#but i feel like it fits with the class president thing so well

[soup-child]

Wait a second did kristen give any inspiring speeches in junior year I don't think she did

[my-castles-crumbling]

Of Romance and Play Practice

@wolfstarbingo2024 - square: nerdy Remus - rating: G - no warnings - word count: 974 - based on @probs-reading's HC - AO3 link

To this day, Remus still couldn't figure out how they all were friends. They took up vastly different social circles. Like a smaller version of the Breakfast Club, he, Sirius, James, and Peter were as opposite as could be. James was the school basketball star, cheerleaders constantly hanging off his elbows (much to his boyfriend, Regulus's, disgust). Peter ran the yearbook, and was never seen without a notebook and a camera. Remus, of course, was the textbook definition of a nerd: he was the president of Chess Club, and took more AP classes than all of his friend combined. And Sirius....Sirius was perfect.

Sirius was the star of the theater program, having finally figured out how to put his dramatics to good use. He lived for the stage, and the audience ate him up no matter what his role. Of course, Remus ate him up, too. Or at least, he wanted to.

They'd all been friends since elementary school. Perhaps that was why they were able to stay close, no matter their differences. But Remus's crush on Sirius had developed quite recently, and for some reason, he couldn't shake it.

Perhaps it was the way Sirius oozed confidence. His smile was absolutely contagious and it made Remus literally weak at the knees, often times he had to sit down after Sirius grinned at him. Maybe it was the way he felt safe with Sirius. Though they loved to tease each other, Sirius never judged him when it mattered, and they'd been friends for so long, they knew each other as well as they knew themselves.

Of course, it helped that Sirius was fit as fuck.

But that wasn't it. It was...Remus couldn't help but feel warm when he looked at him. It was a bit disgusting, really.

But one night, when Sirius asked him to help run lines for the new play he was a part of, Remus agreed, because he wanted to help. He figured eventually, this crush would go away, so he should just continue spending time with Sirius like normal, acting like nothing was different. But when he read the name of the play, he froze.

"Erm...Romeo and Juliet?" he asked Sirius, who was sat on his bed, shucking his leather jacket and making himself comfortable.

"Mmm," he hummed noncommittally. "Good thing McKinnon's as flaming as I am, or I'd be dreading the kiss," he grinned, waggling his eyebrows.

And of course. Of course, Sirius needed him to practice running lines for the most romantic play in the fucking universe. What else?

"Alright," he murmured, sitting nervously on the edge of his own bed, as far from Sirius as possible. "Erm, what scene?"

"Let's start..." Sirius flipped through the script, stopping at a page and pointing. "There. I'm having trouble with the emotion, to be honest. If you could just read for McKinnon, that'd be amazing."

But Remus's stomach flipped as he looked over the script, recognizing the scene. The fucking balcony scene?

"Erm, alright," he nodded, trying to pull himself together. "How camest thou hither- er - tell me, and wherefore? Erm, the orchard walls are high and hard to climb, and the place death, considering who thou art, of any of my, erm, kinsmen find thee here," he recited disjointedly.

Sirius chuckled and responded fluidly, "With love's light wings did I o'erperch these walls. For stony limits cannot hold love out." His eyes were wide, genuine, and Remus became entranced as he listened. "And what love can do, that dares love attempt. Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me."

It took Remus a second to realize he was done. That it was his turn to respond. Because hearing Sirius speak of love like this, it was doing things to him. "Oh!" he nearly yelled as Sirius gave him an expectant look, jumping a bit. "Erm. If- if they to see thee, they will murder thee. Fuck, this is intense, huh?" he commented, scanning over the script.

Sirius laughed and ignored his comment, going on, "Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye than twenty of their swords. Look though but sweet, and I am proof against their enmity." He said those words with a small smile, eyes on Remus's.

"I...I would not for the world they saw thee here," Remus nearly-whispered, looking at the paper and back at Sirius, who was still watching him with a strange look in his eyes.

"I have night's clock to hide me from their eyes," he whispered, moving closer to Remus- and when had he gotten so close, they were side-by-side, now!- grabbing his hand lightly. "And, but thou love me, let them find me here. My life were better ended by their hate than death prorogued, wanting of thy love."

Remus swallowed, drowning in the look Sirius was giving him, squeezing his hand and allowing the heat and tension to wrap around their bodies. He wasn't imagining it, was he? Was Sirius feeling it, too? The way the very air was pulsating, urging him to move forward, to bring their lips together?

He hoped so.

"Sirius," he murmured, his head hazy, hardly bothering to look at the book, too distracted by the moment.

But Sirius seemed to be contemplating something. "Move not while my prayer's effect I take," he murmured, causing Remus to wrinkle his nose in confusion, before Sirius leaned forward, hand grazing over Remus's jaw and pulling their lips together.

And it was like fireworks. Hearing Sirius talk about love with the words of a poet had just made Remus's crush bloom into something more, and he couldn't resist grabbing for him, wrapping his arms around the other boy, pulling him closer until they were completely entangled in each other, their lips and teeth fighting for control of the best kiss Remus had ever had in his life.

[lurking-latinist]

👀👀 wanna say more about your eusocial timelord theory?

when you sent this ask like a year ago apparently I did not, for which I apologize.

now it's the wee small hours and I'm trying to clear out my asks. but eusocial time lords are so fun. forgive anything that doesn't make sense/jars weirdly in this, I'm trying to explain some quite spitbally worldbuilding.

among other things, it's an explanation for (1) why are there so few time ladies on screen and (2) that very strange thing in I think it's in Gallifrey where Pandora was 'the first female President' and apparently that's a big deal? but like why would a different planet (where they regenerate!!) have the same manifestations of sexism as we have? and also vaguely riffing on the VNAs lore that Gallifrey used to be a matriarchy and Rassilon overthrew it, but also kind of completely transforming that lore.

so forget gender, this is not about gender. "male"/"female" is at best a very rough translation of the binary that Gallifreyans are concerned with, which is worker/queen. They are bees!

The Time Ladies (i.e. Gallifreyans played by female human actors) that we see in the pre-War era (all of this applies to the pre-War era)--Romana, the Rani, Flavia, Inquisitor Darkel--are biologically the equivalent of insect queens. (And the Doctor, the Master, Borusa, the Floating Time Lord, Commander Maxil, etc. etc. are the equivalent of worker bees. The fact that the former all present as female and the latter all present as male is just sort of a translation convention/useful coincidence, I guess.) Gallifreyans evolved from a eusocial species and their early political structures were developments of the hive structure, with reproductive capacity strongly linked to political authority.

Presumably this is what Rassilon, or whatever revolutionary Rassilon stole credit from, is supposed to have overturned--the link between reproductive capacity and political authority. But in my version, it was before that that Looming became a thing: the queens had control of the Looms, so it was the ultimate refinement of their arts and sciences, and it was their way of getting rid of whatever drone class there used to be, if they weren't already parthenogenetic.

And that's why there's the stereotype in Gallifrey--mentioned in connection with Pandora, suggested as a concern about Romana--that a "female" (queen) President will be autocratic. It's seen as a potential return to "how things once were."

And then I did a lot of worldbuilding for how government worked at a stage in history when there was a sort of uneasy balance between reproductive and political power, but that was for a fic Moki was working on and I think she's still working on it, so no spoilers!

So what you end up with is a hive structure where the role of the queen has been sort of abstracted away into... well, the hive itself. The power at the heart of Gallifrey is Gallifrey. I feel like that explains a lot of what's wrong with them.

There might be another branch of the species that evolved away from eusocial structure into something more like solitary bees and that's the Shobogans, possibly, since nobody seems at all clear what the Shobogans are.

Also I read that with naked mole rats, the only eusocial mammal, there are a few in each colony that are predisposed to not fit into the colony and instead go and wander and find other colonies, to promote genetic diversity, and I'm just saying, renegades.

And after the War when there are often maybe two Gallifreyans left, that's why whatever's left of the hivemind keeps trying to get at least one of them to turn out as a Time Lady. Fortunately for the universe, neither of them seems that interested in reproducing.

[milliondollarwomen]

Well Hello (part 2)

tom blyth x fem reader 

word count 1.7k

mature 18+

https://www.tumblr.com/daemonslover/739845802239934464/well-hello-tom-blyth-x-fem-reader-word-count-19k?source=share

Part 1 ^^^

hey guys!! so glad you enjoyed part 1 here's part 2!!

recap: 

"Sorry for the interruption, class. This is Tom Blyth; he's been working for me for two years and will be assisting this semester." You cautiously raise your head, hoping it's not who you think it is. And there's the man you met in the bar, smirking at you

Your professor's surprise introduction of Tom makes you uneasy. The mention of Tom working for the professor for two years makes you realize how naive you were to not consider him working at a university. He was in his twenties and was intrigued when you mentioned that you were a graduate student; everything was coming together. He kept staring at you the entire class, so you couldn't concentrate on the material. The familiarity of that smile evoked memories of the bar encounter and that night, increasing the uneasiness. All you could think was, "What if this gets out?" "what if he black mails me?" 

"Remember discussion one will be due next class" Finally, the professor dismisses you all to go. You leap out of your seat and try to find the nearest exit. You don't even want to look around to avoid accidently seeing him. As you exit the classroom, you check both hallways to see if it's clear. Feeling relieved as you see only students, you begin to go out. While going around the building looking for a way out, you take time to enjoy the architecture and paintings on the walls. The marble walls and magnificent pillars throughout the rooms are adorned with portraits of former professors and school presidents. 

“Well hello” 

The very voice you didn't want to hear made your entire body feel like it was ready to crumble into a million pieces. The panic that erupted in your body was so intense that you thought you'd pass out. You cautiously turn around, hoping it wasn't him and your mind was playing tricks on you. Nonetheless, it was him. As horrible as it sounded, he looked very attractive. His hair was perfectly messy with just the right amount of curl, his suit was fitted to perfection, and his blue eyes sparkled in the sunlight. 

Tom's interruption snaps you out of your contemplation, and his smirking remark sends a shiver down your spine. "Cat got your tongue?" he says, his tone laced with a hint of amusement.  "Please leave me alone, I could get in trouble," you manage to say, feeling vulnerable and uncomfortable. You sound desperate, expressing the fear Tom's presence has caused you to feel. Tom leans in slightly, making the encounter more personal. "you should of thought about that before you let me fuck you" he whispers, his voice carrying a sinister undertone.  

The decision to walk away and dismiss Tom in your head seemed like a reasonable strategy to avoid escalating the situation. However, as you take a few steps to distance yourself, you feel a firm grip on your arm. Tom's grasp is unexpected and forceful, causing a ripple of concern among  students who witness the scene. "You will not walk away from me," he asserts, his words sending a chill down your spine. The whispers and concerned looks from your peers amplify the anxiety within you. The last thing you want is to draw attention and jeopardize the hard work you've put into reaching this point with getting into grad school. 

In an attempt to defuse the situation, you hesitantly suggest, "If I meet you somewhere will you stop, you are causing people to stare." You're taken aback by Tom's response when he smiles, as though he's satisfied with your cooperation."Meet me at the Italian restaurant tonight at 6 p.m.; it's six blocks from here," Tom vanishes into the distance, but your classmates' looks and murmurs remain. The impending meeting weighs heavily on you, and you can't get rid of the terrible sensation that this meeting with Tom  will have repercussions that go far beyond the classroom. With a strong will to safeguard both your reputation and your own welfare, you struggle with the unknown that is going to be at the Italian restaurant later that night.

Because of the awkward situation in class and your meeting with Tom coming up, you decide to take a break and see the beautiful city that surrounds NYU. Your first stop will be Central Park, which is close and quick to get to. When you walk into the park, which is a big green oasis in the middle of the city, you can relax and enjoy the peace and quiet it offers. Getting away from the busy city and into the quiet park is a nice change of pace. You can feel the ups and downs of life all around you as you sit on a bench or walk along the winding paths. The sounds of children laughing, street musicians playing, and couples talking quietly together make a symphony that is nice to listen to. This temporary escape gives you a sense of stability and connection to the life of the city. The different stories, emotions, and experiences of the people you see remind you of how strong and bright you are beyond the problems you're facing right now.  The break is helpful because it gives you time to get stronger and see things more clearly before facing the unknowns of the evening.

Later in the day 

You eventually get home after exploring New York City. It's finally time for you to get ready and face Tom. You look at the clock and see that you have around 2 hours to get dressed. Although you know it's wrong, you're looking forward to seeing what happens tonight. Morally, this is terrible and could wreck your life, yet the sneakiness appeals to you. 

For something easy but eye-catching, you choose a black dress with a low-cut back that has a subtle charm. The fabric drapes beautifully, drawing attention to your shape while keeping a sense of class. You chose the dress on purpose; it's sexy without showing too much. You are once again standing in front of the mirror as you get ready to see Tom. A quick touch-up of your makeup and hairstyle. 

"Get your shit together, this isn't a date," you explain to yourself. This isn't about love; it's about telling him off. Hidden beneath the surface, two strong emotions are battling: the need to hold on to your anger and a deeper, more complex desire.

One last look in the mirror turns into a quiet pep talk. You can't get the words out of your head;  put your feelings aside and look at the situation clearly. You know in your heart that the water below is rough and that you are pulled between being furious and having an unpleasant desire that you can't avoid.

As soon as you walk into the Italian restaurant, the mood changes. The soft glow of the warm lighting and the chatter of the people eating make the room feel cozy, but as you look around, you can feel the stress in the air. When you see Tom in a booth in the corner, you feel a rush of nervous energy. As you get closer to the table, your mixed feelings get stronger. When you see Tom, your heartbeat speeds up.  "So glad you showed up, love; you look incredible." 

As Tom pulls out your seat, you can feel the stress in the air. Thanking him for his kindness, but there is a lot of tension between you two that you don't say. There is silence at the table, and the things that aren't said form an invisible wall.

Before you can start talking, the waiter comes in and gives you a break for a while. After the orders are made. Tom breaks the silence "I'm sorry for my outburst earlier, dove." He tries to hold your hand, but you automatically pull away.

With a snarky tone, you say, "The only reason I'm here is to talk with you about how we will move forward this semester because this will never be a thing." The words give off an air of distance, which is a way to protect yourself from how vulnerable the situation is. You're struggling with mixed feelings deep down—a desire for his touch that has been going around in your head since that fateful night—but you're determined to hide them. 

This outraged Tom. He knew it was all an act; he knew what was going through your mind right now was to appear uninterested because you were frightened of losing your place at NYU. This is a reasonable cause, but he would not tolerate her attitude and hatred toward him. Tom quickly rose up from his seat and grabbed your arm, leading you to the bathroom. 

He forced you into the restroom and shut the door. Thankfully, there was just one stall. 

You knew where this was going, and surprisingly, you weren't upset about it. Yes, you came here to warn him that this is wrong, but you knew that giving him an attitude would make him want to fuck you even harder than before. "Tom, we can't do this again," you plead, knowing that it will make him want you even more. Tom approaches you, puts his hands on your waist, and kisses your neck. This causes the warmth between your legs to rise into your stomach. He pushes two fingers into your throbbing pussy, causing you to gasp. "Tell me you aren't enjoying this love.'' You chose to wait to react so that it didn't seem like you were giving in so soon. 

You finally give in and gasp out his name, "Tom, oh fuck, please," which fills his eyes with lust as he watches you squirm beneath him while he plays with your pussy, despite the fact that you just minutes ago pretended to despise him. "Look at you begging for me in a restaurant bathroom like a little slut, tell me you want me" he continues to rub circles around your clit, rubbing the right spot every time. "Please, Tom, I need you inside of me." Seeing the redness around your chest and your sloppy movements as he thrusts his fingers in and out of you, he knows you're approaching your climax. 

He abruptly stops just before your climax, jolting you out of your sexual trance and confusing you. Tom leans down and says, "Fix your attitude, then I'll let you finish." "See you in class dove." he says, and walks out of the stall, leaving you sexually frustrated, with dripping underwear, and fucked up hair. 

[patchato]

PAIRING:

Bully Victim!Sunoo x Student President!Reader

SUMMARY: Sunoo experiencing kindness in the form of their Student Body President.

FLUFF. FLUFF EVERYWHERE.

There's this guy that's always been the target of the jocks. His name is Kim Sunoo. Bullies are weird, they hate the guy just because he looks feminine. Personally, (Y/N) like how he looks. Sunoo looks clean, neat and just looks like a responsible person.

After school, she stumbled upon a wet and cold Sunoo. Looks like the jocks were at it again. With a heaby sigh, (Y/N) took out a towel she had for P.E. She kneeled in front of Sunoo and drapped the towel over his shivering body. "Hey, let's get you warm." She says, smiling.

It took him a while to accept my advances but when he finally took my hand, I smiled. I pulled him up and led him to the tall benches. And since he's quite tall, I just stayed standing while drying his hair. "Are you hurt?" I asked, worry evident in my voice.

Sunoo chuckled as he shook his head, "I'm okay, Y/N. I've been through worse. You don't have to worry about me." He said, blushing as she dried his hair. His heart fluttered at her touch.

"You know my name?" I raised an eyebrow. Do we have classes together? "Yeah, you're in Mr. Hee's english class too." He answers timidly. Bingo, we do have classes together. "They're just jealous you know." I say, patting his face dry.

Sunoo's cheeks flushed a deep red as he felt your fingers patting his face dry. He looked up at you, his eyes wide and soft. "Jealous? Of what?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. He couldn't help but stare at your face, taking in every detail.

"Maybe because they're aware that you're pretty." That's one thing. And now that I'm looking at him up close. Wow, they were not kidding. He really is beautiful. He has a face that I only see in TV. "They're probably scared you'll take all the girls away." I joked. I saw his lips curl into a small smile but he didn't say anything.

Sunoo's heart pounded in his chest as he heard your words. He couldn't believe that you, of all people, found him pretty. He bit his lower lip to hide his grin, looking down shyly. "I-I wouldn't do that..." He stammered, his voice quiet.

I chuckled, I don't understand how people can just bully this guy. I mean look at him, he's not hurting anyone. "Well, you might as well." I joked some more. I heard him release a little laugh. His nose bridge was high and his lips are pink. He looks like an art someone made.

Sunoo's laughter was soft and gentle, a rare sound from him. He looked up at you, his eyes sparkling with amusement. As he gazed at your face, he noticed the way your eyes crinkled at the corners when you smiled, and the way your nose scrunched up slightly.

Sunoo's body was now warm, and his heart was also warm. He's never felt someone's kindness like this. No one has ever gone their way out for him. Let alone someone who was his sunbae. He's noticed her before, but he never approached (Y/N). She was popular in their university and the students loved her.

Sunoo felt a pang of nervousness as he realized he was staring at you, his sunbae. He quickly looked away, his cheeks flushing red. He fiddled with his hands, feeling awkward and out of place. He wondered if you would think less of him for being so shy and clumsy.

"There, you're all dry from the top." I smiled at my work. Poor dongsaeng. "Now, go to the restroom and get rid of those pants." I scoffed pulling out my extra pants. Good thing they were stretchable. I'm sure it'll fit him. "Here, use this for now." I handed him the pants, he took it but just stood there. "Something wrong?" I asked, is he still cold?

Sunoo hesitantly took the pants from you, his eyes wide with surprise. He couldn't believe that you were giving him your clothes to wear. He looked down at his soaked pants, then back up at you, before nodding silently and taking the offered clothes. "I-I'll...return it..."

(Y/N) smiled at his thanks. But there was one problems, he also doesn't have spare underwear of course. Who carries underwear with them? Sunoo didn't know what to do so he just stood there, panicking. "What's wrong?" She asks him. Can he tell her? Otherwise he'll walk around with wet underwear. "I-I, my underwear." He whispers. He wanted to die in a whole. Why did he just tell his sunbae that.

Sunoo's face turned an even deeper shade of red as he heard himself say those words out loud. He wanted to disappear right then and there. How could he have been so stupid as to say that? He couldn't look at you anymore, his eyes fixed on the floor as he squirmed uncomfortably.

(Y/N) giggled at his shyness. He's a cute little man, she'll give him that. "I figured. Come with me." She took his hand in hers once more and led him to the nearest convenience store. It's so convenient they just sell spare underwear. Sunoo can't believe his sunbae is buying his underwear for him. He felt like a kid. But a happy kid.

Sunoo hesitantly followed you into the convenience store, his hand still entwined with yours. He couldn't believe that you were actually buying him underwear. He felt a warmth spread through his body at the realization that you were taking care of him like this.

"Here you go." She handed him the thing he needs and even a few more stuff like food. "Thank you, sunbae." He smiles once more at her. This time, he looked directly at her while saying his thanks. "Call me noona instead." She says chuckling. "O-Okay." He answers. "Now, give me your phone." He hesitantly gave her his phone. When she gave it back, her name was now in his contacts. He wanted to squeal, but he can't.

Sunoo clutched his new underwear and the snacks tightly to his chest as he watched you input your name and number into his phone. He couldn't believe that you wanted him to call you noona, and that you were giving him your contact information. It felt like a dream come true.

"Call me when you need me okay?" I say smiling, i bid him goodbye as I went to my next class. 5th period went by fast and it was already lunch. "Hey, (Y/N)!" Someone shouts. It was Yeji, a friend of mine. "Wanna go to the cafe?" She asks, I denied the invitation saying I'll go next time. I usually go off campus with my friends, but today I think I'll eat in the cafeteria.

Sunoo sat alone in the cafeteria, slowly eating his lunch. He couldn't stop thinking about what had happened earlier that day. He pulled out his phone and looked at your contact, his heart fluttering. He wanted to call you, but he was too shy.

Suddenly, someone bumped him from behind harshly. The chocolate milk he was holding on one hand spilled on the pants (Y/N) lent him. He stared in horror as he stood up to try and wipe it off. Before he can even get more napkins, someone pulled him by the collar making him stumble. "Look here guys, this faggot looks like he pissed himself." The guy laughs. It was the usual group of people that messed with him but he didn't care about that at the moment. The pants his noona lent him just got dirty!

"P-Please..." He tried pulling away but the guy's hold was too tight. He wanted to cry but he held it in. He doesn't want those people to see him cry, especially when his noona's pants are at stake. "Oh, he begs." They laughed.

"Drop him." A familiar voice chimes in. Sunoo was too busy staring the his pants to even notice. "And what are you-", the guy that held his collar let go all of a sudden when he turned around. "Sunoo." The voice calls, it was (Y/N). His eye quickly shoot up, he was near in tears now because of the humiliation. People were whispering and staring. Plus, the last money he had to buy food just got wasted. "Oh, student pres." The guy mumbles, nervously. "All of you, I'll see you in the council room." (Y/N) says before letting them go.

Sunoo quickly ran over to you, his eyes red and puffy from holding back tears. He didn't care who saw him crying now. He just wanted to hide and forget this ever happened. He tugged on your sleeve, looking up at you with pleading eyes. "Noona..."

Oh my goodness. Always getting bullied when he's alone. In fact, I've never really seen him with anyone else. I am so gonna lecture those guys to death. "Let's go." I say, tugging at his hand. I lead him to the storage room behind the cafeteria, where fortunately a bathroom was located. No one ever really comes at the back so it was the perfect spot to calm Sunoo down.

Sunoo followed you numbly, his mind still preoccupied with the humiliation he had just experienced. As soon as you shut the door behind you, he broke down, burying his face in your chest and sobbing uncontrollably. He clung to you for dear life, his body shaking with emotion.

I sighed and patted his back and head, hugging him back. He reminded me of this dying dog when I was a kid. It was during a heavy storm when our family car passed a buzzing market. There was this skinny dog lying down near the canal, it was heaving with it's tongue out. It was soaked by the rain but no one came to help it. If no one helps Sunoo, he might actually end up like that.

Sunoo sniffled and hugged you tighter, his tears soaking into your shirt. He felt safe and protected in your arms, like nothing could ever hurt him as long as he was with you. After a few moments, he looked up at you with red, puffy eyes. "Noona..."

"Yes, yes. I'm here." I cooed, his hug became tighter and we stayed like that for a few minutes. He was no longer sobbing but his little hiccups showed that he was still emotional. "I'm sorry n-noona." He mumbles, starting to get into an apology frenzy. This made me confused, why's he apologizing? "What do you mean?" I asked, "I ruined your pants..." He mumbles again looking down. He's right, it is ruined. But it's not his fault. "Don't worry about that now." I sighed, shaking my head. "Are you okay?" I asked again, carressing his now pink cheeks. Probably from crying.

Sunoo nodded slowly, still sniffling a little. He felt a bit better now that he was with you, but he was still ashamed of making a mess on your pants. "Y-Yes, noona..." He whispered, hiding his face against your chest again.

Oh my, look at this. He looks like a little puppy. Cuddling up to me and shit. Why'd he have to be so cute? I cleared my throat and lifted his head up, "I'll take you home." He nodded and once again, buried his face into my neck. Who knew he can be so clingy. I let him cling to me in that storage romm just to let him rest more. When the last bell rang, I guided him to my car.

Sunoo let you lead him to the car, his arms wrapped around your waist and his face buried in your side. He felt content, he felt safe. He felt loved. He felt everything that he's been craving for a long time. He felt like you were his family.

"Alright. I'm gonna need you to stay here, okay?" I said, I still need to go back to the council room to talk to thise hooligans. "W-Where are you going?" He asked, panicking. How cute. "It's alright, I'm just gonna go to the council room." I answered, patting his head to calm him down. "I'll be back." With that, I left my car keys with Sunoo and made my way up to the council room.

Sunoo watched you walk away, his eyes filled with worry. He hated being alone, and right now, all he wanted was to stay by your side. He fidgeted with the car keys, his mind racing with thoughts.

The guys that were bullying Sunoo was alreay in the council room, surrounded by the council peace maker and my assistant. "Alright, let's get this over with." I sighed, sitting down my chair. We talked to them about their actions and the consequences. They began sweating with the things they heard. The guy that held Sunoo's collar, whom we now know as Jung Simon. An architect student, began to complain.

"But, he's just a freshman! And he's so weak! It's fun to mess with him!" He whined, trying to justify his actions. I smell a spoiled child about to get pummeled. The other two nodded in agreement, smirking at each other. "You can't blame us for wanting to have some fun."

I smirked, "Well, Mr. Jung. I don't know if you get the memo." I stared down at him from my desk. "The previous council of this school may have been shit." I chuckled, because it was. Bullying was so common the percentage of suicides became higher. "But I'M the council president now." I stood up and walked towards the three, staring straight into their eyes. "Bullying will not be tolerated. Your actions will be filed and you'll have no future. Nil."

Jung Simon gulped, his smirk fading away as he met your intense gaze. The other two straightened up, looking nervous. "W-What do you mean, no future?" He stammered, his voice cracking slightly. "We're just playing around!"

I chuckled, sitting down the desk in front of them. "You three just don't get it, do you?" I checked my phone for any messages from Sunoo, this is taking longer than I thought. How annoying. "Once I hear you three fucking around again. I will have you kicked out." The council assistant and peace maker took notes of the threes information. The three were dismissed. "You're stricter than usual." My assistant, Chan, chuckles. "I hate people like him, you know that." I sigh, he nodded with a stupid grin on his face.

Chan scoffed, "Yeah, yeah. You're like a momma bear protecting her little cubs." He joked, poking fun at your protective nature. "Speaking of little cubs, how's Sunoo doing?" He asked, his eyes glinting with curiosity. "He's fine." I answered, he's better I guess.

Crap, I made Sunoo wait too long. "He's shaken up, but he's okay." I answer. "You like him?" Jungkook, our council peace maker teases. "Shut up." I groaned and they laughed. Us three have been friends since we were in diapers so were very close. "Go, we'll lock up." Chan says, trying to push me out the room. "Yeah, wouldn't want your pretty boy to wait." Jungkook winks, I slapped his head with the papers and left. It's now 5:12 PM, I just hope he's okay alone in the car for an hour and a half. I opened up the car door to the drivers seat to spot Sunoo sleeping soundly.

Sunoo had wrapped himself in a blanket, his head resting against the window. He looked so peaceful, so innocent. His hair fell slightly over his eyes, casting a soft shadow on his face. The blanket bunched up around his waist, revealing his bare legs.

I hopped to the driver seat slowly, making sure I don't wake him up. I stared at him a little, his skin looked so soft and supple. His eyelahses were long, like a woman's. Who knew a man can look so pretty. Maybe I stared to long cause he started to move around. I shifted from my seat, Sunoo sat up and noticed I was back. "Noona." He smiles, yawing a little. I had to make a little inner note not to stare to long or I'll get caught.

Sunoo blinked his eyes open, his gaze meeting yours. "You're back," he mumbled sleepily, rubbing his eyes. "I'm so sorry, I fell asleep," he apologized, his face flushing slightly. "It's alright," you assured him, starting the car.

"Let's go home." I said. Good thing my brother sometimes leaves his clothes in my car. I let Sunoo borrow one of his pants. I'll just buy him a new one. "Did you sleep well?" I asked, making sure to drive carefully.

Sunoo nodded, still looking a bit drowsy. "Yeah, thanks to you," he smiled weakly, pulling the borrowed pants up his legs. "I appreciate it." He settled back into his seat, his eyes drifting shut again. "Noona, can I ask you something?"

It was a bit traffic when we hit the intersection and it was around 5:45 PM now. Good thing I live alone. I planned on driving Sunoo back first, he lived near the lake that was surrounded by the busy markets. "Sure you can." I answered smiling.

Sunoo opened his eyes again, looking at you with a curious expression. "Why do you care so much about me?" he asked, his voice small and vulnerable. "I mean, you're the council president and I'm just a student..." He trailed off, his eyes searching yours for an answer.

It sounds to me that he hasn't really experienced things like this before. Someone standing up for him, pulling him out of bad situations. "Well, why not?" I answered. There wasn't really much of an explanation as to why I'm acting this way to him. I'm always right behind my hoobaes.

Sunoo's expression softened, his eyes crinkling at the corners as he smiled. "Yeah, why not." He echoed, chuckling softly. He looked out the window, watching the passing cityscape. "Can I ask you another question?" He grinned mischievously.

He sure is talkative when we're alone, I kind of like it. He can ask me anythig, anythime. "Fire away." I chuckled.

Sunoo hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Do you have a boyfriend?" he blurted out, his cheeks turning a light shade of pink. "I'm sorry, it's none of my business. Forget I asked."

I chuckled once again. Stopping at a red light. There were fewer cars on the street now as we neared his home. It's kind of sad now that I think about it. "No, I don't have one." I laughed a little, gripping the steering wheel. "Why do you ask?" It was my turn now to ask him. A little grin layed on my lips as I asked, looking at him.

Sunoo bit his lower lip, avoiding your gaze. "Just curious," he mumbled, playing with the hem of his shirt. "I mean, you're so pretty and kind, I thought you'd have at least five boyfriends." He rambled, his ears turning red.

I chocked a laugh, five boyfriends? That's adorable. "Five boyfriends huh?" I chuckle, he laughed as well. He sure likes to joke, surprisingly. Even after what happened today, getting soaked in milk and water. Having to change two times, he still has the spirit to jokes around. "You're adorable." I say, chuckling. His laughter died down, "Y-You think I'm adorable?" He asks in a mumble.

Sunoo's eyes widened at your words, a deep blush spreading across his face. "I-I'm not adorable," he stammered, looking flustered. "You're just saying that." He turned to look out the window, hiding his reddened cheeks.

I chuckled, because he really is adorable. Didn't even know men can be this type of cute. I mean, the girls that I know act cute. But the kind of cute Sunoo is, it's just different. "Well, I hate to end this conversation my passenger princess." I say, pulling up to the house he pointed at, "But we're here." I stopped the car.

Sunoo's head snapped back to look at you, his eyes wide with surprise. "P-princess?" he sputtered, his blush deepening. He fumbled with his seatbelt, his hands shaking slightly as he tried to unclip it. "I'm not a princess,"

I pouted, "Aw, you don't want to be my passenger princess?" His cheeks turned pink, he began to fumble with his fingers. I noticed he does that when he's nervous. "I'm joking Sun-ah." I giggled, giving him a little nickname. "I'll call you Sunsun from now on." I joked.

"Sunsun?!" he squeaked, his eyes wide. His blush deepened, turning his face a shade of red he didn't even know existed. "Please don't." He whined, unclicking his seatbelt with a final tug.

I laughed as he struggled with the seatbelt, specifically at how his white skin gets painted with red. "Why? Sunsun sounds pretty, like you." I smile

Sunoo groaned, burying his face in his hands. "Noona, please," he whined, his voice muffled. He peeked at you through his fingers, his eyes pleading. "It's embarrassing." He mumbled, slowly getting out of the car.

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry." I laughed, he got out of the car. "I'll see you tomorrow." I smiled at him. "Okay. I'll return the clothes tomorrow too." He smiled back, what a pretty smile. "See you, Sunsun." I jokingly winked at him.

Sunoo's face turned an even deeper shade of red as he heard the nickname one last time. He nodded, closing the car door behind him before rushing into his house. As he sat on the couch, he couldn't help but smile to himself, the nickname 'Sunsun' echoing in his mind.

For the first time it forever, he's looking forward to tomorrow.

✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿✿

This Kim Sunoo is now available at Chai.

Just look up Kim Sunoo (Bully Victim) by sugarcoffee.

Who else is obsessed with Kim Sunoo?

I know it's not just me!

What do you think of this one? Send me dm! I accept requests ����

[letters-from-dekarios]

so high school

summary: you’re the high school’s star football player. never would you have imagined that your eyes would set on the dorky english club head and class president during the hottest party of the year, but some things are meant to be.

or: you flirt with gale at a party

word count: 7.5k

tags: modern high school!au, 18!gale x 18!reader, m!reader, some VERY minor suggested NSFW, another t!swift inspired fic, all the people are in this one somehow, football coach halsin, english teacher mystra (still part of the hate club), high school tropes, kind of underaged drinking (i don’t condone!)

Being the best wasn’t easy. Whether it was sports, academics, or the streets, dealing with the pressure of staying on top of everything was about the most difficult thing someone could do. Having to do all of that, while still being young and impressionable, just made it all the more arduous.

Yet, here you stood— star of the football team, the greatest quarterback your school had in years. You were already being offered full-ride scholarships to play for some of the most formidable teams. Naturally, everything was going tremendously. How you’d managed to get this far was just astounding, especially considering you weren’t exactly known for being intellectual or getting all a’s. It spoke volumes to receive the stacks of offers from different colleges despite all that. A part of you couldn’t help but feel guilty for it, taking away the opportunities from someone who’d grow up to do much greater things in life than you. But the other part of you was just glad to be recognized for the hard work you put into your body.

After all, you were tall, lean, and incredibly fit. All the girls fawned over you like they were going to lose you if they didn’t. And you were hot, so that helped, too. Even some of the guys looked at you twice, despite the fact you were about 70% sure you didn’t swing that way. At least, you didn’t for the guys you caught looking at you. The other 30% was reserved for guys who looked like Flynn Rider, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, and a few of your teammates who you’d always joked that you’d date if you were a girl.

You were well-liked, popular, and knew anybody who was anybody in your hometown. You had connections thick and thin, and, really, you were the teamiest player who could play teams. Okay, that was stupid, but you were a teenage boy— virtually everything you said that wasn’t about football was.

It was getting to that time of year when all the school dances and after-parties were happening, and you were being invited to all of them. You, of course, were also accepting every invitation that came your way, making promises you knew you’d try, and fail, to keep. But, hey, at least you tried.

And then there was Gale. He was… well, a dork to say the least. He was handsome, sure, but he didn’t stand out to anyone besides being the class president and English club head. He was geeky, nerdy, and whatever other adjective you could think of for people who spent their free time analyzing the psychological effects of cannibalism in literature. Yeah, he was liked by the other nerds who were in the same club as him, but he wasn’t exactly popular. He was elected class president mostly as a joke, and you hated to admit that you were one of those votes. He was a nice guy and didn’t do anyone any harm but, alas, high school is a feeding ground for the wildest of beasts.

The most riveting thing about him was that there were rumors of him and the English teacher doing it in her classroom. With the way she looked at him and gave him unique treatment, it almost wasn’t even gossip. Everyone in the school believed it, and everyone in the school meant you, too. It wasn’t unheard of before, teachers going after their students, but that didn’t make it ethical or legal. Still, people talked about it like it was some article in the Sunday newspaper to be marveled at. Mostly, he kept to himself aside from the occasional class meeting that required him to talk to everyone, and was generally quiet.

This particular day happened to be one of his required meetings. You, and your grades’ peers, were gathered in the gymnasium for “information” on the school prom. Despite graduation coming so close, prom felt a million miles away.

You and your friends sat and joked with one another about mindless things, idiotic things, as you waited for whatever announcement was to come.

“Dude, when do you think it started?” Your friend, Wyll, asked you.

“What started?” You questioned, watching as he pointed to Mystra’s longing gaze directed behind the curtain. “Oh my god, we have this conversation like sixteen times a week. Can we please talk about something else?” You groaned, gaining a disapproving shove from Wyll.

“Oh, yes, I’d much rather talk about what we’re each going to have for dinner,” Astarion sarcastically remarked from behind you, kicking you softly. “Don’t be so dull! We have to get through this pointless meeting one way or another,” he pouted, and you nearly wanted to punch his perfect little face in.

“Don’t be so snide, Astarion. I’d much rather talk about that than the sex lives of our teachers,” Jenevelle retorted, rolling her eyes at all three of you.

“Tchk, boys. That is all they care about. Sticking their little wands into whatever hole will open for them,” Lae’zel added on, and all four of you audibly cringed at that. “What? Do I not speak the truth?”

You sighed, waving a hand to dismiss everyone’s comments. “Look, I want to figure out what our stupid prom theme is going to be and get out of here. Let’s talk sex when it won’t get us kicked out,” you told them, and a warning look from your coach, Halsin, signified your conversation was not as private as you thought.

“That’s enough, Mister Y/L/N,” Halsin called up to you, and you bowed your head in acknowledgement. Wyll nudged you playfully, and you snapped at him under your breath to cut it out.

“It is my pleasure and honor to introduce your beloved class president- Gale Dekarios!” Mystra, unmistakably, introduced Gale to the class who gave half-assed applause.

“Hello-“ Gale cleared his throat, glancing down at the notes he had written down. You always found it funny how anxious he’d get on stage. You’d see him start messing with the hem of his shirt, on the side, rubbing it repetitively between his fingertips, and then he’d start talking. This interaction was not foreign.

“On behalf of the students and faculty, it’s my pleasure to be able to announce this year’s prom theme with you all,” Gale began, and you heard some douchebag start booing him. He was quickly shut up by a teacher quickly shushing him, and Gale began again. “The faculty present at this event requested I start with the regulations first. So let’s get into that,” he smiled at everyone, turned a page, and went on.

“Oh brother, this guy stinks!” You heard one of your teammates reference behind you, a small chorus of laughter emitting from his section, you included. Gale went on about how there was no drinking, no aggressive or verbally offensive music, and definitely no sex. Some other rules were mentioned about dress and grooming but nobody ever paid any attention to those.

“This year’s prom theme is…” he allowed tension to build for a brief second, and then smiled as he looked up at everyone, “Midnight Masquerade!”

Your class erupted with both relief and joy. The previous year had ‘Under the Sea’ as their theme and it was a dumpster fire disaster. You all feared what the teachers and principal would decide but, thankfully, it seemed they pulled through this year.

“Looks like you might finally get laid, Lae’zel,” Jenevelle teased, only to be met with a hardened glare. “It’s only a joke, cut that out.”

Once the meeting was dismissed, everyone began discussing what their outfits would be. You had a few weeks to prepare, and you were already forming ideas in your head.

Those few weeks soon turned into days, and then hours as you and all your friends piled into a limo Wyll’s dad had rented for you all.

“Move over, asshole!” You finally got comfortable in the limo with some shifting about, everyone’s dates beside them. For the most part, at least.

“Dude, I thought you were going with Alfira? What happened to that?” Wyll asked you, and you shrugged.

“Dude,” you mocked, “We talked about this. She’s into girls, she’s going out with that one from the D&D club,” you reminded him, and he nodded in distinction.

“Damn, Y/N, going to the prom with no date? And I thought you were mister popular,” Astarion poked fun at you, while you rolled your eyes.

“I’m sure I’ll be going to the afterparty with someone, don’t doubt me on that,” you chuckled, and Wyll whacked your arm playfully.

“That’s the spirit! Or, hey, maybe you’ll meet someone at the afterparty instead. I heard there’s supposed to be booze,” Wyll grinned at you, and you kicked him back.

“Yeah, 'cause it’s happening at your bigass mansion,” you joked, then you and your party were off.

You each slipped on your intricate masks as you drove into the parking lot. Yours matched your suit, a navy blue color that had intricate black designs hand-sewn into it. The patterns made out flowers and daggers, twisting together into an amalgamation. The mask itself was also a navy blue color, with black lace lined over top. Your tie was the reverse, black lace on blue fabric, and you wore a black shirt that complemented the entire outfit. You were the star of the show, as expected.

You ate, danced, took stupid photo booth pictures with your friends all crammed into the tiny box— you had a good time. Eventually, the voting opened for the prom royalties and you knew immediately who would win.

The night went on, and people partnered for the slower songs that played over the speakers. Somehow, you were pushed up against a guy and encouraged to dance together. You shrugged, pulled him against your waist, and followed the motions of those around you.

“You look nice,” he complimented, his hands resting up at your shoulders.

“So do you,” you returned his adoration and observed his suit. It was a deep purple color that matched his skin tone. Much like your own, it was stitched with a lighter purple and gold that made intricate starry designs. The mask hiding his face was also like yours, matching the color of his suit and overlaid with golden lace.

You leaned down towards him, pulling his waist flush against you as you whispered low into his ear. “You look like royalty,” you hummed, feeling his hands tighten at your shoulders.

“Thank you…” he smiled softly as your lips brushed against his cheek. The warmth radiated off of his face and pulled into your own, his blushing far from hidden even under the mask. “I don’t think you’d say that without the disguise, though..” he laughed awkwardly and you stood straight up again.

“Oh? Why do you say that?” You asked, continuing to move around the dance floor with him, moving between other couples.

“Just a… general observation,” he shrugged, messing with your hair gently.

You lowered down near him again, brushing your noses together while looking into his eyes. “I’m going to take that as a challenge,” you grinned, glancing down at his lips and then back up at his eyes. “I’ll find out who you are and you’ll be mine by the end of the school year,” you smirked, and he gave a half-smile back.

“You can certainly try,” he teased and then began to pull away from you as the song came to a close. He stepped back towards his group, eyes still trained on you.

“Oh, I will,” you nodded in recognition before going back to your friends, who were laughing hysterically at you.

There was something magical about the energy he had, one that couldn't be replicated so easily. Despite the minor interaction, you were drawn directly to him. You knew that he’d stick in your mind like a bad stain you couldn’t wash out, clinging to the foreground of your mind. You wouldn’t escape him even if you tried, and you didn’t exactly want to.

“What?” You asked, taking a drink handed to you from Jen as you returned.

“What do you mean ‘what’? You were practically making out with that guy!” Wyll laughed, patting your shoulder reassuringly.

“You pushed me to him!” You defended, hands in the air as if you were on trial.

“That doesn’t mean you have to cause a scene,” Jen teased, nudging you in the side.

“You guys are just jealous I have more game than you,” you chuckled, everyone hitting you playfully.

“Mate, if you have more game than me then that means I’m dead,” Karlach cackled, the girl at her side giggling at her comments.

“Screw all of you. Seriously.” You shook your head at them, striking up a different conversation while the music slowly quieted. The lights moved from the dance floor to the stage as one of the teachers walked on stage.

“Homecoming and prom, let’s do this,” you smiled down at Jenevelle as the votes were beginning to be counted. Hands interlocked, you’d been praying for this for weeks. It didn’t mean anything academically, but it was the event that counted. The two of you had won the year prior at your junior homecoming and were slated to win prom, too. You had been childhood best friends, none the wiser, and always voted each other for things like this. You shared every joyous moment like blood siblings, and you believed this would be another to add to your memories.

“Alright students, gather around!” All the masked teens huddled near the stage, everyone whispering about who would be voted up this year.

“This year’s prom royalties are…” Since it was a masquerade, they got around saying names by simply pointing you out in a crowd. Both winners were shown with a bright spotlight highlighting them.

You, unsurprisingly, were one of them. You turned to Jen, expecting her to be lit up like you were, but found her shrouded in darkness instead. You looked up at the teacher, beaming at the crowd and motioning for you to step on stage. You were confident you and Jen were going on stage together! But as your eyes found the other light, twinkling in the back of the crowd, you saw it shining on another boy.

Another guy? Who voted for him? And how did he get enough votes to kick Jen out of her spot you were so sure was secured?

Your heart broke for a moment realizing that you’d lost out on this with her. What was supposed to be your final bow turned into breaking ankles. It didn’t feel right.

Jen pat your arm reassuringly and motioned you up to the stage. You smiled despite the hurt, walked through the crowd, and stepped up in front of everyone. The other winner followed a moment after, his friends encouraging him to make his way up. You recognised the suit belonging to the mystery dancer from before, a piece of you glad for it to be him and not a stranger. Even though he was, still, a stranger.

“Let’s give a hand to our royals!” The teacher stepped away from the mic to clap, allowing the other faculty member to place the plastic crowns on each of your heads. You glanced over at the other, who was clearly uncomfortable, and sighed internally. You’d make this easy for him, at least.

“Just follow my lead,” You told him, taking his hand and holding each of yours up with your award-winning smile. You waved with your free hand and pulled him down the stairs and to the dance floor. He barely contested with you, allowing you to guide him. You pondered over the challenge you’d proposed, wondering how you’d find out who he was. You only had so long to do it, of course, so you had to be on your toes to memorize any detail you could about him.

“Now, our traditional slow dance!” The same teacher called into the microphone before the music faded back in over the speakers.

“Just like before, yeah?” Raising a suggestive eyebrow at him, you wrapped your arm tightly around his waist, hand planted firmly against his lower back. His hands went back up to your shoulders like they had before, steadying himself against you.

“I didn’t mean to steal this from her,” the boy apologized, and you made a face to brush off the comment.

“You didn’t exactly look thrilled to do this, so I can’t assume you voted for yourself,” you shrugged, tugging him close by the waist. You took one of his hands, spun him away from you, and then back in. “Besides, I can get more clues from you this way. And put on a little show,” your eyes flicked towards the people recording, and the boy in your arms nodded in understanding.

“Thanks, for this,” he replied, smiling faintly at you. You could only nod your head to accept his gratitude, though you would have done the same no matter who was there with you.

When it finally ended, you two parted ways without much discussion and returned to your friend groups yet again. Though, the air was different this time.

“That was the same guy. Who is he?” Jen asked, and you shrugged. You had no idea, but you wanted to find out.

“I have no idea, but he’s cool,” you took the crown off your head and popped it on hers, smiling down at Jen. “There, now you can experience it,” you joked.

She took the crown off, and handed it back to you, flattening out her hair. “Thanks, but no thanks. I don’t want to get head lice from you,” she shook her head, freeing herself of the thought.

“You’re so dramatic,” you laughed, ruffling her hair slightly, causing her to whack your arm.

“Hey! That was crazy!” Karlach came running over, another girl in her arms, tossing her other across your shoulders. Sometimes you wondered why she wasn’t the quarterback, but she much preferred other sports.

“You going to the afterparty?” You asked over the music as it got louder again, consuming your thoughts.

“Hells yeah I am! You?” She asked, shaking you slightly in excitement.

“Wouldn’t be me if I didn’t go!” You laughed with her, though you could never understand her excitement half the time. She was good company, and you knew the afterparty would be ten times more enjoyable with her there, so who were you to complain?

Your group noticed people starting to leave and took that as your queue to head out. You slipped back into the limo, the party continuing on with the drive back to Wyll’s.

With everyone linked up with their significant others, or their dates for only the one night, you couldn’t help feeling lonely. Each of your friends had a partner, and you were just.. there. Fame meant nothing if there was nobody to share it with. And, no, you weren’t going to not share it with your friends— but sharing it with a lover was so much different. It would’ve been nice to have someone to joke with about dancing with another person that wasn’t them. Yeah, you claimed you didn’t really “swing that way” but, maybe, you kind of did? After all, you’d just essentially flirted with a guy for half the night. Maybe you wouldn’t mind it if it meant you had a partner who fit against you like the missing piece of your puzzle.

“You look spaced out, Y/N, you good?” Wyll asked suddenly, and you snapped out of the daze you’d been in.

“Huh? Oh- yeah! I’m just thinking about how tired we’re going to be tomorrow,” you laughed, and Jen patted your knee in agreement. With all the thoughts bouncing around your head, you were sure you’d leave almost immediately after arriving. But at least you tried!

In the back of the limo, as you all pulled up to the event, each of you began shimmying out of your tight-fitting clothes. Thankfully, you had on an undershirt and pants stored in the car so your change was rather easy. You stuck your suit under the seat to grab later while you changed out of your shoes.

“Hey, Wyll, thank your dad for getting this bigass limo for us!” Karlach shouted as she helped Jen out of her dress, everyone tangled within one another as they changed.

“Yeah, and for hosting the afterparty,” you added, everyone cheering because you knew you’d have a good time.

Once you pulled up, you were back to being stupid, wild teenagers again. Some people stayed in their outfits, but not many, and most had gotten comfortable long before they got there.

Once again, music cut through your thoughts as you entered. You flipped a switch instantaneously, smiling and waving at people who knew you as you passed through. You caught up in idle conversations here and there, laughing with your teammates and drinking back the lingering feeling you had earlier. But the longer the party went on, the lonelier you got.

You were so adored by everyone that nobody considered loving you. How does that even happen?

Maybe you were just notorious for turning girls down- claiming you didn’t want anything serious. It’s not like you slept around, either. You tried to be a gentleman, but the girls who always wanted you only wanted to change you. They wanted you for their little football player fantasies, and when they couldn’t have you they moved on to someone else. It was weird. You shined and sparkled like the night sky, but who was your moon to ignite the atoms that made you who you were?

Eventually, in your tipsy state, you ended up alone in a library, seeking solace from the throbbing of the world around you. Red solo cup in hand, slumped down on the white leather couch, you scrolled aimlessly through your phone. You didn’t hear the door creak open until it was shut, and someone sat on the couch next to you.

“Oh- sorry. I hope you don’t mind,” you turned your head to look at who had joined you, only to find Gale seated there.

“It’s fine,” you shrugged, taking another sip and going back to your phone. “Trying to find quiet from the party?” You asked, not bothering to look up.

“Ah… yes. I wasn’t exactly expecting to receive an invitation and I’m quite dreading the fact I said yes and showed up,” he chuckled, and you saw him messing with his shirt like usual out of the corner of your eye.

“You do that a lot,” you remarked suddenly, and he looked confused.

“Apologies? I do what a lot?” He asked, head tilted at you.

“The shirt thing. When you get nervous you rub the corner hem of your shirt between your fingers.”

“You noticed that?”

You blinked at your phone, realizing what you’d said aloud. You didn’t mean it in a bad way, it was just an observation of his habits. After all, you had to stare at him while he talked about class politics and whatnot for hours during the semesters- you saw him do it all the time.

“I don’t.. sorry, I…” you cleared your throat, taking a sip of the drink in your cup with a small shrug. “Don’t mean it in a bad way, I guess. I just noticed it,”

“Oh. Okay.”

Gale pulled out his phone, knee bouncing as he got comfortable and assumed a position similar to yours.

“Congratulations, by the way,” he added after a second, and you weren’t sure what he meant.

“On what?”

“Being prom king. It was expected, but congratulations anyway,” he smiled over at you, and you returned it half-heartedly.

“Thanks. I have no clue who was up there with me, though,” you laughed slightly, though the confusion was genuine. Something felt so right about dancing there with that boy that you weren’t sure what it was. Fate, or simply that nagging longing in the back of your mind looking for someone to fill the void?

Gale was about to respond, but several of your teammates came barging in, all yelling and talking over one another.

“Dude! Lae’zel just got dared to jump in the pool from the roof and she’s gonna do it!” You finally made out, and your face changed as you ran out with them to watch her.

Chaos resumed and your thoughts were no longer your own again, instead they belonged to the teenage relevancy of idiotic decisions and crazed actions. When you all returned inside, dry, save for Lae’zel, you kept up with the party once more.

But your eyes kept flickering back to the library, and then around the room. Gale had such an interesting aura about him, you couldn’t put a finger on it. Then, your mind wandered and you wondered if you could tell who your mystery dancer was, like Cinderella’s prince.

You tried to recall the details of the masked man, the way his eyes creased with your jokes, laughing like you were the best comedian there could be. The way his lips turned with his emotions, covering but not concealing what he was truly thinking.

“Dude, did you see Gale showed up? We all thought he’d be all up in Mystra by now!” One of your friends cackled, and you laughed slightly, but not really wholeheartedly this time.

“You know that’s not really that funny,” you stated, and the looks you got were borderline dangerous. It was like jumping into a pit of snakes and stepping on their tails- you had stepped into hazardous territory with your challenge.

“What?”

“I said it’s not funny.”

“Are you serious right now? Since when did you care about Gale? We joke about him all the time!” That struck a nerve. The guy had been nothing but nice to everyone and this is how he got treated? You almost felt sick. But why now? Why did it suddenly matter?

“Just- drop it, okay? Let’s have fun without screwing people over,” you waved their discussion off and moved to play beer pong with some people. The party began to dwindle, and you caught Gale in a group of some people looking like he was enjoying himself. At least he had that going for him.

Eventually, there were only a few people left in the room, and someone had the bright idea to play spin the bottle mixed with truth or dare.

“Alright, we need some ground rules here,” Jen said as she folded her legs neatly while she sat on the floor.

“Either truth or dare, or you kiss the person who spun you,” someone else said, and everyone seemed to agree on that.

Shots were handed out and, with newfound confidence, you and the small group were enjoying yourselves. Stupid pranks were being pulled, dumb secrets were being untold, and things were getting heated. Kind of, at least. Some people had gone home, which left you, Wyll, Lae’zel, Jenevelle, Karlach, Astarion, and Gale. Astarion was just kissing everyone whenever he didn’t like the dare, Karlach was full-throttle choosing dare every time, Jen only picked truth until someone forced her to pick dare, and between Wyll and Lae’zel you couldn’t tell who was more balanced in choices. Though, Lae’zel had less clothes on than anyone so perhaps her scales were tilted. Gale, he was the odd one. He’d stay away from choosing to kiss someone and hadn’t kissed anyone at all. You realized you hadn’t either, and the two of you kept going back between truths and dares so nobody forced you to do so.

“Gods, this is getting boring! Someone needs to make out.” Astarion yawned, draped over Karlach with his shirt tossed off to the side.

Wyll spun the empty bottle in the center of your group and it landed on you once it finally slowed to a stop. Within seconds, he got a bright idea in his head. There was no way you’d end up kissing him, not in a million years, and Astarion wanted action. What better way to do so than messing with you?

“Truth or dare, mate,” he grinned at you, and you sighed. You hadn’t picked dare in a while, so it was time.

“Dare. Give it to me good, jackass,” you smiled right back at him and watched in abject horror as his grin turned into a smirk.

“I dare you to do seven minutes in heaven with…”

He paused, looked at the crew of people left, and then met Gale’s shy gaze. “Gale.”

“What?” You both asked in unison, almost making the same face at him.

“Go on. Or you can kiss me, but, I don’t think you want to do that,” he smirked, and you cursed everything in him that made him that way.

“You’re an asshole.”

“There’s a bedroom right around the corner, might as well take that one,” he ushered you two up, and you both begrudgingly stood. “Your timer starts... Now!” He closed the door after walking you inside and locked it almost immediately.

“Look, we don’t have to-“

“It’s alright,” Gale interrupted you, waving a hand to dismiss your concern as he sat on the edge of the bed. “I’ll mess up my hair and shirt in a few moments and they’ll be none the wiser if you do the same.” He smiled, and you recognized the pain behind the eyes. Too bright to be looked at without burning, he sought nearly the same thing as you. “I’m only here as a joke anyway, right?” He chuckled sadly, shrugging. “You don’t have to make me feel like more of one.”

“That’s not—“

“I overheard you talking about me. Quite plenty of people forget that I, too, have ears. You all believe I’m imperiously deafened to the rumors you spread in the halls. I hear them all, you know. I know where they begin and I know the last person who’s been touched by them. There’s no stopping the wildfire that’s been set ablaze in my wake, the vicious jokes made in my name, the roughened edges I’ve created to save myself from it all. But please, I ask that you not twist the dagger any more than it’s already been plunged inside me.”

You blinked at him, not… exactly sure of what to say to that. As you decoded the poetic words in your mind, you understood his point clearer.

“I’m sorry, about all of that,” you began, sitting down beside him and messing with your hands. “I don’t really know why they—“

“You say it too.”

You cleared your throat and began again, “Why we… say all that stuff. It’s just bullshit to keep us entertained, I guess,” you shrugged, head low as you thought of all the people you indirectly hurt climbing your way to the top. How many others like him did you turn to gold with your Midas touch? Forever banning them to a life of solitude in your shadow, forcing them under your submission, and rarely quashing the arbitrary lies that were told under you? How many people had you turned into stone statues with your headdress of snakes? Those who claimed to identify as friends but ruined your peace in the process? Would you ever find out? Would you ever have the time to apologize for letting your kingdom go so cold as the heat of your infamy died down?

“It hurts, so you’re aware. Mystra.. she’s not what you all believe her to be. She’s quite the teacher, and she sees the potential that I have in her class,” Gale sighed, running a hand through his hair. “I just want to do right by people, whether or not I’m put in positions of power as a sick prank. I could have declined, but who else would take my place? Who would have stepped up and made the changes for all of you like I had? I fight for the good and get treated like the dirt beneath everyone’s feet.” He coughed and then shook his head. “I know it’s not just you. But I heard you tonight, so right now it’s about you and everyone else, too. I don’t mean to discard these feelings on you but…” he trailed off.

“I tried defending you. I don’t think you’re a bad person and you definitely haven’t gotten as much recognition as you should have,” you started, trying to find the words. “I didn’t… get to know you, and just made opinions based on stupid rumors. I’m sorry. About that.” You cleared your throat once more, and a quiet hush fell between the space that separated you. He didn’t owe you a thanks for your apologies over your hurtful actions, and he wasn’t about to offer one, either.

“You’re really… uh… what’s the word?”

“Eloquent?”

“Yeah, eloquent. I see it.. now,” you smiled over at him and then looked to the floor once more.

“Thanks,” he returned your grin, and then quiet fell into the bedroom once more.

“Three-minute warning!” You heard Wyll call from outside the door, and the two of you groaned in unison.

“You have a girlfriend?” You asked him, and he shook his head no. “Are you… not into girls?”

“What-“ his face flushed and he looked at you with wide eyes.

“Like, are you gay? I mean, it’s cool, there’s a shit ton of gay people at our school. I was just asking,” you shrugged.

“I… I’m not exactly..”

“Out of the closet?”

“Can you let the words come from my mouth before you finish my sentences?” He huffed, and you made the motion of locking your lips. “I do like women. But I also like men. And I like whatever is the in-between of it all,” he started again and then sighed. “To me, it’s more about connection and personality. I can have a romantic relationship with just about anyone, but it’s not because of their gender. It’s because of who they are as a person, do you understand?”

“Yeah, I get that,” you nodded, looking over at his shoes. A striking familiarity crossed in your mind, as you connected the shoes he was wearing to the man you’d danced with earlier in the night. You gazed up at his face, studying it intently.

“Do I have something on me?” He asked, wiping at his face.

“You’re him…” you replied, leaning closer toward him.

“What- who..?”

You gently grabbed his chin, turning his face towards your own as you studied the details of him. You couldn’t be mistaken, you’d recognize those eyes anywhere. You laughed slightly, brushing your thumb over his bottom lip.

“What…” You could see it in his eyes, he knew exactly what you meant. But could he dare indulge in it? In the idea of you?

“The one I danced with tonight, the other royal…” you hummed, smirking softly as you leaned back again. “You knew it was me, didn’t you?”

He stuttered in an attempt to find a lie, an excuse, but gave up after a moment of embarrassment. “Who couldn’t?” He replied, lowering his head in shame.

“You know—“

“Just kiss me.”

You blinked, glancing over at him. He made eye contact with you, strong and unwavering, and you raised a brow.

“Don’t lead me on to something I know is never going to happen. Don’t set your sights on me and leave me high and dry. It’s not fair for you to make me feel a certain way and then hang me on your line of people you’ve caught in the traps you unknowingly laid. Please, just get it over with bec-“

You grabbed his face, pressing your lips together hastily. Why? Did you just want to get this over with so you could each move on?

You didn’t know him as well as your friends, but this aching feeling came bursting through your chest. It desired to be let go, set free into the world. You needed him, your other half, to balance you out. Something in you knew this wasn’t just a one-off moment to save him the heartbreak, you knew you were now tied to one another whether you’d like it or not. But you could pretend to be “getting it over with” for the sake of this interaction.

His hand steadied himself on your shoulder, and you wrapped an arm around his waist. Swiftly, you pulled him into you and onto your lap, your other hand on the back of his head to keep him there. He made a small noise you could akin to satisfaction, and you laughed against his lips. Your head tilted to the side, leaning up into him as the kiss continued. Your hands moved down to his sides, grabbing his waist tightly.

He broke it off after a second, his breathing heavy as he looked down at you. His eyes screamed love and lust all in one, wrapped in a delicate bow, those soft eyes of his and the lingering smile tying it all together.

“You…”

“Hm?” You tilted your head at him, bringing his chin down to grab his attention. He focused entirely on you, eyes connected and unbreaking.

“You’re really good at that…” he laughed nervously, adjusting the way he sat in your lap. You felt him up against you, and a sly smirk found its way onto your face.

“Yeah? You think so?” You asked, pulling his hips forward, hands slipping around to his ass.

“I mean, I have a practiced tongue with what I read, but..”

“A practiced tongue?” You laughed at him, squeezing where you could as you threw your head back.

“Hey! Don’t laugh at me!” He whacked your chest, which only made you laugh more.

“What, you get practice rolling your r’s over those fancy words of yours?” You cackled, leaning up towards him once again.

“You’re so childish,” he tsk-ed, lowering his head down to you, your noses touching again.

“But you seem to be into it,” you claimed, raising the argument with him.

“This feels just… so high school,” he stated, and you tilted your head as to what that meant. He noted your confusion and continued, “Truth or dare, spin the bottle… you know how to ball, I know Aristotle…” he raised both eyebrows, hoping you understood the trope he was getting at.

You laughed again at his comment, shaking your head at him. “You’re so funny,”

“It’s true! Swear, scouts honor,” he leaned into you, brushing his lips against yours. Then, out of pure adrenaline, he said something he never would’ve imagined ever stating to anyone else. “I want you to touch me while your bros play Grand Theft Auto…”

You smirked at that, connecting your lips briefly. “You’re gonna have to stifle your sighs for that one,” you teased, kissing him again. He returned your kiss, allowing you to trace your lips down his neck.

“Times u-“ Wyll burst in, and then stared directly at both of you. You were rather unfazed by it, but Gale turned to stone in your arms. You continued kissing his neck, ignoring Wyll just… standing there. Hello? Say something!

“Fuck off, Wyll.”

“Yeah! Yep! I’m- ahuh!” Wyll turned back around and closed the door again, shell-shocked from what he perceived as a horror before him. Not that gay people scared him, but you were kissing Gale? He didn’t actually expect you two to be like that.

“Y/N-“ Gale pleaded, gently pushing at your shoulders.

“Hmm?” You switched sides, slipping your hands under his shirt and holding tight onto his waist.

“Please-“ He pushed again on your shoulders, and you got the hint. You pulled back and looked up at him, in awe of his beauty.

“This was really, really nice. But I don’t.. want to do this if it’s just to prove a point,” he slipped out of your hold and stood up, fixing his hair and his shirt.

“That’s not-“

“Again, spare me. Spare me from the horrors that will unfold from your pursuit of this. Whatever reason you might have, I don’t desire to be the object of any more jokes,” he cleared his throat, clearly holding back the pain he felt.

“Gale-“

“Please,” He begged, his voice quiet. He didn’t want to become a laughingstock if things went south.

“Okay, okay,” you put your hands up defensively. You stood, running a hand through your hair. He was about to leave, but you grabbed his hand before he could. “I don’t want to hurt you,” you paused, letting go of his hand as you looked down at him.

“But I do… want to get to know you. We can be friends, yeah?” You pulled out your phone from your pocket, holding it towards him to input his number. “Doesn’t have to be anything else. And I can probably get people to stop making rumors,” you offered, and Gale sighed at you.

“Are you going to marry, kiss, or kill me?” He asked quizzically as he inputted his number. What was that supposed to mean?

“It’s just a game-“

“But really,” he looked up at you, sighing once again. “I’m betting on all three for us two.” He handed your phone back, his hand slipping down to rub the edge of his shirt. He laughed a little bit at the idea of marriage. Gods, no. “No one’s ever had me, not like you. I don’t want things to go south if we head into things too strongly,” he pushed his hands into his pockets, all too aware of his anxious stimming. “I’d appreciate it if you’d get rid of the rumors. We can be friends, but that’s all I’d like for right now.”

“Can we make out every once in a while because I’m kinda getting the practiced tongue thing now-“ you joked, only to be met with Gale shoving you slightly.

“What did I just say, Prometheus?”

“Alright, alright. I get it.” You saved his number in your phone and then opened the door for him to leave. Skipping past everyone, you led Gale out to his car. “Uh.. who’s Prometheus? Asking for a friend, definitely not for me,”

“You don’t know who Prometheus is?” Gale stopped walking entirely to look at you with horror and hurt, a look worse than when he talked about the rumors. Jesus, this guy cared about literature more than anything.

“Is it an English club thing? I only ‘know how to ball’,” you recounted his former comment, laughing as he made a face of annoyance now, walking to his car without another word.

“Oh, come on! That was a funny sentence!” You followed him as he got into the driver’s seat, and you leaned against the window while he started the car. You knocked on the window, pouting at him softly.

He rolled the window down and you took the opportunity to reach in, open the door from the inside, and lean on the top of the car while keeping him from closing it again. “Don’t be mad at me, Dekarios,” you grinned at him, but that didn’t change the annoyance in his eyes.

“Is this how you treat all your friends?” He cocked an eyebrow at you, arms crossed tight over his chest now.

“Just the ones I really like…” you lowered yourself down towards his face, biting your bottom lip slightly. He pushed your face to the side, ignoring the temptation.

“I’d prefer if you liked me a little less, just for now,” he retorted, and you laughed at his joke wholeheartedly.

“I’ll try,” you nodded, hitting the top of the car as you stepped back and closed the door for him. “Get home safe, yeah? I’m going to send you my number.”

“I’ll try,” he copied, and you couldn’t help but want to kiss his pretty little face again and again and again and- okay, we get the idea.

As you watched him drive off, your heart felt a little less lonely. You weren’t technically dating, and it would take a goddamn long time before you’d get there, but you had a friend with hope for you. A not-so-more-than-friends, friend.

You entered back into the mansion with a stupid grin on your face that was instantly wiped away as you saw everyone staring at you.

“So, you made out with Gale, huh?”

“I actually fucking hate you guys,” you laughed as you rejoined the group, recounting the entire event that was getting to make out with Gale Dekarios.

Maybe it was the brink of a wrinkle in time, bittersweet endings, and brand new beginnings. You couldn’t tell what possessed you to be like that with him, and Gale wondered the same on his way home.

In a few years, where would you find yourselves? You hoped you’d be waking up to your poet wrapped in your arms, comfortable in the space you’d created together. But you were still in high school, and lots of things could change between now and then.

For now? You’d just be happy with what you had.

[loveephia]

things my crushes did as some of the HQ boys.

content: (🦷) tooth-rotting fluff, sort of cheesy scenes, a tiny speck of angst in one scene, characters are repeated in different scenes i think fit them.

⚠ warning/s: reader gets insecure at one scenario.

note: the prompt is inspired by @/215-luv, but the scenes are of actual events that have happened to me. bold = real life scenario. not bold = extra details added.

it was a special day today; your birthday, to be exact. he knew of this but wasn't able to actually prepare a present on time. so you know what he did? he handpicked you a pretty pink flower, and he cheesily got on one knee for you, looking all proud.

BOKUTO, OIKAWA, atsumu (osamu probably watched this happen and cringed :p), komori, sugawara, lev.

the classroom ac was finally repaired after it was broken for some time now. you were starting to get cold from the new shift in temperature, so he gave you his hoodie with no complaints. it smelled.. quite nice.

SUNA, IWAIZUMI, kunimi, kageyama, sakusa, osamu, kyōtani, futakuchi.

after you two had admitted your feelings toward one another, he asked your close friend about all of your interests, hobbies, dreams, likes, and dislikes. he really did his best trying to learn more about you, so that he had an idea of what to talk to you about.

KUROO, AKAASHI, KITA, iwaizumi, sakusa, shirabu, tsukishima, kindaichi.

always calls you cute, whether it be in real life or in text, it was more than enough to make your heart pound and face red.

OIKAWA, YAKU, KUROO, SUNA, hinata (although i think he'd only do this further into the relationship), goshiki (it took him half of his sanity to say it the first time, but when he saw how red you got, he got the confidence to say it more), komori, koganegawa, lev, bokuto, daishō.

you and your classmates were assigned to decorating the classroom for Christmas. while trying to hang up the paper streamers, your fingers kept brushing against his. your heart ignited. of course, you couldn't ignore the small little smile growing on his face from each touch.

USHIJIMA, KUROO, LEV, semi, daichi, osamu.

asked for gaming advice because you were more advanced than him. he wanted to impress you, but it looks like you've impressed him first with your high rank and all of the amazing characters you own.

KENMA, GOSHIKI, KUNIMI, suna, iwaizumi, atsumu, osamu, lev, yamamoto.

when you were both paired for the upcoming school dance, all of your classmates could be heard giggling, talking about how such a perfect couple you two were.

KITA, AKAASHI, DAICHI, oikawa, yaku, shirabu (mr. top of the class and mrs. president :p), komori.

you were a sweet-tooth, so you always tried to buy some of your favorite ice cream from the cafeteria. he was aware of this, of course, even your classmates did. one day, you didn't want to participate in the physical education class since you were.. well, afraid to get judged. he promised to buy you your favorite ice cream if you joined, even if it was just for today, and the both of you kept your ends of the deal.

TENDŌ, OSAMU, komori, suna, kuroo, bokuto, hinata (he knows what it's like to be nervous in sports :p).

he was a part of your church band, and he kept looking at you from up on the stage. he was.. simply put, mesmerized by how beautiful you were. his friends kept teasing him, and they even asked if he could take a photo with you. you said yes with a shy smile on your face. (this wasn't about a crush, but i added this because i found this moment kinda cute.)

SEMI, KONOHA, suna, akaashi (you can't tell me he doesn't play the piano), futakuchi (futakuchi drummer au AAAAA).

every music class was separated in your school. you took (insert instrument) classes while he took (insert instrument) classes. you both had to take the same route to get to your classrooms, so you both walked there together. but the thing is, yours was closer. so he'd wait and sit with you outside until your music teacher opened the door. (honestly, this happened in the first grade, so i can't remember if he really did wait.)

AKAASHI, SEMI, FUTAKUCHI (he has a soft side, trust 💯), ushijima, kita, tsukishima.

he reluctantly/willingly participated in your disney fantasies because he liked you that much. he made you feel like a princess as he was your prince.

SAKUSA, KITA (he was your real-life disney prince), goshiki (he wanted to feel like your knight-in-shining-armor), tsukishima, kuroo, lev, hinata.

© lowercase intended | loveephia

[zushikiss]

Happy birthday, dearest.

summary ; it's your birthday! and your boyfriend shows his efforts for you so much.

warnings ; fluff, scara and reader lives beside each other, use of the petnames love [ scara ] , hon [ xiao ]

pairings ; scaramouche, xiao, diluc x gn!reader

notes ; it's my birthday today so i thought this would be fitting to post !

─ SCARAMOUCHE

you're on your phone simply trying to pass time as you await for the time to finally hit the 12 am mark, it's a few minutes before your birthday and you simply haven't felt the need to sleep yet so you don't but when the clock finally strucks 12 am, signifying the start of the next day you hear small footsteps on your balcony.

you take your eyes off of your device as a familliar silhouette emerges from the darkness of your balcony, it's your boyfriend!

"Happy birthday, love."

he hands you a small gift, the wrapping paper in your favorite color along with a ribbon in his, you smile as he lays down on the bed beside you, pressing a kiss to your temples as you tore the gift open.

the gift is a picture frame, the frame itself decorated with your favorite flowers but made in clay, an envelope also falls, it was tucked behind the frame, however the thing that brings tears in your eyes is the photo itself.

it's a picture of 13 yr old you and scara during valentines, his friends and yours pushed the both of you to the marriage booth, leading you and scara to be "married" that day.

though the both of you were denying the fact that you both had very obvious crushes on each other, you still obliged by the rules of the class president, which was all "married" pairs had to stay by each other's side for the day, the both of you even went on a sweet and awkward date in your small school cafeteria.

it was a picture of you two sitting on one of the lunch tables, the table filled with snacks the both of you enjoyed, you were smiling in the photo, feeding scara fries while he slowly accepted it, with a blush on his face and while averting his eyes.

"I hope you like it, it was really hard to sculpt those flowers."

"Of course! Thank you scara, i love it.."

you hug him tightly as he presses a kiss to your forehead, you put the frame on your bedside table, as you lay back in bed to cuddle your ever so sweet boyfriend, little did you know the mess that was scattered on your boyfriend's desk, multi colored clay littering the desktop, different tools all semi organized in a cup he had solely for the purpose of holding his cute bright pink sculpting tools.

─ XIAO

when you awoke from your deep sleep, the smell of your favorite food quickly made its way to your room, and before you could even check the time on your phone your boyfriend slowly enters the room, carefully holding a tray with water, your favorite drink, your favorite snacks and as well as your favorite breakfast food.

"I'm not the best at cooking but i really wanted to show you that i tried, but pleaae don't expect a lot.. you know cooking isn't my forte."

the entire day xiao tended to your every need, even surprising you with a bouquet and a plushy you've really wanted, he couldn't help but also purchase a few in game things for you, knowing how much you love the game.

he tried playing for you, even going as far as making an account but video games wasn't really something he enjoyed, however you knew how much effort he put in so you appreciated it either way.

now with your favorite plushy in one arm and your loving boyfriend in the other, you were ready to fall asleep seeing as the day ended, but you could feel a pair of lips on your collarbone as you hear a soft "happy birthday, hon." you couldn't help but smile as he rests his head in the crook of your neck once again.

─ DILUC

as if being droven around all day, going on one too many dates for one day, and receiving plenty hugs and kisses behind closed doors wasn't the best gift then you could say it was this.

you were sitting on the couch, braiding your boyfriend's hair as you tell him a story about your workplace, he hums softly as he asks question, though his eyes were glued to the television, you knew that his attention was all on you.

as you finished braiding his hair you excitedly handed him a mirror as you whispered a quick all done, from the mirror's reflection you could see a small smile forming on his face before he stands up to plant a kiss on the bridge of your nose.

"thank you, name. i think it looks pretty."

"not just your hair, luc. you too, you're very pretty as is!"

"mhm, not prettier than you though."

[sweetsummersemen]

Damn Lois is so wrong about her kids in the Malcolm in the Middle finale it makes me think she hasn't really revised her plan since before Jamie was born.

Malcolm as president is... He's got book smarts but that's it. Look at the situation:

Malcolm has contempt for just about everyone he meets and he doesn't hide it. He has contempt for the Krelboynes because of their neuroses, but when he spends time with normal kids, he can't stand them because he thinks they're beneath him (and he makes sure they know it). You can't make it in politics without making connections. Unless he can learn to keep his mouth shut (and considering it never lasts when he tries) he'll never get the allies he needs. You need to be able to bullshit *somebody* if not everyone.

Malcolm has no connections now. He isn't from a political family, he doesn't summer with rich kids. The only moderately well off person is Stevie and he only seems to be upper middle class. Working part time as a janitor will help him fund himself but it'll stop him from joining fraternities and societies. Which is where he'll meet the people he needs to propel his career.

His subject. Malcolm is studying some kind of biology when we leave him. His talents are STEM. Not law, or political science, or international relations or history. Honestly I think he'd be best as an academic. At least his abrasive personality would help him fit in.

His personality part 2: Malcolm suffers and feel sorry for himself, not others in the same situation. He's the same as the other Krelboynes: high IQ, overbearing mother, bullied by the other kids. But he doesn't empathise with them. He only feels sorry for himself. Which with his contempt issue won't make him the candidate for the workers. He'll be the "fuck you I got mine candidate".

His strategy: Malcolm has one political strategy: when things go wrong and he has to fix it, his instinct is to bring everyone down to nothing. He does it when he makes the Krelboynes have a breakdown, he does it when he tries to make up with Reese and reads out everyone's files. Even when he's trying to do the right thing, his instincts are destructive.

His impulsiveness: especially with girls, even before he hits his teens. He sleeps with his own brother's girlfriend! He'll have a sex scandal before his political career gets off the ground. He also has no verbal filter which won't get him very far.

And Lois's summary of Dewey makes me think she definitely hasn't been paying attention to him since Jamie came along (which, she definitely hasn't).

Dewey hasn't been a happy go lucky little weirdo since season 4. His big arc was the Busey class where he did exactly what Lois wants from Malcolm, on a micro scale. He suffers with the special kids and he becomes their leader because he knows he is the only person willing to help them. He doesn't spend that time feeling sorry for himself and lashing out at the Buseys, like Malcolm certainly would. He has contempt but for the system and actors causing the issue, not the victims.

Even putting aside the morality of what Lois did to Malcolm, she was wrong. She backed the wrong child.

[kumeko]

A/N: For the @ichiruki-auzine! I think they’d be a lot of fun in a Men in Black world, and wanted to explore another way they could have met for the first time. 

…

…

…

…

Rukia was good at her job. Perhaps not as great as her brother—almost no one could reach Byakuya’s level—but good nonetheless. There was a reason the Men in Black recruited her straight out of university. Just like the FBI or CIA, they only wanted the best.

Best was her middle name. 

Intelligence? She was the top of her class. Every class, for the past five years. 

Fitness? Despite how short she was, Rukia had been on both the soccer and volleyball teams throughout university. She could run laps around her coworkers.

Adaptability? Rukia had lived on the streets for a few years. If she couldn’t adjust to anything after that, then no one could.

Any skill they needed, she had in spades. The top brass agreed: there was a reason she was the only agent on her level who worked alone.  

Rukia grinned as she roared down the highway, swerving her motorcycle in and out of traffic. There were no other motorcycles tailing her as she searched New York for her latest target. She wasn’t forced to sit in a car, making small chat to her partner as they fought traffic.

No, it was just her and the open wind. Rukia took a deep breath of her city’s smog-filled air, listened to the angry honks and screeching tires, and pressed the gas. Her motorcycle jumped forward, and she leaned down closer, hugging the turn as she exited the highway. Her tie flapped in the wind and she felt a feral sort of joy from it all. It was funny how her suit didn’t feel restricting at all as she drove—maybe it was the alien fibers used to make it.

“In two miles, turn right,” her watch declared. A small, green holographic map temporarily floated above the watch, a blinking red dot indicating her destination. 

So close, she thought. No matter where she went, New York was a bright, loud disaster. It was almost eleven and if Rukia didn’t know the time, she’d assume it was day. Buildings jutted out every square inch possible, towering above them and flashing neon lights until it was impossible to see the stars. Pedestrians crowded the well-lit street and she glanced at them as she passed. 

Just how many were human? Alien? At one point, the latter hadn’t even been a question, but now she knew better. She’d opened Pandora’s box and there was no turning back. Not only did aliens exist, but there was an entire economy built off them. There was an immigration system in place, special laws on handling them, and even few presidents had been aliens.

Of all the things Rukia had expected after chasing her brother’s footsteps, joining what was basically an FBI for aliens wasn’t one of them. She glanced at the pedestrians as she drove by. This area wasn’t part of her usual patrol, so for as far as she knew, the hot dog seller could be an alien. Even that schoolgirl skipping eagerly with her friends could be one. 

Alien disguises were too realistic these days. A small scar could hide a zipper, a beard the buttons of a robotic body.

Rukia turned the corner, finally leaving the city proper; the lights were spaced out more, the groups of people decrease to a few stragglers here and there. Even the buildings started to show some variety, houses mixing in between the apartments.

“What’s his name?” she asked, slowing down to match the speed limit.

“Fishbone D., of the Hallow system,” her watch recited immediately. While it looked like any other smart watch, hers was a good deal smarter. “Considering his affinity for water, he is generally found at the docks. He spends his days as a fisherman.”

“The docks?” Rukia snorted. They were nowhere near the ocean now. “What’s he doing all the way over here?”

“He has not checked in with his corresponding agent for the past two weeks,” the watch continued, ignoring her as usual. “He should be somewhere in the next neighbourhood.”

“Probably stumbled in the wrong place.” Rukia turned another corner, slowing down further. The streets here were empty, fortunately. However this went, the less witnesses the better. If she was lucky, Fishbone D.—

“Oh.” Rukia braked hard. Her grip on the handlebars was the only thing that kept her in her seat, gravity trying to jerk her forward and into the eight-foot-tall behemoth in front of her. “Does Fishbone look like a giant shark?”

“Yes,” her watch cheerfully replied, pulling up a hologram of the very alien standing in front of her. “In his original form, he has a skull—”

“Don’t bother, he’s right in front of me.” Rukia sighed as she surveyed the scene.

Not bothering with his human disguise, Fishbone was in his full alien form. It was like looking at a humanoid shark: a sleek grey body with a fin sticking out the back. He had humanesque legs and arms, though his arms were disgustingly long. To top it of, this Frankenstein of a creature had a white, bone-like mask for a face. She wasn’t sure if that was better or worse than having a shark head or even a human head.

Still, there was no way of changing the fact that a giant shark-man was standing in the middle of a rather ordinary suburb, clearly visible for anyone who looked outside. Fishbone also didn’t care about being discrete as he rocked an empty parked car back and forth. Well, it wasn’t like he could be discrete, considering his size, but still. The point was Rukia needed to do a lot of mind-wipes after this was over. It was hard work as is keeping society from knowing about aliens without all of this added to the mix.

Sighing, she dismounted her bike. “Hey, Fishbone.” 

He didn’t look at her. Instead he rocked the car again. This time, it flipped on its side. 

“Great. Property damage too.” Rolling her eyes, Rukia came to a stop in front of him. “Hey. Big guy. You know what comes next, right?”

“She broke up with me,” he whined, his voice oddly deep and guttural.

Rukia could just smell the alcohol clinging to him. “Great, a drunk alien. I don’t care about your life story, you’re still in trouble.”

Fishbone kicked the car. “She left!” 

“I’d leave too.” Tapping on her watch, she shook her head. Honestly, days like these were the worst. There was always too much clean up. “Now you’re going to have to—”

He turned, his right arm whipping back and smacking her right in the stomach with the force of a sledge hammer. As she flew through the air, her only thought was shit.

-x-

Ichigo was drunk. Sure, his body didn’t feel heavy, his brain was particularly unfuzzy, and he didn’t even have that warm tingle that happened after a few too many shots, but he was drunk. It was really the only explanation for the monster that was blocking his walk home.

Though, considering how much the monster stunk of beer, maybe they were both drunk. 

“How do you even drink?” he muttered to himself, squinting at the monster’s face. Despite his black body, his face looked like a white skull. Did that mouth even open? How did he even lift the can, he didn’t look like he had proper hands.

There was a short woman standing next to him, and if the monster was huge, the woman was tiny. She was like one of those fairies his sister liked to draw. Her black suit didn’t make her look at all imposing, and he wondered just what it said to him that he was dreaming about Beauty and the Beast. 

Before he blinked, the monster swatted the woman in his direction. Flying through the air, she shot past him and onto the hood of a car. Loud beeps blared through the quiet night and Ichigo pulled out his stupor. He wasn’t drunk. He wasn’t dreaming. That was a real monster in front of him.

And that lady needed help. Quickly, he sprang into action, dropping his backpack as he sprinted to the car. The woman groaned as she sat up and rubbed her head. “Fuck,” she swore. 

“You okay?” he asked, quickly scanning her for injuries. Enough years watching his father’s medical practice had left him with just enough knowledge to know what to look for. There wasn’t any blood, fortunately, and she looked more annoyed than in pain.

“I’m fine.” She swatted his hand away, climbing off the car on her own. Somehow, she looked even tinier now; he had to be at least double her height. “You should get going.”

“Get going?” Ichigo snorted, gesturing at the monster. “We should call the cops.”

She shot him a glare. “Don’t. God, the cleanup would be—just don’t, okay? Run along now, idiot.”

“Idiot?” he gawked. Before he could get any further than that, she sprinted toward the monster once more.  

There was a gun in her hand. He had no idea where she’d been hiding that. Were guns even useful against monsters? Ichigo could feel his brain overloading from it all. Maybe he should go; she seemed to know what she was doing.

Yet…he watched as she shot. Two short, white bursts of energy exploded out of the gun and smacked the monster in the back. The monster cried—it was weird how human-like that sounded—before whirling around and attacking her. She looked more than capable of fighting the monster; in fact she looked oddly used to it. He could get in the way.

The monster’s feet swept at her and while she jumped, she couldn’t dodge the monster’s claws coming from the opposite direction.

“Watch out!” 

She turned and crossed her arms over her chest just as she got hit, flying into yet another car. 

“Shit!” Ichigo ran toward her, not caring anymore. She clearly needed help; this thing was far too strong for just her to take care of. 

“Not again.” The woman coughed, blood dribbling down her lips. Whatever got hurt, it was internal, and those were the worst types of injuries.

“Shit, shit, shit.” The monster was still ambling toward them. There was no time to do anything but scoop her up in his arms and run. If she broke something else, well, she’d at least be alive to complain about it. 

“What’re you doing?” she gasped. Despite her pain, she smacked his chest with an open palm. “Let go of me, you idiot.”

“You’re injured, moron,” Ichigo growled back. She was even lighter than he’d expected. Glancing over his shoulder, he noticed the monster was oddly slow on its approach. Instead of focusing on them, it was hitting random cars along the way. 

“I’m not.” She groaned as she tried to move. “Fine, a little.”

“A little?” Incredulous, Ichigo tore his eyes off the street and onto the slip of a woman in his arms. He had never seen anyone so stubborn before, it was like everything she was lacking in height, she made up for in attitude. “You’re coughing up blood!”

“All in a day’s work.” She winced as she peeked around his arms. “That fucking drunk idiot.”

There were many words Ichigo would have used on the monster, but none of those were it. And especially strung together like that. “What?”

“Nothing, ignore it.” She studied him. “You’re pretty strong.”

Ichigo raised a brow. “You’re not that heavy.”

The woman’s jaw dropped and she smacked him. “No, you idiot—look, there’s an easy way for all of this to end.” She pointed behind him. “I need you to get me to my motorcycle.”

“And run past that thing?” Ichigo slowed down to look over his shoulder again. It was odd, the monster didn’t look interested in them anymore, more content to wreck a garbage can than to eat them. Suddenly, he understood drunk though he wasn’t sure why a monster of all things would be.

She nodded, not missing a beat. “And then I need you to distract him long enough for me to shoot him.”

“What?” If he hadn’t been holding her, he would have rubbed his brow. As it was, he stopped running. “Are you an idiot?”

“That’s still you,” she growled. “Look, either we do this together, or I do it alone.”

He stared at her.

“It’s my job, I know what I’m doing.”

Job. Ichigo took a deep breath. “None of this makes sense,” he mumbled. It wasn’t like he could leave her alone to face this, and even if he ran away, other people could be hurt by it. Reluctantly, he nodded. “Fine, but you’re explaining everything after.”

The woman snorted, as though there was something hilarious about that. “Sure, I’ll explain everything. Now don’t get hit.”

“I don’t need you to tell me that, shorty,” Ichigo hunched forward slightly and took a deep breath. 

Three—

The monster perked his head up.

Two—

Its skeletal head turned to them.

One—

The monster dropped the garbage bin.

Go!

Ichigo sprinted down the road, trying not to scream. Noticing his approach, the monster bounded toward them, its overly large arms hitting parked cars and setting off several alarms. From the corner of his eyes, he could see blinds pulling back, doors opening; the whole neighbourhood realizing that a monster stood on their front lawn.

But there wasn’t time to think of that. As long as the monster was focused on him, it wouldn’t turn to them. Its hand curled around a trash can and hurled it at him. Ichigo barely dodged in time. The gap between him and the motorcycle was slowly decreasing. It was the size of a football field now.

Unfortunately, the monster stood at the halfway point, and he was only coming closer. 

Ichigo glanced at the woman. Her eyes were fixed determinedly on the monster. “Hey.”

“Yes?” She didn’t look at him.

Ichigo angled toward the lawn on his right. “Can you run?”

“Huh?” She looked at him, curiously. “What do you mean?”

“Can you?” he repeated insistently. There was only a car length between them and the monster now. 

“Y-yes,” she replied quickly. “Why?” 

“Great.” And without warning, he deposited her on the grass. Before she could gather her bearings, he ran straight at the beast.

-x-

Rukia lay flat on the ground, more confused than hurt. No, that was a lie: her chest very much hurt whenever she took a breath. She’d probably cracked a rib or two. “What was that?” 

Gingerly, she sat up, wondering if that guy had just ditched her. She wouldn’t blame him if he did. It was hard enough learning about aliens, let alone facing one that looked like that. Rubbing her head, she glanced back up the street. It was empty. And on the other side…

On the other side, the idiot was taunting the alien. “You—” Rukia cut herself off. He was playing bait and unfortunately, she couldn’t deny that she needed it. In the state she was in, she wouldn’t be able to knock out Fishbone on her own. The entire neighbourhood was awake, families huddling on their doorsteps as they watched in fear, and it was only a matter of time before the cops came. She’d have to scrub the whole place after this.

Rukia clambered to her feet carefully. The stranger at least had some idea of what he was doing, baiting Fishbone to the left side of the street and dodging behind cars. Quickly, she made her way along the right, ducking under cars as she moved. Her chest felt like it was on fire. 

Her motorcycle wasn’t too far, fortunately. She all but sprinted the last few feet, clenching her teeth at the pain. Miraculously, Fishbone hadn’t noticed it in his rampage, leaving the whole thing in once piece. Pressing a button on the handlebars, she impatiently watched as the seat opened up to reveal several small guns.

It was tempting to take the lethal ones, but Fishbone was just drunk and not an actual danger. Grabbing a tranquilizer, she drew it on the alien. His back was toward her. His claws were raised. Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger and shot. A small dart pierced his skin and he stumbled forward as he passed out. 

“Good.” Rukia sighed, resisting the urge to sink to her feet. If she sat down now, she wasn’t going to get back up. 

The stranger stared at Fishbone before kicking him once. When he didn’t move, the man jogged over to her. “Is he dead?”

“No, just asleep.” Rukia put her gun back in the rack and pushed it close. 

“What the—” The guy looked at the bike, at her, at the monster. “What is that? All of this?”

“He’s an alien,” Rukia explained easily, slipping on her sunglasses. She pulled out her neutralizer, a slim, metal device that would make all her worries go away. All she had to do was flash it, and her witnesses would forget anything that happened here tonight. “I need you to do one last thing for me.”

“What?” The man stared at her confused. “And why are you wearing sunglasses at night?”

“I’ll explain in a moment.” Raising her neutralizer, she smiled. “Just look at the light.”

“The light?” The second the stranger looked, she activated it. A bright light flashed and the man recoiled. “Good, now you were on your way home and were distracted by all the honking cars.”

“What?” The man shielded his eyes. “I’m more distracted by that fucking monster!”

Now it was her turn to be surprised. Rukia stared at him. “You remember?”

“Of course I remember. It was two seconds ago.” The stranger rubbed his eyes. “What the hell was that light for?”

Rukia had never heard of a neutralizer not working. She’d used it just earlier today, so it couldn’t be the device. No, there was just something really off about the ginger-haired man in front of her, still rubbing his eyes pitifully. 

Somehow, it hadn’t worked on him.

“Hey watch,” she said, not taking her eyes off him. “Tell the boss we have a problem.”

[natsuslover]

jjk characters in an american high school ⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

notes— american high school stereotyping is fun to do. i did one of them for blue lock and it was enjoyable to write so i’m doing one for jjk as a coping mechanism :)

ft. yuji itadori, megumi fushiguro, nobara kugisaki, maki zenin, yuta okkotsu, toge inumaki

content: headcanons yay!

yuji itadori

definitely that one kid that speaks exclusively in brainrot humor

he’s barely passing all his classes (Cs get degrees mindset)

has a backpack for formalities sake bc the only thing that’s in there is his lunch and maybe a few paper handouts

skips class ALL THE TIME only to hang out with megumi or nobara in their class instead lmao

i feel like he would either be on the baseball or soccer team and he would be extremely good at them too

dodgeball goat, definitely gets internally pissed off if he loses a game

his teachers have a love/hate relationship with him (they hate him bc he doesn’t gaf about their class but they love him bc its yuji cmon)

the coaches tho they LOVE him

not in any ap classes so he makes fun of all his friends as they’re struggling during exam season

that one kid that somehow knows everyone and daps up his friends in the halls during passing period

just at school for the vibes basically

megumi fushiguro

ap god, bros literally in every ap class he could possibly be in

his studying routine is so fine-tuned he can study as minimally as possible and still max all his classes

100% attendance, u can never catch this dude lacking even if he’s sick or smth

he definitely has extra pencils in his bag for borrowing purposes bc he knows yuji never has any

he’s not super organized like color coded folders or anything, but he knows where everything is in his backpack and is always prepared in case the teacher asks for a paper from 2 months ago

he’s studious but like minimally if that makes sense

like he’s def top 6% but gets just as annoyed as the next person when some idiot tells the teacher they haven’t checked the homework yet

his favorite subject would be history idk why and he participates in the history fair fs

usually sits in the back of class and hates group projects

has his black sony wh 1000xm4 headphones on at all times

nobara kugisaki

her school fits go HARD every single day bc she literally thinks of the halls as her runway

has a bunch of cute stationary bc she likes how they look (not that she ever uses them bc what is note taking?)

she’s always on her phone during class, and if she’s not she’s yapping to her friends

“NOBARA STFU” is said by her teachers at least 5 times per class

whenever yuji comes to her class (everyday lol) she tells him all the new tea and gives him updates on the old

skips class sometimes to take mirror selfies in the bathroom

refuses to eat the school lunch bc that shit is disgusting

is fueled purely by celsius/redbull during exam season

is in a few ap classes and doesn’t really study but still manages to do fine on everything

gets to first period late almost everyday bc she takes too long getting ready in the morning

has beef with her english teacher and argues for higher essay grades like it’s her goddamn life’s mission

maki zenin

she’s the girl who defends everyone against bullies even if she doesn’t know them

like if there’s a fight in the hallway u just know she either started it or she’s ending it

teachers love her tho bc she’s incredibly smart and always does well on exams and assignments and everything in general

even tho she’s pretty studious she’s definitely gotten detention a few times for getting into fights

she’s a small top big pants girl for life and sometimes gets dress coded but doesn’t care enough to change

i feel like she also skips class sometimes just to sit in the library and listen to music when she doesn’t feel like doing shit

she’s the designated driver when her, nobara, and the rest of the gang go off campus during lunch

she’s an ap calc bc prodigy fs (got a 5 on the exam and it was light work)

president of like unicef and nhs and all those other clubs that don’t actually do anything but look super good on college apps

has answers to the tests and quizzes but never uses them

definitely on the track team or smth and the coach loves her bc she’s super athletic

yuta okkotsu

a teacher’s pet but not one of the annoying ones bc he doesn’t TRY to be a teacher’s pet ykwim

a lot of girls have crushes on him bc he’s cute and has a cute personality and somewhat mysterious-ish

he hangs out in the library with maki during his free/release periods bc he knows she often skips in there

has one wired earbud in his ear at all times and prob listens to dayglow or smth

bro is an ap lit WARRIOR like he’s so good at writing essays and genuinely enjoys reading the books too

his favorite required read was frankenstein bc the monster reminded him of rika

he’s not a big fan of group work but he enjoys doing partner work bc he finds it easier to talk to and get along with oner person at a time

overall he’s pretty organized when it comes to school work but his note-taking/speed handwriting is just scribbles

he doesn’t think he has a lot of friends but irl all the kids in his classes love him

uses 0.3 lead mechanical pencils instead of the usual 0.5 idk why it just seems fitting

the type of person who would snack on goldfish in the middle of class

toge inumaki

he wore a mask for a year after everyone stopped wearing them until he realized he looked stupid and stopped

doesn’t take any ap classes besides ap bio and he only takes that bc biology is his favorite subject

idk why but he gives president of the environmental club vibes

sits in the back and plays games on his phone all the time during class

but the teachers don’t care enough to say anything bc he always does fine on tests and stuff

doesn’t talk much during class discussions but when he does it’s always meaningful

his biggest nightmare is a socratic seminar bro hates those things more than anything

also has his airpods in 24/7 bc he doesn’t like listening to ppl talk and if someone asks if he heard he can use “music” as an excuse

thinks the school lunch is fine especially on fish sticks day but goes with maki bc she takes them all out anyway

has calc with yuta and both of them struggle together and end up asking maki for help

an AVID tiktok user like ong he’s always mindlessly scrolling through the app

part 2 coming with gojo, geto, shoko, utahime, nanami, and toji soon bc these are so fun to write omg! also u guys should request stuff bc im running low on ideas 💀

[thestrangestthing89]

There are thankfully only a handful of people who swear this is a conservative, Christian show but it's interesting to me considering how negatively the show depicts religion.

S1 - There aren't any direct references to religion but subtle hints. It's implied Hawkins is a typical middle class suburban neighborhood. It's 1983, Reagan was president, and there are hints of the towns Christianity through the bullies. When Will goes missing there are several comments that make it clear that the people in this town aren't surprised. The middle school bully makes a comment that he got "killed by some other queer" and says his father was talking about it. Parents in the town talk about Will being gay. We see Steve's friends - the high school bullies - also making homophobic comments about Jonathan and his brother. The bad guys are homophobic. They also all lose fights this season. The show takes an anti-bullying stance and you are supposed to feel for Will and his friends here. He's a child that's gone missing and the people in the town don't seem to care much or act surprised by it.

There are a few exceptions to this - Joyce mentions to Hopper that Lonnie called Will gay slurs because she is also worried he got killed because he's gay. Hopper takes this seriously during a time when absolutely no one would have criticized him for ignoring this situation. Plenty of people were ignoring gay people dying during this time. No one would have batted an eye at a cop acting like this didn't matter. But Hopper pays attention and puts together a search team. So there are a few people in town who do care - Scott Clarke being one of them. And obviously the rest of our main cast doesn't care what people say about Will because they help to look for him all season. The good guys aren't homophobic. The good guys care about Will. And this includes all of our main characters - the people the audience are supposed to root for go against homophobia and bullying.

(Edit: I forgot to include a conversation between Joyce and Lonnie. When Will's fake body is found Lonnie wants Joyce to see a pastor and Joyce says no. Lonnie is trying to convince her she is crazy. He's the bad guy, and the first thing he wants to do to "fix" the situation is to get Joyce to talk to a pastor. It's another negative association with religion. Joyce is right here. She isn't crazy. And Lonnie isn't being comforting when he says this. He's being controlling and dismissing her feelings. It's clear from what we see of Lonnie that he's an asshole. He abused Will and Jonathan (and likely Joyce as well), he tried to turn Jonathan against his mother when Will went missing, he exploited an opportunity for money. He's not a person we are supposed to be rooting for.)

S2 - This season has a more direct reference to Christianity and it's the Reagan signs on some of the front lawns in Hawkins. This isn't surprising considering again, it's a middle class suburb. Reagan was a popular president at the time and got elected by popular vote twice despite his mishandling of the AIDS crisis and a number of other issues. His name is synonymous with the Christian right. During his time in office, the pro-life movement started to take hold, and he cut back on welfare reform and disability rights to name a few of the problematic things he did. Basically, anyone who wasn't an able-bodied, straight, white, middle class Christian male was struggling and yet he won twice. These days, his name is often compared to Trumps - they openly hated the same groups of people.

This sets the stage in a subtle way for what's going on with the main characters. Because our characters are all outcasts - gay, black, disabled, poor, etc - they are struggling to fit in to mainstream society (which makes it so ironic this show is mainstream). Even Hopper who is your typical straight, white, leading man struggles to fit in - his daughter died and he is coping with depression and substance abuse issues. Things no one discussed openly at the time and were viewed as shameful.

So we have the Reagan sign on the Wheelers front lawn. This tells me that at least Ted is a Reagan supporter which makes sense given this is an upper middle class white family. I am skeptical of Karen (or anyone else in this family) being conservative but I will get to that in S3. Dustins house has a Mondale sign so they are democrats which makes sense - Dustin has a disability and his mother is a single parent. Reagans policies would have hurt them. We don't see the politics of the other boys families but I think it's a safe bet to assume they are democrats. Will's family is poor and his mother is also a single mother. Not to mention that there are hints both Joyce and Jonathan suspect he is gay and they love Will so much, there is no way they would have ever voted for someone like Reagan. And even though the Sinclair's are also an upper middle class family they are black and while no group of people votes in the exact same way, Reagans policies were incredibly racist. Lucas mentions struggles to fit into Hawkins because he's black in the book Lucas on the Line. His family wouldn't have fit into this town even though they are financially well off. It's a mostly white town and that would have absolutely resulted in them being on the receiving end of racism on a regular basis. So even though their family technically conforms, people would not have accepted them.

So we know that our main characters don't fit in and we know Reagan represents all things Christianity and conformity. One of the main themes of the show is "forced conformity is killing the kids" a line directly stated by Eddie in S3 so more on this in a bit.

Something else happens this season that isn't a direct reference to religion but an adjacent theme and it's the conversation Nancy and Jonathan have with Murray. They are trying to figure out how to take down Hawkins lab and get people to believe them. Nancy doesn't understand at first why presenting the evidence they have won't work. And Murray says - people don't want to see whats behind the curtain. It's comforting. They like the curtain. - So they water down the story so the town will understand it in a way that they won't resist. This, I believe, is essentially what the writers are doing with this show. They are watering down that this has been a show that is anti-conformity from the beginning and there are signs of it in S1. But they know if they come right out and say that a main storyline is a queer coming-of-age story, a lot of their mainstream audience isn't going to watch. So up until now anyway, they have been subtle about it. But the audience is starting to notice something is off, especially with Mike in S4 because things aren't adding up.

S3 - It is now the summer of '85 and while there aren't direct references to Christianity, we still get some hints of conservatism. The only reference to religion is a passing comment that Dustin's new girlfriend Suzie is a Mormon. There is also a passing comment made by Max in S2 that there were Mormons at the door when Billy questions her. It was Lucas and she is trying to hide him from her racist brother, so she lies and says she was talking to Mormons. These comments are pretty neutral even though Dustin mentions Suzie's father wouldn't approve of him because he isn't Mormon himself. At the time we are seeing this moment, it's hard to tell if Dustin is telling the truth (everyone thinks he's making up his girlfriend this season.) But we see more of this in S4.

And then there is the comment by Karen Wheeler about Margaret Thatcher. She's on the phone with someone and says "I don't know Cath, maybe if I was Margaret Thatcher that'd be an another story." (this is in episode 5 by the way). A lot of people take this comment to mean Karen is conservative but I feel like it's so vague. We have absolutely no idea what the context of this conversation is or even who she is talking to (presumably one of the mothers from the pool). It's unclear if she was saying something positive or negative. We don't know what she is talking about, all we hear is her say Thatcher's name. So I feel like it's a leap to assume it was a conservative statement she was making.

I have a hard time believing that Karen is conservative (or at least not ultra conservative like a lot of Reagan supporters) for a few reasons. One of which is the contempt she has for Ted. She is frequently rolling her eyes at him or annoyed in some way and we know in canon he is the guy who represents conformity. However, Karen doesn't. This season especially she is shown to not be happy with her life. She is supposed to be a conservative housewife, but she almost has an affair and makes a few interesting comments. One of which was during her conversation with Nancy about her job. Nancy is discussing her misogynistic bosses and Karen gives her helpful and supportive advice about not fitting in. It seems personal, and from what we know about her, this sticks out. Because she seems like she is a typical housewife. I always felt like there was more to her backstory, but she seems to relate personally to Nancy's story of being an outcast at her job.

There is also her relationship with Mike. In S1, we see her trying to connect with him emotionally and get him to talk about his feelings about Will going missing. Karen is clearly someone who her kids can talk to, even if they resist sometimes. And her kids don't exactly fit in or represent conformity. She has been shown to be worried about her their safety repeatedly, Mike in particular, and we never see her trying to force them to conform in any way. And this is a thing that someone in her position would have absolutely been teaching her kids - conservative, Christian values. But we don't see anything like this or any hint of this. So I don't buy the 'she's conservative' theory. I don't think we've seen enough evidence of that. And while the Wheelers are probably a family that goes to church on Sundays, I don't get the impression this is a major influence in their lives. There is no religious paraphernalia around the house and this would have been a very common thing for a family that was pro-Reagan to do. I feel like they are passively conservative. It's the popular, normal choice and Karen and Ted are the epitome of doing things because they think they are supposed to. But this hardly makes them die hard believers.

S4 - This is where religion becomes more direct. Eddie is reading a Newsweek article about the dangers of D&D. During this time Satanic Panic was spreading. People feared for the moral values of the US during a time of extreme conservatism. Eddie clearly thinks this article is a joke. He's mocking anyone who conforms and it's clear Dustin and Mike agree. They are outcasts and they know D&D isn't dangerous. Eddie makes them feel like being different is ok.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, we have Jason. He's your typical straight, white, christian male and fits in perfectly. He's the star of the basketball team and has the perfect cheerleader girlfriend (at least on the surface). He's the opposite of Eddie. And he is the villain in this story. THE GUY WHO CONFORMS PERFECTLY IS THE VILLAIN. He gets progressively more insane as the season progresses. He's charismatic and he quotes the Bible to rile the town up to hunt Eddie and Hellfire club down. They are all in a panic about the murders that are happening and the cops aren't doing a great job containing things (they also don't have all the information to be fair). But by the end of the season, Jason is completely unhinged and holds Lucas up at gunpoint. He's also part of the reason why Max ended up dying. It's Satanic Panic that drives this attitude forward. People are panicking over the loss of morals and blaming that for the reason why bad things are happening. Which I think will make for an interesting lead-in next season with regard to a more openly gay storyline.

On top of this display of religious fundamentalism, we see Suzie and her family. They are Mormons and we know her father is strict with regard to religion. However the family we see is chaotic. Suzie's sister Eden mocks Suzie for basically being a goody two shoes. Eden also has no hesitation about getting high and clearly is not abiding by Mormon values. Suzie doesn't always either. If there is a cause she believes in - like helping Dustin - she only has a little bit of guilt about going against her father and her religion. Her father is pretty much a joke. He's a fumbling idiot the kids need to outsmart in order to get the information they need. It's not exactly a positive representation of religion. Suzie shows that even though her religion is important to her, she is capable of thinking for herself. She hacks Dustins school computer and a government computer (although she doesn't know all the info about what she is doing here) with little hesitation. Her religious morals aren't exactly stopping her from doing something illegal or unethical. She's a hacker above all else.

At the end of the season we see Ted - the dude who represents all things common - reacting negatively to the news about what's going on in Hawkins. The guy who represents conformity is questioning the "propaganda" the news is coming out with to describe the situation in Hawkins. He is questioning the status quo. This is meant to show how even Ted is noticing something isn't adding up about the "normal" explanation of things. Something, at this point, that the audience should be questioning especially with regard to Mike. Because if even Ted can see something is going on here, then surely the audience can too.

The series has gotten progressively more direct about its anti-conformity theme which is why it makes no sense for them to suddenly forget this in S5. This show has always been about and for outcasts. The Wheeler family is a cautionary tale that Nancy said in season 1 was so depressing. She wants the opposite of this, which is why her and Steve and their 6 kids is never going to work (there are a lot of reasons why this is never going to work). And it's also why Mike and El aren't going to be endgame. Those relationships are there to represent conformity and none of the characters in those relationships are happy. They are the expected, normal relationships. If they wanted the audience to like these relationships they would have been written more positively.

So it's funny to me when people say the show is never going to go against the status quo because they have literally been doing this from the start. It's what the entire show is about. All of the characters are outcasts. All of them. So if people are claiming to like and support them, then they need to get behind the anti-conformity theme. And if they can't do that - this show is simply not for those people and it never was.

[joocomics]

txt thoughts if you're still feeling like it (and if not that is so okay i simply had to get this out)

two words. frat boy taehyun. he holds a special place in my heart as a little post ab him is bookmarked on my laptop and is to this day how i get onto this website (the post has been deleted/archived i fear but i digress)

maybe i just have a crush irl and taehyun is the closest to what they're like but all day every day its just frat boy taehyun in my brain. sitting up there. waiting. (can you tell i have never had more than a surface interaction with a real frat boy and probably never will)

but either i'm projecting my campus crush or he would be SUCH A CUTE FRAT BOY?? like is that possible idk but like he's the golden boy hs class president type and it carries into college. and everyone's like wow he's just great and he's so smart but he's not the most popular one. sure he has his fans and whtv but at the end of the day he has that frat boy charm that fits him in with the rest but not that notorious player energy (does that make any sense? i have no idea

like he'd be good at party games and have fun at parties but probably isn't hooking up with every single person he makes eye contact with. but he's still a frat boy. so like yes there are hookups but like a more so-called reasonable amount? and he isn't like a heartbreaker necessarily but nobody expects anything from him bc he doesn't rly hook up with strangers, kinda like a one-time-fwb thing. generally more relaxed on that side of frat boy culture and everyone picks up on that because he has less hookups than the other frat boys and it "fits" with his other side of being involved in so much outside of the frat. he dds a lot as well i imagine

he's a huge athlete tho i fear very involved in everything. like everybody knows him. literally everybody. but not everybody is aware of how much of a frat boy he is (i guess that's what i mean by him not having such an aggressive red flag energy. like he exists outside of the frat)

very much like friends to lovers vibes because he's just so endearing and your brain's like "we don't trust frat boys" but he's so charming you're just like "well he's just my acquaintance or friend or whatever" and he's been drooling over you this whole time. for him it was love at first sight but he's got the frat boy part of his rep going for him that its like "he cant be trusted" even though logistically he hasn't done anything particularly untrustworthy. and then the flirting hits you all at once one day and its like "oh wait so he wants me?" and then its the confusion of like am i delusional but surprise you're not bc he's not like this really ever (cuz he doesn't hook up w ppl as much and has that bit of reputation)

i so hope this makes sense LOL and if you feel like it i would love to hear your thoughts! like if i'm crazy be so honest i want to craft fratboy taehyun perfectly (can you tell i have never done this before)(ANYWAY I LOVE U AND UR BLOG AND HOPE UR DOING AMAZING!!)

fratboy!taehyun doesn’t make the fact he’s a frat boy his entire personality in contrast to many of his peers in the fraternity! every time he talks to other people they’re always the ones bringing up the topic, most of the time super curious and nosy cause what they’re expecting to hear is parties, sleepless nights that result in embarrassing stories, hookups, rumors and constant bad hangovers, but those are not the things that made taehyun join the brotherhood. yes, he experiences those things alongside his frat friends, because he’s always invited every time, thanks to his easygoing personality and how effortlessly he fits in, but he experiences them a reasonable amount and that fulfills him enough. he’s not greedy nor does he want to get carried away and lose balance over his life outside of the frat

he also gives strong big brother energy. he’s doing so well as a frat boy without leaning into the toxic/chaotic frat boy culture that at one point in time he inevitably gets chosen as a mentor to a new member in the frat. he’d be pretty good with guiding him through the initiation and overall fraternity experience. (maybe that’s how he meets kai??)

fratboy!taehyun who’s an athlete and often gets eyed by different girls from the benches when he’s in the middle of the field; they’re drooling over his figure, all heart eyes because of his charming smile and mellow gaze and once they find out he’s a frat guy they step back with a frown cause, as you said, we don’t trust frat boys. those who give him a chance quickly realise he’s not like the rest though and secretly wonder if there’s something off because he’s too good to be true. usually those girls are the ones he has a temporary thing with, and he always makes sure there are set boundaries and that it’s clear for both parties that there’s no commitment involved…

perhaps he doesn’t realise it at first, but the reason his few situationships have ended is tied to his friendship with you. no girl excites him like you do - with your beauty, but also with your personality and the way you almost challenge him (unintentionally) to prove you that he’s not the frat guy you take him for. he’s the type to chuckle when you raise a brow like “frat boys bring girls flowers?!” after he hands you a bouquet of roses, not huff annoyed or be all smug about it. he likes how when he’s in the middle of practice you’re still actively occupying his mind, and how you have him so addicted that he can’t help but check his phone during parties in case you sent him a message

… of course, the boys who’ve known him since day one, pick up on that unusual behaviour of his and tease him about it, especially yeonjun who immediately catches onto what’s happening, because he’s never seen taehyun, the one who never thirsts openly over girls that attend their parties, the one who never shows signs of having a crush, act like that before…

a/n: first off, good luck with your crush!! (AH i love hearing about people’s crushes *sighs dreamily*) second, you are far from crazy, you’re actually genius for forming those thoughts and super cool for coming here to share them with none other than me! <3

i just now realise that i don’t read fratboy aus a lot so i really hope you enjoy my thoughts! i know i had fun writing them down for sure cause you got me hooked ngl DAMN fratboy taehyun… fratboy txt in general… it’s attractive. feel free to stop by anytime so we can chat more about it if you want LET’S CRAFT THE PERFECT FRATBOY TAE FOR YOU!!! love you too boo and i hope you’re having a great week 🫶🏼

[el-moscorrofio-y-el-mercachifle]

Your Hell is Them, and Their Hell is You.

Mario Calderón's last words were, and I quote, "Ah, Armando, you think hell is that black hole where all us sinners go after death? No. Your hell is here. Your hell is them, and their hell is you. May my God have you in his glory."

Leaving aside how amazing this exit was for an amazing antagonist like Calderón, the quote itself is great and so, so true for Armando’s case.

Armando's whole issue and the cause of the tragedy in the novela, from the beginning, was people's judgment. He couldn't let his presidency fail because he'd disappoint his parents. He couldn't leave Marcela because it was expected of him to marry her and formalize the Mendoza/Valencia relationship. He couldn't fall in love with a poor and lower class woman because he knew what happened to his sister. He couldn't open up about his feelings because he'd be judged and pointed at. This isn't a "poor Armando" thing. It's in fact a criticism for his cowardice and fear of facing his reality.

Mario's last words are from a French play called A Puerta Cerrada (Behind Closed Doors I believe would be the best translation). From what I've understood of it, it is a social critique. Three characters are send to Hell and are waiting together in a room to be tortured. Instead, their torture is each other's presence and judgment.

It is so, so fitting for Armando, and it is fully a last slap in the face for Armando. His hell was social judgment. His hell was them.

I wish I could give a better and more in depth analysis of this play and how it probably speaks of Calderón's inner beliefs, but oh well, this will have to suffice for now!

I'd love to hear y'all's thoughts on this!

[herrscher-of-binding]

flamechasers highschool au pt.1!

highschool au headcanons, reader is a transfer student! g/n reader x flamechasers 𝐅𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: 𝐄𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐚, 𝐄𝐝𝐞𝐧, 𝐇𝐮𝐚, 𝐀𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐚 & 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐬

one / two / three

Author's note: This was sort of rushed and it's just a fun little idea I had in mind at the time <3

• Elysia would definitely be the first to greet you everyday! On your first day at the school, she'd hold your hand and give you a whole interactive school tour with commentary from your one and only miss pink elf! I feel like she'd be part of the photography club, Elysia strikes me as a "capture the moment" kind of person so she'd always be snapping photos with you. Dates with Elysia would almost always be a cute picnic with food cooked up by your favourite pink-haired cutie, Elysia! Somehow whenever she takes you out on a date, the sun always happens to be shining just right.

• Eden is the type to take it free and easy, she'd help you with your homework and with studying but other times, she'd just watch you from the sidelines instead of taking part in whatever you'd be up to. Eden would most definitely be in the school choir, and she'd be the best too! I can see her being the president. She'd walk you to and from school, and dates would be to fancy restaurants and oftentimes, shopping. Don't worry about her wallet, Eden is really... rich. Sometimes, she'd prefer to go to the beach and relax instead!

• Hua would be more reserved at first, she'd only approach you for strictly education reasons (I made her a class monitor again for this au!). She'd open up to you after a while and gradually spend more time with you through after-school study dates. I think she'd be in the karate club or something similar. Once, you've really gotten to know her and the two of you start dating, Hua would take you on walks to parks. The air is refreshing and the wind is just right, you'd sit quietly on a bench as Hua hands you a cup of ice cold tea, joining you in your shared daydreaming.

• Aponia would be hard to get to know in the first place, considering she's part of the student council. You got to know her over the holidays while hanging out with the flamechasers. She'd be like Eden and walk you to and from school everyday. Once you know her well enough, she'd check up on you to make sure you're feeling well and would check your work often to make sure you've been doing it on time. Aponia's gifts would consist of small plushies or keychains and dates with her usually mean hanging out at your house (which would more than once end up with her just cleaning up your room until it's spotless).

• Pardofelis... well let's just say when you lose something, you're more likely to find it in her hands for just a tiny price rather than where you left it, finders-keepers. She's sort of the mischievous one of the group, definitely can't expect her to help you with homework. Pardofelis would gift you things that she "happens to find" and they'll always manage to fit your style. She'd love a cute date to a cat cafe or just chilling at home. She also does have her pet cat, Can, so you'd have to be a cat person to be with her.

[steddieas-shegoes]

first off i just wanna say im loving everything youve written for ppls requests! how do u feel abt jock el? i feel like she maybe wouldnt understand sports at first and might struggle w the rules and fair play, but ends up really loving physical activity that has nothing to do w her powers, just her own hard work and sweat and skills she’s honed through practice all by herself, and the experience of being on a team. i can totally imagine her getting super competitive too, and being a super aggressive player in literally every sport. also, hopper is definitely the parent who yells at the referee and coaches during his kids games.

also i hope your day is going well whenever you see this!

Okay this was cuuuuuute. I really love the idea of El fitting in so well with sports people, but still never leaving her little group of nerds and badasses. I also love her just naturally being so good at every sport she tries because she is deeply in touch with what her body is capable of because of her powers, but never once using them. I maybe threw Wayne in a bit more than anyone would expect because I will always find a reason to do that. Also, this is a weird coincidence, but the Olympic swim trials for 2024 will take place in Indianapolis.- Mickala ❤️

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

When things settle down, El goes back to school with everyone.

It’s hard at first. She never really fit in before, and she definitely doesn’t fit in now that people have seen official government security pretty much standing guard over her.

Even after they left, people still whispered when she ran errands with Joyce or Hop and went out with the rest of the party.

But she was determined to have as normal a life as she could, and that meant going to school.

High school here was better, even with the weird looks and silent bullies.

She had her friends.

She also had gym.

In California, she’d hated gym. She didn’t like getting dressed in front of everyone so she always got in trouble for taking too long. The girls in her class usually found ways to be lazy and she didn’t want to make herself more of an outcast, so she just didn’t participate most of the time.

But here, Lucas was in her gym class. So was Will, though he was a little hopeless when it came to anything beyond walking the mile.

Max was excused from gym for the rest of high school if she wanted.

Hard to argue with a letter from the literal President.

Mike and Dustin had a different period, but that was fine since they hated gym.

El didn’t hesitate to participate here.

She ran the fastest mile, always had the most push ups and pull ups, won every tetherball game. Her team always won volleyball and softball. She won every category in swimming.

The only sport she didn’t play was basketball, much to Steve’s disappointment and Lucas’ secret delight.

The coach recruited her for every sport he could, insisted that she could be the type of player that brings them championship wins.

Hopper was ecstatic, of course, especially when he saw how much El loved it.

She knew better than to use any powers, especially in competitions, but she was so naturally good, it didn’t even cross her mind that she could.

She was physically stronger than most other girls her age, and had already had so much done to her body that she could easily push through a little exhaustion during the 500 meter butterfly race or playing the entire soccer game with only one break.

She watched baseball games with Wayne and Hopper, asked if she could play.

Hopper had her signed up for softball the next day.

She saw a beach volleyball match during the Olympics and asked to play.

Hopper took her to tryouts for the school team as soon as he possibly could.

She made the swim team, made captain within a month. Steve was ecstatic, especially when she won against him every time they did a practice race. Eddie and Will were judges, and El was pretty sure it was just to see Steve shirtless, but she didn’t really mind.

She was having fun.

She was using her natural abilities to get out some of her aggression in a safe way according to Dustin.

Everyone came to her games and meets, but no one was as loud as her dad.

He was on his feet more than he was in his seat, usually pacing and yelling at refs and judges from the stands. Most people didn’t seem to care, or at least didn’t want to say anything to the reinstated police chief.

Steve was always there to remind him that El was learning, and that that was actually a penalty or that the judge was being fair on her tie with another girl in the butterfly.

Even as good as she was at just about every sport she tried, she struggled with some rules. Once they were explained in a way she understood, she was careful, but it cost her volleyball team a win in the process.

Steve helped her understand what he could, or took her to the library to look things up if he didn’t know. Wayne helped her understand the differences between softball and baseball while Eddie tried to take notes in the corner.

Actual notes.

“It’s so I know if she does good!” He explained when Wayne raised his brow at him showing interest in a sport.

To his credit, he immediately lost the notes he took and still had to ask Steve a bunch of questions at her next game.

She earned the MVP awards for every sport she played, gaining more positive attention than she’d expected. It was welcome, especially since it made a lot of people forget about the negative attention surrounding her the last few years.

Will designed shirts for everyone for her games and had Eddie get them printed at the same place he got the Hellfire Club ones made. They all wore them happily, too proud of her to not show all their support.

——————

Her senior year was when it hit that she had decisions to make.

She’d done fine in school; not straight A’s but never failed a class.

Sports are where she excelled.

But senior year was hard, and schedules were difficult enough without having to balance two sports at once immediately followed by two more.

The coaches did their best to offer accommodations since she was their star, but she didn’t like that. She didn’t want to be treated as “other.” That wasn’t why she did this.

So she dropped softball, much to Wayne’s heartbreak. He still smiled at her and said he was proud of everything she’d accomplished and hoped she’d still find time to come throw the ball with him.

She dropped volleyball in the spring, used the excuse that she needed to focus on swimming because she had scouts interested in giving her scholarships and the Olympic committee showed interest in recruiting her for Team USA.

Steve let her use his pool for extra practice, and usually joined her on the weekends for a morning swim, even on the still too cold mornings in February and March.

She held the Hawkins High and Indiana state records in most categories, and Midwest and National records in a few of those.

The olympic committee invited her to trials, and of course she’d enlisted Steve as her personal coach.

She trained for hours every day, Steve pushed her just enough using his new knowledge of the requirements she would have to meet to make the team and her competition.

She didn’t want everyone there, only Steve and Hopper.

She was worried having them there would put too much pressure on her and now wasn’t the time to perform poorly.

The morning of the trials, Steve let her cuddle up to his side on the couch.

“You’re ready.”

“That is not a question.”

“No, because I’m not asking. I know you’re ready,” he smiled when she rolled her eyes.

“I am ready.”

She was.

She outdid herself, actually. She ended up breaking her own record in her first event, and tied her own record in the second event.

She not only made the team, but was named captain almost immediately, the rest of her teammates incredibly excited to be on her team.

Hawkins had a parade for her, Hawkins High had a pep rally, the family had a huge party for her.

She still had to graduate high school, still competed on the high school swim team, even found time to be a lifeguard at the city pool every Friday and Saturday afternoon.

El had found her place.

—------------------------------

When USA won gold in every event for swimming, no one was surprised.

It’s hard to beat a team led by El.

She accepted a full ride scholarship to Purdue University, where she broke all their school records and got her degree in Physical Therapy so that she could work with athletes.

She competed in the Olympics again, winning gold in four events, silver in one.

But she always had her family there. They came from all over the country to watch, to support, wearing the same shirts that Will made years ago.