#had to finish a test and do a chemistry lab

[twstreverie]

I should have more time to work on requests this weekend!

[jenscx]

TEENAGE FEVER — bang jeemin x f!reader

three adjectives came to mind when you thought of bang jeemin; irritating, annoying and unfortunately pretty. only when a particular feline comes into your life, jeemin tags along barreling too.

TAGS — fluff, enemies to friends to lovers, very minor enemies, almost rivals but jeemin’s silly, suggestive at times, oblivious!yn

WORDCOUNT — 5.9k

if there was one word to describe bang jeemin, it would be insufferable. the girl could prance around the school, slapping every single teacher (that was an exaggeration) and she could still roam free afterwards. it was infuriating being her lab partner, having to clean up every other mistake while she dazed off. a comment sight to see, jeemin would constantly zone out, leaving you to do all the work in class. she was the worst possible thing to ever come into your life.

or so you thought. it had been a simple monday when bang jeemin showed up to chemistry with bruises on her legs and scratches lining her arms.

when she sat down, there was a visible wince flashing across her face. reluctantly, you whispered, “you okay?” jeemin glanced at you and didn’t bother to answer, her brows furrowed together.

fine, you thought, i don’t care.

only when the teacher had finally finished his demonstration and you were about to start the practical, jeemin turned to you, mouth agape but no words coming out before resorting to just quietly stare at you with a solemn expression.

tired of her staring, you asked, “can you help out for once?” jeemin puffed out her cheeks and nodded. the sight… was strange. the bang jeemin you knew would never do such a thing. mainly sticking to cold looks and annoyed glances at others, you had never caught a glance of a pout on her face. she was known for being a cold beauty. it was rare to catch the slightest of expression other than indifference on her face.

while you watched as jeemin picked up a vial filled with substance and a flask of sugar, your eyes widened when you noticed the label on the glass. potassium chlorate.

“jeemin!” you yelled, grabbing her wrist before she caused a mini explosion in the lab. startled, she dropped the flask onto the floor, alerting the teacher.

“is everything okay there? what happened?” mr lee asked, walking over to the both of you. you felt jeemin tense up and her pulse began to speed up. while you were thinking of explanations for your mistake, jeemin had crouched down onto the floor, picking up the glass pieces.

a whimper caught your attention and your eyes zoomed in on a small cut on your lab partner’s finger.

“don’t touch the glass,” you exclaimed, pulling jeemin up and examining her finger before turning to mr lee, jeemin’s wrist still gripped tightly in your hand, “i’m so sorry, mr lee! this was my mistake, i accidentally scared jeemin and she dropped the flask.”

“i didn’t…” jeemin tried to say but you shot a glare at her to keep quiet. mr lee sighed, exasperated. “be careful next time.” you nodded, almost cutting off jeemin’s blood circulation with how tight your grasp was.

mr lee handed you a dustpan and you kneeled down to sweep up the mess. already annoyed, jeemin decides to add fuel to the fire, whispering quietly in your ear, “why did you do that?”

you shot her an incredulous glare, “i stopped you from exploding the lab, dumbass.”

jeemin huffs. you finish sweeping up the glass shards and the contents previously inside the test tube. your lab partner does nothing more but send you brooding gazes. you’re tempted to strangle her. after dumping the mess away, you spot jeemin wincing at the cut left behind. a trickle of blood slowly drips into the sink. her face turns pales as she watches it flow.

“stay still,” you mutter, pulling out a bandaid from your pocket and gently wrapping it around jeemin’s finger. the girl only stares, not pulling away.

“you must be clumsy,” you remark, “did you fall down the stairs or something?” jeemin scoffs, “of course not.”

you let go of her finger.

“why the hell did you show up like you got into a fight? the fuck could you be fighting? the demons in your head?” you gesture at the cuts littered across her skin.

jeemin groans, throwing her head into her hands, “i’m not going to talk about it! shut up.”

“i’m just trying to help,” you raise your hands up. jeemin scowls at you, but it slowly disappears as she examines the bandaid you had wrapped around her finger.

“hello kitty..?” she mutters, “are you six?”

you glare at her. so what if you liked hello kitty? the cat was cute! and you love cats! jeemin was just being mean for no reason. you couldn’t understand how the girl had suitors of both genders lining up for her hand. she was literally a satan incarnate.

“i’m not hearing that from someone who has the coordination of a baby giraffe,” you retorted back. your lab partner frowns and huffs as she turns away from you. your eyes are drawn to the pout on her face. immediate alarm bells ring in your head when your first thought was how cute it was.

“stop sulking and help me out,” you instruct, pouring liquid and chemicals from one test tube to another. jeemin, finally, looks up from her notebook, and lends you a hand. her compliance led you two to finishing early, even after the incident from before. you wouldn’t say you were a genius, just better than average at chemistry. and maybe jeemin was slightly alright. you had achieved the correct results from the test and mr lee even praised you.

finally having a moment of peace, you sigh, contented, sitting down on the stool. jeemin, however, decides to ruin it by prodding you with her bandaged finger.

after being the victim of jeemin’s poking for several moments, you turn to her, eyes blazing with fury.

“what?” you hiss.

jeemin cowers slightly. you soften up, not expecting the girl to back off. a second passes as jeemin gulps.

“thank you, for uhm,” her cheeks turn red, “taking the blame when it was my fault. and for the bandaid, even if it’s lame and you should grow up.”

the burden forced onto your shoulders lessen. your posture relaxes.

“it’s whatever,” you say, not wanting jeemin to see how her soft tone affects you. could you really stay mad at the girl when she’s looking at you with her big, round, doe eyes? no, of course you couldn’t.

seeing her downcasted eyes after your cold reply, you can’t help yourself from adding on, “thank you for apologising.”

jeemin’s eyes flicker back up, nodding meekly. a smile tugs at your lips.

you don’t talk to her for the rest of the period.

and you don’t notice the lingering looks she sends you either.

“—i heard jiyoon unnie and jungeun finally made up,” saebi rambles. you barely hear a word, while sarang converses with her enthusiastically. you’re more focused on the basket of fries on the table.

“what were they even fighting about again?” you ask.

“i think it was something stupid,” saebi straightens up, “but wait, you know the rumours about jeemin unnie secretly being in a gang?”

you’ve heard of it. they were the most baseless rumours ever. the jeemin you knew grows faint at the sight of blood. there was no way she could be in a gang. unless she was a very good actor, or stupid. probably the latter. the imagination of her in a gang was lunacy.

“i wanna be friends with jeemin,” sarang sighs dreamily, “y/n’s literally partners with her and you haven’t introduced us before!”

saebi nods, “jeemin unnie seems really cool.”

your perception of jeemin can’t be anymore different from your friends. jeemin was literally the bane of your existence. screw her and her good-looking face that always shot daggers at you. everyone that ever liked her was blind.

“she isn’t,” you blurt out, “she’s a loser.”

saebi and sarang only shrug your hostility off.

“you always say that,” the tallest frowns, “apparently koko saw jeemin in a dark alleyway and she was holding a mysterious bag. also, she always has those cuts and bruises!”

you smack saebi’s head, guffawing, “you trust koko?”

the girl whines and attempts to hit you back, but her attempts go futile as sarang rants about her next class. as your two friends complain, you think about saebi’s observation. even in chemistry today, she showed up with multiple scratches. was that from fighting someone? no way, you could exhale and jeemin would fall over. that girl did not stand a chance against anyone, despite her domineering height. she was like a paper doll, you think.

it’s only when you get up from the table you feel a warm splash of liquid trickling down your shirt.

“oh shit, sorry dude,” a guy, you’re not sure who he is, backs up, his eyes widening as your white shirt almost turns sheer and translucent. your two friends, dumb and dumber, merely stay rooted to the ground, mouths agape in shock. you let out a groan, hastily trying to absorb the liquid with some tissue paper that saebi had thrown at you.

sarang, who’s laughing at your misfortune, says, “at least it’s just water.” you glare at her, and then the boy in front of you.

“I’m really sorry,” he offers a lame apology. you nod, tired and frustrated. you didn’t have a change of clothes and the outline of your bra was becoming increasingly visible.

brushing past the boy who was still staring, you head towards the washroom swiftly in long strides. finally reaching the washroom, you stare at your reflection in the mirror before sighing and trying to use paper towels to rid the water. maybe if you soaked most of it out, the rest would just evaporate and dry naturally. your hands dab at the fabric repeatedly, but to no avail.

whilst engrossed, you don’t notice the washroom door opening.

“oh,” you roll your eyes internally, instantly recognising the voice.

“what?” you hiss at the girl. jeemin stands at the door, her eyebrows furrowed as she gazes intensely at your shirt. her eyes zero in on a particular spot.

your cheeks redden and the urge to throw a chair at her stupid face shoots up.

“stop staring at me, pervert!”

“i-i’m not! don’t accuse me of such things!” jeemin splutters, her eyes immediately snapping back up to meet yours.

“you were literally looking at my bra, you pervert,” you cover your chest with your hand.

the taller girl shakes her head vehemently, “it was just the first thing i saw! that’s not my fault.”

her flippant attitude only makes your mood worse. despite her previous remarks, her next words are full of worry and concern, “do… do you need another shirt?”

you have two choices. either walk around with a transparent shirt and be humiliated by everyone’s gaze, or take jeemin’s shirt and be humiliated by her only. well, your disdain for the girl can only go so far.

“give me your shirt,” you state through gritted teeth.

jeemin nods and hurries out quickly. you’re left wondering what have you done wrong in your life to deserve such an unfortunate sequence of events to happen. you send a text to your friends, telling them that you were just getting another shirt and that everything’s fine. they don’t even reply. your top was clinging to you uncomfortably now. how much water was in that cup? whatever, you just hope jeemin comes back soon.

a sudden thought hits you.

what if jeemin was pranking you and she wasn’t coming back? oh my god, it would be such a jeemin thing to do—

the door swings open again.

jeemin holds out a folded sweater.

“it’s not really a shirt…”

you snatch it from her, “whatever, thanks.”

she sends you an awkward smile that morphs into a grimace as you wriggle your arms through your own shirt.

“wait—”

you throw your wet shirt onto the sink, leaving you in just your bra before slipping on jeemin’s sweater. the taller girl lets out a sound akin to a muffled gargle of words. sending a curious look at jeemin, your face flushes as you realise what she has witnessed.

in your haste to rid yourself of the uncomfortable feeling, you had forgotten the fact that jeemin was still very real and standing there. and that she had seen you in your undergarments.

“don’t you dare say anything,” you warn, pointing an accusing finger at jeemin, who merely cowers and nods meekly. unable to stand the shy gaze she directs at you, your feet carry you out of the washroom, hand gripping onto your shirt and the other adjusting the neckline of her sweater. it was warm and soft (and maybe it smelt like the girl left behind in the washroom).

you walk towards your locker, some curious looks lingering on you. maybe they had seen what happened in the cafeteria. you finally spot your two friends at your locker. sarang’s eyes light up in amusement at the new piece of clothing article adorned on your body.

“hey,” she says teasingly, “what were you just saying about jeemin?”

saebi laughs, almost choking on her own saliva as sarang spins you around, reading the words embroidered on the back of the sweater loudly, “i-land dance, bang jeemin.”

your head snaps behind, neck craning desperately trying to catch a look of the wording. no wonder everyone was looking at you!

“are you dating her or something?” sarang continues. you feel an increasing urge to rip out your hair. a hazy vision of jeemin’s smug smile emerges in your mind. damn, she must have known it displayed her name so visibly. what the hell was she thinking?

“no i’m not and shut up!” you snap, irritation seeping into your words. your friends don’t heed your words and continue making sly remarks about the sweater hanging off your shoulders. the previous feelings of warmth and comfort disappear and instead return as a heavy burden that you carry around for the rest of the day. every lesson, you can feel the burning stares of your peers, eyeing the ginormous words on your back. most were curious, probably wondering about your relationship with the dancer, but a minority were envious, no doubt the long line of people courting jeemin.

you throw your head into your hands, feeling a brewing headache caused by jeemin. unfortunately for you, chemistry wasn’t the only period you spent with the bane of your existence.

a familiar finger pokes your side.

you resist the impulse to actually throw a chair at jeemin.

for some god forsaken reason, somehow, in every class you shared with the girl, she was seated very closely to you. maybe you really had done something wrong in your past life and this was god’s way of tormenting you. it is a good punishment though, forcing you to constantly be in the close proximity of a migraine personified.

your hand clenches your pen. there’s a strong desire to stab jeemin with it (you were exaggerating, you wouldn’t go that far).

“what do you want?” you ask, massaging your temple.

jeemin’s eyes dart away and a soft but strained, “I’m sorry,” comes out of her lips.

“for?”

“mai told me everyone was staring at you today, uhm, because of the sweater…”

you sigh, shaking your head, “whatever.”

jeemin falls silent at your reply. you bask in the peace for a while before she tosses a small object onto your table. you eye it inquisitively. a tiny lollipop shaped into a heart with a piece of paper tied around it with a rubber band. you stare at jeemin curiously as her face heats up.

untying it, you read the words, ‘i heard you like sweet things.’ the neat handwriting written carefully with precision makes warmth bubble slowly in your stomach. yet, unlike previous times, it wasn’t hot with anger or annoyance, but something akin to affinity and endearment.

the bell rings and jeemin is staring at you expectantly.

you nod at her apology and unwrap the sweet treat, eagerly putting it in your mouth. it’s strawberry. you wonder how jeemin knows. the girl packs up slowly, her gaze flickering to watch you every so often. you do the opposite, keeping your eyes steadily focused on shoving your pencil case into your bag.

taking one last look at jeemin, you pull the lollipop out of your mouth and mutter, “see you tomorrow.”

you don’t stay long enough to watch her face light up with surprise.

an unfortunate part of not partaking in any sports extracurriculars was that you had to take the initiative in staying fit. there wasn’t any training forcing you to run laps or do burpees, hence the reason you were putting on running shoes at six in the morning. a regretful consequence of not joining any sports back in your first year but at least you didn’t have to run rounds around the field every week. at most, you went on a run in particularly good moods. and perhaps the lingering taste of that sweet strawberry flavour boosts your mood enough to endure a sweaty morning run.

you had to clear your mind anyway from thoughts that gravitate around the tall dancer. since when did you find her luscious black hair and luminous skin so attractive? and when have you ever felt something else for her other than murderous intent?

someone must be performing black magic on you because there was no way in hell you could develop any form of attraction for bang jeemin.

taking the same route you do every time, you appreciate the greenery and serene nature that surrounded your neighbourhood. you felt at peace with every metre you ran. well, if peace meant the lingering thought of jeemin.

your eyes trail over the various shades of green splattered around, lips twitching upwards every time you spot a puppy being walked. despite your distaste for any physical activity, running has become sort of a meditation for you. koko had mentioned it offhandedly, saying that dancing provided getaway time from the daily stressors in her life. you wonder if jeemin feels the same way.

ugh, you really couldn’t go a second without thinking about her.

inching closer to the bakery that you would always get your breakfast from, your ears perk up at the sudden meows that penetrate the quiet peace. looking around hastily, you locate the sound coming from a dark alleyway right in between the bakery and another shop.

induced with concern (and fear, what if you got kidnapped? you’ve seen kidnappers lure people with children before, who’s to say they haven’t done it with animals?), you peek around the corner warily. a figure, hunched over, covers the source of the sound. was this person doing something to the cat?

“what are you doing—?”

the person jolts up and falls down from their crouching position. you splutter with laughter accidentally. on the ground, fallen, you get a good look at the person’s face.

“bang jeemin,” you ask in surprise, “what are you doing here?”

the stranger, or jeemin, merely stares at you in shock, her big round eyes widened as she tightens her grip on a heavy bag of cat food.

“uh, i’m feeding…” jeemin gestures to the cat who’s eagerly chewing on its kibble, “meowie. i’m not allowed to bring him home.”

meowie? what type of name was meowie?

all danger signs of getting too close to jeemin fly out your head the moment you lay eyes on the cute cat. a tiny bombay cat. what a cutie!

“meowie? you couldn’t come up with a better name?” you ask, gently stroking the top of his head, just behind his ears. jeemin’s own ears flush red, “he just meows a lot! i couldn’t think of any other names.”

“how long have you been feeding him?”

jeemin’s gaze looks away, a face full of contemplation, “maybe… for two months?”

you’re instantly reminded of something saebi had said, or more so koko. jeemin, in a dark alleyway, holding up a mysterious bag. you laugh internally at the absurdity of it all. of course the girl couldn’t have been in a gang, she was just feeding a cat. you couldn’t believe how stupid people were to think that this loser could possibly be in a gang.

“sometimes when it’s raining and there’s thunder, i can’t visit meowie and i think he gets scared,” jeemin mutters, setting down the bag of cat food, “and what if he gets bullied by some kids or other big cats?” it’s such a stupid thought but you sense the worry in her words.

her eyes full of sadness and concern drives an unprompted stake into your heart. when she looks at you, it’s the pouting of her lips that causes the dam to collapse.

“i can bring meowie home,” you cringe at your own words, full of confidence, “he’ll be safe with me.”

jeemin’s entire face lights up and she beams at you happily, “really?! oh my gosh, that would be awesome!” your first thought fucks up your entire world.

you would do anything to have jeemin looking at you like that.

when did you associate bang jeemin with euphoria instead of hatred?

you didn’t have time to figure that out now. there was a literal cat purring into your palm, snuggling the extra warmth. jeemin is still brimming with delight, humming contentedly as she watches you interact with meowie. in your head, a realisation comes to mind, that spending time with jeemin wasn’t so bad after all.

over the next few days, the girl had accompanied you to get necessities for finn, his new name because meowie just wasn’t cutting it. you bought his bed, more food, some toys.

(“does he really need that many options to choose from? he’s a cat, jeemin,” you ask, pointing at the stack of wet food she had placed in the basket.

“our son needs to make his own choices!” you had briefly choked on your saliva when she referred to you two as ‘our’.)

jeemin had also whined about getting an outfit for him. hence the reason why he was currently dressed up in a shark costume, padding around the house. she had constantly spent her afternoons at your house, playing with finn and spending time with the cat. apparently, she wasn’t allowed to bring any pets home, despite her apparent love for dogs. you had engaged in a heavy debate about dogs or cats but ended up conceding when she brought up finn.

with more time spent at your house, it also held the implication of spending time with you. jeemin had become such an integrated part of your life that honestly, you really couldn’t imagine not seeing her every day. even in school, when you didn’t have the same classes and you could only catch a glimpse of her in the hallways, you would exchange shy smiles and waves, unbeknownst to your two nosy friends who were more engrossed in other things.

saebi had commented on your sudden glow, unfortunately, asking if you were dating anyone. sarang then shut down her question instantly, stating that a loser like you won’t be able to find a partner so quickly. maybe she was right.

you had also introduced jeemin to your parents, as per their wishes of wanting to meet the co-parent of finn. obviously, they loved her. your mum had whispered to you after jeemin left, saying she would love her as a daughter-in-law. you could only gape after her disappearing figure.

finn’s meows bring you out of your reveire. jeemin’s gleeful laughter combined with the domestic feel of the entire situation had launched you into fucking outer space. this whole feeling was unknown.

“y/n, isn’t he so cute?” jeemin giggles, continuing to snap a multitude of photos of finn, who was staring at his owner very indifferently.

you nod, not wanting to risk your voice cracking.

“he’s adorable! finn, come here!” the girl grabs the cat, hugging him closely. your eyes are drawn to her delighted face as she sighs happily.

a moment passes as you just watch jeemin cuddle with finn. she then turns to you, a pleased look on her face as she exclaims, “he looks kind of like you, don’t you think?”

your first instinct is to defend yourself. finn was a stupid cat who did stupid things, like constantly tripping over his toys despite being a cat, which last time you checked, is meant to be agile. is she insinuating that you looked stupid?

“you look like a dog,” you retorted instead, “maybe even a bear, but like a silly bear.”

jeemin scoffs, smacking you on the shoulder after letting finn roam free. “i do not look like a bear,” she says indignantly.

“ouch, you hit me really hard,” you whine, “it hurts, jeemin.” the girl actually looks a bit regretful and worried as she stares at your sore shoulder.

“does it really?” she asks, inching closer to check your bare shoulder. your shirt was slipping off, exposing your collarbone. her hand lifts to press against the redness, caressing it softly, “oh, it’s actually turning red!”

your face turns as red as your shoulder. you watch as her eyelashes batter and flutter, analysing your skin. her fingertips trail from where your neck meets your shoulder to the top of your arm.

“bang jeemin, are you a pervert?!” you shriek, pulling up your shirt and pushing jeemin’s hand away, “why do you keep feeling me up?”

“that isn’t…!” jeemin yells, “i’m not doing that! i was just worried! can i not be worried for my friend?!”

you’re unable to control your laughter at jeemin’s flabbergasted expression, aghast with indignation as she helplessly explains herself.

“so we’re friends now?” you ask, raising an eyebrow and nudging her with your ‘hurt’ shoulder.

jeemin flushes before rolling her eyes. yet, she says softly, “i’ve always wanted to be friends with you.”

it hits you then, that jeemin, unassuming and awkward, could only interact with you through glares and hesitant movements. her zoning out during class was probably her thinking of ways to talk to you, if the way she gaped at you was any indication. you had taken it as a sign of disdain and dislike. it couldn’t be further from the truth.

“really?” you tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear. jeemin’s eyes follow the movement before she nods bashfully. smiling, you mutter under your breath, “that’s cute.”

jeemin returns a smile as finn meows at you.

“I’m happy we’re friends now,” she suddenly admits, “i’m happy we can just talk freely and take care of finn together.”

“i’m happy too,” you grin playfully, “i thought you were a prick.” jeemin, thankfully, doesn’t seem too affected by your words, only shaking her head in faux disappointment, “i wanted to be your friend and you call me a prick?”

“i mean, you didn’t really help much during chemistry,” you offer gingerly, afraid to actually anger the girl.

jeemin groans, flopping onto her back on the floor as finn claws at her arms, “i was staring at you but you always looked so upset and pissed!”

that’s true. even your friends had commented on your resting face.

“that’s not my fault if you don’t like my face.”

the girl frowns, staring at you, “i do like your face.”

wait, what?

“what about the sweater, huh?” you choose to ignore her, pointing an accusing finger at the girl, “giving me your dance team’s sweater with your name on it! are you searching for trouble?”

jeemin’s hair covers her face partly, but even the redness of her ears and cheeks peek through the dark curtains as she murmurs out, “you looked good in the sweater— my sweater.”

a second passes.

“uh, great?” you blurt out. as soon as the word had left your mouth, you wished desperately for god to smite you down. the unamused look on jeemin’s face doesn’t help to ease the awkwardness either. what a thing to say to a compliment! not even a thank you.

a heavy tension falls and you’re left fiddling with your hands as jeemin slows her pats on finn, who ironically, seems to have a smile on his tiny face.

“uh—” you attempt to defuse the tension but jeemin beats you to it, interrupting, “i think i got to go, it’s kind of late.”

you nod, unable to even utter a single word. your mouth just opens and closes uselessly as you watch jeemin pack her things up and leave a lingering kiss on finn’s furry forehead.

silently, you wish she had done the same to you.

“see you soon, y/n,” jeemin smiles, smaller than before but still retaining her natural cuteness. your heart aches at every metre she steps away. why were you so stupid and reckless with your words? jeemin had been extremely sincere but all you could say was ‘great’?

finn’s tiny teeth nibble into your skin as you bemoan about your stupidity. damn, you really should apologise.

despite your previous wishes of keeping your blooming friendship (and feelings) with jeemin a secret, it was getting harder and harder to keep your friends in the dark. but the look of utter shock and glee on their faces make you slightly regret your decision in revealing it to them.

saebi and sarang had been extremely unhelpful in constructing an appropriate apology. with sarang’s useless quips of serenading jeemin, (“you do know i can’t sing right?” you had said. sarang shakes her head, convicted, “it’s the thought that counts!”) and saebi’s equally ineffectual drafts of apology letters that could pass as love letters, (“saebi, i am not telling jeemin that our souls are entwined and when i inhale her, my body quivers with bliss,” you crushed the offending paper, disgusted. the younger girl only rolled her eyes and shouted, “it’s romantic!”), you had basically no idea how to apologise.

maybe you should find the wisest girl you know. eyes perking up at the sight of mai walking past, you quickly grasp the opportunity to grab ahold of her. unfortunately, and maybe to your friends’ amusement, jeemin was right beside mai. jeemin sends you a curious look but you hastily explain, “i need to talk to mai unnie, just for a minute!”

jeemin slowly nods, as if understanding (and like a cat!). mai raises an eyebrow at you, a gentle and encouraging tone as she asks, “is everything okay?”

you gulp, “i need your help.”

the faint snickers of saebi and sarang reach your ears. you send them the most threatening glare possible, but you probably just look like a fool.

“with what exactly?”

you eye jeemin and drag mai to a corner as your two idiot friends start chatting jeemin up in their own quirky ways.

“i kind of messed up and i’m pretty sure jeemin’s upset with me, but i really need to know what’s the best way to apologise to someone,” you exhale.

mai nods, a contemplative look as she offers, “i think jeemin doesn’t need a grand apology or gifts. she’s not one to hold grudges and as long as it’s sincere and truthful, i think that she would appreciate it regardless.”

it fits her. a pure and endearing person like jeemin would want a simple apology. it’s understandable. you feel immense guilt brewing when you remember how hard it was for jeemin to make friends at the start of the year. she was a transferee from another school and if not for some mutual friends, perhaps she would have ended up a loner.

“thank you, unnie,” you say with all the genuineness in the world. mai pats your shoulder and whispers, “good luck.”

you head back with mai, more confident this time. jeemin was giggling at whatever saebi and sarang were talking about. you hope that they haven’t said anything about you. god, that would be the worst. maybe sarang would even pull up that photo of you from middle school—

“oh hey, y/n! we were just talking about you!” saebi grins. you clench your fists by your side, resisting the urge to smack her. forcing a faux smile, you ask through gritted teeth, “oh really?”

turning to jeemin, she fails to stifle a smile and that’s when you know they’ve shown her the unforgettable photo of you.

“whatever, jeemin come here,” you roll your eyes, “i want to talk to you.”

the girl mentioned points to herself, “me?”

“is there another jeemin here?” you ask sarcastically. sarang nods, “i’m ryu jeemin.”

“shut up, sarang. and come here,” pulling jeemin away from your nosy friends, you bring her out of the hallway and into an empty classroom. luckily, most of the students had left already and you weren’t competing with the chatter from the crowd of people outside.

jeemin sat comfortably on a table, leaning back with her hands behind her.

“what’s up?” she asks, you can’t help but notice the hint of wariness in her tone.

taking a deep breath, you start, “i’m sorry for the way i reacted to your words the other day. i don’t know if it was your intention to like, flirt with me for fun or you actually have some form of feelings but i reacted strangely and poorly.”

“it’s okay—”

you place a hand gently on hers, “i just want to ask you something.”

“uh, go for it?”

“do you like me?”

jeemin withdraws her hand almost instantly, as if burnt and scorched, “what?!”

you frown, “you don’t have to react like that.”

“no— oh my god,” her voice is muffled by her face being buried in her hands, “i mean like, i didn’t know i was being that obvious!”

“oh. well, that’s good.”

jeemin lifts her reddened face up, staring at you with hope and adoration (how have you never seen this before?), “really?”

“yeah, would be really awkward if you didn’t like me when i like you.”

“you like me?” she repeats.

you nod, “yeah. i don’t know how or when it started but yeah. i just know that i want to stay by your side and be the one who makes you smile.”

it’s easy and refreshing to admit, because it’s true. almost possessive, you wanted to be the only one who got to have jeemin; who could hear her laughter, witness her beautiful smile and was allowed to hug and kiss her with love.

“that’s,” jeemin croaks out, “good.”

you tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, “yeah?”

she hums in agreement.

“i liked wearing your sweater, by the way. and i like your face too.”

“i can give my sweater to you and i like your hello kitty bandages,” jeemin says, a loopy smile engraved on her face. you store the memory of her smile into your brain.

“i would like that. do you want me to wear it every day? let people know i’m yours?” you ask teasingly. the girl actually seems to think before nodding firmly.

jeemin grins, her pearly white teeth showing, “that would be nice.”

“wow, and what should you do in return?”

“i’ll tattoo your name on myself,” she jokes as she hops off the desk, “imagine my forehead saying ‘my girlfriend is y/n’.”

you shove at her lightly, “i’m your girlfriend?”

jeemin’s arms wrap around your waist, pulling you closer and into her embrace, “yes, no backing out now.”

you throw your arms over her shoulders, giggling, “i’m fine with that.”

“that's great ‘cause i’ve liked you ever since you put on that lab coat,” your girlfriend (girlfriend!!) admits.

basking in the afternoon glow and warmth of jeemin, your heart feels contentedly full with affection and adoration for the girl. it only felt right to be in her arms.

you couldn’t believe you were saying this, but jeemin was the best thing to come into your life. thank god for finn.

[not4simp]

3rd Times The Charm

Paring: Jason Grace x reader Highschool Au! Summary: Confess? Not a success!

You're in your senior and to your luck you had classes with none of your friends.

One day after class a blonde dude came up to you, from the small scar on his lips you recognized him as one of Annabeth's and Percy's friend as they would frequently post him on insta. He asked you if he could see your notes cause he accidentally fell asleep and you guys had a test for it the next week.

Being the kind hearted person you are you gave it to him without a second thought.

From then on sharing notes with each other became a habit of you two and it evolved to studying in the library after school.

Whenever you guys were discussing his eyes would be on you. All his attention? On you. It made you nervous the first time but over time you got used to it.

Jason Grace was known for being a gentlemen and they did not lie. He always opened the door for you, you can't even remember the last time you open one when he was around.

Anyone would've fallen for him if they were treated this way and so you developed feelings for him

It's a good thing that you guys had mutual friends. Percy was delighted to know that you guys were familiar of each other.

You, Jason, Percy, and Annabeth would hang out any chance you got.

One day you were eating lunch with them when Jason got up to grab some napkins leaving you with the lovebirds

"So when are you gonna tell him" Annabeth nudged you

"Tell who what?" You replied confusion evident in your voice while your gaze still focused on your food

"Jason that you like him duhh" Percy continued in a teasing tone

...

You immediately looked at them to see if they were joking but with the smirks painted on their face it was clear that you were busted

Before you could reply Jason had returned

After you were caught by Annabeth and Percy there was no escaping it. They pestered you like mosquitos always nagging you to fess up!

After a full week of them tormenting you, you dreadfully agreed.

But every time to you tried someone was always interrupting.

Attempt 1: Class hadn't begun and students were still roaming around the hall so you decided this moment was the time. Earlier in the morning you even gave yourself a pep-talk to yourself in the mirror. You walked over to Jason as he was grabbing books from his locker. You greeted him as usual, "I have to tell you some-" Your words were cut off as Drew decided to join in the conversation. It was clear she was here for Jason cause every time you tried to get in a word she talked over you.

Attempt 2: You guys were currently having chemistry and you paired up for today's experiment. So you thought hey what better way to confess your feelings with a cheesy chemistry pick up line?! at least if he didn't reciprocate your feelings you could play it off as a joke. Here goes nothing. "Hey Jason" you called out. He looked at you waiting for you to continue. You pulled out your best charming face "Do you have 11 protons? cause you're sodium fin-" Before you could finish your sentence a classmate of yours had somehow accidently blew up a Bunsen burner causing the lab to catch on fire. Ugh so close!

Attempt 3: Okay you thought this was the last of your attempt and if it goes south you were just gonna give up this whole confessing ordeal.

It was after school and you and Jason were currently in the halls.

Here goes nothing, "I feel strange whenever you're around"

He stared at you for a moment and you can feel yourself turning into a tomato

ohmygoshohmygosh you instantly regret saying that perhaps you should've worded it better, welp no turning back now.

"Do you have a fever or something" he finally replied a worried expression on his face. Jason put his hand on your forehead. Considering your hot red face you decided to just go with it.

"Yeah I think so" he told you to go to the infirmary but you declined. He wasn't taking no for an answer so he grabbed your arm and dragged you.

Somewhere in the distance Percy saw your red face and Jason dragging you away so he thought that you managed to profess your love to him.

As you were inside the infirmary Jason was out in the hallway grabbing you a drink from the water dispenser.

Suddenly someone slapped him on the back and was congratulating him. He turned around to see Percy.

Percy was going on about he can't believe y/n actually did it, Jason's confusion was unbeknownst to him and he kept on rambling.

"y/n's been crushing on you for ages took you guys long enough to do something about it"

"y/n likes me?"

Percy: ☝️😦🧍🏃

Jason just kinda stood there dazed

Until you came out of the infirmary "Good news the nurse said it was nothing serious" cause it wasn't you were just a blushing hot mess

He gave you the water and just blurted out "you like me?'

Obviously you were caught of guard and you were like "ahahah where did that come from?"

"Percy said so"

silence absolute silence

then you ran

Was it a coward move? Yes Did you care? No

He chased after you

See the thing is he's on the football team so no matter how hard you tried you couldn't outrun him

So he finally caught up to you and held you firmly by the shoulders "Y/n" reluctantly you looked up at him "do you like me?"

Oh how you were gonna roundhouse kick Percy when you see him

You nod muttering a small "yeah I like you"

You expected a sorry i don't feel the same but instead he laughed

"Gee it's fine if you don't reciprocate my feelings but no need to rub it in my face" you sighed

" No, no, no " Jason waved his hands defensively, "I'm just glad because I like you too"

You smiled like a fool. A fool in love!

You guys lean closer to each other, faces just inches a part

Every second you guys leaned closer, closer and-

"WOHOO Now y/n actually did it!" Percy yelled out from behind us

Moment: Ruined

A/n: man I love Jason

[niphredil-14]

RotTMNT Donatello/Witch!Reader- "Love Potion No. 9" Chapter 1

A/N: I finally got hit with the inspiration to write again! So sorry to everyone who is waiting on requests that have been sitting in my inbox, collecting dust, but here is the first chapter of an October fic I will be posting! I hope you enjoy! Pairing: Rise!Donatello/Witch!Reader Content Warnings: Love potion/aphrodisiacs, fluff Word Count: 1.7k

---

“Casting and conjuring is bad enough, but at least that’s actual magic, even if it is still inferior to science! But this? This is just chemistry that you’ve thrown a cape and pointed hat on!” He exclaimed, tossing his hands up in the air. “And I can prove it!” He stalked into the small kitchenette with only a few strides, his long legs carrying him even farther than usual in his excitable state.

“Don, don’t you dare do anything! I don’t care what you think of my practice, or whether you believe in it or not, but this is for a client, you have no right to tamper with anything!” They tried to block him from entering, but he was too fast for them. He grasped the potion, which his friend had just finished adding a bit of sugar, crushed rose petals, and honey to before they poured it into a small bottle, and he lifted it up, eyeing it. He looked around and found their grimoire propped open on the counter with a jar of rosemary on one side, and a large lepidolite tower on the other. The page was titled in scrawling, swirling cursive, ‘Potio pro corde suo,’ and Donnie scoffed upon reading the title.

“A love potion? Really? Could you choose anything easier for me to disprove?”

“C’mon, Don! This is supposed to be a chill night, it’s been ages since we’ve all been able to hang out since our dorm is so far from the lair, can’t you just drop it? If they need to step away for a minute to work on their potion, then let them! It’s really not that big of a deal!” April groaned, having been done with her friend’s anti-occult antics for years. Leo, who was also present, nodded in agreement, giving a dramatic,

“Yeah! Just leave it! You’ll have plenty of time to give them shit about witchcraft when they’re on break, let’s just get back to the game.” It was for naught; Don was far too stubborn. He held the potion even higher, at eye level, and swirled it a few times, before taking a glance at the recipe. His eyes quickly danced across the page, and he smirked as he came to a conclusion. A long, metal arm and claw reached out from his battle shell, and dropped a small pack of tablets into his awaiting hand. He pried two open, and the claw grabbed the remaining package and retracted back into the battle shell. Donnie uncorked the bottle, and wafted the potion, waving with his other hand, which still held the two small tablets, much like he would have done with a substance in one of his test tubes or beakers back in his lab. His smirk grew even larger across his snout, and held out both of his hands, displaying both the philtre and the tablets.

“The reason that consuming this so-called ‘potion’ would create any sense of romantic or sexual response in the person who consumed it is because of the various ingredients that have aphrodisiacal properties inside it. To prove that this is nothing more than chemistry, and that there is, in fact, no magic to it, I will drink this ‘potion,’” He held the tablets with his thumb, and curled his fingers twice to mimic parenthesis when he spoke of the potion. “And I will nullify any effect that the aphrodisiacal ingredients may have by then taking these tablets, which are cyproterone acetate, which reduces sex drive.” Donnie didn’t leave time for anyone to say anything in response before he had chugged the entire bottle.

“Don, no! Do you have any idea the amount of time and energy that went into that?!” They shouted. “What am I gonna tell my client?!” Upon finishing the bottle, Donnie licked his lips and slammed the bottle down on the counter, then popped both tablets into his mouth and swallowed.  Back over on the couch, Leo and April watched on, apprehensive. Don waited a few seconds, swishing his tongue around the inside of his mouth, before holding his arms out beside him and beginning to brag.

“See? Absolutely nothing, I’m perfectly fine!” Although he was perfectly content and self-satisfied, the witch in front of him was absolutely fuming. They took a step towards him.

“Donatello Hamato! What in the hell is wrong with you? You selfish, cruel, uncaring, prick! We all know that you don’t believe in most forms of magic, and that the few kinds that you do believe in, you only do because you were left no other choice, and yet still think that they are inferior to science, but that doesn’t give you any right to tamper with my spells! That potion wasn’t for me! A customer ordered it, so not only are you being a terrible friend by continuing to put me down, as well as my beliefs, practice, and lifestyle, but you are now also interfering with my work, my career! I have bills to pay, you know!” They continued to shout and to scold, but Donnie wasn’t able to focus fully on their words. As he looked at them, he began to feel a tightness in his chest, and a bubbling in his stomach. He couldn’t tell if it was more akin to motion sickness or indigestion, and went to place his hand on his plastron, only for the witch’s pointer finger to beat his own there. They continued to shout, but he couldn’t hear them. The brows drawn onto his mask furrowed, and he, without telling his body to move, or realizing that he was, stepped forward and hunched, forcing the finger against his plastron to become their whole hand. His breathing was labored and in the reflection of their eyes, burning with anger, he was able to see just how dilated his pupils were. He lost sight of himself and could only see them. In his eyes, which were becoming increasingly clouded by the millisecond, they seemed to be like a deity. So pure and beautiful and omniscient. They seemed to finally begin to pick up on the state of him, but it was too late. He fell to his knees before them, the quick movement bringing their hand from his plastron to his face. He seemed to himself, to be outside of his own body as he watched his head nuzzle against their still and limp hand. “Donnie?” The called softly to him, their hand moving to mold to his cheek. He didn’t respond, too overcome with the honey that was their voice, washing over him with feeling as soft as silk.

“Stunning.” The word left his mouth as light and airy as a cat’s footfalls. They let out a tired sigh, and groaned.

“Donnie.” They whined, and went to pull their hand away, only for him to push his head against their abdomen, wrapping his arms around their waist and holding them tight, not allowing them any room to move away from him. He shifted his head ever so slightly so that he could gaze up at them. April and Leo walked up to the two of them and looked on, a mix of concern and amusement written across their faces.

“Hey, uhh, is he gonna be okay?” April asked, glancing over at her friend and roommate. The witch sighed again.

“Yeah, he should be. The potion wasn’t done, and certainly wasn’t fully charged yet, so that makes me hopeful that its potency shouldn’t last too long, but usually you’re not supposed to drink the whole thing at once.” They explained. “It should only last a couple of weeks, if I’m able to estimate well. Maybe a month, but I can’t see it lasting much longer than that. And in the meantime,” They grabbed a wand from off the counter and waved it. A drawer swung open and a notebook and pen floated out of it, and towards the witch, as if being pulled by a string. “This will be a great opportunity to study the specific effects of the potion up close!” April and Leo both gave them a strong side-eye, to which they exclaimed, “If this whole situation was reversed, and I went and messed with something in Donnie’s lab, and it caused some weird, temporary, effect, do you really think that Donnie would rush to reverse the effects, or would he do the same thing I’m going to, and study them?” They tossed their arms up. “I keep explaining to all of you that the methods of writing and fine-tuning spells really aren’t all that different from the scientific method! But people just can’t grasp that science and magic are so closely related!” From below, Don gave a small hum.

“My gauntlet tracks and shows my vitals, if those would be of any use in your data collection, since the potion seems to have a physical effect in addition to mental and emotional ones.” He offered, something deep within him pushing him to be eager to be of any service to them.

“Oh?” Their interest peaked. “That would be great, actually, can I see?” He lifted his left arm up to them, keeping them secure with his right, and allowed them to swipe through a few screens until they found the graphs and tables that they were searching for. They made some quick notes in the journal, before clicking the pen shut. “Thanks! Now, I’m not going anywhere, so how about you let go, and we move to the couch, I wanna go over your symptoms and come up with a plan for navigating the spell and getting you through it, okay?” Donnie was hesitant to let go, but did so regardless, and followed very closely behind them, taking a seat on the couch close enough for his knees to bump against theirs. April and Leo stayed standing in the small kitchenette, watching their friends as Donnie rattled off his symptoms while waiting for the newfound object of his affections to jot them down. April and Leo looked at one another, and then back to their friends.

“I don’t know if this is going to be really beneficial for them both in the long run, or if this is going to be a disaster.” April confessed. Leo nodded in assent.

“Regardless, it’s gonna be really entertaining!” April lifted a hand and slapped Leo’s bicep, rolling her eyes as he laughed.

Over on the couch, the witch was absorbed in taking notes, and the turtle was absorbed in the seemingly mystifying experience that was being next to them. Neither of them noticed their companions’ comments, too focused on one another.

[captainsophiestark]

Mad Scientist

Kol Mikaelson x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2023!

Fandom: The Vampire Diaries/The Originals

Day 5 Prompt: "You're the smartest person I know."

Summary: Kol's dating a scientist who's buried in college-level work and more than ready for a ridiculous, fun version of science for a break.

Word Count: 1,685

Category: Fluff, Humor

Shoutout/Credit to The Scientific American for the info on how Mentos-Coke reactions work!

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

"Darling? What do you think would happen if I made pancakes with Mountain Dew instead of water?"

I paused, my pen hovering over the page in the middle of summarizing my findings for a lab I'd been working on at my university. I didn't turn around to face my boyfriend, Kol Mikaelson, who stood behind me in the kitchen, instead just staring off in thought for a moment.

"I don't know," I said, finally turning around to look at Kol. "As far as I'm aware, water's not one of the things like baking soda or eggs that's insanely important to the chemistry of baking. As long as you have the same amount of liquid, it should be fine. Maybe a little sweeter than normal, but basically still a pancake."

Kol grinned. "Excellent."

"What exactly brought this on?" I asked, standing from the kitchen table in the Mikaelson compound where I'd been working and wandering towards my boyfriend. "Just out of curiosity."

"Well you see," he said, holding his hands out in a grand presentation gesture and fixing me with a giant grin. "While I was getting the ingredients for making pancakes, I also found Mountain Dew. The rest is history."

"Interesting..."

I trailed off as I finally reached Kol, stopping so I could hold onto his arm and lean around him to look at the ingredients laid out on the counter, Mountain Dew included. My eyes wandered back to my books, still open and waiting for me on the table. I had no desire to go near them again right now, and this was the absolute perfect distraction. I looked back up at the grinning face of my boyfriend.

"Do you need any help?"

Within half an hour, Kol and I's initial experiment had expanded to encompass the entire kitchen and just about every ingredient we had in it. The Mountain Dew pancakes hadn't been much different than the regular pancakes, so we'd gotten progressively more creative in our ingredient substations, snacking on our successes as we went. My books lay long-forgotten on the table, Kol enabling my chaotic science tendencies in the best way possible.

"What if we put pop rocks in it?" asked Kol as he riffled through a drawer of sweet treats in one corner of the kitchen. I hummed to myself as I mixed our latest version, with orange juice instead of water.

"I don't know," I said. "I think we'll just get little pieces of candy in it without the pop, since the liquid in the batter would probably dissolve the candies enough to trigger the reaction before anything else. We won't know for sure unless we test it, though."

I finished stirring, then wandered over to join Kol. He'd set the pop rocks on the table along with a few other types of candies, and now stood in the open door of the fridge. I rested my head on his arm and hummed thoughtfully, until my eyes landed on something else interesting in the fridge.

"Since you've been back in the modern world... has anyone introduced you to the marvel of Coke and Mentos?"

Kol turned to face me, eyebrows furrowed but a smile on his face.

"No love, I can't say they have."

I grinned. "Then I can't wait to be the one to show you."

I snatched the bottle of Coke out of the fridge, snagging the Mentos and a piece of paper with tape too before plopping them both down on the table where we'd been mixing our batter. Excitedly, Kol joined me, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder.

"Okay, so first we need to make the tube to hold the Mentos,  to make sure they all drop in at the same time when we want them to," I explained while I worked. I rolled the paper into a tube, covering one end with my thumb and then holding it out for Kol. "Put seven Mentos in there, please."

He complied, sneaking one for himself and then passing one to me. I looked over my shoulder at him, smiling, and he leaned in to give me a soft kiss.

"What's next, darling?" he asked, his voice low. I leaned back into him a little more, but returned my attention to the Mentos.

"Now, it's time for the reaction. Unscrew the lid of the soda, please." Kol took care of it, shifting a little behind me in anticipation. "Good. Now, I'm gonna dump these in, and after I do we're gonna step all the way back, okay?"

"Okay. And what happens after that?"

I shot him a grin over my shoulder. "Science."

With that, I put the tube of Mentos to the neck of the bottle, then quickly moved my thumb and let them drop all at once into the soda.

Kol's grip tightened on my waist as he used his vampire speed to get me to the far edge of the kitchen, hopefully out of the splash zone. A moment later, the reaction started, and the soda quickly bubbled and fizzed until it became a geyser, exploding out of the bottle. Kol gasped from behind me as it hit the ceiling, and I smiled.

The reaction didn't last very long, but once it fizzled down, it took Kol a minute to let me go and move to meet my eyes. He had a ridiculous grin on his face that I quickly mirrored.

"That was amazing, darling," he said. I practically glowed at the compliment.

"Thanks! It's really cool how it all works, actually. See, carbonated beverages are full of dissolved carbon dioxide gas, which wants to form bubbles and escape the pressure of the liquid. But to do that, it has to break its bonds with the water and interact with itself. Because the Mentos candies are actually covered in a bunch of tiny grooves, it makes it easier for the bonds between the carbon dioxide and the water to break, making the reaction of bubbles escaping the soda happen at a much, much faster rate!"

I'd started pacing a little, gesturing with my hands as I explained, but froze when I realized I'd been rambling for more than a little. I turned back to Kol with a grimace.

"Sorry. I know you probably don't care about how it works-"

"What? No! That was excellent, the way you explained everything!" He grabbed my hands in his as he pointedly met my eyes. "Darling, you're the smartest person I know. And it's absolutely incredible. Please don't ever apologize for the way your eyes light up and your voice gets all excited when you talk about something you love. It's one of my favorite things in the world to see."

I started tearing up a little bit at Kol's words, and as soon as he finished speaking I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him to me, kissing him, hard. He smiled into the kiss and wasted no time wrapping his arms around my waist and pulling me tighter to him. Finally, after a few long moments, I pulled gently away.

"As much fun as I'm having... I do need to finish the lab writeup for my actual science class."

Kol sighed and ran a hand through his hair, then fixed me with a devilish grin.

"Fine. As long as you promise to let me know anytime you have an experiment to do that I can sit in on."

I beamed back at him. "I promise."

Kol gave me a sweet smile, then leaned in and kissed me one last time. Despite the homework hovering in the other corner of the kitchen, I could feel Kol sucking me in and distracting me to the point that I didn't care about my work. I was just about to give in, too, when someone coughed loudly from behind us.

Kol and I turned around to find Elijah standing in the kitchen doorway, his eyes scanning the disaster zone the kitchen had turned into. Soda still dripped from the ceiling, and horrifying pancake mutations were spread on almost every surface.

Elijah sighed heavily, his exhausted stare turning back to me and Kol.

"I trust that this will all be cleaned up before the two of you run off to other activities? Preferably sooner than later?" he deadpanned. Kol scoffed, and I tried and failed to fight a guilty grin.

"Yes, Elijah. We'll take care of it," I said. He nodded once, pausing to stare at everything for an extra moment before shaking his head.

"Good."

With that, he turned and walked out of the kitchen. Even without vampire hearing, I heard his heavy, long-suffering sigh from the other room. I turned to Kol and giggled.

"Oops."

"He loves it," Kol said confidently, waving me off. "We keep his life interesting."

"Well, that second part is definitely true. Come on, let's clean up at least a little bit of the mess. We need to do it at some point anyway, and I really do need to go back to my homework."

Kol booed and rolled his eyes, but moved to start helping me deal with the mess anyway. He picked up the now mostly-empty bottle of soda and held it thoughtfully, then turned to me with a glimmer in his eye that I loved.

"You know darling, if we pointed these in a specific direction for the reaction... we could probably shoot the soda at Elijah and the rest of my siblings."

I grinned. "We absolutely could do that."

We stared at each other for a few beats, nodding slowly, communicating without words.

"I'll superspeed cleanup," Kol finally said. I nodded.

"I'll finish my lab writeup as fast as possible."

"And I'll go get more soda and Mentos while you do."

I high-fived Kol as I crossed the room to retake my seat at the kitchen table and he turned into a vampire-tornado of cleaning. We had evil masterplans to enact, after all, and with the two of us working like a well-oiled machine, the rest of Kol's family and anyone else in this house didn't stand a chance.

****************

TVD/TO Taglist: @elenavampire21

[ramblingsfromthytruly]

10th September 2024, Tuesday

day 16/50 productivity challenge

💤: 5hrs

🕒 6:30 a.m. - turned off my alarm at 5.30 and thought just one second but that's never really the case now is it lmao

took bath

morning skincare

scrolled on pinterest :(

🕒 8 a.m. - left for school. if i was even a minute later i would've had to pay the fine yikes

made an origami box with a random sticky note (so cute !!)

read some pages of the ballad of never after (i want to finish this book by the weekend and borrow the last one of the series from my friend on monday)

also we got the dates for the practical exams !! luckily studying for them won't disrupt my plans because they start next week (mon - bio, tue - chem)

🕒 1 p.m. - back home

made 3 origami boxes for my friend for no fucking reason

extended duolingo streak

practiced playing keyboard

did some research for college entrance tests

went down to the pooja with plates to get the prasad hehe

read newspaper

night skincare

folded laundry

completed chemistry lab record

🕒 1:30 a.m. - planned, planned and PLANNED but beneficial plans and not the plans made while procrastinating. i yapped about my plans to my mom and she literally said that i have the potential to easily get all i'm aiming for with these plans and all i need to do is execute them, like apparently my planning skills are amazing not to brag and they have lots of balance and effort and ughhhh i just need execution. also iisc isn't an option for me because i don't take math but i'll still have to study it anyway for the iat exam :( ugh the things we do for ridiculous passions, but at least i know this is smth i genuinely want to pursue

[all pics from pinterest]

[munson-blurbs]

How do you think a grumpy, slightly introverted (probably?) fluffy-haired, blue-eyed gremlin meets an outgoing, slightly naive but studious brown-eyed girl?

Annie in her college era (2006 specifically) had an amazing bartending job at a hole-in-the-wall bar, two a day practices for pole vault and a love-hate relationship with o-chem lab.

And maybe would blast Stone Temple Pilots and Seether until her ears bled while studying instead of partying, I dunno

you are the literal best I cannot wait

You meet Gareth while studying at your college library!

CW: college AU, lip ring Gareth specifically for you WC: 574 Divider credit to @hellfire--cult

Can you see just like a child?  Can you see just what I want?  Can I bring you back to life?  Are you still alive?

You tapped your toe in time with the beat blasting through your headphones, your sneaker nearly silent against the library carpet. In your opinion, the best way to listen to music was loud enough to wake the fallen, even when you were studying. Badass guitar solos and angry lyrics always made preparing for Organic Chemistry tests less awful.

It wasn’t that you didn’t like chemistry; you actually loved it. When you were in high school, you opted for science electives over the music or art classes your friends preferred to take. It was just this class, with the sheer amount of work and the tragically boring professor who droned on and on like he got paid by the syllable.

Burn, burn, burn, burn, burn  Burn your wicked garden down  Burn, burn, burn, burn, burn  Burn your wicked garden to the ground, yeah

A tap on your shoulder snapped you from your musical stupor and sent your heartbeat into overdrive. You slid your headphones down around your neck and looked behind you to find the cutest guy you’d ever seen in your life.

His eyebrows shot up to his mop of brown curls as he realized he’d startled you. “Oh, shit, I’m sorry.” His tongue brushed over the ring curled around his lower lip. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“It–It’s okay.” Taking a deep breath, you steadied yourself and met his gaze as your heart rate accelerated to a normal level. “Do you need something?”

The guy cleared his throat. “I’m Gareth. I think we have o-chem together?” He gestured to your thoroughly highlighted and sticky-noted papers. 

You hadn’t seen him before, but it was a big class. With a polite nod, you smiled at Gareth. “Tuesdays and Thursdays at 1:30 with Dr. Carr?”

Gareth’s face lit up. “Yup. God, that guy is…” He trailed off and waited for your reaction, in case you actually liked the professor for some unknown reason.

“Brutal,” you finished for him. “Are you also studying for next week’s test?” Dr. Carr had warned that no one ever passed it, which raised more questions than answers for you. Like, why give an exam that everyone fails? And what kind of sadistic asshole found joy in that? 

“Trying to. But I feel like I’m just going in circles.” Gareth let out a reluctant laugh. “I was wondering if you were having better luck.”

You cocked your head towards an empty chair at a nearby table. “Grab a seat and I’ll help you.” Was this really happening? Was this super hot guy–with a goddamn lip ring–going to sit mere inches away from you and listen intently while you went full science geek? Or was this some sort of hallucination brought on by mid-semester exhaustion?

But it was very real–his cologne, his fingers brushing over yours to turn your notebook page, the way he eventually rested his chin on your shoulder as you explained different compound compositions and reactions. And when you yawned mid-sentence, the coffee he bought for you was also real–and much appreciated. 

“We should meet up again tomorrow.” You suggested once you finished your drink and could barely keep your eyes open. “Maybe grab some Chinese food and study some more.”

Gareth ran his tongue over his lip ring once again. “It’s a date.”

--

[ros3ybabe]

Daily Check-in: April 15, 2024 🎀

I know I said I was switching themes, but I didn't get any good pictures yesterday so the theme switch will occur once I learn how to take pictures that I find acceptable!

Anywho, Monday started off good, then got bad, and I'm hoping Tuesday will be better. Got a lot done, but got off work super late. Anxious about lots of job and financial stuff. It's hard being a girl in this economy.

🩷 What I Accomplished:

completed my online psyc assignment

completed chapters 3 and 4 of Latin American Spanish Busuu

Listened to 2 spanish podcast episodes of ABC la Productividad

studied through some Spanish flashcards

completed my medical terminology lecture, flashcards, self test, and timed test

rescheduled an appointment

worked an ~8 hour shift

read a chapter of The Untethered Soul

got to eat some yummy leftover chicken alfredo pasta for dinner at work

shipped off the shoes I sold on depop

🩷 Good Things That Happened:

my co-worker friend brought me some of her K-pop merch she didn't want!

talked to my dad on the phone

had a really nice morning routine

my pasta was still super yummy

made a berry banan smoothie and an avo bagel with an egg for breakfast, it was devine

cleaned my station at work extra good (detailed the stainless steel, cleaned out some fridges, scrubbed my floors, etc)

my friend got a 2nd coffee for free at work and gave it to me (iced Caramel macchiato for the win!)

🩷 What Could've Been Better:

my boyfriend and I are having major issues and I'm struggling emotionally at the moment

went to bed super late because of work

didn't shower before bed (gross, I know but I made sure to shower Tuesday morning and am going tk wash my sheets on Sunday)

didn't pay much attention in my chem lecture

spent money that I didn't need to have spent

🩷 Stuff For Tuesday:

complete my Spanish study tasks

read a chapter of a book

email psyc doc about doing appointment over zoom this week

study chemistry

complete chemistry assignment

possibly finish chem lab stuff that's due tomorrow afternoon

work a ~7.5 hour shift

keep looking for possible 2nd summer job if the 8 week work thing doesn't happen

apply for one or two scholarships for next school year

Here's to having some better days, hopefully.

til next time, lovelies 🩷

p.s Check Out My Depop Shop! I still have some more lostings to upload!

💕 Song of The Day

Hozier - Too Sweet

This songs vibe seems fitting for me right now.

[gumballavocadoharry]

One scoop at a time:

The bell rang, signaling the end of the dreaded final period. Phoenix trudged through the dusty halls of Crestwood High, her heart heavy and her mind swirling with the events of the day. She’d woken up late, a half-finished chemistry project had been rooted in her backpack like a reluctant burr, and she’d barely managed a mediocre grade on an English test she had studied for. Just when she thought things couldn’t get worse, her lab partner had teased her about a crush she didn’t even have—a cruel twist of fate in a string of misfortunes.

Her friends, typically rambunctious and full of life, appeared to have siphoned off their joy in quantities that day, their laughter ringing distant and muted. Phoenix felt like she was viewing life from behind a thick layer of glass, insulated from everything around her. She’d been dealing with more than just a bad day; it felt like an entire storm system had hijacked her teenage optimism.

“That’s it for today, folks! See you tomorrow!” The teacher’s voice faded as the students busted out into the hall, their energy leaving Phoenix in its wake.

She slipped her backpack over her shoulder and made her way to her locker. Just as she was fumbling with the lock, a familiar voice echoed behind her.

“Hey, Phoenix! Want to go grab some ice cream?”

Maya, her closest friend, stood with two others, their faces lit with excitement that Phoenix simply could not muster. She turned and offered a weak smile. “Not today. I… I think I’ll just head home.”

The girls exchanged concerned glances but nodded in understanding. “Alright. But we’re all going tomorrow, okay? You and me,” Maya insisted, determination burning in her blue eyes.

Phoenix merely shrugged, pulling the lock shut and turning away, the air around her an uninvited cloak of melancholy.

As she shuffled her way outside, the autumn air hit her, crisp and biting, a tangible representation of her emotional state. She pulled the collar of her sweater closer to her neck, trying to shield herself from the chill inside and outside.

“What a day,” she whispered to herself, just as a shiny black car rolled into the parking lot. The wiry form of her father, Harry, emerged as he stepped out of the vehicle. He was disheveled but animated, his wide smile cutting through the gray clouds that seemed to hover over Phoenix's mind.

“Dad?” Her voice floated into the air, a mix of surprise and dread. She had no idea why he’d come, and she felt a rush of panic grip her heart.

Harry waved eagerly, striding toward her in long, casual strides. “Phoenix! What a surprise to bump into you here!” He beamed, his energy infectious, though the warmth distantly clashed with Phoenix’s gloom.

“Umm… what are you doing here?” she asked, her eyebrows knitted together.

“I thought I’d come by and take you out for a treat! You know, you never go for ice cream anymore.” He feigned a hurt expression that made Phoenix chuckle softly, a flicker of joy kindled inside her.

“Really, Dad, I don’t want—” she started to protest, her instinct to withdraw instinctively pushing back against his cheerful demeanor. But he cut her off, his insistence bubbling with joy.

“Too bad! I already called and ordered us a double scoop at Scoops & Dreams!” Harry winked dramatically as if he were revealing some kind of secret treasure.

The warmth tugging at her heart began to melt the icy chill that had gripped her all day. Still, unease loomed as she glanced around the student-infested parking lot, half expecting a sneer or gaze in her direction. “But what about…?”

“About what?” He grinned wider.

“About everyone seeing us together,” she admitted, the words crumbling from her lips with a faint whisper of vulnerability.

“Let them,” he shrugged, a flicker of rebellion igniting his smile. “I’m your dad! I’m supposed to embarrass you—at least according to the dad manual!” He dramatically pulled out an imaginary manual from his pocket and began flipping through invisible pages.

Phoenix rolled her eyes, but a reluctant giggle escaped. His lightheartedness chipped at the hard stone she’d become that day. “Alright, but it better be good ice cream,” she relented, a smile breaking free.

“Only the finest for my girl!” He offered her his arm, and Phoenix clasped onto it, the weight of her glum feelings beginning to ease away.

As they walked through the parking lot, Phoenix could feel the eyes on her, but for the first time in hours, it didn’t sting. Her father’s ludicrous antics outshone the whispers of her peers. He embarked on a monologue about the importance of sprinkles on ice cream, insisting they were “like tiny edible fireworks,” and the cheerful rhythm of his voice broke the painful silence that had settled on her heart.

At Scoops & Dreams, Harry ordered a mountain of rainbow sprinkles atop a sundae that burst with colors the world had forgotten to show her. Phoenix looked over at her dad, who was beaming at her as if she were the sun itself.

“Tell me what’s wrong, Phoenix. I can see it swirling around you like storm clouds,” he prodded gently as they sat down at a small table.

Phoenix paused, caught off guard by his astuteness. He always had this way of reading her thoughts. She took a breath, and the tears she had held at bay threatened to spill as she swallowed her pride. “School has been… hard lately,” she confessed. “I just feel out of place, like I can’t do anything right.”

“I wish I could share with you the amount of times I’ve felt lost or ‘out of place,’” he said, leaning in as if about to share a secret even he wouldn’t normally disclose. “It’s okay to feel that way, but you’re going to be alright. And ice cream makes everything better—at least it does for me.”

With every scoop, every sugary morsel, Phoenix felt a warmth wrap around her that had been missing earlier in the day. With her father’s childlike spirit and assuring presence, the burdens began to melt away, much like the ice cream drizzling down the side of her cone.

Between licks and laughter, they exchanged stories, memories buried under the weight of school deadlines and friendships. Phoenix began to realize that maybe, just maybe, there was something extraordinary about the mundane moments spent with someone who loved her unconditionally.

As the sun set, casting pink and orange hues through the tall windows of Scoops & Dreams, something shifted within Phoenix. Amidst sprinkles and laughter, she found herself less consumed by worries, strengthened by the affection her father had showered on her that day.

In that moment, she was not the burdened teenager struggling to fit in. She was, simply, Phoenix—a girl learning to rise again, one scoop at a time.

[goodfish-bowl]

It Came to Me in a Dream

Part 2

DP Side Hoes Week Master Post

Day 4: Jack Fenton - nostalgia

Summary:  Dreams are said to be the organization of the mind while one sleeps, and often reveal something the individual already knew in a new light.  Jack Fenton revels in the nostalgia of the proto-portal as he and Maddie put the finishing touches on the full-size version.

Word Count: 602

AO3 Link

Jack Fenton stared at the gaping hole in front of him in absolute awe. After 22 years, lots of lost funding, tested and failed theories, and altering and re-altering of design plans, Maddie and he had finally finished it. The Ghost Portal was finally reaching its final stages of development. He was so excited to have finally reached this point that Maddie had to practically hold his hand to keep him from throwing the power switch before the last touches were put in place. But it was done. Or at least so, so, so very close to being done that Jack could hardly contain himself over it. His, Maddie’s, and his dearest friend Vlad’s dream to reach into the realm where ghosts resided was just hours away from being complete, and absolutely, completely within their grasp after all of these years of hard work. This portal would be their magnum opus, their life’s work! It would be revolutionary, even!

A sense of nostalgia overwhelmed Jack in the moment, bringing tears to his eyes while his loving wife just smiled and shook her head at his reaction. Oh, how he wished his best friend was here to witness this moment with him. Jack would bet Vladdie would be just as moved as he was to finally see this dream become a reality. 

At the thought, Jack let out a snort, careful not to mess up any of the sensitive parts he was currently working on. The portal, oh so long ago, back in college, when their club was looking for a purpose other than going ghost hunting in the local areas, looking to make it a science, Jack had an odd dream. 

It had been a vivid, wild thing shifting between perspectives and places so quickly but it remained vivid to Jack, even 23 years later. It took him though their lab, both modern day and their college-sponsored one and showed him different versions of the portal, both what became of the proto-portal and the beauty in front of him. He even dreamed of what the other side could possibly look like, with strange green swirls and floating doors. It was a little uncanny, but Jack couldn’t help but embrace it with a renewed inspiration. He had based quite a few of his designs off of ones he remembered from that one dream. 

When Jack had woken up from that fateful dream, he had quickly woken Vladdie up in their shared dorm room to share his newest idea. The idea to build a portal to the realm where ghosts resided had been both ‘brilliant and the craziest thing I have ever’ Vlad had told him at four in the morning. But he had agreed to the idea, eyes lighting up with that passion that led Jack and Vlad to fuel each other's ideas back in the good old days. 

It had sounded so hard at first, almost impossible, but Jack was certain they could do it. They had needed a project outside of EMF readers and messing with other radio equipment. Their concentration for their studies, and their club’s funding was about to be dropped if they didn’t come up with something soon, so it was just what the doctor had ordered! If anyone could do it, Jack believed the three of them could. Jack could build the device, Vlad was a wiz with moving energy and power around, while Mads was great with the chemistry of it all. A dream-team, even, prefect to make the impossible happen!

Now, seeing his literal dream come true in front of him, it moved Jack to tears.

[aibigbois]

This year’s Greek Sing was one for the ages. Bryant was our fraternity’s finale act. A secret weapon so to say.

Know one knew he had signed up for the chemistry and exercise science programs’ growth trials. No one besides the rest of the chapter had seen Bryant all semester. He was either in the lab doing whatever tests they had him do, in the frat house kitchen clearing us out of everything, or in his room jacking off or fucking god knows who. I’m pretty sure his tastes in partners “evolved” during the growth trials. A few brothers would come out of Bryant’s room walking a bit funny, or pitching a tent so hard I was surprised they had any blood left over for their brain.

Anyway, Bryant really wanted to show off his growth, he was easily three times bigger than he started the year. And he thought it would be great to finish with “Macho Man”. He was right, the crowd loved it.

At the performance when Bryant came out in his costume and all his rippling muscles the entire auditorium erupted. The rest of the brothers even ripped off their shirts too. And I could have sworn I saw many of the other Fraternities clambering to get onstage and worship him. Our victory after party had more guys than girls in attendance. Guys were just infatuated with him. After a while Bryant was nowhere to be seen, but the shaking ceiling tiles and groans from upstairs meant only one thing. Bryant was showing some guys more than just his biceps.

[hungover-and-broke-student]

A little something based on an old thread with @malpractitioner that I've had rotating in my brain for a while. Cut for length!

After one last look around and with some irritated grumbling, Riley finished the last of her night shift and headed home into the night. Winter had arrived in full force and in the earliest hours, well before the plows and salt trucks got out to clear it, the snow made the city almost unrecognizable. Street lights now offered a hazy glow instead of harsh shadows and the usual car honks and sirens were replaced by the soft hiss of snowfall and crunches underfoot.

Block by block, she made her way home, enjoying the scenery as snow filled in her footprints. But as she approached the outermost edges of campus, with the oldest and most neglected buildings and almost a dozen blocks still to go, a cruel wind began picking up. She was prepared for a few flurries, not a blizzard, and her layers were proving insufficient.

Cold. Burning, numbing cold crept deep into her bones, chasing all sensation from her hands and feet as she stumbled up the steps of the old, imposing medical building and tested the handle. Expecting it to be locked, Riley was almost startled at the ease in which it opened, the warmth inviting her as she slipped in.

"Hello?" Riley quietly asked the sprawling darkness. But only silence answered back. Perhaps the cleaning staff forgot to lock the door when they left? Were they still here? Was she not loud enough?

"Anyone here?"

No response. Just cold, quiet, darkness and the soft drip of snow melting onto the floor.

A bit odd, but nothing to worry about. She was just grateful for the chance to warm up enough to get the feeling back in her hands before braving the rest of the way home.

Wandering deeper through the halls, she had just turned to leave when she heard it. When walking through the woods, people will sometimes jump a bit before realizing that they've noticed a snake in their path, and this was eerily similar. Her eyes widened, hair stood on end and heart raced before she could even register the single scream ringing through the hall, clawing its way to escape, to anyone who might hear it. A single, desperate, and terrified, "HELP ME!" Came from down the hall behind her.

And then it was quiet again. Nothing to be heard over her own heart in her ears. Leave. Immediately. But who could be down there? Doesn't matter. What would have made them so scared? Do you want to find out? Maybe I can help them? Your phone died hours ago. Isn't it better to know what danger may be there?

Riley crept deeper into the dark, taking care to step lightly and listen for any sign of who or what screamed, but it was just her footsteps and the silence around her. Until she noticed a soft glow from a small window on a door to one of the labs and crept close enough to peer in.

It was hard to tell what was going on at first, some papers on a desk, some chemistry equipment, an empty coffee maker, some chairs tipped over... and a body on the floor. Horribly still, eyes rolled back and mouth agape in a post-mortem scream. Locked in horror, time slowed around her until movement caught her eye. Someone else was in the room, and he saw her.

At once, she turned heel and raced back to the entrance, stumbling blindly through the shadowy labyrinth. The halls seemed to have gotten longer since she first wandered through, she couldn't have really walked so far, right? Did she pass through these classrooms already? Did she take the right one? Before she could despair, she saw it, the soft red glow of an EXIT sign. With a loud 'CRACK' she ran into the handle, but the door didn't budge. It wasn't locked. It was frozen shut.

"Riley?"

So caught up with the door, she hadn't heard him approach, now blocking the main hall. Despite the darkness, she recognized the long limbs, large glasses and imposing stature of her psychology professor, Doctor Jonanthan Crane.

"What are you doing here?" He didn't sound angry, moreso confused and almost amused. Like they ran into each other at a gas station out of town, instead of getting caught for murder. He looked slightly disheveled compared to his lectures during class, eyes bloodshot and shirt untucked, but the way his gaze pierced through her was all the same.

"I swear to God, I didn't see anything." The words spilled out without control.

He paused for a moment, before simply stating with the authority of an educator getting a confession from a problem student, "That's not what I asked, is it?"

She stared for a moment, so wound up with her own fear she had to organize her thoughts enough to go through that night's events. Starting with her shift ending, the freezing walk and her stumbling back to their current conversation. Whether he believed her, or cared enough not to, she couldn't tell. He just stood there. "I swear, I won't tell anyone."

There was a flash of amusement as he took a few steps toward her. Riley had nowhere to back up. "I can't see why you would, it's your word against mine, isn't it?" Who would you believe? He didn't have to say it, she already knew the answer and it made her insides twist. A celebrated doctor and professor, head of the psychology department versus a mentally ill drug addict. Who would you believe? Who would you believe?

He closed the gap between them and terror wrapped itself around her neck like a noose, slowly growing tighter. "Please dont kill me." It was hardly louder than the soft buzz from the sign above, but it wouldn't have mattered. She was going to die, alone and terrified, just like the other student. But this time, without anyone snooping around to find out what happened. Would anyone even notice she was gone?

Terrified and with no way out, a memory flashed through her mind, a final hail Mary. It couldn't make things worse, could it?

"I'll help you! Y-you need help with your experiments, right? If you don't kill me, I swear I'll help you." There was a flash of surprise as he studied her face, leaving her in the agonizing limbo between life and death. Time dragged as he clearly relished her uncertainty, before turning and gesturing for her to follow.

"Alright then, let's get started. "

[braveclementine]

Dear Father, Let's Chat

Warnings: 18+readersonly

Copyright: I do not own any Marvel characters or locations. However, I do own my OCs, which consist of Penny Fury, Elizabeth Nelson, Elijah Chan, Katya Venice, Violetta Moscow, Lan Le, Josh, Trang Tien, Ahni Jallow, Mai Ito, and Ghaida Kashual as well as other OCs that will come up throughout the story.

"Penelope." Her father pulled her into a tight hug in front of all the other Avengers. She hugged him back just as tightly, feeling both extremely happy with seeing her father again, while also feeling an underlying current of anger as well as just the slight pinch of guilt.

"Hi daddy." Penny mumbled, feeling like a little girl again. The Avengers were moving around them, being greeted by their friends and family- and sex partners she had to keep reminding herself. They were all sleeping together.

She watched as Wanda hugged Pietro as he came off the plane, the both of them smiling. But when she reached out for Sam, he dodged her touch, and murmured something to her. Penny watched Wanda's smile become sad, nodding in understanding, and turning back to Pietro.

A different sort of guilt seemed to punch her gut. She quickly looked back at her father. "Dad, I think we need to talk."

"Are you alright?" Her father asked, putting an arm around her shoulder and started to lead her back towards the tower. It was far colder here in New York than it had been in Sri Lanka, almost as though- ha!- she'd traveled across the world.

"Are you hurt? Did they touch you? Rape you? Should we run pregnancy tests and tests for HIV and AIDS?" Her father asked with no filter at all.

"I'm not hurt. I was never raped. I was touched a bit, yes, but never actually, you know." Penny let the thought finish. "So no, the tests are unnecessary."

Her father relaxed just slightly. The doors to Avengers Tower were opened and Penny looked around as the hot warmth of the building enveloped her.

She'd always wanted to come to Avengers Tower. She knew Tony Stark had built it- well had it built- and that it was Avengers Headquarters. The lower fifteen to twenty floors were filled with the non- Avengers who did other work. Mostly SHIELD agents, but also High School and college interns for engineering projects. There was also a side lab for students in sciency fields like bio-chemistry or microbiology.

The lobby was open and sparse, looking nearly like any other lobby of a grand building with white marble tiled floors. The furniture was all black leather, about six TVs, and two huge chandeliers.

"I hope you don't mind," Her father said as they nodded to one of the men outside of the elevator and they stepped into it. They clearly had the elevator all to themselves, which was made of glass and she could see out across the city as it started to ascend, "I would like you to stay in the tower for a week or two while everything gets sorted out. We still have to track down Blonsky and the folks that Rumlow used to kidnap you. The Avengers will be your best line of protection, though they all know to leave you alone."

Penny sighed, "Dad, at least one of the Avengers is my soulmate. You can't think that I shouldn't see who else is, right?"

"I would've preferred you not to interact with them." Fury sighed. "As good as they are at heroes, they are terrible at keeping relationships and I already know that you'll get hurt. They aren't loyal Penny."

"Agent Wilson told me about their endeavors." Penny replied.

"That's surprising. I would've assumed Stark would've spilled." Fury muttered.

"Agent Wilson said he was willing to give up the- er- orgies for me. Be loyal to me." Penny replied. "He also said he believed the others would do so too. And I think I should be allowed to at least give them a chance."

Fury glanced over at her and Penny stared back. Her father sighed, running a hand over his face. "Penny, I don't want to see you get hurt. Physically or emotionally."

"I'm old enough to make my own decisions, especially about my soulmates." Penny answered. "I'm more warning you. I'm not really asking for permission."

"I know. You're way to much like me." Fury muttered. "But at least heed my warnings. They've been used to simply doing just about anyone who lives in floors sixty to seventy whenever they want. Adding you as their soulmate to the mix is going to shake things up one way or another. As much as I love you, things will be shaken in their bonding's and ranks. Things might even get awkward between some of the heroes. So make sure you're swift in the rules you set with your soulmates."

"I will, don't worry." Penny replied.

"Are you sure you don't need anything from me?" Fury asked as the elevator started to slow.

"N-" Penny started and then looked at her father, "A psychiatrist. I. . . well I can't really talk about some of these things with you. A female psychiatrist preferably."

Fury nodded, pulling her into his arms once more and kissing the side of her head, "I'm glad you're safe."

"I love you dad. Thank you for sending them to rescue me." Penny whispered.

"I love you too."

The elevator doors opened and they drew apart. Fury nodded to her and then Penny exited the elevator.

"Penelope?" A dark skinned man asked. He was slender, pretty tall- probably 6'1- dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans.

"Yes." She said.

He held out his hand, "Colonel James Rhodey."

"Nice to meet you." She said, now recognizing him. He looked very much like his picture, but she hadn't been able to place him right away without his army uniform on.

"Glad to see you're alright." James replied, yet Penny also saw that hint of worry behind his eyes. Probably wondering how her presence would affect the rest of them.

Penny wondered just how many of the Avengers she could possibly be mated to, and wondering if she was mated to anyone outside of the Avengers. What if it was just Sam?

Yet, somehow that seemed worse. Then Sam would have to watch as everyone else continued on the same and he was left out. Almost as though he was being excluded. It would be better if Penny had more soulmates so that they could all be together and it would be somewhat the same.

"Anyways, I can show you to your room if you'd like." Rhodey suggested.

"Yes, thanks." Penny replied quickly.

It was a trip back into the elevator and she noticed they went up to floor seventy-one.

"No one is on this floor yet." Rhodey replied. "When Kamala, Peter, and some of the other high school superheroes join in, this'll be their floor as well. Of course, your room might change depending on if you go from staying temporarily to permanently or what not."

Penny nodded and Rhodey opened up the room. "It's got all the basics- or what Tony considers basics anyways. If you need anything more personal though, all the girls are staying on floors sixty-four and sixty-seven. Except Elizabeth and Katya. They stay with Elijah and Lan on floor sixty-nine."

"Thank you." Penny replied.

"Any announcements or smaller questions F.R.I.D.A.Y. can answer." Rhodey said, lingering in the doorway. "I'll let you settle in. I have no idea what we're doing for dinner, but F.R.I.D.A.Y. will tell you when it's decided."

"Okay, thanks again." Penny said. Rhodey smiled and he closed the door behind him as he left.

Penny looked around the room.

It was very large, with thick white carpets. The bed in the center of the room was also extremely large, perhaps to fit five or six people in it. Then again, it probably was.

The dressers and accompanying furniture was all white to match everything else in the room. The closet already had basic T-shirts, jeans, and skirts in the closet. There were also several agent wear.

There was a minifridge that had rootbeer, Pepsi, Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, Orange Fanta, green and blue Gatorades, different flavors of Bangs and Monsters, along with Milky ways, 3 Musketeers, Milk Hershey, Mr. Beast chocolate bars, and Recess Peanut butter cups.

"Nice." Penny muttered, taking out the Mr. Beast chocolate and a Coke.

She put both on the bedside table and sat down on the bed. She rubbed the spot on her arm where the Falcon tattoo had appeared.

There was a sudden knock at the door.

"Yeah! Come on in!" Penny said.

She was surprised when Elizabeth stepped through the door. She'd changed out of her superhero attire and was dressed like she was about to head out. Blue jeans, an olive green long-sleeved shirt tucked into her pants. A thick black belt with a chipped bronze buckle, cinching the pants tight. She had a simple small silver necklace with a cross around her neck and was wearing small black heeled boots about an inch and a half. Her long brown hair had been pulled back into a neat ponytail.

"I wanted to check in on you." Elizabeth said quietly. "You had a hard flight from what I understand."

"You're the one who almost died." Penny pointed out.

Elizabeth shrugged, "So a daily occurrence. What's new? My fault anyways, I'm usually much better at the missions than that."

Elizabeth paused, looking down at Penny. Penny felt the strangest feeling she was being analyzed. Elizabeth sighed, putting her hands in her pockets. "I know the atmosphere is weird. It's because we don't know where you stand. Nick has made it completely obvious that if you're with your soulmates, they're no longer able to participate in the orgies. Which is fine, you know? You should be able to have loyal soulmates. What hurts you here, in everything not just the relationships, is indecision. It's okay to think something over, but you have to be quick about it. I know you're going to need time to get to know your soulmates. They're great people, trust me. And we're all extremely relaxed here. If you want your soulmates. . . loyal is a weird word. We're all loyal to each other. But if you'd prefer to be their only partner, they're going to do it for you. And the rest of us aren't going to have hard feelings over it. But we did just get back from a very stressful mission and feelings are going to be running high. Now, what do you want for dinner?"

Penny blinked. She'd taken in most of what the girl in front of her had said until the last bit, "Did you. . . did you just give me a heartfelt speech and then completely change the subject?"

"Yep, I do that a lot. I'm OCD and ADHD and I can't focus on only one thing. I'm scatterbrained, I know way to many weird facts, and I'm pretty sure I'm crazy. What do you want for dinner?"

Penny knew she liked the girl at that moment. "No idea. I'm not really hungry."

"Of course you aren't." Elizabeth responded and Penny was once again swept up into confusion. "You're used to eating in a different time zone, not to mention there probably wasn't a lot of food that they gave you to eat. You know, because the submissives who are known as 'pets' aren't allowed to have good food or a lot of food in large quantities. So you're stomach has been shrinking from a lack of food. But you should eat now anyways just to restart your schedule. Come on."

She didn't even wait for Penny to respond, already half-way down the hall as Penny darted out of her door and caught up to her.

"Where are we going?"

"Kitchen."

Elizabeth responded calmly, stepping into the elevator.

"Who cooks?"

"A couple of us. Usually Wanda or me. If it was left to the guys, they'd order junk food every night and then we'd be a bunch of fat superheroes."

"I thought you were a small town superhero."

"I was." Elizabeth agreed. "Till I found out my mom was part of HYDRA and she sent my brothers- who weren't actually my brothers- as super soldiers after me. Lovely, yay. Nick promised to protect me and my friends. I still get to do my small assignments and everyone's happy. Nick likes to send me on missions as a secret weapon. Everyone always underestimates me."

"I can see that, no offense." Penny replied. Elizabeth didn't really look like a fighter.

"None taken." Elizabeth said. "I don't look like a warrior. But then again, I rarely have to deal with hand to hand combat. I just call up water waves and drown people. It's more of a mental strength. And then the people who do know about my powers assume that if there's no water around, I'm useless. But I'm not." Elizabeth flashed Penny a wicked grin, "I can use the water in their bodies to choke themselves. You know the body is made up of sixty percent water. It's a handy trick."

As the elevator doors opened up in a large common room with basically every Avenger imaginable, Penny made a side note to never get on Elizabeth's bad side.

Suddenly, a giant shadow swooped down on the two of them. "What's for dinner Queen of Ice?"

Elizabeth smirked as Penelope stared up at Thor. "I don't know yet. What do you want?"

"You." Thor smirked.

"Ha." Elizabeth teased, rolling her eyes. "Elijah wouldn't let you after this afternoon."

"Isn't Elijah your soulmate?" Penelope asked in confusion. Elizabeth grabbed Penny's arm to drag her past Thor and into the kitchen which- compared to the other room- was completely empty.

"Oh yeah. Soulmate, Husband, dom, master, handler." Elizabeth rattled off, pulling open cupboards and pulling out things in a seemingly sporadic manner.

"Handler. . ."

"Look, like I said, we're all together. Elijah is my soulmate and he's my master. So he decides when, where, and who I get to interact with." Elizabeth said this all calmly and unconcerning as though they were simply talking about the weather.

"Which can be a right pain in the ass when I have to become aware of how I treat him whenever an orgy comes up, otherwise he makes me sit and watch and I can't participate." Elizabeth complained. She looked over at Penny. "He's got a voyeuristic kink so he likes to watch. Especially watching me with other men."

"Isn't that. . . strange to you?" Penny asked uncertainly.

"Maybe at first." Elizabeth shrugged. "But now I like it. You find that with all of us, there's just about every kink here. So you find the kinks you're okay with and you stick with 'em. No one makes anyone travel outside their comfort zone. And for every person that's got a kink, there's at least one person to reciprocate it. It's a complex and beautiful system."

"And I'm going to screw it up?"

"I didn't say that." Elizabeth shrugged again. "I'm guessing you've never had a lot of true interaction. But tell me, how would you feel about joining us? Not me, obviously. I'm straight as a board. But most of everyone else out there is either straight girls or everyone else is bi. And you could even have Ahni, she's only into girls. If you're into girls of course, there's no shame in being straight either. But is that something you'd even want?"

Penny had no idea. She'd never even thought about herself joining in. She wondered how her father would feel about that.

Before she could say anything, Tony Stark strolled into the kitchen. He shot her a wink and then tried to grab whatever Elizabeth was making.

"Anthony!" Elizabeth scolded, hitting him over the head with a heavy wooden spoon. "Hands off."

"Damnit." Tony muttered, sitting down next to Penny. He looked over at her. "I'm Tony Stark."

"Penelope Fury. You can just call me Penny." She responded, flinching harshly at the tattoo that was appearing on her left shoulder. She pulled her shirt sleeve down and glanced over to see a peacock there.

"Fitting." Elizabeth commented slyly.

"I like peacocks." Tony pouted. He had pulled his shirt off and was trying to look at the tattoo on his back.

"Yeah, I bet." Elizabeth continued, "Handsome, proud, and a pain in the ass."

"It's a red panda." Penny informed him as he paused looking at his tattoo, glaring at the ice princess. Penny giggled a little.

"Cute." Tony grinned. "So, what are you girls talking about?"

"Sex and orgies." Elizabeth stated bluntly before Penny could even think of a topic to lie about.

Tony chuckled, "Already? Good lord Elsa, she's barely been here for an hour."

Elizabeth smirked and Penny was suddenly aware of the thick smell of cooking meat floating through the kitchen. Hamburgers, by the smell of it.

"Alright." Elizabeth said and Penny watched as several dishes full of food were flung onto the table. She was vividly reminded of Beauty and the Beast with the dancing dishes, except these dishes were floated onto the table by water waves. "Dinners served."

[theunaestheticstudyblr]

hi, I’m a Junior in high school, and I’m taking generals chem and chem lab through the local university. I skipped normal chemistry (mostly out of spite because the normal chem teacher is a butt) and self studied over the summer to prepare for the class.

so anyways I bombed the first test and got less than 50%. I have aced all of the homework, which albeit was a lot more difficult than the actual test, which was mostly easy concepts and things to remeber, while the hw was 50 comunulative word problems that included multiple properties from throughout the chapter. I should’ve gotten a good grade. I have kept up with all the other students who took normal chemistry last year, taken thorough notes on each chapter (4 per test), and watched videos and done all the chapter problems to check my understanding. I even created a study guide because our teacher doesn’t give one out!!!!!

But I just kept making dumb, stupid mistakes the entire test. Forgetting to square, dividing by avogadros number instead of multiplying, forgetting the amount of sig figs to estimate. I understand the concepts, but I just flub on the tests. How can I make sure I don’t repeat this?

TLDR: how do I not make stupid small mistakes on my general chemistry tests?

sorry about this long essay, I can’t really go to my parents or my professor about this, if this isn’t the type of thing you answer then don’t worry about it!

Hey love! I'm glad you're putting in the effort and I know it's so so frustrating. I definitely have experience with this and here's my advice:

Write down sig fig at the top/bottom of your test on each page. This helped me remember to count my sig figs. I had a super unforgiving teacher for Gen Chem who counted off even if you rounded wrong so this was big for me.

As far as messing up when to multiply or when to divide, there's a simple approach. Write down your first value that you're trying to convert. Then a multiplication sign and a line. Below the line, write a conversion value with the same units and above the line write the conversion to a new unit and continue until you get your desired units. I've added photos here to illustrate since it's hard to explain with just words (it is a genetic example but the process is the same). Then you multiply everything on top and everything on bottom and then divide top by bottom. Feel free to pm me if you need more explanation

A big thing too with constantly making small mistakes is that it's a sign that you're stressed and not thinking clearly. You are smarter than you know and you know more than you think you do. Maybe start a pre-test ritual to get your mind calm and clear and learn to slow down during the test.

It's super easy to get caught up in the stress and rush of a test, but learning to slow down and not be so focused on finishing in a small time can help so much. I chew gum a lot during tests to help give my mind a distraction and an outlet. I knew people who would close their eyes and count down from 10 with their breathing to slow themselves down too.

Overall, one failed test isn't the end of the world and obviously is not a testament to your knowledge or skills. If you need more advice or more specific advice, my pms are always open!

Good luck and hope this helps!!!!

[sunstudiesnshines]

⭐️Day 3/100 days of proclivity

Today was the day of my admission test! I was super exhausted because of my period and just felt weird overall because my hair was greasy and I felt all dirty and sweaty- literally the worst feeling ever nevertheless, I woke up at around 5 and trier to do some last minute studying but quickly got distracted because of the fatigue.

The test was hard. Especially math.I really hope I pass. I'm not satisfied but I did everything I could so I shouldn't be too hard on myself. I had sushi after but it was pretty average.

I came home and 'accidently' took a three hour long nap but I felt pretty good after though my energy levels were low. I finished doing my chemistry lab which took about 2 hours with breaks so not bad overall.

I'll definitely do more tomorrow and I can't wait. Good night <3

[bonesandthebees]

I feel like I should specify that all the electricity I had in high school was calculating the resistance on parallel and sequenced circuits (or both). Which basically requires you to know like 2 formulas, when to use them and how to reform them to get what you want. It’s very visual too, which means being dyslexia gives me a boost because anything visual becomes a lot easier.

I also had some electricity last year because God knows why my teacher fell the need to throw that in (it wasn’t even a physics course! If I wanted physics I would have chosen Physics!). I was terrible at that (I can barely remember what it was). In my defence the teacher never taught us any of it, all of it was self tuition which is hell with dyslexia as severe as mine. Like I have other teachers who do guided self tuitions where you essentially get ‘tests’ you have to make, but they are open book so you’re just supposed to look it up while making it and then you’ll at least know what is and isn’t important. Pure self tuition sucks because I cannot differentiate between what is and isn’t important and everything takes me twice as long and twice as much energy as a Nero typical student (as you can image, lockdown was a special kind of hell I only got through because my friends would sent me their answers for all the heavy reading assignments so I could copy it.)

Also, STEM is very cool and fun. It’s so useful for world building. The amount of times I slide into my STEM friends’ DM’s to ask worldbuilding related questions and discuss what I could and couldn’t pull of with suspension of disbelief is so much fun. Not to mention that learning how you body works is awesome and good for the hypochondria. BUT the way STEM is taught is often very shit. Both in high school and in uni. They tend to get split into separate subjects when all of them connect, making teacher dependant on each other to build their subject matter. And I have friends in uni who will spend like an 8-10 hour day in a lab every week , who then have to write and finish a lab report by the next week.

Lastly,

Me 🤝 Snowflake

Being hella game for the royalty au when it drops and ready to analyse it it shreds.

P.s. oooooooohhhhhhhhh, kitties!

-🌲

that's the kind of electricity stuff I had to do too and it was so difficult for me to grasp 😭 which didn't make sense bc like you said it's literally just two formulas you have to plug stuff into but idk maybe my uni course went more into detail i dont remember

man having to teach yourself concepts like that is the worst. guided self teaching is fine like you said especially with open book tests, but pure self teaching is so hard because if you get confused on one thing it feels like everything falls apart. and i'm sure for you it was especially difficult with having to read so much stuff on your own. I definitely get the lockdown thing too, my grades spiraled down over lockdown and never fully recovered (and that was the year i failed a class for the first time ever. feelsbadman fuck organic chemistry)

but like you said STEM topics are very useful to know about for worldbuilding purposes (like me heavily bullshitting a somewhat scientific explanation for tommy's healing power in clinic so there's logical reasoning to it lmao)

lab reports... don't remind me shudders