#her response was 'no that would be lying'

[woozinhos]

HI BABY I LOVED THE KID ASKING MINGYU FOR ANOTHER SIBLING

can u do the same req but w Joshua😭 I feel like that’s so him coded🩷💘💐

Notes: guys this fic slaps love it oh ma gawdddd I feel like I’m getting better at writing hehe

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.

It was a sunny afternoon, and you were lounging on the couch with Joshua when your daughter, Emily, came running up to you. She had a determined look on her face, and you could tell that she wanted something.

"Mommy, Daddy," she said, climbing onto the couch and snuggling between the two of you. "Can I ask you something?" You exchanged a glance with Joshua before nodding. "Of course, sweetheart," you said. "What is it?" Emily looked up at you with her big, innocent eyes. "I want a baby brother or sister," she said bluntly. "I'm tired of being an only child."

You and Joshua were both taken aback by her request. You hadn't expected her to ask for a sibling so soon. Joshua cleared his throat and spoke up. "Emily, having a baby is a big responsibility," he said gently. "And it's not something we can just decide on a whim." Emily pouted, clearly not satisfied with his answer. "But I want one now," she insisted. "All my friends have siblings and they're always playing together."

You could see that she was getting frustrated, and you knew you had to handle this delicately. You took Emily's hand in yours and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "I understand that you want a sibling," you said. "But having a baby takes a lot of planning and preparation. It's not just about wanting one, it's about being able to take care of them." Joshua nodded in agreement. "Your mommy is right," he said. "But we'll talk about it, okay? Maybe we can have a family meeting later and discuss it more."

Emily seemed satisfied with that answer and snuggled closer to you, resting her head on your lap. You stroked her hair gently, feeling a mixture of emotions swirling inside you. Joshua leaned in and whispered in your ear. "She's getting so big," he said. "I can't believe she's already asking for a sibling." You nodded, a small smile playing on your lips. "I know," you whispered back. "It feels like just yesterday she was a little baby."

Emily looked up at you again, a mischievous glint in her eye. "Can I have a baby brother?" she asked. "I want a little brother to play with." Joshua laughed and ruffled her hair. "We'll see, sweetheart," he said. "But for now, let's focus on being the best big sister you can be." You felt a pang of guilt as you looked at Joshua. You knew that having another child would mean more responsibilities, but you also knew how much Emily wanted it.

"Hey," Joshua said, noticing your expression. "Don't worry about it too much. We'll figure it out together." You nodded again, feeling grateful for his support. "I know we will," you said, leaning in to kiss him.

Emily made a face at the display of affection, clearly not interested in seeing her parents kiss. "Eww, gross," she said, covering her eyes. You and Joshua laughed and pulled away from each other, your attention returning to Emily. "Alright, enough about siblings," you said. "What do you want to do today?" Emily thought for a moment before grinning. "Can we go to the park?" she asked. "I want to play on the swings!"

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･°❀⋆.

You and Joshua were lying in bed, the room dimly lit by the moonlight filtering through the curtains. Emily was fast asleep in her room, leaving the two of you alone. Joshua turned to you, a sly smile on his face. "So," he said, tracing patterns on your arm. "About what Emily asked us earlier..."

You groaned and buried your face in the pillow. "Don't remind me," you mumbled. "I can't stop thinking about it." Joshua chuckled and pulled you closer to him, his chest pressed against your back. "It's okay," he said, his breath hot against your ear. "I've been thinking about it too." He began to kiss your neck, his lips leaving a trail of soft kisses down to your shoulder. You shivered at his touch, feeling a familiar heat starting to build inside you.

"We could start practicing," he whispered, his hand sliding up your thigh. "You know, just in case." You bit your lip, trying to hold back a moan as his hand continued to move higher. "You're insatiable," you said, arching your back against him. Joshua chuckled again, his fingers now tracing the waistband of your pajamas. "Only for you," he replied, his voice huskier than before.

He nipped at your earlobe, his teeth grazing the sensitive skin. "Come on, baby," he whispered. "Let me take care of you." You turned around to face him, your eyes dark with desire. "Okay," you said, your voice barely above a whisper. Joshua claimed your lips in a heated kiss, his tongue delving into your mouth as he pushed you onto your back. He settled between your legs, his body pressing you into the mattress.

His hands roamed over your body, exploring every inch of you as if he hadn't touched you in ages. You moaned into the kiss, your hands gripping his shoulders tightly. Joshua broke the kiss and began to kiss his way down your neck, leaving a trail of hickeys in his wake. He continued down to your collarbone, his tongue tracing the line of your bra.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured against your skin. "So perfect." He reached behind you and unhooked your bra, tossing it aside and exposing your breasts to him. He immediately took one of them in his mouth, sucking and biting gently. You gasped and arched your back, your fingers tangling in his hair as he continued to lavish attention on your breasts. He moved to the other one, giving it the same treatment, before making his way down to your stomach. He hooked his fingers into the waistband of your pajamas and slowly began to pull them down, revealing your lace panties.

"These are new," he said, a smirk on his face. "Did you wear them for me?" You blushed and nodded, feeling a mix of embarrassment and excitement. "Yes," you admitted, your voice breathy. Joshua groaned and leaned down to kiss your stomach. "You're trying to drive me crazy, aren't you?" he asked, his lips brushing against your skin. He hooked his fingers into the waistband of your panties as well and pulled them down, tossing them aside with your bra. He spread your legs apart and settled between them, his eyes roaming over your naked body.

"You're so wet for me," he said, his voice filled with desire. You felt yourself getting even wetter under his gaze, your body aching for his touch. "Please, Joshua," you begged, unable to form any coherent sentences.

He chuckled and leaned down to press a kiss to your inner thigh. "Patience, baby," he said, his breath hot against your skin. "I want to take my time with you." He began to kiss and nibble on your thighs, purposely avoiding the one place you wanted him the most. You whimpered and tried to squirm away from him, but he held you down firmly.

"Be a good girl and stay still," he said, his tone commanding. You bit your lip and nodded, trying your best to keep still despite the growing frustration building inside you. Joshua continued to tease you, leaving love bites all over your thighs and hip bones.

He finally reached your core, his hot breath ghosting over your sensitive skin. "You're dripping," he said, his voice filled with awe. "I love how responsive you are to me." You let out a loud moan as his tongue makes contact with your clit, only to have it ripped away as he pulls back. You looked at him with pleading eyes, your body trembling with need.

"Please don't stop," you whimpered. "I need you." Joshua smirked and leaned back down, his tongue flicking out to tease your clit again. "I love it when you beg," he said, before diving in and sucking on your clit.

You cried out in pleasure, your hands gripping the sheets tightly as he ate you out. He sucked and licked at your clit with fervor, his fingers digging into your thighs to keep you in place. He inserted two fingers into your wet pussy, curling them upwards to hit your g-spot. You moaned loudly, your hips bucking against his face as he continued to work you with his tongue and fingers.

"You taste so good," he groaned, his voice muffled against your pussy. "I could do this all night." You felt yourself getting closer and closer to the edge, your orgasm building with each thrust of his fingers and each flick of his tongue. You knew you weren't going to last much longer.

"Joshua, I'm gonna cum," you panted, your body tensing up in anticipation. He hummed in response, the vibrations sending shivers down your spine. "Cum for me, baby," he said, his fingers pumping in and out of you faster. "I want to taste you when you come." With a few more flicks of his tongue and curls of his fingers, you came undone, your body convulsing as waves of pleasure washed over you. You cried out his name, your back arching off the bed as you rode out your orgasm. Joshua continued to lap up your juices, his fingers slowing down as you came down from your high. He finally pulled away and looked up at you, a satisfied grin on his face.

"You're so beautiful when you cum," he said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. You lay there, panting and spent, as Joshua moved up to kiss you deeply. You could taste yourself on his lips, and it only made you more aroused. He broke the kiss and nuzzled your neck, his hand gently stroking your side. "I'm not done with you yet," he whispered in your ear. You watched as he removed his boxers, revealing his rock-hard cock. You bit your lip, feeling a mix of nervousness and excitement.

He positioned himself between your legs again, his tip pressing against your entrance. "Are you ready for me?" he asked, his eyes dark with desire. You nodded, your heart racing in your chest. "Yes, please," you said, your voice barely above a whisper. Joshua slowly pushed into you, groaning at the feeling of your tight walls surrounding him. He gave you a moment to adjust before he started to move, his thrusts slow and deliberate at first.

"You're so tight," he grunted, his hands gripping your hips tightly. "You feel so good around me." You wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him closer to you as he began to pick up the pace. He leaned down to kiss you again, his tongue exploring your mouth hungrily. He angled his hips slightly, hitting your g-spot with every thrust. You moaned into his mouth, your nails digging into his back as pleasure coursed through your body.

"I love being inside you," he whispered against your lips. "You're mine, Y/N. Only mine." You nodded again, completely lost in the pleasure he was giving you. "Yes, I'm yours," you panted, your words interrupted by moans and gasps. He started to thrust faster, his hips snapping against yours with a bruising force. The sound of skin slapping against skin filled the room, along with your moans and his grunts.

"Say my name," he demanded, his voice low and rough. "I want to hear you scream my name as you cum again."

"J-Joshua!" you cried out, your nails raking down his back as you felt another orgasm building up. "I'm close, please don't stop!" He grunted in response, his thrusts becoming even more erratic as he neared his own release. "I won't stop until you're a complete mess," he growled, his fingers digging into your hips hard enough to leave bruises.

With a few more powerful thrusts, you came undone again, your body trembling uncontrollably as you screamed his name. Your walls clenched tightly around his cock, sending him over the edge as well. He buried his face in your neck, biting down on your shoulder as he came inside you, his hot seed filling you up. He rode out his orgasm, his hips still moving against yours as he pumped you full of his cum. You both collapsed onto the bed, sweaty and exhausted. Joshua rolled off of you, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath.

He pulled you into his arms, holding you close as he placed gentle kisses on your forehead and cheeks. "You did so good, baby," he said, his voice soft and gentle. "You took me so well." You snuggled into his chest, feeling completely satisfied and happy. "I love you, Josh," you mumbled, nuzzling your face against his skin. He smiled and kissed the top of your head. "I love you too, Y/N," he replied, his hand stroking your hair. "More than anything in the world."

You were about to say something when you suddenly felt a wave of exhaustion wash over you. You yawned and snuggled closer to him, too tired to form any coherent sentences. Joshua chuckled and held you tighter. "Looks like someone needs to get some sleep," he teased, amused by your tired state. Joshua smirked and ran his fingers through your hair, enjoying the way you were cuddling up to him.

"You're so cute when you're tired," he said, his voice filled with affection. "I guess I did dick you down pretty good, huh?"

[weirdgenetic-fuckup]

Current James seducing a younger+naive reader? Lying to her that he’ll pull out but instead filling her up? Of course after a few months she ends up pregnant and she’s scared but that was his plan all along?

A/n: I wrote a good chunk of this story and then my computer glitched and I FUCKING LOST IT I'm losing my mind :D

Warnings: smut, daddy kink, size kink, belly bulge, age gap, breeding kink, mirror sex, dubious consent, if you think I missed anything let me know otherwise enjoy!

You were part of the crew for the 72 Seasons tour, mostly just running errands for the rest of the crew but occasionally you'd get jobs straight from the band.

James saw you around and thought you were cute, young and innocent, perfect for him, so he made it his mission to talk to you as much as possible; at the airport, on bus rides, backstage, wherever he could find you.

This continued after the tour, he got your number and used it regularly to see how you were doing, inviting you over for dinners, cooking and cleaning while he was on call with you.

It was on one of your dinners that he planned to finish what he'd started.

"Sorry for the late notice, I wasn't planning on dinner." He said to you over the phone, leaning back into the seat of his car as he drove up the highway on one of his drives. "I just had a bad day, you know? Dealing with Lars... I just want to see you, sweetheart." He said, knowing the petname made your knees weak.

"I'll be there soon, Jamie, just let me get ready." You responded, already closing the app you were ordering dinner from.

"I'm sure you'll look pretty no matter what you've got on." He said, grin widening. "Especially if you've got nothing on." Your brain short-circuited at that and he laughed at your silence. "I'll get dinner started before you get here." He ended the call with a dorky kiss, something you were used to from him.

It was late, which was exactly what he wanted. There wasn't a practice, no plans for a new album, there was nothing. James spent all day at home just waiting for the perfect chance to talk to you.

Everything went as usual, you talked and laughed and ate and when it was time to clean the dishes James acted like he hadn't even considered how late it would be when it was time for you to head home.

"Why don't you just stay here?" He offered. "It's too late to drive, just stay the night."

You thought it over in your head, it was late, you didn't feel like driving. You took James up on his offer and let him lead you through the maze of a house he had to a room once you were done with the dishes.

He'd given you a tour of his house before but it was huge and you always got lost, the only rooms you knew were the kitchen, the bathroom nearest to it, and the living room, though you didn't spend much time there. You didn't think twice when James showed you to his room, you didn't know it was his.

The door closed behind him and his lips were on yours in an instant, hands roaming your body, mentally mapping out every curve of your figure while pulling you out of your clothes until you were left in just your underwear in front of him.

He tugged at the lacey band of your panties. "Who were you wearing these for, sweetheart?" He let go of the strap and it snapped back to your skin, making you jump. "Just wanted to feel pretty under your clothes?"

You bit your lip as he spoke to you, looking down at you with a dark lust swirling in his eyes.

Without a response he led you further into the room. You stood in front of the mirrored closet doors, saw how James towered over you, how his hands held your hips. "I'm gonna ruin you, sweetheart." He leaned down, lips caressing the shell of your ear as he whispered. "And you're gonna watch, and you're gonna love every fucking second of it, isn't that right?"

You nodded, thighs pressing together. "Yes, Jamie, of-of course." He chuckled at your eagerness, the shine in your eyes evident.

"Keep that energy, sweetheart, and I'll give you anything you want." He said as he pulled his shirt over his head. You'd seen him shirtless before, he often showed you his tattoos and muscles, he liked showing off and you indulged his habits.

His jeans followed shortly afterwards and his boxers didn't stay for long. He was eager to be inside you.

He pushed his hard cock against your ass, calloused hands on your waist. "Take them off for me." He said, looking over you in the mirror.

You reached behind your back and unclipped your bra, letting the straps fall limply off your shoulders and to the ground before pushing your panties down to your ankles and kicking them off, leaving you just as naked as he was.

His arms wrapped around you, holding you tight to him. One arm went over your chest while the other went to your stomach, hand moving lower and his fingers slipped between your folds.

James groaned, feeling how wet you were already. He slipped a finger into you with ease. You gasped as he did so, back arching. "Oh, you're naughty." He said, danger in his voice. "Already played with yourself earlier, didn't you?" You swallowed thickly and gave a small nod. "Just couldn't wait, could you?"

You shook your head. "I-I'm sorry, Jamie, every-every time I come over I have to." You looked at him through the mirror, a pout tugging at your lips as you did. "I just think about you and I-I can't help myself." You rambled, thighs pressing together again around his hand.

"Got yourself all prepped for daddy." He mused, kissing your cheek and moving down to your neck. "Such a good little thing." He pulled his finger out of you and brought his hand to his cock, giving it a few good pumps. "Just stay pretty for daddy while he fucks you, yeah?" You nodded eagerly, pushing your hips back on him.

James pushed his tip through your folds, gathering your wetness before pushing into you and bottoming out with one thrust. You moaned loudly, knees buckling at the stretch but James held you up right.

He brought his hand back to your hip, holding you in place while he gave you time to adjust. "Fuck, you're so tight." He groaned, looking over you in the mirror again, the slight bulge that formed in your stomach from his cock.

He pulled back only to slam back into you, drawing another moan from you. His eyes never left the bump in your gut, watching it come and go with every thrust. His hold on your hips tightened as his thrusts got faster and harsher, all to see you come undone at his hands.

"That's it, sweetheart, don't take your eyes off the mirror." He cooed, resting his chin on your shoulder, guiding your gaze to the mirror in front of you so you could see the way your body jolted with every buck of his hips, the way your face morphed in pleasure. "Such a perfect little thing for daddy." He mused.

You were clenching around his pulsing cock, aching for release. A realization dawned on you and your eyes widened. "Condom!" You said, grabbing at his arm over your chest. "We-we need a-agh, oh god, a-a condom."

James huffed, irritation slipping into his mind at your worry. "Don't worry about that, just relax." He said, lips going back to your neck.

"Jamie, we-we need a condom, what if-!"

"I'll pull out, alright?" He bit, turning your head with his hand so he could shut you up with a kiss. His other hand, the one on your hip, went back to your cunt, this time to rub your clit and snap the knot building in your gut.

You'd been waiting for James since the start of the tour, when he first talked to you. He was much older, you figured it would never happen, he saw you as a daughter that's why he called you sweetheart, why he always tried to cook for you and take care of you, why he wanted you close. That's what you told yourself, there was no way he was into you, it was all in your head.

He was buried deep inside you, groans becoming more frequent as he neared his own high while you rode out your own around his cock. Your eyes were glazed over, lips parted in a soft 'oh', you'd have no idea if he came inside you now.

He buried his face in the crook of your neck as he came, abdomen tightening with the last few thrusts to push his seed deep in you.

He turned you around, pushing right back into you the second he could to keep his cum in you to marinate. James carried you to the bathroom and set you down on the counter, your legs wrapped around his hips as he used a cloth to wipe you down, using warm water to clean the thin layer of sweat off your body.

It was late, you were tired, your body was tired, you fell asleep in his arms with his cock in you before he even finished cleaning up. It was perfect in his mind, he could carry you to bed and let you fall asleep on of him without worrying about you trying to get off him.

You stuck with him for a while after that, finally getting the relationship you wanted. James let you keep some things at his place, you weren't spending much time at your apartment anymore anyway so most of your clothes ended up there, not that you wore them in the house, usually opting for James's clothes.

James was sitting in bed, going through something on his phone when you hesitantly came out of the bathroom and crawled in next to him.

He wrapped his arm around you and pulled you tighter to his side. "What is it?" He asked, a smile already forming on his face. He knew what you were going to tell him.

Your hand trembled as you handed him a positive pregnancy test.

[katyaromanoffpetrova]

A deceitful Valentine's

It's Valentine's Day and Natasha is on a mission. Katya won't let the day pass by without seeing her.

• Natasha Romanoff x Fem!OC (Katya Petrova) • Wordcount: 1.9k • Warnings: sexual talk (they're horny lesbians) •A/N: not proofread because it's 1AM and i'm tired :) Masterlist

Do not repost my work as your own or translate my work!!

''No, I'm not helping you so you can fuck each other's brains out in a hotel room. Or whatever it is that you lesbians do.''

''Wow,'' Katya breathed, an amused smile lingering on her lips as she watched her appalled friend shake his head. ''I thought you were a romantic.''

''Me?'' Clint scoffed, shuffling through the papers on his messy desk. He hadn't been able to look at her since she asked her question, a red tint on his cheeks. Obviously, it made him uncomfortable. Katya loved making men uncomfortable. ''Valentine's Day is a ridiculous product of capitalism, created to make us spend more money on things we don't need.''

Katya hummed knowingly, placing her hands on his desk. ''Is that why you bought Laura that perfume she's been obsessed with for months? And, oh, what is this?'' With a smirk, she plucked a Valentine's card from underneath a stack of papers on his desk. 

Swift like a cobra, Clint snatched it from her hand before she could open it. His cheeks burned as he stashed the red and pink paper deep in a desk drawer, slamming it shut loudly. ''You Russian dickheads need to stay out of my business,'' he grumbled. Natasha had been sitting next to him when he ordered that perfume, and while he thought he'd been sneaky, obviously she saw. And then told Katya.

The brunette had to fight off a malicious laugh, in the depths of her element. ''Hm… Natalia will be thrilled to hear about that card.'' She tilted her head, pursing her lips as she pretended to think hard. ''What did it read on the front, again? 'A man like me has a lot to be thankful for'?'' 

''Okay, okay!'' Clint looked like he was about to scream in frustration, slamming the papers in his hands down. He knew she was completely serious in her threats—she would tell Natasha. But Katya could keep a secret if he helped her out. ''Fine, I'll help with your plan.'' He pointed a warning finger at her. ''But if I face serious consequences because I tempered with an agent's mission, it's your responsibility.''

''Absolutely.'' Katya nodded sternly, her eyebrows knitted together. ''I'll tell them I blackmailed you with a Valentine's Day card.''

Spotting the amused glint in her eyes, Clint shook his head with exasperation. One of these days, either Katya or Natasha was going to cause him a mental breakdown because they were just so good at emotional manipulation. ''You need serious help,'' he muttered, grabbing his laptop.

~~~~

The hotel bar wasn't too busy. Most people were still enjoying their late dinner or were spending the evening with their lover, holed up in a bedroom. Natasha had seen enough of them today; couples. It's the one day of the year where people suddenly seem to remember to show affection to their partners. Dinners, movies, gifts—they were all talking about the same things, all day.

She didn't really care about Valentine's Day as a holiday. Sure, she and Katya bought a little something for each other, and tried to do something together if they got the chance to—not including the evening sex, of course—but she did it because it made Katya happy. Natasha was a moreso a believer of showing her appreciation all year 'round. Leaving a sweet note, taking her out for dinner, planning a movie night with snacks, running Katya a bath, giving her a massage. 

But Natasha would be lying if she said that she didn't miss her a little more today. This mission had been dragging on for three weeks. And while she had hoped to be home tonight, she was sitting in a five star hotel's fancy bar, all dressed up, sipping on her Dirty Martini, because Clint had given her new intel. Seducing a man, of all things, when she had a sexy, attractive woman waiting for her at home, must be the universe's type of karma. 

Lazily, she stirred her drink, seeing the bartender move around in her peripheral vision. The stools beside her were empty, the atmosphere calm; soft, classical music playing in the background. It was boring. Clint didn't say what time her target's ''business associate'' would arrive. She could be sitting there for hours. Her mind wasn't as focused as it should be, her thoughts drifting away from her.

It took her a moment too long to realize that somebody was sitting down on her left, gracefully settling down on the high stool with a quiet rustle. There was a flash of red silk, and then a whiff of a deep, sensual perfume. 

Natasha stiffened, her body already knowing what her mind didn't want to believe yet. Slowly, from the corner of her eye, she looked her neighbor up and down, her gaze lingering on their chest and exposed neck. It was the most elegant, exquisite picture she'd ever seen, the red silk dress draping around her figure like liquid. Most of her back was exposed, a decent amount of cleavage showing while the fabric ran all the way to her ankles in loose waves, accentuating the curves Natasha could draw with her eyes closed. 

This was the type of woman men used to go to war for.

Natasha's heart started to race in her chest. "Fuck," she muttered under her breath as she averted her eyes forward again, fighting to keep her cool. Preferably, she'd rip that dress off her body right here, right now, but she had a mission to run. Although she was starting to get an inkling that she might have been misled. "You're not supposed to be here."

"Would you like something to drink, ma'am?" The bartender had materialized in front of them.

Katya smiled charmingly and placed her clutch on the bar. "A Vodka-Martini, please."

''Coming right up.''

Natasha followed the man with her eyes as he walked off to make her order. Next to her, Katya casually touched up her lipstick. Fuck, it was her favorite. "I'm assuming there's no "business associate" I'm meeting tonight?"

"I thought you'd rather have me instead,'' Katya said, tapping at her lip with her ring finger. Her complete lack of fucks given about interrupting her mission and using Clint to lure her here with a lie was both annoying and amusing. Natasha wanted to be more pissed, but in reality, she was really happy to see her.

"You're not wrong, but I am supposed to be on duty around the clock."

"Screw the mission,'' Katya declared, tossing her lipstick and mirror back in her clutch before turning to face her girlfriend. She tilted her head, a smile on her perfectly kissable lips. ''It's Valentine's Day. We're not supposed to be apart."

Part of Natasha's brain wasn't working correctly. Katya's alluring appearance had hypnotized her. She wasn't sure if she wanted to sculpt her beauty into marble for all eternity to see, or worship her body all night until it was covered in drops of sweat. "So you sabotaged my mission because you missed me too much?" She smirked, finally giving in and turning her body in Katya's direction.

The brunette shrugged, something mischievous flashing across her face. "Maybe I'm just incredibly horny."

Caught off guard by her bold statement, Natasha nearly lost her composure. "Are you?" She mused, ignoring the twitch low in her stomach.

Instead of answering, Katya smirked confidently. "Are you?"

"Definitely." She couldn't lie—or joke—about the impact Katya had on her, her teasing demeanor fading into an intense, lustful one as she took the time to take in Katya's appearance once more. "You look fucking incredible," she muttered, noting how Katya shifted on her stool at the desire in her voice.

In that dress, she was an expensive, rich wine from France and Natasha was the alcoholic who hadn't had a drop in three weeks. It took every ounce of self-control to stay seated. Her throat was dry, her hands were itching. 

Reluctantly tearing her gaze away, Natasha reached for her drink and took a big sip. It didn't fix her burning throat, but the sensation brought her back to Earth. "Maybe I should leave more often so you can interrupt my missions looking like this," she joked.

Katya chuckled, slowly circling the rim of her Martini glass with her finger. "Or, you can take me out to dinner sometime, give me a reason to dress up." Her gaze met Natasha's. "Maybe to one of those posh restaurants where I would actually have to wear underwear to."

Natasha's fingers tightened around her glass, her wide eyes flickering to Katya's hips. "Baby…" Katya had prepared for this night to end one way, and with how she was working her up, Natasha knew it was going to be good. She smiled to herself, excitement flooding her veins. "I'm gonna buy Clint such a big bottle of Vodka when I get back."

"I don't think he's gonna be able to look at us for a while. It's pretty obvious what I was planning when I asked him to help us meet up. At night. In a hotel."

"Oh, yeah?" Natasha smirked.

Katya raised an eyebrow. "If I'm still able to walk out of here by myself tomorrow, I'm gonna make you pay for this dress."

Natasha chuckled, reaching out and slowly trailing her fingertips up Katya's arm. They left a trail of goosebumps in their wake. "How about this: I ruin your pretty makeup, your ability to walk, and I pay for the dress?"

"That better be a promise." Katya's lips held a daring smirk, her body still as Natasha's fingers had reached her collarbone. "My mascara is waterproof."

"Do you doubt me?" Natasha asked, her hand ghosting over Katya's throat. A shiver ran through the brunette's body as her pupils dilated. 

"I know you like to talk big."

Natasha pulled her hand away to place it over her heart. "Katariina, you're breaking my heart."

"I didn't know you had one to break," Katya mused.

"It's a little messed up, but it's yours."

Between all the flirting and sexual tension, this half-hearted, soft joke came out of nowhere. Katya had to take a second to switch around. "Where did you learn to sweet-talk like that?''

Natasha shrugged, turning away to take another sip of her drink. ''A place where I met this girl.''

Katya's smile turned knowingly, warmth swirling in her chest. She loved it whenever Natasha spoke about falling in love with her. ''There's always a girl."

''This one was special. She cared. And nobody had ever cared about me." Their eyes met. Natasha's started to sparkle with a amusement. "Oh, and she had the most beautiful blue eyes.''

Katya fought the urge to roll them. ''She sounds nice.''

''She's more than just nice." Placing a hand on her thigh, Natasha leaned in more with every word, until their faces were only inches apart. Her breath fanned over Katya's chin. "She's brave, and kind, and stunning, and so incredibly smart…''

A low hum fell from Katya's lips, her gaze flickering from the redhead's mouth to her eyes. Her heart raced in her chest. ''You're trying to get in my pants.''

''I thought you weren't wearing any.''

Katya smiled amusedly, her thigh tensing up when Natasha's hand started to creep higher. This was exactly how she hoped this night would go. ''So, how did things end with that girl?''

Her breath hitched when she caught the look on Natasha's face. So lustful. If all of that was going to be released tonight, then her girlfriend would for sure make good on her promise. 

Katya's stomach swirled heavy with anticipation as Natasha brought her mouth to her ear. ''With her underneath me, naked, in a hotel room, her pretty dress on the floor, screaming my name as I make her cum for the sixth time in one night.''

And then they have bed-breaking, wall-shaking, earth-shattering sex

A/N: Please consider reblogging if you liked this fic. It really helps me :)

[morality-or-chains]

Yes, he's still caught on the peas and being told they're a candy he doesn't even like makes him glare daggers in Josiah's direction. He might take even more offense, if it were not for the fact without him Bryce is certain he would still be lying on that dock or wandering off in the woods looking for fucking Alice.

So he holds the scathing comment if only barely between his tongue and teeth and only glares in response to that. Instead he looks over at Chatty as she shifts to pay him more attention, but she doesn't speak. He wonders if she can anymore, if she'll turn ghost like and vanish in a blink. He's set upon by how much he doesn't want her to go. Bryce meets her eye lifting a playful brow and she lifts one back to mimic him, "I know she's not here. She'd be fascinated with you if she were."

It occurs to him then who she might first think Josiah was, Tweedle one or two. He snorts at the thought, reaching up to poke her nose, she draws back with a silent laugh. "I miss her, so she can stay long as she likes." He breathes, before turning his gaze back to Josiah, "Least I can offer her after subjecting her to that shit show."

eyes rolled before bryce had even finished speaking - even if they did linger a moment after, watching his floating hand with a bt of curiosity. he knew better than to ask. there were some trippy ass visuals that followed the high, lingering like little demons. or, at least, that's how it had been all the times josiah had been under divinity's influence. he'd rather not know. " are you seriously still going to be a brat about the fucking peas? " after all this? the stubbornness was certainly admirable. josiah shrugged, polishing off his drink && stretching with a disgruntled sigh. " you were pissing me off, usually i try a little harder on the creative front. "

even for him, peas were... well, about as basic, and silly, as his work could get. it was a spur of the moment thing; maybe, he'd wanted to punish the attitude bryce had spouted. it hadn't become cute yet. maybe it still hadn't, not entirely, hovered somewhere between almost endearing and downright, blood boiling irritating. " just pretend they're m&ms. " he laughed then, amused by his own tasteless joke at bryce's expense, and let his eyes fall to the tv for a moment. he didn't look at the other, didn't watch his reaction, when he muttered - " you're sitting next to air right now, by the way. it's just us here. " but it was... odd, the way bryce didn't seem to fear his visions anymore. josiah had never found a friend in the haunting horror of his mind on divinity. " you're kind of freaking me out. "

[thymejot]

Having just rewatched AAA, it's really interesting how much of a walking raw nerve Agatha is after episode 5.

She aggressively pushes everyone away with her words, verbally attacking every vulnerability she spots.

She went from this

To a hissing, spitting kitten, who claws at everything and anyone who gets close.

Seeing her abusive mother reverts her back to the witch on the run, her against the world.

Having Billy accuse her of lying, of being the villain she is, of stone cold murdering Alice intentionally, sets her off in the worst way.

It's that same old story, getting told you are evil, worthless, a born monster, often enough, and you start falling into the pattern of behaviour you are accused of.

Why would they call me a monster, a liar, unless it was true.

Which is ironic because Agatha has probably been her most honest and least monstrous in her interactions with Billy.

She tells him the witches road isn't real, she tells him she didn't intentionally kill Alice, she tells him he has nothing to be ashamed of for surviving. Yet he calls her a liar throws each truth back in her face, twisted into a lie, until she just gives up.

Look at her, all defensive, showing Billy the monster he expects to see. Back in that survival mode to protect herself.

I imagine if she hadn't had her mother thrown at her for her trial, the outcome of this story would be very different.

She wouldn't have had her confrontation with Rio, wouldn't have pushed and pushed until Rio gave her the ultimatum.

The irony is that Agatha treated Rio the same way Evanora treated her. She lashes out, heaping all her loss, her guilt, her grief onto Rio making it her fault, her responsibility. The same way Evanora places all her own self-loathing onto Agatha.

If she had time to process things, hadn'thad her own deamons come back to haunt her, there could have been compromise, and the thinnest sliver of a chance at a reunion between her and Rio.

Agatha is a creature forged in neglect, in rejection, in the scorn of her community. She is a scrappy little survivor, the monster everyone believes her to be, a scared little girl uncertain as to why her mother hates her so.

It's what makes her such a rich character because, given the right circumstances, she could be so much more.

[cloudykyu]

⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪mark lee, ever the stickler, has set himself a list of rules to follow until he obtains his degree and he’s had no problem sticking to it. but alas, rules are meant to be broken and mark isn’t as disciplined as he prides himself in being. especially when you smile at him like that.

pairing: student!mark x fem!reader genre: college au, fluff, very light angst, kinda slice of life, strangers to lovers word count: 11k hehe warnings: swearing, not proofread, mark is a little insufferable, reader is referred to as she/her, small food mention, they kiss but its nothing spicy, reader cries but its nothing too angsty, i'm projecting my feelings for mark here, i wrote this in 5 days

mani's notes: thank you @1ntaks for beta reading and encouraging mark delulu hours. you'll be the witness at our wedding

Ah, yes. The university library where it reeks of dread and stale paper. You thought you were the only idiot who would step foot in this place on a Friday, but you’re quickly surprised by the lack of empty tables on all three floors. Shouldn’t these people be at home preparing for the absolute ragers someone must have planned for the night? Nerds. 

You’re about to call it quits and kiss your research paper goodbye until you spot him. On the very top floor of this god forsaken library, sits a boy at one of the tables near the window. Black framed glasses are perched on his nose bridge and his equally black hair sticking up in all sorts of places. Notebooks, textbooks, and loose papers lay spread across the table as the boy goes to absolute town on writing whatever he’s working on on a piece of paper. You know that face. Of course you know that face – it’s fucking Mark Lee. 

Well, you kinda know him through the giggles and whispers that bubble up from others as they spot him on campus. He’s a total hit with the babes, but you’ve never seen Mark react to any of it. The boy is always power walking to his next destination with his lips pursed and dumb, wired earphones in. Even when someone shouts his name, loud enough to pierce through whatever song he had blasted, he’ll just look up at the source and give a nod. Never one to stop and chit-chat. Pretty interesting guy, you think. 

Knowing all this, you can tell just exactly how focused he is and start to feel bad for what you’re about to do, but he’s the only one with a table to himself, meaning he’s got extra space. “Hey,” you start off once you’re close enough. The boy's head snaps up quickly to the sound, eyes widening at the intruder (you). “I’m sorry to bother you, but you’re the only one with space at a table right now… Is it okay if I sit here with you?”

He looks around, scanning his surroundings to find that you weren’t lying. Groups of 3-4 students were huddled at each table, leaving him all alone at a place meant to seat five. “Oh, uh…” he mumbles, moving his things to create some space for you. “Sure, no problem.” 

You smile at him in thanks, pulling out a chair and taking a seat diagonal to him. He’s quick to go back to whatever he was doing, looking back down at his notes and continuing to write. “I’m Y/N,” you introduce yourself, unzipping your bag to pull out your own notes. He tries his absolute best to hold back a groan, but he just lost his whole flow so he has no choice but to deadpan back at you. 

“Mark” he states simply and you’re still beaming at him despite the sour look on his face. 

The loud sound of your laptop turning on causes his eye to twitch, but you pay no mind. “Thanks for letting me sit here, Mark! I promise I won’t bother you too much.” Mark gives you nothing but a grimace in response, hoping you stick to your word. He was just on a roll before you arrived, nearly ripping his pen through his notebook paper with how intensely he was writing and now he feels like he has to take 20 deep breaths before getting back into it. And surely enough, he does.

Only a handful of minutes go by before he starts to catch your movements out of the corner of his eye. You really haven’t said a word to him, but you’re the type of student who’ll work for maybe 15 minutes, then take an even longer break. He wants to bang his head against the wall everytime you begin to fidget with your phone or click your pen over and over, or lean back in your chair and sigh, but he doesn’t. Even if Mark has a whole system for studying and you just ruined it, he’s not a bitch! 

It’s not until your 3rd break in the hour do you speak up. “I’ll be right back,” you tell him. Moving to stand up, Mark's eyes follow your movements. “Don’t move!” 

Tell that to yourself, he wants to reply. Instead, he opts for a nod of the head and an “okay.” Taking it as a sign, Mark gets back to work quickly. If he’s lucky, he’ll get through at least three modules before you come back and disturb the peace again. Now, that’s a little mean. You’re not even doing that much to bother him, but remember Mark Lee’s got his own system and rules to follow in order to keep himself on track. He’s so self-disciplined that it’s never failed him and he’d like to keep it that way, even if today kind of threw a wrench in his plans. Mark is normally always studying alone with no one even daring to approach him. His own friends are always welcomed, of course, but they never last long at Mark’s table with the way he stares them down whenever they start non-academic discussions. He doesn’t mind, though. Actually, he likes the fact that his friends respect him and his ways enough to know their limits. 

He doesn’t hear you come back, until you slide a pack of crackers towards him. You say nothing as you move the snack across the table, giving him a sweet smile that he just can’t return. “There’s no eating in the library, Y/N.” 

“So,” you shrug, plopping back into your seat. “No offense Mark, but you’re telling me you won’t break the rules for some ol’ processed fuel for the brain?” The crinkling sound of the package opening causes Mark’s eyes to blow wide once again. He turns his head fast to look around, making sure that no one bears witness to you munching on a contraband that could lead him to getting kicked out. Or worse – BANNED. 

“There’s rules for a reason,” he chides at you, whispering so others don’t hear you breaking the law. 

You roll your eyes at how frigid he’s being and turn back to your essay in front of you. The snack was just what you needed to go on. “Whatever, but I’m just saying” you wave a hand at the boy. “I spent a dollar fifty on you because I heard your stomach screaming from across the table.” Mark’s mouth opens to counter your remark, but is silenced by the rumbling feeling in his stomach. You heard it too, of course. Having heard it the whole time you’ve been sat here. 

The way his body has betrayed him leaves Mark no choice but to silently open the snack under the table. Out of the corner of your eye, you catch him looking around frantically before shoving a cracker in his mouth. 

Mark Lee’s guide to being better than everyone: rule #4 I know you’re a broke college student, but stay away from processed food as much as you can. 

You run into Mark again a few times after that day in the library. Just in passing on campus and at the coffee shop nearby, but there was never enough time for you to have a chat with him. Whenever you lock eyes with the dark haired boy, you give him your best smile and a big wave hello. Mark returns every single greeting with his own tight lipped smile and a raise of a hand before quickly looking away and continuing his business. A few passerby’s give you two a look, because no way Mark Lee just acknowledged someone. The reality is that Mark thinks you’re causing a scene with the way you’re obnoxiously waving at him and he just wants you to stop. You were hoping to see him again with enough time to actually talk to the guy. The only interaction you have with him can’t be him scolding you for buying him a snack and eating it in the library. 

That moment finally comes when you spot Mark sitting right in the middle of the quad. He’s sat criss crossed on the grass, posture straight as he stares ahead almost as if he’s meditating in the middle of campus? What an odd dude. 

You make your way over to him anyway, deciding that he needs a buddy to meditate with. “Hi Mark,” you greet, sitting cross legged next to him. He barely moves to see who has infiltrated his space, knowing only one person who’d do such a thing. “How’s it going?”

“It’s going alright,” Mark lets out a long sigh, rubbing a hand over his face. Everything he had been trying to let go in the middle of this field starts to bubble up in a rant and it catches you off guard with the way this is the most you’ve ever heard Mark speak, but you listen intently anyway. “I swear, I swear! I packed my bag the night before like I always do, but when I got to my first class I couldn’t find my damn highlighters anywhere! Like who the freak forgets a whole 10 pack of mildliner highlighters?” You can’t help the grin that forms on your face as the boy continues to ramble on and on, some you can’t even make out because he’s drifting off to mumble to himself under his breath. “And it’s not like I could go back home to get them either, like I’m the idiot who decided to live off campus so I have like NO TIME to go and get them. I just had to sit in 3 back to back classes with no highlighters.” 

Mark Lee’s guide to being better than everyone: rule #6 make sure everything you need for the next day is packed the night before.

Mark could have gone and gotten them during this break of his, but he felt so utterly defeated. And when Mark feels like this, he just doesn’t know what to do with himself other than sit someplace and stare – which is exactly what he was doing before you showed up. “I just can’t continue my day like this,” he sighs dramatically. “But I have 2 more classes before I can call it a day.” 

He’s so weird and so dramatic for no reason. But you decide to put him out of his misery anyway, given recent events you just had (your last class). “Mildliner you say?” you hint, pulling out a yellow and a green highlighter from your pocket before handing it out to him. “It’s not a whole 10 pack, but it’s something to talk you off the ledge.” 

You watch as Mark eyes fleet between the pens in your hands and your face with a confused, yet suspicious look on his face. “I can’t take these from you. Don’t you have classes, too?” 

“Nope! I’m done for the day,” you shake your head, happily. “And they’re not mine, either. I found them on an empty desk in my last lecture so I just took them.” Mark continues to stare, deadpanning at you just like he did in the library a week before. 

“First you eat in the library when you’re not supposed to,” he counts his fingers, scoffing. “Then you take someone’s highlighters? So you’re a criminal…” 

It’s your turn to scoff, shoving the pens in the breast pocket of Mark’s jacket with a frown on your face. “I didn’t steal anything because nobody was there, Mark! Imagine how lonely they felt just being left there?!” 

Mark can’t help the way the corners of his lip turn up at the sight of you pouting and spewing ridiculous nonsense about inanimate objects, but still points a finger at you. “I’ve had two whole conversations with you starting now and both times it’s you convincing me that rules don’t exist.” 

“That’s not how you say ‘thank you’, Mark Lee,” swatting his finger out of your face, you cross your arms over your chest and cock an eyebrow. 

“I’m not thanking a thief,” he tsks, then lets out a light breath. “But considering how you saved those two lonely pens, thank you.” The small smile on the boy's face is enough to have you gushing. Standing up from your spot on the grass, you brush off any remnants from your pants and stick out a hand for him to take. 

“Come on, get up” you smile at him. He takes your hand in his and you help to lift him off the ground with a groan, to which Mark scowls at. “When’s your next class? I’ll walk you!” 

Checking the time on his watch, he informs you that his next class is pretty soon and you give him a tug to start moving. “Why are you gonna walk me? You don’t have to.” 

You ignore him and he seems to be ignoring himself too with the way he’s following at your side. He rolls his head back to loosen his neck and shoves his hands in his jacket pockets as he walks with you. “Because that’s what friends are for, Mark!” you sing. “I don’t just give away free pens or spend a dollar fifty on vending machine crackers for just anyone, you know.” 

“One, they’re not yours” he corrects, giving you a side eye. “Two, I never asked you to feed me. And three, no offense, but we don’t even know each other.” 

“Hmm, true!” you hum in agreement, turning to look at his side profile. He turns his head slightly to look at you too and he can’t help but feel a little scared with the way a fire burns behind your eyes. “But I would like to get to know you more! You seem like a cool guy with your head screwed on kinda straight and I like how you’re always so focused. I need more hardworking friends like you.” 

Seeing his lecture building come into view, Mark lets out a little sigh of relief. This moment is about to get awkward and he’s thankful that he’s reached the end of your walk together. “Look, Y/N” he starts, and if he wasn’t such a Leo – so headstrong, the way you’re looking at him with hope filled eyes and chest swelled with pride almost had the words die in his throat. “I-I don’t know if you know this about me, but I’m really trying hard to work towards graduation.” 

“Oh, I know” you cut him off. The interruption stops him for a little, giving you a look before continuing on. 

“And while you seem like a nice girl, I don’t have time for a relationship right now.” 

Tilting you head to the side a little, you wear a confused smile on your face. “I’m not looking to date you either, Mark. I just wanna be your friend.” He shuffles on his feet slightly in front of you, adjusting the straps of his backpack higher on his shoulders. 

“I’m sorry, but the friends I have now are good enough for me” he gives you a smile, an awkward one that lets you know that he just wants this conversation to be over. “I barely have time to see them and when I do, they already keep me on my toes as it is.” 

“Oh…” With the way Mark is fidgeting in front of you, looking around at literally anything but you, you decide to let the protests die down. “Okay, Mark. I’m sorry if I stepped over a line.” You give Mark your best smile, like you always do, and gesture for him to enter his lecture building. “But thank you for letting me walk you. I won’t bother you anymore.” 

“Thank you, Y/N” he replies, looking down at his feet before walking into the building.

Settling in his unassigned, assigned seat at the front of the lecture hall, Mark plucks the two highlighters you had given him earlier out of his jacket pocket and places them gently on his desk. It definitely isn’t his 10 pack, but it’s the most at peace he’s felt all day. Mark is brought back to that day in the library. Those same words, “I won’t bother you” that you had promised to him, only for you to in fact, bother him. He has a feeling that it will happen again, but can’t dwell on it for long because he’s picturing him leaving you there by yourself as you wave goodbye to him. Not above and in the air like you had done before in passing, but a small, almost shy one with a meek expression on your face. 

He decides not to think about it. 

Mark hasn’t seen you in four days. 

It really doesn’t bother him, like, it really doesn’t even if he’s been going about his days wondering if you’ll greet him as you always do from across the way. He just REALLY needs to return the highlighters to you as he’s been reunited with his full 10 pack ever since that day, swearing to never forget them again. 

Okay, honestly, Mark thinks he was really mean to you after you walked him to class and he wants to say sorry. Also, thanks to Chenle who scolded the boy after he spilled his guts to his friend about his day with a sour look on his face. 

“She bought you a snack, gave you highlighters for free, and walked you to class and you don’t even wanna be her friend?!” he had shrieked, standing to his full height with hands on his hips. “You are SO rude, I can’t even – who raised you?!” 

Safe to say that Mark’s day did not get better after that, walking around with a permanent pout on his face as he thought about it. If he were to be so real right now, Mark would actually be the first one to spot you before you see him. After that first day in the library, for some reason, whenever he’d lift his gaze from the ground in front of him, they’d automatically zero in on your form. Those bright eyes weren’t hard to miss at all. Anyways, you had always been by yourself during those times. I mean, who would wanna be around someone who talks to the birds with a serious look on her face? Whether you were sitting somewhere in silence, staring off into space, or standing a full five minutes in front of the coffee shop menu in deep contemplation before pulling out your phone to ask Siri to flip a coin before you ordered, you were alone. 

Mark was weird, but so were you. Not that he cared as a very self aware man. He knew he had odd tendencies, he knew he could be difficult to talk to or be around, but it was all the more special when someone took the time to actually try. Might as well be weird together, right? As desperate as he was to find you, he wasn’t going to try that hard. You’ll pop up eventually. But by the fourth day, Mark had started to grow agitated. Eyes flicking around the campus a lot more than usual and taking different routes to his classes in hopes of spotting you, only to fail. Until he decided to relax his nerves with some good ol’ study time because nothing like using your brain on max power! 

Just like you had first found him before, there you were, sitting in the crowded library at a table by yourself. Your whole demeanor was opposite of Mark as you leaned back in your chair, legs outstretched under the table as you typed away on your laptop with huge headphones over your ears. Despite how fast your fingers flew across your keyboard, you looked so relaxed with your lips turned up in a small smile. He wonders what you’re thinking about. 

“Oh well,” Haechan sighs, a sarcastic tone laced in his voice. Mark decided to drag Haechan with him to the library today to basically force and beg the boy to finish his seven late assignments. “We really tried our best, Markie. Let’s go get a sweet treat to reward our efforts!” 

All Mark can do is roll his eyes at his best friend, knowing how hard he fought to not come here with him. Literally whined and complained the whole time while dragging his feet on the way to success. Mark really did try his best, giving Haechan a motivational speech about how he could do it and he was there to help him, but seeing you right there when he needed to, Haechan can go fail for all he cares. “Actually, I’m gonna stay,” he declares, turning to look at Haechan with a shrug. “I see someone I know so I’m gonna go sit with them.” 

“You know people?” Haechan gasps, bringing a hand up to his mouth in surprise. Mark shoves him by the shoulder in response, groaning. 

“Shut up!” he chides, using force to physically turn Haechan’s body towards the library exit. “I was gonna invite you to join us, but you can leave, like actually.” Haechan lets Mark manhandle him, complying with taking his happy ass out of the library as he laughs. As Mark watches Haechan wave goodbye to him, he exhales deeply, cheeks puffed to calm himself before turning back towards your direction. With each step he takes closer to you, he gives himself a little pep talk in his head and goes over everything he needs to do. First, ask to sit with you. Second, give you back your highlighters. Third, apologize for how mean he was to you four days ago. Fourth, calculus homework. Light work.

Seeing his form loom over you, you look up in surprise with your eyes wide. You quickly straighten your back and lift one side of your headphones off your ears. When you smile at Mark, even with confusion knitted between your brows, he feels a sense of ease wash over him. “Hi,” he breathes. “Is it okay if I sit with you?” Step one: CLEARED!

You say nothing, nodding at the boy with that smile on your face still. After gesturing at the seat in front of you for him to take, you avert your eyes back to your screen and adjust your headphones back into its place. Mark gladly pulls out his chair, taking his backpack off to unpack his things. Even with all the bustling movements in front of you, not once do you look up or attempt to make conversation as he settles in and Mark doesn’t know what to do next. You’re like, actually locked in, a big difference compared to when you two were first sat in this library. He guesses he could move step 4 to step 2 and complete some of his assignments before resuming with the plan. Wake his brain up a little bit, you know?

Ten minutes in and you still haven’t said a word. Still haven’t even taken a glance at him and Mark is officially bothered. He’s been working on the same problem this whole time, unable to move past the third step to solve it. He taps the end of his pencil against his notebook a few times, leg bouncing frantically, before ultimately letting the stick fall out of his hand with a sigh. Leaning back in his seat, Mark stretches his neck from side to side to relieve some tension before letting it completely fall slack, chin against his chest with his arms crossed. Back to the tapping, his pointed finger beats against his arm as he thinks about how to break the ice. When he lifts his gaze to discreetly look at you, you’re still not paying any attention to him in clear agony. His bag sits in the chair next to him, the front pockets zipper open and he sees the two highlighters you had given him. He could just slide them across the table to you in order to get your attention, but would that be enough to start a conversation? What if you just don’t accept them or throw them back in his face? Well, you let him sit here with you so he couldn’t have messed up that bad… Okay, but what if– 

Marks inner monologue was cut short when he catches your movements out of the corner of his eye. You’ve finally taken your headphones off and stretched your arms above your head. Now’s his chance, get the plan back on track. “I wanna be friends!” he blurts out, stopping you mid stretch. His outburst was pretty loud for the quiet atmosphere of the library, catching the attention of a few students nearby. Mortified, Mark feels his whole face heat up and slouches lower in his seat. He scolds himself under his breath as he places both hands on his head, lowering the brim of the hat he was sporting over his eyes. You can’t help but giggle at the blushing boy in front of you, extending your foot to give his leg a tap from under the table. He uncovers his face slightly to look at you and you grin at the expression he wears. 

“If this is about the other day, it’s really okay” you assure him, propping your elbow on the table to rest your chin in your hand. “I understand and I’m not mad at you.” 

“You’re not?” he wonders, a little surprised. When you shake your head in reply, he sits up fully and leans in a little closer to you from across the table. Mark does not need anyone hearing any more of this conversation. “I-I just wanna say sorry, Y/N. I was pretty rude to you that day when you’ve been nothing but nice to me.” 

“Is that why you’ve been sitting here in distress this whole time?” you laugh, quietly. “You really don’t need to feel bad, Mark but I accept your apology anyway.” Marks smile mirrors your own, admiring the way you’ve been so accepting of the situation when he was clearly in the wrong. “But still, we don’t have to be friends if you don’t want to.” 

“I want to!” he interjects, nearly jumping up in his seat. “You really are a nice person and I wouldn’t mind getting to know you more, too. I shouldn’t have treated you like that when you basically saved my life that day.” Mark moves to grab the pens from his bag, laying them out on the table for you to take. “Which reminds me, I’ve been meaning to give these back to you.” 

Reaching your hand out, you scoot the pens back in Marks direction. “You can keep them as backups or something,” you wave off. “You’d probably use them more than I would anyway. I take all my notes electronically.” Pulling out your fancy tablet from your bag, you wave it around for him to see and Mark’s just in disbelief. 

“How can you retain any information that way?” he gapes, eyes popping out of their sockets. “Connecting your pen to paper helps you process your thoughts better, you know.” 

“This is better for the environment!” you argue, rolling your eyes and Mark shakes his head in disapproval. He starts going on a whole tangent about the benefits of physical note taking and you just sit there and take it. But the conversation flows easily with you and Mark talking to each other back and forth. Neither of you get back to your studies for the remainder of the afternoon. 

Mark Lee’s guide to being better than everyone: rule #7 study time is quiet time (friends allowed but they need to shut up).

Heavy footsteps trudge through the halls of the lecture building, but Mark has never felt so light. Even if his shirt is wrinkled, hair all over the place, and eyes about a second away from shutting, he walks to his 8 am class with a tiny smile on his face. 

It’s been weeks since you and Mark had bloomed a friendship. Weeks filled with studying late in the library, fighting over who gets to pay for the sweet treat of the day, and gallivanting around campus as conversation fills the silence between you two. Mark had honestly thought that he’d take a while to warm up to you, but he finds it incredibly easy to open up and be himself in your presence. He likes that he can talk to you about anything and everything, and you listen to him with your full attention. Mark Lee prides himself in how strong his walls are built and how dedicated he is to his craft (being a student), but it’s like his whole resolve crumbles with the more you’re near. Ask him if he cares, because he doesn’t. 

From the moment he had entered the education system at the young age of five, he never stopped. Mark immediately enrolled in college after graduating high school, barely having time to explore the woes of life. So now in his third year of his undergrad, it felt nice to finally feel alive – do everything boys his age are supposed to do. Like last night, Mark had stayed up until midnight on the phone with you, giggling over the drama you two had started watching together during your study breaks. Even after you both had hung up the call, you two had continued to send messages to one another. By the time Mark had fallen asleep, it really wasn’t that late to the normal person, but Mark Lee has a bedtime that he did not follow. Hence, his appearance today. 

Mark Lee’s guide to being better than everyone: rule #2 get a full 8 hours of sleep every night – nothing more, nothing less.

His body feels like dead weight and he can’t stop yawning, but Mark’s heart is soaring. Not that he knows it. As smart as he is, he’s also a big idiot atoning these fluttering feelings to the excitement of having a new friend around. He doesn’t think much about the fact that his favorite part of the day isn’t putting in his earphones while sat in front of a pile of textbooks anymore, but going to meet you in between classes. 

Fueled by caffeine from his second iced tea of the day (coffee makes him feel sick), Mark is basically skipping towards you sat on a bench under the tree. He can’t wait to gush to you about the new topic he’s learning about in his lit class, but the words die down in his throat when he sees the look on your face. 

You’re sat stiff on the bench, hands balled into fists as you struggle to catch your breath. Instead of greeting him with that glowing smile of yours, he’s met with a solemn Y/N. It’s like a dark rain cloud was brewing a storm over your head and when Mark approaches with a soft call of your name, he sees the tears brimming your eyes, only to fall free when he asks what’s wrong. Your lip quivers as you struggle to find the words to answer your friend and Mark feels like his whole world is falling apart. 

He moves quickly to sit next to you, arms moving to wrap around your shaking figure, but he doesn’t quite make it all the way. Everyone knows Mark is not a physically affectionate person and he’s never done anything more than shove your shoulder when you made a joke he didn’t like. This was new territory for him, to comfort a crying friend, which is why he’s sat frozen with his torso turned towards you, arms in the air, looming above your form and not making contact. Mark’s mouth gapes open and closed like a fish, thinking about what he can say to comfort you, but you take matters into your own hands and fully lean into the boy. Your face buries itself into his shirt as you wail like a baby and Mark has no choice but to finally engulf you in his arms when he feels your tears seep through the fabric. 

“Remember that project I was working on all last week?” you muffle into his chest. Mark hums in response because of course he remembers. He remembers how hard you had slaved over your project, doing your best to ensure that it was perfect. But he also remembers how excited you were to have this as your assignment, how bright your eyes had shone when you told Mark how confident you were in the topic to execute it well. This class of yours wasn’t the easiest for you, so it was like a breath of fresh air for you to finally understand something being presented. “My professor kept me after class and tore me to fucking shreds. Told me everything I had written was wrong and the whole thing was crap a-and basically said I should drop the class because I’m clearly not understanding anything!” 

All Mark does is wrap his arms tighter around you, resting his cheek atop your head. “I’m so sorry, Y/N,” he mumbles into your hair and you pull back abruptly, gripping his shirt in your hands. 

“Am I really that stupid?” you hiccup, screwing your eyes shut. “That my professor tells me to drop out of his class?” 

“Hey hey hey,” Mark scolds you, gripping your shoulders tight, basically shaking sense into you. “You’re not stupid, he’s stupid! You try so hard, Y/N and you shouldn’t discredit yourself like that.” 

Sniffling, you give Mark a small, yet sad smile that doesn’t quite reach your eyes and he’s grown furious now. “I don’t think I’m trying hard, I’m just trying my best.” 

“Then that’s all that matters,” he affirms, raising a hand to pat your hair. “Being a student isn’t easy, but you’re doing it! Don’t let one lousy professor tell you otherwise – I say you stick it to him and not drop.” 

“I don’t know…” you laugh, trailing off in thought. “There’s a lot I have to think about. If I stay, he’ll probably give me hell, but if I actually drop, I’d be saving my GPA but my pride would be hurt.” 

Mark purses his lips, then snakes his hands down to yours and pulls you up from the bench with him. “Tell you what,” he starts, tugging you to walk with him. “You don’t have to think about it right now, but how about we clear our heads and go do something?” 

You’re struggling to keep up with Mark’s quick steps, the strap of your bag slipping off your shoulder. “Do what? Don’t you have class?” you interrogate him, pulling at his arm. “And can you slow down a little?” 

He complies, slowing his walk to a normal pace and turns to you with a grunt. “What’s with all the questions? Just trust me,” he rolls his eyes and moves to stand behind you. Mark nudges you forward in the direction he wants despite your protests. “And don’t worry about my classes, I’ll take a sick day or something. I can’t just leave you by yourself after seeing you cry like that!” 

“I’m fine, Mark” shrieking, you reach behind you to make him let go of you. “It’s really okay! You don’t have to break your perfect attendance record for me.” He finally stops forcing you to come with him, stepping to the side to walk alongside you with a light hand on your back to keep you from running. 

“I don’t have to, but I want to” he smiles down at you, which you return with an unimpressed look. “What are friends for, right?” You finally give up, letting Mark take you to wherever he had in mind to do whatever. 

“Fiiine,” you relent and take a step closer to his side. “But you’re paying!” Mark smiles at you again, wrapping his arm fully around you for the second time that day in a side hug before dropping it to hang in between your bodies. 

Mark Lee’s guide to being better than everyone: rule #5 DO NOT SKIP CLASS (unless you’re sick and I mean dying).

From bike riding to ice cream in the park, Mark kept you busy all afternoon. You have to applaud his efforts with the way he was constantly cracking lame jokes just to pull your face up and encouraging you (peer pressure) to let him buy you a second cup of ice cream. If you could give Mark Lee his flowers for making you feel better right now, you totally would, but instead you settled for treating him to the little Lego figurines he had been eyeing in the trinket store you visited. 

“Uhhh,” the boy basically moans in delight. “Since we didn’t go to class, this is perfect to stimulate our brains!” 

You chuckle at how ridiculous he is and how silly he looks. The two of you are sat on a picnic table in a random park, unboxing your figurines to build. Mark had picked a hippo and a penguin while you just chose to build a cat. The excitement is basically rolling off his body as he vibrates in his seat, tearing into the box and plastic bag containing the pieces. “You that excited?”

Mark makes a face at you from across the table, almost as if he’s offended. “Of course I am! For ages 8 and up, easy work dude” he basically brags, chest puffing up. “Thank you for getting these, Y/N. I didn’t mean to linger on them long enough for you to feel like you had to get them.”

“I wanted to,” you chirp, shaking your head. “It’s the least I could do for you after all you’ve done for me today.” He says nothing, glancing at you for a moment before continuing to build his penguin. A grin slips onto his face as he watches you struggle with the tiny pieces, eyebrows furrowed in frustration. 

You both continue to build in silence, enjoying each others company as the sun starts its journey to dreamland. The sky is painted in hues of gold, pinks, and blues, the warmth starting to settle between you two. Mark notices the rays coming down on his skin at looks up at the beautiful sight, quickly pulling his phone out to snap a picture. 

“I have to send this to my friend, Renjun” he hums, satisfied look on his face. “He’s gonna love this.” 

You coo at Mark and he ignores you, finishing up his penguin. “You send your friend pictures of the sunset often?” 

“Yeah,” he shrugs, busying his fingers with the pieces. “Renjun’s an artist so I like to send him stuff I think looks pretty. Maybe he’d draw it or something, but he never asked me to stop so I just keep doing it.” 

Biting down on your lip, you have to contain your smile and squeals at how endearing this guy was. “I hope he’s drawn at least one of them” you voice. “I know if someone sent me pictures of every sunset, I’d cherish it.” 

Mark laughs in response, but trails off as he starts to think. He’s finished his penguin now, rolling the figure between his fingers. It’s only the size of his palm, but he doesn’t think he’ll get to finish the hippo as this took him nearly an hour. It’ll be dark soon. 

“Y/N,” he starts somewhat sheepish. “Why don’t you have any friends?” 

His question freezes you in your seat and you eye him from under your lashes. “I have friends,” you utter. “I’m friends with my roommate.” 

“I-I’m sorry,” he stutters. With the way the air has shifted, Mark feels as if he hit a nerve. “It’s just t-that everytime I see you on campus, you’re alone! I don’t really see you talking to anyone else…” 

Also finished with your cat figure, you fold your hands into your lap and stare it down. “Is that a bad thing?” 

He shakes his head furiously, reaching a hand across the table to tap on it and get your attention. “No, no! Not at all” he insists and takes your cat to stand next to his penguin. “I was just curious, I’m sorry if I made you upset.” 

Looking back up at the boy across of you, the corners of your mouth turn up to give him a small grin. “It’s okay, Mark. There’s nothing wrong with asking questions” you explain. “It’s not like I don’t want friends, I just don’t really know how to make them? I’m not the type of person to strike up a conversation out of the blue… Even with group projects, it’s a little hard for me to open up.” 

“You?” Mark scoffs. “Not the type of person to make conversation with strangers? Then how do you explain how we became friends.” To prove his point, Mark inches your Lego figures closer together. 

“I guess you’re right,” you laugh, throwing your hands in the air. “I don’t really know what’s up with me then. But at least I have you now, right?” 

“Yeah,” he breathes, chuckling to himself too. “Yeah, you got me now. So don’t you worry, Y/N. I’ll send you pictures of every sunset I capture.”

You bring your hands together, clasping them against your cheek as you look out into the horizon. Watching the bright sky paint itself in an array of different colors before it says goodbye for the day, you’ve never felt more content. And Mark does the same, eyes following the rays of gold bleed into pink, but he doesn’t think he can enjoy it as much as you do right now.

He just can’t believe that he’s here with you in a random park in the city. Instead of sitting in class, he’s sitting at a table building animals out of extremely tiny Lego pieces. Mark didn’t even send his professors a courtesy email that he wasn’t going to be present today, too focused on helping you feel better. He’ll never admit it out loud, but he was also busy trying to forget that gloomy look on your face. It was the first time Mark had ever seen you cry, and he hopes it will be the last. 

A part of him also understands you. The overwhelming pressure of having to do well and not wanting to wave a white flag for the sake of your confidence in yourself. Mark knows it all too well. He also knows how hard it can be to make friends here. No one ever attempts to get to know Mark, only approaching to ask if he’d accompany them on a romantic date or help them pass their classes. It took him a while to learn how to say no, and thank God he did. He’s content in his little bubble with the good friends he has, but sometimes he wonders what life would be like if he just gave in. Who would Mark Lee be if he wasn’t so stubborn in his ways?

“Y/N,” he begins again. “Do you think I’m difficult?” 

Turning your gaze away from the darkening sky, you give Mark a puzzled look. “What do you mean?” 

“Like,” he sighs, crossing his arms across his chest. He looks down at the table in front of him, chewing on his lip. “Do you think I’m hard to deal with? Am I too stubborn to talk to?” 

His explanation doesn’t fix your confusion, continuing to look at him funny. “No, Mark. It’s very easy for me to be around you,” you correct him, moving a hand to gesture between both your bodies. “I’m sat here with you— our first time hanging out off campus, by the way, after you comforted me while I cried into your shirt earlier today.”

“This was the most fun I’ve had in a while!” you continue, gushing when Mark doesn’t respond. “I’m not sure what’s going on in that big head of yours, but I enjoy your company. Heck, I asked you to be my friend during our second meeting! You are anything but difficult.” 

Mark looks up, taking in the sight of you sat across of him. The sky has turned into a pretty pink as the sun has started it’s descent closer to the horizon and it’s casted over you beautifully. There must be a magic in the air that has sparked a look in your eyes that is so comforting. He’s been wary of the elation he’s felt since the day he met you. He can’t quite put his finger on it, but in that moment, Mark has never been so sure in his life about going against everything he set himself up for.

“Come on,” Mark smiles and nods his head towards the path. “Let’s go home.” 

Johnny hears shuffling from Marks room and decided to peak in. Cracking the bedroom door open, he’s met with the boy pacing back and forth, combing his hand through his hair frantically. He can hear Mark mumbling to himself, using his hands to express whatever he was feeling to himself. “Dude,” Johnny calls out and Mark snaps his head towards the sound so fast, he thinks he’s got whiplash. “What’s wrong with you?” 

“Fuck if I know!” he roars, placing both hands on his head. “If anyone can tell me what’s wrong with me, PLEASE DO.” 

The older boy sighs, stepping through the threshold as he prepares himself for what’s about to come. He’s used to Mark being on edge, but this is the guy who apologizes whenever he swears. “Come here, buddy” Sat on Marks’ bed, Johnny pats the seat beside him and Mark obliges. His head is hung low and lips set into a deep pout. “Tell Johnny what’s wrong.” 

Mark lets out a sigh of his own, whining as he falls back onto his bed and stares at the ceiling. He had just woken up from his 3pm nap he takes every other day that lasts precisely an hour and a half. Two hours if he feels like treating himself, but today, Mark had woken up in a cold sweat just a little after 8pm. 

Mark Lee’s guide to being better than everyone: rule #3 if you need a nap, only nap on MWF when you end classes early (only nap for 2 hours MAX).

As soon as he sat up, eyes blown wide, he let out a hushed “oh fuck.” He’s usually so tired that he never dreams. Ever. But this time, all he could see in his slumber was you. You, who he had seen just a few days ago after ditching classes. Forget everything he felt and thought that day because it was starting to feel a little too real.

It came to him in flashes, like he was in some sort of stupid movie. From walking down the street together, to banging on rigged claw machines, to simply sitting across of you at the picnic table in the park, Mark dreamt of every moment you had spent with him. Except, whenever he laid eyes on you, the whole world had slowed down to a serene still and tints of light illuminated around your entire being. And when you smiled like you always did, little bells started chiming. 

Oh, the bells. That dream was straight out of those romance movies Haechan likes to watch regularly. What kind of sick world is this? 

“I’m so screwed, man” he voices, rubbing a hand over his face. “I-I think I like Y/N. Whatever that means…” 

“It doesn’t mean anything,” Johnny muses. “If you like her, then you like her. Y/N’s that girl you’ve been hanging around with a lot?” 

Mark sits up fully, head still hanging low. He can’t believe he’s having this conversation right now, even if he lowkey knew it was coming. “Yeah, that’s her” he mumbles. “I swear she hexed me or something! I skipped class the other day to hangout with her, been eating way too many vending machine snacks, and haven’t been getting my full 8 hours of sleep, bro! That’s so not like me.” 

“First of all, you’re an idiot. Girls aren’t witches, they’re just celestial beings” Johnny scoffs, rolling his eyes at his young friend. “Second of all, did she force you to do all those things?” 

“What? No,” Mark protests. “I wanted to do all those things, with her.” 

“Okayyy,” Johnny rolls. “Are your grades slipping from ditching or not sleeping?” 

Mark blinks at the boy sitting next to him. “No, I’m a week ahead in all my classes.”

“Then what’s the problem here, man?” Johnny belts, standing to his full height. “Cause I’m not seeing it!” 

Still sat on his bed, Mark stomps his feet a little as he whines. “Johnny” he complains. “The problem is I’ve broken every single rule I made for myself. For just one person! Like I said, this isn’t like me and I’m not sure how to handle it.” 

“Look Mark,” Johnny chastises, moving to sit next to him again on the bed. “I love you, dude. I really do and I admire how hard you’re working towards your education, but I wish you would just let yourself breathe a little.” Mark sits in silence, taking in every word. “I’m so glad that you’ve been following these rules you set for yourself and it’s been working, but why are you stopping yourself from experiencing something everyone dreams of? Why are you so scared?” 

Great question that he doesn’t really know the answer to. He’s not scared of you, exactly. Marks more scared of the feelings you give him. You’re not trying to change his ways or who he is, in fact, you’ve been trying your damn hardest to fit yourself into Marks usual routine. You don’t make fun of him for his little quirks and comments and he likes how comfortable you make him feel. He likes how you just go with the flow of things, making it a breeze to just enjoy himself in that moment with you. Mark likes how he no longer feels the weight of the world when he’s around you. 

Mark likes you. But he’s never felt this way before about anyone. Not even Jessica Alba in Fantastic Four while all his friends were drooling over their TV screens. 

With pursed lips, Mark looks up to his friend with pleading eyes. “What do I have to do?” 

“That’s not the question you should be asking,” Johnny smiles at him, shaking his head lightly. “You’re the most hardworking guy I know, no matter what you’re doing. Are you willing to put in that same effort with Y/N?” 

Later that night, Mark lays awake and stares at his ceiling in the dark. He’s got one arm folded under his head and the other laid across his chest, deep in thought about the conversation he had with Johnny. He took way too long of a nap, so now he can’t fall asleep. Not to mention how his phone had been pinging with messages from you, but they remained unanswered as he contemplated. 

What was he to do with you? 

He could just pretend that he never had this groundbreaking realization. He could continue to remain the way he is with you, just friends. Mark doesn’t even know how you’d react to his feelings, but he can’t say he’s afraid to find out. Even if you were to turn him down, tell him he’s got no chance at romance, he doesn’t think he’d mind. Like yeah, he’d be pretty devastated, but who wouldn’t be? After talking with Johnny some more earlier today, he realizes how sure he is with the way his heart feels. He’s dumbfounded that this is happening to him, but he’s not embarrassed at all. Who knew that you, who had wanted to be his friend after only meeting for the second time, would be the one to change his entire view? Mark didn’t even want to be your friend at first, but here he is, possibly wanting something more. 

You probably would think the switch was so sudden and Mark wouldn’t be able to tell you anything else. He doesn’t think you’re the type to completely cut him out if you don’t feel the same way, but there’s always that small chance in anything. He doesn’t know what to do with you, but he also has no clue what he would do without you. Groaning into the night air, Mark turns over to his side. He’s face to face with the bright numbers on his alarm clock that read 1:27 AM. Deciding to leave this problem to tomorrows Mark, he screws his eyes shut and tries to force himself to sleep. But he just lays there, staring at the dark behind his eyes still completely awake and tries to think of something that will put him to bed. And oh of course, all Mark can see is you. 

He lets you consume him, taking every glimpse of you in and god damn Y/N, you are doing nothing to help! Marks leg starts to shake under the covers, twitching himself awake til he starts tossing and turning. Eventually, Mark gives up. He can’t get comfortable at all. Ripping his comforter off his body, Mark moves quickly to stand up and shoulder on a flannel that draped over his desk chair. Hasty fingers grab for his glasses and his phone before he books it out the door to God knows where.

No, Mark knows where he’s going in the dead of night. After walking you home the other day, he realized just how close you two were, living just a 10 minute walk away. But with the way Mark is moving, he finds himself standing outside of your apartment building in just 7 minutes. He’d move to enter, but he doesn’t actually know which unit you live in. So like the completely sane person he is, Mark starts shouting into the night, disturbing the peace. 

“Y/N!” he howls, hands cupped over his mouth. There’s a few lights he can see on through the windows, but none of them show movement. “Y/N, it’s Mark!” 

There’s only one window that’s open, and Mark sees the curtains tear open. There you stand, looking down at him from the fourth floor with disbelief all over your face. “Mark!” you whisper shout. This boy must have lost his damn mind to disturb you and your neighbors at this time, after ignoring your messages all night. “Are you insane?” 

“Just come down, please” he brings his hands together, in a begging and pleading gesture. “I have to talk to you.” 

Sighing, you move away from your window and start to make your way down to the front of your building. You’re praying to whoever’s listening that you don’t get any complaints in the morning from Mark screaming in the courtyard. Like seriously, he could have just called you quietly on his phone. You can see it hanging out of his pocket, but you assume he really is out of his mind when you take in his form. 

He’s pacing again, fidgeting as you approach him closer and only snaps out of it when he sees you in the glow of the dim street lamps. “Hi,” he exhales and you just continue to eye him suspiciously. 

“Hi,” you pout, crossing your arms over your chest. “What’s going on, Mark? It’s nearly 2 AM, you could have just called me.” 

Mark smiles sheepishly at you, rubbing the back of his neck. “Sorry,” he mumbles, kicking the ground underneath him. “I wasn’t really thinking…” 

“Clearly,” you muse, grinning at him. This is the most casual you have ever seen Mark, who never leaves the house unless he’s in a pair of jeans or nice pants. You can tell how much of a hurry he was in, dressed in old basketball shorts and slippers on his feet. The flannel he was wearing over his white tee was also inside out, but you don’t point it out to him. “But you’re thinking about something to come all the way here. What did you wanna tell me?” 

“Uhhh,” he stutters, eyes darting around the dark, avoiding your gaze. “I didn’t wake you, right? I’m really sorry for not calling first.”

You shake your head no, waving him off. You were already awake, but it’s the weekend tomorrow so you have nothing to be up early for. The only important thing you were doing was doom scrolling on your feed. Mark would have known you were still awake if he had just checked his damn phone. Even if he wasn’t interrupting anything important, you still wish that Mark would spit it out. He just nods at your explanation, still not meeting your eyes and says nothing. 

“Hey,” you call out, poking his middle with your finger. He caved into it, swatting your hand away because Mark Lee is ticklish. “Take your time, find the words. I’ll be here when you’re ready.” 

Mark finally looks into your eyes, softening at the way they’re pouring into his. Your lips are curled into the prettiest smile and Mark thinks you have really nice teeth. It’s all enough to squeeze at his heart, causing his blood to pump furiously in his chest. He feels it tighten and tighten, until it finally explodes.

“I’m all bent outta shape, dude” he rants, staring right at you. “And it’s all because of you!” 

You frown at his confession, wondering if he really came all the way over here just to call you out. “What did I do to you, dude?“ 

His shoulders slump and he rubs at his eyes. Sleep is finally getting to him now that he’s here, but Mark has always been way too good and getting what he wants to give up. “Everything,” he basically whines like a child. “And I can’t stop thinking about it.”

Mark looks to the sky, eyes screwed shut as he lets out a long exhale. You’re still confused as to what he’s trying to get at, but seeing him so perplexed himself has you concerned. 

“Mark,” you coax, touching his arm lightly to bring him back down to Earth. “If I did something to upset you, I’m really sorry. But could you please tell me exactly what happened so I can fix it?” 

Eyeing when your hand meets his skin, he smirks lightly at the tingling waves that shot up his arm. He taps the hand that connects him in a reassuring manner before completely engulfing it in his own. “I’m just being dramatic, it’s not that bad” he offers, stroking a thumb over your knuckles. Goosebumps peak through your skin at the gesture. “You did nothing wrong. It’s just…” 

He trails off, looking down at your intertwined hands. “I have these rules for myself, called ‘Mark Lee’s guide to being better than everyone’ and I’m not trying to one up everyone I meet with this. It’s all just to help me succeed and be my best self as a student” he’s nervous as he wears his heart on his sleeve for you when he hears you laugh, but it quickly dissipates when you give his hand a squeeze in reassurance. Come on, it was a funny name! “And I’ve been really good at following them! It’s definitely helped me to stay on track, but from that first day we met in the library, I’ve just been breaking all of them.”

“Oh,” you gasp, quickly letting go of him to shy into yourself. “I’m sorry, Mark. Really, I never meant for you to go off track.” 

“No, it’s okay!” he assures you, grabbing his hand back into his. In the middle of 70 degree weather, Mark felt cold for the split second you let go. “It’s not your fault and I don’t mind it at all. My point is, it’s just not like me at all to do this and I didn’t realize why until now.” 

“I’m so used to being strict in my ways because it’s been working well for me, but here you come along, making it so unbelievably easy to forget it all,” you’re still not sure what he’s hinting at, but you continue to let him talk. “Forget it and realize that it’s not so bad as long as I’m with you, Y/N. I like that I can still be myself without all these rules or barriers, I can still sit in the library all night with you sleeping across of me.”

Mark can’t help the smile on his face at how wide your eyes have blown, almost as if you couldn’t believe what he was alluding to. He also can’t believe it, but the more he speaks, the more it feels right. Even if he feels like he’s saying a whole lotta nothing. But it’s something alright and you feel your heart start to beat a little quicker. You hope Mark can’t tell how your hands have started to clam up and tremble in his hold. 

“I like the feeling you give me, that everything’s gonna be okay and I have nothing to worry about” he beams at you, steadying your shakiness with a tight grip. “I like you, Y/N.” 

You say nothing, taking it all in. Mark starts to shuffle on his feet, loosening his hold on your hand but not fully letting go so you can’t book it inside. He should speak up and add that you don’t have to respond to him right now, because it really is sudden. It just felt like a good time to tell you, even though 2 AM is never a good time for anyone. But you cut him off before you get the chance, grinning like a Cheshire Cat at the nervous boy in front of you.

“You didn’t even wanna be my friend at first,” you point out, tapping your chin in thought with your free hand. “Now here you are, holding my hand and confessing to me in the dead of night?” You’re teasing him and he knows it. 

“Ugh, I know” he exclaims, looking like a kicked puppy. “I’m just a stupid, dumb, idiot boy and I really felt bad for how I treated you that day.” You giggle quietly, stopping him from dropping to his knees in front of you to beg for forgiveness. “I know this all came so fast and I know I have a lot to learn. A lot of things to grow into, but I feel like I can do that as long as I’m planted next to you.”

The taunting coo you let out does nothing to cover the blush rushing to your cheeks. You move your arms to wrap fully around his neck, standing on your tip toes to hide your flushed face in his shoulder. Mark reciprocates, encircling you in his hold completely as he pulls you closer to him. “You’re so cute” you squeal, nuzzling your face closer and inhaling his scent. “You’re so sweet, Mark. I will gladly plant myself next to you.” 

You pull away slightly, still face to face with the boy who is also blushing. He’s fighting back a smile, the apples of his cheeks making a prominent appearance. “Does this mean you’re my girlfriend now?” he’s so clueless with the way he asks you the question, causing you to laugh again. If anyone were overlooking the two of you right now, all smiles and blushing messes, they’d think you’re insane. 

“Do you want me to be?” you press further and Mark nods his head vigorously. His hold tightens around you for the nth time that night.

“Can I be honest real quick?” he utters, staring deep into your eyes. He’s been honest this whole time, you don’t know why he needs to ask. “I’m kinda scared…”

You pat his shoulder reassuringly, standing further on your toes to press a chaste kiss to his cheek. “We can go as slow as you’d like, Mark. I’ll be here all the way.” Mark feels a wave of warmth wash over him, suddenly feeling bold and straightens his back. 

“I think you missed,” he states. You’re back to wondering what the hell he was talking about until you feel his lips on yours. 

The kiss is soft, short, but sweet. It’s enough to unleash a cage of butterflies in the pit of your stomach. It’s enough for Mark to know exactly how you feel, even if you never said it. 

Pulling away, you two share a shy smile as you lean your forehead against his. You play with the hair on the nape of his neck as you lean back in for another. So much for going slow, Mark thinks as he’s basically clawing at your sides to pull you unbelievably closer to him. He breaks away first this time, leaning into your neck as if he can’t get enough of you. 

“Go home, Mark” you laugh at the tickling feeling against your skin. “I’ll see you after we’ve both had some rest, okay?” 

He only sighs loudly and dramatically before pulling back, reluctant to release his hold on you. His feet step away from you slowly, towards the direction of his own apartment building. Mark doesn’t want to go. Mark wants to spend all his time with you, even in the middle of the night, but he listens to your request anyway. You’ve gotten him wrapped around your finger, after all. He knows you’ll have all the time in the world, starting now and he can’t wait for the days to come. 

Mark Lee’s guide to being better than everyone: rule #1 no dating of any kind to prevent distraction (90 and above or no love).

Spoiler: Mark keeps his 3.9 GPA until graduation and graduating with honors is literally nothing compared to the love you shower him in.

mani's notes: i hope you enjoyed reading this! yk true cloudykyu fashion is no real plot lines and whiplash time skips lol it's my first long fic since coming back so i would appreciate any feedback :D please let me know your thoughts in the tags or my ask box!! <3 happy valentines day unless you're mark lee

[riovidql]

i thought that i was dreaming when you said you loved me — AGATHARIO

“Honey, I’m home!” Rio said as she walked through the door, getting out of her shoes and losing her coat. “God, you will not believe the day I had. I swear, one of these days it will be proven that stupidity can kill. Then I will finally have pea- Agatha…?” She stops, because Agatha is nowhere to be seen, or felt, for that matter. What the fuck?

“Uhm, Agatha? Scratchy?” She shouts. No answer. Fuck. “Fuck, did I walk into the wrong apartment again?” But then a little ball of fur comes running down the hall, stopping precisely in front of her. She kneels down. “Hey, bunny. Where’s your mama?” She, funny enough, scratches behind Scratchy’s ear as she picks him up. He looks like he knows, but won’t tell. Well, of course he won’t tell me where she is, he can’t talk.

“Okay… Scavenger hunt it is then. And you,” she looks directly into his eyes. “Are coming with me. Agatha won’t murder, burn, bite or whatever she’s… We’re… Uhm. She behaves when you’re around! You’re my shield, is what I’m saying. Don’t look at me like that.”

“Agathaaa! Where the fuck are you?”

She looked everywhere. Even under the rugs. A woman could never be too safe. And honestly, it’s Agatha. And Rio could, obviously, try her phone. But one thing about Agatha Harkness is she absolutely, completely, despises phones. And technology over all; (some will say it’s because she doesn’t know how to use it, she will deny profusely, she just is above it).

Rio was tired. She had a long ass day at work, and she needed sleep, and no one could argue she did not look for her wife, Señor Scratchy was witness. Though that rabbit always chose her wife’s side anyway. Useless, traitor bunny. But she did send her a text, though.

As she laid down on the couch, with the little pet comfortably under her chin and the low, background noise of the TV, she dozed off. She wouldn’t know what time that actually happened or how long she was napping for… People were taking longer to get to the fucking point, traffic was ass, the elevator was broken so she had to take the stairs, and this nosy neighbor stopped her for unsolicited advice, boring gossip. And she still had to go look for Agatha. If you asked Rio, she would say that day had approximately 87 hours. And counting.

And as if it couldn’t get worse, she woke up from her sleep with a killer headache. National Fuck Rio Vidal Day, fuck me. ‘Did Agatha at least get home?’ was her second thought, but as she was regaining her consciousness and taking in her surroundings, the smell caught her senses. “What the fuck?” It smelled like…? Chicken? And bechamel sauce? And was that Agatha moving a spoon on a pan? Wait. Was Agatha cooking? Just for how long, exactly, had she been out for and did she or did she not mistakenly alternate realities? “What the fuck.” She says a little more loud this time, making Agatha look over her shoulder with a smirk.

“I thought you were dead.”

“And then you decided to cook? Aren’t you just the most romantic thing in the world.” Rio scoffs.

“Unfortunately, I was wrong.”

“Charmer.” Then Rio remembers. “Where the fuck were you? And why didn’t you call, or text? Or left a fucking note stuck on Scratchy?”

“Out.”

“Out? That’s all you have to say after disappearing for hours and making me turn and toss and destroy this apartment looking for you?” Rio crosses her arms, mildly annoyed by her wife’s nonchalant responses.

“It didn’t look like you were turning and tossing and destroying this apartment when I got here.” Agatha was smiling big now and oh, Rio fucking despised her. Fuck Agatha, was what she was going to do later.

“Fine!” She rolls her eyes, lying down on the couch again. “Just be quiet. Someone decided it was a good idea to play drums inside my head.” And just like that, she dozed off again.

When she rose, it was to a glass of water and two ibuprofens placed on the coffee table in front of her, which she gratefully took. Maybe she didn’t really despise Agatha. Or maybe the water was poisoned. Either way, she looked around and she saw that her wife was on a stool leaning over their countertop, her back facing Rio as her body looked like it was focused. Was Agatha writing hate letters to Jen, again? Standing quietly, she made her way to her wife, not wanting to startle her. Fine, she didn’t want to make Agatha aware she was snooping around her business.

That was when she saw it. Agatha was drawing. Drawing plants, elaborate ones. The pages on display had four different kind of greens, each one with their own description and functionality, all painted and shadowed, except for the one she was just starting to work on. Rio was actually, maybe for the first time in her life, stunned. Well, except for when Agatha climbed on top of her in bed and-

What was even weirder was that Agatha was so focused on her task that she didn’t even notice Rio lurking behind her. Or that Rio was actually shedding real, big ass tears. Cry baby. “What is that?” She finally spoke, which she wished she didn’t ‘cause now there was a hand coming to slap her and Rio was caught off guard and there was no way she could react fast enough to dodge a very loud, and painful, slap on her face. “Are you fucking crazy?” She shouted after a few moments.

“If you didn’t stand there like a freak for God knows how long and scared the shit out of me, all of this could’ve been avoided.” Agatha continued to draw.

“And somehow it’s my fault.” Rio wasn’t finding the situation cute anymore.

“Yeah, it is. Good girl.” You could hear the smirk in her voice.

“Oh, fuck off.” She continued lurking. “What are you doing.”

Agatha actually blushed. “What I was doing was dinner, but somebody decided to sleep. Again.”

“Quit stalling, Agatha. What is this?”

“I’ve found a hobby.” She said simply.

“You’ve found a hobby? And it has something to do with plants? The very same thing you tease me about every single day and call me a nerd for?”

“Just wanted to know what the hype was all about. So I’ve been taking a few classes, going to some lectures, you know how it is.” Rio has no idea how it is.

“About plants?” She deadpans.

“Obviously.”

“Right.”

Agatha turns to look at Rio and says, “Dinner is ready.”

Rio is speechless, dumbfounded, stunned (again), blabla. What the fuck was wrong with her wife? Maybe she shouldn’t have got up today.

“Wait a minute.” She grabs Agatha’s arm as she stands. “You? Made dinner? And it smelled good? And we’re still alive?” Rio wasn’t so sure about the last part.

“Sue me for wanting to make something nice for my wife?”

Huh. “Am I missing something here?”

“God, Rio. You’re so annoying. I fucking made you dinner ‘cause class ran late and traffic was awful and I got here after you and felt bad. And your ass was sleeping so infuriatingly cutely with Scratchy, and you looked so tired. I am taking botany classes and going to approximately a million lectures a week about plants because you do so much for me and I just wanted to show you that I care too. Was that what you wanted to hear?” Agatha made her best to look annoyed, but Rio knew her and could see just the tiniest spark of insecurity in her eyes. She pretended she didn’t see. Or she would be feet deep buried.

“My love.” Rio said weakly. God, she loved, hated, her wife. Agatha eyes softened at the two words.

“Can I go back to my drawing now?” Leave it to Agatha to run from any type of emotional moment. Even after years married. This bitch.

“Ah yes, and you’re gonna tell me all about those classes of yours. How long have you been keeping this from me? And what is up with that draw game. I did not know you had it in you.”

“I have very skilled hands, I think you of all people would know that.” Agatha winked at her. Show off.

“Debatable.” Then Rio started running for her life. This time she had a good reaction time.

HEY! i just love these witches so much it really got me back to writing after YEARS. if anyone see this, i hope u enjoy it :)

[cupophrogs]

Okay I know I shit on Poppy a lot for lying/ hiding stuff from the player so often, and generally not being trustworthy, but I do think everything she’s doing, whole not very good, is beautifully human.

It’s really similar to the debate in FNAFSB when Gregory dropped the elevator to stop the Mimic! He had no way to tell if whoever was coming up was the Mimic or not, and decided that he couldn’t take that risk. Remember: as the player, we’re only seeing one(1) point of view of any entire story.

We don’t know exactly how old Poppy is, but based on Playtime’s track record we can assume that she is still a child- one who’s suffered human experimentation, abuse, isolation, shouldered so much responsibility in the beginning of the HoJ, and probably more that we don’t know about, so it makes sense that she makes shitty decisions and hides what she thinks might keep us from helping her. She, like all of the other toys, has likely been In a constant Fight or Flight mode since before the HoJ, she’s exhausted and terrified and angry - she said so herself. So when her plan in chapter 4 goes wrong, and her friend is already hurt, and even more of Playtime’s victims are dead because she didn’t think the Prototype would have planned for this, she panics. Like that was a full-blown panic attack.

And so she runs. Like any scared, traumatized kid would. Like anyone would, really.

To be honest, considering her circumstances, I think she’s done very well. I just hope she’s still intact in chapter 5.

[sadesluvr]

Nocturne

ft. interspecies sex (reader is a mermaid)

Friedrich couldn’t sleep. 

It was all too often that he found himself lying in an empty bed, the side once reserved for his darling wife now as barren as his household; hollow from the loss of his young daughters also. He didn’t believe in ghosts, but there was something indescribable that was missing, and yet dormant around him; stalking the halls of his home and settled on his shoulders, its weight felt even through the heavy layers of his coat, failing to tame even when his mind was at work. 

Work. The notion seemed pointless. It was his natural responsibility as a man, but what kind of a man was he if there weren’t a home, a family to provide for?  

Where days were usually spent waiting for sunset, longing for to return to his dear Anna, he now remained hunched over pocketbooks, or gazing vacantly onto the waters that surrounded him. Friedrich had been conditioned to enjoy the sight of a ship – he sold them for a living after all – but he’d never once considered that the ocean was far more interesting. Serene, unpredictable, a twinkling blue or a murky grey, the waves that sloshed against the iron keel called to him. 

That's how his dreams usually began. 

He’s on a boat, and there’s some client in the corner nattering on about trade deals. It all goes through one ear and out the other, instead lost in the seemingly endless vapour around him. Are they even in Germany anymore? Perhaps he’s in the Atlantic, or the North Sea. 

He can’t tell. 

The boat strays further, seemingly being guided towards a light. The winter months in Wisborg are always the toughest; they’re bitter, relentless...the type of cold that would make you want to walk head first into a fire. 

He missed evenings by the fireplace with his girls. 

Once the mist clears, there’s a figure. It’s beautiful; definitively womanly by the unique curves of its bare chest, propped up and perched on the shore waiting for him. He can’t see its face, but finds himself rather enticed by the sound of its song, raspy, yet melodic…calling out to him. He wonders why a young woman would be out alone, but welcomes her brashness, so much so that he doesn’t realise that she is not human, at least not below her waist. 

He feels like he knows you.  

Do you know him? 

Her scales are smooth and her tail is streamlined, finding a way to glisten even in the thick fog. Friedrich reaches out, yet can’t seem to feel anything, not even a wetness. It’s nothing.  

The boat and its only other passenger have disappeared, now knee deep in the sea below him. He feels weighty, but he seems to float towards you effortlessly. He stalks closer and closer, wading in and out of the ripples below him, not realising that every step brings him down.  

Down.  

The water is rising. He’s close to shore, but the ocean is getting deeper. It’s up to his torso now, and he can feel the cold pooling through his shirt, seeping down his chest and into his pants. His drawers are bulging, desperately needing release, sparse as oxygen begins to shrivel up in his lungs. There’s only a few more steps for him to be with you – he’ll make it. 

There’s a salty taste in his mouth as he’s dragged underwater, your visage even blurrier and distorted than before. You’re just a bunch of lines now, barely perceptible through his swollen eyes. They’re red and raw – he cries out for Anna, for you, but what good are tears in a body of water? 

“Closer, my Prince. Let us be one…” 

Startled, Friedrich wakes in a cold sweat, just as he feels life snuff out from his insides. Like clockwork, he reaches over to his bedside, his table topped with gauze for his lip. It’s bleeding again. With wooden legs he struggles to sit himself up, a hand haphazardly wiping at his sweat-bathed forehead. 

It’s the same as always; moonlight streaking through the sheer curtains, casting a light along the paraphernalia in the room. He’d started to crack the windows, wondering if the stuffiness of the room was the source of his troubles – apparently not. 

Sighing, Friedrich rubs his eyes, just before rolling back onto his back and staring up at the ceiling. It would soon be morning. Another day was ahead of him. 

- 

The Harding’s bedroom was filled with laboured breaths. Friedrich was sat on the edge of his bed, drawers to the floor as he pumped a firm hand along his cock, the other clutching Anna’s old undergarments as he chased release.

He'd been on edge all day, not just his festering libido but he’d been tired, frustrated as he tried to fight sleep over his desk at work. This would be the last straw, the final thing that he’d hope would remedy his insomnia. He'd always used to sleep well once he’d filled his wife with seed – why wouldn’t it be the same now?

In the past he’d liked to savour the moment; feel every inch of skin and twitching sensation in her cunt, but this was different, and he was solely focused on escapism. Running his fingertips along the lace of its lining was ultimately meaningless – there was no feeling behind any of this, instead an aimless wander in pursuit of some semblance of a womanly connection. 

He’d started this thinking of Anna, but his thoughts were quickly replaced by you – or at least an image of you. 

“Closer, my Prince. Let us be one.” 

Your voice was calling. He had to find you. 

Friedrich dropped his grip from around his erect cock, eyes wide and watery as he stood up from his seated position. There was that feverishness again. The world around him was a mirage as he felt his arms pull his pants up, feet walk towards the bedroom door and along the stretching corridor before floating down the stairs, toes hardly hitting the lush carpet as he did.  

It was all a weird black, he couldn’t see the fireplace, nor the pool table, or the path to the kitchen, but he knew his route like the back of his hand.  

“Herr Harding...It’s barely the morn. Why are you leaving?” 

The outside called. Twilight; the crisp air struck his lungs like a hunter to a gazelle, the fabric of his nightshirt grazing in the wind as he ran towards the abyss – making that oh-so familiar route towards the dock.  

“You’re almost there, my love...” he heard you call, voice now as clear as ever. His heard skipped a beat as you let out a girlishly enticing chuckle. “I can’t wait to be with you.” 

Splinters lined his soles, but Friedrich couldn’t feel them. All he felt was a weird mixture of horror and joy upon seeing you on the embankment, just as he had all those nights. The dust had settled and the fog lifted, and you were even more beautiful than one could’ve imagined. You don’t look like Anna, but the invitation in your eye is all the same. 

You wore a melancholy smile and painted with skin that glistened in the moonlight, projecting colours that he’d never even thought could’ve existed. Youthful, but so womanly. 

 He hardly noticed the tide, slowly rising and falling on your command, yet certainly inching closer. It was a good thing he felt ready to drown. 

“My dear Friedrich...You came,” you whispered, words rolling off your slippery tongue. “I’ve been waiting for you.” 

“You called for me, my darling,” he replied sincerely, cupping your face in his hands. “I’m a prat for making you wait.” 

Gently you placed your hand on his, snaking it down from your cheeks and placing it between your breast, his thumb getting a hold of your mounds, nipples hardening as you did. Your beckoned eyes and gentle pout were enough to convince him, lips latching onto your own as he kissed you.  

Friedrich wasted no time in exploring your mouth, hastily pulling down his pants to take his bare cock in his hands, just as he had been minutes prior. Throbbing, he gave himself a few languid strokes as he moved down towards your breasts, latching onto your nipple, eyes squeezed shut as he savoured the moment. Everything suddenly felt real again – his passion had meaning, intent – and he was determined to give it all to you.  

His hands roamed down your body to find that your lower torso was wet and slippery, flower so delicately crafted that he was almost certain you couldn’t have been anything but inhuman.  

It was there, open and budding for him, closing around his shaft so perfectly as he slid into you. Shivering, his blue eyes glanced up at you through long lashes as he suddenly lost the sound of your voice once more, but could infer by the perfect ‘o’ shape of your lips that you were in just as much ecstasy as he.  

His quads and ass clenched tighter with every thrust, bare knees scraping against the rocks as he humped you like a dog. His bottom lip quivered, and before he knew it tears began streaking down his face, his grip on your body tight as he chased that cushion-y spot. 

“I’m sorry, beloved,” he moaned, white spots peppering his vision. “I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner. But your delayed gratification has driven me mad... I’m mad for you.” 

“Don’t hold back, my darling,” you begged. “It’s time. Give your love to me...” 

All consuming, all perfect. Friedrich wrinkled his nose, throwing his head back in euphoria, too far gone to care about his (usually) immaculately groomed stray strands that draped across his face. Spurts of white seed pumped into you as he felt the knot unravel from his stomach, his clammy skin now cooled, washed clean from his sickness.  

Trembling, it was a while before he could safely rest his head on your chest, listening to soft rhythm of your heart slowly sink into the water, this time bringing you with him with his softening cock inside of you. Then, for the first night in a while, he slept. 

FIN. 

[hauntingblue]

WATER SEVEN BABYYYYY

Look at robin reacting when luffy says he wont give her up.... 🥺🥺

This is a joke right now but its actually a one piece tenet aldjsisjka

Usopp aksbaksjakqk the foreshadow is foreshadowing... Also Robin being happy with the crew after the Aokiji incident... Fuck!!!!

Sanji thinking robin just vanished or flew away and suddenly usopp is soaring thru the skies... imagine

AAAAARGGGGHHHH YOU CAN SEE THE GEARS TURNING

Zoro talking to merry..... only while he is alone of course

Why are nami and sanji matching ajdhakjsk look at the citrus sisters

Carpenter: maybe it was the government

Gov agent: I don't think so, also don't say that they are everywhere

LUFFY SUPPORTS WOMEN'S WRONGS!!!

Don't scream att chopper like that!!! Look at him... So small....

Imu tease???? (No) (Also I've changed websites again bc the translation is kinda off , I can't find a good quality b&w spanish translation and the colors scare me (i want the real manga experience))

GET HIM ICEBURG!!!!

I truly forgor if this is just a lie about her wanting to find the rio poneglyphs or genuine because she wants to die and will do it for them... because in skypiea she says she is not interested in the weapons so maybe if the gov pardons her but considering what she wants is illegal then idk abdjabjs this is such a dumb thing to forget... like thats important girl where did it go (reading this after remembering and it's kinda funny... i will make any sacrifice to kill myself (and keep you safe)... she goes HARD)

Little paulie and mozu and kiwi.... omg hello (the SBS says the twins wanted to be shipwrights too omg)

Franky's backstory is small but it does so much for me like it is so central to the themes... boats and people...

DID SOMEBODY ORDER MORE TRAGIC BROTHERS?

The fact that franky needs to learn this lesson to pass it on to robin.... do you understand how big this is.... also Tom does exactly as he says and takes responsibility for franky and what he has done... because he has done nothing wrong AND THAT'S HIS SON and he just punched spandam bc he wanta him to feel the pain franky feels... Tom is such a man..... proud of having built eater 7 up with the sea train.... goes out with a boom.... should we all kill ourselves....

I am crying again................... franky my god.... and the fucking frog!!! And of course franky can't stop Tom's hope for his island... of course he can't.... he hasnt learnt the lesson yet but this guy isn't over yet!! He has a life of being a pervert cyborg ahead!!! Iceburg following Tom's footsteps but franky not being able to do that bc of his guilt....

This is one of the coolest things chopper has done btw...

NAMII 😭😭😭

Robin damning the world for her crew when all she has ever done is damn her companions for her own sake.... how big is this...

I can't take this...... it's always nami in these positions... it happens AGAIN in Zou with Sanji... there is no way

The love letter gag is too good like damn that's so funny

AND IT'S NAMI GOING THROUGH IT AGAIN!!!! SHE LOVES ROBIN SO MUCH!!!!

[mishkakagehishka]

Gripping your shoulders so hard my nails draw blood. I need a lookback scout that explores mika's past so fucking bad

[freedelusionshere]

Carmy absolutely does do things that are shitty all the time. All the stuff about ditching the restaurant to hang out with Claire in S2, for example. Which is letting Syd and his entire team down. Carmy can sleep with or date whoever he wants, that’s not the problem for me and doesn’t really need any excuse. Syd is not actively pursuing Carmy romantically at all.

Claire isn’t responsible for him ditching, either, but she doesn’t give a shit and actually tries to distract him from building his new restaurant. She plays on his confusion and brings up his abusive mother and the cannolis, which he tells Syd he hates and is an obvious trigger for him.

“No one’s ever made dinner for me.”

Carmy is easily guilted and unsure of what he wants because he’s been manipulated by his family which she also knows about. She knows he’s confused about her, too, she just doesn’t care. She’s definitely taking advantage of his mental state.

She keeps asking about the phone number in order to get the answer she wants. Threatening to have Faks beat him up. Telling him he’s being weird/difficult for not dropping everything to help her move her mom. She’s been kind of stalking him via Neil (also Neil directly influences Carmy as well). It’s implied Nat sees it as a positive and Richie encourages it. Leaving the “I love you” on a VM on Friends & Family?

And she kind of gets what she gives, right? He flip flops on her because she makes him uneasy because she’s subtly manipulative (instead of direct like his mom) and she didn’t expect him to drop her until she was done having her thrills. Or choose something (or someone) else over her.

I really feel if Carmy were a female character people wouldn’t act like she owed someone like Claire all of this. People would see the gaslighting and isolating from family (co-workers), and having her good time at their expense. People would be talking about how manipulative Claire is. Instead I feel like because Claire’s aggression is hidden behind softness it gets a pass.

Claire is also just as messed up as Carmy. But she’s figured out how to hide how messed up she with her facade and by watching other’s pain which the show repeatedly shows her talking about and doing over and over again. She is aware of what she’s doing.

Does Carmy know what he’s doing? No, he doesn’t. He tried dating Claire because he wanted to see if he could have a life outside the restaurant. She did make it easy. He was not even trying to think about them having a future, Syd is the one who brought that up. He was just trying to enjoy himself.

I mean, I believe Carmy is in love with Syd, but he made her off limits in his mind, I think, until the end of S3. Richie calls him out on sublimating his feelings, it’s not even subtle. He wanted to have a life outside of work (Syd is at work) and it completely failed because of who he is and the kind of person Claire is.

Carmy is ultimately responsible for his choices but so is Claire. People that have been abused can fall into patterns and not be able to easily escape from them which is what a lot of his journey is about. He is lying but it is to himself. Carmy did used to have a crush on Claire and he did like her in high school “so much”.

Anyway, thank you for responding!

People can easily use each other in all kinds of relationships, that’s why I think it’s so important to have relationships established on knowing and caring for people and not seeing them as disposable.

Hook-up culture is not that. I really don’t think it’s accurate to say Carmy used Claire and not that they used each other, but also one person has experience with hook-up culture and it’s not Carmy, and they make sure to show this is what Claire and her friend group typically do.

They reverse the gender tropes a lot on this show and definitely did around this relationship, and Carmy wasn’t even going to tell Claire what he said in the walk-in. She was in a place she wasn’t supposed to be and accidentally overheard it.

She walked away. She didn’t try to work it out or talk about it. And it was about him not her. He never blamed it on her at any point. Which she lies about later to Tiff. It wouldn’t feel good to hear that for anyone, but he didn’t know she was there and he wasn’t saying it to hurt her.

There’s also no indication he ever felt safe enough with Claire to have that deep of a convo, all their convos are depicted as vapid and talking around their real feelings for a reason. Claire was using Carmy as well. She knew he had anxiety, she noticed his heart racing. She is a medical professional.

Just because you have sex with someone or call them a “girlfriend” or whatever, doesn’t equal intimacy or a bond of any kind. Which, Carmy thinks that word sounds awful, but it doesn’t come up very often that maybe he doesn’t care for the gendered dynamics of that?

He doesn’t say it outright, but the whole thing with him dating Claire is that it’s what Mikey and his family thought was good for him, and Mikey (and Richie and Fake’s) opinions of Claire are extremely sexist. Notice how Carmy gets grossed out by Richie calling Syd “sweetheart” or Nat pretending to be a helpless little girl to manipulate Cicero. He literally calls it “gross”.

Anyway, just me ranting about this for the millionth time but Carmy can apologize to Claire for using her because he didn’t know what he actually wanted when she was just hooking up with him for fun and thrills (she tells us that’s what she’s into) and then it didn’t go the way she wanted and got too inconvenient so she walked.

Carmy wants intimacy and emotional safety, and the show has gone to great pains to show he gets that from Syd, in contrast to anyone associated with his past. What Syd is getting in return needs to be answered now from her POV, but that contrast is the reason Carmy and Claire don’t work. Not because he made the mistake of calling her his girlfriend in order to not be seen as a jerk by Syd and not because they had sex (big deal TBH), and not he had a meltdown and admitted his real feelings to Tina.

[red-dyed-sarumane]

my friend asked me to put together all the ways oumen & apoptosis are connected as songs today & i love those two so naturally ive been on this since i woke up & after really going thru the lyrics Yet Again i think i FINALLY have my answer about tenshi's song right.

so basically we know the nami no ne no motif from aru sekai shoushitsu being present in a song means whoever in the song is still a "person"/still has their free will & gets to continue into the next loop. standard info. in all the other songs this is mixed into the instrumental, the only times its sung are in shoushitsu of course & in oumen mokushiroku. didnt think much of it when the song first came out bc like yeah thats just whats in series songs. but more & more across various songs, shoushitsu, apoptosis, kanon, oumen itself it talks about sacrifice & implies that sacrifice was a permanent death. oumen as a whole is her not wanting to accept that sacrifice role, she doesn't have a choice in it, but she doesnt want it either, (& apoptosis being it was originally that girl who was supposed to be the sacrifice but she pushed it off on someone else, therefore is the reason tenshi's song goes the way it does in the first place)

so then why does she have the motif if everything else including her herself say that she dies permanently.

i propose to u my newest theory.

the whole song is her wishing she had more time, not wanting to do it, she wants to live. so. since she's specifically singing it. im willing to bet its a last wish of hers. that somehow, someway, she still has enough free will to counteract the act of sacrifice, if she wishes hard enough, if she holds enough of her own desires, then maybe against everything, she'll get to live on into the next loop. basically, not a sign that she Does live, rather, just that she desperately WANTS to

[rotisseries]

swifties are so goddamn annoying lmao. "her music spans several genres!!" last I checked, country and pop are only two (2) genres, and the word choice of "several" implies more than two. someone here can't count and it isn't me

[moe-broey]

Screaming crying throwing up curled up on yhe floor sobbing weeping ect ect I miss them SO much (PNGs with voice lines that live in my phone that I can look at any time)

[iwakuraz]

I do not understand what a joke is