#i could and practically have capped this entire scene but i just love when the four of them start sinking into each other

[remyfire]

[lskisms]

eat my love, c. berzatto

syn. carmen berzatto is a childhood best friend, your protector in everything. when he leaves for new york, he leaves you behind and in his absence, you realize just how deep your love for him runs. his return to chicago is just what you need.

gen. romance, angst (if you squint).

warnings. none.

word count. 1.8k.

playlist. restless, bibi. love scene, baekhyun. seasons, wave to earth. asleep, the smiths. wasteland baby, hozier.

forget religion, forget deities, forget all of it; you have been a devout follower of carmen berzatto for years. he’s the childhood best friend with just a few years and even more inches on you, the one who protected you in the schoolyard in elementary school, the one who showed up to the movie theater after you’d been stood up in high school, the one who made sure your college mini fridge was stocked all the time with food you only had to eat up in your microwave.

he’s been everything to you, protector and savior all in one go. so while you’re not quite sure when your feelings shifted from platonic to romantic (though it was definitely between his time in new york and his return to chicago), you’re not surprised that they have. maybe it’s the “obscene amount” (richie’s words, not yours) of contemporary romance novels you read, plenty of titles with a friends to lovers arc, that put this in your head and maybe that constantly riled up man has a point, but still, something about it feels inevitable.

when carmy left for new york, you worried about him, more than was probably necessary. it was the first time in your whole life that you’d be away from him and it wasn’t that either of you needed one another to look out, but having grown up with him as a constant presence in your life made it difficult to adjust to life without him. where he used to be a phone call and a trip on the l away, now he was a phone call and a plane ride, too many miles to fathom.

but you waited: waited for him to come home, waited for him to notice you, waited for him to reciprocate. it feels like your entire life all you’ve done is wait for him and you’ve been content with that, even if it is your own personal brand of psychological torment. because you know him like it’s etched into your very genetics, the ability to know him for who he is in a way that you can’t know anyone else.

and so when he returns to chicago, to home, to you, it feels monumental, even if it is under less than desired circumstances. he starts working his ass off almost the very second he gets off his flight; you don’t see him for the first few weeks he’s back in chicago. it’s through no fault of your own, of course, because you text him plenty and he responds, but they aren’t hitting the same beats they used to, and you worry.

but here he stands now, flannel coat and baseball cap and all, at your doorstep unannounced. it surprises you, seeing him here like this, because he hadn’t so much as even suggested the idea, but you can’t complain, not when this is the first time you’re seeing him in what feels like a lifetime.

“carmy,” you practically exhale, not even hesitating to step forward, wrap your arms around his neck, press yourself close against him. your nose buries into the collar of his coat and when you inhale, the scent is so entirely carmen berzatto; you hadn’t realized you could miss a smell this much, let alone a person.

you’re elated when his arms wind their way around your waist, both hands warm against your lower back. you stand just like this for moments that feel like they stretch into hours, taking in the fact that he’s back, he’s home.

“i missed you, loser,” you say into the thick fabric of his coat.

he scoffs against your shoulder, patting your back and pulling away from you to look you dead in the eye. “yeah, yeah, i missed you too.”

you share a small laugh, an even gentler smile, and you step aside to let him in. it’s the first place of yours that he’s never experienced. sure, he’d seen it in photos and facetime calls, but he’s never been here in person, the first place that is wholly you: no family, no friends, no college roommates. the essence of the apartment belongs solely to you.

and he sees that, sees you everywhere he looks. it’s in the way your shoes are organized by the front door, in the way that you keep one of his old jackets (stolen months before he left for new york) hung up on the coat rack, in the way that the photograph centered on your endtable isn’t one of your family but one of you two; it was snapped on senior prom night, which he hadn’t been able to attend due to his bad grades, but he’d gotten dressed up all nice for you anyways, so that you’d have nice pictures of the two of you together, even if he couldn’t be your date like you’d planned.

“nice place,” he remarks, looking around and taking in the parts of you he doesn’t know; books lined up on the shelves of your tv console, record player next to it, the succulents on the window sill. “better than that shithole you were living in when i left.”

you let out a breathy laugh, roll your eyes, close the front door behind you. “you mean the dorms? anything is better than that.”

you follow him deeper into your space, watching the way he watches everything else, takes everything in, like he’s relearning you from scratch. almost every second of the day, carmen is on, burner cranked up to high, one of the most intense people you’ve ever met, but here, you can tell he’s set to simmer, introspective in a way he’s not when he’s at work. it’s nice to see him with his guard down like this, cerulean eyes wide and searching.

the silence stretches out between you, but it doesn’t snap like a rubber band like you thought it would. quiet used to be easy with him and you’d been worried that the distance and time apart would change that, but it hasn’t; it’s still just as comforting as it had been.

but you have to break it, clearing your throat and looking away out the window. the sun is setting behind tall buildings, casting the sky a burnt orange (terracotta, maybe, you think). and with your string lights that glow soft, flaxen gold over your equally as soft sheer curtains, quiet music playing from spotify on your tv, this could not be a more romantic moment, at least in your mind.

“i worried about you, y’know… when you were in new york,” you say quietly, eyes trained on some point beyond the horizon. “i never really knew what you were up to over there and you were so far away… i don’t know, i guess i just missed being able to make sure you were taking care of yourself.”

his sneakers move gentle against the floorboards as he turns his whole body to face you. when you glance at him, he has an expectant look on his face like he knows you have more you want to say; whatever piece of you that knows him better than anything else, he has it too, he’s always been able to anticipate anything from you.

you shrug, look down at the floor. “i thought i’d be able to stop worrying when you came back ‘cause if you needed me, you’d be a train ride away again, but… carmy, you’ve been back for weeks and i think i’m worrying about you more than i did when you were gone.”

“you don’t gotta worry ‘bout me; sugar does enough of that for the both of ya,” he replies, voice soft in a way that he’s always reserved for you, special and one of a kind.

with a nod, you look back up at him, meet him with another shrug. “no, i know. just can’t help it, i guess… think i’ll always worry about you, one way or another.”

his hands fidget in the pockets of his coat, flexing and unflexing, rustling against the material. he lets out a sigh, looks out that same window, the sun lower than before. “i worried about you too. you can take care’a yourself, but… i was worried nobody’d have your back the way i do.”

“i mean… i have sugar and fak and them, i had mikey, but… they aren’t you. nobody could replace you.”

and when he looks back at you, you think he realizes that you mean it in more than one way. he’s not just your defender in everything, some self-appointed knight in shining armor; he’s the love of your life, has been for years probably. he stands here in the middle of your apartment that is every bit him as it is you and he sees you. his eyes lay you bare, roll out your psyche, understand you in a way that no potential romantic interest from the past few years has been able to because he has his own brand of knowing you, one that you’re so used to that it feels wrong coming from anyone else.

and he knows that just from staring at you. the inches between you feel like miles and your fingers twitch with unsnapped tension; you swear his do too because like clockwork, his feet scuff against your hardwood floor and he closes the distance, hands out of his pockets to cradle your face in them.

“you mean that?” he questions, his breath hot against your lips. his palms are calloused and warm, and you’re learning the feel of them in a way you’ve never had them before because this is new, but it’s what you’ve wanted for ages.

you nod, your eyelids fluttering and breath shallow. this close to him, you can make out all of the imperfections in his skin, the little dips and freckles. “wouldn’t lie about somethin’ like that, carmy. you know that.”

“just wanted to hear you say it, sweetheart.”

when he kisses you, it is unpracticed and unrefined but perfect in all the important ways: it’s him and he tastes like cigarettes covered up with spearmint gum and he is so warm. you kiss him back like you’re trying to make sure he knows the taste of your love, like a fine wine aged for years; you think he notices it.

“don’t worry about me no more,” he says against you without pulling away.

“that’s kinda my job,” you reply with a short, breathy laugh, your hands curling into the rough fabric of his coat.

“doesn’t need to be. i’ll take care of us.”

the words cut deep into a part of you that has gone untouched for years, something reserved for carmy and carmy alone. and he knows it’s there now, treats it with all the delicateness in the world as he kisses you again, apologizes for not realizing sooner, promises to make up for lost time. his touch, new and exciting, sets you alight everywhere and you are born again like phoenix out of ashes. to be loved like this by him is something you’ve dreamt of for years and now it’s yours and you don’t plan on letting go.

i’ll take care of us. you believe him.

© lskisms 2023. do not translate, copy, or repost my work on any site.

[loveume]

# dream sweet of me 🌫️

it is nearly impossible to sleep when rin is away.

the bed feels cold no matter how many blankets you pile on, and there is always a pervasive feeling of emptiness that permeates the room.

oftentimes you are left with a loneliness that, after many hours, lulls you to sleep with your face buried in his pillow.

tonight, is one of those nights. with rin away for a week and a half at some kind of special practice retreat.

you tried to be as productive as possible but there was only so much cleaning and meditation you could do. so, you feel entirely restless as you crawl into bed for the night.

as soon as you find a comfortable position your phone goes off, but the ringtone is the one you set specifically for rin. scrambling up you reach for your phone on the nightstand and swipe up to answer his facetime.

his face isn't in frame, so you just have the view of what appears to be the ceiling of his room.

"thought you said you wouldn't call me when it was late," you keep your voice soft, but can't help the teasing lilt it takes.

rin is meticulous with timezones, just like he is with most everything. he only calls at what he says is the optimal time for both of you based on whatever timezones you may be in.

his scene begins to shift and soon the face of your gorgeous boyfriend fills the screen, hair damp and propped up by his pillows.

before he can reply you can't help but say; "there you are. hi, handsome," practically swooning.

you notice his ears flush red as he tries to remain indifferent to your affection.

"just," he pauses, his eyes tracing your face through the screen, "missed you, is all."

your heart clenches, and it takes all your strength to hold back the tears.

"oh, baby, i miss you too. always do when you're not here with me."

you and rin chat for a bit, he'd had a bit of time before dinner and decided to chance it and give you a call, even with how late it was at home. although it makes you feel better about sleeping alone tonight you can't help but long for him even more.

"it's dinnertime now, and i can tell you're sleepy, my love. i'll call you again tomorrow, okay?" he tells you, pushing his hair back and fixing a cap onto his head.

"okay, baby. i love you so so much, make sure my boyfriend eats well okay? he deserves it." you reply, and start making kissy noises into your phone despite how tired you feel.

"i love you, make sure my girlfriend dreams sweet of me," he gives you just one smooch noise back and it makes you grin.

"bye, rinrin."

"goodbye, my love."

your eyes flutter shut just as the two of you hang up.

[tarisilmarwen]

Rebels Rewatch: "A Princess On Lothal"

Mini Leia is here to lift everyone's spirits, and provide some much-needed hardware to the Rebellion.

Right, so going to have to be careful about the new photo limit, but just one quick cap from the beginning here because awwww the Loth-cat was comforting Ezra!

Oooh the deep glockenspiel adds some interesting texture to this music cue here.

And cue the Hammerhead corvettes. Good thing Leia dropped by when most of the blockade was still sweeping up on Garel.

(They'll be back soon, Lothal and Garel are practically galactic neighbors.)

Lol Lyste sighing in aggravation about "Another delegation from Alderaan." I'm certain Bail and Breha have cultivated quite the bleeding heart reputation as cover for their covert Rebel activities.

I don't think the voice actress they chose is that great. She sounds... way older than 15/16 and I can tell she's trying for the cadence of Carrie Fisher's snark but... I dunno it just lands weird for me. I think they could have gotten away with having her voice sound younger and it would have been okay.

Chopper sticking by Ezra's side. :((((

A slow, mournful version of Ezra's theme. Fitting, as he's going to be grieving the whole episode. Which is a nice bit of continuity. I love it when shows allow time for characters to grieve and adjust to losses they've sustained.

Subtle animation appreciation moment: The way Ezra idly thumps the cadet helmet to the side of his head. Just a nice little gesture that adds character and flavor.

Oh shit, that was definitely a Dies Irae in the score there.

(A refresher for those of you just joining this rewatch: The Dies Irae is an old Latin musical sequence that has been used basically since the Gregorian chant days to denote the specter of death in a work of music. Composers from ages past up to the present have referenced it in their compositions. Think of it as like the world's oldest music meme.)

Lot of OT score references in this part, no surprise.

Ezra is noticeably more surly and pissy than usual this episode, at least until his pep talk from Leia. Also no surprise, the boy hides behind his sarcasm and snark like no one's business.

"I don't get to give orders!" Just wait, Ezra, lol. You'll get your turn.

Leia playing Lyste like a damn fiddle lolol.

Mini Leia is really pretty. They did a great job with her design.

Alderaan sits pretty in the "plausible deniability" section. I'm sure the Empire suspected the planet of harboring secret Rebel sympathies but they were never able to have concrete proof of it. Bail, like Mon, probably held out hope that he could stem some of the Empire's tyranny from within, and so that's why he didn't want to lose his seat of government power, not as long as there was a chance he could effect some kind of change, which meant Alderaan had to avoid being directly tied to the Rebellion.

There's some commentary there about the need to work within the system in order to fix it, versus when it's time to break off and burn it down, but I'm not going to go into that right now.

Hngh, Ryder's resignation when the Stormtrooper mentions "termination".

"Hera's here." Hhhnkgjhn that's the happiest we've heard Ezra sound this episode Imma cry.

Luke's theme used per the standard as a bold Big Damn Heroes leitmotif with the Ghost's appearance.

"I'll warn Sabine." Lol how does Ezra know Sabine's the one who's going to be paying attention?

Zeb enjoyed this entirely too much lololol.

Ha ha those two Stormtroopers who are like, "They take prisoners now???"

This man has zero shame lol.

RIGHT, SO THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE UNDERRATED SABEZRA MOMENTS RIGHT HERE AND I HAVE BEEN A VERY GOOD GIRL WITH THE PHOTO LIMIT WHICH MEANS I GET TO CAP THE SCENE IN FULL.

That soft hand on his arm. The way her eyes linger on him as he turns away.

*sobs*

I love it so muuuuuuuuch!

Leia being, well, Leia, immediately discerns that something's really bugging Ezra. I love that the Kenobi show leaned into the inner sixth sense she displays here, that she can pick out a person's thoughts and feelings with the Force just by looking at them.

Kanan discerning that Leia might be able to comment and help Ezra, aww.

Friiiiiiiiick his face.

Leia's theme follows right on the heels of Ezra's theme here, in the score.

"I feel like because I can fight, I have to, for those who cannot." Boy is that isn't the quintessential Jedi and Rebel Alliance motivation right there...

I do like the dynamic between Ezra and Leia. It's very sweet. They bond based on their shared Hero Complex motivations, their mutual desire to fight on behalf of the helpless. Ezra shows off a little bit for her, later, in the way he usually does around girls he likes (the boy has A Type, let's be honest), but it never quite reaches the overtness of his crush on Sabine, so it hits even more quasi-platonic.

I think Leia thought he was cute tho.

Back to the plot, Leia's embarrassing Lyste all over the place here lol.

Ah, wow, the Rebel Alliance theme, haven't heard that in a while.

There is quite a bit of tension in how slowly the Hammerheads take off. The show plays that tension for all it's worth.

Oh you know I gotta comment about this part right here where Ezra goes feral.

For a moment we had all forgotten about the fact that he was clearly grieving, and this outburst caught us off guard. The way this is staged it's framed as concerning, with an edge of danger, Ezra leaping onto the Stormtrooper and clashing beats sounding along with his punches in the score, Kanan reaching towards him with an almost hesitant body posture.

But! Ezra lets out his anger and then contains himself, standing up and just putting his helmet back on. He breathes, regains his composure, and returns to neutral.

*weeps* He's such a good Jedi.

Kanan whipping out his lightsaber to be awesome against the AT-ATs aaaaaah!

(And that implied to be the reason Ryder stayed on Lothal and started up a new Rebel cell there, ONCE AGAIN CATCH ME CRYING ABOUT HOW THE JEDI REPRESENT HOPE TO A HOPELESS GALAXY.)

HHmmmmmmgggh I wanna say this is a recurring leitmotif but I don't know, I love it either way, it's beautiful.

Swish swish and return to first position, aaaah lightsaber choreography is so cool sometimes.

This whole sequence is just... *chef kiss*. The orchestration, the tension, the rapid shot choice...

Lolol Lyste getting thoroughly embarrassed by Leia.

Fun fact: One of the Hammerheads they gathered here in this episode would later go on to be the one that landed THE decisive blow to one of the Star Destroyers guarding the shield gate at Scarif.

PIECE BY PIECE, REBELS SHOWS THE MINUTIA OF SACRIFICES NEEDED TO PUT EVERY ELEMENT INTO PLACE FOR THEIR ULTIMATE VICTORY.

Ryder enters with Ezra, did Ezra have any kind of hand in convincing him to fight for Lothal?

HE LOOKS DIRECTLY AT EZRA I THINK THERE'S A CASE TO BE MADE HERE.

The Force Theme soaring into prominence here as we close out.

This episode is just the kind of break we need to process the events of the previous episode. Leia is almost flawless, willy deflecting suspicion off herself while playing the Imperials all for fools, compassionate and empathetic when she senses someone in pain and turmoil.

Ezra is allowed to grieve throughout the episode, and displays a myriad of conflicted and complex emotions from scene to scene. Kanan almost takes a bit of a backseat to comforting him, letting all the others express sympathy in turn, giving him the space he needs and offering up the distraction of the mission. He handles Ezra really well, all things considered.

It helps that Ezra, unlike Anakin, chooses to deal with and channel his grief in a productive way, rather than destructive. (I have the tag "#ezra is the anti-anakin" for a reason.)

This is a fun episode. Lighter than the previous one, lower stakes, but needed to let the characters breathe and process through the revelations of the plot. I really like it.

We're about to hit the Golden Streak, so stay tuned, I will have more to say later.

[desmondkane-of-ao3-fame]

What kind of skarlow scenario can you think of involving them going on a movie date to see Puss in boots the last wish?

Ok, this question is adorable, and given that I saw the movie (and loved it to Death, straight up) it’s gonna be a fun one to answer.

Of course, as wonderful as The Last Wish is, it’s also the sixth film in a massive franchise. And a franchise that Luz enjoys immensely, given its themes of self acceptance and love, on top of just being hilarious. So to prepare, Luz gets the Hex Crew together one weekend to watch all the Shrek movies: Shrek, Shrek 2, Shrek Forever After, and Puss in Boots!

The whole group enjoys the movies, of course, even if a lot of the refrence humor goes over their heads. Skara, however, takes a particular shine to Puss: a daring, fearless adventurer, who starts as a minor antagonist before becoming one of the most beloved characters in the franchise. Somehow Skara feels a strange kinship with Puss.

The Hexsquad go to see the movie opening night, all ready for a fun time. What they don't entirely expect is the existential nightmare the movie leaves them with.

Skara hums along to the "Fearless Hero" opening number, physically unable to stop herself. It's adorable to Willow, who hums it in harmony.

Skara is confused where the story is going... right up until the bell's collapse on Puss, which genuinely causes her a slight jump in her seat.

At Death's introduction, both Skara and Willow look over to Hunter. Sure enough, he's already jotting down a new look for his fursona.

Skara and Willow both physically "AWWWWWWW" at the introduction of Perrito. To be fair, everyone does. Though Willow does tease Skara that they remind her of their partner.

During the cute-off between Puss and Kitty, Skara nudges Willow and tries to repicate Puss's own big wide eyes. Willow practically spits out her soda in laughter, having to try and shove a hysterically laughing Skara to get her to stop.

Given that all the kids have had their own near-death experiences and are scared they very well could die, the themes and story resinate a bit too close to home for them, particularly Willow. During Puss's panic attack scene, Willow feels herself begin to panic as well, if only as a reaction. Skara, feeling Willow's breathing get eratic, lays her head on Willow's shoulder, nuzzling her to let her know she's on and safe. Thankfully, that helps, and Willow calms before anything too major happens.

At Crickets "YOU'RE AN IRREDEEMABLE MONSTER" line, everyone, including Skara, say "Belos".

After Puss's final confrontation with Death, Skara has to physically restrain herself from jumping out of her seat and cheering.

When the movies over, Skara and Willow walk out with the rest of the group, laughing and holding hands. As they leave the theater, Willow nuzzles Skara, silently thanking her for helping calm her down during the panic attack scene.

Later, inspired by Puss, Skara buys herself a feathered cap and tries to learn how to flirt in Spanish for Willow. When she first tries, Willow finds it adorable, even if she doesn't fully understand it. It's Luz breaking out into fits of uncontrollable hysterics that lead them to learn Skara had called Willow her 'little washing machine' and asked about her extended warrenty. Skara pulls the hat over her eyes in embaressment as Willow reassures her that it was sweet and cute.

[malumxsubest]

“😘😜”

First Five Asks Get A Kiss | Not Accepting ( ʷᵃʸ ᵒᵛᵉʳ ᶠⁱᵛᵉ ᴸᵁᴸ BUT if guys want a smoochie, that's fine too. )

a dare?

she has forgo the mesh mask that covered her face for her delectable blasphemous nun costume when she sat down next to jim, who wore a priest costume to match. honestly, it was mildly surprising for him to join her to some party out in the middle of nowhere. then again, jim is an unpredictable, every-changing man she has ever known. he perhaps was bored and wanted to tag along. was it due to the very outfit she donned when he texted her whereabouts? she doesn't know. what she does know that the stares they had received― a myriad of disbelief and admiration from the party-goers ― was amusing, to say the least. though, some attempted to touch her costume without her consent in which she slapped the hands violently with her golden gauntlet clad hands.

" come now, don't be boring amelia. it's a simple dare. "

she roll her eyes as she smoothly slides the compact mirror from the small clutch purse and golden tube of lipstick. uncapping it and flicking the compact mirror open, amelia angles the mirror to her lips as she glides the black pigmented lipstick over her lips, accentuating her pale pallor. with a faint smile while she observes her reflection, she deems herself presentable before slapping the compact shut and delicately capping her lipstick.

" despite it being a simple dare, dear, i would think you are insatiable as i am. " she teases while she eases her belongings into the clutch just as easily as before. she twists her body within her spot on the leather sofa of the private room they could find, away from prying eyes and meddlesome ears. taking care to be mindful of her flowing robes and the dangling golden rosaries and crosses adorning her neck and waist, she settles herself into a comfortable position ― practically looming herself over him as she reaches forward to cup his face.

just before she presses her lips against his, she mutters in the air between them. " besides, you needn't to dare me if you had just ask, spider. thankfully i'm in a good mood this evening. " cold fingers clad in golden fingerplate armor combs through his slicked-back hair, until one hand cradles the back of his neck and the other grips the roots, tugging his head back, exposing his bared neck to her.

before her lips descends upon his own in a enveloping kiss, amelia decides to be a teasing minx. and she loves dark and dangerous mixed in a game. she presses her lips on his neck, directly on his adam's apple and gives it a delicate, wisp of a bite. so faint that her lipstick didn't leave a mark in the shape of her lips. with half-lidded eyes, she scrapes her teeth against the flesh on the expanse of his delectable neck only to give his jugular a particular piercing bite. yet not enough to break the skin — redness steadily appears at the bite marks shaped like her teeth.

after having her fill of teasing, she finally blesses him with a kiss he dared to from her. she slots her black-painted lips upon his own in a devouring kiss. she fully shuts her eyes as she angles her head in a way to deepen the blasphemous affair. it was searing and intense with way she kissed him. it was as if she wants nothing but to consume him entirely. she is ravenous.

amelia bites down his bottom lip, intentionally drawing blood in order to swipe her tongue along the tiny wound. she savours the iron tang with an appreciative hum. however, it seems all fun things must come to an end for she senses a silly little peeping-tom. she relinquishes him from their sinful kiss, barely noticing the black lipstick that was smeared across his lips as she peers over to her right. her emerald eyes levels on the man staring agape at the scene before him only for him to stiffen when he notices her.

committing his face and scent to memory, amelia returns her attention to moriarty with a malevolent smile appearing on her own lips smudged with black pigmentation. " show me that eye trick again, won't you? " she is feeling quite famished...

@kingofthewebxxx

[spammreviews]

All the 2023 films I’ve seen so far, ranked:

16. You Are So Not Invited To My Bar Mitzvah

Pretty much every scene in this film goes like this:

*modern pop-song blares ridiculously loud, making all dialogue practically unintelligeble*

Main Girl: OMG, Alex is totes hot AF, no cap, for real, for real.

Other Teen Character; I love Tiktok. And pronouns. 

Adam Sandler Character: Wow, teens today sure are craaaaaazy.

*the music spontaneously cuts out as something funny happens. We get ten different cuts of ten different character reactions*

Random Side Character: Wow, this sure is craaaaazy,

*another pop song comes on, this one is also way too loud*

15. Air

This is a Nike commercial. Characters with dimensions or personalities? Who needs those? Themes? Hah! This film wants to have themes, but those themes are “Michael Jordan is successful, and that’s cool. Buy Nike”. 

This film is devoid of energy, pathos, or creativity. It tells a story in the most bland, watered down, and commercial way possible.

It mentions the fact that Nike shoes are made by enslaved children in other countries once and then never again.

14. Maestro

This is a biopic about a queer jewish communist conductor most active in New York during the mid 1900s.

Unfortunately, this film treats Leonard Bernstein’s Judaism as merely a detail to be ticked off in a checklist. Anti-semitism is also briefly paid lip service, only to never be brought up again. 

It’s unclear how Judaism even affected Leonard Bernstein. 

Leonard’s sexuality is mentioned more, but the film seems similarly uninterested in exploring this feature of Mr. Bernstein. We barely see how it affected him.

Leonard’s communism is basically just removed entirely.

Despite a majority of the film taking place in New York in the mid 1900s, the film is uninterested in capturing the experience of living in that time or place or creating any sense of atmosphere.

Most damningly, the film is completely uninterested in Leonard Bernstein as a composer. Say what you will about Bohemian Rhapsody, but you could tell that the creators of that film cared about Fredey Mercury’s music. I don’t know if the creators of this film cared for Leonard Bernstein’s music. 

We don’t see how Leonard’s experiences affected his music, or how his music affected his life. 

There lies the rub, this film is completely uninterested in Leonard Bernstein as a human being. Instead, it’s interested in giving us a series of meaningless vignettes which do nothing except show off Bradley Cooper’s directing.

The film does look nice, I’ll give it that, but it doesn’t use its directing and cinematography to say anything.

As a result of the film’s disinterest in Leonard Bernstein as a person, our main character is devoid of any depth. Unfortunately, so are the 20 other characters in this movie. The portrayal of Leonard’s relationship with his wife is laughably awful, with the two of them re-uniting and getting over years of disagreements for no real reason. The relationship between Leonard and his daughter, as well as the other characters in this film, fair just as poorly.

Finally, while Bradley Cooper is an amazing actor, his performance here is hindered by two major problems. Number one, the fake nose. It looks really stupid. Number two, his voice. As young Leonard Bernstein, his voice is fine, when he’s old Leonard Bernstein, he’s putting on an old man voice that sounds like Tom Waits impersonating a train engine.

13. Dungeons and Dragons

Ok, there’s a huge jump in quality with this one. Dungeons and Dragons is a fun film with a great cast who all seem to be having fun. It’s filled with humor without losing any of its sincerity, the action scenes are energetic and creative, and there’s a clear love and respect for the game. 

12. Nimona

You know what, here’s a link to my Letterboxd review of this film:

https://letterboxd.com/thejam24/film/nimona-2023/

11. Guardians of the Galaxy 3

Similarly to Dungeons and Dragons, this film actually likes its source material, and it doesn’t let its humor get in the way of its sincerity. It’s not afraid to be silly nor is it afraid to be sentimental.

Almost all of the members of the ensemble cast are given an arc: Rocket deals with trauma, Starlord deals with trauma, Gamora  does her arc in the first film again, Drax matures a bit, Nebula learns that she doesn’t need to prove herself and that she can be a good guy, Mantis learns to stand up for herself, and that dude played by James Gunn’s brother learns the power of self-confidence.

Groot is the only character not afforded this, even though he does get some badass moments.

Overall, this film just drips witch charm and genuine enthusiasm.

 

10. Godzilla Minus One

What this film succeeds at is portraying Godzilla not just as a villain, but as a dark, unknowable eldritch force. 

I won’t say all that much more, because I’ll do a Godzilla ranking some day, and I’ll go more in depth about this film.

9. Blackberry

You know The Social Network? This is very similar, but instead of Mark Zuckerberg, we get a much nicer who is slowly fucked up.

Unlike Air, this film actual criticizes the industry it’s in, and how it’s impossible to actually be ethical in it. We are shown that actually trying to make a good product in the tech industry simply isn’t a good business model. Capitalism incentivizes cruelty and punishes empathy.

This very sad idea is wrapped up in a rather fun package, with a large cast of distinct characters who all bounce off each other well.

8. Barbie

I don’t need to review this. You’ve seen Barbie. We all know it’s a delightful film with a fun theatrical nature, and that it works as a simple but effective investigation of the patriarchy which kids can understand. Also, “I’m Just Ken” slaps, and I’ve been listening to it unironically for months.

7. Talk To Me

Why does no one talk about Talk To Me anymore? It was the biggest thing ever for a month period, and then everyone forgot about it. That’s a pity, as this film slaps. It’s not a deep film. The hand is like drugs, and the main character uses it to deal with her grief, but she ends up hurting those close to her.

There’s also questions raised about trying to help those who don’t want it, how it can hurt both you and the person you’re trying to help. However, sometimes people do need and actually want help but are just unable to ask for it.

This question is very important to the end of the film. 

This film is ceaselessly cruel, especially to that one kid. God, I feel so bad for him. 

There is one scene in particular which is so visceral and unflinching, and it comes right after a very light scene of comedy.

This film also has this deep sense of loneliness, as it’s marked by a sense of being unable to communicate with others. Maybe that’s why it’s called “Talk to Me”. 

6. Asteroid City

I vibe with this film so much. It is delightfully silly, extraordinarily colorful, and ceaselessly creative. Basically, you like Wes Anderson, then you’ll enjoy this film.  

One thing Wes Anderson is great at is portraying bad family dynamics. While this movie is surreal in so many ways, the families in this film feel real.

This film uses the story-within a-story framework in a genius way, poking fun at the artistic process by portraying it in a simulated environment, and then doing the same with the nature of human relationships.

I feel like I need to see this film two or more times if I want to really understand.

5. Beau is Afraid

This is my favorite kind of film: horrifying, psychological, and extraordinary confusing. 

The reason why this film isn’t higher is because it is simply put, to much. 

While their are three hour long films from this year that definitely earn their runtime, Beau is Afraid most certainly does not, with the film often feeling repetitive, as we often get multiple scenes which serve to say the same things within the story. It’s like Ari Aster wrote the same scene two or three different ways and didn’t know which version to cut, so he put all three in them.

I’m being very vague for three reasons:

One, I watched this film, like, seven or so months ago and my memory is fuzzy.

Two, I don’t want to spoil anything.

Three, I’m kind of scared of talking about this film. I want this to be short, but if I start talking about details like the penis monster or that fairy tale section or the purpose of hair within the film, then this will devolve into a nonsensical rant. 

This film kind of invents its language through the use of eighteen or so different motifs. It also uses its locations in just the bizarrest way, where we get to know these locations very well, and then we’re given pieces of information which completely change the way we see those locations. 

This whole film is just a nightmare. However, the film, especially Joaquin Phoenix, goes to great lengths to sell you the bizarreness. 

4. Oppenheimer

I think Oppenheimer does what the best biopics do, in that they are an attempt to understand the main character. This film doesn’t claim to know exactly who Oppenheimer is, rather, it’s trying to figure that out.

Oppenheimer, the person, is a riddle we have to decipher.

Oppenheimer’s change in morals, were his opinion of the bomb shifted only after he made it, is something that is…interesting, and the film puts a large emphasis on it, connecting it to other times that Oppenheimer’s opinion appeared to change drastically, like with communism. 

This film also doesn’t tell you what to think about Oppenheimer, or about any of this. 

This film also has one of the best explosions in any movie ever, and the explosion scene is one of the many examples of how the film uses sound. There’s a scene featuring the sound of stamping feet which sounds absolutely traumatic. 

Both the sound and visual editing of this film are extremely violent. 

Oppenheimer is a guy who has repeatedly done something bad and not faced any consequences. And, when punishment finally comes, it’s for something extremely minor. 

Unlike the other biopic about a jewish communist with an interesting profession and a complicated sex life, this film is actually interested in all four of these aspects, spending time on all four and how they affected Oppenheimer. 

This film is actually enthusiastic about physics, and that’s nice.

Overall, this film is definitely worth the hype.

3. Spiderman: Across the Spider Verse

I love how much love the two Spiderverse films have for comic books and superheroes. The first film was basically one giant love letter to superheroes, the medium of comics, and to Spiderman in particular. It explained how we need heroes to look up to, and how they can inspire us to be better. All the while, it paid sincere tribute to comic books and their unique form of storytelling.

This film then asks the question of what a superhero even is. However, it is still a love letter to superheroes. It understands something fundamental about Spiderman’s appeal: he is just an ordinary person. This is important because it shows that we all have the capacity to have the heroism of Spiderman. After all, Peter Parker’s actions are just him trying to emulate the ordinary powered adults in his life- but that’s a topic for another time.

Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse uses the whole “canon event” thing to discuss how anyone can be a hero, but it also dives into an important idea: the way we romanticize suffering, and how that connects to superheroes. Spiderman is a character who goes through hell regularly, and we admire him for that, but our admiration of perseverance can often turn to a puritanical idea that suffering leads to purity. 

In this film, both Miles and Gwen are kind of putting themselves through hell because they think that it’s the only way, and that’s how to be a good person.

That’s why Miles doesn’t tell anyone that he’s Spiderman, he doesn’t want anyone’s help. It’s been pointed out that there’s a scene where Miles tries to carry two cakes at once but ends up ruining them. This can be seen as symbolic of him trying to balance his social and spider life. However, the idea isn’t that Miles should cut everyone else out of his life, instead the idea is that he needs other’s help. After all, carrying two cakes is easier with two people.

Miles does learn this lesson, as he does attempt to reveal to his parents that he’s Spiderman at the end.

In the story, Miguel represents this romanticization of suffering, believing that is what makes a good Spiderman. Miguel is this stoic hero who cuts himself off from all human connection. 

In that way, Miguel serves to make a meta point. Comic writers often make Spiderman go through hell, and this misery often comes from Peter being cut off from his connections to others, most infamously when Peter Parker’s marriage was erased from existence. The reason for this is that Peter’s suffering makes him more “relatable”.

Miles learns his lesson by seeing how Miguel acts. In the beginning, Miles belief that he has to carry all of his problems himself is similar to Miguel’s belief in canon events. Miles believe this is his fate, and Spiderman have to suffer, as does Miguel.

However, Miguel is miserable, and so is Gwen, another character cutting herself off from those around her.

Oh god, I didn’t intend to write this much. Basically, what I’m saying is, Across the Spiderverse’s themes of the romanticization of suffering work on a meta level and on a psychological level.

Oh, also, the film is fucking gorgeous. Every scene is just a blast of color and energy and beauty and life. This film makes full use of the medium of animation, incorporating a dozen different styles. One of the first scenes of this film has a three dimensional character fight a two dimensional person.

The stylized yet detailed animation allows every fight scene to be filled with this jaw dropping kinetic energy.

And the soundtrack? Oh god, the soundtrack is intense and ferocious and just plane fun at points, mixing jazz and rap and pop and electronic and punk and the usual tropes of film soundtracks. 

I think I need to move on, or I’ll be talking about this film forever. I want to turn this film into a powder and snort it.

2. The Holdovers

This is a perfectly cozy movie. It has a wonderful atmosphere, some delightful acting, and a great sense of humor. Paul Giamatti's character is the perfect example of how to write a character with dimensions, and his performance just oozes charm. I would not be surprised if there are people who will have a tradition of watching this film every December in the years to come.

This is not a unique film, but that’s its charm. It’s as familiar as a warm hug.

I like when films use Christmas as a sort of oppressive force. Christmas feels lonely in this film, as being alone in a time centered around family feels lonely.

Killers of the Flower Moon

This is an extremely precise film. Every movement of the camera and every framing of a scene is purposeful.

I love Scorcese’s sense of humor. This whole situation is weird. It’s awkward. It causes people to act silly, like when Leonardo Dicaprio tries to flirt. 

Scorcese is really good at giving these films the comedy they deserve.

The two main characters of this film, Ernest and Molly, are top tier characters.

What makes Ernest a great character is that he is a truly despicable person who’s also an idiot in a rather charming way. 

Something interesting I noticed about Ernest is that he keeps mentioning how much he loves money and how every other character called him greedy at least once. 

The thing, is Ernest actually doing this because he loves money, or is he doing this out of pride? 

We get one scene , the gambling scene, where Ernest indulges with his money and actually seems happy about gaining it. Other than that, Ernest seems rather uninterested in money beyond it being necessary for his survival. In contrast, we see Robert De Niro’s character actively getting annoyed when he’s refused money. 

Then again, the acclimation of wealth to Ernest may be something he takes pride in.

Moving on to Molly, I feel so bad for her. She’s an ordinary person who never asked for this and did nothing to cause this to happen. She also simply does not have the skills to deal with this. This is a situation she is not able to deal with. She’s not a hero, her goals are the survival of her and her family, and that’s it.

It’s also interesting the way this acts as a microcosm of colonialism in America. Some native Americans have a bunch of stuff, and a bunch of white people want that stuff so they come over, act kind of nice, and then slowly kill everyone. In that sense, it makes sense that our main native American character who has a disease. She’s one of many characters who’s disease is used against them. 

Oh, and also, we see many poor white characters used as pawns by the richer white characters as part of their schemes, often using racist rhetoric when they do that, but not using that rhetoric when talking amongst themselves.

The motivations of Robert De Nero’s character and others like him isn’t racism, it’s money. However, they use racism as a tool and as an excuse, often blaming the violence on the Native Americans themselves, and using the government’s apathy towards Native Americans as a way to get away with their crimes. We are told that “You have a better chance of convicting a man for killing a dog then for killing an Indian.”

Basically, these schemers are taking advantage of the Osage people.

Ernest’s relationship with Molly is a microcosm of this, with him using her trust of him to slip poison into her insulin. 

I also love the way the film uses language. Usually, the characters speak english. However, there are multiple scenes where native americans use their native tongue when talking to white people as a way to sort of gain a slight amount of power. After all, they native americans are being forced to adapt to a different language, so Molly speaking in osage to Earnest forces him to make that same sacrifice.

The real reason for why this film is in number one is for the ending, which sees Martin Scorcese making a cameo that sort of redefines the entirety of the film we’ve seen so far and almost seems like a commentary on his career. There’s the idea that this is probably inaccurate, as there’s no real way of perfectly portraying this actual historical event.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, every performance in this movie is fantastic, whether it be Lily Gladstone, Leonardo Dicaprio, Robert Deniro, Todd from Breaking Bad, or Brendan Frasier- who appears in three scenes and absolutely steals the show with an insane amount of energy.

All of these actors give so much fire and humanity to many absolutely stunning conversations about insurance fraud. I’m serious. I don’t think insurance fraud has ever been more poignant and tragic.

[sinfullyrosey]

Jellyhead: Part Two, Electric Boogaloo

Azul Ashengrotto X GN!Jellyfish!Reader

Warnings: Slightly Suggestive Themes (no direct smut)

I hate posting from mobile. >:/ Couldn’t even properly proofread it and ended up rushing it at the end. Anyways, here’s more Jellyfish!Reader.

All characters are 18+

The first year was expecting a few things when meeting with the head of Octavinelle. He’d been informed prior about what to expect, after all. He was warned about the dormhead’s silver tongue and trusting demeanor, his ability to convince you to sign one of his contracts as if there weren’t any serious consequences tied to doing so.

He had been thoroughly warned to beware of the looming eels that prowled around their boss and the horrors both could inflict upon him if requirements were not met. By the time the student had arrived at the designated meeting time, he was prepared for the absolute worse. He was expecting the cold, sharp eyes of the leader and sharp-fanged smiles of the twins.

What he was not expecting, was to see the very dormleader sitting in his usual desk chair with what looked to be a jellyfish merperson soaked in water (explains why the floor was wet when he came in) sitting in his lap. Nobody had mentioned a fourth member of Octavinelle, especially one so… softlooking.

The jellymer’s tentacles were sprawled out on the chair and dormleader, their arms wrapped around his neck. They were nuzzled up to him, the wide, jellyfish cap on their head pressing softly into Azul’s neck and cheek.

The first year blinked incredulously as the jellyfish left soft kisses along Azul’s exposed skin. Aside for the slight pink hue on his cheeks, Azul seemed unfazed by the affections lavished onto him and merely continued on with his spiel pertaining to the contract at hand.

“Jellybean, not in front of the client.” Azul whispered, briefly interjecting his own speech, while trying to brush off the light touches of his partner.

“Hmmm?” You hummed, sending vibrations against his sensitive skin with each loving peck.

“If you don’t behave, I’ll have to have I or the twins discipline you.”

You frowned at the lighthearted threat, but complied, pouting oh-so cutely. The student gawked at the scene playing out before his very eyes, contract long forgotten by this point.

“Excuse the interruption. As I was saying…”

The poor, unfortunate soul’s entire focus was on the jellymer, Azul’s words not once registering in his mind. Instead, he watched as the mysterious Octavinelle student played with the other’s tie, lidded eyes dully focused on nothing as he waited for the transaction to finish and they could continue kissing their boyfriend.

“Ahem, are you even listening to what I am telling you, or are you too focused on other things?”

The student blinked and refocused his attention on the serious, blue eyes of the dormhead.

“U-uh, um…”

Azul sighed and presented a quill for the student to take and pushed the contract forward.

“Please, understand that I’m a very busy person, and I haven’t got all day. Another client will be coming in less than half an hour, so just sign here and we will be all set. I’ve presented you with the requirements, so just sign.”

The student was on autopilot, barely giving the contract a glance, but signing away anyways. He was too taken aback with the whole experience, reeling over what he experienced to the others in his dorm as he walked out of the VIP room, closing the door and leaving the two Octavinelle students alone.

Azul let out a heavy sigh and slumped back in his seat. You snuggled up to him once more, continuing where you left off.

“What am I going to do with you..?”

You looked up at him with big, innocent eyes, unaware of what he meant.

“You can’t just bust into my office right before a meeting and sit on me, especially not in your merform while dripping wet! You looked ridiculous, practically crawling in here and demanding affection…”

“Do you want me to transform into my human form?” You tilted your head.

“No no, that’s not… No, just, stay like this…”

Your partner huffed, repositioning himself and then you, so that you were sat facing him, tentacles wrapping carefully around him. He was the one now snuggling into you, face buried in your chest and allowing you to continue planting soft kisses onto his head.

He always got so openly affectionate behind closed doors.

You ran your fingers through his hair, humming gently and just basking in your shared warmth. Azul was completely limp in your hold, leaning more into you and clutching onto you like a lifeline.

All was quiet and comfortable.

Except, until you suddenly felt a presence on your lower half. The sensation of something rubbing against where your groin would be. The sensation of a clothed member rubbing against you, begging for more attention.

Oh.

Alright then.

Looks like your octolover was in the mood for something more intimate, if his continuous grinding and groping hands had anything to say. So much for not bothering him while he’s in his office.

Bonus

Well, today was turning out to be rather interesting.

Jade thought to himself while he worked the Lounge’s bar, wiping one of the glasses down. His gaze followed the figure of his jellymer dormmate, now in their human form, wearing nothing but a pair of briefs and a white button-up shirt, blissfully skipping their way through the Lounge and towards the fishtanks.

The eel could only guess who’s clothes you were sporting. And speaking of which…

“Y-y/N! Get back here! You’re indecent!”

Azul was close behind, looking a bit flustered and disheveled himself, glasses askew and face turning a light blue. Looks like he was trying to wrangle you in and prevent any more students from seeing his precious partner in such a compromising position.

And you merely gave him that innocent, wide-lipped smile of yours.

Jade chuckled as he watched Azul cover you the best he could with his coat and try to drag you back to his office, away from the prying eyes of the other students. He saw you plant sloppy kisses all over the flustered octopus’s face, leading to him picking you up bridal style and just carrying you back to the privacy of his room to deal with you.

“Ha ha, looks like our little jellyfish is gonna get it.~”

Jade was met with his twin, Floyd, leaning against the counter and watching the scene along with him. The other nodded, continuing with his work, even as his brother leered at the couple.

“Hey, Jade, you think Azul will let us join in this time?”

Jade thought for a second, turning his attention briefly to his brother as he processed the question, before looking back over to the disastrous couple. Azul finally reached his office door and was struggling to open it with you still in his arms, you giggling all the while.

“Hmm…” His eyes squinted into something dangerous, yet knowing.

“Maybe.”

[shylemon0]

Characters that might be Autistic pt.3

Yup yup yup, back at this.

Most of these are Paul Dano characters because he’s great at playing characters that’s obviously ND-Coded :D

Just to let you know, whenever I write these for certain characters it’s because I personally think that they are autistic and because I currently have a hyperfixation on something related to them.

WARNING! Spoilers I guess for Little miss sunshine and prisoners!

Dwayne Hoover (Little Miss Sunshine)

My comfort film and character to be completely honest. 

———

Special interest: Jets/Planes and Flying

Stimming: jumping, fidgeting with his hands/pen cap, dancing *insert end dancing scene*

Traits: Very monotone in general, a dry sense of humor, very passionate about his special interest, Has a hard time showing empathy therefore chooses to not show any (says he hates everyone even tho you can clearly see that he loves most of his family), Selective Mutism

Notes: He literary has a meltdown when he found out that he can’t do his one passion in life because of a disability he never knew he had, Also even though he’s colorblind he won’t stop trying to find a way to fulfill his dream.

Alex/Barry (Prisoners)

There’s a lot about this character that isn’t shown, but what I can kinda see by the slight hints I put here.

———

Special interest: his RV

Stimming: Unknown (Maybe singing the song he sang when he walked the dog idk)

Traits: Semi-verbal, Doesn’t want to break the rules of his aunt, doesn’t like being touched, intense or no eye contact

Notes: though yes it might just be because of the amount of trauma he has been through I still believe he’s autistic, and since we see a lot less about his character besides him being tortured for the entire movie I’ve come up with all the signs I could see from what we got.

He just gave me a vibe okay! Now leave me alone lol.

Olive (Little Miss Sunshine)

———

Special interest: Beauty Pageants 

Stimming: Screaming, Running/Dancing, Fidgeting with slide puzzles, Training

Traits: Takes things literally (but this could be just because she’s a child), imitates her idols/practices facial expressions, doesn’t fully care about others judging her, listens to the same song over and over again

Notes: Yeah yeah I know, she could just be a bubbly child that gets exited easily but the second I saw the way she acted I was like “AUTISTIC! That right there is an autistic girl!” And I mean that literally, I literally said that out loud when I watched the movie a few nights ago.

Connor (Detroit Become Human)

YES I KNOW HE’S AN ROBOT! But there’s something different from him and the rest of the Deviants.

———

Special interest: Completing his Mission (no longer his special interest after Deviating), Detective things

Stimming: Coin flipping/tricks, fixing his tie and the cuffs of his shirt

Traits: Monotone, takes things literally, would do anything to complete his mission/help the people he cares about, 

Notes: I can’t be the only one who sees the difference between him and the other androids.

[goddessofmischief]

hello! could you write a bucky x reader where john walker flirts with the reader and bucky gets upset? maybe that scene in ep 2 where everyone's sitting in the car? thanks :)

This is a fantastic request! Also, reader has female pronouns in this.

Team Up - Bucky Barnes x Reader

James Buchanan Barnes.

The Winter Soldier. A fossil. A killer.

And quite possibly, the love of your life.

At least, if he’d let you.

You and Bucky felt the same way for each other - that much had always been clear. You’d met on one of his missions, and been lucky enough to survive. Years later, you met him again - this time, as Bucky Barnes, desperately trying to claw his way back into society. You were his neighbor, back when he’d run from his troubles.

Everything had been fine, until the day Steve Rogers recruited you to help bring him in (and protect him from the Wakandans), and after that day, your life had been one with his.

And you’d begun to understand why Bucky had always kept you at arm’s length.

After the war, he’d cut all contact with you entirely. Hell, you barely spoke to Sam anymore - or, for that matter, anyone from Team Cap. Wanda was AWOL. Ant-Man was taking a break.

Which is why it surprised you so completely when you received a message from an unknown caller.

The caller, as it happened, had been one John Walker - someone who wasn’t quite as shy about asking for your help. He had his wingman. Now he needed, as he put it, his very own ‘Miss Carter.’

You didn’t bother to tell him her name was actually Agent. You sensed it wouldn’t have mattered anyway.

Besides, why not? The Avengers were disbanded. Steve was gone. Bucky had abandoned you.

You didn’t owe them anything. And if this John guy wanted to make the world a better place?

Well. You weren’t about to stand in the way of it.

“What’s the plan?” you asked, securing a gun in your holster.

“We’re going after the terrorists,” said Hoskins, Walker’s second-in-command. “We’ll go in first. You need to disable the truck.”

You nodded. Walker stopped in front of you, securing the shield on his back.

“Kiss for good luck?” he asked, jokingly, and you stared at him.

“No.”

He rolled his eyes, jumping out of the helicopter and onto the truck. You followed, taking out the driver. Eventually, though, the truck became engulfed in flames, and you had to jump out, coughing. Walker helped you into a car.

“Was that...?”

“Yeah, Falcon and Bucky. They’re... helping.”

Well, speak of the devil.

You, Walker and Hoskins pulled up alongside Bucky and Sam, walking down the road. Walker honked the horn.

“So,” he said. “That didn’t go as planned, huh? All right, we gotta work together.”

“That’s not happening,” said Bucky, and you bit your lip to keep from smiling. Hoskins noticed.

“I think we stand a much better chance if we all just-”

“Just ‘cause you carry that shield,” said Sam, “It doesn’t mean you’re Captain America.”

“Look, I’ve done the work, okay?”

“You ever jump on top of a grenade?” Bucky snapped. You realized, with a twinge, that he hadn’t noticed you yet.

“Yeah, actually, I have. Four times.”

Walker looked to you, as if for approval, and you shrugged.

“Look, it’s twenty miles to the airport. Get in.”

Reluctantly, Sam and Bucky climbed in.

...And for the first time in months, you and Bucky’s eyes met.

“Hey,” he exhaled, looking throughly beaten. “What’re you-”

You gestured to Walker.

“I’m traveling with them now. He needed my help.”

“Well,” said Walker, broadly, “Couldn’t do anything without my best girl, could I?”

He put his arm around your shoulders, and you let him. Slowly, you realized this actually could be...

Fun?

Bucky deserved it, didn’t he? He was the one who’d left you.

“No,” you answered, gazing up into Walker’s eyes. “No, I guess you couldn’t.”

“So, are you two...” Bucky gestured at him. “Fondue-ing?”

"Oh, you know. Most of it’s for the cameras, but...” you shrugged. “John’s pretty good. Almost as good as the original.”

“You take that back,” said Bucky, quietly, and at that moment, Sam Wilson decided to get involved.

“So. Out of all the women in the world, you choose her to be your... your fake girlfriend? Why?”

“Well, she's...” John trailed off. “Perfect.”

“Perfect, huh? Do better.”

“She’s perfect, she’s... she’s beautiful.”

“Anything else?” asked Sam, skeptically.

John shrugged.

“What else is there?”

Oh, now he'd done it.

“What else is there?” shouted Bucky, and you could practically see steam coming from his ears. Carefully, you removed Walker’s arm from around your shoulders. “What else is there?”

"Easy, Buck,” you said, quietly, standing in front of Bucky and placing your hand on his chest. “Hey, I’m here, okay-”

“Yeah, well, we’re leaving,” said Sam, glaring at you. “Good luck with Walker, Y/N. Hope that works out for you.”

“You know this guy’s a jerk,” said Bucky, looking at you, pleadingly. “So... come on. Come with us.”

“So now that someone else needs me, you choose me? No, Bucky,” you said, shaking your head. “This is where I belong.”

...

Requests open for Bucky Barnes, Loki Laufeyson, Peter Maximoff & Ben Solo!

[nctsworld]

skateboard love

✩‌ yangyang x reader | skater boy!yangyang | college au | fluff | 2.2k

SUMMARY | yangyang tries to get you to skateboard for the first time and in doing so, you’re taken back to when you first met him. // for @notnctu​’s beginning collab! WARNINGS | slight injury (reader trips over a curb), one swear word, kissing RATING | teen+ TAGLIST | @infnteen​

“I can’t do this,” you mutter, shaking your head in defeat.

The ocean waves clamour nearby as you stare down at the skateboard and concrete pavement beneath your sneakers in frustration.

The weight of your helmet and the wrist guards are blatant in your every movement. Sure, it’s a little embarrassing at your age, but it’d be best to rather be safe than sorry.

Thankfully, they’ve been coming in handy during the times you almost fell and slipped off of your boyfriend’s skateboard. It may have been his idea to try to learn, but you weren’t opposed to it, thinking it’d be easy.

They say things are easier said than done, and now you’re forced to admit skateboarding definitely falls under that list.

“Yes, you can,” Yangyang softly says. Beside you, he gives your hand a gentle squeeze, causing you to peer into his gleaming eyes and bright smile.

Despite the recentness of your relationship, your boyfriend’s patience and encouragement feels like routine, like he’s been by your side for your entire life. His words don’t fall on deaf ears; you parrot his smile and muster a small nod, albeit glancing away shyly.

“Just think about all the times you’ve watched me skate past the library and copy what I did.”

Petulantly, you stick your tongue out. “It wasn’t that often.”

Disbelief reflects back at you in the form of an eyebrow raise.

“Really?”

“Really!”

Around mid-September, in the most modern, glass-structured library on campus, you found a studying area that was perfect for you.

Main floor, nearby the entrance doors for an easy exit when class was about to roll around. A high stool chair that was cushioned comfortably for endless hours of equal parts studying and procrastination. Plugs and desk space galore.

Above all, it was perfect because you had the picturesque view of the boy who always skated every other day around 11:50am towards his next class across the wide stoned boulevard in front of the library.

You noticed him the first few times when you initially sat upstairs. Even from afar and above, your interest was piqued over how coolly he skated past all the students. There were only so many students who biked to their next class, and even less who skateboarded.

And after you decided to sit downstairs for once to finally steal a closer glimpse of him, you were completely smitten upon capturing his handsome features.

Thus, your heart constantly raced in anticipation when 11:50am hit, as students scattered all across campus during this transition period. 

With a thumb tucked in his pocket and headphones over his ears to boot, the mystery skater boy often slid past around 11:55am, making your mind wonder where his former class was and where he was going. Was he in Engineering? Arts? Business?

The latter option didn’t seem likely since his style didn’t echo the stereotypical look of the faculty. Dark coloured hoodies and sweaters, bomber jackets, and skinny jeans were his usual choice of fashion, alongside the occasional baseball cap. And on the days he wore his cap backwards, he was truly in his skater element.

No matter, you always swooned with your chin perched atop your fist or resting inside your palm as he passed by. The brief sighting of him easily became the highlight of your day.

You would be lying if you said you didn’t try to look for him in your classes, but to no avail. You had to live with the fact that you’d only get to know him in passing as he skated on by the library.

When the mere hoodies and sweaters were exchanged for heavier, thicker jackets and coats, he still continued to traverse across campus via his unsurprising mode of transportation. You especially admired his dedication on the days filled with rain and wind, wishing there was some way for you to ease his trips to his next class.

All throughout the couple of months, he was consistent in attending that one class.

Except one day.

It was a Friday, about a week or two near finals season. The weather was quite chilly now, but snow wouldn’t be an issue until after winter break and well into the next semester, so there wasn’t any reason for him to not use his skateboard still.

Maybe he was sick at home, you thought. Pouting, you tried not to dwell over the stranger because that’s all what he was. 

Someone you didn’t know, someone you only watched from afar. Someone that filled your daydreams, pondering what he’d be like and what’d you two could talk about... but nevertheless a stranger.

Oddly enough, about an hour past noon, someone dragged you out of your thoughts momentarily as they unusually sat nearby your spot. 

The unspoken library etiquette was to sit as far away from others for more personal space, especially in the area where you frequented. You tried your best to ignore the shuffling of the person placing their laptop and books onto the elongated wall-length table, feigning laser-focus on your notes.  

But a few moments later, you heard a whisper coming from their direction.

“Is this your favourite spot in the library?”

“Hm?” you hummed, dragging your headphones down to your shoulders as you swivelled towards the seated stranger. Air seized in your lungs and your eyebrows shot up.

The gorgeous skater boy glowed with rosy cheeks from the cold air outside, paired with his stunning smile. You realized this was the first time you’ve ever seen him smile—preciously, by the way, with his teeth on full display—and your heart stirred like crazy.

A beat stretched out. Your jaw hung in shock and you blinked blankly. Guess you solved the mystery as to where he was today.

He beamed more intensely at your awe struck and continued to whisper, “I always see you sitting here when I get to my next class.”

“Uhm,” your jaw snapped up, prior to your dry gulp. “What?”

“Yeah,” his deep chuckling tickled your ear. God, of course a smooth voice matched a face like that. “you stare out the window so cutely whenever I pass by the library.”

A record scratched, then you rewound the moment in your head. Not only did he knew you existed but...

Did he just called you cute?

Catching on with awareness over his own words, the skater boy pouted to one side. His cheek jutted out adorably and red seemed to crawl over them, progressing over to the tips of his ears too.

Light giggling from both parties filled the space, with you tucking your hair behind your ear and him tugging on the ends of his sweater paws.

“So, are you skipping class?” you asked, tilting your head curiously.

“Yeah,” he replied, gesturing towards his busy study set-up ahead of him. It was a similar scene to yours—notes layered and layered upon each other, a laptop which displayed more notes, and a few textbooks were open too. “When you need to skip a class to study for another class...”

You nodded sympathetically, pointing a finger to your organized mess to imply the same. “Finals season.”

He nodded as well in unity and you two exchanged another round of smiles.

“I’m Yangyang.”

With that, introductions were made and bits of information were shared. Your hunch was right—he was in Engineering, but he also had some elective labs that were being held in the Science side of campus. Made sense why he had to navigate across campus from one end to the other.

Before the conversation began to get carried away, he issued a small apology. “Sorry, I really shouldn’t be interrupting your studying. I’ll leave you be.”

Admittedly, it caught you off guard. You wanted to pipe up about how he wasn’t interrupting, that you wanted to dive into getting to know him more. You’ve seen him practically almost every day for the last couple of months and you didn’t want to let this chance slip through your fingers.   

Yet, at the same time, you begrudgingly knew he was right. You had to study for your upcoming in-class final, so you held your thoughts back and unwillingly turned back to your responsibility at hand. 

It was difficult to study with skater boy being in the same vicinity as you—practically an arm’s length away from you—but you eventually tampered down your jitters and honed your attention.

Hours passed. Neither of you really shifted much besides the casual stretching or the much needed break to the bathroom.

Darkness loomed in the winter sky and out of the corner of your eye, you noticed him writing, which he hadn’t done during the time he’d been there.

And then, after an ear-piercing slow rip of paper that echoed in the library, he slid that piece of paper in your direction with one simple question that ignited the spark for the beginning of you and him—

I know we just met, but do you want to go out sometime?

“’Cause if I recall...” Yangyang continues, breaking you away from your bout of reminiscing. He absentmindedly tucks away some loose strands of hair sticking out of your helmet. “You watched me at least since the beginning of last semester—”

“Nu-uh,” you cut in, lying in a childish tone.

“Yuh-huh,” he rebuttals.

Under the warm afternoon sunlight, you two begin to have a staring contest, squinting and playfully seething at one another. When your boyfriend squints harder with a ruffle of his nose, you follow suit. Eventually, you give in with a sigh.

“Okay, fine. Even if I did watch you a lot, it doesn’t mean I can just absorb your skateboarding skills through memory.”

Cockiness fades over his joking exterior as he flashes you a shit-eating grin. “It’s cause you were too busy focusing on my handsome face.”

Becoming second nature for you by now as he’s often like this, you roll your eyes and lightly punch him in the arm, but... he isn’t wrong.

And from your lack of an articulate response, Yangyang knows he’s right.

Sparing you from injuring your pride further, he swings the conversation back to what you were doing here in the first place. 

A hand of his steadies you by the bottom of your back. “Balancing feels weird, I know, but you’ll get the hang of it. Let’s try again.”

Releasing a lengthy exhale, your head bounces fervently in hopes that false confidence and your boyfriend’s support can morph into a successful skateboard run.

The careful push he gives you is ample enough to have you ride down the street by yourself. Your body wavers side by side and you fear that you’ll teeter to a stop like all the other times, but somehow, your foot swipes across the pavement, carrying you further down the street.

It’s not fast by any means, but as you persistently execute it, you gain traction and see yourself finally riding without any issues.  

“Yangyang, I got it. I got it!” you shriek as you quickly glance back towards him.

He radiates in response and gets lost in you, equally proud that you finally found your balance and basking in how stunning you look as you coast down the beach side street.

However, his trance breaks when he sees you’re about to hit the edge of a street curb.

“Babe, watch ou—”

The scene happens fast. You’re suddenly laying on a patchy part of the grass, with the skateboard by your feet. Yangyang bolts to you, hunching down as he daintily tugs you to sit upward.

“You okay?” he pants nervously.

At first, you nod without a thought since the helmet and wrist guards have saved you from any potential major injuries. 

However, your boyfriend’s eyes widen when out of nowhere, you draw in air between clenched teeth. Your butt feels as if it’s on fire, since it was actually the body part that mostly broke your fall.  

He suggests to sit here for a while to let the pain dissipate, reassuring you’ll be fine from his own past experiences. 

As you rest awkwardly beside him on the grass, placing weight on your hip rather than your rear end, he aids you in ridding of your safety gear. Once they’re off, he kisses your hand tenderly.

“Maybe we should leave the skateboarding to me, for now,” he mumbles softly into your skin, leaving another kiss upon your hand.

You mope in agreement. “Maybe so...”

Caressed in his arms, you link eyes with him. Your eyes flutter to a close while he delicately eases you into him by the back of your neck.

The intense pressing of his lips against yours feels heavenly, almost entirely sedating your mild pain. He kisses you deeper, disregarding everyone and everything in proximity. You reciprocate it all back eagerly, cupping his cheek and gripping onto his strong frame as you do so.

Peeling away breathlessly, you tip your forehead against his. “Should we go back to the library and have me watch you longingly from our old spot?”

Yangyang hurriedly shakes his head.

“Nope. Never again,” he replies, his thumb stroking your cheek. “If you’re watching me skateboard, you’ll be doing it by my side from now on, beautiful.”

A chuckle trickles from you. You’re about to retort back, but your one and only skater boy diverts your train of thought, dragging you in for another long, blissful kiss. 

[mochie85]

Destiny

Chapter 21 of my Mayari series.

Mayari Masterlist | Complete Masterlist

Summary: Mayari defies orders. She unlocks new powers as she fights to defend herself. But at what cost? A/N: This entire series is inspired by songs. The complete playlist can be found here on Spotify. Word Count: Over 2.4k Warnings: Fight scene, action, blood, gore, death Dividers by: @firefly-graphics

Minutes passed by. Maybe hours. You were taken by surprise when you heard an explosion in the distance. He told you to wait inside the jet. You all knew that there would be some of Dreykov’s men here and if they got a hold of you, it would be disastrous. But you weren’t just going to sit there while your friends and lover risked their lives for you. If it’s me they want, they’ll get it, in the worst possible way.

You tapped your heart for your armor and left the jet. You were armed only with your hidden daggers and fighting batons behind you. “Mayari…” FRIDAY tried to stop you.

“Don’t try FRIDAY. I’m doing this. Go on and tell them, if you want, but I’m going out there.” You followed the trail of smoke in the sky. The explosion from earlier, you guessed. As you run through the jagged hillside and random patches of a glade, you heard strong shouts and yelling. There was a large fight happening not too far away from you. As you got closer, you started getting targeted by enemies left and right. You fought your way down the hill. You compelled two soldiers to stand beside you and protect you before singing got to be too much and you had to dispose of them as well.

As you got further and further into the fray, you noticed some of the men wearing different uniforms. Different helmets.

You had relied on your divinity too much. You should’ve practiced more with those knife drills Loki had given you. The men were wearing soundproof helmets. They couldn’t hear you sing. They probably couldn’t hear anything else either but that was enough to render your power useless. You only had your fighting skills and above-average strength as a goddess to help you.

You were holding your own. You took out multiple assailants by yourself as you made your way closer to the team. The last man had gotten a jump on you from behind and stabbed your side just under the ribs. FUCK! You screamed out in pain. You had enough adrenaline to turn and smash his helmet into his face. You heard a crunch, and his visor was completely shattered with blood when you pulled your hand away. You looked down at the handle of the blade that was inside of you. Your vision started blurring. Shitshitshit. You pulled on it gently causing you more pain. “OK. You’re staying inside then.” You’re breathing got ragged.

That was when you stumbled to try and find help. You saw Thor and Loki not too far off, but you didn’t know if you had enough strength to make it.

The pain was beyond agonizing. The sharpness and the ache radiating throughout your whole body. You clutched the knife that was still in your side, afraid to pull it out. You could feel your blood running down from the side of your stomach, down your legs. Splatters of red follow you as you walked. “Loki,” you whispered, unable to say anything louder than the small breath you had left in your lungs. You fell to your knees, sending more pain up your thighs. You were sure you broke a knee cap.

Warm arms wrapped themselves around you before you hit the ground. You looked up to see Loki’s worried face. Grief was etched in his sharp features. Your sight was fading. So many thoughts running through your mind.

You don’t know how much time you have left. How do you tell him everything? All the love, all the laughs, all the cries. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to listen to you. I…I should’ve…” you garbled through.

“Save your energy.” He said as he held your face and tried to calm you. “You were always a stubborn thing. Why stop now? Come on love. Don’t fall asleep on me.” He tried to keep you awake.

It was no use. Your time was up, and you knew it. You gathered enough energy to whisper a song. You wanted to compel him to see your emotions. Visions that you’d hope would tell Loki that you would love him forever. Even when you aren’t together anymore.

“The journey’s long, and I feel so bad. I’m thinking back to the last day we had. Old moon fades into the new, And soon I know I’ll be back with you. I’m nearly with you. I’m nearly with you. When I’m weak…I draw strength from you… When you’re lost…I know how… To change your mood… And when I’m d-down… You breathe life ov-ver me… Even though we’re miles apart… We are each other’s…destiny.”

Loki held your head close to his. He felt your compulsion, but it was weak. He saw images, and flashes of your time spent together. You tried to remind him of the good times you had shared, and the memories you had yet to create with him. Not enough. It’s not enough time with you, darling.

Struggling not to cry but failing. Tears started running down his cheeks. He saw the light in your eyes fade. “Darling, please. You can’t give up now,” he cried into your hair. You couldn’t move. You had no energy left to comfort the man you love. You laid there in his arms limp, listening to him cry out your name. You felt shaking on the ground as green smoke exploded around him. His loud cry was heard all over.

In your peripheral vision, a clear essence emanated from Loki. It wound itself above you floating like a bubble. It reminded you of that snake tattoo that Loki had at the lounge club. It wound itself around like a tight coil and then floated into you like smoke crashing into a wall. A sudden burst of breath entered your lungs. It stung and hurt, like breathing shards of glass. Loki looked at you suddenly, shocked and worried. Worried and hopeful. You looked at Loki’s eyes searching for an answer. Did that really just happen? I’ve never been able to do this before, you thought.

You looked away, towards a fallen body next to you. One of Dreykov’s men. He was still breathing. For how much longer, you had no idea. You pushed Loki away. Your hand leaving bloody fingerprints on his armor. “Darling, please.” You crawled towards the fallen enemy and pulled yourself to sit up over him. “Mayari, my love. Let me take you to the healers. There’s no time.” Loki went to pick you up, but you pushed him back with all your strength.

“When I’m weak, I draw strength from you. And when you’re lost, I know how to change your mood. And when I’m down, You breathe life over me. Even though we’re miles apart, We are each other’s destiny.”

The same clear essence left the man’s body and hovered in the air for a while above you before it crashed into you, leaving a plume of smoke where it entered your body. You stumbled from the sudden burst of air that filled your lungs. It knocked you back onto Loki’s arms. The man breathed his last breath and stopped.

Loki saw this and understood what you were trying to do. “Stay put. If I come back and you’re not here, so help me, Mayari, you will be in so much trouble.” Loki growled in your ear.

“You promise?!” you answered back smirking, trying to lighten the mood.

All you could see for the next couple of minutes was a blur of green and gold. Bodies started piling up next to the spent ones. All injured or incapacitated. You started singing again. You could see the life force leave the enemy’s bodies. All at once, it hovered above your head into a bright light and then enter your form. The sudden force caused you to lie back violently. Your chest buckling up, the force trying to escape your body. It was too much for you to handle all at once.

“RiRi? Oh my god, RiRi!,” you heard Wanda’s voice from somewhere in the distance. You were convulsing on the ground. Your eyes were wide imploring for help. “It’s ok. I’ve got you. I’ve got you.” She held your head in between her hands and red lights filled your vision. “It was too much for you to take all at once. I’m going to put some back. Okay?!”

After a while, your breathing calmed and slowed. Wanda helped you up. The pain on your side and your knee are still there, reminding you with every step you took. However, your bleeding had stopped. The wound was closed. The knife had fallen out, who knows where. You cried into Wanda’s arms. “Thank you, Wanda.” She held you and stroked your back, comforting you.

You looked up to search for Loki. You found him stabbing someone on their side, similar to your wound, you noted. His eyes were wild and beyond consolation. Thor had gone up to him to stop him. “Brother. Enough.” He tried to grab Loki by the shoulder, but he just smacked Thor’s hand out of the way and headed over to drag his opponent to the growing pile of injured bodies next to you. He was determined to keep you alive, and if that means that he must kill every single last one of them, then that’s what he would do. He would raze the entire planet before you left it without him.

“Loki. Stop! She is fine.” Loki couldn’t hear him. He was stricken with grief and heartache at having to witness you die. Thor grabbed his face in between his hands. “Loki. Brother. She is well. Look.” Thor moved Loki’s head forcefully to look in your direction. You had your arms around Wanda, and she was supporting you in standing up.

Loki dropped the body and hurried to your side. He scooped you up in both of his arms. He nodded his thanks to Wanda and she returned it with a smile while stroking your head. “Take her somewhere safe, Loki. We can handle the rest from here,” Wanda said.

“Yes. Well, you took most of them down for us anyway.” Thor said laughing. He gave you a rough mussing of your hair in passing then started attacking a group of enemies closing in.

Loki walked away, eager to get you to safety. You wrapped your arms around his neck, “I’m sorry Loki.” Nothing. He didn’t look at you. He didn’t say a single word. He ran to the quinjet, carrying you in his arms like you weighed no more than a small child. You feel like a child. A child who was going to get a real bad scolding soon. The team was right. Bucky was right. You were too bullheaded for your own good. You charged in without thinking and it nearly got you killed.

As soon as you were inside the jet, he lowered you onto a gurney. “FRIDAY, vitals please,” Loki asked. FRIDAY started checking off a list and read some numbers. After the lengthy diagnosis, Loki was semi convinced that you were going to be ok. That’s when he started yelling, “What were you thinking?! You could’ve gotten abducted. Or worse, KILLED!”

“Don’t you dare yell at me like that! It was bad enough that you didn’t tell me about this mission then you tell me to stay on the jet. You do NOT get to dictate how I chose to live my life.” You tried to yell. You tried to sound angry, but your stolen air and borrowed life weren’t enough.

“And what about my life, huh? How would I live my life if you were suddenly taken away from me?!”

“Then what was I supposed to do?! Just sit here while you hurt yourself out there? Possibly die all because of me?!”

“YES!”

“NO LOKI! I refuse to sit by and let yourself get killed while I could’ve done something to prevent it. You would’ve done the same for me.” You let out a big sigh. In a much softer voice, you added, “You did do the same for me.” Loki’s fist was clenched. “Don’t try to deny it! Loki. You knew that you guys were gambling with my life. Don’t you think I have the right to fight for it myself?” He slammed his fist down on the counter with a loud growl. A puff of green smoke, his seidr- you now realized, exploded around him, knocking down a lot of the medical equipment nearby.

You laid there in silence. His back to you. You tried to sit up, but the pain on your side reminded you all too soon that you were not ready.

Loki turned around when he heard you grunting. He pushed you back down, as gently as could. He took a big sigh as he looked at you. He ran his fingers through your hair thankful that it wasn’t the last time he could do that. He cherished your bright eyes. He couldn’t forget the way your eyes dimmed and glossed over as your life left you. It will haunt him till his last breath.

“What happened back there?” He asked. Your argument temporarily put on hold. You leaned into his cool touch. You paused to gather your words, but you couldn’t explain it yourself either. The pain on your side was starting to make you lose your train of thought.

“I don’t know. I’ve never done that before. It was like I was taking their essence, their life force.”

“You compelled their souls to heal you?” Loki asked. Oh, gods. That sounds horrible, you thought.

“Gods I’m such a monster!” You looked up at him. “I’m horrible! I make people do my bidding and then I take their souls.” You started crying. Gods it hurts.

“Hush, shh, shh. You are not a monster!” Loki said petting your hair. He bent over your head on the makeshift gurney and put his forehead against yours. “You are amazing, benevolent, and kind, and everything I don’t deserve.” You continued crying. The shock of the events and the pain in your body seizing your mind. The pain in your side proved to be too much.

One… One… Tw…

You clutched your side willing the pain to stop. You took short breaths. You could hear Loki trying to call out your name. “Mayari? Mayari what’s wrong?!” That was the last thing you heard before the blackness surrounding your vision took over.

⬅️Chapter 20: Elastic Heart | Chapter 22: Darkside of the Moon ➡️

Taglist: @user13cabs @alexs1200 @lokiprompts @huntress-artemiss

[alluringjae]

queen of hearts - sjn

summary: for the first time, one of your star students hasn’t been fetched right after class. but when she finally does, you weren’t expecting such a fine man to be her father.

pairing: johnny x female reader

word count: 5.5k

genre: fluff, romance, comedy | ceo and single dad!johnny + ballerina!reader + modern day!au

warnings: mentions of an absent parent, johnny being an overthinker, sexual innuendos (ten saying dilf hehe), slight explicit language, technical terms of ballet, a mini reference to mean girls

author’s note: sooo i came in touch with my former dance life, which led me to write this. there are links for the variations i used; their names are underlined when they’re mentioned. i am going to get technical with ballet terms here (even when my ballet knowledge decreased), so to any dancers reading, i really did my best, so please don’t come for me or do correct me for any mistakes.

although one character and her dance background, plus the name of the setting, are real, everything else about it is still a work of fiction.

i miss dancing, no cap.

leave me some feedback, constructive criticism or hellos!

Ballet student and teacher by day, a soloist of the Korean National Ballet at night.

This was your daily routine, and it wasn’t the typical 8-5. But it’s debatable whether or not it was worse, because you’re always going overtime. That’s the thing when you’re an overachiever. Nonetheless, you loved what you do. It’s the lifestyle you gradually built since your preschool days.

Mornings on the weekdays were mostly vacant since all the kids were still in school. You’d start at 10 am for a warm-up class for the company. Before you delved into teaching and assisting, you’d train right after your lunch break. Partnering class, en pointe class, 1-on-1 sessions with choreographers, self-practice, then the company night class, that’s the organization of your week.

Now adding the teacher title, you mostly handled kindergartners to 5th graders in the academy aspect of the company. Your first teaching class would start at 1 pm. It’s when the younger students who finished their morning classes zoom into your assigned dance studio. One class would last an hour and a half, then you have a 30-minute break in between another class with the older kids. Their lesson repertoire was more strenuous due to the added across-the-floor lessons and jumps. Water was always your best friend, water refilling stations located everywhere in the company building.

You wouldn’t say you’re a strict teacher, but you weren’t shy to correct anyone from wherever you stood. You’d lightly align their arms or back properly so your students were working on the correct body parts. Compared to the other teachers, a lot of students enjoyed your kind yet frank approaches. Your former students, who’ve already gone to the higher levels, missed your lively presence and wished repeatedly that they want you back as their teacher.

“Teacher (Y/N), I miss you so much! Teacher Ten is so intense. I get the jitters especially when we’re en pointe on the floor.”

“Teacher (Y/N), Teacher Sicheng and Teacher Seulgi scare the heck out of me during partnering class. Especially when I tried to lift my partner, I keep losing focus because of Teacher Sicheng’s never-ending comments!”

Not to be sadistic, but you’d simply laugh at their minuscule complaints. Even if they’re struggling in the academy, those comments were directed to fix their techniques if they wanted to breakthrough.

“Kids, you’re going to be fine! They wouldn’t say or do those things just because they wanted to. They’re here to push you to the next level, like how I used to do with you. It’s a cut-throat industry after all.”

This was always your reply, bittersweet and truthful. Not everyone makes it, unfortunately, so if you’re really striving, you’d do whatever it takes. Throughout your career, you’re relatively impressed with how far you’ve come.

Trainee at 17, Corps de Ballet at 18, Demi-Soloist at 21, and Soloist at 23.

You’ve been a soloist for 4 years. The final stage, which was to become a principal dancer, is your running goal. Becoming a soloist was praiseworthy enough because you’ve seen so many give up in the Corps, but claiming a spot as a principal dancer has been the ultimate dream. Since you’ve watched Swan Lake for the first time at 4 years old with your parents, that’s where you found a passion for dancing and the stage. Here you are years later, practicing numerous variations daily, performing in opera houses, and mentoring all these gifted kids.

Your last class with elementary kids, which began around 5 pm, reached its end once all the students curtsied in front of you and scurried to their mothers or their nannies. The remaining plan on your agenda today was the company class at 7:30 pm, which exceeds the average hour and a half. It’s worse during show season. There have been times everyone went beyond midnight to polish every scene from head to toe.

Currently, there’s no upcoming show for the public, though the annual summer recital for the students was around the corner. Selected members of the company were chosen to perform individually in it, which was both exciting and intense. It’s also because it’s an evaluation on whether you’d get promoted in status or staying put. You’ve partaken in 3 recitals in the past, two of which elevated you from the corps and demi-soloist ranks. The recent one, however, didn’t change your soloist ranking.

It was a major first in your career in ballet, and after finding out the result of the latter, it emotionally pained you. Recalling how much soul you put into that piece, the rejection from your artistic director clenched your heart. Though in time, you moved on from it and viewed it as a stepping stone. Also, Sicheng and Ten personally stormed your apartment to pull yourself together with wine and pizza after going on a short leave.

Since you were trainees, Sicheng and Ten were your best friends in and outside the company. Working daily to occasional barhopping, that’s your youth summed up. It wasn’t because you didn’t like the girls you’ve worked with (though a lot of them were fake and bitchy), but these two were frank and humorous as hell. Together, you’d help each other with your goals rather than be competitive. Over time, Ten leveled up to a principal dancer for 2 years running while you and Sicheng were still soloists. The way you’d watch Ten take all the big roles, that’s where you want to be one day.

Back in your last teaching class, the entire dance room was vacant. Since it’s mainly used for ballet classes, you’d either run through anything you’ve practiced from the company classes and polish it or warm up a little bit more.

Except for today, this was the only free time to sew a new pair of pointe shoes because your current ones were dead. Dead in a sense that the hard shell turned soft, which won’t be able to support you when you’re up on your toes. You’re not taking any risks of minor injuries especially when you’re in the current lineup of company members performing for this upcoming recital again. You have to prove to everyone that you deserve a position as a principal dancer.

As your legs sprawled in a half middle split, your sewing equipment laid in front of you like you’re about to perform surgery, a tiny girl stood by the ajar studio doors. In her neat bun and holding on to her small duffel bag, you’re convinced everyone has gone home already since it’s quite late.

You may have your priorities as a company member, but she was still your student.

“Minji!” You shouted her name, speedily waving your hand. You’re not one to have favorites, though you couldn’t help wonder how extraordinary she was. She’s always taking charge in demonstrating the lessons to everyone and improving every session in the 3 years she’s joined the academy. “Come in! Come in!”

At age 7, she’s gotten taller through the years, above the average from how you see it. She must have amazing genetics. Her legs sauntered in seconds to you. Sitting down across you, she marveled at your setup. Specifically, at the fresh pointe shoes.

“Are those yours, Teacher (Y/N)?” She perked up, caressing its soft fabric and playing with the mini bows of the drawstrings.

“Yes, it is, Minji!” You answered while trying to insert the thin thread through the small eye of the needle. “Why are you still here? Is your nanny stuck in traffic or something?”

“My nanny went on sudden leave, so my dad’s the one fetching me. But I think he’s running late from his job.”

Oh, this was a first to know about her father. In all the years she’s been your student, you rarely caught sight of him, even in recitals. Maybe he sat in an unknown section, but you’re pretty much acquainted with all the parents of your students. Even if some were snobbier than the rest because they wanted their child to have more stage time, you still got to know them out of respect. Quite odd, if you said so yourself.

After deep concentration, the thread triumphantly passed through the eye so you tied the two ends of the thread in a double knot. Seeing as Minji attentively watched you, you tasked her to cut the ribbons of your shoes according to the trail of pencil marks. This was so she wouldn’t cut it too short or too long. While she did that, you hammered your shoes against the floor to soften the hard front, bending the shank back and forth so the arch of your feet could move without difficulty later.

Minji wasn’t expecting such loud sounds, her entire body shaken awake. Her facial expression was priceless, explaining to her, “Once you get your first pointe shoes in a few years, this is one of the basic things you need to do so your feet won’t hurt too much while dancing.”

“Will you be there to teach me how to make my pointe shoes?”

“Absolutely! Come to me first then I’ll mentor you all that I know.”

The process of sewing and breaking new pointe shoes engraved your mind since your adolescent years, with changes along the way. Inspired by some tricks from your former teachers, but there were some differing rituals you followed. There’s no definite process of it, just as long you’re comfortable to dance after.

With your feet, you stepped on the hard boxes of the shoes to soften it more, creating a popping sound. Followed by sewing your elastic bands in. For your ribbons, you liked to burn the edges with a lighter so the thread of it won’t run. Kindly asking your cute assistant for the lighter beside her, you scanned the edges back and forth the flame. In seconds, the edges had a distinct mark, fully closed. From there, you slid your feet to your shoes to make final sewing adjustments. Sewing your ribbons took you another few minutes, plus adding superglue inside the shoe so the shoe won’t collapse when it unstiffens and scratching the shank with a cutter so you won’t slip later while dancing.

Voila, the final product is done! Hopefully, it can last you a week at least.

“Wow, Teacher (Y/N), it looks pretty!” Minji applauded, collecting the mess you’ve both made to dispose of later. You, on the other hand, gave her your thanks once you applied some bandages on your big toes and put on your toe pads. Slipping inside the shoes and tying them, you rose up back to your feet and headed to the bar to break them in. From plies-relevésto forced arches, the shoes gave you the sensation that they were an extension of your feet. The ease flowed through, meaning you were ready to practice your variations.

While you stepped your shoes in rosin for friction, your curious student moved to the front where the mirror lied to watch what you’ve prepared.

“What variation are you dancing to?”

“This is the Gamzatti variation from La Bayadere.” You replied, tapping the play button on your phone and racing to your position on the side. Talking a short ballet walk, you strongly prepared your arms before the music of the orchestra takes off.

This variation consisted of a lot of jumps and turns. Grand jetés, attitude turns, chaîné turns, you needed a lot of core control and proper spotting so you won’t get dizzy. The thrilling music lessened your nerves because you enjoyed learning this piece from one of the principal dancers, smiling and letting the music guide your legs. Once you nailed 3 consecutive grand jetés, the variation ended with a sus-sous and the wrists of your hands flicking upwards.

Holding it for 5 more seconds, you landed back on your feet with heavy breathing and a need for water. But before you could, small claps and cheers from Minji in front erupted. Momentarily, you’ve forgotten her presence because dancing solo puts you in your own space. You’d never let anyone take you away from it.

“Teacher (Y/N), that was wonderful! Are you performing that in the summer recital?”

Yikes, she’s right but she wasn’t meant to see it yet. Solo performances from the company members for the recital were top secret, only unveiled during the production rehearsal. Well, you didn’t think this through, but you didn’t mind.

“Can you keep a secret?”

Time ticked a lot faster today, only 10 minutes left until the company class on the ground floor whereas you were in the second. Just a few steps down the stairs away, yet Minji was still here. You only presumed that within your hour break, her father could’ve made it already. But maybe he’s stuck in traffic or at work.

“Minji, my class starts soon. Have you contacted your father?”

“I already texted him earlier, but he hasn’t responded. This happens often, he’s a busy man.” She bowed in front of you suddenly. “I’m sorry, Teacher (Y/N) for the hassle.”

“Oh no, please!” You shook your hands so she’d stop. Because this situation was relatively new, you were unsure of how to handle it. Or that was until you remembered what Ten texted you earlier. “Minji, the blinds of the main studio are going to be lifted so anyone from the outside can view us practicing. Would you like to watch until your dad gets here?”

With her insistent nodding, she situated herself in one of the seats in the front row. When you entered the main studio, your two close companions already carried a metal barre to the center and leaned towards it while observing you walking to them in your flat shoes.

“I see we have a bit of an audience here.” Ten glimpsed at the young girl, astonished by the many dancers prepping and chatting away with their cliques from the glass barrier.

“Her dad isn’t here yet, and you did say the blinds were up today. Might as well give her a show while she waits, you know.” You lifted your right leg to the top barre, stretching it with your arms.

“Hmmm, shouldn’t her dad be more cautious though? It’s getting late and it’s a Thursday. Doesn’t she have school or something?” Sicheng pointed out, discarding his muscle tee to straighten out his leotard.

“That’s not my business though. She’s just my student, and since she’s still here, I have to entertain her while she waits.”

Before your friends said anything back, the artistic director of the ballet company strutted her way to the center of the room. It’s a common rule here that once she entered, everyone must be silent to listen and race to any free spot in the numerous barres spread out if they haven’t.

“Alright, everyone. We’ll do the typical barre, then before doing across the floor exercises, I’ll be requesting those performing solos already in the recital to dance any variation tonight as another evaluation on who deserves to perform twice.” She eyed the pianist directly beside her. “Proceed first with two demi-pliés then one grand plié. Don’t forget to do the port de bras of each position.”

As the live piano music played, your focus was divided. Partly properly executing the exercise while your artistic director roamed each barre area, partly thinking about what variation to perform. This was a first for the company, and everyone was just stunned to hear the breaking news. It’d be nice to get an extra opportunity to showcase to people your potential.

30-40 minutes flew by quickly. As the guys carried the bars to the side to clear out the floor and the girls changed to their pointe shoes, the artistic director ordered all the performers of the recitals to stand in a line in front of her. Everyone else was seated around the room, so the interested eyes of everyone were on you. There were 10 performers, half are from the corps and the other half are either demi-soloists or soloists. You and Sicheng stood beside each other, internally shaking with nerves under the intimidating eyes of the artistic director. She used to be a principal dancer for the Stuttgart Ballet in Germany before moving back to Seoul, making her undeniably capable of leading all of you.

“Okay,” From her seated position observing the 10 performers, her finger pointed at you directly. “Ms. (Y/L/N) (Y/N), you perform first.”

Your nerves intensified and more sweat streamed out your upper body. Even if going first felt more relieving, no one was ever brave enough to perform individually in front of the esteemed artistic director. Principal dancers aside from Ten that you’re close with were intimidated when they have 1-on-1 or partnering sessions with her. But anyhow, in less than 2 minutes, you’d be done. This wasn’t the first time she’s had your full attention either, so you’ll treat it like the other individual performances you’ve had.

You smiled to yourself when the other soloists left you alone, while you gave the name of the variation you’re dancing to the pianist. Running to the side to put on a practice tutu, the artistic director asked, “What will you be dancing for us tonight, (Y/N)?”

“I’ll be dancing Queen of the Dryads from Don Quixote.”

The last time you did this variation was 3 years ago during the recital that didn’t change your position as a soloist. Even if this variation hurt to think about for a while, it was still one of your favorites to watch and do. Moving on, you could only muse how powerful and beautiful you felt at that time. This isn’t an easy piece to perform in your opinion. Yet according to the members of the company, this was their favorite solo of yours.

As the starting notes unfolded, you took a deep breath and elegantly walked into the frame. You only wished you wore your fake crown again for this. Minimal smiling and light arms, you imagined yourself as an actual queen who captured the eyes of many. In this case, your fellow seniors and juniors held their breaths at the captivating sight of you.

Off you go into a series of glissade jeté developpé on relevé at elevating heights, then a fouetté arabesque and another arabesque on relevé before ballet walking again to the side to dance across the stage. Sissonne to the front, right developpé to the front on relevé, pique to prepare for a single pirouette, you gracefully did a chassé to the front twice and stood on your toes with a sus-sous.

Doing it a few more times, the climax of the entire variation was nearing. Returning to the center, you took another deep breath and lifted your left leg for the Italian fouettés. Spotting to the front and back while maintaining your balance, the variation approached its end with lame duck turns, posing with your arms were positioned at a 45-degree angle, your back slightly arched and your left leg doing a tendu derriére. Your eyes reflected at the mirror in front, surveying your alignment. Once your 5-second hold was finished, you properly put your arms down and closed your back leg into 5th position.

The applause from everyone in the room roared, Ten and Sicheng wolf-whistling even for more support. It’s a usual thing every time any of you perform individually, and no one minded it. The artistic director grinned, giving a quiet clap from the front before calling out the next performer, who was from the corps. Bowing to everyone hastily, you paid more attention to spot your student by the window. She was smiling ear to ear, waving both hands at you.

“You did amazing, Teacher!” She mouthed. Hearing words of praise from members was one thing, but hearing them from students was another. You’re so used to watching them and giving them your compliments that you often forget that you’re a dancer first before a teacher. Seeing them all delighted, saying that it motivates them more, showed that you’re doing a great job teaching them. You’re a reflection of what you pass down, and all you want was for them to be the best they could be.

From her jolly expression, a tall masculine silhouette hovered a part of the window. Her instinct of giving a brighter smile when the hand of said silhouette patted her head then carried her duffel bag again, that could only mean one thing. Excusing yourself to the artistic director, you stepped out to bid your goodbye and maybe meet her father. Minji and the tall man were about to leave the building if it weren’t for your breathy voice calling them out.

“Seo Minji and Mr. Seo?”

They stopped their tracks. Minji was fast to react, familiar with your voice and racing towards you for a sweaty hug. Meanwhile, your focus shifted once the masculine silhouette came into full view. You finally understood why Minji’s growth spurt spiked up, noticing that he was taller than Sicheng.

The top buttons of his shirt were off, yet he kept his formal blazer on. His hair was a bit tousled, some strands falling in front of his forehead. He must’ve run here. Peeking through were some roots of his scruff growing. His eyebags were almost as dark as his brown hair. Yet by the way his Rolex remained spotless, you blatantly assumed that he was more than well-off. Especially when the ballet academy was one of the most prestigious ones in Seoul.

Out of all the parents you’ve met, none of them appeared youthful like him.

“Teacher (Y/N)?” Thanks to Minji, you moved your staring eyes away from him. This was another first, since meeting only the fathers of your students wasn’t your norm. Meeting young-looking fathers, to be specific.

“O-Oh,” You ate your words, suddenly blanking out. “You’re leaving me without saying goodbye, Minji? Not polite of you.”

“My father was rushing right after watching your performance, and I don’t know why.” She responded, her finger scratching the top of her head in confusion. Speaking of said father, his strong presence appeared right in front of you. The wrinkles of his forehead creased while his eyes barely looked at yours.

“Uhm,” His fingers toyed with his Rolex. “I apologize for my tardiness. I got caught up in work and all, plus her nanny le-”

“Mr. Seo.” You halted his rambling, already aware of the situation. Like father, like daughter. “It’s fine. Minji loved watching us practice while waiting, and she wasn’t a bother either. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Phew.” He swiped an imaginative bead of sweat from his forehead, displaying his relief with his playful nature.

At age 23, Johnny Seo started his own company in the fashion scene and it grew internationally in the coming years. Then when Minji unexpectedly joined the picture, he’s been multi-tasking to make ends meet. Lately, as a CEO, he has had meetings and conferences on a daily. So, his position as a single father was always tested. It worsened when he rarely has proper time to spend any time with Minji unless it’s the weekend or late in the evening. Breaking it down, it wasn’t because he didn’t want to meet you. It was more like he couldn’t when his schedules were packed from head to toe.

Having the guilt of taking your precious time, “Seriously though, I am sorry for being late. Her nanny resigned suddenly, and I have no time to find her replacement.”

“Mr. Seo, again, don’t worry about it. As her teacher and a company member, I am practically here 24/7 so it won’t be a nuisance at all if this happens again.”

“Thank you so much, Teacher (Y/N). That is your name, right?” He planted his palm on his forehead, stressed. “Being a single parent is hard. I am always forgetting things.”

A part of you couldn’t restrain from feeling sorry for his struggle. Taking care of a child should be the work of both the mother and father, not one of them being absent. You’ve feared this would harm Minji, but she’s a strong girl.

“The fact you didn’t forget to fetch Minji despite the late time is still something to be happy over. I’m not a parent or anything, but parenting, in general, is a challenge.” You added an insight, patting the head of the young girl beside you. “Cut yourself some slack, Mr. Seo. I’m sure Minji still loves you, right?”

Minji shouted a big yes, now clinging to the leg of her father. “It’s okay, dad. Really.”

Over the years, Johnny has been doubtful of his parenting skills. He was an only child, and he struggled to ask for guidance from his own parents due to the shame of having a kid at a young age. So, he’d ask for help from his other friends and co-workers. No matter how many times they’ve reassured him that he’s doing well, he’s an overthinker who always reflected on the bad scenarios. There’s also that pressure to find someone who can fill that absent position not just for Minji, but for himself too. No matter how many girls he’s asked out or been set up with, he failed in the love department badly.

It’s the soothing way you voiced out your truth that made all these negative thoughts running through his head freeze briefly. Over the past 3 years since Minji started ballet, she always had a great story about you to share. One of them was how ballet made her a lot happier because of your influence. If he had at least an hour of his day to meet any of his daughter’s mentors, it would’ve been you.

“Do feel free to call me Johnny instead.” He casually introduced himself, taking his hand out for you to shake. “Mr. Seo makes me feel like I’m at work right now.”

Despite his informal approach, you understood his intentions and returned the action with a promising smile. “Pleasure to finally meet you, Johnny.”

“Pleasure is all mine, Teacher (Y/N).”

Earlier, the nerves from performing in front of the artistic director died down fast. But for some reason, they rose back up when you’ve spoken to this man in a matter of minutes. As someone whose feelings don’t flourish in a single glance, why did this man specifically deliver you such a strong effect?

If it weren’t for Ten calling for your name by the door, you would’ve held on to Johnny’s hand longer, which would’ve been inappropriate. Letting go first, this was your cue to return to your class.

“I must head back inside, Johnny. Don’t sweat on fetching your daughter late, though she is still a student with school the following day. Right, Minji?”

Minji nodded as Johnny kept that mind, knowing where he has to improve next.  “Yes, Teacher (Y/N). Thank you again, sincerely. I’ll definitely see you again in the coming days until Minji has a new nanny.”

“That’s no problem with me at all, Johnny.”

Soon as Johnny held his daughter’s hand to exit the studio and you were re-entering the studio with an impatient Ten, he swerved swiftly as if he forgot something.

“Oh by the way Teacher (Y/N), I saw your whole performance awhile ago. I was blown away, you deserved the applause.”

Although you could only distinguish his silhouette, you didn’t suppose he watched you from head to toe. Most parents or nannies would’ve dragged their kids out of the studio once they find them like they were on a tight schedule, so this was novel to experience. That performance showed your prime too.

“Thank you, Johnny. See you again soon.”

Giving a final nod, you led yourself back to the studio, not bothering to acknowledge the erupting heat on your cheeks and entire body. Not to sound narcissistic, but compliments weren’t foreign to you. You’re conscious of the hard work that you put in your talent and if they pointed out your greatness, why would you deny it? However, receiving one from Johnny was like gearing your engine with new fuel.

Before you could try to reject these harboring feelings, Ten was fast to pick up on it. You cannot hide anything from this man at all because body language was like another language he’s fluent in (aside from the other 5). Unlucky for you, the saga continued.

“You’re so into dilfs, (Y/N)!” He shrieked in your ear, nudging your shoulder repetitively. He placed things in his own way, yet they always shocked you because it was so inappropriate. Typical Ten for you.

“Shut up, Ten!” You objected, watching the other performers. You’ve improved in ignoring his remarks over time. That was until Sicheng sat down beside you after his solo and got up in your business. That placed you in the middle of boys from the water sign clan of astrology. They just loved getting down to your love life, going raunchy and whatnot.

“Who’s into dilfs, Ten?”

“A Miss (Y/N) beside you, who met Minji’s dad awhile ago, was basically eye-fucking him.” Ten elaborated, planting his elbows on your leg and gave you a sneaky glare. “Minji’s dad is fine as fuck, guys! I’m telling you, like a literal god! I’m surprised this is the first time he showed up here after 2-3 years?”

“How come (Y/N) is always getting students with good-looking parents? Especially the single moms.” Sicheng slumped his shoulders, attempting to get your attention too. “Is he that hot, (Y/N)?”

“Yah.” Sighing with annoyance, you’ve given up trying to appreciate one of the corps dancers with her rendition of Dulcinea from Don Quixote. “Don’t speak of Johnny like that. You barely know the man, yet you talk about him so unprofessionally."

“Oh, Johnny is his name, huh?” Sicheng sing-songed, bobbing his head. He’s certainly going to stalk him later on social media, you felt it in your chest. Like it was ESPN or something.

“Talking about being unprofessional, yet you’re here referring him as Johnny, not Mr. Seo.” Ten barked back, his lips pursed and one eyebrow lifted.

Just as soon as you could retaliate, the artistic director’s velvety voice boomed the room.

“Alright, thank you to the performers. I will deliberate with the staff and principal dancers over the weekend, and let you know the results on Monday. Now please, let’s proceed to the center.”

Everyone began to spread out on the wide floor, snatching a good position so they could monitor themselves in the mirror. Maybe you’ll defend yourself later after class because now, you needed to beat everyone else and have a crystal-clear view of yourself doing these following exercises.

In the meantime, Johnny was in the middle of driving Minji home. He had a designated chauffeur, but he gave him the night off because he wanted to spend time with Minji. Around this time, she’d be sleeping soundly, but instead, she’s boosting with so much life. She hasn’t even eaten dinner yet, which was the first thing on Johnny’s agenda now.

Playing Coldplay in the car, Minji belted some lyrics from her favorite songs while Johnny smiled to himself while listening to her attentively. Taking a breath, her thoughts reverted to her fantastic ballet teacher and shared them with her father.

“Dad! Don’t you just think Teacher (Y/N) is so cool? Ugh, I want to be just like her when I grow up.”

“Oh, to become a ballerina like her, you have to work hard every day and memorize lessons fast. Are you up for it, Minji?”

“Absolutely, dad! I want to pull off perfect jumps and turns like her one day!”

In the other after-school activities Johnny enrolled Minji in the past, none of them compared to the passion she had for ballet. Her work ethic was alike to Johnny’s: if they want something, they’ll do whatever it takes to make it possible.

Aside from being a star student in her school, she’s aiming to be a star ballerina. Being the supportive father he is, Johnny was on board to do what it takes to make it happen. Unlike his parents trying to mold him into the next heir of their company, he’s all ears to the dreams of his daughter. His only dream for her was to be live long and happy, not to merely pass on anything.

Johnny lost so much in his young life, so he doesn’t want to lose Minji in any way. As much as he loves his profession, he wanted to be an active father as much as time allowed it. He mostly received complaints from others that he’s not prioritizing his time well, but after hearing your kind words, this heavy weight on his shoulders decreased. All this doubt started to vanish after meeting you for the first time.

“Dad! Isn’t Teacher (Y/N) so beautiful?” Minji honored whilst gazing at the twinkling night sky. “She loves what she does and shines at it.”

Johnny was accustomed to his female co-workers throwing themselves at him due to his attractiveness, more than flattered even to have them feeling weak for him. Yes, there were times he used it to his advantage, some he frankly turned down. 

However, the radiance you carried whether you’re dancing or not was something Johnny couldn’t cease wondering about. Unknown to him, he’s the one getting weak. Behold, an unlocked first for the confident CEO.

“Yes, Minji. I do think Teacher (Y/N) is absolutely beautiful.”

[bringbackthebastard]

Bring Back the Bastard Daily Prompts

Hello, folks! I'm posting these two weeks before we begin our fest, on September 1st, to give folks some inspiration on what to write each day as we celebrate Severus Snape's pettiest, most dastardly moments. I specifically picked out moments Snaters always harp on, that Snapedom personally enjoys--from any moment with Trevor to bitching at Lupin at Sirius, to the moments that Lily turns away and Dumbledore's face flashes with disgust--sure, he's a bastard, but he's our bastard, and that's what we like about him. You don't want him? Good. We'll keep him. Here are 30 scene prompts for 30 days--it's a long list, pulled chronologically from all seven books, but I found that it reminded me of everything I love about this character. The moments where he's called deranged, the moments where he slips into all-caps, the ugliest moments of the soul. Hope yall enjoy. Excited to kick off the fest starting September 1st, and absolutely excited to see what Snapedom will do. Let's Bring Back the Bastard! The prompts are below the readmore.

Day 1: The Scar Professor Quirrell, in his absurd turban, was talking to a teacheer with greasy black hair, a hooked nose, and sallow skin. It happened very suddenly. The hook-nosed teacher looked past Quirrell's turban straight into Harry's eyes--and a sharp, hot pain shot across the scar on Harry's forehead. "Ouch!" Harry clapped a hand to his head. "What is it?" asked Percy. "N-nothing." The pain had gone as quickly as it had come. Harder to shake off was the feeling Harry had gotten from the teacher's look--a felling that he didn't like Harry at all. "Who's that teacher talking to Professor Quirrell?" he asked Percy. "Oh, you know Quirrell already, do you? No wonder he's looking so nervous, that's Professor Snape. He teaches Potions, but he doesn't want to--everyone knows he's after Quirrell's job. Knows an awful lot about the Dark Arts, Snape."

Day 2: Bad Impressions Snape, like Flitwick, started the class by taking the roll call, and like Flitwick, he paused at Harry's name. "Ah, yes," he said softly. "Harry Potter. Our new--celebrity."

Day 3: Potions Class "Potter!" said Snape suddenly "What would I get if I added powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of wormwood?" Powdered root of asphodel to an infusion of what? Harry glanced at Ron, who looked as stumped as he was; Hermione's hand shot into the air. "I don't know, sir," said Harry. Snape's lips curled into a sneer. "Tut, tut--fame clearly isn't everything."

Day 4: A Horrible Sight Snape and Filch were inside, alone. Snape was holding his robes above his knees. One of his legs was bloody and mangled. Filch was handing Snape bandages. "Blasted thing," Snape was saying. "How are you supposed to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?" Harry tried to shut the door quietly, but-- "POTTER!" Snape's face was twisted with fury as he dropped his robes quickly to hide his leg. Harry gulped. "I just wondered if I could have my book back." "GET OUT! OUT!"

Day 5: Maybe He's Ill "Hang on..." Harry muttered to Ron. "There's an empty chair at the staff table...Where's Snape?" Professor Severus Snape was Harry's least favorite teacher. Harry also happened to be Snape's least favorite student. Cruel, sarcastic, and disliked by everybody except the students from his own House (Slytherin), Snape taught Potions. "Maybe he's ill!" said Ron hopefully. "Maybe he's left," said Harry, "because he missed out on the Defense Against the Dark Arts job again!" "Or he might have been sacked!" said Ron enthusiastically. "I mean, everyone hates him--" "Or maybe," said a very cold voice right behind them, "he's waiting to hear why you two didn't arrive on the school train."

Day 6: Slytherin Takes the Field "But I booked the field!" said Wood, positively spitting with rage. "But I booked it!" "Ah," said Flint. "But I've got a specially signed note here from Professor Snape. 'I, Professor S. Snape, give the Slytherin team permission to practice today on the Quidditch field owing to the need to train their new Seeker.'"

Day 7: No Quidditch For You! "I suggest, Headmaster, that Potter is not being entirely truthful," he said. "It might be a good idea if he were deprived of certain privileges until he is ready to tell us the whole story. I personally feel he should be taken off the Gryffindor Quidditch team until he is ready to be honest." "Really, Severus," said Professor McGonagall sharply, "I see no reason to stop the boy playing Quidditch. This cat wasn't hit over the head with a broomstick. There is no evidence at all that Potter has done anything wrong." Dumbledore was giving Harry a searching look. His twinkling light-blue gaze made Harry feel as though he were being X-rayed. "Innocent until proven guilty, Severus," he said firmly. Snape looked furious.

Day 8: Expelliarmus! "Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape," said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. "He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don't want any of you youngsters to worry--you'll still have your Potions master when I'm through with him, never fear!" "Wouldn't it be good if they finished each other off?" Ron muttered in Harry's ear. Snape's upper lip was curling. Harry wondered why Lockhart was still smiling; if Snape had been looking at *him* like that he'd have been running as fast as he could in the opposite direction. Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them. "As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position," Lockhart told the silent crowd. "On the count of three, we will cast our fist spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course." "I wouldn't bet on that," Harry murmured, watching Snape baring his teeth. "One--two--three--" Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Snape cried: "Expelliarmus!" There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet. He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.

Day 9: Only Bite Him A Little Bit, Please "Don't move, Potter," said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry snake. "I'll get rid of it..."

Day 10: Poisoning Trevor The end of the lesson in sight, Snape strode over to Neville, who was cowering by his cauldron. "Everyone gather 'round," said Snape, his black eyes glittering, "and watch what happens to Longbottom's toad. If he has managed to produce a Shrinking Solution, it will shrink to a tadpole. If, as I don't doubt, he has done it wrong, his toad is likely to be poisoned." The Gryffindors watched fearfully. The Slytherins looked excited. Snape picked up Trevor the toad in his left hand and dipped a small spoon into Neville's potion, which was now green. He trickled a few drops down Trevor's throat. There was a moment of hushed silence, in which Trevor gulped; then there was a small op, and Trevor the tadpole was wriggling in Snape's palm. The Gryffindors burst into applause. Snape, looking sour, pulled a small bottle from the pocket of his robe, poured a few drops on top of Trevor, and he reappeared suddenly, fully grown. "Five points from Gryffindor," said Snape, which wiped smiles from every face. "I told you not to help him, Miss Granger. Class dismissed."

Day 11: Insufferable Know-It-All Everyone sat in motionless silence; everyone except Hermione, whose hand, as it so often did, had shot straight into the air. "Anyone?" Snape said, ignoring Hermione. His twisted smile was back. "Are you telling me that Professor Lupin hasn't even taught you the basic distinction between--" "We told you," said Parvati suddenly, "we haven't got as far as werewolves yet, we're still on--" "Silence!" snarled Snape. "Well, well, well, I never thought I'd meet a third-year class who wouldn't even recognize a werewolf when they saw one. I shall make a point of informing Professor Dumbledore how very behind you all are..." "Please, sir," said Hermione, whose hand was still in the air, "the werewolf differs from the true wolf in several small ways. The snout of the werewolf--" "That is the second time you have spoken out of turn, Miss Granger," said Snape coolly. "Fire more points from Gryffindor for being an insufferable know-it-all."

Day 12: Your Saintly Father "I would hate for you to run away with a false idea of your father, Potter," he said, a terrible grin twisting his face. "Have you been imagining some act of glorious heroism? Then let me correct you--your saintly father and his friends played a highly amusing joke on me that would have resulted in my death if your father hadn't gotten cold feet at the last moment. There was nothing brave about what he did. He was saving his own skin as much as mine. Had their joke succeeded, he would have been expelled from Hogwarts." Snape's uneven, yellowish teeth were bared.

Day 13: Don't Talk About What You Don't Understand "KEEP QUIET, YOU STUPID GIRL!" Snape shouted, looking suddenly quite deranged. "DON'T TALK ABOUT WHAT YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" A few sparks shot out of the end o his wand, which was still pointed at Black's face. Hermione fell silent. "Vengeance is very sweet," Snape breathed at Black. "How I hoped I would be the one to catch you..." "The joke's on you again, Severus," Black snarled. "As long as this boy brings his rat up to the castle" --he jerked his head at Ron-- "I'll come quietly...." "Up to the castle?" said Snape silkily. "I don't think we need to go that far. All I have to do is call the dementors once we get out of the Willow. They'll be very pleased to see you, Black...pleased enough to give you a little Kiss, I daresay...."

Day 14: A Great Disappointment "He must have Disapparated, Severus. We should have let somebody in the room with him. When this gets out--" "HE DIDN'T DISAPPARATE!" Snape roared, now very close at hand. "YOU CAN'T APPARATE *OR* DISAPPARATE INSIDE THIS CASTLE! THIS--HAS--SOMETHING--TO--DO--WITH--POTTER!" "Severus--be reasonable--Harry has been locked up--" BAM. The door of the hospital wing burst open. Fudge, Snape, and Dumbledore came striding into the ward. Dumbledore alone looked calm. Indeed, he looked as though he was quite enjoying himself. Fudge appeared angry. But Snape was beside himself. "OUT WITH IT, POTTER!" he bellowed. "WHAT DID YOU DO?" "Professor Snape!" shrieked Madam Pomfrey. "Control yourself!" "See here, Snape, be reasonable," said Fudge. "This door's been locked, we just saw--" "THEY HELPED HIM ESCAPE, I KNOW IT!" Snape howled, pointing at Harry and Hermione. His face was twisted; spit was flying from his mouth. "Calm down, man!" Fudge barked. "You're talking nonsense!" "YOU DON'T KNOW POTTER!" shrieked Snape. "HE DID IT, I KNOW HE DID IT--" "That will do, Severus," said Dumbledore quietly. "Think about what you are saying. This door has been locked since I left the war ten minutes ago. Madam Pomfrey, have these students left their beds?" "Of course not!" said Madam Pomfrey, bristling. "I would have heard them!" "Well, there you have it, Severus," said Dumbledore calmly. "Unless you are suggesting that Harry and Hermione are able to be in two places at once, I'm afraid I don't see any point in troubling them further." Snape stood there, seething, staring from Fudge, who looked thoroughly shocked at his behavior, to Dumbledore, whose eyes were twinkling behind his glasses. Snape whirled about, robes swishing behind him, and stormed out of the ward. "Fellow seems quite unbalanced," said Fudge, staring after him. "I'd watch out for him if I were you, Dumbledore." "Oh, he's not unbalanced," said Dumbledore quietly. "He's just suffered a severe disappointment."

Day 15: Haven't You Heard? "Blimey, haven' yeh heard?" said Hagrid, his smile fading a little. He lowered his voice, even though there was nobody in sight. "Er--Snape told all the Slytherins this mornin'....Thought everyone'd know by now...Professor Lupin's a werewolf, see. An' he was loose on the grounds las' night...He's packin' now, o' course."

Day 16: I See No Difference "And what is all this noise about?" said a soft, deadly voice. Snape had arrived. The Slytherins clamored to give their explanations; Snape pointed a long yellow finger at Malfoy and said, "Explain." "Potter attacked me, sir--" "We attacked each other at the same time!" Harry shouted. "--and he hit Goyle--look--" Snape examined Goyle, whose face now resembled something that would have been at home in a book on poisonous fungi. "Hospital wing, Goyle," Snape said calmly. "Malfoy got Hermione!" Ron said. "Look!" He forced Hermione to show Snape her teeth--she was doing her best to hide them with her hands, though this was difficult as they had now grown down past her collar. Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin girls were doubled up with silent giggles, pointing at Hermione from behind Snape's back. Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, "I see no difference."

Day 17: The Dark Mark Snape strode forward, past Dumbledore, pulling up the left sleeve of his robes as he went. He struck out his forearm and showed it to Fudge, who recoiled. "There," said Snape harshly. "There. The Dark Mark. It is not as clear as it was an hour or so ago, when it burned black, but you can still see it. Every Death Eater had the sign burned into him by the Dark Lord. It was a means of distinguishing one another, and his means of summoning us to him. When he touched the Mark of any Death Eater, we were to Disapparate, and Apparate, instantly, at his side. This Mark has been growing clearer all year. Karkaroff's too. Why do you think Karkaroff fled tonight? We both felt the Mark burn. We both knew he had returned. Karkaroff fears the Dark Lord's vengeance. He betrayed too many of his fellow Death Eater to be sure of a welcome back into the fold."

Day 18: If You Are Ready...If You Are Prepared... "Severus," said Dumbledore, turning to Snape, "you know what I must ask you to do. If you are ready...if you are prepared..." "I am," said Snape. He looked slightly paler than usual, and his cold, black eyes glittered strangely. "Then good luck," said Dumbledore, and he watched, with a trace of apprehension on his face, as Snape swept wordlessly after Sirius.

Day 19: Obviously "Now...how long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?" she asked, her quill poised over her clipboard. "Fourteen years," Snape replied. His expression was unfathomable. His eyes on Snape, Harry added a few drops to his potion; it hissed menacingly and turned from turquoise to orange. "You applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, I believe?" Professor Umbridge asked Snape. "Yes," said Snape quietly. "But you were unsuccessful?" Snape's lip curled. "Obviously." Professor Umbridge scribbled on her clipboard. "And you have applied regularly for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post since you first joined the school, I believe?" "Yes," said Snape quietly, barely moving his lips. He looked very angry. "Do you have any idea why Dumbledore has consistently refused to appoint you?" asked Umbridge. "I suggest you ask him," said Snape jerkily. "Oh I shall," said Professor Umbridge with a sweet smile. "I suppose this is relevant?" Snape asked, his black eyes narrowed. "Oh yes," said Professor Umbridge. "Yes, the Ministry wants a thorough understanding of teachers'--er--backgrounds...." She turned away, walked over to Pansy Parkinson, and began questioning her about the lessons. Snape looked around at Harry and their eyes met for a second. Harry hastily dropped his gaze to his potion, which was now congealing foully and giving off a strong smell of burned rubber. "No marks again, then, Potter," said Snape maliciously, emptying Harry's cauldron with a wave of his wand. "You will write me an essay on the correct composition of this potion, indicating how and why you went wrong, to be handed in next lesson, do you understand?"

Day 20: Very Like His Father "How touching," Snape sneered. "But surely you have noticed that Potter is very like his father?" Yes, I have," said Sirius proudly. "Well then, you'll know he's so arrogant that criticism simply bounces off him," Snape said sleekly. Sirius pushed his chair roughly aside and strode around the table toward Snape, pulling out his wand as he went; Snape whipped out his own. They were squaring up to each other, Sirius looking livid, Snape calculating, his eyes darting from Sirius' wand-tip to his face. "Sirius!" said Harry loudly, but Sirius appeared not to hear him. "I've warned you, Snivellus," said Sirius, his face barely a foot from Snape's, "I don't care if Dumbledore thinks you've reformed, I know better." "Oh, but why don't you tell him so?" whispered Snape. "Or are you afraid he might not take the advice of a man who has been hiding inside his mother's house for six months very seriously?" "Tell me, how is Lucius Malfoy these days? I expect he's delighted his lapdog's working at Hogwarts, isn't he?" "Speaking of dogs," said Snape softly, "did you know that Lucius Malfoy recognized you last time you risked a little jaunt outside? Clever idea, Black, getting yourself seen on a safe station platform...gave you a cast-iron excuse not to leave your hidey-hole in future, didn't it?" Sirius raised his wand. "NO!" Harry yelled, vaulting over the table and trying to get in between them, "Sirius, don't--" "Are you calling me a coward?" roared Sirius, trying to push Harry out of the way, but Harry would not budge. "Why, yes, I suppose I am," said Snape.

Day 21: Wormtail's Whine "We...we are alone, aren't we?" Narcissa asked quietly. "Yes, of course. Well, Wormtail's here, but we're not counting vermin, are we?" He pointed his wand at the wall of books behind him and with a bang, a hidden door flew open, revealing a narrow staircase upon which a small man stood frozen. "As you have clearly realized, Wormtail, we have guests," said Snape lazily. The man crept, hunchbacked, down the last few steps and moved into the room. He had small, watery eyes, a pointed nose, and wore an unpleasant simper. His left hand was caressing his right, which looked as though it was encased in a bright silver glove. "Narcissa!" he said, in a squeaky voice. "And Bellatrix! How charming--" "Wormtail will get us drinks, if you'd like them," said Snape. "And then he will return to his bedroom." Wormtail winced as though Snape had thrown something at him. "I am not your servant!" he squeaked, avoiding Snape's eyes. "Really? I was under the impression that the Dark Lord placed you here to assist me." "To assist, yes--but not to make you drinks and--clean your house!" "I had no idea, Wormtail, that you were craving more dangerous assignments," said Snape silkily. "This can be easily arranged: I shall speak to the Dark Lord--" "I can speak to him if I want to!" "Of course you can," said Snape, sneering. "But in the meantime, bring us drinks. Some of the elf-made wine will do."

Day 22: A Loving Caress Snape set off around the edge of the room, speaking now in a lower voice; the class craned their necks to keep him in view. "The Dark Arts," said Snape, "are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible." Harry stared at Snape. It was surely one thing to respect the Dark Arts as a dangerous enemy, another to speak of them, as Snape was doing, with a loving caress in his voice? "Your defenses," said Snape, a little louder, "must therefore be as flexible and inventive as the arts you seek to undo. These pictures" --he indicated a few of them as he swept past-- "give a fair representation of what happens to those who suffer, for instance, the Cruciatus Curse" --he waved a hand toward a witch who was clearly shrieking in agony-- "feel the Dementor's Kiss" --a wizard lying huddled and blank-eyed, slumped against a wall-- "or provoke the aggression of the Inferius" --a bloody mass upon the ground.

Day 23: Better People "What does it matter?" said Malfoy. "Defense Against the Dark Arts--it's all just a joke, isn't it, an act? Like an of us need protecting against the Dark Arts--" "It is an act that is crucial to success, Draco!" said Snape. "Where do you think I would have been all these years, if I had not known how to act? Now listen to me! You are being incautious, wandering around at night, getting yourself caught, and if you are placing your reliance in assistants like Crabbe and Goyle--" "They're not the only ones, I've got other people on my side, better people!" "Then why not confide in me, and I can--" "I know what you're up to! You want to steal my glory!" There was another pause, then Snape said coldly, "You are speaking like a child. I quite understand that your father's capture and imprisonment has upset you, but--"

Day 24: Revulsion and Hatred Etched on His Face "Severus..." The sound frightened Harry beyond anything he had experienced all evening. For the first time, Dumbledore was pleading. Snape said nothing, but walked forward and pushed Malfoy roughly out of the way. The three Death Eaters fell back without a word. Even the werewolf seemed cowed. Snape gazed for a moment at Dumbledore, and there was revulsion and hatred etched in the harsh lines of his face. "Severus...please..." Snape raised his wand and pointed it directly at Dumbledore. "Avada Kedavra!"

Day 25: Don't Call Me Coward Mustering all his powers of concentration, Harry thought, Levi-- "No, Potter!" screamed Snape. There was a loud BANG and Harry was soaring backward, hitting the ground hard again, and this time his wand flew out of his hand. He could hear Hagrid yelling and Fang howling as Snape closed in and looked down on him where he lay, wandless and defenseless as Dumbledore had been. Snape's pale face, illuminated by the flaming cabin, was suffused with hatred just as it had been before he had cursed Dumbledore. "You dare use my own spells against me, Potter? It was I who invented them--I, the Half-Blood Prince! And you'd turn my inventions on me, like your filthy father, woudl you? I don't think so...no!" Harry had dived for his wand; Snape shot a hex at it and it flew feet away into the darkness and out of sight. "Kill me then," panted Harry, who felt no fear at all, but only rage and contempt. "Kill me like you killed him, you coward--" "DON'T--" screamed Snape, and his face was suddenly deranged, inhuman, as though he was in as much pain as the yelping, howling dog stuck in the burning house behind them-- "CALL ME COWARD!"

Day 26: The Guest Voldemort raised Lucius Malfoy's wand, pointed it directly at the slowing revolving figure suspended over the table, and gave it a tiny flick. The figure came to life with a groan and began to struggle against invisible bonds. "Do you recognize our guest, Severus?" asked Voldemort. Snape raised his eyes to the upside-down face. All of the Death Eaters were looking up at the captive now, as thought they had been given permission to show curiosity. As she revolved to face the firelight, the woman said in a cracked and terrified voice, "Severus! Help me!" "Ah, yes," said Snape as the prisoner turned slowly away again.

Day 27: I Regret It "All this long night, when I am on the brink of victory, I have sat here," said Voldemort, his voice barely louder than a whisper, "wondering, wondering why the Elder Wand refuses to be what it ought to be, refuses to perform as legend says it must perform for its rightful owner...and I think I have the answer." Snape did not speak. "Perhaps you already know it? You are a clever man, after all, Severus. You have been a good and faithful servant, and I regret what must happen." "My Lord--" "The Elder Wand cannot serve me properly, Severus, because I am not its true master. The Elder Wand belongs to the wizard who killed its last owner. You killed Albus Dumbledore. While you live, Severus, the Elder Wand cannot be truly mine." "My Lord!" Snape protested, raising his wand. "It cannot be any other way," said Voldemort. "I must master the wand, Severus. Master the wand, and I master Potter at last." And Voldemort swiped the air with the Elder Wand. It did nothing to Snape, who for a split second seemed to think he had been reprieved: But then Voldemort's intention became clear. The snake's cage was rolling through the air, and before Snape could do anything more than yell, it had encased him, head and shoulders, and Voldemort spoke in Parseltongue. "Kill." There was a terrible scream. Harry saw Snape's face losing the little color it had left; it whitened as his black eyes widened, as the snake's fangs pierced his neck, as he failed to push the enchanted cage off himself, as his knees gave way and he fell to the floor. "I regret it," said Voldemort coldly.

Day 28: You Hurt Her! "Tuney!" said Lily, surprise and welcome in her voice, but Snape had jumped to his feet. "Who's spying now?" he shouted. "What d'you want?" Petunia was breathless, alarmed at being caught. Harry could see her struggling for something hurtful to say. "What is that you're wearing, anyway?" she said, pointing at Snape's chest. "Your mum's blouse?" There was a *crack*. A branch over Petunia's head had fallen. Lily screamed: The branch caught Petunia on the shoulder, and she staggered backward and burst into tears. "Tuney!" But Petunia was running away. Lily rounded on Snape. "Did you make it happen?" "No." He looked both defiant and scared. "You did!" She was backing away from him. "You *did*! You hurt her!" "No--no I didn't!" But the lie did not convince Lily: After one last burning look, she ran from the little thicket, off after her sister, and Snape looked miserable and confused....

Day 29: Save Your Breath "I'm sorry." "I'm not interested." "I'm sorry!" "Save your breath." It was nighttime. Lily, who was wearing a dressing gown, stood with her arms folded in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady, at the entrance to Gryffindor Tower. "I only came out because Mary told me you were threatening to sleep here." "I was. I would have done. I never meant to call you Mudblood, it just--" "Slipped out?" There was no pity in Lily's voice. "It's too late. I've made excuses for you for years. None of my friends can understand why I even talk to you. You and your precious little Death Eater friends--you see, you don't even deny it! You don't even deny that's what you're all aiming to be! You can't wait to join You-Know-Who, can you?" He opened his mouth, but closed it without speaking. "I can't pretend anymore. You've chosen your way, I've chosen mine." "No--listen, I didn't mean--" "--to call me Mudblood? But you call everyone of my birth Mudblood, Severus. Why should I any different?" He struggled on the verge of speech, but with a contemptuous look she turned and climbed back through the portrait hole....

Day 30: Anything "If she means so much to you," said Dumbledore, "surely Lord Voldemort will spare her? Could you not ask for the mother, in exchange for the son?" "I have--I have asked him--" "You disgust me," said Dumbledore, and Harry had never heard so much contempt in his voice. Snape seemed to drink a little. "You do not care, then, about the deaths of her husband and child? They can die, as long as you have what you want?" Snape said nothing, but merely looked up at Dumbledore. "Hide them all, then," he croaked. "Keep her--them--safe. Please." "And what will you give me in return, Severus?" "In--in return?" Snape gaped at Dumbledore, and Harry expected him to protest, but after a long moment he said, "Anything."

[honeytae]

Hi!! Idk if you’re taking requests or not, but I was hoping I could request something along the lines of where you’re in love with your best friend, taehyung, but he doesn’t know and he’s getting married soon. you don’t tell him how you feel until the night of his wedding when you’re a bit tipsy from drinking your feelings away. you can decide the ending! thank you in advance if you end up writing this! hope you’re doing well and staying safe. Xx

hi darling! i’m so sorry this took so long for me to write. i couldn’t get it to a point where i was satisfied with it for a really long time, i still don’t feel that good about it honestly but hopefully it’s okay for you!!! i tried to make it angsty (yikes) so hopefully it’s not horrible lmao

tags: @ahgasearmyfan, @hoseokayy, @the1921-monsters

genre: angst

word count: 1.6k

warnings: um so much heartbreak, oc is a little (very) in denial about the situation and comes off a little toxic tbh, requited love but nothing they can do about it now, mentions of tae going into a panic attack

You couldn’t handle it.

You couldn’t handle the ‘congratulations to the happy couple,’ nor the Mr. and Mrs. Kim sign practically floating over their heads. You couldn’t handle the copious bouquets and all the preparations that went into this.

And you felt like a complete asshole about it.

Which is precisely why you decided to prematurely exit the event, doing yourself and everyone else a favor by leaving for the night to go sulk in your hotel by your lonesome.

The elevator ride up to your floor was miserable, your own battles within your mind coupled with the fact that your floor was the top one, making the ride excruciatingly long on top of everything else.

Rustling with the hotel key in your bag seemed to take forever as well, finally barging into your half unpacked space with a sigh. You quickly shut the door behind you, hoping you’d been able to sneak away from the hotel lobby without any guests noticing.

Shuffling further into the room, you sat on the edge of the king bed in the center of the room, placing your head in your hands at the mere prospect of this weekend.

Taehyung was getting married. Kim Taehyung, your best friend, the one person you’d been pining for since middle school, would be legally bound to someone else in less than twenty four hours.

Maybe you just shouldn’t have come. Despite sending red flags to Tae, you couldn’t think of a better solution than fleeing at this exact moment. Why did you think you could handle this?

Two knocks against the locked door had your head raising from its resting place, cursing under your breath at someone coming after you.

You didn’t feel well. That would be your excuse.

“Hey, you okay?” Immediately upon opening the door, Taehyung spoke the question out into the air, dark eyebrows knit in concern and kind eyes imploring yours for an answer.

“Hi. I’m fine, just a little tired, Tae.” You pressed your lips together in a hopefully believable smile, the man frowning before nodding at you.

“Me too. Can I come in?” He asked, the question completely innocent however making your heart rate a bit faster at the what if. What if things had gone differently? What if it was still a possibility for things to escalate between you two?

Cut it out. He’s about to be a married man.

You raised your eyebrows at him for a moment, then stepped back to allow him in, putting all your concentration on shutting the wood for a moment as you took a steadying breath.

“What about your party?” You wondered aloud, the man humming as he took a seat on your fully made bed.

“I’m tired of the parties. They’re exhausting.” He chuckled, covering his face with his hands as he reclined back on your bed.

Your heart skipped another beat at the vision, his tight pants leaving little to the imagination and buttons from his dress shirt stretched to new limits with his strained position. Diverting your eyes, you walked over to the desk chair in the corner of your room, reaching for a water bottle out of your mini fridge. Get a fucking grip.

Tossing one over to the bed beside Taehyung, you sat down in the plush seat, grateful that the man didn’t seem to notice your distance from him as you glanced out the window.

Until….

“Are you really okay? I feel like you’ve been avoiding me lately.”

At his sudden words, you froze, gripping your water a bit tighter as you brought your eyes back to his face. He was closer now than before, having scooted to the edge of your bed to lean toward you, eyes showing concern for you as you shuffled in your seat.

Taehyung was never one to beat around the bush, and at times like this, you really wish he would just brush some things under the rug as easy as you could.

“I’m good, Tae. Just have a lot going on, I guess. I’m sorry I made you feel like that.” You said, hoping to clear the air and dismiss the topic as soon as you possibly could. The man’s stare wasn’t helping your state any.

“No apologies. Just wanted to check in on you.” He sighed, seemingly disappointed with your lack of response before a hideous painting across the room caught his eye.

“What the fuck is that?” He griped, making you chuckle as he sat up to lean toward the art piece, squinting with his lip curled in amusement.

“It’s not so bad.” You shrugged, smirking when he turned back to you in bewilderment. Realizing you were teasing him, his eyes went back to normal size, a smile meeting his own lips at the return of your familiar banter.

“How can you sleep in a room with that shit? I feel like asking for a refund.” He shook his head, making you laugh before taking a swig from your water.

“Somehow I manage.” You replied, twisting the cap back on the bottle with a sigh.

It’s times like these that you feel as though nothing is wrong. Times like these that transport you back to periods of your life when Taehyung was just a call away, and you thought maybe, just maybe, you two had a chance. But that was over now. Those days were no more.

Because Taehyung informing you about a blind date then turned into him in a full blown relationship, a serious one at that, and soon enough they were taking big steps such as meeting the parents, moving in together, and yes, getting engaged.

Your friends had been just as shocked as you were, pitying you with deep sympathetic looks over Taehyungs shoulder as you hugged him in confused congratulations. It had all happened so fast...how did you manage to lose him forever?

Waking up the next day, you felt a particular heaviness on your chest. It was the day before the wedding, the rehearsal dinner turned into an entire day of partying for their guests. A celebratory day, if anything.

But waking up and getting all dolled up for this occasion was the absolute last thing you wanted to do, today or ever. You had always thought that you’d have much more of a starring role in Kim Taehyung’s life. Shaking your head to dismiss those kinds of thoughts, you cursed as you left your hotel room, wondering how the hell you’d be getting through this day.

Four martinis. Four martinis was how you’d be getting through today. The bartender had become one of your closest acquaintances over the past few hours, eyeballing you silently as he poured you yet another cocktail, your demands obvious that you were not drinking out of celebration.

Sitting at the bar, you contemplated everything. From the time you’d met Tae, you had been so sure that you two completed each other. Were you that naive? And fuck, why are you still thinking about this now? It’s over. You and Tae will never be.

Nearly jumping off your stool at a hand suddenly clapping your back, you shifted your gaze over to the arm belonging to Jungkook, one of Taehyung’s youngest yet wisest friends.

“You’re sulking.” He said plainly, dark eyes tracing over your faded features, briefly examining the drink in your hand before shooting the bartender a knowing look.

“You shouldn’t be out here.” You sighed, nearly breaking into a sob when his hand laid over yours, fingers fitting between your own in a comforting gesture. With one glance at the man, you gained all the information you didn’t want.

He knew.

You wondered how long he’d known. Jungkook, being the quiet and relatively introverted person he was, was an observer. He knew everything about everyone it seemed, by not speaking to them at all. He noticed everything.

You just hoped he didn’t notice the way your eyes started blinking rapidly, and that he’d instead just go back into the party without another word.

“Neither should you.” He replied to you, his tone holding nothing but concern as he tried to catch your eyes.

You just couldn’t hold it in.

“Well maybe if I wasn’t in love with him I’d be having a better time.” You mumbled, leaning your head down on your hands, elbows pressed to the tops of your thighs, sad and tired as Jungkook froze beside you.

Unbeknownst to you, a concerned Taehyung had also come to find you, stumbling upon that very scene as Jungkook tried to console you.

Meeting eyes with his older friend, Jungkook’s mouth gaped open for a moment, opening and closing like a fish out of water as you cluelessly rambled under your breath about how stupid you were to ever let yourself come here.

With a shaky exhale, Taehyung silently began to put it all together. The way you’d been working constantly lately, picking up every shift you could to decline his repeated attempts at getting together with you, the way you’d ran off last night and brushed it off as you being too tired. It was all adding up.

You were struggling with this as much as he was. Maybe more.

But what Taehyung could do about this years ago was no longer an option, his hands shaking at his sides as he spun on his heel and walked out of the lobby. He could briefly hear Jungkook call for him but ignored it, breathing heavily as he rounded one of the hallways leading to the restrooms.

Unshed tears misted over his eyes as he hugged a corner of the wall, feeling rather unsteady as he leaned his forehead against the cool surface. The burning pain in his chest had him sinking down to the floor in an instant, sobs wracking his shoulders with heightening emotions rising in his throat.

You’d finally given him the green light. And it was too fucking late.

[demonsandmischief]

You Saved My Life Pt 2

Marvel - Captain America Imagine

Steve Rogers x Female Reader, 1.3k Words

Here's Part 1

-You Saved My Life Pt. 2-

As trauma lingers, a certain protective Captain seems to be the only remedy to your broken mind.

A/N: I guess I have a thing for Marvel men and chocolate chip cookies lol I didn't even notice I did that whoops.

----

You sat up with a gasp, heart threatening to beat right out of your chest. You struggled to swallow or make a noise, feeling trapped by the panic.

You jumped when you felt a hand on your arm, a small yelp escaping as it jostled your still sore ribs. It was just a discomfort now, but it was still noticable.

"Shh, it's just me," Steve whispered. The bed dipped with his weight, and he leaned over to turn on the lamp. "It was just a dream."

The pressure of tears increased the tension on your brow as a soft sob escaped your lips. You rested your exhausted head on his chest.

It had been nearly a month since the invasion raided the city, and you hadn't had a good night sleep since. Everytime you closed your eyes you saw the kids dying, or the death of Captain America, a man you had very much grown to like.

He had been with you nonstop. His protective presence was the only thing that distracted the trauma in your head.

When he wasn't working, he was staying in the guest room of your house. You were developing feelings for him. How could you not after the experience you went through together? Not to mention he was sweet and handsome along with many other things.

You had taken all of your medical leave and were struggling to cope with your job. You used to love being a teacher, but everyday those innocent faces triggered the events.

You had been fighting through it, but you were beyond exhausted. Giving up seemed to be the only option.

Steve gently pushed your sweaty hair out of your face. "I know how this feels," he whispered. "I wish I could take it away."

He helped you lay back down, turning on the ceiling fan to cool your heated body.

"Can you stay, please?" you asked.

Cap hated seeing you as a shell of a strong person. He felt guilty, like it was all his fault. And maybe it was. If you hadn't had to recover from the physical injuries on top of the emotional, maybe you'd have a better chance fighting it.

He didn't stick around just for the guilt though, he had strange, new feelings, feelings he hadn't felt in a long time. You made him warm, like a home. You made him feel he could be something other than what the world expected him to be.

He laid beside you, and you do your best to curl close. You lay on your good side, pressing yourself to Steve's right.

"Easy," he murmured, switching off the lamp. He wrapped his arms around your frame, gently, not putting down any weight.

Finally, you slept.

----

Steve knew when you slept peacefully that first night, that the solution to your nightmares was to lay with you every night.

It had taken a few days, but the sleep improved your mindset greatly. It seemed as though you could finally move on.

The captain was always at your house, he practically lived there at this point. He was your protector. His presence made you feel safe and loved.

When Steve entered your house a few days later, he was surprised at the change. It was subtle, but his eyes caught it. The rooms were brighter, there was soft music playing somewhere, and it smelled like cookies.

"Hi," you said from where you were reading on the couch. He didn't expect you so upbeat after coming home from work. He liked the changes.

"Hi," he said back, lifting you up slightly so he could sit beneath you, your head in his lap. He bent to kiss your forehead.

Your cheeks grew warm from the sweet gesture.

"Having a good day, hmm?" he asked with a hum.

"Because of you," you whisper so softly, certain he wouldn't hear it.

"I don't deserve that credit," Steve said, stroking your hair. "You're getting through because you are strong, one of the strongest people I've ever met."

You didn't know what to say back, so you changed the subject. "There's cookies in the kitchen."

Steve flashed a lopsided smile, "I knew I smelled cookies."

"Do you want to make dinner together?" you ask, looking up into his vibrant blue eyes.

"Definitely. What did you have in mind?"

You sat up with a yawn, feeling cold as you left the body heat of the man who was like a heater.

"Lasagna?" You asked, pleased when he nodded eagerly.

The two of you got to work. It felt like a very couple-y, intimate thing to do together.

"Hey," you scolded when you saw Steve reach for a third cookie.

He grinned, stuffing it into his mouth. "I can't help it. They're so good."

"What about the lasagna?" you asked with a small laugh.

Steve hadn't heard you laugh, not even a small chuckle. It was his new favorite sound, and it was contagious as he felt the joy build up at your cheerfulness.

The moment was interrupted by a knock on the door and Steve frowned, "Are you expecting someone?"

"No," you shook your head, heading for the front of your house. You opened the door to find the Iron Man. "Mr. Stark," you greeted with a shocked stutter, feeling Steve against your back.

"So you're the one who has domesticated this old man," the man said, stepping into your house like he owned the place, forcing you back into Cap with a blush.

"Tony. What are you doing here?" Steve asked confused.

"You don't own a cell phone, or you don't have it on you, but I'm pretty sure you don't own one. I need your help. There's a situation."

You felt your heart pick up speed at the words, a flash of the scene in the city taking over your vision. You only felt grounded by Steve's hand on your shoulder.

"What kind of situation?" Steve asked. You excused yourself to the kitchen, not entirely sure you wanted to know.

When you heard their deep voices stop, you emerged once more. "Would you like a cookie, Mr. Stark?" you asked, holding out the container. He took the whole container.

"Hey," Steve said, taking it back, much like you had done just moments before. "You can't have all of those."

Tony flashed a vibrant smile, "I see why you stick around here. It was a pleasure to meet you, chair girl. I'll be waiting in the car, Cap."

"You told him about the chair?" you asked embarrassed.

Steve shrugged with a teasing smile before his face turned serious. "I'm really sorry, but I'm going to have to go."

"But when will you come back? What about lasagna, and tonight?" You felt yourself frown, imagining the intense fear of the nightmares. You didn't want to face them alone.

"I'll be back as soon as I can, sweetheart," he soothed, cupping your face. "I know you can do this."

You covered his hands with your own, "Please be careful."

"Can I kiss you?" his voice was breathy and you felt yourself nod.

He bent his head, gently brushing his lips against yours. You couldn't contain the smile as your heart burst with happiness, and a new feeling that hadn't been around in a long time blossomed in your belly. Hope.

"You better save me some lasagna," Steve grinned, feeling blissful.