#but i didn't think it was going to be *that* big of a jump

[dcxdpdabbles]

Tucker: We're married.

Danny: What?

Tucker: If anyone asks you and I are married. We've been married for two years. Not platonic roommates. Understand?

Danny: I'm always down for marriage fraud, but can I ask why?

Tucker: *Sigh* We had a big company meeting today with every level employee at the event center the Wayne rent out. Tammy from accounts was assigned to my table-

Danny: Your mortal enemy.

Tucker: Exactly. So she started giving me grief in the middle of our team exercise project. The other four random employees are looking at me all wide eye and I'm getting tired so I say "Is it because I'm gay Tammy?" To shut her up. But at that time, Timothy Drake Wayne was walking behind me and heard me say it. He jumped in to ask what was going on, and I hate Tammy for being so annoying, but I am not about to accuse her of discrimination for no reason. So I said "Oh it was just a joke. Like on the internet." And then when Mr.Drake-Wayne face didn't relax, I blurted out."My husband thinks my jokes are dumb too"

Danny: Tucker....that's not good

Tucker: I know! I started panicking!

Danny: You ramble when you panic.

Tucker: I do, and I did. Before I realized it, I told Mr. Drake-Wayne, this whole made up childhood friends to lover romance between you and I. It was so good he told me to invite you to the office. So we're married. Please go along with it. If I can get Mr. Drake-Wayne's support I can rise in the company so fast.

Danny: Promotions are 50% networking. Alright, sure, what's the worst that can happen?

Five months later

Steph: What's the big emergency?

Tim sobbing:. I'm in love with the husband of one of my employees.

Steph: Tim....that's not good

[419jhat]

Steve becomes an actor. Eddie reacts to his movies while nursing his crush.

***

That Time He Got Naked

Steve had always been a good performer. Eddie watched him in school, putting on the face of a disaffected cool guy who was above everything around him. And he watched him put on a face of bravery for the kids when the end of the world was at their fingertips. When Steve got his first role, Eddie figured it made sense. He hadn't exactly been trained in acting, but he had a pretty face and the ability to do what he was told on a set.

When he got his second role, Eddie didn't pay much attention. Local art movies by Robin's college friends weren't that interesting to watch, in his opinion. But the third role was when it became a thing. That's when it started turning into a big deal. And before they knew it, a year later, Steve was in a real movie. A movie they could see in theaters and rent at family video. A movie people had actually heard of. The kind of movie everyone sat down to watch in support of their famous friend. Even if it was a just small role.

So, at the first available showing where the entire party could get together, Eddie found himself squished between Dustin and Nancy, watching Steve gasp and moan like it was his first time.

And Eddie's face was on fire.

Dustin had pulled his hoodie over his eyes.

Nancy was sitting straight as a telephone pole.

Jonathan leaned over and asked her, “Was he really like that?” Which made her smack him on the arm and tell him to shut up.

Eddie could barely pay attention. He was too busy wondering, as he stared at Steve's bare ass taking up half the screen, if Steve had been hitting the gym to tone up just for this scene because-

He needed to stop thinking about it before he made it even more awkward for everyone.

When Steve called him a week later, he could barely talk without stuttering like a fool.

“So, what did you think? Maria said I was really convincing but she was in the scene with me. She kind of has to say that,” Steve said.

Eddie thought that the sight of Steve's ass had been imprinted on the back of his eyelids, because it was all he saw when he closed his eyes to sleep at night.

“It was good,” Eddie said awkwardly.

“That sex scene was so embarrassing. People keep asking me if it was hot. There is nothing hot about standing around your coworkers in a flesh colored jockstrap.”

“Mm-hmm,” Eddie said, trying not to imagine a scenario where Steve was his coworker, and that was his uniform.

That Time He Died

The next time they met up to watch a Steve movie, nobody had warned Eddie about its contents. Or, maybe they did and he'd ignored it because he didn't want to think about the little mole on the small of Steve's back that he'd discovered last time they watched a Steve movie.

Either way, Eddie was completely unprepared to watch Steve gasping for air while being beaten to death in an alley.

“Ugh, I can't watch this,” Robin muttered when it became clear what was happening. She ran out of the theater a few moments later when the scene didn't end quickly enough.

Lucas was on Eddie's other side, cringing with each brutal punch. Steve was letting out pathetic, wet whimpers, his face literally crunching under the main actor's fists.

Eddie knew it was fake. The blood was kind of excessive and there was just no way you could rearrange someone's face like that with your bare hands. But watching Steve's eyes go glassy made Eddie feel sick.

He got up too.

He found Robin standing next to a water fountain, just staring at it.

“Thirsty, Buckley?”

She jumped.

“Oh. No,” she said, stuffing her hands in the pickets of her jacket. “I just dream about that kind of stuff a lot.”

Eddie nodded. “I get it. It's different when we've seen him hurt before.”

Behind them, the theater door swung open. Dustin paused when he saw them, and then propped it open with his foot. The rest of the party followed.

“I guess we're leaving early, huh?” Nancy asked.

Everyone nodded.

“Nobody tells Steve,” Robin warned.

When Steve called him the next day, he kept his mouth shut.

“You were terrifying,” Eddie said.

“You sure? I think I was supposed to be more pathetic than anything else.”

“I mean, that too. But it was super gory, so I think the whole theater was freaked out.”

“Neat,” Steve said. “You know, I'm going to be in Chicago this weekend. We should hang out!”

“I'd love that!” Eddie said too quickly.

Steve laughed and asked, “maybe you can show me around?”

“Yeah, you can stay at my place!” Eddie said.

And then he looked around his apartment and cringed. “On second thought, you can get a hotel if you don't want to deal with the mess.”

“I love the mess. It's you,” Steve said.

Eddie wasn't sure if he was supposed to be offended or not.

That Time He Cried

The next movie wasn't much better. This time, Eddie came prepared. This time, Steve didn't get naked or die. What he hadn't anticipated was that there were other terrible things that could happen, like watching the man he'd held a crush on for years now scream and sob because he lost the will to live after his wife died.

Eddie honestly didn't know that Steve could sound like that. The anguish in his voice at the funeral scene, the pain in his eyes. It was raw, and difficult to face.

There wasn't a dry tear in their row.

“I do not like this one,” El whispered to Eddie.

“Why is he always miserable in these movies?” Max muttered. She had her shoulders up to her ears and her arms crossed, like she could hold the tears back if she wound herself up tight enough.

“Well. He seemed pretty happy in the first one,” Eddie said.

Max punched him in the shoulder.

Steve's phone call came that evening.

“Dude, I think you broke everyone's hearts. I didn't even know you could cry like that,” Eddie said.

Steve huffed a laugh into the receiver. “My agent told me to think of something sad.”

“What did you think of?” Eddie asked. He instantly wanted to smack himself in the forehead. Why would Steve share that with him? To his shock, Steve hummed, like he was thinking.

“I thought about how I felt when we thought Max was dead,” he said quietly. “Obviously, it's not like that between us. She's basically my sister at this point. But…it was the first time I'd ever lost someone but cared about. Someone I was supposed to protect.”

Eddie's heart melted into a million pieces.

“Steve. I think you should invite her to visit you. She loves you too,” he said softly.

“Yeah,” Steve said slowly, “the only thing is that Dustin would lose his shit if she visited first.”

“Oh, don't worry, I'll keep him distracted for you,” Eddie said.

“With Dragons and Dickwads?” Steve asked.

“You know it.”

That Time He Proposed

Eventually, Steve broke his curse of misery and managed to get a lead role in a rom com. Eddie hated it more than anything else. Watching him fall in love with the human equivalent of a shallow puddle pissed Eddie off more than anything else had in a long time. Steve's pretty eyes, staring at her. Steve, so visibly in love with someone who didn't deserve him. Steve, doing stupid shit to make her take him back when he hadn't done anything wrong in Eddie’s completely unbiased opinion.

It made Eddie want to tear his hair out.

The real cherry on top was Steve proposing to her at the end, because of-fucking-course the movie ended that way. That kind of heteronormative love at first sight, get married and have kids bullshit the media always pandered to, drove him up the wall. Steve did all the work. He set up a cheesy outdoor surprise at the beach and dropped to one knee while everyone in the background of the scene clapped like a bunch of lemmings.

“This is so fucking stupid,” Eddie said.

“Tell me about it,” Mike said.

“God, I hate romance movies," Eddie said.

“They always suck,” Mike agreed.

“Steve would never do that! He doesn't like big grand gestures!” Eddie said.

“What?” Mike asked.

“He's a very private person!”

“Eddie…that's not Steve. That's Chris. Steve’s character,” Erica said.

“I- I know that. I'm just saying,” Eddie sputtered.

“Can you all shut the fuck up?” Max hissed.

Steve called him a week later, and by then, Eddie had forgotten all about it up until Steve started waxing poetic about how romantic it all was. Ugh.

“Wait, I thought you didn't like that kind of stuff,” Eddie interrupted.

“Oh. No, I don't. But in the context of the movie, it was supposed to be.”

“So…what kind of romance do you like?” Eddie asked casually.

“Gonna surprise me with something, Munson?” Steve asked.

“Wha- no, I just-” Eddie stuttered.

Steve interrupted him with a laugh. Then, he suddenly asked, in a sinfully soft voice, “when are you going to visit me?”

Eddie's heart skipped a beat.

“Uh, I don't know. Tattooing doesn't pay for a California vacation yet,” he said nervously.

“You could move out here,” Steve said. “There's a ton of people wanting tattoos in LA.”

“I don't know if all that sun would agree with me,” Eddie joked.

“Youcouldmoveinwithme,” Steve blurted out.

“Hmm?” Eddie asked, twisting the phone cord around his thumb.

“You could move in with me,” Steve said.

Eddie nearly dropped the phone. He sat up straight and looked at his hands like they couldn't tell him what he'd really heard, because there was no way Steve was being serious.

“Eddie?” Steve asked.

“I'm here. Good one, Steve,” he said with a forced laugh, “like you'd want me messing up your place. Anyway, got anything else going on?”

Steve didn't reply for a moment. When he did, he told him about some party he'd gone to. And Eddie forgot about the offer completely.

That Time He Was a Villain

Thankfully, Steve's next film was wildly different from the others. This time he was the bad guy. Eddie found it kind of thrilling to watch him parade around with the confidence of an unapologetic piece of shit. The way he led the main characters around like he had them on a leash, the way he looked when he was in charge. It made Eddie's pathetic little heart shiver.

Steve made a sexy villain.

Unfortunately for Eddie, nobody else seemed to agree. As they left the theater, all the kids were grumbling under their breath.

“I thought he was cool in that role,” Eddie said.

“He was such an asshole!” Dustin said.

“I can't believe he was so mean to Miranda! He didn't have to be such a bad husband!” Max said.

“It was the look in his eyes. Like he thought it was all fun,” Erica said with disgust.

“Once a douche, always a douche,” Mike muttered.

Nancy lifted an eyebrow. “You guys know that it was just a character, right? Steve didn't actually endorse any of that stuff.”

“He chose the role,” Dustin muttered. “I hope Hollywood isn't ruining him.”

Eddie was pretty sure they just missed him.

Steve called him three days later.

“Do you think I'm turning into an asshole?” he asked without saying hello.

“Dustin’s just being stupid,” Eddie said.

“He says I'm regressing back into my high school days!”

“That's dramatic,” Eddie said with a laugh, “he didn't even know you in high school.”

“Exactly!”

“I thought you were cool in your latest movie,” Eddie said.

“What?”

“I mean, you are a bit of an ass, but it shows your skill.”

“Wait, is that what this is about? I thought I missed his birthday or something!”

“Oh, no. They just don't like seeing you play the bad guy.”

“Oh my God, that is so fucking-”

That Time He Fell In Love With A Man

Eddie didn't know what was coming next. Steve had been in a wide variety of roles at this point, so when he sat down in the theater with a bucket of popcorn, he did not expect to witness the crush of his life, holder of his soul, dream of all dreams, to be making out with another man.

Eddie nearly threw his popcorn at the screen out of sheer shock.

“Buckley, did you know about this!?” he hissed to Robin.

“Yeah, I thought it was really brave,” she said softly.

“What do you mean? Because he's straight?”

Robin slowly turned to look at Eddie with an eyebrow lifted.

“...what?” she asked.

Eddie wasn't paying attention. He turned back to watch. It was beautiful. It was nothing like what he'd expected. Explicit love between two men, on screen for the world to see. He didn't even have it in himself to get jealous. For the first time, Eddie couldn't see Steve. He saw the story. He could see himself in the way Steve's character looked at his lover. The way they hid their feelings for each other in public. The film ended with Steve's character passing away in a car accident. It made Eddie cry. Eddie hadn't cried in a theater in years.

He left the building feeling raw.

The others were raving about the film, talking about how it would push Steve's career to the next level. No comments about it being weird or gross.

“Robin, why would he choose that role?” Eddie asked quietly.

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I mean, did he do it for Will or something?”

Robin turned to Eddie with her hands on her hips, looking very much like Steve with the level of judgement in her eyes.

“Eddie…when you said Steve was straight. Were you being serious?”

Eddie just blinked at her. “Of course I was. He is straight.”

“Are you stupid?” she asked. Eddie opened his mouth to reply, but she didn't let him. “Where have you been the last few years? Has that apartment of yours been lined with lead?”

“What-”

“Eddie, he calls you almost every week!”

“He calls everyone-”

“He stays at your place when he's in town!”

“It's cheaper-”

“He is a successful actor! He has no reason to stay in your apartment, which is always covered in dirty clothes!”

“Hey, I try to keep it-”

“Last time I was there, your underwear was hanging on the bathroom doorknob!”

“Listen, I told you I can explain that-”

“Eddie, he asked if you wanted to move in with him!”

Eddie opened and closed his mouth a couple of times. Now that he thought about it, he did recall Steve joking about that. But it had just been a joke. Right?

“I thought he was being nice?” Eddie offered.

“Oh my god, you are so stupid,” Robin said.

“Wait, so let me get this right. Steve isn't straight. And he's interested in me!?”

Robin punched him in the shoulder. “Go call him, you dumbass.”

Eddie turned and ran all the way home without even saying goodbye. By the time he made it to his phone, he was gasping for air after running up three flights of stairs. And for the first time in years, he called Steve after watching his movie.

“Hello?”

Eddie could only gasp for air.

“...listen if this is some kind of prank-”

“No! Wait! It's me!” Eddie gasped.

“Eddie?” Steve asked.

“I saw your new movie,” Eddie said, brushing his hands out of his face with a shaking hand, “why didn't you ever tell me?”

Steve was silent for a moment.

“Tell you what?” he finally asked.

“That you like men!”

“I'm sorry?” Steve asked, sounding shocked.

Eddie's face was on fire. Had he somehow completely misunderstood Robin's point? Should he have stayed beyond to make sure?

“Eddie, did you not know that?” Steve asked.

“What! Of course, I didn't! If I had known that I would have-” Eddie cut himself off, too embarrassed to even say it.

“You would have what?” Steve goaded.

“It doesn't matter,” Eddie mumbled.

“No, I think it does,” Steve said.

“It's not a big deal,” Eddie said.

“I think it is,” Steve said.

Eddie bit his bottom lip, letting his feelings fester inside him until they finally exploded in the form of him shouting, “I would have asked you out!”

“And I would have said yes,” Steve said instantly.

“Really?” Eddie asked softly.

“I mean…I've been crazy about you for years,” Steve said.

“Why didn't you say anything!? Do you know how crazy you drove me last time you stayed here? You can't hold a man in bed like that and not expect him to fall in love!”

“I- uh, thought you didn't feel the same,” Steve said, sounding embarrassed. Eddie closed his eyes and sighed. Robin was right. He was so stupid.

“Steve, I feel the same and I want to ask you to be with me for the foreseeable future,” Eddie said boldly.

“The foreseeable future? Not just a date?” Steve asked.

“I am well past wanting a single date, to be honest.”

“Oh wow. Well, I've been looking for a boyfriend,” Steve said.

“I might even surprise you with something romantic,” Eddie said with a smile.

[scoupsakakitty]

Hi can you write about the 14th member who moved from another country to join SEVENTEEN, and they’re dealing with major homesickness? Maybe one of the members notices and tries to help?

Homesick | Seventeen x 14thMember | fluff

Y/N sat in the practice room, staring at her phone screen. A picture of her parents filled the display, taken the last time she visited home. It had been so long. Too long.

She sighed, hugging her knees to her chest. Seungkwan, who had been watching her for a while, finally sat down next to her.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently.

Y/N forced a small smile. "Yeah... just thinking."

Seungkwan frowned. "Thinking or missing home?"

She looked away, not wanting to admit it. But Seungkwan knew. He always knew.

"You're leaving for your concert soon, right?" he continued. "That must be exciting!"

Y/N nodded. "It is. But... I'll be alone. You guys will all be here in Korea."

Seungkwan hesitated for a second before grinning. "You'll do amazing. And we’ll support you, no matter where we are."

The days leading up to her flight were a whirlwind of emotions. Excitement, anxiety, and a deep longing filled her heart. The members were always around, making her laugh, distracting her from her worries. But at night, when she was alone, the sadness crept in. She missed her family more than words could say.

"Make sure to eat well," Jeonghan reminded her as they sat in the dorm’s living room.

"And call us every day," Mingyu added.

Y/N chuckled. "I will. I promise."

Hoshi clapped his hands together. "You’re gonna kill it on stage! Just imagine we’re there cheering for you."

She smiled, but the thought of being alone still lingered in her mind.

----------------------------------------------------------------The day of the concert arrived. Y/N was backstage, pacing. Her heart pounded in her chest. It had been so long since she performed alone, and the thought of standing on that big stage without her members made her stomach twist.

A staff member called her. "Y/N, it’s time."

Taking a deep breath, she stepped onto the stage. The bright lights blinded her for a second, but as she adjusted, she saw the audience cheering. Then—

Her breath caught in her throat.

Right in the front row, in a special section separated from the rest, stood all thirteen Seventeen members.

They were waving, clapping, cheering her name.

Jeonghan had a giant banner with her name. Mingyu was jumping up and down. Hoshi was already dancing to the intro beat. Even quiet Wonwoo was smiling proudly.

Tears welled in Y/N’s eyes. They came. They really came.

As the music started, she wiped her tears quickly and smiled. With all her heart, she sang, giving 110% of her energy. She could feel the love, the support, the warmth from her members. Even though they didn't understand the lyrics of her home language, they still vibed with the music, clapping, swaying, and cheering.

Throughout the concert, her eyes kept drifting back to them. Every time she saw them smiling, her confidence grew.

By the end of the concert, she felt invincible.

As soon as she stepped backstage, the members ran to her, pulling her into a huge group hug.

"You did amazing!" Joshua said.

"We’re so proud of you," Scoups added.

"Did you really think we would let you do this alone?" Vernon teased.

Y/N laughed, tears still in her eyes. "I can’t believe you guys came."

"Of course we did," DK said. "Now, where’s the food? You promised to take us to your house!"

Y/N giggled and wiped her tears. "Let’s go. I have so much to show you."

Together, they walked out, hand in hand, like a true family.

----------------------------------------------------------------The night at Y/N’s house was filled with laughter and warmth. Her parents welcomed the members with open arms, feeding them a feast of home-cooked meals.

Y/N’s father took a seat at the table with a large bowl of fresh fruit. With a gentle smile, he began peeling apples and oranges, carefully slicing them into bite-sized pieces before offering them to the members. "Here, eat up. You’ve all worked so hard today."

"Thank you so much!" Dino said, happily taking a piece. "This is delicious!"

Hoshi grinned. "I could get used to this treatment!"

Meanwhile, in the living room, Y/N’s mother sat beside Mingyu and Jun, holding an old photo album. "Would you like to see some baby pictures of Y/N?" she asked warmly.

"Yes, please!" Mingyu said excitedly, leaning in.

Jun chuckled. "This is going to be great."

Y/N groaned. "Mom, nooo…"

But it was too late. Her mother flipped the pages, revealing adorable pictures of Y/N as a toddler chubby cheeks, messy hair, and a big, carefree smile.

Mingyu burst out laughing. "Oh my god, look at you! So cute!"

Jun grinned. "You haven’t changed much."

Y/N covered her face with her hands. "This is so embarrassing."

Her mother patted her shoulder. "They’re just happy to see the little girl you used to be. And we’re all so proud of the person you’ve become."

The room fell into a comfortable silence, filled with warmth and love. Even though they were in a foreign country, the members felt like they were at home, embraced by Y/N’s family’s kindness.

Later that night, as they sat in the living room, Woozi strummed a guitar, humming a tune. Y/N leaned her head on Seungkwan’s shoulder, feeling an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

She wasn’t alone. Not anymore. Not ever.

As she drifted off to sleep surrounded by her family.

[jazzy96scorpio]

His Forbidden Equation

Chapter 1 A Cosmic Chemistry

Description: A scorching affair ignites between a professor Reed Richards and his student [You], pushing the boundaries of propriety and exploring the intoxicating chemistry of forbidden passion.

Pairing: You / Reed Richards Mr. Fantastic

Warnings ⚠️ : adult content, SMUT, dirty talk, oral sex (m/f rec), unprotected sex, sex, slow burn, so much teasing and tension.

Word count: 2500

I hope so you are gonna enjoy in reading. I writed this quickly. ❣️

Part 1 * Scientific Seduction

The lab hummed, that low, constant thrum that vibrated through your shoes and up into your bones.  It was the soundtrack to cutting-edge science, the kind of background noise you got used to.  Senior year, you were practically buzzing with nervous excitement, tagging along with a bunch of other students on a visit to the astrophysics lab at ESU.  Astronaut. 

The word hung in your mind, a distant, glittering star you were reaching for with everything you had. And this lab, with all its crazy equipment and the thick air of brainpower, felt like one tiny step closer. Especially since he was here.

Reed Richards. Seriously.  The Reed Richards. You knew all about his… extracurriculars, his whole Fantastic Four thing. But here, in the halls of ESU, he was Professor Richards, just a ridiculously brilliant guy trying to figure out the universe.

He was talking about stellar evolution, his voice kind of dreamy and intense. He pointed at this swirling, pulsing holographic image of a star collapsing, all vibrant colors. You were totally mesmerized.  So much so, you almost missed him looking over at…you.

It wasn't a big, dramatic stare or anything. Just a quick glance, his eyes, usually miles away, locking onto yours for a second.  But something weird happened in that second.  Like a little spark.  Maybe it was how focused you were, practically glued to the hologram, or maybe it was just random.  Whatever it was, he stopped talking, kind of furrowed his brow like he was trying to solve some crazy equation.

"You got a question?" he asked, looking right at you.

Your heart did this weird little jump.

All the other students turned to look, and suddenly you felt super self-conscious, like, you were going to ask Reed Richards a question?

You mumbled, "I...I was just thinking about the Chandrasekhar limit..."

He smiled, a real, genuine smile that made crinkles around his eyes, and for a second, he just looked like a regular guy, not a scientific legend. "Good question. Most students are still trying to get the basics down. What about it grabs you?"

And just like that, you were talking.  He didn't talk down to you, even though you were just a student, a tiny speck in his universe of knowledge. He actually listened to your questions, like they mattered, and you guys got into this whole thing about theoretical possibilities, even some of his own, more… out there ideas.

He saw how into it you were, that burning need to understand everything, to touch the stars.  And in that moment, with the lab humming and the holographic stars glowing, your worlds bumped into each other.

As the other students filed out, a little disappointed the session was over, Professor Richards turned to you. 

"Would you mind staying for a moment?" he asked.

"I'd like to talk more about some of the things you brought up."

You were beyond flattered.  He wanted to talk to you?  It felt like the universe was tilting on its axis. 

He saw something in you, something beyond just another student, and the thought made your heart flutter.

"My name is [Y/N]," you managed, a little breathless.

"It's a pleasure, [Y/N]," he replied, his eyes meeting yours.

The lab emptied, the heavy door clicking shut behind the last of the departing students, leaving just the two of you surrounded by the silent machinery.

You felt like a kid in a candy store, all wide-eyed and buzzing with curiosity. And he seemed genuinely happy to answer every single one of your questions, no matter how small. He really listened, his brow furrowed as he considered your thoughts.

"You have a remarkable grasp of these concepts for someone your age," he said, a genuine note of admiration in his voice. "Your insights are…refreshing."

You felt your cheeks flush. 

"Thank you," you murmured.

He genuinely seemed to enjoy your company, his initial reserve melting away as your shared passion for the cosmos took over.  You mentioned you were working on your graduation essay, and his eyes lit up.  "What's your topic?" he asked.

When you told him, he offered to help, suggesting some further reading and offering to guide you through some of the more complex theories.

"It would be my pleasure," he said, that warm smile of his making you feel like you were the only person in the universe.

There was something in the air, a little shift in the vibe.  A definite tension, a little spark of… something...that you were feeling too. His gaze kept drifting over to you, lingering a little too long. He seemed kind of fascinated by something – maybe your dress, or the bright red lipstick you’d gone for that day. His eyes, usually so focused on faraway galaxies, had this intensity that made you a little breathless. You could feel his breath hitch as he moved closer, a subtle change in the air pressure that gave you goosebumps.

But just as things were getting interesting, the lab door swung open. "Reed?" a voice called out.

It was Sue Richards. You knew her instantly. You gave a polite smile and a hello, and she smiled back, her eyes briefly checking you out. A quick, almost invisible flicker crossed her face before she turned to her husband.

"Honey, I just wanted to..." she started, then paused, her eyes flicking back to you.

You introduced yourself.

"Nice to meet you," she said, her voice polite but cool.

"You too," you replied.

You grabbed your stuff, feeling a weird mix of disappointment and relief. As you headed for the door, you couldn't help but notice Reed watching you go.

You gave a small, polite goodbye, and then you were out of there, the hum of the lab fading behind you.

That day was seared into your memory. You couldn't shake the way he looked at you, the heat radiating from his smile.

You'd managed to snag his number – a little strategic searching into his department – and finally worked up the nerve to call. He answered, his voice a little rough, and said he was "very much looking forward" to seeing you in class on Friday. The way he said it… a shiver ran down your spine.

❤️‍���

Friday arrived, and you practically floated to the lab. He greeted you with that familiar warm smile, his eyes lingering a little too long. A couple of other students were there, but they left after you arrived, leaving you two alone. He was incredibly kind, almost…chatty. He asked about your essay, and you two launched into this intense discussion about the universe, dark matter, the expansion of space, the whole shebang. His passion was contagious.

You were hanging on his every word, but honestly, you could barely focus on the science. Your mind was a mess. He was so damn handsome, and a fire was starting to build inside you. You couldn't help but notice his gaze drifting downwards, just for a millisecond, under the table on your legs probably.

He’d lean in closer, asking, “Are you paying attention?” You’d nod, repeating his last sentence perfectly, your voice a little husky.

At one point, he walked over to a green board covered in equations and diagrams.

"You know," he said, picking up a chalk, "there's this theory about spacetime being like a fabric, and massive objects create these…warps, like a bowling ball on a trampoline. And those warps, those are what we experience as gravity."

He drew a quick sketch, a kind of dented grid with a sphere in the middle. "It's still just a theory, of course, but… fascinating, isn't it?"

You nodded, pretending to follow along, but your mind was elsewhere.  His proximity, the way his voice resonated when he talked about the things he loved, it was intoxicating.

Then, the game began. You pulled out your notebook. “Could you just take a quick look at something?” you asked, all innocence.

He moved to stand beside you, leaning down so close you could feel his breath on your neck. His hand brushed against yours as he pointed at something in your notes. His eyes flicked down, just for a heartbeat, to your chest, before landing on your lips. You knew he was fighting it, this undeniable pull.

You were playing with fire. And you knew your perfume, your whole vibe, was driving him absolutely wild. But you weren't done yet.

You stood up, leaned in close, whispering something absolutely filthy in his ear.

"I've been thinking about you all week, Professor," you breathed, your voice low and husky. "And all the things I want to do to you… they're definitely not in the textbook."

You felt him stiffen, his breath catching in his throat.

Then, you leaned in and kissed his neck, right at the collar of his shirt, leaving a bright red lipstick mark. He froze, completely still. You looked at him, a small, satisfied smile playing on your lips.

"Thank you for the lesson, Professor," you said, your voice dripping with playful menace. "See you next Friday."

And then you left.

He stood there, totally speechless, probably with a raging hard-on. He had no clue what just hit him, but he definitely, definitely wanted more.

🥵👅

The following Friday felt like an eternity.  You replayed the previous week's encounter in your head countless times, the memory of Reed's stunned expression fueling a thrill of anticipation. You knew you were playing a dangerous game, toying with a man who was both brilliant and, you suspected, deeply intrigued by the forbidden.

You arrived at the lab a few minutes early, giving yourself time to compose yourself.  He was already there, standing by the green board.

He looked up as you entered, his eyes meeting yours. The air crackled with an almost palpable energy.  He didn't smile, not immediately. That little lipstick mark on his collar last week?  Pure genius. You knew you had him hooked.

"You're early," he said, his voice a low rumble..

"I was eager to continue our…discussion," you replied, your gaze locking with his.

He nodded slowly.  "Indeed.  I've been giving your… theories… considerable thought."

The other students trickled in, and the lesson officially started, but the tension between you and Reed was electric. He kept making these little asides, disguised as explanations, but you knew they were just for you.  Like when he was talking about gravitational lensing and said, "Imagine light bending around an object… kind of like how your presence bends my… attention."  Smooth, Professor, real smooth. you thought.

After the other students had left, Reed turned to you, a flicker of something dangerous in his eyes. "I believe," he said, his voice low, "we have some unfinished business."

You stepped closer, the space between you shrinking until you could feel the heat radiating from his body. 

"Indeed, Professor," you whispered, your hand reaching out to trace the line of his jaw.  "We do."

He inhaled sharply, his breath catching in his throat.  He reached for you, his fingers brushing against your skin, sending shivers down your spine.  "You're playing a dangerous game, [Y/N]," he murmured, his voice husky.

"I'm not afraid of danger," you replied, your eyes meeting his. 

"Especially when the reward is so… tempting."

He chuckled, a low, throaty sound that sent a thrill through you.  "And what reward do you have in mind?" he asked, his eyes burning into yours.

You leaned in closer, your lips brushing against his ear.  "That, Professor," you whispered, "is something you'll have to discover for yourself."

His hand tightened on your arm, pulling you closer.  "I have a feeling," he said, his voice barely a whisper, "that I'm going to enjoy this discovery very much."

He closed the remaining distance between you, his hands cupping your face.

"I think," you replied, your voice barely a whisper, "You're about to find out."  And then you kissed him. 

It wasn't a shy, tentative kiss. It was a full-on, electric kiss, all that pent-up tension finally finding release. 

He groaned into the kiss, his hands tangling in your hair.

"About reward," he muttered against your lips.

"Yes, Professor?" you said, pulling back slightly. "Do you want it?"

He was a little unsure.

"I…I'm married, I can't" he said, a flicker of guilt crossing his face.

"You're not going to cheat if you don't put your dick inside me," you purred, a playful glint in your eyes. "Besides, isn't scientific discovery all about pushing boundaries? Exploring uncharted territories? Consider this…fieldwork."

You winked, the image of his long fingers tracing the curve of your hip flashing through your mind.

"Purely for research purposes, of course."

He couldn't endure more. He took your hand, his grip firm, and led you into a small  room tucked away in the lab. The door clicked shut behind you.

He turned, his eyes burning with a hunger that mirrored your own. He kissed you, then, a deep, passionate kiss that stole your breath and set your pulse racing.

You kneeled down, your fingers deftly unbuckling his belt. He was so impatient, a low groan rumbling in his chest.

"Do you want this, Professor?" you asked, your voice husky with desire.

"Yes," he breathed, his voice thick with longing. "God, yes. I want you so badly. I've been…obsessed."

You pulled down his boxers, revealing a thick, hard length that throbbed with anticipation. His cock was magnificent, a dark, veiny masterpiece. You cupped him in your hand, marveling at his size and heat.

You kissed the tip, then licked and swirled your tongue around, teasing him. He groaned, his hands gripping your hair, his hips thrusting involuntarily. He was so close. He whispered your name, a desperate plea.

Then, you took him deeper, harder, your mouth engulfing him completely. You gagged slightly on his impressive length, your saliva slicking his skin. You continued your movements, your mouth working magic as your hand stroked him rhythmically. He gasped, his breath ragged. "Don't stop," he begged, "I'm… I'm gonna…"

You opened your mouth, your tongue darting out to tease his swollen head. With your right hand, you gripped him firmly and jerked off, just as he came in a rush of hot, thick cum that coated your tongue and lips. His release was explosive. He watched, his eyes glazed, as you swallowed him down, your mouth glistening..

"Damn," he breathed, his voice thick with lust. "You're incredible."

"I aim to please, Professor," you replied, a sly smile playing on your lips. "Though I must admit, your…cock… is quite remarkable."

He handed you a tissue, his eyes still half-closed. You cleaned yourself, then he pulled you close and kissed you again, a slow, lingering kiss that tasted of him.

"You taste… delicious," he murmured against your lips.

"So do you," you whispered back, your fingers tracing the line of his jaw.

But he didn't want to stop, he wants to feel you.

He pulled up your dress, his hand slipping beneath the fabric and into your panties. He gently eased them down to your knees, his fingers brushing against your swollen clit. You were soaked, slick with anticipation. He lifted you onto a nearby lab table, your legs dangling. He knelt between them and licked you, his tongue tracing every curve and fold, exploring every inch of your swollen pussy.

He lapped at you, his tongue a hot, insistent flame, sending shivers of pleasure through you.

"You're so wet for me," he groaned, his breath hot against your core. He teased your clit with his tongue, circling it slowly, building the pressure until you were whimpering with need.

"Tell me what you want," he whispered, his voice a low growl.

"Keep doing that," you moaned, your hips lifting to meet his tongue. "I want you to taste me, every inch of me."

He slipped two fingers inside you.

You moaned saying "Yes…yes… more…"

Then he slipped three fingers, his strokes slow and deliberate, and with his thumb rubbed your clit driving you wild.

You came, hard and fast, your body convulsing as you reached a shattering orgasm. "Oh, fuck!" you gasped, your nails digging into his shoulders.

"Good girl," he murmured, his voice rough with passion. He leaned in and kissed you, a kiss that was both passionate and tender, laced with the raw hunger that still pulsed between you. "You have no idea," he whispered against your lips, "how long I've been wanting to do that. You're going to drive me absolutely insane."

"That's the general idea, Professor," you purred, a wicked glint in your eyes.

"Consider it… a continuing education."

After you left the small room, a little breathless and flushed, you started gathering your things, a satisfied smirk playing on your lips. 

Just then, the lab door swung open and Sue Richards stood there again, her expression unreadable.  Reed visibly stiffened, a flicker of something – was it guilt? – crossing his face.

He was definitely suspicious.  And she was maybe a little… jealous? She notices the way he looked at you, a mixture of desire and something more, made her pulse quicken.

"Reed," Sue said, her voice cool and measured.

"I… I forgot my notebook.  Have you seen it?"

"No, honey, I haven't," he replied, his voice a little too casual, a little too high-pitched.  He avoided eye contact, focusing on some papers on the desk.

"Really?" she asked, her gaze flickering between you and him.  "Because I could have sworn I left it in here."

The air crackled with tension. You could feel Sue's eyes on you, assessing, questioning.  You met her gaze, offering a polite smile.

"Perhaps it's in your office, Sue," you suggested, your voice calm and professional. "I know I sometimes misplace things when I'm deep in thought."

"Maybe," she said, still looking at you. "Or maybe someone else moved it."  Her tone was pointed.

Reed cleared his throat. "Honey, don't be ridiculous. [Y/N] and I were just discussing…stellar dynamics. Quite complex stuff."  He put an arm around Sue, a little too tightly, you thought.

"Stellar dynamics?" Sue raised an eyebrow.  "At this hour?  And in this room?"

"Yes," Reed said quickly. "We needed a quiet space to… to work through some equations."

"Right," Sue said, her voice laced with skepticism.  She looked at you again, her eyes narrowed.

"Well," you said, breaking the tense silence, "thank you for the enlightening lesson, Professor Richards. It was, as always, a pleasure." You gathered your things, maintaining a professional demeanor despite the stormy emotions swirling within you. "Good evening, Sue."

"Good evening," Sue replied, her voice cool.

As you walked out of the lab, you could feel their eyes on your back. You didn't turn around.  You walked with your head held high, a secret smile playing on your lips.

That day, you felt… powerful.  Intoxicating. Damn, that was fun.  And you were definitely, definitely, not done with Reed Richards. Not by a long shot. That little taste of forbidden fruit?  It just made you crave the whole damn orchard.

Reed's POV .

I lay in bed next to Sue, the silence between us thick and uncomfortable. She’d been quiet all evening, a storm brewing in her eyes. Finally, she turned to me, her voice low and dangerous

"What's going on with you and that… girl?" she asked, her gaze piercing.

I stiffened. "What girl?" I feigned innocence, even though my heart was hammering against my ribs.

"Don't play dumb, Reed," she snapped. "You know exactly who I'm talking about. [Y/N]. What is she doing with you so late at the lab? Why are you two so… close?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "She's a student, Sue. A very bright student. We've been discussing some advanced concepts. That's all."

"It doesn't look like 'all' to me," she retorted, her voice rising. "I saw the way she looked at you. And the way you looked at her."

I felt a flush creeping up my neck. Damn. I’d been so careful, or so I thought.

"There's nothing going on, Sue," I insisted, my voice tight. "She's just… enthusiastic. About science."

"Enthusiastic enough to be meeting with you alone in a closed room?" she challenged, her eyes flashing. "I don't like it, Reed. I don't like it one bit."

I reached for her hand, trying to soothe her. "Honey, you're being paranoid. There's nothing to worry about. She's just a student."

"I don't want her around you anymore," she said, her voice firm. "I'm serious, Reed. I'm jealous."

I sighed again. This was getting complicated. I couldn't deny the pull I felt towards [Y/N]. She was… intoxicating. But Sue was my wife. I loved her. I had to smooth things over.

"Okay, honey," I said, trying to sound reasonable. "If it bothers you that much, I won't give her any more extra lessons. Happy?"

She studied me for a long moment, her expression unreadable. Finally, she nodded. "Yes," she said. "That would make me happy."

I fell asleep that night, but it was a restless sleep. My thoughts kept drifting back to [Y/N].

Her lips on mine, the way she’d looked at me, the taste of her… I woke up in the middle of the night, hard as a rock, my dreams filled with images of her. I groaned, frustrated and aroused.

The next day, I was at the college with the rest of the Fantastic Four, making an appearance. I spotted her across the room, talking to some other students. Just seeing her sent a jolt of electricity through me. I had to talk to her, just for a minute.

I managed to pull her aside, away from the crowd. We were alone in hallway.

"I… I can't give you any more lessons," I said, my voice tight. "My wife… she's not comfortable with it."

She just smiled, a knowing, almost predatory smile that sent shivers down my spine.

"Aw, is the big, bad Reed Richards afraid of his wife?" she teased, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

"It's not like that," I protested weakly.

"Sure it isn't, Professor," she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Your wife is a little jealous, I see."

I looked away, unable to meet her gaze. "Look, it's just… complicated."

"I understand," she said, her smile widening.

"If you don't want to see me anymore, that's fine."

I almost breathed a sigh of relief. Almost.

But then, she did something that made my blood run cold and hot at the same time. She reached under her skirt and pulled her panties down, tugging them inside my pants, right against my cock.

I gasped, my breath catching in my throat.

She leaned in and kissed me, a hard, possessive kiss that left me reeling. She licked my lips, a teasing flick of her tongue.

"Keep that as a gift, Professor," she whispered, her voice husky.

"A little reminder of what you're missing."

And then she was gone, leaving me standing there, shocked and breathless, my heart pounding in my chest. I could feel the soft fabric of her panties pressed against my cock, a burning reminder of her. I was going wild. I wanted her so badly it was a physical ache. I was going to lose my mind.

🎀

You leave the professor a little thrill buzzing through you. As you walk, you bump into Johnny Storm. He's cute, charming, and clearly interested. You chat for a bit, the conversation flowing easily, and he asks you out for drinks. You accept. It's not just that he's fun to be around; he's Sue's brother, and the thought of making Reed just a little bit jealous is definitely a bonus.

That week, you and Johnny get closer. You go out a few times, laughing and having a good time. You haven't seen Reed since your little "lesson," but you know he's thinking about you. You can feel it.

Then, Johnny invites you over to his place for dinner. You know Sue and Reed will be there, and honestly, you're kind of looking forward to it. Johnny had told them he was bringing a friend, but they definitely weren't expecting you.

The surprise on their faces when you walk in? Priceless. And Reed… oh, Reed. The jealousy radiating off him is palpable. .

You're wearing your best wiggle dress, the one that makes you feel like a million bucks, and you can practically see the heat in his eyes.

Dinner is… tense. Johnny is his usual charming self, totally clueless to the tension in the air.

He tells them how you met at college, how much he likes you. Reed is sitting across from you, his gaze intense, and you decide to have a little fun.

Casually, you slip off your shoe and start rubbing your foot against his leg, right over his crotch. You can feel him getting hard under the table. Sue has gone to the kitchen to get dessert, and Johnny popped off to the bathroom.

You're alone.

"What the hell are you doing?" he hisses, his voice low and strained.

"Missing you, Professor," you purr, your foot still moving against him. "You know you've been thinking about me too."

He's practically vibrating with need.

"Have you… have you been with Johnny?" he asks, his voice tight with jealousy.

"Not yet," you say, your eyes locking with his. "Maybe tonight."

His jaw clenches. "Don't," he growls. "Don't you dare let him touch you."

"Or what?" you challenge, your smile playful.

"I'll… I'll…" He trails off, his eyes burning with desire.

"You'll what, Professor?" you whisper, leaning closer. "Confess that you want me so badly you can't stand it?"

He doesn't say anything, but his eyes say it all. Soon after Johnny came back. You wanted to leave.

"I… I have to go," you say, standing up. "I'm not feeling well."

"I'll drive you," Johnny offers, concern etched on his face.

"No, it's okay," you say, giving him a sweet smile. "I'm just down the street." You turn to Reed, your eyes sparkling with mischief. "See you later, Professor."

You see the look in his eyes as you leave. Pure hunger. He's going wild.

Part 2 The Professor's Secret

You walk down the street, almost to the lab, when you hear his car pull up beside you. He jumps out, grabs your hand, and practically drags you inside. The lab is empty, the only light coming from the dim emergency lights. He slams the door shut behind you.

"You're driving me crazy," he says, his voice rough. "I can't… I can't stop thinking about you. I want you so badly."

He kissed you, a raw, desperate kiss, and then scooped you up, his arms strong and sure. With one hand, he cleared his desk, sending papers and equipment crashing to the floor. You grinned at him, a wicked glint in your eyes. "Someone's eager," you purred, your voice husky with desire.

You reached for his tie, pulling him closer. "Tell me what you want, Professor," you whispered, your breath hot against his lips. "I want to hear it."

"I want you," he growled, his voice thick with lust. "Your sweet pussy…I need it so bad. I wanna fill you up with my cock."

He kissed you again, harder this time, his hands moving over your body, impatient. He ripped his shirt open, the buttons popping off, and then he helped you with your dress, his fingers fumbling with the zipper. Your bra followed, and then, with a sharp rip, your panties were gone.

"Naughty girl," he muttered, his eyes burning as he checked you out. "Gonna get punished."

You reached for his belt, your fingers working quickly to undo it. His cock sprang free, thick and hard, pulsing with need. You cupped him in your hand, teasing him with your thumb, circling the tip as he leaked a drop of precum. "Mmm, you're ready for me, aren't you, Professor?" you whispered, your voice laced with playful menace. 

"Gonna spill all your secrets?"

You leaned against the desk, offering yourself to him. He gripped your waist with his large hands, pulling you close, his fingers digging into your flesh. He entered you hard, his thrusts deep and urgent.  "Fuck," he groaned, his eyes rolling back.  "You feel so good."

He squeezed your breasts, his lips closing over a nipple, sucking hard.  "So fucking tight," he repeated, his voice thick with lust. He moved inside you, slower now, each thrust a delicious torture. He was so big inside you, filling you completely, stretching you so good. You were on fire.  He was driving you wild.

"Oh, God," you moaned, your head thrown back. "Yes…fuck me, Reed. Harder."

He pulled back slightly. "Turn around," he commanded, his voice rough.

You obeyed, your back now to him. "You're a bad girl," he said, a smirk playing on his lips. He gave your ass cheek a light slap. "Teasing me like that."

He entered you from behind, his hands gripping your hips, pinning you against the desk. He was relentless, his thrusts deep and powerful. He was so close, you could feel him pulsing inside you.  He rubbed your clit, sending shivers of pleasure through you. You were dripping, slick and ready. You tightened around him, and then you came, a shattering orgasm that made you scream his name. "Reed!" you cried out, your body convulsing. "Oh, fuck, yess!"

He pulled out, his cum spurting onto your ass. He groaned, his body going rigid for a moment before relaxing in your arms. He cleaned you up, his touch surprisingly gentle. Then, he kissed you, a tender kiss that spoke of something more than just lust.

"I…I care about you," he whispered, his voice hoarse.

"I care about you too," you replied, your heart swelling with emotion.

Then, he kissed you, a sweet kiss that meant more than just sex.

You got dressed, the memory of his touch still lingering on your skin. He drove you home. In car he touched your leg, his fingers tracing the curve of your calf. 

"God, you are incredible," he breathed, his eyes full of passion. "I enjoyed every single second. I don't regret this, not one bit."

"Me neither," you whispered, your heart doing a little flip.

He kissed you one last time on your doorway, a lingering kiss that left you breathless. "We should keep this our little secret," he murmured.

"Agreed," you whispered, your lips still tingling from his kiss. "Our little secret." You knew this was just the beginning.

Thank you for the reading 💜

Please like, reblog or comment ❣️

Chapter 2 Next chapter

[vodika-vibes]

It Was A Bet?

Summary: Tech admits that Echo was dared to ask you on a date, and your whole world comes crashing down around you.

Pairing: TBB Echo x GN!Reader

Word Count: 1150

Warnings: This made me weepy as I was writing it. Miscommunication.

A/N: So, I've been toying with this idea for a couple of weeks, and I finally had enough to turn it into a story. Also, writing is hard right now because whenever I look at a screen for longer than 30 minutes I get a headache. I desperately need new glasses.

Click HERE to be added to my taglist

Your comm has been ringing non-stop for the better part of the day. And you know that if you were to look at the name on the screen it would have Echo’s name. 

You don’t want to talk to him.

You don’t want to see him either.

But you also know that the next step is for Echo to show up on your doorstep and insist that you let him in.

You don’t want to.

You feel raw. Exposed in a way you haven’t felt since you were a teenager.

Why couldn’t Tech have kept his big mouth shut?

…no.

No. That’s unkind of you.

This isn’t Tech’s fault. And him not telling you about the dare wouldn’t change the fact it happened.

And, to Tech’s credit, when he realized that you had no idea what he was talking about, he apologized to you and mentioned that he thought that Echo would have mentioned it to you by now.

But he didn’t.

He didn’t, and now you have to wonder if any of it was real. Or was it all pretend? Was it all designed to make him feel better about himself?

You jump when you hear a knock on the door, which is annoying seeing as you expected it, and you turn your head to stare at the carefully painted door. 

“Cyare? I know you’re in there. I can see the light on.” Echo’s voice comes through the door, “Open the door, please?”

You stare at the door for a moment longer, and then you pick up the remote and turn up the volume on the holo.

“Oh, very mature.” Echo says on the other side of the door, “No. Wait. I didn't mean that. Cyare, let me talk to you. Please?”

Again, you don’t respond.

“I have all day. And I have no issues making myself a problem to your neighbors.” Echo warns.

You scowl at the holo, but this time you drop your legs from the couch and stalk over to the door. You slam your hand on the button to open the door, though you open the door enough to look out, “What?”

Echo sighs, “You’re not going to let me in?”

“You’re lucky I’m even talking to you.” 

“Right. Fair.” He runs his hand over his head, “Let me explain. Please?”

“What is there to explain?” You counter as you fold your arms, “You were dared to ask me out. You won. Congrats. I never want to see you again.” Sure, it feels like you’re heart is breaking in your chest, but it’s fine. You’ve always known this was too good to be true.

“Wait, wait! It sounds bad. I know it sounds bad. But you don’t have the whole story.”

“What more do I need to know? That you laughed at me when I confessed to you? That it was all a joke to you?”

“What? No! It wasn’t! None of it was!” He places his hand on the side of the door, “Let me in, please? Don’t make me have this conversation with you out here?”

“Echo, please.” Oh, your voice is shaking. You’re going to cry again. Stupid traitorous body.

On the other side of the door, Echo falters. There’s a flash of guilt, and then he shifts and pushes the door open enough that he can enter your apartment.

Once inside, he lets the door close behind him, and he takes a step towards you, reaching out to touch you. Though he stops when you take a step away from him. 

“Cyare, please let me explain.” He’s pleading with you, alternating between panic and guilt. 

“Fine. If you insist on hurting me more—”

“No. I don’t--I wasn’t--That was never my goal, I swear it.” For the first time since the day you met him, Echo’s tripping over his own words. 

“Then what was your goal, Echo?” You shake your head, “What was the point? Did you think I would just never find out?”

“Do you remember the day we met?”

“...What?”

“It was sunny,” Echo continues, “You were babysitting your nephew, so you were both wearing tooka ears, and he was running around collecting pretty shells—”

“I remember you wouldn’t talk to me.”

“Couldn’t talk to you.” He corrects, “I was--force, do you even know how stunning you looked at that moment? I didn’t say anything because I couldn’t say anything. I was struck speechless.”

“I don’t believe you.”

Echo takes a half step towards you, and this time you don’t back away, “Whether you believe me or not, it’s the truth. And, I’m a confident guy, cyare, but the idea of talking to you when I look like…well, this.” He gestures to his body, “I couldn’t do it.”

You sigh softly, “You look fine, Echo.”

“I had a crush on you, which is embarrassing for a man my age, but I was too much of a coward to do something about it.” He says quickly, “So Crosshair and the others dared me to ask you out.”

“That doesn’t make it hurt less, Echo.” You say quietly.

“I know.” He inches a little closer to you, and you wince when his hand presses lightly against your cheek, “I meant to tell you. I really did.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“Honestly, I forgot.”

“You forgot?”

“That…sounds bad.” He cautiously settles his scomp on your hip, “When I’m with you, the only thing I’m thinking about is you. And then I get home and I remember that I still haven’t told you about the dare, and the next thing I know six months have passed, and I still haven’t told you—” He trails off, “I’m sorry, cyare.”

You sigh softly, “You really hurt me, Echo.”

“I know.”

“I felt like I was a joke.”

“You’re not! You could never be.” Echo says quickly, “I love you, you’re everything to me.” He hesitates, “Can you forgive me?”

“...if you ever make me feel like this again, we’re done.”

“Oh, thank kriff.” He drops his forehead to your shoulder, “I thought I lost you.”

“I’m not happy with you right now, Echo.”

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” He pulls back and searches your face, “You still love me, though?”

“Yeah. I still love you.”

His forehead falls back to your shoulder, and his arms snake around you to hold you tight. “Good. That’s good.”

You don’t move for a moment, and then you lightly wrap your arms around him and stroke his back, causing him to almost melt into you. It seems like he was genuinely worried that he lost you because of this.

And maybe you’re an idiot for forgiving him. Maybe you’re a love-sick fool for taking him at his word. But you can’t help it. You love him and you trust him.

“Echo?”

“Hm?”

“Can we get pasta for dinner?”

He releases a slightly shaky laugh, “Whatever you want, cyare.”

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[belle--ofthebrawl]

Femslash February Day 3! Mountain wingmanning at a lesbian bar (his greenhouse) (Sfw!)

Ok look, I don't know how many consecutive days of writing and posting I have in me. But I'm going to try my hardest to get so much Femslash out this month. I'm not following any set prompt or challenge list. Just my heart. And my pu-

"I need help." Mist says. 

Mountain sets down his carefully trimmed bonsai and looks at her over the rim of his glasses. She's fresh from the lake, with clothes sopping wet from being tugged on right away. Her fingers twist around a tarnished old pendant (skull, eyes set with emeralds). And, most intriguingly, the barest hint of a blush on the apples of her cheeks.

(And slung over her shoulders what is quite possibly the largest pike he's ever seen in an impressive display of prowess but that is neither here nor there. She's not asking for help with the fish.)

"I understand." Mountain replies, having seen that same look on Aether after he met Dew. 

"There was an Air sunning herself on the dock," Mist says. "I've seen her around but I don't know her name."

“What did she look like?” He asks patiently. Cirrus had a fondness for hellebore and datura, but she was usually practicing keyboard with Zephyr this time of day. He glances at a pot of white lilies and nods to himself, even before Mist tells him.

“Big.” Mist says. “Big body, big poofy hair, big sunglasses. I think I splashed her when I jumped out of the water.”

It's the most flustered he’s ever seen her, the way she paces back and forth, trailing her hand in a tub of water lilies.

"I had the fish. In my mouth. When I jumped up on the dock. And I scared her. And I didn't apologize cause my mouth was full of fish. I just walked away and acted like nothing was out of the ordinary."

“Joe cool.” He says suavely and earns a flat glare. He meets it with his own carefully blank face until Mist rolls her eyes and flicks water at him.

“I know her.” He says as an olive branch. “Cumulus. She'll be a backing vocalist and keyboardist on our next tour. Real sweet.”

“Is she the type to be bothered by how I acted?” Is Mist’s next question and Mountain thinks about it. Plenty of ghouls became “domesticated” once they were up top, vastly preferring the convenience of Abbey kitchens and a set menu to a more traditionalist approach like Mist enjoys taking.  From what he's seen, Cumulus had adored the luxuries of the Topside like bubble baths and ice cream. But she still politely asked to have raw meat whenever she ate in the cafeteria. She enjoyed organs and eyeballs, cutting daintily into her meal and chewing methodically before swallowing.

He spares a glance at the pike. It's a decent size, almost as tall as Mist’s scant five feet and from the looks of it, hadn't gone down without a fight. It might be good sliced into fillets with lemon pepper and celery salt. He doesn't think Cumulus has tried raw fish yet.

“You’ll be fine.” He says. “So. Let’s start with the focus of the bouquet.”

“Don’t you start with that flower language.” Mist warns him. “I think it’s ridiculous. I just want something pretty for her to look at without any second meanings for her to guess. I don’t like codes.”

“Alright.” Mountain says, humoring her. “So, lets just start with flowers that remind you of her. Take a look at what calls you.”

Mist beelines for the lilies and Mountain smiles to himself. Mist isn't the type to be sentimental and he hardly expects her to verbalize her thought process. It would be more practical than poetic anyway because that's just how she was. He just guesses and watches and waits while she goes from flower to flower, brow furrowed in thought. 

“I like these.” She says about a pot of bullthistle he’s been nurturing from seed. It's on it's second year and growing tall, fine shoots that promise to bear nasty, thorny leaves. He's got an idea about how the species might be used to strengthen the borders of the abbey but he's worried about how fast it spreads. So it sits, with its purple crowns atop tiny thorny heads. 

“Thank you.” Mountain says. “For the bouquet or just to admire?”

“Just to admire.” Mist admits. Shifting her weight to still keep ahold of the pike, she thrusts her bouquet before him for inspection. Dominated by the lilies, she's added sprigs of lavender and fat peonies. Ferns have been tucked here and there to break up the flowers and Mountain gives her a silent thumbs up. There's no doubt Cumulus will love it.

"Thank you." Mist says gratefully. “I…I really appreciate it, Mountain.”

“Go get’em tiger.” He says as she nods to herself and heads out to find her girl, toting a gorgeous bouquet and her freshly slaughtered kill.

And no sooner do her footsteps fade when Mountain picks up another pair heading to the back of the greenhouse.

"I'm sorry." He says to the bonsai. "We're just doomed to always have interruptions in our alone time, it would seem."

The bonsai forgives him. It was a patient tree. It could wait a little longer.

"Mountain?" Comes Cumulus' frantic voice. "Mountain, you have to help me."

She bursts into the greenhouse, a gorgeous mess of floppy curls and chiffon as she presses her hands to her rosy cheeks. Her sunglasses are askew, her hat is about to fall off and he's never seen her so far from neatly put-together in her entire time with them.

"There was a water Ghoulette." She begins softly. "Caught the biggest fish I've ever seen. So stoic! Such a huntress!  Mountain, I think I'm in love."

"I understand." He says soothingly. "Why don't you take a look at those water lilies while I grab some thistle? Wouldn't want you hurting your hands."

[seven-vi]

"Jinx was a better big sister"

This is a take I saw often in fandom after season 2 came out. There were..A couple of bad takes that circulated after the show ended, but this one irked me the most

Vi was a child parenting another child. I don't think Vander was a bad parent, good as one can be in their situation, but him being there didn't stop that dynamic from happening. Could be seen as (Intentionally or not) Encouraging that in pushing her as the "leader" of their group

Vi watched her, kept her safe, defended her both physically and verbally. She was her main support. She stopped being just her sister once their parents died, and for a child, she did pretty good. Did she shove her sister? Yes. Is it the best? No, but again, siblings. As good as a relationshipyou get with one, it's still bound to happen. You're stuck in the same space with one person. If she'd been physically abusive, Powder wouldn't act like that with her. She doesn't let Powder in on dangerous shit for good reason. It's not some belief that she is in fact a jinx, but that she's got so little family left. Despite Powder wanting to help, she's not capable. She's a malnourished preteen, of course she can't keep up. That's not a bad thing! Taking her would put them all in more danger and that's not a point against Powder

The only real big thing is when Vi punches her sister. Again, not great, but I don't blame her

Vi just lost everything. Brutally. Her future is unsure. And the sister she told to stay home comes running up, telling her she's the one who just blew up their last bit of family. In that moment she's not acting like a parent. Powder is not her child, that is her little shit sister, who did not fucking listen, and fucked up everything! No it's not mature to call her a jinx or hit her, but Vi isn't mature. She's 15. She stops as soon as she realizes and makes herself go calm down

To Powder, this is her last living parental figure leaving her for fucking up again. But she didn't leave. She was going to come back (And likely get killed) Before she was sent to prison. She then spent her entire time in and out of prison trying to get her sister back

Hell, I don't blame her for hitting Isha. She was (Not lethally) Fighting with her sister, and something has just jumped on her and bit her. The motion her arm makes isn't even a punch, she's moving her arm back to try and knock an attacker off. The whole move screams "Trying to remove an someone without actually having to use real force or two hands to pry them off." It's not a move that would often end in blood. And yet again, is horrified that it happened. I know why it happened in narrative, but that moment is not Vi realizing Jinx is better at being a sister. This seeing something so similar to past guilt and all of those feelings are rushing back. Vi thinks she's terrible. Jinx likely counts it as a point against her. But!! It's not. The whole thing was an accident and a culmination of everyone's actions up until that point

Was Jinx a good sister? Yes. And also no

She actively endagers Isha. She shoots people infront of a child. Her hideout is better then it had been with just Jinx, but it's still not safe. Objectively not great. But also!! To Jinx, this is involving Isha. Making sure she doesn't feel abandoned. Protecting her. She is pretty great in playing with her, caring for her etc. The big difference though? Isha is younger, and Jinx is an adult

I think the whole point was that neither of then were perfect at it because of their situations/Lives and how they reacted. Vi was a child attempting to parent another child. Her biggest concern was keeping Powder safe. Jinx had a more childlike approach, but she is still young, and Isha was younger then Powder. Her biggest concern was making sure Isha never felt abandoned. It's meant to be a contrast. The only reason Jinx parents the way she did is because of her relationship with Vi. She wanted to do what Vi hadn't, and in return, missed things that Vi did do for good reason. I think the whole thing probably gave Jinx a better understanding of her own sister, rather then a "Well this proves Silco right"

This is decently long and I feel I may be missing a few points, but I'm gonna wrap it up here. They weren't entirely good big sisters, but that doesn't make them bad. They did the best they could with what they were. Vi especially. As good or bad as the actions may be it makes sense for a 15 year old, and I really don't understand the slander

[slutforguns]

Could you do like general dating headcanons with Pete? Or maybe just like a first kiss oneshots or something maybe mention that the reader has dyed hair

Mwhehehe 😈

Cw: cursing and slight mention of kinks (nothing is actually said)

Pete hcs + first kiss one shot (epilogue Pete)

Normal hcs:

He's not a fan of pda

Sorry but he just doesn't like it

In private tho, you can go ham. He just won't reciprocate anything other than a simple hug, a kiss, and a squeeze of the ass

Into some rlly freaky shit I'ma be real (not gonna go in depth in this post but you can ask for it in requests 😼)

Would love seeing you in his clothes

No clue why he just thinks it's hot

Rlly into mentally ill bitches

Not gonna explain any further than that

Hc for reader with dyed hair:

Favorite color would be red (doesn't matter if it doesn't look good)

Would in fact help you re-dye it, you'd just have to do most of the work

After it's done drying and setting in he'd just play with your hair and tell you how good it looks (again, doesn't matter if it does or doesn't)

(Kinda short) ONE SHOT!!!!:

It was late. There was some shitty horror movie playing. You didn't remember the name, you kinda zoned out when Pete was explaining it to you. Something about dead chicks or whatever.

You looked over at Pete, who seemed pretty bored as well. You let out a soft sigh as you curled up next to him, wrapping an arm around him and resting your head on his shoulder.

"What, ya getting bored already, sweets?" He asked, wrapping an arm around you casually.

"Eh.. a little." You responded bluntly with a small shrug before looking up at him.

"Yeah.. me too." He said with a rather bored tone.

You looked back at the TV, one of the poorly made jump scares catching you off guard as you instinctively clung to Pete tighter.

Pete couldn't help but chuckle a little at that. He pulled you closer, before planting a small kiss to your head. "Oh relax, ya big baby."

You looked up at him with a small scowl, and he just laughed again.

He looked back down at you as your expression softened. He stared down at you with a soft smile, probably the first smile you've seen on him that wasn't a shit eating grin, and honestly, you couldn't help but smile back.

You two stared at each other for a few more seconds, before Pete finally decided to close the distance between your lips.

His lips were a bit rough. A little dry and scabby, as if he was bitting on his lip earlier (he was). He was a little lazy with the kiss, his lips moving slowly against yours in a slightly clumsy motion as he pulled you closer.

After a while, he pulled away with a smile. He sat there for a second, admiring you, before finally speaking up.

"You wanna go to bed?" He asked with a slightly tilted head

You smiled back at him, and nodded.

"Yeah. But next time we do this, I'm choosing the movie."

[w2soneshots]

omgg i’d love to see like youtuber!reader and bach, maybe like a silly little q&a? or even one of those cute but kinda cringe couple challenges from like 2010 loll ( like the chapstick challenge or smth ). obviously don’t feel pressured to write this if you don’t want to!! love ur work btw 🩷

Q&A -Italian Bach

words: 0.7k+

warnings: suggestive content.

summary: you and Bach answer his fans weird and funny questions about your relationship.

notes: hello lovely!💗 Thank you so much for your request (I apologise for posting it so late🙈). This was actually so much fun to write and it’s also my first fic for Italian Bach, hehe. I hope you enjoy!!✨🫶🏼

"Hello m' lady," Isaac greeted me at his apartment door, stepping aside to let me in. I giggled before softly pecking him on the lips.

We were both quite new to the whole youtuber thing just eight months ago. We met through a friend and decided to film a video together. The fans started shipping us, as they do, and something else ended up blossoming between us.

"Ready to film?" I asked, after we'd spent a little while chatting on his sofa. "Yup!" He jumped up and then reached for my hands to pull me up and off the couch.

He brought another chair into the spare bedroom so we could both sit at his desk, then he turned the camera on and we got started.

"Hello, my little gremlins," he began in a strange voice, I didn't bat an eyelid since I was fully used to his antics. "Today I have my girlfriend here to answer some of your questions. So get comfy and maybe get some popcorn or something."

I shuffled in the chair as he pulled out his phone. "Okay... Jacob asked, do you guys fuc-" he faked a gasp and I raised my eyebrows. "Jacob that is absolutely disgusting, you little virgin man... ew, but the answer to your question is yes. Anything to say on the matter y/n?" I breathed out a laugh. "Nope. I think you covered all bases."

"Next! Lillian, ah... can never trust a Lillian," I furrowed my brows. "What why?" "I have my reasons. Okay, she asked when did you realise you loved y/n?" "Aw, that's cute!" I smiled.

"Umm... probably when I got some of that poosay!" "Isaac!" I playfully slapped his arm. "No no, I'm joking! It was after we'd just finished filming a video and we ordered dinner and I realised that even the boring, simple things I always enjoyed doing it if it was with you."

"Oh my god, that was actually such a sweet answer, the tiktok editors are gonna eat that up." He chuckled as he knew I was right.

"Do you wanna read this one?" He asked. I nodded and took the phone. "Wolfman57 asked when we want kids," my eyes widened as I read the message. "First of all, I love your username, secondly that's a big question to ask, wolfman." Bach stated.

"Why don't we get back to you in a few years?" I opted. "Yes, we shall do that," Isaac seconded. "Moving on... oh lord, Sam asked, what's the biggest animal you think you could fit up your ass?" "Woah Sam, that's crazy," Bach grimaced.

"Why don't you take the phone back?" I said and he quickly took it. "I'm sorry your eyes had to witness that my love," he joked.

After quite a few interesting questions we were onto the last one. I leaned my head on Isaac's shoulder so that I could see the phone. "Okay... finally, Laura asked, what's our favourite thing about each other?"

"Ooo, I like this!" I grinned. "My favourite thing about you is your ability to find the good in any situation. Though an honourable mention is that fat ass," he answered.

I scoffed. "That was sweet and you know what... I'll take it. Okay, now yours, my kind sir, would be your funny little jokes and the way they make me belly laugh. Along with the mullet," I smirked as I ran my hand over the back of his hair.

"Thank you for watching till the end, obviously y/n will be back soon so put any requests of things you want to see us film in the comments!" "Nothing dirty," I added. Bach chuckled before turning the camera off.

"That was perfect." "You're perfect, now let's go get some lunch," he responded, standing. "You know... if we order something, that usually takes like twenty minutes to come..." "ah... what do you suggest we do while we wait ma'am?" "I don't know, a lot can be accomplished in twenty minutes," I replied with a cheeky smile.

In and instant he'd grabbed me and flung me over his shoulder. I let out a shriek and giggled as he ran with me into our bedroom.

[fictionadventurer]

Still thinking about Disney's Pinocchio and living in fear that I may never see a movie that beautiful ever again.

[onebillionghosts]

man i remember when nevermore first came out i was sad it was so underrated.. but now after all the drama, i wish it had stayed underrated, because a big fanbase (especially one with a lot of minors) ALWAYS brings drama

[deoidesign]

Hello! I just discovered your blog and I immediately became captivated by your webcomic, but I'm unsure where to read all of it. I know it's on Webtoons, but I can see it hasn't been updated for a while, and you still post about it.

Are your physical novels just prints of the webcomic? Are they a continuation? Is the story complete? Thanks in advance!

Hi there!

Glad you found me and are enjoying my comic!

It's only on webtoons, and the story is not complete yet! We're 2/3 of the way through right now. It's currently on hiatus, and it's scheduled to come back in about 2 months!

I'll explain why it's been so long if you're curious, but also for my followers who might also be wondering about it under the cut. Sorry, it's pretty much just me complaining haha

I took a month off I took 2 months to get the books printed I took a month to prepare my next comic and I took 2 months to write the rest of the series (I knew the character arcs I wanted, but not the time periods or mysteries!!!) I've been working on actual episodes since then

I had to take some time off because of some pretty extreme burnout due to the sheer amount of work it was to draw over 800 pages and write 6 complete stories in a year and a half... I was getting sick almost weekly due to the overwork, it was really really bad honestly. I was having to work 60+ hours every week just to keep up...

The nature of the comic itself is also difficult... Each of the arcs is a complete, self contained story which can be read (ideally) without context, and my arcs need to be about 10-13 episodes each... And since I have an exact number of episodes to work with, it's even harder.

It takes a ton of planning and a ton of refinement, and working week to week with no breaks I was forced to put out second or even first drafts, so I just wasn't happy with the work I was doing... And to do that for the rest of the series? I wouldn't be proud of the work I did.

Plus... To be entirely honest, webtoon has treated me quite badly IN MY OPINION... They deprioritized me before I launched (I had to beg for more promotion, I'm not exaggerating), they outright denied me the opportunity to even ask for a raise, I don't make any money on fast pass and they pay me less than my partner makes working at trader joes. My first editor left me completely hanging, my second editor (who I loved) was fired... And they told me I wouldn't get a third season before my first season even finished. So it was just repeatedly completely demoralizing.

I'm sorry it has taken so long, it'll have been 10 months by the time I come back. But I realized... I won't get promotion either way. I won't get more episodes either way. I won't get more money either way. So to finish everything, to make it feel good, to make it something I'm proud of, I chose to take longer to make it better.

I am fully aware I will lose a significant amount of my readership for this and it might genuinely affect my career moving forward. But it's what I had to do! So I'm sticking to my guns on it, and I'm confident long term it'll be worth it. It never could have been this good if I didn't take this much time.

[trashlie]

ILY FP 258

I can't believe we're actually passed episode 250 lmao I Love Yoo is truly the never ending story (affectionate). I appreciate how much of the story we really get to dig into at this pace and while I know a lot of people have long-since dropped it, I imagine the rest of us (those reading this post because why else are you here?) also appreciate it. And that's what is even more refreshing about this episode - if refreshing is even a word we can use to describe it. Getting the extra scenes from other characters, a look at their lives and from these glimpses, what we can glean in the unsaid between the lines.

Can you believe I used to prey on Kousuke's downfall? There's so many posts of me talking about him from a different view, believing that the only way he could grow and develop and make the changes necessary to make him a better person was for him to crash and burn, to fail so significantly that he would be forced to pen his eyes to reality. But here we are, me, fervently swaddling him up like a baby and shoving him into my pocket because GOD he needs to be protected.

I don't even remember when it was, that my view on him began to shift, when I went from "he's interesting but awful" to "GOD THIS IS MY SON AND I WILL FIGHT EVERYONE YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME" but.... lol there's no going back!

That's enough rambling, let's jump in.

There is something so painfully devastating about every time ILY confirms to us something we have long-since known or suspected through nuance, foreshadowing, reading between the lines, etc: That Kousuke isn't Rand's biological son, that Shinae was at the formal for Gun Kim, that Kousuke has been manipulated his whole life. Nothing in this episode regarding Kousuke is actually new to us. We have known, and talked about, for months and months long before the confirmation reveal that Yui drugs Kousuke - that he has been manipulated by her his entire life, that she orchestrated his life to manipulate him into situations she could take advantage of. It's the way she spoke about Rand's affair around Kousuke, the way she commodified Rand's love so Kousuke became convinced he'd never earned his father's love, the way she spoke of their family vs others and convinced him from such a young age that everyone was out to get them, to destroy them, and that he couldn't let them get close, couldn't let them near - and how Nol was very much a target planted in his mind.

But it's the fact that he is speaking of this and acknowledging it! Until now, Kousuke has heavily lived in denial. Again, we know this. We talk a lot about the chasm between reality and the reality he believes in. We talk a lot about how Kousuke couldn't face reality, even though on some level he knew everything he believed and was told was not quite true not quite real, but that he was so afraid of the truth, he couldn't do it. Kousuke admitting that he's been driven by fear and envy explains everything about him, and why he could not accept the only unwavering unconditional love he was offered.

A few weeks ago I saw a video on instagram of this father talking about a conversation he had with his daughter, who was feeling a little uncomfortable with her friend group. A new girl started to play with her and her best friend and she said she wasn't exactly jealous, but that maybe it was that she was afraid that there wasn't enough love to go around. Her dad had to explain to her that love is not like a pizza - it's not finite, a limited amount that could be taken and hogged by someone else. But Kousuke never learned this. His father's love was commodified and he was made to fear this other kid who he mistakenly believed knew a version of his father he'd never been privy to. He never learned that love is finite, that Rand could have enough love for the both of them, and feared that Nol would hog it all - that he WAS hogging it all because whether or not it was good or bad, Nol received more attention that Kousuke did. And that speaks VOLUMES about how Kousuke sees Rand, what he thinks of their relationship. In his mind, he is still unworthy, that he's not noteworthy enough.

This part gets to me so badly. We, as omniscient readers, know that Rand has tried his best, but that Yui runs a spectacular interference with which he can't compete, largely because of the roles their family have placed them in - Rand the busy businessman, Yui the mommy homemaker. But no matter how hard he tries, it isn't good enough. Rand tries to reach Kousuke, but the manipulation and paranoia are so far gone that the times Rand does have the chance to convey his feelings, Kousuke can't even believe it, because he thinks he's not good enough to deserve that love, that he hasn't fully qualified for it yet. And despite that, Nol, who Kousuke feels hasn't done half of what he has to deserve Rand's love, gets the attention. It doesn't matter that it's negative attention, that Rand barks at Nol, that Nol feels Rand hates and regrets him, because ultimately, it's still more than Kousuke receives. And worse, to him, every time Rand is busy reprimanding Nol, he turns away from Kousuke to do it.

I want to make it clear that this is a deep trauma point of Kousuke's. He's never learned healthy love and the only person who gave him healthy love was someone he was set to fear and fight. Something I think about a lot is the flashback to Kousuke, in the bushes, watching Nessa and Nol's display of warm affection, before Yui appears literally looming before him. In that moment, he witnesses something he's been deprived of. "We're not like other families"'. He's told from a young age he shouldn't compare himself to those healthy families, to warm and affectionate relationships that he will not cultivate in this household. From such a young age it is normalized, that they aren't like others, that they are cold and distant. From a young age, he's made to stuff down his feelings, his tender wants and desires, in order to earn them. To be a good little boy who makes his parents proud. To make his father look his way.

There's also something about the way he says "I've been a good boy" that echoes Shinae learning she's been manipulated by Yui, devastated and angry and yelling about how she's been a good girl so why do these things keep happening to her, all she wanted to do was help her dad. Two people who, from a young age, felt they had to be so obedient, so good, to not be a burden, and despite following the rules, despite doing as they were told, despite trying to be whatever version of "good" they believed in, the world still beat them up and mistreated them. The world still punished them.

As Rin in our discord server pointed out, though, to some degree, Kousuke is very much a person who can - and does - act out, when he's emotionally high-strung. He's a volatile man, and it's largely to do with the fact that he's been drugged to placate him for so long. He never learned emotional regulation, he never learned how to deal with high-stress situations or to face conflict or to own up to things. This is something that some readers who hate Kousuke and expect him to act a certain way because of his age are missing. You don't just learn these things with age. You learn them with experience and Kousuke was deprived of the opportunity TO have those experiences. He never had to learn these behaviors, and now as an adult he cannot function when overwhelmed.

Idk this whole episode is just heartbreaking. It's devastating. I remember when I was someone praying on Kousuke's downfall and now I want to take it all back ;___; I always believed he had to crash and burn to be able to see the world for what it really was and to face his fears, but this is somehow so much worse.

And even though he's drunk, I don't think he's going to forget all of this in the morning. Rather, I think what he's voicing are things that have been plaguing him since waking up in the hospital. From that moment, we saw him wary and distrustful of his mother, we saw his concern for Nol rising above everything else, but grappling with the understanding that he doesn't deserve to stand in front of Nol anymore. These aren't epiphanies coming to him just because he's drunk; it's more like he's only voicing them because he's drunk. But even when he sobers up, he will probably still be haunted by these fears, these agonies, these truths, this understanding.

How does he face his mother after this? How does he face anyone? He may not even feel like he can trust Jayce - who while very kind to him, is still employed by his family. He may not even feel like he can trust Hansuke (though I really hope that's not the case).

He's so miserable and it genuinely hurts to have him lay it all out for us - everything we've known and suspected, like how it was so painfully clear he WANTED Nol's friendship, their brotherhood, but feared it, didn't believe that there was enough love to go around, that there could only be one of them and that even if it was for good or bad reasons, Nol cast him in the shadow. And all these years, watching as Nol, as Yeonggi, grew into this person who sounded so very much like this unknown version of their father, someone funny who makes others laugh, someone goofy, someone so boyish in the ways Kousuke was never allowed to be. Watching as he gathers friends, while Kousuke, so unlikeable, is wanted only for his money, for his status, for the clout.

He doesn't even know WHO HE IS! Questioning his own traits he's believed of himself, wondering if this is even him, if these parts of him are real or does he just act it, say it, pretend it, while trying to fulfill a role he was shoved into. That makes me feel SO deeply sad, because it's something I've been anticipating for so long: Kousuke wondering WHO he really is, how much of him is real and how much of it is the result of manipulation.

And that moment that he catches himself and says no no that's offensive and rude you can't be like that. ;AAA;

For him to admit how much he envies others, how much he craves the kind of connection others have, the kind of family others have, to feel that love and warmth that he's been deprived of, forced to endure this solitude because, as he believes, he didn't get the good parts of Rand. And what will happen when he learns that Rand isn't his father? That he never stood a chance to inherit any of those traits. Kousuke has operated on this belief that, if he tries hard enough, he can earn the things he craves, but I fear learning about his parenthood will make him think that no matter how hard he tried, he would never earn that, because none of it was ever him, could have gone to him.

I think this is where Shinae, in the future, will come in. I feel so very strongly that she will be someone who helps Kousuke to see that this isn't true, that these kinds of personality traits aren't something inherited, but rather something learned. For him to one day realize it's the paralyzing fear that holds him back, not his genetics. Of course, I acknowledge this will still take a lot of therapy but...

Something else very remarkable to me is the way Kousuke recognizes Shinae in Shinhye, because their eyes "feel the same" and he opens up to her - on some level, whether or not he is consciously aware of it, Kousuke knows, or maybe just wants to, that he can trust Shinae. That she is someone who is safe. He even knows how she feels about his mother. I don't think we'll see a lot of Kousuke and Shinae's friendship until we're passed our timeskips, but it makes me feel a little hopeful about it, that she'll be able to reach him, because she feels like someone who is safe. It's the way he sees Nol in her and wants to try to have that do over, a relationship with someone who  has unconditional love for him. It's the way he knows he mistreated Nol, that it was wrong, that he took it all out on this kid he was so afraid of because he had no other outlet, and he wants to do better but knows that there's nothing to salvage anymore.

But also, it just makes me hope more and more that in the future we WILL see a reconciliation between the brothers. As I say every time, it doesn't mean they have to become brothers or friends, but I just want them to see each other fully. Kousuke knows what he did to Nol. He doesn't deny it, even if he might not say it out loud unless he's drunk. But Nol is still so in the dark. Yujing is trying to tip him off and make him aware of it, but I hope one day when Nol realizes it, when he finds out that Kousuke, too, was Yui's victim, that he wasn't the only one, that Kousuke was made to fear Nol's love, he might.... understand. I'm saying understand here loosely because I don't want people to get the idea that I mean Nol will forgive him and Kousuke will be justified, but rather that Nol would be able to understand why Kousuke felt that way, and move on. But I can't help but hope that it will lead to an understanding, a reconciliation, where maybe they can try to be in each other's lives.

I think it's also interesting that Shinhye was somewhat honest, even if she wasn't very forthcoming, with Kousuke about her own family. It sounds like her mother has been gone for a long time, that she's been on her own the whole while, and I think it reinforces the idea that she believes both that Simhan is her father and that he rejected her, that he didn't want anything to do with her. It lines up, too, with how she feels that he wouldn't react well if he saw her (although I think she credited that to looking like their mother). In the same way that Shinae has felt abandoned and cast aside by their mother, Shinhye probably thinks their father never tried reach out, to find them, to maintain a relationship with her. Or perhaps it's that her mother fed her lies about him, made her believe him a different type of man, made her believe there would never be anything of their relationship to salvage. And given that she's the one who Kousuke opened to, it makes me think that there must be some kind of parallel there; the way she mentioned her own mother feels like maybe her mother, too, was a manipulative - or at the very least, dishonest - person.

I don't speculate a lot on Shinhye because frankly I don't think I know enough about her to really try to talk about her, but I do think that it's very likely there's some kind of connection between Shinhye and the Hirahras or Gun. To be clear, I don't believe she's working with Yui at all. I think it's more like... Alyssa isn't the only girl who has been trafficked by Gun. What's the likelihood that Shinae and Shinhye's mother was? Given her history, the gambling addiction that was so egregious her reputation haunted Shinae and chased her to a new neighborhood and school, was she seeking money somewhere else, somewhere more dangerous? Is that part of why they had to change their name? There's so many questions left about them, and I look forward to learning more about her, but, much like with Alyssa, I think it will take time and be dropped in little tidbits like this - things to read into and try to glean something from.

And maybe we'll see more of this duo in the future? It would feel a little weird to give them this one single run in, but I'm not entirely sure. Quimchee likes to keep us on our toes. After all, Minhyuk and Shinhye have also had only the one run in. Still, I think it would be interesting to watch, if Shinhye ever felt.... I want to say maybe compelled? to dig in more to Kousuke, ever feel a kind of kinship. I don't think she'll open up to him at all, but rather, maybe she'd keep going back because a. he's wealthy and there's more she can nick from him (assuming he doesn't realize she stole anything while in his apartment, if he even remembers any of this) and b. wanting to gather more intel.

Like I said though, she's hard to read so I don't want to cling too hard to any ideas and, instead, sit back and enjoy the show.

[madsway]

now that i've taken in the entire show and am about to rewatch simply because i can............... i'm so pissed that dave erickson got fired because damn........

[sysig]

Introducing Spinster Pepper!! 💕

I got a few pictures of him eating as well, under the cut if you’d rather not see!

You can see just how tiny he is here lol - he’s in his food enclosure, aka a salt/pepper shaker hehe ♥

I don’t know why he pulled the mealworm up the wall with him, he caught it on the floor of the shaker lol

Probably the best shot I have of his abdomen - look at those beautiful markings! 💖

World’s most wonderful little hunter <3

[cbk1000]

So Mr. Jenn leaned over to pet Seamus, and Seamus decided the thing to do was smash his head into the underside of Mr. Jenn's jaw so hard that Mr. Jenn chipped a pretty sizeable chunk off one of his teeth.

#just horse dog things