#he's clearly picked his side in the french rivalry | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

enigma-im · 4 years ago

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Like a Virgin Pt.2

Rating: Explicit Relationship: Incubus x F!Human Warning: Insecurities, fluff, Silas is a fuckboy, date night, first time, bonding

Word Count: 8261

Part 1 -----------------------------------

I pace around my room like an anxious chicken. I look down at my three dresses, not knowing which one to pick. Each having their pros and cons but still not making the choice easier. Silas never bothered telling me where we were going. All week I kept trying to get answers from him but he would just give me a kiss then a smile. I can't complain because it worked every time.

"just pick the red one," I mumble to myself. I reach down for the dress but hesitate when I look at the purple one. I stand straight and groan. Just pick one.

"The Yellow one will make you look bright but I'm a bit bias to the red one, the color of love and lust," a voice behind me says. I jump, turning to see Silas at my door. I tighten my towel around my chest making him laugh.

"You are early," I look him up and down. He is wearing a dark blue 2-piece suit. White dress shirt, the last two buttons undone. His blazer is also undone showing how tight the shirt is to his stomach. I can't take my eyes off him. I've seen him in dress clothes, that is his thing, but this is a lot. He looks damn sexy. Even though he still has bags under his eyes and currently his cheeks are beginning to sink.

He snaps his fingers," up here love." I look up at his cocky smirk.

I roll my eyes," shut up. Why you early?"

He gives me a once over," what, and miss this view?"

"seriously," I chide.

"Alright, I knew you would be freaking out about now. I guess I was right if you are still pacing your room looking for an outfit," he gestures to the clothes.

"As right as you are, how did you know," I don’t bother denying. He doesn’t answer but walks over to me. Grabbing my waist and looking down at me.

"I've known you for a long while. I think I can figure out if you are going to be a nervous wreck or not," he leans down and pecks my forehead," go with the red one. I'll be in the living room." with that he lets me go and walks out. I shake my head, smiling to myself.

I put on the red dress then walk to my bathroom to fix my hair. I get cleaned up and walk out into the living room. I find Silas lounging on the sofa. His arms stretched out on the back and his legs crossed at the ankle. He looks handsome here. I never bothered looking at him before this week. It felt wrong to ogle a friend but now it's different.

He finally notices me and he drops his arms off the sofa," Fuck." he rests his elbow on his knee. Looking me up and down grinning like a dork. Its almost unfitting on his sexy face. It's so dopey that I can't help but smile back.

"I'll take it you like it," I fidget with the fabric of my dress.

"Like it? I love it, you look holy. Like a goddess really. I'm not worthy of your time but I will cherish it because I'm a greedy man," he lays it on thick.

"Alright, alright. You could have just said you like it," I turn with a blush. I hear him stand from the sofa.

"And miss those rosy cheeks? never," he laughs.

"biggest flirt I have ever met," I mumble as I cup my cheek, fighting off the smile curling my lips. As I fail I turn my face into my palm, grinning like an idiot.

"aw," he coos as he holds my arms," don't hide that beautiful smile." he pries my hand away from my face. I look anywhere but him, not use to this sort of attention. He replaces my hand with his own, turning me towards him. His eyes gleam with admiration and the edges of his lips curls slightly making his cheeks crease. We say nothing to break the silence, too lost in each other's eyes. His smile grows wider before he curls his bottom lip in between his teeth.

"Too damn beautiful," he whispers as he drops his head to mine. My heart swells with the gesture, my insides turning to jelly as he nuzzles my forehead. With a sigh, he turns and pecks me on the cheek before righting himself. "Sorry, lost myself there for a moment. Shall we head to dinner," he tilts his head. I take in a heavy breath, calming the fluttering butterflies in my torso. The warm fuzzy feeling flowing from his hand down into my body. I nod.

We walk out of my apartment to his car waiting out front. It's not hard to spot as it's likely the most expensive car in the lot. He helps me in, like a gentleman I didn't think he could be, and we are on our way.

The ride is exciting but nerve-wracking. The tension sits in my stomach, though it's easy to push away with our simple conversation about our days. When he puts his hand on my knee I can't decide on an emotion. His thumb petting my skin is pleasing but it gets me thinking how the night is expected to end.

Before thoughts can spiral into stomach twisting anxiety we stop in front of a building. I look up at the faintly glowing blue sign saying something in French. Silas startles me when he hops out the car. I watch him come around to my side, opening the door with an awaiting helping hand.

"We have arrived my lady," he purrs as I grab his hand. I get out the car confused, looking around at the array of valets driving cars. I have never been to place fancy enough to have valets. Can hardly think Olive Garden doing something so bouche.

"Looks expensive," I mumble as I watch a young man hop into the expensive car. Silas pulls me along into the building.

"I spare no expense for my night of apologizing and wooing," he jokes. I just hums in answer as we enter the luxurious waiting room. The area is dim, having blue edge lights under ledges and baseboards. The fish tank feels like icing on the cake. The only fish tank I've seen in a restaurant have been lobster tanks. This one has actual fish that you aren't supposed to eat.

I don't notice when we make it to the host stand, too focused on the decked-out surroundings.

"D'Amore," Silas answers without prompt. The older lad at the host stand doesn't even look up as he searches his tablet. No warning he walks away. Silas tugs me along after the man.

We walk further into the dimly lit room. I can't stop my eyes from wandering around, feeling oh so out of place. The looks of the food at people's tables screams that we shouldn’t be able to afford this. Silas and I work for decent pay but even my penny-pinching self can't fathom having enough to dine here.

A few people cast glances at us as we walk by, most lingering on Silas. When eyes go to me it's like being drowned in judgment. I definitely don't belong here.

The host introduces us to our seats before parting. Silas pushes out my chair, pushing it back in once I sit. I can't focus on him as the anxiety stacks. I feel so out of place, so wrong. I shouldn't be here, dining like I have a right to such a sophisticated place. I shouldn't be pretending as I could ever. When I look at Silas I feel about that same, I shouldn't even be with him.

As I fuel my own fire Silas reaches out and grabs my hand," Babe, are you alright?" I startle at his question. I snap my unfocused gaze to him.

"Yea, I'm alright. I just-I've never been in a place like this," I nibble on my cheek. Silas watches me, lingering on every twitch. He squeezes my hand, trying to catch my attention but it's too undirected.

"I have a question for you," he starts cryptically. I finally keep my focus on him, dread boiling to my chest.

"yea," I ask. His eyes look between mine, his face stern.

"If an android has a kid with a person and their man milk is technically from their creator, is the baby his," he says while biting back a grin.

I furrow my brow," What?"

"an android, the organic robots, if one had a kid with it's manufactured spunk that technically was a real human's nut, would he be the dad or the human who made it first," he clarifies.

I can't bring myself to answer as I'm too confused about the question. As his words linger a smile cracks onto my lips as the background fades away.

"Well," I start," it would-I mean it could be. Alright, you got me there." we both chuckle.

"Yea, it's kind of stumped me all day. I heard it from a friend and I don't know what the right answer would be. Ideally, the android is the dad but in a DNA test the human would be the dad, though he didn't shoot it," he rambles.

As we discuss this 'important' topic I feel more welcome. It's easy to see Silas as a handsome egotistical playboy who doesn't have an awkward bone in his body. I forget how completely ridiculous he is. The main reason I ever fell for him.

Dinner goes well as the conversation flows freely. Some topics are risqué and others childish. We do get a few looks from the other patrons but I could hardly care. It's hilarious to be eating such high-class food while debating what is the best 90's cartoon is.

It's clearly the Animaniacs.

It seems too soon when the check comes. The friendly rivalry over the superiority of Dc vs Marvel is put on pause when he takes out his wallet. The moment is long enough for reality to settle back in. our next activity of the night pops into my head with a startling realization.

Next, we head home.

The thought is pleasant but my stomach still twists. I like Silas and the idea of giving myself to him isn't completely off-putting, it's actually nice. Either way the chance of something going wrong bounces around in my head with no escape.

We walk out to the valet, Silas' hand on my lower back, I dwell on fears. I'm so nervous and admitting it doesn't help. We get into his car and head on out. Silas tries to keep the conversation going, which succeeds enough for the time being. It's when we turn towards my home does it fail to keep me relaxed.

I fidget in my seat, fiddling with my dress as I nibble on my cheek. I keep reminding myself of his devotion so far and how it should be impossible for sex with an Incubus to be bad. Which is true, it can-will- be amazing. Yet, the devotion part wrinkles my brain.

I tense when we near my home, the sight of the apartment pushing needles in my legs. I watch it come closer and closer, my anxiety mounting higher and higher. As my turn comes up for the parking lot I'm surprised when we pass it. I watch it go back, twisting in my seat to watch some more.

"What," I mumble as I twist in my seat. I look over to Silas who has a fighting smile on his face. I know we aren't heading to his place as it's the complete other direction, so where are we going?

"Something wrong," Silas asks, his smile widening.

"Nothing wrong, I just thought we were going to my place next," I bait.

He shrugs, looking at the clock on the dash. 8:34.

"Seems a bit early to be ending the night so fast," he answers.

"I guess," I watch him," though I can't possibly think what else you have planned besides…uhh." I drop off at the end. Silas passes me a glance, that smirk resting so peacefully.

"What other plans," he teases," are you talking about the finale of the night? The part where I lay you down and give you the best orgasms of your life?" I blush, turning towards the window, feeling like an innocent child. Silas chuckles, reaching over to rest his hand on my leg again. "No need to be so flustered, love, we have time before that," he squeezes my leg," we are heading somewhere special. Somewhere I have rarely taken a date before."

He piques my interest," Oh yeah? I'm not going to some abandoned house to be ditched, right?"

He scoffs," what kind of man do you think I am? Also, I've taken someone to an abandoned house before. Though it was his idea, not mine. Not an experience I will repeat, don't fuck with goth dudes."

"You had sex with a goth dude in an abandoned house," I laugh.

"I don't kiss and tell," he purses his lips. I bark out in laughter.

"Yes you do, that's actually how we got to here," I snicker.

"Yea, yea," he waves a hand," doesn't matter now, I'm only with you." I fluster again at his declaration. It's still hard to believe he would choose me over everyone he has been with.

"So where are we going," I change the subject.

"It's a surprise," he smiles, pleased with himself.

"a surprise? I can't remember that last time a boyfriend tried to surprise me," I answer. Out the corner of my eye, I see Silas pass me a cocky glance.

"a boyfriend? Are you calling me your boyfriend now," he teases the edge of my dress," I like it."

I blush," shut up."

"awe, don't be so mean to your boyfriend," he stops at a light. He takes the time to lean over, cornering me with an arm on my seat. "Your boyfriend's feelings are hurt, can you give me a little kiss to make it better," he pouts.

I scoff at him," you sound like such a fuckboy right now."

He shrugs," if it works."

"shut up," I smile as I grab his cheeks and press a chaste kiss to his lips. He doesn't allow me to get away with that, pulling me in for a better kiss.

His warm lips mold expertly over mine, stealing my breath so easily. His fingers crawl up my thigh, bunching up the hem of my dress. My fingers trail into his hair to grab a handful, pulling him closer as I rest against the seat. He fills the space quickly, pressing as close as he can. I feel his palm smooth under my dress till his finger timidly presses against my underwear. The tip wiggles under the band, barely touching my crotch.

A car horn makes us jump apart, starling us back into our respected seats. As I catch my breath Silas drives onward

My first clue is lights in the distance and a large line of cars following in the same direction. It finally clicks when a familiar amusement ride is revealed.

"The fair," I ask.

"Yep," he grins," perfect, right?"

"yea but aren't we both a little overdressed for a fair," I pluck at his sleeve.

"Hardly matters, we both look stunning and we are going to win the games in style," he smooths back his hair. I snicker at him.

"Whatever you say," I smile to myself as I look at the oncoming fair. It really is a good idea, though I won't pat him on the shoulder just yet.

He parks and we head in.

The fairgrounds are crowded and full of color. The lively conversation and dull lull of obnoxious music is jovial. It's such a contrast to the fine dining restaurant we ate at. This place has deep-fried everything and games rigged to make you lose. It's lovely and downright perfect.

Silas wraps his arm over my shoulder, pulling me close, and we are off.

Everything is so eye-catching, pulling my attention back and forth. The games flash colorful lights, people gathered around each booth screaming out in triumph or frustration. The food stands engulf the air with its high calories snacks. Further down the way, more lights shine as lines of people wait for their turn on some typical carnival ride. So many activities and such little time.

Silas throws an arm over my shoulder and tugs me towards a booth that doesn't have all the glamor and glam as the others. A ticket booth with a few people standing in a line before it. A family leaves the front of the line holding a rope of tickets. We slowly make it to the front to meet a smiling woman.

"Hello, sweetie," Silas grins widely," twenty tickets please, and thank you." for the added flair he throws in a wink. His arm drops from around my shoulder to my waist, pulling me closer to his side. Despite this the woman blushes to herself, smiling as she counts out our tickets.

"Here you are, sugar, twenty tickets," she smiles," I hope you have a grand ole time."

Silas takes the tickets," Will do, dear."

With that Silas tugs me away again towards the rows of well-decorated stalls. I try to not let the flirty interaction get in my head too much. It's Silas, he has always been that way. It's not like I expected him to change because of me. Still, the wink irks me just a little.

"So, what do you want to do first," Silas squeezes my hip," you are in charge from this point on."

I quirk a cheeky brow at him," That’s a bold thing to say." he smiles down at me with that spine chilling smirk.

"What can I say, sometimes it's hot to have your woman in charge," he teases. The insinuation should be alarming but the fun to be had is too tempting.

"And what if I like my man to be in charge instead," I turn away, hiding the blush blooming along my cheeks. I feel him lean down closer, his breath fanning down my dress.

"Keep calling me your man and I'll be whatever you like," he purrs. I feel outmatched now, slowly working my way towards the deep end. My cheeks hurt as I fight back a dorky smile and a silly giggle. Silas still finds out, cooing as he presses a kiss to my cheek.

"Alright, alright, stop," I push him away," let's see what games they have here." he chuckles as he straightens, pulling me to his side once more as we walk down the large path.

We see games varying from strength to skills, puzzles to sporty. Everyone jokes around each game, laughing and teasing one another as they all attempt to win the stuffed prizes. One game catches my eye, a milk jug and baseball skill test.

"how's your pitching," I ask him. He raises a brow in question before he too spots the game.

"I mean, I don't wanna brag," he jokes as we walk over.

I scoff," you don't wanna brag, hell must have frozen over." he snorts, tearing off a few tickets as he stops in front of the carnival worker.

"one ticket for one throw, three tickets for four," the tall teen says. Silas exchanges three tickets for four balls. He passes me two and we arrange ourselves to our own lane.

"Alright," Silas tosses the ball around in his hands," Watch a pro at work." I watch him reel back and launch the softball across the lane. The ball tings the top of the pyramid, flicking the milk jug off. As the jug rolls around on the floor I look to Silas.

"I think I'm watching the wrong guy if I'm supposed to be witnessing a pro," I shrug. He scowls at me, fiddling with the other ball in his hand.

"Yea, yea, shut up. Tis but a warmup," he shakes out his shoulders before squaring his stance. He launches the ball again completely missing the tower all together. I snort, biting back a snicker as he deflates.

"I think we have different definitions of pro," I chuckle. He snaps towards me, playfully sneering as he walks over.

"Alright, your turn, princess," he crosses his arms in a challenge. I smile at him, accepting his challenge with open arms. I walk up to the bar, setting one of the balls down. I toss the solo one around in my hands before tossing a look over my shoulder.

"You know in high school I use to be in sports," I look back to the restacked jugs," I did a few here and there but only one really stuck with me. I played softball for two years before I had to quit, and do you know what position I played?" before he could answer I launch the ball towards the tips of the bottom row. They explode outward, all tipping over. Two stay on the barrel while the rest tumble to the floor. With a cocky smile I turn to Silas, "I was the pitcher."

Silas looks between me and the milk jugs. He huffs in amusement, walking over towards me.

"Who knew confidence would look so sexy on you," he grabs at my hips," but not to rain on your parade or anything, but you are supposed to knock them all off the barrel." I scoff at him, hitting him in the chest.

"Yea, but I still get a small prize," I twist away from him," no need to be sour, I'll let you pick the toy."

We walk to the booth operator, Silas standing behind me. He grabs at me once more, leaning his chest against my back. He rests his chin on my shoulder, speaking near my ear.

"I'm not sour, just defeated. Also, I want the purple whale," he nuzzles against my head. I grin, feeling warm as I pet his head. The teenager grabs the small whale from the hooks, passing it to me before attending to the other players.

I hand the whale to Silas," Here you go, babe, I won it just for you." he grabs the whale, hugging it close.

"Thanks, baby. You spoil me too much," he nuzzles the toy with a teasing smile. My heart flutters with an unknown feeling as I watch him. It's nice seeing him be so human, to act like a typical person and not some unapproachable man slut. He catches me staring, turning on his charm once more.

"I’d say take a picture but I like having you look at me like that," he teases, cocky as ever. I roll my eyes, walking past him with no direction in mind.

We walk around the grounds playing all sorts of games. Neither of us wins many games, coming very close in a few of them. It helps our egos that the games are rigged, the fact fueling us to continue on. There is teasing and jokes, all in good fun. The night is going better than I expected, I didn't think a date night with Silas would be so juvenile. This is more of a date for teens or parents with their kids. I appreciate it more than he could ever know.

Our tickets dwindle quickly till we only have enough for one more game. We study the area, picking our final activity wisely. Silas taps my shoulder, pointing towards one across the way. He guides me towards it, holding my hand as we walk through the traffic of people. As we near I see a large pool of water covered in floating toy ducks.

"Lucky ducks," I ask him," it's not much of game, don't you think?"

He smiles to himself as he hands the tickets to the older woman," I think you will find that I'm quite skilled in games of luck."

"Confident as ever, but sure," I shrug. I watch him look at the spinning pool of ducks, thinking way too hard on this. He leans forward, ready to pluck the plastic duck out of the water. He pauses halfway, retreating in favor of looking to me.

"How about a wager," he offers. I watch him skeptically, feeling like his inner fuckboy is going to come out.

"I don't know, I've been warned about making deals with devils," I joke. He rolls his eyes.

"har, har. For real, a bet for if I find the lucky duck. You up for that kind of deal," he asks. I cross my arms, standing firm as I give him a once over.

"What's the wager," I ask in turn. I fully expect some sleazy demand that will make a mother blush. You can take the playboy out of the game but you can't take the game out of the playboy.

"If I find the duck, you owe me a favor," he smiles, looking away towards the pool," I want to ride the Ferris wheel with you before we leave." I startle at his request, not expecting something so simple. It almost feels like a waste of a bet.

"That's it," I ask. He looks to me almost offended.

"Yea, I never got to do that. All my old dates wanted to get home really quick so they don't bother with cutesy things like that. Listen, if you don't want to that fine, we can leave right after. I was just curious," he folds into himself, turning away. The insecurities shine brightly from him. It's really eye-opening.

It's hard to remember that Silas was missing a lot from his short-lived relationships. They were never intimate, getting down to business quickly. It's cute to see how much Silas wants that kind of thing. To cuddle up on some sketchy carnival ride and watch the lights below with a loved one. My heart flutters at the genuine sadness he is showing at my supposed rejection.

As he fiddles with his pockets I walk over. I grab at his face, turning him towards me, and kissing him as best as I can. He jumps at the action, pausing as he figures out what's happening. Then as quick as any incubus could be, he reacts. He holds me close as he expertly molds his lips to mine. I want to pull back and continue with whatever I was going to say but his tongue is teasing at my lips. Who am I to deny such a tempting request.

We split as we hear a pair of teenagers giggling to themselves. I pull away, chuckling as he keeps me close. His eyes remain closed as his jaw clenches. He seethes silently before he slowly peels his lids open. His black eyes slowly fade away as he stares down at me so stern. I can't help but cup his cheeks, petting him with my thumb.

"You know I want everything with you, right? Not just the sex or carnal pleasure you can give but the sweet stuff too," I smile kindly," I'm not like the others, I want to ride the Ferris wheel with you and laugh at how tiny everyone looks from so high up."

A loving smile spreads across his face," They look like ants from so high up."

"Yea, they do," I chuckle," now I need you to pick that lucky duck and win me a prize because so far I'm a far more talented date than you are." he snorts, loosening his hold on my waist. We split away, him turning to the pool and quickly pulling a duck from the water. Without turning it over he looks to me.

"What stuffed animal do you want," he asks. I look from him to the duck then back again. He seems so confident. I open my mouth to retort with some teasing comment but he stops me with a smirk. I squint at him, understanding the challenge. He knows he won. Instead, I look to the large toys lining the front of the booth.

"The Domo doll," I smile back at him. He nods, walking over to the booth worker. He tosses the duck to the man who turns it over and sighs.

"Any toy from the top row," the man grunts out. I scoff, shaking my head in disbelief.

We stand in line for the Ferris wheel, him holding his little whale and I hugging a large stuffed cartoon character. I catch his eyes, smiling widely at him as I hug the toy closer. We near the ride, a worker opening the swinging door to the carriage. I stuff my prize in before myself, Silas following behind. The worker closes the door along with the latch as Silas throws his arm over me.

The ride slowly takes us to the top, stopping as people below get on and off. "Did you have fun tonight," Silas asks. I look up to him, enjoying the sight of his hair ruffling in the breeze.

"yea," I snuggle into his chest," I did." he gives me a squeeze, kissing the top of my head.

"Good," he answers," I had fun too."

The ride stops at the very top, the view taking both of our attentions. The lights and people below make me feel whimsical. The cold air cools my heated cheeks and Silas warms me from the breeze. I find my attention shifting from the colorful sights below to the sweet man beside me. I stare up at him, watching him look out in the distance. A small smile tugs at the edge of his lips, a content sigh leaving his nose.

"I know I'm better than the view but you can look at me anytime compared to this," he turns to me. As our eyes meet everything stops. It feels so cliché but right as we lean towards each other till our noses brush against the other's.

"Silas," I mumble. Before I can say anymore he jumps to capture my lips. I choke on my breath, meeting him with as much eagerness as he gives. He slowly crowds me against the corner of the carriage, pressing his chest against mine as he attacks my lips. His tongue delves in, swirling with mine as a groan leaves my lips. Everything feels so amplified with him. The way his body heats my own, the way his hands pull my hips against his. I feel so hot despite being so cold. I want him, I want him bad.

"Come on guys, people are waiting," someone calls from behind us. Silas slowly pries his lips away from mine, sighing as his eyes open. His pitch-black eyes stare down into my own, promising so much with crotch throbbing appeal.

"My place," he asks with a cocky grin. I can't answer besides a nod.

The next few minutes feel like a blur as we race to the car and to his apartment. Traffic laws are ignored as all I can feel is his heated palm on my thigh. I don't know when we get to his place but all I know is his hard cock grinding against my clothed crotch. At some point we end up in his room, the soft blankets shock me out of a stupor. The seriousness of the situation clears my head.

Silas notices me stiffen, his lips against my neck leave as he looks down at me. He pets along my arms," Shh, it's alright. You want to go slower?"

"Y-yea," I answer, petting on his arms.

"I can do that," he kisses my forehead," we can go a little slower. Just let me tell you how tonight will go down." his tone is teasing. I find myself smiling, amused by his waiter sounding tone. Speaking like he is going to read the specials off the menu.

"Well, you’re a virgin, correct?" I nod," then you get the trifecta."

I scoff," The trifecta?"

"yea," he smirks," fingers, tongue, and cock." his tongue clicks on the final word, adding to the teasing. I fluster, turning away as I picture all this. In answer he brushes his nose against my neck, growling with interest. "now let's start with taking these clothes off."

The motion of removing another person's clothes feels just as intimate as anything I've ever experienced. He bares his chest before me, allowing me time to be distracted by such a sculpted torso. As I pet along his chest he lifts my dress up. His fingers touch at my underwear, I stiffen at the contact. The burning in my belly wars with the anxiety dwelling in my chest.

"It's ok, I got you," he purrs near my ear," keep touching me, I like having your delicate touch on my chest." I follow his demand, petting nervously up his chest as his fingers dive under my clothes. I buck into his hand, embarrassed immediately for doing so. He calms me by kissing my cheek. His fingers quickly delve between my folds, pressing where I need him most.

The sudden attention to my swollen clit brings my back to an arch. I press my clothed chest to his bare one. The rolling growl coming from him makes me whimper. His fingers swiftly glide over my nub, building me quicker than I ever have alone. He kisses and licks my neck, lathering me in attention. Before I can get used to the quick slides of his fingers he presses them down and inside me. His middle fingers squelch as they swiftly go in.

"Silas," I clench as his shoulders. His fingers begin to thrust in and out, petting along my walls with a strange filling feeling.

"Does it feel good," he asks, I nod," no, kitten, you need to use your words."

I open my mouth to answer but his thumb presses to my clit, massaging in short fast circles. I choke on my words, throwing my head back with a broken cry. His fingers cease their thrusting in favor of bouncing against a sweet spot.

"Does it feel good, I won't ask again," he scolds with a smirk.

"Y-yes," I whimper. He rewards me with quicker motions, basically throwing me to my peak. I claw at his shoulder as my body racks with shudders till I'm suspended over my end.

"Cum for me," he purrs near my ear," I want to see you cum for me." I cry out, arching away from him as he forces my body to its end. I clamp around his fingers, fluttering as I grind in his hand. I barely notice him watching me, too focused on my climax.

"So beautiful," I faintly hear him say.

I soon fall slack to the bed, dropping my arms from around his shoulders. His fingers squelch as they are removed from inside me. The wetness on his fingers trails over my thighs before he is removed from my underwear. I watch him lift his fingers to his mouth, his tongue flicking out to clean them.

"Fuck," I whisper as he licks his palm. He smirks down at me as he twines his tongue around his ring finger.

"You taste divine, kitten. I can't wait to get a direct taste," he purrs. Those black eyes are all I can look at as he slides his hands under my dress.

He is tender as he removes my clothes, kissing up my stomach as he lifts my dress. As my bra is tossed to the side he tilts his head in admiration as he cups my breast. He fondles them for a moment, getting distracted by taking off my underwear.

I soon lay bare before him, feeling like a feast with the way he looks at me. He falls over me, framing me with his arms as he fists the blanket. I watch him lean forward, my lips part in preparation. I close my eyes, ready for his lips upon mine. Yet, instead of getting a kiss, I have the blanket below me ripped out from under me. I open my eyes in time to see him removing his pants. The blanket rests on his shoulder, splaying out behind him like a cape.

I watch him confused, momentarily looking at his crotch. I don't have enough time to admire his standing cock as he falls on his stomach. His hands grab at my thighs, spreading me as he scoots up.

"It's time for me to get a taste," he smirks. I sit back ready to watch him bring me to a swift orgasm like before. He surprises me by throwing the blanket over his head, blocking my view of him.

"what are you doing," I ask as I fist the sheets. I can feel his hands petting on my thighs, see the blanket shifting.

"I want you to close your eyes and feel me," he answers. His nose bumps my crotch, startling me. I clench at the sheets, conflicted on how this will play out.

His tongue flicks at the seams, only partially delving between my lips. He is slow in his explorations, teasing with simple touches. The feeling is completely new, completely different from any of my solo sessions. With the added benefit of not knowing what's going to happen. He works his way from the bottom to the top, drinking any and all I have to offer from the previous orgasm. The sensitive skin gives way to new, wonderful sensations. It's not overstimulated like I would assume but its…perfect. Hardly expect anything less from a sex demon I guess.

I relax, not climbing to unbearable levels of pleasure but sitting in a state of comforting arousal. His fingers brought me swiftly to an end, satisfying the craving while calming my nerves. I hum with a grin, carding my finger through my hair as my leg pets along his back. I feel his lazing lapping, delving inside with his own groans of enjoyment.

He startles me with a quick flat lick to my clit. My back arches as I hiss, not prepared for the shock to run up my stomach. He does it again, circling the tip of his tongue around then over it. The electric and warm feeling is brain-melting. I find myself grinding into his mouth to feel more, surprising myself with my eagerness. He delivers in full, bringing me to a swifter climax than his fingers did. I feel like a porn star with my cries as I clamp my thighs around his head. I barely hear his own cries of pleasure as I do.

As I come into my own he throws the blanket off his head, looking way too happy to have gone down on me. "ya feeling alright," he hugs my hips," not too tired yet right?" his smug grin would have made me angry any other time. To be fair, those other times he never earned it.

I reach down and run my fingers through his hair. I smile tiredly down at him and hum in answer. He rests his chin on my pelvis, tilting into my hand with closed eyes. This isn't what I expected at all. I imagined wild coupling with animalistic cries into the night. This is… strangely better. I can't imagine he has ever done this before. All his conquest have been weird kinky sex that- I wouldn't say bragged- he talked about at work. Over divulging in every detail to the point you could paint a solid picture of sweaty bodies and soaked sheets. But this is better, not what I expected, but what I needed.

"you are too skilled at this for your own good, your ego needs a break sometimes," I joke as I pap his cheek.

"well, since this 'skill' is being used to please my lady, I hardly think it could be that bad. Though hearing you cry out for only me may make my head swell. Actually, it has," he gets up on his hands and crawls up my body. My eyes fall directly on his hard cock. It takes me a moment to get his joke, by the time I do he is pressing kisses my neck.

I grab a fistful of his hair and pull him back," that was an awful joke." he laughs as I bring him down for a kiss.

"They can't all be award-winning, besides I heard you like my stupid jokes," he grins against my lips.

"I never said I was a smart woman," I chuckle.

"But you are," he kisses my cheek," you are smart," kisses my nose," funny," my brow," sexy," my eyelid," and best of all," corner of my mouth," you like me." I pull him into his next kiss, meeting his lips with mine. But damn he is right, I do like him.

"now are you ready for the main course," he gropes my hips. At the question, I feel his cock resting against my thigh. The nerves he worked hard to rest are cranking up again. I think on every story and video I have seen on losing your virginity. Thinking about the pain or the countless unsatisfied women. What if I don't like it? What if it hurts too bad? Too many questions float by.

As I get lost in my train of thought Silas cups my cheek. He turns me so all I can see is him. He looks between my eyes, his face focused and concerned. It’s a strange look for him, having never considered him to ever be concerned for anyone, let alone me.

"You know I won't hurt you, I don't think I could if I tried. I promised you this would all work out, I will make this good for you. Just talk with me, ok? Can you do that for me, love," he raises his brow in question. I look up at him, noticing every detail of his blue eyes.

"yea, I can do that," I answer. He smiles down at me, the feeling almost similar to when a child gets a cookie after being good. He leans down and kisses the tip of my nose, resting his head against mine with a content hum.

"Do you, Chloe, wish to be bounded to me from this point forward? To be my mate and lover till the day we expire," he asks with all seriousness," no pressure." he tries to smirk, to add humor to this but I can see the worry. It's almost humbling in a weird way. I reach up and cup his cheek, tilting my head with a smile.

"Make love to me, Silas, and be the first person I see tomorrow," I pet under his eye. His smile is blinding, his eyes light up with too much joy to be anything but heartwarming. He turns his head and kisses my palm before resting himself on his hand.

He adjusts himself so he rests at my entrance. The weight shooting anxiety up to my head. With a well-timed glance and encouraging smile from him, the small seed of anxiety is gone. He won't hurt me. He frames my head with his arms as he presses his tip in. my stomach clenches at the odd intrusion. Silas lowers his head and presses wet kisses to my cheek. I try to relax, focusing on his lips more than his cock. He shoves forward slowly. I can't think for a moment, only feeling this very new stuffing feeling. The smooth glide of his cock is surprisingly a welcome feeling. I expected sharp pains accompanied by a hard snap of his hips. Then again it's kind of dumb of me to assume he wouldn't be considerate and take his time. He has been nothing but patient with me.

"We doing alright," he asks without a strain to his voice. I open my mouth to answer but he takes the moment to slide the rest of the way in. I choke on my words and take to nodding instead. He chuckles, still peppering my face with gentle kisses. "you feel perfect my love," he praises," it's like I was made for this, for you. You fit around me so welcomingly." he pulls back before grinding himself back in. The build-up made this moment all the sweeter. He pulls out again then glides forward. He kept true to his word, he didn't hurt me. Very much the opposite, I think as my eyelids flutter.

His pace is slow, his kisses wet and warm. I could get used to this. I pet up his back, holding him close as I find myself meeting his unhurried thrust. An urge for him to do more is overwhelming but as I buck into him, he keeps his pace. I grow frustrated at this.

"faster," I sigh into his ear.

"there you go," he praises as he ups his tempo," I will do anything for you, just ask." our thighs clap lightly as we meet. I undulate my hips with each downfall, grinding myself into him. He grunts to my surprise, thrusting a tad faster as I buck. I like that sound, I need him to do it again. I let go and scratch at the nape of his neck, moaning and crying into his ear.

"Silas, oh fuck," I whine as I arch my back into him. He bites down onto my neck, growling as he does. I can't help but smirk to myself, loving the sound of him. "Silas, please. Your coc-," I stop myself, feeling embarrassed to even say the word. His thrust slow, I groan in disagreement.

"say it," he hisses near my ear.

"Please," I wrap my legs around his hips, pulling him closer. Begging him to go back to fucking me.

"Say it," he repeats. I whimper below him, not giving a damn at the moment how wonton I look. He lifts his head from my shoulder, looking down at me. The look on his face is my new favorite view. He looks as wrecked as I feel. Sweet Jesus.

"your co-cock," I spit out," I love it." he grins, picking up the pace again. Slamming into my hips with great vigor. I cry out, writhing beneath him.

"What do you like," he asks. I can't figure out how he can speak when I'm nearly at the peak of brain failure.

"so, hard. Just for me," I choke out," fucking, love your cock, want you- need you to cum in me. Please."

He hums," I will. Fill you to the brim, then when I do I'll fill you some more. Your cunt is mine, my beautiful mate. This cock is yours to ride whenever, cause only I can do this to you." he snaps his hips harder on the next thrust," only I get to see you this way. Only you get to bring me to this level of want. By god, I wanted to fuck you during dinner. Rip your panties down and take you in front of everyone," he rests his head against my head, watching me fall apart at his words. I whimper and moan without a care. My insides feel like they are on fire, nearly burning me as I near my end.

He watches me with rapt attention," Cum for me, Chloe. Let me feel you squeeze my cock, please, love, I need it." I cry out, stuttering as my body stiffens. He watches with a grin, fucking me through my climax. He grunts and groans as I flutter around him, begging him to reach his own end. I pant against the pillow as I watch him try to maintain his cool. Trying to prolong the experience for a second longer.

I tug on his hair," Cum for me, Silas. Please, I need to feel it, need to feel you." he gasps with a startled yelp. His eyes clenching close as he finally peaks. His hips buck wildly, clapping my thighs with his own. Silas shouts and whimpers as he falls apart. I feel his hot load shoot inside me, the sensation startling but welcomed.

"Chloe," he whines," fuck!" his body falls slack onto mine, his weight making it hard to breathe. I don't say anything, just pet his hair and listen to his labored breathing.

"Damn, I need a minute," he grunts as he shifts to the side. I move to sit up but he quickly grips my arms," hold on, I don't want to leave you just yet" the words send a warm feeling through my chest. It's oddly satisfying to hear that. I hum as I settle back against the bed.

"thank you," I find myself saying.

"don't thank me. In all honesty, I should be thanking you. I have been less than savory with you and it took me way too long to get my head out of my ass. You have been way too patient and forgiving with me. Thank you," he says into my shoulder, finishing it off with a kiss.

"I love you, Silas," I mumble against his cheek. I nuzzle my head against his, really feeling the effects of three orgasms.

He hums, pulling me closer," I love you too, Chloe." he finally pulls out and adjusts me in his arms. We both fall asleep in no time.

I wake the next morning to his beautiful face. We both smile, share a kiss, then go make breakfast together.

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

Sweet jesus, this was my white whale. i don’t know why it was so hard for me to finish this. i would write like 5 paragraphs and not touch it for weeks. it took me strapping down and forbidding myself from touching any other stories besides incomplete ones, even then i would skip this one. so i really hope y’all liked it.

Check out my Archive | Masterlist | Main Blog

#exophilia #monster boyfriend #Enigma-IM #fluff #carnival #bonding

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straynstay · 5 years ago

Text

Seungmin - Hybrid AU!

you crossed your arms staring down at Seungmin, the annoying Shiba Inu hybrid that you had the misfortune to be around since pre-school

yes, canine and feline hybrids are considered natural enemies

but Seungmin and you took this rivalry to the next level in 1st grade after he placed some black eraser shavings on your hair and spread the rumour that you had fleas

you hated Seungmin with all your being and never forgave him for being such a coward liar

you had the worst years of your life after his prank until you were finally transferred to another school, a bigger one, before high school started

but your luck didn’t last long since Seungmin became your classmate the following year after being transferred

and you hated him even more because he wouldn’t leave you alone

even if you complained about it, you were seen as the “bad hybrid” because he was everyone’s favorite, including your teachers

so you had to put up with Seungmin again

but you were glad you’re both seniors now and in a few months you’ll get rid of him forever

“this is my seat” you had just placed your backpack on the seat and got off the bus to drink some water at school before leaving for the field trip

you didn’t expect him to be occupying your spot

“I didn’t see your name on it” you rolled your eyes at Seungmin's childish answer

“my backpack was on it, idiot”

“your backpack was on both seats”

“yeah, cause I didn’t want a mutt sitting next to me”

“take your seats, we’re leaving in a minute!” your owl hybrid teacher said and went to the back of the bus to start counting the students

“find another seat” you told the annoying boy

“you find another seat”

“I was here first”

“I don’t care”

“take your seat” your teacher said with a serious face and hooded eyes

you sighed in misery, plopping down next to Seungmin and almost crushing your backpack

“I hate you” you hissed feeling your claws coming out to strike him, but you kept your hands to yourself

“I couldn’t care less about your feelings for me” Seungmin gave you a too polite smile and put on his huge headphones

the idiot had taken your seat by the window, so you had to travel with people nudging your shoulder every time they got up to go to the bathroom or take something from the minibar in the back of the bus

you were regretting going on this field trip already, it’s not like you’re actually needing those extra points

when it comes to grades, being lonely and friendless pays off since you have no one to interrupt your studies or invite you to cool parties on the weekends

and that’s something you should thank Seungmin for

he may have ruined your social life when you were six, but at least you’re gonna have a brilliant career in the future

-♡- ♡- ♡- ♡-

“please, behave, you’re representing our school, so don’t do stupid things, alright?” your teacher said after giving some instructions about the trip

you were gone to see a forest reserve and an animal shelter where they helped rescued wild animals into rehabilitation to their natural habitat

since you were all hybrids, you'd be divided into groups according to your family groups

luckily you didn't share your animal DNA with Seungmin, so you'd be spared from his presence during this trip, which was quite therapeutic to think of

“alright, we’ll go over the instructions again once we reach the shelter, but I cannot emphasize enough that you should all listen to the caretakers, please!” your teacher said when everyone left the bus

“just because we’ll be with our DNA family doesn’t mean that we’re equal, so don’t be too cocky, alright?” you all nodded “then let’s go”

you all began walking the trail to the shelter and you decided to stay beside your teacher just in case Seungmin tried anything with you today

you’d be unsupervised pretty much this entire field trip, so you had no idea what to expect from him and his antics

once you reached the animal shelter, the workers were there to welcome the group

there were some human caretakers, including the supervisor, who greeted you all with a lot of enthusiasm

he explained how and why he started the shelter, giving a brief summary of its history and doings

you tried paying attention, but there was one of the human caretakers that caught your attention and you couldn’t take your eyes off of them

you sniffed the air discreetly and their scent reached you

he had a feline kind of smell

yes! luck was indeed on your side today

“shall we split this great group?” the supervisor clapped his hands in excitement

“caprines and equines over here, please” one hybrid caretaker raised her hand and a couple of people gathered around her

“porcines with me” two people went there

“birds over here” more students left you behind

“canines this way” a caretaker called and almost everyone went his way

“felines?” the cute human looked around and you raised your hand shyly

“there’s only you?” they asked coming your way

“y-yeah, I guess”

“hm, I think we might need some help, there’s too many felines for you to take care of”

you thought that maybe they could be your only help

it would be really nice being around them the entire day and having their exclusive attention

“I think I can handle” you said rubbing your arm in embarrassment

“I don’t doubt that, but having help is gonna be better, trust me” they answered and told you to wait for a bit while they went to pick another student

oh, no, please don’t let Seungmin come

not long after the human was back with Eugène, a Percheron hybrid with French bloodline and you sighed in relief

-♡- ♡- ♡- ♡-

everything was flowing like a calm river

your day was going great and you found out Eugène was really nice, but maybe it was because it’s the first time you’re talking to each other

the cute caretaker complimented you many times in the way you were handling the tiger cubs and you couldn’t feel happier

you all had to stop your activities for lunch and gathered at the main entrance of the shelter

your teacher gave more instructions you clearly weren’t paying attention to, and the group walked to the restaurant at the main house

Seungmin was already there picking his food, and you decided to stall a little bit just to see where he would seat so you wouldn’t have the infortune of sharing the table with him

but destiny was never in your favor

and when all the students in front of you in line sat among the caretakers, you saw yourself with no place to sit

you even tried sitting at the table with your teacher and the supervisor, but they shooed you away

you would rather sit on the floor than having to eat in Seungmin’s presence, but that would be seen as really rude

so you took a deep breath and marched on his direction

you plopped down without saying anything, and completely ignored him while eating

you never swallowed food so fast in your life, and you were sure you’d be sick afterwards, but desperate times call for desperate measures

Seungmin had already finished before you, so he got up with his utensils and you could breath a bit better

but your happiness didn’t take long before you saw him coming over again with two pieces of cheesecake

he put one in front of you and began eating the other

you were too annoyed by now because that’s how he always acts, pretending to be nice around everyone in school when you’re the only one who knows the douche he is

and he’d be stupid to think that you’d eat the cheesecake just because he brought it to you

you finished your food and took your plate away, handing it to one of the kitchen workers behind a tiny window

“your boyfriend already took your dessert”

“my what?!” you exclaimed

“your dessert, the cheesecake” that’s not what you had asked, but you understood what she said the first time

you felt your limbs going numb, but anger soon filled your body, making you move when more students showed up behind you

you went back to the table, rage boiling inside your stomach, and you felt your claws coming out to strike that stupid face staring at you

“you told people we’re dating?! what the hell is wrong with you?!” you tried to be as quiet as possible to not call people’s attention

"they said we're a cute couple, I just thanked them" Seungmin shrugged as if was no big deal

"we're opposites, we don't mingle, we're not even friends!"

"why are you so pressed about it? they'll probably forget it by tomorrow, do you know how many school kids come here in a year?"

"but I won't forget it, Seungmin, I never forget what you do to me" you hissed showing your fangs and left the restaurant, teary-eyed.

-♡- ♡- ♡- ♡-

you knew Seungmin had offered to switch places with Eugène just to get on your nerves

but you wouldn’t let him know he was winning

so you just focused on your task of taking care of the remaining tiger cubs and moved on to the three young tigers that were on an open space so they’d get used to nature

you didn’t say a word to Seungmin, doing all the work by yourself and not letting him get closer to you

rage was still running in your blood, and you were probably releasing some pheromones unknowingly

and that incited the young tigers

they were becoming more aggressive, but you didn’t notice until you went to feed them and took some time to place the raw meat on the floor

the three of them jumped on you, making you fall on your back

the hungry animals attacked you mercilessly

they were trying to get the meat, but were biting you too in the process

you hissed with your fangs and claws out to shoo them away, but to no avail

you could feel the scratches and bites taking blood out of you

they were hurting you too much

suddenly, a strong growl filled the area, forcing the tigers to turn their attention to the sound

another growl made the young tigers hiss and flatten their ears, getting in position to attack whoever disturbed them

only when they left your body you could get up and see what was actually happening

and you were shocked to the bones

Seungmin was crouching, fists on the floor, body forward, and maintaining eye contact with the felines

his ears pointing up and and he was showing his teeth like and angry dog

you would’ve made fun of him if this was under another circumstance

but since he was saving your life and buying you time to run, that’s exactly what you did

you ran as fast as you could, screaming your lungs out looking for the feline caretaker

they found you quickly and before you could say anything, they were already running towards the sounds of fight

you couldn’t move, still shocked after what happened

when you felt your teacher’s arms around you, you passed out

-♡- ♡- ♡- ♡-

“thank you” you said when the teacher helped you sit on the bus

“everyone sit so I can count us before we leave” the teacher went to the back of the bus and Seungmin showed up to take his seat

the whole trip was cut short because of what happened, but you didn’t mind

you were alive despite the bandages covering the scratches and bites

and it was all thanks to Seungmin

“I’ll get up, hold on” you were by the window, his seat on the way here

“no, don’t get up” he took your backpack and his, placing on his lap, and sitting beside you on the corridor “I’m fine here”

there was an awkward silence between you, but as soon as the bus began moving, you let out a deep breath

you looked at Seungmin, who only had a few light scratches on his arms, and sighed

“thank you” you turned your body to face him, your eyes watering “I had no idea you’d help me like that, so thank you”

Seungmin fidgeted on his seat until he placed his face on his hands

you decided to let him be

you shouldn’t expect more of your natural enemy

he had already done too much for you

and you had already done what you wanted to do, which was to show your gratitude

but Seungmin’s words soon took you off guard

“us hybrid dogs are over excited, we often don’t know how to express ourselves clearly and we’re not really smart sometimes” he let out a small laugh “but we are loyal and we’ll defend those we care about until we die”

“Seungmin… I didn’t know you care this much about me”

“I do, ever since we were kids” he looked at you

“then why were you a jerk back then?”

“because… well, I was a kid and you were so nice and smart and beautiful and kind and everyone was always gushing over you and I got jealous because I wanted you all to myself” Seungmin’s ears and cheeks were red in embarrassment

“you really hurt me, Seungmin” tears were ready to roll on your face, but you held them back

“I’m sorry, I really am”

“we could’ve been friends”

“I know... I ruined all the chances of a long-lasting friendship with you just because I was scared of losing you, but it was too late when I realized it” Seungmin sighed “and I had already lost you by then”

you both sat in silence again

your mind was overthinking the past hours and the past years with Seungmin

until this morning you were absolutely sure the feelings you nurtured for him were hatred in its pure form

but now

now you don’t know anymore

because no one has ever risked his life for you like Seungmin did

and it messed with your head

and now that you know what Seungmin actually feels, you think it’s unfair to keep pushing him away

so you decided to open up your heart just a little bit and give him another chance

“maybe I’m not completely lost” you started “and maybe, just maybe, we can actually try being friends” it sounded more like a question than an affirmation, but neither of you cared

Seungmin’s ears perked up, and although he tried to hide it, there was excitement written all over his face

“I would really like that”

and when you both smiled kindly at each other for the first time, you wished you had made this decision a longer time ago

#skz #stray kids #stray kids scenarios #stray kids imagines #stray kids hybrid au #stray kids AU #stray kids hybrid #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines #seungmin #8/9 #kpop au #kpop hybrid

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remywrites5 · 5 years ago

Note

Hello! Humble prompt suggestion.. I can't seem to stop imagining Harry and Draco out to dinner with a group of friends, not dating (but wanting to). Then accidentally acting all couply and getting each other to try each others dishes and being so wrapped up in each other♡

Harry was more than a little alarmed when Draco and Hermione of all people became friends. They worked together down in the Department of Mysteries as Unspeakables and apparently that kind of work fostered camaraderie. Since the war had ended and Voldemort had been destroyed, Harry didn’t exactly want to say things had gotten better. It just seemed that the pure blood wizards kept their bigoted nonsense to themselves because spouting it out in Wizard society made them look like part of the losing side.

Draco had mellowed out a bit since school, even Harry could admit that. The uptight pure blood sneering wannabe heir of Slytherin was not exactly gone but less obnoxious. Now that they weren’t at school and worked in completely different areas of the ministry, there really was no reason for them to continue their rivalry. There was nothing to compete over anymore and it made Draco slightly less nasty towards Harry.

Didn’t mean Draco wasn’t still a prick from time to time.

“Potter, what the fuck is this?”

Harry glanced up to see Draco poking at the coffee pot that Harry kept in his office. “It’s called a coffee pot, Malfoy. It makes a pot of coffee so I don’t have to go anywhere to get some, I can stay in the comfort of my own office.”

Draco wrinkled his nose at it. “I would have thought you’d enjoy venturing out to socialize considering everyone here basically worships the ground you walk on.”

Harry rolled his eyes and turned away from Draco. “Yeah well sometimes I just want to be left alone,” Harry said pointedly.

Draco didn’t seem to get the message and walked over to the desk, leaning against the edge of it and crossing his arms over his chest. “I don’t understand why you bother with all that Muggle stuff.”

“I grew up on Muggle stuff,” Harry responded, absentmindedly jotting down a few notes for the case he was working on. He risked a glance up at Draco, who was staring at him in a funny kind of way.

“I just can’t imagine not growing up with magic,” Draco said looking slightly aghast at the idea. ‘I got my first broomstick when I was six.”

“Well we couldn’t all live such charmed lives, Malfoy,” Harry said, ignoring the pit in his stomach as he thought about his childhood. In moments of weakness or self-pity, Harry would wonder how different his life might have been if his parents had lived and he’d known about magic all along. Still, it didn’t do to dwell on what ifs.

Draco snorted. “Ah yes, a charmed life has been mine,” he said snippily.

Harry sighed heavily. “Did you want something, Draco, or did you just come up here to annoy me?”

“I was curious to what the savior’s office looked like,” Draco confessed with a nonchalant shrug. “Somehow I thought it’d be nicer.”

“I’m not the savior anymore, I’m just Harry,” he responded, putting his quill down and leaning back in his chair.

“You’ll never be just anything, Harry,” Draco said, putting his hands on the armrests of Harry’s chair, effectively caging Harry into his seat. Harry was alarmed for a moment as Draco got uncomfortably close, his shoulders tensing. He thought for a moment Malfoy was going to attack him or hex him. Instead Draco’s grey eyes bore into Harry’s as they stared each other down.

The air was rife with tension for a moment until Harry broke it by clearing his throat. Draco quickly straightened up, releasing Harry from his hold. “Malfoy?” Harry said uncertainly.

“See you around, Potter,” Draco said, turning on his heel and heading for the door. He gave a dismissive wave with his back still turned.

Well that was odd, Harry thought as he stared at where Malfoy’s retreating form had been only moments ago.

***

There had been several more awkward run-ins with Draco. For whatever reason, the ex-death eater seemed to think he had an open invitation into Harry’s office. He would drop by unannounced and give unsolicited advice on pretty much any subject. He would critique Harry’s robes, the way he held his quill, the fact that his glasses had a scratch on the lens. In fact it seemed no subject was too trivial for Malfoy to comment on.

Sometimes he would actually be helpful, like giving insight into some of Harry’s cases. Draco knew a lot about dark wizards and the darker side of magic and sometimes he was a valuable resource. But of course Harry would never tell Malfoy that. He didn’t need Draco’s head getting any bigger.

“So Granger has invited me to dinner tonight,” Draco said casually as he rifled through the papers on Harry’s desk looking for anything interesting.

“You still can’t call her Hermione?” Harry teased, batting Draco’s hand away.

“You still call me Malfoy,” Draco shot back accusingly, shoving his hands in the pockets of his robe.

“Only sometimes,” Harry said defensively. He took a moment to consider it. Maybe he had a point. “Fine, I’ll work on it.”

Draco’s lips began curling into a smile that Harry could only describe as devious. “How about we make a bet, Pot- Harry,” he corrected quickly. “First person to call the other by their last name loses.”

Harry cocked his head to the side and considered it. “And what does the winner get?”

Draco shrugged. “Whatever they want.”

“Within reason,” Harry amended. “Loser gets the right to veto and make the winner chose something else.”

“One veto.”

“Two.”

“Very well,” Draco said, holding his hand out for Harry to shake on it. “If you need that much of a security blanket then fine. You’re clearly scared of what I’ll do to you once I win.”

Harry shook Draco’s hand a little harder than was strictly necessary. “We’ll see about that.”

***

Harry sat down at the table with Hermione, Ron and Draco, thinking just how novel it was that the four of them were spending time together willingly. Ron looked a bit like he had just eaten a boogey flavored bean but he didn’t say anything rude to Draco. Harry knew Hermione had warned Ron to be on his best behavior. He knew this because Hermione had barged into his office an hour before the end of the day and given him a similar threatening speech.

In truth, Harry hadn’t really needed it. Over the course of Draco stopping by his office, Harry now considered them something akin to friends. He certainly never thought he’d have a playful friendship with Draco where they made silly bets over dinner. Novel indeed.

Draco picked up his menu and began to peruse it. “What do you think you’re going to get, Harry?” Draco asked him when there was a lull in the conversation.

“Since when do you call him Harry?” Ron asked sourly.

Draco glanced over at Harry and winked. “Since recently,” he responded vaguely, ignoring the fact that Ron was staring daggers at him.

Harry picked up his own menu and skimmed it quickly. They were at some French restaurant and Harry didn’t know how to pronounce half the things on the menu. “I’ll probably just get a steak or something,” he said with a shrug.

Draco hummed as if that choice were acceptable. “I was thinking perhaps the duck confit.”

Harry laughed. “I have no idea what that is. Do you speak French?”

“Oui,” Draco said with a smug smirk. “I learned French from my mother at a young age. Learning French was a Black family tradition. I’m sure Sirius knew French as well.”

“I’m not sure,” Harry said, furrowing his brow. It was still maddening how little he knew about his godfather and how few moments they’d had together. “I don’t think he ever mentioned it. Sirius was hardly a typical Black.”

“That is true,” Draco said, taking a sip of his water. “Sorry for your loss. I feel as though I’ll never be done apologizing to your for the people my family stole from you.”

“You don’t have to apologize to me for the actions of other people,” Harry said, placing his hand lightly on top of Draco’s.

“And what about my own actions?” Draco asked, his eyes searing as he looked over at Harry.

Harry laced his fingers through Draco’s and gave his hand a small reassuring squeeze before pulling away. “I already forgave those,” Harry explained with a shrug. “That’s why we’re able to be friends now, Draco.”

“Friends?” Draco repeated softly, looking down at the hand Harry had been holding moments ago.

Harry laughed quietly, not wanting to offend Draco. “Yeah, friends.”

***

By the time their food had come, Hermione and Ron were deep in conversation about the wedding plans, with Harry chipping in as needed. For the most part though, Harry kept up conversation with Draco, reminiscing about old Quidditch matches and keeping away from heavy subjects like Draco’s family or the war.

“You’ve got to try this,” Draco said, holding his fork halfway between them in offering.

Harry made a face in response.

Draco rolled his eyes. “Live a little, Harry.”

Harry huffed and leaned forward, taking the fork into his mouth and tasting the bite of duck on it. The food practically melted in Harry’s mouth and he couldn’t hold back to moan that escaped. “Oh fuck, Malfoy that’s incredible.”

Draco licked his lips and then they curled into a devilish smile.

“What?” Harry asked self-consciously. He could feel his cheeks going red in embarrassment. He had no idea why Draco was looking at him like that.

“You lost the bet,” Draco said triumphantly. “You just called me Malfoy.”

“Oh shit,” Harry said, carding his fingers through his messy hair. “So, what are you going to do with me?”

“You’ll see,” Draco said, his eyes glinting with mischief. “It’ll have to wait until after dinner.”

“Can’t wait,” Harry grumbled unhappily, pouting slightly at having lost.

***

Harry didn’t live too far from the restaurant so instead of disapparating home he decided to walk. It was a little disconcerting to have Draco as his companion on the way home. He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted Draco to know where he lived. Not that he thought Draco would spill it to the Dailey Prophet or anything, but Harry in general was careful giving out his address.

“So what happened with you and the Weasley girl?” Draco asked in a way that wasn’t entirely polite but wasn’t rude either.

“Ginny,” Harry said, hip checking Malfoy lightly. “You know her name is Ginny.”

“Yes her,” Draco sneered. “What happened?”

Harry sighed. “We tried the whole long distance thing for a while but it just didn’t pan out. We’re still good friends but she’s got her life and I’ve got mine and they feel very separate, you know?”

“I feel that way about a lot of the friends I had at school,” Draco confessed. “I hardly see most of them anymore. I suppose you grow up and you grow apart. It’s inevitable.”

They fell into a companionable silence for the next few blocks. Harry couldn’t help wondering what Draco’s old school friends would think if they could see him now, hanging out with Harry Potter of all people. Harry had certainly never imagined he would enjoy the pleasure of Draco’s company.

“So how long are you going to keep me in suspense?” Harry asked when they arrived at his front door. “Or did you need the time to come up with a good enough punishment?”

Draco raised an eyebrow at him. “What makes you think it’ll be a punishment?”

Harry grinned good-naturedly. “Because it’s you?”

“Well,” Draco began, taking a step towards Harry. “You may consider it a punishment but for me it’s fulfilling a childhood fantasy.”

Harry swallowed around the lump that had formed in his throat. “And what would that be?”

“I want to spend the night at Harry Potter’s house.”

“Oh,” Harry said, laughing a little in relief. “You want to have a sleepover? That’s something you wanted?”

Draco huffed. “Yes obviously.”

“Obviously,” Harry echoed dumbly, still trying to rationalize the information he’d just been given.

“Everyone wanted to be your friend, Harry,” Draco said as if annoyed to have to fill Harry in on this fact. “You were famous before even coming to Hogwarts. I knew you were going to be in my year. I used to imagine the things we would do together once we became friends. I would rehearse what I would say to you when we finally met.”

One side of Harry’s mouth twitched with the want to smile. “You probably should have practiced that a bit more, mate. From what I remember you came off like a right prick.”

Draco glowered at him. “I was an eleven year old boy trying to impress you. I feel like my whole life has been trying to impress you. Even if the things I did horrified you at least you would take notice of me.”

Harry blinked a few times behind his glasses. “Draco, it wasn’t as if I ignored you. You made that nearly impossible with all the shite you pulled.”

Draco took another step forward and cupped Harry’s face in his hand. “Even after all this time I still feel like that eleven year old who desperately wants to call Harry Potter his friend.”

Harry smiled. “You are my friend. You don’t have to try so bloody hard.”

Draco grinned in response. “Yes I do.”

“Why?”

“Because now I have to figure out how to get you to fall in love with me,” Draco explained softly, letting his thumb brush over Harry’s cheekbone. “I can only hope it won’t take quite as long because I’m losing patience by the minute.”

Harry felt his heart begin to race at Draco’s admission. “Then you should probably kiss me sooner rather than later.”

Draco’s eyes widened in surprise. “You would let me do that?”

Harry nodded. “Go on then.”

“Don’t do me any favors…”

“For fuck’s sake, Draco,” Harry growled, grabbing the front of Draco’s robes and kissing him furiously. His lips were hard and insistent as he coaxed Draco’s tongue into his mouth. It was deep and consuming and Harry felt the moment Draco gave himself over to it. Draco was still touching Harry’s cheek, the gentleness of it a stark contrast to the fervent kisses.

“Harry…” Draco whispered, his voice sounding broken.

“Come inside,” Harry requested gently. “You can spend the night and we’ll work on that whole falling in love business.” Harry licked his lips and smiled knowingly. “It shouldn’t take long at all.”

#drarry #i write things #mrjamescharluspotter #long post #Harry Potter x Draco Malfoy #post hogwarts #fluff

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comicgeekscomicgeek · 4 years ago

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Their Hero Academia - Chapter 76: Return to Normalcy, Hero Boot Camp!

Presenting the next installment of my on-going, nextgen, MHA fic! Earlier chapters can be found here

“U.A. Hero students… think you’re pretty high and mighty, don’t you? We’ll show you all how weak you really are.”

Koharu tensed as the challenge was issued, even as she realized that the challenger was a teenager, like them, as were the other four she was with. The challenger was tall for a girl, with reddish-blonde hair, and powerful muscles that matched Kirishima-Bakugo’s build. Her stance projected utter confidence and maybe a little contempt. She relaxed slightly. There wasn’t a guarantee they weren’t a threat, but given that the Rookies weren’t reacting with alarm, she guessed that this wasn’t a sneak attack or anything serious.

Behind the tall girl were four more, two girls, two boys. There was a slim, dark haired girl with an extra set of eyes above her normal set, and another set below, near her nose, all of them solid red. It looked like she had some kind of black projections coming out of her back, just barely visible, like seeing the Iida twins and their Jetpack pipes from the front. There was something about her that set off a deep, primal panic that Koharu couldn’t place or understand. She looked, if anything, kind of embarrassed at the other girl’s threat.

The other girl had long, dark hair with a streak of white, which mostly fell on the left side of her face. Koharu couldn’t be positive, but she looked foreign. She had her arms crossed and her eyes swept back forth over the U.A. students and their teachers. Her expression suggested she was judging them. It also suggested that whatever criteria she was using, they weren’t measuring up.

The first of the boys was athletic, with a mane of purple hair, and cat-like features. She wasn’t the world’s greatest judge of what counted for attractive in guys (except for the near-universal agreement that Daisuke Shoji was incredibly attractive), but she’d use the word “pretty” to describe him instead. He looked bored, as though he was expecting what was happening, but didn’t particularly care about the outcome one way or the other.

And last of them was a practical giant, though not as tall as the actual giant in Class 1-B, with muscles clearly visible against the tight fabric of the t-shirt he was wearing. If not for a bit of youthfulness to his facial features, she would have guessed he was an adult. He had dark hair, slightly long. Of all of them, he looked the most upset by the goings on, as though he wanted to object, but had been silenced.

There was a long, tense moment of silence before the dam broke.

“Shinji!” Shinso called out, happiness radiating from every syllable.

“Babe!” Mineta yelled. She sounded… genuinely affectionate? Was that a thing she did? She’d been more flirty than anything in the time Koharu had known her, but she also vaguely recalled some mentions of a “giant boyfriend.” Was this him?

“Good to see you Shinji, though I confess, this is a surprise,” Todoroki said, as calm as ever.

“Sonnuva… What’re you doing here, Windbag?” Kirhsima-Bakugo growled, taking a step forward. “You know this wannabe?”

The tall boy just looked confused and uncomfortable with the bombardment of questions, though he did also look happy to see Mineta. Definitely the “giant boyfriend” then.

“You!” Aoyama snapped. The French (Was he actually French? Or did he just speak it? Koharu was pretty sure she remembered hearing, ages ago, that Can’t Stop Twinkling had adopted.) He pointed at the cat-like boy. “Quoi? How are you here!?”

“Miss me, glowstick?” the cat-boy asked, teasingly. “Told you I’d be seeing you again.” There was definitely a story here she was missing.

“And some other people!” Kaminari shouted.

There was a brief pause as everyone turned to look at her.

“What?” Kaminari asked, shrugging, the motion copied by her Cords. “I didn’t want to be left out.”

“And this is who you’re into, Monoma?” the 1-B girl with the crab-shaped pigtails asked.

Aizawa sighed in annoyance. “These are students from Shiketsu High,” he began. “As part of an inter-school cooperation program spearheaded by the Hero Public Safety Commission, we’ve been asked to incorporate students from outside our school into the training camp.” His irritation practically dripped from his voice.

Shiketsu? It was the second most prominent Hero school in Japan, though some would contest that. It had produced Heroes like Gale Force, Glamour, and Hairbag, among many others. It was renowned for its stricter standard of discipline, as well as its eternal rivalry with U.A. Koharu had even thought about applying there, but being on the other side of the country, it just hadn’t been a feasible option, even with its own dorm system.

“We’re here to show you all that Shiketsu is second to no one,” the girl who’d issued the challenge said, clearly growing impatient with all the banter. Her aggressive posture hadn’t changed one bit. She moved towards Kirishima-Bakugo. For a moment, Koharu could swear she saw her skin shifting slightly. “You want to take those ‘wannabe’ words back?”

Kirishima-Bakugo tensed, one foot sliding back and her arms coming up in a fighting stance. She really was built like a small tank, Koharu realized. She was fit, she knew, but the explosive girl looked like she could break her in half and wouldn’t even need her Quirk to do it.

“Katsumi…” Midoriya began. He started to take a step forward, starting to reach out.

“Tatsuma…” the Shiketsu giant, the one the others had called “Shinji” said. “We’re guests! Don’t dishonor Shiketsu with squabbling like this!”

“Best to let her get it out of her system now,” the purple-haired cat-boy said, covering a bored yawn.

“Stay out of it, Toshi,” Kirishima-Bakugo growled. “This is between her and me.”

“This is a matter of honor, Yoarashi,” Tatsuma said. “I’m proving their reputation is undeserved.”

There was a long, tense moment again. It was the feeling you got when two cats were staring each other down before one or the other started smacking the other.

“Nope,” Ground Zero said. His eyes were narrowing sharply. “Not happening. Either of you. My first act as teacher isn’t going to be breaking up a fight. Especially with my own damn kid.”

“He’s right,” Ravenous, one of the Rookies, said. He’d manifested a few of his Bing Bing Balls, which were now floating around him. “This is a training camp, for you all to get better. Not to take out your petty grudges with each other.”

“So no unsanctioned fighting,” Lady Luminous added.

“You’ll have plenty of opportunities to get that aggression out,” Boost Rush, one of the other Rookies added. He looked over at Ground Zero. “Though I’m not surprised one of yours started it.”

Vanish Veil, also known as Mahoro Shimano, shot Ground Zero a look. “She gets that from you, Blasty.”

Ground Zero gave her a look, then looked heavenward in frustration. “Trust me, I know.”

“If we’re all done?” Aizawa said. His eyes flashed red and his hair started to stand up. Koharu didn’t feel anything as his gaze swept the crowd, since her Quirk as a Mutant-type, but many of the rest let out small squawks of surprise. Kirishima-Bakugo and Tatsuma stared each other down for a moment longer, but let their aggressive postures drop.

“This isn’t over,” Tatsuma said.

“You’re damn right it isn’t,” Kirishima-Bakugo shot back.

Vanish Veil gave Aizawa a small nod of thanks before proceeding. She pointed to one of the buildings. “Boys’ barracks are there, girls’ barracks to the right. We’ll give you twenty minutes to get your stuff stashed, use the toilet, and get settled in.” She looked over the students. “Most of you will get to pick your own bed, but we have special spots marked for Aoyama, Fukui, and Bondo. Kocho, Koumori, and Tsuchikawa, you’ll also be happy to know we’re prepared to accommodate your dietary needs.”

Koharu looked over and gave Koumori, the bat-like member of 1-B, a wave. Outside of her new classmates, he was the only other Hero Course student she knew. Being that his Quirk made him like a fruit bat, she and he often got the same food from the same section of the cafeteria. Judging by how Vanish Veil had said it when she’d looked at him, she assumed Tsuchikawa was the cat-boy. Maybe he was an obligate carnivore, like a real cat?

Aoyama, she understood, needed darkness when he slept. Fukui was the giant, and Bondo the slime girl. Not surprising they’d need special beds. The Rookies really had thought of everything.

“Right, back in twenty, everybody!” Super-Ball said, clapping his hands. They made a rubbery, boing sound. “And then your training camp experience begins!”

***

There was another one of the Rookies waiting for them inside the barracks. He was of average height and built, with light brown hair, and wearing a costume in green, white, and black. It looked a good bit like some of Deku’s older costumes, Isamu realized. He knew Deku was an inspiration to an entire country and even some other parts of the world, but this seemed more than a little blatant.

“Uncle Katsuma!” Midoriya called out, beaming at the Hero.

The Rookie smiled. “Good to see you too, Toshi.” He turned to the crowd of students at large. “For those who don’t know me, I’m the Metabolic Hero: Bioshock. I’d also like to apologize for anything my sister said or did out there. Mahoro is a bit… of an acquired taste.”

Bioshock gestured around to the beds. “Go ahead and find yourself a spot.” He gestured to a spot in the middle, to a bed that was more than twice the size of the others. “Fukui, that one’s yours.” He then gestured to what looked like a capsule. “Aoyama, that one’s yours. I’ll show you how to open it. Once it’s sealed, it’ll be completely light proof.”

“Merci,” Aoyama said. Isamua knew he lived under certain limitations because of his Quirk constantly absorbing light and needing to either avoid it or discharge it regularly in order to function at least somewhat normally. He rarely seemed to let it get him down, which was, frankly, astonishing.

“Oh! Oh! Take the one next to me, Shinji!” Shinso insisted to Yoarashi.

The larger Shiketsu boy just laughed at that. He had to be at least as tall as Shoji and nearly as powerfully built too. He seemed vaguely familiar too. Hadn’t he seen Yoarashi congratulating Mineta after the Sports Festival? And he was pretty sure he’d heard the horned girl mention “Shinji” more than once. “How could I resist such a request?!”

With that, the members of 1-A, 1-B, and the two Shiketsu kids got to work getting settled at their beds, stashing their suitcases and supplies underneath. Unsurprisingly, the 1-A kids and 1-B kids were mostly grouping together. Isamu ended up with Midoriya on one side and Shinso on the other, with Yoarashi on Shinso’s other side.

“So how do you know Bioshock?” Isamu asked Midoriya. “Not that I’m surprised. Kind of seems like you know pretty much everybody in the Hero community.”

Midoriya smiled. “Maybe not all of them, but Uncle Katsuma and his sister are kids Dad rescued when he was still in school. Kind of like Aunt Eri and Uncle Kota, actually.”

Isamu gave him an incredulous look. “Exactly how many children did your dad rescue while he was still a student?”

Midoriya looked a little flustered at that. “Ah… hang on, I’m going to need to count…”

“Forget I asked.”

Before Midoriya could say anything else, the green-haired boy tensed suddenly. Isamu followed his gaze across the room, to where Sero, Sato, Iida, and Aoyama’s beds were. The Shiketsu cat-boy, Tsuchikawa, had claimed another bed near them and Aoyama was shooting him dirty looks.

“Tsuchikawa…” Midoriya said, “I wonder if he’s related to Pixie-Bob?”

“He is!” Yoarashi volunteered. “She adopted him at a young age!”

“Should we be worried about him and Aoyama?” Isamu asked. “It kind of sounds like they’ve got history?”

Yoarashi shook his head. “I don’t think so? I know Kaz ran into him shortly before we went to U.A., but I don’t know what happened beyond that.”

“Hmm,” Midoriya said, watching the interaction carefully.

Isamu turned to watch too. It was Sero who spoke first. The pink-skinned boy was grinning smugly.

“So,” Sero said, “how’d you get Aoyama so riled up? Usually you have to be super-annoying for that to happen. I mean, I’m super-annoying and I’m usually only second place in that competition. Mineta’s got me way beat in that category. But I don’t even know you and I think you’re even beating her.”

“You’re about to take first if you don’t shut up,” Aoyama snapped. His glow strobed as he grew more agitated. “And don’t encourage him. He’s infuriating enough without your help.”

“We should be welcoming to our fellow campers,” Iida said. “It is only proper!”

“Bro, don’t start a fight already…” Sato started, a palm over his face.

“I do appreciate that, handsome,” Tsuchikawa said with a wink to Iida. “My name’s Kazuchika Tsuchikawa, and to answer your question, Pinky,” he said the nickname with what sounded like flirty endearment, “I merely expressed my belief that I have a superior sense of style to Glowstick here.”

Sero sucked in a sharp breath. “You questioned his fashion sense? That takes guts, man. Real guts.”

“As if you have any,” Aoyama said to Sero. “You dress on purpose as though you got dressed in the dark.”

“Thank you,” Sero said, mock-bowing. He turned his attention back to Tsuchikawa. “Go back to the part where you said ‘Pinky’ like that.”

“Ahem,” Iida cleared his throat.

Sero let out a yelp. “Right, sorry, don’t do that. I’m taken. Happily taken. By Tensei. Who’s standing right here. My boyfriend. Who you have already noticed is very handsome.”

Iida, however, powered through all of it with incredible self-control. Either he hadn't noticed he was being flirted with, or he didn’t care. “I am Tensei Iida,” he said. “You have apparently already met Aoyama.”

“Kenta Sato,” Sato volunteered. “Nice to meet you.”

“And I’m Takuma Sero,” Sero added. “Webshow star? With Kenta and Kimiko? I assume you’ve heard of me.”

“You’re together? Well that’s mildly depressing,” Tsuchikawa said with a sigh and a shrug. He looked at Aoyama. “Random happenstance. I knew of him, but couldn’t help playing coy that we’d be meeting again here.” He thought for a moment, then frowned a bit at Sero’s question. “Sorry, Pin-er, Sero, but I have not. What do you do on it?”

“Well, my buddy Kenta here eats stuff, that’s his Quirk, so we’ve got him eating all kinds of weird stuff, and Kimiko has this whole gossip show, and I mostly do stunts like swinging off of stuff, or narrating other stuff that I film. I’m good off camera commentary, which is a shame, because this face, this face was meant to be seen.”

“You are very aesthetically pleasing,” Iida agreed. It sounded like there may have been just a hint of possessiveness in his voice.

Aoyama shook his head. “That’s it, I’m ignoring all of you.”

“Fine by me,” Sero said. “We’ve reached our quota of gay or bi pretty boys here already and Kenta’s our token straight. Somebody’s got to leave and I’d vote for you or Monoma anyway.”

Tsuchikawa’s ears seemed to twitch a bit. “Gossip? Hmm, I may have to make it a point to start watching.” He gave a slight smile at Sero, but nothing more, seeming to respecting Iida’s discomfort. “Oh Glowboy, you and I both know you won’t be able to stay out of matters for long.” He gave Aoyama a wink before looking back to Sero. “I consider myself more pansexual than anything else. The human race is so fascinating. There’s so many kinds of beauty to be found.”

Sero laughed at that. “You sound like Mineta. She’s always saying she doesn’t want to limit her options.”

“Mineta?” Tsuchikawa asked. “Oooh, you must mean Shinji’s sweetheart. The stunning girl with the horns? Oh he’s all a flutter over her. I’ve never seen him so smitten. Even when we were dating. I’m a tad envious.” His tone sounded nostalgic, though there was no bitterness when he confesses his envy.

Fortunately, any agitation between them seemed to break up, as Aoyama made good on his promise to ignore them, instead calling Bioshock over to him to show him how the sleeping pod worked. Midoriya let out a sigh. “Crisis averted,” he said.

“Think it’s any crazier on the girl’s side?” Isamu asked.

Midoriya shook his head. “I sure hope not, but knowing Katsumi…”

***

As they were putting their things away under the supervision of another princess-themed Hero, this one with flowers growing from her hair and who had introduced herself as Petal Princess, Koharu heard Ojiro and Kaminari talking.

“So, Kaminari, about you and Monoma,” Ojiro began.

“Shut up,” Kaminari snapped.

“Are you two dating?”

“I said shut up!”

“Are you sweethearts? Is this a secret love? Because you’re going to have to be way more discreet than that…”

“Ooooh!” Anime Fukidashi, the girl who looked like something out of an old cartoon, joined in the conversation. “This is just like My Boyfriend is My Rival!”

Kaminari was just getting madder. “I can’t believe you don’t shut up!”

“Hey! Leave Chi alone,” Mineta called out. “Let her boink Shiro on her own time!”

“Mika,” Kaminari said, growing increasingly red. “You. Are. Not. Helping!”

Koharu looked over at Tokoyami. “Are they always like this?”

The bird-headed girl pressed a finger to the side of her beak. “The Monoma angle is new, but otherwise, yes.”

Kana Tetsutetsu, the red-haired and shark-toothed Class Representative of 1-B, nodded her agreement. There was something about her that reminded Koharu of Kirhsima-Bakugo, though other than both being muscular young women, the two didn’t really look anything alike. “Fukidashi has a… questionable relationship with the separation of fiction and reality, but she’s basically harmless.”

Were all Hero students a little bit weird? Koharu was starting to wonder. Haimawari and Midoriya seemed pretty harmless, though they were both fanboys. And even though Sato was more normal than Sero and Ojiro, he still let himself get swept up into their antics. But she was a little weird herself, she supposed. You had to be, to want to throw yourself into danger, when other people would run away.

On the plus side, at least Kirishima-Bakuago and the Shiketsu girl, Tatsuma, weren’t trying to start another fight. They’d very deliberately chosen beds that were as far from each other as possible, though they were occasionally shooting each other looks which suggested things were far from over. But right now the message seemed to be, “I don’t feel like fighting you now. But if we did fight, I’d win.”

Koharu wasn’t particularly sure who she’d put money on in that fight. Especially since she didn’t know the Shiketsu girl’s Quirk.

Nor did she know the Quirk of the girl with the extra-eyes and the black spikes on her back. But something about her definitely set Koharu’s instincts on edge. She spotted her across the room and watched as the spikes extended into long, spider-like limbs that she stretched out for a moment, before retracting them back into her body and joining the foreign Shiketsu girl to head outside.

Oh.

That explained that then. The primal reaction of one animal-based Quirk to another, the moth and the spider. That happened sometimes and was usually a little embarrassing for all parties involved. She didn’t have a reaction like that to Tokoyami, of course, even with the other girl’s bird head, but Tokoyami was so kind and thoughtful, it was practically disarming. And Tokoyami’s Quirk wasn’t actually anything bird-like. Maybe she could try and befriend the spider-girl, or at least talk to her to dispel some of the awkwardness. None of the other Shiketsu kids seemed as stand-offish as the one who had picked the fight with Kirishima-Bakugo.

“What do you think about the Shiketsu students?” Tokoyami asked Tetsutetsu.

“I think we’re going to have to break up at least one fight,” Tetsutetsu said. “And also probably keep Monoma from doing something stupid and antagonizing someone from your class. He actually seems a little less high strung lately, but competition brings out the worst in him.”

Tokoyami nodded. “I fear you are right. But I believe Toshi and Awase shall do what they can do keep the boys in line.”

“And we’ll do the same for the girls,” Tetsutetsu agreed. She looked around the room. It looked like most of the girls had gotten settled. “Okay, ladies! Five more minutes, then everybody outside!”

“You’ve got it, Mom!” Kitiara Kaniyashiki, the girl with the crab-shaped pigtails, called out, saluting smartly.

“Stop calling me that!”

***

Koharu’s wings beat heavily, speeding her through the air. Just a little behind her, if the senses she was getting through her antennae were correct, was Hizashi Koumori, the white-furred, bat-like member of 1-B. Unlike her, his wings were on his arms, making use of entirely different muscle groups to fly.

“You’re going to have to do better than that, Koumori!” she called out, as she sped through one of the floating rings. He actually had the speed advantage on her, with more muscle power to devote to flight. But she was a lot more maneuverable, something that had helped her keep the lead. He was at a disadvantage too; he couldn’t use his sonar without stunning her.

“You’re, like, being a total bummer, Kocho!” Koumori shot back. “We don’t all have pretty little wings!”

“Oh, you think I’m pretty?” she laughed. She pinned her wings against her body, going into a steep dive to make it through the next ring, before flaring them out to stop herself and pull up.

Again and again, she flew through ring after ring, darting this way and that, climbing and diving. Finally, as she came upon the last of them, a white-blur zipped past her. Koumori, in a last burst of speed, pulled ahead of her.

With his speed, though, came a lack of control, and he smacked into the ground. He lay there for a moment, before he brought a hand up in a thumb’s up. “I’m okay!”

With a flutter of her wings, Koharu landed beside him and helped him to his feet. He was heavier than he looked. “You’ve really got to work on your brakes,” she said.

He gave her a fang-filled smile. “Yeah, I guess. It’s just, like, so totally hard, you know. Flying’s the easy part.”

“Good work, both of you,” Boost Rush said, the blue and red of his uniform standing out brightly in the sun. He made an adjustment to the device in his hands and the floating rings adjusted to a new path. “Still a lot of work to do on maneuverability and speed, but we’re getting there.”

Koharu nodded. She’d practiced flying drills at home and at some of the flying parks and gyms where she could, but she knew there were plenty of Heroes and Hero students out there who surpassed her. Still, she felt pretty good that she’d been able to keep pace with Koumori, even with his no sonar handicap. He didn’t seem like the type to have gone easy on her.

Koumori through both arms up in the air and Koharu had to dodge out of the way of his wing membranes. “Most excellent!” he shouted, before dropping his arms and squatting low, playing the air guitar.

Boost Rush passed them both water bottles from a near-by cooler. Koharu accepted it gratefully, inserting her proboscis and sucking up greedy gulps. She was already sweating heavily and she could tell she was going to be sore later. “Take a couple minutes to cool down and then we’ll go again. That was just to get a baseline. We’ll do Level Five this time.”

All around, she could see the other students being put through their paces by the Rookies and their teachers. Most of those with Emitter type Quirks were either doing target practice or were otherwise working on strengthening their output. Those with more physical Quirks were working on agility, coordination, or physical output, with a few of them sparring. She watched for a moment as the girl from 1-B sliced a huge rock clean in half, just be getting her arms on either side of it, while Shinso did the same with a tightly focused beam of sound. They all had robust schedules, working with different trainers. Koharu herself had time booked for self-defense and for practice with her String-Shot and Scales as well as her flight training.

Looking up, she could see the Iida twins and Yoarashi racing through the air, the former with their Jetpacks and the later by manipulating the air with his Whirlwind Quirk. They were making tremendous noise, like thunder, even though it was a near-cloudless day. They all possessed a speed that she couldn’t help but envy.

“Whoa,” Koumori said. “Check out that speed! Sweeeeeet. Man, we’d have to flap, like, a million times to do that. My arms would be soooo tired.”

Koharu smiled at that. “Then we better get practicing.”

***

Kenta offered Monoma a hand up, but the other boy brushed him off. “I’m fine,” he said.

“C’mon, man,” Kenta said, still offering the hand. “No shame here. You have almost as good as you got.”

“I said I’m fine!” Monoma snapped, before leaping to his feet.

Kenta shrugged. The two of them had been assigned sparring, since their particular Quirks were a bit unusual. Monoma could copy any physical action he’d seen, but had no physical augmentation to go with it, so he needed to be able to reliably think on his feet and switch between skillsets. Kenta, on the other hand, could bite through and eat just about anything. It was well suited for rescue work and it would be almost impossible to trap him anywhere. In training, it worked incredibly well against robots. He’d even used it to dig his way through the ground and brought down a streetlight on a faux-Villain during their Final Exam. But it was also not a Quirk well-suited for use directly against people. So he needed to work on his hand-to-hand as much as possible.

Monoma was a good fighter, objectively better in that regard than he was, no matter what attitude problems he had, though the line between skill and Quirk got a little blurry. And he was definitely fighting like he had something to prove. There was a kind of desperation to him, as though everything rested on whether or not he won the sparring match.

Kenta didn’t get why Monoma constantly seemed to have to stir the pot, but he could respect the skills. He mixed in everything from Gunhead-style martial arts to moves Kenta was pretty sure he’d seen Aizawa use, to even Ground Zero’s signature right hook. Kenta’s own style was largely based in boxing and wrestling moves, from working out and practicing with his dad. So far, it’d left him mostly open to Monoma’s flurry of kicks and punches, along with way more bouncing around than he’d have expected. But he’d gotten lucky and landed a blow that had knocked the blond down.

“Go again, guys,” Super-Ball said. 1-B’s homeroom teacher was splitting his attention between a few small groups of sparring, but kept enough focus to make sure no one was getting hurt. Kimmie was squaring off against Fukidashi, playing up something of a rematch of their fight from the Sports Festival, while he could see Shoji pitting his Extendo-Arms against the spider-legs of one of the Shiketsu girls in a limb-to-limb match. “Try and vary up your moves more, Sato,” he added. “And don’t forget your own skills, Monoma. Not everything’s got to be something from your Quirk.”

“Yes, Sensei!” Monoma barked, dropping back into a fighting stance. Kenta thought it was one he’d seen the Kung-Fu Hero: Slaying Mantis use.

He brought his own fists up, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “Yes, Sensei!”

Monoma made the first move, launching a sweeping kick towards Kenta’s knees. Kenta dodged out of the way and struck out, a pair of quick punches he knew wouldn’t connect, but forced Monoma to back up. Kenta pressed his attack, throwing body blows. He had a bit of muscle on Monoma, but not much. Physically, they were pretty good matches for each other.

Monoma dodged again, this time throwing rapid-fire palm strikes that left him wincing. It looked like the speed of the move was pushing his body pretty hard. Kenta was sympathetic, but he couldn’t afford to give him a break. Especially since those blows had hurt. He’d parried some, but a few had gotten past his guard.

Kenta grunted, then faked left jab. Monoma pirouetted away from it with some kind of dance move, but Kenta was ready for him, bringing around a good right hook of his own. Or so he thought. Monoma slipped under his strike and grabbed his arm. The world shifted rapidly and Kenta found himself flat on his back.

“Oooffff.” Kenta let out a grunt.

“Urvarity throw,” Monoma said, grinning smugly. “Not as useful without Zero Gravity, but when you telegraph that much…”

Kenta wanted to get better. So he could protect people, so he could be a Hero. He wanted to get better so that he could make his dad proud and honor his mom’s memory. He knew, especially after the exam, that he needed more than just his Quirk to do it.

But damn if right now he didn’t want to get better just to wipe the grin off Monoma’s face. He popped back up, ready to fight again. He didn’t have the animosity for Monoma that, say, Kirishima-Bakugo did, but damn if he didn’t want to hit him good, just once…

He felt a strong hand take his wrist and bring it up over his head. As he was turning to look, he saw the large figure of Boost Rush bringing his other hand to slap into his open palm. Up close, the family resemblance between the two was undeniable.

"Tag out kid. Go see Bioshock, he's got some questions about your Quirk and a few ideas for optimizing it in combat. Ball, fliers are on a break, so I'll handle Tiny for a bit."

Super Ball shrugged and sighed exaggeratedly. "Far be it for me to get in the way of family drama. Just leave him in one piece."

As Kenta jogged off towards his next instructor, he heard a soft 'Dammit' from Monoma.

***

“Gravity Times Five—METEOR SMASH!” Toshi lashed out, smashing a fist through the boulder in front of him. Fragments went flying in every direction, but he’d kept his gravity up to increase his own toughness, so none of them did him any harm.

“Yeah, no, that sucked.”

Toshi gulped, then looked over to where Uncle Kacchan—no, Ground Zero while he was teaching—was watching him. “What?” he asked. “How? Should I have hit it harder? Or maybe come at it from a different direction? I was trying to get it in one shot…”

Ground Zero brushed a piece of rubble off his shoulder. “I’ve been watching you, kid,” he said. His tone wasn’t unkind, but there was definitely a little annoyance in his voice. “You’ve only got two sets of moves.”

He went on, holding up a finger. “First style is like that crazy old man. You take a running leap—telegraphing like hell by the way—and bouncing around until you hit something. Works good when you’ve got the space to do it in. You might even get good at doing it in tight spaces if you work at it. But that also isn’t going to do you any good when you’re out in the open and there isn’t anything to bounce off of but the bad guy. That happens, you get one shot to hit him, and if that fails, you’re sunk.” Another finger went up. “Which is where you fall back on trick number two, which is what you did fighting Kana at the Sports Festival. You tank up and try to land one big hit.”

“Hey, I,” Toshi protested, “sometimes I jump up and try to stomp on stuff too!” The words sounded hollow as soon as they left his mouth. He’d worked some on upping his mobility and figuring out where his opponent was going to be when he was working with Uncle Mirio, but he did still have some weaknesses in his fighting style. But to hear it put like that…

“I’ve seen you practicing in the backyard with your old man,” Ground Zero went on. “And Deku isn’t a shitty teacher. So I know you know how to do more fighting than just that. So why don’t you?”

Toshi frowned. “The higher I turn the gravity up, the slower I can move. So I have to go for really strong single strikes and switch as quick as I can.”

Ground Zero nodded. “I figured it was something like that. Kind of like when you dad’s Full Cowl started hurting him if he turned it up too much.” He got a wicked glint in his eye. “This isn’t the only thing I’ve got in mind for you… but we’re going to work the hell out of your endurance.”

Oh boy. Toshi knew he still had a lot to work on. Even with all the training he’d done before U.A. and all the training he’d had since, he was still just a first year student. As angry as he came off in his public persona, it was easy to forget that Uncle Kacchan was really intelligent too. Intelligence that had just been turned on him. Toshi had pushed himself hard, but he suddenly felt as though that was nothing compared to what he was about to experience.

Was this how Dad had felt during school with Uncle Kacchan?!

***

Katsuki crossed his arms as he stood back and watched the students with Aizawa and Fujii (Super-Ball was a stupid name. He was not calling the other man that.). He’d done a lot of walking today and been on his feet a lot. Part of him ached to have a seat, but he wasn’t going to give anyone the satisfaction of seeing him have to do that. Especially not any of the damn Rookies. And especially not Mahoro. Damn brat would never let him live that down.

He probably did need to rest at some point. His doctors and physical therapists had been very insistent on the fact that he not push himself too far. And he’d probably have Katsuma clucking over him the second he showed even the slightest sign of weakness.

Dammit. He’d worked thirty-six hours or more straight before, without taking any kind of break. He wasn’t some weakling. This wasn’t who he was.

Maybe there was a way to talk to All Might about living with limitations without admitting he was talking about himself.

“So,” Aizawa said, “you’ve studied the Sports Festival and exam footage and you’ve had a chance to observe today. What’re your thoughts?”

Katsuki looked around, watching the Rookies put the students through their paces. Some of them looked like they were about ready to collapse, while others looked like they could go all day and all night if they had to. Yoarashi’s kid was still zipping around like he’d had a liter of coffee injected directly into his veins. Katsuki did enjoy a small, petty smile when he saw the two Monomas arguing with each other.

“They’ve not bad,” he grunted. “You can which ones have had prior training though.” As much as he’d never admit it to them, his former classmates had done a decent job teaching their kids the basics, even Pikachu and the Grape. Though he could probably chalk those two up to the mothers. The Class-B kids were pretty good too, even Copycat Bastard’s brat. “Gap’s not too big for the ones that aren’t second generation though, so you two and All Might must have been doing something right.”

“Thanks,” Fujii said. Then, hesitating, he added, “I think?”

“I heard a “but” in that sentence,” Aizawa said, perceptive as ever. Age had not diminished the hobo-bastard’s shrewdness. “Don’t make me pry it out of you.”

“Relax, old man,” Katsuki replied. “When have you ever known me to keep my mouth shut?”

Aizawa didn’t even bother to look at him when he responded. “When trying to process your own emotions, including your feelings of inadequacy.”

“You’re one to talk, Aizawa!” Fujii said. “We’ve worked together for years and you almost never talk about yourself!”

It was becoming obvious that Fujii trying to get a rise out of Aizawa was a common occurance. Aizawa didn’t rise to the bait.

“See?” Fujii went on. “This is exactly what I’m talking about.”

“Don’t keep us waiting, Bakugo,” Aizawa said instead.

“They’re good,” Katsuki said. “Some of them are even going to be great, if they don’t screw up before graduation. But… There’s no edge to them. By the end of our first camp, we’d already been attacked by Villains multiple times. Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful Katsumi and the rest haven’t had to experience that… I just worry that life’s going to smack them hard.”

His thoughts stalled for a moment when he thought about what Shota Shinso had endured. He was carrying the kind of trauma Katsuki remembered from after the League had kidnapped him and he’d watched All Might’s last stand. The kid was doing all right now, or at least it seemed that way. But the rest of them…

“Some of the kids got mixed up in the Nomu fighting a couple months back, but most of them weren’t going anything direct,” he continued. “It’s all been so damn safe. As a parent… I want to protect them. But as a teacher, I feel like they need a reminder of what it could really be like out there.”

Aizawa nodded, while Fujii looked slightly horrified.

“You want to scare them?” Fujii asked, cautiously, as though testing just how crazy Katsuki was.

“A reality check wouldn’t hurt,” Aizawa agreed. “Even with some of their experiences, their world’s been a fairly safe place.” The old hobo frowned, and when he spoke again, he sounded a bit sad. “You and your friends built a safer world, for your children, and a lot of other people’s children. They shouldn’t be thrust into the kind of stuff you had to deal with. But you’re not wrong either. Let’s talk with the Rookies tonight and see what we can come up with.”

#my hero academia #their hero academia #fan fiction #fan fic #my writing #koharu kocho #kenta sato #isamu haimawari #katsuki bakugo

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poignantpulchritude · 4 years ago

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Silly Pleasures-Chapter 6

*Thanks to everyone reading along so far! I’ll be back to posting more frequently, I got into a bit of a slump once work started up again. But we back BABY!!!!*

I was deep into an article detailing the life of executioners in 17th century France, when I felt eyes staring in my direction. I looked up from my laptop to see a boy, possibly around 18, quickly look towards the window of the library. It was all too quick for it to be a coincidence.

Once my gaze drifted back down to my computer, I felt the eyes return to me. I tried to ignore the feeling, but eventually it became too much. I felt my neck heat up in a blush, my armpits started to sweat under my white sweatshirt, and I could no longer focus on the words I was reading. The letters blurred into a gray mass on the page.

My phoned beeped next to my hand, making me jump out of my panicked state. I took a deep breath in to calm my nerves before looking down. Despite the immediate increase in heart rate as I glanced at the name, I felt a small smile creep onto my face.

Harry had texted me periodically since our night out for drinks a week ago. He was not the best at texting and most of the messages consisted of random dad jokes sent impulsively. I also could not deny that each time I saw his contact, I blushed and tucked my phone away as if I was harboring a deep secret.

In some ways, though, Harry was my deep secret. While our friendship was still in its early stages, I developed a sort of possessiveness over him. After hearing about our semi-date, I was brutally interrogated by Rosie, Amber, and Keith. They wanted to know whether or not some of his past relationships where publicity stunts, if Larry was real, and if he secretly hated all One Direction songs. Instead of obliging their twisted questioning, I simply told them that he smelled good and remembered my drink order. I did not share that there were whispers and the slight brush of hands. That was for me.

Instead of a knock-knock joke under his name, Harry sent me an invitation to a party that night.

Technically, today was a day off for me. I gave myself an early weekend because of a steady string of private chats over the past few nights. My research for my dissertation was far ahead of half of the other students, too. I had no excuse to decline his offer.

What time and where?

Hours later, I was sat in the living room of Alexa Chung. It all felt quite absurd.

When I informed Molly of my plans for the night, she gave me a knowing smirk. “Oh, my god, you are going to fuck him, this is incredible.”  “Stop, you don’t know that at all. He’s giving me very friendly vibes, maybe he just wants another friend that has impulsive tattoos?” I offered up. This was far from a date in my eyes. Not only was Harry not picking me up, he was not meeting me anywhere before, instead choosing to let me show up outside a very swanky flat at 8 that night, alone.

A man I did not know opened the door when I arrived. I did not really know what to do or say. Harry did not tell me who’s house this was, just the time and location.

“Um, hi. I’m here for the party,” I said, with an odd grimace on my face that I attempted to make look like a confident smile.

He smiled back, similarly confused, but said, “Uh, certainly. Come in, come in, it’s a bit nippy out there.” I blushed deeply as he stuttered and coughed at the end of his sentence. “Well, it’s a bit cold I mean.” He walked ahead of me, further into the luxurious flat as I tried to discretely rub my boobs so my nipples could warm slightly and not be so obviously erect. That did not help much put instead encouraged them to raise further. I groaned and hugged my open jacket tightly across my body. I’m positive I looked ill.

When we finally arrived at the end of the long hallway to a large living area, I noticed the long table filled with bread, tomatoes, and pasta. My mouth watered at the sheer amount of Italian food and at the copious bottles of wine. In those moments, I decided I would just sit at the table for the entire evening, hiding behind the bruschetta and creating a barrier of wine so no one would see my face. Clearly, Harry had other ideas.

“Jeanne, you made it!” He yelled across the room, surrounded by a gaggle of beautiful women. I gave a shy wave as he left the group to give me a hug. I felt the glares from the other girls immediately.

“Hi Harry. Nice of you to inform me of the dress code and the fact that it was a dinner party,” I complained through a tight smile. He rolled his eyes playfully at my words.

“There is no dress code, this is their casual attire, trust me. And besides, it’s mostly a drinking party with a bit of bread involved.” If I had known I would have been sitting around men and women decked out in brown leather, stilettos, and silk scarves I definitely would not have decided to go bra-less in a white shirt and jeans. My desire to have every event be casual got the best of me once again. “C’mon, lemme introduce you to some people,” he spoke as he led me around the room, hand on my low back like days before.

So that was how we arrived at the absurdity of sitting in Alexa Chung’s living room. She was chatting animatedly on the light couch in front of me as I sat facing her on her wood floor, sitting on a pillow and leaning back on the coffee table. Harry was correct that much of the food was left at the way side, which meant that I would happily be able to sneak plates of it home.

“Have you ever been to Paris, Jeanne?” Alexa asked. I downed the rest of the red wine in my glass before answering.

“Nope, but I’ve been to Nice. That’s where my dad’s family is from.”

“Wait, you’re French?” A girl, who’s name the wine haze helped me forget, asked quickly.

“Yup, only half though.”

“Hmmm, interesting.”

I was a bit confused by the way she responded. There was a tone to her words that seemed almost disappointed.

“What?” I asked, “Is a rivalry between the British and French coming to a head right now?” I attempted to joke.

“Oh no, sorry I didn’t mean anything by it. It’s just…well…Harry’s last girlfriend was French.” Before I could ask her what she meant by that, I felt a body land heavily next to mine on the floor.

“So, what’s the hot gos here ladies?” Harry slurred.

“Just talking about your dating history dear Harry,” Alexa teased.

If Harry was uncomfortable by the topic, he didn’t show it, especially with how drunk he was. By his behavior, tonight clearly was not meant to be a date. I spent most of it talking to people that happened to sit on the couch I was in front of, while I drank my wine. Harry popped in a bit now and then, but it seemed like he was deep in conversations with everyone except me at the party. It was fine.

“Wouldn’t everyone fucking like to know all about that,” he responded, picking up the bottle of wine on the coffee table behind us and putting it up to his lips.

“Hey, that’s gross,” I grumbled at him, pulling the bottle away and clutching it to my chest.

“You’re gross.” 

“You have no idea.”

Harry laughed at my words and I saw some light go back into his eyes. He did not look very lively, but distracted or clouded.

“So anyway Jeanne, you absolutely have to go to Paris and to this one shop…” Alexa continued on and I nodded and smiled when appropriate, but was focused mainly on Harry’s body heat beside me. He was almost oppressively warm, no doubt from his running around the party and his alcohol consumption. Each word Alexa spoke had Harry leaning closer and closer towards my left shoulder. He smelled uniquely floral, a departure from his husky cologne days before.

Before I knew it, Alexa and her friend were no longer speaking to me. Instead, they were engaged in a heated conversation about politics with the self-proclaimed son of an Earl. I could feel Harry’s eyes burning a whole into the side of my face. I decided to blurt something out to diffuse any one-sided sexual tension I was feeling.

“You don’t seem happy.”

Harry pulled his head back in confusion and shook it back and forth, his hair not as mobile as years past. “What do you mean?” he asked, light and confused. It seemed put on for my benefit.

I shrugged. “I don’t know, you look a bit down. Maybe it’s because I’ve never seen you drunk,” I told him. Though I left out that his sad looks probably had nothing to do with his drinking, remembering stolen images of him on the internet drunk and smiley with friends. I could tell his behavior was odd.

“Well no. I’ve been talking to everyone here tonight!”

“Talking to lots of people doesn’t mean you are incapable of being sad, Harry.”

“Why do we only interact when we are drunk?”

“You are the one that has invited me to two events that were based solely on drinking. And don’t try to change the conversation on me, I’m a scholar, you need to do better than that.”

“Well here’s one, why don’t you invite me anywhere?”

I was too flustered at this question to attempt to sway him back to our conversational starting point. “Uh, I’ve invited you somewhere.”  “Bullshit! I’m not blackout drunk, I still have my memory,” Harry said, humor thickly lacing his voice.

“I…I uh, well I’ll invite you somewhere now.” Harry waited patiently. Ideas rattled around in my head of places to take Harry that would not absolutely bore him out of his mind. “I’m going to the Victoria and Albert Museum Monday afternoon.”

He just stared at me. “And…” he responded in an exaggerated manner.

“And…I would like you to come with me. I haven’t been yet and they were your royals previously.”

“Why thank you Jeannie, I would love to.” He made a big show out of his response, bowing his head and picking up my hand to kiss delicately. I whipped my hand back, faux annoyed but secretly giddy. Harry’s laughter traveled across the room at him antics. “I haven’t been to a museum in ages.”

I began to question him as to why, but realized that he was actually someone incredibly famous. I immediately felt terrible, realizing that Harry would be unable to enjoy the outing because of his recognizable face. “Oh jeez, never mind. I didn’t even think about people recognizing you.”

“No, no, I want to go. I’m not hounded as much as I was with the band. Besides, I’m not sure how many fans will be at a museum named for royals on a Monday unless they are with a school group. It will be fine.” The smile Harry had on his face was genuine and it made me feel happy inside, not because it was directed at me, but because it made him look better. The clouds behind his eyes were not as heavy.

“Are you really okay?” I asked him one last time.

He looked me in the eye and remained silent for a good twenty seconds. I was not sure he was going to respond at all, but then he nodded slightly. “Yea, I’m feeling okay. We put the finishing touches on the album today and it just brought back some feelings, that’s all.” Suddenly, it made sense. Feelings of his ex-girlfriend. “Some of her friends are here,” he admitted. The heavy drinking finally made sense.

“How long ago did you break up?”

“Oh, a long while ago to be honest. But, it’s a bit difficult to be reminded of it so frequently. I was pretty isolated for a while so it’s weird being around it all again.”

I remained silent, letting his words sink in. I never had a long-term relationship. The longest was about four months, that ended in infidelity. I did not know what it was like to be emotionally and physically connected to someone for months or years and then to have that ripped away. “I don’t know what to say. I’m shit at relationships.” 

Harry shook his head, “You don’t need to say anything, that’s all well and done. Just need to do a bit of growth again, don’t want this to set me back and put me in a funk.” After he said this, Harry’s eyes traveled to the wall in front of us, inspecting the colorful paintings on the wall. I could tell he was being introspective, thinking too deeply in his intoxicated state.

The first bars of Just Like Heaven began to play through the speakers. My ears immediately perked up and I shook Harry’s shoulders. He looked over at me lethargically, a bit like a confused puppy dog. I jumped up on my feet, only wobbling slightly as I pulled Harry up too. I dragged him to the center of the room and started flailing around to the words. “I love this song!” I yelled at him, jolting a few of the bodies around us.

Finally shaken from his reverie, Harry started bobbing his head and moving his limbs in an awkwardly hilarious fashion. Soon, we were dancing erratically to the beat, stomping on the floor and twirling around in circles. I felt like I was in kindergarten again, running around the playground playing tag with the boy I had a crush on. Those around us joined in and soon Alexa Chung’s flat was filled with moderately intoxicated people dancing to 80’s pop-punk.

“Show me how you do it, and I’ll promise you, I’ll promise that I’ll run away with you,” Harry and I sang in unison, loud and smiling. I was not embarrassed or nervous at the lyrical implications of the song, I was just jamming out with a friend. It was at this point that I genuinely felt that Harry had become a friend. We danced the most aggressively in a crowded room without a care in the world.

“Hey Jeanne!” Harry yelled over the music, “You’re just like a dream!” I laughed loudly at his repetition of the lyrics. I even gave a little bow. We giggled around the room and I felt the lightest I had in a while. I did not notice until later that night that Harry’s eyes looked the brightest I’ve ever seen right when he sang to me, “You’re just like heaven.”

#harry styles fanfiction #Harry Styles #silly pleasures #one direction fanfiction #one direction #fan fiction #fluff #watermelon sugar #fine line

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fallingin-like · 5 years ago

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november 16

l’amour parle en fleus by @scribbleb-red [requested by @fuzzballsheltiepants]

see which other fics i’m reviewing this month! / my review request post!

this is a wonderful and heartbreaking fic that deals with grief and the beauty of life. it is soft and sweet, while dealing with hard topics and loss. this fic is incomplete.

disclaimer: i reviewed this fic when it had 7 chapters, so no comments on chapter 8. sorry!

this fic was stunning and i was blown away by your amazing descriptions and imagery. everything is so vivid and feels real. i was so interested in the little pieces of andrew and neil’s stories and how they pieced together to bring them to this story.

parts that stood out to me:

”he had cut himself free of the roots of his past and planted new ones, blooming in a country that should never have belonged to him, yet matched the varying shades of his soul” wow, this is such a beautiful beginning to the story, the wording you used makes it read like poetry, especially the last part of the sentence

”not on that sun-drenched afternoon” oh this is wonderful

”bruises had stiffened his face into a mask” i love the way that you wrote this

it breaks my heart to see how affected andrew is by aaron’s death. although he tries his best to show it outwardly, andrew gave up so much of himself to protect aaron

ooh the house/property you’ve described sounds so nice. do you have something specific (like an existing house) that you’re referencing?

”maybe he’d make it a challenge to sleep in all of them” whatamood andrew

”the air was clean and full of grass, as if it had only ever been breathed by wild things” oh, this is so nice

cats! sounds like a dream, to be in a bnb and find out they have cats

it sounds like fun to read a book that someone has annotated. so much that you can learn about them through how they react to the events in the novel in comparison to what you feel or think

”liked how steady and quiet king was, how sir vocalised every time they wanted something” love that you had andrew highlight these characteristics, it seems very in character

”the sound of footsteps approaching an unlockable door” EXCUSE ME DID YOU THINK YOU COULD JUST SLIDE THIS IN AFTER “a number plate, a smile, a mist rising over a river” AND THINK I WOULD NOT NOTICE. LIKE IT’S NOT A DEVASTATING SENTENCE.

”his was a skull full of a thousand momento mori. aaron was just the latest” woah what a powerful two sentences

how cute that andrew keeps all of neil’s notes! sounds like something i would do haha

ohmygoodness neil singing is bringing me back to my french classes from a long long time ago (i can remember enough to kind of work out the english translations loool)

”because worst of all, nathaniel never seemed to notice him back. it rankled… didn’t the idiot care that he was killing the world over with that voice?” yeah okay andrew, you keep thinking that’s the reason you hate that neil doesn’t notice you.

woah you descriptions of the outside is absolutely gorgeous. the colours, descriptions, and imagery are so wonderful and overwhelming and beautiful. i get so lost in the sheer volume of it all, i forget about andrew’s anger (as i’m sure he also does, a little)

andrew picking up his cigarette butt is so lovely and fitting for this section of the story

AH IT’S NEIL

”and, as the folds of material were plucked at by the wind’s childish fingers, andrew followed the sharp lines of his collarbones, the smattering of freckles, strangely warped and wefted flesh” I LOVE THIS. the wording you used is absolutely amazing

NEIL HAS PIERCINGS AND HE KEEPS LAVENDER IN THEM THIS IS THE BEST

oh, the story of aaron giving andrew his hat is so soft, such a wonderful thing shared between the two of them. it’s so small, but for us who know how much of a struggle everything is with them, a constant push and pull, it’s everything.

neil’s loft sounds so nice, how did you come up with this idea?

also prickly neil is great, i love that you have this shortly after andrew goes to touch a plant and gets pricked because of it

”a stab of hatred lanced through andrew’s stomach, white-hot, easy. sweat rolled down the centre of his back, a sour coating filled the back of his throat” ahh your descriptions are so so good

”andrew replied, popping the ‘p’ like an eyeball under a thumb.” exCUSE ME LIKE WHAT??

also i am very much a fan of neil being super strong

uhhHHHH neil has a tongue piercing?? i think andrew actually vapourized in that moment

orange! tractor! adorable!

”apathy, his brain supplied, the opposite of anger, the inverse of hate” oh this is interesting. i guess i always automatically thought of love, but when i think of this, it seems so right. hate, anger are such strong emotions, overtaking everything, making it hard to think, feeling so so much, but the absence of that feeling? oh

”and neil was leaning forward, plucking the cigarette from andrew’s fingers and taking a drag, smoke spilling between his teeth when he grinned a grin like a knife blade. andrew felt it in his gut” !!! this!!!

”addiction left people brittle. left them dry as kindling and just as easy to burn” woah

i really cannot handle these boys

NEIL IS MISSING PART OF HIS FINGER, OH MY GOODNESS I AM LOSING IT HERE.

amazing bit about the garden, never thought about it that way. it’s so true

honestly, there is just so so much to unpack. love your description of the buzzing andrew is feeling, i really like hearing andrew’s thought process, how everything turns back to aaron, love the way that, even now, he can read neil so well

THE TWINYARD EMBRACE. THE WAY THEY HOLD EACH OTHER. “‘you killed him,’ andrew said. ‘you killed her,’ replied aaron.” THIS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT THEY HAVE PROTECTED EACH OTHER. THE BEGINNING OF JOINT THERAPY. THEY WAY THAT THEY SLOWLY LEARN TO LOVE EACH OTHER IN A WAY THAT’S MORE HEALTHY.

ahhhhh andrew talking to neil? this is so so good to see his progress, to see how he’s working through his grieving

oh boy, loving the little rivalry that eduard brings, the kind of tension heh

this town/market sounds amazing, so beautiful

IN THE GAME. OH DANG EDUARD YOU ARE NOT THE FARMER BOY WHO HAS THE HOTS FOR NEIL THAT I THOUGHT YOU WERE

”’well… like an american,’ said neil, like it explained everything. and it did, like a fire hissing out in the rain, andrew felt his shoulders relax, his ire cool” ahh so nice.

”because neil was so much give, when andrew needed to take” oh this is so interesting!

”neil shouldn’t be allowed to just vanish” AHH

”andrew shouldn’t have lashed out, sneered at neil’s story and spot on his honesty” NOOO ANDREW WHY

”his scars were the noughts to andrew’s crosses” oh this is so nice (like, not nice, but you know)

woah it’s really interesting hearing neil’s story while also having andrew’s commentary available with his knowledge from school. to see the personal side of it and also what was portrayed to the public

as much as i love neil with long curly hair, him with a buzzed look has me interested. paired with his cheekbones and his eyes, woahhhhh

”it looked like he’d been bled of life, colours fading until he became a negative of himself or an older version of the hollow-eyed teenager from the newspapers all those years ago.” i think this is my favourite sentence of this fic so far. makes me hurt.

AARON USED TO CALL ANDREW A TURNIP THAT IS SO ADORABLE I WANT PEOPLE TO CALL ME TURNIP (wait i just looked up what it means and although it is true i have no brains i was thinking in an affectionate way. turnips look really cute and are tiny lol)

ahhh neil in his bed in the barn during the storm ;-;

i love how you incorporated consent into andrew anchoring neil from his panic with the hand on his neck

ohmygoodness i cannot believe that neil has a PALMETTO HOODIE WITH A NAME AND NUMBER ON IT AH

”they took long walks through the fields and along the mountain paths, navigating the rocky terrain of andrew’s grief and neil’s jagged history that came so painfully close to intertwining with andrew’s own” oh this is such a beautiful sentence

NEIL HAS WATCHED ANDREW’S INTERVIEWS EXCUSE ME WHAT THAT IS SO CUTE

”he caught his reflection in the mirror and saw only himself” THIS IS AMAZING. what a transition that we get to see andrew experience

”for months andrew’s mind was a jagged thing, not knowing what he wanted or what he needed” !!

ooh love the acknowledgement that younger andrew would have denied his feelings but he’s more mature now and is more in tune with his emotions and wants!! amazing

”dinner with neil was an abundant thing. odd choice of word, but it was the only way andrew could describe it” it is an odd choice, but at the same time i think i understand it?

oh. andrew’s dream of aaron in the field. it’s so sad and soft and makes me feel blurry around the edges. what a contrast to the evening with neil. i like it though. you don’t just get over grieving. it gets better and it gets worse. it comes back again and again, even when you think it will not return. “wait for me. wait for me” i love what this adds, it feels so right

”andrew pressed every lane and shady square between the pages of his memory” so wonderful

PARLE EN FLEURS. EVERYTHING MAKES SENSE NOW.

woah aaron’s story was intense and well-told. things make a lot more sense now.

love that andrew sends nicky pictures to show everything, to share without words. they have such a unique relationship, they both care so much but are so different in the way that they show it sometimes it clashes

”it’s not the kind of pain that can be quantified. and it will still hurt in a year, in five, in ten”

i mostly skimmed the last chapter because i know that i easily internalize the thoughts and feelings that come when people write depression.

i love the way that you structured this fic. the chapter titles are perfect because throughout the fic we see andrew’s healing and grieving. it’s subtle, but he clearly shifts through the different stages that you include and i’m really impressed by how seamlessly you incorporated that into the fic. the fic’s focus slowly transfers from aaron to neil so naturally that you almost don’t notice it until you take a step away for a moment.

you do such a marvelous job with the descriptions of this fic, i liked so so many sentences that i could not possibly mention them all. the town and the fields and the surroundings sound so beautiful and stunning, you made everything so vibrant and alive. all the colours and textures and words that you used really established an amazing backdrop to the story you wrote.

and the story, i loved your approach to this, it’s very realistic. the interactions between andrew and neil are pure and natural and don’t seem forced. you created complicated, intricate relationships between all the characters, brought up the difficulty of expressing emotions and feelings with people, and trust that was built. i liked the way that you wrote the characters, and i adore neil with his flower piercings. thank you so much for writing this fic! i can’t wait to see what comes next!

#l'amour parle en fleurs #aftg fic review #raelle writes

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gokul2181 · 4 years ago

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Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer: The rival amigos

New Post has been published on https://jordarnews.in/rafael-nadal-and-roger-federer-the-rival-amigos/

Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer: The rival amigos

One of my most precious memories of watching Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer slug it out is from the 2008 Wimbledon final. It is a match that has been called a classic, some even feel it is the best match ever played in Men’s tennis.

A 22-year-old Nadal beat five-time defending champion Federer in five gruelling sets (6-4, 6-4, 6-7, 6-7, 9-7). This despite Federer saving two match points. The match saw two rain interruptions and finished past 9 PM British Standard Time (BST). It was the longest final in Wimbledon history (since 1877) at 4 hours and 48 minutes.

Nadal had lost two previous Wimbledon finals (in 2006 and 2007) to Federer and finally tasted sweet success against a man who probably knows the courts at SW19 better than his back lawn.

But more than the statistics, more than the fact that Federer had been humbled on the grass by a player who many felt was only a clay court specialist, more than the fact that Nadal had won his first Wimbledon title, the two things that really stood out for tennis fans were: One – The epic battle they had just witnessed, with two supreme forces going toe to toe, refusing to give an inch, in a fight that clearly meant so much to both and Two – The sheer respect that both players had for each other and how there was a very special, a very unique bond that the two shared, which would not be polluted, damaged, tarnished or shaken by anything that happened on the field of play. And this remember, was still early days in their rivalry.

After the match, Nadal said: “Federer is a great champion. His attitude always is positive when he loses or when he wins. I always have a lot of respect for him. I admire him a lot. We have a very good relationship.”

Federer, while quite gutted, had high praise for Nadal, a man who he had run into in the two previous Wimbledon finals as well (2006 and 2007). He knew just how special talent the man he had just lost to after an almost 5-hour duel was. He also knew that if Nadal could produce a show like that on grass, he was a lot more than just a clay court specialist.

Federer after the match had said: [It is] probably my hardest loss, by far. I thought I played well. [But I] missed too many chances obviously in the first couple of sets. Rafa played well. I’m happy we lived up to the expectations. I’m happy the way I fought. That’s all I could really do.”

There was no animosity. They were two players, who shared a few common traits – an undying love for tennis, supreme God-given talent and a work ethic that only true champions have. And over the years that bond would develop into a very special friendship.

The 2008 Wimbledon title was Rafa’s fifth Grand Slam singles title. Fast forward 12 years and Nadal now has 20 Grand Slam titles, the same as the man he beat on that July Sunday in 2008. It’s true that Nadal’s Slam tally is incredibly skewed. After all, 13 of his 20 titles have been won at Roland Garros. The remaining seven having been won at the other three Slams combined, with Nadal managing to win just one Australian Open title, as compared to Federer’s six.

Thanks to those numbers, you will find a few who will want to take away from Nadal’s overall greatness. Those who feel the Spaniard did, of course, produce great tennis at times to win two Wimbledons, four US Opens and one Australian Open title, but should still be tagged a clay court specialist. But no one who understands what it takes to win a Grand Slam title, let alone titles on all surfaces will ever doubt Rafa’s greatness. Least of all a man who has played nine Grand Slam finals against the Spanish matador and ended up on the losing side six times.

It wasn’t a surprise then to see Federer (who still trails Nadal on the overall ATP Head to Head count 16-24) put up a very special social media post for his good friend after Nadal’s recent French Open success.

Federer’s message read: “I have always had the utmost respect for my friend Rafa as a person and as a champion. As my greatest rival over many years, I believe we have pushed each other to become better players. Therefore, it is a true honor for me to congratulate him on his 20th Grand Slam victory. It is especially amazing that he has now won Roland Garros an incredible 13 times, which is one of the greatest achievements in sport. I also congratulate his team, because nobody can do this alone. I hope 20 is just another step on the continuing journey for both of us. Well done, Rafa. You deserve it.”

International individual sport has, over the decades, witnessed many great rivalries. Ali vs Frazier, Mcenroe vs Borg, Graf vs Seles, Senna vs Prost, Sampras vs Agassi, Woods vs Mickelson, Hunt vs Lauda, Niklaus vs Palmer, Lin Dan vs Lee Chong Wei – the list is endless.

But if you go through that list you will find that most of those great sporting rivalries had a bitter streak in them. And that is what makes the Federer vs Nadal rivalry different. There is no bitterness. No room for inflated egos. There is a lot of genuine mutual respect and that is what makes it very special.

At the 2010 French Open, Nadal famously said: “If somebody says I am better than Roger, I think this person don’t know nothing about tennis.”

Between 2003 and 2020 Federer and Nadal have won 40 of the 71 Grand Slams played between them (Federer’s first Grand Slam title was the 2003 Wimbledon title, while Nadal won his first Grand Slam title at the 2005 French Open). While Nadal denied Federer six Grand Slam titles by beating the Swiss maestro in finals, Federer denied Rafa thrice. They both know that if the other wasn’t part of this era, they would have gone on to win much more. They both know that the other is better than themselves in certain aspects. So, what they choose to do is use that rivalry to turn themselves into better players. They focus on making themselves better instead of trying to bring the other down.

In 2015, Federer said that Nadal “has been the toughest and probably the most challenging and fun to play against just because of his character and he’s been unbelievable for the game.”

The two have had no problems over the years working with each other to promote tennis and to initiate charity events, like the Match for Africa for the Roger Federer Foundation, with the two rivals squaring off against each other. The 2020 edition of the event saw Federer play Nadal again and it broke the attendance record for a tennis match, with as many as 51,954 spectators.

What happened on the court, has always stayed on the court with these two. Their relationship off the court has never been affected in any negative way because of their on-court rivalry. In fact, it has only strengthened it.

The greatest of the all-time debate will rage on, perhaps forever. That I feel is a very personal choice. Numbers alone can’t be the only criteria. Many might pick Pete Sampras, whose record of 14 Slam titles stood for seven years before Federer equalled it in 2009. Remember, Novak Djokovic has 17 Grand Slam titles and is the youngest of the current ‘Big Three’. So the focus has now shifted to who will finish with the most number of Grand Slam titles in Men’ singles tennis, with a focus on the age of all three players. Federer is 39, Nadal is 34 and Djokovic is 33.

That tennis is a gruelling physical sport is an understatement. Going by that many felt that longevity would be Nadal’s biggest problem. The common refrain from many Federer fans was that there is no way Nadal could match Federer because he just wouldn’t last as long as the Swiss great, who is blessed with a smooth, classical, almost effortless playing style, as opposed to Rafa’s dogged, retrieve at all cost game that can wear the best of bodies down. Those voices have subsequently quietened down, more so now, since Federer fans realise that Nadal has already equalled the Swiss star’s tally. Federer fans are also a little worried because the last time he won a Grand Slam was back at the 2018 Australian Open.

Nadal on the other hand showed on Sunday just what a ruthless machine he can be, especially on the red clay courts of Paris. His run to the final might have been a rather straightforward one, with no real player of pedigree there to push him to the limit. But, to humble the World number one player (Novak Djokovic) in straight sets in the final, to win the tournament without dropping a single set showed that even at 34 he can set the bar even higher. The Spaniard, in fact, broke Bjorn Borg’s record by becoming the first man to win four Grand Slam titles without dropping a set. This was his 21st win against a World Number one player, the most by any player in the history of the sport.

So yes, age is pretty much just a number for these greats.

There will of course come a day when tennis will have neither Federer nor Nadal. They might play like superheroes, but they are after all human and they will both hang up their racquets at some point. But their biggest contribution to the sport will not be by virtue of the number of titles they will eventually finish with or the jaw-dropping tennis they both have and will continue to showcase till their respective retirements. Their biggest contribution will be their off-court camaraderie, which has shown the world that the toughest of rivals can be the best of amigos. After all, love, respect and friendship have, and always will trump hate. At least that’s how it should be.

DISCLAIMER : Views expressed above are the author’s own.

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evenstevensranked · 7 years ago

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#21: Season 2, Episode 15 - “Sibling Rivalry”

In an attempt to settle their never-ending rivalry, Ren and Louis compete on a ridiculous game show called “Sib Wars.” There’s also Ren/Bobby/Mandy drama on the side which is beyond juicy. Meanwhile, Donnie has a date with a French girl and has Nelson translate for him.

This one opens with Louis "Flossercising” -- A combination of flossing your teeth and exercising. Right off the bat, you know this episode is gonna be an outlandish one. He’s just chillin’, incorrectly lifting weights in a bathroom full of dental floss lol

How do you even buy that much dental floss? Also, I can’t deal with Shia’s face in this screenshot. ALSO, I’d like to talk to Sarah and Suzie and ask them what drugs they were on when they came up with “flossercising.”

Ren starts freaking out at Louis because she needs to get ready for a date with Bobby and he’s cramping her style. They chase each other into Donnie’s room where we see Donnie super focused on learning French. I love how he’s dressed in the stereotypical black and white striped mime shirt -- sitting in front of a pile of French books, Eiffel Tower statues and a bowl of french fries while doing so. As if it’s a freaking séance to reach the ghosts of French experts.

Cutting off his head was the only way I could get everything in the screenshot lol.

This scene is pretty funny. After Louis and Ren come running into his room, Donnie tells them to knock it off because he only has one day to learn French. “That’s realistic” Ren says so sarcastically, I crack up every time. This is also where Ren calls Louis “infuriating” and he tries to call her it as well, but butchers the word and says “In-flirt-in-ate-ter-ing.” I remember this being used on a few ads for the show back in the day. Just then, Donnie grabs a VHS tape, shows it to them very dramatically and says “You guys need to see this.” And Louis is all “What? You lifting weights in your bathing suit? We already saw that.” HAHA!!! I love how Donnie is so obliviously vain, it’s great. Imagine subjecting your brother and sister to that. He quickly picks up the VHS he meant to show them, which is an accidental taping of a show called “Sibling Sessions.”

This show within a show is so freaking hilarious. It’s like Dr. Phil if it were a show within a soap opera and filmed in a therapists office. The brother and sister (Kevin and Wendy) who appear on it are so lame and fake, it’s so good. The host makes Kevin apologize to Wendy and I died laughing.

“It’s nothing against you, Wendy! You’re the BEST! I guess the reason I act the way I do, is because of my own insecurities. Deep down... I’m just a loser.” HAHAHAHAHAHA. The acting is purposely incredibly bad here, almost like an infomercial -- which makes it even better. The kid looks like he’s about to burst out laughing when he says “I’m just a loser” lol.

Even Stevens seriously wins the award for Most Original Humor on Disney Channel. Ever. No other show has a strut quite like this one. I also thank god every day that ES didn’t have a laugh track. It simply doesn’t need one.

Ren thinks the show seems professional and is down for appearing on it. Louis, on the other hand, is vehemently against it -- Until the host announces that Kevin and Wendy will receive two tickets to Happy Mountain Amusement Park for being on the show, lol.

You just know this was an ad-lib, tbh. How does Shia even think of this stuff? What even is that facial expression? He’s too much...

I also just realized that Ren is definitely wearing the necklace Louis bought her in Swap.com. Ya know, the one she gave back to Ernie? Oops.

Suddenly, the doorbell rings and Ren is expecting it to be Bobby, but *dun dun dunnn* It’s Nelson. This marks the start of the DRAMA!!! Bobby sent Nelson as the bearer of bad news. He’s there to let Ren know Bobby had to cancel their date because he has work to do with his lab partner. Hummmmm... Ren is immediately suspicious. Clearly, she does not trust Bobby and this relationship ain’t healthy.

Somewhere around here, Donnie finds out that Nelson can speak French. So he asks him to translate on his upcoming date with some ~beautiful foreign exchange student.~ We also get the “HAAAAPPY MOUNTAIN! THE BIG OLD ROCK OF FUUUUUUN!” from Louis which is iconic. I’m just gonna go ahead and assume that most of the things Shia does in this episode are ad-libs.

The next day at school, Ren happens to catch Bobby working with his lab partner... who he conveniently forgot to mention is Mandy “Always-Gets-Her-Man” Sanchez. RED FLAG!!! MAJOR RED FLAG.

When class lets out, there’s this awkward/passive-aggressive/mean girl moment between Ren and Mandy -- and it’s gold. Mandy says “Ren, love the lipstick! That color works so well on your THIN lips. :)” To which Ren responds, “You know? I wonder what it’d look like on a FAT LIP :)” hahahaha. Salty overload. Ren decides to privately confront Bobby about the situation after. Asking why he neglected to say that Mandy was his lab partner because Mandy is definitely into him, and he essentially tells her it’s all in her head. “Come on, it’s just Mandy. She flirts with everyone!” So, Ren convinces herself that she’s just overreacting. THIS IS SUCH A TEXTBOOK CASE OF A BAD RELATIONSHIP. You can clearly see that Ren is still suspicious though.. and it only gets worse when Bobby kisses her goodbye on the cheek instead of the lips. Oh, boy. Bobby sucks.

Ren and Louis go to an audition for “Sibling Sessions” but when they get there they see that the show has been rebranded as “Sib Wars” -- a competition show. Apparently the ratings were in the toilet. Can’t imagine why!!! Who wouldn’t want to watch a low-level, PBS knock-off of Dr. Phil?! The show is on the verge of being cancelled all together, unless they can find two bickering siblings to compete ASAP -- and Louis and Ren answer their prayers. They come barging in like two arguing tornados. I love their little fight here though, lol. Ren claims that Louis got ice cream in her hair and Louis says “Did it ever occur to you that YOUR hair got in MY ice cream? Did that enter your skull?!” He has a point. Ren obviously considers herself to be the superior sibling, so she has no doubt that she’ll win the cheesy competition. “I could even grow a mustache before you!” she threatens. And Louis comes back with one of my favorite burns everrrr: “You could. In fact, it’s coming in quite nicely!” HAHA. Shia and Christy go on to totally ad-lib a heated argument and I love it.

The host, David Blackburn, is so over the top with everything he does. On “Sibling Sessions” he was over the top melodramatic and on “Sib Wars” he’s over the top excited. It’s like he’s incapable of acting like a normal human. Normally, I cannot stand when shows go overboard with obnoxiousness.. but I can’t help but laugh at this guy. He starts wearing a cheap, short, dreads wig to try to seem more ~hip~ and young, (”Is my hair on straight?”) which is hilarious to me. And this dude delivers every single one of his lines with such a perfect balance of fake enthusiasm and the insecurity that comes along with trying way too hard to be cool. It just gets me for some reason, lol. I’m also almost positive that HE’S doing the voiceover announcing HIMSELF as “the handsome, the talented -- DAVID BLACKBURRRRRNNNN!” haha. I have to gif the footage of his introduction because it’s honestly so meme-worthy and hysterical imo:

If I had the power, I’d make nearly every other moment of every Even Stevens episode a popular meme. It’s beyond deserving... Yet, the only meme that’s come out of Even Stevens is Beans. Great. This show is truly one of the greatest, overlooked TV gems ever.

Anyway, I’m pretty sure the “TV G” was edited in for “Sib Wars” specifically. I don’t remember Even Stevens ever having a rating pop up like that before, so that’s pretty awesome lol. I’m not sure what part of this gif gets me the worst, though. When he flips his “hair” back, the zoom-out shot of him like “ :D ” or the “THAT’S ME!” It’s all brilliant. I’ve been laughing at this for 5 minutes straight.

The game show ends up being incredibly stupid with the dumbest questions and categories ever... So it’s basically tailor-made for Louis Stevens. Therefore, he literally leaves Ren in the dust -- 500 points to 0. There’s also a “Pudding Pit of Doom” round where yet another bad Louis stunt double flips into the vat:

I never noticed how many stunts happen on this show until now. This guy is obviously older and has a completely different build than Shia. They really don’t even try lol.

David Blackburn announces that Louis and Ren will return the next day for the “Ultimate Humiliation” round -- where they have 1 minute to totally mortify the other on public access television. Fun! Louis is scrambling to find some dirt on Ren, and he fails. The closest thing he gets is her “brushing her teeth inefficiently” on tape. This bit always stuck with me though!! He explains the footage to Twitty and says “Look at the technique. She’s doing that upward thing, you’re not supposed to be doing that! You’re supposed to do the little circles!” I think about this every single time I brush my teeth and have since always brushed in a circular motion lol.

The drama reaches the climax right about now when Louis and Twitty catch Bobby and Mandy walking down the hall together very flirtatiously. Their first thought is to start recording -- and boy did they end up capturing the most DRAMATIC TEEN DRAMA MOMENT THE SHOW HAS EVER SEEN:

Is this Even Stevens or Degrassi???

When I rewatched this episode for the first time in a few years, I was genuinely shocked. I knew Bobby was “cheating,” but I always remembered it as only flirting or a lingering hug. (Ya know... because Disney.) But, NOPE. It was an actual kiss on the lips. Bobby is a RAT and I never liked him. It’s really too bad they didn’t end the series with some comedic plot where Ren and Larry realize their feelings for each other because trust me..... the feelings are there. That’s way better content than Bobby freakin’ Deaver. HE WAS NEVER FOR YOU, REN!

Louis’ plan is to be a slimeball and use this footage in the Ultimate Humiliation round. That’s honestly so messed up, I can’t even fathom that idea. Imagine video of your significant other kissing some other person airing for everyone to see. Dang. I told you this was dramatic.

This subplot is really, really short. So I’ll wrap it up now as usual. It’s just Donnie on his date with Sandrine (played by Danica McKellar from The Wonder Years) with Nelson translating. Basically, Nelson’s allergies to everything flare up. He takes over the date and steals Sandrine’s attention away from Donnie. That’s it. There’s this one screenshot that’s pretty great without context tho:

Back to the main plot. Ren decided to use Louis’ nasty bed sheet as her way to humiliate him. I love how she titled the exhibit "Louis: An American Tragedy" lol:

When it’s Ren’s turn to sit in the hot seat, she takes a moment to give a shout out to Bobby. Saying how happy she is that they’re together and she hopes they can stay together. Of course. Meanwhile, Louis is standing there holding the VHS tape of Bobby cheating. It’s intense. Ultimately, Louis makes the right decision and doesn’t show the tape. He just gives up and says he didn’t come prepared with anything. I LOVE SEEING GOOD LITTLE BROTHER LOUIS, MAN!!! Ren is declared the winner.

Louis knows that Ren doesn’t deserve to continue to be lead on by Bobby. So at home that night, Louis simply gives Ren the tape. The footage is pretty self explanatory. It fades to a very dramatic shot of Ren breaking up with Bobby by giving him his letterman jacket back. I hate Bobby. He’s standing there all sad. Like... Come on, man. Don’t act like you're upset about what you did. You knew full well what you were doing.

Ren’s head to toe light blue ensemble is... something.

Ren thanks Louis for not showing the tape on TV and he says “Ren, you’re my sister. I wouldn’t do you like that.” MY HEART. That vibe changes quickly though when Louis asks if he can be her plus 1 to Happy Mountain lol.

And that’s it. The episode ends with Donnie watching the video of him lifting weights in his bathing suit. haha.

I really like this episode. It’s not one of my personal favorites, but this episode is most true to the series' premise. If you look at it literally, it’s the most "Even Stevens" episode ever tbh -- which is why it's higher on the list. I also just cannot get over the level of legit drama here with the Bobby/Mandy stuff! Crazy. Louis is a great brother here, too.. which is so amazing to see. There aren’t any giant laugh-out-loud moments, but the dialogue here is so snappy and smart. I found myself laughing quite a bit due to how great the writing is and the delivery from the cast all around. Everyone is on point here.

Thanks for reading!!

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#rank #even stevens #season 2 #louis stevens #shia labeouf #christy carlson romano #ren stevens #mandy sanchez #bobby deaver #nelson minkler #walter franks #old disney #nostalgia #zoog disney #tv review #tv shows #memes #ren and bobby #donnie stevens

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thisdaynews · 5 years ago

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Six Nations: Team-by-team guide, key players, title odds

New Post has been published on https://thebiafrastar.com/six-nations-team-by-team-guide-key-players-title-odds/

Six Nations: Team-by-team guide, key players, title odds

Owen Farrell, Johnny Sexton, Alun Wyn Jones and Stuart Hogg, captains of England, Ireland, Wales and Scotland respectively, are all multiple British and Irish Lions tourists

Guinness Six Nations 2020 Dates:1 February-14 March Coverage:Watch live coverage on BBC TV, BBC iPlayer, Connected TVs and online; listen to match commentaries, shows and podcasts on BBC Radio 5 Live, Sports Extra and BBC Sounds; follow text coverage on the BBC Sport website and mobile app; further coverage available in Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Full coverage details.

Four new head coaches, a raft of uncapped up-and-comers and a rivalry that stretches back more than 135 years.

The history, drama, thrills and spills of the Six Nations return this weekend to start the latest chapter in the world’s oldest international rugby tournament.

In the wake of the Rugby World Cup, there are plenty of new characters, on the pitch and on the touchlines, to spice up the storylines.

Here is what you need to know about the 2020 tournament.

Wales

Pivac won the Pro12 title with Scarlets in 2017

Thanks to the call of the British and Irish Lions, there have been a couple of caretakers, but it is 13 years since someone other than Warren Gatland was Wales head coach as they went into a Six Nations campaign,

Wayne Pivac has the intimidating task of following a man who delivered three Grand Slams, the latest lifted 12 months ago.

The New Zealander could have done without an injury that rules out centre Jonathan Davies, the ‘captain’ of the claustrophobically tight defence that characterised Gatland’s reign.

North to start at centre against Italy

Wayne Pivac by the players and coaches who know him

Hadleigh Parkes column: Fatherhood, Pivac and Six Nations hopes

Shaun Edwards, who masterminded that part of the game from the touchline, is also absent, having taken his inside knowledge to Six Nations rivals France.

But there are some welcome faces back on the scene. Scrum-half Rhys Webb is available after bringing a hasty end to his Toulon stint, while Taulupe Faletau, arguably the tournament’s best number eight on top form, is hoping he is at the end of a two-year run of injuries.

Neither were part of a World Cup campaign that promised much but couldn’t break new ground. Wales were squeezed out in the semi-finals by eventual champions South Africa, matching their best run at the tournament back in 2011.

Rees-Zammit (right) was one of five uncapped players in Pivac’s 38-man squad

One to watch: Louis Rees-Zammit:The 19-year-old wing has been one of this season’s sensations, scoring 10 tries in 14 games for Gloucester. As the saying goes: If they are good enough…

Curveball:Coach Pivac is looking to box clever by convincing more Welsh-qualified, but English-based, players to commit to the cause. The recruitment of Saracens former England Under-20 centre Nick Tompkins and Wasps lock Will Rowlands shows he is having some success.

Title odds:11-2

England

Jonny May has 27 tries in 52 Test appearances for England

In the wake of the Rugby World Cup final defeat by South Africa in November, Eddie Jones entered, in his words, a “grieving process”.He has since found a new challenge to reignite his passion.

“We want to be remembered as the greatest team that ever played rugby,” he said in typically bold style.

England have some serious questions to answer before they can make any claim to that title.

Watson ruled out of Six Nations opener

Lose in Paris and the World Cup is forgotten – Johnson

Jones warns of World Cup finalists curse

Learn to speak rugby for the Six Nations

Jones’ 34-man squad features eight uncapped players but not a single specialist number eight to fill in for the injured Billy Vunipola.

At nine, Ben Youngs and Willi Heinz, 30 and 33 respectively, have limited shelf life and no clear successors.

And time is ticking on Jones himself, with his contract set to expire in August 2021.

But with Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Tom Curry, Sam Underhill, Jonny May and Anthony Watson all emerging from the World Cup well in credit, there is a confidence that might paper over those cracks.

Thorley was the youngest player to represent Gloucester in the professional era when he made his debut as a 17-year-old

One to watch: Ollie Thorley:Last season’s Premiership young player of the year will have to fight for a spot, but is one of only three specialist wings in the squad and has the talent to take his chance.

Curveball:The Saracens saga.There may not be any ill-feeling from their team-mates, but the Sarries contingent come into the tournament with their club futures uncertain.

Title odds:5-6 Fav

Ireland

Andy Farrell is Ireland’s new coach, Johnny Sexton his new captain

Off the back of a Six Nations Grand Slam and a historic home win over New Zealand, Ireland finished 2018 as the northern hemisphere’s pre-eminent team and the likeliest candidates to succeed the All Blacks as world champions the following year.

Instead that turned out to the high point of coach Joe Schmidt’s reign.

A mediocre Six Nations campaign in 2019 was followed by a meek World Cup quarter-final exit in Japan.

Great Britain rugby league legend Andy Farrell served as an assistant to Schmidt and now succeeds him. He has gone for a similar strategy of evolution, rather than revolution, with his team.

Quiz: Do you know new Ireland head coach Andy Farrell?

Why Sexton’s importance to Ireland is greater than ever

Doris to make Ireland debut in opener against Scotland

Fly-half Johnny Sexton, once the firebrand young gun, now a 34-year-old senior statesman, is captain, with regular half-back side-kick Conor Murray keeping his place under severe pressure from Ulster’s John Cooney.

However 95-cap mainstay Rob Kearney has been left out the squad altogether with the electric Jordan Larmour now undisputed first-choice full-back, while Leinster’s rangy, roaming number eight Caelan Doris will make his debut against Scotland.

Can Farrell’s tweaks restore the team to their 2018 levels?

Such was Ryan’s promise that he made his full Ireland debut before he had been picked for provincial side Leinster

One to watch: James Ryan:Leinster’s flawless second row, still just 23, has long been earmarked as a future Ireland captain. With Rory Best no longer in the pack, he will be called up to take on some of the leadership burden.

Curveball:The tactics. Ireland under Schmidt were ruthless, accurate and drilled to parade-ground standard, rarely deviating from the head coach’s kick-chase script. With former England maverick Mike Catt brought in as an attack coach, might things turn a little more free-form?

Title odds:4-1

Scotland

Russell played in French side Racing 92’s win over Castres at the weekend after walking out of Scotland’s training camp

The build-up to Scotland’s campaign has turned into something akin to an episode of Love Island, dominated by rancour and rumour over the departure of a flamboyant main player.

Finn Russell, Scotland’s mercurial fly-half, is believed to have hit the bar at the team hotel, ignored team-mates’ advice to stop drinking, ignored his alarm clock for training the following morning and then declined to stick about when told he would be dropped for the team’s opener against Ireland on Saturday.

You can’t have different rules for different people – Barclay

‘The team is what counts’ – Townsend on Russell absence

‘Mediator needed for Townsend – Russell rift’

Graham to miss Six Nations opener

Head coach Gregor Townsend insists that their relationship is still sound. Russell’s social media ‘likes’suggest that there might still be some issues to iron out.

Coupled with a knee injury to hot-stepping wing Darcy Graham and the disappointment of a Rugby World Cup campaign that failed to progress beyond the pools, expectations are not high.

However, the return of centre Huw Jones after a loss of form and flanker Hamish Watson after fitness issues are a boost.

And full-back Stuart Hogg, so long the heartbeat of the side and now the captain, sounds determined to drag more from his team-mates.

Ritchie was one of the few bright spots in a dispiriting World Cup campaign for Scotland

One to watch:Jamie Ritchie:The 23-year-old flanker was an age-grade star and is finally getting his run at senior level.

Curveball:The news that Scottish Rugby Union chief executive Mark Dodson was paid £933,000 in the last tax year will not have improved relations between blazers and tracksuits.

Title odds:25-1

Romain Ntamack is one of a clutch of young stars hoping to establish France as genuine World Cup contenders over the next four years

France

France’s squad won’t be measured by where they stand in March. Instead, coach Fabian Galthie has trained his sights very clearly on the 2023 Rugby World Cup, which his nation is hosting.

A 42-man initial squad featured 19 uncapped players and an average age of just 24.

It is not just blind faith in youth though. France’s Under-20s have won back-to-back age-grade world titles. Romain Ntamack, son of former France wing Emile, made the step up to the senior Rugby World Cup side in the wake of winning the first.

Galthie names two uncapped players in France team to face England

Dupont (centre) made his France debut as a 20-year-old in the 2017 Six Nations

One to watch: Antoine Dupont:A relative veteran with 20 caps and 23 years on the clock, the scrum-half is already one of France’s brightest stars.

Curveball:Defence coach Shaun Edwards is a rare foreign appointment to the French coaching staff. Can he whip an erratic, inconsistent France into shape as he battles to get his tongue around the local lingo?

Title odds:11-2

Italy

Franco Smith knows the Italian scene after a six-year spell coaching Treviso

Yet another new head coach is in place. Franco Smith is keeping the seat warm until July, stepping in after Conor O’Shea quit to take up an administrative role with the Rugby Football Union.

The South African is the latest to try to close the gap on the other five nations. Italy have suffered whitewashes in four successive tournaments since they beat Scotland in February 2015, their last Six Nations success.

They will try to improve that record, for the most part, without Sergio Parisse.

The totemic number eight was denied the farewell he expected when Typhoon Hagibis caused the Azzurri’s final Rugby World Cup pool match to be called off. The 36-year-old plans to be involved in at least one of Italy’s home games during the tournament to put the seal on a career that has collected 142 caps.

Media playback is not supported on this device

Wales v Italy: Azzurri flanker Jake Polledri relishes facing land of his grandfather

One to watch: Jake Polledri:Born and brought up in the West Country, the 24-year-old Gloucester flanker qualifies for Italy though his grandmother and will be one of their go-to men in Parisse’s absence.

Curveball:The Italian clubs have promised to give Smith more access and control over his international players. Could that produce a more coherence and consistency?

Title odds:1,000-1

#Players #title

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darkforsythe-blog · 8 years ago

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Tell Me I’m Pretty | One

Prompt: Artist!Reader x Jughead.

Warnings: Angst, bullying, possible mentions of suicide later on. There could be violence and mentions of death, so please, be careful when proceeding to the other parts!

A/N: Hope you like thissss!!!

Song Of The Chapter: Trouble by Cage the Elephant

We were at the table by the window, the view, Casting shadows, the sun was pushing through.

Y/C/H hair pushed to the side, while droopy eyes scanned a sketchbook filled with unfinished works. A golden sun dipping into the horizon provided slivers of lighting through the blinds of the window you sat by. A melted milkshake sat next to the open book, the beverage barely sipped out of as the cherry had sunken to the bottom of the glass at this point. Your mind was wrecked with ideas, so much so that your hand couldn’t even move because you didn’t know what would come out on that paper. Lyrics to a song that nobody wrote? A sketch of the boy you had been admiring from afar as you sat in the comfort of your booth? The essay that your English teacher had assigned during school hours?

You decided to sit back, leaning your head against the booth while a delicate sigh escaped your lips. The atmosphere at this little diner was relaxed and quiet, so your lonely presence wouldn’t be too out of place. Usually, on Friday nights, the people in this small town would much rather gather at the club or go to a high school football game than visit the diner on the corner of a less travelled street downtown. You were thrilled to spend no time around peers that knew of you at school. You had already paid for whatever you ordered, so nobody was waiting for you to leave the booth and make the diner slightly more empty.

Nobody cared to invite you to these social outings, mainly because whenever you were new to the school and people wanted to be your friend, you shut them down. You weren’t too fond of kindling friendships with people who’d be out of your life by the time they broke eighteen. You’d much rather write poetry and sketch the pretty people who made this town just a bit more interesting. Those who flourished in the attention of their close friends and buzzed about on social media. Their existence brought you something new to study, the student body’s lack of morality, and the constant movement, drama, and rivalry between inner circles.

Your thoughts were interrupted by a figure sliding into the seat across from you, your eyes landing on the boy you had been looking at nearly this entire time. Jughead Jones III, a fellow student in your fifth period English class. He sat three seats to your left, and he always managed to catch your eye through quick side glances. His presence, though, caught you off guard. Not once had he spoken a word to you, but he was always enthusiastic when it came to English. A strand of his raven black hair fell over his forehead as he rested both forearms on the table, lacing his fingers together while they interlocked; he looked as if he was about to interrogate you, of course. With Jason Blossom’s murder still being a mystery, everyone had to be questioned in this little town. You hadn’t even thought to speak a word, you were practically stunned by his sudden decision to appear before you.

He had a great group of friends, ones much more popular and had a respectable reputation that was spoken about around the halls. His best friend’s name was Archie Andrews, a talented musician and athlete, who seemingly had better luck with girls and friends, because there was always people surrounding him. Jughead’s friends were practically the core of popularity, a mixture of underclassmen who thrived from the admiration of their fellow classmates. You didn’t despise the group. These were the things that you had paid close attention to, for your life would never be as interesting as theirs, so you vicariously live through what could have been for you, and sketch these scenes out in multiple hardcover books stacked on your desk at home.

His lips curled into a half-smile, “Y/N L/N, right?” Jug reached over to grab a french fry from your untouched basket that you ordered nearly half an hour ago. You raise an eyebrow, his behavior causing you to think he sat across from you as a result of a stupid dare. If you weren’t so terrified of confrontation, you would have swatted his hand away. This was the first time you’d ever been approached by a fellow student and peer in what felt like forever, and your nerves were already being poked at.

“Yeah… Jughead Jones?” You watched as his ocean eyes crinkled when he grinned. He was quite gorgeous, but the way he spoke so carelessly and cockily… You surely questioned his intentions.

“Correct. Now, what’s a girl like you doing here on a Friday night?”

Yeah, this was either a joke to him, or a sick dare. You roll your eyes, closing your sketchbook, “I came here to grab some dinner, which you so rudely interrupted.” With a soft, amused sigh, Jug chuckles.

“I guess, if dinner means old french fries and a completely full milkshake with the whipped cream nearly melting off the sides. All of the food idle and untouched. Don’t deny that you were burying your nose in a book. Oh, and don’t think I didn’t see you staring at me as well.”

You cleared your throat, a rosy tinge burning the apples of your cheeks, “How could you tell? When your friends were here, you didn’t even look my way.” You were right, and as you tilted your head to see that Archie, Betty, and Veronica had left, he rolls his eyes, scoffing at you. Maybe they went to see the second half of the high school football game, maybe they all had to go home, these were the thoughts that plagued your mind instead of what was occurring in real time.

“Because I was staring at you too. You didn’t catch me when you were gazing into that book.”

Spoke a lot of words, I don’t know if I spoke the truth.

“Well I-”

Jug shushed you, leaving you utterly confused as to what could have been the catalyst to spark this interaction from him. “I heard you’re an artist.” His voice was dripping with mere antagonism, but from the other side of the booth, you shrugged it off and nodded, answering him with a quick, “I am.” Your words were small, almost nervous.

“Mind showing me what you’ve been working on?” The false curiosity seething from his pink lips formed a lump in the your throat. You then shook your head, your hand itching to reach for the book that sat in front of you. “If it has something to do with Jason Blossom, I’m not part of it.” You said shakily. Jughead didn’t take no for an answer, and his hand snatched the book away. He was too quick, and you ended up slapping the table with your hand in an attempt to rescue it from his grip.

Without opening the black book, he held it with a tight lipped grin and narrowed eyes. “Why can’t I see? Is the quiet girl scared or something?”

Got so much to lose,

An exasperated huff came before a weak, “Maybe. Hand it over.” And that only fueled Jug’s curiosity to delve further, he wanted to push this girl, get her to talk. Lord only knows why he was causing you this anxiety, maybe it was a silly crush, an immature dare, or just him going out of his way to investigate you for a murder. It was beyond you, and your blood began to boil.

Got so much to prove,

And with that, he opened it up, “Fat chance, Y/N.” His fingers turning the pages to the very first, and you winced, your cheeks no longer holding a rosy blush, but a red hue in embarrassment and sheer anger.You were the topic of conversation at the table with the core four. They always saw you sitting, staring, sketching. That’s all you ever did, so Jug took it upon himself to delve into the rumors that were whispered from one group to another. Harsh, sure. But it’s high school, behavior like this was expected and tolerated by anyone and everyone. His investigative spirit just added to the mess.

God, don’t let me lose my mind.

“Called it.” His eyes never left the pages. The book was dedicated to the groups at Riverdale High, Archie laughing with his friends, Betty and Veronica in their River Vixen uniforms, and Jughead with his crowned beanie. Admittedly, you had talent, a gift for capturing these moments, but his eyes soon widened when he noticed you incorporated yourself into the social scenes. Some small panels where you sat next to Jug on a bench, sketchbook in your lap, his laptop open on his. Some were of you in a pretty prom dress, in a River Vixen uniform, or just sitting with his group of friends.

“Classic stalker. Is this why nobody ever sees you looking up from these damn things?-” A sudden pang of guilt knocked him right in the stomach once he picked up his head to see your doe-eyes glazed over. His smile faded into a look of concern. Clearly he wasn’t thinking, and boy, did he regret it after witnessing the hurt look on your face.

“Please,” You motioned towards him with a shaky hand, asking for the book. Jughead didn’t have the guts to argue, so he handed it over to you, watching as you held it to your chest as if you were protecting a newborn. With a quick motion, you slung your backpack over your shoulder and kept your head down as you rushed out of the diner. This left Jughead with a sinking feeling in his stomach and the realization that he shouldn’t have sparked trouble with you.

And the whole weekend, he was riddled with the idea that he needed to talk to you again to mediate the tension and apologize. Even if you despised him, it was something that he had to do.

#jughead imagines #jughead x reader #jughead jones #jughead imagine #riverdale imagines #riverdale imagine #riverdale #archie andrews #betty cooper #veronica lodge #cheryl blossom #imagines #imagine #jason blossom

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exo-tic-reactions · 8 years ago

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French Hues

Chiara pov

If you had told me I’d be sitting another year at Hogwarts with the most amazing people I’d ever met, not gonna lie I’d probably believe you 100%. If you told me I’d stand up for my friends and speak my mind about an opinion I’d respond with damn straight honey. However if you told me I’d be learning a second language to impress someone, being honest, I’d laugh in your face. Call it rude I call it brutal honestly. That’s the way I am. I am every single one of these things and I’m proud of it. You probably don’t know me well. I’m a tan and independent half blood that has been forced grown up way too quickly. But in a way that has made me the strong half blood I am today. My brown eyes are flecked with gold strength. I’m fluent in roasting people, it’s a talent really. My walls are built high and sturdy. I’m often called sweet and salty by close friends and those are the friends I hold most dear. My wand is a pine, Phoenix feather, underrated yet quite powerful. ➰➰➰ It was late evening and the candlelight flickered throughout the great hall, shining light onto every table exposed to its hyperactive phase. The atmosphere was uplifting and warm like a fireplace and blanketing enveloping each student into its warmth. Gryffindors were conversing loudly as usual, the hufflepuffs were exchanging lovely compliments, even the slytherin were adorning bright smiles teeth and all. My table was no different. We ravenclaw prided ourselves in our intelligence, wit, wisdom, and creativity and sometimes that made us look uptight, which in essence we kinda are…you just have to know how to bring out the mischievous and adventurous sides of the ravenclaw. Tonight was one of those times that all the houses dismissed blood status and built in rivalry from the houses. Tonight was one of the special nights at Hogwarts. Tonight was the sorting ceremony for newly accepted first years and the occasional exchange students. Rebecca and I sat in the middle of the rowdy ravenclaw students, not too far away from the sorting hat, and not too close for the professors to hear our discussions which often included me roasting others and her chastening me. Rebecca like me is a fellow ravenclaw who was sorted the same day as I, as we are both year 6 students. Rebecca and I can be described as fire and ice, yin and yang. To my unruly auburn locks, light brown long locks reach her waist in elegant waves. My brown eyes contrast to her bright blue ones. Her fun loving, sweet personality and love for animals never ceases to amaze me. I’m the typical wizard with a snow owl as my pet of choice. Rebecca however chose a pigmy that incredibly enough, has never been caught and she has the pigmy with her everywhere. My owl and her pigmy like ourselves had become fast friends just like Rebecca and suho, our house prefect. We aren’t that close, but being an aquaitance of suho has its perks. Anyway, the great hall has filled with current students of Hogwarts and now is anxiously waiting for the new blood to arrive. All at once chatter stopped as the doors swung open to reveal the young bloods. The first years were engulfed in a hushed silence as they were seated in front of each of the tables of the four houses they were bound to go into. Professor Hagrid shushed the audience of anticipating children and professor McGonagall stepped up to the podium to begin the sorting ceremony. One by one 11 year olds went up to the hat and were sorted into houses, who erupted into applause welcoming the new serpent or lion into their group. We clapped along with each house as the ceremony dragged on. Nearing an Hour now, I had my head rested on my hand and eyes lightly fluttering as the tiredness washed over my form. Rebecca, bless her heart, gently pulled my head to rest upon her surprisingly comfortable shoulder and I went willingly. Miraculously I was able to rest for who knows how long. Well until a loud thump on the table jolted the sleep away. I jumped, head raising from Rebecca’s shoulder startled. I scanned the table finding the mischievous and amused gaze of Rose staring back at me. She grinned as I slightly glared and then buried my face back into Rebecca’s shoulder to sleep some more. However her giggles made me groan as I slumped forward and slammed my face into the comfort of my arms.

“Yah! Chiara! You can’t possibly be sleeping any longer! You were out for an hour!” Rose teased leaning over and shaking my arm making me scoot just out of reach of her assault. Unfortunately I couldn’t say the same for Rebecca who decided to poke my sides making me squirm and lean away from her too.

“Come on Chiara! You can’t fall back asleep! We’ve made it through the first years now we have the exchange students! Just a few more hours come on you can do it.” Rebecca’s gently voice broke through my arm barrier making me peek at her.

“A few hours? How bout no?” I muttered into the sleeve of my robe.

“A few hours isn’t bad.” Rose butted in.

“Yes it is.” I stubbornly replied not looks up knowing I’d give in to them.

A sigh escaped Rebecca’s lips. “Okay an hour?”

Before I could reply rose’s scoff cut me off. “Only an hour? No she has to stay for at least 2. Come in Rebecca be realistic.”

This time Rebecca scoffed. “Rose, she won’t stay that long. Don’t lie to yourself and think you could actually get her to stay that long.”

“But it has to be longer than an hour! We need to socialize.” Rose retaliated.

“How bout this, Chiara you stay for 1.5 hours and we can socialize and eat and then you can go to sleep after that.”

Rose and I blinked at Rebecca before I sighed and nodded immediately regretting giving in. Rose gawked at the latter in disbelief.

“Close your mouth Rose. Don’t want you to catch flies.” Rebecca teased as she turned toward the front where the next girl about 5'4 with copper hair sat under the scrutinizing gaze of students and at the mercy of the hat. That hat began to mumble nonsense and Rose began mimicking the hat’s blabber making Rebecca snicker quite loudly gaining attention from the gryffindor table. I caught eyes with a certain mr. popular and quidditch loving chaser Kai. He waved to me not at all embarrassed for being caught for staring at the blue eyed girl next to me. I smiled back and waved before turning back to the front, but not before nudging Rebecca seeing the red hue appear on her cheeks as she waved to Kai who in return winked at her causing the once red hue to become a scarlet blush. I snickered as she elbowed me before turning to hide her red cheeks from the tan male who’s smirk widened at the obvious color on her cheeks. I scanned the exchange students pondering which house they’d be in and Rose immediately caught on and joined in on the game. Rebecca blatantly stayed facing forward to avoid looking at the general direction of Gryffindor where the exchange students stood behind.

“He’s going to be a Hufflepuff watch.” I stated confident in my analyzing ability.

“Nah I think he’s going to be slytherin.” Rose contrasted. I gave her a look that clearly stated I was right and she wasn’t. She rolled her eyes as we both watched as the boy was sorted into slytherin much to my dismay. Rose grinned triumphantly.

“I get to pick next.” This went on for the next five or so students leaving us at an even score of guessing correctly.

“Gryffindor for her definitely.” Rose said as I scanned the line looking a little further down catching eyes in a hypnotic trance. Rich mocha entranced my own brown irises as the boy stared blankly before breaking out into a cute Cheshire like grin.

“Yah are you even listening to me?” Rose elbowed me snapping me out of his hypnotic gaze.

“What?” I said slightly dazed. Rose rolled her eyes. “Well maybe if you weren’t checking out that exchange student you’d know that I called that one girl would be Gryffindor oh look at that I was right.” Rose said sarcastically as said girl was seated at the gryffindor table being welcomed happily.

I rolled my eyes. “That doesn’t count Rose. It’s my turn.” Is stated turning to see the boy that I had a staring contest with strut up to the podium with elegance I’d never seen. The room fell into a hush as the sorting hat sat and considered its options.

“Hmm smart, clever, cunning, yet mischievous. Jongdae Kim born pure blood and part veela interesting. Where to place you?” The hat pondered.

Rebecca leaned over finally joining in in the conversation. “If he’s sorted into ravenclaw I dare you to talk to him.”

Rose grinned. “Now we’re talking. Since you so blatantly ignored me in favor of staring at him, if he’s sorted into slytherin you have to flirt with him.” I scoffed at the statement and waved it off.

“Oh please rose. You both will be wrong. He’s gonna be sorted into Gryffindor and when he is sorted into Gryffindor you will both treat me to the three broomsticks.” I bargained pleased with my vote.

The two girls looked at each other before shaking on it and facing the front again to await the Hat’s results.

“Clever big who enjoys studying and being mischievous. I think you would fit perfectly into RAVENCLAW!”

No. Way.

Rose and I gawked as Rebecca cheered loudly along with the rest of our table. “Ha! You have to go talk to him!”

Rose got over her loss and pouted in her seat. “Oh man I wanted you to flirt with him. I mean you did enough with your eyes already.” She was back to teasing making me roll my eyes.

“Let the feats begin!” McGonagall announced making more cheers erupt.

I reached forward and grabbed a roll and then shoved it into Rose’s mouth effectively shutting her up making Rebecca burst into laughter at Rose’s expression of shock.

She glared at me but didn’t say anything more as we began to fill our plates with food for for a king.

After dinner I leaned against Rebecca whining about how full I was. Rebecca was quick to agree as we both stared at the complexity of Rose as she shoved another mouthful of potatoes into her mouth.

“How the-” Rebecca whispered staring at Rose.

“Where do you put it? Like damn I’ve never seen you inhale so many potatoes in your life.” I chimed in making her stick her tongue out at us and proceed to dip her roll into the potatoes.

“-and this is my good friend Rebecca and her friends Chiara and Rose.” The voice of the Ravenclaw prefect interrupted us as we turned around to greet him and the boy…what was his name?

“Hello! Nice to meet you as Suho said I’m Rebecca and the one stuffing her face is Rose and this one is Chiara and she’s single.” Rebecca greeted the boy with a million watt smile.

“Jongdae Kim. But you can call me Chen, it’s what my friends call me. Nice to meet you Rebecca.” They shook hands before he greeted Rose and finally locked me in his gaze for the second time that evening. I was shocked to hear a French accent ring out along with the smoothness of the words.

“Chiara right? I’m Chen its lovely to meet you.” He grinned the Cheshire smile reaching his hand out fir a handshake. I retaliated the same action and instead of shaking my hand he brought it up to his lips and placed a delicate kiss to the skin. I blushed lightly as he released my hand grinning at me.

“It’s lovely to meet you too Chen. Are you French by chance?” I questioned changing the awkwardness to another subject.

He looked slightly surprised but quickly composed himself. “As a matter of fact I am. I attended the Beauxbatons school of magic in France. How did you know?” He questioned sitting down next to me.

“The accent is quite obvious but it’s interesting to hear. It suits you.” I grinned back at him.

“Your pretty observant Chiara. And you have a good sense of humor. I might just have to take you up on the single offer.” He teased making me blush as he smirked at the hue covering my cheeks before standing back up next to Suho.

“Well it was lovely to meet you ladies. I’m sure we will get along just perfectly.” Chen grinned winking at me before taking his leave to greet the other Ravenclaw students.

➰➰➰

Hey everyone here’s the first Harry Potter au scenario! I randomized the order and Chen was first so I hope you enjoy the first scenario especially you Chiara! This is one of many scenarios so please give this series lots of love and support! Thanks for all the patience and support you’ve all been giving to me! Shoutout to Giselle for the help you’ve been giving me with ideas! The next scenarios should be posted soon so please anticipate it! Thanks lovelies!

~Allie

#admin allie #kpop scenarios #exo au #chen #kpop au #exo harry potter #kim jongdae #chen scenario

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willswalkabout · 8 years ago

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Hanoi, Hue, Hoi An

I had one night in my own room in Bangkok. Once again in Bangkok, Arsenal were playing at 2 in the morning. Luckily this time I woke up to find we’d managed to beat a non-league team on a dodgy pitch escaping with only 1 injury.

I flew the next morning to Hanoi. Having felt like I’d spent too much on taxis in Bangkok, I launched a new plan to avoid taking a solo taxi at all costs. In general while traveling I’ve left couples alone unless they join a larger group. However while approaching the taxi stand I heard an English accent and practically threw myself at one. I knew all the hostels in Hanoi are within a couple of blocks, and it indeed turned out that the guy was from Manchester and was only a 10 minute walk from my place. The walk saved me £10 as the taxi was split between 3. My first night in Hanoi involved going out for some food with 3 dutch backpackers. I had a fun conversation with Elsa, the girl in the trio, about the trials and tribulations of a long distance relationship. Characterised by very fuzzy Skype conversations and the occasional drunk text, where the receiver is either eating lunch, or already in the next morning. We also went to see a film, even writing this now I’m struggling to remember the name, I’ll have to look it up when I get internet (writing from seat 17F on 20:50 Da Nang - Ho Chi Minh flight). The film was awful and 3 of the 4 of us fell asleep a good hour before the end. The next day I met Harry, a Kiwi who was at the end of spending a couple of months in South East Asia as a way of breaking up his move from NZ to London. I spent the day wandering around Hanoi’s French Quarter, though this exploration was delayed by Air Asia letting me know that morning that they’d moved my flight to the Philippines 8 hours later, something that was going to cause me major issues, and led to some infuriating use of their “web chat unsupportive service”. Hanoi gets mixed reviews from travellers which I personally don’t understand. There’s lots to do, it’s incredibly cheap, people are friendly and it feels very European due to the French architecture and street layout. I went out that night with Harry to ‘beer corner’. It was classic Vietnamese organised chaos. Thousands of little stools and tables, shared by travellers and locals, as beers are served at 50p each, by someone that claims to own your stool.

The next morning I had coffee and visited a market with Harry. I’ve got to say it was the first point that I’ve really missed London, as I enthusiastically reeled off all the places he should go as he frantically took notes. I wasn’t feeling great that afternoon, but it was a pleasant surprise to return to my dorm and find that my roommates were now 5 Norwegian girls, who in turn created the nicest aroma I’ve ever experienced in a hostel room. I can only put it down to an apparent desire to keep themselves and their clothes clean on a routine basis. A characteristic very few other backpackers appear to possess. Some, who proudly tell you they’ve worn “this vest for 6 days straight now”, in one of the world’s most humid countries…

That evening I only ventured out to Hanoi’s 5* Intercontinental hotel, as they had one of the best viewpoints over Hanoi’s west lake. The same beer I’d been drinking the night before was a horrific £2.80, but one was worth it for the view. Walking back I saw a bar on the other side of the street which has the PS3 emblem on the outside. On entering they had 4 TVs set up with people playing FIFA 17. It was an opportunity I could not miss. I spent the next 2 hours playing FIFA with 4 Vietnamese guys who were evidently confused as to how I found the place, and who could speak very little English. Not that this stopped them from producing a pronunciation perfect cry of the Swedish striker Ibrahimovic, as he scored a last minute winner.

The next morning I was picked up for my Ha Long Bay tour at 8am. I had booked for 2 days 1 night, sleeping on the boat. The 4 hour drive was one of the worst I’ve experienced. With no leg room on the small and crammed minibus, rough roads, and a driver who seemed intent on using the drive to practice his overtaking before an upcoming F1 fixture, it felt far longer. The bay itself is breathtaking. For that reason I was glad I hadn’t paid more for any added extras/experiences, because for the bottom rate you see what you came to see in all its grandeur and mystique. We visited a cave before kayaking on the first day. That evening I played cards with my roommates, a woman from Azerbaijan (but living in Bow, London), and a woman from Argentina. I also met my first, and to this point only gap year students. Another 2 Norwegians, though due to their schooling system they were 19 and 20. After sleeping with probably the greatest view I’ve ever had from a bed, the next day involved a trip to a particular rock where they’ve built a viewpoint and artificial beach. I was somewhat oddly the only member of the 15 person group who fancied a swim. It was indeed fairly cold outside but the water was a perfectly tolerable temperature. On exiting the water I discovered that quite a decent crowd had formed, to observe this strange white man swimming In the sea in February. It was as I dried myself that this one gentleman pictured above, chose to thrust his phone in my face for a selfie. My only rule when it comes to this situation is to demand one in return, and it may well be one of my favourite photos of the travels so far. I got back to Hanoi late afternoon and was pretty tired, so other than enjoying the well written about ‘Bahn Mi 25’ experience, I retired to reorganise for the flight to Hue the next day. I was fortunate enough to overhear 3 of my Norwegian friends from a couple of nights previous, booking their taxi, and so I got in on that deal, once again saving me a fair bit.

I arrived in Hue in the rain, and made it to my oddly Wild West hostel. It was however one of the nicest beds I’ve had so far. The evening continued with me getting an Indian with 2 Irish guys and a Bristolian. It was actually quite an upmarket restaurant we found with the £8 cost being the most I’d spent on a single meal since Hong Kong. The food was great, and it was fun discussing the Arsenal, Manchester United rivalry with some passionate fans. They also shared my desire to find a pub that would show the England vs Italy 6 Nations fixture. It was a bizarre fixture to watch. If you watched the game you’ll understand that trying to work out Italy’s ruck tactics was hard enough for the players and the pundits, let alone us watching in a noisy bar with no commentary. The same evening I found out that it was meant to rain all day the next day, scuppering my plans to scooter the 5 hour journey to Hoi An. Luckily the company I had organised the rental with were happy to use my deposit to book me the bus to Hoi An, which was about $7.

The next day I got the incredibly comfortable sleeper bus, (though taken in the morning), to Hoi An. 3 rows of double decked 80% reclinable beds, allowing 40 or so passengers to travel in unrivalled comfort. On arrival in Hoi An I went straight to a tailor that had been recommended to me by my Dutch friend in Hanoi. There in ensued 3 extremely stressful hours. Getting my full navy cashmere suit made, took up about 25 minutes of that period. The rest was spent trying to convey what Ellen and Kate wanted made, with the help of measurements they’d sent me and pictures of the items. I would have found this easy if I hadn’t then been asked a multitude of questions I had no clue how to answer. How long does she want the skirt? What kind of fabric does she want? Does she want this double hem? Which pattern is best? I was feeling the pressure enormously, however to be fair to the girls they were both pretty on hand on whatsapp at what was about 8am GMT, to firmly bat away my futile suggestions, and I hope get what they wanted. The items are now in the post back home, except for one loose cotton shirt I got made, and should make it home in about 3 weeks.

I explored the old town a bit before embarking on a street food tour organised by the hostel, spending my time primarily with 2 woman from Finland and New York. Janelle from NY was so staggered at my age, she then made it her mission for the evening to prove that her guess of 26 was not crazy. To be fair to her the exhaustive surveying gave an outcome of 25.1, which I didn’t really know what to think of.

My second day in Hoi An involved a cycle to the beach which was nice, followed by picking up the clothes, 22 hours after order. They did fit incredibly well, but by the time I’d reviewed each item, tried on mine, and negotiated the postage cost, it was worth returning to the hostel where they were doing a 'free beer’ night. I went out that evening with 3 girls and one guy from California. Hoi An has an odd nightlife scene. There are a multitude of almost identical bars where you can drink fairly cheaply if you go at the right time, befriend the Kiwi rep that walks around shouting their name, and negotiate a bit. Then at 1230 they all close, and everyone moves to the one bar in town that’s open till 5, and inevitably is the most expensive. It was regardless good fun but something I realised I was quite tired off by the next evening (Wednesday).

Nothing however was going to take away from Wednesday being one of the best days so far, due to my final attempt at riding the Hai Van Pass, most famously featured on Top Gear’s Vietnam special, and described by Clarkson as 'One of the greatest coast roads in the world’. Once again the clearly confused Hoi An weather forecasters predicted torrential rains and it was dry all day. It took about an hour to get to the start of the pass, and then began dozens of hairpins, chicanes, and 6km of wide, open, and practically empty sea view. I was in awe, and it was one of those moments that for me helped to justify the entire venture. After taking a sufficient number of photos (many) and falling in love with my bike, which with its Arsenal sticker was christened 'Thierry’, I drove back extremely pleased with the endeavour. I also got some pretty good footage of the ride by attaching a GoPro to my helmet and chest at different times.

I went out with a solely English crew that night. I’d like to say that although I obviously have no issue with English company, it did feel kind of boring discussing bits of London and A Levels. I have just found it much more fun discussing the drinking laws / politics / nightlife / education system of Finland, America, Azerbaijan or Australia over the past few days. I spent most of my time with Calum, who had recently graduated from a school in North Carolina, and whom I felt was equally bored by my harmless compatriots.

Today was a very relaxing day where I only ventured out for Pho (Vietnamese noodle broth), and otherwise caught up on some stuff, knowing that my hostel in Ho Chi Minh is quite lively. I’m actually now standing at the luggage carousel which is taking an age. I’m quite confused as to how it’s reached 1045pm, and I left my hostel at 6pm for a 1 hour 10 domestic flight. I’m sorry again this is quite a long one, but splitting it up felt like more effort. I may have landed in Sydney next time.

#travel #vietnam

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qiuyehui-blog · 7 years ago

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Yet it didn’t seem like fun as well as games to G2

“Everything on stage had been just fun as well as games, ” k0nfig tweeted following North’s 3-1 loss in order to G2 in the shining. Yet it didn’t seem like fun as well as games to G2. “We don’t like each other. We think they are way too cocky, ” G2’s Dan "apEX" Madesclaire said in an interview with Slingshot Esports. ApEX also made a comparison between SK’s humility as well as North’s arrogance, talking highly of SK’s ambitions and behaviour in relation to North's cockiness. G2 even wanted to call a “tactical” timeout at shining point on Inferno to “make them feel really bad”, but they didn’t since it would’ve been something which North would fatigue that situation. To the north has also been notorious with regard to attempting risky however disrespectful kills as well as shooting bodies-especially recently. Most notably, k0nfig knifed GODSENT’s Andreas "znajder" Lindberg in a team stage match in the ELEAGUE Major in January, and he obtained a lot of flak from his team as well as from the community for this.

In the case of the G2 versus North match, k0nfig was the main of the problem once more. With these pieces of context in mind, k0nfig set himself and his team up for community contempt comparable to Fnatic of 2015. Fnatic’s two-major win streak in 2015 forced Counter-Strike fans into rooting for whoever Fnatic played at the time. Buy All CSGO Skins The actual Swedish team’s contact form at the time felt seemingly unstoppable to the point which they could create cocky highlight reels but still pull off comeback is victorious. Instead of being cheered against for being as well good, North are now being vilified for being as well arrogant. The biggest distinction between present-day To the north and 2015 Fnatic was that Fnatic could back up their own banter and trash talk with tournament is victorious. Fnatic won two majors in a row plus many other smaller sized tournaments. K0nfig as well as co. can only present several early playoff exits in 2017 and a runner-up name from the Pro Group Finals.

K0nfig’s efforts at creating rivalry narratives seems to be a bit more than what this individual and his Danish alternatives can handle. North lack the mental fortitude and talent ability to reach such heights. “We probably inside the stop the badinage, persiflage since it seems to be wrecking us every time all of us do it, ” said Phillip Rasmussen, town manager for To the north. K0nfig may be able to display some bite driving his bark along with top frags, impressive stats, and easy clutches, but he as well as North need substantial results that prove their spot because “best in the world. "Astralis, FaZe, and SK will need to have an in-game “talk” with To the north at the Krakow Main about that statement. To the north sent Liquid house packing in front of the house crowd, and they will compete against the French “super team” in the great finale of ESL Pro League Time of year 5 Finals. Buy the Cheapest CSGO Skins Liquid foolishly chose Nuke as their map pick, a map that clearly played into the strengths from the Danes, while To the north selected Mirage because their own. Inferno had been left over from the map veto process. An ideal opening pistol round from North gave the Danes a lot room to work with on the Counter-Terrorist side. These people absolutely demolished Liquid in the first 1 / 2, stopping just about any tried Terrorist strategy in their tracks www.csgo4skin.com .

#Buy the Cheapest CSGO Skins

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footyplusau · 8 years ago

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Where some traditions mean nothing, brave new world starts now for AFL

The Australian Football League picked its most famous foes to boot it into a brave new world.

Collingwood and Carlton, as a fixture for the first women’s game for AFL premiership points, seemed as appropriate a combination as toast and tea.

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Super Bowl by the numbers

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Previous slide Next slide

Explainer: Women’s AFL

The inaugural women’s AFL competition kicks off in February. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the first bounce.

Super Bowl by the numbers

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Super Bowl by the numbers

It’s one of the biggest sporting events of the year and one of the most watched around the world, so here’s the Super Bowl explained in numbers.

Is this the greatest catch in cricket history?

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Is this the greatest catch in cricket …

Is this the greatest catch in cricket history?

15 years ago today, Mayu Pasupati pulled in an unfathomably brilliant catch at the Basin Reserve, etching his name into New Zealand cricket folklore.

Lovett pleads guilty to cocaine charge

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Lovett pleads guilty to cocaine charge

The NRL West Tigers’ player has escaped conviction after pleading guilty to a cocaine possession charge. Vision: Channel Nine

Barba makes shock switch to rugby

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Barba makes shock switch to rugby

NRL star Ben Barba has signed a deal with French rugby powerhouse Toulon until the end of the season. Vision courtesy Seven Network.

Trent Sainsbury joins Inter Milan

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Trent Sainsbury joins Inter Milan

Socceroos defender Trent Sainsbury has completed a dream move from the Chinese Super League to Italian giants Inter Milan until the end of the 2016/17 season.

Plays of the Week

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Plays of the Week

Big alley-oops, tennis fairytales and some epic finishes slide in for this week’s biggest plays from the sporting world.

Australia fall short despite incredible 146 run Stoinis comeback

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Australia fall short despite incredible …

Australia fall short despite incredible 146 run Stoinis comeback

After a horrible collapse by Australia an amazing century from Marcus Stoinis set up a dramatic finish at Eden Park.

Explainer: Women’s AFL

The inaugural women’s AFL competition kicks off in February. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the first bounce.

Relocating the game from Collingwood’s modern multimillion-dollar base to Carlton’s old Royal Parade home, where paint flakes from worn grandstands, only seemed to steep the imminent historic event in more history.

The truth, however, is that rivalries and traditions long established in the AFL and erstwhile Victorian Football League mean next to nothing this Friday night.

AFLW, that’s AFL Women’s for anyone who has been under a rock, is a whole new ball game. Right down to the customised Sherrin – smaller than those used in elite men’s AFL – that will be kicked, marked and handballed by 44 female pioneers in an unprecedented contest that will commence, untraditionally, with an umpire throwing a footy skyward rather than a bounce into the turf.

Among the best current female players of Australian rules footy, Katie Brennan and Daisy Pearce, now Western Bulldogs and Melbourne captains respectively, know the nuances and history of the game better than most.

Both admitted in the countdown to the AFLW premiere that a Carlton-Collingwood billing hasn’t exactly filled them with romance.

“I don’t think any rivalries really exist for us at this stage,” Brennan said.

Opposing captains Steph Chiocci of the Magpies and Lauren Arnell of the Blues. Photo: Joe Armao

“Even though there will be a little bit between Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs who pioneered through the women’s AFL exhibition games, the teams are now completely different.”

Pearce concurred.

“The two [Carlton, Collingwood women’s] teams haven’t played yet,” she said.

“I think the rivalries will be formed as the season plays out. And they might not even form necessarily. It just depends on how games are played out. You can’t force these things.”

Collingwood women’s team captain Steph Chiocci is one of a handful of players taking to field on Friday with lived Blues-Magpies rivalry in her veins. But influenced by a passionate Carlton-following father she grew up a diehard fan of the navy Blue.

In guard of honour formation for his daughter and her black and white-clad teammates, Rob Chiocci will stand proudly on Princes Park before the new league opener. But AFLW has forced a diametric split of his footy allegiances.

“We’ve converted Dad to Collingwood women’s team, but at the moment that’s all he’s progressed to,” AFL captain Chiocci said in the countdown.

“He has bought himself a Collingwood polo and mum’s bought herself a t-shirt. I’m very much aware of the rivalry but now I have to look at it through another lens I suppose.”

The selected teams for the first game of the new AFLW season.

A lifelong Collingwood fan now living childhood dreams as a bona fide Magpies player at age 35, Meg Hutchins’ AFL supporter heart will be ecstatically aligned with her AFLW reality.

Collingwood’s Penny Cula-Reid and Carlton’s Bianca Jakobsson, Katie Loynes and Kate Shierlaw are others, while Lauren Brazzale and Madeline Keryk are in the same boat as Chiocci as former fans of the club they oppose in AFLW clash one.

“My late grandfather was Collingwood and at Christmas time he used to say only Collingwood supporters can sit at the dinner table. But my grandmother is a one-eyed Blues fan!” Hutchins recalled this week.

The AFL, in awarding eight of its established men’s clubs licences to field women’s teams in 2017, has also given girls and women licence to win true legend status in the Australia’s richest and most dominant sports code. AFL legend status is won, with rare exception, through on-field exploits seen at the highest level.

Women may have assembled to play Australian rules for more than 100 years, but until now their competitions have been under-funded, under-supported and largely overlooked. It goes a long way to explaining why there are just two female members of the AFL’s venerated life membership club and that both Sam Mostyn and the late Jill Lindsay were recognised for administration.

Since becoming AFL CEO almost three years ago, Gillon McLachlan’s understanding of how profound this move to genuinely support female footballers is has clearly deepened.

For so long the AFL mouthed good intentions on a topic that was simply not prioritised. Crudely, it was not seen as a business winner then. Now it is being realised as a business goldmine. Recently retired AFL Commissioner Mostyn, the league’s tireless female football development manager Jan Cooper, and McLachlan have been key in driving the change.

An AFL who’s-who juggled coffee in #aflwomens branded takeaway cups, frozen yoghurt and bottled kale juice as McLachlan officially launched AFLW in a chic North Melbourne warehouse this week.

McLachlan playfully referred to the setting as “hipster-ville” but had a serious message too.

“This group of women players will create their own game,” he said.

“It will be football as we’ve always known it … but it will also be very different.”

After committing upwards of $10 million to establish and develop AFLW, the AFL chief was inviting women to stand up and own it. He should have no fears; they are ready and willing.

HISTORY MAKING

First games for VFL premiership points (played by men): Four games at same time, 8/5/1897, Geelong v Essendon, South Melbourne v Melbourne, Collingwood v St Kilda and Fitzroy v Carlton.

First recorded Collingwood-Carlton match: Round 7, 1897, Collingwood 6.5 (41) d Carlton 5.5 (35), 22/06/1897, Princes Park

Carlton Football Club: established in 1864, 153 years old, 154th season in 2017.

Collingwood Football Club: celebrating 125th year in 2017 after establishment in 1892.

First recorded Australian rules footy game played by women: Records on the early history of women’s football is very difficult to find. Games were played in Western Australia in 1918 but details are scarce.

Records of previous women’s games between Collingwood and Carlton sides: AFL has no official records but doesn’t mean it hasn’t happened.

First AFL Women’s league match for premiership points: Carlton v Collingwood, Princes Park, Friday February 3, 2017.

The post Where some traditions mean nothing, brave new world starts now for AFL appeared first on Footy Plus.

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