#but ive got to start somewhere lol

[amygdalae]

had a dream last night i was lost wandering the streets of a big city at night and i was cold so i walked into the nearest open store and it was a sex shop but half of the store had several displays of just leather jackets and pants. i wanted it to be real so bad

[girl-bateman]

I always say I'm cursed as a joke but LITERALLY I was the only one in my family who inherited "the gift" from my mothers side. Spoiler alert, the gift is NOT a gift, instead its sometimes hearing a bunch of dead people yell at me and wake me up from sleep 😐

[phagodyke]

omg.... my new nearest audiology department actually has an EMAIL TO CONTACT!!!!!!! we're so fucking back baby

[onepiexe]

arrived at plant place b4 they open lol

[gay-dorito-dust]

Joaquin Torres is def the kind of bf to poke and pout at you if he’s not getting any attention. Golden retriever if you will. Like reader would be on her phone or something and then he just slowly moves his head in the way and starts whining lol

If you could write a little blurb about this w girlfriend!reader or partner!reader that would be nice thank youuuu!

Joaquin would also be the type who’d get offend when you wipe off his kisses, dodge his hugs, stop using the cute but cringy nicknames you made up for him.

You were just trying to watch a video that your friend had sent you, which would’ve been a simple task that’s easily done without issue, however you had an issue of your own in the form of your sweet and affectionate Joaquin.

The man currently has his head rested against your shoulder, his legs were tangled with yours as he poked and prodded at your arms and back of your hands that held your phone, as though it was the only form of entertainment he could come up with in his moment of boredom. And while some part of you wanted to be annoyed at the constant feeling of his finger poking you somewhere, you also couldn’t help but smile when you heard him huff and puff when your eyes didn’t once move away from the phone screen.

‘Can I help you mr Torres?’ You asked, amused.

‘Yeah, can you help me figure out why my perfect partner is ignoring me for their phone?’ Joaquin began, playing along. ‘Ive been calling for their attention for the past five minutes but I’ve been neglected for something apparently far more important.’ He then weakly pokes your thigh as a pout came across his lips at the idea of being ignored by you, especially when it’s was on his rare days where he got to actually be with you, and for your phone no less.

You smiled but your eyes still had yet to move away from the phone screen, where the video had finally came to a close, but you weren’t going to let him know that just yet as seeing him this desperate to get your attention. If anything this only made you want to drag this out a little while longer just to see what he would do just to have your eyes on him and only him, and your mind could only compare Joaquin’s need for your attention, need for your affection to that of a puppy dog; needy and wanting.

‘Have you told your partner about how you feel about this?’ You asked, biting back a laugh when you felt Joaquin lean even more against you, latching himself onto your arm as his thumb caressed the pulse point of your wrist, tracing words of love into your skin that only made your heart melt for him.

‘I’ve tried-‘ he starts.

‘With words mr Torres,’ you were quick to cut him off as you pretended to text your friend, all the while biting back a smile. ‘Not prodding them and nudging your head into their neck and whining like an adorable little puppy, use your words.’ You felt the pout upon his lips come back once more against the area where your neck and shoulder met, feeling his nose the skin there as well as his hair tickling you lightly that has you stifling back a laugh, however you failed and something close to a snort left you in that moment.

You knew Joaquin heard it and soon enough his body pulled away from left your side, making you mourn for his warmth to come back, only for his hand to come into view and push your hands holding your phone down to your lap. His beautiful brown eyes quickly filled your vision as they sparkled and glimmered as he looked at you pleadingly, knowing you could never say no whenever he looked at you as though your answer would make or break his heart.

‘You finally going to stop paying that phone so much attention and look at me now?’ He asks. ‘It’s been half a day that you’ve been on that thing and do you know how that makes me feel?’ He adds on.

‘How does it make you feel my heart.’ You replied, looking at Joaquin with a tender smile as your hand grasped his, intertwining your fingers.

‘Like you don’t love me anymore, it’s rare that I get days like these and you go on your phone? Over kissing me? I can’t help but feel betrayed.’ Joaquin says as he leaned his forehead against yours so that you couldn’t look anywhere but him, not that you would ever think about looking elsewhere other than the gorgeous man in front of you ever. You could admire him forever if you wanted to, but again it’s not something you’d ever admit to him as he’d only tease you by doing exactly this, pressing his forehead to yours so that you can only see him no matter where your eyes would look.

You let out a little chuckle as the giddy feelings that Joaquin easily made you feel began to spread throughout your body, making your every caress of his hand feel as though you were more alive then you’ve ever felt, making you feel as though you were on cloud nine and you never wanted to come back down if it meant never getting to feel like this again. ‘What can I do to make up for my dastardly betrayal of my beloved Joaquin?’

The man made a face of thought, making a show of looking anywhere and everywhere but you, before his eyes looked back at you warmly. ‘Just pay attention to me. Cuddle me, kiss me, keep holding my hand like you are right now.’ Joaquin admits as he pulled back just enough to kiss your forehead before resting it back there again. ‘Just don’t let this day go to waste by looking at anywhere where I’m not when I’m here, right here in front of you.’ He adds.

‘Consider it done then pretty boy, my pretty boy.’ You kiss his nose before pecking him on the lip, smiling against him when you feel him sigh and smile against your lips, happy to finally get what he had been wanted the entire day.

‘Your pretty boy i am.’ Joaquin hummed as he pulls back, still smiling as he moved so with the blink of an eye you were cradled within his arms as he laid with his back against the sofa, his hands splayed across your back as they rubbed up and down soothingly. ‘Now I believe a much needed cuddling session is in order. So I hope you’re ready to not move for a couple of hours because we’ve not going anywhere my heart.’

You didn’t even bother to fight your predicament, if anything you made yourself comfortable against his chest, nuzzling his collar bone and giving it a quick kiss before resting your head over his heart as it beats within your ear. ‘Why would I complain when I’m where I always need to be, with you.’ You murmured softly to Joaquin as you both then soon drifted into a comfortable sleep.

[casssmalefantasy]

team usa: the series — paige bueckers x oc!

“we made the team. then we made something of our own.”

s: two rising stars meet at team usa basketball for the upcoming tournament—one from new york, the other from minnesota. what starts as quiet admiration and late-night convos slowly turns into something deeper. tension, jealousy, and missed signals follow as they navigate friendship, feelings, and the weight of what comes next. a soft, slow-burn friends-to-lovers story told through shifting povs.

w: slow burn, friends to lovers, pining, jealousy, miscommunication, swearing, suggestive content (no smut! they’re both minors in this series), kissing, fluff, emotional tension, basketball-related stress, team usa setting, light angst, and private relationship themes

author’s note: my first series! i been thinking on this idea for a bit and i finally got around to write it lol.

————————————————————————

table of contents:

i. strangers and scrimmages—a summer with team usa begins. new faces, new pressure, and one girl you can’t stop looking at.

ii. looks that linger—when late nights turn into something more. something quieter. charged. the lines between teammates blur, and maybe it’s not just friendship anymore. part one | part two

iii. things left unsaid—you kissed. you didn’t talk about it. but everything feels different now.

iv. don’t pass it, if you don’t mean it—a game-time decision leads to post-game tension. you won, but it doesn’t feel like it—not with everything left unsaid.

v. the elephant in the room—tension still lingers. things go unspoken. and somewhere between silence, stares, and a big win… the truth finally slips out.

vi. off days and what comes after—team usa is winding down. the future feels too close. the games slow down, the nights get longer, and ivy and paige ask the hardest question: what now?

vii. gold looks good on you—final games. gold medals. everything on the line—including your heart.

[captivating-flavors]

sober | caleb

pairing: college au caleb x mc/non mc reader

prompt: -

summary: he wished you'd been sober when you'd done it.

words: 1,425

warning(s): slight angst? but not really?

a/n: i was relistening to this and got inspired so here it is. and slight fluff bc i need to reset before finishing the sylus angst ive been working on lol reblogs, comments and feedbacks are much appreciated <3

masterlist

“Can you come pick me up?”

The moment those words left your mouth; Caleb was already rushing towards the door despite still being in his sweater and sweats. He took his jacket off the coat hanger and shrugged it on before walking out the door.

You told him a few hours ago that you were going out with a few of your college friends and that you had planned on going to dinner and having a few drinks after. Caleb had already expected that you would be inebriated by the end of the night and that he would have to pick you up.

It was mid-spring so it wasn't that cold anymore, and he figured that dashing over by foot would be faster than taking his car. So, that's what he did. He may or may not have chosen the former so he could have you closer to him, but you probably shouldn’t know that. He eventually got there in a few minutes since it wasn't far from the apartment two of you shared, somewhere off-campus but close enough.

He eventually got to you and saw that you were sitting on a bench in front of the restaurant, alone. You had your hands outstretched upwards. You had one eye closed and the other squinting at the streetlight peeking through between your fingers. He swore you’d never looked so endearing.

He saw you turn your head at the sound of his footsteps and flashed a wide grin at him.

“Oh? It’s Caleb!” Your cheeks were flushed and words slightly slurred.

Caleb stood in front of your sitting form, “Yes, it’s me.”

“You came.”

“Of course. You called.” Caleb shrugged off his jacket and draped it over your shoulders then proceeded to crouch in front of you.

“Thanks. How did you know I was cold?” You had your forehead scrunched in confusion.

How cute.

“You’re always cold, Pip-squeak.”

You laughed, “I guess I am. But I’m glad I have you to always warm me up. You’re the bestest friend anyone could ever ask for.”

Ah.

Caleb would be lying if he said it didn’t sting every time he was reminded of where he stood in your life. As your friend. Your best friend.

He used to be so proud of that title. Being your best friend meant the world to him. After all, you had been the center of his world ever since you grew up together. But at a certain point, the title he once was so proud of having felt like a stab in the chest.

He knew he had feelings for you. He didn’t know when it started, but it was pretty much a given since you had always been the center of his world, the only one who kept him going.

There had been a few times where Caleb almost acted on his feelings. Keyword being almost. He wanted there to be something more between the two of you, but he couldn’t even fathom the thought of losing you if things went sour. So, he didn’t want to risk it, which led him to make a promise to himself that he would never be the one to make the first move. You had to be the one to make the first move.

So, for now, all he could do was stay by your side, trying to be content with the title he’d always held.

The cold hands cupping his cheeks brought him back to the present.

You brought your face closer to his, which prompted his eyes to widen and his cheeks to heat up, “I love your eyes. They look like…” You paused as if to think of the right comparison, “A universe.”

Caleb opened his mouth to say something but you continued, “But you’re my universe, Caleb.”

You then proceeded to lean forward to press a gentle kiss on his lips and lingered for a while. Caleb’s brain immediately short-circuited and the heat that rushed up his cheeks were now also felt on his ears, along with the sound of his pounding heart. He was over the moon, but it would be a lie to say that it your actions did not catch him off guard.

He felt you pull away too soon, before he manages to deepen the kiss. You were smiling as you were looking at him whilst also still keeping your palms against his cheek, “I’ve always wanted to do that.”

Me too.

The words were about to roll off his tongue, but he stopped himself as he noticed the slightly hazy look in your eyes. You were sobering up, but you still probably won’t remember this in the morning. He could’ve taken advantage of the moment, but he didn’t. No, he opted to slip into the role of the kindhearted boy from your childhood instead.

The words that actually came out of him next were soft and slightly murmured, “I wished you’d been sober when you’d done that, Pip-squeak.”

When you didn’t respond–as you didn’t actually hear what he said–he took your hands off his cheeks and held on to them for a moment, “C’mon, let’s get you home.” Caleb tugged the hood of his jacket over your head and turned around, motioning for you to get on his back.

You stood and wrapped your arms around his neck, resting your head on his shoulders, your hair spilling out of the hood of his jacket and brushing over his shoulders. He stood, placed his hands on the back of your thighs for support and started walking.

The night was relatively quiet, aside from a few cars passing by every few minutes or so. It was peaceful and it felt like it was just the two of you under the streetlights as he carried you on his back. He could feel your heartbeat against his back, and he could only wish that you couldn’t hear or feel the pounding in his chest, which eventually made its way to his ears too.

At some point, Caleb felt you shift and nuzzle your head on the crook of his neck.

“You good?”

You hummed in response before mumbling, “My nose is cold.”

“Hang on. We’ll be there soon.”

You proceeded to murmur something, which he couldn’t really decipher.

“What was that, Pip-squeak?”

“You smell like soap.”

“Yeah? Well, I got your call not long after I just got out of the shower.”

Your response came a bit later, sleepiness evident in your voice, “Thanks for coming to get me.”

“You know you’ll always have me.”

He felt your breath evening against his neck and figured you fell asleep. He eventually reached the apartment building and carried you into the elevator. After struggling for quite a bit, Caleb managed to punch in the code to the apartment whilst still carrying you, but his struggle had awaken you from your short nap. He walked over to your bedroom and laid you down gently on your bed. You kicked your shoes off and tossed them on the floor before pulling the covers over yourself.

He walked over to the cabinet by the window and grabbed an aspirin, along with a glass of water before handing it to you.

He sat on the edge of your bed, “Here. So, you won’t come complainin’ tomorrow about how your head hurts.”

You groaned and turned away from him, shutting your eyes, “I don’t want it.”

He sighed and opted on putting them on the bedside table instead, “Alright. I’ll just put them here in case you change your mind.”

“I don’t want it. I have you to take care of me if it does hurt.”

“That you do, Pip-squeak.” He chuckled as he brushed a stray strand of hair away from your face, “Sleep tight, Y/N.” He added as he headed towards the door.

“Caleb?”

He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at you, “Yes?”

“Can you stay with me tonight? I’m still cold.”

Caleb walked back over to the side of your bed to have you gazing up at him and saying, “Please?”

He sighed, not because he doesn’t want to do it, but because the fact that what happened earlier probably didn’t mean as much to you as it did to him was already too much for him to handle. But he was never strong enough to go against you, wasn’t he? So, he relented.

“Alright, scoot over.”

You buried your head against his chest as he wrapped his arms around you, “Better?”

“Much. Good night, Caleb.”

“Good night, Y/N.”

-

taglist: @mayooness

[starshipdecay]

Toon Zelda redesigns! I've never been fond of the Toon Zelda design, and these girls deserve some individuality. Design notes and rambles below the cut :D

(time to turn the proper grammar off i aint capitalizing all this. warning: i am verbose)

first up, tmc zelda!

shes the one most like toon zelda, since i felt like the vibes fit the *most* (though not a lot). also, with her place on the timeline, i could justify a lot of bits, like the wings and the cape

the cape! obvs it comes from the toon zelda base design, but also it involves skyloftian fashion! i take the timeline as a challenge, and i once saw a take somewhere that the skyloftians all wear their family crests (most often birds lol) on their person. zelda here (and link too) do just that, wearing their family crests on little caplets. on the back is, of course the royal crest

i went very cutesy princess for her. tmc has such a *whimsical* vibe that i feel is very. muted? by the fact its stuck with the toon style. so i wanted to put in that vibe here. also her sprites make it look like her skirt is super poofy, so how could i not?

curly hair: i wanted something interesting, and most zeldas have straight hair. so! adds to the cuteness

i didnt draw it so well but she (and link) both have very sleepy expressions. zelda especially just has a sleepy expression in her sprite, its quite adorable.

shes not as decked out as other princesses, cuz i see tmc taking place before the royal family really starts to get *royal* as we see it. shes still of course got a tiara and some embroidery tho.

Tetra! her base design isnt all that changed from the original. her name is a fun hc of mine tho. i think "von Hyrule" sounds better as a surname than just "hyrule". shes not zelda, but shes still a descendant.

(WW) princess z (as i call her)

I went more oot zelda vibes for her, since she would be closer, temporally, to oot. i also went very warm, since ive never seen the flood as a *warm* endeavor.

shes got the shoulder danglies, as most zeldas have shoulder armor of some kind. the danglies instead of actual armor are supposed to kind of evoke a royal sea captain kind of vibe.

shes ghostly, with a fish-eyed stare. shes been dead and gone for a long time. shes also a bit taller and a few years older than tetra (as of ww). shes just some spectre the king saw in tetra, not at all a close match

tetra, being smaller than princess z, doesnt fit into the clothes. the dress is too big for her (as is in canon gd that skirt is WAY too long for her), the coat is baggy. the role of a princess *literally* does not fit her.

the ribbons! theyre my replacement for the wings, and they represent the wind in the game! since its represented by white lines, the ribbons are a perfect symbolic match. (also, a note, tetras hair is shorter and coarser than princess z's)

i mostly bullshitted the blue panel but the vague idea i gave it was 'a hope for the triforce to give good fortunes to the people' (pictured as dots, mostly behind her arms)

Pirate Queen Tetra

ph! about a year has passed, and tetra has really grown into her own! as well as literally grown!

shes still tetra, pirate and captain, but shes incorporated that royal heritage into her identity: quite literally! she made piecemeal of the original outfit (what was left of it anyway after the fight), and added bits and pieces to her new life.

she also takes full advantage of said heritage to call herself pirate queen. its great for branding. whos gonna say she CANT go by pirate queen?

the seagull feather is from Aryll. only crew member tetra wears a trinket from (who can say no to that ball of sunshine! certainly not tetra)

not many notes. yall can see whats there. (also she still wears her hair in a bun, its just in a low bun (you can almost see it) when she wears her hat)

st zelda!

first note is: shes not a princess! shes an heiress of the company tetra had made and left behind. hence her title of Lady zelda. ("new hyrule" rly just like-- the ending of ww was *literally* that hyrule is dead and thats okay. how did they miss that :sob emoji:) also calling her Lady Zelda fits with the train vibes

shes in a 1880s style bustle dress because 1) i am OBSESSED with bustle dresses. i love them. so much. 2) the more historical vibe works really well with trains! also a lot of the other outfits in the game have late victorian vibes, so shes certainly not out of place.

her hat (and gloves): any proper lady has a hat on when going about town, however, when she gets body snatched, she pulled out her hatpin to use (ineffectively) as a weapon (she IS tetras great-great-granddaughter), causing her to lose her hat *and* hairdo.

shes still got the hatpin in her ghost form, too. she uses it to threaten people for funsies

Ribbons! on the topic of hairdo, her ribbons! visually tying her to tetras design, the ribbons here instead take on the image of train tracks, with her pin (on the left side) evoking a train engine. the pin also makes her look rich and girly. when her hair comes undone, this makes the ribbons all loose, like how the train tracks disappear in game. (the hat also kinda connects her to tetra)

thanks for reading :D i hope you liked reading this as much as i liked typing it

[certifiedsexed]

is it weird that my little brother and i still bath with my little sister?

for context: my brother (16) is about two years younger than me and we’d always bath together when we were little. to my knowledge, nothing sexual happened - our parents gave us what i’d consider a good understanding of sex ed when we were young, and all either of us can remember is playing together and such with like bath toys and stuff.

but the thing is, we never really outgrew that? like, we don’t routinely bath together anymore, because we don’t fit into the bathtub lol, but we're comfortable being naked around each other and the like, and i’ll often ask him to get stuff for me if i’m the shower and vice versa. but when we’re on holiday and usually somewhere with a bigger bathtub, we’ll often share a bath or two with my little sister (8) so that we can all play with her with her bath toys, bath crayons, etc.

this sort of thing has always been normal in my family — i’ve never felt sexually harassed by them, and we’re all comfortable being naked around each other and know that our boundaries would be respected even if not. my brother and i don’t have any sexual intentions and don’t do anything sexual towards my younger sister — all we do in terms of touching her is to, like, put soap on her back, and we’ve never made any sexual comments or unwanted touches or anything.

but i’ve been starting to think this is weird because of the gap in our ages now. is it? is it something wrong/should we not be doing this? i genuinely don’t know. it’s always been normal and no one has ever expressed any discomfort, and to my knowledge no lines have been crossed, but i don’t want to be missing something if that makes sense? bc like, ive got friends whose parents never even changed in front of them, and i’m worried that my family, not having any of that sort of social stigma against non sexual nudity, is maybe doing something wrong — but i don’t know if we are, yk?

Look, people can find a reason for anything to be weird but siblings bathing together is actually quite common in some cultures and as long as none of you are being forced into it, it's fine.

Nudity in of itself is not an inherently sexual thing. Clearly, this is the culture your parents have raised you in and so far at least, you've all enjoyed it and are quite comfortable with it.

You've not described either of your parents trying to harass you in connection to nudity, none of you are doing anything sexual with each other, no one is being hurt, everything here sounds good!

If your sister were to say she was uncomfortable and you continued doing it, that would be a different matter. But this in of itself just sounds sweet, Anon.

Just because you and your brother are older doesn't mean you can't still play in the bath with your sister or change in front of each other if that's what you want to do.

Honestly, this all sounds fucking adorable and I wish you all the best!

Hope this helps, Anon. Let me know if you have any other questions! <3

[hughjackmansbicep]

The Seamstress

Contains: Logan Howlett X F!Reader

Summary: Youre a seamstress and he seems to have an endless supply of holey clothes....

Wordcount: 1.2k

Warnings: None :D

a/n: haiiiiii ive always loved this trope in fics !!! tehe!! srry for not writing much recently i got fired from my job LOL anywayssss... i was listening to the smiths writing this unrelated but related.

Most days bled together, the same mundane routine playing out in front of you each day. Wake up, go to work, go home, eat takeout, and pass out to some soap opera. Currently, the highlight of your life was finding out what was going to happen next on The Days of Our Lives. You were a seamstress in the middle of Manhattan; you owned a small shop off 64th, and although you were living out your dream, nothing excited you anymore. Every task felt exhausting; you couldn't even find passion in sewing anymore. That was until he stumbled into your shop.

“Hi, yeah, I was wondering if you'd be able to sew this up for me.” He grumbled, holding up what appeared to be some yellow and blue jumpsuit. You'd almost forgotten to respond, completely captivated by his sheer beauty. His gorgeous face, chiseled body, kitty-like hair, and you can't forget the unusual yet totally working for him mutton chops. “U-um, ahem, yeah, I totally could.” You manage to choke out, reaching for the clothing item. “How long do you reckon it'll take?” You examine the clothing carefully; it's decorated with rips and holes everywhere. He's lucky if I can get this finished by the end of the week, “Tomorrow.” Your mouth moves quicker than your brain can. “Cool, I'll come by at 10? Is that alright?” He asks, slowly backing out of the shop, his eyes never leaving you. ‘10am? I can't begin to do that either; I mean, I wouldn't get to sleep tonight’. “Yep! See you at 10!” Cure that mouth of yours; you give him a smile and an awkward wave as he makes his way out the door.

You blow your breath out as if you'd been holding it the entire time, sinking down into your chair. You silently cursed at yourself for agreeing to such a stupid timeframe, but this meant you could binge Days of Our Lives tonight, so maybe it wasn't half bad.

The rest of the day went just as you expected. A couple hems, a few cinches—nothing out of the ordinary apart from the comic book cosplay you agreed to revive back to life. It was currently 3 o’clock in the morning; you'd been sitting there sewing the garment for 7 hours. Honestly, you'd been making great time; you were so close to finishing, maybe 20 stitches left total. Somewhere between the last stitch and a doctor getting slapped, you'd passed out on your living room floor.

You'd awoken to the feeling of your feline licking your cheek, causing you to immediately shoot up off the floor. Your eyes frantically searching for a clock, the power Must’ve gone out sometime around 5 in the morning because that's all you saw flashing back at you on the stove. In a frenzy, you started throwing random clothes on, praying they'd match, shoving the costume in a garment bag, and running out the door. Thats when you finally looked down at your phone, seeing the time read 10:03, “God damnit.” You whined under your breath. Your shop was only a couple blocks away, but that was still a 15-minute walk, so you sprinted. You probably looked like a complete lunatic, but you couldn't care less right now. The incredibly hot customer probably waiting outside your doors was the utmost important thing on your mind.

Dripping in sweat and hyperventilating as you turned the corner to where your shop was, you saw him just as you thought you would. Leaning up against the door, one arm crossed over his torso as he took a drag from his cigar with his other. God, he looked heavenly, and you... Well, maybe not your best day, but definitely not your worst. “Hey, sorry I'm late.” You breathed out, hands resting on your knees as you caught your breath. “But I've got your thingy.” You hold the garment bag up; he just furrows his eyebrows at you, cocking his head to the side. His silence makes you feel more embarrassed than you already do. You get up to unlock your doors, ushering him to follow you inside.

You check him out at the register; the only words being exchanged were the cost of the repairs and where he can tap his card. He walked out with a smile and a nod, a soft ‘Thanks’ escaping his lips before the door shut. You throw your head in your hands, feeling shame wash over you. You were hoping and praying he was going to leave his number on the receipt, but obviously he did not. I mean, why would you have had him waiting and showed up looking like a complete mess? Not very good looks. You simply had to chop it up as a loss and return back to the mundaneness of your life.

The very next morning, though, he was here again, this time holding an old brown jacket. He'd said there was a small hole in the pocket he wanted fixed. This time it only took you all 20 minutes. You asked him to wait upfront as you brought the jacket to the back to repair it. When you returned, you checked him out the same as before, and he left exactly the same as before. This became an everyday routine for the two of you. Every day he'd walk in with some worn-out article of clothing asking you to stitch it up; you always obliged, even if the clothes looked and smelled like they came from 1987. You always did wonder how this guy had so many ripped-up clothes just lying around, and why wouldn't he just bring them in all at once?

This charade had been going on for 2 weeks now when you finally decided to break from your usual script of ‘thank you, come again’. “Why is everything you own torn apart? Is everything okay back home?” You asked as he slipped his card into the machine. You could see the heat rising to his cheeks as he tried to hide a smirk creeping its way on his face. “You want me to be honest with you?” He looked up at you, pursing his lips together in a thin line. You nodded your head, waiting for him to continue, “I honestly thought you were gorgeous when I first walked into your shop.” Now your cheeks started burning red as your eyes went wide. “So every day since then I head into Goodwill and find anything I can with a hole in it so I can find an excuse to come see you.” This was the first time you'd ever seen this man avoid eye contact with you. You couldn't find your words as your throat had gone dry. He was into you??? And here you were this whole time thinking you ruined your shot (and that he was homeless, but you weren't going to tell him that). 

"Well, say something.” He exasperated, snapping you out of your daze. “I honestly don't know what to say; I’m shocked. I get off at 6 if y’know... You wanted to grab something to eat?” You offer awkwardly, smiling through the pain of how anxious you sounded. He looks up to you finally meeting your gaze, a soft smile painted on his lips. “Ill be here to pick you up at 6 doll.” He grabs your hand, planting a gentle kiss on your knuckle. He walked out the door, leaving you in utter shock and denial for the rest of your shift.

hi ps u can always request me shtuff to write! :3

[asthroophile]

curtain call of the heart

iv. offstage confessions

pairing brant x fem!reader, modern high school au mutual pinning, childhood friends to lovers, might be ooc

summary: being friends with the theater club president means you have to accept the fact that you'll get dragged into acting in plays.

(n); this is the longest part i've ever written, it feels messy but i cant resist continuing it despite the pressure from assignments lol previous next...

you walked into the theater room again, determined to pretend nothing happened. unfortunately, your friends had other plans.

"y/n, i swear to god—” you barely had time to react before tina grabbed you by the shoulders.

"what?”

“I KNEW IT!” she shook you like a rag doll. “THAT WASN’T JUST ACTING, WAS IT?”

you blinked, “what are you—”

“brant! last night! the way he looked at you! the way he—oh my god, you two were basically in a romance drama!”

your soul nearly left your body, “tina—”

“don’t even try to deny it!” you absolutely tried to deny it.

“IT WAS ACTING!” you insisted, “it’s literally a drama club—what do you expect?”

tina squinted. “uh-huh, sure. and what about after rehearsal?”

your stomach dropped. “what about it?”

tina's smile stretched wider, “you think i didn’t see? you two left together. under the streetlights. it was so cinematic.”

you hated how she made it sound like some grand love story.

“nothing happened,” you deadpanned.

“are you sure about that?”

“i will actually leave.”

tina cackled, finally letting go of you. “fine, fine. but i still think there’s something going on.”

you rolled your eyes and made a beeline for your seat, praying that brant wouldn’t make things worse.

…he did.

because the second he walked in, he immediately sat next to you, draping an arm over your chair like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"morning,” he greeted, his voice laced with amusement.

you stiffened. so did tina. you could feel her eyes burning holes into the side of your head.

“…morning,” you muttered.

brant’s smirk deepened.

tina lost her mind.

you were this close to throwing yourself out the nearest window.

tina had been staring at you for the past ten minutes, her smug expression only growing more unbearable.

brant, still sitting way too close, rested his arm on the back of your chair like it belonged there.

it didn’t. at all.

"why are you looking at me like that?" you finally snapped.

tina smiled, too sweetly. "oh, no reason."

brant chuckled under his breath, and you had the sudden urge to kick him. before you could, the theater instructor walked in, mercifully putting an end to your suffering.

“alright, listen up,” she clapped her hands. “we need to start blocking the major scenes, which means our leads—” she gestured between you and brant, “—will be working very closely together today.”

you felt your soul leave your body for the second time that afternoon.

brant? he just looked way too entertained by all of this. of course he did.

“alright, this is the big moment.”

the instructor gestured between you and brant, standing together on stage.

“in this scene, your character finally realizes her feelings, but she’s afraid to admit it. she’s hesitant, and the tension is heavy.”

you already hated this. brant, meanwhile, looked like he was about to have the time of his life.

“got it?” the instructor asked.

you forced a nod, “yeah.”

“good. now, take it from the line where he reaches for her hand.”

brant didn’t hesitate. his fingers curled around yours, warm and steady. you almost yanked it away on instinct.

focus. it’s just acting. it’s fine.

his eyes softened, teasing glint replaced by something unreadable.

“you don’t have to pretend around me,” he said, slipping into character effortlessly. “you can be yourself.”

your throat tightened. “i-i don’t—”

the words caught somewhere between your brain and mouth.

brant’s grip on your hand lingered. “i mean it.”

you forgot your next line.

the instructor sighed. “y/n, relax! remember, you’re supposed to be struggling with your feelings, not struggling to function.”

oh. that was the issue.

not that brant was looking at you like that. not that your heart was actually racing. no, definitely not that.

brant tilted his head, amusement flickering in his gaze. “y/n, are you flustered?”

you instantly shoved him, “shut up.”

the instructor groaned. “alright, take two.”

you immediately fled the stage.

────

you barely made it to the hallway before tina cornered you.

“Y/N,” she grabbed your shoulders. “that was NOT ACTING.”

“yes, it was,” you lied.

“no, it wasn’t.”

“yes, it was.”

tina shook you. “GIRL.”

you groaned, prying her hands off. “i'm not doing this with you.”

“oh, you absolutely are.”

“tina, please.”

she crossed her arms. “look at me in the eyes and tell me you feel nothing when brant looks at you like that.”

you opened your mouth. then closed it.

tina gasped, “YOU LIKE HIM.”

"i do not!”

she pointed dramatically. “DENIAL.”

you groaned, "why are you so obsessed with this?”

“because literally everyone in this club has been waiting for you two to get together.”

you froze, "wait—what?”

tina's grin stretched wider. “oh yeah. everyone knows. except you.”

you felt like you were about to have an aneurysm. "you’re joking.”

“nope.”

“since when?!”

“since forever.”

you were going to pass out, then—

“everything okay here?”

you jumped. brant was right behind you. tina beamed. “oh, we’re great.”

brant raised an eyebrow. “you sure? you look like you’re about to murder her.”

“oh, don’t worry,” tina chirped. “we’re just having a fun little chat about how Y/N IS IN LOVE WITH YOU.”

your brain short-circuited.

brant blinked, “…huh?”

tina smiled, satisfied. “anyway, i’ll leave you two alone. have fun.”

and then she just—left.

abandoned you. with brant. who was now staring at you.

“…sooo,” he drawled. “anything you wanna tell me?”

oh. my. god. you needed to escape. RIGHT NOW.

brant was waiting for an answer, watching you with that mix of amusement and curiosity that only made everything worse.

your brain was screaming. your body? frozen.

brant tilted his head, "y/n?"

oh god. he said your name.

nope. NOPE.

you turned on your heel and walked away. briskly.

brant blinked. “…are you seriously running away right now?”

you walked faster.

"y/n."

faster.

"y/n, stop—"

you broke into a full sprint. you had no idea where you were going.

your brain was in full fight-or-flight mode, and since you had the combat skills of a potato, escape was your only option.

too bad brant had longer legs.

"y/n, for god’s sake—"

a hand caught your wrist. he stopped you effortlessly.

before you could yank yourself free, brant turned you around, forcing you to face him. and you were screwed.

because he was looking at you like that again—like you were the only thing that mattered.

oh no.

“you’re really running from this?” he asked, still catching his breath.

you refused to meet his eyes. "i don’t know what you’re talking about."

brant huffed a laugh. LAUGHED.

"this isn’t funny," you muttered.

"it’s kind of funny."

"brant."

his expression softened. “y/n.”

the way he said your name made your stomach flip.

“i'm not here to push,” he said quietly. “but if you feel something, just say it.”

your throat went dry. "and if i don’t?"

brant smiled. but this time, it didn’t reach his eyes.

"then i’ll let it go."

your chest tightened. because that was the problem, wasn’t it? you did feel something. you just didn’t know what to do with it.

and now, staring at brant, you knew you had to make a choice.

you took a shaky breath. then another.

brant just waited.

you licked your lips, forcing yourself to speak.

“…i’m scared.”

brant stilled.

that was not what he expected.

your hands curled into fists. “i don’t know how to do this, brant. i don’t know how to… feel like this. i don’t want to ruin everything.”

brant didn’t hesitate, he stepped forward and hugged you. tightly.

you? froze. slowly, you melted into him.

brant exhaled, his chin resting lightly against your hair. “you’re not gonna ruin anything.”

you wanted to believe that. maybe… maybe you could.

but—

“AWWWWWWWW!”

OH. MY. GOD. you ripped yourself away.

brant groaned, “you’ve got to be kidding me.”

the entire theater club was watching. ALL OF THEM. and they were CHEERING.

you wanted the earth to swallow you whole.

brant? brant just smirked.

“well,” he said, thoroughly amused, “i guess now we really have to talk about this.”

you were going to die. right here. right now.

this was it.

this was how you died.

not in some tragic accident. not by some dramatic twist of fate. but by sheer, soul-crushing, irreversible humiliation.

the entire club was still watching. some were whispering. some were smirking. and some? grinning like absolute maniacs.

brant, the walking disaster, just chuckled and stepped back—like he wasn’t responsible for your impending doom. your brain short-circuited.

NOPE. NOPE. NOPE.

fight-or-flight activated. this time? you were fighting.

you turned on him. “brant. i swear to god."

he blinked innocently, “what?"

“you. i hate you.”

brant’s smirk widened. “no, you don’t.”

“YES, I DO.”

he just laughed.

the club? eating this up.

“you two need a moment?” someone teased.

“I—WHAT?!” you choked.

brant, completely unbothered, shrugged. “nah, we’re good. y/n just needs time to process her feelings.”

your WHAT.

your brain crashed.

“MY WHAT?!”

brant’s grin grew downright insufferable. “your feelings. for me.”

the club lost it. someone actually screamed.

and you? you saw red.

────

you grabbed brant’s wrist. dragged him away from the chaos. he laughed the whole way. once you were far enough, you whirled on him.

“brant. what. the hell.”

he blinked. “what?”

“You did that on purpose.” brant just smirked.

“maybe.” your eye twitched.

“you’re insufferable.”

“nah,” he said, grinning. “i’m charming.”

you groaned.

brant's laughter softened. “relax. it’s not a big deal.”

"not a big deal? NOT A BIG DEAL?! I JUST GOT EXPOSED IN FRONT OF HALF THE CLUB.”

brant shrugged, “so? they already knew.”

…what.

“excuse me?” you asked, horrified.

brant's smile turned smug. “y/n, you’re not exactly subtle.”

your soul left your body AGAIN.

he laughed, “you really thought no one noticed?”

“I—WHAT—”

brant took a step closer. you froze.

“relax,” he murmured. “it’s just me.”

your heart did something weird. brant tilted his head, “you okay?”

you… weren’t sure. because this time, when he looked at you, you didn’t want to run.

brant didn’t say anything, just watched you with that same infuriating patience. he let you have your moment, let you fume, let you pretend you were'nt completely unraveling. and when you finally stopped—when your shoulders dropped and you breath evened out—he was still there. still waiting.

you didn’t know how long he had been standing there, watching you in silence. not pushing, not teasing—just waiting. like he always did. like he always would. and for once, it wasn’t annoying. it was terrifying.

his presence was overwhelming in the worst—and best—way possible.

“cat got your tongue?,” he said, voice softer now. almost cautious.

you snapped out of it, "no! no, it’s just—” you exhaled sharply, yanking your wrist from his hold. “you’re so annoying.”

brant grinned like that was a compliment.

“you love it," you did not. you absolutely did not…right? his teasing faded slightly, replaced by something softer. something dangerous.

brant sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. “look,y/n…”

oh no. no, no, no. you knew that tone. that was brant about to say something serious. which meant—you were in trouble.

“i wasn’t kidding earlier,” he said, his usual smirk absent. “i meant it. i don’t care what anyone else thinks. it’s you, it’s always been you.”

your breath hitched. no. no, no, no—this wasn’t happening.

he was your best friend. your annoying, frustrating, infuriating best friend.

and yet, your stupid heart betrayed you. brcause for the first time, instead of running, instead of denying—you found yourself wondering, what if?

brant was still staring at you, still waiting for a response. and you? you were malfunctioning. you had to say something. anything.

but your brain chose violence, “you’re joking.”

brant blinked,“what?”

you folded your arms, desperate to rebuild your walls. “you flirt with everyone, brant. how am i supposed to believe this isn’t just another one of your stupid jokes?”

brant… didn’t laugh. for once, he didn’t smirk. instead, he looked… hurt.

“is that what you really think?” he asked, voice quieter now.

you hated that look. that look that made you feel like the worst person alive.

“i—i didn’t mean it like that,” you muttered, panicking.

brant sighed, rubbing his face. “you really don’t see it, do you?”

see what?

“you,” he murmured, shaking his head. “you’re the only one I actually—”

but before he could finish, you moved—taking a step back, trying to slip away like you always did.

brant’s hand shot out, fingers curling around your wrist. firm, but careful.

“y/n,” he said sharply, forcing you to meet his gaze.

they were alone, in the quiet hallway just outside the theater room, where the dim lights buzzed faintly overhead and the muffled chatter of others was far behind them.

“you deserve better,” you blurted out.

brant’s brows furrowed, “what do you mean?”

“i mean,” your voice wavered, eyes darting everywhere but him, “if we’re talking about… that way, about us… i don’t think i’m good enough for you.”

brant’s grip on your wrist loosened slightly, but he didn’t let go.

“i’m your opposite,” you said, eyes glossy now. “you’re everything i’m not. you light up every room, you make everyone laugh, you’re confident, outgoing, alive. and me…”

you clenched your jaw, tears threatening to fall. “i hide, i avoid people, i freeze up.”

brant’s mouth parted, speechless.

“and people will talk,” you added, your voice cracking. “they’ll say it’s wrong. that it doesn’t make sense.”

“i don’t care what they say,” he said.

“you should,” you whispered.

“i don’t,” he replied. “because they’re not me, and they’re not you.”

the air grew heavy between them, silence choking them both.

“you’re scared,” brant murmured. “but please don’t push me away like this.”

you blinked up at him, trembling.

“i’ve waited,” he whispered. “i’ll keep waiting. but don’t stand there and tell me i deserve better.”

tears finally broke free, sliding down your cheeks. “it’s not that simple.”

“yes, it is,” he insisted. “you’re the only one i want.” brant reached out, brushing the tears from your cheeks, his fingers warm against your skin.

your lips quivered. “i don’t want to lose you.”

“you won’t.”

“you don’t know that.”

his voice softened. “maybe not. but i’m willing to take that risk, if it’s you.”

your eyes squeezed shut as the fear tangled tighter inside your chest.

but when you opened them, brant was still there, holding on, unwavering. like he always did.

the silence stretched like a taut string as brant finally released her wrist, fingers brushing against her skin for a beat longer than necessary. your chest still ached from everything you just said—and everything you hadn’t.

brant let out a breath, raking his hand through his hair before quietly murmuring, “we’re done for today.”

you blinked, frowning. “wait… you mean rehearsal?”

he nodded, already turning toward the door.

“why?” you pressed, trailing after him.

brant glanced over his shoulder, the usual smirk curling on his lips despite the heaviness still lingering between them. “you sure wanna continue rehearsal?”

you slowed your pace, suspicious. “what’s that supposed to mean?”

he stopped just outside the doorway, leaning casually against the frame. his voice dipped lower, teasing. “i’m fine with continuing... but what about you? the way you look right now—with those puffy eyes?”

you face heated instantly, “brant—”

“don’t worry,” he cut in with a grin, “you’re still cute.”

you groaned, scrubbing your hands over your face. “you’re impossible.”

brant chuckled, pushing himself off the frame and walking ahead. “come on, before you start crying again and i get blamed for bullying you.”

“who says you’re not to blame already?” you muttered, following him despite herself.

the playful jab didn’t fully erase the tension, but it softened it. the banter felt like home. like them.

but deep down, they both knew they were just skimming the surface of something far deeper.

the hallway felt emptier than usual as they walked side by side, the echoes of their footsteps bouncing off the linoleum floor. the building was winding down for the day, with distant voices fading behind closed doors and the low hum of vending machines filling the silence.

you hugged your arms, staring straight ahead. you could still feel the ghost of his touch on her wrist. the weight of your conversation clung to you like a second skin, but brant… brant just strolled beside you like it was any other afternoon.

you peeked at him from the corner of her eye. his hands were buried deep inside his pockets, shoulders hunched slightly as he walked, head tipped toward the bruised sky as if hoping it might offer him a reprieve. the wind played with the loose strands of his deep teal hair flicking them across his lashes, but he didn’t seem to notice.

for once, brant—the boy who always carried the perfect comeback—looked like he wasn’t sure where to begin.

“you shouldn’t have ended rehearsal early,” you finally broke the silence.

brant gave a slow shrug, eyes still on the road ahead. “didn’t feel right to keep going."

“i could’ve handled it.”

brant’s reply was quiet, but firm. “maybe, but you didn’t have to.”

they reached the front doors of the school, where the late afternoon sun slanted through the glass, casting long shadows on the floor. outside, the golden light made the world look softer, calmer.

brant pushed open the door for you, and you stepped out into the fading day.

the walk home felt familiar but heavier now, like they were both tiptoeing around what had just happened. you could feel him glancing at you every now and then, waiting—always waiting—but never pushing too far.

“so…” brant started, hands still deep in his pockets, “should i talk about how i absolutely nailed that last scene, or would that ruin the brooding silence we’ve got going here?”

you let out a breath that was half a laugh. “i think the silence is fine.”

he nudged her again. “not for me.”

they kept walking, shoes scuffing the pavement. the quiet between them wasn’t suffocating this time—it was tentative, hanging somewhere between comfort and fear.

and neither of them dared to fully break it just yet.

as you turned the familiar corner toward the park, twilight draped itself around you, painting the streetlamps in hazy halos. the benches sat empty beneath swaying trees, except for two stray cats curled beneath the golden light, blinking lazily at the world passing you by.

brant’s laugh was soft, but carried through the hush of the evening. “reminds me of you."

you arched a brow. “what, the cats?”

“mmhm.” he nodded at you, smirking. “skittish, always darting away when i get too close.”

you huffed, rolling your eyes, but a small, reluctant smile betrayed you, "and yet you still follow.”

“guess i'm persistent.” his voice was lighter now, but when she glanced at him, there was something deeper sitting beneath the grin.

their eyes met, lingering for a second too long, before both of them looked away—too aware, too careful.

without thinking, you both slowed as you neared one of the old benches, yout footsteps syncing like muscle memory. the wood creaked faintly beneath you as you sat side by side, shoulders almost brushing but never quite touching.

you stared at the cracked pavement, feeling the weight of unsaid things pressing at your chest.

“you’re quiet,” brant murmured.

“you too,” you shot back, lips curling faintly.

“touché,” he chuckled.

the wind shifted, carrying the scent of damp earth and far-off rain. the world felt smaller here, like the park was a pocket of time just for them.

you bit your lip, hesitating. but the question clawed its way out. “you were serious earlier… weren’t you?”

brant’s playful mask faltered, replaced by something far softer. “i don’t joke about you, y/n.”

the words sank deep, leaving you scrambling for air. you wanted to say something—anything—but the lump in your throat made it impossible.

brant leaned in just slightly, voice gentler now. “you can try to keep me at arm’s length. but i'm not going anywhere.”

his proximity burned, and yet it felt safer than anything else.

so, in typical your fashion, you pivoted.

“persistent and clingy,” you teased under your breath. “you’re really the worst.”

brant grinned wide, that mischievous light flickering back into his eyes. “you mean charming and devoted?”

this time, the laughter came easily, melting some of the tension away.

for now, they allowed the soft breeze and dimming skies to wrap around them like an old friend—pretending, for just a little longer, that neither of them were standing on the edge of something terrifying.

the wind whispered through the trees, stirring loose leaves across the quiet park. brant’s gaze lingered on you, watching as you absently twisted the hem of your sleeve, you knuckles paling with every pull.

without a word, he shifted closer, slow and careful, like moving too fast might shatter the fragile thing between them.

his hand reached up, fingertips grazing your cheek before tucking a stray lock of hair behind your ear. the touch was featherlight, but it anchored you to the moment.

"i’ll be waiting for you,” brant murmured, voice barely louder than the wind. his thumb brushed softly against your temple. "always. no matter how long.”

your breath caught, lips parting to speak—but nothing came. your heart pounded so fiercely it felt like it might echo out loud.

then he added, softer now, voice thick with guilt, “i’m sorry i made you cry. i didn’t mean to push you like that.”

his hand stayed at the side of your face, steady, like he wasn’t ready to let go just yet.

“but…” brant’s voice cracked, a rare tremor breaking through, “please don’t push me away.”

you blinked, the sting of fresh tears threatening behind your lashes. your throat felt like it was closing up.

“i wasn’t going to,” you whispered, almost too fast, too rehearsed.

but your own thoughts betrayed you. weren’t you?

the voice in your head was quiet but undeniable. because deep down, you had been ready to push him away again. to protect yourself. to keep things the way they were—safe, distant.

the silence between them deepened, heavy with all the things neither of them were brave enough to admit yet.

you stared at the ground, voice trembling as you finally murmured, “give me some time.”

brant exhaled, his shoulders relaxing as though those words were more than enough for now.

“you have it,” he said, unwavering. "always. for you.”

his hand finally fell away, but the warmth lingered against her skin like an echo.

they sat like that for a while, side by side under the golden glow of the streetlamp, where neither dared to fill the quiet. not yet.

and maybe, just maybe, that was enough for tonight.

you sniffled softly, wiping at the corners of your eyes when a faint rustling broke their stillness. from under a bush, a stray cat padded cautiously toward you, its grey fur speckled with white. It meowed, small and curious, tail flicking as it approached.

your attention instantly shifted. your eyes softened, the heaviness in your chest lifting just a little.

“oh, hey there,” you whispered, crouching down slowly. the cat didn’t flinch, letting you extend a hand before nuzzling into your fingers.

brant watched you from the bench, lips parting slightly as if stunned. the streetlamp cast a soft, golden halo around your figure, catching in your lashes, brushing your face with warmth.

for a moment, the fragile, guarded you disappeared. here, with the stray cat purring against your palm, you looked radiant—serene, even.

without thinking, brant quietly pulled out his phone, thumb hovering over the camera. he hesitated.

but then youre laughed, a small, genuine sound that made something tug deep in his chest.

click.

he snapped the photo, smiling to himself as he watched you murmur softly to the cat, unaware of his gaze.

his heart swelled. how could you not see it? how could you not realize how effortlessly beautiful you were—how effortlessly yourself—when no one was watching?

“...are you gonna help me pet him or just stare like a creep?” your voice broke through his thoughts, teasing but gentle.

brant chuckled, sliding his phone back into his pocket. “i’m fine watching. you’re good at this.”

you arched a brow but let the smile linger as you stroked the cat’s fur. “i didn’t know you liked cats.”

“i like you,” he replied without missing a beat, eyes glinting mischievously.

you groaned, but there was no real heat behind it. “there it is. the flirting.”

brant leaned back on the bench, hands behind his head, grinning like he’d just won a prize. “just saying.”

underneath it all—their banter, the unsaid worries, the messy feelings—you stayed there together, with a stray cat nestled on your lap.

you went quiet, your hand absentmindedly stroking the cat that lay curled on your lap. the softness of its fur was a comforting distraction.

your gaze stayed on the small creature, fingers tracing gentle patterns behind its ear as if gathering the courage to respond.

then, without looking up, you finally whispered, you voice calm but tinged with quiet knowing,

"i know... you've made it pretty obvious."

and only then did your eyes flicker toward him, soft and unreadable, like you were holding back a smile.

brant let out a breathy laugh, though his chest ached with the weight of your words. “well,” he said, leaning back slightly, eyes never leaving you, “i was hoping you’d catch on sooner.”

there was no teasing in his voice, just a quiet relief, like he’d been holding those feelings back for too long.

his fingers gently grazed the edge of the bench, closer to you now. “but you always did like making me wait, huh?”

his smile softened, eyes tracing the way your hand continued to stroke the sleeping cat.

“and yet... here we are,” you added, voice barely above a whisper, like you were savoring the rare stillness between you.

"you’re different when it’s just us,” he murmured, voice low.

you didn’t look up, but your hand faltered for a second. “how so?”

brant tilted his head, a small smile playing at his lips. “softer. warmer.”

"am i usually cold, then?” you shot back, but your tone was light, almost playful.

“hmm, more like… you build walls around yourself,” he said, voice gentle. “but you forget i’ve always known where the door is.”

your lips twitched, almost smiling, but instead you huffed quietly. “you’re not supposed to know where it is.”

he chuckled. “hard not to.”

you finally looked at him, eyes reflecting the soft light overhead. “you notice too much.”

you sat in silence for a while, the night deepening around them. the distant hum of cars, the breeze rustling through the leaves, and the rhythmic purring of the cat created a cocoon of quiet.

"you know,” brant started, voice softer now, “i like you like this.”

you frowned. “like what?”

“just… here,” he said, searching for the right words. “not running away, not hiding behind a snarky comment or a rehearsal schedule.”

you bit your lip, your gaze falling back to the sleeping cat. “it’s easier when it’s quiet like this.”

brant’s hand brushed lightly against yours on the bench—tentative, waiting. you didn’t pull away.

“then let’s stay quiet,” he whispered.

you heart thrummed in your chest as you allowed you pinky to hook around his. it was small, but to him, it felt like the world.

brant leaned back on the bench as he watched you petting the cat again. his lips tugged into a pout.

“can you stop giving that cat all your attention?” he grumbled.

you raised a brow without looking at him, “what is it now?”

he huffed, feigning dramatic offense. “i've been sitting here beside you all this time, and then this furball shows up outta nowhere and steals your attention. that’s not fair.”

you blinked, processing his complaint before a laugh escaped you. “what the hell, brant—that’s so…”

you trailed off, eyes twitching like you couldn’t decide whether to be annoyed or amused.

“so you,” you finished with a shake of your head, lips twitching into a reluctant smirk. “jealous of a stray cat. that’s a new low.”

brant shot you a crooked grin. “hey, i don’t like sharing.”

you scoffed, petting the cat just to spite him. “too bad. looks like you’ve got competition now.”

“oh, don’t worry,” brant leaned in slightly, lowering his voice with that familiar teasing lilt, “i’m very good at winning.”

you cheeks warmed, but you masked it with an eye roll. “sure you are.”

maybe, for tonight, things were okay between them. and somehow, that felt like the safest place in the world.

next: v. welcome to our new world, sweetheart

© asthroophile 2025 do not repost, plagiarize

[ebonysplendor]

Prescription: LOVE (Demo) Review👨‍⚕️💊

TL;DR: I've got a head injury? I'm gonna need a doctor! How's my memory been? It's been fine. Wait, what? I've got a head injury? I'm gonna need a doctor! How's my memory been? It's been fine. Wait, what? I've got a head injury? I'm gonna need a doctor!

Game Link: https://livingslime.itch.io/prescriptionlove

Notable Features: Self-Insert, Yandere LI, gender neutral language, 2 endings Spiciness: 0/5 -- Don't get me wrong, it's not wholesome either, but this is the type of LI that'll make you say "But daddy, I love him!" even though something is clearly off. LI Red Flags: 2/5 -- Gaslighter, obsessive tendencies, overly "medicating" us DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT. HE'S SO SWEET. I CAN FIX HIM.

Wanna know more? Well, let's get into it!

Okay, not gonna lie, this review is long overdue, because I played this like...maybe 3 or 4 days after the initial drop, and here I am, like, 3 weeks later lmao.

Um...okay, you know what? I'm-- I'm not gonna push myself to write an intro this time lol. I mean, since when is it ever good to push yourself? ...Sometimes, the answer is sometimes, but you should never push yourself too hard, ya know? ...I'm getting off track.

I guess I could start by saying how I found this game on a total accident, and holy shit, am I glad that I found this game regardless. It was damn good, and...honestly, a little unnerving at times. Like, I'll tell you more about it later, but let me tell you, one part in particular had me genuinely spooked.

Anyways, before I get too far into my yap session, I'm going to go ahead and tell you about the game -- with as little spoilers as possible, of course. I mean, how would you be motivated to play the game otherwise unless I leave just enough suspense and mystery? Exactly, so allow me a moment to set the scene, and let's get into it.

So, boom.

We wake up...somewhere.

No, like you don't get it. Logically, it's like, duh, hospital, but we have a whole ass IV in our arm, a splitting headache, and it's almost painfully obvious that our memory took a hit, because we don't remember damn near anything, you feel me? We have, what is essentially, a hole where our memories are supposed to be, and the memories that we do have are so fragmented that they doesn't make any sense. Like...what the hell happened, ya know?

At this point, we're making things worse, because we're trying to force ourselves to remember something -- anything -- and our brain is just like "Mmm...nah. How about we panic, though? Let's do that instead." So, we do. We start feeling really anxious because it's like, how do we go from remembering everything one moment, blink, and then just...virtually no memories at all? Like, nothing? Like, we can't even recognize what a hospital looks like or even is.

"Hey, hey, it's okay".

Huh?

Oh! Oh, hello~! Could this be our boyfriend? Fiancé? Husband~?

"I'm Dr. Anselm."

I mean...he didn't say that he wasn't our husband, ya know? :3 Okay, wait, wait, no, stop, don't distract me. Let me get back on track.

Anyways, this tall gentleman helped us regain control of our nerves and informed us that we were perfectly safe and were currently in a hospital. Dr. Anselm basically told us that he has been overseeing our care and that he was the one in charge of our surgery.

...Wait, our fucking what?!

Before we get too freaked out, though, he tells us that we had some kind of accident that involved blunt force to our head which naturally caused a traumatic brain injury. He then tells us that, when we were brought it by the paramedics, we were in need of an emergency operation in order for us to live. Oh, and we had been asleep for two days straight. Well damn...

Imagine not remembering what you even ate for breakfast yesterday -- well, two days ago -- and this random man who claims to be a doctor comes out of the woodwork and tells you that you had brain surgery. If I could just reiterate once more...what the hell happened?!

Even still, admittedly, Dr. Anselm is being super gentle about the whole thing, and it's bringing a good amount of comfort and security, like everything is going to end up okay; he's even going to let us call our family to let them know that we've pulled through and that we're safe...even though, it's a bit off that no one's visited to start with.

No matter though, because it's past curfew anyways, and Dr. Anselm is adamant that we should rest first and call tomorrow. Fair enough. Rest is a part of recovery after all, and we'd rather get our memories back sooner versus later, not to mention that we actually are a little tired. Lmao, now here's when the issues start coming in...

See, we managed to fall asleep, but then the creak of the door woke us up. Now, at first, we're like "Meh, probably the nurses checking in or whatever", but the issue is, remember when I was like we felt a sense of comfort and security from Dr. Anselm? Lmao, this shit was far from comfortable, let alone safe. So, we make the mistake of we look at the door, and in the gap --

Lmao nah, ain't no way. We're hallucinating.

BRO, AIN'T NO FUCKING WAaaaAAAaAaAaaAAaY. WE ARE NOT HALLUCINA-- DoCTOr ANSEeEEeEEEeeeELM!!!!

Bro, we hit that call button so fast, but that thing also ran off just as fast before Dr. Anselm came rushing in. So, naturally, now we look like we're experiencing the side effect of delulu, because we're trying to explain that we saw something that was clearly not there, but it's like...bro, no, we know what the fuck we saw! Like, dude, please do something!

As always, Dr. Anselm's being super sweet and promised that he'd look into it and get someone to check the security cameras. He encourages us to try to go back to sleep so we don't disrupt our recovery, and, oddly enough, we're able to, even after that.

The next morning, comes along, and Dr. Anselm let's us call our folks, like promised, but...no answer. Hurtful, but okay. Dr. Anselm, also like promised, tells us that they checked the security cameras, and there was no one watching us from the door. Great. So, now we're two for two in this bitch. Perfect.

Still, leave it to Dr. Anselm to help us feel better, though, so it doesn't weigh on us too much for too long. He really is our knight in shining...lab coat.

Even though, with all that medicine he's been giving us...

Not to mention, we had this vividly weird dream...

And, sometimes, there's these weird little flickers in his expression when we ask certain questions or say certain things...

Is Dr. Anselm really trying to help us? Or...

...is it benefitting him that we don't know what happened to us?

Then again...

Nah, that's kind've delulu to think. He's done nothing but try to prioritize our health and recovery. We're safe. We can trust him. It the doctor's orders, after all, and he'd know what's best for us.

4 words: I CAN FIX HIM.

No, no, no, no, no, hear me out! I can fix this one! Like, the red flags are there, but I can FIX him! Is he the one that caused us to have a traumatic brain injury? Maybe. Is he over-medicating us? Possibly. Am I gonna overlook all of that? Absolutely. I mean, who cares that I have an intense suspicion that we're not actually in a hospital and that we're just in a basement that's staged to look like a hospital. Who hasn't played doctor before? I ain't gonna fault this man for trying to heal his inner child and playing pretend. Like, honestly? Good for him.

Okay, but no, enough of that. This...was really good! It physically hurts me that this game is not done yet, but I am so excited that this game isn't done yet, because I am anticipating the hell out of what is next to come. The developer really has a strong foundation, and I can only imagine how they're going to build on it.

The pacing is a little slow, but it's not a bad slow! It's literally seeping us into the story, and I honestly feel like the pacing could not have been executed any better than it has been. This flowed exactly how I feel a demo or prologue or intro or whatever you wanna call it should. I just know that whenever there's an update, shit is going to start getting real, and I cannot wait for that!

Let's talk about the environment/atmosphere...ooh bitch. Let me just say this, I can watch all of the horror movies in the world and be totally fine. I can watch let's plays of horror games and read scary stories...but I cannot be in the situation myself. Haunted houses/trails? Playing horror games myself? Shit scares me out of my soul. That being said, that part where it was talking about being watched through the crack of the door? Chills. Fucking chills. I don't know what it was, because that's not anything revolutionary, especially in these yandere games, but for some reason, the way that the dev executed it just hit different. And the art! Like did you see the CG?! Lmao nah, nah, let me remind you. Actually, let me zoom in on it.

Like, what the fuck is thaaaaaaaaat?! (╥ᯅ╥)

I didn't mention this, because I was narrating/summarizing, but I had genuine fear tears when I read through it the first time, and it was somehow worse when I had to grab and attach the screenshots and type through that part. Like, I HATE shit like this, bro! Like, just make it obvious! Don't put faces and figures and shit like that in the darkness and barely out of view to the point where you can't see it unless you focus on it!

I was literally squinting my eyes and reading fast as shit because I wanted to read it, but I wanted to get through it and away from this scene, but I also wanted to prep myself for a possible jumpscare. Like, developer. De-ve-lo-per. Pop off. This part was so good, and I loved/hated every second.

I'm doing that yap thing that I do again, so I'm going to save you from the rest of my ramblings and start winding down. If you do not already have this downloaded and ready to play, you have got to do that expeditiously. I am telling you, I know I say this about a lot of these visual novels, but this is one that I absolutely cannot allow you to miss out on. This one is so good! Just don't get too invested, because it's just a demo. I suggest going to the game's page, putting your pride aside, and beg for an update as soon as possible -- respectfully, of course. It should be common sense, but don't harass the dev for an update ... but damn, do I hope they come through with an update soon. Very soon. Tomorrow actually...today.

Anyways, here's the link. Go download it, and tell the dev that your life is theirs, because I'm honestly contemplating starting a cult in their honour. I'll sacrifice the nearest weeb for two extra lines of reading material in this visual novel. I'm serious. I'm yapping again...

Okay, anyways! Ending it for realsies this time. Again, I highly recommend giving this game a playthrough. Here's the link to the game page and download...again. If you're able to donate to the cause, donate to the cause, as I'm sure the dev would seriously appreciate the monetary support. Oh! And just as a "pro"-but-not-really-tip: for right now, the choices are more of an "illusion of choice". The endings will be worded the same no matter what, so there's no extra dialogue or CGs, or secret options, or anything like that. It'll just be dialogue pertaining to that specific answer choice at that specific time, and then it's not brought up or mentioned again after it's done.

And...that's it! Lol I'm finally done yapping. Big preesh for getting this far! Please remember to drink water, don't be dumb, and hope to see you around~!

Prescription: LOVE (Demo)

[satocidal]

im so used to writing gojo ive forgotten how to erite for the other men LMAO

anyways now i want your thoughts on how the jjk men would console the reader if she got rejected

me when any character besides satosugu. it's crazy, my entire masterlist is just them with sprinkles of other characters. like i'm actually very scared of writing anyone else now (and have a superiority complex that i just KNOW them)

but onto this, yes. (these are with assumptions that jjk men and you guys are platonic) don't come @ for toji or nanami👹

I like to think Satoru would unironically throw you a pity party, don't get me wrong, it has everything you Love, expect ofc the person you wanted - and this fact, Satoru reminds you all night through his lame ass jokes. He fully believes in exposure therapy and so, the rejection gets brought up in jokes, at your expense, all night. Somewhere in the night your phone would also get stolen and he would read all the texts between you two, talking about how that didn't age well at all. But he makes up for it, he truly does - when he holds you so tight next to him, reminding just how much better you could do - you do deserve, and just full on bashing them. Makes use of his money to remind you that finer things in life do exist. And uh, duh, binge watching love island because, ofc.

I do believe that Toji would have the worst 'first' response to it - a little, "so?" dropping out of his mouth, or worse, "who didn't see that coming?" and it just makes you feel worse. But but but, he is quite the charmer and he senses it all too quick - so there he is beside you, acting all cool and non-chalant and ready to bestow his wisdom on you, he'll just settle beside you, offering something to drink - his holy grail for tough nights, and mutters a little "it's okay - if it ain't meant to be, it ain't meant to be." Actually very calm about the situation, in facts, for a minute too long, he'll even validate your stupid responses (not for too long, because he can only take so much). However if you need a hug, or a shoulder to cry upon? he's holding you so tight, offering the best quiet night you could want - and reassuring you that things will get better and you always are going to meet someone who'll be it✨for you. lol i can't see him not getting sappy when he comforts you so

A pursed line, a shake of his head and a long sigh punctuate the silence Nanami offers you, the moment you tell him the fact, bro is not amused. To say the least, Nanami was invested - from the very beginning when you had started questioning, stalking that person to slowly eating nanami's brain off about them, he'd been invested - so now he can only offer a sorry smile as he holds you, even he didn't see this coming. Like everytime else, he allows you to ramble, listening wholeheartedly - wincing and grumbling about how the rejection could have been avoided, grimacing that, that person reacted immaturely, staring onto his palm wondering where he went wrong to even allow you to like a person who would act this way. And after all of it, he opens his finest wine because what other ocassion if not for your grief - and then, he starts talking smack. and shit talk he does good, bringing down that person's everything - fashion taste, financial status, past relations - anything and everything, a true hater, such that you end up wondering if nanami was the one who got rejected.

The tea is boiling on the stove - for either case, Suguru had sent you with so many affirmations, it almost felt disappointing to tell him you got rejected. the clench of his jaw is so obvious - but he just smiles, smn in attempt to reassure you further, a little "i see," slips him as he leads you to the couch. You see he can't take it, not the frown you have as you recount the story (he's making mental notes of everything), not the little catching of your words when your throat gets all weird, so on the verge, not when he sees you blinking back the tears. Suguru is a hater, second to only nanami and that is because nanami doesn't pause on the hate track - suguru waits, suguru works his way to heal you first. so many reassurances whispered in your ears as he holds you, already making to-do plans to cheer you up, the hand on remote to browse through the movies you love to watch, other hand recahing to block that person BUT also, silently slipping in the worst responses in your head. telling you how that person never deserved you, how you must be going through smn he didn't notice because how could you like that? there's absolute disgust in his voice - and you know that disgust finally shines when he begins catfishing that person through some account just to get back on them, for you <3

[martiniblues]

dance practice ; 박지성

pairing bf!jisung x female!reader

synopsis with you and jisung’s time running thin due to his schedules, you decide to go visit him at practice. when the two of you finally have some time alone, jisung thinks this is the perfect time to mess with you.

genre established relationship, lots of kissing, slightly suggestive, jisung is a dick lol but it’s okay, features mark and haechan lightly.

wc 1.4k

"okay, it’s looking good, guys. take five.” the choreographer yelled out as the music faded. you sat on a couch in the back of the studio, watching as your boyfriend poured his soul into his dancing.

“baby, here, drink this.” your hand extended the bottle of liquid iv to jisung, who clearly was grateful for the gesture as he chugged the whole thing down in near seconds.

“thank you.” he breathed heavily from having downed a whole water bottle, but regardless of how breathless he was, he still leaned forward and kissed you softly. it was quick, but you knew it meant much more.

with a comeback and tour on the way, you and jisung’s time together had run thin, making it increasingly difficult to have moments where it was only the two of you in the room.

“yuck! take it somewhere else, lovebirds.” haechan squealed once he saw what jisung did. you just laughed while jisung quickly turned to tackle his member to the ground. haechan protested, claiming jisung was “just a baby” and “shouldn’t know about those things yet”.

those things were quite vague coming out of the brunette’s mouth, but you could make a guess, making you flush deeply.

“come on guys, you can fight later!” mark pushed jisung’s head as a cue that they should get back to practicing. all the guys got back to rehearsing, leaving you in the back alone again.

it was hard keeping your cool watching your boyfriend do something he’s so passionate about, especially when it’s dancing to such suggestive songs.

the group continued to rehearse for the next hour with little to no breaks to talk, which maybe was for the best since you were convinced if jisung came with a foot of you, you would pounce.

“okay guys, that was a good practice today; we will keep it up tomorrow, yeah.” the choreographer bid everyone goodbye while jisung came and crashed beside you on the small couch.

the other members just giggled at how much of a baby jisung became around you, usually trying to seem much more mature around them since he was the youngest and all.

“you did really good, ji.” your hand came up and pushed his sweaty hair back from his head, combing your fingers through the rest of his dark strands.

“thank you, baby; it’s just exhausting.” he kissed the side of your neck before resting his head back into place, his eyes shutting at your relaxing fingers playing with his hair.

“i know, but damn, ji, you seriously looked like you were on cloud nine while you were dancing. i swear you couldn’t even tell how tired you were; you always give it your all.” you complimented him, knowing how hard jisung can get on himself for his dancing.

jisung’s head came up to be level with yours, just staring at you with wide eyes and slightly parted lips. “what? is there something on my face or something?” you giggled lightly, touching your face to feel whatever could be taking up jisung’s attention.

“n-no, there's nothing." his hand came up to gently pull yours down, smiling at how cute you were being. “you’re just so pretty.” he finished, combing a piece of your hair behind your ear.

your cheeks must have caught flame from how hot you got from jisung’s words. “whatever, you’re so cheesey, park.” you pushed his hand away, turning to hide your face on the couch.

“don’t start, baby; you know you like it. you’re so red!” with ease, jisung flipped you over as you lay beneath him. you continued to try and hide, embarrassed by how easily jisung could get you all hot and bothered.

for god’s sake, he had you blushing as he danced away from you!

“whatever,” you huffed, feeling defeated against your boyfriend as he just smiled, his eyes practically sparklingly under the low lights of the studio.

it had only been you two in the room for quite some time, but even if there was a whole crowd of people, the two of you wouldn’t even notice, too caught up in one another to even care.

“i missed you, baby.” he whispered as if it were some secret message only for your ears. leaning down, jisung began to litter your face with kisses. beginning at the collar of your shirt all the way to your forehead, missing your lips purposely.

this did no justice to your cheeks, only making you grow hotter. “i-i missed you too… ji.” your hands rested on his neck softly, having to ground yourself from the god who was park jisung.

you felt him smirk against your skin, fully aware of how flustered he had made you. his face hovered inches away from yours, his eyes flicking between your eyes and lips.

you didn’t have to think twice. leaning up to finally connect your lips, you immediately grew confused as jisung pulled further away.

“what? what’s wrong?” you questioned since jisung never resisted you, ever.

he just smiled, leaning back to sit and pulling out his phone to scroll aimlessly.

“babe?” you leaned over, trying to see what could have grabbed his attention all of a sudden. before you could even catch a glimpse, jisung turned fully away and blocked his screen.

“jisung!” you yelled, trying to snatch his phone. undoubtedly, he was stronger than you, so no amount of grabbing was able to make him budge.

sighing, you fell back, defeated and growing very annoyed at your boyfriend. “park jisung.” you scolded, knowing that anytime you referred to him in that manner, he knew you were serious. this time, though, he didn’t even acknowledge you.

“you’re such a dick, i’m leaving.” you quickly grabbed your bag, making your way towards the door. you turned back halfway, catching him looking up at you with a devilish smirk before quickly looking back down.

“i’m serious, park; i'm leaving.” you spoke, unsuccessfully provoking a reaction from him, and you continued your walk to the door.

just as your hand met the cool handle of the big gray door, a hand landed on your wrist, stopping all attempts to escape.

“baby, i’m sorry, i’m sorry!” you could hear jisung trying to hold back his laugh. his big hand came to cover his smirking lips, eyes wide, looking at your cold expression.

you dropped your hands, leaning against the door. “not funny," you mumbled, looking your boyfriend dead in the eyes while he continued to try and not laugh.

you pushed his chest harshly, growing annoyed at his little joke. “you think this is funny?” you yelled. he knew you were being dramatic, so he continued to laugh as you hit him repeatedly.

“baby, baby, stop!" he put his hands up to shield himself from your attempts to give him a piece of his own medicine, but still, you came out unsuccessful.

you huffed, staring at your boyfriend’s stupid smirk for the thousandth time. “for someone who begged to have me here today, you're making it really hard to want to hang out with you.” you spit, planting your hands on your hips to try and stand your ground.

his smirk quickly turned into a pout. “no, baby, i’m sorry really sorry. i was being stupid and trying to be funny.” he looped his hands between your arms to hold your waist as you tried to stay stiff as a board.

noticing the fight you tried to put up, jisung knew exactly how to get you to crumble. like earlier, he began kissing you all over, rubbing your hips, and raking his fingers in your hair.

you tried, you really did, but how could you when park jisung was kissing and touching you like that.

he mimicked his earlier actions, pulling away slightly looking at your lips. you were not about to let him have the upper hand; before he could say a word, you grabbed his neck and crashed his lips against yours.

he yelped in shock, making you smile at how you now had the upper hand, even if jisung towered over you in comparison.

you kissed him feverishly, tongue and all. he groaned as your hands pulled at his hair, his fingers tightening their grip on your hips. your lips felt so good against his, he nearly forgot how pissed you were at him only moments prior.

jisung’s hands continued to roam up your back and lower, backing your bodies to the couch. you nearly forgot your anger as well, melting into a puddle of need right beneath jisung’s feet.

snapping out of your daze, you pulled away swiftly, hitting his chest to knock him out of his trance and disconnect your bodies. “see you later, park.” you spun on your heels and quickly made your way out the door.

“what! baby, what?” he took after you as you ran down the hallway to escape.

let’s just say you didn’t get too far before jisung had you all to himself again. but you weren’t really complaining. not even a little bit.

 notes | FINALLY JISUNG YAAAAAAS he has infiltrating my brain recently lol. also, every single time he said “baby” in this i just thought ab THAT livestream where he said it 😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫 anywayssss i hope to write a halloween special sometime this weekend or maybe even two (tee hee) but thank you guys so so much for all the love!!!

[eepwriting]

Hi, since your alphabet for IV included him not being as experienced as he seems, would you be interested in something where both him and reader talk a big game, only to get to their first time together and awkwardly have to reveal neither of them know as much as they seem? I feel like it would be kinda funny and sweet

You Can Touch Me ✶ IV x GN! Reader

Warnings: kissing, drinking

Omg omg omg I love this. Thank you so much for this!🤍 It’s more of a blurb because I didn’t want to ruin the sweetness with full on smut lol

⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺ ⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺ ⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺ ⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺ ⁺˚

You had an…odd relationship with iv. The two of you relentlessly flirted with each other, often shared loving and teasing touches, found yourselves in a couple of tipsy kisses. Definitely more than just friends but neither of you had ever tried to take things any further.

You couldn’t deny the massive crush you had on him, but you were admittedly intimidated by him. You had only been in a single relationship, and you didn’t dare let iv know that. Sure, he had asked about previous relationships or flings you had but you always kept it very vague. Never revealing any numbers, letting him guess for fun. You let him believe you had more experience than you really did. He constantly makes remarks about how you must have a whole roster of people throwing themselves at you.

The first time he said that, you ran with it. It helped you feel more on his level, because you just knew that man got around. He himself knew he was attractive and he let everyone around him know that.

Your inexperience was really the whole reason you never tried to take things further with iv. You were scared, didn’t even know where to start.

You watch him from across the room. Despite the high energy of the small house party you were currently at, you could really only focus on him. You had always found his overwhelming suave and cool demeanor almost intoxicating. You always notice the way energy shifts when he walks into a room, all eyes on him.

You catch iv’s eyes when he looks over at you, sending a wink your way. You give him a flirty smile, nodding your head to the side in a way to call him over. His eyes rake over you quickly before he turns back to the small group of people he was talking to. A short while later he saunters over to you.

“You clean up nice.” He says, his eyes scanning over you again.

“I was gonna say the same thing about you.” You giggle, taking a sip of your drink.

He reaches out to pull you into a hug, humming as he wraps his arms around you. He sways you side to side before pulling away to look at you. The way he’s watching you makes you nervous. There’s a look in his eye you don’t think you’ve ever seen.

You reach out and grab his hand. “You okay? You seem distracted.”

He nods at you, leaning down to you slightly. His eyes are glossy as he looks at you. “Can I kiss you?”

You’re taken aback by the forwardness of his question but giggle and nod your head. Reaching up, you tug his mask over his mouth before pressing your lips to his.

The two of you had shared kisses here and there, usually just small pecks, always pulling away laughing together. This time it felt different though, like there was a neediness behind his movements. His hands slide up your arms to cup your face in his hands. You can taste the alcohol on his tongue when he pushes it past your lips. You hear the faintest groan from him and your pulse quickens.

This is way more than either of you had done and you were nervous on how to react. You’d be lying if you said his actions were having no effect on you. The way his hands held your face so tenderly, they way his lips and tongue moved against your own, it made you dizzy.

“Can I take you somewhere else?” He pulls away breathlessly.

You panic at his words but your head nods quickly. He’s fast to grab your hand and drag you to the nearest room, ushering you inside and locking the door behind himself. His mouth is on yours again but his hands stay by his sides. You hesitantly reach up to hold his shoulders.

You itch to feel his hands on you. Reaching down, you grab his hand, placing it on your own hip. “You can touch me, you know.” You let out a small laugh as you pull away from him, your hands hooking around the back of his neck.

His hand squeezes your side slightly before he speaks. “I’m sorry, I’m just a little nervous right now.” His previous calm, cool and collected demeanor had seemed to slip away now that the two of you were alone. His eyes dart around the room.

You let out the breath you’re holding, a small bit of relief fills you. “Nervous? Why are you nervous?” Your mind races with answers he could give you.

He sheepishly shrugs, his eyes never looking into yours for long. “Uh, I’ve only ever been with one person and it’s been a while. You make me nervous. I feel like I don’t know what I’m doing.” He speaks quickly and breathes out a shy laugh.

You’re caught off guard by his answer. A million questions race through your mind. One person? How is that even possible? “How? You’re…you.” You laugh. “I don’t know what I’m doing either. I’m freaking out over here.”

Confusion flashes across iv’s face as he takes a small step away from you. “What do you mean?”

“I’ve only been with one person. I play up my dating life so I can relate to you. I thought you got around.” You shrug and laugh again, your hands sliding down to hold his hands.

He’s quiet for a moment before he laughs as well, stepping closer to you. “Definitely don’t get around.” He smiles as he shakes his head. “I wanted to impress you, I think.”

Blushes rises to your cheeks as you pull him to you, lips meeting his in a sweet, shy kiss. His arms are slow to wrap themselves around your waist. Your heart beats even faster when he pulls you flush against him. Your hands reach up to rest on his shoulders again.

He pulls away, letting out a deep breath and clears his throat. “Sorry, still freaking out a little.” You can’t see his cheeks but you imagine they’re stained a pretty red.

“It’s okay. Me too.” You cup his face in your hands. “We’ll figure this out together.” You laugh.

He laughs and nods, pulling you to him again, still smiling as he presses his lips to yours.

⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺ ⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺ ⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺ ⁺˚⋆｡°✩₊✩°｡⋆˚⁺ ⁺˚

ANON!! I was struggling with this lol idk why tho. I hope it’s not horrible 🫣

K. Bye bye.

[httpiastri]

missing ur fics... what are the chances of a paul's new year fic w popstar reader? 😭🙏

aaaaa so sorry for not writing a lot recently :( ive just had zero inspiration and major writers block..... but at least i could squeeze out some lame headcanons on this topic?? sorry again 😭

– paul is so giddy for this new year's... because sure he's had a few girlfriends here and there before but he never actually got to properly spend nye with one

– until this year!

– he was so excited when he heard that she was free from work on new year's and even more excited when she agreed to come to estonia to celebrate it with him

– he had the whole day planned out; brunch at some cute place in town, dinner with his friends in the evening, and then taking her alone to a specific place he picked out to see the fireworks

– it's a bit out of town, somewhere the city lights wouldn't bother them as much and they could be higher up to see it all clearly, and since it's kinda remote there wouldn't be anyone around! just the two of them alone

– paul would be very touchy this day? to kinda remind himself that this is indeed happening, he is spending new years with his beautiful girlfriend and everything is perfect and he just wants to make sure she's there all the time (even if she's like sitting in his car or next to him in a restaurant lol)

– when they were standing there, arms around each other and looking up at the sky, waiting for the fireworks... i feel like paul wouldn't just be all quiet and wait for the midnight kiss and then go home? he had this feeling that he needed to do something more... so he started talking and expressing his feelings

– cue a whole ass speech from him about how much she means to him and how happy he is to have her in his life... how glad he is that they got together in 2024 and how much better his life is and how excited he is to go into 2025 with her!! and your girl is just standing there in shock like? where did this come from?? with tears beginning to form in her eyes

– and then the fireworks go off in the background signaling that it's midnight and so his hands on her hips pull her in, her arms drape over his shoulders, and their lips meet in a kiss to ensure a 2025 filled with only love <3

– (i also feel like she definitely set up her camera somewhere near the car without paul noticing? to get a video of the two of them with the fireworks in the background... and the outcome was perfect, with them just being silhouettes against the night sky so it's really hard to tell who they are; so perfect that she couldn't help but post a snippet or screenshot to her instagram story and properly launch their relationship for the first time ever even though you couldn't see their faces. and paul would see it when scrolling through his instagram later the same night, but he's very tired and maybe a bit tipsy so he doesn't realize that she is the one who posted it? so he goes "were there paparazzi there?!" 😭 and when he realizes that she hard launched their relationship in front of all of his followers, he gets so soft and so fuzzy and just so so in love)