#but I chose to put this one up first because

[wardensantoineandevka]

There's been a lot of talk about feeling like Campaign 3 fails to carry through consequences, and that is often met with criticisms framing this talk as just wanting Bells Hells or other characters to die or be punished. In return, the response to that is that "consequences" is not necessarily negative — it simply means a narrative follow through and events positive, neutral, or yes even negative happening as a consequence of what came prior.

I posted prior about what I and many meant by consequences, but generally, "a lack of consequence" means that it feels like events happen without clear connective tissue to previous events or it feels like things happen and don't feel like they're feeding properly into what comes next, that following events aren't properly carrying that weight of consequence.

But, just to further illustrate the discussion, the following is a non-exhaustive list of things I personally wish had consequences (that I could be probably better articulating):

Prism, Deanna, and FRIDA going off to do research at the Cobalt Soul, explicitly intending to try to help Bells Hells. This yielded nothing. Even a written letter to the Hells giving any information would have been great to have as a nod to that decision being made and the effort put into cultivating those friendships. (Given the reveal in the Fireside Chat that a Luxon beacon could've destroyed Predathos should research have been done, this feels even more of a missed follow through.)

The Unseelie Court not reinforcing the Malleus Key having clearer consequences. Obviously, there was a benefit to this, but it's hard to FEEL the consequences of disrupting that message because it is not clear what exactly the Unseelie Court would have provided.

Liliana chose not to broadcast the Downfall memory and what that meant to the sociopolitical scale. There is a clear consequence for her on a personal level, but this information being potentially broadcast was set up as a big looming threat, but it was difficult to really feel what would have happened, like, meaningfully, in terms of the material narrative as it affects Bells Hells, if it was broadcast, so as a result it's difficult to feel that stopping the broadcast was meaningful on a broader level.

Talking about Liliana, it feels strange that she exists within Vasselheim as a top leader of the Ruby Vanguard for, like, days without any comment. There is more (and properly delivered) tension over Opal's presence in the city. I don't think Liliana necessarily should've been arrested, I felt something like a small beat that may have required Imogen vouching for her was missing. The consequences of Liliana's position among the antagonists felt absent.

Ashton getting Shady Sally to agree to get the Nobodies back together to help save Exandria, then they'd all be free of Ashton for good. Nothing comes of this! An appearance at the forward camp in the Hellcatch when they came back from Ruidus or in Vasselheim, after the camp is evacuated there, with another opportunity to settle it with the others in the group would have been a nice consequence.

The Grim Verity, especially outside of Ryn, continued to meaningfully exist and the theft of the texts from Vasselheim mattered past the Predathos, Vordo, and Ethedok reveal exposition. It was a team of three people who stole the texts, and one of them, Arnold, was captured and presumed still held at the Platinum Sanctuary and another, Janina, was keeping tabs on the excavation site in the Hellcatch to keep everyone updated on what the Vanguard was doing. It would have been nice to see the Grim Verity more involved in this campaign, because they're the initial hook into the campaign itself! Learning about them and making contact with them stopped yielding any sort of narrative results. (The thing about research in the first point applies here too.)

Judicators. They are introduced, and then nothing is done with them at all. They factor in so minutely, and we understand so little about them, that it's hard to even talk about them as thematic pieces without engaging in a lot of speculative thinking.

I am known to be frustrated with Ashton philosophically, but I am baffled that the conversation they had in their vision in the earth titan in 110 did not come up again at all in any of their subsequent argumentations about the world changing. I am certain that it would've driven me nuts, but I have liked to see that carried forward. It would've contributed a lot to feeling like perspectives were being built upon as a consequence of interactions.

Generally, the Titans are barely mentioned after that episode, btw. There was a lot of time spent on pursuing the idea of the Titans, even sometimes outright brushing past NPCs who repeatedly said that the Titans were dead, only for it to get dropped so suddenly. It feels especially strange when one of the major points of contention Ashton and Laudna brought up was the war against the Titans. Not even a final note about what this means in the tapestry of history or an acknowledgement that they indeed cannot be restored as they were or what? We spent a lot of time on this discussion, but fail to carry it through into the final thematic and philosophical decisions.

On that note, it's established that there is a destiny in which Ashton is to bestow the spark onto another, and there is a sense of fate then for Fearne in it. Since they both struggle with being locked into a path, I did feel missing an exploration of what it then MEANT for them to pursue this. As soon as these abilities are unlocked, there isn't a meaningfully thorough exploration of what they mean as narrative devices and their implications for Fearne and Ashton, at a personally transformative level.

The anti-resurrection toxin and its antidote. I know that it is used against Keyleth and there is a payoff in that the Hells successfully help her, but I don't understand why this toxin didn't continue to be used, especially given the campaign was supposed to be deadlier. Why wouldn't the Ruby Vanguard, but especially someone as vicious and ruthless as Otohan, continue to use it? It had such a prominent presence in the campaign and then vanished from it. We don't even have a sense of how it locked away divine magic and what connection it has to Ruidians or Predathos, which have similar divine dampening ability. Having it continue to be used in the campaign would've also made it continually rewarding that Bells Hells did that work to help Keyleth because the Air Ashari would have available antidote.

Stopping there not because I ran out of examples, but because this list is getting incredibly long — thought I reserve the right to add more later should I think of really good ones. But this is just some of the plot points and threads and conversations that I wish I felt led somewhere or had consequences, and you can see that not all of them are about punishing characters at all, just a desire for things to feel like they were going somewhere and were properly tied off.

[calypso-rt]

detour!

with the insufferable Rafe Cameron

| one | | two |

-> Rafe x F!reader

The wedding weekend is officially over.

Guests filter out of the lodge in clusters, some nursing hangovers, others waving sentimental goodbyes.

You stand near the gravel lot, arms crossed, watching as JJ dramatically drapes himself over the hood of Kiara’s car, claiming he’s “too emotionally fragile to leave yet.” Sarah is nearby, laughing as she helps John B pack up.

And then there’s you, trying very hard not to glance at Rafe, who stands a few feet away, running a hand through his hair as he checks his phone.

You pretend you’re not listening when someone calls your name.

“You need a ride?”

You turn to see Luke, one of the Pogues’ older friends, dangling his keys. “I’ve got room in the truck,” he adds. “Figured you wouldn’t wanna be stuck with him all the way back.”

Your lips part, instinct ready to say yes, because of course, that makes sense. It’s logical. No reason to put yourself through hours of close quarters tension with Rafe when you could ride with someone else.

But then...

You glance over.

And Rafe is looking at you.

Not like he’s expecting anything. Not like he’s waiting. Just... watching.

It’s subtle, but you catch the way his shoulders stiffen slightly, the way his fingers tighten around his phone. He doesn’t say anything. Doesn’t try to sway you.

He just looks away, like he already knows what you’re going to say.

And suddenly, for some reason, you hesitate.

“…Actually,” you say slowly, turning back to Luke. “I think I’ll just drive with Rafe.”

Luke raises a brow, glancing between you two. “You sure?”

No.

“Yes,” you say instead.

From the corner of your eye, you swear you see Rafe’s posture relax.

Luke shrugs. “Suit yourself.” He tosses his keys in the air and catches them before strolling off toward his truck.

You exhale, turning toward Rafe, who’s still looking at his phone like he wasn’t just listening to the whole thing.

“Guess we should hit the road,” you say, shifting on your feet.

Rafe nods, pocketing his phone. “Yeah.” He glances at you, something unreadable in his gaze before he steps toward the car.

You follow, trying to ignore the way your stomach twists at the thought of spending the next few hours trapped in a car with him.

You tell yourself it’ll be fine.

It’s just a ride.

Nothing else.

…Right?

...

The first ten minutes are quiet.

You scroll through your playlist, pretending to be deep in thought while Rafe focuses on the road, one hand on the wheel, the other resting casually on the gear shift. The soft hum of the engine fills the space between you, mixed with the occasional sound of his fingers tapping against the leather steering wheel.

It’s fine. Normal.

Until he ruins it.

“I still can’t believe you actually chose to ride with me.”

You don’t look up. “Would you rather I hadn’t?”

He smirks, eyes on the road. “Nah. Just figured I scared you off after our little honeymoon suite experience.”

Your head snaps toward him. “Oh, our honeymoon suite experience? Pretty sure I was the victim there.”

“Victim?” He scoffs. “Sweetheart, you got to share a bed with me. That’s a privilege, not a punishment.”

You make a face. “You stole the covers.”

“I was the covers.”

“I had to wake up in the middle of the night and rip them out of your death grip.”

Rafe snorts. “Yeah, and then you practically wrapped yourself around me in your sleep. Should’ve just admitted you wanted to cuddle.”

You gape at him. “I did not—”

“Oh, you definitely did,” he lies smoothly, knowing full well he was the one doing the cuddling. “Don’t worry, though. I won’t hold it against you.”

You groan, sinking into your seat. “I should’ve taken Luke’s truck.”

“You say that,” Rafe muses, “but we both know you’d miss me if I wasn’t here.”

You roll your eyes, but your stomach flips, because—ugh. You hate when he does that. When he says something in that half-joking, half-serious way that makes it impossible to tell if he actually means it.

He flicks a glance at you. “Admit it.”

“Admit what?”

“That you’d be bored without me.”

You huff, crossing your arms. “Fine. I admit that without you, I’d be peacefully enjoying my music without someone inflating their ego next to me.”

Rafe chuckles. “Fair enough.”

Silence settles again, but this time, it’s different. Easier.

Then—

Your favorite song comes on.

And you barely have time to register it before Rafe reaches over and

Clicks ‘Next’.

Your gasp is pure outrage. “Excuse me?”

“Nope,” he says, entirely unrepentant, keeping his eyes on the road.

“That was my song!”

“Yeah, well, I’m driving. My car, my rules.”

You shove his arm. “It’s a universal rule that the passenger gets aux.”

“Not when the passenger has terrible taste.”

Your jaw drops. “You listen to EDM remixes of country songs, you absolute menace—”

“Hey, those go hard.”

“You’re deranged.”

He grins, and you know—you know—he’s doing this just to mess with you.

So you yank the phone off the dashboard and put your song back on.

Rafe groans. “You’re the worst.”

But you catch it.

The way his grip flexes slightly on the wheel. The way his lips twitch like he’s fighting a real smile.

The way, when he glances at you, there’s something softer in his expression than he probably realizes.

And you tell yourself not to overthink it.

Because, at the end of the day, this is just a drive.

Nothing else.

...Right?

...

It starts with a sputter.

A tiny, almost imperceptible hiccup in the engine.

You barely notice at first, too focused on the battle for control of the aux cord, your foot propped up on the dashboard while you scroll through playlists. But then the car gives a little lurch.

“Uh… what the hell was that?”

Rafe frowns, glancing down at the dashboard. “No clue.”

You both wait.

Another sputter. Another jolt.

Then, the car just… dies.

No dramatic explosion, no smoke billowing out from under the hood, just a slow, pathetic roll to a stop on the side of the road.

Rafe stares straight ahead, hands still gripping the wheel like he can will the car back to life.

You blink. “Oh, this is rich.”

Rafe exhales sharply, rubbing a hand down his face. “No. No, no, no this cannot be happening right now.”

You snort. “I don’t know, Rafe. I think it just happened.”

He shoots you a look. “Not helping.”

You give him an innocent smile, but your amusement is short-lived as you glance around. The road is practically deserted, the nearest gas station at least ten miles back, and you don’t even have enough service to load a map.

Fantastic.

Rafe sighs, popping the hood and stepping out of the car. You follow, leaning against the door as he pokes around the engine, muttering curses under his breath.

After a minute, you arch a brow. “So? What’s the diagnosis, car expert?”

He gives you a flat look. “The diagnosis is that my car just randomly died and we’re stranded in the middle of nowhere.”

You hum. “Sounds serious.”

“Yeah, no shit.”

Silence.

“So, how long until you fix it?” you ask sweetly.

Rafe groans, straightening up. “I swear to God, if you don’t stop talking—”

You smirk. “What? You afraid I’ll say I told you so?”

He glares. “You didn’t tell me anything.”

You shrug. “I thought about telling you to get your car checked before the trip. So technically, I was psychically right.”

Rafe closes his eyes, inhaling deeply. “I’m gonna lose my mind.”

“Bit late for that.”

He shoots you a glare, but there’s no real bite to it. If anything, there’s a twitch at the corner of his lips, like even he can’t help but be a little amused.

And that’s when he spots it.

Just past the treeline, a sloping hill gives way to a cluster of rooftops in the distance. A tiny town, tucked into the base of the mountains, nestled in a sea of green and gold wildflowers.

Rafe gestures toward it. “Town’s not far. We can walk there, find someone to tow the car.”

You glance down at your shoes, cute, yes, but entirely impractical for a trek through nature. “You’re kidding.”

“Do I look like I’m kidding?”

You sigh, running a hand through your hair. “Fine. But if I die of heat stroke or get mauled by a bear, I’m coming back to haunt you.”

Rafe smirks. “Hot and a little unhinged. Gotta say, sweetheart, I like the energy.”

You shove his shoulder, but then he grins at you. That easy, boyish, almost-too-charming grin.

And against all logic, you can’t help but grin back.

...

The walk starts out fine.

Mostly because you are still convinced that if you complain enough, Rafe will magically fix the car with sheer willpower alone.

“That was a perfectly good vehicle,” you mutter as you trudge behind him. “A working one. One that had air conditioning and, oh, I don’t know, wheels.”

Rafe snorts, stepping over a fallen branch. “Really? Hadn’t noticed.”

You huff, swatting at a mosquito. “This is your fault.”

“How, exactly?”

“You jinxed it.” You dodge a shrub. “I bet if I were driving, we’d be at our homes by now.”

He turns slightly, giving you an unimpressed look. “You can’t drive stick.”

You wave a hand dismissively. “Details.”

Rafe chuckles, shaking his head, and despite the situation, despite the heat and the uneven trail, you don’t totally hate this.

Because it’s… nice out here.

Golden wildflowers stretch out in every direction, brushing against your legs as the two of you weave through the hills. The sun is just starting to dip lower in the sky, casting a honeyed glow over everything, and the town ahead looks like something straight out of a movie: rustic, picturesque, the kind of place that seems frozen in time.

Rafe slows down, glancing back at you. “You okay?”

Your face is flushed from the heat, a few strands of hair sticking to your forehead. You wipe them away, rolling your eyes. “Peachy.”

He smirks but doesn’t push it. Instead, he reaches out, casually and easily, and plucks a wildflower from beside the trail.

Then he tucks it behind your ear.

Your breath catches, because he does it so effortlessly, so naturally, like it’s a completely normal thing for him to do.

You blink up at him.

Rafe just smirks, like he knows exactly what he’s doing.

“There. Now you match the scenery.”

You scoff, ignoring the way your pulse flutters. “That was so corny.”

He grins. “Yeah, but it worked, didn’t it?”

You shake your head, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. Instead, you push ahead, pretending to be much more interested in reaching the town than in the fact that Rafe Cameron just tucked a flower behind your ear like you’re in some kind of romantic montage.

The trail dips, curving around a small stream, and then you finally step onto a paved road.

The town is small but charming, lined with old-fashioned lampposts and brick buildings with hanging flower baskets. There’s a diner on the corner with twinkling lights in the windows, a little gas station down the street, and an inn with a wraparound porch.

You exhale. “Civilization. Finally.”

Rafe stretches his arms over his head, cracking his neck. “Not bad. Could be worse.”

“Could be worse?” You give him a look. “I just had to hike in a dress, Rafe. Through the wilderness. I think I saw my life flash before my eyes twice.”

He rolls his eyes but grins. “You’re so dramatic.”

You’re about to retort when your stomach growls loudly.

Rafe smirks. “Food first?”

You sigh, resigning yourself to the fact that he is your only option right now. “Fine.”

...

The town is even cuter up close.

The streets are lined with cobblestone sidewalks, little boutiques with painted signs, and cozy brick buildings that look like they belong in a Hallmark movie. String lights crisscross above the main road, swaying gently in the late afternoon breeze, and the air smells like fresh bread, coffee, and something sweet... maybe pie.

You and Rafe step out of the diner, bell jingling behind you, stomachs full and feet finally rested. You should probably be focused on finding a way back, but right now the town is too charming to ignore.

“We should explore,” you say decisively, brushing crumbs off your dress.

Rafe gives you a look. “Explore?”

“Yes.” You gesture around. “Look at this place! When’s the next time we’re going to be stranded in the cutest town on the planet?”

His lips twitch like he wants to argue, but then his gaze sweeps over the town, taking in the fairy lights, the warm glow from shop windows, the distant sound of a street musician playing guitar.

He exhales. “Alright, fine. But if you drag me into some candle store that smells like fifty different flavors of vanilla, I’m walking back to the car.”

You grin, already leading the way.

The first stop is a bookstore, one of those tiny, independently owned ones with towering bookshelves. The air inside is warm, filled with the scent of old paper and lavender tea from a little café in the corner.

You trail your fingers along the spines, stopping when you recognize one of your favorites. “Oh—this one’s so good.”

Rafe raises a brow. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” you say distractedly, flipping through the pages. Then, without thinking, you blurt, “You’d like it.”

There’s a pause.

When you glance up, Rafe is watching you, expression unreadable.

You clear your throat, shoving the book back onto the shelf. “Anyway. Next store.”

He smirks but doesn’t push it.

The next stop is an antique shop, filled with mismatched furniture, vintage postcards, and dusty record players.

Rafe immediately starts messing with things.

“What about this?” He holds up an atrocious ceramic cat figurine, complete with googly eyes.

You grimace. “If you buy that, I’m never speaking to you again.”

He grins. “Tempting.”

You roll your eyes, wandering over to a glass case filled with old jewelry. There’s something oddly romantic about it: lockets that have held secrets for decades, rings that have witnessed love stories long before yours.

You glance at Rafe. He’s already watching you, something soft in his expression.

You turn away before he can say anything.

Then, of course, there’s the candle store.

“I knew this would happen,” Rafe groans as you drag him inside.

“Just one candle!” you insist.

“You’re not even gonna buy one,” he mutters, trailing behind you as you pick up different scents and inhale deeply. “You’re gonna spend twenty minutes sniffing them and then walk out emptyhanded.”

You give him an innocent smile. “That’s half the fun.”

He grumbles something under his breath, but when he thinks you’re not looking, he picks up a candle labeled Stormy Nights and sniffs it.

You catch him, of course.

“Oh my God.” You gasp, clutching your chest in mock surprise. “You like this store.”

He immediately puts the candle down. “Do not start.”

You laugh, linking your arm through his before he can escape. “Come on, Rafe. Just embrace it.”

He groans, but he doesn’t pull away.

By the time the sun sets, you’ve somehow ended up at the town’s little lake, sitting on a wooden dock as the sky fades into deep indigo, the first stars appearing above. The town glows behind you, reflections shimmering on the water, the distant hum of conversation and soft music carrying through the night.

You sigh, dipping your fingers into the cool water. “Okay. I’ll admit it.”

Rafe leans back on his elbows. “Admit what?”

You glance at him. “This… wasn’t the worst way to be stranded.”

A smirk tugs at his lips. “Wow. The high praise is overwhelming.”

You nudge him with your foot, but he catches your ankle, his grip warm, solid. His thumb brushes lightly over your skin before he lets go.

Your stomach flips.

You look away, suddenly very interested in the water.

Rafe exhales. “We should probably figure out where we’re staying.”

You groan. “Please don’t say honeymoon suite.”

His smirk is way too smug. “I wasn’t gonna say it, but now that you mention it...”

You shove him, and he laughs, standing up and offering you a hand.

You hesitate for half a second, then take it.

The night is warm, the town glowing, and somehow, somehow, this doesn’t feel like a disaster anymore.

It almost feels… nice.

...

“No vacancies?” you echo, staring blankly at the woman behind the front desk.

She offers an apologetic smile. “Unfortunately, with the festival this weekend, every place in town is booked solid. We had one cancellation earlier, but another couple just claimed it.”

You slowly turn to Rafe.

He exhales, running a hand through his hair. “Great. Love that.”

The desk clerk hesitates. “There is… one option.”

You perk up. “Yes. We’ll take it.”

Rafe shoots you a wary glance. “You don’t even know what it is.”

“Doesn’t matter. It’s better than sleeping in the car.”

The woman shifts, clearly trying to phrase this delicately. “Well… it’s not exactly a room.”

Your excitement dims. “...What do you mean?”

She winces. “It’s a guest cottage.”

You blink. “Oh.”

“That doesn’t sound too bad,” Rafe muses.

She quickly adds, “It’s also part of the romantic getaway package.”

Your stomach drops.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” you mutter, already knowing where this is going. Talk about deja vu.

Rafe, to his credit, is at least trying to suppress his laughter. “You mean… like, a honeymoon suite?”

“More like a honeymoon cabin,” she corrects. “Cozy, intimate, fully stocked with all the romantic touches—”

“I don’t need the details,” you cut in.

“I kind of do,” Rafe counters.

You glare at him. He grins.

The woman hesitates. “So… will you take it?”

Rafe looks at you expectantly, like he’s waiting for you to reject it.

You want to. You really do. But at this point, you’re exhausted, your legs are sore, and the thought of sleeping in the car, especially with Rafe Cameron, is a level of misery you refuse to endure.

You exhale. “Fine.”

Rafe blinks. “Wait, seriously?”

You cross your arms. “Unless you want to sleep in the car?”

His smirk returns in full force. “Nah, sweetheart. If you want to shack up in a love nest with me, who am I to say no?”

You groan, rubbing your temples as the desk clerk hands over the key.

The moment you step inside, your jaw actually drops.

It’s adorable.

A rustic little log cabin, lit with soft golden lighting and warmed by a stone fireplace. The bed has plush white bedding with more rose petals scattered on top, and there’s an open balcony that overlooks a lake, reflecting the stars above.

“Oh my God,” you whisper. “It’s actually cute.”

Rafe whistles behind you. “Hate to say it, but I think this might be nicer than the first honeymoon suite.”

You slowly turn, narrowing your eyes. “Are you saying you enjoyed the first one?”

He shrugs, tossing his bag onto the bed. “I dunno. Kinda grew on me.”

“You’re insane.”

He just smirks, toeing off his shoes before flopping back onto the bed.

You groan. “Rafe.”

“Babe,” he says, mimicking your annoyed tone, “the sooner you accept that you love being stuck with me, the easier your life will be.”

You throw a pillow at him.

He catches it, because of course he does.

You decide to explore the cabin, mostly to ignore the fact that you’re about to share a bed with Rafe again.

The kitchen is surprisingly nice, stocked with chocolates and a bottle of wine (which Rafe immediately opens, because of course he does).

The balcony is probably your favorite part: warm summer air, twinkling lights, the lake stretching out beyond the trees.

You lean on the railing, inhaling the fresh air.

Rafe appears beside you, two wine glasses in hand. “Here.”

You take one, surprised when he doesn’t make a snarky comment about you accepting a drink from him. Instead, he clinks his glass against yours.

“To… surviving another night together,” he says, voice lighter than usual.

You snort. “Cheers to that.”

You both drink, settling into a comfortable silence as the stars shimmer above.

You don’t feel stranded.

You just feel calm.

Which, with Rafe Cameron, is kind of a miracle.

...

You stare at the bed. The one bed.

Again.

“What are the odds?” Rafe muses, standing beside you, wine glass still in hand.

You pinch the bridge of your nose. “Oh, I don’t know, Rafe. Maybe it’s because we keep getting shoved into romantic lodging situations like some kind of sick cosmic joke.”

He chuckles. “Could be worse.”

“How?” you ask flatly.

He hums, considering. “The bed could be heart-shaped again.”

You shudder at the memory of the first honeymoon suite. “Don’t even speak that into existence.”

Rafe just grins, stretching his arms over his head. His shirt lifts just slightly, and you hate that your eyes flicker downward for a second too long.

Noticing your hesitation, he smirks. “You taking the left or right?”

“I’m taking the whole thing,” you deadpan. “You can sleep on the floor.”

He snorts. “Yeah, okay, princess.”

Rolling your eyes, you grab your pajamas from your bag and retreat into the bathroom.

By the time you step back into the room, Rafe is already sprawled across the entire bed, hands behind his head like he owns the place.

You glare. “Seriously?”

He smirks. “What? You were gone forever. Thought you bailed.”

“It’s been five minutes.”

“Exactly.”

You huff, marching over and shoving his legs aside so you can climb in. He chuckles but lets you settle in, shifting onto his side to face you.

For a moment, neither of you say anything. The room is quiet, save for the occasional crackle of the fireplace. The wine has left you warm, making the dim lighting feel even softer.

“…Thanks for staying,” Rafe says suddenly, voice quieter than usual.

You glance over, caught off guard. “What?”

He doesn’t meet your eyes. “Back at the lodge. You could’ve left with that Luke guy.”

You hesitate. “I almost did.”

He lets out a dry chuckle. “Yeah. I noticed.”

You shift onto your side, mirroring him. “Why did you look so upset?”

Rafe tenses, just slightly. He opens his mouth like he’s going to say something sarcastic, but then stops. Closes it.

Then, finally:

“…Didn’t want to drive back alone.”

It’s quiet.

Your stomach does a weird little flip.

You swallow, gripping the edge of the blanket. “Oh.”

Rafe clears his throat. “I mean, who else would keep me entertained? Can’t exactly banter with myself.”

There it is. The deflection.

But it’s too late. You already heard the honesty in his voice before it.

Smiling softly, you nudge his foot under the covers. “You’d probably try.”

He huffs out a laugh. “Maybe.”

Silence settles again, but this time, it’s comfortable.

Eventually, your eyelids grow heavy. You barely register the way Rafe shifts closer, the warmth of him seeping through the covers.

And just before you drift off, you swear you hear him mumble:

“…Kinda glad you stayed.”

Your lips part, but sleep pulls you under before you can respond.

And in the soft glow of the fire, Rafe watches you for just a second longer.

Then, quietly, he closes his eyes too.

...

The scent of fresh coffee drifts through the air, pulling you from the depths of sleep. The warmth of the blankets is inviting, but something else is even warmer.

You blink groggily.

Rafe.

Still asleep. Still close. Still very much in your personal space.

At some point during the night, he must have shifted even closer. His arm is draped lazily over your waist, his face relaxed in a way you don’t usually see.

For a second, you let yourself take it in. The soft rise and fall of his chest, the steady rhythm of his breathing, the way his fingers twitch slightly in his sleep.

Then reality slams back into you.

Nope. Nope, nope, nope.

You try to move—try being the key word—because the second you shift even an inch, Rafe groans and pulls you closer.

Your eyes widen. “Rafe.”

“Mmm,” he mutters, voice still thick with sleep. His grip tightens slightly, like you’re a pillow he refuses to let go of.

You freeze. “Rafe.”

Another groggy noise.

“Five more minutes,” he grumbles against your hair.

Your face burns.

You push at his shoulder. “Get off.”

“Mm-mm.”

“Rafe.”

A beat.

Then, suddenly, he tenses.

You can feel the exact second he realizes what’s happening.

His eyes snap open. He pulls back, just slightly, blinking at you with a confused, half-awake expression. Then, very slowly, his gaze flickers down to where his arm is still around you.

He smirks.

“Oh, good morning, sweetheart,” he drawls, voice smug. “Sleep well?”

You shove him. Hard.

He laughs as he rolls onto his back, stretching like he wasn’t just wrapped around you like a human koala. “Don’t need coffee when I’ve got you to wake me up so rudely.”

“I will smother you with a pillow,” you grumble, sitting up and raking a hand through your hair.

He grins, propping himself up on his elbows. “Bet you wouldn’t have minded if I looked like that guy from the bakery yesterday.”

You throw a pillow at him.

Bakery guy didn't even hold a candle to a half-sleepy Rafe Cameron.

He catches it, still grinning. “Alright, alright, truce. But if you wanna cuddle again tonight, just say the word.”

You grab the other pillow and whack him with it.

After breakfast at the little café down the street (where Rafe insists on making a dramatic show of stealing bites from your plate), you wander into town, only to find it completely transformed.

Colorful stalls line the streets, people bustling around with baskets filled with fresh flowers, handmade crafts, and sweet-smelling pastries.

You blink. “Whoa.”

Rafe raises an eyebrow. “Did we walk into a Disney movie?”

You spot a sign near the entrance of the market, scrawled in elegant cursive. Annual Wildflower Festival – Welcome!

Grinning, you nudge Rafe’s arm. “Looks like we have plans today.”

He groans. “You want to be surrounded by pollen?”

“Yes.” You grab his wrist, tugging him toward the nearest stall. “Come on, grump.”

He mutters something about “allergic reactions” but follows anyway.

You weave through the crowd, admiring bouquets of vibrant wildflowers and stopping to sample homemade lavender honey. At one stall, an elderly woman waves you over, offering you a delicate flower crown made of soft blue forget-me-nots.

“For you, dear,” she says kindly. “And one for your boyfriend too.”

Before you can correct her, Rafe just smirks and leans down slightly. “Yeah, sweetheart. Put it on me.”

You glare at him but place the crown on his head anyway, pressing it down a little too firmly.

He tilts his head. “How do I look?”

“Ridiculous.”

He winks. “Good. That means we match.”

You roll your eyes, but your heart does a little flip anyway.

...

The drive back is slower this time. Not because of car trouble this time but because neither of you seem to be in any hurry. The windows are down, the late afternoon sun painting the world in gold, and the scent of wildflowers still lingers in the air, mixed with the crisp mountain breeze.

You stretch your legs out, sighing dramatically. “If I never have to trek down a winding road in the middle of nowhere again, it’ll be too soon.”

Rafe snorts, flicking his blinker on as he pulls onto the highway. “Oh, come on. You loved it.”

You turn your head to glare at him. “I tolerated it.”

He hums, like he doesn’t believe you. “You didn’t complain that much.”

“That’s because I was too busy wondering if we’d end up as one of those missing persons cases.”

He glances over, smirking. “Yeah? And who was it that said, ‘Okay, fine, maybe this is kind of nice’ when we stopped at that overlook?”

Your jaw drops. “I did not say that.”

“Oh, you definitely did.”

“You’re misremembering.”

“Sure, sweetheart.” He adjusts his grip on the wheel, the corner of his mouth twitching. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

You huff, crossing your arms. “Next time, I’m taking the ride back with someone else.”

“Next time?”

You freeze.

Damn it.

Rafe doesn’t say anything at first, just drums his fingers against the steering wheel, eyes on the road. But then, softly, almost teasingly, he adds, “Guess that means you didn’t hate it that much.”

You don’t answer.

You don’t want to answer, because he’s right, and if you say it out loud, it’ll mean something more than just a banter-filled road trip gone wrong.

Instead, you reach over, stealing the sunglasses hooked onto his shirt and sliding them on like they’re yours.

Rafe makes an affronted noise. “Seriously?”

“Consider it payment for keeping me alive.”

He grumbles something under his breath but doesn’t actually take them back. Instead, he glances over at you, at the oversized frames sitting just a little too big on your face, and shakes his head with a barely-there smile.

And just like that, the silence settles again. But it’s not uncomfortable. It’s not filled with things left unsaid.

It’s just easy.

And as the car rolls on, the sun dipping lower behind the mountains, you realize something.

You kind of don’t want the drive to end.

Taglist: @drewstarkeyslover, @honeybee270, @melsbels-zip, @rafeycameronsgf, @vanessa-rafesgirl, @amel1ee, @magicalflowerstranger, @lilithblackkk, @starkeyxcameron, @simp4f1, @wtfdudesblog, @f3rnlee, @dinnodallas, @jjasmiineee, @drewrry, @lmaolmaos, @mattyskies, @yourmomdotcom42069, @chillgal135, @scorpiosaintt

(tagged everyone asking abt a pt 2) <3

[mace-art]

What I like about Movie Maria

You know why I really like this scene in the movie. because it actually gives us a perspective into Maria as a character and her thought process

Here is this 11-13 year old girl skating around this military base where no one is acknowledging her or even really giving her a time of day. She looks alittle lost and very much sticks out among the scientist and even the scenery. She’s energetic, fun and all around looks positive.

And the first thing someone does when they see her is reprimand her for her “skating” or being a kid

and yes does she take the skates off but she also won’t put shoes on.

A dig at Walters for making her take them off in the first place. The thing most people do is wear shoes. But she never does unless she is skating. Other then that it’s just her wearing socks.

and when she stumbles into shadows “room” she isn’t scared of him like the scientist are. she’s quite curious and sees him as a grumpy kid stuck in a tube.

and to cheer him up she draws on his tube to bring more of a friendly approach to him. So he can let his guard down with her. She’s bringing her Robotnik charm out.

and then she initiates reaching out to him after she sees he actually liked the drawing. That he smiled. she chose kindness. Because she saw him as someone. She saw him as a kid, just like her.

Shadow is suppose to be this living weapon. Something that harnesses absolute power. But Maria was never fascinated by that, she was interested in him.

Not once was she ever worried about her safely or him being different. She just saw Shadow. she saw him as a friend and a person. Not a weapon like GUN

She stood her ground when meeting shadow and instead of falling for his rough appearance and stand-offish body language. She chose to open up to him. Show him she was not a threat. She was determined.

and when he returns her gesture she is so happy.

The first person in this base who showed her the same kindness and interest back.

Her only friend.

[zeropro]

So I’ve seen you draw and tag a couple of different ships, just wondering which are your favorite???

Love your art btw :D

Thank you!

I don’t have a specific ship i'm particularly loyal to, so I guess I’ll rate them and also provide my own headcanons:

(disclaimer i dont know ship names so imma just try my best)

Trine-shipping: yes, put the three of them together, I don’t care. familial, sexual, romantic, platonic, its all good. I go crazy seeing them stand next to each other in the cartoon what do you want from me.

thunderwarp: I see this one a lot and I quite like it. these two being mates with starscream doing his own thing kinda makes sense considering starscream has a bunch of other ships. also makes it fun when something happens to one of them and starscream is left in the awkward position of having to deal with that.

thunderstar: been thinking about this one more lately. they’re like foils to each other. thundercracker’s a good boy to starscream’s bad boy, and he does such a concern about all the morally dubious stuff starscream gets up to. but at the same time, he admires starscream’s ambition and rizz and starscream the kinda bot that would pull you so high if you followed him. I think out of anyone, starscream is the closest to actually trusting thundercracker. 

starwarp: i had this thought one time of what if skywarp is like the horniest asexual and starscream is the most traumatized aromantic, and how would that even work XD nothing solid in the works just an idea that I had. ive seen these two less often outside of trine shipping but it can be pretty hot. I like when they are being protective of each other. I always see skywarp as more emotionally open than his trinemates and starscream can use some of that open and honest emotional love and care. someone to forcfully make him accept being loved. someone who will actually push back when he’s being stupid. and with skywarp being loyal to megatron, so much angst potential for both of them.

starbee: im a sucker for the whole ghost bee starscream dynamic. I already made a post about these two, and after all this time I still really enjoy this ship. I think characters that don’t actually like each other at first but grow into a mutual respect is so tasty. I think some people don’t like the ship because they headcanon bee as too young? well, starscream is actually younger in my fic lmao, but also they’re like 6 million years old and are born with full adult processing capabilities, I don’t think age matters here :P its less about intimacy for me anyway. I like them together because of how much it takes to get there. 

starwavewave: okay this one is 100% fueled by tfone but guyssss guysss theyre married and megatron is their son and im just aaaagh dont seperate them! such a kookie dynamic, the cool headed soundwave, the emotionally volatile shockwave, the arrogant yet cowardly starscream, all being fail dads to their little scamp leader. hahaha. high command polycule 

megastar: gasp, rated above skystar. yes, I just find this dynamic more interesting. I like an abusive ship sometimes for the angst but I also enjoy seeing megatron when he isnt abusive? kinda catharsis maybe. I read a fic once where the war is over and starscream invites megatron to one of optimus’ high profile parties and is appalled at megatron showing up in robot equivalent of underdressed, meanwhile megatron the working class miner is like “I washed, what else was I supposed to do” XD and I just love that haha. theres just so many ways to take it. I wont be doing any megastar in my au, I just tag anything that has megatron and starscream interacting with megastar cuz thats the dynamic to me

skystar/jetstar: iddkkkkk i know this is the most popular ship but it’s just!! idk! its not as interesting to me haha. I love this as a past ship, they were roommates in college, starscream opened himself to someone, chose to become close and then was hurt by it. just another wound on starscream’s spark before he ever even meets megatron. I don’t think theyd get back together after the ice. idk how well I can write this so I’ll just explain how it happens in my au here: skyfire died and starscream created this version of skyfire in his mind that was perfect, he memorialised him because he was dead! you just cant live up to how someone remembers you. I think that was part of the reason why starscream reacts so badly when skyfire “betrayed” him. unlike thundercracker, skyfire knows how to set healthy boundaries. not to mention he’d been on ice for four million years, lost his entire life, everyone he knows, and his entire civilisation, planet, and culture to a war he had no part in. bot’s gonna be upset. pissed off even. skyfire shouldnt have to be some soft sparked punching bag for starscream, he’s kind and a pacifist but he’s also going to get upset and have feelings. I think starscream’s betrayal would hit pretty hard, he’d gonna be upset about how much starscream’s changed, how much damage starscream helped cause during the war, and also starscream shooting him in the back for wanting to protect the native wildlife! when they properly talk to each other again it’s going to be heated on both sides, and I think after some hard work from both sides they could end up in a place where they are willing to be friends again, but I don’t think they’d conjunx. skystar isnt end game to me, but it is canon and an important part of the story

starop: I think ive read one fic where I really liked this ship. it’s just such a random pairing. my initial reaction is just noooo optimus prime?? but that guy’s everyone’s dad! Ive been told a big part of it is they’re both megatron’s ex’s and that’s pretty funny. not for me sadly haha (opxmegatronoldmanyaoiotpfrfr)

starjack…wheelstar? whatever the starscream and wheeljack one is. I’m not into this one. I see where people are coming from with it, but wheeljack isnt an interesting character to me. they can be science bros tho

starscream and windblade: ive seen this like once or twice. not for me. windblade is like, starscream’s daughter or something idk XD 

soundstar: uuuh i dont see it. sorry! i legit have no thoughts on soundstar. theyre coworkers XD. ive seen fics where the seekers are really young and soundwave moms them, and that’s really cute. okay, I like soundwave as a caretaker if the seekers are young, but yeah I don’t think I understand this one. 

shockstar: nooooooo. tho ironically theres more canon content there to fuel this one than soundstar (is this emotion?) but still no XD I don’t even hate shockwave! let him be sunstorm’s dad, that’s cute. but no, shockewave too creepy. no ship. they are also coworkers

what other ship is there even? oh yeah

starprowl: this is apparently a really popular ship?! I guess in a way prowl is sort of like the autobot’s starscream, undermining his leader, arrogant, willing to do the dubious play. they’re both ruthless. I like this one better than starjacked, but its still an odd pairing to me.

oh! knockout and starscream, i can kinda see it? like, as a rebound after breakdown? I like knock out and breakdown, so I’d only see these two as like friends or if something happened to breakdown. they’re a LOT of fun when they interact tho heh heh, perfectly clashing personalities

on the topic of tfp, I guess starscream and arcee is a ship? I can see this similar to my enjoyment of starbee, they’d have to work reeaally hard for this one to work but they have had potentially positive interactions in the show (before starscream screws it up) so its possible in a better world where starscream doesnt suck they could become friends. him killing cliffjumper is gonna be a huge hurdle tho! 

dont talk to me about airachnid

do people ship starscream and ratchet? I don’t ship it, but I do really like interactions between them. starscream is so terrible but he also gets hurt a lot. ratchet is grumpy and prejudice but he’s the best doctor and he’ll fix him up! I like when something terrible happens to starscream and ratchet cant help but feel bad for the guy. that’s the good stuff.

lastly i have been asked a few times on trinebee. im assuming this is bumblebee and the trine. i hadnt thought about it but it makes sense! if youre a starbee shipper, but you also support trine propaganda, then it only makes sense to bring bee into the trine. also bee and thundercracker are friends! the only ones who havent really had any interaction is bee and warp, and honestly idk if I see those two getting along but bumblebee is everybody’s friend so XD I’m sure it’ll work out!

and i think those are all the thoughts i have on the ships! 

no hate on anyone who ships any of these!!! you all do what you do, these are just my opinions, and honestly I’m just not a huge shipper to begin with haha. I am…unsure if there will be any shipping content in my au, I write my scenarios very much “canon but to the left” and so it comes out very sex-less because romance and intimacy is just not the type of content I’m in the business of writing. but, idk, i think about it sometimes. sometimes I think about the end of chapter one of thundercracker’s origin, the night starscream took thundercracker out on a not-date. i think, who knows, in some version of the story maybe they shared a kiss? maybe they went back to the apartment and things went further? maybe. but of course, in every version of the story, starscream is gone the next morning. 

happy valentrine’s day!

[kaces-graham-crackers]

You Wrote This for Me? - Valentine's Special

Jenna Ortega x Writer Reader

Summary: The journal shouldn’t have been there. She shouldn’t have seen it. But the words are inked, the confessions buried in scribbled margins. Unfinished. She turns the page. The door opens. And now, there’s no taking it back.

Word Count: 1.5k

“Okay, but hear me out—unicorns are terrifying.” You scoffed as you stirred the pasta, glancing over your shoulder at Jenna, who sat comfortably at your kitchen table, script in hand. “Unicorns?” you repeated, unimpressed. “You mean the glittery, rainbow kind?”

Jenna smirked, flipping a page. “No. Think The Thing meets The Last Unicorn—except instead of spreading magic and joy, it hunts people. Horns like spears, glowing red eyes, and it camouflages itself as a stuffed toy when it needs to hide.”

You paused, setting the wooden spoon down. “... Okay. I’m listening.” Jenna grinned, pushing the script aside to grab her water. “It’s an indie horror project. The director wants something totally absurd but terrifying.” “And they chose you?” you teased, arching a brow. Jenna took a slow sip of water, leveling you with a look. “Yes. Because I embody fear itself.”

You chuckled, shaking your head. “You embody five foot nothing and need a ladder to reach my top shelf.” She rolled her eyes but didn’t argue. Instead, she reached for her script again, flipping to a heavily annotated page.

“So, in this scene, the unicorn—”

Before she could continue, you realized you were missing ingredients. “Shit,” you muttered, glancing at the counter. “I forgot a few things for dinner. And we need drinks.” Jenna raised a brow. “You say that like we’re not just having pasta.” “I was gonna open a bottle of wine, if that’s alright with you, Ortega.” She smirked. “Ah. Fancy.”

You grabbed your jacket. “Bodega’s just a block away. Liquor store’s right after. Be back in fifteen.” Jenna waved a dismissive hand, already distracted by the script. “Bring me something good.”

You smirked. You had a plan for that.

Jenna spent two minutes flipping through her script, highlighting a line, trying to focus. But her eyes kept drifting back to the leather-bound journal sat just a few inches away, dark and worn, standing out against the otherwise neat surface of your kitchen table. It didn’t belong there.

And that’s what made it off. She ignored it. Then, as if possessed by something beyond her willpower, she reached for it. Just a peek.

She flipped past the first few pages—dates, random notes, the kind of scribbles people made when they were half-asleep. But then, a page caught her eye. And suddenly, breathing felt harder, and there it was. Her name. And below it, crossed-out lines, footnotes scrawled in the margins—like you had written and rewritten them too many times, unable to get them right.

Jenna’s lips parted slightly as she read. “She looks at the world like she’s memorizing it. Like every moment is something worth keeping.” A quiet exhale left her as her fingers traced the ink. The way she spoke. The way she carried herself. The way she laughed—not her polished, camera-ready chuckle, but the real one.

Below it, one line that wasn’t crossed out: “I love the way she exists.” Jenna blinked, pulse hammering. This wasn’t just writing. This was her. Her hands tightened around the journal, a war raging in her head. She should put it down. She should pretend she never saw it iInstead, she turned the page. And that’s when she saw the poem.

Short, unfinished, scribbled like you had tried to ignore it:

"If I were braver, I’d tell her." "If I were braver, I’d say it plain." "If I were braver—"

A key in the door.

Jenna’s head snapped up.

You stepped inside, a bag of groceries and a bouquet of flowers in one hand. Jenna barely noticed; your eyes flicked to the table, to the open journal in her hands, and in that moment—she saw the exact second you realized what had just happened.

A beat of silence. Then, softly— “…You read it.”

Jenna swallowed, gripping the pages a little tighter. She could lie. She could say it was an accident. She could pretend she hadn’t just read the one thing she had no business knowing, but instead, she lifted her gaze to yours. “…You wrote this for me.” And for the first time all night—

You didn’t have any words left.

Which was ironic, considering you had spent weeks—months— spilling them into that journal. Hiding them in half-sentences, crossing them out, leaving them unfinished like that would somehow make them less real. But now? Now Jenna was sitting at your kitchen table, holding your secrets in her hands.

You gripped the bag of groceries a little too tightly, your fingers flexing around the bouquet of flowers, still wrapped in plastic.

“I—”

You what? Didn’t mean for her to see? Weren’t ready? Meant to tell her after you worked up the courage with a glass of wine? None of that mattered now. Jenna’s eyes stayed locked on yours, dark and unreadable. “You wrote this for me,” she said again, softer this time. Like she was still processing it herself. Your throat went dry. “Jenna—” She glanced down at the open page. Her fingers ghosted over the words again, a quiet intensity settling in her features. “…How long?” she asked. You blinked. “What?” Jenna tilted the journal slightly. “How long have you felt like this?” Your stomach flipped.

“I—” You exhaled sharply, setting the groceries down before you dropped them. “Jenna, can we—can we not do this like this?” She didn’t move. Didn’t look away. And that’s when you realized: She wasn’t going to let you dodge this. Not now. Not after everything she just read.You swallowed, fingers flexing at your sides. “…A while.”

Jenna’s lips parted slightly, but she didn’t say anything.

So you kept going. “A long while...” A beat of silence stretched between you, thick with something you couldn’t name. Jenna closed the journal slowly, resting her hand on top of it. And then, she stood.Your breath caught.

She stepped around the table, each movement deliberate. By the time she was standing in front of you, you had completely forgotten how to breathe. Jenna tilted her head, studying you. You had seen this look before. On set, when she was locked into character. In interviews, when she was asked something she actually cared about. That sharp focus, that quiet intensity.Only now—Now, it was entirely on you.

“You were going to tell me tonight,” she murmured. It wasn’t a question. Your gaze flickered to the bouquet of flowers on the counter, then back to her. You gave a small, breathless laugh. “Yeah. I, uh… thought I’d have a little more control over the reveal, though.” Jenna’s lips twitched. “You should’ve hidden it better.” You huffed. “I didn’t think you’d go through my things, Ortega.” “I didn’t. It was just… there.” She hesitated, a quiet edge creeping into her voice. “Like it was meant to be found.” Your heart slammed against your ribs.

For a second, you didn’t know what to say. But then—Jenna took another step closer, and your brain completely short-circuited. Suddenly, she was standing right there, barely a breath between you, her gaze flickering from your eyes to your lips and back. And holy shit.“You’re freaking out,” she murmured, amusement creeping into her tone. “I am not—” You cleared your throat. “—freaking out.” Jenna smirked. “You’re standing completely still.” You blinked. “That’s called being normal, Jenna.” “No,” she said simply, eyes narrowing slightly. “That’s called being scared.” Your jaw clenched. “I’m not—”

Jenna reached up, gently tugging on the front of your shirt. Not pulling, not forcing. Just holding. And suddenly, the air shifted. Your pulse roared in your ears as her thumb brushed absently against the fabric, the warmth of her hand spreading through you like wildfire. “…You don’t have to be,” she said softly. Your breath hitched. And that was it. That was all it took for every single thought in your head to vanish.

Before you could talk yourself out of it, before your doubts could catch up to you, before anything else could get in the way—You leaned in. And finally—You kissed her. Soft. Slow. Tentative at first, but then—Jenna exhaled against your lips like she had been holding back just as much as you had, and then her hands were sliding up, one curling around the back of your neck, the other gripping your shirt just a little tighter.

And holy shit.

It was so much better than you had imagined. Your journal hadn’t been able to capture this. The way she sighed against your mouth, the way her lips moved like she had been waiting for this just as long as you had, the way her body fit so perfectly against yours like she had always belonged there. By the time you finally pulled back, both of you were breathless. Jenna’s eyes flickered open slowly, dazed but smug. “…So,” she murmured, voice lower than before.

You swallowed. “So?” She smirked. “Was that how you were going to end your confession?” You gave a breathless laugh, shaking your head. “Honestly? The journal kinda did that for me.”

Jenna hummed, pleased. “Good.”

Then, before you could say anything else, she grabbed the front of your shirt and pulled you in again. Honestly? This ending was way better.

[bratbarzal]

hey maggie😈 I know this is for exes to lovers but any spin of this for tsou/lih luke: “you really thought i wouldn’t remember what you like? please, give me a little credit.”

✩‧₊˚ bratbarzal's valentines event!˚₊‧✩

“you really thought i wouldn’t remember what you like? please, give me a little credit.” with our boy!!!! LIH/TSOU!LUKE!!! this probably fits in the timeline of tsou part two - and I feel like the vibes of this are gift giving, but because there's technically two gift giving scenes coming up, I did something a little different/cute for this!! again I switched up the phrasing of it a little to match their vibe but I hope you like it Hannah ily!!

Luke: hungry?

You: starving

Luke: I'll pick you up

Hanging out with Luke has all of a sudden become as easy as that - throwing on an old hoodie and running out to his car when it drives by your sorority, never thinking you'd be so grateful that he chose to spend his break back in Michigan instead of taking an actual, much needed, vacation.

You'd chirped him at first, calling him crazy for picking this place over somewhere sunny and warm, but as he drives over to the mall, your passenger seat heated so that you're all cozy, and the all too familiar scenery blurring through your window, you're grateful he has such an attachment to the area.

Especially after the week you've had - you just need a moment to be away from everything and everyone.

"I'm gonna run in, do you want me to leave the heat on?" he asks as he unbuckles his belt, twisting over to you as he grabs his wallet from the tray below the console.

You nod, a shy smile offered in return of the one he gives to you.

"I'll be 10 minutes, max, I'm gonna leave my keys, lock the door behind me," he tells you, flicking at your nose affectionately as he adds, "No joyrides."

You roll your eyes and swat at his hand before watching him retreat - watching all the way until he disappears into the mall, glancing back at you as he turns the final corner, and busying yourself with your phone until he taps on your window maybe ten minutes later, scaring the living crap out of you.

"Jesus," you huff, reaching over to unlock the doors, opening the one on your side so you can take the bag precariously hung over his fingertips while he balances a drinks holder in his hand. You check in the bag as he rounds the front of the car, noticing a few different things from different places, smiling to yourself as you realise he's picked up your favourite things.

You wonder if he has developed a sixth sense for when you're a little down, or a little quieter than usual, or if this is just what he does, regardless. Texts you out of the blue, picks you up from your house, drives you across town to the mall with the food court and hops around until he has everything to make you happy again.

Either way, you're grateful.

Luke shuffles into his seat before he puts the drinks down in the middle of the two of you, and you glance down. Two large diet cokes and something little lodged between them.

"You got me a milkshake too?" You gasp, taking the smaller cup from his hold and looking inside.

"Yeah, 'cause you like to dip your fries like a freak."

"You remembered?" You pull out said fries, grabbing one to eat as you watch him shudder dramatically.

"Stuff like that is pretty hard to forget," he steals one of your fries and throws it into his mouth. "I got your order perfect, give me a little credit, here," he adds around it, eyes meeting yours as you smile over at him.

It's been a while since you've done this - sat in the front seat of his car, a tray of food between the two of you and no other plans. It used to be your thing sometimes, when he'd pick you up from the club in the summer, taking a detour to a drive thru and eating junk food, just the two of you, away from the judgement of his more-regimented older brothers. It helped when you got back to the house, and the rest of the guys had worked through most of whatever Quinn might have cooked up, and you were left with scraps.

You still wonder how none of them ever clocked onto how you and Luke were both miraculously not that hungry at the same time - Luke especially, who pretty much eats his family out of house and home on any given day of the week. But maybe you pay more attention to him than most people.

When you think back on it, compared to how the two of you have been over the last few months - you realise how surface-level your relationship might have been back then. Yeah, you told Luke more than you told most people about yourself - about your family, your life, your job, or whatever - but it was nothing compared to how things have been since the two of you seriously became friends.

The two of you talk every day - about school, about hockey, about how you're feeling, about how he's coping - and it feels a lot more even, this time, like there's a balance there.

The thought brings a soft smile to your face as you reach into the bag and pull out your sub, a wave of appreciation washing over you at all the effort he put into getting all the things you like.

"The boy did good," you tell him, meeting his eye again to give him an assured grin as you unwrapped your sandwich, "Are we going halves?"

"Of course we're going halves," he playfully rolls his eyes, taking the half that you offer him and switching half of his sub back over - part chicken caesar and part turkey and ham. "It doesn't taste right when I get it on my own, anymore."

"I know," you laugh, holding it out for him to cheers before you can start eating. "I don't think I've had one since the last time we got it together." You take a bite of yours, covering your mouth as you chew and notice him watching you, amusement flashing in his eyes, a similar smile to your own stretching at his lips before he takes his own bite, humming and nodding in approval at the taste.

"'S'good," he mumbles around his mouthful, and you snort around your own, reaching for your coke to wash it down.

"It's the best," you correct him, fighting the temptation to reach out and swipe your thumb against the corner of his lip, wiping away the smudge of sauce left behind.

[softtdaisy]

the right one - Charles Leclerc

summary. charles never forgot himself for letting you go. when arthur lose you, he is the one who has the heal your broken heart this time.

words count. 4,313

what to expect. it's the second part of the other one. I guess you can read it separately but some things might not make sense (specially the glue part). inspired by congratulations from Hamilton. mention of cheating, everyone is so sad in this story I'm sorry (im not) and arthur is terrible boyfriend

a/n. can you believe i told @monzabee about this fic in December 2023??? and it's finally out after all this time. I'm so happy I finally did it and gave these two another part, they deserve love and happiness.

F1 masterlist | general masterlist | request

When he first heard them, Charles didn’t want to believe the rumors.

For the winter break, he decided to go on a road trip in Italy with his best friends. For multiple reasons, he chose to get rid of any type of social media. Charles needed a real break after the season that had been more difficult than he thought it would. 

Also because a part of him still hasn’t gotten over you.

It was too difficult to see Arthur post pictures and stories with you all the time. And if he couldn’t escape it, nor you in the paddock during the season, Charles decided to leave all his bad feelings behind for a few weeks.

No matter how hard he tried these past months, Charles couldn’t get rid of his love for you. If he ignored you during the end of last season, even if he had your glue everywhere with him, he wanted to be nicer this year. 

Not like he had a choice if he wanted to keep a good relationship with Arthur, who still had no idea about what happened between you and Charles. He also wasn’t completely stupid: he knew it could look bad on him if he kept ignoring the photographer around the paddock. 

And it would be a lie to say that he didn’t miss you. Sure, a part of him was still aching when he was making you laugh and smile, thinking he couldn’t have the privilege to see that every day for the rest of his life because you chose Arthur over him. But he tried to be more mature and accept that if this was the best he could have, then he would appreciate it.

This was also one of the reasons why he couldn’t believe the rumors when he heard them. There was no universe in which someone would purposely hurt you.

The first time he heard about the rumors, it was because some friends from Monaco sent him a text. “What’s going on with Arthur? Is it true?” Charles was more than confused. What could be true about his brother? He didn’t want to sound stupid to ask them but still didn’t want to put his social media back on his phone.

So he turned to Joris. Because that man knew everything that there is to know. And because he knew that his friend would never lie to him. This explained the embarrassed expression on his face when Charles asked him if he knew anything about something Arthur might have done.

“You sure you want to know?” he asked him. Charles understood that something serious was going on. Even when the truth was ugly, Joris never asked him if he really wanted him to be honest. Not when Ferrari was not doing great, not when fans criticized him, not when everyone had something to say about his private life. But he didn’t hesitate a single second and agreed to hear the truth.

“Apparently…your brother cheated on his girlfriend.” Charles’ world went silent for a few seconds. That couldn’t be true. He couldn't believe it. People must be wrong and bored and choose to create drama because of the off-season. Right? 

“Actually…” Joris continued. “It’s not really a rumor since Arthur basically admitted it.”

It was a damper. 

Charles left for a few weeks, and his brother decided to ruin everything he gave up his own happiness for?

“Is it true?” He sent Arthur. No explanation.

“Yes.” He only answered.

It took Charles only a few hours to come back to Monaco. On the plane back, he opened his social media again, answered some comments and messages, and shared some Ferrari stuff. And looked at the mess Arthur created.

“Let’s review…” Charles started. As soon as he arrived, he asked Arthur and Lorenzo to come with him in the living room to discuss. They all stayed at the family house to deal with the major crisis. From what he learned, paparazzis were going around Monaco to catch any of you: Lorenzo, Arthur, and especially you. The victim of all this mess. 

Charles still hasn't seen you, though. Lorenzo’s girlfriend took you for a ride away from there, knowing Charles was coming back and that there would be a confrontation between the brothers. You didn’t need to hear about all that again. You knew the story. Well, you knew some parts of it. You refused to hear Arthur’s explanation. 

Charles knew it was for the better, but he still couldn’t wait to see you. Scared of how you would be. Scared of how he will react too.

He finally took a big breath before continuing. “This girl pretended to be pregnant with your child. And instead of just saying that you didn’t have sex with her, you said she wasn’t the one you slept with?” He chose his words wisely, taking the time to say everything correctly. Even if there were no good ways to talk about this situation.

“I panicked! What should I have done?”

“Don't say anything!” he screamed back, slamming his hands on the table. “You should have just shut your mouth and not said a fucking thing.”

“Charles…” Lorenzo warned him, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

He sighed and apologized, trying to calm down. His brother was right; there was no use being aggressive against Arthur. The harm has been done and couldn’t be undone. But when he gave his baby brother a look, he couldn’t handle it. Arthur looked like he didn’t understand why Charles was so angry. Like he couldn’t see the real harm in this. “Or better, you shouldn’t have cheated,” he added. 

Everything stopped around the three brothers. “Charles!” Lorenzo repeated, louder this time and with a more authoritarian tone. Like there was back in childhood when he had to play the big brother between the two younger brothers fighting for the same car. 

Except this time, it was for the same girl.

Charles knew he had to calm down and play it more cleverly. He closed his eyes and put his head in his hands, trying to think of a way to say things more nicely without making Arthur turn on him. He didn’t even know how he could do that: he was so mad at his brother for doing such a stupid thing.

“Aren’t you supposed to support me?” Arthur asked with a disdainful voice that made Charles look up immediately. He couldn’t even find the right way to answer this. Maybe Arthur could feel the disappointment, which is why he looked that angry. He was never the Leclerc who disappointed the family.

Lorenzo had a lot of pressure as the big brother, the one that had to be a model and perfect at any point. Charles had the celebrity pressure; being the most famous Leclerc, he had to behave perfectly. But Arthur? Everybody saw him as the baby, never accepting any bad decisions from him. Or even when he did, he was forgiven immediately.

He was not used to having people being mad at him. You were, which was already a problem. But Charles was too, and that he couldn’t handle. This explained why Arthur went upstairs silently. Well, as silently as he was, hitting the staircase loudly. 

Charles let out a loud sigh when Arthur disappeared. “You two need to talk.” Lorenzo told him, to which he agreed without the desire to deal with that right now. Instead, he started talking with his more reasonable brother about their holidays. He knew Arthur needed some minutes to calm down.

He needed them too.

He only decided to go upstairs when he saw the car parking in front of the house. You were back. 

And he couldn’t face you right now.

— 

“Thank you for coming.” Charles stopped what he was doing after that sentence. He had finally gone to see Arthur after you came back home. He waited just a minute to hear your voice, even if he couldn’t see you. He had no idea if he should accept some good or bad feeling from hearing you. He was torn between the fire that lit up again in his heart from your simple words and the hurt of knowing he was only there because of his and Arthur's bad decisions.

After he entered his brother’s room, the one he assumed you shared with him, they both stayed silent for a moment. Charles was dealing with his social media when Arthur finally decided to speak. 

And Charles was more confused than he should be. What did this mean? He turned around to look at Arthur. He was still standing next to the window, watching you outside talking with Lorenzo’s girlfriend. There was something on Arthur’s face that Charles didn’t like. Almost like he couldn’t understand why you came back. Why were you still around? Like he was waiting for you to go away after what happened. 

“I don’t know how to deal with that. I needed you here.” 

This time, it was Charles that couldn’t truly understand what was going on. Actually, no, he can. He loved his baby brother with his whole heart and would have done anything for him. To protect him. To save him from whatever situation he put himself into. But now, looking at him with the whole situation going around, Charles realized something. 

Arthur knew. He knew that Charles would have always come to his rescue. Sacrifice things for him. Do anything for his brother’s happiness before his. And that’s what he was expecting from today too.

“No.” Charles first said, mostly for himself. But it made Arthur turn around too, curious. For the rest, it came out more confidently. Like a part of him had been waiting for ages to finally say these words. “I’m not here for you.” 

He heard Arthur’s nervous laugh, and he took a step back. He wasn’t even scared of his brother; it would have been stupid for many reasons. No, he was more scared of his own mind right now. He still couldn’t believe he said it. Out loud. What he was thinking from the start.

You became his priority. 

You had been for so long. 

But Arthur didn’t let him go away with him and took this step forward and some others. “What do you mean?”

“You fucked up, Arthur.” Charles started, pointing at the window. Pointing at you. “You cheated on your girlfriend. She was willing to give up everything for you; she already did in the past. And you thank her like that? By sleeping with some other girl you don’t even know? Do you seriously think that’s what she deserves?” 

Arthur looked at him blankly. With just a smirk. Not a fun or laughing one. No, a mean one. One that Charles had never seen on his brother. It was almost like he was discovering a new face for his baby brother. And the worst was yet to come.

“You still love her.” Arthur said with an emotionless voice. And it was a real hit in the heart for Charles. He never thought that Arthur knew about his feelings. Sure, he had never been more discreet when it came to his heart. And the way he went from praising you to ignoring you during the weekend said a lot. Maybe the worst part wasn’t much that Arthur knew about his feelings. It was that he knew and let Charles sacrifice himself for him. “I should have expected it. She’s hard to forget, I guess.”

“You’re going to learn now.” Arthur laughed at this answer because it was the truth. He played, and he lost. Just like Charles did last year, technically. If Charles gave up, Arthur lost at his own game. The game over wasn’t the same, except for the fact the lost prize was the same: you. You and your heart. You and your beautiful smile were maybe gone for longer than it should have been.

Charles couldn’t handle it anymore. The more he stayed in this room, the more he was getting hate for his brother, and it was definitely not the family dynamic he wanted. So he walked to the door, ready to leave. Or to finally do what he wanted from the beginning. 

“Can I ask you a question?” 

Charles turned around one last time to look at his brother. But Arthur wasn’t looking at him. He took his place back, near the window. Watching you. From there, it looked like he was trapped in some kind of prison. One he was to blame for being in. But maybe the real story behind this was that he was the watchman and you were the prisoner. At least for now.

“Why did you let me date her?” 

“Sometimes you love someone so much you accept to put their happiness before yours.” Arthur gave him one single look. One that said everything that needed to be known. He wasn’t the one Charles gave up his happiness for. He did it thinking it was the right decision for you.

— 

When Charles went outside, you were still there. Alone this time. You sat on the swing seat, your eyes locked on your own shoes, not giving any interest to the environment around you. Charles’ heart broke a little at this sight. The sun wasn’t supposed to stop shining on the people around it. You weren’t supposed to stop being this joyful person. 

Even if he tried to walk slowly and not scare you, you jumped when Charles sat next to you. “Sorry,” he immediately mumbled. You offered him a small smile while he was trying to find a good seat. Ironically, he was making it move even more and making it harder to sit.

You were the one holding on to the structure to slow the movements. “I’m not great at this.” He laughed nervously. Charles didn’t know how to act around you. It wasn’t easy most of the time. But now it was even harder. They never teach you how to act around the woman you loved and let go, but even less when this same woman got her heart broken by your brother. 

“Thank God you’re better behind the wheel,” you replied, now looking straight in front of you. You couldn’t meet his eyes. You felt guilty. Sure, this whole situation wasn’t your fault; nothing could ever make you think that. But you hated that Charles had to comfort you now. After what happened between you last year, it didn’t feel right. Or fair. 

Charles shrugged, purposely hitting on your shoulder while doing it. “Well, you’re not seeing him when I sit in the car.” You turned your face to him and couldn’t contain a laugh when you saw his proud expression. In the dark, his smile was the small light you needed to not break down. It made you feel like there was still hope out there.

So when Charles stopped smiling, naturally a tear fell from your eye. “I’m so stupid,” you sighed, playing with your fingers. Immediately, he grabbed one of your hands and started playing with them too. You remember how it was something you did to him back then, when there was still something building around you. When he walked out of the car, he wasn’t very proud of what he did.

You both had the same habit of playing with your hands to avoid eye contact and focusing on something else. 

You also both had the same habit of grabbing each other’s hand to help ease the anxiety. 

“I never thought Ar…he would break my heart like that,” you confessed in a quiet and broken voice. A voice that was like a knife right in Charles’ heart. “You said it yourself, he has a pure heart. So why did he change? What did I do wrong?” 

You started crying again. And Charles was fighting to not break down too. He hated seeing you like this. He hated that he was the one pushing you into Arthur’s arms. If Charles didn’t cause the pain, he was the triggering factor. If only he had been more selfish and kept you for himself, this wouldn’t have happened.

He got up, making the structure move again, but this time you didn’t have the strength to hold it. But the swinging didn’t last long. Charles immediately kneeled in front of you, grabbing your legs to stop you from swaying. And once you were stable, one of his hands moved to your face softly. You didn’t hesitate a single second before cuddling against it, even if it meant your tears would now fall on his fingers. If you didn’t want to share your pain with him, that was all Charles was asking. To take it with him so you would feel less hurt.

“You have nothing to do with Arthur’s mistakes, ok? I hate to say that, but I was wrong. I really thought he would treat you better than…” He stopped for a second, closing his eyes to consider what he wanted to say. But he was tired of holding back his words. “Better than I would. I never imagined he would do that; otherwise, I would have never pushed you in his arms. You deserve better, ok?” 

You were absorbing every single word he was saying. Trying to remember every millisecond of his monologue so you could recite it before going to sleep that night and all the following ones when you would remember giving your heart to the wrong brother. 

“You deserve the world.” Charles pursued. You watched as he put a hand in his jacket pocket to get something. “And I hope one day you’ll find the strength to open that glue too and accept the help from someone to heal your broken heart.” 

He handed you the glue. The very same glue you gave him for his birthday. You weren’t quite sure Charles had healed his heart; he wasn’t sure himself. 

The fact he kept it this whole time—more than that, that he had it with him tonight—was the forward thrust you needed.

You thanked him silently, with a smile that he understood immediately. Charles stayed like that for another minute, brushing away the tears that were still falling and caressing your knee in the softest way you’ve ever felt.

Then he sat back on the swing seat, with more precaution this time. For the next ten minutes, he tried to change your mind by speaking of the last season and what was coming. You didn’t speak much, except for some reactions here and there. The conversation wasn’t the real distraction in the end.

It was seeing Charles so full of life, something you’ve waited to see since you’ve met him. Deep down, you took it as proof that a better future was coming.

“Let’s go inside.” Charles offered after noticing the shivers in your body grow bigger. “I can escort you to your room.” He knew that you were staying in the guest room. It wasn’t hard to guess anyway, as all the brothers took their own room, and there was no way you would be sleeping with Arthur that night. 

A part of him wished he could comfort you to sleep anyway. 

Especially after you grabbed his hand to follow him inside. So lightly that he could let it go easily if he didn’t pay attention. But enough for him to feel the contact of your skin together and feel the heat growing in him. 

“Goodnight,” you whispered to him, closing the door. Charles hated how he only noticed now how your makeup had actually been ruined through the day.

___

Charles was taking his shirt off when he heard slight bangs on his door. He was clearly not expecting anybody, especially not now and not in his family house. 

His mom was already asleep; Lorenzo was never the type to come when the doors were closed; Arthur still hadn’t come back from what he knew. So it didn’t leave many possibilities.

As he could expect, you were the one behind the door when he opened it. Charles found it sad that you were still wearing the same pajamas you probably brought for your holiday: an old shirt that he recognized from Arthur’s wardrobe and a short that was showing too much leg for his own good. 

But what made him even sadder was the expression on your face. If he thought you looked sad earlier, it was nothing compared to now.

“Do you mind if…” You didn’t even finish your sentence before your voice broke down. Charles moved aside to let you come in, giving a look in the corridor to make sure you were alone. Even if he didn’t have to explain himself if anybody saw you. 

He would never let you be alone in the situation. Nor ever, now that he thought about it.

What he didn’t expect was that the moment he closed the door, you would fall in his arms. You didn’t show much attention to him except for accepting the one he gave you earlier. But you were the one who initiated it. Compared to now.

“I'm so tired of this, Charles,” you mumbled against his naked chest. The first thing that came to your mind was how you never felt more safe and comfortable than right now, in his arms. Not even Arthur could make for his big brother natural reassurance. 

It was something that has always been true about Charles. People, friends, members of the team, family, and anyone who needed to feel comfort knew they could go to Charles for this. If he felt like he wasn’t always finding the right words, it seemed to work enough for people to feel better when they left.

Maybe that was always true about him too. People never seemed to stay.

“He’s not planning on coming back, and he left alone here, in your family house? What am I even supposed to do here by myself?” You started again, sounding angrier now. “I can’t fucking sleep in his bed because it makes me sick. Sleeping in the guest bed makes me feel bad because I don’t belong here. I feel bad because he’s not here. But he’s the one who fucked up. Why do I feel bad? Why do I feel guilty? Charles, I…”

Every word you said was like a knife in the heart for him. Hurting more than the punches you were hitting on his chest.

With each hour passing from this morning, Charles felt worse about the decision he took months ago. He should have never let you go. He would have never treated you this way. 

When you broke down, Charles held you harder against his chest. He was humming, trying to calm you down. His head was above yours, and at some point, he naturally started kissing your hair. He was trying to create a peaceful bubble where you would feel at ease. Less sad.

“You can sleep here,” Charles offered in a whisper. “I don’t mind.” 

It wasn’t until you were lying in his bed that you asked the question. Charles’ idea was to let you sleep in his bed and for him to sleep in the guest room. At least you didn’t risk Arthur coming at night, and he could deal with his brother. It never occurred to you that you would ask for the situation to be different.

But you grabbed his hand after he moved the sheet up your chest. “Would you…can you stay with me? Please?” 

Charles looked at you with confusion but also hope. A hope that lowered over the months but that never died. He replied with a simple nod and sweet smile. A reassuring one. In a home where you probably felt unwelcome, even if it wasn’t entirely true, Charles wanted you to know you were at the right place right now.

So he didn’t waste another minute and went to lie next to you. The boundaries were pretty obvious with each of you sleeping at the end of the bed and with a gap between your bodies. While you were facing the wall, he was on his back, trying to organize the mess that had been that day. 

Right when he closed his eyes to try to sleep, he felt the mattress moving. He couldn’t resist giving you a look. You were now facing him with your eyes open. “Charles?” you whispered. 

He was obviously awake, yet you were scared of disturbing him. But he gave you that smile. The one he only had the secret. The one that opened the door to his life, his head, his heart. 

“Will it be ok?” 

You knew he would understand what you meant.

When you met Charles, he was so heartbroken that he chose to put all the good things in his life aside because he felt like he didn’t deserve to be happy anymore. And even if his anxiety was still a battle he had to fight every day, it got better. A few months ago, he probably would have ignored you because he would have thought it wasn’t his place to comfort you. To be the good person in your life.

But there he was, sharing a bed with you. Thinking that maybe tomorrow could be better. And that two days later could be even better.

He knew.

That was why he took your hand, the one resting on your pillow next to your face. He held it until you chose to intertwine your fingers together. A contact you both needed. To heal the past and the future.

Charles moved to lie on his side, facing you. And with his thumb brushing your skin, he gave you the only thing you needed to hear that night.

The only thing he also needed to say. 

“It will. I promise."

[harmless-variety-of-garden-snake]

Tommy's introduced as a bigot in season 2 and often shown taking initiative in starting the bullying of Hen and Chim vs. waiting for Gerrard to do something and just not standing up for them. There's even a scene in "Chimney Begins" where no one else is even in the room to overhear and Tommy still chooses to be nasty to Chimney instead of a bare minimum of civil. Even after the "resolution" of the episode and his 'apology' (not for racism, but for making Chim prove himself at work), he's still shown to have spent years not learning his lesson, becuase he goes back to the same behaviors with Hen and Chimnney even mentions that "the Asian guy" still isn't invited out by the team for drinks or BBQ.

Then when it's "addressed" in season 7, we see remarkably little growth from Tommy, where he's blaming "the environment" and Gerrard for his choices and actions as a grown man. And in season 8, we get a healthy dose of misogyny in ageism with how he speaks of Abby, while casually acknowledging he also screwed up her life.

It's not just that he was afraid to stand up against bigotry in the face of an evil boss. He could've taken Eli's route, and just be silent. But no, Tommy is someone who chose to actively participate in workplace bigotry and bullying, and then almost 20 years removed, shrugs it off as everyone else's fault.

let’s not forget his very recent comments about Abby that were reeking of misogyny. Talking about her dating some “himbo” younger than her (as if he wasn’t actively doing the same thing) and admitting he was lying the whole relationship (not just about his sexuality).

Word for word that man said, “Heard she went a little nuts after that” as if her entire world wasn’t flipped upside down with her engagement ending and having to take care of her sick mother. The only tiny bit of understanding he showed was him saying she deserved better, which duh. 

One time when I was five I put a bead in my nose and it went all the way up to the bridge and I had to push down on it from the top until I could get it out because I was scared it would go to my brain and kill me.

That has nothing to do with any of what you said, but I just thought I'd put that out there because you're doing some dumb shit and I wanted you to know we've all done dumb shit. This is a safe space.

Anyway, I don't think you've ever been a closeted queer person who's said and done some at times questionable or outright fucked up things to keep yourself safe from scrutiny.* I grew up seeing people like me getting murdered and heard people explain why it would've been avoidable if they hadn't been so obvious or if they'd just chosen to be normal. I also grew up with a lot of bullies who were only bullying me because it put them in the protected group. It kept them from having people look at whether or not they were actually a good target for bullying. I'm actually friends with a couple of those people now. Not close, but we're cordial and we'll talk when we bump into each other at the store. That has more to do with us being in our thirties and living our own lives. There's a couple who had no excuse whatsoever other than being actual homophobes, I don't talk to them.

I dated in high school, I was engaged but I was 18 so I don't know how much that counts, but then I came out when I was in my early twenties. I knew I wasn't actually interested the entire time I was with those people, either. At first I just thought the relationship wasn't right for me, then I started to realize what was actually going on. I still dated, I still asked someone to marry me because I thought I could be happy with them. I did love and care about them, just not the way you should if you're going to marry them. I also didn't tell anyone I was non-binary until two months ago, even though I figured it out about fifteen years ago. A trans person hiding their identity to protect themselves from danger or rejection is nothing new, but it's kind of a shitty feeling to know you've been lying to every ex you've ever had about something like that. I don't like that feeling, and it's going to take a while for me to shake that. I don't know that I ever will.

So all of that is to say that a character like Tommy is actually kind of important to those of us who also weren't perfect at being queer, especially those of us who grew up during a specific time. I was actually pleasantly surprised that a basic network show would have someone like that, but times they are a-changing. So onto your last point:

Abby Clark is played by a now 57 year old Connie Britton (drop the skincare routine, girl), Lou Ferrigno Jr is 40, and Oliver Stark is 33. When you're an actual grown person, a seven or eight year age difference is kind of nothing. One of you might be a little more ready for things like kids or marriage, but that's not a guarantee. But hearing that your ex started dating a 26 year old when she's about 50, whether or not he knows that she actually pulled Buck's info in a very questionable way (I love that no one going after Tommy ever seems to care about the massive ethical breach from Abby), is kind of...wild. And he presumably heard about this from a mutual friend of some kind, who likely gave him this information colored by their own perception of the situation. This is where critical thinking skills become important. Based on context clues, I can safely guess that Tommy asked someone how Abby was doing or ran into someone who knows her, too, and they said "Hey, did you hear about Abby's new guy?" Otherwise he would've said "I saw that she was dating...." or "She told me she was dating..." So this could've been secondhand bitchiness, it could've been that her behavior was being framed as extremely not okay by someone they knew. We'll never know, the show doesn't have the strongest writing all the time. I'm not touching the thing about her mother, because a very close family member of mine has Alzheimer's, a good friend just lost a parent to it, and I do not want to examine the behavior of a person who's dealing with that or that of the people in their lives.

Could he have said "But I get it, she would've been going through a lot because of her mom and then our breakup"? Yeah. Would it have been nice if they wrote any scenes between Tommy, Hen, and Chimney that bridged the gap between when they weren't close and when they actually celebrated him and his accomplishments when he left the 118 to show why he would be someone Chimney would call on in two major emergencies? Yeah. I think I would've liked to see them talk things out onscreen and to show any apologies. Mostly because it would keep people from dropping an essay in my ask box when I feel like my sinuses and temples are filled with hot needles. I don't actually need to see it other than liking the three of them together, because I figured that they would've shown some hesitation before Chimney would reach out to him or he would've pulled Buck aside to warn him to be careful with Tommy. Or Hen and Karen wouldn't have been so thrilled when they realized what had gone down before Buck and Tommy came into the hospital room. There's a lot of stuff they don't show on this show, but they'd at least make a point to do or not do certain things if a character hated or disliked a character.

*I believe a certain dispatcher even did a whole big speech about this on the very show you apparently watch. I didn't like the Glee part, because I don't like Glee after season one. But the rest of it was good.

[jonquilyst]

Day 6 - Challenge Day

I felt kinda bad taking everyone to a winter wonderland in summer, so for the third challenge I decided to take everyone to sunny, tropical Sulani! This is definitely more Marilyn and Josue's style 😎

In today's challenge, the teams will be taking turns diving for treasure! The value of each treasure collected by the contestants will be added up, and the team whose treasures are worth the most will win first class/invincibility!

Before we get into the challenge, though... I've got something else to cover 🤭

This challenge, we are introducing the season's immunity idol: a jonquilyst crystal! I have hidden the idol on one of the islands and told the contestants to look for it!

While the contestants search, allow me to tell you what the immunity idol exactly is:

The immunity idol protects the possessor from elimination should they receive the most votes in an elimination ceremony. It is valid up until the final 4 and should the immunity idol be used, the contestant with the second-most votes will be eliminated instead! There will only be 1 immunity idol, so whoever finds it will be very lucky...

Well, would you look at that! The immunity idol has been found, and it was found by Nite!

Congratulations, Nite! Should you ever get the most votes in an elimination ceremony, you will be protected! Keep that crystal safe! (And keep the fact that you have the idol safe too 😬)

Now, onto the challenge! Team Integrity was chosen to go first! Because Team Success is down a person, Team Integrity and Team Odyssey will be leaving one person out of the challenge. Team Integrity unanimously chose Matteo because of his shoulder injury, and so Matteo passed the time by drawing stars in the sand!

When everyone arrived at the diving spot, Estrello decided to smell Lucian's hair for some reason... Yea, alpha hair does look pretty soft, Estrello 😁

Team Success was next, and Espresso was nearly smacked in the face by Marilyn's flippers after she dived down 😌 Thankfully, Espresso is pretty forgiving and she harbors no hard feelings towards Marilyn

And last but not least, Team Odyssey, led by Ziggy, determinedly swam to find their treasure! They chose to leave Tomiko out, who decided to build a sand castle!

Wait... Elio, what are you still doing here? Your team went hours ago 😭 I guess Elio really likes this challenge...

RESULTS

Team Integrity

Alanna: Fingers of Sulani (§610) Avery: Fingers of Sulani (§140) Elio: Fingers of Sulani (§140) Estrello: Rock (§0) Lucian: Heart of Sulani (§185) Matteo: DNP Total Value: §1075

Team Success

Brendan: Fingers of Sulani (§130) Carson: Rock (§0) Espresso: Rock (§0) Josue: Rock (§0) Marilyn: Heart of Sulani (§185) Total Value: §315

Team Odyssey

Minato: Rock (§0) Nite: Eyes of Sulani (§60) Raylan: A treasureless "X" (§0) Tomiko: DNP Touma: Fingers of Sulani (§610) Ziggy: Rock (§0) Total Value: §670

TEAM INTEGRITY WINS!

Team Integrity manages to best Team Odyssey this round and takes the cake! Congratulations! You all earned access to first class and invincibility!

Team Odyssey, although you didn't win this time, you're still in 2nd place, meaning you're all safe from elimination as well 💜

And Team Success... Man, are you very much not successful! I will see you once again at the elimination ceremony!

That's not all that happened today, though! After everyone boarded the plane following the challenge, Minato started this season's first fire! It was Ziggy who was brave and put out the fire before anyone could get hurt. Nice job, Ziggy!

Today's Confessional: Estrello Pyre

"I'm so happy we won! We all did such a great job today, even though all I found was a worthless rock. Still, I think we deserve first class. I'm so excited to sleep in a cozy bed tonight; I think my muscles are gonna be sore after all that swimming!"

"But the fact that Team Success lost again? Man, that's rough... I'm in pretty tight with Espresso; I really hope she doesn't get eliminated!"

@lyratea @hellogreta @sanitysims @changingplumbob @paracosmic-sims

@riverofjazzsims @invisiblequeen @simsinfinitylt @simstagramsomeone

@aliengirl @matchalovertrait @kissalopa @bloomingkyras @kari-sims

@ravingsockmonkey  @nakasumi-sims @ethicaltreatmentofcowplants

[taylorklosscomeout138]

I HAVE FULL CHILLS.

(Performance art explained!!!)

Everything Taylor has been doing since the release of the I Can See You MV which premiered in Kansas City just ONE day before Travis attended Eras Tour for the first time has all been in reference to the plot of "Valentine's Day" - a movie she starred in with Taylor Lautner, who was also in the I Can See You MV.

The film released in 2010, Speak Now era, and the I Can See You MV reveals that the Taylor from this film has been locked away ever since. In "Valentine's Day", Taylor's character notably has a big 13 written on her hand, just like the Taylor in the vault.

We missed all of the signs and never put the pieces together but it was never just a MV. Speak Now Taylor was broken out for the purpose of fulfilling 1 last acting role, an acting role she was already familiar with, the role she played in "Valentine's Day" with Taylor Lautner.

In the film, Taylor has an athlete boyfriend, played by Taylor Lautner, and the two of them are high school sweethearts. Hence, the intention behind So High School.

But here is where it becomes clear this is not just her own story she is trying to tell, because to break the blender, the singer needs the football player, Travis Kelce.

In "Valentine's Day" there is a subplot about a closeted gay professional football player that decides to publicily come out on national TV and retire to choose his male partner over his career.

(AND TRULY HEAR WHEN I SAY THIS BECAUSE I AM IN DISBELEF)

After the closeted football player comes out, he goes home to be with his lover who greets him with a GOLD ROSE.

No you were not crazy to think Ross Travis was soft launching him and Travis with this. That is EXACTLY what is happening here. This isn't an original plot, this is a live remake

Immediately after the Super Bowl, teammates of Travis already begun spreading that Travis may retire. Right on cue. Following the script to a T.

The evidence that Taylor has been publicily playing the role of "Valentine's Day" Speak Now Taylor since July 8th 2023 does not end there though.

Besides Taylor Lautner, SEVERAL other actors/actresses that starred in "Valentine's Day" attended the Eras Tour, which could be a coincidence until we look at when they did.

Jennifer Garner who played Julia in "Valentine's Day" attended the Eras Tour on, you guessed it, July 7th 2023 in Kansas City the day I Can See You MV premiered, 1 day before Travis attended.

Bradley Cooper who played the love interest of the closeted football player attended the Eras Tour WITH Travis Kelce on May 12th 2024, the 87th show. IMDB promoted this article which notably points out Travis being there and how Taylor and Bradley both starred in "Valentine's Day".

Ashton Kutcher who played the character Reed in "Valentine's Day" attended the Eras Tour on June 22nd 2024 while Travis was there, just 1 day before Travis was on stage taking up an acting role for the peformance of I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.

Anne Hathaway also attended 1 day after Travis did. Jessica Alba attended during Karlie's birthday shows in LA August 2023. Emma Roberts went to one of the first shows of the Tour. In which all of the following people played the major roles in "Valentine's Day".

We are still not done.

In the main scene of Taylor and her athlete boyfriend Taylor Lautner, Taylor's character is wearing PLAID, this is why Taylor has excessively been wearing plaid for the past 2 years to the point people started believing it was an album era clue. Nope, she has just been in character, and giving us so many signs to lead back to the film for so long.

And finally, in the ending scene for Taylor's character, she says goodbye to her athlete boyfriend and is seen in an ELEVATOR wearing a RED DRESS. The same color dress Taylor chose to wear to the Grammy's, the main event right before the Super Bowl. Where she wore a T chain that got everyone talking that it was for Travis, it was a farewell.

If you have been following, for the Super Bowl Taylor brought everything full circle with Bejeweled. From the Bejeweled MV release date to the Super Bowl, it was exactly 838 days. She filmed it August 3rd on Karlie's birthday. And the Haim sisters from the Bejeweled MV accompanied her at the game. She also bookended her first Chiefs football game attendance outfit by wearing the same one, except she Bejeweled the shorts. And then just as the prophecy foretold in Bejeweled, she ghosted, leaving the stadium early.

What else happened in Bejeweled though? The elevator scene. Which is EXACTLY how she chose to tease Speak Now TV. The album that gave us I Can See You. And the way she revealed this was by making Speak Now TV the 13th floor (refer back to 13 written on her hand in Valentine's Day)

I am just absolutely floored. This has all been here the whole time right in front of us and it is MASTERFUL planning. Down to the full circle moment that has been going viral with Taylor presenting the award to Beyoncè referring back to when Beyoncè presented to Taylor at the 2009 MTV Awards while Taylor was writing Speak Now. It was yet another clue that Taylor is currently playing the role of Speak Now Taylor from the Valentine's Day film, and she would have already been filming for the movie at this time.

I will not be recovering from this information I truly cannot believe that this is real

[damn-stark]

Chapter 2 Lavender green, lavender blue

Chapter 2 of Sinnerwoman

A/N- Ahhh!! The second chapter is here and I really hope you all like it just as much as I liked writing it!!

Warning- ANGST!! Weapons, blood, light violence. Talks of death! And small SA part. Spoilers for the show!

Pairing- Hwang Jun-ho x fem!reader

Episode- 1x09 & 2x01-2x02

(Let me know if you want to be tagged)

——

A decision has been made. It was made the moment the Front Man revealed his identity, but what is the warmth and the sound of your lover's beating heart compared to a lifetime of bitter solitude and agonizing screams?

Nothing…nothing compares to what you have to return to, but you can’t stay or risk waiting. Jun-ho might be in a coma, he might wake up a month from now, and you would have waited a month or all your life if you had to, but you can’t risk it.

You have to leave, he has to forget about you for his own safety. And maybe it is a selfish decision, you got mad at him because he chose to leave you in the dark when he decided to put his life at risk to sneak onto that Island, but this is different. This is a sacrifice you're making to save his life. Does it make leaving him behind any better?

No, you don’t want him to forget about you. You don’t want him to meet someone else, and you don’t want him to live the life you wanted with him with someone else. You want him to only love you, but there’s no other choice. He won’t stop pursuing the Island and that will get him killed, and you don't think you’ll be able to survive this time if you have to watch someone else that you love die in your arms again, so you have to leave.

First, though, you have to snuggle up against him and share his warmth for a little longer. You have to hear the sound of his beating heart for a little longer to memorize its calming beat.

Just a little longer.

“Lavender’s green, dilly, dilly…lavender's blue,” you sing, or try because every word of the lullaby comes out shaky and like you’re out of breath because you can’t help the tears that run down your cheeks and stain Jun-ho’s hospital gown.

“If you love me…dilly, dilly. I will love you,” you continue and maybe you aren’t the best singer, but memories fade or get obscured, especially those of children, and that lullaby is one of the few memories you have of your sister when she would sing it to you at the orphanage. It means so much to you, to her memory and now when you think of that song, besides your sister, you’ll think of the only man you’ll love. The man who loved you; your Jun-ho, so you have to share it with him. Even if he can’t hear it.

Yet those last words uttered were like a pierce to the heart and with each impact, more and more of you was chipped away, leaving no more strength to continue the rest. Thus you stroke Jun-ho’s chest one more time before you shift your head to press a light kiss on the part of his chest that you were resting your head on. You then slide off the bed and sit up to study every inch of his face before you lean down and leave one last kiss on his lips.

Rather than getting up right away, you let the warmth of your lips linger on his to cherish the taste before you force yourself off the hospital bed.

When you’re standing at the foot of the same bed you steal one last glance at him, wishing you could have seen his eyes and talked to him one more time, but you keep telling yourself that what you’re doing is for the best, so you push yourself away with tears crawling down the curve of your cheeks.

Before you can leave the room and the hospital, however, you make a stop at the bathroom. You splash your face with water to wipe the tears off your cheeks and any marking they could have left behind. If you had any other clothes besides the ones you wore to the Island, you would have put them on now, but you have nothing. All you can do is disconnect your phone from any satellite that gives you service, and then the wifi to go offline, making the hospital the last place your phone would have been.

Once that is taken care of, you move to leave, but you catch a glimpse of your reflection in the mirror, so you stop and slowly scale your eyes to the scar of a skidding bullet above your ear, and every bad memory you have of the island comes rushing in, making you hesitate and dread having to return to that horrible and terrible life.

You almost have the nerve to return to Jun-ho’s bedside and pretend you weren’t going to leave. You don’t want to see it again. You don’t want to live it. You can’t hide behind a mask again, but…it’s a sacrifice you have to make for the man you love, so after a deep breath you make it out of the bathroom. You throw your phone away in the nearest trash can and stride out of the hospital.

No one stops you, and no one looks. You walk out alone under the cover of rain and leave everything behind.

——

*3 YEARS LATER.*

“…IT'S ALMOST BEEN THREE YEARS SINCE THE DISAPPEARANCE…”

Whatever had been said before didn’t matter. It didn’t even register as noise, but these words finally steal his attention. After all, it's been the same words they once repeated daily and then weekly, monthly, and then every year, so like his name, Jun-ho becomes alert when he hears them,

“…OF THE RESPECTED AND DECORATED DETECTIVE KANG…”

Yet when the news anchor begins to say your name he tunes out the news again. He can’t muster the strength to hear your name or see the portrait of you that they display on the screen without feeling agony pierce his heart. So with memorized timing, he tunes out those few seconds and then focuses again to hear the rest of the news bit.

“…SHE WAS LAST SEEN LEAVING THE HOSPITAL. IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION ON HER WHEREABOUTS PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL AUTHORITIES. THANK YOU.”

Yet no one ever does contact the authorities. It’s like you just vanished in the rainfall that supposedly hit that night.

Maybe if you hadn’t been seen at the same hospital he was taken to it would be easier to pass you off as dead, but you were seen. You made it out of the Island, just like he did, so how could he possibly forget you? You of all people. You out of every soul he knew. You…his epic love.

Just like his brother was his life. You were also all of his life and so much more of it. He would have to be dead to forget you.

Maybe death would be good though. That way he would forget what he saw his brother become. That way he could stop blaming himself for your disappearance, but when he looks up at the picture of you and him that he has attached to his locker mirror, he thinks to himself, “How can I possibly die without knowing where you are, or…what happened to you?”

He can’t die yet. He has so many questions, and so much unfinished business that also has nothing to do with you, but, you…

“You,” he thinks to himself as he pulls the picture off the mirror, catching at that moment the wandering eyes of his colleague before he quickly looks away and walks off without saying a word.

At first, the first few weeks of your disappearance, when he returned to work, all he would get was pitiful consolations. After that, anytime you were brought up they just passed him pitiful stares that were also mixed with curiosity as they wondered if he still cared.

He would tell them to fuck off, but he doesn’t want to waste his breath so he lets them think what they want. He’s still searching for answers and he’s the only one that needs to know that.

“I won’t stop looking,” he thinks to himself as he folds the picture so you and your timid smile are the center of attention.

After he strokes his thumb over the image of you he sticks the picture back on his mirror and tries to continue changing back into his normal clothes, but then the scar his brother left on his shoulder steals his attention.

Just like you, how can he possibly forget about In-ho? Sometimes he forgets what he saw, but when he sees his scar, when he feels the shape under his fingertips, he remembers what happened that day In-ho shot him and he’s hit with a wave of different emotions and questions.

One question he has is if In-ho has anything to do with your disappearance. You escaped the Island, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t find you after you escaped.

Maybe In-ho…took you away from Jun-ho’s life?

He doesn’t like that possibility, he can’t imagine that his brother is the one who stole the woman he loved from him, so he finishes changing. Once he’s done, like every day that came before, he leaves the department and heads to his car.

Yet this evening as he’s walking to his car he feels this sensation like someone is staring, so he stops walking, and lifts his gaze to look in the direction he felt the stare coming from.

However, when his eyes find the spot, there’s no one there. There’s just an empty street. So after a couple of seconds of lingering, he continues to his car. It’s only once he’s driven off that you come out from behind a pillar, and keep your eyes where you had seen him last before you take a deep breath and collect yourself to check your phone.

When you see what time it is you groan in annoyance and set off. There’s no hurry in your pace, or an urgency to get a ride to where you’re meant to be. You go on as if you’re taking a stroll through the city, enjoying the sights like a tourist, and enjoying the sounds of everyday life because that’s the one thing you like; the commotion of the busy city life.

Where you live now is like living in a construction site, or sometimes it feels like an office. In the off-season when there’s not an army of workers, there is a stillness that you appreciate, but with it comes a silence that drags on and if you weren’t used to it you would be driven insane.

That’s why you soak in the everyday commotion while you can. Even if it makes you late to your meeting.

“Hi, I’m here to join a party already at a table. Under the name, Oh,” you let the hostess know, and right away her eyes search the list on her screen. In a matter of seconds, her finger stops scrolling and she faces you with a perfectly practiced smile.

“Follow me,” she says and walks away from her podium to guide you to a secluded table at the end of the room, still nicely lit, but secluded to offer privacy.

Thus the walk is longer than usual, but when you reach the table the party waiting for you stands from their seats to welcome you to the table at long last.

“Here you go, ma’am, do you know what you want to order or should I leave the menu?”

“No,” one of the party members interjects. “We already ordered ahead for her. Let the waitress know she’s here.”

The hostess offers him a smile and nods in comprehension before she backs up and walks off, leaving you alone to face your rather patient dates.

“Forgive me,” you announce with a small smile. “I’m late. I know. There was some business I needed to take care of.”

You proceed to take your seat that faces the party you met up with, and they then take their seats after you, letting you meet them at their eye level and offer them a wider smile. “Shall we?” You suggest.

——

*2 YEARS AGO*

“…I don’t like to see you get hurt and if something had happened to you, or if something happens to you because of me, I…don’t think I could ever in my life forgive myself. I…love you.”

“I…love you.”

“I…love you.”

Jun-ho’s words are the commotion that keeps the quiet lobby from truly being deafening so late at night. While the picture in your hand keeps you company in a lobby where you’re the only one occupying it.

That is until you hear the glass front doors get pushed open and a single pair of wet footsteps walk in and change the occupation from one to two. Or so that’s what it sounds like.

You peer back thinking you’ll catch more people walking in with the person you’re waiting for, but alas, it’s a single man. A homeless man…maybe? He looks ragged with his beat-up clothes, his shoulder-length unkempt hair, and his dirty face.

But who are you to judge his appearance?

“The elevators are down the hall,” you share as you turn your head away from the man who seems lost. “If not. The receptionist start their shift at six. You’ll have to be gone by then.”

The man begins to walk down the hall while he offers you a response. “Oh…thank you. Goodnight.”

“Good night,” you deadpan and keep listening in. It’s not until you hear the elevator doors close that you bring up your picture again and keep admiring Jun-ho’s image, his heartwarming smile that he only showed to the camera because you were posing with him. Otherwise, you would only catch him in a picture alone if it was off guard. It’s why you have a lot of pictures of him off guard, and that’s why the ones with him actually looking at the camera and smiling are your favorite, but the one you hold in your hand is a picture you cherish the most because decorations from your favorite holiday adorn it, and he’s holding your little black Scottish Terrier, Gentleman.

If only you could be with them, especially now, but if you picked up your dog the moment you left the hospital that night, it would have made your disappearance questionable, so you left him behind with your neighbor the day you left for the Island. And Jun-ho…there’s hundreds of reasons why you can’t be with him…

That’s why you’re here alone, watching the snow start to fall and stick to the ground with a solemn look that will probably never leave. Once the snow is thicker you put the folded picture away and step outside where you break the snow’s path so some part of it can fall on you instead.

It takes a while for you to look up as you stand in your solitude and let the snow weigh you down first as if you’re just another object on the street. When you do finally break from your stupor, you slowly look up at the white sky intermingled with the night, and notice two perfectly shaped snowflakes dancing down from the sky in an attempt to reach the ground, so you put your hand out and try to catch them on your palm.

Nevertheless, one snowflake breaks away from its path and continues barreling to the ground, while the other lands on your palm all alone and melts right away.

Perhaps if the other snowflake had also landed on your palm, the lonely snowflake would have lived longer, but it was no good alone. Thus you fist your hand with disappointment and attempt to head back inside, but in that moment you then catch a man across the street.

He doesn’t seem conscious, he seems to be sleeping with the way he’s slumped on the ground, but you can’t be sure from where you are, so you make your way to him.

The moment you reach him you call out to him in hopes of gaining his attention. “Sir? Are you okay?”

You wait for a few seconds but there’s no response. His eyes remain closed and his breathing heavy, so you get closer and catch a whiff of alcohol, but you don't let that matter. You still shake him gently, causing him to slip.

When he doesn’t wake up that way you back away and immediately pull your phone out to call the police. And rather than staying there and waiting for the police out in the open, under all the street lights, you choose to walk off to a bench across the street and wait there where you won’t be seen.

You continue to wait and wait until finally a siren sounds and police show up to take the man out of the cold. And even then you don’t leave the cold yourself, you stay on the bench, letting the snow continue to pile up on your slouched figure as you wait and lose yourself on the untouched sheet of snow already covering the ground.

After some unknown time passes the headlights of a car break you from your stupor and you look up, noticing black SUVs with dark tinted windows pull up to the apartment building you had been waiting in. Thus ending your waiting period and making you dust the snow off your body before you get up to look like some creep waiting just outside the car.

Thankfully who you’re waiting for doesn’t leave you waiting too long, but the moment your eyes land on him your breath catches in your throat. And when his eyes fall on you, he comes to a stop and has the nobility to look at you in the eyes.

There’s no softness and no agitation. He doesn’t pass you a firm or deadpanned look. He seems curious about you, just as you are about him; Hwang In-ho, the older brother of the love of your life, and the Front Man.

Even so, neither of you exchange any words on any matter, he just says your name so you counter by stating his own name. “Hwang In-ho. It’s nice to meet you in a calmer environment.” You scoff and he just looks at you before he turns his body to face the car.

“Are you coming?” He asks and walks away without waiting for an answer as if he knows what you’re going to choose. Yet you still linger where you are to hesitate as if you have a choice when your mind's made up and has been forcing you to follow through with that decision for a year now.

It’s just…if you get that in that car, you officially go back to that nightmare. You leave your life behind. You leave Jun-ho, and trade it for…a life that turned its back on you?

“Your father is dead,” In-ho shares from inside the car as if he can read your mangled thoughts only getting more and more twisted—“you have a chance to start over. Not where you started, but by my side. Just as we discussed. Get in the car.”

You put your hands in your pockets to grab the picture and debate for a second longer before you choose not to live a lifetime secluded. If you’re going to be alone you might as well be alone there where you can be a piece upon the board. So you get in the car and watch your decision get sealed when the door closes.

“Is the host dead?” You ask first and foremost, skipping formalities because you already know each other's names.

“The flower arrangement was inappropriate,” he says in a deeper tone that could be passed as scolding.

“Well,” you respond with a growing malicious smile. “Look at it this way, now my flowers will be the first to decorate his grave.” You snicker and look over at him with a smile, but he looks at you nonchalantly.

“You can’t see Jun-ho anymore,” he changes the subject bluntly, causing your smile to fall and your amusement to fade right away.

“I know that,” you mutter as you turn your head away to look out the window. “That’s why I disappeared because I saw you. I knew who you were and what you meant to the games, and I…knew,” you pause and swallow back a lump of emotions that had begun to form in your throat. “I knew I wouldn’t be able to lie to his face.”

You see your eyes water through the reflection painted on the window, so you avert your gaze and continue. “He really cares about you…you know. He looks—looked up to you. It wasn’t long after we met that he told me about you, so…seeing you take that mask off…” you trail off and peek over at him, seeing that he can't look at you, his eyes are on his hands, and his jaw is clenched, giving away his discomfort on the matter.

“…was when I knew what I had to do to protect him because if he knew that I knew how to find you, he wouldn’t stop. He would get himself killed to get back on that Island again. To reach you, and,” you pause and feel the tears break away to fall down your cheeks.

“I can’t lose him. He means everything to me. And coming from someone with nothing, losing everything is like losing one's own life.”

In-ho hums, and you take that as a simple form of acknowledgment, but if you could understand the deeper meaning behind that simple acknowledging hum, you would know that he also knows what it’s like to lose everything.

“I already lost everything once. I can’t lose it again. So I know I can’t see him again,” you finish stating and then wipe the tears off your face to slowly look over at him.

“Are you sure there will be a place for me there?” You make sure to ask.

In-ho’s eyes drift to you to catch a glimpse of you before he reaches down and grabs a black box decorated with a pink bow to give it to you.

You don’t wait or question him. You pull at the pink bow to pull it off and then pull the lid off the box. When you reach inside you pull out a shiny silver mask of the top half of a crane’s face.

“This is where you belong,” In-ho assures you as you keep looking at your mask and realize there’s no turning back. This is you now. Again.

Another piece on the board…

Or the piece that ends it all.

——

*NOW*

“I’m glad that we are meeting in the city,” you muse as you pull your coat off and hang it on your chair. “The island tends to suffocate me.”

“You insisted on meeting here,” In-ho quips as he studies you as if that will give away where you were. “Annoyingly so.”

You shrug and flash him a sweet smile. “And you accepted. You had the power to deny my suggestion but you caved, so my point still stands.”

In-ho sighs deeply in annoyance before he snaps his gaze away to look at your third guest, the man in charge of recruiting the players for the games. “Anyway, considering some of us are meant to be missing, we're short on time. Tell us what you know,” he directs at the recruiter.

“Well,” the recruiter doesn’t leave you waiting. “As I’ve mentioned, player 456, Seong Gi-hun, and his…hired lackey,” he adds without masking his disgust. “Are trailing me.”

“What else is new,” you mutter and sit back as the waitress walks over with your cup of coffee just the way you like it. “Aren’t they on the subway lines every day?”

The recruiter sighs whilst he also picks up his spoon to mix his coffee. “On the dot. Which leaves me surprised that…such low lives are so loyal to their boring jobs.”

You pick your cup up and raise it to quip. “Money. Maybe we can offer them more to act like they don’t see you. That will keep player 456 chasing after his own tail.”

The recruiter laughs and you flash him a smile as you take a sip of your coffee. Albeit In-ho doesn’t share your amusement. “That won’t be necessary. You will let Player 456’s lackey find you.”

The recruiter lets his spoon go and blinks repeatedly in confusion before he questions the command. He’s not one to question any command given to him. If In-ho or anyone above him says bark, he will do so without hesitation, but he questions this command this one time. “Are you sure?”

In-ho nods. “Play with them or be straightforward. It doesn’t matter as long as Player 456 gets this key,” he shares before digging in his suit pocket and pulling out a brown card that he hands to the recruiter. “He won’t want any other thing but to see me. That key will have all he needs to find me.”

The recruiter doesn’t read the card. He blindly tucks it away and nods in comprehension.

“How many players have you recruited?” You interject now as you take a longer sip of your coffee.

“I’m close to getting all the players we need. I have of course left three spots open.”

“Good,” In-ho mumbles.

The recruiter licks his lips and leans forward. “Will you still go through with it, Captain?”

In-ho grabs the cup of his almost-finished coffee and leaves the question unanswered for a moment before he nods and then takes his last drink of coffee. Once he's done he proceeds to answer. “As long as player 456 does.”

You set your cup down and keep your eyes lingering on the coffee in your cup to avoid anyone’s potential stare.

“Will you?” The question gets passed and you know the Recruiter is looking at you. “It’s hard to imagine you getting your hands dirty. All those people.”

You swallow thickly and simply steal a glance at him before you take a sip of your coffee and keep your eyes on the cup rather than him to avoid letting him read any part of your current thoughts.

The Recruiter is no mind reader, but he’s crazy enough to know what’s lurking in the shadows of your mind. He always has.

“I’ve been a cop,” you argue. “I know how to get my hands dirty. It doesn’t bother me, and neither do the people.”

“Right,” he snickers. “You’re a lone wolf. With no social skills.”

You sit the cup down hard and snap your eyes to him, catching that stupid taunting smile plastered on his stupid face.

Just like when you were young he always finds a way to pester you.

“If you weren’t number two. You would die. There’s a difference between watching and actually playing. Did you ever play those games in the orphanages you—”

“My brother and I played all the time,” you cut him off before he can tick you off. Which is hard to do. You know how to keep your cool, but he just knows how to press your buttons. “Don’t worry about me,” you deadpan and then look at in-ho. “Shall we?” You press.

In-ho nods without fret, letting you grab your coat before you get up. In-ho mirrors your actions, and before he heads out he does add one last thing to the Recruiter. “Do you have us covered?”

Without a doubt the Recruiter tries to please In-ho by agreeing, letting In-ho then point his hand ahead to let you lead the way out of the cafe.

“See you soon,” the Recruiter throws at you as you walk away without giving your goodbyes, but there’s a reason you didn’t so you just offer him a feigned smile over your shoulder before you roll your eyes away and leave. Once you’re in the car you lean your body toward In-ho and don’t forget to complain.

“Why don’t we change recruiters? This one’s psychotic,” you grumble as you prop your elbow on the armrest and rest your chin on your hand. “He’s always been missing a few bolts in the head.”

In-ho grabs the newspaper of the day from the seat pocket and begins to read the articles. “Some will say that’s what makes him perfect for the job. Don’t let him get under your skin.”

You roll your eyes but keep watching him. “I know someone who will be better at the job. And he’s got a charm to him.”

“Who?” He immediately counters. “I never see you talk to anyone besides me.”

You sit up and look at him like he’s wounded you, while he hides his faint smile by keeping his eyes on the newspaper.

“Oh. Funny.��� You grumble and turn away to look ahead with your body slumped in the seat.

“If you’re going to join the game you’ll need to socialize. Gain their trust. Or you’ll be a burden to me.”

“I’m not asking you to take care of me. We can pretend not to know each other.”

“That'd be impossible, who would you talk to then?” He teases you dryly. He’s teasing you!

It seems like you're starting to prefer when he was standoffish and blunt.

“Just be a player. Gain their trust and sabotage Player 456,” he puts it simply without long explanations because this is a matter you already discussed.

“No, no.” You shake your finger. “My job is not to crush Player 456 and destroy his last flicker of will. That’s your job. I am simply joining to not die of boredom watching the games.”

Or so you say out loud.

“Well whatever the case, there’s no fun in it if you isolate yourself,” he disregards you to keep insisting, making you sit back again and look out the window this time. “Do you want me to tag along on the 31st?”

“If it’s what you want,” he says while the newspaper in his hand rustles as he sets it down. “I’m gonna have snipers posted on the route. And two men that will walk in the club.”

You nod in comprehension and share what you already have planned. “Well, I’ll be your lookout then. I’ll have your back. Secure the perimeter, and figure out how many people Player 456 brings with him.”

Through the reflection on the window, you see In-ho nod before he turns his head to look at you before he bluntly changes the subject. “You went to see him didn’t you?”

You stiffen and slowly meet the reflection of his eyes. “You had me followed?” You snap.

“You’re making it harder on yourself,” he says without denying or admitting to the accusation which means it is true—“let him go. What if he had seen you? What if any of his colleagues had seen you?”

You roll your head his way to look him in the eyes with a firmly pointed look. “But he didn’t and he never does!” You argue with your voice raised higher than usual.

“It doesn’t matter if he never has. He can and he will,” he counters with no raise in his voice. He’s just trying to sound firm. “If he sees you, what then? You’ll throw away everything you sacrificed for him and for what? To see him dead?”

You furrow your eyebrows and puff out your chest, but can’t form any argument to throw back at him because you know he’s right. “He was all I had,” you say instead as your eyes wander down.

In-ho sighs and his voice is now softer. “I know, but you’re only hurting yourself more.”

You swallow back thickly and huff as a response. While In-ho steals a glance at you and lets his eyes linger on your drooped frown, your watery eyes, and your furrowed brows. He doesn’t say anything. He doesn’t show any emotion, he’s still, and providing a deafening silence that is…odd and uncomfortable. There was once a time when he could sit in the silence without it bothering him, but now?

He’s made a mistake welcoming you back on the island and allowing you to have a spot in the innermost circle, but he didn’t know what your presence would bring to his life and now that he lives amongst it, you are his new normal. So when that normal is disturbed it always feels so odd.

Like he’s upset the scales of life.

——

*LATER THAT NIGHT*

Maybe it’s because when you were growing up you were never asked for forgiveness from the man who called himself your father, so you learned to move on and not expect it; live like nothing happened in the first place and shove that problem away. Or maybe it’s because In-ho was/is right about you hurting yourself more by continuing to see Jun-ho, but now as dinner has rolled around, it’s like he didn’t make you upset to the point you haven’t talked to him since the car ride home hours prior.

As is your new normal, you set the dinner table for two, just him and you. It makes for quite a lonely dinner, but there isn’t anyone else either of you care about on the Island to have seated with you for dinner. Plus, after the awkward stage passed, it’s actually nice having dinner together. You look forward to it when you’re not upset at him.

Therefore once you finish setting the table you have the intention to go get him, but when you leave the dining room, there he is just outside the door. It seems like he was passing by the moment you opened the door.

Albeit, unbeknownst to you, he had been outside the door debating whether to come talk to you in order to balance the scales or not. Nothing he said was wrong, he was right and he was going to stand by that, but he also knows there could have been a kinder approach and he was going to explain that.

However, he also debated whether there was a point in asking for forgiveness. He isn’t your brother or your father, he’s your superior, your colleague, and your friend so he was leaning toward that choice. Yet you walked out before he could leave.

“Dinner is ready,” you let him know with a glass of wine in your hand. “But if you want sad ramen that’s okay too.”

In-ho is stuck again. You’re giving him a way out to do as he had chosen to do, but there you stand across from him with a tiny smile tugged on your lips, a pleading gaze you couldn’t keep discreet no matter how hard you try, a warm plate of food already expecting him, and no one else to fill the silence. You’re waiting and asking for nothing in return even if there is something he wants to offer you.

Thus, he accepts your invitation. He walks in, washes his hands, and sits down with no forgiveness to offer you in return. And it's not like you bring it up either. It's like you knew how not to expect it just to please him.

“My sister,” you offer him some more information on a past that you rarely share. “…Was older, so we were separated for most of the day at the orphanage, but when dinner rolled around we always made it our tradition to eat together. It was always my favorite part of the day and something I always looked forward to.” You pause and take a bite of your food, making sure to chew it well and swallow before you take a long drink of your wine and then continue.

“When I was adopted by my family, I was glad that I could continue that tradition with my mother and my brother and on occasion my father. And then…after Jun-ho and I became close, every day after work we would have dinner together. Whether it was in the park, in a car, or at one of our houses. That’s why I learned to cook so well. You’re lucky I’m not six anymore or we’d be having banana sandwiches.”

In-ho scoffs with amusement, letting a small smile appear on his lips as he chews. When he’s done with that bite he interjects. “I can’t imagine your sister was too pleased with your meal choice.”

You laugh softly and shake your head. “Never. She always scolded me, but they were my favorite and the only thing I was allowed to make at a young age, so on days she expected me to make them, she always had boiled eggs for us to eat after.”

In-ho’s smile stays on his face for a moment and it’s in that comfortable silence that was made by the fact that you could make him smile, that you bring up the matter that left a strain between each other.

“You were right, you know,” you say after you take a couple bites of your food. “About Jun-ho.”

You pick up your wine glass as you also lower your head.

“But,” you argue in your defense.

“No,” he cuts you off, and as you bring your eyes up to look at him, you notice that his smile and any sign of amusement is completely gone, leaving him…as always, nonchalant—“You need to completely cut him off. You need to forget the life you had on the mainland. That life will only drag you down and be your worst enemy.”

Tears slowly fill your eyes, but you’re tougher on yourself this time. You don’t cry, you simply snap back with no sign of spite, just nonchalance. “So should I be like you?”

In-ho clenches his jaw as he doesn’t know how to take that, but there’s also no other way to be. “Yes,” he deadpans.

You blink and look down at your food to take a couple of bites and then a longer drink of your wine, managing to finish it and serve yourself more as you think about what he said and that it's not what you want

You know what you yearn for, or so you tell yourself and you don’t want to become everything you despise. You know what you want and you don’t want to be the person that the masks turn you into.

Is he everything you loathe though? If you look at him in the eyes. Really look at him, will he be the reminder of the father you loathe? That’s who he wants you to be…is that who he is?

“Do you think that the workers here will obey me if I am more like you?” You fill the silence as you sit back with your new glass of wine in one hand, and a firmer look that isn’t like that warm look you carried moments ago. “I mean when I’m not in your shadow that is.”

In-ho sits up and holds your gaze as he nods with reassurance. “They’ll no choice will they?”

You tilt your head slightly and scoff.

“When your father was the Front Man…”

“He ruled with an Iron fist,” you continue for him since he wasn’t here when your father was the Front Man. He only knows stories. “Yes, but that’s a thing of the past. Done by different old men. I am no man. I left a different regime behind shall we say, and then I came back under you donning a position of power right away. Do you see where my doubt comes from him?”

“They don’t get to ask questions,” In-ho says. “They have to listen to you. Now if they catch you slipping they will take the chance to do what they want. And with that comes chaos that will eat you alive. Never falter.”

You slowly look down at your wine and begin to gently spin it. “I suppose it is easy to get rid of those who don’t listen here isn’t it?” You ask with a faint smirk.

“You don’t want to overstep either. Easy or not,” he interjects.

You slowly look up at him as you stop spinning your wine and nod stiffly. “I know,” you mutter.

He holds your gaze for a couple more seconds, letting you look him in the eyes and search for what you need.

Right away you see that his eyes are kinder, he is kinder—or was, from what Jun-ho has told you, and from the rare times he metaphorically takes his mask off. Albeit if you look deeper will you see everything you despise? Or something different?

You…don’t know.

But does that change anything?

——

*A FEW DAYS LATER*

“Can you hear me?” You ask for assurance after you made a discreet sweep down the street.

“Yes,” In-ho responds right away in his distorted voice. “We can hear you.”

“There’s nothing that stands out specifically, but I spotted two vans full of men who have not moved or left the car. Both the driver and the front passenger have earpieces on in both cars as well. Let me pass you the license plate,” you direct that last bit to the pink guards before you share what you mentally noted in your quick scouting trip around the block.

“I’m heading back toward the club now,” you follow up by announcing as you pick up your pace, but not in a way that will pique anyone’s interest. You’re fast enough to return to the club quicker.

“We spotted player 456,” a guard shares. “He and a companion are getting out of the car and are en route inside.”

“Wait for them to get inside and then go after them,” In-ho orders.

“There’s also a man in the driver's seat. It seems like he’s waiting.”

In-ho answers with a hum before he passes an order. “Get the license plate and share it with The White Crane,” he refers to your alias. “Take note of who he is, White Crane, and if he gets out of the car to go after player 456, stop him.”

You press the button on the earpiece to give your response. “Understood.”

You keep your pace with a new task in mind. No one stops you because you blend perfectly with everyone else on the busy street celebrating Halloween.

However, you do have to admit you are a bit envious that people seem to be having so much fun. It makes you want to walk into the club and get plastered to have fun too, but you’re on the mainland on a mission, so you’re strictly forbidden to even drink, you can only be envious.

Then again when you finally approach the club, you catch sight of the club and the giant line formed outside, and you admit that maybe being inside doesn’t sound as tempting.

“They’re inside,” a guard shares.

“Alright move in.” In-ho demands.

You finally reach the street where the Pink guards said the car and the man are, but there, in a black car parked in the exact spot you’re on the lookout for, sits Jun-ho. He’s in the driver's seat of the car that matches the license plate the guards told you about.

You could be mistaken. This could be some delusion, but you’re not sick and you can see perfectly fine through your mask, so no, he’s not some fever dream, it’s Jun-ho in the flesh.

Does he notice you?

Your heart stops at the sight of the man you love, making it feel like you’re about to be hit with a heart attack, so you stupidly stop in front of the car and look in wondering if he sees you too.

But how can it be if you’re wearing a fucking mask…

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it!

Of course, he’s involved. Why wouldn't he be in the middle of this ordeal?!

With or without you he didn’t let the Island go and now…you have to confront him and do what In-ho told you to do. There’s no other choice, but will you tell In-ho that it’s his brother working with player 456?

No.

Will you tell him that now that you know he’s here and once again involved in all this, that you have an absurd plan to confront him after 3 years of disappearing from his life?

Also no because he doesn’t need to know.

“I found the car and the driver,” you share through the earpiece after you manage to unglue yourself from your spot before Jun-ho can find you suspicious.

The moment you finish crossing the crosswalk though, the sight of Jun-ho getting out of his car catches your attention.

“He’s out of the car in pursuit of his friends,” you let your people know.

“Stop him,” In-ho deadpans with no clue that you’re referring to his brother.

“On it,” you assure him and cross the street properly, unlike Jun-ho who runs in the middle of a busy street like a madman, forcing a car to break.

He does make it across unscathed, but when he tries to just walk inside he’s stopped by the bouncer, so you have to pretend that you’re taking a smoke break so you don’t look like a stalker, or so he doesn’t spot you before you can stop him.

“Hey, no cutting. Go to the back of the line,” the bouncer tells Jun-ho off, which more than likely aggravates him knowing how impatient he can be.

“Police. Move,” Jun-ho snaps bluntly and once again tries to walk in, but again, the bouncer pushes him back.

“See your fellow officers waiting in line?” The bouncer points out to the line of people waiting. “It’s Halloween. Go put your uniform on first.”

With no warning and zero patience, you watch Jun-ho pull out his gun and point it at the bouncer as he shoves him back against a wall. “Does this look like a toy?” He threatens him, making you smile with amusement.

This time around the bouncer has nothing to say in return. He’s speechless, so Jun-ho is able to walk in, whilst you wait a couple of minutes before you drop the cigarette and stomp on the barely used stick to walk in without any resistance. Not because the bouncer was left shaken up after Jun-ho, it’s because they know who you are. That’s why In-ho chose this specific club.

Once you’re inside, you’re immediately enveloped by all the commotion, the raging music, and the bodies of people crowding the entrance and every step you take, making it hard to find Jun-ho, but not impossible. Luckily enough he didn’t make it far so you’re able to find him just on top of the metal stairs that lead to the main floor before he descends them and joins the madness.

With no other choice but to be like some haunting spirit you trail after him rather than being a part of the madness.

Every step he takes you take not so long after. Every turn he makes you do the same, and every person he shoves aside, you carefully slip past. There comes a point where he stops at a bar and shakes an unconscious man with a bright green horse mask, so you finally stop trailing after him. Instead, you pull your mask off and walk in the crowd of dancing bodies to find a way around Jun-ho.

“Dance?” A drunk man shouts and grabs your waist to try and pull you, but you shove him back harshly and snap at him while glaring at him.

“Do that again and I’ll tear your fingers off your hand to shove them up your ass.”

The man is left bewildered so he backs away, letting you disappear in the sea of bodies. And for a moment, because of the interruption, it seems like you lost sight of Jun-ho. You can’t find him again, but as you keep pushing through, you catch a glimpse of him so you run to get ahead. When you finally find an opening, you exit the crowd and stop across from him, making him come to an immediate halt as he notices right away.

You, the person who has been missing for three years. You, the woman he loves and has been searching for relentlessly. You stand there looking him in the eyes, unscathed, healthy, and just as beautiful as the day he lost you.

Yet it’s because he sees you so clearly in your flowing white robes that show off glimpses of your figure when the lights flash on you, that he can’t believe it’s really you. You have to be some divine spirit brought by stress.

“Come,” you wave him over with your hand without letting go of those dark eyes that glisten with brimming tears every time the flashing light basks his face. His jaw then drops slightly and his eyebrows rise as his eyes widen with shock. You proceed to not wait and turn to start walking away.

“Wait!” You hear Jun-ho call out after you.

You peer over your shoulder and see him do just as you want; he follows you, so you lure him to an employee-only door. It is hard making sure that he doesn’t lose sight of you or that actually reaches you since there’s so many people and it’s so crowded, but you manage to stay one step ahead and reach the employee-only hallway without having him stop you.

When Jun-ho sees that you disappear in the hall, he calls out your name and turns cautious when he approaches the door, letting you rush up the stairs to position yourself just around the corner and take out your taser gun.

Jun-ho continues to be cautious when he walks inside, but as he’s climbing the stairs he breaks into a run. In doing so, turning the corner hastily and not being able to stop you from hitting his neck with your taser gun that doesn't leave his flesh until he's knocked out.

Before he can hit the ground you catch him in your arms. “I'm sorry,” you whisper as you admire his face now that you can finally be close to him again. “I had to do it, but it will be okay,” you assure him before you lean down and press a kiss on his forehead. “I promise,” you whisper one last time against his temple.

.

.

.

.

.

A/N- Ahhhhh xD

[kingqueensoobscene]

VALENTINE’S DAY WITH THE SCOUTS

heyyy it’s been a while! Enjoy this little treat while I keep procrastinating on my real quests :3

Red!Scout:

Scout loves just about anything, however he loves when you let him pick the date (He likes to outdo himself). He chose to drive you down to the Teufort community fair and spend the afternoon there. Being a shortstop for his brothers had its perks because he was asked to stop playing after winning you 3 stuffed animals. Afterwards, he would order takeout and rent a movie for the night while cuddling you on the couch. 

Blu!Scout:

Scout’s mom would bake for him all the time before she passed away and now he wants to do the same for you. You wake up to a delicious breakfast, then he takes you out to the riverside within the town to have a picnic. An assortment of cheese, a small cake he made the day prior and drinks with spreaders and glasses. You gift him a little basket full of his favorite candies and that science fiction novel he wanted since it came out.

Lil Pootis!Scout:

Your whole day is planned. First, Scout peppers you in kisses to wake you up before giving you a big smooch on the lips.  Then Pootis is spoiled the moment he wakes up with juice and some candy. You two have breakfast with the team before taking Medimedes and Pootis to the park. While the two birds play, Scout has his head tucked underneath your arm. Then he playfully hits your stomach with a box. Remember that thing you wanted weeks ago? 

Lil Pootis!Blu!Scout:

He is not the best at gifting, but Spy told him he should stick to flowers. So, Scout got you an expensive bouquet. He’s a douche, but I do not see him being a cheapo. He’s down for whatever, but honestly, he would rather have a bonfire at the base and just talk with you. He can make a mean s’more. He likes collecting butterfly knives and custom engraved lighters, so if you got him a switch with the Scout’s emblem on the inner blade, he would squeeze you (which he never does).

Ass Pancakes:

He does not know what to do for this holiday, so he unintentionally drags you around for the entire day. Messing with people is his favorite pastime and you are his favorite person, so what more could he ask for? Especially when his buddies come along with him, then he gets even more ecstatic. If you’re down for something more relaxed, the most you get is him hugging you while sitting on the roof and taking pictures with him all day. Seriously, get him a Polaroid, he would always use it.

7th comic!Scout: 

Jeremy did not want to leave his kids alone on Valentine’s Day, it’s a special day to them. He always buys them chocolates or flowers and they do something fun for the night. This would be your second Valentine’s Day with them, so you decided to get them gifts as well! They played with their new toys while you and Jeremy made dinner together. He definitely owns an apron. After playing some games with the kids and putting them to bed, you two finally got some privacy.

New Again!Scout:

Honestly? He gets you some slushies and takes you to a basement show. Much like Lil Pootis!Blu!Scout, he regulars at this one venue by his apartment (his team does not have a base, it’s more of a meetup situation). Then afterwards, he goes to the after show at the 24-hour diner and gets a  breakfast burrito. If you are not a fan of concerts, that’s cool! He would be down for some recreational fun if you were (he got some weed from his dealer earlier that week). 

Boston Boarder!Scout:

Despite how people look at him, he is an absolute sweetheart. BB!Scout is my version of Scout in his early 20s before he became a mercenary and lived his life in Boston. He meets you at the park and gives you a bag full of candy and some extra things you wanted for a while. Then you two spend the whole day and night walking around the city and talking and shopping around until you grab some drinks and head back to his mom’s house to watch TV. 

Magnificent Nine!Scout:

All he wants is a day where you two can relax together without worrying about the other teams. Unfortunately, you two do not get that. The fighting is constant and always will be. That does not stop him from getting you something small, like a drink at the bar or asking Engineer to make a custom add on for one of your weapons. When you two get even a second alone, he is holding you in his arms.

[craziertogether]

thinking about mike & will

first off happy valentine’s day! now onto another yap session. i sometimes find myself wondering why i’m so obsessed with byler. it might be because i have a tendency to like tragic queer couples (aot, orv, & bbm) or maybe bc i love the yearner trope. but honestly the thing that gets me about byler is probably because growing up with them i struggled with the same things they did (internalized homophobia & hiding my sexuality) it wasn’t until literally so recently that i started to find myself accepting my own queer attraction.

growing up seeing that on TV with these two characters who’s love is beyond any queer relationship on TV. It’s gut wrenching with just the right amount of angst that doesn’t make me wanna choke myself but enough that it’s realistic and raw. they never sexualized or made it seem shameful that queer love exists, and with that they’ve built up a love that grew so beautifully from the very first moment. they showed us that this relationships was incredibly deep, it started that day in kindergarten when mike asked will to be his friend and they’ve been inseparable since. they started as the outcasts and sought each other out and others who might’ve felt as lonely as they did. and yet their bond out ranks theirs with dustin and lucas, why? because it just does, because they found each other, not by “dumb luck or fate” but by choosing the other person to be their friend. choosing them to be in their party. mike choosing to stay/stand by will even when EVERYONE else chose to leave. mike’s love/care for will is so deep that it’s comparable to how his own mother values him, them being the only ones to believe that he was alive with NO evidence and actually having evidence to disprove his life, but mike had even less than joyce. like that is the kind of love that comes after years of marriage/familial bonds, the intuition of how the other is/are feeling.

this love doesn’t fade even though the seasons continue. i think we tend to really feel like mike’s character declined because he abandoned his friends as a means to hide his sexuality, but how is that he somehow still is most in tune with will even through all that. of course he’s already made the mistake and it’s too late to undo what has been done, but that doesn’t stop him from trying. by trying save his relationship with will in season 3/4, it’s almost like he’s trying to find a secret exit within the horrible walls he built around himself. he wants nothing more than to hide his secret from everyone and yet he’s so bad at it, not because will or men are his kryptonite or anything like that. but because it’s practically instinctual for him to choose will just like he did when he was a kid. it’s not like he doesn’t care about anyone else, but that love and care he has for those around him will never compare to they love he has for will because he will always choose and love will differently than anyone else. (again see his fights with EL, lucas, dustin, max, nancy, his parents, hopper). it’s shown to us that he becomes an asshole to them all at some point but it’s insane that we never see him actually apologize to any of them on screen the way that we see him do it with will. the amount of screen time and emphasis they put onto their relationship is not something you do for a pair of friends. it’s not, and somehow every moment they share is so much more intimate than even my favorite couples in the show but somehow it’s still going over the GA’s head. their moments are tender and intimate without sexual/romantic intimacy and somehow they outdo all the romance we DO see in screen. (let me say tho that the endgame couples obviously have love that i admire and love so much too) but byler’s is so incredibly unique and special in way that we haven’t seen in another parts of the show. (obviously parallels exist but those parallels aren’t identical).

on top of everything that we know and see, i stated before how this show will change everything, but all of this build up and once it’s finally confirmed and shown to the GA. it will be a happy, real, and raw love story that will be broadcast to millions. who, whether they want to admit it or not, it will show a story that is undeniably beautiful. a queer love story that isn’t cheesy (i love cheesy) or incredibly tragic (also love) but had time to buildup and grow with angst and painful moments but also tender and emotional moments that so many can relate to. seriously i’m having withdrawals, drop the trailer please.

[arwensarboretum]

I've been wanting to talk about this for awhile, but Ridley O'Bannon, specifically in the episode Impact (S2, Ep9) really BOTHERS me! 

Her decision to stay aboard the Global One is, in a word, selfish. I know she compares it to Thunderbird 5 in order to convince John, and she sees it as a home and it's important to her and I get that, but she created unnecessary risk that could have cost her life and John's. She could have ejected with the rest of her crew (which means it would have been acceptable even if the asteroid hit Global One as the Thunderbirds' focus is on human life), but she chose not to. Even if she'd been ordered to stay to protect the station or try to move it out of the way to save the financial investment it represented (and we have no evidence that she was), she was also making a personal decision, evidenced by her personal reasoning to convince John. SHE wanted to save Global One and she leveraged John to do it.

When she first brings it up, he refuses outright, because that's not what the Thunderbirds do. They save PEOPLE, not things. And she says the line that frustrates me: "I'm people. Save me." 

I can't see that as anything less than manipulation. She could be safe. This could be a non-issue, but she chooses to endanger herself to save her home and she chooses to endanger John by putting him in the path of the collision. Things get worse (of course) when Ridley needs to fire the station's jets and she and John have to travel the length of Global One while dodging debris, but all of this is unnecessary. Travelling through the vacuum of space, while debris rains down on them and any move could be fatal, all for a piece of equipment that was simply not necessary. His life and hers in peril for nothing. 

I understand Global One is important to Ridley, but her life and John's should have weighed more. I can't see her line as anything else than a manipulation of his values. She knew he wouldn't leave her because that's what HE does. He saves people. But this person didn't need to be saved, until she put herself in danger on purpose. And that just frustrates me a lot.

There's also the side note of Virgil and Alan, currently having issues with detonating the asteroid, and while it's not guaranteed (and they figured it out on their own), they might have benefitted from Thunderbird 5's sensor information. John could have been helpful to them and they might have been able to succeed more easily. I know the situation has to ramp up for the episode to maintain tension, but as an event that happened, Thunderbird 5 could have been better utilized supporting John's brothers rather than as a tow for a space station.

John watched the asteroid hurtle towards Earth with tiny Thunderbird 3 clinging to it and I can't help but imagine how John would have reacted if Thunderbird 3 didn't make it and he a) had to watch it from Global One and b) felt he could have done something to help from Thunderbird 5. Maybe EOS could have monitored any needed data and gotten it to 3 in time, but I still think about it.

Ridley manipulated John's core values for selfish gain in that episode, and that just really BOTHERS me.

I don't even dislike her otherwise, but that one action really negatively affects how I see her.

Note: this is not to reflect negatively on @gdf-ridley-obannon, @starman-john-tracy or @starmantracy. They're all great. Check 'em out.

[chimivx]

gimme gimme gimme 6 -> mingi x fem!reader -> nice for what

wc: 6.2k warnings: 18+, sexual content and alcohol consumption in every part, infidelity themes... if i missed anything please let me know! posted: 2/13/25 8:48 pm est.

masterlist ~ <- previous part - next part ->

“And what the fuck am I supposed to do with her?”

“Put her down, she can stand on her own.”

“Tori, she just got sick on the side of the street, and you want me to just put her down?”

Groaning, driving a hand through your hair, you trudged over the sand toward him and helped him lower Aurora onto her feet. She moved as if her body was made of liquid. Lifeless blinking eyes looked over at you. Yunho kept one arm around her back, your best friend clinging onto him for stability. 

Sanity, you thought, and wanted to giggle.

She couldn’t stand on her feet for long, Yunho was scooping her back up in seconds.

“Who knew you were so strong,” you said to him, following him over the sand, further from the dunes and buzz of nightlife, closer to the water and the rush of the waves. Giving you a smile, one that didn’t reach his eyes, he sighed when Aurora adjusted herself on his front, her whole face nuzzling into his neck. “Or, you don’t wanna put her down,” you added quietly, and he huffed, focusing forward. 

Reaching the edge of a hill on the beach, Yunho paused and looked out over the ocean. Waves crashed, water rushed up the coast, but it didn’t reach your feet, it only blew salty mist your way, the breeze grazing your skin, cooling it. 

He could’ve let her go. He could’ve sat her down, laid her down, or something, anything other than what he chose to do, sitting down on the sand with her in his lap. Pulling your phone from your pocket, you sat down beside him, about a foot of space between you. Folding your legs, you opened your messages and internally rolled your eyes.

[ITZ]: don’t u wanna know who i am tori

He sent the message a half hour ago.

[you]: yes.

He started typing immediately. Then, the bubbles went away. Aurora stirred on Yunho’s lap. He started typing again.

[ITZ]: maybe if u tell him abt me, i’ll tell u who i am :)

[you]: and how the fuck does that make any sense?

[ITZ]: because…

[ITZ]: maybe i’ll get invited in ;)

[you]: what

[ITZ]: u aren’t with it tonite, what’s wrong with u

[you]: my best friend saw my messages, idiot. 

[ITZ]: aurora?

[you]: yes. and i named you something that made her mad at me. so stop texting me.

[ITZ]: you texted me back first

[you]: whatever

[ITZ]: u were so interested the other night… telling me to come over… inviting me to that party… couldn’t even figure out who i was.

[you]: w h a t e v e r .

[ITZ]: that game aurora plays with her man

[ITZ]: it doesn’t intrigue u at all tori

[you]: what are you talking about

[ITZ]: the way they invite ppl into bed with them

[you]: and what the fuck do you know about that?

Aurora sat up, taking Yunho by the shoulders, glancing around like she’d just woken up.

[ITZ]: plenty.  ;)

[ITZ]: u tell boyfriend abt me maybe we can make a playdate

His texts sent a shiver down your spine, and not a good one. Leaving your phone in your lap, locked, his notifications silenced, you sat backward and rested your hands in the sand, letting the breeze blow your hair off your shoulders. 

“Hey, Ror,” you said, giving her a smile. 

Yunho had his knees propped up where he sat, she was cradled perfectly between his thighs and his torso, her legs straddling his waist. He sat like you, hands backward in the sand, watching her. She lifted her hands, limbs shaking, raking her fingers through her hair. From side to side she looked, at you, at the sand, at the ocean, then at Yunho.

They did the thing again.

Yunho, tilting his head ever so slightly, Aurora, eventually wearing a pout on her lips. They stared. They spoke through blinks and lash flutters, until she actually spoke.

“You suck,” she muttered, and he laughed, glancing away for all of two seconds shaking his head.

“I know,” he said with all the care in the world.

“You really, really suck,” she said again, louder.

He bobbed his head, the softest smile on his lips as he looked at her. “I know,” he whispered, and somehow it worsened her pout. 

Thrusting a hand at him, she tried to shove his shoulder, but barely got a valid hit in. Taking the miniscule blow, Yunho sucked in a breath. She threw another hand, and he took it, blinking up at her, letting her do this. Each push grew somewhat stronger, accompanied by a sound, or a you suck or a fuck you, and eventually the words turned to tears. Her hands took on speed until he snatched them, holding onto them, sitting forward to look at her, and then she sobbed. She fell into his chest, wrapped her arms around him, and sobbed.

He held her. Hands sliding over her back he took a long, deep breath and released it, staring out into the ocean, allowing Aurora’s cries to drown out within the crashing of the waves on the shore. 

You wanted to move. You felt like you should move, like this was their moment and you were in the middle of it, but she wasn’t sober. And her and Yunho, they weren’t okay. As much as you wished that this could be it, that this would fix it all, it wouldn’t.

Your phone lit up on your lap, the little buzz against your skin pulling your attention away from the two of them, thank god.

[loverboy]: where are u?

[you]: we left wave, i’m on the beach with aurora and yunho… she got fucked up, we couldn’t stay there.

[loverboy]: i just showed up with wooyoung san and seonghwa…

[you]: at wave??????

[loverboy]: yeah. wooyoung is looking for rora

“Oh shit, oh shit, oh fuck,” you muttered, scrambling to your feet. Yunho, startled though he barely moved, looked up at you in a panic. “They’re at Wave.”

His brows settled over his eyes in a straight line. “Who?”

“Exactly who you think,” you sighed, and he laughed out of pure dread. Glancing around, both hands on Aurora, he lifted one and pointed at her, looking at you, mouthing, “What do I do?”

“Um,” you drug out the word and let it will thoughts into your brain. This was your thing, this was your expertise, quick thinking, problem solving, it was the position you were voted into at ITZ last year, legit the problem solver. “I mean, if no one’s in the house we can get her in there and you can get out, like nothing happened. It’ll be like I brought her home.” 

“No, no,” Aurora mumbled from his chest before she lifted her head. “No,” she pouted. Taking her hands to Yunho’s cheeks, his eyes shot open wide, her thumbs dragging over his cheekbones. 

“Aurora,” you said with some oomph, and she whined.

“No.”

“Yes,” you snapped back. “Let him go.”

He didn’t want her to let go, but he still said, “You’re mad at me.”

Aurora shook her head, her body still resting over his chest. “No, ‘m not”

The way his body reacted was lost on her. “Yes, you are. You’re very mad at me. I’m not allowed to talk to you unless you talk to me first, that’s how mad you are.” 

She sat up. She sat backward, her back against his thighs, and she watched him.

And he watched her.

And somehow, it still felt better than seeing her cozied up next to Wooyoung, or under his arm.

She took in a breath, but you saved her from saying anything incriminating. 

Dropping down at her side, you rested a hand on her shoulder and said, “Let’s go home. We can have a sleepover. The spare room between ours, we’ll stay there, we can talk all night, ‘cause I know you have a lot to say right now.” 

Her head turned slowly. “And sleep next to a liar?” Yunho pressed his lips together and looked elsewhere.

“Ror-”

“I’d rather go to his house,” she pressed a finger into Yunho’s chest. “You know what I could do with him?” 

Half a laugh came out of him, one that made him gasp.

Rolling your eyes, you took her hand off of him and returned it to her own lap. “Aurora, I am not a liar, and you are not going home with Yunho, we need to go home, now.”

She leaned toward you and squinted her eyes. “Why?”

“Because, you were already sick, it’s time for bed.”

“Why?”

Sighing, you forced a smile onto your lips. “Good god, this was not the time I was hoping Aurora would come back to us.” Yunho laughed to himself. “The boys are at the bar looking for us. Wooyoung and San are there. So, that means it’s time for us to go home.”

Her eyes drifted toward the sand. “Wooyoung and San,” she mumbled. 

Yunho blinked toward you. “Oh, yeah, what happened by the way? I meant to ask you, or Mingi, but…”

Shifting your brows, tilting your head, you gave him a look, one that made his lips part.

“Oh,” he said, looking off somewhere behind you before he took a look at Aurora and glanced the other way. Quiet surrounded you all for a moment before he asked, “Why was it… weird earlier?”

Taking in Aurora, how she watched the sand, blinking through nothing, you shrugged. “She…” Yunho looked at you. “I can’t talk to you about this. It’s hers to tell.”

The tiniest laugh came out of her, both of you sparing her a glance. She lifted her chin and smiled at you, then smiled at Yunho.

“Bye,” she said, hoisting herself off of his lap, slipping out of his grip more gracefully than she could when she was sober. Trekking up the sand, teetering to the right, she sauntered away.

“What the fuck?” Yunho was quick to jump to his feet, you following him soon after.

Sharing a look, you offered for him to take the lead. “Shall we?”

Peering between Aurora wandering further up the sand and you, Yunho started to follow her, mumbling, “I guess so.”

Down the wooden planked walkway designed to get you from the promenade to the beach and back easily, you and Yunho walked in silence, eyes on Aurora stumbling every fourth step. He flinched each time he thought she’d fall, his chin jerking, or his hands tightening at his side.

“I’m sorry,” you said suddenly, taking him by surprise. Pausing halfway down the planks, he turned to you. “I shouldn’t have asked you to do this.”

Smoothing his hands over his shorts, he shrugged the matter off. “It’s okay, you wouldn’t have been able to get her up here. Or home, for that matter. She was deadweight.” Looking her way, both of you, she’d reached the end of the path and waltzed over the concrete of the promenade now, following lines in the pavement with her head down. 

“You’re pushing this,” he said, focusing back on you. “Why?”

Pursing your lips, you met his gaze and shook your shoulders a bit. “I want you together.”

He scoffed. “After what I did to her?”

“It’s Aurora,” you groaned. “She slept with Seonghwa, did she not?”

Yunho cringed and walked a small circle around himself. “She did, but they weren’t like…” he paused, softening his brow, “I was worse. I did worse. You said he’s good with her, leave them be.” Voices sounded at the end of the pathway, Aurora’s laughter ringing aloud amongst the commotion. Yunho broke first, peering down the planks, his softened expression hardening quickly. “Example,” he muttered.

His arms were around her waist, holding her close to him. Rocking her back and forth, in a way that seemed she wanted, Wooyoung shot glares your way over her shoulder. Slipping her hands into his hair she pressed kisses to his jaw, and he started to smile. San lingered behind, speaking to her, speaking to them both. In blue jeans and a white tank with a leather belt strapped to his waist, he wore a smirk that grew as he slid his hands into his back pockets. 

 Mingi ignored them, walked around them with Seonghwa in tow, headed your way.

Holding out his hand for Yunho to slap, he turned to you as they bumped shoulders. “I couldn’t stop him,” he said, half a frown dancing on his lips, “He was gonna find her either way.”

“Did we not want him to find her?” Seonghwa asked, greeting Yunho similarly to how Mingi did. Yunho didn’t take it nearly as inviting as he did when Mingi did it. “I don’t get it.”

“Don’t worry about it,” you breathed, taking hold of Mingi’s hand, curling your fingers around his. He gave your palm a squeeze, dipping his chin to brush his lips over your cheek. “She got really drunk, got sick, I kinda just wanted to take her home and not bother anyone.”

Seonghwa quirked a brow. “You ended up here,” he said, nodding toward the beach. Facing Yunho, he added, “With him.” 

“What’s the word on Soul?” you asked, switching subjects.

The curiosity in his dark eyes went unchanged. “Can’t find him. Untrackable.”

“Damn.” You leaned into Mingi, wrapping your other hand around his bicep. “Hope he turns up soon.”

Seonghwa was a rock. “Could you ask Jongseob?”

A sinkhole opened up beneath you on the sand, taking you under. Mingi could feel it, he held onto your hand a little tighter.

“W-What?” you stammered, tilting your head.

Seonghwa blinked. He glanced at Mingi, then his eyes burned through yours. “He’s been following you around this whole time, no?” 

What the fuck was he doing?

Mingi focused down on you. Nighttime air blew by you, an ocean breeze, one salty and cool that did nothing to lessen the heat that built into your cheeks, that coursed through you.

“I try to not talk to him, Hwa, no matter what it looks like,” you said after a breath. “It may seem like he’s hanging around me, but he’s not. He’ll try to get under my skin, but I won’t let him.” He waited a few seconds, took another look at your boyfriend, then nodded. “I mean,” you started, giving Mingi a glance yourself, “If it’s okay, I will ask him, for Soul’s sake?”

Mingi shrugged. “You don’t need permission,” he mumbled. 

“Okay,” you said, sharing a small smile with him. Setting your eyes over Seonghwa and his lengthy dark hair, you flattened your brow to tell him not to say anything else. “I’ll shoot him a message, or something. I’ll let you know what he says.”

“You have his number?” Seonghwa asked, humour in his tone. Mingi tensed beside you, not even a reassuring squeeze of his arm could relax him.

“Instagram is a thing,” you said smoothly, laying your head against your boyfriend.

“Not to be that guy,” Yunho spoke up, directing everyone's attention to Aurora walking away in Wooyoung’s arms, the two accompanied by San, “But, where are they going?” 

Seonghwa tried to keep his laugh to himself but ended up with Yunho’s elbow in his chest anyway. His eyes found you, his knowing eyes, and they now asked you for help, like you’ve both formed some sort of secret Aurora Alliance within the hours of this night. Behind the need for assistance, the need for this to be squashed and over with lingered. It had to be set aside. It couldn’t and shouldn’t be touched again, for a while, until something needed to happen. He asked you to do that for him. For her.

Wooyoung locked eyes with you. Aurora talked to him, between kisses slapped onto his cheek, she spoke to him, and his stare traveled to Yunho unintentionally shielding himself behind Seonghwa. Then, he looked back at you, and that nasty grimace returned. Behind them, San kept his eyes to himself, but the smirk on his baby pink lips told you plenty.

“Great,” you sighed. Mingi held onto you a little tighter. “I’m a liar,” you shared a look with Yunho, “You’re in deeper shit, and we’re all gonna get written off.”

Seonghwa tossed his hands up with a smile. “I’m excluded from the narrative.”

Yunho side eyed him. “What do you know about the narrative?”

Mingi’s hold loosened around you as he took a step toward his best friend. “Don’t listen to him, it’s-”

Yunho’s eyes popped open wide with a tilt of his jaw, cutting him clean off. “Finish that sentence.”

“No,” you said, stepping around your boyfriend, inserting yourself in the middle of the suffocating testosterone circle. Placing a hand on Mingi’s chest, you looked up at the other two, pointing at them directly. “The narrative does not exist,” you said to Yunho, turning to Seonghwa, “And even if one did exist, you would not be excluded.” You shut the two of them up, both of them looking down at you like a pair of brothers who’ve been grounded by their big sister.

It took a few seconds within the silence to realize, but Mingi had let go of you completely. He stood behind you with his hands in his pockets, his eyes soft, and his chin tipped low. 

“Why are you a liar?” he asked quietly, the deepness of his voice almost drowned out by the crashing of distant waves. Turning to him, trying to hold onto him somehow, he wouldn’t let you. 

“Mingi, can I-”

He took a small step backward, out of your reach. “Why are you a liar, Tori?”

Jaw agape, a singular laugh came out of you. “I’m not…”

Don’t go there, he heard you call yourself a liar.

Extending a hand toward the promenade where the others stood, you said, “She called me a liar. I am not a liar, but Ror called me one.”

“Why?” he asked, unmoving. The boys behind you were silent.

You can’t tell him about the texts. It’d be nice if you could, but look how far they’ve gone.

Would it be better to admit it? To flat out tell him they were happening, that you’ve entertained it for over a week? For what? Because you were bored? Because you were envious? You were not envious. You knew Mingi, you knew what it would do to him. To make him feel like he wasn’t enough, like he wasn’t giving you enough, doing enough for you, that you were unhappy in your relationship, that you were unsatisfied, you couldn’t do that to him. None of it was even true.

Why were you doing it?

“The ITZ thing,” you said, and you swore you heard Yunho sucked in a breath. Mingi crinkled a brow. “Last year. We all know her trust is fucked up. She got messed up tonight, we were talking about stuff, my words got taken the wrong way, she called me a liar.” His cheeks softened, yet your stomach twisted. 

He believed you.

“She’ll be okay tomorrow,” you said. With the smallest shake of your head you stepped toward him, and he let you. Your arms wrapped around his waist, his found your shoulders. Rising to your tiptoes you gave him a kiss. “It’ll all be okay.”

All was not okay.

Aurora remembered everything.

“I just don’t understand why you would do something like that to me,” she spat, pacing the length of the painted deck on the back of the house, the one right outside the kitchen. Both of you in swimsuits, the sunshine beat down on your bare skin, aiding in the boiling of your blood. 

You smacked your hands together and bounced in your seat, one of your legs propped up against the arm of the wicker chair. “Do something like that to you, Ror, I didn’t do a thing to you!”

It’d been twenty minutes of this. The back and forth. The volley of you did this, and, well you did that. Seconds after she’d come down the stairs ready for the day, freshly showered like you, you took one look at her face and knew you’d have to talk it out before anything else happened.

“Yunho,” she hissed like the word tasted awful, whirling herself around, nearly bending in half. She kept her voice quiet. “Why’d you do any of that?”

The first sober conversation about him. Yesterday it’d been shut down. Telling her about him, about what she’d said about him while she showered, it nearly made her sick all over again.

Shrugging, you shook your head. “I’m not gonna sugar coat shit. I want you and him together.” 

She balled her hands into fists. “You know he-”

“Yeah, I fuckin’ know, Aurora,” you snapped, and she sharpened her glare. “I was there. Did you forget that? Seems-”

“What,” she said within a breath, her eyes narrowing. “Tori, why would I forget that?” Folding your arms over your chest, you sat back in your chair and rolled your eyes. Aurora took a step toward you. “No, finish that sentence.”

“You’ve just been so busy,” you kept your tone calm, tightening your jaw. “Wooyoung, keeping up with him, listening to him, Soul, taking care of him…”

She loosened her fists, her shoulders drooping as she let out a laugh. “You can’t be serious,” she said, some sort of smile growing on her lips.

“I’m very serious,” you said, and she laughed.

With another step toward you, she said, “Tor, I tried to get it through to you. About any of this. Soul needs help, and he-”

“Then let him get help from someone else!” you shouted, slamming a hand onto the glass of the table you sat in front of. If the boys were in the house, in the kitchen mere feet away, they surely heard you both. “It is not your responsibility, and it sure as hell isn’t good for you to be around him if he does crazy shit, look at what you did last night, that’s not you.”

Her aura calmed tenfold. Pressing her hands to her thighs, she took a deep breath, then nodded her head. “If I’m with Yunho then I’m closer, right?”

Taking a hand to your forehead, you sighed. “What?”

“To you,” she almost whispered, and your stomach flipped. “If I'm with Yunho, I’m closer to you, I’m closer to Mingi, it goes back to us four, always.”

Your arms made their way back over your chest, your skin warm from the sun. Giving her a look, one you didn’t want to hurt her with, but wish you could, you said, “That’s not it.”

She laughed again, throwing her arms out to the side. “Then what is it, Tori? I’ve tried, I’ve been trying. Before we even got here I tried to talk to you, I wanted to get rid of whatever animosity there was.”

You raised a brow. “Animosity?”

She nodded once. “Yeah, animosity. Ryujin taught me that word.” Silence, for three seconds. “Did I… Did I use it right?”

Tilting your head side to side, you curled your lip. “Kinda, but I wouldn’t say that’s what’s going on. That’s how I feel about Wooyoung.”

The words left you before you could stop them.

Aurora pointed at you, her eyes shooting open wide. “I knew it. What’d he do to you?” You answered with a shrug, but it wasn’t enough for her. “Tori.”

Springing forward, you held up a hand and counted on your fingers. “He gets pissy with me whenever you tell him things about us, he’s rude to any human being you aren’t cool with, he got into a physical fight with Intak, he’s silencing you, and he’s making you do things that you don’t want to do.”

Aurora’s turn to cross her arms. Sitting in her hip, she thought to herself before she spoke. “You tell Mingi things about us.”

“Mingi’s my boyfriend.”

She cringed and glanced away. “Whatever,” she muttered.

The ocean, blue and visible from the deck, rolled in the distance. Beings were scattered all over the sand, umbrellas in view, towels littered here and there. The air was fresh, the breeze calming, the sounds of the seagulls squawking and the waves crashing and the wind blowing, all of it, serene. None of it matched this scene. None of it matched how the two of you felt.

“Intak disrespected me,” she said, looking back over at you, her face a lot calmer than it had been. “He was drunk, they both were, he did what he knew. That doesn’t mean I condone that, though. When he told me, I cried, Tori. Laying in bed with San, they both told me what happened, and I cried.” You parted your lips to speak, but she continued. “And as for that, Wooyoung and San, leave it alone. They didn’t make me feel that way, I made myself feel that way.”

“Aurora, you-”

“No,” she smiled. “I don’t want to talk about it. I know what I’m doing.” 

Screwing your face up, you let her know without words that you wanted her to talk about it. But, then somehow, she managed to twist up everything you wanted to say, fry it in your brewing, boiling anger sprinkled with frustration, and forced it to erupt.

“I’ll talk to Wooyoung,” she breathed. “I’ll tell him to cool it with you, with everyone, and he will.”

You couldn’t swallow your grin. “Of course he will,” you grit your teeth, “Because whatever you say, goes.” Her gaze shifted. “Aurora’s fucking world.”

You hated that you didn’t regret it once you finished.

Her hands fell to her sides, arms dangling in shock, the very feeling apparent on her face. Lips parted, eyebrows flipped over, she stared at you. She waited for you to say anything else. To change what had come out of your mouth. To take it back.

Snapping her jaw shut, she bobbed her head and pursed her lips. “Animosity,” she whispered, and turned on her toes.

“Go tell him everything,” you called after her, jumping out of your seat. Following behind her as she thundered down the stairs to the sand, you stopped at the top. “Does he know you wanted to go home with Yunho last night?” She whipped herself around mid-staircase, her hands grabbing onto the bannister. “Oh, yeah,” you laughed, “You wanted to do that. You gonna tell him that part, too?”

“Don’t you dare,” she grilled you, then hurried on her way.

“I’m ready for him to hate me more now! I’ve caught on!”

Hot July air suffocated you. Laying on the beach over a blanket stitched with patterns of pastel blues and hot pinks, the teal bathing suit you wore contrasted against it perfectly. Hair thrown up on top of your head, dainty gold sunglasses perched on your nose, you had your arms and legs stretched out above you, below you, your heels digging into the warm sand. 

Eyes closed, you paid no mind to the chatter around you. Taking deep breaths, focusing them down within you, you kept calm. You were on vacation. You were here to relax, to unwind, not to stir up new drama that honestly should be left in the past. This month was meant to bring you all together, not rip you apart.

You would talk to Aurora.

As much as it pained you, you would apologize to her.

She kept so much from you last year, thinking that she couldn’t tell you things, that she couldn’t let you in on her life. You didn’t want to move backwards. Aurora, she’s family, more of a sister than the very one that grew up with you in the neighboring bedroom of your house in Tamoe. Sitara, your movie star of a sister, one who couldn’t give two shits if you were having a bad day, and if you were she’d judge you for it, something Aurora wouldn’t think twice about doing. 

She said the words herself, she tried to get through to you. She tried to talk things out with you, she even tried on the plane here. That’s something sisters do. They understand if you’re having a bad day, they stick by your side when things don’t feel right, even if they don’t understand it themselves. They try. 

Aurora knew your secrets, and you knew all of hers. Nights you’ve spent dishing familial trauma to one another, understanding one another even if it wasn’t a life you came from. You grew up with a sister, one distant, raised by a completely different set of parents than you were handed, and Aurora, she grew up alone. She didn’t have sisters, she didn’t grow up around kind women in her life. You needed each other.

Sitting up to your elbows, letting your glasses slide to the tip of your nose, you blinked in the blinding sunlight and scanned the sand. Mingi sat up to your left, shirtless, half dried salty blonde hair a mess on his head. He talked with Seonghwa, the ATZ President on another blanket with his legs crossed and Hongjoong laying down flat on his stomach beside him with his nose in a book. They spoke gently to one another, something about organizing the week long back to school rager in a way so it held more purpose, created more of a statement. 

Slightly in front of you, in chairs who’s bottoms touched the sand, Yuna and Jongho sat, facing one another. Cold cans dripping with condensation lived in their hands, the droplets of cool water dabbling their bare skin when they brought the drinks to their lips. On a blanket in front of them, almost out of view behind Jongho’s broad, bronzed muscled shoulders, Aurora sat with Wooyoung, the two on a towel. She laid between his legs, half of her draped over his front, leaning back on one of his knees propped up to support her. 

Down by the water, Ryujin leapt through waves, Jeongyeon watching from the shore, her ankles kissed by the ocean with every crashing wave. Yeosang swam around with Keni, the two hanging around Yunho, suspiciously accompanied by San.

Sitting all the way up, pulling your legs beneath you, Mingi placed a hand over your thigh and drew circles over your skin, not letting his attention falter from Seonghwa. The president looked at you, sharing a mere glance that meant nothing aside from acknowledging your presence. Grabbing onto Mingi’s hand, Seonghwa’s eyes flickered down to them, his lips never missing a beat, keeping up with your boyfriend in discussion. 

Leaning forward ever so slightly, Aurora in view, you hoped to get her attention, like her subconscious would know you were looking for her, looking at her, but she didn’t move. She smiled with Yuna, the boys around them simply happy to be there. Her smile weighed heavy on your chest.

“Hey, Ror,” you called out, turning Jongho’s head, and Mingi’s. Yuna looked your way too, but it didn’t last long. Wooyoung spared you a glance behind his Ray Bans, but let it linger on Seonghwa before he turned to the water.

She didn’t move. Smiling at Yuna, it was as if she didn’t hear you. Their conversation continued on like you hadn’t spoken a word.

Mingi’s hand tightened on your thigh. You didn’t tell him what happened, not yet, but you knew he’d question it after this. Her words hung in the air, the fact that you tell Mingi everything. Rightfully so, though, right? He was your boyfriend, you shared everything with him, you shared life with him, there wasn’t anything you’d want to keep from him…

Blinking, you swallowed hard, averting your eyes to the sand.

The text messages. The mystery man. One who suggested you tell Mingi about him so that the three of you could orchestrate a playdate. Thinking about him, where all the signs pointed to, you wondered if it could be anyone you sat around at the moment, or if it was someone brand new. Jongseob had a house full of people down the street, it could be any one of his minions, like that boy from the party who knew about you because Jongseob talked about you.

It could also just be Jongseob.

But, then again, it could also be-

“Shota!” Seonghwa leapt from the sand, hauling ass to a group of boys walking along the water many, many feet away. How he even made him out amidst the group of ten or so boys was lost on you.

Aurora lurched forward, scrambling out of Wooyoung’s lap who flew to his feet soon after he had the room to do so. She didn’t run, she walked, with purpose, with Wooyoung right behind her. Seonghwa had made it to the group first, towering over the underclassmen, speaking to them with his jaw clenched and his teeth grit, but as Aurora approached them, the attention turning to her, she pushed them each out of the way like they weighed nothing. They parted for her. And there was Soul, with an arm thrown over Jongseob’s shoulder.

He smirked toward Aurora, her lips sealed as she took hold of Soul’s wrist and yanked him off of him, and then, he scanned the beach. His eyes drew over your friends, toward where the group of you sat, your friends stumbling out of the water, and then he found you.

And he smiled.

Mingi slid his hand further over your thigh, nearly between your legs.

Jongseob, shameless, didn’t look away.

Seonghwa and Wooyoung stood behind Aurora, ignoring the other boys remarks, their confidence having grown somehow, without a care for how they spoke to their seniors, some of them legitimately in a binding contract with one another. Intak sized up Wooyoung, rocking back and forth beside him, his chin tipped backward, a small smile on his lips, as if to ask for round two. 

Aurora talked to Soul, both of her hands on his shoulders, holding him so close their chests pressed together. Her lips moved a mile a minute, and he watched them. She wrapped a hand around the back of his head and pulled him down, their foreheads touching. 

Giving Jongseob the nastiest look, you squeezed Mingi’s hand and scooted closer to lean into him. With a tilt of his head, Jongseob’s grin deepened, then he reached out for Soul, grabbing him by a fistful of t-shirt, and pulled him backward, Aurora nearly falling forward as the boy was ripped from her grasp, both Seonghwa and Wooyoung reaching for her somehow.

Starting to wander off, the boys cackling, leaving your friends behind with rude remarks, sarcastic smiles and utter disrespect, Jongseob made sure to leave you with another look. Some sort of glare. One that said plenty. One that made Mingi tense up, and your heart rate skyrocketed.

They didn’t go after him, the three down by the water, instead they watched him walk away. Wooyoung laced his fingers with Aurora’s, Seonghwa stood tall beside them, and none of them said a word. Soul didn’t even turn around, Jongseob had him pulled into his side tight.

Turning to Mingi, nestling yourself further into his side, he returned your look and pressed his lips together.

“That was nothing,” you started, “Don’t let that-”

“Did that not upset you?” he asked, his voice quiet. When you didn’t move, he scoffed, turning away to watch your friends wander back up the sand.

“It’s not my fight,” you said, keeping your own voice down.

He shot you a look. “You know what this means. If I’ve heard about it, I know you have, too.” He studied your face, you felt your cheeks warm. “You’ve been ignoring each other all day.”

“She’s been ignoring me,” you mumbled.

“Why?”

“I may have said something not too nice to her.”

Mingi sighed, looking up at the group that returned to the circle of blankets and towels, the four from the water returning with them. “I thought you guys were good, Tor, why does this keep happening?”

Because, like Sitara, Aurora gets what she wants.

Like Sitara, Aurora gathers attention without even trying.

Like Sitara, Aurora does as she pleases without a thought of the consequence, of the aftermath.

Like Sitara, Aurora moves carelessly when she needs to care.

Nausea filled you. It rolled through you in waves but didn’t crash as beautifully as the ones down on the shore. 

She sat on the blanket with Wooyoung, wedging herself between his legs like she once had been sitting. Gulping, taking in her teary eyes she tried so desperately to blink away, you wanted to feel bad. You yearned to feel bad, to reach over to her, to give her a hug like Wooyoung did now. She started to cry, in front of everyone, a rare sight. Tears were for you to share. Something Yunho has seen before, even Wooyoung. But, never anyone else.

She didn’t get what she wanted.

She was hurt. In such a way that the vulnerable pieces of her came out where they never would.

And beneath the nausea, the lump in your throat because her tears triggered your own, the rushing course of blood in your veins- it felt good.

read it on ao3 | talk to me | my masterlist

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[coldsaturn]

I finished my reread of TRK (in its Italian translation, for a change) in preparation for TGR, and I have thoughts

The rule usually is: if you can't rephrase or find an equivalent expression in the target language you're translating to, delete it even if it means losing part of the original. So tell me who and why chose to keep "Pig" in "Pig Higgins" that in Italian sounds like that's his real name.

Completely forgot Allison has grey eyes

"If you're going to play dealer who do we have in goal second half?" Wymack looked at Andrew. Andrew looked over his shoulder as if checking for a third goalkeeper." Andrew is hilarious

"The Foxes had two sets of uniforms: home and away. The former was orange with white lettering and the latter was reverse. Neil liked the white version better as it was a little easier on the eyes." The last sentence was translated with what equals to "Neil liked the white version better since it was a little bit cuter :3" and I'm laughing

Completely forgot about the Foxes' mascot, Rocky Foxy. Who's inside lmao

"Kevin had nothing to say to them, but Aaron went straight to Matt and Nicky to check on them." Aaron my baby

"Face the facts. Your pet is and always will be dead weight. It's time to—" "What?" Andrew turned a wide-eyed look on Kevin. "You have a pet and you never told us? Where do you keep it, Kevin?" Andrew and his habit of pretending people aren't talking about him

"Neil stopped counting. "You know, I get it,"

Aaron and Nicky dance. Aaron dances. Someone with Andrew's face dances.

"It took him only a few seconds to realize the Ravens were coming. The entire team was crossing the court toward Kevin, walking in V formation like a flock of birds going south." sajdòasldkasldjaslkdj I want their confidence in the face of the most embarrassing shit

What's the second team Tetsuji owns? What's the second team Tetsuji owns???

In the translation Neil keeps on switching between casual and polite register with Wymack and it's making my eye twitch

I'm rereading about Matt telling his story and Neil understanding that Andrew had fixed Matt's issues with the drugs because it would have been too difficult for Aaron otherwise, but...Seth? Hello? Ignored even in this, that's cold.

The absolute tragedy of Neil's involvement. He opens his mouth and Seth dies. He is warned that he was the trigger but doesn't believe it. He opens his mouth again and Drake is back. He receives confirmation that yes, he is in fact the trigger, can't keep his mouth shut again, uses his fists for good measure, and Andrew will meet a specific doctor at Easthaven. And yet he thinks he can still go to Evermore and avoid the last threat as if he hadn't just punched Riko in the face twice already. Delusional doesn't even begin to cover it.

"Lie down," Riko said again, "and put your hands on the headboard." The parallels with Andrew, help

The translation made a handful of straight up grammatical errors on top of the few inaccuracies, the choice of keeping "Per favore" as trigger word for Andrew, and keeping "Pig" as first name for Higgins save for one time where we get a Phil. Do better, translator, please.

The last chapter is fire. The way it so strongly signals the start of a new arc and makes me vibrate for TKM is masterful.