#hes a fucking PUNK in this au. and i mean that in he listens to punk and he is a fucking ASSHAT

[james-fun-in-the-sunderland]

working on some stuff for a college au with vicky and abel ... this is so weird why is he young and unscarred.

[where-does-the-heart-lie]

More Doki Doki Battle Academy OP AU

even MOOROEEE of themmmmmahhhhhhh babyeyyy i even added some dialogues fir some extra flavourrrrr (kuma and bonney's gif there would be a sprite he would have in his dialogue scenes. i dont think it would be a gif like this, more like everytime you look back at him, bonney would be in a different spot)

Master Post for this AU

imagining the vinsmoke/strawhat beef going like this video

design stuffs and more lore:

preface: sorry this is so much writing and im not going to grammar check it cuz aint no body got time for that.

The world of this au is like pokemon with different gyms you can fight through and beat, there's a big league of pro fighters, and there are schools for teaching you to be a better fighter.

One of the schools is called the Germa 66 Private Battle Academy, it goes from grades 1-12 and its where the Vinsmoke siblings all went too (at least until sanji broke off from the family at some point) and its run by Judge Vinsmoke, their father.

i am thinking that the Vinsmoke kids would still be genetically modified and Kuma would be a cyborg in this too.

design stuffs:

Ichiji: i tried to make him as punk as he would feasably get away with living under his father's rule. Big "combat" boots, fingerless gloves, black undershirt. He likes his style and would probably go all out if he didnt have to conform to his school uniform, thus i put a little heart on his boots.

Niji: i also made him like his style. The rings on his fingers, his nikes shoes, his big headphones. Like a gamer who thinks this is what fashion is. I think he would love listening to music too so i put his heart on his headphones.

Yonji: big stakly guy. Hes a lot more hands-on than his brothers so i put lots of emphasis on that area. i put his heart on his hand wraps because i think he would really love fighting. I think that Yonji is most like his father in that enjoyment, but i think Judge wouldnt like how casual Yonji's style is.

Reiju: y2k queen. I love this design on her so much im so bummed that she would have already graduated from the academy and i cant put her in a Hit Me Baby One More Time-esque uniform outfit, shed fucking KILL THAT SHITTT. Anyway though, reiju's heart is subtle yet in plain view, the locket around her neck. i dont think she would let anyone look at the contents but i do think that absolutly it would be her mother on one side and her brothers on the other. She wouldnt like people looking at it because that would mean someone could see that her dad isnt in there and she would get it a lot of trouble with her father about it.

Power ranger fits: i made them full on power rangers. its what they deserve. Since reiju has a butterfly motif in canon, i thought it would be fun to also give her brothers a bug motif of their own. ichiji is a wasp, niji is a dragonfly, yonji is a stag beetle. If sanji stuck around, hed probably be a lady bug lol. Also the masks they wear, the eye window part, it’s like tear tracks coming out but in a way that doesnt look like thats what they are. But it’s meant to show how judge forcing his children to be these people is causing them pain.

thank you @zethsdumpster for being my Vinsmoke specialist and helping me come up with a lot of their design stuff!

Doflamingo: i tried to make him a Nasty Nasty man. Like if a used car salesman made it big. Like if Macklemore was MackleMORE. i love the idea that he likes to tan himself, but he doesnt take any of his clothes off to do so, so he just has the absolute craziest tan lines ever. i put his hearts on the gold chain around his neck, he loves his wealth but not much else. i love the idea of him having two very expensive watches on each wrist. there may be more watches up his sleeve too. i also gave him fluffy dice around his neck, like he's one of the cars that he's selling.

Rosinante: i couldnt get away much longer without putting the heart man into the heart 'game'. i couldve went off more with the hearts of his design but i didnt want him to become nearly as flashy as his brother. i wanted him to be understated and fade into the background when doflamingo is around. he is dead in this au btw sorry :/ this is his design when he passed, but doffy's design is present day him. anyway, Rosi's hearts are everywhere, its in the outline of his big huggable fluffy coat, its on his hat thats pulling him down, it would be on his shirt too if it wasnt covered by his coat in this image.

Bonney: SHEEES SO CUUTEEEE AAAAAAAA i love her. I based her design off of Avril Lavigne with her iconic necktie/tanktop/baggy pants looks. i tried to make her outfit look like she could feasibly fit in it when she ages herself up, especially her big ol shoes. the heart in her design is in her neck tie. The stereotypical visage of a dad is a man in a tie who goes to work, and she loves her dad, so her heart is in her dad tie.

Kuma: I didn't change much of him from his design in canon, but since bonney would be more in his life in this version, i wanted to give him more visual indicators of her being there. like the height chart on his leg, or the fuzzy hat she crocheted for him (she also made her own hat for herself). Also, the pattern on his shirt is one that looks like a paw, but if you took off that outer layer, if the pattern continued, the design would be a sun, and i just think that was really clever ehe ehe.

Hancock: Basically i tried to make her the baddest bitch in the universe. My program crashed like 3 times making her which is so funny. Procreate couldnt handle her. I based her design off of Medusa. at first i had her snake be made out of marble, but it eventually wound up at Obsidian. She has no visible hearts on her design and thats because it would be the scar on her back, which she tries to hide. i like the idea that this very visibly revealing outfit would be perfectly tailored and reinforced to never move a single inch to let anyone see what theyre not supposed to. I dont know how i would justify her being able to turn people into stone in this AU, so im just not going to make a decision on whether or not she can do that.

ive been working on these designs off and on ever since i made the first post on this au and im real happy i can finally put more out.

if you got to the end of this, thank you so much for reading~ i hope you enjoyed :)

[estellan0vella]

Fallen Into Place: L.F Lee Felix x fem!reader (College AU)

WC: 18.2K

CW: Mentions of physical abuse by a parental figure, Substance Use, Implied and discussed sexual relationships, Discussion of a parent’s death due to cancer General Masterlist SKZ Masterlist

Seungmin's room at the Alpha Phi house is a chaotic mix of minimalist black furniture and books shoved in every conceivable corner. A sleek desk is shoved up against the wall, covered in half-empty energy drink cans and a complicated tangle of wires that probably belong to the computer he built himself. You're perched on the edge of his unmade bed, the France trip booklet spread across your lap. The glossy pages feel weirdly fancy for a school trip, like they're trying too hard to make this sound like the experience of a lifetime.

You're not convinced.

"Okay, but seriously," you say, flipping to the section about Paris accommodations. "If that freckled idiot is going, I'm not."

Seungmin snorts without looking up from his copy of the same booklet. He's slouched in his desk chair, one foot resting on the desk, balancing precariously on the edge of his chair like the picture of nonchalant chaos. His black jeans are ripped in just the right places, his vest hanging open over a plain black tank that shows off the lightning-strike tattoos on his right arm.

"Felix? Oh, he's definitely going," he says, his voice dripping with mock cheerfulness. "He's a bakery and confectionary minor. You think he's missing a trip to the fucking homeland of croissants?"

You groan and flop backwards onto the bed dramatically, the booklet smacking against your chest. "Of course, he is. God, his whole 'everything is sunshine and rainbows' bullshit is going to ruin the entire trip."

Seungmin rolls his eyes, spinning his chair lazily to face you. "I mean, to be fair, they did offer it to you at a discount since you're French and can actually help translate."

"Yeah, but is the sacrifice of my sanity worth it?" you counter, sitting back up and waving the booklet around for emphasis. "I don't know if I can deal with that guy in close quarters for twelve days. Twelve days, Seungmin!"

"Listen," Seungmin says, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his knees. His multiple piercings catch the light as he smirks at you. "If I were you, I'd say yes to the trip. You're literally getting it cheaper. You love pastry-making, and honestly, you're not going to find a better opportunity than this."

You huff, crossing your legs and leaning back against the headboard. Your black miniskirt rides up slightly, and you adjust it out of habit. The lace-up stiletto boots on your feet gleam under the overhead light as you cross one ankle over the other.

"They're talking about opening it up to other students to fill the slots," you say, flipping another page. "You and Minho should sign up."

Seungmin shrugs. "I might."

Before you can press him further, Minho's voice comes from the doorway, dripping with his usual dry humour. "Oh, hello, miserable one and two."

You glance up to see Minho leaning against the doorframe, looking like he just walked out of a punk-rock fashion show. His black cargo pants hang low on his hips, the silver chain around his neck catching the light. His sleeveless compression top reveals toned arms, covered in intricate tattoos, and his piercings glint as he smirks at you both.

"Hello, miserable three," you reply, waving lazily at him with the booklet.

Minho strides into the room like he owns it, flopping onto the bed beside you. He leans over to glance at the booklet in your hands, his cherry-red hair falling into his eyes. "What's this?"

"France trip," you answer. "Twelve days. Paris, Nice, Bordeaux. Pastry-making bullshit."

Minho raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed. "And you're debating whether to go because Felix might annoy you to death?"

"Correct," you deadpan.

"You could fuck some hot French guys, though," Minho points out, stretching his arms over his head lazily. His septum ring gleams as he smirks down at you.

You hum thoughtfully. "You might be right."

Seungmin snickers from his chair. "Maybe you and Felix should fight it out."

Minho shakes his head quickly. "Would not advise. That dude did taekwondo for, like, twelve fucking years. He'd wreck your shit. Maybe just fuck it out instead."

The booklet in your hand immediately becomes a weapon, and you start whacking Minho with it as he cackles and shields himself. "You're the fucking worst!" you yell between laughs, unable to keep a straight face.

"I'm kidding! I'm kidding!" Minho yells, though his laughter doesn't stop. "God, you're so violent for someone in a miniskirt."

"You deserved it!" you retort, still laughing as you toss the booklet onto the bed. "Don't start shit you can't finish, asshole."

Minho grins, unbothered. "Fair. Anyway, I signed up as soon as they opened the trip to all students."

You blink. "You what?"

"Yeah," Minho says casually. "I want some French dick in my mouth, or I want my dick in some French ass. Either way, I'm winning."

Seungmin chokes on his laughter, and you bury your face in your hands. "I hate you both so much."

"No, you don't," Seungmin says, spinning lazily in his chair. "You'd be lost without us."

Minho smirks. "And you'd be bored as hell."

You sigh dramatically but don't argue. They're right.

The cool night air wraps around the Alpha Phi garden, carrying the faint scent of charcoal and sizzling meat from the grill. The frat house's pool glows a soft blue, its reflection dancing on the faces of Seungmin, Minho, and you as the three of you linger at the edge of the garden, cigarettes in hand. The garden's string lights flicker gently, creating an almost peaceful atmosphere if not for the faint bursts of laughter from Felix, Jisung, and Changbin near the grill, where Chan works his magic.

Seungmin exhales a puff of smoke, his arm resting on the back of a patio chair. "Is a peaceful fucking cigarette too much to ask for in this goddamn house?"

Minho, leaning casually against the pool railing with his cigarette dangling between his fingers, scoffs. "In this house? Yes." His smirk deepens as he takes a slow drag, blowing the smoke toward the sky. "Peaceful doesn't exist when those dumbasses are around."

You roll your eyes, flicking ash from the tip of your cigarette. "It's like they can't laugh at a normal fucking volume. Always gotta be like hyenas on crack."

Seungmin hums in agreement. "Honestly, you'd think they'd be tired after practice today. Changbin looked like he was dying after suicides."

"Didn't stop him from inhaling half the kitchen afterwards," Minho adds, chuckling. "Guy's an actual vacuum cleaner."

Before you can respond, Felix's bright voice cuts through the air, closer now. "What's this? The Pessimist Club holding a meeting?"

You don't even have to look to know it's him. That fucking Australian accent and overly chipper tone are like nails on a chalkboard. You glance over your shoulder to see Felix, Changbin, and Jisung sauntering toward your group, beers in hand and grins plastered across their faces.

"Great," you mutter, stubbing your cigarette out on the edge of a nearby ashtray. "Just what I needed."

Felix grins, his freckles catching the light as he looks at you. "Aw, don't look so excited to see us, Cruella."

"Twilight fucking Sparkle," you shoot back without hesitation, crossing your arms. His eyes narrow, but the grin doesn't leave his face. The nickname makes Changbin nearly choke on his beer as Jisung cackles like a madman.

"Oh, come on," Felix says, feigning offence. "That's not even fucking accurate. I don't sparkle."

"Yet you've got the same overly positive bullshit energy," you deadpan. "Don't deny it."

Felix groans dramatically, placing a hand over his chest. "You wound me. Seriously."

Minho snorts. "You walked into that one, Lix."

"Thank you, Minho," you say, tipping an imaginary hat toward him. "At least someone gets it."

Felix narrows his eyes at you, stepping closer until he's in your personal space. "You're just mad because I'm nice and people actually like me."

"Yeah, nice and painfully fucking irritating. It's like you're allergic to negativity," you retort, holding his gaze without flinching.

"And you're allergic to anything remotely fun," Felix snaps back, his grin now replaced with a slight frown. "God forbid someone has a good time around you."

"God forbid you shut the fuck up for five minutes," you counter, smirking slightly.

"Alright, alright," Changbin interrupts, stepping between the two of you with his hands up. "Jesus Christ, you two need a fucking referee."

"Or a muzzle," Jisung adds with a snicker, earning a middle finger from you.

Felix glares at you one last time, but there's no real malice behind it. Just pure, unfiltered irritation. He takes a long sip of his beer, and you watch with a smirk as an idea forms. When you finish your cigarette, you flick the stub neatly into his drink, the small plunk unmistakable.

Felix sputters. "What the fuck, Cruella?!"

You pat his cheek sweetly, giving him an innocent smile. "Oops. My bad." And with that, you breeze past him, heading toward the grill where Chan's flipping burgers with the precision of a chef in a five-star restaurant.

"Y/N," Chan greets warmly, draping an arm around your shoulders as you approach. "You and Lix can't just get along for once?"

You glance up at him, unimpressed. "I'd rather slam my tongue in a car door. Repeatedly."

Chan snorts, his laughter shaking the arm around your shoulders as he uses his free hand to flip a burger. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"And yet, you love me," you reply, leaning into his side. His familiar warmth is oddly comforting after a long, annoying day.

He hums, ruffling your two-toned hair with a grin. "You doing okay? Last time we talked, your dad—"

"It's fine," you cut him off quickly, your tone sharper than you intend. You force a small smile as you snuggle closer to him. "Seriously, it's fine."

Chan pauses, clearly unconvinced but not pushing. "You know if it's not, you can talk to me, right?"

"I know," you murmur, letting your cheek rest against his shoulder. The sounds of laughter and bickering fade into the background as the scent of grilled meat fills the air.

Chan flips another burger before glancing down at you. "You ever need to crash here-"

"Yeah, I know," you interrupt, your voice softer now. "Can I stay tonight?"

"Of course," he replies without hesitation, his arm tightening around you briefly. "You don't even have to ask."

You smile faintly, letting the comfort of his presence calm the restless energy buzzing in your chest. As annoying as the Alpha Phi house can be, moments like this make it bearable. Even if it means dealing with Felix's Twilight Sparkle bullshit for another day.

The Alpha Phi living room is a chaotic mess of overstuffed furniture, mismatched throw pillows, and random items that scream college frat house. The TV is on, playing some action movie that no one is really watching. You're crammed into the loveseat between Seungmin and Minho, your legs crossed and your black miniskirt riding just slightly higher than you intended. Not that you care. The snake tattoo on your left arm glints under the warm light as you sip on an iced Americano from the café down the street.

Chan is sprawled on the couch with Jeongin, who's flipping through some fashion magazine and pointing out ridiculous outfits. Hyunjin sits cross-legged on the floor with his sketchbook, his black hair falling into his face as his pencil scratches against the page. Changbin is perched on the arm of the couch, scrolling through his phone.

The peace, if you can call this chaos peaceful, is shattered when Felix and Jisung walk in mid-conversation.

"Honestly," Felix says, his accent sharper than usual, "I can't imagine anything more horrifying."

Without missing a beat, you dig into your bag, pull out a small pocket mirror, and hold it up to his face. "There you go."

The room bursts into laughter as Felix glares at you, his freckled face reddening slightly. "You're such a fucking menace, Cruella."

Leaning back against the loveseat, you smirk and take another sip of your Americano. "And you make it so damn easy, Twilight Sparkle. Don't dish it if you can't take it."

Minho chuckles beside you, elbowing you lightly. "She's got a point, Lix. You walked right into that one."

Felix opens his mouth to retort, but Jisung cuts him off with a grin. "He wasn't even talking about himself, you know. Felix was telling me about some guy he knows who went on a shitty date."

"Oh yeah?" Seungmin asks, raising an eyebrow. "What happened? She ghosted him or some shit?"

"Nah, worse," Jisung replies, his grin widening. "Apparently, she spent the whole time talking about her ex and then made him pay for everything. Like, didn't even pretend to offer."

"Fucking brutal," Minho mutters, shaking his head. "But hey, Lix, what about you? Thinking about dipping your toes into the dating pool? Maybe get some Tinder dates lined up? Or, I don't know, snag a hot French girlfriend on the trip?"

Felix hesitates for a second too long, and you seize the opportunity.

"Yeah," you say, your tone dripping with mock sympathy. "Because his last girlfriend deflated when he nibbled on her ear."

The laughter that erupts is immediate and overwhelming. Changbin is the first to lose it, throwing his head back and falling off the arm of the couch entirely. Hyunjin tries to keep his composure, but his shoulders shake as he hides his laughter behind his sketchbook.

"Oh my fucking god," Changbin wheezes from the floor, clutching his stomach. "I'm gonna die."

Jisung is biting his lip so hard it looks like it might bleed, but even he can't hold it together when Felix starts spluttering, his face as red as a tomato.

"You're such an asshole!" Felix snaps, his voice higher-pitched than usual. "It wasn't even funny!"

"Oh, come on, Twilight Sparkle," you say, setting your cup down on the side table with a dramatic sigh. "We all know your girlfriends have been inflatable. It's okay."

Minho immediately raises his hand, and you slap it in a victorious high-five as Felix groans loudly. The room explodes into laughter again, Jisung practically collapsing onto the couch as he gasps for air.

"Stop fucking calling me that!" Felix yells, his voice cracking slightly. "It's not even clever!"

"You're just mad because it fits," you reply smugly, leaning back and crossing your legs.

Jeongin, who's been quietly observing, finally speaks up with a mischievous grin. "Hey, Lix, if you do get a French girlfriend, maybe Cruella can help you translate."

"Fuck off, Jeongin," Felix snaps, shooting him a glare. "Like I need her help."

"Oh, you definitely do," Minho cuts in, smirking. "Your French is trash. What was it you said last time? Je suis un croissant? Dude, you called yourself a fucking pastry."

Felix throws his hands up in frustration as the laughter intensifies. "Why are all of you ganging up on me?!"

"Because you're easy to mess with," you say with a shrug, picking up your iced Americano again. "And honestly, it's fun watching you get all flustered."

Felix glares at you again, muttering something under his breath that you can't quite catch. You don't care, though. Riling him up is one of your favourite pastimes, and the fact that he keeps rising to the bait only makes it better.

"Anyway," Changbin says, wiping tears from his eyes as he finally sits back up, "you guys are fucking ridiculous."

"And yet, you hang out with us," Hyunjin points out, his voice still tinged with amusement as he goes back to his sketchbook.

"Yeah, because you're entertaining," Changbin retorts. "It's like watching a live comedy show."

Felix slumps onto the couch with a dramatic sigh, still glaring at you from across the room. You meet his gaze with a sweet, innocent smile, and he groans, running a hand through his hair.

"Fucking Cruella," he mutters under his breath, and you can't help but grin.

The lecture hall is buzzing with conversation as students file in, taking their seats around tables scattered with booklets and itinerary sheets. The Paris trip meeting is supposed to be straightforward, but nothing about being stuck in a room with overexcited classmates screams "calm." You're running late but you don't care. The thought of spending hours cooped up going over the fine details of travel plans is already giving you a headache.

You click your way into the room, the sharp staccato of your boots echoing against the tile floor. Your black leather miniskirt clings just right, and your dark red turtleneck contrasts perfectly with your half-black, half-white hair, messily clipped up in a way that somehow still looks flawless.

"Late as always," Felix mutters from just behind you. He's trailing after you, also late, because of course he is.

"Look who's talking, Twilight Sparkle," you snap back, throwing him a glance over your shoulder. "What, too busy spreading sunshine and glitter to get here on time?"

"Funny, coming from someone who probably spent twenty minutes perfecting her eyeliner just to intimidate the rest of us," Felix retorts, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"Well, it's working," you say, smirking back. "You look terrified."

Felix opens his mouth to reply, but the professor at the front of the room clears her throat, gesturing for the two of you to find seats. The only available ones are at a table already occupied by Minho, Seungmin, and Jisung. Great.

"Perfect," Felix mutters as he drops into the chair beside you. "Now I get front-row seats to Cruella's tragic personality."

"And I get to sit next to an overgrown My Little Pony," you reply sweetly, settling into your chair and crossing your legs.

Minho, Seungmin, and Jisung exchange amused glances as you and Felix settle in. Minho leans back in his chair, his arms crossed and a shit-eating grin plastered across his face. "Oh, this is gonna be good."

The professor begins walking through the itinerary, her voice droning on about flights, hotel check-ins, and scheduled activities. You try to focus, but Felix shifting in his seat beside you keeps pulling your attention.

"So," Felix whispers, leaning slightly closer. "What are you planning to do on your free days? Suck out the souls of innocent Parisians?"

"Yeah," you reply without missing a beat, your voice equally low. "So they don't have to suffer through your sunshine bullshit. It's a mercy soul-snatching, really."

Felix snorts, unable to hide his amusement. "At least you're self-aware."

"Besides," you add, smirking as you turn your head toward him, "at least their souls are being snatched by someone attractive."

Felix chokes on a laugh, quickly covering his mouth with his hand to muffle the sound. Minho and Jisung exchange wide-eyed looks, while Seungmin just shakes his head, clearly holding back his own laughter.

"Wow," Felix mutters after a moment, still grinning. "You really think highly of yourself, don't you?"

"Someone has to," you reply, tilting your head. "You're all too busy worshipping the ground you walk on."

Felix shakes his head, still smiling. He won't admit it, but he actually enjoys these exchanges. You're sharp, quick-witted, and, unfortunately for his sanity, ridiculously attractive. He had a massive crush on you during your first year of college and never quite managed to shake it. Bickering with you is the only way he can interact with you without embarrassing himself, so he keeps it up, even if it means getting roasted half the time.

"Will the two of you shut up?" Seungmin finally hisses, his tone half-annoyed, half-amused. "I'm trying to actually listen to this shit."

"You're just mad because we're more entertaining than the professor," you say, leaning back in your chair and crossing your arms.

"She's not wrong," Jisung mutters, scribbling aimlessly on the corner of his itinerary. "You two are better than Netflix."

The professor glances in your direction, and you immediately sit up straighter, pretending to focus. Felix bites back another laugh, and you elbow him sharply.

The meeting drags on, but eventually, the professor wraps up her presentation with a reminder about packing lists and travel documents. Just as everyone begins gathering their things to leave, she calls your name.

"Y/N, can I speak with you for a moment?"

Minho and Seungmin exchange a glance before sitting back down, clearly deciding to wait for you. You roll your eyes but nod, making your way to the front of the room where the professor is organizing her papers.

"I just have a quick question about the forms I need to fill out," she says, looking up. "Will I be putting that you're using your French passport or your Korean one?"

"French," you reply easily. "It's just easier to travel to the EU with an EU passport."

The professor nods, scribbling something down. "Got it. Thanks for confirming."

"No problem," you say, turning to head back toward Minho and Seungmin, who are lounging at your table with matching grins.

"So," Minho says as you approach, "French passport, huh? Fancy."

"Shut up," you mutter, grabbing your bag. "Let's go before Felix decides to keep following me."

Seungmin chuckles as the three of you make your way out of the room, leaving behind the chaos of the meeting and the lingering scent of Felix's cologne.

The BBQ place is packed, the smell of sizzling meat and spices wafting through the air as waiters bustle around, carrying trays piled high with food. You, Minho, and Seungmin are crammed into a small booth in the corner, the table already cluttered with banchan and beer bottles. The grill in the centre of the table is heating up, and Minho is poking at the coals with the tongs.

You sip your soju, leaning back against the booth and glancing between your two best friends. "You know something?"

Seungmin barely looks up as he flips a piece of pork belly. "What?"

"I am a fucking catch," you declare, gesturing dramatically with your glass. "I have a nice ass, tits to die for, and flawless eyeliner. But for some reason, no one approaches me. Wanna know why? It's because of you two."

Seungmin raises an eyebrow while Minho smirks, clearly enjoying where this is going. "Us?" Minho asks, his tone mocking. "How is this our fault?"

You set your glass down and point at them accusingly. "You're like my tattooed, pierced bodyguards. Guys take one look at me sandwiched between you two and immediately assume I have the emotional baggage of a Bond villain."

Minho snorts, finally looking up from the grill. "Have you considered," he says with a smirk, "that maybe it's your personality?"

You scoff, narrowing your eyes at him. "Personality means absolutely nothing for a one-night stand, Min. You know that."

Seungmin hums thoughtfully, propping his chin on his hand. "Honestly, we're doing you a favour. We're keeping you from being the subject of a fucking Netflix true crime documentary. Your taste in men is horrendous."

"Excuse me?" you say, voice pitching higher as you glare at him. "I think my taste is fine, thank you very much."

Minho barks out a laugh, shaking his head. "Oh, fuck off. Your taste in men is like a shopping cart full of bad decisions. Honestly, we're saving ourselves hours of police interviews. Do you know how many shady hookups we've already intervened in?"

"Uh, fuck you," you shoot back, kicking his shin under the table. Minho barely flinches, grinning at you like the devil he is.

Seungmin leans back in his seat, his lips twitching. "On national television, we'd be like, 'Yeah, we all fucking saw this coming.' Any shady guy with tattoos and an authority kink has a one-way ticket to you."

You sputter, choking on your drink as Minho doubles over laughing. "An authority kink? You're such an asshole, Seungmin."

"I mean, he's not wrong," Minho says, smirking. "It's the daddy issues."

You swat his arm, but you're laughing despite yourself. "Fuck you, Minho."

"Love you too, sweetheart," he replies, smirking as he pops a piece of grilled meat into his mouth.

Seungmin leans forward, grinning wickedly. "You know we wouldn't hold back in any press interviews if you ever disappeared, right?"

Minho nods sagely, pointing at you with his chopsticks. "We'd tell them everything. Your embarrassing drunken escapades, your horror hookup stories, the whole fucking list."

You narrow your eyes at them, though you can't fight the smile tugging at your lips. "You two are the fucking worst."

Seungmin grins. "We'd tell them about that time you climbed out of the Theta Tau frat house window, and Chan had to catch you like a goddamn princess."

Minho cackles, nearly dropping the tongs. "Oh, or the time Hyunjin pretended to be your fiancé, bursting into your apartment and pretending to catch you cheating just to get that creep to leave."

"That was a good one," Seungmin says, nodding. "Or remember the time we had to dress up in all black with sunglasses and pretend to be your private bodyguards? Changbin pinned the guy down like a linebacker."

You groan, covering your face with your hands. "In my defence, Changbin only pinned him after he stuck his hand up my skirt."

"Oh yeah," Minho says, his voice darkening slightly, "and then we- how do I put this nicely?- beat the shit out of him."

You peek at him through your fingers, trying not to laugh. "Nicely, huh?"

Seungmin smirks, tilting his head. "It's true. That guy looked like he got hit by a freight train after Changbin was done."

The three of you dissolve into laughter, the sound loud and unfiltered, cutting through the noise of the BBQ place. Despite their teasing, you know Minho and Seungmin would throw hands for you any day—and that thought, as annoying as it is, makes your chest feel a little lighter. Even if they are tattooed, pierced, overly sarcastic bodyguards.

Jisung's room is a disaster, as usual. Clothes are strewn across the floor, empty takeout containers balance precariously on his desk, and the faint smell of weed lingers in the air. Felix is sprawled on the beanbag chair next to the bed, a controller in hand as they play some chaotic multiplayer game on Jisung's beat-up TV. The screen is a mess of flashing colours, and the sound of explosions fills the room.

Jisung leans back on the bed, one leg dangling off the side, controller in one hand, and a bong resting on the nightstand within reach. "Honestly," he says, his voice casual but curious, "what is with you and Y/N?"

Felix groans, his freckled face scrunching up as he mashes the buttons on his controller. "She fucking hates me for being positive. I don't like her for being miserable. It's that simple."

"Uh-huh," Jisung hums, unimpressed. He pauses the game to grab the bong, taking a long, slow rip before passing it to Felix. Smoke curls lazily in the air, blending with the already hazy atmosphere.

Felix takes the bong, shaking his head. "I'm serious. She's all doom and gloom, and I'm just trying to exist without getting roasted every five fucking seconds."

"You do bring it on yourself, Twilight Sparkle," Jisung says, grinning as Felix glares at him through the haze of smoke.

"Don't you fucking start with that," Felix mutters, exhaling a cloud and passing the bong back. "She's got the whole Cruella de Vil aesthetic going, and somehow I'm the one getting all the shit."

Jisung snickers, setting the bong aside for now. "Okay, but like, you've got to admit, you still have that crush on her from last year."

Felix freezes, the controller slipping slightly in his hands. "What?" he says, his voice slightly higher than usual. "That's fucking ridiculous."

Jisung raises an eyebrow, sitting up slightly. "Oh, is it? You spent all of first year following her around like a lost puppy. Don't think I didn't notice."

Felix huffs, leaning back in the beanbag chair and staring at the screen. "Yeah, well, that's over. She's- Whatever. She's a pain in my ass now."

"Sure," Jisung says, clearly unconvinced. He grabs the bong again but doesn't take another rip just yet. "But, you know, any clothes we take on this France trip are gonna have to be deep-cleaned and sealed in our suitcases. Gotta make sure the drug dogs don't sniff this shit out at the airport."

Felix snorts, grateful for the subject change. "Yeah, no kidding. Last thing we need is to get fucking detained in customs because you smell like a walking dispensary."

Jisung smirks, leaning back on his elbows. "You're deflecting, by the way. You still like her."

"And what about your big, fat crush on Minho?" Felix shoots back, smirking now that the spotlight isn't on him.

Jisung gasps dramatically, clutching his chest. "Bitch, I am proud of my big, fat crush on Minho. Why do you think I signed up for the France trip? Six days in the city of love. I'm going to woo that tattooed sexy man with pastry and my bomb dick game."

Felix bursts out laughing, doubling over in his seat. "Your what?"

"My bomb dick game," Jisung repeats confidently, sitting up straight. "You think I can't pull? I'm gonna have Minho eating out of the palm of my hand. Or, you know, somewhere else."

Felix shakes his head, still laughing as he wipes tears from his eyes. "There's no fucking way, Sung. Minho would make you his subby bottom bitch in, like, point five seconds."

Jisung grins, unfazed. "I mean, honestly? I wouldn't even be mad about it."

Felix groans, leaning back in the beanbag again, a wide smile still on his face. "You're fucking hopeless."

"And you're deflecting again," Jisung points out, wagging a finger at him. "Admit it. You still think Y/N is hot."

Felix doesn't respond immediately, focusing on the game instead. But the faint flush creeping up his neck gives him away.

Jisung smirks, taking another rip of the bong. "Thought so."

Incheon International Airport is a chaotic mix of noise, announcements, and the overwhelming scent of overpriced coffee. Everyone going on the France trip has already checked in their suitcases, leaving the group gathered near security. You glance around, adjusting the strap of your bag on your shoulder. Your green leather miniskirt catches the light, and your black lace-trimmed camisole barely offers any protection from the chill of the air conditioning.

Minho stands next to you, scrolling through his phone while Seungmin argues with a vending machine that just ate his money. The three of you are clearly overdressed compared to the sea of tourists in sweatpants and hoodies. But when have you ever given a shit about blending in?

"Let's get this over with," you mutter, stepping toward the metal detector.

The moment you step through, the machine beeps loudly, its accusatory tone cutting through the background noise. A security worker waves you over to the side. You groan as Minho and Seungmin snicker, stepping through after you and immediately setting it off themselves. Of course.

"Piercings," Minho says simply, shrugging as the male security worker gestures for him to step aside too. "This is gonna take a while."

The three of you stand in a line, waiting as the security team gathers their wands and gloves. A female worker approaches you first, holding up a handheld metal detector.

"Hold still," she says, her tone polite but firm. She waves the wand over your face, and it immediately beeps.

"Eyebrow piercing," you say, pointing to it before poking your tongue out. "Tongue piercing too. Oh, and the lip ring."

The woman nods, moving the detector down. It beeps again as she waves it over your chest, and you sigh dramatically. "Nipple piercings," you explain, "and probably the underwire in my bra."

The worker's expression remains neutral as she begins patting you down, her hands brushing over your sides and chest. You glance over at Minho, who's already standing with his arms out like a bored mannequin.

When the detector beeps over his crotch, Minho smirks. "That piercing was brutal. Prince Albert."

You snort, unable to hold back your laugh, while Seungmin chokes on air beside you. "We held his hands when he got it," Seungmin says, grinning. "He cried."

"I did not cry," Minho shoots back, but he's clearly lying, and you both know it.

"You definitely cried," you say, shaking your head. "I was there."

Seungmin steps forward as the worker moves to him, holding his arms out. The wand goes off near his chest, and he glances down. "Nipple piercings here too," he says casually.

"Shocker," you mutter, rolling your eyes as the female worker finishes with you and waves you forward.

You step to the side, adjusting your bag and scanning the room for the others. Your eyes land on Felix, who's being waved over to another security lane. The worker waves the detector over him, and you can't help but notice when it beeps over his crotch.

Minho leans in close, his voice low but filled with amusement. "No fucking way. Felix has a Prince Albert? Did not have that on my 2024 bingo card."

You bite back a laugh, glancing at Felix, who looks mildly annoyed but unfazed as the security worker pats him down. "Twilight Sparkle with a secret edge," you mutter. "Who knew?"

Before Minho can reply, Jisung gets pulled to another station, and the detector immediately goes off over his chest and, moments later, over his crotch. Minho arches an eyebrow, clearly fighting a grin.

"Interesting," Minho says, drawing out the word.

You smirk, nudging him with your elbow. "Just admit you like the guy already. We all know it. You two are set for the perfect friends-to-lovers romance arc."

Seungmin, still watching the scene unfold, nods in agreement. "Seriously. Everyone knows. You're like one heartfelt confession away from being that couple, the guy who looks like a dom and is a sub and the guy who looks like a sub but is a dom."

Minho glares at you both, but the tips of his ears are turning red. "Oh, fuck off. You're both subby as hell too."

"Yeah," Seungmin says, shrugging as he crosses his arms. "But we're not ashamed of it."

"Exactly," you add, grinning. "We own it. Unlike you, Mr. Denial."

Minho groans, running a hand through his hair as Jisung finally gets cleared and starts making his way back toward the group. "You two are the fucking worst."

"And yet, you love us," Seungmin says, smirking as he slings an arm over Minho's shoulders.

You watch as Felix joins the group again, his expression unreadable as he adjusts his jacket. He catches your gaze for a moment, and you offer him a saccharine smile. "How's it feel to know we're both walking red flags, Twilight Sparkle?"

Felix smirks, his freckled cheeks faintly flushed. "Better than being an open invitation for disaster, Cruella."

The tension crackles as the group begins moving toward the boarding gate, bickering and bantering all the way. It's going to be a long trip.

The plane is already filling up as you make your way down the aisle, your carry-on bag slung over your shoulder. You glance at the numbers on the overhead compartments, searching for your seat. When you finally find it, you stop dead in your tracks.

You're sandwiched between Felix and Jisung.

"Fucking perfect," you mutter under your breath, adjusting your bag before reluctantly squeezing past Felix, who's already lounging in his seat. Jisung flashes you a bright smile as you settle into the middle seat.

"Hi, Ji," you say, offering him a small smile despite your mood.

"Hey," he says back, his eyes crinkling with warmth as he pulls his headphones off one ear. "Ready for the long-ass flight?"

"Not anymore," you reply, side-eyeing Felix as you drop into the seat. You barely have time to get comfortable before Felix leans over, grinning at you.

"Where's my greeting, Cruella?" he asks, his tone dripping with mock offence.

You sigh dramatically, leaning back in your seat. "If you wait till we're thirty thousand feet in the air, open the door to the plane, and jump out, you'll find it on the fall down."

Jisung bursts out laughing, his head tilting back against the headrest. Felix glares at you, though the corner of his mouth twitches like he's fighting a smile.

"Charming as ever," Felix mutters, shifting in his seat.

Behind you, Minho and Seungmin are settling into their own seats. Unfortunately for them, they've been joined by Jihyo, a girl who's infamous at Alpha Phi parties for clinging to the two of them like a magnet. She's already leaning over, batting her eyelashes as she touches Seungmin's tattooed arm.

"Wow, Seungmin," she says in a voice that's somehow both high-pitched and grating. "This tattoo is so detailed. Did it hurt?"

Seungmin gives her a tight-lipped smile. "Not as much as this conversation."

Minho snickers, pretending to cough into his hand. "Yeah, Seungmin's great at enduring pain. You know, like a champ."

Jihyo doesn't seem to catch the jab, her hand now moving to Minho's arm. "Your tattoos are so cool too, Minho. Did you design them yourself?"

Minho smirks, leaning back in his seat. "Nope, just got them to scare off straight girls. Works most of the time."

You stifle a giggle, glancing back over your shoulder to see Jihyo frowning slightly, trying to figure out if she's being insulted. Minho meets your eyes and winks, earning a quiet laugh from Seungmin.

"God, how long is this flight?" Minho mutters under his breath, though his voice is loud enough for you to hear.

Felix, ever the boy scout, chimes in. "Fourteen hours, fifty-five minutes. Non-stop from Korea to Paris."

Minho groans dramatically, leaning his head back against the seat. "Kill me now."

Meanwhile, Jihyo continues draping herself over Seungmin, her fingers brushing over the lightning-strike tattoo on his arm. Seungmin finally snaps, pulling his arm away. "Look, Jihyo, I get it, you think tattoos are hot. But can you maybe not treat me like a goddamn exhibit?"

Minho bursts out laughing, and you have to bite your lip to keep from joining in.

Turning back around, you reach into your bag and pull out your copy of Madame Bovary, the French edition. As you flip it open, Jisung glances at you curiously.

"Wait," he says, his head tilting slightly. "You can read French?"

"Uh, yeah," you reply, lifting the book slightly so he can see the cover. "And speak it. Dual nationality perks."

"Dual nationality?" Jisung echoes, clearly intrigued.

You nod, digging into your bag again and pulling out your French passport, flipping it open briefly to show him. "My dad's Korean, but my mom was French. EU citizenship is convenient."

Jisung whistles low. "Damn, I'm sticking with you this trip."

"Not if he's hanging around," you reply, jerking your thumb toward Felix.

Jisung hesitates for a moment before sighing dramatically. "Sorry, Felix."

Felix gapes at him, looking genuinely betrayed. "What the fuck, Ji? You're abandoning me for Cruella?"

Jisung shrugs with a sheepish grin. "She's got the dual citizenship card, man. It's survival instincts."

You smirk, leaning back in your seat as Felix mutters something under his breath.

As Jihyo continues her not-so-subtle attempts at flirting with Minho, he leans over and whispers to you, "Seriously, though, how long is this flight again?"

"Fourteen hours, fifty-five minutes," Felix says again from beside you, not looking up from his phone.

Minho groans louder this time. "I swear to god, if she keeps this up, I'm jumping out of the emergency exit."

"Take me with you," Seungmin mutters, glaring at Jihyo as she giggles at something she clearly thinks is charming.

Deciding you all need a distraction, you reach into your carry-on and pull out a bottle of duty-free vodka. Minho and Seungmin immediately perk up.

"Oh, hell yeah," Jisung says, grinning as you crack open the bottle and take a long sip before passing it to him.

You dig around in your bag again and pull out a juice box, handing it to Felix with a sweet smile. "Here, sunshine. Don't want you to get too wild."

Felix takes the juice box, raising an eyebrow. "Joke's on you, this is my favourite."

You blink in surprise as he sticks the straw in and takes a sip, smirking at you the whole time.

"Well," Minho says, opening his own bottle of soju, "this is gonna be a very interesting fourteen hours."

Seungmin snorts, leaning over and clinking his bottle against yours as the plane finally begins taxiing down the runway.

Almost fifteen gruelling hours later, the plane finally lands in Paris. The seatbelt sign dings off, and the passengers begin shuffling to grab their bags. You're sandwiched in the middle seat between Jisung and Felix, both of whom look equally wrecked from the long flight.

Jisung stretches, cracking his back as he unbuckles his seatbelt. "Fucking finally. My ass is numb."

"Could've been worse," Felix says from the window seat, his voice scratchy from hours of dry aeroplane air. "At least we didn't get stuck near a screaming baby."

You groan, leaning your head back against the seat. "No, we just got stuck next to you, which is worse."

Felix smirks, unbothered as he leans down to grab his bag from under the seat. "Good morning to you too, Cruella. Sleep well?"

"Keep talking," you mutter, adjusting your camisole as you unbuckle your seatbelt. "I'll tell the nearest worker you're wanted internationally. A few hours locked up ought to cool you down."

Jisung snorts so loudly it earns him a glare from a passenger across the aisle. "Please do it. I'll film the whole thing."

"Shut the fuck up, Ji," Felix mutters, slinging his backpack over his shoulder as he files into the aisle behind Jisung.

Once the group manages to shuffle off the plane and through the long stretch of security, you all make it to the baggage claim. The belts are spinning lazily, and you lean against one of the metal rails, waiting for your suitcase to appear.

Felix, of course, can't resist. "Don't lose your suitcase, Cruella. I'd hate to see you terrorize the French airport staff."

"Keep it up," you snap, not even looking at him, "and I will report you having a brick of coke or something. Bet they'd love to lock you in the back room for a few hours while we explore Paris without you."

Minho and Seungmin, standing nearby, both snort into their hands while Jisung straight-up laughs, earning another glare from Felix.

"You're all assholes," Felix mutters, but there's no heat in his tone.

Once everyone has their bags, you make your way toward the exit. The group pauses by the bus pickup area, where a coach is supposed to collect everyone. However, the wait is longer than expected, and the sun is already warming the Parisian streets.

"There's a café near the exit," Jisung suggests, nodding toward the small glass building visible through the crowd. "Let's grab something while we wait."

The group agrees, and Jisung practically drags Felix along as you all head toward the café. The warm, rich scent of coffee greets you as you step inside, and you immediately take charge at the counter.

"Okay," you say, glancing over your shoulder at the guys. "What's everyone having?"

"Iced Americano," Minho and Seungmin chime in simultaneously.

"Same," Jisung says, leaning against the counter as he nudges Felix. "What about you, Twilight Sparkle?"

Felix glares at him, then shrugs. "Tea."

The cashier waits patiently as you translate their orders into French, your pronunciation smooth and confident. You smile politely at the barista, who flushes slightly as he takes the payment.

As you step to the side to wait for the drinks, Felix mutters, "Really?"

You turn to him with a raised eyebrow. "What?"

He nods toward the barista, who's glancing at you every few seconds as he works. "That."

"Oh, come on, man," Jisung says, grinning as he nudges Felix. "Everyone thinks she's hot. Just those two," he gestures toward Minho and Seungmin, "scare everyone else off."

Felix huffs, crossing his arms. "Except you. You're the only one dumb enough to stick around because you're too busy jerking it to Minho every night."

Jisung grins shamelessly, shrugging. "Guilty. I'm not denying shit."

Behind him, Minho's grin grows as he exchanges an excited glance with Seungmin, nudging him lightly with his elbow. Seungmin shakes his head, clearly trying not to laugh.

When the drinks are ready, you grab the cups from the counter, handing them out one by one. You hold Felix's tea in your hand, looking at him with a mischievous glint in your eye. Before passing it to him, you lean down and run your tongue over the lid's mouthpiece, licking it slowly.

"Here," you say, holding it out to him with an innocent smile.

Felix rolls his eyes but takes the cup anyway, muttering, "Not even fazed."

As he takes a sip, Jisung whispers loud enough for everyone to hear, "Indirect kiss!"

Without missing a beat, both you and Felix turn to him and kick him in the shins simultaneously.

"Ow! Fucking hell!" Jisung yelps, hopping on one foot while the rest of you laugh.

Minho takes a sip of his Americano, grinning. "This is gonna be a long trip, huh?"

"Fourteen more days of this," Seungmin mutters, shaking his head. But even he's smiling as the group heads back toward the coach pickup, drinks in hand and the promise of chaos already brewing.

The coach finally pulls into the parking lot of a modest motel on the outskirts of Paris. The building is squat and nondescript, with faded paint and a flickering neon sign that does little to inspire confidence. As the group files off the bus, Minho stops dead in his tracks, his eyes scanning the building with an unimpressed glare.

"Absolutely fucking not," he says, turning to you. "You're not staying in a single room here. This is where people get murdered."

You raise an eyebrow at him, crossing your arms. "Oh, so now you're my knight in shining armour?"

"No," Minho replies, deadpan. "But I do have a vested interest in not having to fly back home to attend your funeral."

Seungmin, standing behind you both, looks over the list of room assignments. "I'll pair up with someone else," he says, waving toward a random guy he recognizes from the flight. "That way you two can share. No one's getting stabbed on my watch."

You sigh, knowing better than to argue with them when they're in one of their overprotective moods. "Fine. But if Minho snores, I'm leaving him for dead."

"Bold of you to assume I'd protect you if the murderer shows up first," Minho quips, grabbing your bag and slinging it over his shoulder.

The two of you make your way to your assigned room, unlocking the door to find a small, slightly dingy double room. The bed is pushed against the wall, the sheets a shade of white that screams "washed too many times," and there's a single chair by the window. You pause in the doorway, your eyes narrowing at the faint outline of what looks suspiciously like chalk on the carpet.

"Is that... the remains of a fucking chalk outline?" you ask, stepping into the room cautiously.

Minho peers over your shoulder, his expression unimpressed. "The college really cut corners with this place, huh?"

"Check the windows," you say, dropping your bag on the chair. "Make sure they're bolted."

Minho nods, walking over to the small window and giving it a firm shake. "Bolted. Barely, but it's something."

You sigh, flopping onto the double bed. The mattress creaks loudly, but you've slept on worse during past adventures with Minho. He joins you a moment later, lying on his back beside you. The two of you stare at the cracked ceiling, the faint hum of traffic filtering in from outside.

"This place is depressing," you mutter, your hands resting on your stomach.

"Very," Minho agrees. "But at least we've got each other."

"Aw," you say, smirking. "Didn't know you were so sentimental."

Minho chuckles, turning his head slightly to look at you. "So, let's cut the shit. Do you have a crush on Felix?"

You splutter, sitting up so fast you nearly lose your balance. "What the fuck, Minho?"

He's laughing now, full-on cackling as you grab the nearest pillow and whack him with it. "I'm just asking! You two bicker like an old married couple!"

"Because he's a pain in my ass, not because I like him!" you snap, hitting him again as he shields his face with his arms, still laughing.

"Okay, okay!" Minho wheezes, tears in his eyes as he tries to catch his breath. "Just checking!"

You throw the pillow back onto the bed, flopping down dramatically beside him. "You're the fucking worst, Minho."

"And yet, you love me," he says smugly, turning his head to grin at you.

"Not right now, I don't," you grumble, staring at the ceiling again.

The two of you lie there in silence for a moment before Minho speaks up again. "But seriously, if Felix tries to pull some 'Twilight Sparkle' bullshit this trip, I'll handle it for you."

You glance at him out of the corner of your eye, unable to stop the small smile creeping onto your face. "Thanks, Minho."

"Anytime, Cruella," he replies, smirking.

The pastry-making class is set in a pristine kitchen with wide marble countertops, rows of stainless steel appliances, and a faint smell of butter and sugar in the air. Each workstation is stocked with bowls, utensils, and pre-measured ingredients. Everyone's already donned aprons, black for you, red for Minho and Seungmin, and an obnoxious pastel blue for Felix across the room.

You're thriving. Your dough is already chilling in the fridge, perfect in texture and consistency, because of course it is. Felix, annoyingly, has also finished, his smug grin flashing every time you accidentally catch his eye across the room. You both know you're equally talented in this department, though neither of you will ever admit it aloud.

Minho and Seungmin, however, are another story.

"I swear to fucking god," Minho mutters, staring down at the gloopy mess in his bowl. "This dough is cursed. It's the pastry's fault. I'm perfect, so it can't be me that did anything wrong."

You burst out laughing, leaning over to check his dough. "You're perfect, huh? Well, perfect Minho, your dough looks like it's been chewed up and spit out by a dog."

Seungmin snorts, his own dough looking only marginally better as he tries to roll it out on the counter. "Honestly, it's a good thing you don't have an ego or anything, Min."

"Fuck off," Minho retorts, throwing a pinch of flour at him before looking at you. "Alright, pastry goddess, fix this mess."

You giggle, grabbing his bowl and starting to work the dough. "Okay, first of all, you overmixed it. Second, you didn't measure the butter properly."

"Details," Minho says dismissively, crossing his arms and leaning against the counter. "I'm a big-picture kind of guy."

"Yeah, well, the big picture here is that you suck at this," you reply, smirking as you knead the dough back into something usable. "But don't worry, that's why I'm here."

Across the room, Felix is helping Jisung with his dough, his tone patient but clearly amused. "Ji, you have to fold it gently. You're not trying to wrestle it into submission."

"I am being gentle!" Jisung protests, his hands pressing down hard on the dough. "It's just not cooperating."

Felix sighs, stepping closer and showing him the correct technique. "Like this. See? It's all about finesse."

"Fucking show-off," you mutter under your breath, glancing at them briefly before turning back to Minho's dough.

"You jealous, Cruella?" Minho teases, his lips twitching into a grin. "Looks like your little nemesis is winning Teacher of the Year over there."

You roll your eyes, throwing a bit of flour at him. "Shut up and focus, perfect one. Your dough still needs fixing."

Seungmin groans as his own dough tears under his rolling pin. "Why is this so fucking hard? I don't understand. It's just flour and butter!"

"Clearly, it's beyond your skill level," you tease, stepping over to help him. "Okay, stop manhandling it. Just let me do it before you make it worse."

"God, you're bossy," Seungmin mutters, but he steps back to let you work.

"Yeah, and you love it," you reply, not missing a beat.

Felix, who's clearly been eavesdropping, calls out from his side of the room. "Hey, Cruella, how's it going over there? Need me to come save the day?"

You glance at him with an exaggerated fake smile. "Oh, Twilight Sparkle, I didn't realize you were auditioning for France's Next Top Pastry Chef. Should I start clapping now, or wait till you mess up?"

Felix grins, his freckles scrunching up as he leans on the counter. "Keep talking. Just remember, my dough's already in the fridge. Can't mess up perfection."

"Perfection?" you echo, scoffing. "You're such a smug little shit."

"And yet," Felix says, smirking, "you're still watching me."

You flip him off, earning a laugh from Jisung, who's now trying to scrape sticky dough off his hands. Minho watches the exchange with an amused smirk, clearly filing it away for later teasing.

Once you've finally managed to salvage Minho and Seungmin's doughs, you guide them to wrap it up and get it into the fridge.

"See? Not that hard when you listen to me," you say, wiping your hands on your apron.

"Yeah, yeah," Minho mutters, glaring at his dough like it personally wronged him. "Next time, I'm sabotaging yours just to feel better."

"Like you could," you reply with a grin, bumping his shoulder as you walk past.

The class instructor announces the dough will chill for a while before the next step, giving everyone a chance to clean up. As you rinse your hands in the sink, you catch Felix's eyes across the room. He raises an eyebrow, and you can't help but smirk back.

The restaurant is dimly lit, cosy, and packed with the sound of clinking glasses and soft conversation in rapid French. The guys are seated at a round table near the back, a small candle flickering in the centre. Jisung glances at the empty seat next to Minho, frowning as he stabs at a piece of bread on his plate.

"Hey," he says, looking up. "Where's Y/N?"

Minho doesn't even glance up from the menu as he flips through it. "She had somewhere to go tonight."

"Where?" Jisung presses, leaning his elbows on the table.

Seungmin sighs, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms. "The Père Lachaise Cemetery."

Jisung pauses, a piece of bread halfway to his mouth. "Why the fuck is she at a cemetery?"

Seungmin exchanges a quick glance with Minho before replying, his tone quieter. "Visiting her mother's grave."

Jisung immediately sets the bread down, his expression softening. "Oh. Fuck. I didn't know."

"Yeah, well," Minho says, setting the menu down and flagging a waiter over. "She doesn't talk about it much, so don't mention it when she gets back."

Jisung nods solemnly, his fingers fidgeting with the edge of the breadbasket. "Is that why she said her mom was French?"

Minho nods, turning to the waiter as they approach. "Can we get five bottles of wine? One for each of us and one for Y/N when she gets here."

"Five bottles?" Felix echoes, raising an eyebrow. "That's excessive even for us."

Minho shoots him a look. "You met her, right? She's going to need it."

Felix smirks, leaning back in his chair. "Fair point."

The wine arrives a few moments later, and they start pouring drinks while chatting about the class earlier that day. Jisung keeps the conversation light, cracking jokes about his disastrous attempt at dough-making, while Seungmin mocks him for not even being able to handle flour properly. Felix mostly listens, sipping his wine and occasionally chiming in with sarcastic remarks.

Just as Minho raises his glass for a toast, the door to the restaurant swings open, and you step inside. The candlelight catches the sharp angles of your face, your makeup still perfectly intact despite the long day. You're wearing a sleek black miniskirt and a long-sleeved turtleneck under a long black coat. A beret sits tilted on your head, and your lace-up stiletto boots click softly against the floor as you make your way over.

Without a word, you plop into the seat next to Minho and grab the unopened bottle of wine in front of you. "Good timing," Minho says, pouring you a glass.

You fill it to the brim, taking a long sip before leaning back in your chair. "Well, don't everyone look so excited to see me."

"Glad you're back, Cruella," Felix says, his smirk faint but present. "Thought maybe you'd gotten lost in the catacombs or something."

You glance at him, unimpressed. "You'd like that, wouldn't you, Twilight Sparkle." Then you raise your glass in mock toast. "Sorry to disappoint. Still alive and kicking."

Jisung, who's been noticeably quiet, finally speaks up. "We saved you a bottle," he says, nodding toward the wine in front of you.

"Good," you reply, downing half the glass. "You're not entirely useless after all."

The group falls into easy conversation, the tension from earlier slowly melting away. Minho keeps the wine flowing, and by the time the first bottle is finished, even Felix looks like he's having a good time.

As the night wears on, you catch Minho watching you out of the corner of his eye. When you finally meet his gaze, he simply smiles softly and raises his glass.

You nod back, grateful for his silent understanding. Because if there's one thing Minho knows, it's when to say nothing at all.

It's late, and the motel room is dark except for the faint glow of the streetlight creeping in through the thin curtains. You're sprawled across the king-size bed, scrolling aimlessly on your phone while trying to ignore the questionable creaks and groans coming from the walls. Dressed in black hotpants and a tank top, you've already resigned yourself to the lacklustre accommodations and are just trying to wind down.

A sharp knock at the door interrupts your quiet. Frowning, you toss your phone onto the bed and pad over to the door, pulling it open without bothering to check who it is. Standing there is Felix, looking thoroughly annoyed, his freckled face slightly flushed, either from lingering embarrassment or leftover wine.

"Minho and Jisung are fucking in my room," he announces flatly, his voice tinged with disbelief. "All that wine we drank apparently worked like a goddamn aphrodisiac for them. I walked into my room and saw Jisung balls deep in Minho's ass."

You blink at him, leaning against the doorframe. "Oh. Good for them."

"Good for them?!" Felix repeats, exasperated. "No, not good for them! My fucking room!"

"Yeah, well," you say with a shrug, "you're not staying here. Sleep in the hallway."

Felix stares at you, clearly unimpressed. "You have twin beds, right?"

"Nope," you reply, leaning your head against the doorframe. "One king-size bed. Minho and I have been sharing it. Hence why you cannot crash here unless you want to sleep in the bath or on the floor, because I am not sharing the bed with you."

Felix raises an eyebrow. "You're that against sharing a bed with me?"

"Absolutely," you say, deadpan. "But I'll be generous. I'll give you a pillow and blanket for whichever you choose. Bath or floor?"

Felix sighs dramatically, running a hand through his hair. "Floor, I guess."

You smirk, stepping back and gesturing for him to come inside. "Brave man. I don't think these carpets have been cleaned since the place opened, though. Don't say I didn't warn you."

Felix drops his bag near the door, eyeing the carpet with mild disgust. "This place is one step away from being condemned. How the hell did the college book it?"

"Budget cuts," you say, tossing a pillow and blanket onto the floor. "Here. Make yourself at home, Twilight Sparkle."

"Don't start," Felix mutters, crouching down to arrange the makeshift bed. As he stretches out on the floor, he props his head up on one arm, looking up at you. "I misjudged Minho, by the way. I thought he was a top."

You laugh, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. "Minho? Pfft. No. He's a subby man, just like Seungmin."

Felix grins, his freckled face lighting up with mischief. "And you?"

Your reflexes kick in before your brain does. You grab the pillow you'd been leaning on and hurl it at him, hitting him square in the face. Felix laughs, the sound rich and unrestrained, as he pulls the pillow away and smirks at you.

"Struck a nerve, huh, Cruella?" he teases.

"Shut up," you snap, though there's no real venom in your tone.

Felix chuckles, flopping onto his back on the floor. "This is going to be the longest fucking trip of my life."

"Right back at you," you mutter, turning off the bedside lamp and pulling the covers up.

As you settle in for the night, the sound of Felix softly muttering about the state of the carpet almost makes you laugh again. Almost.

It's been an hour since Felix set up camp on the carpeted floor, and he's still shifting around. Every few seconds, there's a rustle of fabric or the faint sound of him exhaling in frustration. You've tried ignoring it, burying your head under the pillow, but it's fucking impossible to tune out.

"Jesus Christ," you groan, sitting up in bed and glaring down at him. "Can you stop moving for five fucking seconds?"

"I'm trying," Felix mumbles, his voice muffled by the pillow. He shifts again, this time with more aggression, as if that'll help. "This floor feels like sandpaper."

You let out a long-suffering sigh, rubbing your temples. "Fine. Fucking fine. Get in the bed. You're pissing me off with your constant fidgeting."

Felix freezes for a moment before scrambling to his feet, grabbing the pillow and blanket as he clambers into the bed beside you. The mattress dips under his weight, and he immediately wiggles around like a contented cat finding the perfect spot.

"This is so much better," he says with a satisfied hum, settling under the blanket. He stretches out with an exaggerated sigh, clearly enjoying himself.

"You tell no one we shared a bed," you warn, pointing a finger at him. "If you do, I will shave you bald."

Felix hums, clearly unfazed by your threat as he nestles into the pillow. "Sure, Cruella, whatever you say."

You roll your eyes, lying back down and turning to face away from him. For a few blissful moments, there's silence. But of course, Felix can't help himself.

"You know," he says softly, his tone casual but tinged with amusement, "I don't believe you hate me as much as you say you do."

You splutter, spinning around to face him. "What the fuck does that mean?"

Felix laughs, the sound low and warm, as he props himself up on one elbow to look at you. "Exactly what I said. I think you're full of shit. If you really hated me, you wouldn't let me sleep here."

You open your mouth to respond, but no words come out. Instead, you're left blinking rapidly, your brain short-circuiting as you try to come up with a rebuttal. Felix's grin only widens as he watches you struggle.

"You're so fucking smug," you finally manage to say, your voice lacking its usual bite.

"And you're fun to mess with," Felix counters, leaning back against the pillow with a self-satisfied smirk.

You glare at him, but before you can retaliate, he speaks again.

"You know," he says, his tone softer now, "you're really pretty with no makeup on."

That shuts you up immediately. Your eyes widen, and you stare at him, completely caught off guard. For once, you can't think of a single sarcastic remark.

Felix watches your reaction, his expression unreadable. Then, slowly, he reaches out, pushing a strand of hair out of your face with gentle fingers. His hand lingers for a moment before he pulls back.

"Night, Cruella," he whispers, his voice barely audible.

You're still frozen, blinking up at him as he settles back into the bed, turning onto his side with a faint smile on his face. The room falls into silence again, but your thoughts are anything but quiet.

For the first time in a long time, Felix has left you completely speechless.

The morning light filters through the thin motel curtains as the door to your room swings open with an unceremonious bang. Minho strides in, yawning, only to stop dead in his tracks when he sees you and Felix snuggled up in the bed. His jaw drops, and his voice echoes through the tiny room.

"What the fuck?!"

You bolt upright, startled, your hair a mess and your tank top slightly askew from sleep. Felix jerks awake beside you, his limbs flailing as he loses balance and topples off the edge of the bed with a loud thud.

"Shit!" Felix groans from the floor, rubbing his shoulder as he glares at Minho. "What the hell, Min?"

"What the hell me?" Minho snaps, his hands gesturing wildly at the scene. "What the actual fuck am I looking at?"

You groan, running a hand through your dishevelled hair. "This is your fault, you know."

"My fault?" Minho repeats, incredulous. "How the fuck is this my fault?"

Felix scrambles to his feet, his face red with both frustration and leftover embarrassment. "Because you decided to fuck Jisung in our room! What the fuck else was I supposed to do? Sleep in the hallway?"

Minho's eyebrows shoot up, and a smirk tugs at his lips. "Wait, hold up. You saw us?"

Felix points a finger at him, his tone accusatory. "Yeah, I fucking saw you! You were on all fours, getting it up the ass from Jisung!"

Minho's smirk widens, and he strikes a dramatic pose, one hand on his hip. "Did I look good?"

Felix throws his hands up in exasperation. "Are you fucking kidding me right now?"

"My arch is amazing, right?" Minho continues, completely unbothered. "I can bend like a pretzel. Years of practice, you know."

You groan loudly, grabbing the nearest pillow and chucking it at Minho's head. "Oh my god, shut up!"

Minho catches the pillow with ease, laughing as he tosses it back onto the bed. "Excuse me for being sexy and irresistible," he says, grinning. "But at least I had a good night, right?"

Felix growls under his breath, grabbing a pen off the nightstand and throwing it at Minho, who dodges it easily. You follow up with a hairbrush, which Minho deflects with the pillow, laughing even harder.

"Okay, okay! I'm leaving!" Felix huffs, grabbing his things and stomping toward the door. He pauses in the doorway to glare at both of you. "This is fucking ridiculous." Then he slams the door behind him.

Minho flops onto the bed beside you, letting out a satisfied sigh as he stretches out. "Well, that was fun."

You roll your eyes but don't resist when he slings an arm around your shoulders. You lean into his side, the comfortable silence between you only broken by the faint sounds of the motel creaking around you.

After a few minutes, you speak up. "I think Felix flirted with me last night."

Minho freezes for a second before turning to you with wide eyes. "Oh? Do tell."

You recount the events from the previous night, the way Felix had called you pretty without makeup, how he'd pushed your hair out of your face, and how he'd smirked as he whispered goodnight. By the time you finish, Minho is staring at you with an amused grin.

"Yeah," he says, nodding slowly. "Oh shit, yeah, he was flirting with you."

You groan, dropping your face into your hands. "Great. Just fucking great."

Minho snickers, patting your back. "Hey, maybe it's not so bad. Felix is hot, you know. And he's definitely into you."

You glare at him from between your fingers. "He's Twilight Sparkle. I can't take him seriously."

Minho shrugs, clearly unbothered. "Sounds like a you problem."

"You know," you say, leaning back against the headboard, "Felix was very surprised that you were subbing for Jisung."

Minho giggles, his grin widening. "Oh, he was, was he?"

You nod, smirking now. "Yep. He couldn't believe it. Guess you really shattered his illusions."

"Jisung was the best dom I've had in a while," Minho says casually, leaning back with a dreamy expression. "You know, maybe that's what you need, a good dom to fuck all your angst away."

You groan, smacking his arm. "Shut the fuck up, Minho."

He laughs, completely unbothered. "I'm just saying! Something to think about, Cruella."

You shake your head, but a small smile tugs at your lips despite yourself. Minho, as infuriating as he is, always knows how to make you laugh. Even when the topic of conversation is the most absurd thing imaginable.

The midday sun glints off the glass pyramid of the Louvre, casting shimmering reflections across the courtyard. The group lingers outside, the chatter of tourists and the clicking of cameras forming a constant background hum. You’re dressed to kill in a black leather miniskirt, a green sleeveless halterneck top that shows off your snake tattoo, and your signature black lace-up stiletto boots. Your half-black, half-white hair catches the sunlight as you lean against one of the barriers, arms crossed, looking thoroughly unimpressed.

Felix stands a few feet away, looking equally bored. He’s dressed in black baggy cargo trousers and a grey vest top under a black zip-up hoodie, his layered chains catching the light. His hair is pushed back in a way that looks almost effortless. His expression says it all: he doesn’t want to be here.

Your eyes meet across the group, and there’s an unspoken agreement. Neither of you says a word as you slowly edge away from the crowd. Minho is too busy taking selfies with Jisung, and Seungmin is engrossed in reading the itinerary. No one notices as the two of you slip out of the courtyard and onto the streets of Paris.

Once you’re far enough away, Felix lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank fuck. I thought I was going to die of boredom back there."

You smirk, glancing over your shoulder to make sure no one followed. "Yeah, standing in a crowd for hours just to stare at a painting sounds like a blast. Come on."

Felix falls into step beside you as you navigate the bustling streets of Paris. "Where are we going, Cruella? You’ve got that ‘I know everything’ look on your face."

You roll your eyes. "We’re in Paris. I lived here for twelve years. Of course, I know where we’re going. Just try to keep up."

The streets are alive with energy, from street performers juggling in the squares to couples sipping wine at sidewalk cafés. You point out landmarks as you pass, your voice casual but tinged with pride.

"That’s the Pont des Arts," you say, nodding toward the famous bridge. "Used to be covered in love locks until they removed them. Too heavy."

Felix glances at it, then back at you. "What, no romantic gestures here? Shocking."

You scoff. "Romantic? Please. The locks were just tourists trying to leave a mark."

As you walk, Felix asks occasional questions, and you find yourself answering more than you expected. Eventually, the two of you end up in the Latin Quarter, where the scent of fresh coffee and pastries wafts through the air.

"We’re stopping here," you announce, pointing at a quaint little café with outdoor seating.

Felix raises an eyebrow. "Coffee and pastries, huh? You trying to impress me with the full Parisian experience?"

"No," you reply, smirking as you head inside. "I just don’t want to deal with your whining if you get hungry."

The two of you order. Coffee for you, tea for Felix, and a platter of assorted macarons to share. Sitting at a small table outside, you take a sip of your coffee, sighing contentedly as you watch the world go by. Felix cradles his tea, taking a sip before leaning back in his chair.

"I can’t believe you’re actually being nice to me," he says, his tone teasing but curious.

"Don’t read into it," you reply, shooting him a look. "It’s nice to show my home to someone who’s never been here before. Even if it is you."

Felix snorts, shaking his head. "Thanks, Cruella. You really know how to make a guy feel special."

You smirk, popping a macaron into your mouth. "You need to try these. You think you’ve had macarons before, but you haven’t unless they’re from a café in Paris."

Felix picks up a macaron, inspecting it like it might bite him. "They’re just cookies, right?"

You scoff. "Just cookies? Oh, you poor, uncultured soul. Try it."

He takes a cautious bite, his eyes widening slightly. "Okay, that’s... actually really good."

"Told you," you say smugly, reaching for another. "We should get the platter and share. That way, you can try all the flavours."

Felix nods, already grabbing another macaron. "Fine by me. As long as you don’t hoard all the good ones."

"No promises," you reply, smirking as you take another sip of coffee.

For a moment, the two of you sit in companionable silence, sharing macarons and watching the city bustle around you. It’s oddly peaceful, and even Felix seems more relaxed than usual. As much as you hate to admit it, it’s... nice. But you’ll never tell him that.

Inside the Louvre, Minho, Jisung, and Seungmin stand in the seemingly endless queue to see the Mona Lisa. The atmosphere is a mix of hushed awe and impatient murmurs as tourists shuffle forward. Minho is leaning against the velvet rope divider, his arms crossed, while Jisung fidgets with his phone, and Seungmin reads the little exhibit signs with mild interest.

Jisung glances around suddenly, his brows furrowing. "Hold on," he says, his voice cutting through the relative quiet. "Where the fuck are Y/N and Felix?"

Minho straightens up, looking around with a frown. "Shit. Did they even come in here with us?"

Seungmin sighs, rubbing his temple like the realization physically pains him. "Are you fucking serious? They were probably gone before we even walked in the door."

Jisung lets out a low whistle, smirking. "Guess they had better things to do than stare at some overrated painting."

"Yeah, like stare at each other," Minho quips, a sly grin tugging at his lips. "Seriously, though, can we talk about how obvious it is that they like each other?"

"Thank god you said it," Jisung replies, lowering his voice conspiratorially. "It's been driving me fucking insane. Like, the constant bickering? The tension? They're one good argument away from ripping each other's clothes off."

Seungmin nods, his expression surprisingly serious. "It's fucking ridiculous. The way they look at each other when they think no one's paying attention? They might as well have a neon sign that says 'we're into each other.'"

Minho chuckles, nudging Seungmin. "Alright, let's make this interesting. Twenty euros says they fuck the night before we leave Paris."

Jisung grins, holding out a hand to shake on it. "You're on. But my money's on Bordeaux. Twenty euros they fuck there."

Seungmin snorts, shaking his head at both of them. "You're both wrong. Twenty says it happens in Nice. They'll let the tension build up for a few more days, then wham bam thank you ma'am."

Minho leans back against the divider, his grin widening. "So we've got Paris, Bordeaux, and Nice. This is going to be hilarious when one of us wins."

Jisung laughs, looking far too pleased with himself. "I can't wait to rub it in your faces when it happens in Bordeaux. They'll be all emotional and shit after drinking wine at some vineyard. Classic setup."

Seungmin rolls his eyes but smirks. "Yeah, well, we'll see about that. Let's just hope they don't get themselves into too much trouble before then."

Minho chuckles, his gaze drifting toward the exit. "Trouble? With those two? Never."

The Abbey Bookshop in the Latin Quarter is a cosy labyrinth of old wooden shelves stacked to the ceiling with books in every language imaginable. The smell of aged paper and ink fills the air, mixed with a faint hint of coffee from the little café section near the entrance. As soon as you and Felix step inside, the world outside seems to disappear, replaced by the quiet hum of literary charm.

"This is heaven," you mutter, glancing around at the organized chaos of books. Your sharp eyeliner and bold outfit contrast with the soft, almost whimsical atmosphere of the shop, but you don’t seem to care. Felix trails behind you, his black cargo pants swishing softly as he looks around, his layered chains glinting in the dim light.

"Looks small from the outside," Felix says, his voice hushed. "But this place is huge."

"It’s a maze," you reply, already heading for the French literature section. "Try not to get lost."

Felix snorts, shoving his hands in his hoodie pockets as he follows. "Guess I’m the pack mule today, huh?"

"You catch on quick, Twilight Sparkle," you say with a smirk, grabbing a copy of Le Petit Prince off the shelf and handing it to him. Felix takes it without complaint, holding it against his chest as you weave through the narrow aisles, scanning the spines of the books.

Next comes Le Comte de Monte-Cristo, then Notre-Dame de Paris, followed by La Princesse de Clèves, La Peste, Les Misérables, and finally Les Trois Mousquetaires. Each one lands in Felix’s growing pile.

"You’re going to buy all of these?" Felix asks, peering around the stack of books in his arms. "Pretty sure this is half the French canon."

"They’re better in the original language," you say simply, brushing a strand of hair out of your face as you pull another book off the shelf to examine its cover. "You should learn French, though. You’d get it."

"Really?" Felix asks, tilting his head as he adjusts the stack of books in his arms. "Think I’d be any good at it?"

You hum, your lips quirking into a half-smile. "Maybe. If you don’t butcher the accent."

Felix grins. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Cruella."

You roll your eyes, glancing down at your phone as it vibrates in your pocket. The screen lights up with a familiar contact: Appa. Your expression hardens slightly, and without a second thought, you swipe up to put your phone on Do Not Disturb, silencing the call.

Felix catches the shift in your demeanour and raises an eyebrow. "You can grab that if you want."

"Believe me," you say, your tone clipped, "I do not want to grab that call."

He doesn’t push, just nods and adjusts the books in his arms again. "Alright. What else can we do after this?"

You tilt your head, considering your options as you run a finger along the spines of the books on the shelf. "We could go to the Jardin du Luxembourg. It’s like a ten-minute walk from here."

Felix hums, nodding thoughtfully. "Sounds nice. Or?"

"Or," you say, turning to face him fully, "we can hop on a train and see the Palace of Versailles."

Felix looks genuinely torn, his freckled face scrunching slightly as he thinks. "Both sound good. Guess it depends on how long you want to carry me around as your personal assistant."

You smirk, grabbing one last book to add to his pile before making your way to the counter. "You’re surprisingly good at your job. Maybe I’ll keep you around."

As you pay for the books, Felix leans against the counter, watching you with a faint smile. He doesn’t say anything, but there’s something soft in his gaze, something he’d never admit out loud. When you’re finished, you hand him a few bags of books and gesture toward the door.

"Come on, Twilight Sparkle," you say, leading the way back into the bustling streets of Paris. "We’ve got more ground to cover."

"Lead the way, Cruella," Felix replies, falling into step beside you, the weight of the books seemingly forgotten as he keeps pace with your confident strides.

The sun has dipped low on the horizon by the time you and Felix step out of the cab and into the gravel lot of the motel. The air is cooler now, and the faint hum of city noise has quieted to a low murmur. You’re juggling a few bags filled with books, your black leather miniskirt swishing slightly as you walk. Felix carries the rest of the bags, his hoodie unzipped and chains catching the faint light.

As the two of you approach the entrance, you spot Seungmin, Jisung, and Minho standing by the door. They look like they’ve been waiting, their postures ranging from bored to irritated. The moment Jisung locks eyes on you and Felix, his expression shifts into full-on dramatic exasperation.

"Where the fuck have you been?!" Jisung practically screeches, his arms flailing for emphasis. "No note, car gone! You could have died! You could have been seen!"

Felix stops dead in his tracks, blinking at Jisung. "Are you seriously quoting Molly Weasley right now?"

"Get off your high horse or your flying car, Lee Felix!" Jisung snaps, pointing an accusing finger at him. "You two just vanished without telling anyone!"

Seungmin sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. "To be fair, Ji’s got a point. You could’ve at least sent a text or something. We were about five minutes away from putting your faces on milk cartons."

Minho, leaning casually against the wall, smirks as his eyes flicker between you and Felix. "You do realize how fucking suspicious this looks, right?"

Felix groans, rolling his eyes as he adjusts the bags in his hands. "Relax, Molly. We just went into the city. It’s not like we were out committing crimes."

"Yeah, well," Jisung huffs, crossing his arms, "a little communication wouldn’t hurt, Twilight Sparkle. You know, for the people who care about your sorry ass."

You let out a loud sigh, walking past Felix and shoving the bags into his chest as you take your own. "This is exhausting," you mutter, turning to Minho with a raised eyebrow. "Minho, let’s go to our room and drink some cheap wine."

Minho’s face lights up immediately, and he pushes off the wall. "Fuck yes. You don’t have to tell me twice."

"Wait a minute-" Jisung starts, but you’re already brushing past him, dragging Minho by the arm toward the door. Felix stares after you, an unreadable expression crossing his face.

"You’re just going to leave?" Jisung shouts after you, throwing his hands in the air. "What the hell!"

You don’t bother answering as you and Minho disappear into the motel, your laughter echoing faintly in the hallway. Felix watches you go and Seungmin elbows him lightly, smirking.

"Jealous much?" Seungmin asks, his voice low enough for only Felix to hear.

Felix scoffs, shaking his head. "Of course not. Why would I be?"

"Whatever you say, Twilight Sparkle." 

In Felix and Jisung’s motel room, the air is filled with the sweet aroma of takeout desserts. The small table between their beds is piled high with boxes of crepes, profiteroles, crème brûlée, madeleines, tarte au citron, and a few other pastries they couldn’t resist ordering. A bottle of wine sits uncorked, their glasses half-full as they dig into the sugary spread.

Jisung, already halfway through his second serving of profiteroles, gestures at Felix with his fork. "You finally ready to admit you’re crushing on Y/N?"

Felix freezes mid-bite, a forkful of crepe hovering near his mouth. "No," he says firmly, though the redness creeping up his neck betrays him.

Jisung grins, shoving another profiterole into his mouth before speaking, his words muffled. "So you have a crush, but you’re still not ready to admit it? Got it."

Felix chokes on his wine, coughing as he sets his glass down and glares at Jisung. "That’s not- What the fuck are you even talking about?!"

"You’re blushing," Jisung says smugly, pointing at him with the fork. "Look at you. All red and flustered."

"I’m not-" Felix starts, but the way he splutters and stammers only makes it worse.

"Just admit it to me, Lix," Jisung presses, leaning forward with a wide grin. "Come on. I won’t tell anyone."

Felix sighs, dropping his fork onto his plate and running a hand through his hair. "Fine," he mutters, avoiding Jisung’s gaze. "I like her, okay? I’ve liked her since first year."

Jisung’s face lights up like Christmas morning, and he lets out an obnoxiously loud laugh. "Knew it! Fucking knew it!"

Felix groans, burying his face in his hands. "Don’t make a big deal out of it."

"Are you kidding me?" Jisung says, practically bouncing in his seat. "This is huge. Now we need an action plan."

Felix lifts his head just enough to shoot him a withering glare. "An action plan?"

"Yeah, dumbass!" Jisung says, reaching for the wine bottle and pouring himself another glass. "You’ve been crushing on her for almost two years. It’s time to do something about it. You’ve gotta romance her. She has to like you too, right?"

Felix hesitates, then sighs. "Fine. Let’s plan. But don’t make it fucking weird."

"Too late," Jisung says, grinning as he grabs a piece of paper and a handful of glitter pens from his bag. "We’re in France, my dude. We’ve got two more days in Paris, the City of Love. Then we’ve got Nice and Bordeaux. Prime romancing locations."

Felix rolls his eyes but grabs a pen, settling in across from Jisung. "Alright. Mindmap time."

"Fuckin’ A," Jisung says, uncapping a glitter pen and writing ROMANCE PLAN FOR CRUELLA in big, sparkly letters at the top of the page. "No ideas are bad ideas. Let’s brainstorm."

Felix leans forward, tapping his pen against his chin. "Okay. Dinner at a fancy restaurant?"

"Good start," Jisung says, writing it down. "What about a picnic in Nice? Beaches and shit are romantic."

"Not bad," Felix agrees. "What about flowers? Like, one of those Parisian flower markets?"

"Classic," Jisung says, nodding. "But we gotta balance the sweet stuff with something big. Like, I don’t know, serenading her under the Eiffel Tower."

Felix groans. "That’s terrible. I can’t sing for shit."

Jisung shrugs. "It’s supposed to be romantic, not good."

"Fine," Felix mutters. "What if we go wine tasting in Bordeaux? She likes wine."

"Now you’re thinking," Jisung says, scribbling it down. "Ooh, ooh! What about locking a love lock on a bridge? Isn’t that a thing here?"

"They removed most of the locks, dumbass," Felix says, snorting. "But I guess we could still do it somewhere."

Jisung grins, clearly getting way too into the brainstorming. "Okay, hear me out. What if you rent one of those little rowboats and take her out on a lake?"

Felix raises an eyebrow. "That sounds like a disaster waiting to happen."

"Disasters can be romantic," Jisung says, wiggling his eyebrows.

Felix shakes his head but doesn’t argue, watching as Jisung adds it to the list. The page is quickly filling up with a mix of ideas, ranging from sweet and thoughtful to utterly ridiculous.

"Okay," Felix says, leaning back with a smirk. "What if I just challenge her to a baking competition? Winner gets to make the other do something embarrassing."

Jisung cackles, slapping the table. "I love it. That’s so you two. Petty and competitive as fuck."

As the list grows longer, Felix finds himself smiling despite himself. Maybe Jisung’s enthusiasm is contagious, or maybe he’s just finally allowing himself to imagine what it might be like if things were different between him and you. Either way, he doesn’t stop the ideas from flowing.

And neither does Jisung. "Alright, last one, get a fucking bottle of champagne, bring it to the Seine at sunset, and confess. Boom. Game over."

Felix groans, but the faint blush creeping up his neck gives him away. "You’re such an idiot."

"Yeah, but I’m an idiot with amazing ideas," Jisung says, grinning as he holds up the finished mindmap. "Cruella’s gonna fall for you, Lix. Just wait."

The final day in Paris dawns bright and clear, the perfect weather for a free day. The group heads to the Palace of Versailles, the grand estate shimmering under the morning sun. The palace looms in front of you like something out of a dream, its golden gates gleaming and its architecture an overwhelming display of opulence.

You’re dressed to kill as usual: a red leather miniskirt, a black sleeveless halterneck top that shows off your intricate snake tattoo, and your signature black lace-up stiletto boots. Your half-black, half-white hair is styled perfectly, and your makeup is sharp enough to cut. Beside you, Felix looks effortlessly cool in beige baggy cargo trousers with black stripes, a black t-shirt, a cropped black jacket with silver zipper detailing, and stacked silver chains.

As you all make your way through the gardens, Felix walks beside you, stealing occasional glances your way. Jisung, walking a few paces ahead with Minho and Seungmin, catches Felix looking and immediately grins, giving him an exaggerated thumbs up.

Felix groans under his breath, running a hand through his pushed-back hair. "Subtle as a brick," he mutters, earning a side-eye from you.

"What’s his deal?" you ask, nodding toward Jisung.

"Nothing," Felix says quickly, a little too quickly.

You narrow your eyes suspiciously but let it slide, focusing instead on the sprawling gardens around you. The air smells like freshly trimmed grass and blooming flowers, and the sound of fountains bubbling in the background adds to the serene atmosphere.

Meanwhile, up ahead, Minho notices Jisung’s antics and raises an eyebrow. "What’s that about?" he asks, nudging Jisung with his elbow.

Jisung leans in, whispering conspiratorially. "Love! Romance! Bow chicka wow wow!"

Minho stops in his tracks, turning to Jisung with a smirk. "Like our bow chicka wow wow?"

Jisung grins, waggling his eyebrows. "Oh yeah. Felix will, uh-"

"Dominate the shit out of her?" Minho interrupts, his voice low but filled with amusement.

"Yeah!" Jisung says, nodding enthusiastically.

"Good," Minho replies, his smirk growing. "Y/N needs that. Maybe it’ll take the edge off her eternal ‘fuck everything’ vibe."

Seungmin snorts, shaking his head as he listens to their whispered conversation. "You two are the worst," he mutters, but there’s a hint of amusement in his voice.

Back in the rear of the group, Felix feels like his ears are burning. He doesn’t even need to hear what Minho and Jisung are whispering about to know it’s about you. Beside him, you’re admiring the ornate fountains, completely unaware of the chaos brewing just a few steps ahead.

"Wow," you say, your voice tinged with genuine admiration as you take in the gardens. "I forgot how ridiculous this place is. It’s like stepping into another world."

Felix chuckles, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. "Yeah, it’s insane. Kind of makes you wonder what it’d be like to live here."

"Probably boring as fuck," you reply, smirking. "I mean, what do you even do with all this space? Play hide-and-seek with servants?"

Felix laughs, the sound warm and unguarded. "You’d probably make them regret taking the job."

"Of course," you say, flashing him a wicked grin. "It’s part of my charm."

Felix shakes his head, his lips twitching upward despite himself. He risks another glance at Jisung, who’s now whispering animatedly to Minho, gesturing wildly like he’s planning a heist. Felix sighs internally. This trip is going to kill me.

"Come on," you say, grabbing Felix’s arm and tugging him toward one of the side paths. "I want to check out the Queen’s Hamlet. It’s the only part of this place that doesn’t look like it was made for a goddamn peacock."

Felix lets himself be dragged along, ignoring the knowing looks from the rest of the group. As he follows you deeper into the gardens, he can’t help but wonder if Jisung’s ridiculous romance plan might actually have a chance of working.

The Queen’s Hamlet is quieter than the main gardens, the rustic charm of its cottages a stark contrast to the ostentatious grandeur of the palace. You and Felix walk side by side, the gravel crunching under your boots and his Air Forces. It’s peaceful, but the air shifts when your phone buzzes loudly in your bag.

You stop abruptly, pulling it out. The screen lights up with a familiar name: Appa. Your expression hardens instantly.

"Hold up," you mutter, stepping away from Felix. "I need to take this."

Felix watches you go, tilting his head slightly. He leans against a low stone wall, idly fiddling with the zipper on his jacket. At first, your voice is too low for him to catch much of what you’re saying, but then it rises, sharp and clipped.

"No, Appa, I told you already," you snap. "I don’t want to meet any more men you’re trying to set me up with."

Felix freezes, his brows furrowing as he pretends to focus on the surrounding scenery. But your voice keeps drifting over, laced with frustration.

"I’m not interested," you say firmly. "What part of that don’t you understand? I don’t care how rich or successful they are. Stop treating me like some... project you can hand off to the highest bidder."

Felix’s grip tightens on the stone wall. He’s never heard you sound like this- So raw, so... vulnerable.

"I’ve said no every fucking time, haven’t I?" you continue, your voice biting. "And yet, here we are, again. You call me, drop a name like it’s supposed to mean something, and expect me to just fall in line."

There’s a pause, and Felix assumes the person on the other end is speaking. He risks a glance in your direction, seeing the way your shoulders are tense, your free hand clenched into a fist at your side.

"Because it’s not your fucking choice," you bite out, your voice trembling slightly now. "It’s my life, Appa. Mine. I’m not going to live it on your terms."

Felix swallows, his chest tightening as he listens. The sharp edge in your voice is familiar, it’s the same one you use when you’re deflecting, trying to mask something deeper. He’s heard it plenty of times in your bickering, but it feels different now. More real.

"I have to go," you say abruptly. "Don’t call me about this again. I mean it."

You hang up and stand there for a moment, your shoulders rising and falling as you take a deep breath. Felix looks away quickly, pretending to inspect the nearest flowerbed when you turn around and walk back toward him.

"You good?" Felix asks casually, though his voice is softer than usual.

You nod, slipping your phone back into your bag. "Fine. Just family shit."

He doesn’t push, though a dozen questions burn on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he falls into step beside you as you continue walking, the silence between you thick but not uncomfortable.

For the first time, Felix finds himself wondering if there’s more to you than the sarcastic, sharp-tongued persona you wear so well. And he hates how much he wants to find out.

The next morning, the group boards a coach for a day-long tour of Nice. The warm Mediterranean air filters in through the open windows, carrying the faint scent of saltwater and blooming flowers. The vibe is decidedly more relaxed than it was in Paris, but chaos still manages to cling to your group like a second skin.

You’re dressed in a green leather miniskirt and a black sleeveless halterneck top, the snake tattoo on your left arm catching the morning sunlight. Your stiletto boots click softly as you step onto the bus, your hair styled to perfection. Felix follows behind, his blue baggy jeans cinched with a black belt, a white t-shirt peeking out from under his black sleeveless leather vest. His boots thud against the metal steps, and his silver chains glint under the sun.

"I’m sitting with you," Felix says casually, brushing past you and dropping into the seat by the window before you can argue.

You roll your eyes, sliding into the seat beside him. "Lucky me."

Further back, Minho is sprawled across Seungmin’s lap, his head resting comfortably against Jisung’s shoulder. Seungmin looks mildly annoyed but doesn’t push Minho off, while Jisung beams as though having Minho draped over them is the best thing that’s ever happened to him.

The tour guide begins rattling off facts about Nice over the intercom as the bus pulls away, but you barely pay attention. Felix leans over slightly, his voice low enough that only you can hear.

"You’re glowing today, Cruella. Mediterranean air looks good on you."

You glance at him, your lips quirking into a smirk. "Nice try, Twilight Sparkle. I know flattery’s just your way of killing time."

Felix chuckles, his freckles scrunching as he grins. "Who says I’m not serious?"

"You always have an ulterior motive," you reply, crossing one leg over the other. "And I’m not buying whatever it is you’re selling."

Felix leans back, arms resting on the seat’s armrest, his grin never fading. "You’re impossible."

"And yet, here you are," you say sweetly, batting your eyelashes in mock innocence.

Across the aisle, Jisung watches the exchange with poorly concealed glee. He nudges Seungmin, whispering, "They’re at it again."

Seungmin snorts, shaking his head. "I’m telling you, I’m winning this bet. My money was on Nice."

"They’re slow-burning," Jisung whispers back. "This is buildup. They’re not fucking here. Bordeaux is when it’ll happen. Mark my words. Minho’s already out—he bet Paris."

Seungmin hums thoughtfully, his eyes flicking to Felix and you before muttering, "We’ll see."

Minho stirs in Seungmin’s lap, his head tilting to look up at him. "You two gossiping about my loss?"

"Obviously," Seungmin deadpans, and Minho groans dramatically.

The bus stops at the first destination, a stunning overlook with a panoramic view of the Mediterranean. As the group pours out of the coach, Felix sticks close to you, his casual demeanour laced with a certain intensity. You pretend not to notice, but the way his arm brushes against yours as you walk doesn’t escape you.

"Look at that view," Felix says, nodding toward the sea. "Almost as pretty as you."

You snort, folding your arms as you glance at him. "You’re laying it on thick today, aren’t you?"

Felix grins. "Can’t help it. The setting’s inspiring me."

"Careful," you tease, leaning in slightly. "Keep talking like that, and I might think you’re serious."

Felix holds your gaze for a moment longer than necessary, his grin softening just a touch. "Maybe I am."

The group moves from site to site throughout the day, exploring historic plazas, charming old streets, and local markets. Felix keeps up his flirtatious remarks, and you match his energy without missing a beat. It feels almost natural, the back-and-forth between you two flowing effortlessly.

At one point, as the group gathers for lunch, Jisung elbows Seungmin again, whispering, "See? This is foreplay. Bordeaux. I’m calling it."

"You’re so fucking smug," Seungmin mutters, taking a sip of his water. "But we’ll see who’s laughing when I win."

Minho chimes in from his spot, still half-draped over Jisung. "Whoever wins, we’re all enjoying this way too much."

By the end of the tour, the sun hangs low in the sky, casting a golden glow over Nice. You and Felix walk side by side back to the coach, your conversations now dipping into quieter, more personal territory.

And though you’d never admit it, you find yourself enjoying his company far more than you expected.

The moonlight dances on the surface of the River Seine, casting shimmering ripples along its winding path through the heart of Paris. The air is cool but not cold, the faint scent of the river mixing with the aroma of freshly baked bread from nearby cafés. You and Felix walk side by side along the cobblestone path, the sound of your stiletto boots clicking rhythmically against the ground, contrasting with the quiet scuff of his sneakers.

Minho and Jisung had disappeared together hours ago, giggling about some “special” plans, while Seungmin had hit it off with a charming Frenchman and gone back to his hotel. That left just you and Felix, the two of you strolling in companionable silence under the soft glow of the city’s streetlamps.

"You’re quiet tonight," Felix says after a while, glancing at you from the corner of his eye. The silver chains around his neck glint faintly, matching the slight smirk playing on his lips.

"Just enjoying the peace," you reply, your sharp eyeliner cutting through the soft shadows of your flawless makeup. "Nice change from Minho and Jisung’s nonstop chaos."

Felix chuckles, shoving his hands into the pockets of his black baggy jeans. "True. Those two could talk a brick wall into running away."

You snort, a small smile tugging at your lips as the river laps gently against the banks. The quiet stretches on for a moment longer before you break it, your voice soft but direct.

"Just ask."

Felix blinks, looking over at you. "Huh?"

You glance at him, one perfectly arched eyebrow raised. "About my father. I know you’re curious, so just ask."

"Pfft," Felix scoffs, his hand brushing through his blonde-and-black pushed-back hair. "I wasn’t curious."

You give him a look, sharp, knowing, and utterly unamused. "Sure, Twilight Sparkle. Keep lying to yourself."

He grins sheepishly, his freckles catching the light. "Okay, fine," he concedes. "I was kinda curious."

You pull a cigarette from your bag, lighting it with ease before exhaling a stream of smoke into the night air. "My mother died when I was two," you begin, your tone even but detached, as if you’ve told the story a hundred times before. "Ovarian cancer. They caught it too late. She’s buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery."

Felix’s grin fades, his expression softening as he listens.

"After she died," you continue, taking another drag, "I got shipped off to my father in Korea. I only spoke French and English at the time, so I had to learn Korean from scratch. That was... a fucking nightmare."

Felix stays quiet, letting you talk.

"Then I hit sixteen," you say, your voice sharpening, "and all he’s done since is shove marriage proposals down my throat. Rich men, powerful men, people who’d secure my future." You scoff, rolling your eyes. "And he gets less than happy every time I turn them down."

"That’s why you crash at the frat house so much?" Felix asks, his voice careful, soft.

You nod, flicking ash off the end of your cigarette. "One time, I called Chan from home. My loving father had just pushed me down a flight of stairs for saying no to one of his fucking ‘matches.’"

Felix’s jaw tightens, his hands balling into fists in his pockets.

"Once I’m twenty-one, I’m free," you add. "My mother left me an inheritance, enough to make sure I never have to deal with him again."

Felix nods, his voice low when he speaks. "You got a smoke for me?"

You glance at him, one eyebrow quirking up. "You smoke now?"

"Apparently," he says with a shrug, his lips quirking into a faint smile.

Rolling your eyes, you hand him a cigarette and your lighter. Felix lights it clumsily, inhaling with a small cough before adjusting his hold. He exhales, watching the smoke curl into the air before looking back at you.

"So only Chan knows?" he asks.

You nod. "He patches me up if I need it. Minho and Seungmin know about the proposals, but not the rest. Chan’s the only one who gets the full picture."

Felix stares at you for a moment, his cigarette dangling loosely from his fingers. He’s trying to find the right thing to say, but nothing feels big enough for the weight of what you’ve shared.

"You’re tough as hell, Cruella," he finally says, his tone quiet but sincere.

You glance at him, lips quirking into a small, sardonic smile. "Takes one to know one, Twilight Sparkle."

For a while, the two of you walk in silence, the river flowing beside you and the smoke from your cigarettes curling into the night sky. Felix can’t help but admire the way the moonlight catches in your two-toned hair, highlighting the sharpness of your features and the strength in your posture.

The quiet between you stretches for a few beats, the occasional murmur of tourists passing by in the distance blending with the sound of the Seine lapping against the riverbank. You take another drag from your cigarette, exhaling slowly as you glance at Felix, his gaze fixed on the water.

"What’s with the switch-up, by the way?" you ask, your tone sharp but not biting. "You’re being nice to me. It’s... weird."

Felix turns to you, smoke curling from his lips as he exhales upward, the tendrils dissipating into the night air. His silver chains glint faintly in the moonlight, and he quirks a brow, his lips twitching like he’s holding back a smirk. "Can’t a guy change?"

"Change?" you scoff, flicking ash onto the cobblestones. "Our entire dynamic is based on verbally abusing each other. Now you’re Mr. Thoughtful and Mysterious? It’s fucking throwing me off, Twilight Sparkle."

Felix lets out a soft laugh, shaking his head as he takes a slow drag from his cigarette. He exhales again, the smoke floating lazily between you as his gaze locks onto yours. "You’re so blind."

You blink, caught off guard by the sudden seriousness in his tone. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

Felix doesn’t answer, not with words, anyway. Instead, he steps closer, the faint scent of smoke and leather clinging to him as he closes the space between you. Before you can fire off another sarcastic remark, his hand reaches up, fingers tangling in your half-black, half-white hair.

And then he kisses you.

It’s not tentative or hesitant. It’s a kiss filled with frustration, intensity, and a heat that catches you completely off guard. His lips move against yours with a fervour that leaves no room for doubt, soft but firm, demanding but not rough. The world around you blurs; the hum of the city, the gentle ripple of the Seine, all of it fades as his other hand grips your waist, pulling you closer.

For a moment, you freeze, shocked by the suddenness of it all. But then your instincts kick in, and you kiss him back just as fiercely, your lips moving in sync with his. Your cigarette falls from your fingers, forgotten, as your hands find their way to the lapels of his leather jacket, gripping tightly.

Felix groans softly against your lips, his fingers tightening in your hair as he tilts your head slightly, deepening the kiss. The gentle tug on your hair sends a shiver down your spine, and your breath hitches as his hand slides from your waist to the small of your back, pressing you even closer.

It’s electric. Every touch, every brush of his lips against yours, every subtle shift of his hands. There’s a heat between you that feels both overwhelming and inevitable, like this moment has been building for years. When you finally pull back, it’s only because you need air, your chest rising and falling as you catch your breath.

Felix’s forehead rests lightly against yours, his thumb brushing the back of your neck. His voice is low, slightly hoarse. "Took me long enough, huh?"

You blink up at him, still dazed, your lips tingling. "What the fuck was that?"

He smirks, his freckled face glowing under the moonlight. "What do you think, Cruella?"

"You kissed me," you say, as if stating it out loud will make it less surreal.

"Yeah," Felix replies, his tone soft but unwavering. "I kissed you. And I’m gonna do it again if you don’t stop me."

Your lips twitch into a small smirk of your own, your hands still gripping his jacket. "Bold move, Twilight Sparkle."

Felix chuckles, his nose brushing against yours as he leans in again. This kiss is softer, slower, but no less consuming. His hands hold you like he’s afraid you might slip away, and for the first time, you don’t feel the need to push back, to argue, to keep your walls up.

When he pulls back this time, he lets out a breathy laugh, his fingers still gently tangled in your hair. "You’re not as scary as you think you are."

"Shut up," you mutter, rolling your eyes but unable to hide the small smile tugging at your lips.

As you both stand there by the Seine, the river sparkling behind you, it’s clear that the dynamic between you has shifted. And for once, you don’t mind.

The Alpha Phi living room is dimly lit, the glow from the TV casting flickering shadows on the walls as Coraline plays. The eerie stop-motion animation fills the room with an unsettling yet oddly comforting vibe. You’re perched sideways in Felix’s lap, one of his arms draped securely around your waist while the other rests on your thigh, his thumb absentmindedly brushing over the leather of your miniskirt. His warmth seeps into you, and you lean slightly against him, the two of you completely at ease.

You’re wearing a black leather miniskirt, a black sleeveless halterneck top, and your signature lace-up stiletto boots. Your hair is styled to perfection, the half-black, half-white strands cascading down in sleek waves. Felix looks effortlessly put together in black baggy jeans, white sneakers, and a white t-shirt under a black leather jacket. His layered silver chains catch the light every time he moves.

The movie’s dialogue is interrupted by the sound of the front door opening, followed by footsteps. Chan walks into the living room, mid-sentence about something, but stops dead in his tracks when he sees the two of you. His mouth opens, then closes, his brows furrowing as he blinks rapidly like he’s trying to clear his vision.

"Oi!" he finally says, pointing at the two of you. "Everyone, get in here! I need to know I’m not fucking hallucinating."

"What the fuck are you yelling about now?" Minho calls from the kitchen, followed by the sound of chairs scraping as everyone gets up.

One by one, they pile into the living room: Changbin, Minho, Hyunjin, Seungmin, Jisung, and Jeongin, all looking various shades of confused and curious. The room grows crowded quickly, the boys practically shoving each other to get a better view.

"What the fuck?" Hyunjin mutters, his wide eyes darting between you and Felix. "Am I seeing this right?"

"Is she... in his lap?" Jeongin asks, pointing as if he needs confirmation from a higher power.

"She is," Minho says, his tone laced with mock astonishment. "Holy shit. This is real."

"Since when do you two-" Changbin starts, but Jisung cuts him off, grinning like a maniac.

"Wait, hold up," Jisung says, stepping forward and pointing dramatically. "When did you first fuck?!"

You snort, rolling your eyes at the sheer lack of decorum, but Felix answers without missing a beat. "Bordeaux."

"YES!" Jisung shouts, throwing his fists into the air. "The betting pool was sixty! Sixty times two is one twenty. What’s the euro to won conversion rate?"

"181,327.80 won," you deadpan, smirking as Jisung immediately turns to Minho and Seungmin, holding out his hand expectantly.

"Fucking hell," Minho mutters, digging into his wallet. "I knew I should’ve doubled down on Paris."

Seungmin sighs, pulling out cash as well. "I should’ve known you’d win, Ji."

Jisung grins triumphantly as he collects the money, stuffing it into his pocket like it’s the best day of his life. "Thank you, thank you. I’ll be accepting all congratulations and apologies from the losers now."

Felix shakes his head, his hand tightening slightly on your thigh as he mutters, "You’re all fucking insane."

"You love us," Jisung says, winking at him.

"Debatable," Felix replies, smirking before looking down at you. "How’d we end up with these idiots?"

"Bad life choices," you say, leaning back into him with a grin.

The room erupts into laughter, the atmosphere buzzing with the usual chaotic energy of Alpha Phi. As the conversation shifts to other ridiculous topics, Felix leans in close, his voice low enough that only you can hear.

"Still think our dynamic is just verbal abuse?" he teases, his breath warm against your ear.

You glance up at him, your smirk softening just slightly. "Guess you’ve got a point, Twilight Sparkle."

He chuckles, pressing a quick kiss to your temple before pulling back. "Took you long enough to admit it, Cruella."

The two of you stay like that, tangled together on the couch as the chaos of your friends swirls around you. For once, it feels like the world has fallen into place.

General Taglist: @nightmarenyxx

Requested by anon

Proofread by @eastjonowhere

[0ssak1]

A GENTLEMAN?

The princess, and the punk.

Part One!

pairing: Mohawk!Mark Grayson x Fem!Reader - HS AU

Warnings: profanity, maybe ooc dialogue, and very obviously not proof read

Notes: AAA THANK YOU FOR THE LOVE!!!!!!!!!!! I don’t know how many parts this will have..

“Honestly, it could be worse.”

You spoke, chewing on your cold fries from Burger Mart. Mark had the bright idea to order and pay after, then just didn’t pay at all and made you two run. You sat in a patch of grass on a hill in some park. People were jogging, walking, or feeding ducks. Average stuff..

You haven’t even checked your phone once while talking with him, him being the punk (literally) who got you out of a boring detention. Mark was at the edge of lake, tossing pieces of his burgers bread at the ducks who keep screaming at him that now suddenly did not want his burger bits. You smiled, giggling at the sight.

He spun around, hearing your giggles. “What? Can’t a guy be casual for once?”

“I think you mean domestic.”

“…Right.” The pierced boy turned back to the ducks, jingling with every movement. You watched as he stepped away and walked back over to you, plopping on the ground.

You cleared your throat as he sipped on his soda, glancing from his shoes to his face that was turned away from yours. “I think this has been the best date I’ve ever been on.”

Mark choked on his straw that pressed up to the roof of his mouth, scraping the skin. (Authors note: I fucking HATE when this happend.)

“Excuse me?”

“I mean, this technically is a date. Friends have dates—“ You tried to explain, sitting up. It felt good, a guy actually listening to you, and not making fun of you (hurtfully.)

“Also cmon, you gotta admit you’d be damn lucky to get a date with me.” You snickered, a bit of a cockiness slipping into your tone.

“Not hard to bag a date with a hot chick.”

“It is with a mohawk—“

.

.

.

Silence.

The only sound being the splash of the water fountains nearby..

Mark looked away from you, playing with the straw of his drink. The sound of the plastic rubbing against each other was disgusting.. Just like how it almost seemed he disgusted you in that moment— “Mark..? Shit, I’m sorry I- um.. I don’t talk to guys often an—“

He burst out cackling. “You would fuckin actually think that offends me? Oh sweetheart, you’re so easy.”

You stared at him, eyes wide and starstuck.. oh that.. ASSHOLE!

“What?! Oh.. oh my god! Fuck you, really!” You turned away out of embarrassment, throwing your hands down against the grass.

You felt the cold metal of his rings against your jaw, his pointer pressing you to look at him. “Yeah? ‘bet ya wanna.”

In the span of knowing him/2 hours, you had already imagined what it would feel like for his snakebites to press against your plush red/pink tinted lips..

You pushed his hand off, rolling your eyes. “You’re such an asshole, really—“

He chuckled, grabbing your again and holding it between his too.

“Sorry, princess.”

That’s a new one, you thought to yourself. Honestly, in a way.. you were sort of senior princess, just not queen. Everyone knew you and looked up to you (if that being based off looks, or your height, or to ask for help..) and here you were with him, a outcast.

You leaned towards him, your hand pressing against his chest as your lips just barely grazed his, only for you to grab your soda.

Mark scoffed, looking you up and down. “Way to get a guy worked up.” He muttered, turning his head away.

Mark set down his soda, lying back in the grass with his arms crossed under him. You almost wanted to squeeze his biceps.. was that.. weird? You ignored the thought and joined after him, crossing your legs at the ankles.

Your gaze watched the stars, still as you sat in your bedroom looking out the window. You hadn’t even gotten his number. Maybe tomorrow.. You leaned back against your pillows, looking at your posters staring right back at you.. goddamnit.. you were in too deep for that idiot.

He was so stupid, really! Jumping out a window, stealing food, and feeding ducks bread which they should be eating grapes. What was next? He was gonna take you to prom? Oh that would be a sight..

You slumped down, adjusting yourself to lay your head on your pillows. You hesitantly grabbed your spare, squeezing it tightly to your chest as your thighs curled up to hug it. You grabbed your phone, checking your camera roll as—

He had taken selfies when you weren’t looking. He honestly looked so.. absolutely not. wait. So if he had taken photos, could have..

Your thumbs dragged quickly against the screen, opening your contacts. You looked up “Mark”

There was nothing. You groaned and cleared it, seeing something else. A contact name, reading “the punk hottie.”

Was he for real?

I’m so sorry this was less than the one before.. aa… part 3 at 50 likes?

Tags:

[sanoelitist]

Osomatsu-san Midwestern AU

This is my first AU. I could've done something cool like some zombie apocalypse AU or bullshit, but I decided to be boring. I'm a midwesterner so of course I'm going to make them part of the midwest. (sorry about grammar and spelling)

The sextuplets live in Indiana in a small town outside of the city in the early-mid 2000s. They’re all nothing but a bunch 20-something years living in their parents basement (hey, at least they have jobs kinda) 

The sextuplets:

Osomatsu (he/him) - Brags about being the head singer of the sextuplet's shitty band (they haven’t performed since fucking high school) All he does is smoke weed all day. He's got fired from every job he had, mostly for slacking and stealing shit. He got arrested once for a DUI. Their mother begs him to get rid of that shitty mullet. got a bunch of shitty tattoos. He working (on the verge of being fired) at Krogers. Gets kicked out like every month, but comes back.

Karamatsu (he/him) - Works at car mechanic shop with his dad. Got arrested for shoplifting (he didn’t, it’s was Osomatsu) huge music nerd mainly of punk bands, he never shuts up about it. Dreams of being a NASCAR driver, his mother pray that he won't do it. Gets horrible breakouts when stress. He drives a blue 1990s Honda Accord LX because he crashed is last car (twice)

Choromatsu (they/them) - They go to a community college. Make money off of babysitting kids and does tutoring for middle schoolers. Try to be a holy child of the family (they everything, BUT holy) They always look the best going to church. Their mom brags about them to her friends. Has a crush on Osomatsu's friend (he's a drug dealer) Big DnD fan, plays with their group of friends on friday's nights.

Ichimatsu (he/they) - Black sheep of the family, I mean look at him. Worked at a Pizza Hut for 2 month and had a mental breakdown. He quit to work at a GameStop but fucking hated his manager. Got hired at hot topic (he still wants to kill himself) he smokes with Osomatsu sometimes. He's that one guy in high school that can get you are facial piercing at a cheap price and it has 50% chance of getting infection.

Jyushimatsu (he/him) - Volunteers at a baseball team and watch the kids get yelled at by the drunk coach for not having their head in the game, but the kids love him so. Got fired from Dairy Queen for giving free blizzards to random kids and girls he found pretty. Big cartoon dog lover, he got like 8 t-shirt (ichi got them for him) He the only one with actual stable fucking relationship (jyushi x homura for the win)

Todomatsu (they/he/she) - Works at a retail job, first Burlington then goodwill for a bit because they mom got they the job. Now he works at the Macy's inside the mall. He hopes to be a hairstylist and get the fuck out of Indiana. Got an off and on relationship with his boyfriend (Atsushi) with some other situationships.

Ok now the real important info: Who are virgins still?

Karamatsu - looking for the right person (he's too nervous)

Choromatsu - Religious reasons (doesn't mean they ain't thinking about it)

Ichimatsu - too nervous, but never really be thinking about it

Parents:

Matsuyo - The most midwestern mom you can think of. She a pediatrician.

Matsuzo - Barely there with his kids, emotionally. he's a car mechanic. he's trying lol

Ok that's my shitty AU, I'll add more as time goes on or completely abandoned this idk. When I was thinking about this AU, I was listening to hella Midwestern emo music. And I was like "the brothers would definitely relate to this shit" also never seen a midwestern AU before probably because no one cares.

Shout to the midwest, especially Indiana, we ain't got shit to do here lol

[luizd3ad]

Music Notes | Barty Crouch Jr x Reader

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 ࣪˖⤷ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ࣪ ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 ˖ ⤷

Pairing: Rockstar!Barty x GN!Rockstar!Reader WC: 3,471 CW:  Soulmate AU, Rockstar AU, 2010's AU, use of Y/N, mentions of anxiety, swearing Author's Note: This is one of those fics where I'm my own target audience but if you read this I really hope you like it. Also I feel like Pandora get kinda out of character at the end but I just idk I felt like it was necessary. Summary: You meat your soulmate during the best summer of your life.

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Everyone is born with a symbol of something that you and your soulmate(s) will have in common along with their initials, and when you look into their eyes for the first time your soulmark is supposed to tingle. 

The symbol could be literally anything, it could be related to your career, a hobie, a passion or in your case all the above. For as long as you could remember you've had a music note and the initials BCJ on your wrist.

But for the longest time you were confused by your soulmark, you weren't really interested in music. I mean you liked listening to it as much as the next person but not enough to make it your soulmark.

That was until you were twelve and you met Jade. She was just so outgoing and bubbly, she made friends easily, she'd walk into a room and demand attention without even trying and she soon started showing you all these bands and artists you'd never heard of. Jade changed everything for you, she showed you a side of music you didn't know existed. And all of a sudden, you were hooked.

You became so inthralled by the music that the initial next to the note paled in comparison, you hardly thought about your soulmate because as far as you were concerned music was your soulmate. 

When you were fourteen Jade introduced you to Sammy. Sammy was a pretty shy, and quiet kid but once he was comfortable he'd talk your ear off for hours. That's how he continued to expand your love for music. Not only did he tell you about more bands and artists that ranged outside of the emo, pop punk scene, but he showed you shows, concerts. 

You, Jade and Sammy would go to any show you could. House shows, backyard gigs, if there was a guitar riff and a mosh pit the three of you were there. And that's how you met Pink.

Now Pink’s real name was Floyd but he liked being called Pink. Which you always thought was funny considering he was the strong, silent type, so the name completely contradicted his personality but he liked David Bowie so who were you to judge? Pink was your tipping point. He was a beast on the drums, you and Sammy would sit there and listen to him play all day. Which somehow led to Pink convincing your little group that you guys could make a band, a killer band at that.

And surprisingly he wasnt fucking wrong thus ‘Fighting Pixies’ was born.

C. Summer of 2012

It was the first day of Warped Tour and you couldn't be more excited. You were so excited that you didn't even care that you were in some random arena parking lot sweating your ass off in Utah. 

Not only was this Fighting Pixies first year playing Warped Tour but you were on a main stage you were going to be playing on the same stage as the bands you grew up listening to. To say the feeling was surreal would be an understatement. This is what you, Jade, Sammy and Pink have been working towards for years, you guys were finally playing the festival that you would go to every summer. 

Walking out of the bus you started making your way to the catering tent by yourself since the rest of the band left you behind because you were apparently in Pinks’ words ‘taking too goddamn long’. You roll your eyes at his words thinking how it's bullshit that they could just leave you like that, when all the sudden you collide with someone. 

“Oh shit I'm so sorry dude.”

“You alright mate?”

You and the mystery person that you just basically assaulted said at the same time. Finally after gaining your balance you look at your victim. 

“Siri?” You say raising your eyebrow when he finally looks your way with a big smile on his face.

“Oh shit Y/N! How are you? I havent seen you in fucking ages!” Sirius yells while bringing you into a hug, you hug him back laughing then pulling away.

“I've been good. I haven't seen you since you, Rem and James came to one of our shows. Is he here?” You ask, looking around hoping to catch sight of Remus.

“No not yet, he's back home with Reg, Lily and Harry. But they'll be joining us for the last few shows.”

You couldn't help but let out a little laugh. “Baby's first Warped Tour? I like it, gotta start them young.”

Sirius laughed at you, the two of you then continued on your way to the catering tent. Luckily with no further incidents.

You and the rest of Fighting Pixies met Sirius a few years ago when he collabed on a song with you guys, you also had gotten to meet James a few times during the recording process. You hadn't met the rest of ‘Beyond London’ yet, but James had made it very clear that you and their bassist, Pandora, would become fast friends. 

But you hadn’t heard much about their guitarist, Barty, except in passing from mutual friends. Sirius would complain about him sometimes but in typical lead singer fashion Sirius had a tendency to be dramatic so you never really took anything he said about Barty to heart.

Eventually you and Sirius got to the catering tent. You found your band, James and a girl you recognized as Pandora sitting at a table together. 

“Well if it isn't the second best drummer on Warped Tour.” You say with a teasing smile sitting across from James. James just laughs and shakes his head. While pink has a small smug look on his face. 

“What? So Pink’s the best drummer on tour?” James raises his eyebrow at you with a goofy smile still on his face. 

You laugh and shake your head. “No, not even close, Angelo is clearly the best drummer here. Have you heard Motionless in White’s breakdowns?” Pink then glared at you while scoffing. What? Someone has to bring his ego down.

After a few hours of making fun of each other, hanging out, watching a few bands sets and getting to know Pandora (who is literally the sweetest person ever) you and the rest of your band had to go back to the bus to get ready for your set in a few hours.

You got to get into the shower after Jade so after your shower and skin routine you walked out into the common area plopping down at the table so you could start to get your hair and other things done. 

“Dude when you were in the bathroom Sirius came over and brought Barty, dudes funny. You missed out.” Sammy said, sitting down next to you eating a bowl of cereal.

“Damn. Well I have a whole summer to run into him at some point.” You shrug, getting all your stuff out to get ready.

You actually really wanted to meet Barty based on what little you had heard about him over the years, the fact that he was one hell of a guitarist, and you'd never admit this to anymore but you were really attracted to him. Based purely off the pictures you've seen of him.

You had a lot of respect for him as a musician, you could recognize the emotions that he put into each riff, solo, hell just a strum and you could tell what he was feeling.

A part of you found it frustrating that after all these years of knowing Sirius and James you had always seemed to miss Barty, sometimes by literal minutes.

The rest of your band had met him in passing, never more than a ‘hi’ or ‘hey’ but still they've met him. 

So you couldn't help but be a little frustrated at the fact that for one of the only times that day where you weren't around your band they actually got to hang out with him. You don't know why it bothered you so much, I mean you couldn't even be upset with anyone in particular. It's literally no one's fault. So why did it bother you so much?

Eventually you and the rest of Fighting Pixies found yourselves waiting backstage to go on when you felt a tap on your shoulder. You turned to see your new favorite blond girl. 

“Hi Pandora. What's up?”

“Hi. I just came to watch the beginning of your set. I won't be able to stay long, by the time you lot get off we'll have just started our set.” Pandora explains with her signature tooth rotting smile. 

“Aw thanks, I was actually planning on heading to your guys' set when we're done here.”

“Yes, you should!” Pandora stood up straighter with a sense of excitement and urgency about something you didn't understand, but you just thought that it was Pandora being Pandora. 

You had heard over the years that she would do or say things that didn't make much sense to really anyone so you chose to just brush it off.

“Oh I also wanted to give you theses.” Pandora says while handing you two rocks.

You take the rocks confused with a raised eyebrow. “Thanks, but what are they?”

“The orange one is citrine and the pink one is rose quartz. They're meant to bring you good luck, just put them in your pocket and they'll do their job.” Pandora says with a knowing type of smile, that once again confused you but you just nodded and put them in your pocket choosing not to question the blond.

“Y/N come on, it's time to go.” One of the stage hands says passing you your guitar. You just nodded, putting the strap over your head.

“Well I hope you like our set and I'll see you at yours.” You chuckled a little as she just nodded.

You would think after all of these years of doing this you'd be used to it at this point. That you would be used to being on stage, that the anxiety of fucking up would be gone but it didn’t go away, lessened yeah but not gone. 

You also never really get used to people singing lyrics that you wrote or helped write, especially when the words were sentimental to you at one point, but it was kind of nice to know that those words are sentimental to others now too.

You wouldn't trade this for the world. You were lucky and you knew that, so many people would kill for this chance so you didn't take it for granted.

Thirty minutes later you and your band mates were running off stage sweaty and high off adrenaline with big smiles on your faces’ your first show at your first warped tour was beyond amazing it was fucking perfect you were convinced nothing could top this feeling.

You started to make your way to Beyond London’s set. The rest of the band had other sets or people that they wanted to see so you went your separate ways for the time being. 

Eventually you made it to the stage Beyond London was playing at. You had stopped a few times to talk to people and take pictures but luckily not too many people stopped you so you made it when they started to play their last song.

After all the years you had known Sirius and James you had never actually got the chance to see them play. To say they were amazing felt like the understatement of the century. 

James looked like he was in his element on the drums, Pandora was so focused on her bass but that didn't stop her from swinging herself around, Sirius had basically every person either swooning because of his looks or crying because of how beautiful his voice was and then there was Barty. 

Just the sight of him alone made your heart skip a beat, you had never seen such raw emotion while someone played the guitar. Once your eyes landed on him you couldn't, you wouldn't, look away. The way he moved, how he would throw his head back every so often, sometimes you could see his jaw clench, you could tell he put his all into the music. You had never seen something so amazing. So perfect.

The song ended and they all started to make their way to the side of the stage you were on, Barty sayed a little longer then his band mates throwing things like his picks and set lists into the crowd. 

You were brought into a bear hug and spun around by a very sweaty Sirius. You shrieked and tried to push yourself away from him to no avail.

“Sirius Black if you don't put me down right now I'll make sure you never play another show again!” You screamed threatened while continuing your best efforts to get away from your sweaty attacker. Suddenly you hear a gasp and you're put down very quickly, almost falling while Sirius scoffs and mutters something about ‘Some people’. 

Pandora came to your rescue making sure you’re okay. You were about to scold Sirius for almost making you fall, but he was already out of sight. Pandora turned you around to have you look at her. 

You looked at her very surprised with your eyebrows raised. “What is up with the manhandling right now?” you laugh slightly awkwardly. 

“Do you still have the crystals I gave you?” Pandora asks with a serious face completely ignoring your question. 

You furrowed your brows and nodded still very confused. “Considering you gave them to me a little over an hour ago, yes. I know we don't know each other very well but have some faith in me Pandora.” You once again laughed a little trying to ease the little tension that seemed to form.

Pandora just smiled at you and hugged you and whispered. “I'm so happy for you two.”

You pulled away and looked at her once again beyond confused. “What-”

You were then interrupted by James yelling over to you. “Y/N, come meet Barty, finally.” Pandora kept smiling at you and then she just nodded at you encouragingly. For what felt like the hundredth time that day Pandora confused you and you once again just chalked it up to Pandora being Pandora.

While making your way over to the three men that stood in a little circle probably talking about the show that they just put on, you were hit with a sudden wave of anxiety. 

Why were you anxious? You had been fine (other than the major confusion you went through with Pandora)  so why does it feel like your heart is going a mile a minute.

Sirius and James are facing you while Barty’s back is towards you. As soon as you're in arms length Sirius wraps his arm around your shoulder pulling you close to him.

“Barty, this is Y/N. Y/N, Barty.” James says motioning between you two.

“Hi, it's nice to finally-” You cut yourself off when you looked into his eyes, feeling a tingle on your writs.

Your whole life you've heard stories about what meeting your soulmate felt like. How all of a sudden everything seemed less important. How you would only want to focus on that person. How you'd feel like you had a new meaning to life. Honestly you thought it was all bullshit. 

But now you knew that, that was all an understatement. 

You finally felt like you were home, like everything would be okay. It felt like breathing for the first time. 

You could play a million more shows, meet your idols, win a fucking Grammy and nothing would compare to what you were feeling when you met his eyes. And based on the look on his face, Barty felt the same way.

“Hi.” You whispered still in a shocked state.

“Hi, angel.” Barty said softly with a love sick look on his face, your heart skips a beat at the nickname and you can't help but smile. He suddenly moved his eyes to Sirius and glared at him. “You'll move your arm if you know what's good for you, Black.” 

Sirius moved his arm away from around you and put his hands up in surrender, you actually forgot Sirius and James were there let alone that Sirius had an arm wrapped around you.

You hadn't thought about your soulmate in years. You didn't ever think you'd meet them, and a part of you didn't really care if you did honestly. As long as you had your music and friends you were fine, that's what you thought at least. It was crazy how in one moment that whole mindset could change.

Now you couldn't imagine a life without Barty. You didn't want to imagine a life without him. 

For so long music was your number one priority, you didn't care about much else but now this person that you just met became your number one. It felt insane and crazy but you couldn't help it and a big part of you loved it. 

You and Barty found yourselves sitting in Beyond London's tour bus talking during the almost eight hour drive from Salt Lake City to Denver. You two just talked about your lives, childhoods, things you loved, things you hated, everything. 

He told you about his Father who you now hated almost as much as Barty. Barty had the biggest smile on his face when you told him how you felt about his father in extreme detail after the stories he told you.

Eventually you both noticed the buses pulling into a new arena parking lot while the sun was rising. Both of you knew you had to go back to your bus now, you had sets and meet and greets later that day. You needed some kind of energy. 

Barty with a cheeky smile insisted that you just join him in his bunk, you just responded with an eye roll and a ‘You wish’ which earned you a ‘You have no idea’.

Barty ended up walking you to your bus, you and him stood outside of the bus talking and stalling, not wanting to leave each other yet.

“Barty, I have to go. We need to get some sleep.” You were looking down at your hands together knowing one you needed to let go but not wanting to.

“I know angel, I know.” He gave you a sad smile as if he would never see you again. 

Barty was often scared that all of this was just a dream. That one day he would wake up back in his fathers clutches and his life as a rockstar was just a dream, it always scared him. But now in his mind it wasn't only his life as a rockstar at stake but you and that now terrified him. He had admitted this to you while you were talking that night so you didn't blame him for being hesitant. You just hugged him trying to reassure him.

“You can come over when you wake up Barty. Don't hesitate, I don't care if I'm awake or asleep. I just know that if you stay we're not gonna get any sleep.” Barty pulls away from you with a smirk and raised eyebrows, you just hit his chest and roll your eyes. “Not like that. I just mean we'll stay up talking.”

He just laughs and kisses your forehead. “I know what you meant, angel, just like teasing you is all.” He pulls you against him resting his chin on your head. “Is it bad to say I'll miss you? Even if I know it's just a few hours.”

“It's not bad because I'll miss you too.” You whisper against him. 

After a moment he pulls away again looking down at you he moves his hand to hold the side of your face, cressing you cheek with his thumb. You leaned into his touch with a small smile on your face looking up at him.

“You are now the most important thing in my life now, my angel.” He's looking deep into your eyes, not a hint of lies or regret in his words.

Barty started to lean down with a sense of hesitation, you just nodded and smiled at him letting him know it was okay. You could feel butterflies in your stomach while your heart started to race. The moment your lips touched you felt electricity run through your veins. You never experienced such an amazing feeling, you were two puzzle pieces finally coming together. You already knew Barty was your everything but that kiss solidified it. It made it real in the best way possible, you knew you couldn't ask for a better soulmate.

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[nyabsolart]

>Begin Eidolonstuck

i thought a lot about these so im gonna explain them below the cut

[Original Prankster] by The Offspring. goofy for kiddo june, much like homestuck she has the most straightforward. Fun experience. if this were like, an "au" i imagine imps would just start showing up, shades slipping free from the undertow and completely overwhelming the planet with numbers. they would get popped into. eidolon grist. by errant anvils, tripwires, and all manner of cream pies. the song is upbeat, catchy, and fun. the body is made out of a ghostbusters statuette :3

[Body]

by Mother Mother. it is chaotic, nonsensical, and confusing. why does this represent her soul? very light and rain. its designed to confuse and frustrate her. light into dark magic is pretty grimdark-y. she can direct her eidolon with the wands, causing it to shine a black light from its chest. design notes are the princess hat like jaspersprite, the needlewands, and just a fun fact but the legs are a vector of a slot machine handle

[Die Anywhere Else]

from Night in the Woods. this ones one of my favorites, die anywhere else as a power for dave rules to me. not to suck my own dick but like. yeah thats what he does! the power allows him to postpone death, not prevent it. one more hour, one more dave, die somewhere else, not here.

[Friends With You]

by The Scary Jokes. another favorite! jade probably gets her eidolon way before everyone else, but i dont think shes a veteran. she just peers through the scope and watches from afar. its cool how the only way she can interact with her friends is through the barrel of a gun! you figure out the implications of this

--------

[I Remember It]

by someone on twitter idk search it on youtube. Funny song, funny guy! song is about doug walker taking on the burden of every nightmare, remembering it so you dont have to. davesprite remembers and changes it so it never happened. not really sure how the sprited players fit into this, i guess they split off from the main eidolon? but yeah davesprite remains super fucked up and came back to fix things.

[Dog Days Are Over]

by Mitski. vibe of the song should be obvious, this was on allll the sadstuck jade playlists back in the day. she focuses on the only thing that matters, keeping her friends safe

--------

[Burning Down The House]

by The Talking Heads. aha bdth reference. this is a pretty straightforward retcon thing so i dont have much to say about it not from the comic, though it looks cool. shed have to like, realize something latent within herself and then her dinky eidolon would grow into the House, and shed need to climb the steps and enter the door. pacing wise i think she should have gotten a new eidolon when she god tiered as well, so i guess it MIGHT not be dinky, but cmon we know june, it is. its some vrillyhoo shit. the songs vibe fits with Original Prankster, and with june, i think. art notes: the texture in the cuts of the House are purple meat, and theres lava under the foundation

[Same Bones New Body]

by The Variants. boom. body upgraded into this, its a great naming scheme. Body gets melted down in the green sun and is reconstructed into this, still a confusing amalgamation but with more purpose. the abilities are obviously seer of light stuff and once again read the comic for info on that. my fun fact is my best friends sister had a falling out with someone in this very small band, which i didnt know before listening to them

[One More Time]

by Daft Punk. big fan of the band here. i mean im not a daft punk fan, but in this context. something about it is like. dave chill the fuck out, have some fun! which feels like a thing the sburbian universe would force on him. relax, take it less seriously! heres a strong as fuck metal beast to punch your enemies out of time. it has a similar shape to his og eidolon but its built of different parts. a metaphor?

[Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)]

by AWOLNATION. sacrifice into change is crazy for jade, the universe reallyyy hates her. loneliest girl in the world shit. it pretty much sums her up, when she meets up with her friends her old eidolon isnt as useful. now she gives up parts of herself until theres nothing left. one of the bigger visual departures from her first eidolon, its probably completely destroyed and out of it comes this and Dog Days

thanks for reading to the end :3

[bull-shit-suji]

kuro modern au stuff that i word vomited into my notes app

kind of a Vincent summoned sebastian to save ciel so ciel doesnt actually owe sebas anything

amnesia? idk

single dad moment! except theres this other dad whos kinda find.. (cough agni)

i think vincent was like do NOT let ciel know ur a demon so sebastian keeps it a secret but he doesnt have a good handle on like. Humans. so he kinda does a bad job and ciel definitely knows that he's weird but doesnt say anything. will go out of his way to gaslight you when sebastian does weird shit because he thinks its funny

"hey uhh is your dad levitating?"

"no?"

"he's flying above the school rn"

"that's a bird"

u think suddenly being a butler is hard? have fun being a dad bitch

alois is there but thats complicated. claude and hannah are DIVORCED but on decent terms (i think claude is like. toxic alpha male podcast type guy) and claude sees alois on alternating weekends!

are they demons? i dont know

i think ciel and alois can be friends. platonically. alois would probably say yes if ciel wanted to be romantic but i Promise you he does not. they are just pals :)

im saying ciel has a crush on elizabeth because i can (she's not his cousin here). emo boy x sunny church girl. said sunny church girl has to ask the mcdonalds employees for the blue raspberry slushie they forgot to put in ciel's order because emo boy is too scared.

IM 13 EVERYTHING SUCKSSSSS

grelle is actually living her best life transitioned with anne so they are ciel's aunts on his late mom's side. i think grelle likes ciel. mom figure moreso than anne is.

ciel owns four bongs and definitely a vape or two. come on now

he's also probably got celiac and is lactose intolerant he is just a feeble boy i think

he listens to twenty one pilots. sorry! sorry.

ciel is goth alois is punk those r kinda just the rules

ciel is insanely smart top of the class this shit is easy for him.

yells at sebastian daily. figured out what happened with his real parents around the age of uhhhh 12 or 13? has been an absolute terror ever since

"it was really nice of your dad to bring cookies for the field trip!"

"i hope he fucking chokes on one"

"oh!"

sebastian and claude are pta rivals.

"is this lemon bread store bought? my, how... efficient!"

"you made these from scratch? i can tell."

"i've never seen an interesting looking salsa! very exciting."

ciel purposefully invites alois over constantly bcus it pisses sebas off. alois is Terrified of that man.

"go grab the chips from the kitchen"

"but... what if mr michaelis is in there?"

"mr m- you mean my dad? tell him he can shove a faucet up his ass"

"id rather die on the spot"

sebastian will yell at ciel and is maybe a little emotionally unavailable but he's trying!!! it's hard :(

does that Dad thing where he comes into ciels room and is like hey bud......... what r u up to..

ciel and seiglinde r also palls. the smartest people in school

lizzie is a JOCK. she plays softball.

alois is a theater kid come on now

ciel is best at writing and literature analysis, specifically fiction. enjoys history, language, and Some sciences as well.

nerd

au where myspace is still a thing ciel has a myspace account

he definitely writes shitty poetry

wants to major in business

alois is a glee and pitch perfect truther

[acecasinova]

I really wanna know more about your vampire oc Lazarus(?) they’re so cute!!

Yesssssss my boy Lazarusssssss~

I love him so much lmaooooo (Wish I had like, a neat lil info page for him- I need to finish that rip)

Laz is my scrunky lil guy! He started as a dnd character for a (still ongoing but nearing the end) Curse of Strahd campaign and ended up being the Token Guy in a party of ladies (Truly the game of strong/scary ladies and like, wet rat guys lmaoooo) who also ends up being the PC most in distress too sdfghjkl He's a shadow monk and a bitch ass lil punk~

....This is gunna be a big one actually so I'll put most of it under a readmore,,,,

Because he's ALSO got a modern AU that got spun out of a hiatus in the game, which fits in w/ him very well but also just is So Much Worse for him rippppp (there's whump in his og dnd universe but it's toned down)

He'd been in Barovia for ~7 years before the party hired his mom the paladin who's barn he squats in and he tagged along~ Everyone in Barovia just assumes he's her "guard dog", so when he snaps at people, they'll just talk to her over him (and TBH it doesn't help that she'll scruff him or tell him to drop it if he's biting someone oops) and until recently, it was a bit of an open secret in Valaki that the owner of the orphanage outside of town had a vampire under her thumb, but they tolerated it bc he (usually) listens to her and just offloads his morality to her

Lazarus was also already a vampire BEFORE he found his way through the Mists but he was completely feral before Eurydice (our paladin) got him to start staying in her barn. Like, can't read, can't write, couldn't or didn't speak any Common, growling and snarling in the woods feral. He didn't remember anything about what he'd been doing before and was really blase and indifferent about his vampiric status (mostly just.... Didn't want Strahd to find out there was another vampire in his territory and REALLY offended if someone insinuated he was actually a spawn and not a full vampire lmfao) even though the party and Esmeralda started gently trying to pry about how he "clearly" died young. ....He did NOT in face, die young. But he argued that if he DID, then that was fine because he's not a stupid weak living person anymore and everyone was like mmmmmmm should we unpack that??

We found out later that Lazarus can actually eat other vampires and when he DOES, he physically grows/ages and gets a little stronger. ....And then we found out Laz is actually a weird little flesh-crafted vampire that was made by ritual! And he's never been alive in the first place! (This also means the wizard is our One Single Party Member who was actually born, because the Warlock is an Awakened Mimic, Laz was a test tube baby ritual summon, and our paladin actually hatched from a gourd (even though she looks like a regular aasimar)

The DM/plot has put him through the WRINGER though- he gets the shit beat out of him a lot (made worse because everyone else has some kind of aura against undead or vampires lmao) and he fucked up and killed a guard who was running away WHILE Strahd and his ilk were in town, so they made an example of him and decided to "re-train him" at the Castle, which was mmmmmm tasty tasty~

One of the BIG ones was "Kindness"- a big, scary Conquest Paladin and one of Strahd's "Iron Nails" (the DM's rework of the Brides to make them the embodiment of each PC's fears) who took an interest in Lazarus. SHE wanted him as HER dog, not Eurydice, and SHE was the one to take him into custody after he killed the guard. She was the one guarding him while everyone figured out what to do with him (and going in and just exerting power over him for any little thing she wanted to) and the one who brought him to Ravenloft after Eurydice kinda sorta signed custody over to Strahd whoopssss

....And she DID kind of get in his head because Laz likes to lie to himself and say he believes "Might Makes Right" and Kindness scared him into instinctively wanting to listen to her because she WAS stronger. Kindness could choke him out like it was NOTHING and he landed a hit with his claws that did absolutely nothing to her, which scared the SHIT out of him (This turned out to be because she had armor or an aura that made her immune to bludgeoning and slashing damage, and hid VERY well that she was weak to piercing damage) While he was bound and gagged at the castle, Strahd also leveraged the orphanage's safety against him to force Laz to let him kinda sleeper agent charm him and mmmmmmmm it was so tasty~ He couldn't say what happened but he couldn't say he couldn't say, so it was a lot of him being cagey and frustrated~

BUT he did eventually, finally overcome what happened and snap out of it in a fight that went VERY sideways and he got to gut Kindness and tear at her throat!!!

In the Modern AU.... Modern AU-wise, he's uhhhhhh in a worse spot. He's a bit more defiant and argumentative here (hard to believe with how many fights he picks normally, but usually he ends up shutting up and letting someone else talk) Still squats on Eurydice's property but it's her shed in her backyard lmao~

....Or he DID because in the modern AU Kindness is the chief of police and scooped him up off the street, so most of what I draw is him trapped in her basement lmaoooo

He still killed some folks- including a vampire cop (which tipped her off) but his hobbies are more making fake IDs, trespassing, and making punk accessories but he's also VERY easy to disappear because he doesn't really exist in the first place lol.

Kindness still likes forcing him to obey her and breaking him in, but there's more of an emphasis on the "dog" part, because she's done a lot of K9 animal training in the police, so she's trying to make him her little "enforcer" pet. (What vampire wouldn't want a vampire who can eat other vampires under their control?)

Lazarus fucking HATES this, but Kindness knows how all his abilities work and how to counter or cancel them (and there's an actual day/night cycle) so he's shit out of luck and pretty isolated. And she doesn't even let him shapeshift into a wolf that much!

Laz ends up duct taped or muzzled a looooot, though whether she's leaving him alone shut away somewhere or actively invading his personal space and trying to grind his pride into the dust varies

[sonofa-dream]

listen hi i think you're neat. OBSESSED with a ballet au (especially when i heard... center stage mentions... I adore center stage) and just wanted to personally thank you for inserting that concept to my repetory bless you ��🙏🙏 dancer adam means the world to me now.

thank you for believing in the vision !!! and hey maybe you should have a crack at it 👀 getting very excited about this actually, i do have to finish the tennis thing before i do anything else but hey... pynch tennis summer, pynch ballet fall? why the fuck not had another vision today: adam preparing his entrance on stage, right. performing for the ny city ballet... the exposure, the pressure, but also the pure, unrelenting joy of dancing on that stage, he's waited for this his whole life but also he's kind of... worn-out, in pain and overwhelmed, because he's adam parrish, after all now how can i make this about ronan lynch... cut to: ronan, post-punk musician (hot) being dragged to a ballet... mister is annoyed and has Music Opinions and "fuck ballet it's so elitist" cause he's kind of an asshole but then oh... he sees adam... and he doesn’t see the nerves, or the strain, or the years of pain, no no no... he sees grace, power, and a man dancing with his whole self...

his obsessive ass would subscribe to the whole cultural season just to see him again, wouldn't he...

[total-drama-brainrot]

Total Drama Psycho Noah AU, after the 'London Adventure' and the truth being revealed, Chris then decides to make this a reward challenge... The reward is that EVERYONE gets to be in First Class, with NOAH... Chris and Noah are curious to see, who will be brave enough to actually enter First Class, after learning about Noah's insanity... How would Courtney + Gwen + Duncan reacts to seeing the video of Noah's insane side showing? 😈 Would Alejandro and Noah still be friends? 😈

Listen, as much as this idea is so fucking funny to me, I really don't think it'd work from a storytelling perspective.

Though (not to push any agendas here, but-) if Chris were to hypothetically have the remaining contestants go against Noah in an enclosed space, in a sort of predator-vs-prey scenario, it'd probably play out something like The Beast chapter in Slay The Princess... without the "eating them alive" aspect, of course.

(Heavy Content Warning for that link, by the way. There's a lot of violence/gore/body horror, among other stuff, by virtue of it being a horror game.)

Maybe he'd lock everyone in the First Class cabin and turn off all of the room's electronics, so the only source of light in the cabin would be the wavering moonlight from whatever tiny windows are dotted around. Noah would use the cover of darkness to his advantage and toy with his competitors in a similar vein to how the Ripper had in their challenge that day, darting silently through the shadows to 'capture' his castmates, picking them off one by one.

It'd be a fun game of cat-and-mouse for Noah. For the others? It'd be a living nightmare. They wouldn't have the luxury of knowing that Noah wouldn't really hurt them, and the bloodlust they'd seen on that screen would be terrifying to watch but downright petrifying to experience first hand. They would be genuinely fearing for their lives, in a way that Chris hadn't been able to prompt since the early days of Island, and the host would love it.

Not that he would do that. And not that Noah would actually attack anyone either. (Without reason to, of course.)

But you are right about one thing; if this AU were to become a fully-fledged story, the London challenge would have to be a reward, just to keep Noah in the competition. Because he literally snapped Zeke's arms like chopsticks- his team would vote him out in a heartbeat just by virtue of him being so dangerous.

Which means the whole of Team Chris (plus Duncan) would be sharing a poorly-lit, structurally unsound cabin with someone they're terrified of.

...Owen notwithstanding, since Owen's a sweetheart and he knows Noah.

But the others would be immediately on guard around him. Noah, knowing there's no reason to keep up his ruse of sarcastic apathy, would probably relish in their fear- he enjoys tormenting people, after all, especially when that torment is purely psychological. So he'd carry on playing the 'unhinged, bloodthirsty sociopath' just to watch the others squirm.

He'd probably make a huge show of still having the Ripper's knife, tucked safely in the sleeve of his white undershirt, and comment that he and Duncan could be 'knife buddies' or something. If only to see how the punk's pierced face would drain of all colour at the prospect of Noah having a sharp object. (Duncan would absently rub at the puncture scars on his hand, to Noah's delight.)

But it'd eventually get boring, I imagine, so Noah would do something to reassure his teammates that he's not some ethics-devoid monster hellbent on destruction. Because having your teammates be in a state of constant paranoia around you would get annoying after a while, and it'd impact their performance in the competition (which Noah isn't really all that concerned with, but Owen is, so Noah doesn't want to do anything to jeopardise their chances of winning challenges).

So he'd drop the exaggeration of his more violent traits, and intentionally show off the unharmful aspects of himself- namely by koala-clinging to Owen and acting 'normally' like they'd done before the London challenge, and/or by approaching Tyler to ask how he was feeling after being stretched on the rack and sheepishly apologise for leaving him behind (showing empathy and remorse, to humanise himself n front of his teammates).

He's insane, not heartless.

As for Alejandro...? I have no idea. Would he even want to risk approaching Noah to find out if their shared comradery was all a ruse? Would whatever tentative trust he had in Noah be completely shattered by the reveal? Or would he be so engulfed by his need to win the competition that he only views this new development as a boon, since now Noah can be more of a physical asset for their team?

It'd probably be a mix of all of these. Alejandro would be left off-footed by the reveal of p!Noah's 'true self' (however much of his 'true self' he's willing to show to others) but I imagine he'd be quick to ally himself with the guy who can break bones like they're chalk and deceive a whole cast of people for two and a half seasons, regardless of any personal misgivings.

[fruchtfliege]

Apex predator

Thank you so much! All I want in life is a reason to talk about this fic 😂😂 🙌

Apex Predator (Petopher!Mean Girls AU) (context: it's Chris' first day at BHHS. They're at the cafeteria)

“Which one is Peter?”

“Oh, you'll know when you see him,” Melissa tells Chris with an eye roll.

“Spot the vulture wearing a pink tiara,” Finstock says, so serious and intense, Chris almost begins to think that they're talking about an actual bird.

Melissa shakes off a shiver. “Peter's a demon here to torment us,” she whispers like someone might be listening. She looks around cautiously but the few people at their table don't even care enough about their small group of misfits to look their way. “He has ears everywhere,” Melissa continues but Chris rolls his eyes.

Sure, he scoffs in his mind at the dramatization.

“No, I mean it! He's psychic or something! He knows things he can't possibly know and he can smell your fear,” Melissa says when she sees that the newbie doesn't seem worried at all.

“‘Cause everyone is scared of him,” Finstock adds, nodding a lot.

“Peter is literally Satan in a crop top…”

Chris scoffs out loud this time. Fine, so the only people willing to talk to him are weirdos. That's fine, he guesses. He's heard crazier stuff at home!

Needing a second of sanity, Chris gets up to throw away the rest of his pitiful lunch. Chugging everything in the trash, his carton of milk hits a pool of ketchup and specks of it land on his jean jacket. With a groan , he puts his thumb in his mouth before trying to get rid of the stains with his saliva. Giving up after seeing that the now pink stains won't go, Chris then turns around and time suddenly stops when he notices the prettiest boy he's ever seen walk down the main corridor of the cafeteria, students and teachers alike rushing to get out his way. With his fair skin and pink tight polo shirt, the mystery boy shines like an angel gracing them with pure light in the depressing cafeteria.

Unable to breathe or think, Chris feels like he's been thunderstruck. All he can do is watch, his awe only growing tenfold as the boy struts closer to him.

Everything about him is mesmerizing. The subtle hint of silver eyeshadow, his tailored outfit made to look casual but not fooling anyone who knows brands, his confident but slow walk, his bright and easy smile.

It takes Chris an eternity to finally close his mouth but he still can't take his eyes away as the boy settles next to the punk girl wearing black and the melancholia core boy Melissa and Finstock were warning him about. But next to them, the pink angel looks like the incarnation of Good. A perfect innocent simply happy to see his friends. Chris can't remember meeting someone who looked so happy.

Sitting on the table instead of the bench, Peter barely takes the time to say hello to his friends before he turns around, crosses his legs, smirks and tilts his head as he stares right at Chris. The hunter can't look away even if he feels his face flushing from the attention.

Shit. He needs to pull himself together! He saw good-looking people in the past, this is nothing! Nothing!

“You look a little lost. Can I help you with something?”

Fuck, even his voice sounds melodic and smooth!

“No, I just… it's my first time here. Eating here.” He gets flustered and he's not sure why. He tries to look away but his eyes betray him every time, going back to the boy.

“Well, come here. There's a spot right next to me.” Peter taps the space on his left with a lopsided grin.

“Peter…” Corinne, at his side, warns him.

“We haven't had guests in ages, Cori, play nice,” he scolds gently before looking back at Chris who hasn't moved a muscle still. “Come!”

...from this post...

[blacklegsanjiii]

Uh, you said you liked East Blue Polycule right? So, what about a East Blue Polycule + Ponyo!Sanji? Or even a RLS!siblings au with Luffy, Zoro, Usopp and Nami dating Sanji?

I do like East Blue polycule! It's a cute ship and I adore cuddle puddles. Also wow we are stressing so many people out damn.

Ponyo!Sanji is already dating Luffy when they set sail and then they pick up Zoro, then Nami, then Usopp. Luffy starts dating Zoro shortly after and Sanji is doing his best to not be jealous, he's not jealous really, just annoyed because Zoro likes to monopolize Luffy's time. Sanji starts dating Nami because she helps him pick out clothes. Then all four of them are dating and then Usopp joins them after a lot of reassurance and saying they want him. Sanji still doesn't tell them about his powers and Luffy knows but also knows Sanji will tell them in his own time.

And he does, one by one. He shows Usopp after they say goodbye to Merry and he shows the sniper the pieces he collected for Usopp to put in the thousand Sunny. He shows it to Nami to collect shells or fish or something. Zoro is last. It's a heated argument about saving Luffy from drowning and Sanji is telling the swordsman to leave it to him. Zoro isn't listening and Sanji is so frustrated that he won't trust him with this, not even because of thriller Bark like Zoro thinks and keeps ignoring what Sanji has to say to the point that Sanji just whips his arm and Zoro is covered in water. Everyone is staring at them and Zoro immediately goes off that Sanji ate a devil fruit so it'd just make it worse and Luffy butts in and says Sanji's a guardian actually. Zoro is looking at Sanji with his eye wide because yeah, the rest of the crew found out too and Sanji's been so frustrated to use his powers and now he feels like he's going to get in trouble when he gets home.

RLS!Sanji who's dating the East Blue crew before they pick up Robin. She's impressed but also confused given how he acts and he's just like 'Sis, I've had a time' and she's debating on how she's going to tell Law when they run into each other. This happens between Punk Hazard and Dressrosa and he keeps sending questioning looks to his older sister and she smiles knowingly back. It doesn't clear anything up. Law finds out on Zou when he finds out Sanji's been kidnapped and is listening to the Strawhats squabble about getting the cook back and Zoro and Luffy are fighting about leaving Sanji behind and Nami points out he's Sanji's boyfriend too and Usopp agrees they can't exactly leave a fifth of their relationship behind.

Also it was the Vinsmokes. From Germa. Law is rubbing his temples and just straight up asks Robin why the fuck Germa would be after him now after what happened. Robin mentions he's apparently getting married to a daughter of Big Mom, Nami asks what they mean and Law asks what they mean when they say a 'fifth of their relationship'. The stare down of the century happens as Robin explains both sides, RLS being siblings and the East Blue crew dating. When Sanji and the rescue team meets them in Wano the worst set of shovel talks happens.

[rosewaterandivy]

a fool without a cause | track 1: the plan (fuck jobs)

🎶 My body is a temple, how much d’ya think I could get for it? 🎶

summary: a meet ugly

word count: <700 words

warnings: 18 + for eventual smut, empire records AU | The gang are in their early twenties, college-aged, cursing, name calling, vague mentions of crime

a/n: ah yes, this brainrot sees the light of day. here we go!

Series masterlist | Playlist | Currently spinning: 

Eddie Munson was decidedly not a morning person.

So his presence at the old opera house of Recycled Books & Records before his usual shift was startling, to say the least. Even more so was the fact that he seemed to be awake.

Smoking a cigarette by the service entrance of the building as the sleepy town of Hawkins rose to greet a new day. Leaning against the wall like he could not be bothered to hold himself upright in his usual spot near the graffiti’d red devil. Just minding his own business, enjoying the last drag from his cigarette when a Prius careened around the corner like a bat out of hell.

He stubbed out his cigarette in an abandoned planter that had long ago been sacrificed for the cause. RIP Audrey II. Crossing his arms, he leaned back against the wall waiting to see who emerged from the car. It was well-maintained, from what he could tell, a ding or two on the bumper with a sticker that proclaimed ‘Ask me about my lobotomy!’

It also had an above-average stereo system, based on the volume and reverb of the baseline thumping from the car. Eddie could just make out the driver in the front seat singing to themselves as they flipped the visor down to mess with their hair. He can faintly hear the impassioned exclamation of “There will be feasting and dancing in Jerusalem next year!”

The driver bopped in their seat to the rest of the song and donned a pair of wayfarers that would give Harrington a run for his money. The engine was finally cut, and the door opened and you stepped out, still singing the final verse of the song you made your way to the sidewalk in front of the store.

Eddie straightened up a bit at that. Around his age, if he had to guess, give or take. Sporting denim cut-offs, Converse that had been beat to hell, and a flannel tied into some sort of cropped thing which he very much approved of. Now, it wasn’t that this mystery girl hadn’t intrigued him, just a rather unfortunate case of foot-in-mouth-syndrome.

Case in point:

“What the hell were you listening to?”

And yeah, that was on him. His tone could’ve been more genial and less frustration laced with exhaustion. He scrubs a hand down his face, mortified at his implication.

A slow turn accompanied by a withering stare. “Excuse me?”

“Sounded like some indie shit.” He leans against the wall again, “Weird choice of hype song s’all I’m saying.”

“Huh,” You scoff. “Well, I don’t recall asking for your opinion, dickbag.”

“Woah there, sweetheart! Wouldn’t wanna give a guy the wrong idea.” He shoves his bands in his pockets, “I mean, at least it wasn’t Fall Out Boy or something.”

“Fall Out Boy is pop-punk, first of all.” Followed by a huff, an arched brow and crossed arms. “My apologies for not rolling through with Between the Buried and Me or some other prog-metal bullshit, I didn’t realize I’d be in the presence of the arbiter of taste this morning.”

Oh.

Eddie likes the scathing bite to your retort more than he should. He appreciates a good banter, thinks you can give as good as you can take.

He shrugs, benevolently. “S’not your fault you don’t have good taste. Can’t win ‘em all.”

“Isn’t it time you drop dead from emphysema or something?”

And before he can reply and dig himself in deeper, Hopper unlocks the front doors of the store. Without so much as a goodbye, you turn on your heel and leave.

Great job Munson, another successful human interaction!

Eddie yanks open the service door and stomps into the employee lounge. And makes himself comfortable on the couch, mentally replaying the interaction and highlighting everywhere he’d gone wrong.

On the bright side, at least he’d never have to see you again.

Famous last words.

[myloveforhergoeson]

hold on.... just thought of an online songs au where daisy put in the link to a performance by brand new day instead.... out of the three which would daisy be most enamored by and what would her dynamic with each of them be?

oh... oh wow.... my friend i love you and your big beautiful mind... this is such a cool little concept. a foray into original fiction LMAO

first, to share something slightly on topic, roxy exists in the os universe lmao. she's with james because i made her and i said so!!!!!! in this world, the thing with bnd still happened, so they're not together anymore, she moves schools and she's focusing on her own thing :)

so au of an au, daisy accidentally finds a brand new day video. right off the bat i think the music is entirely too much for her unfortunately; even though kendall sings pop punk music too, she's kind of micro-dosing with his acoustic versions. it's going to take some time for her to be like "oh wow, okay this is cool" because like all the music she listens to comes from her grandparents and church...

if she were to find herself interacting with roxy, mag, and dani i think her dynamic with each of them would be pretty different!

roxy and daisy would be friends, i like to think, but the two of them don't really have much in common. they both like to read, so that's a nice start. roxy doodles in her notebook sometimes and daisy loves to draw. but other than that... rox is super into pop culture and the latest happening and daisy lives in a completely different world. so i think their dynamic would mirror the one she and kendall will have in online songs when they first start seriously talking; just kind of showing her the ropes of tech and pop culture and whatnot. i don't think either of them would be romantically attracted to the other, but i do think secretly they'd each think the other was so cool and sweet and nice in their own special ways. daisy has traits roxy wishes she did and vice versa!

mag and daisy... look. i'm a sucker for good girl x bad boy. gotta be one of my fav tropes. but... bnd's music is still too much for dais right off the bat so i think that mag wouldn't really fuck with her after he learned that lol. his one goal in life is breaking the music industry and he's not really wasting time interacting with or talking to people that don't really slot into the future he's set up for himself. but i mean he wouldn't be dick to her or anything. i can see him like joking around with her about her lack of pop culture knowledge and telling her the crazy celebrity conspiracies he def believes in. maybe if they were older and mag mellowed out a bit more, he could find himself attracted to her if they had more in common. i don't see a world where daisy ever really finds herself attracted to him though.

dani and daisy is interesting to me... she'd probably find herself enamored with them more than the other two. there's still the music barrier i fear, but, dani comes from a pretty traditional and religious family like daisy does. i think that despite their religious upbringings being different, they could relate to each other on that front! i do think she'd find the drums more interesting to play than guitar just because it's so much more animated - so if she found a really good clip of dani drumming i could see her watching that a lot like she watched kendall's video :) i also imagine that of the three, dani is most chill. they're slightly more introverted than mag and roxy are so their energy level would also be way better for daisy to handle!! i think given time they could find themselves in a little something-something :p dani is pretty fond of nature too, just like daisy is too. they can have some sweet hikes all around minnesota and virginia

idk what do yall think? maybe i just don't like mag so much i'm not able to see his similarities to kendall lol. because, i mean, daisy is going to learn that kendall has a mean streak eventually so... hm. interesting!! tysm for this cross-over question i just ADORE IT <3

[virgil-my-emo-son]

One Business Card Lighter

Dukeceit Week Day 4, Hair/Teeth!

Dukeceit week is run by @imnotgrimimjustagrumpyreaper ! @dukeceitweek @dukeceit-week-2024

I feel like I kind of cheated with the prompt... this is a punk singer Remus x comp sci professor Janus fic LOL. I'm so happy with this AU and honestly I might expand on it in the future. I've been working on a giant paper about punk fashion history so I tried to get the punk stuff as accurate as possible! Listened to a lot of Sex Pistols during the writing of this fic!

Also there's a fnaf reference in here if anyone's a fnaf fan 👀

Enjoy!!

Ao3

Janus stood awkwardly at the back of the room, holding his old fashioned in one hand, the other fiddling idly with the twist of orange zest in the glass. His eyes, however, were undistracted, glued to the small stage at the front of the bar.

He came to Junior’s for their jazz nights on Thursdays. He knew all of the hits that the bands usually played, and he was always interested to hear their original work. Sometimes it made Janus question why the artist had picked up music in the first place, and sometimes it made him wonder why the hell they were playing in a tiny little bar in the middle of the city instead of in the stadium just across the river.

Janus was used to Thursday nights. He liked Thursday nights.

But tonight was a Friday, and Janus had never been to Junior’s on a Friday.

For one thing, it was far more crowded than he was used to, mostly college students who were either freshly 21 or had good-enough fake IDs. Janus stayed at the back of the room, leaning against the wall and sipping on his drink, taking his eyes off the stage for a moment to scan the crowd. It would be a little awkward running into one of his freshmen from Computer Science 170 at a bar.

Janus only taught one 100-level class this semester, so it was a little less likely he’d run into those students than the juniors and seniors from his software engineering courses. Those students might be legally allowed in Junior’s, but it wouldn’t make an interaction any less uncomfortable.

Janus looked back at the stage. For another thing, Fridays were not jazz nights.

Fridays were punk nights.

The band onstage was… the best word Janus could think of was outrageous. He didn’t mean it negatively, but there was no denying they were provocative.

The drummer and bassist both had long hair. The drummer’s was pulled back, revealing a sleeveless shirt covered in strategic rips and tears, while the bassist’s fell in dark curtains over his white T-shirt that Janus was pretty sure had an upside-down crucifix. The guitarist’s hair was spiked to heaven, and he wore a jacket covered with enough patches and pins that Janus couldn’t tell what the original fabric was, with a T-shirt beneath reading FUCK OFF.

But what really caught his attention was the singer.

He was short, but the presence with which he commanded the stage made him seem seven feet tall. He marched around the stage in beat up work boots and dark, ripped jeans. A few tears near his thigh were patched with safety pins, affixing them to a grey Sex Pistols T-shirt with the eyes of each of the band’s members scribbled out. His hair was a calico dye job of orange, a weird orangey blond Janus could only assume was the result of an attempt to bleach the orange out, and dark brunette in spots he’d missed with both the orange and the bleach.

He was striking, and Janus found himself unable to stop watching his tongue as he rolled the “r” in “antichrist” during a jerky rendition of “Anarchy in the UK.”

Suddenly, the singer looked up, making direct eye contact with Janus. He winked—Janus could’ve sworn directly at him—as he sang, “Don’t know what I want, but I know how to get it!”

Janus suddenly couldn’t look at him any longer, a blush heating up his face. He took a fortifying sip of his alcohol.

Janus stayed for the rest of the set, despite not knowing a single one of the songs they played or even whether they were covers or originals. The fact that he recognized “Anarchy in the UK” was only because of his friend Virgil’s high school punk phase, and even that was a small miracle.

That singer…

“Thank you for coming out tonight!” He yelled over the drummer doing a long roll on the snare. “My name is Remus and we’re Hair and Teeth and fuck the IRS and fuck the military and fuck you all!” He kicked his foot up as the drum roll concluded with a smash on the cymbal.

The crowd went crazy, cheering and clapping and yelling stuff Janus couldn’t quite make out. The band walked offstage, and Janus was sure he locked eyes with Remus as he threw a kiss over his shoulder and disappeared into the back room.

The bar began to empty out as the evening got later and later, and Janus found himself sitting on one of the barstools, chatting with the bartender. It wasn’t the usual Thursday bartender, rather, a man in a red satin shirt with a loud laugh. He was fun to talk to, but all Janus could think about was Remus.

“Say, do you know the band just playing?” Janus set down his glass, leaning a bit on the bar. He’d moved on from his cocktail to a series of low proof beers. His small house was within walking distance of Junior’s, but despite his high tolerance for alcohol, he didn’t want to get too drunk.

“I do.” The bartender smiled. “I know them very well.”

“In what sense?”

The bartender indicated his head at something over Janus’s shoulder. “My brother.”

Janus looked behind him to see the singer, Remus, walking up to the bar.

His chest leapt.

“Can I have something on the house?” Remus stood by the bar, leaning on it with his forearms.

“No.” The bartender raised a judgmental eyebrow. “What makes you think I’d do that?”

“I’m your baby brother, Roman! You love me!”

Roman rolled his eyes. “No free drinks.”

Remus turned to Janus. “He’s so annoying.” His eyes raked up and down Janus, and he desperately wished he’d taken the time to change into something other than the pinstriped button-up shirt and plaid slacks he’d taught in. “Are you going to a wedding?”

Janus blinked. “Pardon?”

“You’re dressed all fancy.” Remus gestured to his outfit.

“No wedding, I’m afraid. Came from work.”

“What’s work?” Remus’s head tilted. “Office job? You The Man we hated on for an hour during our set?”

Janus gave a short laugh. “Not really. I’m a professor at Sanders University, computer science.”

Remus mimed a yawn. “Computer science? Boring.”

“And you’re a musician full-time, I assume?” Janus gave him a quick once-over. “You look the part, Remus.”

“Thank you, I am!” Remus winked. “You already know my name, so what’s yours, handsome?”

“Stop flirting in front of me right now.” Roman interjected, pointing a finger at Remus. “I don’t need to hear this. Out.” His finger moved to the door.

“Fine.” Remus moved his hand to hover over Janus’s. “Can I take your hand, handsome?”

“Depends. Where are you taking it?” A grin twitched at Janus’s mouth.

“Out of this bar!” Roman called over his shoulder.

“Yes.” Janus looked back to Remus, smiling in earnest.

A twinkle in his eye, Remus grabbed his hand and pulled him out the door of Junior’s. The street outside was busy, one of the main roads in town, and the glow from the streetlamps and signs of other bars, restaurants, and shops lit everything up.

Remus leaned against the wall. “So, come here often?”

Janus laughed. “Yes, every Thursday, actually. They have good jazz.”

“Jazz? Yeah, you’d like jazz.” Remus nodded.

“Whatever does that mean?”

“You just look like you’d listen to jazz music.” Remus nodded to his whole figure. “So, then, why’d you come tonight?”

“I just had a… a feeling I should.” Janus looked down. “I think I made the right decision, though.”

“So do I, handsome. I never got your name.” Remus tilted his head again.

“Janus.”

“Last name?”

“Constance.”

“Janus Constance?”

“Janus Constance.”

“Mm.” Remus hummed. “Interesting.”

Janus fumbled in his pocket for a moment. “I should be going, but I… here’s my card. Call me.” He held out a business card.

“A business card at the bar is hilarious.” Remus took it. “You’re definitely a professor.”

“Did you think I was lying?”

“Well, now I know for sure.”

“Mm.” Janus was amused.

“I’ll call you.” Remus’s eyes twinkled. “Professor Constance.”

“Please.” Janus rolled his eyes. “It’s Janus.”

“Alright, Janus. I’ll call you.” Remus took Janus’s hand again and held it up to his mouth, giving it a short kiss before winking again and walking away. Janus was left blushing on the sidewalk, one business card lighter.