goro to confess at a Big Bang Burger, of all places. At least Akira tended to be a little more bearable in conversation. He hoped he’d be an in and out customer. “Can I get you anything?” 

Akira looked at him for a moment. “You look flustered.” 

Goro felt himself twitch. He wasn’t flustered, like some preteen who can’t hear the word genital without bursting into laughter. If anything, Sakamoto had caught him off guard with his stupidity. He obviously was not one to be so affected by such a topic. He was an adult, and a professional. He would again not think about the fact he was wearing an orange visor right now. 

“I’m positive that isn’t a menu item,” he replied, keeping his pleasant smile plastered on, keeping any stray annoyance from showing. 

Akira examined him closer. “Do you have a fever or something? You look red.”

Goro drummed his fingers against the counter impatiently. What was he supposed to say? Sorry, Akira, Sakamoto just decided to kindly push the image of you railing me as a form of twisted therapy into the forefront of my consciousness. Would you like any drinks?

“I’m fine. I’m not the type to go to work sick,” he decided on instead. 

“Really?” He didn’t seem convinced. 

Goro folded his arms. “While living in a society where health is determined by the trust of the majority, I have no plans to spread my germs to an unsuspecting businessman, in that I expect the same from him.”

Akira considered that for a moment. “So you’re embarrassed, then.” 

Goro’s expression turned sour. He was not in the mood for a debate. “Everyone seems to be presuming things today, have I missed a memo?” 

Akira didn’t miss a beat. “Ryuji said something?” 

Goro dragged his fingernails into his palm. He was hardly being that obvious, he wasn’t a bumbling idiot who couldn’t keep a straight face. Akira was just acutely good at reading people, (namely, reading him) and it drove Goro up the wall. It was unfair, for one thing, since Akira continued to maintain blank expressions in the face of clowns and hookers, keeping his inner thoughts kept behind lock and key. And, as of more recently, he was the one person Goro really desperately wanted to hide every wandering emotion from possible. Just his luck, fall for the bastard who analyzes people as a side job for his savior-complex living. 

This was making him more frustrated. “Would you just order?” 

Akira looked at the menu, but Goro knew it was bullshit. He ordered the same thing every time— a shake and a burger, no tomatoes. He certainly already knew what he wanted, but was just causing trouble in the meantime. What an annoyance. Goro punched it in, and made no moves to go and cook. If Sakamoto was going to have his “business” in the back, then he could stay there and do his job. 

“Sit over there, we’ll bring it to you when it’s done,” he said, and Akira silently obliged. He gave a small smile before he turned, leaving Goro completely alone with his thoughts as he sat at his table and scrolled through his phone. 

He couldn’t believe the timing of Sakamoto’s distasteful comment to Akira’s unseasonable entrance. Things always seemed to fall into place with Goro, just not the right places. The right place, but a little down, and to the left, the left, he said. He wished Sakamoto would mind his own business, let him quietly pine until his untimely death; which kept getting put off, might he add. 

Sakamoto emerged from the back end of the restaurant. He was holding the bag of presumably Akira’s food, and his shake. He waved them enthusiastically. 

“Go on, dude,” he smirked. 

Goro was blunt. “No.” He’d pissed him off enough today. He wasn’t going to walk over there and serve the food. Sakamoto’s little idea of love, romance and marriage in a burger joint would have to wait. Ideally, it would get itself stuck in wet concrete, and drown way down under where no one could see it and where the light of day would never reach. 

Sakamoto seemed to catch his drift. “Jeez, fine. Huffy, huffy.” 

He walked over to Akira with a spring in his step, and they started chatting idly. Goro couldn’t hear. In all honesty, he was trying to tune them out. His headache was growing worse. Pounding in his head, every light too bright and repetitive music blurring together his thoughts. And of course there was the elephant in the room, who was whispering to him Sakamoto’s crude suggestions, and the irritating notion that maybe he was right, just a little bit.

He needed to get himself together. He was acting like some horny teenager. Get fucked, you raunchy elephant. 

Sakamoto left to let him eat, and made a show of going back to the other end of the restaurant, all while wiggling his eyebrows at Goro. In turn, Goro made a show of rolling his eyes and planting himself facing away from Akira. It made Sakamoto laugh, for whatever reason, and Goro just ignored him. 

He watched the door idly and tried to relax. He’d been clenching his teeth, and his jaw ached. He tried to focus to get his headache to fade into obscurity. He couldn’t find much to concentrate on, was his issue. Other than the obvious, which he would ignore without remorse. He wanted to go home. No lights too bright there, no sloppily cleaned windows, and especially no crush (the word left a bad taste in his mouth. Boy who has left him emotionally compromised after giving him no reason to deny he had worth in the world and keeps him up at night thinking about the way he really tried to will him back into existence when he could, god, have anything else in the world, and he wanted him. Was that a better option?) sitting out of view, chewing quietly and doing absolutely nothing to draw so much attention to himself.  At home he could drown it all out in a cold bath, and let himself think of nothing but his numbing toes and pruning fingers. 

“Hey, catch,” Akira said, suddenly there and startling Goro out of his bathlike daydream. He tossed something onto the counter. Goro did not catch it. 

It was a napkin, all folded up in a careful way. It didn’t hold the shape well, but the intention was pretty clear. “Um. A crane?” 

“Yup. Present for you.” he started, rubbing his neck, and he had the nerve to look bashful. “I got bored.”

Goro hadn’t noticed him making it. Which, alright, did make sense, he was purposefully keeping his neck away from that entire half of the restaurant. “Sorry we aren’t quite the height of entertainment here.” Goro lightly touched its head. He didn’t know Akira knew how to make these. “Well, thank you, I guess.”

Akira pushed his glasses further up his nose. “You’re welcome to name him.”

“I think that I won’t.”

“That can be pretty trendy, too,” he replied. “I’ve gotta go. Class. Tell Ryuji I say bye.” 

“Bye, dude!” Sakamoto shouted from the back. There was that tiresome enthusiasm again. 

It made Akira smile.“Nevermind, then. See you.” 

Goro just barely lifted his hand by the wrist to wave. “Bye.” 

Akira turned, gave him a small trill of his fingers, and left. Sakamoto did not return to his exit, and Goro savored the moment. It was just him and the crane, now. 

It was pretty shoddy. Unfolding, and barely standing up on its own. Cheap paper napkins were not the ideal material for origami, it seemed. He watched it slowly fall apart, wings losing shape and the head relaxing into its neck. Akira had hardly stayed long, so that meant he was probably pretty good at this sort of thing. He wouldn’t have guessed. 

…He thought about how it might look on proper paper. The creases sharp and crisp, the ends pointed and still. What would Akira’s hands look like while they worked? He could hear the sounds of the folding, and the wedging, clean paper being bent and rippled. Delicate fingers, working through, meticulously checking every last inch. Sometimes a pinch, just where it’s needed. And then finished, folded tight, wrapped together in itself. Very quick work, with the touch of a hand. 

“The heck is that?” Sakamoto said, getting an actual jump out of Goro. 

“What?” he gasped, and took a second to collect his thoughts. At work. Sakamoto came back. In a Big Bang Burger. Headache present. Good fucking god. “It’s just…” He pressed his fingers into the side of his temple “It’s a paper crane. Akira made it.” 

Sakamoto let that sink in.“You tellin me you were just sitting here staring at the thing Akira made you?” 

“I wasn’t,” Goro replied, trying desperately to catch his breath as casually as possible. 

“Uh, you literally were.” Sakamoto got uncomfortably close to him again. Goro physically moved away, because now was not the time. 

It didn’t deter Sakamoto whatsoever. He put his hands on his hips and gave an annoying grin. “Bro, you gotta tell him… You’ve obviously got it preeetty bad.” 

Goro was fed up with this. This conversation needed to end, or he thought he might explode. “I don’t ‘have it bad,’ Sakamoto, stop bringing this up.” 

Sakamoto smirked at him. “You so do though, is the thing.” 

“I don’t. Leave me alone.”

He shrugged his shoulders, and kept his mouth shut. He was acting so haughty, like he’d won the argument. Which, he hadn’t, for the record. 

That stupid crane. All it’d done was make things worse. And what was it even doing? Sitting here crumbling away into uselessly folded paper. A cheap napkin made of other recycled cheap napkins. Clean and crisp paper was a long sought after dream, a fantasy and nothing more. 

You know, this was just it, really. This is what he meant. Akira would try and fold him up and he’d inevitably fall back down. He didn’t know just what fantastic method he’d try, but it wouldn’t matter— he was made of what he was made of, and nothing would hold him up. Trying was pointless, risking for naught, it would be better for everyone if he stayed just how he was and didn’t overstay his use. 

He would not fit into Akira’s plans or his pities. He couldn’t. 

“…Bruh. What does that even mean.” 

Ah? “What?“ No. He had not said that out loud. Sakamoto did not just hear all that nonsense. 

Sakamoto was giving him a funny look. “You’re not a napkin, man.” 

God, shit. Shit shit shit. “I— I know that, this is just—“ The unpleasant feeling of blood rushing to his face was just as intolerable as it was unpreventable. 

“For real? Cause you sure sounded like you were calling yourself a napkin.” 

Absolutely unbelievable. How unruly was he that he’d just spouted all that like it was nothing? He couldn’t believe he had to explain himself now, but letting him get ideas was undeniably worse. “It’s supposed to be… symbolic, Sakamoto.” 

He could practically see the gears turning in his head. That wasn’t something difficult to understand, you dunce. Every second of this humiliating scene felt like a knife turning in his back. 

“Why does your brain work in such effed up ways. You gotta work on that,” Sakamoto said, not letting up his judgemental look.

He crossed his arms, trying to make his mortification appear like annoyance. “Don’t you start with me. As if you ever have something useful to say. At least I’m— I’m thinking, here.” 

That riled him up a bit. “I’m thinkin’! I almost flunked literature so maybe I’m not so good at this analysis stuff, but you know what? Hear me out.” Goro did not want to hear him out. He continued despite that. “I get it, you got your problems. But I really don’t think you callin’ yourself some shitty crane is fair, you know? Like, you’re a whole guy.”

He did not appreciate how genuine Sakamoto was acting. It was odd, and it felt awkward coming from him. He didn’t want to feel guilty for being rude to him earlier, either. Just another topic to bother him to sleep. 

Sakamoto went on. “Gahhh, it feels weird sayin’ this but like, you’re not a napkin, okay! And Akira doesn’t think so either. You’re more… complicated. Napkins don’t pay taxes or anything.” 

Ah, alright. So it was mostly bullshit. He could ease the guilt away in one fell swoop. 

Goro’s disinterest seemed to show itself well to Sakamoto. “Just, okay. Lemme get my thoughts here. You gotta like… be your own first step. I didn’t get my own shit sorted out until I actually tried to. And I’m not sayin it’s easy to do. But Imma tell you right now your first step is gonna be to stop thinking you’re a napkin or a bucket or a plate of green beans or whatever else you come up with. And I mean it, man.”

Goro knew he had things to say to that. He had thought out replies and phrases that Sakamoto would need more headspace to begin to understand. But none of them came to him. So he decided to stay threateningly quiet. 

It was well received. “Okay okay, you’re gettin’ mad, I can tell. I’m gonna take my break,” Sakamoto relented, and turned on his heel. “I ain’t really trying to tell ya what to do but give it a thinking about, alright? ‘Least for Akira’s sake,” he said over his shoulder, and left Goro almost more alone than before. 

It wasn’t even Akira’s sake Goro was worried about. Not in the way Sakamoto seemed to think. And he didn’t need to be told he wasn’t some inanimate object, he wasn’t that out of mind. 

Any sort of sensible argument would have to come to him after the fact, apparently. To tell him this wouldn’t be a “first step,” more like a hundredth. How many paces did crawling out of the hole he’d buried himself in count for? How many miles had he gone by now, barefoot and bleeding all the way. 

Such a stupid conversation. Needless, too, since for whatever reason his filter decided to leave him to fend for himself. Just another addition to this embarrassing excuse of a shift today. 

The paper crane sat still on the counter, though it hardly resembled one anymore. He almost felt bad. He had his typical pit in his stomach, but nothing exactly to pinpoint it on. Was he wallowing in that much self-loathing? 

Perhaps. 

Goro adamantly refused to have any more dramatic revelations at his part time job, so any introspections would have to come later. 

He put the crumpled crane in his pocket. It was certainly not going to be a crane once he took it out again, but he didn’t really know what else to do with it. Throwing it away felt wrong, to him. Though he wasn’t sure exactly what he was going to do with it when he got home. 

Akira hadn’t given this to him in hopes of causing some mental anguish. Or at least, he assumed so. Sakamoto had said he didn’t play mind games, but if not those, what was he doing? It felt better to know it was a game, in that way there was something about Akira’s mystery of a consciousness he could pry through. 

Was he reading into things? For sure. Reading too deeply into anything had been a talent of his for as long as he could remember. It had saved his life before, many times and in the most difficult of times. 

This crane wasn’t life threatening, but it felt like it was. Not in the thrilling way, but in the shitty way. 

His shift was over soon. Which reminded him, Sakamoto had surely already taken his break. He was a dip, but Goro preferred his own thoughts to any conversation they’d had today. And that was saying something, since getting out of his own head was a much needed relief that he’d take almost any chance he got. 

He was overthinking, and there was nothing he could do about it. He would continue to overthink until someone stole his brain and dunked it in acid. Where was the enjoyment otherwise? It was all he knew how to do. 

And even he didn’t overthink this— if Akira had given this to him in earnest and in playfulness, and if Sakamoto hadn’t been overtly pulling his leg through their shifts today. There wasn’t even anything remarkable about it. If there was a chance that maybe things were just okay, and getting better, and he wasn’t a living metaphor for a tissue. Oh just, say he invited him out for coffee, and Akira surprised him with a new little creation, less spur of the moment and made something almost sweet. He’d never drop his pride so low as to ask for a lesson, but if he did, maybe he could learn to make something, too. And maybe he wouldn’t hate every moment of it, and maybe he’d like getting so close, and maybe he’d appreciate the mistakes as much as the praises. 

…Hm.

That was just a fantasy, of course. And surely, nothing was all that great about it. Anything could go wrong in any number of ways, his own interventions just one category. 

Maybe it was the headache, or the dragging on shift, or the terrible lights, or the distant humming of his coworker, but Goro must’ve been caught off guard today. Because otherwise, why else would he have thought, not long and not convincingly, but still a thought as present as can be, that maybe, despite everything. 

It could be nice. Just for a little bit. Maybe that didn’t sound quite so bad. 

Not so bad at all. 

[taejeonie]

markhee on knowing bros

MARKHEE ON KNOWING BROS YAYAYAYAYAY

but literally i want nct to appear on knowing bros p l e a s e

hmm i think by the time of their guesting, the public already knew of their relationship

but tbh hypothetically speaking,,people really wouldn’t know the boys are dating someone until they’re like old or something...i think they’d hide it pretty well :>> BUT FOR THE SAKE OF ME AND ANON WANTING MARKHEE TO APPEAR ON A VARIETY SHOW HERE U GO

the announcement was made about two and a half years into their relationship,,,a staff member ratted them out ://

most of them were supportive ofc!!!

minority of the people weren’t supportive of them mostly bc they don’t want them dating but then again we’re not talking about them ƪ(˘⌣˘)ʃ

most of the comments were like

“MARKHEE YAY <333” “I KNEW THEY WERE DATING!!!” “they look so cute together 🥺” “i can tell they would really last for a long time” “i hope sm wouldn’t break them up >:((“ “ahh young love...this is too cute >.<“

what amazed most of them were how professional they were for the past years,,esp bc they were group mates

this is probably one of the reasons why sm was kinda chill about the situation

but then a lot of people worried about this also

like what if they fought?? or had a misunderstanding??

but i think they’re both in the correct minds to not mix work with your personal life :)) bc that’s a no-no !!

okay back to knowing bros

sm probably did it for publicity but it gave markhee stans content anyways

markhee were asked what show they would want to appear on and they both thought knowing bros would be a nice option :>

so now here they are!!!

they heard knocking from the classroom door and when they turned around they see taehee’s head popping out of the door frame

“hellooo!! (*^▽^*)”

“TAEHEE!!!”

“WOAH”

“jEOn TaEhEE”

“what brings you here?,” janghoon asked

“(〃ω〃) i brought my boyfriend-“

“WOAH REALLY?”

“THIS IS OUR SECOND TIME”

youngchul spoke up, “wait she’s younger than hyuna and edawn, right?”

“yes ,,, :>>” then taehee smiled out of shyness until her dimples were showing

“the last time i saw you, you were this small!!!,” heechul said while putting his arm up to his waist

then taehee made a cute whine and you could hear mark laugh in the background

“noooo,,,i’m older now!!”

“is this your first time appearing on a show together?”

“yeah..we picked this one :>>”

“oh really? thank you (*^ω^*),” heechul says

“alright, bring him in,” and then they were all just holding their smiles until mark comes out

taehee walked in the classroom dragging mark in with his hand

which made the guys gush at them,,especially heechul and hodong

“MARK LEE”

“THEY’RE HOLDING HANDS”

you know when mark’s like embarrassed he tries to cover his face with his hand? yeah he was doing that when walking in

so taehee just laughs at the commotion they caused

they transferred from “if you’re envious, you lose” high school

after they introduced themselves, heechul raised from his seat

“the last time i’ve been on a show with mark, we were drinking together...but now he’s with his girlfriend!! it’s like i’m witnessing his milestones-“

“HAHAHAHAH”

“this is amazing, wow” then he claps

“the last time i was on a show with them was when i was an mc for ‘weekly idol’ and they were with dream,,,” sangmin chimes in

“when did you start dating?”

“mm, about 2 and a half years ago..”

“ahh” then it suddenly goes silent in the studio bc all of their focus is on markhee

so they both laugh bc of the attention

“wHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT US LIKE THAT”

“IT’S BC IT’S REFRESHING TO LOOK AT A YOUNG COUPLE LIKE YOU!! THAT’S WHY”

“actually this is the only time we’re gonna talk about our relationship like this since we promised each other we’d keep things like,,proffessional”

“woah this is like the most mark has spoken at the start of the show,” heechul blurts out causing the set to laugh

“bc he usually doesn’t talk at much first, am i right”

“yes, you are right”

“ah cute~” one of them says

mark lee keeps on captivating other people it’s hIS CHARM!!

“when did you two meet? since predebut?”

“since predebut.”

“wait before we start,,we should ask questions properly unlike lAST TIME!! we got too excited,” soogeun cut in

taehee was the one who answered, “actually, we arrived in the company on the same day and we became friends from there”

“woah it’s like destiny? are you soulmates?,” the question makes the couple laugh

“who liked who first?,” kyunghoon asks

taehee’s eyes widen and she mentions that this is the first time they’re talking about their relationship like this with each other

“oh wow this is gets more interesting!!”

“real reactions”

“so taehee when did you like mark?”

“hmm i think during promotions for ‘kick it’?”

“woah then i liked you first”

you know that face mark makes when he’s like amazed about discovering something new and his eyes are wide and his cheekbones pop out HE’S SO CUTE AT THIS MOMENT BC HE’S MAKING THAT FACE

“oh really???”

“mark when did you like taehee?”

“when we were in the states promoting ‘superhuman’,,,so like,,a year before her”

and then taehee makes this 🥺 face and her hands were above her chest

she’s just so soft in that moment

“wait mark, so that was,,how many years after debut?”

“3 years!”

“then why during that period of time and not when you were trainees”

“hmm honestly i think it’s bc we’ve been focusing on debuting so we weren’t paying attention to each other that much,,in that way. i feel like she stood out to me the most during the time we were promoting in the states, so i paid a lot of attention to her and caught,,,feelings from there”

“the way he spoke,,you can tell he’s really sincere about what he’s saying,” janghoon says so mark becomes more shy aND IT’S JUST CUTE

“was there anything specific taehee did that made your heart skip a beat?”

mark seems to think for a moment until taehee claps her hands together and all the attention goes to her

and she’s really excited like she’s a kid in preschool who just discovered something new and is excited to tell her parents bC THAT’S WHAT TAEHEE’S FEELING RIGHT NOW

“aH!! i think i know what this is!! (＾ν＾)”

“what is it?”

“during ‘superhuman’ era right?,” mark nods, “okay so there’s this part of our dance-“

“oHH I KNOW WHAT THIS IS,” mark shouts and it makes taehee smile wider

“where we stand really close to each other like this,” when she showed them how close they stood to each other the bros were like :OO

“yeah, i think that’s it. you fell for me, right?,” taehee directs the last statement at mark

“oh but that’s really close though,” hodong says

“we did it bc the fans seemed to like it,,,mark just ended up liking it more than he should,” she said it like she was bragging about it which made the people in the studio laugh and mark collapsing to the floor out of embarrassment

“was that it mark? was that the reason?”

mark’s still laughing, “maybe it’s one of the reasons-“

“HAHAHA”

“but we spent a lot of time together when we were in the states so i think that’s the reason too”

“did you notice, taehee? that mark had a crush on you?”

taehee shakes her head, “no,,,”

“why not?”

“mark doesn’t like affection from the members in general so i thought that was why he was acting like he was at that time”

“how did he act at that time?”

then you see mark like internally sweating bc he KNOWS he’s gonna get clowned for it

“ah i’m one of the members who tend to be quite affectionate with others,,and i joke a lot too”

“she tells a lot of pick up lines”

“pick up lines?,” sangmin repeats

“yeah,,,at first i was used to it but then when i started liking her i got flustered a lot”

“i tend to get clingy with the members too like i hold their arm like this or lean on them but when i did it with mark he got shy”

while taehee was demonstrating with mark the bros were like “awww (*´◒`*)”

“does mark get jealous when you act like that towards other members?”

mark tries to hold back his laugh before saying, “a little bit” in a sMALL VOICE THAT’S WHY HE’S CUTE :((

“I ACT LIKE THAT AROUND YOU BUT YOU GET SHY!! WHY WOULD YOU GET JEALOUS?”

“no i’m not jealous of that person it’s like i wish i didn’t get flustered so easily to the point that i would shy away from you...something similar to that”

“ahh mark’s good with his words..do you write lyrics?,” youngchul asks

“we both do :>>”

“so are you each other’s muses? is it like that?”

then the other guys start teasing them causing markhee to smile and giggle ;((

“i guess you could say it like that,,”

“THAT’S WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT!,” then heechul stands up to give mark a high five

“are you two the same age?”

“yes!! but i’m older by four months,” then mark holds up four fingers

“wait then taehee must be really oblivious since mark liked her for a year until they got together”

“well if you put it that way...”

“honestly, i really did not think that she would like me back...that’s why i tried so hard to hide it”

“wow really?”

mark nods, “there was this one time we were in the practice room. we were preparing for a year end stage for gayo daejun,,and taehee was explaining to the camera how she hurt her head at that time”

“aww taehee hurt her head?”

“yeah :<< and he was laughing at me!!,” her pout made the other boys laugh

“that’s bc he likes you taehee”

“oh correct!! i just laughed bc of that reason!,” when mark said that it made them laugh even more bc he was so transparent about his feelings

i mean this is the only time they would talk about it why not as well go all out right?

“but then she said something like, ‘this is how your best friends treat you! you get hurt and then they laugh!’”

“ahh you got friend zoned?”

“yeah i did”

“wait hold on this is making me feel bad- i’m sorry :<<“

then taehee clings onto mark’s arm and looks at him with puppy eyes iT’S SICKENING IT MAKES YOU WANT LOVE TOO

then the guys gush at them some more, “does she often do aegyo with you?”

“i only do it to make him cringe bc it’s funny!! he’s also cute when he’s flustered”

then when she hears soogeun agree with her she becomes soft again and pouts

she goes to punch mark’s cheek

then the bros looked amused like their watching a drama or something

“taehee do you take care of mark like this? like who takes care of who?”

they’re basically asking who tops in the relationship

“i think we’re both,,,like equal in that sense”

“i’m only like this sometimes but mark really really is considerate and so careful”

“what did he do to make you say that?”

taehee clasps her hands together and she opens her mouth to say something but then she looks at the camera and says, “i forgot we were filming this for a moment”

some of them chuckled

“uHhH before he,,dOEs,,things he always asks me like ‘oh is this okay?’ ‘can i do this?’ things like that and it really melts my heart. he’s really considerate”

“ahh mark really is a gentleman”

“i agree,,”

“MARK!! how did you ask taehee out?”

“oh i didn’t ask her out”

“OH SO IT WAS TAEHEE???”

“WOAH”

“HEY GIRLS CAN DO THAT TOO” taehee has an angry pout on which made mark’s heart go boom boom

“wait we didn’t even ask taehee how she liked mark-“

“oKAY TAEHEE!! how did you like mark and how did you ask him out”

“ah i tend to overthink a lot-“

“oh isn’t that bad though?,” heechul says

“but when you get used to it it’s hard to stop,” janghoon tells him, “it just depends how you’re going to react to it”

“okay taehee continue”

“a lot of fans were saying we should date so i thought about it for a loooong time. and then i started paying more attention to mark like how he’s so dedicated and determined,,how he’s cute when he’s shy,,and how he’s like really helpful to those around him— i think that’s what captured me the most (*´ω｀*)”

“aww cute :((,” they say at her

“so how did you ask him out?”

“the only person who knew about my feelings back then was haechan,,so i asked him how should i do it. he said to just confess but i was also kinda ‘shy’ about it so i was like ‘nonono,,i won’t do that’”

kyunghoon asks, “did he know about mark’s feelings,” and mark nods at him

“so what did you do?”

“i,,(//∇//),,i tried flirting with him-“

“HAHAHAHAHAHA”

“AHH CUTE!!”

“i tried flirting with him but it won’t work bc he’s so dense also!,” then taehee hits mark on the shoulder

“really mark? you didn’t even once think that taehee liked you also?”

“like i was saying,,i tried to hide and push away my feelings. and she’s usually like that around other members so i thought she was just being her usual self with me”

“so what pushed taehee to confess?”

“actually, it’s ‘who’”

“was it haechan?”

“CORRECT!! i got into a bet- like a game,,with him the day before i confessed and i lost. his condition was that if i lost, i would confess to mark and he really really really made sure of that”

“how cute :((“

“this is like a kdrama HAHAHA”

“so i told him another pickup line that day-“

“TAEHEE!!,” heechul snorts

his reaction makes another whine come out from taehee and she’s like, “what am i supposed to do? i wasn’t ready!!!”

“does mark still remember the pickup line?”

“hmm it was in english,,it was- aH! ‘do you like haikyuu?’,,haikyuu is an anime,,’bc i laikyuu’”

“THAT’S SO CORNY HAHAHA”

“BUT IT’S GOOD THOUGH!!”

then heechul stands up again to give taehee a high five

“but when i told him that he still denied it!! he told me to go to yuta oppa and tell that to him!!”

“awww”

“so i was like,,’listen, i really really like you and if you don’t get that through your head i wouldn’t know what to do anymore’

“YOU SOUND LIKE YOU’RE THREATENING HIM”

“HAHAHAHAHAHHA”

then taehee got shy and hid her face in mark’s shoulder

“i just noticed the whole time they were standing really close to each other,,you can’t even see the space in between them”

then they gush over them for like the 92849294 time

“do you guys fight a lot?”

“as friends we fought a few times,,but i think now we understand each other more so i think i can say that we don’t really fight with each other anymore”

“ahhh”

“what were the members’ reactions when they found out you were dating?”

“they were really supportive!! they teased us from time to time but they’re really like,,fond of our relationship,,”

“how do you guys date?”

“at that time we tried to limit our like,,outings,,so we just stayed in our room for most of the time watching movies and eating”

“oH yOu gUyS sHArE a ROoM?”

some of them had like knowing looks on their faces and then mark’s like “NO DON’T THINK OF OTHER THINGS”

“HEY WE WEREN’T EVEN SAYING ANYTHING”

“HAHAHAHAHAHA”

“NO IT’S NOT LIKE THAT!!,” taehee chimes in, “we just like staying indoors and keep to ourselves”

“wait i also noticed something,” sangmin raises his hand

“what is it?”

“whenever taehee talks mark has a look in his eyes,,it’s very obvious that he loves her”

then taehee gets shy and spares a glance at mark and there IS a look in his eyes

like you know those times where mark’s eyes sparkle?? like there are stars in his eyes like 🥺

taehee just falls for him even more :((

“taehee give me five things you like about mark”

“he’s hardworking, he’s kind, he’s a great singer and he plays the guitar for me!! he’s reliable and i really like how he’s different offstage and onstage,,like he’s cute but when he’s onstage he’s like a different person”

“how bout you mark?”

“uhh taehee is considerate,,she puts others before herself,,she’s dedicated,,she treats her family well,,hmm and she dances really well!!”

ace couple

“taehee can you dance for us? then mark you play the guitar after :>>”

and then you see mark get really excited bc he’s gonna play the guitar meanwhile taehee’s like, “of cOURSE!!”

“her engergy- she’s so cute!!!!”

then they all stand off to the side while taehee dances

when she started they were like “OIIII” “WOAHH” “WAHH AMAZING”

they were really hyping her up!!

and you could easily tell how her passion is dancing

the way she flowed with every movement but still manages to hit all the points

her confidence

facial expressions,,,

i would fall for her too mark <//3

“she really is good,” janghoon mutters

“she is,” aND MARK LOOKS SO PROUD KDKAKFKSKF

markhee is cute no cap

then when she’s finished you can see heechul whisper something to mark then mark gets really flustered but just laughs it off

now it’s mark’s turn to play the guitar!!

he strums a few chords earning a few reactions from the bros + taehee!!

then he starts to play the song

and they sway to the melody

you see taehee’s cheeks get pink bc mark’s looking at her from time to time

which made the others get excited at what they’re witnessing

“ah this is so cute (*^▽^*)”

“i would marry mark,” soogeun blurts out which made taehee giggle

by the end of the song the guys clap for mark,,

and then there’s taehee at the side pressing her hands to her cheeks bc yes they’re warm and it’s bc of mark lee <//3

then they fist bump each other :>>

profile time!!

taehee wrote that ‘shouting in silence’ was one of her strengths just so that they could play the game 

so taehee played with heechul 

so off it was funny it’s hEECHUL + TAEHEE GUYS 

heechul would find every opportunity to tease tf out of taehee offscreen and onscreen 

one of the words that heechul had to guess were ‘mark’

so taehee kept shouting “MY BOYFRIEND!! MY BOYFRIEND!!”

it was so cute honestly :((

mark kept smiling and giggling and the other people were like ‘awwww’

when it was mark’s turn to play they kept teasing him cause he kept on making passes

he’s still cute so it’s aight <33

taehee won with a score of 4-2

the next game they were playing was a couple game!!

so person a had to feed person b but they're both blindfolded and they weren't allowed to touch/guide each other 

first one to finish the bowl of 자장면 wins!!!

so markhee vs hodong and soogeun

taehee would be the one to feed mark

they kept laughing all through out 

meanwhile hodong was like -.- bc soogeun kept on laughing 

anyways,,markhee won!! they're an ace couple what do you expect 

but mark got 자장면 all over his face so taehee was wiping it off with a tissue the staff gave her 

so the bros were like “아이구!! 아이구 아이구!!” 

so moving on to the q&a thingy 

taehee was so excited bc she's been wanting to use the hammer like this ever since she watched the show 

“we’ll not answer so you don't get to use it” - kim heechul

he gets hit anyways 

“okay so,,i get flustered whenever mark does this”

“kisses you suddenly!”

“hugs you in front of the members!”

“wrong!!! (*¯︶¯*)”

kyunghoon calls mark and asks him if he knows the answer but he shakes his head no 

“taehee mentioned awhile ago that mark plays the guitar,,so is it when he plays for you?”

“mmm that’s not the answer i'm looking for :>>”

“when he holds your hand!!,” she shakes her head again

“gIvE uS A cLuEEeEe”

“it’s something that he says,,,”

you see mark whisper to himself,,“something that i say?”

“i love you?”

“okay one last clue,,he says this when he's asking for attention,,,”

“joanie?” mark looks at her 

“who’s joanie?”

“my english name,” taehee says while heechul answers “여보?”

“자기”

then youngchul becomes smart again and mentions that mark and taehee speak to other english often,,”so perhaps...something like ‘baby’?”

he said baby in english so taehee was like “CORRECT!!”

and mark laughs while he claps his hands bc he’s lowkey shy now (っ˘ω˘ς )

“he doesn't call me that all the time but when he does my heart flutters”

and the whole sets uwuing all over again

“like when he’s waking me up for example and i can't get up,,,he’s gonna hug me and say ‘babyyyy, wake uppp’ (she said that in english)”

“AAAAAAAAA”

“아이구 아이구!”

“CUTE!!”

she laughs at their reactions, “IT’S NICE RIGHT??? (♡´ ω `)”

meanwhile mark was a MESS

shy baby uwu

“when was the last time he called you ‘baby’?”

taehee seems to think for a moment before she gets all jittery and flustered making the guys more interested in what she has to say 

“he was teaching me how to play a new song on the guitar,,,but instead of just telling me what the chords were he really like went behind me and put my hands in place (─‿─)”

midway through her story heechul, soogeun, and sangmin were already up and about on their seats 

“AHH MARK LEE!!”

“SUCH A SWEET BOYFRIEND”

“AHH CUTEEEE!!”

every scream intensified the more this episode progressed 

mark got even more shy so he was hiding his head on the table 

so taehee went over to him while laughing and ruffled his hair 

oKAYY MARK’S TURN!!

mark couldn't really think of a question

so since hyuck and johnny were in the waiting rooms with them before the show 

hyuck was the one to write down the question for him 

so as soon as mark read the question out loud he and taehee,,and the rest of the set burst out laughing 

“i get jealous of the other members when- HAECHAN WROTE THIS NOT ME”

“HAHAHA”

“AW CUTE”

“but i don't get jealous that often!!,” he defends himself 

“how bout when taehee cooks for the other members,,”

“she cooks for me too...”

“when she plays games on the computer when you guys are about to sleep,,so you go ‘babyyy’,” heechul’s imitation makes the rest laugh once again 

cue uwu shy mark lee

they give a few more guesses until mark back tracks and says that her playing games with the other members does make him a teensy tinsy bit jealous 

“but there was this one time she stayed beside me while playing games and i fell asleep,,( ◡‿◡ ). honestly,,i don't have any reason to get jealous of the other members since i know teehee’s mine anyways”

“OOOOOO MARK LEE”

“AA CUTE”

this time taehee was the flustered one,,,up to the point her face was getting hot and that she had to take a sip from her bottle 

“they’re so domestic,,” janghoon comments 

yes they are!!

markhee stans after watching the episode: WHEN’S THE WEDDING

anyways,,sadly the episode is coming to an end 

we got so much markhee content bc of this episode 

you've really seen the trust and adoration they have for each other :((

they won't say it out loud,,but the whole set of knowing bros feel like they're one of the idols who will get married and grow old together 

THEN BABY MARHEE IS GONNA BE PART OF DREAM :OO

that’s all for this episode!! you’ll get to see more markhee content (dating or not dating) in my following posts!!

have a nice day!! - markhee <33

[theyungrose]

Be Good ( Roman Reigns X OC)

Chapter 3 

Spite.

I had reverted to tearing our pictures down from the walls, my sanity reduced to screams in the dead of night. I cursed his name to the heavens and back, wished the worst of events, and yet I still didn’t feel any better. 

I was broken.

Never in my life had I felt such pain, 24 hours in a day. I woke up in the morning and felt nothing in my soul, no happiness, no purpose, no love. I moved through the day lifelessly; of course he hadn’t thought anything of telling our close friends and his family that we were breaking our engagement, leaving me to answer all the questions they only ever save for the girlfriend. 

Yes, I was okay.

(No I wasn’t.)

It was mutual, we just kinda fell apart I guess.

(Really?) 

And then they say “Well I bet he misses you just as much as you miss him right now.” 

I sincerely doubt that. 

Anger. Rage. 

Questions. 

How could he do this to me? 

To us? 

What, you court me for nearly a year and a half; not counting the two years we were friends. I met your mother, your father who never meets “any of the girls you bring around”; his words not mine. We traveled everywhere together, we bought each other things we hadn’t even bought for ourselves first. When my brother died, when you got sick, when there was no one else in the world for us to count on, you told me we had each other. Always. For what? For you to wake up one day, turn on your side and decide you don’t want to be with me anymore? That it just wasn’t going to work?  

For a month your child lived inside my stomach. 

Does that not matter to you? 

Emptiness. 

What was I to do with my life now? The past two years were the best of my life, and now I was expected just move along as if they never existed. As if we never existed. 

That’s enough to drive any woman mad. 

I had to get away. 

The cold Denver air greeted me warmly as I stepped through the sliding doors of the airport into its little snow flurries. It was nostalgic for a second, until a loud car horn ripped me from my thoughts. Stepping out from her gray minivan was my childhood friend, Lauren. You could tell she didn’t like the cold from the way she kept the driver’s door open and stayed close to it, clutching her hoodie tight around her arms. 

Oh yeah and she said this.

“Girl get in this car I’m losing heat ‘cuz of you!” 

I snickered rushing over to her ride with my suitcases rolling loudly behind me.

“Daydreaming and shit.... aye aye aye what’s all this?”

Lauren motioned to my stuff with a certain... well stank, look on her face. 

“I ain’t say you could stay with me.” 

I was getting too cold to respond to her, and being that I was putting the bags in the trunk by myself, I chose to ignore her for the time being. 

“Relax creature I bought myself a hotel for the night, that’s where you’re driving me first before you drag me to that barn you live in.” 

Lauren scoffed and slammed the trunk closed, nearly cutting off my fingers in the process.

“Whatever hoe, I ain’t miss ya ass anyways.” 

The ride through the city was much calmer; we talked as actual friends do about her life down here, old memories, bullies who got fat, shy girls who have babies, and all the other drama I’d missed out on. Thankfully, she didn’t seem too interested of why I had suddenly left my dream and sunny Florida weather to come back to Denver, but I had a feeling somehow she already knew. 

“Aaliyah... you sure this is your hotel girl?”

“What you mean?” 

“It’s $50 valet parking child! The Marriott don’t got them prices.” 

I laughed motioning for her to pull into the grandeur driveway where a valet man was waiting. 

“Do you need help bringing your stuff in?”

“No I think I’m fine it’s only two suitcases.” 

The valet went to speak but Lauren poked my arm roughly to get my attention first.

“Girl for $50 you better tell that man to bring in your bags on his head.” 

“Lauren stop being extra. I don’t need him to help me, just bring the car around to the street so you don’t have to pay the $55 sitting fee.” 

*******

Lauren’s family greeted me with hugs, hospitality, and a beautifully home-cooked dinner; and when everyone went up to their rooms to sleep, Lauren blessed me with a much needed guilty indulgence. 

If you never forget how to ride a bicycle, then you never forget how to smoke weed either.

“Are you freezing yet?” 

I watched her through the large puff of smoke I exhaled, giggling to herself near the corner. I snickered too and shook my head, motioning for her to take the blunt from me. Our hands sparked electricity when they touched and we both laughed so loud someone upstairs turned on their light. 

“Oh, my mom and my sister said you’re really pretty.”

My cheeks were flushed red as I leaned my head back against the fence. The weed had me lost in the galaxy of stars above me, so far yet they seemed so close. It felt like my eyes were stars themselves.

“Awwe, tell her I said thank you... and thank your whole family for being so nice to me. Oh and tell them they cooking is the bomb...” 

Lauren was almost red herself with laughter as she passed the blunt back to me. It was so nice to know that she had a pretty smile, I never saw her smile once when we were kids. Always... serious. 

“You know... I wasn’t going to say anything but... I really expected you to ask bro.”

Lauren looked up from her phone completely clueless. A face of total innocence and hopeless oblivion. 

“Ask you what?” 

“About why I came to visit you... you know all of a sudden? I was with my fiancee and we broke off our engagement last week and I thought you would ask me about it.. but I guess you didn’t know.”

“No I knew.” 

I scoffed shaking my head as I crushed the dead paper into the grass.

“And you didn’t ask?”

Lauren shook her head as she stood up and walked towards the cooler sitting a few feet away from us. 

“It’s not my business to ask. I knew about your break up with Roman Reigns, I watch y’all wrestle together on Monday Night Raw; that’s the only reason my mom let a stranger come up in here because I told her you were famous.” 

She sat down beside me on the grass and placed a water bottle between my feet. 

“But despite all that, what happened between you and your man is none of my business to ask. For all I care you came up here because you suddenly missed my face.” 

I looked at her completely shocked. Dumbfounded. Amazed at this woman that was so conscious and compassionate of someone else’s struggles and privacy, it was so well-mannered it almost felt misplaced. So foregone from the values of this current society. 

“Well do you want to know? Like what happened? For the first time I actually don’t mind telling it.” 

“I only want to hear what matters.”

“Okay and which one is that, if I’m okay or if he took all his money with him?”

“Nope. What I want to know, is what are you going to do now?”

For a moment I kept my eyes trained on her shoulder; not thinking, just frozen in existence. Tears fell from my eyes unintentionally, but still I couldn’t speak. 

To answer that question would force me to swallow the harsh truth that this was reality; one I still hadn’t come to terms with. 

“You don’t know do you?” 

Without answering I just shook my head, and as her arms began to spread I fell weightlessly into her chest. A fit of emotion overtook me as I sobbed and trembled in her embrace, pain pierced my heart like needles yet somehow I felt comforted. It was the first time I hadn’t cried by myself in weeks. 

“It’s okay Aaliyah... it’s okay. I’m here for you love.” 

“He just left me.... left me like I was nothing. I feel so ugly. I feel worthless, like trash. I just want to know what I did wrong Lauren... what did I do that was so wrong, so terrible that one day he woke up and didn’t want me anymore? Where did all that love go? When did he stop loving me? Why did he stop loving me?”

Lauren’s arms held me a little tighter, and slowly she began to rock back and forth, like a mother would soothe the cries of her baby. 

“...What’s wrong with me?”

I felt warm supple skin touch my forehead and rest there for a while before they were replaced with her cheek. Never did I feel so comforted in the arms of another woman, she was so warm and soft. 

“There’s nothing wrong with you friend. People fall apart sometimes is the reality of it really... we never know the reason for half the things people do. I can’t imagine the pain you’re in, but Aaliyah I promise this won’t beat you. You’re stronger than this. This is just another storm.”

I sighed, hiding my face further into her chest. 

“Can I stay here the-”

“You can stay here for as long as you need to sweet pea. You’ll have a home here until your wings are no longer broken... and you’re ready to fly.”

Through my tears I found a small smile, finally returning her embrace as I wrapped my arms around her waist. Again she kissed the top of my forehead gently and sighed.

“Now let’s roll up another one.” 

Lauren Riley 

[monbangisland]

WANT by Lala

Chapter II

Y/N’s P.O.V

I woke up at the sound of keys in the door lock. It must be my roomie. I got up from my bed and took a quick glance in the mirror. The heck! I look horrible! Purple bags growing under my eyes due to the jet lag, messy hair and I really needed some waxing done all over my face. The door cracked open and this is how I was going to receive my new and maybe my only friend.

I heard footsteps and tires rolling across the little hall. I was still in my little space trying to hide, but it was impossible. 

“Hello? Is there someone in here?” - a sweet but manly voice called out. Wait… A-a man?? I was hoping for a girl to be my roommate. I mean I don’t have problems with having a boy as a roommate, but it’s not common. 

I walked to the door of my room and peeked to check if I was right. A guy with perfect slim body was standing in the middle of the living room, checking his phone. His blonde hair looked as soft as a baby’s hair and his lips were plump and rosy with expressive eyes. His skin looked so perfect, like angels would take care of it. Actually, he seems really handsome. He turns and finds me looking at him and smiles sweetly at me.

“Oh, there you are. Y/L/N Y/N it’s a pleasure to meet you” - he says coming closer  with a huge smirk on his face. When he was close enough, he bowed showing his respect. I bowed and smiled at him. He laughed when he looked at my shyness and pulled me into a tight hug. He smelled nice; his scent was sweet and citrus, it was perfect for him.

“Don’t be shy Y/N, we’re going to live together so we have to trust each other ok? I’m Park Jimin” - he pulled away and gave me a flirty smile. I blushed harder, causing him to burst into laughter. 

“Y/N sweety, you’re so cute” - he pinched my cheeks hard

“Ouch, it hurts” - I pouted.

He came closer to me. I stood there, completely frozen. He studied my face carefully, every single detail of it. After a few minutes, he finally spoke. 

“It looks like you need a long session at the spa and a whole makeover, bitch. Those bags under your eyes are killing your beautiful face and we’re starting Uni so if you want to find a man you gotta start making yourself look better. So, get your butt in the bathroom while I put my things in my room” - he turned around and left.

I did as he said, I went to my bathroom and showered. When I was done I went to my closet to look for something to wear. I chose an ochre crop top sweater, black high waisted ripped jeans and black leather ankle boots. I lightly blow-dried my hair and went to the living room. Jimin was already waiting for me.

“Well damn, this is what I’m talking about. Now come on, we’ll grab breakfast on our way to the spa. If we go now, we’ll be back in time for the welcome party” - we took our bags and left out apartment. 

Park Jimin was pretty interesting. He was part of the Arts College and dancing was his specialization. He was in the top three best students of the Arts College. Popular as fuck. Everyone wanted to be his friend and wanted to be with him. Even the women working in the spa got nervous in his presence. He was so flirty that they fell for him instantly.

When we were done he looked at me

“BITCH YOU LOOK DIVINE!” - I laughed at his reaction, he was covering his mouth with his hands and lifted his shoulders.

“Jimin, oh my God, Did I look that bad before?” - I asked pretending to be offended. 

“Believe me dear, you looked like a monkey” - he laughed dramatically. 

I looked at my reflection in the mirror. He was right. I looked completely different now. Due to the rushing of going here and there and my jet lag I didn’t have the chance to fix myself properly. I was about to begin a new chapter in my life looking like a complete disaster. But thanks to him, Park Jimin, I’m a brand new girl.

“Hey you, stop looking at yourself. It’s getting late” - Jimin said while taking my hand. 

We payed and headed out of the spa, going back to our campus. On our way back, we met a few of his friends. He politely introduced me to them. I saw different reactions: some of them greeted me and then started whispering about me to each other.  Some of them just said hi and left and some didn’t not even bother looking at me.

I was completely used to it. Jimin noticed that I wasn’t mad nor affected by their actions, he looked at me with curiosity and smiled. We were getting close to the Music College when he pulled me close and said to me “You can smile and talk to everyone but you can’t trust them” I looked at him and he winked at me. I smiled at him, knowing and understanding what he meant. 

Suddenly someone shouted his name, we both turned around to look at the person. It was a tall and slim guy with brown hair. He was wearing a jean jacket, loose jeans, a white t-shirt, converse, glasses and a huge smile. One of the things that called my attention was the dimple on his left cheek. He was pretty confident and elegant, but at the same time you could see he was a little clumsy. 

“Namjoon Hyung!” -Jimin greeted him happily. Namjoon came closer and gave Jimin a tight hug. It was like they hadn’t seen each other in ages. 

“Nice to see you again, bro” - said Namjoon smiling at Jimin. 

“How was your vacation in Italy?” - Jimin asked. 

“It was nice, my mom and my sister enjoyed going there. They didn’t want to come back, but we had to. And you, did you have fun in Japan?” - Namjoon asked Jimin with a teasing smile.

“Hyung, we’re talking about that later, with all the details” - Jimin said laughing. 

“Ok ok, anyway who’s this beautiful lady next to you?” - Namjoon asked looking and smiling at you

“Oh right, she’s Y/L/N Y/N. She’s from Y/C and she’s part of the new students in the Music College now. And… she’s my roommate” - Jimin said with a wide smile plastered on his face

“Why you always get cute roommates like her? This is unfair… it’s a pleasure to meet you Y/N, I’m Kim Namjoon” - he bowed and you did the same.

“The pleasure is all mine, Kim Namjoon” - I answered.

“Just call me Namjoon, we can be friends if you want” - he winked at me.

“I would love to” - I called smiling at him. 

“Well guys, I’ll leave you here. I must go to my College to the welcome party. See you later Y/N. Namjoon hyung, take care of her” - Jimin said giving me a hug and leaving.

“Come on Y/N, let’s get inside. The welcome party is about to start” - Namjoon said and we both started walking inside the building.

Namjoon asked me to sit down wherever I wanted. I sat at the end of the group of students. Only one person sat in the same line as me. It was a guy. I didn’t look at him, my eyes were fixed on Namjoon. I could feel his gaze on me though. When I looked back at him I realized that it was the guy from the other day, the guy from the coffee shop. He looked hotter today than that day but I just decided to ignore it and looked back at Namjoon.

Namjoon stood in front of the whole group of students, ready to give the welcome speech to the new students and to the ones that were ready to begin another semester in the college. He was the president of the student council in the Music College, everybody loved him. His words were really motivational and inspirational. When he finished the speech, cheers and applauses filled the room. He asked for silence because there was still a message from the director from the university that we must listen. The video was played and when it finished, the real party started.

Namjoon asked everyone to come to the centre of the hall. When we were all in the centre, we made little circles to share our names and our majors, this was a way of getting to know each other. As we were in the little circles, beers and soju started to roll all over the hall. As I needed help with talking and calming my nervous-self so  I took a bottle of beer and drank the half of it.

“Easy there, you could get drunk easily ” - A raspy voice said behind me

“What made you think I can get drunk easily?” - I asked. I turned around to face the source of the voice. Again, it was him, the guy from the coffee shop

“You don’t seem to be a lady that drinks too much” - he said taking a sip of his beer. 

“You don’t seem like a guy who talks too much” - I snapped back.

“Well, you got me there” - he laughed sarcastically.

He looked down at me. No, he didn’t look at me, he checked me out. He studied every single part of my body, licking his lips in the process. My cheeks turned red, I could feel how a strange and overwhelming feeling crossed all my body. I couldn’t let him know that he affected me that way.

“Hey, my eyes are here” - I said, making him look back at my face.

“I know” - he had a stupid grin on his face, I wanted to erase it so bad. 

“So, what were you looking at? Did you lose something?” - I asked. 

“No, but I did find something new” - he smiled proudly. I rolled my eyes and walked away, leaving him standing there, alone.

I drank the rest of the beer, dropped the bottle in the trash and looked for another one. I joined one of the circles and introduced myself. We greeted each other and when we were done the circle was undone. I clearly could notice the groups of friends that were already settled between the new students. The hall was just a small amount of people now and suddenly music started playing. The groups started to move and the hall turned into a dance floor.

Gosh, I love dancing. But it’s kind of weird doing it alone. I finished my second beer and looked around, feeling kinda lonely. I thought of joining Namjoon, but he looked really busy with a girl so I didn’t want to interrupt. I walked out of the hall and decided to go back to my apartment. 

“Going home so early?” - that raspy voice asked. He was leaning over the wall, outside the entrance of the building of the Music College

“None of your business” - I replied and looked at him

“I’m just trying to be friendly since you don’t know anyone in here, but if that’s how you treat everyone then…” - he said arrogantly. 

“I don’t think that checking me out is being friendly” - I brought back what happened earlier inside the welcome party.

“Are you telling me that I’m not allowed to check anybody out?” - he raised one eyebrow while speaking.

I couldn’t say anything. He was right, we all checked out someone, even girls do that. I stayed silent and looked at him. His smile, proud but small, was plastered over his pale and small face. His long black hair covered his small eyes, which at the same time were giving me the strongest and the most intense gaze I have ever faced in my whole life. 

“See, you know I’m right. I’m allowed to check you out. So why don’t you check me out? That way we are even…” - he suggested smirking.

“I-I won’t do that” - I replied nervously.

“That’s a shame, you’re losing an once in a lifetime chance” - he likes teasing me.

“Yeah maybe. I’ll regret it tomorrow, but for today I’m good. So if you don’t mind, I’ll get going” - I said and started walking

“Wait. You’re such a disrespectful brat” - he said shaking his head with disapproval.

“ME? what about you?” - I snapped angrily at him.

“We’ve been doing the whole ‘presenting each other’ thing the whole night, but you never told me your name, lady” - he took a sip of the bottle he was holding. 

“I won’t say my name if you won’t say yours” - I told him.

“Why do you want to know my name?” - he asked and laughed 

“Why do you want to know mine?” - I asked looking at him. He licked his lips and the weird overwhelming sensation of heat appeared again in my body.

“Just Curious”- He said. I didn’t said anything nor did he. 

We stood there looking at each other, waiting for one of us to give up. But he had something that was starting to drive this crazy sensation over and over again all over me. It’s like heat spreading, like if he has something that wakes a part of me that has been asleep for a long time. His scent was making me go crazy, I felt lost every time I smelt it. I was about to give up when he finally spoke.

“Min Yoongi” - he said with a tone barely audible.

“Pardon?” - I asked him.

“My name is Min Yoongi” - he said. 

“My name is Y/L/N Y/N” - I told him.

“Well Y/L/N Y/N. As you asked for my name, make sure to remember it clearly. And I’ll make sure you won’t be able to forget it either” - he said and winked at me. He started walking, leaving me there, astonished, in the middle of the night. 

[razberryyum]

The Untamed/陈情令 Rewatch, Episode 10, Part 2 of 2

(spoilers for everything MDZS/Untamed)

[covers MDZS chapters 29, 30 and 48…kinda]

WangXian meter: 🐰🐰🐰+ 🐰🐰🐰+ 🐰🐰🐰🐰+ 🐰🐰🐰+ 🐰🐰+ 🐰🐰+ 🐰+ 🐰🐰+🐰🐰🐰🐰+🐰

Continued from Part 1:

I love this scene from the episode so much because for me it was absolute proof that Lan Zhan had totally fallen for Wei Ying: he actually SMILES because of him...not once, but TWICE...  

...and then the way he says good-bye to Wei Ying just about murdered me with sweetness. Even though he did smile once before, during the lantern raising moment at Cloud Recesses, one can argue that he was just reacting to the picture of the bunny because he loves bunnies; but here, there is no question whatsoever that he is smiling because of Wei Ying. I think it shows that despite maintaining a generally stoic façade in front of Wei Ying, his heart was already captured by him. Personally, I still don’t think he was actually in love Wei Wuxian yet but definitely crushing hard on him.

When I first time watched this scene, I remember being a downright distressed that Wei Ying was missing all of Lan Zhan’s little signals here because he was too busy getting drunk. At the time it felt like an opportunity lost for another lovely WangXian moment, but now I understand that the purpose of this scene really was to give us a glimpse at Lan Zhan’s feelings. That’s another aspect about The Untamed that I appreciate a lot: the fact that we are getting to see Wei Ying and Lan Zhan’s love story from Lan Zhan’s point of view. In the novel, the focus was mostly on Wei Ying‘s point of view, which makes sense of course since Wei Wuxian is the main protagonist of the story, but I think by giving us Lan Zhan’s side of the story and allowing us to see in real time what he was experiencing emotionally actually adds to the poignancy of their story because for me it basically reinforces how helpless Lan Zhan was: in terms of falling in love and then eventually in not being able to do anything to save the person he fell in love with. I felt the tragedy of his situation so much more as a result.  

Odds and Ends

My first impression of Nie Mingjue: damn, he looks like a hardass. I immediately felt bad for Nie Huaisang, it’s no wonder he was so afraid of his older brother. Compared to his novel and donghua counterpart, I think he was pretty well-casted. Even though Wang Yizhou had a relatively limited number of scenes, he had a pretty strong presence so that I couldn’t help but pay attention to him whenever he was on-screen. Word is the second online movie might actually be centered on the Nie brothers, which means we might get to see much more of him and Ji Li’s NHS. Although at first I was just a teeny bit disappointed that we might not be getting more of the Yi City boys’ story instead, the more I think about it, the more I actually like the idea of getting more of the Nie brothers’ story because I actually don’t remember if much was said about them in the novel other than just their basic introduction, so I would love to see more of their past and their relationship. I think it’s fascinating that even though on the surface NHS is utterly afraid of his brother, he obviously intensely loves and respects NMJ at the same time considering the lengths he went through to avenge his death. I hope we get to see NHS’s side of the events in the live action, especially during the 16 years between Wei Ying’s death and resurrection when he realized Jin Guangyao’s true nature and guilt, and then started to put his grand revenge plan into motion. I hope this also means we might get to meet the real Mo Xuanyu before he gave up his body and soul to bring Wei Ying back. It would be so damn cool if Xiao Zhan played him as well! If they are indeed constructing these two specials on scenes they’ve already shot but couldn’t fit into the series due to pacing issues, there might very well be a chance of XZ playing Mo Xuanyu. Holy crap, that means we might get to see Xiao Zhan play a FOURTH personification in the show, since young Wei Ying, his Yiling Patriarch and Wei Ying-Mo Xuanyu are already three distinct personalities! Oh my God, I’m getting excited, but I really shouldn’t yet since it’s all just rumors and my own wishful thinking now. Guess all I can do is keep my fingers crossed that that’s the direction they’re heading for the second special.  

By the way, I just have to mention something about the captions on the show: whoever inserted those captions with the characters’ names was clearly on speed or something because they would appear and disappear so damn quickly there was hardly a chance to even read them. I’m surprised I even got Nie Mingjue’s so clearly in the screenshot because usually half the name would be gone before the rest of it had even finished appearing. It’s a minor technical issue but it did bug me at the beginning because I was trying to read the damn names.

Seeing the Twin Prides of Yunmeng actually acting like twins who are completely in sync (giggling at how NHS is reacting to his big bro) just makes my heart feel so heavy now. They will never be like this again.  Makes me want to cry.  

Lan Zhan’s look was interesting though. Whenever I see him watching Wei Ying and Jiang Cheng, I sometimes wonder if he’s slightly jealous of the bond they share or of the fun they’re having. Or maybe it’s neither and he just enjoys watching him laugh and smile. Honestly with Lan Zhan, it might be a combination of all three.

These three gossiping dorks. I love them. They’re just so adorable when they get together; I love their interactions and I wish this wasn’t the beginning of the end for all the fun between them cuz there’s really not much more time left for any shenanigans after this.

I also love that Xue Yang is like cracking up in the foreground there but it’s not even certain if it’s because he can hear what they’re saying (about Meng Yao/JGY) or if he’s just being his usual psycho self. I really like that even when Xue Yang is not the focus of the scene, Wang Haoxuan (who portrays Xue Yang of course) is still constantly acting and reacting. I’ve seen folks criticize him for doing that, but I think that’s a little unfair since that had to have been the direction given to him. Not to mention, I think it’s entirely reasonable for Xue Yang to be extra like that, all the time.  

I don’t hate Jin Guangyao, similar to how I feel about Xue Yang, I simply can’t hate him, but I do absolutely hate what he did to Wei Ying, especially when I see this scene again and am reminded of how Wei Ying had also treated him with sincerity and respect, just like Big Bro Xichen did. And yet, while JGY was only protective and caring toward LXC, he basically chose to fuck Wei Ying over. I know the difference is in whom he loved, but still, damn him for that. Wei Ying deserved better from him.   

This was an interesting scene because of how great a risk Jin Guangyao was putting himself in. Wen Zhuliu could have totally accidentally killed him. Even though his aim originally was probably just to injure Nie Mingjue, JGY is not as strong as NMJ so a strike that may only injure the other man could have easily been fatal to JGY. So I guess in this instance, JGY’s intent on saving his master was sincere? But that’s still such a HUGE gamble. He is really so fascinating as a character. And his relationship with NMJ is fascinating as well because there were obviously genuine feelings between them as well—NMJ was freaking crying when he was banishing JGY—and yet the way JGY ultimately ended NMJ’s life was so damn brutal. I know there’s a fine line between love and hate but because their lives continued to be intertwined afterwards, I wonder when exactly it was the two of them crossed over to hate completely. I mean, I have an idea, which I will eventually give voice to, but I still feel a little uncertainty because of certain events that happen immediately afterwards.  

I wish we got to see just how Jin Guangyao found and rescued Big Bro Xichen and oh my God would I LOVE to see the time they spent together, presumably alone, in hiding while Lan Xichen was recovering from his wounds. I feel like we were royally deprived of some serious XiYao time by the live drama. Considering the fact that they seem to thoroughly support this ship, I’m honestly surprised that they didn’t use this opportunity to creatively fill in that big blank. I mean, instead of giving us all those unnecessary scenes of Wen Ruohan and his stupid zombies, they should have given us some XiYao-in-hiding scenes instead dammit.  

Questions I Still Have

Why didn’t Wen Zhuliu go for NMJ’s golden core? Especially since he clearly had an opening when NMJ was busy with the injured JGY? Also, how strong is Wen Chao supposed to be that he could even injure NMJ that seriously? I now he was already weakened and Wen Chao did attack from the back like a coward, but still, his cultivation level can’t be higher than NMJ so I’m just a little surprise his hit made any impact at all, especially since he seems mostly weaksauce in all other instances. This whole fight scene was just a little weird to me. And also, damn is JGY a shitty liar at that point. I actually laughed out loud when he full on denied that he was the one who killed that dude (who I thought was a total dick tbh so I kinda don’t blame JGY for killing his ass) even though he was still holding on to the murder weapon which was dripping with the guy’s blood. Guess he still hadn’t perfected his lying skills. 

Overall Episode Rating: 9 Lil Apples out of 10

[peonybane]

Agape and Pragma: Chapter 2

Pairings: OT7 (BTS) x Reader

Word Count: 3.9 k

Genre: Hybrid AU, Fluff, Angst, Sci-Fi, Smut (eventually)

Summary: Your entire world had be torn asunder by just one lab test. Time heals all wounds, but does it really? What will it take to feel whole again?

Warning: Nightmare scene surrounding the idea of an infant death and trauma coping.

Hybrid Types: Peacock Jin, Serval Yoongi, Golden Retriever Hoseok, Great Dane Taehyung, and French Lop Eared Rabbit Jungkook… with more to come.

a/n: So, this one is kinda all over the place. First, bonus points for whoever knows what show I’m quoting. Secondly, this chapter is angsty as FUCK in the second half. But I promise Chapter 3 will more than make up for it. I also have no self control and am posting a day early.

<--- Previous (Chapter 1)

“You sure you don’t want to stay a few more days? I’m sure Deeba wouldn’t mind.”

“Shortstack~”

You smiled sheepishly as your best friend called you out. You weren’t ready. Even though you knew that this wasn’t forever, you still weren’t ready to let him go. He had been your rock through one of the hardest parts of your life, just as you had been for him. He held you through your mourning, through your rage, through your joy. 

But deep down, you knew this what needed to be done. You could see it in his eyes; there was life there, life that had never been there before. How could you take it away from him. 

He gave you a tight hug, burying his face in your hair. He may not have been a Hybrid, but working and living with them for so long had him picking up some interesting habits, such as scenting. “I’m going to miss you, Beefcake. I can’t believe you’re actually going.”

“Come on, now. Don’t guilt me like that. You’ve got so much going for you.”

You giggled out, “What do I have going for me? Is it that I’m pretty? Tell me I’m pretty, Liam.”

He laughed, knowing exactly where you were going with this. “Were I unwed I would take you in a manly fashion.”

“Because I’m pretty?”

He laughed. “Because you’re pretty.”

You both laughed, pulling away from each other. Liam flicked your forehead. “Don’t overwork yourself. And if I find out from one of these three that you’re overworking yourself again, don’t think I won’t come back and ask Deeba to beat sense into you for me.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I’m sure I can handle myself. And I’m glad that you finally found your other half.”

While Liam smiled down at you, you could still sense a bit of guilt and sadness radiating off of him. You knew why— he felt guilty about finding his own happiness when you’ve only started finding a new one. You lightly patted his cheek. “Go… be happy.”

He leaned in and kissed your forehead. No more needed to be said. You both had said everything you needed to. Besides, it’s not like this was goodbye for forever. 

Liam turned his attention to the boys. Immediately, Taehyung pulled him into a tight hug, mumbling something about how much he was going to miss him again as he scented Liam. Liam just chucked and rubbed Taehyung’s floppy brindle ears, knowing that it was one of the best ways to calm him down, and more importantly, to stop him from bawling.

As soon as Taehyung was done saying goodbye. Liam did another couple of rounds of fair wells with the other two. Taehyung joined your side, his head hanging a bit in sadness. You leaned against him, reminding him that you were there for him. He rested his head on yours as you guys watched Liam wrestle with Jungkook and Hoseok one last time before he bid you all one last farewell. 

Your giant puppy let out a sad little whimper as Liam disappeared into the crowd. You reached up and ruffled Taehyung’s unruly hair. “It’s not forever, Tae Tae. Just imagine, once he and his wife are settled in, they’ll come visit us.”

Taehyung nuzzled into your hand, looking down at you with sad eyes. He took your palm in his and brought it to his lips, leaving small kisses in the center of it. A light blush rose in your cheeks, still not used to Taehyung’s chosen form of affection with you. You continued, giving him a sweet smile, “Will getting some ice cream help?”

If you didn’t know any better, your roommates had teleported into the car, with Hoseok in the driver’s seat. You laughed, turning to join them. This was it. This was your family now.

^~^~^~^~^ 

The days before had been busy and tear filled as Liam explained his decision to the boys, with Jungkook being the surprisingly biggest weeper. In the few days that Liam was home, he transferred the deed to you; complete ownership of the house and the acreage that surrounded it now belonged to you. 

It didn’t feel real yet, even as the boys helped Liam when they could with putting his stuff in boxes and helping him pack the things he would need immediately in some suit cases. It still didn’t feel real yet even as the boys starting moving things out of your room while you worked and into the master bedroom at Liam’s behest. It didn’t feel real even as Liam had Deeba Skype you all for the first time. It didn’t feel real even as you cooked Liam’s favorite meal of stuffed cabbage rolls and pilaf for his going away dinner.

No, it didn’t feel real until later that night after dropping off Liam that when you dragged yourself off to bed, only to find that your weighted blanket had been removed from your old room, along with most of your stuff.

You realized that the boys had moved it to the master bedroom when you hesitantly entered. You let out a breath that you didn’t realize you were holding. This… this was reality. This was your new home. 

After changing into pajamas you climbed into the massive bed. Sure it was the comfiest bed you had ever laid in, but it was cold. It was too big. It felt so… impersonal. You got up for a moment and gathered all of the pillows together, creating a barrier. Laying back down again, that barrier made it easier to fall asleep, almost as if someone was spooning you from behind.

^~^~^~^~^ 

“Hobi, are you sure it’s alright for me to tag along?”

“It’s more than alright. In fact, I think Jin would pout if he found out you weren’t coming with.”

You could help but chuckle a little as Hobi pulled into the drive away of this little cafe on the outskirts of town called ‘Seesaw.’  “Is that right, now? I didn’t think I left that strong of an impression.”

Hoseok nodded his head excitedly as he parked the car. He got out and rushed over to your side of the car, opening the door for you and you unbuckled yourself, his fluffy tail going at a hundred miles per hour. Upon helping you out of the car, Hoseok lead you towards the cafe.

As soon as you entered, Jin flagged you both down, calling Hoseok’s name. As you walked towards him, you noticed that there was another sitting with him as well. You were a bit surprised to see the Hybrid from the other night, Yoongi. 

Both men stood as you and Hoseok joined them. Jin and Hoseok did a quick bro hug then Jin turned to you. He took your hand once again and kissed it. “It’s wonderful to see you again.”

“You as well, Jin.”

Stepping back, he waved towards Yoongi. “This is my dear friend, Yoongi.”

Eyeing you a bit, Yoongi took your hand and shook it. You smiled at him. “It lovely to finally meet you, Yoongi. And thank you for the drink from last time.”

“And you as well. I’m glad you liked it.”

Jin smiled from ear to ear; there was a knowing glint in his eye. As you all sat yourself down, a waitress came by to take your orders. Jin and Hoseok ordered some sort of complicated lattes, with Jin ordering a spiced coffee cake to go along with his. Yoongi ordered an iced americano and an old fashion donut, which surprised you a bit. His initial impression making you believe he was more of a black coffee type of guy. You ordered an iced caramel macchiato.

The waitress smiled and nodded, walking away to place your orders. As soon as she was out of earshot, Jin turned to you, “I hope the drive here wasn’t terrible. It’s a little out of the way but they make the best coffee in town.”

You smiled back, “Well, with your recommendation it must be absolutely spectacular.”

You all continued to exchange small talk and pleasantries. Well, you, Hoseok, and Jin exchanged pleasantries. Yoongi just sat there, staring off into the distance, kind of out of it actually. Soon the waitress returned with your drinks and promised to be back with the food. You all thanked her and took sips on your drinks. Well, except Yoongi. He was downing his coffee like his life depended on it.

Quipping an eyebrow, you asked, “Sleepless night?”

The ears perched high on Yoongi’s head swiveled around a bit. “A few actually.”

He sighed then leaned back, rubbing the back of neck. “Haven’t been able to write anything good enough for work. Not to mention the stresses of finding a new place.”

“A new place?”

Jin replied, “Yeah, our landlord gave us final notice that now instead of turning the condos into a hotel he’s going to demolish the whole thing and turn it into a store as soon as possible. We got until the end of the month to move out.”

As the waitress came back with the food (when she brought Yoongi’s doughnut, Jin couldn’t help but say, ‘The serval has been served,’ before letting out a windshield wiper laugh), Yoongi seemed to have sensed the question forming in the back of your mind. Taking a bite of his doughnut, asked for you, “You’re wondering how two successful working bachelors are rooming together?”

You blushed a little, hanging your head in shame. 

“That one,” Yoongi pointed to Jin, “Is only good for cooking and basic cleaning. He can’t do laundry, plumping, or handle bills to save his life. I, luckily, am the opposite. Not to mention,” he took another bite of his donut, “He puts pretty much all of his extra money into his restaurant and helping some people with paying for their tuition. I get a head of myself and let Hoseok talk me into donating to every charity he’s involved in.”

You looked at him in mild surprise as he continued to munch on his doughnut, looking quite disinterested in the rest of the world. Jin on the other hand had enough shame for the both of them for once, the tips of ears turning a nice shade of scarlet. You sipped on your coffee for a moment to distract yourself. 

As you looked out the window, you had a thought. The words were out your mouth before you could even stop them. “Why don’t you guys move in with us? Even if its just for a little while until you guys can find your own place.”

Jin choked a little on his coffee. Yoongi’s usual neutral expression was broken by raised eyebrows, his large ears at attention. Hoseok looked over at you with an excited smile, his butt starting to wiggle from the force of his tail wagging from under him. “That’s a great idea!”

Jin interrupted, “We don’t want to be intruding.”

You replied, “Believe me, you’ll be far from it. With only half of the rooms being occupied, it’ll be more than welcomed. Besides, if you really feel guilty about it, you can pay rent if you’d like. Though I won’t charge you rent if you cook once a week and Yoongi plays us a song once in a while. I’ll just ask that you contribute to the pool for utilities. We do it evenly between us.”

This time you couldn’t keep the smile from gracing your lips as you looked at the both of them. Jin and Yoongi exchanged glances. Jin spoke first, “Could we get back to you on that?”

Your smile grew even bigger. “Of course.”

And with that you let the conversation naturally flow, getting to know the two other men.

^~^~^~^~^ 

Just two short weeks later, Jin and Yoongi were moving in. Hoseok insisted that Yoongi take over your old room, conveniently making them room neighbors. Jin took the room across from Jungkook and as all the boys were moving the boxes in, you could already hear the yelling from Jin as Jungkook continued to make fun of the other man. 

You couldn’t help but laugh to yourself in the kitchen as you continued to cook the welcome dinner. You had tried to help the boys with moving Jin and Yoongi in but quickly realized that it was futile as five healthy, strong men were way more than enough as they moved Yoongi’s piano into a corner of the living room. 

Dinner ended up being simple— just some pasta, grilled chicken, and a salad. Nothing too fancy, but certainly in big enough portions to keep up with five ravished Hybrids.

Their timing was perfect since all five ended up in the kitchen just as you were finishing up with cooking dinner. “Oh! Shortstack! This smells delicious!”

Hoseok came up behind you and hugged you, leaning in and sniffing your hair. You giggled and you tried to push him away. “EWWWWWWW…. Boy cooties!”

Hoseok laughed again, deciding to cover you in even more sweat as you protested, his tail smacking the counters in excitement. Finally he let you go, grabbing a plate to start piling food on. Taehyung showed Jin and Yoongi how dinner went when you all were able to sit down together.

Nothing fancy or formal, rather, it was comfortable and casual with everyone just grabbing a plate and piling on food. Jin looked at Jungkook, startled as he sat down across from him at the table, having piled on more chicken than anything else on his plate.

You laughed, looking at Jungkook’s plate as you also settled in to eat. “You think you got enough food there, Wild Boar?”

Stuffing his face, Jungkook replied, “That’s Bun Bun to you.”

You let out an unladylike snort as you peered over at Jin, a confused look gracing his face. “I- I don’t understand.”

In between mouthfuls, Taehyung replied, “Even though Kookie is a rabbit Hybrid, we’re pretty sure the scientists messed up and spliced him with some sort of predator as well. My money is on bear.”

In quick session Hoseok replied, “Mountain lion.”

Then followed by you, “Wild boar.”

Hoseok continued, “Kookie is big for a rabbit, even for a lop.”

You interrupted, “Don’t forget unusually strong.”

He continued as Jungkook just shot the room his usual bunny smile, “He’s aggressive as hell and the only ones that can take him on in wrestling are Liam and Tae.”

Indignantly you said, “What about me?”

Jungkook laughed. “Shortstack… hate to break this to you, but I let you win.”

You made a face of mock hurt, pointing your fork at him, ready to fence. “Raise your fork, Kookie! My honor is at stake! En garde!”

Kookie laughed, humoring you. You both sparred for a little bit, but as always, Kookie won. As you pouted, very unhappy with your loss, Hoseok leaned over and ruffled your hair. Jin finished his food, patting his belly, “Yah, that was wonderful. Thank you very much!”

You couldn’t help the smile that snuck its way onto your face. Yoongi looked over at Taehyung, who was pouting a bit. “What’s the matter with you, puppy?”

“I was hoping she’d make her famous poppyseed rolls….”

You sighed, clearing the table with Jungkook’s help. “Tae Tae, you know ‘Crack Rolls’ are only for birthdays and Christmas.”

“But it’s a special occasion!”

“You know I can’t make them while you’re working.”

Jin quipped an eyebrow. “‘Crack Rolls?’”

Jungkook started laughing as your face flushed a deep scarlet. Hoseok joined in on the laughter as he accompanied Jungkook in washing the dishes. He said, “She makes these fantastic poppyseed rolls. They’re so good, you can’t stop eating them until they’re all gone.”

Jungkook continued from there, “Tae gets his own roll for that reason. The biggest problem is that every time he seems to have one, he’s always randomly selected for a drug test at the school he works at. And he comes back as positive. Every. Single. Time.”

You all had a laugh at poor Tae’s expense. His entire face flushed and you were sure if you could see through the fur covering his ears, those would be beet red as well. You walked back over to Taehyung and kissed his cheek, which only made him turn even redder, but even as a regular human, you could tell it stopped him from being embarrassed. “I’ll make you a batch when school is no longer in session. Deal?”

You held out you pinkie finger for him. Even his own pinkie engulfed yours by its sheer size as he hooked it around your own. “Deal.”

The smile on your face grew bigger. You pulled away from Tae and turned to the rest of them. “You two get ready. Puppy piles are a regular thing in this house. So tonight, what will it be? Indiana Jones or Harry Potter?”

^~^~^~^~^ 

Nothingness. That was what surrounded you. Well almost. It was dark, except for the little pin prick of light, off in the distance. You stumbled towards it, the only refuge in this seemingly endless darkness. 

Instead of feeling safer as you got closer, you could feel the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. As you approached, you noticed that the light was emanating from an old television set. You advanced with caution.

At first, the screen was covered in static. But the closer you drew near, images would increasingly flash across the staticy snow. With each flash, you could tell what was appearing on the screen, each image making your heart hammer harder and harder.

At first it was vague, just a baby. But as the flashes increased, became clearer and clear that it was your baby. Once you were in touching distance, the static ceased. Instead this time, the sight before you had tears welling in your eyes. 

From your arms, your baby was roughly grabbed, tearing them from you as she wailed bloody murder. You screamed for whoever it was to stop, but the you on the screen couldn’t do anything, it was as if you were frozen, completely unable to move a single muscle. The screen flashed static for moment before it switched to Taka’s face. An unknown woman, faceless, stood behind him as he passively dropped your daughter… as if he were dropping a ball.

Your wails started to mesh with the babies until she suddenly fell silent. You fell to your knees, clawing at the screen, trying to do something…. Anything to try to save her. 

Your wails were cut short by a sudden, slicing pain in your abdomen. You pressed your hands your abdomen, looking down to find blood… so much blood.

Suddenly, you heard a wail once more… a baby’s wail. At first, the pain kept you from figuring where the sound was coming from. Your heart stopped as you realized it was coming from your abdomen. 

You scratched at your abdomen, crying, scared and confused. You didn’t know what to do. You just needed to save her. Just needed to—

You were violently shaken awake, Taehyung’s panicked voice calling your name. Adrenaline still pumping through your system, you stared back at Taehyung’s panicked face. You looked around the room, seeing your other roommates standing in your doorway looking frazzled. Jin and Yoongi looked confused and scared. Jungkook and Hoseok standing on either side of your bed, ready to help Taehyung if need be. Heeding them for only a moment, your panic returned, the adrenaline and the images still fresh in your head.

Scratching at your now red stomach, tears still streaming down your face, you cried, “T-Tae, I have to help her. She’s hurt or worse. Tae! W-Where’s my baby? Where is she?! T-Taka! He took her—“

Tae took ahold of your wrists, using his strength to overpower you, trying to keep your from hurting yourself even further. He called your name over and over again, his voice trembling as you continued to fight him. You continued panicking, only to soon find a pair of strong arms hugging you from behind. Jungkook whispered your name in your ear, “Shhhh… please. Please stop hurting yourself. It won’t fix everything that’s already been broken.”

You started hyperventilating, your mind still reeling with fear, with anger, with grief. Slowly, you started to stop fighting. Weeping weakly as both Taehyung and Jungkook released their hold on you, you closed your eyes. 

The boys shifted, Taehyung moved to get in a better position, pulling you into his lap. He wrapped his arms around you, holding you close, his hands still loosely encircled around your wrists for fear of you trying to hurt yourself. Leaning his head against your own, he started singing to you. It was low and you weren’t exactly sure what it was he was singing, but it sounded like one of the lullabies he would sing to his kindergarteners during nap time.

Jungkook removed himself from the bed, keeping a wary on Tae. He let Hoseok take his place. 

Slowly, Hoseok reached towards you, lifting your shirt to check if you’d added any more scars to your stomach. Hoseok kept an eye on Taehyung even as he examined you, knowing how protectively aggressive he would become around you whenever you had an episode like this. During these episodes, Taehyung barely let Hoseok near you, never mind Jungkook; the only reason Jungkook was able to hug you was because of how distracted Taehyung was, trying to keep you from hurting yourself. The only reason Taehyung let Hoseok near you was because as a fellow canine Hybrid, Hoseok had the same instincts as Taehyung, though not quite as strong— no one had as strong of instincts as Taehyung did.

As soon as Jin and Yoongi took a hesitant step into the room, Taehyung gave them a warning growl, making them both stop mid step. Jungkook swallowed, taking that as his cue to excuse himself, still keeping an eye on Taehyung as he did so. “Come on. Let’s go get the first aid kit for Hobi. I’ll explain what’s going on to you.”

Jungkook dragged the other two away. The moment they were no longer in view, Taehyung turned his full attention back on you. He brought one wrist to his lips (instead of your palm like he had down earlier that day), kissing the scars from the time you’d tried to scratch your wrists open from a similar nightmare. As he kissed, your finger grazed his cheek. The wetness found there brought your attention to it.

You turned slightly to look up at his face. His brow was knit together in worry, his normally perky and floppy ears were flush with his head. His eyes were brimming with tears he was desperately trying to hold back. Your lip trembled looking at him before you gave in and buried your face into his chest, weeping. 

Taehyung held you tightly, grounding you as you wept, Hoseok stroking your hair. 

Whispering in your ear, Taehyung reassured you, “None of this is your fault. If I could I would take your pain for you. Stop blaming yourself. Please… stop punishing yourself.”

He kissed the crown of your head and continued to sing softly to you. You fell into a dreamless sleep, still wrapped in Taehyung’s arms.

As always, reviews, comments, asks, and tags are always loved! ~Peony

Next (Chapter 3) —>

Agape and Pragma Masterlist

Masterlist

All rights reserved. © Copyrighted 2019.

[testifytime]

do everything for me, you already know about me BUT: im described as "chaotic faggot" by my friends, i have no filter, I can switch from being outgoing to really nervous in a second, i like drawing, dice, and divinitation. i hoard candles and incense, and i like paintball.

- A Pokemon team/type theme (+ fun facts abt your team!)

Your team is full of Poison types! They’re used the most often for rascly lil fucker trainers, so, it fits :3c

Your signature Pokemon is Toxtricity, though your team also consists of Whirlipede, Haunter, Gloom, Toxicroak, and Crobat!

Fun facts!

Your Toxtricity was sent to you by your juggabro. In his words, it’s a “cool Pokemon to fit your aesthetic but keep you on track”. It can be pretty overprotective, but sometimes it turns a blind eye to the more chaotic things you do. 

Your Whirlipede is just an entire baby. Even though it’s got toxic spikes on its shell that COULD kill you, it’s pretty much a lapbug. You just have to try and remind it to be careful before it goes in for snuggles. 

Your Haunter and Gloom actually kind of hate each other! Having them out at the same time often ends up with you either getting paralysed or put to sleep. They’re super sweet when they’re apart, though, and both LOVE scritches. 

Toxicroak used to be really loveydovey when it was a Croagunk, but now it acts like it’s too cool for school. It’s really not. If you pay more attention to another Pokemon it WILL jab you in the stomach. And then it’ll pretend like it totally wasn’t even because it was jealous. 

Your Crobat is the sweetest of the bunch!! It likes to collect (read: steal) things for you that it thinks you’ll like, and is almost always attached to your back out of its Pokeball. Sometimes without you wanting it to be. It can be a bit of a pain, sometimes. 

- Bloodcaste/lusus/chumhandle as if you were a Homestuck troll (+lore)

You’re a purpleblood with a seaserpent lusus! Your chumhandle is acquiredTalisman. 

You live with your lusus in a hive that boarders where the jungle forest ends and the beach begins. It’s a pretty popular spot for violetbloods, admittedly, but it’s also the only place your giantass Seaserpentdad can actually fit; the mouth of the river is deep and leads directly out into the ocean, where he spends most of his time. The hive itself is pretty cluttered - because man, you suck at keeping shit tidy - and filled to the brim with your dice collections, your religious paraphenalia, and all the random junk you’ve stolen (of which there is a lot). 

You have a few interests, of which the main is your religion. You’re a diviner of sorts, oddly sought out by your fellow purplebloods to tell them what their purpose is in life as stated by the Great Mirthful Messiahs. You’re not entirely sure that they really do speak through you, but your readings are scary-accurate, and not only does it mean that you’ve made more friends, but you’ve made a fuck tonne of money, too. You’re more fond of practicing with your friends, or on your own, sneaking what you can beneath your lusus’ snout; so far, he hasn’t seemed to question the candle collection you have, or the alter with the Faygo bottlecaps, or the cards, or pendulum made from a grubbone you got from one of your customers. Actually, he hasn’t noticed much of anything? You’re hesitant to go TOO far, but you do like pushing at what you can get away with every now and then. 

On top of that, you love to draw - mostly as a form of worship, but also just for fun with your juggabros. You send drawings back and forth, even though you’ve never been able to meet them, and it’s pretty fun! You hope one day that you can get them to your favourite hangout spot to cause a little chaos - which usually means trashing the violetbloods’ rich boy shit and stealing things you know they’re too proud to tattle about. You don’t... always remember doing those things? But you definitely remember the amount of violetbloods that give you nasty glares whenever you walk past. It’s okay, though. You have a rifle and you’re not afraid to use it.

Beyond that, though, you’re... kind of lonely. There’s nobody that you really consider a friend around you, and when your friends do visit you, it’s only every few months. Having all those customers and the nasty violetbloods hanging around is great, sure, but... sometimes you wish you could move your hive closer inland to be near your juggabros. You could, you guess. But then where would your lusus go?

Your lusus is kind of ridiculously huge. You really couldn’t miss him even on the horizon, his giant form standing stark against the two moons. Not that he spends a whole lot of time above the water, though. He pretty much only comes back to get fed and throw a fit if he sees any of your purpleblood customers hanging around. 

- Symbol/guardian/chumhandle as if you were a Homestuck kid (+lore)

Your symbol is a and your guardian is your big bro! Your chumhandle is augmentedTemptation.

You and your older bro kick it in a sweet lil bottom-floor apartment. It’s kinda dingy, kinda shitty, but it’s the best he can afford and you’re not really one to complain when you know how hard he works just to keep the leaky roof over your head. It’s got everything you want out of a home, anyway; separate bedrooms, tiny bathroom, sweet hangout pad that doubles as a kitchen (which you’ve got a curtain draped over so that it looks like they’re two rooms) - it’s pretty neat. It’s also got a fire escape out the back and easy access to the lobby doors that’re easy to pick, so you figure it’s kinda home. 

You absolutely fucking love to play paintball. You’ve got a painball gun that you maybe stole from the store once, and a couple pellets you’ve been buying for cheap online whenever you have the money. You don’t... actually have anyone to play with, but hey, cop cars make a great target. It feeds into your general need for chaos, which isn’t limited to - but has involved - petty theft, breaking into cars, and spray painting defametory phrases against racists and homophobes on billboards. You’ve never actually been caught. Okay, you got caught once, but you’re really good at crying. You’re pretty sure your bro doesn’t know about that.

You like to practice witchy shit in your spare time. You’ve got altars set up for your patrons, and a candle collection that you really don’t know that you’re ever gonna burn through. Plus, incense! Your bro kind of hates the smell, but you just crack open a window and it’s like he doesn’t even know. You’ve also got a pretty fair collection of crystals, but that’s more because people just keep giving them to you? It’s wild what they’ve thought were just normal rocks, and you’re pretty sure some of your collection could sell for a pretty buck, but they make way better offerings. 

Of course, you also love to talk to your friends online. You have a bunch! You’re pretty easy to get on with, you think, so you end up just kinda collecting people into one giant group of friends that never stops growing. You share art, play games, chat, make them worried sick when you do dumb shit - it’s great. 

Sometimes at dusk you like to go up to the roof of the apartment block you and your bro live in and stand right on the edge. It’s so high up you can see around for miles, and everything below you looks like a speck of dust beneath your feet. The stars twinkle above you in the darkening sky, just barely visible, and you think, every now and then, that you are very, very small. 

- A FNAF animatronic design and name

You’re a broken down animatronic, probably one of the earliest of your kind. Maybe even a prototype? Nobody really remembers anymore. You’ve just kind of always been there, at the back of the store, half a body and more coherent than people expect you to be, but never fully quite there. Your head lulls back and forth, your arms moving sluggishly, and in order to get around, you drag yourself across the floor.

You can speak, but not by much. It’s glitchy and switched out more often than not, absolutely terrifying to hear in the dark - but you’re a pretty sweet soul, all things considered. The few who’ve been brave enough to slip back behind the old, abandoned doors, past the cobwebs and through the narrow halls, who haven’t run at the first sight of you, tell tales of a sweet carcass who seemed more scared of being found than anything else. 

There are a couple kids who routinely come back to visit you. They like to give you things they’ve found outside the pizzaria, mostly coins and old dice and things that smell sweet to try and cover up how musty you are. 

You’ve never hurt a soul the entire time you’ve been there, but your reputation has been built on the whispers of kids who’ve seen the rotting maw of your muzzle, the glint of your endoskeleton and the shine of your eyes in the dark. They call you Thing - as if giving you a name will make you come to life. 

The ones that know you better call you Peppi. 

- A BNHA Quirk and hero title

Your Quirk is Corroding Touch. Despite its name, and how terrifying it sounds, your quirk is pretty simple! Anything you touch wastes away, and you can control how far along its own personal timeline it decays through. For instance, you could touch a flower and have it start wilting, and stop there on its timeline - or you could have it waste away to a point that it decays completely and turns to mush. 

The drawback here is that what you’re doing is essentially speeding up a natural process. Things that don’t waste away without outside forces - such as rocks through erosion - won’t be affected by your quirk. Things that live very long lives before decaying - such as turtles - will take up a lot more of your time to speed them through their natural timeline. Finally, you can’t reverse what you’ve done. Once you’ve sped it through its natural timeline, there’s no going back; another quirk will have to undo the effects.

Of course, it also means that if you plant an oak seed, instead of waiting hundreds of years for it to grow into an oak tree, you can just use your quirk to speed up the process. So it’s a good-bad thing!

Your hero title is the Wasteful Hero: Corrosion. You’re a sort of last-resort hero, and you don’t like being in the limelight. Your quirk is dangerous if not handled correctly, so you work on a team with another hero who has a counter-effective quirk to yours (essentially Hyper Growth!). A lot of civillians are scared of you, but that’s okay. You know that what you do is important, and that your ranking doesn’t matter so long as you’re saving lives.

You are a little bitter, though, that your partner is several ranks ahead of you.

[intrulogicalshenaigansaskblog]

Frankenstein

Word count: 1524 Warnings: book throwing, Remus, suggestive sexual stuff, censored swearing. Anything else, let us know!! A/u note: Hi, so...first post. We worked hard but most of it was messing about and we did it in like, one day so don’t judge.

Logan sat on the couch in the main common room, eyes glued to a particularly interesting book he'd found in his archives. He recalled when Thomas had read this book once, but he didn't pay too much attention in trying to remember the contents. It was always a thrill to read an ending you'd forgotten.

 Logan would have been able to finish the book and read the ending which he yearned for, if Remus hadn’t snatched the book from out his hands and thrown it across the room. “LOOOOOO!” Remus yelled.

  Logan sighed, distraught. He pinched his nose, adjusting his glasses slightly.

  "Yes, Remus?" He asked, annoyed.

  "I have an idea!" Remus beamed, obviously excited to share said idea.

 “An idea worthy of throwing a book across the room?”

 “Yes! Obviously!” Remus cackled quietly. That would be weird if it were anyone but Remus as that was his laugh.

  "What is it?" Logan asked, already exasperated.

 “Frankenstein.”

 "Yes, what about it?"

 “We should do Frankenstein.” Remus continued to beam. Logan looked at him confused.

   "Are you suggesting we do the doctor? Or are you suggesting we copy his actions?" Logan asked, unsure of the answer. He slightly hoped it was the second option.

“..Both? The second first though. Cause, honestly. That doctor kinda hot.” Remus shrugged. He stared at Logan, unblinking.

"So? Do you wanna?" He asked, wanting confirmation. He would still try it if Logan said no, but it would go horribly wrong.

 Logan thought about the offer. It's not like he had anything else to do, besides read his book, but he was pretty sure Remus would perhaps toss it out of his hands again. But then again, creating Frankenstein's Monster would be an interesting experiment.

  "Fine." Logan agreed, standing up. "However, do not throw my books again."

“I make no promises!” Remus sunk them both out to a dark room before Logan could say anything else.

 Logan stared, in what he admitted, was awe. It seemed to be a lab of sorts, which is what was needed for the construction of Frankenstein's Monster, including a dead, stitched together body which Logan thought best not to ask about.

  "This is impressive." Logan complimented.

  "Isn't it!" Remus cackled, skipping around the room, "I made it underneath my tower! Gives off more of a spoopy vibe!" Remus grinned evilly, tapping his fingers together rhythmically, like Deceit would do.

Logan simply sighed, used to Remus in character by now.

  "Shall we get started?" Logan asked, a small smile on his face. He hadn't wanted to admit it, but he had always wanted to execute an experiment similar to this. He would have asked Roman for help, however, Logan had been too prideful to ask. Just waiting for a fateful day to come to him. Strange it was one spent with Remus.

“Dibs on being Igor!” Remus snapped his fingers and the lights started flickering, adding to the foreboding atmosphere.

"I believe I wouldn't have it any other way Remus." Logan smirked, snapping his own fingers, giving himself a slightly used lab coat. He did need to match the theme of things. Remus hunched his back, smiling to himself. His plan had worked! And now.. He could make a dead body alive.

Remus looked over at Logan and gave a mischievous smirk.

"Wow, I was right. The doctor is kinda hot." Remus winked, which just turned into a slow blink.

Logan blushed, but glanced at Remus absentmindedly.

"Let's think about that later, Remus. We have life to construct." He gave a large smile, this was going to be a rather fun experiment.

“Yes master.” Remus snickered quietly. “Just tell me what to do.”

Logan pushed up his glasses, his eyes holding a dark twinkle. “Pull the lever.”

"Yes master!" Remus said, his voice sounding scratchy. The amount of dirty things running in Remus' mind after saying Master only twice. But he had time for that later. He had a lever to pull!

  Remus raced over to where the main lever was. He made this area, so of course he knew where it was. He used his strength to pull the old (despite it being made that day), rusty lever.

  Logan watched in wonder as a small hatch in the ceiling opened up. Logan had always watched movies or read the stories based on this event, however, being able to actually be in the event caused a sensation of glee to wash over Logan.

  "Perfect!" Logan laughed, growing into character. If he was to be Frankenstein in this scene, he might as well play towards Remus' ways of acting. 

The lightning shot down to the pole, starting to power the massive machine as bolts of electricity shot out toward the two acting the scene.

  Logan winced slightly at the beam of light, but Remus stared at it in awe. This wasn't his first shot at looking towards an immense sensation of light, there was the sun sometimes. After a few minutes of flashing light and Remus evilly cackling, the room went dark, half of it destroyed.

“Please, please, please, please, please…” Remus quietly begged it worked. He would have a new friend!

  Logan looked at the destruction the two had made. Fascinating. He called over to Remus.

   "Are you alright?" A silly question to ask, considering the fact they both were basically invulnerable in this realm. 

   “No. The body hasn’t risen yet.” Remus pouted. Almost in sync to his words, movement came from the table to monster laid upon. Logan quickly glanced over to it, excited. Had they done it? He wondered. Of course they probably have. Logan was there, and with Remus as an added Creativity entity, they were bound to create something.

 Remus’ eyes snapped to the body as it slowly rose to a sitting position, a loud groan echoed throughout the room.

  Logan throws his arms up in the air, giving a dramatic flair that he would usually give credit to Roman for doing.

  "It’s alive!" He uncharacteristically cackled.

 Remus started doing a dance, random wiggles and bobbing his head. “We made a Frankensteeeeiiiinnn!” He sang to himself.

“Actually. The doctor's name is Frankenstein. Victor Von Frankenstein. The monsters name is Adam.” Remus stared blankly at Logan's small rant.

  "Adam, huh?" Remus asked, he stared the monster the two pieces of personality made. "Imma name this one Eve then." He grinned. Logan gave out a sigh that had a hint of laughter to it. Of course Remus would name it similar to it's counterpart.

  "Eve works for them." Logan grinned. As he stared at the creature, he realized that this was the part where Dr. Frankenstein disowned the monster and it started to get attacked. Logan didn't want that for their monster. 

 “First things first.” Remus went serious. Odd, he never did that. “We need to terrify Roman.”

  "Agreed." Logan nodded, smiling rather cruelly. Perhaps Remus was a terrible influence on him. However, he couldn't deny that messing with Roman wouldn’t be a blast.

Remus cricked his neck and fingers, stretching before snapping his fingers to get them all in Roman’s room. 

  Roman’s room was basically a palace in one room.

  "Your brother never ceases to be over dramatic, does he?" Logan asked. 

  Remus smiled. "It runs in the family."

 “Get out of my room!” Roman growled from the messy desk he sat at.

   "Aww! Hi bro!" Remus smiled, waving happily. "What you working on?" He asked, walking over to Roman.

   "Nothing of your concern Re." Roman rolled his eyes. He yelped at the low groan of the monster as it placed a hand on Roman’s shoulder, looking over at what he’d been doing. 

  “WHAT THE F*CK?!”

  "Hey! No cursing in front of my f*cking child!" Remus lectured. Logan coughed.

  "Our child, actually." Logan said, before actually realizing the words he had connected together. Remus wiggled his eyebrows in response.

 “Did you make that..in bed?” Roman was very concerned.

  "Yes!" Remus grinned.

  "No. We did not." Logan sighed, "We made them in a laboratory." Logan shrugged.

   "Of love." Remus wiggled his eyebrows again. Logan rolled his eyes. Roman looked between the two like they had lost their minds.

 The light creative side stuttered incoherently before finally managing a “Why?”

  "Well, why not?" Logan shrugged. However, Remus' reply was not the same.

  "Because when a father and a father love each other very much-!" Remus was stopped by an exasperated Logan.

   "It is because we wanted to recreate the Frankenstein monster." Logan said.

 “Their name is Eve and we are great parents!” Remus clapped slightly, jumping on the monsters back.

  "You two are mad." Roman deadpanned. Returning back to his work. Remus stuck his tongue out. 

   “Mad scientists in bed!”

   "Stop with that." Logan snapped, although he did find it rather… Humorous in all frank honesty. 

   “Sorry master! Igor be good now.” 

   "Logan what has my brother done to you?" Roman asked, in horror. He shook his head, "You know what, I don't want to know. Never mind. I'll probably find out later anyway." Roman groaned. Logan wandered up to Roman's desk and surveyed the area around it. Including the contents on the desk.

[gamerwoo]

Wonwoo: All Fun and Games (part 10: will it kill me?)

Summary: It’s all fun and games until someone gets hurt.

ignore the timestamps

previous | next | masterlist

-

As you stood in front of the door to the apartment number Wonwoo gave you, you couldn’t help but feel...nervous. Sure, Wonwoo was cute but you hung out with him once. You couldn’t like him already, right?

The door suddenly opening was what broke you from your thoughts.

“Are you going to stand there all night?” Wonwoo joked with a chuckle.

You frowned playfully, walking into the apartment when he gestured for you to come in. “I was about to knock!”

“Then why were you standing there?” he laughed.

“Why were you watching me?” you quipped, kicking off your shoes by the door.

“I-” his mouth hung open as his brain grasped helplessly for an excuse, but he came up with nothing, his face turning redder than a tomato. “Please don’t think I’m creepy.”

“If I thought you were creepy, I wouldn’t have come over. You’re actually the first person I’ve accepted the invite from.”

“...Who else has invited you over?”

“Rawkus from the Outlaws, Babybay from Shock, Profit from Spitfire. Um... Wait, I actually did go hang out with the Gladiators before, but they just wanted some Korean barbecue. I mean, I hang out with Vernon and Boo a lot, but they’re close friends of mine. Vernon and I go way back, but...most guys are just...yeah...”

Wonwoo made a face. “I’m sorry you have to deal with that, mo- ___.”

You giggled quietly at his slip-up before waving his apology away. “Ah, don’t worry about it. My team is really good about backing me up; especially Seungcheol.”

Wonwoo realized that this probably wasn’t the best conversation topic to help his case, so he quickly changed it. “Are you hungry or anything? I ordered pizza.”

“You’re asking me if I want food after you already ordered it?” you quizzed playfully, smirking as you sat down on the couch of the relatively bare living room.

“I had to be prepared!” he insisted.

“Did you prepare anything to do?” you wondered, looking around the room. 

“I did, actually.” it was his turn to smirk as he turned on the TV, and walked over to the stand, pressing a button on the old-looking GameCube. “Super Smash Bros.”

You gasped, sitting up straight as Wonwoo walked over with two controllers in hand. “I love that game! God, I haven’t played in years!”

Did Wonwoo already know you loved and missed the game? Yes. He was an avid watcher of your streams. Did you need to know that? No. His knowledge of things you liked would probably make him seem as creepy as the other guys.

You eagerly took the controller, testing the buttons and joysticks to remember what did what. As the game loaded, you were practically bouncing in your seat, excited to play the game you’d missed for so long. The last time you played it was with some cousins of yours, but one of them raged and threw the console on the floor.

“So, who do you pick?” Wonwoo wondered, curious as to who your favorite character was -- that was something you’d never mentioned.

You moved your selector to Samus Aran, smiling proudly. “The best character.”

“Oh, I beg to differ.” he scoffed, going straight for Kirby.

“Oh come on!” you whined. “He’s way too OP!”

“Then maybe you should’ve picked him.” he sneered playfully before going to the map select. “Map of choice?”

“Anything but the fuckin’ dragon thing.” you frowned. You’d lost too many battles there just from not keeping up with the movement of the map. “Pokemon arena is fun.”

And so that was the map you battled on. You and Wonwoo played for hours, only stopping to answer the door for the pizza when it came about 20 minutes into playing. The two of you ate pizza, shouted, and laughed so hard that you almost cried your mascara off. 

As you played, the two of you slowly moved closer and closer together on the couch until your arms were touching, and you were gently nudging each other in an attempt to create a distraction. If Wonwoo had been paying full attention, he would’ve been a blushing, flustered mess. However, this Wonwoo was cocky and confident, softly leaning into you to push you over as his deep laugh filled the room.

Little did you know that Chan and Soonyoung were in Soonyoung’s room, listening to everything and teasing Wonwoo together between eye rolls and quiet snickers. But they had to admit it was nice seeing their friend open up to the girl he’d had a crush on for far too long.

Could it even be considered a crush anymore?

After three hours of playing, Wonwoo called for a pause so he could grab some drinks. You followed as he got up to grab more sodas, too engrossed in the conversation to put it on hold until he got back.

“I’m telling you, the battle of LA is better enjoyed at the arena.” you insisted, following behind Wonwoo as he just chuckled and shook his head. “The chants, the fans, the energy -- c’mon you have to come with me!”

“I don’t even know any of the team.” he shrugged, going over to the fridge.

It wasn’t so much that he didn’t want to hang out with you -- actually, his stomach was erupting with butterflies because you were asking him to hang out. He was worried about Junhui finding out and giving him an earful about it later. Even this was too much by Jun’s standards, and it was just you and him having pizza and shit-talking each other while playing an old video game.

“Who cares? I’ll let you borrow one of my jerseys and everything! You can wear the Surefour one if you want to! Please?” you begged, reaching out to tug on his wrist without even thinking. You two had already been so close the last hour and a half that it didn’t seem like something you had to think about now. “I’ll pay for snacks, too!”

He let out a sigh that expressed his fake exhaustion. “Fiiiiine, you win.”

“Really?!” you grinned, bouncing on your toes with excitement.

“On one condition,” he decided, gathering all his courage before he spoke, “I pay for the snacks.”

You furrowed your eyebrows. “Why would you want to pay for snacks to see a team you don’t even- ...Oh...”

“Yeah...” Wonwoo’s face, ears, and neck had all stained red from embarrassment as he watched you put two and two together. “Look, ___, I-”

“So you like me then?”

Wonwoo opened his mouth, closed it, and re-opened it. “...Are you asking me or are you stating it?”

You shrugged. Wonwoo definitely wasn’t a bad guy from what you could tell. If he was just interested in sleeping with you, he would’ve done it by now. He wouldn’t have took you out for ice cream, walked you back to your car, and left it at that. He wouldn’t have bought you pizza before you even showed up, and he wouldn’t have challenged you to Smash Bros for the last three hours. Yes, there was still a chance that he didn’t actually have feelings you, but hey, why not give the guy a chance after everything he’s done for you, right? Besides, you two had too much in common for you to just brush him off so easily.

“I mean...I kind of like you too.” you said slowly, remembering you were holding onto his wrist, and letting your hands drop. “So...do you like me?”

“Well...yeah, kinda.” he admitted sheepishly, giving a shy smile as his eyes found the floor behind his round glasses. “Is that okay?”

Why did Wonwoo have to be so cute? Here was the giant who looked like he would crush a man’s skull for looking at him wrong, and he was blushing at the floor because of you. Everything inside you wanted to just step forward, lean up, and kiss his cheek.

So you did.

Wonwoo froze. He stopped breathing. He was sure he stopped living for a couple seconds. You had kissed him. You kissed him! It would be such a small gesture to anybody else, but man, was he on cloud nine because of that little kiss on his cheek.

His eyes finally flickered up, looking back at you. As the two of you looked at each other, wondering what to do next, you both just kind of...felt it. It was like a telepathic thing where you both just leaned in and closed your eyes, your lips softly touching in the middle.

As if you’d kissed him a million times, your arms went up around his neck, resting there comfortably. His hands found your waist, holding you gingerly like a glass doll as he kissed you tenderly, not wanting to ruin the sweet moment.

Both of you felt your phone vibrating in your pocket, causing both of you to jump back all too quickly than either of you wanted.

“Shit, I’m sorry!” you laughed awkwardly, mentally slapping yourself. You took your phone out anyway as your face turned pink this time. “Even when they’re not here, my team still manages to keep guys away from me.”

“Don’t worry.” he chuckled, finding it so adorable how you were flustered now.

You checked your phone, your heartbeat picking up in speed. “...It’s Hongbin. He knows I’m not home.”