#but yeah happy birthday to icicle too!!!

[shiftywing]

WINTER DAY AGAIN

[angelickisscs]

trent jealousy!

nothing else matters ~ trent alexander-arnold

୨ ୧ ˚₊ pairing ~ trent alexander-arnold x reader

summary: sharing a friend group with your ex is not the most practical thing ever

a/n: this is awful sorry but i got desperate to post something

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO you, happy birthday dear Maya."

Birthdays had alwaysbeen a momentous occasion throughout the longevity of your group’s friendship. Out of the 365 days that built up the full year, each of you always made sure to make the special day centred around that singular important someone.

No matter what had happened throughout the days leading up to it, on those days, nothing else mattered.

Or at least that was what had spiralled around your mind. It had created its own staircase over the several hours you had recited that to yourself, creating space for the next set of the recurring words.

It had claimed more control than it could deal with, the size of boots it had picked being far too large. You had kept yourself so busy that you were in and out of consciousness, the chair you had strategically placed yourself behind being the only thing keeping you standing at that moment in time.

Maya blew out the candles with a smile bigger than you believed she could fit on her face. The Mamma Mia themed cake that she had non-stop talked about for the majority of last year that continued until only two weeks ago, sat placed in front of her.

Your two other friends had done the honour of brining it out towards her, shielding the candles with their hands to keep the wind from doing what it had threatened to that whole night.

“Thank you, thank you!” She squealed loudly, looking to everyone crowded around her with

such gratefulness that it was a high possibility she could explode.

His hand landed on your lower back whilst he adjusted himself from his seated position to your left so he could properly look at you.

The action caught your attention quicker than it would usually as it did the same for the man sat next to the birthday girl. His eyes held a certain weight to them, locking onto you with such a strong unreadable emotion that it soaked its venom into every inch of your innocent flesh.

“You alright?” Ben asked you, trying everything he could so he could look you directly in the eye. By the time he had officially managed to, his body sat at such an unnatural position it would be no surprise if he would end up texting you to complain about the back pain he had ‘randomly’ picked up.

“Me? Yes, yeah. Awesome.” Your voice was an approximate three octaves higher than you would usually reach, the need to get away from the male species reaching heights that could challenge Mount Everest.

He smiled sweetly at your response, “That’s good.”

Mustering a smile to respond with, you began to excuse yourself from around the table. It only took creating the ruse that was grabbing something from your car for people to accept your absence for a matter of minutes.

You inhaled the icy air that ran its fingertips across the usual soggy atmosphere the second you exited the house. The air that had once surrounded you was becoming heavy, slowly creating a dangerously shallow ability to breathe. It forced you to suffer its wrath the harshest, the desperate gasps that escaped from you making that painfully evident.

Your lips felt moments away from becoming numb despite the very few seconds you had spend in the outdoors.

The ground was slightly damp beneath your harsh steps. The dew of impending snow that the news had warned everyone about weakening everything around. Even as you subjected the innocent spikes of grass to the vicious murder spree that was your heels, they laid limp, crushing and bleeding under the spears.

It was a deep sapphire that painted the sky in that moment, echoing with the sounds of blackbirds singing and everyone’s shouts of celebration. The bird’s voices resounding through the freezing air, coating every exhale with icicles that pierced deep into your uncovered skin.

Swinging open your car door, you leant in to grab the singular object you had left the comfort of your friends’ house for. A jacket.

Why would you need it whilst being inside? You couldn’t give an acceptable answer.

“Hey.” A voice snuck up from behind you, sending you flying upwards to hit your head on the hardest part of your car. “Sorry! I was really trying not to scare you.”

You placed your hand atop of the injury site, flinching it away the second your fingers hovered ever so slightly near it, the pain being far too harsh at that moment. “Ben. You really can’t be doing that.”

His hands lingered around his grimaced face. The guilt was evident however every small thing that led up to this specific interaction had left your patience thinner than average.

“I was really hoping to catch you alone tonight. I need to talk to you about something.” Ben took a step closer towards you.

“I-I really have to get back inside. Maybe another time?”

Ben was quick to refuse the alternative you had kindly given, another step being taken towards you. The car stood its ground firmly, leaving only another two steps before an uncomfortable amount of distance between the two of you was yet to be cleared.

He took a deep breath, using up any extra air on which you could rely. “I like someone, and I was thinking that you could help me out with that.”

Closing your eyes momentarily, you regained the composure that you could grasp at.

“Oh! Who? Do I know them?” You coated your voice with fawned interest.

“Very well.”

The pure fluffiness of the clouds that hung confidently in the sky was evidence towards why people compared it to candy floss. They looked edible, comfortable even. A necessary escape from the direction the conversation was heading in.

“Is it Maya? You know what, I’ve always thought you would be cute together.” Throwing the jacket over your shoulders to lessen the blow of his upcoming words, you diverted your gaze elsewhere.

Flowers surrounded the building you had just exited, no protection offered for when severe weather decided to make its name for itself. They sat susceptible to whatever the universe threw at them.

“No, you know here a lot better than that.” Another dreaded step.

“Olivia? She’s actually-.” An emergency plan began forming in your head, the large red button that had appeared in the back of your mind when you had broken up with Trent had been pressed.

“Do I know her?”

His voice was more angelic than you had ever heard before, the shadow his figure casted against the man in front of you causing a small lack in vision.

Ben turned around to meet him face to face, taking away your access to see what was happening on his overly expressive face. His shoulders seemed to tense, his back straightening as though he was becoming prey.

“I’m just going to go. I’ll see you inside y/n?” His voice was frigid as the words that he spoke seemed to crumble upon meeting with the harsh gaze that welcomed them once they exited their safehouse. You felt a soft pang of guilt ripple throughout your body as you stood there, unable to do anything but send him a sorrowful smile as he made his long-awaited exit.

Trent was soon filling his empty space, leaving you with no chance to escape from him in the same way. A soft flurry of smoke felt over his lips. The suit he was wearing was warm, brandished with deep cologne that seemed to climb up your figure, lacking any effort in doing so. The few buttons that were originally sculpted to cover the first part of his chest were left undone, showing off the golden chain he had placed around his neck.

“I thought that you might be out here.” His response rolled from his lips as if it were a part of the trickling wind passing by.

Nodding your head, you didn’t bother to speak your response. Though the situation you had previously found yourself in was bad enough, this surpassed it very quickly. One thing was certain for today, the world was not spinning in your favour.

The world fell quiet again, immersing you in a void of silence that was so strong it began to shake your body. With Trent standing next you, his broad figure looking so lost amongst the mixture of trees going on behind him, it was becoming increasingly hard to think.

“I’ve been wanting to speak to you as well. But he can’t seem to leave your side.”

A scoff fell past your lips, the wind quick to snatch it from in front of you and run away with it.

“I can’t do this today.” You responded in a hardly audible whisper, using it as an excuse to excuse yourself yet again. Trent was quick to react to your movements, his fingertips offering you the warmth you had been craving. The world stopped without delay; you await a reasonable response, but nothing appeared.

His knuckles wrapped so tightly it caused a bleed of a ghastly white to flush across them. Trent’s lip parted, preparing themselves to say something that would stop you from leaving him but the only thing that slipped past them was a loud sigh.

“I was beginning to think the two of you were together.” He finally admitted, his shoulders slumping in a makeshift relief.

You rolled your eyes, taking a millimetre of a step back just to feel as though you had put any form of distance between the two of you, “That’s none of your business. Not anymore.”

The lingering space between you disappeared within seconds, his head leaning in to seal the deal.

“I wish it still was.” Trent’s words were fast to process in her mind, his lips practically kissing your ear every time he spoke from closeness, the warmth that exited with every letter crawling down you.

Exhaling a deep breath, your eyes brought themselves upwards to stare at the sky. His presence was enough to start a civil war within you. The two sides argued relentlessly as to whether you should let him back in. Both failed the simple task that was giving a reasonable argument for their actions which consequently left you in a vulnerable situation.

Every muscle in your body came together in full cooperation to lift your arms up to move him away from you and even then, they fell flat against his hardened chest. It was such a small action, one that to most would mean nothing. But to him, to him it gave him every ounce of permission that he was asking for.

His lips were gentle across your collarbone, a stepping stone to getting you right where he would want you. You could feel him smirk against your skin as your head lulled to the side to make sure he had full access.

“Okay, I would find it much better if we were to talk.” Seemingly coming to your senses, you watched as he looked up towards you with the most convincing puppy eyes you had ever caught sight of.

Trent didn’t move whilst he watched you, a playful glint catching onto the moonlight, “What if I don’t want to talk anymore?”

“That would be perfect because I don’t want too either.”

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Kalim, Lilia: What else can I do?

KALIM MY SON MY PRECIOUS SUNSHINE CHILD 🥺 Sorry for getting this out late—

BRUH YOU DON’T KNOW HOW VALIDATING IT WAS FOR ME TO READ THESE VIGNETTES I’ve literally been saying this entire time that Kalim’s way underestimated as a leader despite his social intelligence 😭T HANK YOU LILIA FOR CONFIRMING TO US THAT KALIM IS A GOOD JUDGE OF CHARACTER AND THANK YOU KALIM FOR CONTINUING TO GROW HNGNGNGGNHHGHGHGHGHGHGHGHHHHHH

Imagine this...

"I always see Sebek scolding Silver. He does that because he cares for him, right?

Lilia suppressed a chuckle. “Yes, that would not be incorrect to say.”

“Gahahah!” Kalim’s full-bellied laugh rolled across the lavishly carpeted floors, his smile lighting up the entire room. Sunshine spilled in from wide windows, and out from within the birthday boy. “Sebek must have a really big heart for all that love!”

A chortle slipped out of his interviewer.

“Kufufu. He is very passionate in expressing himself.” Fingers curled under Lilia’s chin. “To think that you’d pick one of my own… I’m positively ecstatic~ You’ve made a good judgement call, Kalim.”

“Eh, I have?”

“Indeed.” Lilia nodded knowingly, his eyes creasing—a subtle shine of elation. “Most find Sebek too brash and bold to approach. Ah, but you—you’ve so easily stripped away that harsh exterior and gotten right to his core. You are able to see the forest for its trees. Not many can compare to that discerning eye of yours, Kalim.”

“Thanks, Lilia!! I’ve never thought of it like that! Jamil says I can be pretty careless when I just say what my gut feeling is…”

“Then your gut is very accurate. You have a strength that comes so naturally to you. The ability to read and to understand others is a wonderfully indispensable skill for a leader.”

Lilia beamed, slapping a playful hand on the birthday boy’s back. “Fufu. I approve of you to serve as Sebek’s elder brother. Be certain that you swing him around in your arms often, just as you do with your siblings!”

Kalim took the joke with ease, barely pausing for a beat before replying, “I’ll try!! I’d love to spoil him too! … But I shouldn’t. Not yet.”

“Hmm? Now what might you mean by that, I wonder?”

“It’s like... I think I need someone like Sebek around--someone who’ll scold me and tell me when I’m doing something wrong.”

“Is that not what Jamil already does for you?”

“Yeah, but...” A pensive look formed on Kalim’s face. “Lately I’ve been thinking of how I can help him. Jamil does so much for me, and I’ve realized that I haven’t done a lot for him in return. And when I do try to help, I just screw things up and make more trouble for him.”

His shoulders slightly sagged as a thought crossed his mind.

I’ve... always caused trouble for him.

The memories collected one by one. Particles of sand falling into a mound. From the top bulb, funneled through the neck, and to the bottom bulb. The happy moments, times spent playing together, chasing each other in the bazaar, dancing in the garden, splashing in the water, snacking and studying…

All of it, a pretense, shattered by his words. A thin, potent poison ran along them, bitter and bleak.

“As long as you exist, I will never be free,” Jamil had snarled. His face had been so twisted then--calm, and yet his eyes were as pointed and as cold as icicles, sharpened to form blades. Ink engulfing him, creeping over his skin like a swarm of locusts consuming a fresh feast.

All the hate he had kept bottled up, at last eating him alive.

Hate that had stemmed from him.

From Kalim.

His smiles, his laughter.

His ignorance.

Kalim inclined his head, letting the brim of his hat eclipsed his garnet eyes. “... For a long time, I’ve hurt Jamil without realizing it. I don’t want to do it again--not to Jamil, not to anyone. That’s why I’ve been thinking: how can I be better? What else can I do?”

“Kalim...”

“I don’t notice stuff myself. I need that kind of criticism so I know when I’ve done something wrong, so one day I won’t need Sebek or Jamil or anyone to tell me I’ve made a mess, so I can the kind of dignified person that people will follow. Someone that’s earned the seat of dorm leader.”

Someone that’s worthy of being Jamil’s friend and rival.

In spite of the shadow cast over Kalim’s eyes, they glittered just as bright as ever. “Until that day comes, I’ve got to work hard. Then, one day...”

I can be where he is, as his equal.

Kalim didn’t complete his sentence out loud, letting the last of his words hang in the air--raindrops suspended, not yet fallen to the ground. A pocket of solemn silence in an otherwise loud, lively party.

No one heard the rest but Kalim.

“... I understand.”

Lilia patted his junior on the head, gently stroking his hair. “There’s no need to rush growing up. I have no doubt that you will rise to the occasion when the time calls for it.”

“Really? You think so?”

“I know so.” Lilia chuckled, indicating an open window. “You’ll rise through the roof, to the skies, without a magic carpet ride, but on your own power. If you continue to work hard and be mindful, surely that wish you’ve stowed away in your heart will come true.”

“Aww, you always know just what to say to make me feel better! You’re awesome, Lilia!!”

“Of course, of course… but at this very moment, do not concern yourself with me.” The fae smirked, retracting his hand. Reaching into his jacket, he magically pulled out a pie, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “You need only eat, drink, and be merry!”

“Ahhhh, you’ve got me there!!” Kalim cried with a laugh. “Is it time for the Gift of Good Fortune already? It’s still a ‘gift’, so I’ll happily accept it!!”

“My, such a good sport. I’ll do my best to deliver your gift to you.” Lilia tossed the pie into the air, testing its weight as it fell back into his palm. His lips folded into a grin as he brought the pie back. Stance practiced, arm poised, as if this was done he had done many times over.

“Good fortune and the happiest of birthdays to you, Kalim!!”

SPLAT!!

The pie was a direct hit on the lower half of Kalim’s face, the whipped cream forming a cloud on his chin we the paper plate slid to the floor. The result was the birthday boy dressed handsomely in a fluffy, airy facial hair. Seconds later, the whipped cream plopped off and joined the plate on the floor, leaving Kalim with traces of a sweet-tasting stubble behind.

“K-Kfffft!!” Lilia bent over, clutching his stomach to prevent a howl from escaping. Between giggles, he managed, “M-My liege…! How big and bushy your beard is!!”

Kalim took the joke in good faith and with a large grin. Beckoning with a hand, he said, “You don’t need to bow! Raise your head!!”

Lilia lifted his gaze as he had been commanded to—and found Kalim picking a pie off a nearby table. He raised an eyebrow at his junior.

“I want to join in on the fun, too!! C’mon, grab another one!! We can have a food fight, you and me!”

“Haha, very well. I cannot turn down a request from our beloved birthday boy.” Lilia’s eyes slightly narrowed. “Kufufu. You’d best be prepared for combat! I cannot promise that you will make it out of this experience alive.”

“Yup!! Let’s sing! Let’s dance!! Let’s die… of fun!!”

Kalim’s smile was as certain as the sun, promising to reach ever upward.

[curiousb]

The Crawford Family Album: Volume I

It’s high time to catch up with the graduates, now that they have all settled back into Merybury.

First, my favourites (I can’t help it), Lydia Bennet and Henry Crawford. They’re both still resolutely anti-commitment, but nonetheless happy to share their frolicking, free-spirited lives (mostly) with each other. 

Since Lydia Loves To Swim, they found themselves a house right on the beach.

Just like all my other Sims, they can’t afford to fully furnish their new home (I’m playing without using any money cheats), but they had just enough money for the essentials, such as a sofa - of which they immediately took full advantage, regardless of the passing paperboy.

The problem with this (especially when you have an individual Risky Woohoo rate of 26%, as Lydia does), is that it tends to lead to this...

Please welcome Merybury’s first new baby, Cassandra Crawford! (Pregnancy is a short-and-sweet 24 hours in my game.)

Henry, and Lydia too, it must be said, make surprisingly attentive parents!

But since babies don’t do very much, and patience is not one of my virtues, they don’t stay babies very long in my game (just one day, thanks to @simnopke’s ‘1yearAs1dayLifespan’ mod). Cassandra certainly hit the genetics jackpot!

~ Virgo 4 / 10 / 5 / 10 / 3

(I have @episims​’s ‘Baby Personality’ mod, so the personalities of born-in-game Sims don’t necessarily tally with their astrological sign, which I think is more fun anyway!)

~ Over-Emotional / Charismatic

(I mostly determine 3t2 Traits using my monster spreadsheet, so these are not necessarily ‘traditional’ toddler traits, although I do try to keep them age-appropriate; e.g. no Flirty toddlers/kids. I still occasionally use the Trait Randomizer, for a bit of, well, randomness!)

She’s also a little on the demanding side!

But thankfully easily pacified by a nursery rhyme.

You might - or might not - be pleased to know that motherhood has not changed Lydia one iota, and she takes the opportunity, while Henry is at work, to invite an old friend round to help her test out the new hot tub. They don’t even have a full complement of kitchen cabinets, but a hot tub was an absolutely essential purchase out of Henry’s first pay packet, as far as they were both concerned.

And then things got a bit chaotic, and I completely neglected to record the arrival of Cassandra’s little sister, Frances, right until she aged up to toddler!

Another cutie! And also Henry’s daughter, not John Willoughby’s.

~ Leo 6 / 9 / 4 / 8 / 4

~ Brave / Excitable

The two girls shared a birthday, so while Frances was getting all the attention, Cassandra aged up all alone, with only Mr Wobbly Wabbit Head to witness the event. Despite being a bit of an attention-seeker, Cassandra took it in her stride.

~ Virgo 4 / 10 / 5 / 10 / 3

~ Over-Emotional / Charismatic / Star Quality (randomized, and it suited her!)

~ OTH: Games

~ Favourite Colour(s): Pink / Black (My rule is that the colour of their everyday outfit when they age up to child is their favourite.)

Being as Outgoing as you can get, after a change of attire, Cassandra rushes outside to greet her aunt, Mary Bennet, who thoughtfully pops by every day, sometimes more than once (she’s so diligent), to steal the newspaper.

Yeah, I’m not sure that a water-balloon fight on a cold winter’s night is such a great idea...

I hate to say I told you so... Poor Mary turns into an icicle, while Cassandra leaves her to her fate...

...to go indoors and play with her baby sister. Oh, those Sims!

[sserpente]

A/N: Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear Loki, Happy Birthday to you! Let’s wish our favourite Trickster all the best! ♥ Requests from @hanzimmer and anon.

Words: 2422 Warnings: so much fluff, Asgardian!Reader

Midgard wasn’t so bad after all. You hadn’t been so sure—after all, you had heard the stories. Pollution of all kind, wars over silly things like religion and food drenched in unsaturated fats. You wrinkled your nose, hoping that Thor had organised some proper snacks for his Yule… no, you corrected yourself, his Christmas party.

He had invited his closest friends from Asgard—Heimdall, Sif, Volstagg, Hogun, Fandral and you. Heimdall was the only one who, for obvious reasons, had been unable to attend. So here you were now, walking towards this huge building they called Stark Tower. You were familiar. Loki had used it to open a portal to lead an alien army to New York City.

You smiled at the thought of meeting Loki again despite of what he had done. Odin had sentenced him to remain among the mortals for a few centuries to come, serving and aiding them if need be, as an “Avenger”. You had not seen him since the day he had let himself fall into the void beneath the Bifrost, believed him dead and mourned and cried your oldest and most dearest childhood friend… and had rejoiced and hurt all at the same time when he returned and wreaked havoc on Earth.

He must have changed so much—but not enough for you to stop loving him. He had no idea, of course. You had been friends for as long as you could remember and Thor had always been around too. He had loved occupying your attention by bragging with his berserker skills wielding his hammer and creating thunder and lightning.

You suppressed a giggle. Loki and you had often sneaked off together after supper, stealing some fancy dessert and hiding somewhere in the castle so you could chat in peace. How often had you wished Loki would dare a chaste kiss then?

Looking back at it today, it made you wonder if Thor had purposely tried to keep you away from his adoptive brother. Come to think of it, he had always attempted to find a way to embarrass Loki one way or another, and often with the help of his friends who were currently walking right next to you, a little confused about the elevator technology in this realm.

When the metal doors opened again with a pling, you were not disappointed. Thor had decorated the spacious living area with all the Christmas decorations Earth had to offer. There were tinsel and baubles and other ornaments, nutcrackers and fake icicles and snow, sparkling Christmas trees, countless holiday lights blinking away, candy canes, gingerbreads and a massive Santa Clause statue.

“My friends! I’m so glad you could make it!”

The other people in the room you knew from Thor’s stories whenever he returned to Asgard to see if everything is alright. You recognised Captain America instantly due to the muscles and Hawkeye and Black Widow. The two men remaining must have been Tony Stark and the scientist who turned green when he was angry. The person you were interested in the most, however, was the god dressed in green and black next to Thor.

Your face lit up when you spotted Loki and his lips parted barely noticeably in response. You greeted Thor with a brief hug but never took your eyes off of him. Then, for a second, you took in his appearance, admiring how much more grown he looked… how much more mature and experienced. His innocence, so you realised, had vanished from his aura like damp fog in a forest.

You shivered when he spoke your name. “Good to see you.” You weren’t quite sure what he had expected from you but apparently not that you would throw yourself into his arms, pressing yourself against him as if he were a piece of wood in midst of a roaring sea.

“How are you doing, you silly Trickster?” You muttered once you managed to let go of him again, almost complaining when his hands left your body.

His smile was faint but honest, albeit there was still confusion sparkling in his eyes.

“I didn’t think you would be glad to see me.” He admitted instead of responding.

“W-why wouldn’t I be? Loki, I haven’t seen you in years. I thought I had lost you. Did Thor not tell you how the guards almost threw me in prison because they wouldn’t let me see you after New York?”

He frowned. “Not a word.”

“I almost stabbed them… I missed you.”

Loki had no chance to reply this time. Volstagg scattered forth towards the buffet, forcing you to step aside and indicating Thor must have finally started the festivities. You had barely risked a look at the buffet yourself yet but the selection of cookies, cakes and sandwiches looked indeed very promising.

The Warriors Three and Sif made sure to ignore Loki as best as they could—they had nothing to say to him anymore, after all and just like back in the old days, Thor made no move to change that. So while he was introducing them to some Midgardian Christmas traditions, you stepped aside with the fizzy drink he had handed you, quietly talking to Loki.

“Loki!” Volstagg suddenly called out, followed by a chuckle by Fandral. “You need a refill.”

You covered your own glass when they poured the same pinkish liquid (Thor had said it was ‘cotton candy liqueur’) into Loki’s who watched the scene with utter dismay. You could see Thor grinning from the corners of your eye and even Hogun was cracking a smile—Sif only rolled her eyes and one of the mortal men you did not know and had not yet made any effort to get introduced to, pressed his lips together so he would not burst out laughing. Idiots. Just leave him alone for once, will you?

“Who is who?” You asked once they had turned away again. “I recognise the redhead and the archer, and Captain America, what about the others?”

“Stark is the man to the left.” Loki said, downing almost the entire drink at once. Alcohol was supposed to numb unease, after all.

“The one with the beard?” The one who had failed to show his amusement when Volstagg clearly made Loki uncomfortable, you added mutely.

“Yes. The other is Bruce Banner.”

“The Hulk.” He nodded.

“How are they… treating you here?”

Loki snorted. “After what I have done? They seem to have forgotten I was the reason they assembled in the first place, not, however, that it was I who attempted to subjugate the planet.”

You glanced at him for a moment. “What happened, Loki? You were never like that. You never wanted a throne, you merely wanted your father to treat you and Thor as equals. Why Midgard?” Loki’s expression was pained, yet at the same time, relief flooded him. No, you were right—he had never been like that. Thor had still not realised that but here you were, his oldest friend whom he had secretly been in love with for decades, realising in a mere second that there was going on with him.

“Not here.” He shook his head slightly, making you frown. Something was up, you could tell. Something weighed heavy on his mind, tearing him down. You sighed. It was nothing new that besides Frigga before her death, no one but you ever truly bothered to listen to what Loki had to say. It had never been as important as what Thor had had to say.

Not here, he had said. Well then for now, all you could do was cheer him up a little. “What cake is that?”

Loki raised his eyebrows, irritated by the sudden change of topic. “Thor said something about marshmallows.”

“What are marshmallows?” He shrugged. “It looks really good though…” You said, a devilish grin forming on your lips. “What do you think? Let us grab that cake and get out of here?” Just like in the old times?

Loki smiled—it suited him, being this blithe. You wondered when he had last had the chance to be like that. Sneakily, you reached for some white forks (they were very light, a very cheap material, apparently) all the while Loki yoinked the cake. You made sure no one would notice before you followed him out of the vast room and took the elevator to another level where it was so quiet one could have heard a needle drop.

“Where exactly are we going?”

“My room,” he answered. “I am quite surprised they gave me one to be truly honest.”

But very apparently, their generosity had been kept within limits. Compared to his chambers back on Asgard, Loki’s room here on Midgard was pathetically small. A single bed and a desk along with a wardrobe and a tiny bedside table were the only items of furniture and to be quite frank, the room resembled a prison cell more than a proper accommodation. Unlike the rest of the Tower, there was not a single piece of Christmas decoration in here. You were almost disappointed. Surely, Loki would adore some green and gold tinsel as well. You wondered if Thor had even bothered to ask if he wanted any.

You didn’t need his permission to sit on his bed, you had never needed it back on Asgard either. Loki and you were so close you sometimes wondered why he had never tried to take you with him on his conquest. You wouldn’t have minded to be the queen of evil if only that meant you could be with him…

Loki sat down next to you, setting both your glasses aside. You grinned when you handed him a fork and you both dug into the marshmallow cake as if it was going to be your last meal.

“Oh…” You mused. “It really is good.”

“Hmm…” He confirmed.

You giggled. “I’m glad you didn’t lose your sweet tooth.”

Your heart jumped when Loki winked at you, his mouth still full of cake. You had already transformed the pretty and edible creation into an utter crumbly mess but then again, who needed those paper plates these mortals used as dishes, regardless of the cute snowmen and snowflakes on them?

“It was not the same without you, you know.” You said then.

“I bet Thor kept you occupied.”

You shook your head, the both of you still munching away.

“We barely spoke after your death, I mean… after we thought you had died… to be truly honest, I think I only tolerated Thor because he is your brother.”

Loki tilted his head. “One might think it was the other way around.”

“Yeah… that’s probably what he is telling his mortal friends right now. I meant it, Loki. I really missed you. I was heartbroken when they told me you had flung yourself down the Bifrost…”

“And then?” He interrupted. “Were you repulsed when you learned about what I did here on Midgard?”

You shook your head. “I was worried for you. You were always on my mind. Did you… Did you ever think about me?”

“Well, of course I have, I love you.” He blurted out, only to close his mouth in utter shock the fraction of a second after.

You nearly choked on the cake. “W-what did you just say?”

“N-nothing, I… I said I have been in love with you unconditionally for centuries.” Loki bit his tongue, his eyes widening. You had positively never heard him stutter before. What he was saying was true, there was no mischievous sparkle in his blue eyes, but even though your heart leaped at the thought of him reciprocating your romantic feelings, your first instinct was to figure out what had made him spill the truth like that.

Unceremoniously, you reached for his pinkish drink and gave it a smell. Yours smelled different, without a doubt.

“Oh, Loki… they’ve spiked your drink with a truth potion I believe.”

“They did what?”

“That… that must be why they snickered so much upon refilling your glass, my love. I’m glad we left, I bet they were waiting for you to make a fool of yourself.”

Loki scoffed. “Well… I did that now anyway, did I not? Perhaps you should leave, I—”

You only smiled. “I love you too, Loki.” You said, making him look up in utter surprise. The cake between you on the bed was now entirely forgotten. You brushed it aside, not caring whether the icing would stain his bed sheets.

“What?” He breathed as you crawled towards him and made yourself comfortable on his lap, feeling confident now that he had admitted his feelings for you.

And as you wrapped your hands around his neck, you smiled, touching his forehead with yours.

“Nothing you do could ever stop me from loving you, Loki. If Thor had not thrown this stupid Midgardian Yule party… I might have never seen you again.”

Loki took a deep breath. “I think I understand now what Thor meant by ‘Christmas miracles’…” He uttered in response, his lips only inches from yours. Laughing quietly, you closed the small distance between you and pressed your lips against his. It was a chaste kiss—to test the waters, get used to how it would feel and, much like you had anticipated, it stole your breath away.

“Let us leave together.” Loki suggested hoarsely when you broke apart again, his breath ghosting over your lips.

“How? Odin sentenced you to be here, with Thor. He would know—and Thor and his Avengers would come after you.”

“Oh, they will not.” He retorted, a mischievous smirk growing on his lips.

“Loki? What have you been up to again?”

“I have the Tesseract.” He revealed smugly.

“You… what? How?!”

“Shhh… keep your voice down, sweetling.”

“I’m sorry… how? It’s supposed to be on Asgard, locked in the king’s treasure chamber.”

“Well, it was. Until I took it. We could go anywhere. They will never be able to trace us.”

You bit your lower lip, excitement rushing through you. Life on Asgard was dull without Loki and you certainly did not desire to stay here on Midgard with those mortals and their strange traditions and customs. Loki’s proposal was a dream come true, at long last.

“Then let us do it.” You beamed, making him smile. “But first… we finish that cake. Leave them a goodbye present.”

Loki laughed—and you did not move off his lap again until the very last crumb of the marshmallow cake was gone.

-

A/N: If you enjoyed this story, I would appreciate it so much if you considered supporting me on Kofi! It’s either for caffeine or red wine, I’ll take both. ko-fi.com/sserpente ♥

[kindahoping4forever]

Under The Christmas Lights // Ashton Irwin

Cass and I are having a blast so we hope everyone has been enjoying Hoe For The Hoe-lidays as much as we are. Her Cal blurb for the day, Baby Please Come Home, is up at @cal-puddies​ and it is one of my favorites from her, so you should definitely check it out if you haven’t already. (And as always, links to all of this week’s blurbs are in the event masterlist below!) Stay tuned tomorrow for our last set of blurbs and our grand finale on Monday: a galaxybrain co-write I guarantee you do not want to miss.

Extra thanks to Cass for helping me figure out what this story wanted to be. The overall concept remained but the structure, character details and tone of it took on a life of its own and morphed drastically as I was writing it. 

Warnings: Established slow burn with Neighbor!Ash, mentions of quarantine, a healthy helping of thirst and sexual tension, implied consensual voyeurism and exhibitionism, mutual masturbation

Word Count: 4048

Hoe For The Hoe-lidays Masterlist

Masterlist // Taglist and Ko-Fi linked above

Let  me  know  what  you  think!

"Quite the festive display you have there."

He stops at the end of his driveway, popping an earbud out as he turns towards your voice. Your next door neighbor, Ashton, stands in his yard, looking at you expectantly as you sit on your front porch, gesturing towards the freshly hung Christmas decorations all along his house.

"Oh thanks! I'm actually not even done. Waiting on a few more pieces to be delivered, really trying to merry things up, you know?" He answers, turning to collect today’s mail.

"Oh really? Everything's already so bright and eye-catching… up so early too," you punctuate your evaluation with a sip of coffee.

He smiles at you and you’re almost embarrassed to say you feel your heart skip a beat. You admit you had a bit of a crush on him when you moved in last year and for a while it seemed plausible you could’ve ended up more than just friendly neighbors. But that hope was yet another thing 2020 took from you.

Even though you were home more because of quarantine, you understandably had to interact with him less and less; gone were the days of “accidentally” baking too many cookies and walking over to offer him a plate or hoping your mail gets misdelivered so he’ll have an excuse to come visit you. These days, your visits were relegated to socially distanced greetings over the backyard fence and happenstance meetings like this.

“Yeah… I know it’s early in the season but I thought after the year we’ve all had, a little extra Christmas cheer couldn’t hurt,” he shrugs. He looks like he’s about to elaborate but then he feels his phone vibrate in his pocket; he apologetically but sincerely says, “Have a good night” and then scurries back to his house before you can get another word in.

It’s another couple of weeks before your next encounter, one night when you’re bringing the garbage can back up the drive and you hear Ash’s voice greeting you from his side of the fence.

“Those decorations certainly escalated, didn’t they?” You ask, amusedly peering up at his colorful house; the flickering icicle lights on the trim were a new addition, along with a big glowing snowflake and star sitting on his balcony.

“Does that mean you like it?” He laughs delightedly, walking up his own driveway. Your brain involuntarily appreciates how he looks with the lights reflecting off the dark wool trench coat he’s wearing; his hair is a lot longer than the last time you saw him, beard much darker and fuller. He looks good. You try not to think about it.

“Very pretty… not anything I would put up, but it suits you,” you comment, hoping your tone landed on the right side of the line between flirty and rude; you’re so out of practice at this, you’re not quite sure.

He takes it in stride. “That’s fair,” he chuckles. “No decorations for you this year?”

“Oh, I’ve got a wreath on my door,” you gesture. “May or may not get a tree. Little touches like that, things just for me; that feels appropriate but full on decorating this year… it just doesn’t feel right, doesn’t feel true to what we’re all experiencing.”

He furrows his brow. “Do you think my decorations are dishonest?” He asks, looking interested in your perspective.

“Not yours specifically, lots of people in the neighborhood are doing the same thing, some started even earlier than you did,” you carefully try to explain. “It just feels like surrounding ourselves with these crazy festive decorations… it’s like we’re working very hard to convince each other, maybe even ourselves, that this year isn’t any different when that couldn’t be farther from the truth… it is different and it feels weird not to acknowledge that.”

You look up, hoping you haven’t offended him, that you don’t see like too much of a grinch; you find yourself surprised at how relieved you feel when he nods thoughtfully as he considers your point of view.

“I actually agree, people are definitely using the decorations as a bit of a coping mechanism,” Ashton states, leaning on the fence as he ponders. “But I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. I know for me, after spending so much time being upset that I was trapped in my house this year, I figured I should do what I can to make my house feel happy for once. Especially if I’m gonna spend Christmas alone in it.”

You marvel at how despite the heavy turn the conversation has taken, his face never darkens, his warm and cheerful aura never falters. “Oh. I actually hadn’t thought of it like that,” you admit, playing with the drawstring of your hoodie, wondering why you care that you’re feeling vulnerable around him. “I’ll be alone this year too. I guess it just doesn’t feel like Christmas to me so I don’t like reminding myself that it is that time of year. If that makes sense.’

He gives you a sad but empathetic look. “I totally get it. I felt like that for most of the year… birthdays, seasons changing… I didn’t want to admit any of it was happening,” he shares. “But I don’t know… not to seem like I have it all figured out, but if we can’t change how we react to the environment we’re in, I think there’s something to be said for changing the environment itself. It’s important to acknowledge what you feel but also letting in even a little positivity can do wonders.”

You offer him a soft smile, letting him know you appreciate his encouragement. “Even just seeing the wreath on my door every morning is a nice moment,” you confess.

Ash smiles back and you feel warmer than if you’d gone inside and cozied up in front of your fireplace. “See? A couple strings of lights, a little tree. Maybe break out with that big yellow Minion you put out on your lawn when you moved in last Christmas,” he teases, lightening the mood.

“OK, first of all, it’s not a Minion, it’s Woodstock from the Peanuts, thank you,” you laugh, shaking your head. “I’m surprised you remember that.”

“Well, it was quite the first impression,” he shrugs and you can’t help but notice how broad his shoulders look in that coat.

You lay in bed that night, the night’s events on a loop in your mind; you ended up standing outside and chatting over the fence for more than an hour. It was nice and stirred a sense of normalcy in you that you hadn’t felt in a long time. It stirred other feelings in you as well but you knew there wasn’t any sense in dwelling on that since it’d be a long time before either of you would be able to do anything about that.

A few days later, you hear a muffled murmur that sounds a lot like your name while you’re washing dishes; you look out the kitchen window to see Ashton waving at you from his patio. He’s shirtless and sweaty, having clearly just finished his afternoon yoga session. Not that you had taken to timing your kitchen chores to coincide with his workouts.

You signal to him to give you a minute and then you head out the backdoor to chat. “What’s up?” You say as casually as possible, willing yourself to keep your eyes trained on his face and not the sweat dripping over his defined muscles or how low his athletic shorts are hanging.

“Your house is looking nice,” he gestures at the colored lights you recently hung around your window frames. “Little touches, just for you, like you said. I like it.”

You beam at him, impressed that he remembered your words from the other night. “You were right, I do feel a bit brighter having put those up,” you share, stuffing your hands in your hoodie pocket to keep from fidgeting, thinking about how much you’d like to brush the curls out of his eyes.

“I’m glad to hear it,” he replies jovially. “I actually have something for you.” He gestures for you to back up as he ducks inside his backdoor, retrieving the package off his kitchen table; he walks back out and smiles when he sees you’ve also turned around so he can surprise you. He sets the box over the fence and returns to his patio; he waits a beat longer than necessary to give you the all clear, he had to give himself a second to appreciate your ass in those leggings.

You spin around and see a box containing an inflatable light up Minion wearing a Santa hat. “Are you kidding me?!” You burst out laughing, picking up the gift to inspect.

“Figured Woodstock could use a buddy,” he laughs, shrugging. “Ordered it when I came inside after our talk the other night, just in case you changed your mind about decorating.”

You feel yourself blush. “Wish I could offer you more than a smile and a thank you,” you blurt, before realizing how forward that sounded. “I mean, like a hug or dinner or something…” You laugh nervously and look to see him trying and failing to hold back a devilish smirk.

“Well. When the time is right, I’d love to take you up on that offer… for the hug or the something,” he flirts.

The next day, you make Christmas cookies and leave some in his mailbox when he goes for his morning run. When he comes to tape a thank you note to your front door, he catches a glimpse of you through the window, decorating the tabletop Christmas tree you bought for yourself and you share a nice moment.

You gave him your phone number that time pre-lockdown when he went out of town and you watered his lemon tree; he finally starts using it, texting you on and off throughout the day and it’s nice to feel like you finally have someone to share with.

It’s when you’re in bed at night, texting away, that you always wish you could share even more with him. Your phone says he’s typing a response and you turn over to stare across the room at your bedroom window, the one facing his bedroom window. His curtains are drawn but you can see the soft glow of a bedside table lamp illuminating the room; you wonder what color the lamp is. Wonder if he sleeps on the left or right side of his bed. Wonder what he’s wearing while he’s typing his messages to you. If he’s wearing anything at all. Wonder if he wants to ask you the same thing. You lay there, wondering, until your phone buzzes again and the cycle continues.

You carry on like this for the next couple of weeks, collecting feelings and building tension. A few days before Christmas, you hurry outside to collect the packages that were just delivered by the mailbox, rushing to bring them in before the holiday Zoom party you have planned with friends.

You stop to text your pals you’ll be a few minutes late when you hear a sharp gasp behind you. You turn and see Ashton at the end of his driveway, eyes poring over you in the fitted green velvet wrap dress you’re wearing.

“You sure cleaned up for the mail delivery?” He jokes, trying to recover how clearly affected he is by the sight in front of him. You realize it’s the first time in months he’s seen you in anything besides hoodies and lounge pants.

You laugh, walking to the fence. “I have a Zoom party to attend but I didn’t want these boxes sitting out here all night,” you explain, instinctively starting to touch your face out of nervousness before stopping yourself for the sake of the dark red lipstick you have on; you’re not used to wearing makeup these days.

“Well… you look fuckin’ incredible,” he breathes, making no attempt to disguise the way his gaze is travelling up and down your body. He runs his hand through his hair and clears his throat, willing himself to move on. “I won’t keep you, then. I just wanted to ask you something.”

You lock eyes with him and feel your heart speed up; usually you’d have a quippy reply to shoot back to him but today, all you can think of is the heat you feel between the two of you. Instead, you nod attentively, trying your best to act like your mind isn’t distracting you with daydreams of walking around to his side of the fence and leaping into his arms.

“I know we’re both alone for the holidays… wish I’d thought of this sooner, so we could’ve done something about Christmas, actually… but say if we were to properly quarantine - you know, like, no outside contact at all quarantine - would you want to spend New Year’s together?” He’s speaking quickly, rushing it out as if he’s afraid he’ll lose his nerve and yet he presents his proposal with an assurance that almost hypnotizes you.

You can’t keep from grinning ear to ear but you still try to play it cool. “That could be fun,” you answer, grateful. You joke, “God, I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at a party for New Year’s, what do people even do to celebrate at home?”

Without missing a beat, he suggestively replies, “I’m sure we can think of something.”

You have fun with your friends on Zoom but in the back of your mind you can’t stop thinking about the way that Ash looked at you, the honest hunger in his eyes. You keep your curtains open much later than usual, hoping to catch a glimpse of him, wondering if the lights around the window will catch his eye and he’ll stop to try and catch a glimpse of you.

New Year’s can’t get here fast enough as far as you’re concerned but time feels like it’s moving slower than ever. Christmas finally arrives and you wake up bright and early to Zoom your family to open the presents they sent you. Afterwards, you decide to give yourself the gift of going back to sleep; when you wake up a few hours later, you tidy up the living room, gathering the trash bags of torn wrapping paper and ribbons to take out to the garbage.

You step outside and note Ashton isn’t on his patio like he is most mornings; you’re just about to head back inside when you hear a warm “Merry Christmas” from over the fence.

You turn to see him wearing a smile brighter than his extravagant Christmas lights display and yours combined. “How’s your morning?” He asks earnestly.

You smile back. “It’s good! Slept in a little, Zoomed with the fam. Lowkey but nice.”

“Ohhh. That’s why you weren’t at the window this morning,” he muses. You look at him quizzically and a sheepish look washes over his face. “I’ve maybe noticed that you seem to like tidying up the kitchen around the same time every morning… maybe sometimes when I’m ready to start my stretches, I’ll check to see if you’re at the window yet. Maybe sometimes if you aren’t there yet, I’ll wait.”

You feel yourself flush, flattered. “Here I thought I was being voyeuristic when all along you’re just an exhibitionist,” you smirk.

He chuckles knowingly. "And you're leaving your curtains open all hours of the night for aesthetic reasons?"

You're surprised you don't feel embarrassment, just a sense of pride and overwhelming desire. "You're welcome," you say coyly.

Completely devoid of self-consciousness or hesitation, Ash says seriously, "I'd give anything to come over there and kiss you right now. Touch you. Just feel you."

Your breath catches but you manage to get out, "Six days. Just gotta get through this week. Somehow."

The interaction plays over and over in your mind throughout the course of the day: the confident way he told you he wanted you, the way his gaze seemed to devour you entirely, the simultaneous relief and ache you felt knowing that the yearning that’s been threatening to overtake you has him floundering too.

Six days is a long time, especially when you’ve not so much as grazed another person since the beginning of the year, not to mention you’ve been waiting to get to this place with Ash for over a year.

The idea enters your mind while you’re cleaning up your dinner dishes, peering out the kitchen window he’d freely admitted to using to perform for you. You slip out to the garage, finding the box with your usual Christmas decorations much more easily than you expected. You glance at his living room window, ensuring he’s occupied before heading up to your bedroom to set your plan in motion.

You add as many strings of lights to your bedroom window as you can fit: colored ones, white ones, blinking ones, the ones that get slowly brighter and then dim back down. You stand back and nod to yourself, pleased with your work. You’d certainly call this eye-catching.

You feel more excited than nervous when you see it’s already around the time that Ashton usually heads upstairs for the night. You see the light in his room go on and you wait impatiently, just long enough for you to wonder if you didn’t go far enough with your display. You jump as your phone buzzes on your nightstand with a text message.

“Feeling extra festive tonight?”

You chew your lip, weighing how to play this. “Wanted to be sure I had your attention.”

He types for what feels like a lifetime but all he ends up responding with is: “Oh?”

You push yourself off your bed and go stand in front of your window, responding, “I think I’ve figured out how we get through the next week.”

You see him through his window, shirtless and in his boxers, laying on the bed with his phone. He reads your message and runs his hand over his beard, lost in thought; his head turns towards the direction of your house, pondering, when he notices your illuminated figure. You see him sit straight up and stare in disbelief as it dawns on him that you’re standing at the window, dressed in a lace lingerie set that has him almost feeling dizzy from how fast the blood is rushing to his cock.

He walks over to his own window, needing a closer look; he groans as he takes in every detail: how the red color of the bra and panties contrasts against your skin, how the black lace trim accentuates your curves, how the strappy detailing of the underwear present you as a Christmas gift meant just for him to unwrap. The lights around your window cast a glow around you, making you look like even more of a holiday fever dream come to life.

His eyes meet yours and you hold his gaze as you run your hands slowly down your body; you start by trailing down your neck to the straps of your bra, tracing along the lace outline with your fingers. You give your breasts a firm squeeze as you run your palms over the cups, stopping to use your thumbnail to tease your nipples until they poke through the thin material. Your fingers dance down your torso, swirling around the lines of your belly, pulling at the waistband of your bottoms. You tauntingly skip over your hips entirely, moving to caress your thighs.

Your phone buzzes again and you pause your show to reach for it. “Wish it were me,” Ash’s confession reads.

“In my mind, it is,” you reply, sitting your phone aside to dip into your panties. You lick your lips, in awe of how aroused you are, how aroused you’ve been since you decided to create this situation.

Ashton gulps and if he wasn’t so blinded by lust, he would’ve laughed at how audible the sound was in his ears. He wants to text you back, wants you to know how he’s dying for this week to pass so he can ravish you with the attention you deserve, the attention he should’ve given you a long time ago. But he also doesn’t want your hand to stop moving inside your underwear, so he waits.

You spread your wetness around, teasing yourself slowly. You considered bringing your bullet vibe to the window with you but you figured you were going to be overwhelmed enough and you weren’t going to need any help getting off. You close your eyes as you trace around your clit, not allowing yourself to put much pressure on it just yet, not willing to risk having this be over too soon.

He sees you throw your head back in pleasure, eyes fluttering shut, lips swollen from sucking them between your teeth and he can’t take it anymore. He pulls his cock out through the hole in his boxers and starts stroking, exhaling in relief at how instantly good it feels; he spits in his hand to ease the friction at first but it only takes a few tugs for precum to start trickling from his tip. He groans and pumps faster, knowing this won’t take long.

You press a fingertip inside yourself and moan a lot louder than you expected; you open your eyes and notice his stare remains unwaveringly focused on you, only now his hand is working his cock. He moves rapidly up and down his shaft, seemingly unconcerned with taking it slow. Part of you wishes his movements would slow down so you could get a better look at his dick but you also love that he’s seemingly so turned on by the thought of having you that he needs immediate gratification.

He tries to keep up with you, matching you stroke for stroke as you continue working yourself up, hand speeding up inside your panties, hand pawing at your clothed breast. His rough grip catches on one of the veins running down his cock and he chokes out a strained curse; he notices your mouth keeps forming a perfect O shape as you react to your self pleasure and he lets out his own whimper as he imagines how heavenly your sounds must be.

“I can’t wait to hear you when I make you cum for me.” You softly whine as you read his latest text. You’re nearly there and your head is spinning at the deliberate nature of his words: “When” he makes you cum “for him.” You rub hard at your clit and feel that familiar burning ache building in your core. You swear your wetness increases tenfold as you feel the pulsing begin.

Ashton’s cock leaps in his hand as he witnesses your body tense and shake as your orgasm washes over you; he notices your lips murmuring something and the thought enters his mind that you could be saying his name. He hopes you are.

You’re still waiting for your heart rate to settle, realizing there’s no way it will as long as you’re watching Ash pull at his cock like that. One hand flies over his length, the other firmly clutching his balls; his hips start to move, fucking into his hand as he nears the edge. You’re captivated watching his abs tense, fluttering with intensity until suddenly they’re being coated with cum. The ropes streak his skin and you decide it’s too soon to text him to share how badly you want a taste.

He hangs his head in exhaustion, briefly ducking away from the window to grab a tissue off the dresser; he cleans himself off, tucks his cock back in his boxers and finally looks back up at you. You smile softly at each other, though you’re not sure of the tone; it’s not exactly shy and it’s not entirely wistful. Whatever it is, it’s nice. Hopeful? Satisfied. For now.

You text him, “It’s after midnight now. 5 days.” 

You see him shaking his head, smiling as he types. “Still too far away. Same time tomorrow?”

You grin, shooting off your response before blowing him a kiss goodnight. “Still too far away. Meet you here after yoga tomorrow.”

————-

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[suituuup]

pandemic shenanigans

Chloe discovers TikTok and decides to do a bunch of pranks on her girlfriend

rated: T

word count: 3k

ao3 link

*

It’s the pandemic’s fault. 

Chloe was bored af one day at the start of quarantine, and decided to download TikTok, the app Gen Z has been raving about. Little did she know five minutes on the app could turn into four hours without her being aware and brought procrastination to another level. 

She quickly becomes addicted to cute animal videos (duh) and couple pranks. So addicted that the temptation of trying a few on her girlfriend is too great. 

i. Did you forget what today was

“Morning,” Beca mumbles, rubbing her eye with the heel of her palm as she shuffles towards the coffee pot. While Chloe’s an early bird, Beca rarely makes it out of bed before ten on the weekends, and Chloe is usually already showered and dressed by the time she does. 

She and Beca live in that same studio which they used to share with Amy, until their Australian friend inherited some serious money and moved out. 

It’s been really nice to have an actual bed instead of that crappy pull-out couch. 

“Good morning,” Chloe chirps, craning her neck to accept the kiss Beca brushes to her lips. Beca slides in the chair across hers, pouring some milk in the bowl Chloe’s set out for her, followed by cereals.

(yes, she’s that weirdo who puts the milk first.)

“What?” Beca pauses with her first spoonful halfway to her mouth, finally noticing Chloe staring at her. 

“Did you forget what today was?” She asks with a raised eyebrow, cradling her mug in her hands.

Beca blinks, and Chloe can nearly see the fuck popping up in her brain as panic flashes in her eyes. “Uh, Saturday?” 

Chloe purses her lips, both to appear annoyed and to keep her bubbling laughter in. “Beca.” 

Beca’s nose scrunches up. “I know, I know, gimme a sec. This is not our anniversary, or your birthday, you’re not working today so there’s nothing important regarding your job,” she lists off, her eyes lighting up a beat later. “Oh! Is it this weekend Aubrey’s coming up?” 

“No,” Chloe sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I can’t believe you forgot.”

“Shit, I’m sorry,” Beca rushes out, standing up and crossing the distance between them to sit across Chloe’s lap. She kisses her softly, looping her arms around her neck. “I’m sorry. What’s going on today? I promise I’ll make time for it. And I’ll give you a massage tonight to make up for being a bad girlfriend. And we can eat whatever you like.” Smirking mischievously, she adds in a lower tone, “And, I’ll let you do whatever you wanna do to me later.” 

Chloe grins, unable to hold it any longer. “Nothing’s going on, babe. I was just messing with you.” 

Beca’s jaw falls open as she pulls back, glaring. “Not cool, dude!”

Chloe simply giggles, nuzzling her neck and pressing an apologetic kiss to Beca’s skin. “You’re cute when you’re panicking.”

A huffs puffs free and Beca pouts. “Whatever.”

Chloe tightens her hold around Beca’s waist so she can’t get away. “Can I still do whatever I want to you tonight?” 

The whimper that rises from Beca’s throat shoots a chill down her spine. Beca’s cheeks redden and she squirms a little in Chloe’s lap. “Yeah--yes.” 

Safe to say Chloe won’t be uploading that video on TikTok. She also won’t tell Beca this was a Tiktok prank, because this turned out to be a lot of fun and she’s got more up her sleeve.

ii. climb on their lap while they’re busy doing something else

Friday nights are Chloe’s favorite. As none of them work during the weekends, it means they get two whole days of quality time with each other. Tonight though, her highly professional girlfriend needs to take care of a few work things to make sure she can spend a stress free weekend, but it’s been hours, and Chloe is kind of craving some attention. 

Beca’s working on her laptop while sitting on the couch, and after changing into her PJ’s, Chloe unceremoniously curls up sideways on her lap, looping her arms around her shoulders and resting her forehead against the side of Beca’s neck. 

“Oh,” Beca breathes out, setting her computer aside before her arms loosely wrap around Chloe’s body. “Hello.” 

“Hi,” Chloe murmurs back, brushing a kiss to Beca’s neck and releasing a soft sigh of contentment. 

Beca’s hand runs up and down her thigh as she pushes a kiss to Chloe’s hair. “You alright?” 

Chloe hums, forgetting all about her phone propped against one of the shelves capturing the moment to make a TikTok, instead basking in the instant comfort being in Beca’s arms provides. 

Beca peppers her face with soft, featherlight kisses that make Chloe warm from the inside out. She really is a slut for Beca’s affection. “M’sorry I had to work tonight.” 

Chloe smiles. “It’s okay.” She pecks Beca’s lips and brushes her nose against hers. “I’m heading to bed. Don’t work too late, babe.” 

Beca nods, winking softly. “Right behind you.” 

True to her word, Beca slides under the covers less than five minutes later and tugs Chloe’s body against her own. Chloe releases another happy sigh, which is cut-off by a yelp when Beca runs her freezing toes along Chloe’s bare calf. 

“Becs!” She cries, moving away and slapping her arm. “Your feet are freaking icicles!” 

Beca snickers like a teenager, seemingly very proud of her act. 

“Put some socks on.” 

Beca’s nose scrunches up adorably. “Ew. No way.” 

“Then stay on your side,” Chloe grumbles, tugging the covers higher around her as she rolls away from Beca, settling on her opposite side. 

“Sorry,” Beca whispers into the dark, shuffling closer. “I won’t do it again.” 

She feels her resolve break as Beca’s lips trace a trail from her exposed shoulder blade to the side of her neck. She hates her traitorous body for not having any willpower when it comes to Beca’s ministrations. “You better not, or I’ll kick you,” she half-jokes. 

“Kinky,” Beca breathes along with a soft laugh, pressing one final kiss to Chloe’s cheek as she drapes her arm around her middle. “I love you.” 

Chloe laces their fingers and squeezes. “I love you too, weirdo.” 

iii. walking out naked while they’re in a zoom meeting 

“Well what doesn’t he like about it?” Beca’s voice carries from the living-room as Chloe stands in their bedroom, a towel wrapped around her naked frame. 

That video of her and Beca cuddling on the couch blew up, hitting 3 millions views and about 400k likes. The few homophobic comments that popped up were quickly drowned out by thousands of people gushing over their relationship or crying about wanting the same kind of relationship. 

Beca was of course aware Chloe would post that video on the internet and weirdly wasn’t opposed to it. 

“Again?” She hears her girlfriend sigh and steps out, losing the towel as she rounds the corner. “I mean, yeah, sure. I’ll see what I--” 

Beca’s words die on her tongue the second her eyes flicker up from her computer screen. Her jaw drops and her mouth gapes wordlessly for a few seconds. 

Chloe is briefly concerned she might have broken her girlfriend.

“Beca?”  Her boss’ voice carries through the speakers, snapping Beca back to her meeting. 

“Yes, yeah-- um-- sorry, I…” She stammers as her cheeks burn, and clears her throat. Her eyes quickly glance back to Chloe, who is fighting against a string of giggles. “I’ll-- I’ll work on something else, no problem.” 

“Alright, keep me posted.”

Beca nods. “See ya.” She shuts her computer so fast Chloe’s concerned she might have damaged it. “You’re evil,” she mutters, shaking her head. 

“Are you complaining?” Chloe husks, strutting over in her birthday suit and tossing her phone on the couch.

Beca visibly swallows, bracing on Chloe’s waist as she settles down her lap. “Never. But next time try not to give me a heart attack?” 

“Deal,” Chloe murmurs, bending down to capture Beca’s lips in a searing kiss. 

iv. Ask them what they would do if they were at a party and a hot girl came up to them

“Hey Bec?” 

“Mm?” 

It’s a rainy rainy afternoon, the ones Chloe loves as they don’t have anywhere to be, and she gets to chill on the couch with her favorite person while listening to the rain pelting against the window. 

Chloe’s head is on Beca’s lap as she lies on the couch, reading a book while Beca messes around on her phone. Beca has absentmindedly been scratching her scalp, and Chloe was about to fall asleep when she got a prank idea. She discreetly propped up her phone against her mug on the coffee table a minute ago, pressing record. 

“What would you do if you were at a party and a hot girl came up to you?” 

Beca lowers her phone, peering at Chloe over it. “What do you mean?” 

Bending her knees, Chloe shifts to sit up and faces Beca. “What would you do if a hot girl flirted with you?” 

“You know I don’t know when people flirt with me, right?” 

Yes, Chloe does know. She lost count of how many times she’s flirted with Beca over their four years of friendship pre-getting together without Beca having a freaking clue. 

“Okay, but still,” Chloe clears her throat and straightens a bit from her slouched position, tucking her legs underneath her. “Let’s say you’re at a party, and I’m a random girl, not your girlfriend, alright?” 

Beca rolls her eyes but nods anyway, setting her phone down and angling her body towards Chloe a bit more. 

Chloe props her elbow on the back of the couch and cradles the side of her head in her palm as she smiles softly, getting into character. She reaches out to run the tip of her pointer finger along Beca’s forearm while keeping her gaze locked on hers, her teeth racking over her bottom lip in an over-the-top flirty move. “Hi.” 

“Hey you,” Beca murmurs with a small smirk, leaning closer a little. Chloe swats the back of her head. “Ow! What was that for??” 

“It’s not me,” she reminds Beca as the brunette rubs the spot with a glare. 

“Sorry, it’s just hard to remember that with those eyes of yours,” Beca laughs. “I can’t focus, they’re pulling me in.” 

“Aw,” Chloe beams. She leans in to peck Beca’s lips, raising an eyebrow when Beca pushes her away. 

“Dude, I’ve got a girlfriend.” 

Chloe rolls her eyes, shoving her as Beca laughs. “Touché.” 

v. ask them if they still get butterflies

“Bec?” 

“Mmm.” 

Spring morphed into summer. A hot, sticky and humid summer. The pandemic is still very much a thing, and Chloe can’t even tell you what day of the week it is anymore. To make things worse, their AC is down, which is why they find themselves on the rooftop of their apartment building that evening, laying on a couple blankets as they stare up at the night sky. Chloe misses the hundreds of stars she would gaze at when she was a kid in Oregon, but she sort of finds the steady sound of cars passing by in the street below them soothing. 

Or you know, maybe it’s the joint she smoked twenty minutes ago with her girlfriend that is finally hitting her. 

“Do you still get butterflies?” 

Beca’s head rolls to the side so she can look at her. “Still?” She asks, smirking softly. “They never left.” 

Chloe giggles, shoving her lightly. Beca is known to grow sappy and affectionate when she’s high, and Chloe absolutely loves it. “Dork.” 

“Felt them just this morning when you were singing in the kitchen while making breakfast and almost pinched myself because I still have to wrap my head around the fact that I get to marry you.” 

Chloe does a double-take as she registers Beca’s words. “What?” Her voice is barely there, hidden under the layers of emotions seizing her throat. 

“Well… yeah,” Beca shrugs, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world. “You’re like, it for me, you know?” 

Moments where Beca splits herself open like that are rare, and they never fail to make Chloe’s heart soar. 

“Are you going to say something Beale or keep staring at me like a weirdo?” Beca eventually quips, chuckling softly. 

Chloe shakes her head a little, then leans forward to push a lingering kiss against Beca’s lips. “I love you, future wife.” 

She feels Beca sigh contentedly as she curls up against her side, her arm wounding around Chloe’s back. “I love you, too.”

vi. sigh loudly in front of them

“What’s wrong?” 

It’s day two hundred something of quarantine. Chloe is bored out of her mind. 

“Nothing,” she whispers, keeping her tone unconvincing on purpose. She’s lying on the couch while Beca sits at the end working on her computer, a Friends rerun playing low on the TV. 

Beca shuts her computer and sets it on the coffee table before crawling up Chloe’s body and settling on top of her. She presses a light kiss to the side of Chloe’s neck. “You sure?” 

“Mhm,” Chloe hums, looping her arms around her girlfriend’s waist. 

“I can stop working,” Beca suggests softly, placing another kiss to her chin, then to the tip of her nose. “Wanna go grab some Chick-fil-A? Then we can watch one of those cheesy rom coms that you like.” 

“M’okay,” Chloe agrees quietly. “Can we just cuddle for a bit?” 

“Yeah,” Beca breathes. “Course we can.” She settles her head on Chloe’s chest, lifting it a second later. “Wait, is this a TikTok thing?” Upon Chloe nodding, she groans. “My reputation is taking a blow with each one of those, you know that right?” 

A giggle bursts past Chloe’s lips. “I’m sorry, your what?” 

That earns her a glare. “Bite me, Beale.” 

vii. wipe their kiss away

“I hate this fucking pandemic,” Beca grumbles as she makes it inside, kicking the door shut with a little more force than necessary. “I hate those Karens who don’t wear masks,” she continues as she hoists her two grocery bags on the kitchen counter. “Scratch that, I just hate people in general.” Beca eventually takes off her mask, heaving out a sigh as she drops it onto the counter. “Finally.” 

Chloe smiles in amusement, walking over to start putting the groceries away. “Thanks for going out, babe.” 

“No problem.” She pecks Chloe’s lips on her way to store the yogurt in the fridge, doing a double-take when Chloe wipes her mouth with the back of her hand. “Did you just… wipe my kiss away?” 

“What? No I didn’t,” Chloe replies innocently. 

Beca stares at her, cocking an eyebrow. “Was it not up to your standards or something?” 

“I mean…” Chloe shrugs nonchalantly. “It was just a peck.” 

“Mmm.” She resumes her task, closing the door to the fridge behind her before making her way over to where Chloe is standing, setting her hands on her hips from behind and coaxing her to turn around. 

“What are you--” the rest of her sentence is cut off by a moan as Beca’s lips capture her own. Chloe’s knees wobble from the heat of the kiss, its intensity sending shockwaves throughout her body, all the way down to her toes. She’s left in a daze by the time Beca pulls away, blinking twice in slow succession as she rolls her swollen lips together. “Holy shit.” 

Beca puffs out her chest a little, smirking. “That’s better.” 

Groceries forgotten, Chloe slides her hand into hers and drags her to the bedroom. 

viii. call them your spouse during a phone conversation

“I’m home,” Chloe calls out as she steps inside their studio apartment. She pauses in the doorway, taking in her surroundings. 

Their small kitchen table is beautifully set, two candles lit on each side and a gorgeous bouquet of flowers sitting in the center. Soft acoustic music is playing through Beca’s portable speaker. “Hey, you.” 

“What’s all this?” Chloe asks, smiling brightly as she slings her purse off her shoulder, setting it down. 

Beca approaches, a sheepish smile spreading across her features. “Well… because of this freaking pandemic, we haven’t been out in months, so I thought we could just do a home-date. I ordered from your favorite sushi place, should be here any minute.” 

“Aww.” Shrugging off her jacket, Chloe steps up to place a soft kiss to Beca’s lips. “You’re sweet. And very sexy,” she adds with an eyebrow waggle, taking in Beca’s fancy jumpsuit and hairdo. “I’m gonna go change real quick.” 

Chloe hurries to the bedroom and opens her closet to pick something; she can’t remember the last time she wore a dress, her main outfit having consisted of a hoodie and sweatpants for the better part of the year. Plucking her navy blue, knee length dress out, she changes into it and takes ten minutes to arrange her hair and put on light make-up. 

Beca is on the phone as she steps back out into the kitchen, grinning when Chloe appears. “Yep, got it. Listen, I gotta go, my wife and I are about to eat dinner.” 

Chloe freezes mid-step, her heart stuttering as she registers the term Beca used. 

“Sorry about that,” Beca says once she’s hung up, casting Chloe a smile as she sets her phone down. 

“You just called me your wife,” Chloe murmurs, her eyes shrinking suspiciously a beat later. A gasp follows when it hits her. “Wait, are you TikTok pranking me??” Her gaze quickly sweeps the room. “Where’s the camera, Mitchell?” 

Beca simply grins, shaking her head as she reaches for something in her pocket. “Not a prank, babe.” 

Shocked eyes lifting from the square velvet box nestled in Beca’s palm, Chloe watches as Beca steps closer and lowers herself on one knee. Her heart trips dangerously and she stops breathing altogether. “Bec, you better not be lying.” 

The way she seems nervous all of the sudden tells Chloe this is definitely not a prank. “Chloe--” 

“Yes,” Chloe croaks out, tears pooling in her eyes as her head bobs up and down in a frantic nod. 

Beca’s chuckle comes out strained as she blinks back the moisture in her own eyes. “Dude, let me ask the question at least.” 

“Sorry.” Chloe clamps her lips together and squeezes Beca’s hand to wordlessly let her know she may keep going. 

“Chloe,” Beca repeats, her voice wavering slightly. “This year has been weird as fuck, and the most challenging one yet, but despite everything, I had a near constant smile on my face because of you. You’re my best friend, and the most beautiful person I know, inside and out.” She sucks in a deep breath through her nose, letting go of Chloe’s hand to open the box. Chloe gasps softly at the sight of a simple, yet elegant oval cut diamond set on a rose gold band. “Will you make me the happiest person on earth by accepting to become my wife?” 

“Yes.” She tugs on Beca’s hand, capturing her lips in a searing kiss as soon as she straightens. “I love you so much.” 

Beca grins against her mouth, backing away just enough to seek out Chloe’s eyes. “I love you, too.” 

As she stands there basking in this new, overwhelming wave of feelings, Chloe decides that 2020 wasn’t that bad, after all. 

[jyunshiim]

Daisies & Clementine’s  *✬★*’☽* ✬ ⤷Han X Reader

Genre → fluff | friends to lovers | childhood friends to lovers |

Contains → fluff 

Listen to →  playlist I was inspired by

Word count → 7K (7749) 

TW → none

Summary: You and Jisung have been childhood companions for many years. Growing up was a breeze for you both, sharing a lot and being there for each other when each other were in need. Jisung asked you one day if you were allowed to spend a month holiday on Jeju Island with him and his family. A simple holiday, yet held great value.

The saying goes, that there is one person in the world that is meant for you: a soulmate. Although some soulmates aren��t so easy to find, hidden in the depths of the shadows of your life almost hidden until the last moments of your life. Unfortunately, it does happen but what is more common are soulmates that don’t even know it yet. Only until you feel like you’ve lost them or that they might not return what you have for them until something ever so specific happens.

***

The stars were glittering in the ebony abyss above you and your best friend Jisung. Jisung had always been your friend ever since that one time in school where you were mocked for not understanding a mathematics question and he helped you and became your tutor ever since. You weren’t the best with number and often struggled with understanding mathematical concepts but Jisung was there for you and took his precious time to study with you, day in day out. Without fail, his warm grin always consoled you as if he was indirectly telling you “it’s okay, I’m here for you”. You knew he’d be your home and your comfort even if you both went your separate ways and found love one day. You were both 16 at the time when he used to tutor you and by the time you both turned 18 and were making crucial life choices, you made choices you were 100% sure with. You didn’t want to leave Jisung behind and going to the same local university in your city was the only thing you could do to stay with him. Your parents didn’t like the idea of you pursuing a career in arts, particularly anything to do with literature and writing. It was deemed ‘useless’ in their eyes, so lacklustre of you. They were certain you weren’t getting anywhere with a degree in literature, but you loved writing; it was your form of expression. Jisung supported it all the way through. He chose to do music composition and production which he was outstanding at. You vividly remember during your summer break he wrote a song about the pair of you going to the convenience store and made it sound so mesmeric. Your best friend Jisung. What would you do without a friend like him?

***

The biting cold making icicles at the tip your fingertips, the tip of your nose as crimson as sweet cranberries, your knee bouncing up and down trying to warm you up. “what’s taking him so long?” you say to yourself as you stand up although during that moment, you see a chestnut brown-haired boy bolting down the streets, his fleece long jacket flailing in the polar winds, the hood of his hoodie falling off his head. Your face lights up – as always- when you saw his panicked face bolting through crowds of people who too were shopping. It was so endearing how he ran, a half jog half run. You laugh to yourself gripping the heat packs in your pocket until he arrived in front of you his hands, knuckles tinted light carmine, resting on your shoulders panting for breath.

“where were you?” your hands searching your pockets for the heat packs you had and holding it against his face, Jisung sniffling because of the cold weather. “I-I was trying…trying to buy something and the-” he struggles to speak as he holds his chest. “hey Jisung stop talking, let’s get you warm,” you hold his hand, a heat pack between your palm and his; fingers interlocking to keep it in place. It made him feel warm inside and out, a smile appearing on his face as he looked down, his brown wavy hair flopping down. The café had a homely feel, ever so reminiscent. You never knew why; possibly the rustic feel to it the lower ceilings and roof supports with warm fairy lights coiled around them. The counter was made out of a light wood, oak perhaps. You weren’t too keen on identifying trees. “You sit here okay, and I’ll be back with our drinks okay Han?” only you were allowed to call him by his surname although he claimed it as his nickname. He nodded, smiled sweetly and sat cosied up in an arm chair. “Do you want me to hold your bag for you?” he grabbed your arm before you left and you turned around. “oh yeah sure! That’d be great thank you,” you take your bag off your shoulder and he grabs the bag into hands and places it in his lap.

Jisung loved bitter coffee paired with a sweet dessert. The pure happiness he would endure simply from a strawberry cheesecake and any type of Americano coffee, hot or cold. It was different to you; you loved sweet drinks and savory-ish snacks (although a cheesecake was always so delightful when you were with Jisung). Jisung’s eye would sparkle, like he was holding the entire universe, whenever he saw something, he loved. Damn you for being so blind, his love for cheesecake was godly. Jisung warmed up, the condensation on the window making it fog up so he drew a smiley face. He was happy. You walk over with your tray and he immediately got up to take the tray out of your hands and place it down himself. “you never disappoint me,” he gasps at the creamy cake and the piping hot coffee. “I’m your best friend I will never forget until the day I die!” you pledge to him before sitting down giggling at his endearing reaction to such a simple food. You tear a bit of your croissant and place it in your mouth letting the subtle sweetness and savoury enthral you. The combination with your caramel macchiato, the combination of flavours combining and comforting you. Jisung introduced you to the caramel macchiato and croissant combination and ever since you got that every single time. “how are you feeling now Han?” you ask him, whilst leaning on your hand and tilting your head at him. He gazes into your eyes and smiles endearingly, “a lot better now, I was trying to get your birthday present, and I got held up! I am sorry about that,” he apologises. “what! You didn’t have to what the hell!” you lean over the table and slap his shoulder gently. “hey it is MY duty to take care of you until someone decides to sweep you off your feet,” he tuts, “they better treat your right!” he warns you for your future relationships. You nod and agree with what he says, “well my bestie Hannie will be there for me and likewise I will be there for you too!” you rub a tiny spec of cheesecake from the corner of his mouth, “a child, that’s what you are,” you joke with him.

You were disrupted by a strong gust of wind that collided with the glass where Jisung drew his smiley face and droplets of rain appears dragging down the window. The pattering of the raindrops where almost rhythmic, like the universe was performing for you. In fact, you loved the rain a lot that you wished to have your first kiss in the rain – it was cliché and cheesy – but Jisung always listened to your dreams and desires and what you wished for. The rain was comforting, like the clouds were telling you it was okay to be sad and to cry now and then. You were full of content in this given moment; a warm coffee between your palms, the icicles melting off and the colour in your frostbitten hands appearing. “do you want to try some?” Jisung scoops a spoonful of cheesecake and hovers over the table holding it in front of you. It was endearing, he always shared everything he had and of course you did the same. “of course?” you take the spoon from him and taste the cheesecake. The sweetness infiltrating your system as soon as it touched your tastebuds. “wow this place does really good cheesecakes, perhaps I’ll have to come here more often!” you smile at him. The bellicose rain thrashed against the window now, the winds were stronger, but you had to leave to get home although you needed to take a 30-minute bus journey back home and the weather was abysmal! “you are in no way going home in this weather!” Jisung tutted, “luckily, I do live literally around the corner,” he was definitely inviting you over, he was very clingy! “I can just go home; the bus comes in like-” you check your phone. 45 minutes. “never mind I will gladly take your considerate offer,” you laugh. “ah these buses aren’t the best now are they, let’s go now before there are too many people on the streets!” he stands up fixing his little jacket and handing back your bag. “unless you want me to hold it,” he offers. He was so selfless and sweet. “you’re not my boyfriend so why would you! It’s okay, I can take it back,” you play around.

***

You thank the baristas before Jisung pushes the glass door open for you and lets you go first. “I don’t have a hood!” you squeal before putting your hands above your head but Jisung was on his feet to the rescue, holding out his jacket and covering you with it. “let’s run to the convenience store alright! In 3, 2, 1-” you clutched onto his jacket covering you and bolted with his laughing at the playful noises he made before sheltering at the convenience store. You looked around the store for a few things to snack on. “I’ll pay so get whatever you like since you paid for my coffee,” he holds the basket. “shut up, you bought me a birthday present when I didn’t want you to!” you tut at him, “god what am I gonna do with you?” you scoff jokily. You see a pile of Clementine’s which you had to get because you loved them so much and it reminded you of the summers you used to drink fresh orange juice with Jisung near the river. You put them in the basket and Jisung looked confused; “oranges?” he looks at you with confusion. “I just really like oranges Jisung,” you smile. He took a mental note of that. After grabbing a few snacks, it was still raining, and he did the same thing again sheltering you with his own jacket and running to his house which was a minute or two away.

The door to his home creaked open, and the warmth hitting your face as quick as a train on tracks. The waft of freshly cooked rice drifts past your nose and it reminds you of all the times you and Jisung got stuck in the rain, just like this very occasion, and his mother made warm rice with a savoury soup. Jisung takes your jacket and takes it to his room to hang it up and comes back to the kitchen. “it’s raining bad so is it okay if-” Jisung gets cut off by his parents, “of course she can! Any time and if she needs to stay, we can accommodate her too!” His mother adored you, it was endearing. After your quick dinner with his parents, which his parents were more than happy to provide for you, you sat in Jisung’s bedroom. His room was as neat as it could be. When walking in, his bed was in the far-left corner pointing towards the large window, to the right of his room was his mic, computer and music equipment and next to that was his shelf with various different items like trophies and frames as well as the daisy chain he made for you. He also has his TV attached to the corner of his wall.

“oi why did you keep the daisy chain?” you asked him as he turned around, his hand on the remote to turn on the small TV in his room. “it’s pretty, isn’t it?” He gives a playful smile before jumping onto his bed and leaning against the headboard. “I never took you for such a sappy sentimental person,” you nudge him. “you learn something new every day,” he smiles before turning something on to keep you occupied. This was just comfort. Just you and your best friend of many years, spending quality time together. Your head lay on his dog plushie – which you gifted him so he would stop complaining he was lonely –your locks sprawling over it. Jisung glances over to you entranced by your own thoughts, a whole world inside your mind – he was intrigued as to what you were thinking. “hey, what are you thinking?” he sits up leaning down so he was in front of your face. It only came to your realisation he was laying next to you, face to face to get your attention. You sit up. “oh umm-“ you think fast, “the oranges!” you point at his desk at the clementine’s sat perfectly in the punnet it was in. You and Jisung spent an hour or so watching a show and talking about university and how you want to travel the world. He listened to you attentively to every word you said before his parents knocked and said that the rain storm had stopped and they can take you home. So shortly after, you gathered your belongings and Jisung followed you and his parents to the car. You forgot one thing, your hair tie that had a little rabbit charm on it; you had it ever since you were little and you forgot it at his house, at least it was Jisung though. Since then something changed in the air. A shift. Although only time will tell and expose what changed.

***

6:35 am your alarm blared through your bedroom, your head tucked under your grey and white sheets trying to accumulate warmth since you had to manually turn the heating on. You groaned tiresomely, your arm extending to find your phone, knocking it off the bedside table. You wanted to cuss it out because morning where NOT your forte. You sit up and grab your robe and draped it over your body and go to the bathroom to freshen up before getting ready for university. Jisung woke up at 8 because the campus was so near but you had to commute. You took your time doing your makeup and getting dressed, grabbing your bag and putting your notebook, laptop, stationary and your pouch in. You grab a jacket and your umbrella before promptly leaving at 7:57 am to catch the 8am bus to get to school. You managed to get to campus just before your lecture allowing you some time to get coffee to wake up a bit however… that plan did not seem very doable since the queue was incredibly long, so you gave up and went to the library to sit in your usual seat and wait for the lecture.

“hey!” you hear a whisper, and you ignore it thinking it was for someone else before you feel someone breathing on the back of your neck. Your instinct would be to slap the person but as you turn around with a fearful expression, you realise it’s Jisung with his starry eyes giving you that smile. “I got here early and got you your favourite,” he points at the seat you both sit at which was hidden behind a bookshelf. It was a large table where no one really sat since students preferred to work in groups. University life was different to high school. You had other friends which was nice; Sana did Biochem, so it was hard to get a hold of her, Chan was a sports and exercise student, and Seungmin studied nutrition. Jisung also had some friends from high school like Changbin who was doing the same course as you – literature- although he focused on the poetry section more, and Hyunjin who studied business and management. You did meet them often but of course you were closer to Jisung.

You saw the packaged croissant and the coffee on the table, and you thanked Jisung. He took his time to actually get you coffee before your lecture. “you have a couple minutes, at least you can drink it during the class!” he pats your shoulder. “don’t you have a lecture at 11am?” you ask him since that’s when yours finish. He nods. “I’ll be done by 2-ish? We can go and grab some lunch if you want?” he suggests. “how about we meet with Sana, Chan, Seungmin and Changbin for lunch?” you counter-suggest – if that is a word!-

“is Hyunjin busy?” Jisung asks a little confused. “Oh no he WAS the one who asked the other day and I replied to him now.” You smile so Jisung goes along with whatever you wanted to do.

You open your notebook to take some notes for your class and you see Changbin walking in and he sees you. Changbin was intimidating, at first glance, although he was sensitive and kind when you talk to him and get to know him better. “hey, I’m not late right?” he asks getting out his Ipad to take notes. You shake your head; “have you got your anthology yet?��� Changbin asked you. You shake your head, you forgot about the anthology. “well that’s good because I saved you one,” he hands you the book of poetry. You were relieved, your degree relied on this book. “oh my god thank you!” You show your gratitude. “anything for a friend of Jisung’s and mine,” he smiles before turning back to face the front as the lecturer walks in and begins.

After class and meeting with your other friends for lunch, you all met at an Italian restaurant which was incredibly popular. It had been a while since you had a meal with all of them since classes took over your lives. “hey isn’t your birthday tomorrow?” Sana asks, her sweet smile brightening up the entire room. “Yeah it is wh-” but before you could say anything, she hands you a tiny pink bag. “I might have time so I got your gift today!” Sana was such an amazing friend. You thank her and open the bag and the small box inside to reveal an teddy keyring with your initials engraved on a small silver plaque looking keyring. “omg this is so cute thank you so much!”

“Now, open my one,” Jisung holds a blue bag with silver ribbon on the front. “now?” you ask him. “well yeah you opened Sana’s one?” so you opened the bag and it was in a slightly larger box; once you opened it a small gasp left your mouth and at that exact moment the food arrived. “what great timing I’m so hungry!” Changbin went in for the food and everyone else followed, conversing with each other and catching up, but you were still trying to process what he bought you. A silver necklace with a daisy charm and both of your initials on the back. “I’ll always be here for you, you know how that daisy chain is so sentimental to me, I hope this is too.” He leans in and quietly speaks. You were lost for words. You tried to splutter out a thank you, but he knew how thankful you were from your mere reaction.

The evening went as planned; you and your friends hung out after so long, work was intense but having a cheat day like this was indeed liberating. Jisung taps your shoulder gently as you wave Sana goodbye under a dimmed streetlight and the obscure night sky. It was hazy tonight; the cool fog making it hard to see anything ahead of you. Jisung stood next to you and you turned to him once Sana left. “are you thinking what I’m thinking Han?” you give a playful smile and rock back and forth on your tiptoes, “coffee and cake?” he asks as if he didn’t know that was your thing with him. “Of course!” you put your hands on his back and push him in the direction you wanted to go in; “over there!” you point. It was a night café situated along a remote street that was diverted away from main traffic. A large white sign lit up the dark street which directed you and Jisung to a well-lit night café that had a couple people inside enjoying their night with their friends or significant other. There were outdoor seats which weren’t occupied because of the drop in temperature but it would be nice to come here more often since the location was incredible. Jisung pushes the door open and lets you in first, following you and looking around for somewhere to sit. A circular table with two chairs in the farthest corner which was surrounded by bookshelves but renowned authors; Jisung chose to sit there and asked you to go and reserve that seat. “What are you doing?” your voice conveying disarray. “it’s on me tonight,” his smile appeared. That smile. Your heart did that thing again though you shook it off. It was nothing right? You sat yourself down, putting your purse on the table along with your phone; the books were intriguing you, there were many of them ranging from sonnets and poems to crime and mystery literature. You knew you weren’t much of a reader, but one did capture your attention. It was by an author called Ivan Turgenev, the book was called ‘First love and other stories’ – people writing about love was something you wish you could’ve done but you don’t know how love feels? The cover of the book was rough a cerise fabric-like texture, the title written in a gold on the spine of the book. Jisung comes over unexpectedly and leans over your shoulder eyeing at the hardback you seized. “what’s that? Love stories?” he pouts as you turn around in a panic, Jisung grabbing the book out of your hand, his fingertips grazing against your hand. If you had your Apple watch on right now, your heart rate would’ve been way too obvious. “O-Oh I was looking at the book shelf, they have so many well-known books and authors an-” your flustered ramble was interrupted by Jisung; “you want to read love stories, that’s understandable… it’s a good book I would recommend it,” he hands the book gently and points at the tray with the coffee cups filled to the top, the two cheesecake slices; one orange and the other strawberry. You gasp at the orange cheesecake – “oh my god they exist!” you sat down at the table, tucking the chair in. The aroma of the roasted coffee beans was intense although it made you feel comfort. You glance up at Jisung as he picks up the silver form and digs into the tip of the cheesecake, allowing there to be enough strawberry syrup and cheesecake. He holds it up to his mouth and notices you looking at him – with the most stupid look on your face, painted with adoration – so he held it out for you. “here, try it before I do,” his expressions were soft and gentle. “huh? Why, it’s yours?” you try to refuse. It didn’t work. “because-” he thinks for a second, “sharing is caring.” He fondly beams. You couldn’t deny it but he held the fork and you endured such sweetness swirling around, dancing on your tastebuds, the bitterness of your coffee counteracting with the dessert; it was utterly perfect. “nice?” he asks. “of course, as always!”

You didn’t realise at the time, but it was an analogy that you didn’t realise. The bitterness occurring in your life being stabilised by someone so sweet, attentive and ever so cherishing. It made sense.

You took a forkful of your orange cheesecake although it didn’t cater to your taste. “are you alright, do you not like it?” Jisung asks you. You shake your head, “ it tastes too artificial..” you hold the remaining cake on your fork and place it on the plate. It was disappointing, yes but Jisung swapped the ceramic plates with his. “here have mine, I’ll have this!” he takes whatever remained on the fork and takes a bigger chunk. You know what they say about sharing drinks, does it apply to forks? “O-oh thank you Han,” you smile softly, you couldn’t help but feel so warm inside. After spending some time at the café it was time to go home although Jisung insisted he would take you home safely first before he goes home. “no no, I can go myself,” you asserted. Jisung tutted and rolled his eyes playfully as he always does. “Why?” you ask waiting for a valid response. “Because it’ll take you even longer to get home!” you raise your voice a little louder but not too loud to bring attention. “well.. I’ve stayed over before..” he reminded you. Ah yes.. he did didn’t he. Your parents were okay with Jisung and already mentioned that if you dated him, it’d be best. God why did they think like that?  “I’m joking, I’ll get a taxi and we can go together,” he thought. You nod agreeing with him.

A couple weeks pass and you were on call to Jisung whilst studying. It was really late, around 2am but your Film project wasn’t going to do itself. He kept company since he just never slept. “want me to come over to study with you?” he asks. You were shocked at the offer. “at 2am? Are you crazy!” your voice becomes a little harsh as you tried to stay quiet. “maybe we should look for campus accommodation or an apartment we can split the rent for!” he suggests. It wasn’t a horrible idea, there would be some leeway for you to do whatever you like. “I’ll see for next semester; we can get looking though!” although you didn’t realise, he meant move in together. You and Jisung met up later that day at the university library, your laptop with all your editing software open, editing your short film that you filmed of him. It was about how you romanticised life and how everything was symbolic for something; Jisung pointed at himself. “what do I symbolise,” he asks tilting his head taking in the moving image. You pause, what if your feelings have changed? You lied. “you’re my best friend of course,” you smile through the pain knowing he will never feel the same. His cheeks flare a rosy hue. Even such words made him happy. “hey,” he enquires, “are you free August 1st?” you think for a moment. “That’s a couple months away but I should be, I can make sure nothing happens that day, why?” You seemed so confused. “My family and I are going to Jeju for a visit and I was wondering if you wanted to come as well?”

Oh.

“That would be nice, I haven’t been there yet either,” you let out a quiet laughter. “please, it would be so nice to have you there too!” he leans into you a little and laying his head on the table and smiling. Stop smiling like that – you think. “maybe I’ll consider it if you weren’t acting like a child,” your nervousness was seeping through. “a child? Isn’t that just my ecstatic personality hm?”

You scoff and continue focusing on your editing, a deep feeling of resent brewing within – why did you film Jisung AND fall for him? Wasn’t falling in love with your best friend a crime in any friendship? You took a deep breath; if you ignore it, it will be fine.

You stare at your oyster-white ceiling, covered in plastic leaf vines along the ends of your room the window open ajar enough to let in the gelid night breeze in, gliding onto your begs making you quiver. You didn’t want to shut it, you were too consumed by sundry thoughts about him; the way your heart thumped out of your chest, it paining you to see his boxy smile or when he would run up to you and embraced his arms around you tenderly full of compassion. He cared so much for you but you felt like you were too late to return any of it. Feelings are the way they are; ruthless in nature, eradicating almost every bit of rational though you possessed. You groaned feeling ever so dishevelled. You hand on your chest and a stone in your throat; you found it hard to accept you liked him – a lot more than just ‘like’, that word was too ineffective. Jisung’s pure demeanour flashes in and out of your head; when his hand touched yours when you held that one book at the night café, the way he let you have his jacket as a shelter, the way he kept the shrivelled-up daisy chain on his shelf; it was the way he did everything for you. Jisung played the guitar for you nearly every time you asked and sung for you even though he wasn’t confident in his vocals. But you didn’t want to bring your hopes up and embarrass yourself. That’s when it happened – the butterflies intruded and that’s when you knew your monotonous routine of life was demolished. With that being said, your eyes began to heavy, shutting slightly before your eyes fully closed. Dreamland is where you were transported to you…

Your trip to Dreamland gave you all the answers you needed.

It was a Saturday and you waited outside of a café waiting for Jisung. It was warmer, much warmer. You remembered that one winter’s evening when you and Jisung were caught in a storm in the exact place. You switch your phone on to see the time, the photo of you and Jisung gleaming back at you. It was a cute photo; Jisung slyly ate some of your ice cream getting a little bit on the tip of his nose and you laughing at him and wiping it off with your thumb. Your other friends really liked capturing you two, they said you were soulmates which you ignored because you didn’t believe in soulmates. Emphasis on didn’t – times change and so do people.

“Hey!” Jisung startled you, nearly dropping your phone. “you alright there,” he chuckled at you. “Not funny!” you couldn’t help but smile. “you seem to be in a good mood!” he smiles with his teeth, draping his arm around you, clutching his fist to respect you. “so what do you want to do today?” he asks you.

“why do you keep asking me?” you pout slightly. “why not?” Jisung pushes his hair back, his chestnut locks resting back into its natural position.

“We should go to a café then get matching bracelets because YOU promised we’d get matching ones and then maybe at sun set, go to Namsan Tower?” you suggest. “Did you plan this last night when I told you to go to sleep?”

You didn’t, you saw it in your dream.

“l-lets just go!” you grab his arm and take him inside the café to get a cool drink to quench your thirst.

His eyes attentively scanned the menu, looking at all the cold drinks he could get. “what are you getting,” he asked. “hmm I really feel like having the grapefruit one!” you point at the menu, “what are you getting?” you ask Jisung, “which one sounds nice?” he asks again.

You can the menu again; “blueberry tea sounds really tasty!” you say. He nods that same look of compassion; he was enthralled by you yet you didn’t even know.

***

She was beautiful. The way she looked up at me and smiled; her fierce attitude to everything made me want to scream, toss and turn in my bed; she made the butterflies in my stomach go wild. I was foolish for falling for her – my best friend – but what can I do if whenever I see her, the tempestuous storm within me is appeased at her presence. She makes me feel at home. Her amicable nature, so captivating. The face she made when she was displeased was endearing even if she thought it was hideous, to me she was like a gem that was waiting to be found and I’m glad to have found her first. I was devoted to her; there won’t be another who makes me feel the way she does. She’s my first love. And I am willing for her to be my last if nothing is returned. Her happiness is all that matters to me…

***

Sipping your drinks in the sunlight was refreshing. You both got your bracelets to match; inexpensive yet it meant the whole world to you – and him.  “there are some benches over there!” you point, grabbing his spare hand without a second though and running towards it. The sun began to wane and the stars began to emerge; simultaneously, the sky bled into an inky black allowing the stars to glow and gleam brightly. It was like how Jisung endured everything for you to let you shine. Like in school, how he would quite literally get hurt to keep you safe. You owed him a lot. “isn’t the moon really pretty tonight?” you point at the lustrous pearly orb that reigned the void sheathing the earth. “yeah, she’s really pretty tonight,” Jisung speaks softly. You didn’t realise how Jisung said ‘she’; he gazed at you, infatuated by none other than you. His fingers twitched to intertwine between your fingers, to lay a gentle kiss on your cheek. He waited for the right time.

A few months went by until it was the day of the trip Jisung planned to go on with his family. You stand in the centre of your bedroom with a small suitcase since it was for two weeks; you packed your necessities and your chargers, some hair ties and your book. You zipped up your suitcase and grabbed your other bag to throw in your pouch, phone, airpods and whatever else you needed easy access to. Jisung walks into your room with a knock; “hey your mum let me in, ready for me to take your stuff?”

And from there, everything began to unfold.

The journey there was peaceful considering the fact you always fell asleep at least 15 minutes into any car journey. Your head resting against the car window, although Jisung noticed that it wasn’t very relaxing when your head kept bumping against the car; he moved to the middle and gently moved your head to rest onto his shoulder his arm around you, so you were comfortable. He could feel his heart explode 50 fireworks every time he looked at you. He was spellbound by you.

***

Your Island holiday started off with a tour of Jisung’s holiday home; a pretty looking home with sliding doors and traditional architecture. “This is my room, and I think my parents are allowing you your own room which is the guest room,” he opened the door to the guest room and you were rapt but the view it had of the ocean. You dropped your bags and ran to the large windows and swung then open; the sound of the birds and the swashing of the sea infused your system. It felt refreshing. “It’s really pretty isn’t it, I love coming here,” he leaned against the window sill. Especially with you. He thought. “well, I’ll let you get comfortable and perhaps we can go exploring a little bit or we might have something to eat.. I don’t know but get comfy!” he says before shutting the door and leaving you alone with the ocean and your busy mind to unwind.

The saxe blue ocean pushed up against the bisque grains of sand, pulling back and leaving behind a platinum foamy residue. You thought of you and Jisung holding hands and walking down the beach at sunset like every couple does. The air felt lighter so you inhaled deeply and tried to let go of everything you had on your mind. You heard a knock at the door; it was Jisung’s mother. “are you hungry?” she smiled with immense amount of love and gentleness in her eyes. “of course! I’ll come now!” you close the windows and grab your phone as his mother smiled at you. Family meals with his family felt so natural although today Jisung was a lot more reserved as usual. Usually he would say something stupid or be extroverted. “You okay?” you whisper across the table. “h-huh, OH yeah I am, I’m tired that’s all.”

It wasn’t like him but you knew it wasn’t you that was the reason.

After dinner, you followed him back to the bedrooms; “Jisung,” you utter “Hm?” he turns around, the pair of you face to face now. “Do you want to watch the stars with me?” you ask nervously but you saw the way his brows raise from a furrow and the corner of his lips raise. “Of course I would, I’ll go change and come to you alright?” you nod your head and do the same thing. As you close the door you exhale. You don’t know why you were so nervous. But soon enough, he knocked and asked permission to come in. You both sat on the bed and gazed at the twinkling stars outside; “sometimes I wish I could be a star,” you begin. “Why is that?” Jisung asks looking down at you laying your head near thigh; “they’re so carefree and pretty and I-”

“but so are you?” he defends. “what?” you get up and look at him, your hair covering the sides of your face. He tucks your hair behind your ear; “you mean more than you think, to someone out there you just don’t know yet.. The way we’re looking at stars right now someone must’ve saw you the same way and wished they saw you again.. because it’s hard to find ONE special star amongst many,” Jisung was extremely poetic today.

“Han-” you were interrupted again. “the moon is out again, look!” he points as you lay back down this time on his thigh as he shifted it closer to where you were laying. It felt natural. His hand hesitated to touch your hair, to play with your locks but he found the courage to. You felt your soul levitate but luckily he couldn’t see your face.

***

The sun beamed into your room, the light material curtains flailing in the ocean breeze; Jisung wasn’t in the room. You were resting on a pillow with a blanket over you, it seems like he left later when you fell asleep again. The aroma of breakfast began to waft through the gap of the door to which you thought it would be a good idea to get up and get ready. You opened the door and yelped as you saw Jisung smiling ear to ear at your door. “Good morning sleepy head-” as he grabbed your hand. “w-wow where are we going!” you yelped. “breakfast but at a special place!” he says. “bye we’ll be back!” Jisung waves to his parents. You make your way down paths until you reached a little shop – a coffee shop. “I loved this place and I always wanted to bring you here!” he opens the door and the strong scent of bread and other patisserie struck you. “this is where my love for cheesecake came from!” he smiles. He seemed very happy.

You panicked internally. Did..you kiss! That thought didn’t feel right !!

***

Jisung toured you around. He showed you places he used to love as a child and things that made him happy – even happier that he could share it with you – from the rocks near the sea, to the bakery. He showed you where he carved his name on a tree on the way back to the family home. “maybe I should carve yours too!” he looks for a sharp stone and gets right to it. You watch him be so happy and acted out to yourself how you would confess to him. maybe you shouldn’t right? Soon after, you both slowly walked home but Jisung stopped again. “hey look!” he points at this tree. “what about it?” you ask until you looked up to see bright orange oranges hanging from verdant leaves. “oh my! I want one!” you say trying to grab out until Jisung stands extremely close behind you leaning over to twist one off. “Thanks-” you say although he begins peeling the skin off himself with a smile of endearment painted across his face. “I can do it myself!” you try to grab it off him. “aaaa-” he says holding a piece to your mouth with your accept, his thumb grazing against your bottom lip. “oh it’s really tasty!” you say. “open wide,” he jokes as he holds another one. “I’m not a baby!” you whine. “yeah you are,” he laughs running forward. “come and get me!”

This was the Jisung you knew and loved.

He grabbed your hand once you caught up to him, his fingers intentionally interlocking fingers and smirking at you playfully before running back to the house. You had so much fun. More than you usually do and you felt closer to Jisung. The exchanging of looks and playfully flirty remarks is all that you would remember from today. Especially, his thumb grazing your bottom lip; his soft gaze was still intense; it still made you feel nervous.

Being with Jisung was homely. His genial personality making you fall for him further. That night, you sat in the bed of the guest room, the owls hooting outside and trees rustling as the oceans began to sound turbulent. You were a little frightened and you debated going to Jisung. “screw it!” you thought. You knock at his door and hope he isn’t asleep. There wasn’t an answer so you turned around to go back into your room until your hear the handle lower and open. “you okay?” he asked, looking genuinely concerned. You gulped at the way he presented himself, his hair messy and eyes weary. “I didn’t mean to disturb you I-I’m just a bit scared…” you mumbled. “scared?” he repeated. “yeah! Don’t repeat it I feel STUPID!”

He lets out a soft chuckle and holds out his hand; “I’m watching a show right now if you want to join me?” he offers. You take his hand and he closes the door behind him. He climbs into bed and leans against his headboard. “your space awaits,” he says in a deep voice mocking the character in the show making you smile. You slide under his sheets and against the headboard too although it felt abnormal. “you can lean on me if you want to, I don’t mind..” he says. “are you sure?” you ask gulping. He nods with great certainty. So you did what he said. You lowered yourself so your head was at his chest, leaning into him and unexpectedly he pulled you in closer.

The moment became incredibly intimate. His heart was beating fast, you could hear it thump out of his chest. You felt your pulse quicken too. This wasn’t normal at all. You were okay with intimacy but this moment felt … different.

“are you okay?” he asks, his voice slightly husky, his fingers gently skimming the side of your arm. You stay still, debating to confess or to just lean in and get it done and over with. No. He wouldn’t do that. You sit up, his arm moving away from you; you face him and take a deep breath. “what’s wro-” he gets cut off by your confession.

“ I love you Jisung..” you blurt out closing your eyes hoping he’d say something – even if it was the opposite of what you were expecting. Although whilst your eyes were closed there was silence which was shattered by Jisung’s laugh. He lay his hand on yours, his other hand just below your jaw: “open your eyes for me,” he begins, your eyes slowly peering at him. It was like someone burst a colour bomb in the room; he was radiating indigo, pink and orange – he was happy. Although words were not exchanged, actions were.

Actions speak louder than words

His arm placed itself around your waist pulling you in closer to him as you kneeled on his bed. He closed his eyes and leaned closer to your lips, a paroxysm of emotions and feelings being exchanged between two lovers. The pure infatuation between you and him felt like true love, everything felt like two puzzle pieces attaching to create a piece of art that longed to be complete. The large boulder that sat on your chest had gone, you felt like a feather floating through the gates of heaven. The sweet exchange between you and Jisung, his hands ever so gently holding you; he loved you this whole time but waited for you. You lay next to him, his eyes so effervescent and glossy, his fingers caress the side of your cheek. “I love you more than you would ever have expected me to…” he confesses lowly “ I was waiting for you,”

I was waiting for you.

Everything felt so complete with your heart and Jisung’s heart merged into one. Daisies, clementine’s, and August 1st. You wished for nothing more and nor did he. Even in another life, you would always be his first love

First love. Something so pure and magnificent, something that changed the repetitive customs of life; something that gave variety and prosperity to existence. Even when seasons change, Clementines and Daisies will be what bound you with your first love; Jisung was your first love and transpires to be your last. 

Everything was falling into place and had been since whenever he grew feelings for you. The way you sandwiched his cheeks with heat packs, or the way you held his hand with one heat pack. Not to forget the way he would always buy your second choice so you didn’t have any regrets. The way Jisung’s gentle touches made a pit in your stomach fall everytime like the one time at the night cafe when you were looking at the books. Not to forget the way his thumb grazed your lips...  Everything was just right.

***

[popculturebuffet]

House of Mouse Patreon Reviews: Timon and Pumba or Hakuna Mehtata (patreon review for WeirdKev27

Hello happy people. And it’s that time of the month again: Kev’s monthly review of House of Mouse for it’s 20th anniversary! Still not on Disney Plus... still. 

And this one is themed as earlier this week Kev had me review the LIon King for his birthday, so instead of randomly choosing an episode as he usually does he just outright picked this one because the timing was too good and I agree with that choice. 

So was this episode the top of pride rock or should it be thrown to the hyena’s? Join me under the cut to find out

Starting with our shorts for the episode...

Pluto’s Magic Paws:

This episode is admittedly at a disadvantage with me. See while i’ve taken an interest in classic disney shorts, I loves watching them and wish Disney would put more hd ones on Plus for all to enjoy, there are two genre’s of them, if you will I avoid: Ones focusing on Mickey’s Dog Pluto, and ones featuring Chip N Dale tormenting Donald. I avoid them if I can and the only way you could get me to watch them is if say you ambushed me with them in the middle of an episode I was doing because one of my patron’s, and the only guy who comissoins my work, say asked for the episode and neither of us bothered to check what the shorts were. So anyways this patron sponsosred episode, you can get a patron episode a month yourself if you join my patreon for five bucks a month and even lower paying members get one free review on signup, hint hint, features a Pluto short followed by Chip N Fucking dale. 

So yeah let’s talk about WHY I don’t like Plut shorts> Pluto isn’t a bad character, he’s a dog, a loyal companion. But his shorts tend to lean into either animal abuse, i.e. the poor doggy going through shit for our amusement that isn’t funny, the tired and terrible trope of “pet gets blamed for something new interloper did, or some third thing that I still don’t like anyway. 

I don’t HATE Pluto as a character, but he works best as a supliment to Mickey or a partner to him. The Hooch to his Turner. I will never get why he spun off into his own adventures. Goofy and Donald I get. Besides being registered boys with me, both just had oodles of charm, personality and humor that lent themselves to being spun off into their own corners of the world. Pluto.. is just Mickey’s dog. 

A pet character CAN be awesome on their own and go off into wild adventures: Snoopy is the greatest example of this, going from Charlie Brown’s dog to an imaginative weirdo who plays doubles tennis with a bully, takes birds on camping trips, goes to see his long lost sister and her gangly nephew in kansas city, has a whispy mustached brother who live sin the desert and gets into his own shenanigans, got trapped under an icicle, had his house burn down, took Peppermint Patty and Marcie on a race around the world, and so , so much more. And he’s not the only one: Garfield was so charming he overshadowed his owner in the strip’s prototypical form and took over as main character, while Opus went from Binkley’s odd but endearing pet to Bloom County’s star and my spirit animal. 

It’s just with Pluto.. they don’t expand his character or anything he’s just.. a dog. That’s it. And just being a dog can be a fine character, again to use yet another comic strip Lynn Johnston mined plenty of good slapstick out of the Patterson’s Dog Farley and later Farley’s son Edgar. Here though they either make Pluto sympathetic or give him nothing funny TO do. Most Pluto shorts are just dog tourture porn and that’s just not something I WANT to see and those that aren’t are just boring. He’s boring as a character. 

This one is not an exception and the only intresting part is the gimmick itself, two magical gloves from a magician who get swapped with Mickeys and try to escape to get to the show, only for pluto to chase them, then use them. But despite an intresting premise the gag’s are pretty sparse, the only two really memorable ones being the gloves hyjacking a fire truck and a sequence where Pluto uses them to flipi the tv channels, with puns on various disney afternoon and one saturday morning shows, the ones that stood out being Darkwing Dog and Brand Spankin New Dog, complete with similar logos. Otherwise i’ts eh. It’s not as bad as the cupid one, that was insufferable, but it’s just not.. funny. It has a decent premise but the fact I spent more time explaning why pluto dosen’t work than actually descrbing the short should tell you it’s just.. not much of a short. There’s not anything really to mock even it’s just a bunch of stuff that happened. it’s okay but it’s just nothing really worth your time. 

Mickey To the Rescue: Cage and Cannons

Ironically the best short of the night is the shortest, as it’s one of the recurring “Mickey to the rescue bits”. Pete kidnaps Minnie, Mickey has to go through some new supervillian lair to get her. I do love these though and this one is fun as Mickey has to outrun a bunch of canons with spring loaded boxing gloves in them. 

Yup. It’s fun though and Minnie even gets to help with her own rescue using her bow. it’s really fun nice stuff... anyways now back to my suffering

Back To My Suffering Golf Nut Donald: 

Now to clairfy I have nothing against Chip N Dale RESCUE RANGERS. I haven’t seen much of the show but that’s more due to me procrastinating on watching things rather than actual disinterest. I just forget, things pile up and then boom there’s season two. It happens. 

But the show does genuinely intrest me: the idea of two chipmunk detectives and their mouse friends, one a loveable oaf the other his cute genius daughter, solving crimes and fighting a literal fat cat all sounds pretty damn fun. So yeah Chip N Dale as detectives wearing indiana jones and magnum pi’s outfits, very good.

Chip N Dale in the classic shorts though?

The problem is most shorts have someone either slighting the two by accident or MUCH more often the two just.. making someone’s life hell because they want to steal some food. There are ones where Donald is genuinely a Donald Dick, kicking them out of their home or trying to steal their stuff, but for the most part Donald or Mickey or Pluto, because Disney apparently plotted my suffering years in advance, genuinely are just going about their day when the two little shits decide to ruin it. 

And once again , like Pluto you CAN make a good story out of this: A lot of great looney tunes come out of animal tries to steal from asshole and the whole premise of Tom and Jerry is Jerry being a loveable scamp to Tom’s sometimes asshole. It doesn't always work and sometimes Tom’s just trying to stay in his fucking home making jerry the asshole, but you get my point: in slapstick the target needs to be unsympathetic so they DESERVE what’s coming. In these shorts it’s often not the case and their just trying to live their lives. 

This one however. is uniquely bad in that it TRIES to have Donald be unsympathetic but he dozen’t do enough for it to work and thus his punishment seems excessive. In this one Donald is a janitor at a Golf Course who finds their offering a trophy for best golfer and sets off to do just that. 

So he gets a near perfect game and is on the last hole when a tree inhabited by candarian demons ends up in his way. Look you look at those two little bastards and tell me there isn’t a page of the necornomicon just for them. So he does what any resonable person does and whips out a chainsaw to cut the tree down so he can keep golfing. Yes Donald just rendered two creatures homeless so he could win at the most boring, whitest, and most pointless sport, instead of you know just putting around, still probably winning anyway. And yeah I don’t like golf and why yes this dosen’t help.  And this is from someone who LIKES Happy Gilmore a hell of a lot and thinks Caddyshack is pretty good. You can make a good golf story. Mini Golf however gets an enteral pass from me: that shit is actually fun no matter your age. 

So this makes donald unsypametic enough right? 

The thing is while what Donald is unsympathetic and dserves commpuance, chap and dumbass are also unsympathetic, attacking the guy without both confirming Donald felled their home. (Which.. he did but they have no way of knowing that), or trying to TALK to him first. They just go into vengance mode automatically and cost donald his trophy. It just makes the rest of the short a slog because there’s NO ONE to root for. Donald chopped down a tree to win a game he probably woudl’ve won anyway, and Chapped and Dildo attack someone on the assumptinon they did something wrong. 

Finally the short is just not really funny, so it dosen’t have anything to paper over this problem resulting in just a real slog to get this episode done with. It was a waste of my time and while not the WORST house of mouse short, it still sucks more than a giant robot made out of vacums that is constantly sucking at a college level. 

Timon and Pumba: Okay onto the reason we’re all here, our wrapround bit concerns everyone’s faviorite disney duo, Worker and Parasite!

But that episode is lost to time so instead we got one about Timon and Pumbaa. The best bit is at the start when Mickey announces the two are tonight’s featured performers.. and we get a cut to an entirely salty simba complaning about how they get all the attention while Nala just looks confused. I love everything about this and have so many questoins: When did Simba start resenting them? Is he mad he didn’t get his own show? Why is Nala suprised by this? How do his dad’s feel about this? Why is their a child versoin of him also running around Young Link Style? And was he also this bitter when his son got a show instead of him decades later?

Anyways, while Mickey does his bit donald TRIES to greet Mushu.. who brushes him off like a jackass for doing his job of greeting people. Donald TRIED getting his revenge decades later by getting Mushu written out of the remake despite the fact it really ddin’t clash at all with the whole magical kung fun narrative, but that ended up backfiring as he got spared being in the remake that was shot near modern concentration camps.

Donald’s day dosen’t get much better as he finds out he has to do goofy’s job and bring Timon and Pumbaa their snacks because Goofy got stuck in the sink. Even though there are plenty of serving penguins, and pluto, and others who coudl do it instead of you know, the co-manager of the club whose already busy working the door. 

It dosen’t get better when he actually does the job, through gritted beak, but Timon, being timon is less of a professoinal about it and more gripes about them not being the cream filled kind. Pumbaa naturally eats them all. These two are a PERFECT fit for HOM: they have a great duo act, are hliarious together, are popular with both adults and kids watching and fit well. It’s really fun to see the two transition from two weirdo husbands to two wweirdo husbands who do a live show for people vegas style in a mouse’s night club. 

So the idea of the two being a double act is good.. but the show falters from here deciding instead to do something fun with it or play into Donald more instead going with a cliche: two friends have a fight over something stupid , breakup and end up coming back together. I mean in this case it’s two husbands but still, the cliche remains. 

And while this is the second time in a row i’ve complained about a plot being predictable I have to stress for the umpeteenth time I DON’T have anything against cliches if you use them creatively. But this episode uses this plot in it’s most basic and boring form. Even the reasons WHY the two fight are stupid and trite instead of character based: Pumbaa wants to do stand up, Timon wants to do magic, they fight over it. 

The next step is also predicable. Donald is sent to fix it and while he TRIES to, Pumbaa ends up instead making a long hilaroius speech about how Donald is “happy” being number two and getting none of the credit, while doing more work than mickey despite being co owner. The issue here is this is SUPPOSED to just be Donald being egostistical and thus siding with Pumbaa because he feels mistreated even though he isn’t. But the thing is.. the episode backs this feeling up: Donald works the door but no one cares about his job clearly if M ushu is any occasion and isn’t doing jobs because he’s co owner and feels responsible.. but because everyone else is too busy and piles it on him. 

I’m not saying Donald shoudln’t be pitching in on other work ocassionaly but what’s damming is MICKEY is doing Donald’s job. Donald should be comforting the guests, getting them hyped etc, preparing them for their sets while Mickey rests between his own MCing sets. And it’s not slacking off, Mickey took over the duty himself, without telling Donald, then expects donald to do less for no credit. These kind of eps where Donald feels unappricated only work when Mickey is his normal self: being a kind, thoughtful guy who only takes advnatage accidentally and TRULY apricates his best friend and buisness partner. Here he just comes off as a dick especially in the finale which we’ll get to. 

For now Donald teams up with Pumba and what COULD’VE been a funny runner.. ends up lasting all of two minutes. Something i’ve noticed is that the season 1 wraparounds.. are really poorly paced, being based more around just filling in space and being fairly simple instead of exploring things and as a result have so far, outside of the first episode, been the weakest ones. They have good setups, but the stories themselves lack heart or character and just come off as basic problems of the week to fill in time. 

The resolution is also REALLY weak: Timon does his magic act and bombs horribly, though there is a funny runner of him having kidnapped thumper to be the rabbit in his hat, and PUmbaa saves him turning it into an act. Pumbaa gets the respect he was owed and Timon appricates him, which is cute but not worth the rest of this.. or the final scene where mickey TRIES to apologize to donald only to get pissy when he wants to change it to house of duck.... instead of coming up with a better name that represents both he just says no like he entirely owns the club instead of co owns it with someone else. HAHAHAHA micheal is a real asshole this episode. 

Final Thoughts:

This was not a good episode.... the shorts were weak, even taking my hatred of pluto and chip n dale shorts into account they aren’t good even by those low standards, and the main plot has a GREAT setup.. but devolves into a cliche story that resolves absurbtly instead of doing ANYTHING with it. It’s just a really weak episode and one I don’t intend to eve rwatch again if I can help it. 

Next Month: King Louie’s legally distinct brother visits the house of mouse! Swingin! 

[lonelyreputation]

Different (part four)

A/N: WOW! So much later than anticipated!! My apologies! Took me some time to write & edit! But here ya go 💫 Part ~four 🥳 There’s only one more part after this, woot woot!! 

THANKS A MILLION FOR ALL OF YOUR LOVELY WORDS AND KIND MESSAGES!!! 🤗💞🌻 I appreciate all of you to no end I love you all so much 🤧 I’d love to hear your thoughts!!

REQUEST/PROMPT: Unrequited Love

Part ONE | Part TWO | Part THREE

Let’s Chat!! | MASTERLIST | Add Yourself To My Taglist!

Warnings: Few swear words

WC: 4.1K // only a ~smidge of angst

-

It had been two months since you started walking in a different park; two months since Shawn had spilled tea on you.  Two months since your last contact with him.  And while it initially hurt seeing him, after a few days, you were starting to feel somewhat normal.

While two months felt like a blink of an eye, it had been a total of eight months since you last really saw Shawn.  Eight months since that explosive argument where you put it all on the line for him and he cut you loose.  Well, you cut yourself out from his life, but that was because you knew it was to keep your sanity above anything else.

It took some time adjusting to a new park, but all in all, you found it more peaceful than the last.  And that was probably due to the fact that you now had a walking partner.  Since Brian took you out for coffee, he weaved his way back into your life.  So for the last two months, you had spent it drinking an insane amount of caffeine, and getting some light exercise with Brian.

It felt nice rekindling your friendship with him.  While at the time, it made sense to cut anyone out of your life who connected you to Shawn, now you saw how much of a mistake that was.  Because as you walked into the frigid February air, feeling as if icicles were hitting your skin, you finally had a close enough friend you felt comfortable confiding your secrets in.

“I’m seeing someone,” you dug your mitten-clad hands further into your jacket pocket as the wind picked up.

For a second, you thought the wind had picked up your secret, but when you turned your head to look at Brian, there was a very concentrated look on his face.  You elbowed his side, and he was brought out of whatever world he found himself in, as a smile lit up his face, “That’s––Wow, Y/n, that’s great.”  

“Thanks,” you shrugged off his forced tone of excitement.

While his smile was genuine you could see it in his eyes, and hear it in his voice, that he was thinking something different.

“Who’s the lucky guy?”

Another howl of wind came through as you tilted your head down and to the side, bracing the cold impact, you almost didn’t hear the word lucky.

You waited until the wind died down to speak up, “His name’s Charlie.”  And a soft smile made its way across your face as you thought about the date he took you on two nights ago, “He’s really sweet.”

The wind picked up again when you were explaining to Brian how you met him through a mutual friend.  And while you had only been seeing him for a little over a month, things were still casual between the two of you, but you could see the relationship progressing into something more serious.  

In the past, you had been so hung up on your fantasy with Shawn––the clichè story of how the two best friends fell in love––that you brushed off every guy who tried to make an advance on you.  And it wasn’t until you had spent the whole party laughing with Charlie that you realized Shawn never held back when it came to girls around him.

So this time, you weren’t holding back.

“I’m happy for you, really,” Brian threw an arm around your shoulder to give you a quick side hug, and it was the first time he sounded genuine, “You really deserve this.”

“Yeah,” it was the first time the wind decided to stay quiet, and you spoke confidently, “I do.”

The rest of your walk was silent as the two of you enjoyed the company of each other.  There was something so soothing about not feeling pressured to fill the void of silence with noncommittal conversation.  It was something you missed about having a best friend.

When you completed your walk, about to ask Brian when the next time he would be up for a walk, he cut you off, “We’re––I’m having a little get together in a few nights,” he rocked back on his heels, “You should bring your boyfriend.”

“He’s not my boyfriend,” you quickly corrected him.

Brian rolled his eyes, “But really, I’d like to meet him.”  You nodded, keeping silent, because you knew that Brian was holding back on some key information.  And with a sigh, he answered what you already expected to be true, “Shawn might stop by, but he said he didn’t know if he would be up for socializing.”

Even after eight months of voluntarily avoiding him, there was still a sharp zip of pain that stung your chest when you heard his name.

“It’s fine if he's there,” you tried to brush it off and act nonchalant, when on the inside, you were going absolutely insane, “I’m over him.” Brian raised his eyebrows, not believing your statement, and you let out a huff, “Fine, okay.  Maybe I’m not totally over him, but…” you kicked up some dirt and whispered, “I’m really trying.”

Brian smiled and wrapped his arms around you, “That’s all that matters,” he squeezed you tight, “And if that new boy makes you happy then that’s a plus.”

“Yeah,” your voice was muffled from your head being buried into his puffy winter jacket, “I’m happy.”

///

You decided to invite Charlie to Brian’s get together.

You briefly mentioned it as an offhand comment as the two of you were doing dishes together; he was washing and you were drying.  You held your hand out, expecting to be passed another plate, but were met with air.  So when you looked up to see him stop mid-wash, with a smile on his face, you knew it was the right call to bring him and a smile instantly lightened up your face.

“So this is Brian’s place?” Charlie said as the two of you rode up the elevator.  

He couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he was practically jumping up and down in the elevator.  He was almost too excited to meet your friends while all you felt was nauseous.  All of the worst case scenarios ran through your head and everything kept circling back to Shawn.

What if Shawn was there? What would Shawn do? Would Shawn care? Did Shawn even know you were seeing someone?

But you shook your head clear of all the ‘what ifs.’  You were done focusing on those eight months ago.

When the elevator dinged onto Brian’s floor, you couldn’t help but return Charlie’s infectious smile as you grabbed a hold of his hand and walked off the elevator.

Walking down the hallway to Brian’s apartment felt like an eternity, but when you got to the door with 643 nailed onto it, you could hear the hoots and hollers of insanity.  You didn’t bother knocking as you turned the door knob and came face-to-face with Brian, down on one knee, chugging whatever he had in the red solo cup.

Once finished, he threw the cup onto the ground as people around him cheered.  You looked at Charlie with raised eyebrows and an apologetic smile, “That’s Brian––”

“Y/n!”

You weren’t able to finish your sentence as your hand was ripped away from Charlie’s and you were brought into a bone crushing hug.

“Oh, Y/n I’ve missed you,” Brain fake cried into your shoulder.

“It’s been two days,” you patted his shoulder and looked back at Charlie who had an amused smile on his face.

“Too long,” Brian laughed as he let you out of his hold and turned around, “You must be Charlie.”

He nodded his head and took Brian’s outstretched hand in his.  They exchanged pleasantries and talked for a few moments before you excused yourself to get a drink from the kitchen.  You were in the middle of making yourself a vodka coke when Charlie slid up next to you.  

Automatically a smile made its way onto your face as you handed him a sip of your drink.  He took a sip and scrunched his nose up, “Did you put any coke in that?”  You threw your head back in laughter and took the cup from his hand, “Is getting through a night with me so hard you need that much alcohol?”

From the glint in his eyes and the teasing tone he spoke with, you knew he was joking.  But you weren’t going to lie to yourself and say that you were just taking precautionary measures in case Shawn decided to show up.

Charlie tapped his fingertips on the top of your hand, and you flipped your hand over, palm facing upwards as he slotted his fingers with yours.

You smiled up at him, “I would never need that much alcohol for you.”

He let out a laugh as he reached over the counter and grabbed a regular soda can.  When you offered him alcohol to mix with his drink he shook his head and said something along the lines of being the designated driver.  

But his words were lost on you as you heard someone call out your name.

“Y/n?” The crack of the soda can wasn’t loud enough to drown out the voice you hadn’t heard since he spilled tea on you.

Your eyes widened, and your first thought was that you hadn’t had enough to drink yet to face him.  Charlie looked down at you, with a mixture of concern and amusement, as you downed half of your drink before facing your ex-best friend.

“Shawn, hey,” you tried your best to smile as he stood in front of you in the red shirt you bought him for his twenty-first birthday, “How are you?”

He looked a little shocked as he stared at the half-empty cup on the counter he saw you make just minutes before.  But then you saw his eyes glance over to your hand intertwined with Charlie’s.  It was a subtle look, but his dumbfounded expression morphed into one of confusion as he scrunched his eyebrows together.

He opened and closed his mouth like a fish, thinking he found the right words to say, but backtracking because he knew anything he said wouldn’t be good enough.

“Charlie,” you cleared your throat, “This is Shawn, and Shawn this is, Charlie, we’re––”

“Hey,” Shawn interrupted you before you could define your relationship status in front of him, “Nice to meet you.”

Charlie smiled, excited to meet another one of your friends, “Hey man, love your music.”  

There was always part of you that thought it would’ve been better if you told Charlie the whole truth about your friendship with Shawn, so that he’d understand how much you didn’t want to hear him genuinely compliment his music.  But all that you revealed to Charlie was that Shawn had been a friend for a few years; nothing less and definitely nothing more.  

A tight smile formed on Shawn’s face, but his eyes were dull, “Appreciate it.”

Charlie untangled your fingers and threw the arm around your shoulder, pulling you in close to his side, “This one always skips it when it comes on shuffle.”

Charlie was the only one laughing.  You stood frozen with your eyes wide staring at Shawn, as you felt your heart drop in your stomach.  Shawn also stood frozen, but his eyes were wide with perplexion and a hint of sadness.

“I just think it’s weird hearing a friend singing unexpectedly on my phone,” you tried to play it off with a shrug and Shawn let out a weak laugh.

“She doesn’t even eat tacos,” he let out another laugh as he pressed a kiss to the top of your head, Shawn’s eyes narrowing in on the action, “This one,” he playfully rolled his eyes as he looked down at you with an affectionate smile, “She’s different.”

Your body froze up.

Different.

Shawn froze up as his eyes widened just a smidge.  It seemed as though everyone at the party disappeared and you and Shawn were transported to the night you overheard him in the bathroom.  She’s different, he said about you, she’s just a friend.

You had no reason to be upset.  You were almost completely over your best friend who had broken your heart.  But standing in between a guy who you currently had feelings for, and the guy who you used to love…That word made your skin crawl.

You tried to lighten the situation by laughing; it was forced, Charlie didn’t seem to notice as he joined in on your laughter, but with one look at Shawn…You knew he could tell you weren’t genuinely laughing.

Shawn only stayed for a few more moments before saying he saw someone he hadn’t seen in forever.  With the pointed look in his eyes, and how he stretched out the word forever, you knew he was talking about you.  But he seemed to grasp the awkwardness of the situation and let you be with Charlie.

He took a sip of his soda, “He seems really cool, does he have a girlfriend? Maybe we could double date.”

His comment was casual, with an obvious playful tone, but you felt your hands start to sweat and bile stinging the back of your throat.  He had no idea, but that was your absolute worst nightmare.  Hearing about all of his dates when you were best friends was torture enough.  But to actually see him on a date?

“I’m just going to go to the bathroom,” you pressed a quick kiss on Charlie's lips and patted his chest, “I think Brian is in the living room?”

Charlie nodded his head enthusiastically and was already off searching for Brian before you left the kitchen.  You finished the rest of your drink, throwing the plastic cup in the trash bin, before hastily making your way to Brian’s room.  He always kept his room off limits during a party, but you knew he would let it slide for you.  

You rushed in, closing the door softly behind you, and went to sit at the bottom of his bed.  You leaned your elbows on your knees and rested your head in your hands.

You were over Shawn.  You had someone else in your life who made you laugh, brought a smile to your face, and would surprise you with takeaway food and a movie when he knew you had a rough day.  Charlie was nothing but kind and supportive of everything in your life, and you were upset with yourself because why couldn’t you love Charlie like you loved Shawn.

Charlie reciprocated your feelings; he was a good guy.  So why, just moments ago, did you feel more butterflies in your stomach when Shawn was in front of you than you ever did standing next to Charlie?

The door creaked open, and you saw a sliver of the hall light creep into the dark room, “I know I’m not supposed to be in here, Brian, but I really needed to clear my head––”

“It’s not Brian.”

Your head shot up and you were met with Shawn staring at you.  His hands were tucked into the front pockets of his black jeans, and while he tried to look as neutral as possible, he looked just as awkward as you felt moments ago.  His eyes were darting around the dimly lit room and he was chewing on his bottom lip.

You knew that he felt awkward.  You knew that he looked nervous.  And you knew, from that one sentence, that he sounded discouraged.

“So,” he rocked back on his heels and then forward on his black boots, “You have a boyfriend?”

With a scoff you rolled your eyes, “Not that it’s any of your business, but he’s not my boyfriend.”

“So you just hold hands and kiss anyone now?”

You shrugged your shoulders in annoyance and rolled your eyes, “What––Why are you so worked up about this?”

He narrowed his eyes at you, “I’m not worked up––”

You raised an eyebrow, “Uh, yes you are,” you spoke as if it was the most obvious thing, “you followed me into a room.”

Without an excuse for your matter-of-fact point, he ran his fingers through his hair, “You made tour miserable.”

You let your mouth drop open,”Me?” You couldn’t help but let out a single laugh about how ridiculous that sounded, “I made tour miserable? I wasn’t even with you, Shawn.  We weren’t talking––”

“Exactly! That’s how you made it miserable!” He said exasperatedly and threw his hands up, “How is it that you ruined touring and our friendship in the same month?”

Offended by his accusation, you stood up and pointed a finger at him, “You did that all by yourself.”

“Me?” Shawn mimicked your offended tone, “I wasn’t the one who fell in love with my best friend––”

All anger in your system left your body for a millisecond as you let your shoulders drop in sadness, “Are you really throwing that in my face right now?”

You felt crushed––absolutely shattered––that the person you once thought the world of would throw your feelings in your face in such a cruel way.  He always gave advice to fans to chase after what they want, to not be afraid to fall in love, to be honest with their feelings.  But behind closed doors with you? You couldn’t think of someone who was more hypocritical.

It took a second longer for Shawn to register the words that spewed out of his mouth.  He knew he was in the wrong, he knew he shouldn’t have said those words as maliciously as he did, but he couldn’t take them back.

But when Shawn noticed something wasn’t going his way, he changed the subject, “Do you…” The glare in his eyes disappeared and you saw just how exhausted he looked, the moon shining through the window highlighted the small bags under his eyes, “Do you really not eat tacos anymore?”

It was a typical Shawn move; trying to remove himself as the root of the problem and that only fueled back up the anger in you.

You shot him a glare, “Write a fucking song about it.” You said it in the nastiest voice you could as you purposely bumped his shoulder with yours as you stomped passed him.

But before you could reach for the door handle, Shawn caught your elbow in his hand and you felt a type of warmth you hadn’t felt in nearly a year, “I did write a song.”

“I don’t care, Shawn,” you rolled your eyes and tried yanking your elbow from his hold, but it was no use, “Let’s just go back to the party.”

“When you’re ready.”

“I am ready to go back,” you stopped struggling against him and let out a defeated sigh, “We can just pretend you never followed me here and I’ll go back to––”

“That’s a song I wrote––”

You whirled around, wanting to be done with arguing with him, “No, shit––”

“–-For you.”

His hand dropped from your elbow the same time your mouth dropped open as the two minute and forty-nine second song zipped through your mind; Every single night my arms are not around you, my mind’s still wrapped around you––I’m waiting––What if my dad is right, when he says that you’re the one––I’m waiting––I’ll wait forever––Say the word––I know your heart like the back of my hand––I’m waiting.

But he didn’t wait.

“How––” You felt your throat tighten up as your voice cracked, “How can you say that to me right now?”

It was as if Shawn hadn’t realized that revealing the inspiration behind the song would backfire on him.  You knew he didn’t think it through because he always told you stories when he told the girl what song he wrote about her and she would swoon.  

“It’s a––It’s a sweet song,” Shawn stumbled over his words as he rambled, trying to get every single one of his thoughts out before you would eventually stop listening to him, “It’s how I felt about you––How I feel––Everyone loves when a song is written about them and I––I just thought––If you knew that that song is about you––”

“I told you I was ready and you––you didn’t…” you looked up at the one person you thought you would always give the entire world up for.  The frown was evident on his face as he bit the inside of his cheek, glassy eyes looking down at you, “I‘m happy now.”

“I didn’t know that––”

You tried everything in your power to be angry at him, to throw words just as spiteful back at him that would cause him to lose sleep, just like he did with you, but all you felt was your heart breaking all over again.

“You wrote that song before I told you how I felt.”

“I know,” Shawn said exasperatedly, “I didn’t know how you felt–––”

“And you're telling me this now?” Your voice cracked as you felt the familiar sting pierce behind your eyes, “Because I have someone else in my life?”

“That’s not––”

“Do you know how manipulative that is?” You spoke on the verge of tears, feeling a lump begin to form, “I can’t keep doing this with you, Shawn.”

“Y/n, please, that wasn’t my intention,” Shawn’s voice was as desperate as the hold on your hand,  “I miss you––I––I miss us.”

“This is why I needed space,” you croaked out, and as much as you wanted to shake off his hand, you found yourself craving the warmth of his touch, “We can’t work like this––”

“I won’t be an asshole,” he pleaded with you, as if that was the only fault in your broken friendship, “I won’t come between you and your boyfriend, I won’t push you to talk to me when you don’t want to, I won’t hurt––” He cut himself off before he made a false promise, “––I’ve never missed anyone as much as you.”

You could try and rationalize all the reasons why you shouldn’t miss him––because that list outweighed the reasons why you did miss him––but you knew that you would be lying to yourself.  While your nightmares still centered around the day he let you down, your daydreams were filled with the familiar warm touches.

And holding his hand loosely in yours, now that you were reacquainted with the warmth, you didn’t know if you could live without it again.

“If––If we do become friends again,” you softly whispered, “We…” The light squeeze of your hand caused you to look up at him after your sentence drifted off.  His eyes were so full of hope, full of desire, that it killed you to say your next words, “I’ll need to think about it.”

“I’ll take it,” Shawn’s voice was small, “I just––Did you miss me at all?”

With a sad smile, you nodded your head, “Everyday.”

And with that, you dropped his hand and made your way out of Brian’s room and back to the liveliness of the party.  It didn’t take you long to find Charlie, seeing as he was standing next to Brian shouting out in excitement as he sunk a ping-pong ball into a red solo cup.  You rolled your eyes and made your way over to the rambunctious duo.

“Thought you weren’t drinking?” Your voice was directed at the boy you came to the party with, but your eyes trailed on a very tired looking Shawn as he came out from the hallway.  

His eyes met yours in a longing stare as you saw his eyes shift to the person who had just thrown an arm around you, showing you the inside of his cup, “Just water.”

You forced out a laugh as your eye contact with Shawn dropped when someone handed him a drink, “Responsible.”

Throughout the whole night, your eyes were always drawn to Shawn and the red solo cup he had only taken one sip out of.  And if your eyes weren’t on him, you felt his eyes on you.  

As you were sitting on the couch with Charlie, your head leaning on his shoulder, you closed your eyes and laughed at the funny story he told.  He was a hit with your friends, and nothing could’ve made you happier in that moment.  When you were listening to one of your other friends pitch in their funny story, Charlie gazed down at you and sneaked a quick kiss.

The kiss was sweet, not lasting more than a second, but when he pulled away and joined in on the conversation around you, your eyes automatically found the back of a red shirt as he weaved through the crowd.  Your eyes didn’t leave him until he closed the door behind him.

Maybe there was something that could’ve made you happier in that moment.

Taglist: @http-isabela, @musicalkeys, @adelaidestreets, @alina--jpeg, @fallinallincurls, @lights-on-mendes, @mendesficsxbombay, @now-that-i-saw-u, @particularnarry, @shawnmendez, @shawnsmutual, @turtoix, @vinylmendes, @5-seconds-of-mendes, @pupsandducks @musicalkeys

[everlarkbirthdaygifts]

Happy Birthday, everybirdfellsilent!

Happy belated Birthday, @everybirdfellsilent​! Apologies once again for all the mix-ups and confusion with your gift! I hope you had a truly wonderful day back when it actually was your birthday, and that it was much more orderly than this! To bring the party feels back, @ally147writes​ has emerged from everlark retirement to write a birthday gift just for you!

AN: Let me tell you, @everybirdfellsilent​, I agonised over the ending. This was the neatest and tidiest I could make it without writing you a novel. I hope it makes you chuckle a little.

Also a good time to let the audience know that I cannot write horror, or ghost stories, but dang it, I can write borderline crack, and I wanted to write Buzzfeed Unsolved-inspired ghosthunter!everlark so damn much.

Unbeta’d, because that’s how I roll.

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The old Undersee mansion doesn’t look haunted.

 Not that that really means anything. Most of the houses they’ve visited over the years haven’t looked haunted. They’ve been completely normal — except for that one in District Ten that had some kind of summoning circle in the basement (Peeta will die hoping it was drawn with red paint, a super weird kid’s project, but he’s got a feeling he’ll be dying disappointed. And extremely terrified) — with completely normal gardens in completely normal streets.

 So, no. Like most, the old Undersee mansion doesn’t look haunted, but it definitely feels haunted.

Peeta pauses at the bottom of the winding path. At its end, atop a small hill, the innocuous house sits empty, Madge and her family out for the next few nights while he and Katniss investigate. It’s as normal looking as any of the other exorbitantly large mansions on the street, but the longer Peeta stares down the deceptively cheerful, sunshine-yellow door, a deep, intense foreboding settles in his gut and ferments there.

 He swallows. “Uh, Kat?”

 Katniss sighs and stops at the first step to the porch, and Peeta swears he can hear her eyes rolling. Hard. “What is it, Peeta?”

  “I just… I got a real bad feeling about this one.”

 “Peeta,” she starts, mounting the first step, “you’ve had real bad feelings about all of them so far. And you’ve been wrong every time.”

 “No,” he replies quickly, following behind in the relative safety of her shadow. “You’ve just chosen to deny whatever proof we do find.”

 “A battery running out in our flashlight does not mean ghosts were playing with it.”

 “It ran out at the exact moment I told the spirits to turn it off!”

 “I don’t know how else to tell you that was a coincidence. The flashlight had been on for a good two hours by that point.”

 “A little convenient, don’t you think? Come on, Katniss. Plus, it turned right back on again when we were done, so the battery can’t have been that damn flat.”

 “I can’t understand why you’re so eager for this all to be the work of ghosts when it scares you shitless every single time.”

 “What about the time the spirit box said your name?”

 “Peeta,” she says with a strained laugh. “It said, Can’t Miss. As in, the District 12 Mockingjays Can’t Miss. It was a snippet of a goddamn basketball ad. It’s on the radio all the time on game days.”

 “Yeah, and the spirit box allows ghosts to use radio waves to communicate. Of course it wasn’t going to find Katniss — who the hell’s advertising katniss? — so it picked the next best thing.”

 “I’ll just sit here and wait for them to use a snippet of a pita bread company ad to talk to you, then.”

 He glares at the back of her head. “I’m sure they would, if there was a pita factory nearby that advertised.”

 She rolls her eyes. “Come on, Peeta. Let’s go find you a ghost.” She lifts a camera to her eyes and kicks the heavy mahogany door open and flicks on the gently swinging chandelier light.

 “Ghosts, spirits, urban legends and other assorted demonic entities, how are we all this evening?”

 “Katniss,” he hisses as he closes the door. “Some respect, maybe?”

 “What part was disrespectful? I covered, well, maybe not the full the spectrum of possible occupants, but definitely most of them, and asked how they were. Honestly if they’re not going to reply, they’re the disrespectful ones, not me.”

 The light flickers out. Katniss snorts. Peeta lets out a squeak he’s not proud of.

 “She doesn’t mean it,” Peeta calls frantically. “For the love of God, she doesn’t mean it. I’m sure you’re all lovely and polite.”

 The light flickers weakly and comes back on. The chandelier fitting swings like a pendulum, casting stretching and receding shadows over the white-sheet covered lounges and a thick, dark coffee table.

 “What the hell do you call that, Katniss?”

 “Shoddy wiring?” She shrugs. “Peeta, this house is about a century old. Probably more, actually.”

 “Madge said it was renovated and rewired two years ago.”

 She shrugs again. “Rats? Raccoons, maybe? That would explain the supposedly unexplainable shuffling sounds Madge thinks she hears.”

 Now he rolls his eyes. “Why am I married to you, again?”

 “Because divorce is costly and time consuming,” she says, kissing his cheek. “Besides, my logic goes well with your fatalistic romanticism.”

 “None of that’s going to matter when this house goes all Poltergeist and swallows us.”

 “Then what a good thing it is that that’s never going to happen.” She plonks herself down on one of the lounges and sets a pair of small motion-sensing cameras pointing at each entrance. Peeta swallows and hitches a thumb towards the kitchen.

 “I’m… uh, gonna look around for a bit.”

 “All right,” Katniss says absently. “Scream if you need me.”

 “Will do.”

 That dread in his stomach recedes and grows with each room he enters. He doesn’t feel anything wrong with the kitchen, or the dining room, but as he ventures up the staircase to the bedrooms, he swears he can feel something weighty on his shoulders.

 A sound like a dry, rattling whisper like nails on paper echoes through the long hall leading to the attic entrance. Peeta gulps. “Hello?” He thumbs open the recording app on his phone and turns it on. “Is anyone there?”

 The whispering sound grows. It doesn’t sound like words, exactly. At least, not words that he knows. They race up and along his spine until it sounds like they’re shouting in his ear.

 Peeta squeaks, jumps about a foot in the air, and something skitters past, too fast to see. A wave of cold washes over him, settling in icicles on his bones, and for a moment he stands stock still, not even breathing…

 Another whisper, one that sounds very, unnervingly close to hello, and he sprints back down the stairs to the living room, triggering the motion sensors into a high-pitched beeping sound.

 Katniss bolts upright. “What the hell is going on?”

 “Kat, were you… God, were you sleeping?” he asks, aghast.

 “What? It’s boring down here.” She blinks blearily up at him. “Are you okay?”

 “There… there’s something up there.”

 “Something as in actually something? Or something like your imagination run wild?”

 “Something like… it was making the strangest whispery, scratchy noises. I thought they were words, but… and then, something just… ran right past me. I didn’t see, but it was so so fast, and I —”

 “Peeta, it’s probably vermin. And the wind. And just… a bit of everything coming together to make you think it’s ghosts when it’s… just, not.”

 But his hands are shaking, and his pulse is more like one long thud instead of lots of little ones. “I just… I don’t…”

 She rolls her eyes. “Would it make you feel better if I went and checked? You can stay here with these stupid motion sensors; they’re only picking up bugs, anyway.”

 “No. No, I’ll go with you,” he says, setting a fist against his chest like that’ll do any good against his heart’s very valiant escape attempt. “Just in case.”

 “Right,” she drawls, “just in case the wind gets me.”

 He follows a step behind her, through the kitchen, down the corridor, and up the stairs. He doesn’t feel quite as heavy this, time, either. She cracks open every door they pass, six unused bedrooms, three bathrooms, two studys, and a small library, all silent. They’re left with one room at the very end. As she opens the final door, the whispering starts again, and a low moan like racing wind echoes.

 She steps in, and he turns on the light. The room is huge, but full. A writing desk sits in the far corner, and a neatly-made four-poster bed occupies the other corner. Beside the door, a seated vanity with a wide, oval mirror wiped free of dust. On its table, a collection of large and small hairbrushes, and an open box filled with tangled threads and needles and buttons and snippets of fabric. But none of those things holds Peeta’s focus for long.

 Instead, he stares at a wide cabinet spanning nearly the whole length of the back wall, covered so densely in dolls of every conceivable material, fabric and wool, porcelain and plastic. The whispering is almost deafening, and every time Peeta turns his head to look somewhere else, he could swear the dolls are twitching, blinking, watching.

 “Did, uh, Madge ever mention the doll collection?”

 Katniss scowls at the dolls. “She might’ve? I don’t really remember.”

 “Oh, I don’t think you would have forgotten something like this,” Peeta retorts.

 “I… well, yeah, this is definitely weird, but I don’t think we can call it haunted, or otherworldly.”

 “What the hell else would you call it?”

 “Any number of perfectly reasonable and logical things, Peeta. Mrs. Undersee likes weird, creepy dolls; what more can you say?”

 “Don’t call them weird and creepy.” He sets a finger against her lips. “I’ve read about haunted dolls. If you’re not respectful, they might curse you.”

 She rolls her eyes, but nods all the same. He doesn’t take his eyes off hers as he lowers his finger and shoves his hands in his pockets.

 He turns back to the dolls, and clears his throat. “Uh, we mean no harm or anything. It’s just… you’ve kind of been terrifying my friend and her parents, and we’d like you to please stop. Please.”

 Katniss whispers, “You already said please.”

 “Can’t hurt to say it twice.”

 “Did you bring the, uh… the thing? You know, the thing that reads the waves or whatever it was?”

 He shoots her a dour look. “You mean the EMF?”

 “Yeah, that. Do you have it?”

 “No, I don’t.” He sighs. “It would have been in the pack with the motion sensors, so it’s still downstairs.”

 “Spirit box?”

 “In the pack, too.”

 She surveys him strangely, arms crossed over her chest. “You really didn’t come prepared, did you?”

 “I was prepared! I just… didn’t think I’d be accosted in the very first hallway I went into.”

 She snorts. “Yeah, well, maybe next time you’ll think —” She stops, freezes, eyes riveted on something Peeta can’t see. His heart thumps harder and louder than he’s ever felt before.

 “Uh, Katniss? Is something wrong.”

 “Peeta,” she says, deadpan.

 “What?”

 “Look over there, in the gap between the cabinet and the desk. See that?”

 He does see that. He backs up so hard he’s going to have a massive bruise on his ass from the vanity he’s just about knocked over. “Holy shi — Are those… are those eyes?”

 “Yeah, they’re eyes. You wanna know what kind of eyes?” She picks up a hairbrush from the vanity stand next to them and hurls it at the gap.

 “Goddamn raccoon eyes, Peeta,” she says as the small pack of raccoons scatter. “There’s probably holes in the drywall or something, hence your scratchy whispers.”

 “I… oh.”

 “Yeah, oh. Raccoons, Peeta. Ninety-five percent of the time, it’s probably rats or raccoons.”

 “It wasn’t rats or raccoons in that place in District 10.”

 “That… was an outlier of a house, I’ll give you that, but it was probably still just people. Very strange, very creepy people.” She nudges him gently with her elbow and cocks her head to the door. “Come on, we should try and see if we can find the holes they were coming in through.”

 “You want to do home repairs?”

 “Hey, we promised Madge an exorcism, didn’t we? This is just a different kind of exorcism.”

 She hooks her arm in his, and they leave the doll room together. A sound like bye follows them out, but this time he can ignore it. Raccoons. Obviously.

 “Why do you come with me to these things?” he asks when they reach the bottom of the stairs.

 “Peeta,” she says seriously. “Know that I say this with all the love in my heart… you would die if I didn’t come with you.”

 “If I did die, I would so mercilessly haunt your ass.”

 She pats his arm, shakes her head. “No, you wouldn’t, Peeta. Ghosts aren’t real.”

[inseongsfoxybae]

00:00

Pairing: Husband Inseong + Female Reader

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: None

Words: +1,1k

Author's message: Hi, foxies! Well, I know there are still a few months to go before Inseong's birthday, but I really wanted to share the fluffiest fic I've ever wrote with you now. So, let's go for the first post of 2021 🎊 Hope you like it as much as I do ❤️ Foxy kisses 😘

P.S: As english is not my mother language, it may contain misspelled. Also, sorry for any other mistakes :)

Synopsis: It's Inseong's birthday and you prepared a beautiful surprise to him as a gift.

It was almost midnight and the sky was so pretty! The wind blowing softly and warmly on your faces, the full moon lightning up the city, the stars shining above you. You looked at Inseong and saw their reflection in his eyes - those big, bright eyes you love the most. He looked back at you and his face was brilliant as he smiled fondly at you.

You were spending some time on your rooftop, waiting for the clock to turn to midnight so you could celebrate his birthday. You both lay down on a thick comforter, surrounded by pillows, candles and little lights.

"It's almost your birthday, baby", you said softly resting your head on his chest. "I know and I'm so happy I can spend it with you", he replied kissing your forehead. You snuggled tighter to him and brought his left hand up to kiss his knuckles and ring. "Let's spend all of our next birthdays together as well", you whispered now moving to his neck to place a little peck there. "Yeah, let's stay together forever", he whispered back and you both smiled.

Your phone's alarm rang indicating that the time has come. You switched it off and turned back to Inseong with a bright smile gracing your face. "Happy birthday, my love", you exclaimed and threw yourself on him, peppering his beautiful face with kisses as your hands wrapped around his neck. "I love you, love you, love you so, so, so much", you said between pecks, he laughing tickled by your breath on him.

Inseong tightened his arms around you and sat up pulling you onto his lap. "I love you too, darling", he talked cupping your face, "and thank you so much", he captured your lips for a deep passionate kiss. You immediately melted into his arms and, when you parted, neither of you couldn't open your eyes for a while. "I have a gift for you", you told him when both of you recovered your conscience.

"I don't need a gift when I have you", he said pulling you in for another kiss. "But I know you really want this one, and I'm finally able to give it to you", you breathed against his lips when you broke the kiss. Your husband looked at you curious as you reached for a small box you had hidden under the pillows. "Here. Open it!", you shoved it into his hands.

Inseong opened the box and saw a thin white gold bracelet with three little icicles inside. "That's so beautiful! Thank you so much, baby", his smile was genuine and he hugged you tight again. "Do you like it?", you asked staring at him. "I love it", he pecked your lips.

"But I don't think I ever asked you a bracelet", he wondered. You smiled, grabbed the bracelet and put on his right wrist. "You never asked a bracelet, but you've been asked for its meaning", you said softly holding his hand. "And what's its meaning?", he questioned a little confused.

"See the three icicles?", you indicated them to him and he nodded. "They mean us", you looked deep into his eyes. "But we are two, darling", he insisted and you took in a deep breath. "It's no longer just the two of us, bae", you whispered tightening your grip on his hand. "What do you mean?", he was nervous.

You lifted his arm and explained, pointed to the bracelet. "This one is you. One. This one is me. Two…", you paused and brought his hand down to place it on your belly, "... And baby makes three", you looked up at him, but his eyes were fixed where you put his hand. "And baby makes three", he repeated trying to process what you had just spoken. You could feel tears forming in yours eyes while patiently waiting for his reaction.

Inseong finally lifted his head and met your eyes, his teary as well. "A baby?", he wondered shocked. "Yes, a baby", you couldn't hold back your tears anymore. "You- No… We… We're pregnant?", he said as his mouth curled up in a little grin, his hand caressing your belly. "Yes… We're pregnant!", you exclaimed and a large smile tugged on his face while tears escaped from his eyes.

"Oh my God, Y/N!", he pulled you into the tightest embrace you ever had. "Thank you, my love. Thank you, thank you, thank you", he said kissing all over your face, his arms tighten around your waist. He was crying joyfully, just like you, and in that time, everything seemed to stop to observe you, that little beautiful moment when a couple knows they're going to be parents.

He kissed you - the prettiest and more tender kiss you ever shared - as he hand slid into your shirt to touch your still imperceptible round tummy. And both of you smiled into the kiss, and your hands ran through his chest, to his neck, till landed on his soft hair. Inseong carefully lay you on the comforter again only to pay special attention to your stomach.

"Hi, little one." - he tried to control his shaky voice - "It's daddy here.", he failed, but continued. "Mommy gave you to me as the best gift I ever won and I already love you so much…", he couldn't say much more, so he just kissed and lay his head on your tummy, you both shedding happy tears.

"Inseong...", you called out when you calmed down. He brought his head up to yours and waited for what you had to say, sighing with the warm feeling of your hands cupping his face. "... My love...", you both smiled. "We're going to be parents. Can you believe that? I'm finally expecting your baby, our baby, the one we waited for so long", you said only above a whisper, still emotive.

"I know, babe. You're going to be a mommy and I'm going to be a daddy and we're going to be the best parents our child could ever have", he replied and placed a slow kiss on your temple. "You make me the happiest man in the whole world and I promise I'll take care of you better". You shook your head. "You're already enough", you softly told him and kissed his cheek.

"And now we're three", you smiled at him. "Yeah, we're three. Or four. Or five", he murmured against your lips and you laughed. "Doesn't matter how many we are, I love you all more than anything", he looked deep into your eyes. "We love you to the moon and back, daddy", you said the last word with a baby voice motioned to your tummy that Inseong caressed again with a bright smile on his face.

"Happy birthday, Seongie!", you brushed his cheek slowly. "Thank you for making this my best birthday ever, Y/N", he stared at you fondly and you kissed again under the shining stars of that summer night.

-

Part II - It's gone

[optimistic-dinosaur-nacho]

Annoying

Johnny Storm x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Langauge, One Pick-Up line Summary: Ever since you got powers from a space mission, you’re stuck with your team who are figuring out how to get rid of your powers altogether. But your one teammate decides to plan things out to make a little money. It’s getting out of hand when he only annoys you.

A/N: @just-one-ordinary-fangirl​ is making me too obsessed with Johnny Storm. The perfect match, she says and I’m a little scared because I can see it. This is gonna be a disaster and we need more Johnny Storm on my list.

Not everyday someone wakes up with powers and always gets told that they make a room not heat up. Out of every super ability you can have, it was ice powers. How stupid is that? Sue had the best one, you wanted to be the one to leave a conversation so easily by disappearing. But it doesn’t seem to be great when you have to strip bare. 

Not your ideal of having, so you just had to go with your own. You were told so many times how much yours weren’t horrible. You couldn’t say it in front of Ben. Everyone knew why. 

A walk in Central park, you were relaxing in the summer air. Seeing dogs run down the grass, people on bikes riding down or people walk down. You can hear someone pant and call out to you. Turning, you see a man who was running. “Hey, can you help me with something?”

You look at him in confusion and nodded, “Yeah, sure-” He shoves his water bottle into your hand and he kneels down on one knee to tie his shoe, “Thanks.” You couldn’t help but grip the bottle in irritation. The man stands up with a sigh, “Thank you.” He takes his water bottle and opens the cap. You look at the bottle and your eyes widen.

The two of you stared at the bottle that was now frozen. He stared at you, shockingly, “You’re...” The man stuttered and you can’t stand making a crowd if he ever bursts out in excitement. With a turn of your heel, you walked away. “Wait!” You hear him shout, you reached your hand out and the ground becomes frozen as you sprint walk. You hear the man slip and fall so you take that chance to run. 

Heading back to the tower, you shoved your hands in your pockets and made your way through the doors, greeted by the front desk. The elevator dings and you see two people walk out. “Hey!” Johnny jumps at you, hiding something behind his back, he grins a little too big. “I have something, you might want to see.”

“I’m not in the mood, Pretty Boy. Now move before I give you a frost bite.”

You take a step to the side till Johnny mirrors your movement and holds his hand out. “Come on,” He tilts his head at you, “I promise you, you’re gonna love this.” You stare at him stupidly to have him just show you and leave you alone. He pulls it out and grins, “Ah, isn’t it cool?” You gawk at the horrendous toy. “It’s you!” He says.

You can see the blue outfit that your team wears with the number 5 on it. He looks at the toy, “And looks it’s got this!” He lifts up the arm and pushes a button. “Johnny, I-” You get cut off by a squirt of water hits the center of your face causing you to look deadpan. 

Johnny kept a smile on his face like a five year old. Your eyes were still closed as the water drips down your face, “Johnny?”

“Yeah?” He asks, waiting for the most fantastic response from you. You reach up to your face and wipe away the water, you sighed, “I don’t have water powers.” Johnny looks at the toy, “But ice is water.” His shoulders drop, “Come on, I’m trying here.”

“You’re not even trying, Johnny. These aren’t things we should be happy about. We’re freaks now. And I don’t want... a toy that looks like me,” You say, “Besides these won’t sell.” Johnny lowers the toy and smirks, “Well, I saw these in every store. By tomorrow, we’ll be like the Kardashians.”

You roll your eyes and slowly thought of something. “Can I see the toy, I actually think these are cool.” Johnny hands you the toy with a cocky grin. You smiled at the toy and your hands grow colder. Johnny’s face drops, “Woah. Hey! That’s the prototype!”

The toy began to freeze up like an icicle and you dropped it on the ground, shattering it to pieces. You peer up at him, sadly, “Oops. Cold hands.” You hear the elevator ding and that gave you the chance to walk in like nothing happened. Johnny stood there like you just insulted his mom.

With a grin, you waved at him like a high school girl and fake grin in the world as the elevator doors close.

The next day, you hadn’t seen Johnny since morning. Sue and Reed were already gone and left on a date. Ben was in his own room while you sat in the kitchen, eating whatever you made from the fridge. You hear the phone ring and you made your way to it and picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Ah, Miss L/N. I have a package for you.” You furrowed your brows to your doorman in the lobby. You never ordered a package, but if it was another of those fanart from kids, you couldn’t refuse. “Alright. I’ll be down there in a bit.” You hung up and made your way to the elevator. Pushing the Lobby floor, you waited in the small room, stopping to let a fellow person into the small room with you.

His small grin winked at you as you forced one onto your face. He shivers, “Brr. It’s a little cold in here, is it?” He asked. You rolled your eyes at him and sighed, “Maybe next time don’t wear short sleeves,” You say. The man looked over his shoulder at you, awkwardly. 

You obviously were the problem but you didn’t care one bit. 

Once the doors open, the man was the first one out and you met up with your doorman and he handed you the small box. “Ah, here you go, Miss.” You nod once at him and hear someone laugh.

“Look who it is. DQ Blizzard. What’s got you down here?” Johnny asks, leaning on the desk. You turn away and headed straight for the elevator. “Listen, Pretty Boy. I’m not in a good mood.” Johnny trots behind like a child, “When are you not in the mood? Look, I know yesterday with your own figurine was... too much. But in all honestly, it was sick.”

You turn toward the opens doors, “Keep talking, I’ll make you into a popsicle. Now shut up.” Johnny quirks his brows up as a ‘Got it’ and never spoken again. You two stood there in silent, finally being in a peaceful room with one of the most annoying people on the planet.

The elevator opens to a woman and she comes in with a small grin. Johnny nods at her and she faces away from you two. The woman sighs, “Strange. You guys feel hot and cold?” She asked.

Johnny glances over at you before turning to the woman, “No. Not at all,” He spoke. Seconds, you could see Johnny steam up a little. You hear the woman let out a gasp, “Didn’t they fix the vents last time? Whoo. It’s hot,” You watch as the woman began to take off her suit jacket and Johnny watched her slowly. You found a way to stop him, kicking him in the shin causing him to yelp.

The elevator dings and the woman leaves glistening with sweat and the doors close once again. You shook your head slowly, “You’re disgusting.” Johnny shoves his hands in his pockets and grins. “Come on. Enjoy it. You were hot, too, admit it.”

“Actually I wasn’t. Maybe try a little harder because you can’t get to me that easily,” You say, leaving through the doors once they reached your level. Johnny followed behind with a grin. “Oh, come on. I get to you all the time. Even when you’re 0 degrees below, you still heat up in the cheeks. Admit it, Snowflake.”

You turn around, “Don’t call me Snowflake.”

“Hey, you call me Pretty Boy, what’s wrong with Snowflake?” He asks, he glances at the box in your arms, “I wonder what’s in the box.” He smirks at you in a bad way that gets you thinking. What was this jerk planning? You ripped the box open and saw plastic wrap. You pulled it open and saw what looked like Johnny. As a toy.

“What the hell is this? Did you get me this?” You asked, Johnny glance into the box again and so did you. A letter inside made you read it instantly. 

Push the button on the back.

You look at the doll and pushed the button on its back. “Enjoy your new room.” You furrowed your brows and glared at Johnny. You raced to your room and pushed your door open, your mouth gapes at the scene. “What the hell, Johnny!” He comes in casually with his hand in his pockets. “What? I actually like it.”

“I don’t! Everything is...” You turned to the bed sheets that had his face on it, “You!” Toys of Johnny in his Fantastic Four suit were all over the place. Your curtains were blue with the number four on it. Johnny even added your figurine around the room.

“Where the hell did you get this stuff?” You asked, pacing around the room to gather all the merchandise. Johnny looks around like a proud guy. “Well, you know people get creative with us being top trending people, and I am the hottest guy here while you... hottest girl on the team as well, they made things for us. And I had a few people I know. It’s an early birthday gift.”

“My birthday was a month ago.”

Johnny pauses, lifting a finger up, “Okay... late birthday gift. But, hey...” He smiles like a child, pointing at you, “You are my biggest fan.” You grab the pillow case that had his face on it and threw it at him. “You’re so annoying! I hate you!” YOu shout. 

Johnny laughs and catches it. “Come on! It’s amazing! It took me hours.” You throw another object at him and he blocks them with the pillow. “Woah! Hey!” You throw more things, “You! Are! So! Annoying!” You say, you began to run over to him till he takes your face in his hands and your lips crash onto his. Your fighting stops and your hands go over his. Your lips relaxed on his and he pulls away.

You open your eyes to see his blue hues, his grin tugging his lips. “What?” You asked. Johnny still rested his palms on your cheeks, “You’re as red as I am on fire.” You stomp on his foot causing him to hiss and reach for his foot. “I hate you,” His back hunched over to grab his foot with his hand till you kiss him again and his head lifts up to kiss you back again. 

The kiss lasted for another second and you pulled away. 

“Now clean up my room. I expect it to go back to normal,” You say. Johnny looks around the room to see your obsession with him and it made him grin. “I think it is normal to have a room filled with myself all over. That bed sheet isn’t gonna be the only Johnny in bed.”

“Ugh, you need to work on your lines.”

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[pokemonswshbutionlyplayedsword]

Wut do u think the gym leaders would dress up as for Halloween?

I like Halloween asks a lot because it can be either goofy or metaphorical. We’ll see where this one goes. Also, this’ll just be for a Halloween that has happened. This will also take place at a Halloween party that Rose throws because then I force myself to give everyone a costume by preventing myself from being able to say someone didn’t go. Also, of course, Rose would.

Milo:

-Honestly, I can see him not being a huge fan of Halloween. As a farm boy, he’s not a huge fan of candy. He also does not like being scared and dislikes horror content.

-However, he tries to get with the spirits and puts together a pretty neat minotaur costume. He wants to incorporate animals, but he doesn’t want to look cliche. It’s really impressive actually, and it works because he’s beefy. He gets a lot of compliments, but he wishes Rose’s lame Halloween party would end because the clip-on nose ring is starting to get sore. Halloween costumes are not meant to be comfortable. They are meant to be cool and don’t ever forget it. It’s about the aesthetic.

Nessa:

-Classic cute witch. Not an ugly one with a long nose. She wants to keep it simple and classy. Short black dress, green and black tights and black heels with green puffs at the ankle. A big witch hat and maybe a prop broom if she’s feeling bold.

-She has killer pictures for her social media. She looks so good and she knows it. Although it’s simple, Nessa has one of the best costumes out of the league. She was one of the few to enjoy Rose’s annual Halloween part because she got so many compliments and a lot of attention and also she won the costume competition again.

-She considered mermaid, but she didn’t know how to make it look good and also be able to walk, so that was over quickly.

Kabu:

-Kabu is not a big Halloween person. He doesn’t really want to go to the party, but he stays on brand and chooses a fire type pokemon to dress up as. He puts together a pretty classy Pyroar costume. It’s subtle, more like an inspired outfit, but it works well enough for people to know what he means.

-He strays away from traditional costumes because that’s not really his tradition. He usually always throws on an outfit that resembles what he’s trying to portray. Fortunately, he’s skillful enough to do it tastefully.

Bea:

-Ninja. Haha. Martial arts. She doesn’t hide her face with a mask, but her outfit is clear enough. While ninjas don’t really do martial arts, as she has to correct people all night, it was pretty fun anyway. She doesn’t like candy, but she does like dressing up.

-She doesn’t like Rose’s party, though. No one really does, but she dislikes it for different reasons. Every guest is so ignorant and she spend the night explaining to everyone why ninjas don’t do martial arts and what they actually are. She wishes she was old enough to drink so she could have something to pass the time with.

Allister:

-A spooky skeleton. He’s got an all black suit with bones on it. He also swaps his mask out with one that looks like a skull. He’s a bit bored at Rose’s party, though, because he’s the only kid there, other than Marnie, Hop and Bede, since they had to be there as well, but they’re still a bit older. They entertain him, though, at least Hop and Marnie do.

-He likes Halloween a lot. Spooky. Ghosties. Candy. It’s his favorite day of the year. Even more than his birthday. Rose’s party goes by with people talking to him about how much he loves Halloween and how fitting it is for the ghost type specialist.

Opal:

-A fairy. What else, though? Maybe even Queen Mab. She’s really elegant. She has big long wings draped behind her and a stunning old gown. She also made herself a crown of sticks and flowers to really fit the faerie aesthetic. She got second in the costume competition.

-She spends most of the time sitting and chatting, so people didn’t really get a good look at her costume until the end of the evening, but oh boy, did she shine.

Gordie:

-An ogre. He paints his face green and gets fake teeth to put on, as well as pointy ears. The teeth make it a bit hard to talk, and he unfortunately has to forgo the sunglasses to make it a good costume.

-A lot of compliments. A lot of people asked why he didn’t dress as a rock monster and all he can say is he would never glue a bunch of rocks to his body for a costume. Which is fair but also unnecessary.

Melony:

-Ice queen. Not Elsa, though. Just a queen with icy powers. She puts her hair up in an elaborate bun and has an “icicle” crown and a long blue dress. She looks very nice, like formal, but that doesn’t stop people from coming up and being casual, which is something she was worried about.

-Her dress had a bunch of fake fur and stuff like that to fit the theme, but Melony had to take the overcoat off every once in a while because Rose’s mansion (which is where the party takes place) is like a furnace to her. It was worth it, though.

Piers:

-A vampire. This is one of the few things that Piers is enthusiastic about because he really likes Halloween. He’s got a great costume for it, too, since he can find the perfect style for it so easily in Spikemuth. So maybe he’s worn the same costume three years in a row, but he also got third place in the costume contest for three years in a row, so sue him.

-He spent the day before the party putting his hair in an elaborate braid for the Aesthetic. Maybe a little bit of makeup and fake fangs to really get into it, but he couldn’t spend too much time. As per usual, he also had to help Marnie get ready, because she had to come with him. Close family of gym leaders and those that were invited are also welcome, and Piers doesn’t want to leave her alone on Halloween.

Raihan:

-A knight. It’s a sick costume, and... Wait, no, Raihan. You’re wearing actual armor. Like, metal armor. Isn’t that hot? Yeah, it really is, but anything for the look. He’s been trying to beat Piers in the costume contest since last year, but he can’t. Because he has to take it off halfway through the party because it gets too hot. When will he learn?

-To be fair, it looks really good. He’s got enough knowledge in history and money to make an accurate suit of armor. Fortunately, he makes the sword fake, so he can get in, though. He’s stopped and searched by security a few times, just to make sure the sword’s a handle glued to the scabbard.

Leon:

-I’m sure this is pretty obvious, but a king. He’s got a big crown, and he swaps out his usual cape for an even bigger one, because of course he does. Some people are confused why Leon’s the kind and not Rose, but no one asks. Leon doesn’t get a lot of time to work on it, since he’s so busy, but he comes through with a solid costume anyway.

-In fact, as Champion, he gets a throne anyway at the end of the night, when everyone sits down and awards/prizes/ect. are handed out. So it fits. He wishes he could put a crown on Charizard, too, but his buddy just isn’t having any of it.

I’ve got some bonuses for you, anon, since I like this prompt so much.

Rose:

-Rose is a Copperajah. He wears an intricate mask and suit to keep it classy. It’s a nice costume, but you can tell not a lot of effort and thought went into it.

-Oleana made it for the most part. Well, she bought it. Rose didn’t even know what his costume was until he got ready for the party.

Oleana:

-She didn’t want to dress up, but she had to. She went with a devil. She knows this doesn’t bode well for her, but she doesn’t care. It’s not like anyone’s bold enough to say anything to her face anyways.

-She has a red suit, little horns, a tail on the back of her belt and a plastic pitchfork. It doesn’t get in the way much, since she sticks close to Rose anyway. Some of the gym leaders joke to each other when she’s not around. Nothing mean, usually lighthearted. They’re not jerks.

Hop:

-Being Leon’s little brother, Hop is invited. He’s pretty happy. It beats trick or treating because he gets to hang out with Marnie. Unfortunately, Bede’s not in the friend group yet because this is before the game. Anyway, Hop is an elf.

-He has a pretty simple costume, but it works. Pointed ears, a simple, elvish outfit and a fake bow to wear over his shoulder. No arrows, though, but he knew that already.

Marnie:

-She goes with Piers to a) keep him sane b) prevent herself from being alone on Halloween and c) to hang out with Hop. She’s a vampire, much like her brother. In fact, they’re pretty much matching. A bunch of people think it’s cute that brother and sister match each other, but really, Marnie did it because it was easy.

-She does take the fake fangs out pretty early, though. Not that it’s a big deal, but bobbing for apples is, surprisingly, harder with sharp elongated fake teeth. Also, she bit her tongue and it’s just not worth it. She loves Halloween, but what good is it if she tears her tongue of before she gets to eat any candy.

Bede:

-Bede is a mummy. Wrapped up in a mummy costume and stuff. He goes because he’s with Rose. He doesn’t do much, though. Hop and Marnie try to invite him to join them, but he doesn’t associate with rubbish like them. Oh, you sweet summer child. Soon, you’ll learn the value of these two.

-He ends up being pretty bored and wishing a little bit that he’d accepted their offer because they looked like they were having fun. Allister comes and talks to him for a little bit, though, so it’s not all bad. And he gets candy, too, so that’s cool.

[angelcatsiel]

I listened to Folklore while high. Here are my notes. This was actually a pretty magical experience and gave me some REALLY vivid images and sensations, it was so nice

the 1 soft the music is cold but she is warm like sunlight through icicles

cardigan tartan blankets warm like coffee except nicer like what coffee should taste like if it wasnt disgusting

the last great american dynasty bouncy and sunlight! so pretty this song is bright i see the beach!

exile sinking in water black and white winter i see flashes of colour with every word lovely makes the air feel fresher

my tears ricochet little crystals pale blue god this is so lovely smoke floating up!

mirrorball oh im gonna cry really pale pink! lovely! pastel sweets ethereal. yes tahats the word i could be in another world this is SO lovely. just beautiful ive never been so relaxed

seven oh this song gives me very vivid imagery but the light is cool and wintery frosty autumn leaves. really vivid i think i have literally time travelled holy shit so delicate yeah really incredible clear pictures crisp my god that was a trip

august this is beautiful pale gold light lots of light in this album light is coming through windows now i can feel the warmth too! what does august feel like to people without a birthday there flowers so happy! just amazing

this is me trying i see the soundwaves mountains travelling in a car i am on a journey i have switched universes

illicit affairs i see wind chimes passionate

invisible string little droplets hmmm this is nice red string wait no its invisible scratch that

mad woman cold quiet and nice

epiphany this song takes place in another world so peaceful but so sad slow and soft sinking into blankets 5am vibes feeling disconnected from the rest of the world

betty splashes of colour! i miss school sometimes also miss being around people nice!

peace fruity but also very clear like ultra clear water

hoax going dark evening turning to night this album is so vivid

10/10. even better than expected actually. just magical. vivid and crisp and fresh and full of light. made me a better person

[rinasred]

Night falls, I'm cast beneath her spell.

An hournite fic -

Summary: Rick has been engaging with a mystery girl online, he hopes that she reveals herself to be his long time crush beth... maybe he gets what he's hoping for. <3

read on AO3

---

Rick had always been good at keeping things to himself. He never understood how some people can go around telling others every aspect of their own lives. He was especially that way in school and on social media. His classmates knew absolutely nothing about him, if you asked them they'd probably just say he's the angry kid with the drunken dad (of course no one knew he’s actually his uncle). Or recently they'll mention how he hangs out with those weird girls all the time, meaning Beth, Yolanda and Courtney. But that's about all the knowledge Rick's peers have about him.

Sitting on his bed rick scrolls through his Instagram feed, where he keeps himself anonymous. A noise comes from his phone to show that he has a notification. It's a message, and there's only one person it can be from. He checks it to see that it's from a user by the name of BubblyGirl04. A grin comes across Rick's face as he reads the notification. Rick and this girl have been messaging non stop for the past months, they've been talking even before he found out about hourman and the JSA.

With a giant smile on his face Rick opens the message to see an image attached, it's a photo of delicious looking pasta. Under it the mystery girl wrote.

Bubblygirl04: So... What do you think? Do i just get better or what?

YellowMustang: It looks amazing, my mouth is actually watering up... And to answer your question, yes, you do in fact get better.

Bubblygirl04: Thanks!! You're too sweet for you own good!! <3

Rick looks up from his phone, his face heats up as his cheeks turn a reddish color. Luckily he was alone in his room, he would die if anyone caught him blushing the way he is now.

BubblyGirl04: So tell me, do you think that i should join the cooking class at our school? I don't want that to make it easier for you to figure me out.

YellowMustang: Join as you please, I don't think the cooking instructor will see you coming. She's probably gonna have to call up Gordon Ramsay to our school.

YellowMustang: Alsoooo... What's so scary about me figuring out who you are??

Bubblygirl04: Lmaoo Gordon Ramsay? No i definitely can't handle the pressure of him tasting my food, i would go into anxiety overload. And we talked about this, I don't think i'm ready to reveal who i am... Not quite yet anyway.. sorry :(

Just like that, he could feel his heart sink in his chest. Like blades being pulled out of it, he would always suggests that she tells him who she is, but she never seems to be ready. But Rick could understand, he wasn't sure if he was ready to reveal himself to her yet. He would never admit it but he was afraid she'd be disappointed. She's sweet, smart, talented and funny, he couldn't imagine losing her because he wasn't good enough.

Yellowmustang: Yeah ok, don't be sorry, i understand.. it's just.. sometimes i wish we could be something real.

Bubblygirl04: We are real?? Are we not??? We talk everyday, and we tell each other everything about our lives?

Yellowmustang: ... It's not real until i get to hold you... It's not real until i get to whisper in you ear that you're mine..

-read-

Rick's mind made up so many situations as to why she didn't reply, it's been forty minutes since he had sent the text and still, nothing. He lays down on his bed with both palms covering his face. He groans when the thought of his message comes across his mind. He wonders if he should get up and do something to distract himself, but honestly nothing can really take him mind of this girl.

A ping can be heard from his phone, Rick jumps up and sees the phone laying at the bottom of his bed. He chuckles with the hope that it's a text from the mystery girl. Leaning forward he grabs the phone and checks the notification. The banner across his phone reads "JSA GC". It was from the imessage group chat that him and the girls made a few weeks back. His excitement toned down when he realized it wasn't from the girl he had hoped.

Courtney: Rick!! WTF!?!??! You're like super late, where are you??!?!

Yolanda: Relax Court, i'm sure he's just held up... Rick we need you here, pat has a whole thing set up for us... You know how he is.

Rick: Sorry, i had something come up. But i'm on my way.

Rick sends the text and quickly gets up and puts on his shoes. He puts his hoodie on and rushes out the door. He knew that if he were any later, he would never hear the end of it from Courtney. He gets in his yellow mustang that belonged to his father, thanks to pat it's now a working engine. Driving to the Pit stop where the group is, Rick couldn't help but ponder on everything that happened with the mystery girl. But he knew he couldn't think about that at practice, he needed to have his full attention on practicing, the injustice society was still out there somewhere and they needed to be stopped.

Arriving at the pit stop entrance Rick is approached by Courtney immediately.

"What the hell rick? It took you long enough, doesn't taking down the ISA mean anything to you?" Courtney lectures.

"Yeah of course it does you know that, i just.. got caught up in something but it's fine now."

Yolanda walks towards Rick as she stands besides Courtney. "You okay rick?" Yolanda questions. She looks at Rick with a sincere concerned look, she could tell something had been bothering him.

Rick pretends not to notice her concern. "Yeah, i'm fine. Can we just get started already." He says while walking further into the pit stop. He notices Pat has dummies of the ISA up again, well at least they aren't as cheesy looking as the ones Courtney destroyed. There are around four cpr dummies on sticks decorated with makeup and costumes resembling the ISA members. Wow, is this what pat spends all his free time doing? Rick thought.

"Rick! Good to see you buddy. Alright now that we're all here, i'll tell you what we're going to be studying today." Pat stated to the four teens as they stand in front of the bleachers awaiting his instructions.

While Pat was rambling on about teamwork and it's important on the field, Rick zoned out after noticing Beth. Something was different, her hair wasn't down as it usually it, it was braided down into crown braids. Rick stared in awe as she shyly looked at Pat while paying close attention to what he was saying, she cared so much about these missions and never missed a single practice. Rick admired her efficiency, he admired her everything.

"Alright so today we're going to be focusing on how your abilities work together on the field. So we will start off with each of you being paired with one another and we'll see how you can use your powers to help each other out. Then we'll do one last practice with all four of you, got it?" Pat explained.

"Got it." The three girls say in unison.

"O-oh, yeah got it." Rick says shortly after them once he's focus is back on pat and off of beth.

Pat sets the dummy of icicle in the center of the room. "Alright first we need Courtney and Yolanda, let's see how stargirl and wildcat can work together to beat icicle." Pat states.

Courtney picks up the cosmic staff from beside her feet, she gets in a fighting stance. "Alright, i was born for this." She lets out eagerly.

"Uhh, Yeah me too!" Yolanda adds on.

"Okay let's go, and while we're practicing, Rick and Beth you guys can wait on the bleachers until it's your turn." Pat explains.

Beth goes to seat in the middle of the bleachers and sits down before taking out her phone and staring at it longingly. Rick's eyes follow her as he can't help but to gaze at her.

"Gee, i get lectured for being late only to be benched? Quite a team we have going here." Rick complains sarcastically before walking to sit next to beth, his legs began to rush because of his excitement of finally be able to be with her all day but he tries to slow down as to not seem too eager.

Booms and zaps can be heard as Courtney and Yolanda practice on the dummies. As always Courtney is complimenting herself after every success and Yolanda is just excited to put use of all the amazing things her cat suit can do. Rick watches them practice for a second before turning to Beth, she still had a sorrowful look on her face as she stared at her phone.

Rick notices she hasn't said a word to him all day, which was unusual of Beth, she's usually the first to initiate every conversation. She didn't ask anyone how their days were or talk about all the amazing things her and chuck talked about, nothing.

Taking a deep breath Rick tries to think of something to say to break the silence. "So... How are you beth?" He asks, sliding closer to her on the bench.

Beth looks up from her phone and towards Rick, their eyes meet. Rick heart begins to beat out of his chest as he glanced into her honey brown eyes.

"Oh hi rick.." Beth says looking up from her phone. "I'm fine... Super excited for practice.. How about you?" Beth says, not sounding like her normal chipper self.

Rick couldn't help but think back to the mystery girl, because for a while he had hoped beth would reveal that she was behind the account. It made sense, both beth and the mystery girl had so much in common. They both are have no siblings, they have distant parents and not to mention their talent for cooking and baking. But Rick thought he was just getting his hopes up, he felt as if he let his existing crush on beth cloud his judgement.

Even though Rick really liked this mystery girl, his heart belonged to beth since the first grade. Ever since she was the only one to remember his birthday (rick's asshat of an uncle was too drunk to bother remembering). She brought him in cupcakes that she made herself, they were chocolate and fudge, with vanilla frosting and the words "happy b day rick" written on top in green frosting. Him and Beth sat together at recces that day and at the cupcakes on the bench.

Rick was never the type to remember specific details, but he could easily go on about the gorgeous blue sundress beth wore that day, he remembered her telling him she wanted to wear something special for his big day. She sang him happy birthday in the most beautiful harmony. He never forgot how beautiful she sounded, even when the teachers couldn't bother to do something for his birthday, he knew he could always count on beth.

"I'm okay i guess." Rick responds fidgeting in his seat.

"Well thats good to hear." Beth says going to look back at her phone.

Rick notices how often she had been staring at her phone screen today, which was fairly unusual. Beth was never the type to use her phone during conversations. "You waiting on a text?" Rick suggests, hoping to get some type of explanation out of her.

Beth jumps and quickly puts her phone away upon hearing those words. "No, it's nothing i was just thinking about something a friend of mine sent me." She says vaguely, turning her vision to rick finally.

He could tell something was wrong, he knew her better than he knew himself. "Hey, how about we let wildcat and stargirl do their thing in here, and go get some fresh air while we wait for our turn." Rick suggests, hoping to get some alone time with beth for the first time today.

"Sure! I could use a breath of fresh air." Beth responds, getting up and walking towards the exist, rick follows behind her.

The summer sun rays touch Rick's skin, the heat was really starting to come in now that summer has officially started. He smiled and watched as beth took off her cardigan and tied it around her waist.

"So, umm beth... I think i have something that i want to ask you, i mean i have been wanting to ask you about this for some time, but i was a little too embarrassed in case you'd say no and it's well its a lot-" Rick rambled on, preparing himself for what he was about to ask, he couldn't believe he had finally gained the courage to do so.

Beth walk closer to rick, placing her hand gently on his arm to calm his nerves. "What is it rick? You know you can tell me anything!" She reassures him.

He did know, thats what made her so amazing. "Beth... I have feelings for you." Rick admits.

For a second it felt like time had stopped as rick glanced at beth's precious face to see her reaction to his words. She gapes her mouth and her eyes widen in shock. He soft hold on Rick's arm becomes a soft grip.

"You... have feelings for me?" Beth asks rhetorically. Rick nods his head in responds, he slightly pouts, afraid of what she might say next.

"Do you feel the same way?" He asks. He could feel his heart beating out of his chest, his palms were dripping with sweat. He felt as if he could faint any second.

Beth eyes light up, her shocked expression turns into a grin. "Oh my god- RICK!?!? OF COURSE I LIKE YOU!" She shouts as she rushes in for a hug.

The warmth of Beth affection calms Rick down immanently, a grin as bright as the sun comes across rick's face as he sighs out of relief. They embrace each other for some time, not even realizing how much time had passed.

Once the hugs ends, beth lays her hands on rick's shoulders, as he grabs her waist slighting to bring her closer to his height. Rick's heart flutters as he stares into beth's eyes, he would always catch glances of her eyes when they hung out, but he was always to shut to look into them for too long. But not today, he felt like he could stare into her eyes forever, looking at her had always made him feel safe.

Rick couldn't even think about the mystery girl, whoever she was, if she wasn't beth, it didn't matter to him.

"Can i confess something to you Rick?" Beth questions, with a look of concern in her eyes.

"You can tell me anything, beth." Rick replies, he knew that she couldn't say anything that would dim his happiness. The girl of his dreams had just admitted to having feelings for him too, this moment was too special to be ruined.

"Well, i've kind of been having a thing with this guy-" Beth begins, those words sank Rick's heart. He never experienced such intense jealousy in his life, the euphoria he felt had slowly began to fade away as he listened to beth speak.

"And well we met online and never actually talked in person, in fact i'm not exactly sure who he is. And I don't know if i'm gonna keep talking to him, because... whenever i talk to him, i've always imagined you." Beth lets out.

Rick's joy comes rushing back upon hearing the end of beth's sentence. She imagined him, even when she talked to other guys, he always dreamed of being on her mind as much as she was on his. Then slowly, rick's logic comes into play when he ponders upon beth's situation with this guy.

He thought back to how he was in an exact similar situation but with a girl, could it be? After all this time imagining beth, could it actually be that Rick was right.

Before he could even think of the words to say in response to beth's confession, rick leans in his lips brushed her, delicately. The warmth from her lips caused rick to shiver as he cupped the back of her neck with his right hand.

After a while, when the kiss is over, rick dazedly stared into beth's eyes again. She stared back, her face surprised but pleased with Rick's response.

"Hey beth." He says.

"Yes?" She replies.

Rick leans into her ear and whispers, "You're mine." He could feel beth freeze up upon hearing him speak those words, just like that it clicked to her as well. "Now it's real." He says finally.