#i just really miss all the old streamers more than anything

[lunabug2004]

I'mma expose myself as even more of a (basic) nerd for a sec and say I miss the Dream SMP as it was when it was at its peak. I joined at the tail end and I still miss it. As someone who has barely ever used Twitter/X, I never really saw much toxicity and just enjoyed watching my (new) favorite streamers and all their interactions. I was very much more of a Tubbo/Tommy/Jack/sometimes Ranboo watcher than anything else so when I say I miss the massive amounts of vlogs coming out I means I miss it!

Obviously, now we know that a few of the biggest people involved in the SMP are not great people, and I love how the younger members have matured and found their own paths now. I love how happy they are with where they are/what they're doing now. But that time was just so fun. And it's so interesting to go back and watch the streams and wish we could just have fun watching our favorite streamers have fun doing lore with each other again. At least I hope they were having fun...

I am also gonna be one of those people: I miss BeeDuo so so so much. They are what got me into the DSMP. And ClingyDuo is a close second now that they don't do as much content together. Again, I don't blame anybody for what I just mentioned because life happens and also again, I love how happy they all seem to be atm, so pls don't take this the wrong way. They were just my favorite duos to watch and the content with them together always cheered me up. (still does tbh.)

Anyways, I just had to rant for a little bit bc the drama going down rn (which btw f*** you dream) made me remember why I loved Tubbo so much (not that I ever really forgot, I just stopped watching him as much cuz I fell out of the phase, but still), and made me really notalgic for "the old DSMP days".

I'll stop being a weeb now. Thanks for reading. (If you did.)

Technoblade Never Dies <3

[strawberri-elixir]

Sleepless nights

╰⇢ 9. Good shit

Warnings: just yuta being in denial again?? (no surprise tho)

note: THERE’S WRITING AFTER THE FIRST 10 IMAGES you don’t wanna miss it :] also thank you for all the support?! i never thought there would be many people who would want to read this series. but i’m thankful for all of you <3

“Alright. So how about we all split up into pairs while we go around the mall?” Nobara took a sip of her drink as you all began leaving the food court.

“That would probably be easier.” Yuta nodded.

“But there’s seven of us.” You added.

“You guys will just have to be in a group of three.” Maki slung her arm over Nobara’s shoulder, giving a sly grin to the black haired boy.

“I don’t think-” Yuta tried to protest.

“Perfect! Inumaki, you’ll come with us!” You interjected, taking a hold of the boy’s hand.

Maki watched with an amused look as Yuta glared at her. He knew exactly what she was trying to do, but it’s not like he could do anything about it.

“Let’s go then!” You began dragging the two boys away.

The three of you then began strolling through the mall, pointing at windows and looking inside the stores. You did most of the dragging, pulling Yuta and Inumaki into whatever store caught your eye.

“Look at this!” You smack Yuta’s arm to get his attention. The three of you were currently stationed at the front counter of an antique shop, looking at all the various trinkets that were displayed behind the glass barrier.

In this case, you were focused in on a simple silver ring. The obviously well-loved wedding band sat in a velvet box, practically begging for attention. You couldn’t help but stare at it.

Small engravings ran through the material, creating intricate designs across the entire surface. A truly beautiful piece of jewelry. It almost drew you in, in some way. Like a magnet.

“I’m almost scared to ask how much that is.” Yuta chuckled.

“It can’t be as bad as you think.” You smile. “How much is this ring?” You ask the old lady behind the counter, pointing at the silver ring.

“That one? It’s 50 dollars. But for a young one like yourself, I’ll let you have it for 40.” She smiled.

As much as you appreciated the kindness, you politely declined. Not because you felt bad, but because you simply couldn’t afford it. It was times like this when you really wished you had a job.

“I can pay for it.” Yuta offered.

“No way! I’d actually feel bad if you payed for this. 40 bucks is a lot even for you!” You immediately shut him down.

It’s true, 40 dollars is a lot for broke high school students, even if they have jobs. You couldn’t allow Yuta to spend that kind of money on you.

“You sure? You’ve been eyeing that ring for a solid 15 minutes while we looked around the store.”

“Positive.” You gave the ring one more glance before forcing yourself to leave the store. “Let’s go. Any more staring and I’ll regret not having enough money.”

“Alright, I just want to look at some of those old journals before we go, just wait outside for me.” Yuta shooed you away.

You roll your eyes with a smile, turning your attention to Inumaki as the two of you walked out. “I bet he’s gonna take a long time.”

The two of you found a bench to wait for Yuta, sitting down side by side, the two of you sat in silence. It wasn’t long before Inumaki pulled out his phone, swiping to a game and started playing.

“What are you playing?” You lean over and watch the boy tap away on his screen. He angled his phone to you, displaying a familiar game layout. “Oh! You play Genshin?”

The boy gives you a simple not. It was obvious he wasn’t much of a talker, but that didn’t bother you.

“That’s cool. I don’t really play but I really like watching this one streamer play.” You started going on about the game. “If I’m annoying you, just tell me, okay?”

“You’re not bothering me. Keep going.” He mumbled.

It was the first time you ever heard him actually speak to you. His voice was low, lower than Yuta’s at least. A little husky from the lack of use. But soft at the same time.

You couldn’t help but smile. It was like the next step in your already growing friendship. You continued to watch the boy play, leaning on his shoulder as time went on.

Masterlist | Next

fun facts:

— even though she’s all for the chaos, maki does genuinely want yuta to be happy and confess his feelings

— inumaki has his phone always on do not disturb because of the amount of notifications he gets

— the original monster energy drink is yuta’s favourite because he rarely drinks them (you try to get him to try different flavours but he just doesn’t like them)

taglist:

@sur-i-ki @aespaforlifersyall @camilo-uwu @butterflyqueen234 @shinsukeee @tanchosanke @emii4evr @lees-chaotic-brain @you-always-made-me-blush @jayathelostdragon @chilichopsticks @polarbvnny @instantmusico @sad-darksoul @hellyyy06 @rosieandthethorns @zellwa @iluv-ace @h3xi2g0n3 @morgyyyyyyy @bellaabee082

Bold means I for some reason can’t tag you! I don’t know why :[

[frenziedfireworks]

Party Nights

Fred Weasley x Reader

Summary : Reader goes to extreme lengths to ensure Fred's party is a success.

CW : Fem!Reader, making out, hints towards sex, alcohol & partying

If there was one thing the Weasley Twins knew how to do it was party. Their little celebrations had always been the talk whenever holidays or Quidditch were in season. Getting an invitation was also quite the hot commodity and people would go out of their way to be in line of sight of the twins - much to your dismay. 

“George! Fred! Great to see you!” A hufflepuff girl passed by, winking and fluttering her eyes. You felt yourself want to gag. 

“Well, aren't people so nice.” Fred snorted as he wrapped his arm around your shoulder and pulled you along. You just rolled your eyes.

“Yeah because she’s just going out of her way to be nice. You don’t even know her name.” 

“Wow! Someone is jealous! It’s okay Y/N you’re still my favorite girl.” Fred’s words made your stomach do a flip, quickly shaking it off. He was first and foremost your best friend. You never wanted your silly crush to ruin what you had with either of the twins.

“Well it’s a good thing you’re his favorite because you’re definitely not mine!” George grinned as you smacked his chest. He was always teasing the two of you.

“Yeah well you’re not my favorite either, George. Quite the opposite actually. I think I’d prefer Percy to you.” You snapped back and Fred’s laughter filled the halls.

“Percy?!” George mocked offense, hand flying to act as if he had fainted.

“Yeah you heard me.”

“I wish I hadn’t.” George and Fred continued making jokes as you followed to wherever they were going. It wasn’t long before all three of you stood in front of an old classroom door. Both boys had wicked smirks adorning their faces and mischief gleaming in their eyes.

“One of you want to fill me in? What are we doing staring at a raggedy old door?” Your questions fell on deaf ears as they looped their arms around your frame and yanked you in. The old room had been turned into something different altogether. One of the ancient desks held cups and a punch bowl. A dance floor lit up the dank stone walls and streamers littered from the ceiling. There was a small table filled with Weasley ‘delicacies’ that you knew would end up spreading like wildfire. After all, your boys were more genius than anyone ever gave them credit for.

“This looks nice!” You turned to find the boys staring at each other, supposedly deep in thought.

“Yes it does but something is missing.”

“Exactly what I was thinking Fred.”

“What could possibly be missing?” You sighed, knowing all too well you were about to be put to the test.

“Music.” Fred’s face contorted into a sad puppy, his eyes pleading. 

“Merlin’s beard. What do you want me to do?” 

“I knew you were my favorite for a reason! I really need you to go ask Hermione for her music player - please? I’ll do anything.” 

Now you were intrigued. Fred had rarely made promises where he allowed for anything, knowing full well the trouble it could lead him into. It couldn’t possibly be hard to get Hermione’s music player - right?

—

Wrong. You were incredibly wrong and suddenly knew why Fred had promised anything. Trying to coax Hermione into letting you borrow the stereo was like watching paint dry. Incredibly tedious and her answer would not change.

“Mione-”

“Y/N I love you but I said no! I know you’re going to give it to the twins and I promised myself that I would not indulge their parties! You know exams are around the corner!” 

You groaned and felt like pulling out your hair. Fred was relying and trusting you with a big part of his plans and if you failed you would feel like shit. You somehow had to convince Hermione to give you the stereo. 

“Please. I’ll do anything!” You found yourself thinking back to only an hour ago when the same words left Fred’s mouth. You knew that Hermione also would’ve had a harsher consequence for Fred than she would for you. No wonder he had begged you to do it. Hermione shut her book and raised an eyebrow.

“Anything?” She questioned and you nodded aggressively.

“Anything! I promise.” You grabbed at her hands practically pleading.

“Fine. Let me go grab it and tell you what I want.” Hermione was quick on her feet and ran off. You were glad you were able to convince her within such a quick time. To be honest you were worried she wouldn’t have anything she needed. 

“Here.” Hermione handed over the stereo and you happily took it. It was big and bulky but you could manage to get it back to the old classroom in time.

“So what do you want me to do? Steal some potion items or something?”  

Hermione snorted and gave you a little grin. You had never seen her look so devious. 

“No. I want you to tell Fred that you like him tonight.” 

It was as if you had been punched in the chest. Out of any of your close friends that knew about your crush the least expected one to betray you was Hermione. Well, not betray, but more so force you into the unknown and risk losing your dear twins. You wanted to be mad but you knew better considering you had promised her anything. She was always pushing you to tell Fred but it was quite hypocritical considering her and Ron - not that you would mention that. You never wanted to be on the bad side of Hermione Granger.

“Fine. I’ll uh.. Let you know how it goes tomorrow.” You whispered and went on your way. Somehow you had to manage getting the stereo back to the boys, get dressed and sneak out to the party, and admit to Fred your absolute obsession with him. 

—

“Y/N! Here let me have that.” George greeted and took the stereo off your hands. You were glad for that considering it felt like you had been walking around with a sack of rocks tied to your arms.

“Your girl got it! Can’t believe my eyes!” George yelled out to Fred who came out of an old cupboard. His face was covered in soot and his clothes looked like he had just enjoyed a mud bath. 

“Don’t you look lovely. I’m off to get dressed too. Is the theme crawling in the chimney?” You laughed as Fred dusted himself off, cheeks going red from your comment.

“No but it can be if you want to match. I think we’d be sexy chimney sweepers.” 

There was that charm that he somehow always knew how to use. You didn’t know how he somehow made a chimney sweeper sound so.. Romantic? Whatever. You had bigger worries to think about. 

“Yeah, whatever you say. I’m going to change now. Bye!” 

—

You had gotten back to your room without a hitch and stared at your closet. You had to choose something memorable if tonight was the last night you would ever see the Weasley Twins. Finally deciding on an outfit that was a little risqué you left your room. You casted the disillusionment charm and headed back down to the old classroom you had been in not an hour before. 

Opening the door you were hit with the smell of sweat and alcohol. Everyone was pushing against eachother and cheering. Music played loud from the stereo and the twins were at the front near their kiosk.

“Y/N! Lovely to see you!” Angelina smiled and pulled you in for a quick hug. You could tell she was already drunk off whatever the twins had supplied.

“Lovely to see you too Angie! Having fun?” You questioned and she just nodded.

“Yeah! I hope to see you out on the dance floor!” She winked and made her way through the room. You had hoped she would spend a few more minutes with you because that was more time to drain instead of thinking about telling Fred. There was no way in hell you were going to do this completely sober either. 

You made your way through the bustling crowd and fought with quite a few people before you were able to fill your cup. The punch was sweet and barely tasted alcoholic  - dangerous. You knew if you drank too much before it hit you would be shitfaced by the end of the night.

“It’s super good, right?” You almost had a heart attack as you heard Ron right behind you. You glanced up at him and sighed.

“Way to scare the shit out of me! And yes it’s pretty good. Enjoying yourself without your girlfriend?” You teased the boy, watching as his freckled face lit up red.

“Could say the same about you. Having a few drinks before you go kiss up on dearest Freddie?” Ron raised an eyebrow as you let out a defeated sigh. It wouldn’t hurt to tell him about everything…

“It’s going to be a shit night Ronald.” 

“Why? What’s wrong?” Ron was surprisingly kind when you were serious with him and opened up. Maybe he was a bit inept with feelings but he really tried his best.

“Well.. Fred made me get the stereo from Hermione. To be able to get it I promised her to do anything and well.. She told me that I had to tell Fred..” You mumbled off. Ron’s eyes widened a minuscule bit and chuckled.

“Brutal isn’t she? If you need any help getting out you always have Harry and I.” Ron gave you a heartwarming pat and began to wander off. So much for moral support..

—

“And do tell what my best girl is doing here all alone being ditched by my little brother?” Fred’s form engulfed you from behind. His lips dusted against the shell of your ear and sent a pleasant shiver up your spine.

“Looking for you actually.” You decided to get it over with. There’s no better time than the present. You turned in his hold and met his gorgeous face. The usual smirk adorned it and within the strobe lights his eyes seemed to glow like lanterns.

“What can I do for you then? Offer you another drink or cure your boredom?” You could only wish that could be your answer. It would be much easier to drink the night away with him than heartbroken without him.

“Uh no. Not yet at least. I really need to tell you something. Can we go someplace a bit more quiet?” Fred bobbed his head and dragged you along. Before you knew it you were shuffling into a broom closet. Fred was way more close for comfort than you would’ve wished and it only added to your nervousness. How the hell did you get this far?!

“So…” Fred started.

“So…” 

The two of you sat in awkward silence for a few seconds before laughter struck.

“What in the world did you pull me into a broom closet to tell me?” Fred choked out and you groaned. It was time to finally rip the bandaid off.

“Well you see.. I have had this feeling for you for a while now.” You grumbled out and stared at your feet. If the proximity didn’t kill you then his glance definitely would.

“Right. A bad feeling or good feeling? Because I usually cause a lot of those.” Fred joked and you smacked at his arm. You couldn’t believe his sarcastic ass.

“Good! Very good actually. I- Oh fuck me. I really like you.” Now it was all out in the open and you wanted to shrink away. There wasn’t any going back and you could only hope he would have some mercy on your soul. 

“Y/N, I've been flirting with you for like two years. I obviously like you too.” Fred’s hand rubbed against the flesh of your arm creating goosebumps all over.

“What?” You spluttered out still confused. There was no way he had been flirting for that long. You would have to be as daft as Ronald!

“I call you my favorite girl and you think that’s me being kind?” Fred’s hand rubbed against your cheek, finger dragging ever so slowly against your lip.

“Can I kiss you?” 

“Please.” 

Your fantasies were finally fulfilled as his warm lips met yours. Fred was an impatient man and yet he took his sweet time to work you into the kiss, hands pushing you against the stone wall. His tongue lapped at your lips for permission and you relented.  He tasted of chocolate and alcohol - fitting and tantalizing. His tongue prodded yours making the moment even more intimate. 

“This is all I’ve been wanting for so long.” Fred’s voice was deep and you could barely think. 

“Me too.” You whispered and yanked at his shirt for more. He laughed into the kiss, hands running up and down your sides. He separated from your lips much sooner than you had wished and pecked at your forehead.

“As much as I would love to take you in a closet I was thinking maybe something more romantic? I also have a party I am hosting right now.. Maybe we can go kiss in there for a while?” 

You pretended to think for a while as you adjusted your clothes and hair before nodding. 

“I suppose I can go back with you. But I think you owe me later after the whole stereo fiasco..” Your fingers trailed his bare arm and you could feel him shake.

“My ever so generous girlfriend I would be delighted to do whatever you wish.” Fred shot you a wink that set butterflies aflame in your stomach. You linked arms with your newfound boyfriend and set off back to the party.

You definitely had to thank Hermione in the morning.

[artssslut2]

Pinky Promise

Art x Lily x Reader

Summary: It’s Lily’s birthday and Art wants to give his little girl the best day ever.

It was the night before Lily’s birthday and you and Art were staying up extra late to get ready. Tashi had started coaching three new players since Art retired. She had been gone a lot for work after they got divorced, Lily missed her a lot but would call her everyday. Lily loved you though, she always did. Art waited a while before letting her meet you he wanted to make sure you were the one first. Once you met Lily and he saw how the two do you got along he put a ring on your finger almost immediately. Lily was the flower girl at your wedding and was beyond happy about getting you as a bonus mom. You were younger than Art, he knew that you wanted more kids, he didn’t mind that idea he actually loved it. Lily also loved it, she had been begging for a sibling since the day you got married. And now here you were eight months pregnant with another little girl. This was your first time around but Arts second, he was more relaxed since he had been down this road before, it was calming for you. Art loved that he was around for everything that was something he couldn’t do with Lily.

Lily was Turing eight and Art was of course going all out for his little girl. Art missed Lilys third birthday because of a match and he has never been able to forgive himself, he knew she wouldn’t remember but it still made him sad. So now he always made the day special.

Lily was a dancer, she had played tennis for a little bit but she didn’t really like it, tashi was mortified but art was relieved. He didn’t want her to be put under all that pressure. After quitting tennis Lily started taking ballet classes and she loved them, she was an amazing dancer easily the best in her class. Art never wanted to put pressure on her, he wanted her to be a normal kid but dance became the thing she loved the most, she wanted to dance all the time. So Art had been working non stop on her own dance room in the basement. He put in dance flooring, mirrors and a ballet bar, he lined the walls with all her trophy’s and medals and old costumes. Seeing Art be such an amazing dad made you love him even more, you couldn’t wait to see him become a dad again.

“Do you think she’ll like it?” Your husband asked hanging some streamers by the door, you looked at him and smiled

“Of course she will. She’s gonna love it.” You wrapped your arms around his torso he leaned against you a little. You noticed Art seemed off “you okay baby?” You asked softly. He took a deep breath

“Mhm. I just don’t want her to feel left out… when she was a baby I wasn’t there as much as I wanted to be. Now with this baby I will be here, all the time. I’ll never miss a birthday or anything, what if she thinks it’s because I don’t love her as much as her sister?” Art asked looking at the floor putting his hands in his pockets. You waited a minute, you knew he struggled with self doubt about fatherhood and it broke your heart because he was the greatest dad.

“She won’t Art I promise. We won’t let that happen. Look at all you are doing for her… everyday you are showing her how much you love her. She’s smart and she knows the baby might take up more of your time but she knows you don’t love her any less. Neither will I, I love her more than anything Art just like she’s my own, okay?” You told him grabbing his hands, Art looked at you with glassy eyes and gave you a little smile. Art loved you so much. He never thought he would meet someone after Tashi but somehow he lucked out and met the love of his life. He knew you would be a great mom to your own children, but Lily was also your baby.

“I love you.” He said kissing your head and pulling you in. You smiles against his chest. “alright let’s go to bed we have a big day tomorrow.” He took your hand to lead you out of the room.

The next morning you both woke up early so you could be awake before Lily. Art had the whole day planned out for her. You both waited downstairs for her to wake up. Finally you hear little feet running down the stairs, Art walked to them

“Do I hear my Eight year old?” Lily giggles jumping into her father’s arms and giving him a big hug, “oh my gosh you look a year older do you feel a year older?” He asked holding her up and dramatically examining her,

“No!” She laughed trying to catch her breath, seeing their interaction made you laugh

“Happy birthday Lily Pad.” You told her joining them in the living room with a gift bag,

“Thanks, what’s that?” She asked staring at the pink bag pointing at it

“We wanted to give you one of your gifts now so that you can use it today.” You smiled handing her the gift bag and kissing her head

“Can I open it now!?” She asked very loudly bouncing up and down, you and Art laughed and nodded. She ripped the tissue paper away and dug into the bag. You had gotten her a new outfit, Lily loved fashion and dressing up. It’s how you first bonded, you work in fashion it’s actually how you met Art.

“Oh my gosh! It’s so cute!” She shrieked holding the light pink romper up, there was also a matching bow and shoes in the bag.

“You wanna go put it on?” You laughed moving her bed head from her face,

“Yes! Thank you y/n!” She said jumping into your arms squeezing you so tight then running up to her bedroom to change. You looked at art and he had the biggest smile on his face, a smile he only got when he watched his two favorite people.

“Your the best” he said coming over and kissing you,

“It’s easy when she’s the best.” You smiled

“Y/n! Can you come do my hair!?” Lily shouted from upstairs, you both laughed and you headed up to help her.

Once Lily was dressed and had her hair done she was asking about breakfast. You told her that she should ask her dad so you went to your bedroom to find him. He came out of the bedroom and showed off his shirt to his girls,

“What do you think, how do I look Lily Pad?” He asked doing a spin. He was wearing a shirt that said “girl dad” on it, you and Lily got it for him when you found at you were having a girl.

“It’s perfect!’ She giggled, she loved getting her dad clothes you both would often go shop for him together.

“Lily we have two more things for you before breakfast, the first isss…” he dramatically held out his words to build suspense

“Daddy! What is it daddy!” She asked bursting with excitement Art pointed at you so you could finish his sentence.

“We are giving you a yes day. Whatever you want to do we have to say yes too.” You smiled presenting the offer to the little girl. Her eyes lit up and she looked so happy. You could see wheels turning in her brain thinking of what she wanted to ask first

“Can we get Starbucks for breakfast?!” She asked enthusiastically, of course that was her first request. Art looked at you like he was thinking of what to say

“Hmmmm…” he said dramatically like he might say no “of course we can baby.” Lily laughed “but before we go we have one more thing.” He said reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small wrapped box.

“What is it daddy?” She asked scrunching her eyebrows just like her dad does

“Open it” he handed it to her and she tipped it open, she gasped. It was a necklace from Tiffany’s that had her birthstone on it, it was way too expensive for an eight year old but art didn’t care.

“It’s so pretty daddy! Thank you so much I love it!” She said wrapped herself around him. She looked at the box again

“But wait. There’s earrings too I don’t have mine pierced.” She said confused

“Well we thought since your eight now…” you told her you didn’t need to finish she knew

“No way are you serious?!” She looked back and fourth between you and art and you both nodded. She squealed and jumped up and down then kept into Arts arms and held onto him as tightly as a little girl could, he laughed enjoying this moment.

The day went on perfectly, you loved watching Art be a father, you loved that you could share the joy and be lilys bonus mom. When Lily got her ears pierced Art was more nervous than she was. Lily was trying to be brave and had a very focused look on her face while she sat in the chair alone.

“Are you nervous?” He asked his daughter

“No… but can you hold my hand daddy?” She asked timidly, Art chuckled

“I’ll do you one better.” He told her lifting her up and placing her on his lap. You filmed as she got her ears pierced she didn’t even flinch. You showed Lily a picture so she could see and she loved them

“I look beautiful!” She gasped

“Yes you do baby.” You smiled

Lily picked her favorite place to eat dinner of course.

“Can you guys say yes to one more thing?” Lily asked while eating her Mac and cheese “can I pick the babies name?” She smiled giving her best puppy dog eyes, you and Art looked at each other knowing you would have to say no but wanted to humor her

“Hmm… well what are you thinking Lily pad?” You and Art had had a list of names but hadn’t been able to decide, you wanted to go with an L name to match Lily.

“Luna.” She said confidently “Then we can call her Lou Lou.” She pled her case

“Was that your favorite name on the list?” You asked her, she nodded. You looked at Art

“We will think about it I promise.” Art smiled holding out his pinky, she smiled back giving him a pinky promise. You did really like the name, it would be special if Lily chose it.

Once you all got home you gave Lily what seemed like a thousand presents, pink and purple wrapping paper covered your living room floor. Lily was a very grateful little girl she didn’t act spoiled in the least, even if she was a little spoiled by her father. After she opened her last gift and blew out her birthday candles Art stood up,

“Lily we have one more gift for you.” You saw lilys eyes open wide

“Another one?” She asked surprised,

“Your daddy worked veryyyy hard on it” you added

“Follow us okay Lily pad”

You led the little girl to the basement, the last few months you told her she wasn’t allowed down there because they were doing renovations, she quickly saw that there was nothing new and looked confused then you covered her eyes

“Since you have been working so hard in dance class we wanted to surprise you with a… “ Art opened the door slightly to what used to be one of the guest bed rooms “dance room!” He threw the door opened and you uncovered lilys eyes

“WHAT?!” She yelled running in the little girl was speechless she looked like she could cry, she was quiet then hugged you both

“This is the best gift in the whole entire world.” She said squeezing tightly, Art kissed your cheek while in the group hug,

“Well why don’t you teach me some moves?” Art laughed, Lily ran to the middle with her dad. For the next hour Lily taught, well tried to teach her dad her new ballet routine. It was adorable. She wanted you to learn it too but Art told her when your center of gravity was back to normal she can but not right now.

Art was a great tennis player but he was definitely not a ballerina like his daughter. You laughed so hard at the pair watching the routine you almost peed your pants. It was such a perfect day with your little family.

Now Art was putting Lily to bed. It was past her bedtime but since it was her birthday it was fine. Lily called Tashi on Arts phone like she did every night then Art read her a story, Art kisses her head and was about to leave when she asked

“Today was the best day. But daddy my wish didn’t come true.” She said frowning a little. Art furrowed his brows and knelt back down

“How come Lily pad? What was your wish?”

“I wished that the baby would be born today.” She sighed, Art smiled a little. He was slightly relieved that she didn’t say it was something he could’ve done.

“That would have been pretty cool baby. But the baby needs to grow a little bit more before she can come out remember?” He asked softly stroking her hair. She nodded

“Yeah… I just really want to meet her it’s taking sooo long.” She told her dad and he smiled, he thought about how long nine months would seem to an eight year old

“I know Lily pad I wanna meet her oo. But she will be here so soon, before you know it… I promise.” He told her holding his pinky out again

“Daddy do you think I’ll be a good big sister?” She asked looking at him with her big eyes, his heart melted

“I think you might just be the best big sister in the entire world.” He smiled kissing her head, and He believed that completely.

Art got ready for bed then joined you under the covers pulling you close, you had been thinking about what Lily said earlier

“You know Luna is pretty cute.” You whispered Turing over to look at Art

“Yeah?” He asked sitting up on his forearm

“Yeah.” You nodded

“Then Luna it is.” He grinned ear to ear putting a hand on your stomach then leaning down to kiss it. What a great day.

[creepyclothdoll]

Ant Problem

I really thought it was a dog. I swear. I swear I didn’t know.

How could I? Vi never told me anything. She just expected people to know.

Walking into Grandma Vi’s house was like walking into a halloween haunted maze made out of ant traps. Flypaper hung from the ceiling and walls like streamers. The floor was littered in dusty plastic traps, and empty and half-full boxes of borax and liquid ant killer were stacked along the walls. The smell of the place was strange and cloying. Soap and poison. 

I never liked being there. She made me uncomfortable, even as a kid, when her paranoia wasn’t her defining trait just yet. 

She was a neat freak back then. Her rules were foreign to me, but not as foreign as the genuine outrage she expressed when those rules were broken. I didn’t even know what a coaster was, why was I being snapped at for putting my water cup down? You’re not sleeping in the attic bed, why are you so pissed at me for leaving it un-made? Don’t get mad at me for not drying the entire shower after I’ve used it– I didn’t even know anybody did that.

Grandma Vi would never tell you what weird unusual protocols she expected you to follow, she’d just fly off the handle when you didn’t do it, and that’s how you’d find out that it was disrespectful to wear a hat indoors or not offer to wash the dishes as a guest. She’d turn up her sharp jaw and suck her thin teeth and scowl endlessly.

I could honestly say that I missed that version of her. 

Compared to this Grandma Vi, that one was a delight. 

This Grandma Vi collected dirty paper dishes in her room. She stacked them high. She sprayed them with bleach. She refused to let me wash them– the sink drains were all clogged in the house now, stuffed with paper towels and borax. 

“Ants could get in through there,” she explained. 

When I brought Grandma Vi her groceries, they had to undergo a period of “disinfecting,” in which they were double-bagged in black trash bags and sealed for two days. This, Vi reasoned, would suffocate any insects that might be passengers inside the lettuce or the cornflake boxes. 

No sugar, obviously. Ants loved sugar. 

I tried not to eat in front of Vi. The day I spent as her full-time caretaker, I unwrapped an egg sandwich in front of her and it sent her into a panic attack.

“You’re dropping crumbs all over the floor!” she screamed.

I wasn’t. And even if I was, it’s not like the floor could get any dirtier. Vi would not let me vacuum because I did it wrong. Vi didn’t vacuum either– she couldn’t. Just walking around the house left her fatigued. Her hair had always been long and thick, but it was so hard for her to care for now that she’d had it shaved near to the scalp. She’d struggle to lift anything heavier than a spoon. 

I reminded myself of that daily. Grandma Vi was a sick, dying old woman. She was in pain. She was used to independence and solitude. This was the worst she’d ever felt and the most disempowered she had ever been. 

And, importantly, my dad was paying me to do this. Because someone had to. 

So I tried not to hate her guts. And I ate my meals outside, on the picnic table in what used to be her garden, even in the winter. I refrained from cleaning without her permission. I never, ever, ever used the front door. 

The front door could let in ants.

The ant obsession– I never found out where that came from. My dad just shrugged it off as one more drop in a giant bucket of assorted mental illnesses. 

“She’s been getting worse ever since Grandpa Joe passed,” dad said to me over the phone while I called him, crying in my car one day. Vi’s husband had been gone since before I was born. If there was a tolerable version of her, I never met it. “Grandma Vi relied on him. When your mom was growing up, Vi was actually a very quiet, mellow person. She was never… nice. But she felt safe. She had security. She didn’t feel like she had to go on the attack all the time.”

I hated imagining my mom as a child in this horrible house. 

“Your Grandpa Joe was a nice person,” dad said. “Not like her at all. I believe that missing him is a big part of what made her crazy.”

I didn’t argue with him, but I didn’t think he was right. Because in Grandma Vi’s halloween haunted house of traps and poison, every single photo of Grandpa Joe– a tall, dark, handsome man with a very kind smile– had been turned backwards to face the wall. 

The first month I was there was quiet. Then the scratching started. 

It sounded like a raccoon climbing around on the roof and walls. Every time I thought it was done, it started up again. It was the deep of night, and I couldn’t sleep. I slipped out of the attic bed where Vi still expected me to sleep and climbed the ladder down to the main floor. There was a porch light outside. I hoped it would scare away any animals. 

But as I started unlocking the back door, a sharp, cold hand grabbed my arm. I jumped. Vi was there, her dark eyes wide, her wrinkled face pulled tightly into a mask of pure terror. 

“Don’t open the door,” she hissed.

“I’m just turning the light on,” I said. I unlatched the door.

Vi screamed, and I felt a sudden hot pain across my face. I put my fingers to my cheek and felt blood. Vi had scratched me. I swore, and she re-latched the door. I ran to the bathroom to wash my new cuts out in the clogged sink. 

When I found Vi again, she was in bed. She wasn’t sleeping, though. And she definitely wasn’t sorry. 

“If you attack me again, I’m leaving,” I said to her. 

“You oughtta be grateful,” Vi said. “You don’t even know what you almost did, stupid.”

I refrained from calling her the names I was thinking of calling her in my head. I swallowed those teeth and asked,

“What did I almost do?”

Vi laughed. 

“You were just gonna let in those ants.”

In Vi’s house, I was never to leave the house at night. I was never to open the back door at night. I was never to open the front door at all. I was never, under any circumstances, to let anyone else inside the house. 

The scratching would come every few nights. Once it started, Vi finally started asking me to fix things around the house. She didn’t let me clean, but she did make me go up on the roof and look for holes. Nests. Anywhere ants could be living or trying to get in. And for once, to her credit, I did find some damage. It looked like termites, maybe. I sprayed bug killer and sealed up the chewed spots.

One day, Vi screamed at the top of her lungs in the middle of the night. I ran into her room to find her frantically springing from her bed. She collapsed into a dresser and knocked over the stack of paper plates she kept there, sanitized with bleach. She was staring at the window with pure horror. I didn’t see anything out there. She wouldn’t tell me what she saw. She only wept and shook and cried Joe’s name over and over. The next day she had me cover that window with cardboard and plastic and seal it. And then I had to re-seal it, because she saw a microscopic space that no one else would notice. Big enough for a potential ant to get in.

“You never met your Grandpa Joe,” Vi said to me out of the blue one day. Her room was lightless and stuffy, and she had spent her recent days sitting in bed and doing nothing but listen to audiobooks on an old cd player. “You never saw him.”

“I heard he was nice,” I said. 

“He’s dead,” she said. “He’s never coming back.”

“My dad says he’s with us in spirit,” I said. “He says he can feel him sometimes, loving us.”

“Listen, you moronic little girl. He’s dead. He’s not with us. So if you ever see him around, you better tell me. And you better keep the doors locked.”

I was taken aback.

“Have you seen him?” I asked.

“No. But the ants have. They’ve seen him and they know what he looks like. And I’ve seen the ants.”

Vi would deteriorate a little bit at a time, and then a lot at once. When I started, I wondered if we’d develop some sort of closeness over time. That was a very silly idea. The more Vi needed me, the less she could stand me. She would snip at me and scream at me. The first time she needed my help in the bathroom, I was punished for helping her with a long string of insults and criticism which, at this point, I had learned to tune out. 

I brought her a bowl of corn flakes in a paper plate in bed. She commanded me to spray her stacks of paper plates with bleach while she ate. 

“I don’t think that’s safe,” I said. She shot me a dagger glare.

“You want ants in here?” she said. 

“I just think this is an unventilated room and it’s not safe to spray bleach all over everything.”

Vi responded to this by throwing her bowl of corn flakes at me. Cereal splashed all over the floor. Milk soaked into my sweater and my hair.

“That’s it,” I said. 

I took my wet sweater off. I changed pants. I took the vacuum cleaner out of its dusty closet. 

Vi screamed and screamed at me as I cleaned up the mess. I took all of the paper plates and put them in garbage bags. I took down the flypaper. I threw the empty borax boxes in the dumpster. 

Vi couldn’t do anything but sob while I took over the house. When I got thirsty, I set my cup down on the table without a coaster. 

I was worried the neighbors were going to call the cops with all the yelling and crying going on, but no one did. Once, I looked out the window and saw a dark man in dark clothes standing on the sidewalk across from the house. I couldn’t see his eyes under his cap, but I thought he was looking at me. There was something familiar and disturbing about him which I couldn’t place. And then he was just gone. I looked away for a second and he had disappeared.

The sun went down. I came into Vi’s room with her dinner and her pills.

“You hate me,” she glared. “You really, really hate me. I must deserve it.”

“Vi, I cleaned your house.”

“You’re gonna let in those ants.”

“If ants get in, we’ll just stomp them. Listen, I’m not gonna live here and help you if I can’t live in this house.”

“Then you better let me die.” She scowled at me. I rolled my eyes. 

There was a scratching sound at the front door. Vi jumped and pulled the blanket up like a child afraid of the dark.

I stood up to go see the source of the noise.

“Get back here!” Vi shouted. “I’m just seeing what it is,” I said.

“You stupid bitch! Get back here!” Vi screamed louder as I walked up the hall to the front door. The scratches sounded heavy, huge. Not like a raccoon at all, but something bigger. For a second, I had a sudden, irrational thought– it was that man I saw before. It was that tall man with the cap. And when I opened the door, I thought, I would see him standing there, his uncannily and unplaceably familiar face grinning at me. And his teeth would be black, and his eyes dark and gleaming. I got scared. My fingers stopped on the latch. 

I flipped on the front porch light.

I peeked through the hole.

Of course there was no man. It was a dog.

A big black lab. He had a collar around his neck. He scratched the door again, tail wagging.

I hadn’t seen this dog around the neighborhood before, but to be fair, I hadn’t been able to get out very much in the past few months. It could very well be a neighbor dog. He was big, but he looked skinny. His dark coat shined slick in the porch light. 

I unlocked the front door. The dog looked at me through the screen, its glittering dark eyes docile. 

“Hi,” I said to the dog. The dog wagged its tail slowly. “Are you lost?”

The dog didn’t whine or bark, but only pawed at the door again.

Vi would never, in a million billion years, let me help this dog. But Vi wasn’t in charge anymore. So I opened the door.

I only meant to step outside and check his collar. But the moment the door was open, the big black dog strode into the house. 

Not a labrador, I realized. Maybe some kind of great pyrenees mix. It was big. Huge, even. It crossed the threshold and I swore it seemed to grow.

Not a pyrenees. A dane.

As the dog brushed past me, I reached my hand down to pet his dark coat.

My fingers passed through something grainy, crunchy, and moving. Something which slithered in rivers around my fingers, millions of tiny legs–chitinous, feathery, pinching.

Not a dane.

Not a dog.

The creature didn’t move right as it lurched down the hall. The legs bent wrong. The body writhed. It moved quickly, with purpose. 

I was too shocked to move. The dog-thing swelled up into an enormous, amorphous mass, and flooded into Grandma Vi’s bedroom, where she was already screaming.

I ran to her. I did hate her, but I ran to her. Maybe I meant to help her. Maybe I just wanted to see.

Either way, by the time I got there, there was nearly nothing left of Grandma Vi but a thrashing corpse. 

I couldn’t tell when the wild flailing stopped being her death throes and started being purely the erratic undulations and tossings and turnings of millions of tiny black ants, moving her bones. 

They crawled all over the floor. They crawled all over the ceiling. They crawled over my arms and legs. Not biting, just moving over me on their way to and from her.

I turned and fled the house.

The ants didn’t follow me. They were far too engrossed in dismantling their quarry.

I really didn’t know. How could I? Vi never told me.

She expected me to just know. 

[thefirsthogokage]

So, the AMPTP basically said that the studios take too much risk to pay people anything for streaming shows. Here's John Rogers and David Slack responding to that.

(link to top of thread)

[Image ID: A tweet thread from John Rogers on July 23rd, 2023 that reads in its entirety:

Last time I had a failure - which was collateral damage in an argument between the studio and the network - I had to personally fire 200 people, they all were off payroll by that afternoon, and I was also out of a job. The executives all continued to get paid. So fuck off.

Actually, that’s not true. The failure after that one happened as collateral damage in one of the mergers, so it had nothing to do with the quality of the show. And I had to wait, forbidden to work, not earning a dime, as they shopped it for six months.

Also several of my writers were cheated of their expected salaries, some losing up to 75%, for reasons too complicated to explain here. Those executives, both studio and streamer, all kept their jobs. So double fuck off.

Actually no, my last failure was a show where after delivery the network made us wait *seven months … for a PASS*. Seven months where I was in first position, and again, was forbidden from working.

Do that was one pilot fee, cut in half with a partner, for a year and a half’s work counting development. Those executives, both studio and network, kept their jobs.

So *triple* fuck off.

Luckily I had my tiny sliver of back end from TRANSFORMERS - no, wait, no, because according to the Hollywood accounting while that movie grossed something like a billion dollars all in, it unfortunately wound up $36 million in the hole.

So QUADRUPLE fuck off.

If you’re dumb enough to take that AMPTP statement at face value, responsible adults should remove all the scissors from your home. You are the reason hair dryers have the “Do not use while sleeping” warning.

/End ID]

I believe that merger one was Leverage or The Librarians. Both were doing REALLY well before they got cancelled due to network shit, I know that much. So the network/studio one could be either of those as well. Probably Leverage?

(Link to top of thread)

[Image ID: A tweet thread from David Slack posted July 21st, 2023 that reads in its entirety:

The studios claim they shouldn’t have to share revenue for the success of the shows we make succeed because they assume all the risk.

Well.

To paraphrase a famous actor: There’s more than one type of risk, motherfucker.

While the studios and their new hedge fund besties may assume some modest financial risk, any losses just go on a balance sheet next to the C-suite’s golden parachutes.

The workers in this industry, on the other hand, risk a hell of a lot more than that.

Most working actors live with the constant uncertainty of never knowing where their next paycheck will come from or how long it will be between jobs. That’s risk.

If they work a second job, they often risk losing it every time they take time off for auditions or jobs.

Actors also generally have little control over the final product, so *every* role is a risk for them. Sure, it could be the hit that changes everything. But it could also be a flop that hurts their career for years. They become “the guy from that thing” and can’t get more work.

Under our old contract, writers put in untold hours of free work developing and rewriting pitches and scripts for features and TV. Much of this work is on spec. That’s a huge risk writers take on — yet the studios are happy to benefit from the upside without taking on any risk.

Writers, actors, crew, and directors also risk our personal relationships, spending long hours at work, frequently across the country or around the world. Our partners soldier on without us. Our kids miss us and we can only hope they’ll understand.

That’s a huge risk.

Stunt performers literally risk their lives for the shows we make. Productions and crews take every possible precaution to ensure their safety, but accidents still can and do happen.

You gonna try and tell us that’s not risk?

All of us risk our health and safety working insane hours to keep up with the schedules our bosses create. When was the last time David Zaslav or Bob Iger worked a Fraturday? Do they even know what one is?

In production, where 14, 15, and 16 hour days are common, people have died from falling asleep at the wheel driving to and from set.

And the studios have the fucking gall to say they’re taking all the risk?

We risk our finances, our families, our friendships, our futures, and sometimes our lives to make a product for you that you have no idea how to make yourselves.

All you risk is money.

And by the fucking way, we *know* you can afford to give us success-based pay — because you’ve been doing it for 83 YEARS.

Remember 1960? When both the WGA and SAG went on strike and won…

residuals for TV?

Residuals for TV *are* success-based pay. Great movies and TV shows re-ran more often, so the people who created and starred in them got more money as a reward for that success. It’s a great system that incentivized workers to bust their asses to make great shows.

And you know what happened to the entertainment industry in the 8 decades studios have been making these success-based payments?

IT THRIVED.

Studios made billions in revenue selling our product all around the world.

But now, the studios say they can’t afford it. They say it’s not “fair” for actors to ask for success-based pay because they don’t take on any risk.

That’s stupid.

It’s offensive.

And it’s a lie.

It’s shameful that the AMPTP and their studio bosses are trying to deny the workers who make their product a bonus for success that is time-tested and has 83 years of precedent.

And that they’re lying about it?

That’s just… uncivilized. #WGAStrong #SAGAFTRAStrong

/End ID]

The absolute fuckery of this statement that came from the AMPTP is that the studios thought this would gain them sympathy. They were wrong. They genuinely thought this was a good statement from them because they DO think they take all the risk because they can't see people who don't have their wealth as real people. They can't.

Wealth is a disease.

No one should make the kind of money these people make. It makes them so out of touch they think of themselves as gods among ants. They step on those ants? They don't notice. They don't care. They just keep moving forward to gain as much money as possible, even though they have no way to spend it.

Fuck the studios, a new system needs to be built around them so that they'll die.

[vilevenom]

New chapter for "Together Burning Bright"! This one is a ~flashback~ chapter. Specifically, Hickory's birthday party, when he and JD got together the first time. This particular scene has been rotating around my brain since I wrote "Let's Be Us Again", but it didn't really fit in the main story, so now you get a +4K word fic of just that, all on its own, lol This chapter is just a touch spicy. It's gonna bump the AO3 rating to 'M', so just an fyi. Nothing is explicitly described, but it's hella obvious as to what they're doing. Enjoy!

A trolls twenty-first birthday was a special one. At least, for the yodelers it was. It was considered a coming of age celebration, and it was when trolls were encouraged to take on more responsibility within the community. It was also when the biggest birthday parties were thrown.

As the community hall was the largest indoor space in the village, it was most commonly used to host such large events, to avoid the cold of the mountain. Flowers adorned nearly every feasible surface, and tables ladened with food were pushed up against the walls. Streamers and twinkle lights hug from the ceiling, while nearly every troll in town was crammed onto the main floor, singing, dancing and carrying on in celebration.

Nearly, being the key word. One troll with teal hair and a distinct pair of green goggles stood to the side with a lazy smile, drink in hand as he watched the party carry on. John Dory had, unfortunately, missed the beginning of the party. He'd been guilted into going, even somewhat late, by the trolls who were hosting his stay in the village. They'd told him it was bad luck for the birthday troll in question for someone to willingly not attend, so he made a little fuss about it but followed along shortly behind them to the party. He'd honestly just wanted to go to bed and sleep, but a party was a party, he supposed. And as a pop troll, he'd been told many times over the years that he should love parties, much to his chagrin.

He idly sipped at his drink as he watched trolls nearly trip over themselves as they swayed across the dance floor. He did have to hand one thing to the yodelers; they made a mean fermented nectar. The cup in his hand was definitely stronger than the strange yeasty concoction the rock trolls had made him try. From said experience, he knew better than to drink too much, or too quickly. He was not keen on a repeat performance, if he was going to be honest with himself.

Truthfully, he was planning on staying just long enough for a majority of the attendees to get a little silly, before slipping back out to the house he was staying at. He'd figured, since he didn't know who the party was even for, and he'd made an appearance to appease his superstitious hosts, that no one would fault him for wanting to get some rest. He'd only managed to get into town the day before, after all.

What John Dory did not expect was for a tall troll to suddenly appear next to him, lean a hand on the wall, and tilt into John's personal space with a little smirk on his face.

~

Hickory hadn't expected anything for his birthday. His parents were long gone, his brother had disappeared on a job of some sort for who knew how long, and he was old enough now that he wasn't even living with anyone who would potentially take notice. So, he'd been more than a little surprised when his friends had offered to host a party for him at the community hall.

It seemed like everyone in town had turned out, bringing food and drink to share. They'd adorned him in a flower crown and accessories made of dried flowers, while everyone wished him a happy birthday and good luck in the coming years. The reveal of the large five tiered cake his friends had baked for him had nearly brought him to tears. He truly felt like he was the luckiest troll in the world.

"Hey, hey! Who's that?"

"Oh. That's the troll staying with us. He's a traveling pop troll. I guess he's been here before, because…"

Hickory let the voices of his friends fade into the background as they prattled on next to him. Scratch his previous thought, now he felt like the luckiest troll in the world. John Dory, the troll he had been crushing on for the last four years, who he'd thought he'd never see again, was leaning against the wall. At his party! A thrill ran up his spine, making his fur practically stand on end.

"I'm going to go talk to him," Hickory stated, pressing his half finished cup idly into the hand of one of his friends.

"What? Why? Wait…No way, Hickory. That can't possibly be the same troll."

"The one I would not stop talking to you about a couple of years ago? It most definitely is," he said with a nod, fussing with his hair and straightening out his suspenders.

"Ooo, get some, Hickory," one of his friends jeered, earning an eye roll from Hickory.

He waved as his friends started to get rowdy, quickly walking away from them while trying to keep a flush from forming on his cheeks. He hadn't seen John in nearly four years, and they had only spent a couple of months together at the time. Would he even remember? Well, Hickory reasoned, you missed one hundred percent of the shots you didn't take.

He sauntered up to John Dory and placed his hand on the wall next to the pop trolls head before leaning into his space with a smirk. "Guten abend."

John looked up at him, confusion clear on his face. Hickory felt like an idiot. He tipped himself back up to stand upright, letting out a nervous laugh. "Sorry. You don't speak german, do you?"

"Can't say that I do, no," John said, arching an eyebrow at Hickory. "Can I help you?"

Hickory cleared his throat, already feeling like this was going poorly. "I said 'good evening'," he fumbled, suddenly wishing he hadn't handed off his drink so he would at least have something to do with his hands. "I, uhh…you're alone."

John's expression went from confusion to disinterest almost immediately. "Yes. I am. And, if you don't mind, I was actually pretty okay with that situation."

Hickory bristled, wincing at the clear dismissal, but he couldn't just let John slip through his fingers like this. "We met! Before! Sorry, I'm making a mess of this," he quickly babbled, fiddling with one of the floral bracelets he'd been gifted, "I showed you around the last time you visited the village."

John stared at him for a moment, before realization slowly dawned on his face. He stood up straight from the wall, giving Hickory a cursory once over, gaping slightly. "Hickory?!"

Hickory let out a quiet breath, a wobbly little smile on his face as he gave a short nod. "That's right."

"You got tall!"

That startled a snort of laughter out of Hickory. "Ja, and older," he added, waving vaguely at the party. John looked dumbfounded for a moment, glancing around before his gaze snapped back to the yodeler.

"This is your party? Oh, man. Happy birthday!" John said, giving Hickory a friendly punch to the shoulder.

"Thank you," Hickory chuckled, rubbing at the spot that John had hit. "I don't imagine my birthday is what brought you back to town?"

John laughed, shaking his head a little as he leaned back against the wall. "Nah. Not that the party isn't great! But, I just got board with the classical trolls. I kinda vaguely remembered where this place was, and I wanted to come back for another visit. Got a little lost in the mountains for a couple of days, though. I have to admit, I'm a bit exhausted and I only came to the party because I got guilt tripped." John paused as he noticed the somewhat crestfallen expression that flitted over Hickory's face, before a smile was forced back onto it.

"Well, don't let me keep you! You should not feel obligated to stay if you would rather be in bed," Hickory offered, taking a short step back from John.

"Wait, hey, no," John stood back up, reaching out to catch Hickory's wrist. He offered a soft smile to the other, nodding towards the door. "I know this is your party, but why don't we step outside. I'm tired, but I'd love to catch up with you?"

Hickory returned the smile with a genuine one of his own, giving a short nod. He pulled his wrist free of John's hold, only to take his hand properly with a quiet, "I would love that." He turned and began to lead John through the crowd, while doing his best to ignore the cat calls that followed the two of them out.

"Sorry," Hickory muttered once they were outside, his breath puffing up in a tiny cloud in front of him. "My friends can be a bit…lewd."

"Hey, no worries," John said, walking along next to Hickory as they trundled through the snow towards a couple of benches just outside the community hall, "Pop trolls have a reputation, I've been told."

"It is a ridiculous reputation to have, since you are one of the only pop trolls that has even been through town in the last two decades," Hickory scoffed, only to flush in embarrassment at the look John shot him. "I just…it's not right. To make those sort of presumptions. Do you not agree?"

"Oh, I fully agree. It's just kinda nice to have someone else share the sentiment," John admitted, a grin forming on his face. "So," he flopped down to sit on the bench once they reached it, setting his cup on the ground, "What've you been up to since I was last here?"

Hickory eagerly took the seat next to John, and the two began to talk. Once Hickory had caught John up on the relatively uneventful list of things that had occurred in the village, John began to regale Hickory with tales of his travels, which the yodeler took in eagerly. He gasped and cheered in all of the appropriate places, peppering in the odd question to get John to elaborate on details, while John sprung from his seat to enact some of the more daring acts from his time on the Neverglade Trail. After a particularly energetic performance, John fell back onto the bench next to Hickory, quiet pants leaving a trail of wispy condensation in the air behind him.

"Your life sounds fantastic," Hickory hummed, watching John catch his breath with a dopey little smile on his face.

"It's pretty great," John grinned up at Hickory from where he was half laying on the bench.

"I wish I could have adventures like that," Hickory admitted quietly, picking at one of the blooms on his bracelet.

"What's stopping you?" John pushed himself to sit up, leaning into Hickory, "It's your life. And you're old enough now. Heck, you've been old enough for a while. I was eighteen when I went out on my own."

Hickory shrugged, a sardonic little smile on his face. "My brother, mostly. Even though he's not even here right now. But, truthfully? I am not brave enough, I don't think."

"Sure you are! You just gotta put your mind to it," John said encouragingly, nudging Hickory's shoulder with his own.

"No," Hickory shook his head, "I'm a coward."

"Hey, come on. Start small, then. Baby steps. Pick something little that you're scared to do, and just do it!" John grabbed Hickory's knee and gave it a little shake. "I believe in you."

Hickory looked down at the hand on his knee for a moment, before turning his gaze up to John Dory's face. He was smiling brightly at Hickory, open and reassuring in a way very few trolls had ever been to the yodeler. He swallowed thickly, placing his hand over John's, and hoping the pop troll would blame the cold for the flush that adorned his cheeks. "Just…go for it?" he reaffirmed, licking his lips nervously as John nodded encouragingly, "Okay."

To John's credit, he only startled slightly as Hickory leaned into his space and pressed their lips together. It was chaste, and short, but that didn't stop his face from heating up.

"I'm not too young, now," Hickory murmured against John's mouth, his eyes kept shut to save himself from any unsavory expression the pop troll may be making.

"You…what?" John sounded dazed.

"I'm not too young. You told me last time that I was too young, but I'm not anymore." He lifted both hands to cup John's cheeks and press a more determined kiss to the pop trolls lips. He very nearly pulled away, until John began to reciprocate the kiss.

They broke apart from each other after a moment, their breath mingling and turning into delicate fog between them.

"This isn't because-" John began, only to be muffled by Hickory peppering a couple quick, short kisses to his lips.

"No! No, of course not. I told you, I think that is ridiculous. No. It's because I have not been able to get you out of my mind since we last met. And I feel like this, you appearing on my birthday, is nothing short of a sign from the universe for me to at least try," Hickory admitted, letting his fingers lightly trail from John's cheeks, over his shoulders and down to his hands. He finally sat back and opened his eyes to find a flustered looking John Dory sat before him. "You did encourage me to be brave, after all."

John chuckled, a lopsided grin on his face. "I suppose I did, didn't I?"

"You did," Hickory nodded, before he stood from the bench, offering a hand to John. "Come with me."

"Where to?" John asked, not hesitating in the slightest in taking Hickory's hand and standing from the bench.

"Home," Hickory stated simply, leading John through the village.

It was a relatively quick walk through town, especially as most trolls were still at Hickory's party. Hickory lead them to a small, modest house towards the edge of the village. It was adorned with the same floral trim pattern along the awnings that all of the other buildings in the village had, with a well cared for little yard, and a short wooden fence surrounding the property.

As Hickory opened the gate and began to pull John up the short path to the door, the pop troll paused, tugging back on Hickory. "Wait."

Hickory stopped, turning around quickly with a look of worry on his face. "What is it?" he asked, tone concerned.

"I think I remember you mentioning…you have a brother? Does he live here?" John asked, looking towards the door apprehensively.

"Oh," Hickory visibly relaxed, a low chuckle leaving him, "Dickory, yes. He does live here, but he is not in town right now. I'm by myself."

John gave a little nod, nerves leaving him as Hickory tugged him the rest of the way up the path and into the house. He only paused once to wipe his feet on a large mat near the front door, encouraging John to do the same, before he continued to lead the pop troll through the house. He only let go once they had entered a sparsely decorated bedroom, and the door was shut behind them.

"Nice digs," John commented idly, looking around the room briefly, before he found himself being pushed back into the door, Hickory's hands slipping under his vest to trail over his chest.

"I can think of much more interesting things than my bedroom," Hickory chuckled, pressing a kiss to John's cheek.

"Gettin' right to it then, huh?" John joked, lifting his hands to rest gently over Hickory's hips.

"Is that…not okay?" Hickory asked, shifting back slightly but not lifting his hands from John's fur. If this was the only chance he had to soak up the pop trolls presence and touch him, he was going to take advantage of every moment he could.

"Never said it wasn't. You just seem real eager," John teased, easy grin on his face.

"I have waited four years to be able to touch you," Hickory murmured, pressing in close to John while pushing the pop trolls vest from his shoulders, "You will need to forgive my eagerness."

John's grin faltered, his well practiced boy band charm guttering at Hickory's words. "You weren't kidding about that?"

"Kidding about what?" Hickory asked, distracted as he tugged the vest free and tossed it aside.

"Thinking about me. For all that time."

Hickory paused, frowning as he tipped his head back to get a look at the almost hopeful expression on John's face. "Why would I ever joke about something like that? The time we spent together meant a great deal to me. You mean a great deal to me."

"You don't even really know me," John said with a short shake of his head.

"Then let me?"

John stared up at Hickory for a moment, taking in the flower crown that sat askew on his head and the earnest expression he wore on his face as he waited patiently for John's response. He swallowed thickly, before giving a small nod, digging his fingers more firmly into Hickory's hips and pulling him in close. "Okay."

The brilliant grin that John got in return for his consent nearly made him dizzy. He gasped as Hickory ducked his head and pressed a kiss to his shoulder, slowly sinking to his knees as he trailed kisses down John's chest and stomach. He let his head fall back and hit the door with a dull thud, groaning quietly as Hickory all but worshipped him.

As Hickory reached John's hip he paused, tilting his head back to look up at John imploringly. "Is this okay?"

John tipped his head forward, letting out a slow breath as he lifted his hands to tangle his fingers in the yodeler's hair, dislodging the flower crown and causing it to fall to the floor. "More than," he murmured, momentarily distracted as the crown rolled across the room, only to snap his attention back to Hickory with a soft hiss as the yodeler tugged at his shorts and continued his trail of kisses down.

~

"You okay?" John asked, a lopsided grin on his face. The two had eventually migrated to Hickory's bed, where John currently found himself devoid of any of his clothes, laid back in a pile of pillows with a rather flustered looking Hickory between his knees.

"Es tut mir leid," Hickory murmured, licking his lips quickly as he sat back on his heels, "To be truthful, I have never done this before."

"Seriously?" John asked, stretching his arms above his head, grinning a little as he watched Hickory's eyes trail down over his chest. "Strapping young troll like yourself? I find that hard to believe."

"It's true," Hickory said with a self depreciating little laugh, "I think you are the first troll to ever use the word 'strapping' to describe me."

"Aw," John cooed, sitting up and taking Hickory's face in his hands, "Well, I think you're real handsome." He grinned as Hickory flushed, quickly taking the opportunity to kiss the yodeler deeply. When they broke apart, while Hickory was looking a little overwhelmed, John pushed him down into the pillows, swinging his leg over the yodeler to settle in his lap. "Let me take care of you now, okay?" He preened as Hickory's hands settled on his hips, fingers digging in slightly.

"All right."

~

Hickory wondered if this was what it was like to be in paradise. The troll of his dreams was in his lap, a dark flush coloring his cheeks as he panted, looking absolutely lost in the moment as he moved above Hickory. "You are so beautiful," he murmured, reaching up to cup John's jaw. The pop troll looked momentarily startled by the sentiment, only to let out a low moan and sweep down to catch Hickory's lips in a kiss.

"You're not too bad, yourself," John teased as he pulled back, earning a light chuckle from Hickory and a roll of his hips that left John gasping.

~

John huffed as he rolled off of Hickory, flopping back into the mound of pillows next to the yodeler. He looked rather pleased with himself, while Hickory stared up at the ceiling in a daze, both trying to catch their breath.

"That was…"

"Not too bad, huh?" John chuckled, turning his head to smirk at Hickory.

The yodeler blinked, turning his head slowly to frown at John. "Not too bad? John, that was…absolut vollkommen. You were - that was incredible," Hickory stated, pushing himself up onto his elbow to lean over the pop troll. "This was the best birthday I could have ever hoped for."

John's smirk melted into a genuine smile at Hickory's earnestness, reaching up to brush his fingers through wavy orange hair. "I'm glad I could make it memorable."

"The most memorable," Hickory agreed, leaning down to press a kiss to John's lips. He shifted and squirmed amongst the pillows until he managed to maneuver himself over John, pressing in between the pop trolls knees, somehow without breaking their kiss. When he did finally pull back, John let out a low chuckle, arching an eyebrow at Hickory.

"Again?"

Hickory flushed in embarrassment, gasping quietly as John wriggled his hips. "I…only if you'd like to…?"

John snorted, lifting a leg to wrap around Hickory's hips, tugging him close as he stretched his arms above his head and arched his back. "Only if you do all the work this time."

~

When John woke up in the morning it was to an empty bed. He grunted as he felt around the covers, finding the blankets cold. He scowled as he smacked his hands over his face, groaning as he rubbed at his eyes. He should have known better. This was not the first time someone had managed to sweet talk him into bed and then fled in the morning. It was, admittedly, a bit odd that Hickory had taken him back to his house, instead of where John was staying, but perhaps there was some unspoken rule between yodelers that one simply got up and left without a fuss the morning after a fling. He had hoped Hickory would be different, but who was he kidding. He was a washed up ex-boyband member, and because he was a pop troll a lot of other trolls seemed to think he was some sort of traveling strumpet.

He sighed as he spread his arms out over the expanse of the bed, frowning as he began to notice the faint ache in his hips, and the odd way some of his fur was sticking to his skin. As soon as he got back to where he was staying, he was taking a long, hot shower. But first, he needed to get there. He let out another grunt as he rolled out of bed, wincing as he stepped on his discarded goggles. He muttered a quiet curse to himself as he picked them up, cleaning them off with a blanket, and giving them a quick inspection to find them relatively unscathed. He slipped them on his head, before hunting around for his vest and shorts.

John had managed to pull on his shorts and was trying to figure out where Hickory had tossed his vest last night, when the bedroom door began to open. He stopped short as Hickory walked in with a soft little smile on his face, carrying a tray ladened with assorted breakfast foods. Hickory froze when he noticed John standing in the middle of the room, his smile turning into a confused frown.

"Mein liebling…? Did you need to go somewhere this morning?"

John simply stared at Hickory for a long moment, his brain needing the time to register that Hickory had not, in fact, run off on him. That he had, instead, made him breakfast, and brought it to him in bed.

"I…" John began, watching as the confusion on Hickory's face slowly shifted into realization, then resigned understanding. It suddenly felt like a weight was on John's chest as he watched Hickory set the tray aside, a sad little smile on his face as he shuffled across the room to tug John's vest from beneath a few pillows that had been shoved off the bed the night before.

"Here," Hickory offered the vest to John, tucking the thumb of his free hand into the waistband of the sleep pants he was wearing, "I take it you were looking for this?"

John took the vest, but was hesitant to put it on. He held it to his chest instead, tipping his head slightly to try and catch Hickory's gaze, but the yodeler was looking anywhere but directly at him.

"Hickory, I…" John floundered, not knowing what to say to fix the hurt look on Hickory's face. He was supposed to be a lyrical wordsmith, but his mind was drawing an absolutely blank.

"It's okay, schatz," Hickory said, shaking his head and gesturing towards the door. "I understand. And I am so very happy that I could have the time with you that I did. I don't regret it. And I hope you don't, either."

John felt like he'd been sucker punched in the gut. This sweet troll, who'd confessed to thinking about him for nearly four years and had showered him with nothing but compliments and sweet nothings all night, honestly thought John would regret spending the night with him. He dropped his vest and stepped quickly across the room, cupping Hickory's cheeks so he could force the yodeler to look at him. He wanted to kick himself at finding tears in Hickory's eyes.

"No! No, no, Hickory," John brushed his thumbs against the yodelers cheeks, finding his walls quickly crumbling at the way Hickory's expression turned a little hopeful, "I'm sorry. I thought you had left. I wouldn't've…If I'd known you were making me breakfast, I…" He cursed under his breath, squeezing Hickory's cheeks gently, earning a sound of confusion from the yodeler. John cussed again, a little louder this time, before stating quickly, "Can we try this again?"

Hickory gently extracted his face from John's hold, frowning slightly. "Try what again?"

Instead of answering, John picked up the breakfast try and pushed it into Hickory's hands, before ushering the yodeler back out the door. "Here. Wait, like, a minute. Okay? Just…one minute, and then come in again."

Hickory stumbled slightly as he was pushed out the door, turning with his mouth open to speak, only to find the door shut in his face.

Meanwhile, John hurried to slip his shorts back off and toss his goggles to the side, clamoring onto the bed quickly. He arranged the bedding just so around himself, managing to flop back into the pillows and hoping it came off as somewhat alluring, just as Hickory began to open the door again.

Hickory poked his head in first, still looking confused, only for a smile to bloom on his face as John made an exaggerated yawning sound and stretched across the pillows.

"Oh! Did you make breakfast?" John asked, propping his cheek up on the palm of his hand, a coy little smile on his face as Hickory walked across the room and set the tray on the bedside table.

"Ja. I thought, after last night, you might need the energy," Hickory teased easily back, sitting on the edge of the bed. He reached out to pick something off the tray, but paused as John's hand landed on his wrist. He turned his head, letting out a startled little moan as John surged up to press a kiss to his lips.

"Join me?" John asked as he broke the kiss, patting at the pillow next to him.

Who was Hickory to deny such a request? He stood from the bed to slip his sleep pants off before crawling under the covers with John, a pleased little smile on his face as the pop troll draped himself over his lap.

"Now… Feed me," John all but demanded, gesturing vaguely at the breakfast tray. Hickory snorted at the demand, but obliged, snagging a berry from the tray and feeding it to John, who made a show of licking his lips and moaning lowly while he ate.

"Oh," Hickory breathed, offering John another berry, only to find his fingers being drawn into the pop trolls mouth with another self satisfied moan. He swallowed thickly as he pulled his fingers free to reach for the tray again, only to be stopped as John sat up and properly sat himself in Hickory's lap. He blinked owlishly up at the pop troll, who simply grinned down at him.

"Again?" John teased, squeezing his knees around Hickory's hips.

"Yes, please."

[vntako]

vn* in a bottle: petit game collection vol.1

hm, i guess there's a bit of an irony talking about this before needy girl, but here we are. i played this with my darling and had a really nice time

this game is a spin-off of needy girl overdose / needy streamer overload. it's collection of 3 minigames and a developer's notes room. it's retro goodness, not that i'm that old to know. i did play toradora portable though, and that had some extra content similar to this. i guess that main difference is that you're paying for this extra content, huh. i feel it's pretty worth it if you really like needy girl

only one of the minigames is a vn, so let's talk about that last

break out kangel

it's kangel breakout. this one is entirely in japanese. it'd be fine if there wasn't a little bit of dialogue, but otherwise you're not missing anything

i'm not sure how common it is to have strip breakout as an extra minigame in vns, i've only played one other that has something like this, but it kinda feels like a staple to include if that makes sense? i could be wrong. i don't exactly know what to search online to find that kind of info, too

anyway this is just strip breakout. break the blocks, collect the falling power ups and uh remove kangel's seifuku. simple as that. she's ofc wearing smth under that, there's no nudity in this game

don't die, kangel!!

this one may generally be found to be more enjoyable than breakout. it's a shmup where you shoot your fans with meds. i like the art, it's super cute. though i could say about every kangel and ame art in this game

there's a bit of story that's mildly engaging, i found it neat. you're typically here for the gameplay though

the street is just a background, you stay entirely on this screen. you have pills to use as ammo, and your only objective is to not die (like the title tells you). after a few waves of nerds, a boss appears. and there's three bosses to beat

after a wave you get to pick a new pill. picking the same type of pill upgrades it. they're pretty self-explanatory. then it randomly shuffles some of it into your ammo every time you reload. also you reload with RMB, which also lets you dash a bit

it doesn't take that long to beat (this is stage 1's clear screen though). i had a fair bit of fun with this one. you do have to beat the boss, but you can let every other nerd just pass you

kangel's room

this is the credits. the people who worked on the game have stuff to say, so listen properly!!

ame's happy happy dating game

i couldn't screenshot this one properly, so please forgive the clutter. i don't really wanna crop it all so in exchange i offer you uh, you get to see my wallpaper

it's been that for a few months now

ame wants to go on a date with you, so you better choose well!! i think the most interesting part of this game is that it let p-chan monologue their thoughts. they're kinda messed up

ignoring the fact that i only took this screenshot now, you get to pick where you wanna take ame on a date for the next few days

since you get to pick, there's a good and bad ending, naturally. better not give her a bad time, mmkay?

i realized once some cgs showed up that this is where people have been getting those nice ame wallpapers from. the art for the vn is nice, it's really neat and clean, and ame looks super cute. the music is mixed a bit weirdly at times (kangel's theme is so loud) but overall i liked the aesthetic direction here

p-chan is here to give us a description of the world as someone really close to ame. however they describe things reflects how ame sees it. ame is fleshed out so much more than we see her in the base game through p-chan's monologues here (the base game does it great though lemme just clarify). i mean more to say that this format lets people stay and really be with ame past the webcam app on p-chan's screen. it feels a bit dangerous, to occupy the same space as her. and of course it is, ame being who she is. though that goes the same for all humans

i think the bad ending represents a lack of consideration and care one might have towards people. i went for it "just to see what it would be" without regard for how someone might feel about it. it tracks given the conditions for that bad end, too. impulse, disregard, the absence of seeing while doing.

going for the good end kinda feels like a chore, given you have to see everything in the game. though, it's supposed to feel more like a prayer, i think. a connection with ame, of sorts? seeking out and trying to understand her through the places she goes and hearing what she thinks. it might not be something you'd consider pleasant, but few things in life really are. even less so for humans. ame is a human

it's easy to connect with angels, all you need is the internet. i want to connect with human beings, too

[crewfu]

Do you have an unpopular opinion on one off the games Steve plays? Like you love one most people don't or dislike one most people like?

What game do you want Steve to play again?

Favorite part off Steve's streams now?

What streamers are you watching nowadays?

ooh these are fun questions! thanks for sending it in…

Do you have an unpopular opinion on one off the games Steve plays? Like you love one most people don't or dislike one most people like?

maybe this is an overall unpopular opinion but i find myself just not enjoying watching games these days? like i don't hate any really but i don't really miss anything that steve used to play except maybe uno. there are things i wouldn't hate seeing again (and i'll answer in later ?) but i don't know if i would enjoy it the same. i think it's just me getting older but maybe some others can relate. i find myself just watching for personalities i enjoy over the games they are playing.

idk if this is as unpopular as i think but i really don't enjoy among us anymore. i recently had an old morning lobby video recommended to me on yt. i don't remember what game it was but it just made me feel like among us should have never been played hyper competitively at all. it should have always been a party game. some of the old games are so uncomfy for me to watch now.

What game do you want Steve to play again?

like i mentioned i have a soft spot for uno. i truly think it's a perfect stream game. not skill based, no frustrating rng, good banter. it was great but i can also see how it would get old. some of the recent lobbies had certain people playing too competitively or playing for youtube content instead of for fun and that kind of ruins it for me.

i really enjoyed the gartic phone lobbies and would love to see the morning lobby do like a variety week and do different games besides among us. (codenames, jackbox, etc)

i miss seeing him stream with people who aren't baycon. even a valo 5 stack or duoing with someone else would be a nice change of pace once in a while.

also would love to see steve do more quiz streams with koji or whoever wants to join.

Favorite part of Steve's streams now? i like the little just chatting/advice segments with janet before baycon gets on. he's had a few moments recently where he has just chatted about movies, about what happiness means to him, etc, when we can see the cats, the good valo days are fun too idk

What streamers are you watching nowadays?

steve is still the stream i watch most consistently. i tune in most days but i don't always stay. i also like watching foolish. other than that i don't watch any streams consistently enough to mention.

[80pairsofcrocs]

baby scarab || HALLOWEEN SPECIAL

@zlatolait-writes - Okay so I read that your power was off and now it's on. What if Y/n moon boys and the rest are in a cabin just camping and their generator stops causing all the lights to shut off, y/n takes this opportunity to tell a REALLY scary ghost story that affects everyone and picks them off one by one. First Casper, then Layla, jake, Marc, and last but not least mummy Steven. Make this as heart warming and scary as possible ❤❤❤

masterlist - marvel masterlist - series masterlist

A/N : THERE IS NO MORE SCHEDULE, IM SORRY also thank you all sm for the support and requests :)))

please enjoy, and don't be shy if you want to be in the taglist, just ask <3, sorry for the long wait

pairings : steven grant x (platonic)reader, marc spector x (platonic) reader, khonshu x (platonic)reader, jake lockley x (platonic)reader

TW : medicine (pills), spidey stuff, a lot of violence, language, halloween stuff, blood, very rushed and hard to read. let me know if i missed anything.

~~~

today was the day.

halloween.

you’ve always loved halloween. mostly because when you were a kid you always looked dead, and got many compliments on your ‘zombie’ costume.

of course trauma came with it, but after your time of living alone you’d gotten so much joy from it.

little kids would wander the apartment building- all the floors- and just seeing the smiles when you would hand them the full size candies just made your heart melt.

you just couldn’t wait to show your dads your costume either.

there was a knock at the door as you just finished setting up the last tiny plastic skeleton on the edge of a bookshelf.

yes, you had decorated for halloween too when your dads went to the store to get some candy and snacks.

the front doors opens and steven smiles as we walks in.

“hey darling- woah it looks great in here!” steven exclaims, coming in holding a couple paper bags.

“thank you” you reply with a wide grin on your face.

other than the skeletons, you put up purple orange and black streamers up in all the doorways, orange and purple string lights in the kitchen, and a lot of other just halloween trinkets all over the place.

“so, are you going to tell us what you’re dressing up as yet?” steven asks, setting the bags down on the kitchen counter.

you walk up beside him while shaking your head. “it’s a surprise. or- i’ll tell you if you hand me one of those bags” you make wiggly fingers over one of them and steven shakes his head.

“no. these are for later, so no peaking” he starts, covering your eyes with his hand before guiding you towards the living room.

“this is so not fair” you begin, pushing stevens hand away. “you won’t tell me what you guys are gonna be either” you cross your arms.

“that’s because we want to surprise you” he reasons and you just roll your eyes comically.

“but casper told me what he’s gonna be” you try to convince them to at least give you a hint.

“yeah? and what’s that?” marc asks and you smile.

“the friendly ghost” you chuckle and jake scoffs.

“i thought you said he hated that idea”

“he does, i’m just kidding. so we compromised and i helped him find a ghostbuster costume”

“aw that’s sweet” steven says and you move to sit down on the couch.

“yeah, i even had peter send me a repulsor from one of iron man’s old suits.” you start. “so i attached it to the blaster thing they use in ghostbusters. peter made sure that the energy in the repulsors were harmless too so-“

“nerd” marc coughs and you glare at him through the mirror on the wall.

“watch it” you warn, pulling your phone out and scrolling through your tik tok.

marc just shakes his head with a smile and let’s steven back out to do what he needed with the items in the bags.

~~~

casper was on his way over, and you were already in your costume, waiting for marc to get his on too.

you were surprised when they had told you they all agreed on the same thing, since they can’t even agree over the simplest things every single day.

you were excited to see the looks on their faces when they saw your costume, it could switch three ways by just asking khonshu in your head.

you finish up just staring at yourself in the mirror and unlock the bathroom door, to see marc in a very familiar colored suit.

“hey! that’s my suit!” you exclaim excitedly, and when marc turns around it seems that his entire face lights up.

“hey, that’s my suit!” he says back while steven chuckles in the background.

“omigosh! this is the sweetest thing!” steven basically shoves marc away to front.

you mentally tell khonshu to switch to stevens suit, and it does, making steven himself gasp dramatically.

“this is absolutely insane” he smiles, bringing his hands up to your shoulders to brush out any creases, and then down to the tie to adjust it straight just a bit.

“you do look quite sharp, though” he compliments and you feel your face heat up suddenly.

“oh don’t be like that, you look great” jake says and you look back up at steven who was nodding, taking his hands off of you to fiddle with the the cape hanging from his shoulders.

“you guys look great too, red and blue suits you” you compliment back.

“suits us. get it? because- because she’s in a suit” steven chuckles to himself while you stare up at him with a tight lipped smile.

“yeah, no wonder you get no bitches” jake says and you scoff.

“well he could probably get more bitches than you” you shoot back at him.

he raises an eyebrow from the mirror you’re glaring at him from.

“hey, don’t be an ass”

“well maybe if you’d get the stick out of yours-“

“okay! let’s be done with that now” steven exclaims, and as if on cue, there’s a knock at the door.

you let out a small laugh and rush to the door, unlocking it and swinging it open so see casper smiling back at you.

“happy halloween, y/n” he says, and you’re about to say it back when a scream is heard behind you, making you turn around to find the source.

it was steven. you see, over the whole last week and a half, you went out of your way to rig skeletons to fall from doors when opened, and even left realistic spiders in drawers just to scare your dads.

steven must’ve found the fake decapitated head in the fridge.

“BLOODY HELL, Y/N WhY?!” he turns back to you after slamming the fridge shut.

you let out a laugh and turn back to casper, to take his hand in your to guide him inside, shutting the door behind him.

“did you tell her yet?” casper directs the question to steven, who turns around.

“tell me what?” you ask and steven smiles at you.

“we’ve been planning something behind your back, you see-“

“what?” you cut him off.

steven just puts a finger up to signal for you to just listen.

“layla is already there-“

“moms gonna be there too?” you smile and steven gives you a look.

“are you done interrupting me?” you nod at his question.

“good, now we thought it’d be a good idea to rent out a cabin about an hour from here. there’s legends that say it’s haunted” steven explains while both marc and jake scoff.

“hey, don’t underestimate ghosts” steven scolds the other two and you make eye contact with the fake ghost hanging from the ceiling behind steven.

it doesn’t seem like he even knows it was there, so it was perfect.

you put on a scared face and pointed being steven. “GHOST!” you yell, and steven whips his head back, and sees the fake ghost, causing him to let out a short scream while you laughed.

casper tried his hardest to hold in his laughter, but ended up hiding his face in your shoulder while his own shook.

steven turned back to you with a hand over his heart.

“now that wasn’t very nice. you absolute dingus” he insults while you calm your laughter.

“okay- yes it was very funny now go pack up some stuff we’re leaving soon” steven shakes his head, and wanders back into the kitchen.

“so your mom said it was okay?” you ask casper while you lead him towards your room.

“yeah, we don’t usually celebrate halloween anyways so why not” he shrugs.

“is it because of your dad?”

“yep”

you just sigh and start grabbing some clothes out of you drawers.

casper wandered around your room, looking at the few pictures you had hanging from your string lights above your bed.

there were almost a dozen pictures of your dads, and four of him.

casper smiled when he saw the one you took of the two of you one night that he came over.

it was an unspoken story this one, he came over in tears because of his father so he stayed the night while you comforted him.

the picture though was the only time he smiled that night, you made him laugh with the stupidest joke known to man kind.

casper looked back at you who was shoving a bunch of clothes into a duffel bag, along with your charger and essential items.

“wait, don’t you need to get your stuff too?” you ask him while zipping up the bag.

“no, marc let me put it in the car before i got here” he answers and you nod.

“aw you guys are getting along” you joke and casper rolls his eyes at you.

“yeah and if we weren’t it’d be your fault”

“wha- how?” you ask, leading him back out of your room.

“because you’re just so great at keeping us in check” he puts a hand to his heart dramatically and you scoff.

“you’re such an ass” you mumble, while he just chuckles at you.

marc was now fronting, and had a bag of his own slung around his shoulder as he patiently waited for the two of you.

“you guys ready?” marc asks and both you and casper nod.

“this is going to be the longest car ride of our lives” jake murmurs.

“yeah, no kidding” steven replies.

~~~

you had volunteered to sit with casper in the back seat.

when marc asked why, you told him it was because he would get lonely all by himself back there.

then he told you that he would get lonely all by himself in the front.

then you told him that was bullshit because you knew for a fact that steven and jake would be talking his ear off the whole time.

so here you were, halfway into your trip, unbuckled to lean your back on casper’s shoulder.

you had your eyes closed while you just listened to the many leaves crunch under the tires of the car.

it was satisfying.

when steven wasn’t talking, that is.

he seemed to be on some sort of non stop rant, and it was about you.

he didn’t want you scaring them anymore, he thought it wasn’t funny.

secretly he does but he would never admit that to you.

“so no jumping out from behind doors, no setting up fake skeletons because i know for a fact you brought some, and no-“

“steven i won’t scare you guys i promise” you tell him monotonously, your eyes still closed.

“i don’t want you guys to get a heart attack, so-“

“is he still talking about that?” casper asks you in a hushed voice.

“yeah”

“it’s been a half hour” he points out and you nod.

“that’s just steven for you”

“hey, i’m adding something to that list” steven starts. “stop making fun of us”

“i don’t make fun of you” you scoff.

it’s silent in the car for a second.

“okay maybe sometimes-“

“HA! knew it” steven basically applauds himself.

you just scoff and roll your eyes, and casper brings a hand up to run his fingers through your hair to calm you down.

you turn your head so that your cheek was smushed against casper’s shoulder, so that you could stare at the rear view mirror.

because in the rear view mirror was both steven and jake staring back at you.

“i’m bored”

“ay ay ay, here we go” jake complains.

you then proceeded to just start talking.

about what, you may ask?

just anything that came to mind.

well, that is until you all got to the cabin.

laylas car was parked outside, leaving room for marc to pull up next to it.

you were excited, and so was casper and your dads.

layla texted you telling you what you’d be doing, and that included carving pumpkins, making fall flavored cookies, and she even brought a ouija board even to stevens distaste.

you were most excited about that part.

but on with the present, you quickly get out of the car once you see the front door to the cabin open, revealing layla coming out to greet you all.

you basically sprinted over to her, who had her arms spread wide open for a hug.

she reciprocated your hug with a smile, one hand around your waist and the other holding onto the back of your head.

“how have you been, little scarab?” she asks, pulling back from the hug.

“‘m good, how are you?” you ask back, taking a step backwards while you listen to casper and marc getting themselves and their stuff out of the car.

“better now that you’re all here” she moves past you to help marc with the bags.

you just let yourself inside since the door was still open.

casper wasn’t too far behind you, so he caught up just so he could take your hand in his.

you both look around the inside of the cabin, seeing that layla had lit a fire in the fireplace, which illuminated the entire room since no lights were on.

“very homey” you note out loud and casper hums in agreement.

“how many rooms are there?” he asks and you shrug.

“i hope there’s only 2” you reply and he makes a face.

“why?”

“because then we could share one”

casper doesn’t answer, which makes you let go of his hand and fully face him.

his face was as red as a tomato, and he was avoiding looking at you.

“don’t be like that, i just mean for sleeping” you lean up close to his face just to embarrass him further.

you’re about to continue when marc walks right in between you both, shoving the two of you apart.

“break it up, this is why we made sure we had enough rooms for all of us” he says and you groan.

“you two better stay in your own rooms tonight or he’s never invited over again” marc tells you and you just glare.

“aw don’t be too mean to her, i mean look how cute she is” layla starts, walking behind you and putting her hands on your shoulders.

“she’s in stevens suit, and i’m sure she’ll change it to yours once you stop being a prick” she snorts and you send marc a shit eating grin before proceeding to switch from steven to marc’s suit.

“yeah, don’t be a prick” you lean over towards marc to pull at his hair before running away and hiding behind the couch.

you just heard both layla and casper laugh while marc just glared in your direction.

~~~

everyone had settled down and changed out of their costumes, while marc and layla went outside to get the pumpkins layla bought.

so that means you and casper were left alone in the cabins kitchen with blank pieces of paper in front of you.

you wanted to draw out your design first before just going ham on the pumpkin and possibly fuck it up.

but neither of you knew what to do.

no thoughts. head empty.

“hey you know what you should-“

“i’m not putting casper the friendly ghost on my pumpkin” casper interrupts, and you groan.

“come on, please?”

“no”

you just make a face and bang your forehead on the large table in front of you.

“i’m only saying no because i have a different idea” he tells you and you raise an eyebrow.

“care to share?”

“no it’s a surprise”

“fuck you”

“no fuck you”

you are about to respond when the door opens again, layla and marc carrying three pumpkins each.

how they got the door open, you have no idea.

there was one for everyone, you, casper, layla, marc, steven, and jake.

you quickly scribbled down a messy design that comes to mind onto your paper, and then flipped it over.

casper was now busy with drawing his, so you looked away to not ruin whatever surprise he had for you.

all the pumpkins were set down, two of them on the floor for steven and jake when they fronted.

the table all of you were gathered around was pretty big, so there was no space issue.

“why does marc get a bigger one than me?” you complain, and layla shrugs.

marc just chuckles and opens a package of carving tools, laying them all out on the table.

layla had gone and gotten a bowl for the pumpkin guts, and one for seeds since you were complaining all october to make them.

you all started to cut open the tops of the pumpkins with some carving knives all around the stem.

once you got yours off you made a face and picked some of the guts hanging off of it and flung it at marc.

it hit him in the face, and he flinched at the cold before looking up from his own pumpkin to glare at you while wiping it off his face.

you held in a laugh while watching marc try not to just chuck the slimy seeds right back at you.

all because casper was there too, and his ex-wife slash girlfriend.

if it was just the two of you, he would’ve thrown the guts right back at you, and then you probably would have tackled him to the floor while shooting webs at his face.

you decided not to press his buttons at the moment, and just focused on your pumpkin.

besides, you’d be pushing all the buttons when you were done.

~~~

and about an hour later, all of the pumpkins were carved, but yet to be revealed.

you decided to go with a crescent moon with a spider hanging off of it.

it was the cleverest thing you could think of.

marc carved some shrooms into his, to match laylas who had a frog.

and for casper’s big reveal, his was a very realistic spider-man mask, knowing how much you looked up to peter.

you hugged him, to marc’s distaste and you all lit them up to put outside.

this was your first halloween with friends and family, and it’s been the best.

so far.

~~~

it was way later, and the pumpkin seeds were all salted and cooked, and both you and casper were sitting next to each other on the couch, just watching the fireplace.

steven had carved a very cute version of khonshu, just to make fun of him.

and jake had carved pedro and luna.

it was cute seeing how much a cat dad jake was sometimes.

layla wasn’t in the room right now but when she came back what she was holding made marc push steven to the front.

“oh for heavens sake-“

“ouija board!” you exclaim happily, watching as layla set it up on the coffee table with a smile.

“can you get those candles?” layla points to the unlit candles behind you on a side table, so you nod and grab the four, setting them all behind the board.

“do we have to do this?” steven whines.

“yes. now be quiet” you snatch the lighter from the table and light all the candles, then you beckon steven and casper over to that you were all gathered around the board.

“okay- so first we have to open the portal of communication, so we have to spell out ‘hello’” you explain and steven shakes his head.

“how do you know that?”

“shane and ryan”

“who-“

“just listen”

steven gets quiet after that, and you gesture for everyone to put two fingers on the planchette by doing so yourself.

layla and casper do so excitedly while steven just rolls his eyes before doing so hesitantly.

you all spell out ‘hello’, and the candles all flicker.

you noticed that and got a tingle down your spine.

“what should we ask it?” casper asks and you shrug.

“ask if it’s evil” jake offers and you nod, signaling to everyone else that you had an idea.

“are you evil?” you ask into the air, and the planchette starts moving towards the three letters you didn’t want it to.

“yes- okay who moved it?” steven asks, and you shake your head.

“none of us did, it was the spirit” layla tells him and you look back at the board.

“do you.. do you want to hurt us?” casper asks quietly, and the planchette doesn’t move.

you just nod and let out a breath.

“okay this is-“ you get cut off when the power flickers before shutting completely off.

it was already dark out, so the only thing illuminating the room was the candles.

you all freeze and exchange looks before disregarding the ouija board and standing up from your spots on the ground.

casper stayed by your left, while marc and layla were at your right.

“i can go check the generator” layla decides and leaves the room, using her phone as the flashlight to guide her.

the three of you stood in silence for a moment, before reaching behind steven and tapping on his shoulder from the other side of him, making his turn around.

he turned back to you with ‘the look’ on his face.

“not now, y/n. it’s already creepy as it is” steven shivers and you nod in apology.

you’re about to speak when there’s a muffled thud from a couple rooms away, in the direction layla went.

your spidey senses tingle up your spine, and you find yourself moving in that direction.

steven was whisper shouting at you to come back until layla was done, but you ignored him.

you came up upon a cracked door, seeing a flashlights light coming through it.

you opened the door a bit more to see laylas phone on the floor.

you look around the room and behind the door to see if she was trying to scare you, but you found nothing.

that made you confused, and you picked up the phone to find your way back to casper and steven.

when you arrived, steven and casper were sitting back up on the couch, whispering about something but stopping once you got back.

you weren’t even suspicious either since your stomach felt like it was about to fall out of your ass.

“guys laylas gone”

“what? what do you mean laylas gone?” marc asks, suddenly fronting.

“she wasn’t there and her phone was on the floor” you set her phone on the table next to the candles.

“okay you two stay here, i’ll go-“

“no! then you’ll disappear too!” you grab onto marc’s arm before he can walk too far.

he just scoffs. “you really believe that? she’s just messing with you, i’ll be right back” he turns to leave.

“but- but marc! don’t say you’ll be right back! have you seen a single horror movie?” you call after him, but he waves you off before disappearing into the darkness.

you stay sat down next to casper, listening, and him doing the same.

“i’m sure they’re just messing with you” he tries to assure you and you send him a thankful smile that quickly fades.

“but what if-“ you’re interrupted with another muffled thud and marc yelling, before it’s dead silent again.

the hairs on the back of your neck stood up, and you took casper’s hand in yours, both of you standing up.

“don’t let go, and let me know if you see anythjng” you tell him, and he nods, both of you walking side by side back to that same room.

and again, nobody was in it and you were internally freaking out.

“what the fuck. this isn’t funny, come out!” you yell into thin air, and your senses go haywire for a second before you come back to reality.

“wait i think i heard something” casper let’s go of your hand and starts walking away from you.

you instantly jump forwards and tackle him to the ground, making sure he didn’t go anywhere.

“are you insane?! if you leave you’ll get taken too! we never closed communication with that demon” you realize, looking back at the board.

“you really believe in that?” he asks and you give him a deadpan look.

he sits up and you let him stand, you doing the same but keeping your hand wrapped around his arm.

“something is obviously in this cabin with us, we just need to find it to find my parents” you explain to casper and he nods.

“but what if-“

“shush! i heard something” you cut him off after hearing a clatter coming from the direction of the kitchen.

you grasp casper’s arm tighter and basically drag him with you to go investigate, when his arm is ripped from your hand, as if he was being yanked back.

when you turned around, he was gone.

at this point you could hear your heartbeat in your ears, and your eye twitched every couple seconds out of confusion and fear.

you back up slowly until your back hits what you think was a wall.

until it moved.

you froze and your eyes widened when a bloody hand clasped over your shoulder.

you slowly turned your head to look behind you, and you saw marc, eyes closed with blood dripping from, well, everywhere.

you jumped and screamed, tripping backwards onto the floor to get away from him, and that’s when he just calmly opened his eyes and smiled down at you.

your heart was racing, and now you were on the verge of tears until he started wiping the ‘blood’ away.

casper came out from behind the couch in the living area, and layla came in through a window, both of them smiling as well.

and that’s when it hit you.

they all planned this to get revenge for all the stupid pranks you’d played on all of your dads.

“you’re all jerks” you mumble, getting back up and running your hands down your face.

“come on, it was a good plan, you got really scared” marc points out, cleaning the blood off his face and his arm.

“i hate you”

“i’m sure you do”

you scoff and turn away from all of them.

“she was about to cry” casper tells marc as if he didn’t know, making you turn back around to glare at him.

“you all suck”

“we’ll make it up to you” steven promises and you just sigh.

“you better”

~~~

after that whole fiasco, layla turned the lights back on so you could all watch halloween movies, like one big happy family.

then marc made you go to bed even though you weren’t tired.

which, jokes on him because after he threatened to lock your door shut from the outside, he didn’t check on you again.

he just left it to go to sleep.

so you did what any good girlfriend would do and snuck over to casper’s room despite marc’s orders not to.

and you may have made out a bit before going to sleep.

but that’s all.

best halloween ever.

~~~

A/N : this was so rushed ive just been so busy lately, but here

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

taglist ---

@alexloveskili @ihatemyselfmorethanmydepression @thebiggestsimpshrimp @guyinachair27 @astrobuzzsstuff @mooonlight-and-stars @moonlighting87 @mateihavenoidea @inactive-things @alondrashultz @femalemarvelself @queenthorin1 @haileymorelikestupid @jvdethirlwall @justtiredandvibing @winterfrostsarmy @themapoftinyperfectthings @littlebird101 @atzlena @httpslinow @arrowurboat @m-brekker @lifeandbandmembers-blog @adamcarlsenslvr @violet-19999 @seninjakitey @bestgirlpip @panic-in-the-multiverse @in-between-the-cafes @branolagar @bl6o6dy @annoyingmarvelreader @bee-a-cool-kid @buzzitsbeee @wintergirlsoilder2 @crow-carcass @you-bloody-shank @distinguishedmakerpandapatrol @valiantphantomangel @50shadesofcrocs @rayrlupin @kingshitonly @brekkers-desigirl @hutaos-gh0st @kayane28 @nevaeh-jasso @lizlil @scarabgrant @luvxxee @certainchildmentality @yikesitskennawrites @alexisabirdie @zlatolait-writes @thursdaywritings

[itsdanii]

Ahhh, your rejecting and regretting series is so good, my heart 🥺❤️ Can you do another one but with kuroo and kenma? You can ignore this request if you don’t wanna do it, I love your writing style and your blog! Stay safe and have a good day! 💞💞

Hey, bub! Thank you so much for the kind words, I appreciate it ♥️ I hope you don't mind me doing this only for Kenma. I got carried away so it got quite longer than I intended 🤦‍♀️ Anyway, here's your request! I hope you like it ♥️ Have a good day, stay safe and hydrated! Mwah!

a/n: read the note on the last part.

Rejecting and Regretting 6

genre: angst to fluff

warning/s: cursing, do message me if i missed any

a/n: please do read the warnings before you proceed. warnings have been put there for a reason.

ft. timeskip!kenma kozume

title says it all

Masterlist | Updates

Kenma Kozume

When you moved in to your apartment, you never expected your neighbor to be THE Kenma Kozume

If truth be told, you've been a fan of his ever since he started streaming

You knew that he didn't know you nor would he pay attention to you so you did not bother telling him that you were a big fan - the first one to always comment when he starts streaming

Not only did you think that it may make him uncomfortable but also make him feel like you were only trying to befriend him for his reputation

One night, as you were coming back from a short trip to the grocery store, you were walking with your earphones in and nose pointed on the screen while rewatching one of his videos

What you didn't know was that Kenma was walking behind you and was actually staring as you smiled and giggled while watching

You almost squealed when a hand came on your shoulder, almost punching the person behind you

Oddly, that was the starting point of your friendship

Although Kenma was hesitant at first (duh, you almost punched him) , he slowly eased when he felt that you were genuine

You basically went from neighbors to roommates because of how often you went to his unit, just playing random games and having occasional sleepovers

It wasn't long then when you realized that your "fangirling" towards the streamer developed into something more

You realized that you were no longer looking at him as the Kodzuken of the gaming world but just Kenma Kozume

You knew that you were fucked and thus you tried hiding it, but no matter how hard you tried, you couldn't

So you came up with a solution - confess. You decided that you would take the leap, confess, and hope that everything would turn out well, not knowing that it was only one sided

You shifted from one foot to another as you waited for Kenma to open the door of his unit.

Earlier, you both planned another sleepover and you took the initiative to cook dinner for the two of you instead of ordering another takeout.

As you waited, you could feel your stomach grumbling as the scent of the freshly baked sushi wafted in the air.

To be honest, you weren't really a good cook but you taught yourself how to with the help of youtube and cookbooks. You weren't even planning on learning how to do it but you were getting bored of takeouts, plus, you also wanted to impress Kenma even for a bit.

When the door finally opened, you smiled widely at Kenma while showing the food you made.

"Told you to not bother knocking and just make your way inside," he muttered before taking the pan from you and letting you in.

"Unlike you, I have my manners, Kozume," you playfully said as you plopped yourself on the couch head first.

Hearing him mumbling something under his breath as he arranged the table, you propped your elbow on the couch to watch him with a small pout playing on your lips. Your eyes followed his every movement and you couldn't help but question how someone could look so perfect.

His hair was a mess in a half bun and he was wearing nothing fancy, just his old sweatpants and a hoodie. Despite that, he still managed to look like a model, specifically those who preferred the "woke up like this" look.

"Y/n, are you going to eat or not?"

You blinked your eyes when you noticed the frown plastered on Kenma's face. Immediately, you stood up and walked over to the table with a small blush on your cheeks after being caught daydreaming.

"Sorry," you said sheepishly.

Kenma's apartment was then filled with the sounds of utensils clanking and small conversations the two of you were sharing.

Even though it seemed like Kenma wasn't paying attention, you knew that he was listening. You were aware of how much he preferred listening and observing more than talking anyway. It's just that you wished that he would talk more around you.

Somewhere in your conversation, you tried hinting your feelings towards him. In fact, you think that it was pretty obvious, but it seemed like Kenma didn't notice - that or he was purposely avoiding to indulge you.

"Getting in a relationship with a fan isn't boring you know? It actually sounds exciting, to be honest."

At that, Kenma heaved a sigh which instinctively made you shut up.

His eyes were already casted on the food infront of him instead of you,  eyebrows furrowed as if he was suddenly put in a bad mood. "I dont... really like this topic," Kenma said with a dismissive tone.

You felt your heart drop upon hearing that.

You've already practiced your confession several times and there was no way you'd let such words discourage you that easily. All you knew was that you had to get it out of your chest - now or never.

You placed your utensils down and looked at him straight in the eye despite him trying to avoid your gaze. "Why not, Kozume?" you asked, trying to push him to talk.

"I just don't see the point. Why would you want to date your fan? That's... weird," he simply answered, "What if they don't really like you? There's a high chance that a fan would date their idols because of popularity and fame. It's nothing but a self satisfaction."

"Hmm... I guess you do have a point," you said with a nod.

Placing your elbow on top of the table, chin resting on your palm, you pointed at yourself with your free hand which made Kenma look at you with one eyebrow raised. "Then what if it's me who wants to date you? Im a fan of yours, after all. Would you also reject me?" you asked hopefully.

Without wasting any second, Kenma answered, "Of course. Why would I date you?"

You didn't know how to react upon hearing that. You wanted to believe that he was trying to tease you but there weren't any signs of that from the tone of his voice. Moreover, he had nothing but a serious expression on his face.

"Because I like you," you answered with a low voice.

That simple phrase caused the silence to enevelope the two of you. The anticipation made your hands feel clammy to the point that you had to let go of your utensils to grip the sweatpants your were wearing.

Silently, you stared at each other as if waiting for the other person to break the silence - until Kenma did.

"Well, I don't." Standing up, Kenma took his plate and placed it on the sink, his back turned against you as he continued, "I think I'm going to stream for a bit. Make yourself comfortable."

You stared at Kenma as he made his way to his room wordlessly. "Make myself comfortable? Just who the fuck would say that after rejecting someone?" you muttered under your breath.

Knowing that it would be pointless to distract him while streaming, you started to clean the table and proceeded on washing the plates. As you were doing so, you whispered a curse when a tear suddenly slid down your cheeks.

You weren't supposed to cry. You prepared for this so you should've been able to take the rejection properly, right? He was Kenma Kozume after all. Although you became close with each other, it seemed as if he was really beyond your reach.

And now you ruined the only thing keeping you close to him - your friendship.

You decided to leave his unit after that. You felt that proceeding with the sleepover would only put a tense atmosphere between the two of you. Moreover, he did shut you out, right? Though he told you to make yourself comfortable, the way he acted said otherwise.

Maybe he only said it not to hurt your feelings.

"As if he hadn't already," you murmured, shutting and locking the door behind you.

In hopes of cheering yourself up, you decided to take a warm shower and pamper yourself to he point that skincare products basically littered your vanity when you finished and don't forget the fact that you ended up smelling like a strawberry because of your bodywash.

By the time you went to bed, you were feeling a little better... or were you?

As you laid on your bed, staring at the wall beside you while hugging a pillow close to your chest, your mind suddenly went back to what happened awhile ago.

You thought of how dismissive he seemed towards you. He wasn't always like that. Kenma had always been enthusiastic when you're around. Sometimes you would even end up watching beside him as he streams.

What changed?

Groaning, you buried your face on your pillow when you felt yourself tearing up once again. "Tomorrow will be better," you mumbled against the soft material as you slowly allowed yourself to fall asleep.

It didn't.

In fact, it got worse.

Not only was Kenma avoiding you, he was also acting as if he didn't know you - as if you didn't exist.

Earlier this morning when you were taking the trash out, you waved at him in hopes of lightening up the mood, but instead of usually greeting you, Kenma didn't even spare you a glance. He basically walked pass you without saying anything.

At first, you thought that maybe he didn't see you. Maybe his mind was elsewhere while walking. That could be possible right?

But when it continued for several more days, you realized that he was indeed avoiding you.

You felt a mixture of pain and anger. You were supposed to be the one avoiding him since it was him who rejected you but why was it the other way around? He could've atleast talked to you, let alone smile. Did he not value even just your friendship?

As the days went on, you were slowly getting tired of being the only one to put effort on rekindling your relationship. It was exhausting to keep on chasing over someone who didn't even acknowledged you.

Maybe you were just a bother to him after all.

So despite your will to keep on getting his attention, you decided to stop. If he didn't want you then so be it. You already confessed and did your best to show him that you're genuine. That's all that matters.

-

Kenma stared at your door beside his intensely, hand mid-air to turn the knob of his own unit.

It had been two weeks since he last saw you and for the third time of the day, he was yet again met with nothing but silence when he tried knocking on your door.

Where were you?

He knew that how he acted towards you was unreasonable but he didn't expected himself to wake up feeling like shit everyday without seeing you. He did this. He pushed you away. He said he didn't like you, right?

Groaning frustratedly, Kenma entered his unit, heading straight to his streaming room to cool off his head. If he couldn't see you personally, then perhaps he could at least see your name on his viewers.

He knew you always watched his stream and how you would always be the first to comment. Sometimes, you would even donate a huge amount of cash as a tip even though you always complained about being broke.

"They're not watching?" Kenma said unconsciously as he noticed how your name wasn't on the list.

That instantly caused a ruckus in his stream's comment section. Several fans kept on asking who Kodzuken was referring to and some even got the right answer since he streamed with you several times already.

But instead of saying anything, Kenma stayed silent. He focused on his game, occasionally shifting his eyes to the comment section and interacting with his fans.

His eyes, however, caught one comment. It was a link with the caption "Isn't this y/n?". Out of curiosity, Kenma decided to check it, finding out that you were indeed the person in the video.

No, it wasn't a video. It was a live stream of someone like him - a player.

And there you were, seated beside the unfamiliar person with a fluffy blanket wrapped around your body and your your head resting on their shoulder.

Who was that and why did you look too comfy?

"Sorry, guys. I'll have to end the stream now. Something important came up," Kenma said with a small wave before ending his stream.

Stalking the other streamer's socials, Kenma frowned upon noticing several pictures of you attached in their instagram. They were even posted just a few days ago which meant that you must've been spending time with them throughout the days you weren't at home.

Something stirred inside Kenma. It was an unpleasant feeling blooming inside his chest, clawing at him and making him realize one important thing.

He was in love with you.

And it was only confirmed when he remembered how nervous he was when you confessed, how scared he was when he heard the door shutting after he rejected you, and how stupid he was for only realizing it now.

"Shit," he whispered to himself as he quickly tapped on his phone, his finger hovering over your number, debating wether or not should he dial.

Suddenly, he shifted his gaze on the monitor of his pc which was still displaying the unfamiliar streamer when he noticed how you snuggled closer to their side.

Muttering anther curse, Kenma clicked on your number, his eyes focused on the montior of his laptop as he watched you picking up your phone.

"Please pick up," he pleaded when he noticed the frown on your face.

It took him a full 5 minutes and several dials to finally make you give in. He watched as you whispered something on the person beside you before making your way out of the room.

On cue, your voice suddenly met his ear.

"Kozume?"

It was still as soft as he could remember and with the fact that he finally admitted his feelings, his cheeks burned when he felt his heart racing.

Say it. Say it.

Say you like her.

"I-" pausing for a moment to rethink his words, Kenma sighed deeply before answering, "I'm sorry for being mean."

Fuck.

He was met with silence from the other side and for a moment, he got scared that you dropped the call.

It was until he heard some rustling sound that he realized you were still there and was purposely trying to stay quiet.

"Can we talk about this in person?" you said with a tiny voice.

Out of panic, Kenma nodded, forgetting that he was ralking to you over the phone and not in person. Mentally smacking himself, he answered, "Yes. I'd prefer that."

And I'd prefer if you're here instead of that caveman's room.

"Then, I'll be there in 20."

-

The moment Kenma heard someone knocking, he was quick to open the door.

His lips basically parted at the sight of you. It was only two weeks and yet why did it felt like he hadn't seen you in a month?

"Kozu-"

"I'm sorry," he cut you off, arms wrapping around you as soon as you stepped inside his apartment.

He felt how your body became stiff in his hold and without wasting any chance, he poured everything out. "I'm sorry for how I acted towards you. I treated you as if you were the last person I wanted to be with and when I didn't see you for several days, I realized how much I hurt your feelings." He took a deep breath, eyes focusing on you as he gripped your shoulders slightly. "Forgive me? I promise that I'll make it up to you."

Kenma hoped that you could notice the genuineness in his voice. He wasn't the type of person to talk too much but for you, he'd do it if it means having you forgive him and give him another chance.

"It's... alright, Kozume," you answered with a small smile.

"It's alright?" Kenma asked slowly. He knew that he should be happy that you forgave him easily but the way you said it made it seem like you were only forcing yourself.

It's like you didn't mean it.

"W-what do you mean it's alright?" he repeated.

"It means exactly what it means. I don't really see the point of holding a grudge against you, you know? You rejected me and I accepted it." Shrugging your shoulders, you walked pass him and went to sit on the couch. "I guess I just got too ahead of myself. I mean, you're Kenma Kozume, the Kodzuken of the gaming world. It would be impossible for you to like me, right? Sorry if I made you uncomfortable with my confession."

Kenma swallowed the lump forming inside his throat, eyes darting away from your figure as he shook his head no. "No... That's not true."

"What do yo-"

"I like you. How could you ever think that low of yourself?" he said, finally looking at you before he walking towards your direction. "It's not Kodzuken to you, y/n. Kozume - just Kozume. I don't want you to think that I'm someone all high and mighty just because people acknowledge me. I don't care about that. I want you. I want you to look at me the same way you did before. I want you to keep on clinging to me and to keep on cooking for me despite not knowing how to. I want you to like me again. I just want you.."

You felt your eyes well up with tears. After a long time of pining over someone you thought you wouldn't be able to reach, it was finally here - the moment you finally manage to hear the words you've longed to hear from him.

"D-do you mean that?" you asked with a small sob, your hand covering your face as you felt yourself being lifted and placed on Kenma's lap. "What if you're only saying that to make me feel better?"

"Of course I mean it. I was too stupid being scared of acknowledging my feelings towards you that I ended up rejecting you. I'm sorry." Gently, Kenma rubbed your back as he kept you in his arms, words of apologies continue slipping past his lips as he waited for you to stop crying.

"If I told you I still like you, would you promise not to treat me like shit again?" you asked while wiping your cheek with the back of your hand. "You were really mean to me, Kozu."

"I'd promise," Kenma answered with a nod.

Looking at him, you sniffled one more time. "Then I still like you," you said without taking your eyes off him.

You didn't fail to notice how Kenma's cheeks turned a lighter shade of red and the thought of how he got more flustered by your second confession than the fact that you were seated on his lap made you smile a little.

"Oh," Kenma uttered, as if suddenly not knowing how to react.

"You're supoosed to kiss me like those cliche movies," you said while encircling your arms around his neck.

Kenma's blushed even deeper after hearing that. Gulping, he gave a stiff nod before leaning in and finally planting his lips on yours.

His lips were soft against yours. Despite how tense he was at the beginning, he slowly managed to relax, fingers interlocking with your hair as he kept on moving his lips in synch with yours, both of your eyes closed as you savored the moment.

You felt yourself smiling in your kiss as you realized something - no longer were you just a fan but his s/o.

If you're reading this, hello.

I've decided that this will be the last part of the rejecting and regretting series. Though I had a lot of fun writing these, I'm no longer satisfied with how I'm writing them. The scenes were slowly becoming repetitive as well as the words. I'm craving for something new- something fresh that I've yet to explore. It was quite overwhelming how much people loved this series and I'm very thankful for that so I feel a little bad that this would be the last one. Don't worry, I still have some stuff brewing up that I hope you'd all enjoy.

Thank you so much for the love, support, and most importantly, for reading the series up until this last one. ♥️

[nojey]

fans

dream x streamer!reader

genre: fluff, angst

word count: 2.4k

warning(s): cursing, failed relationship, throwing things out of anger

synopsis: (y/n) and dream met through a mutual friend and their own friendship begins to blossom on its own. they start talking more and more and the feelings they have for one another grows so much more than either of them imagined. but as they stream together, they realize how much hate they’ve started to get and rethink whether or not they should be together or not.

looking back on it, meeting dream was one of the best days of your life. that day, your friend, sapnap, had introduced you to one of his friends and from that day forward, a beautiful relationship bloomed. not a single one of either of your viewers knew you two had become friends and it was nice; keeping something to yourself from a whole community that knew almost everything about you. you both went from talking every once in a while, to every week, to every other day, to almost all day, everyday. you grew to know pretty much everything about each other, where he grew up, how his childhood was like, everything from his favorite color to what he feared the most. and as you got to know him more, your feelings for him just grew so much more than you had ever imagined. and you hoped he felt the same way about you.

when he asked you if you wanted to facetime, you were shocked. you guys were only ever either in a discord call, regular call, or texting. granted it had been about 7 months since you both became friends, but you didn’t need to know what he looks like. you like him for the person he is, how caring and attentive he is to his friends, how witty his personality is and how cocky and confident he is. you like him for the passion he has in his heart for the people and things he loves. you never had to see his face to know these things about him. but because you knew this was a big step in your friendship, you accepted. him even asking you to facetime meant so much to you. 

he called you with his phone facing the ceiling and you had propped up yours so your upper body was on full display. “clay, you know you don’t have to show me your face? if you’re not ready to, you don’t have to.” you told him. “i’m more than ready to show you what i look like, (y/n). you’re an important person in my life and i want to show you.” he replied. “okay.. if you’re really sure. i just hope you know that whatever you look like, it will not change my opinion of you.” you assured him. “i know, (y/n).” he chuckled. “which is how i know i’m ready to show you.” you smiled. your heart warmed knowing that he trusts you this much. “whenever you’re ready, clay.” you said. “close your eyes,” he said. you did what he asked of you and you heard shuffling. he let out a breath, grabbed his phone and propped it up so you could see his face. 

“you can open your eyes now.” he said. you slowly opened your eyes and your breath got caught in your throat as you fully saw him. “wow..” you whispered, still examining his face. “you’re really pretty, clay.” he started blushing and said, “stop staring, you’re just going to fall in love with me.” laughing a bit. you started blushing too and looked away. both your reasons for blushing may have been different, but you knew you were blushing because what he said was true. 

for the rest of the night you both stayed up until 3am talking about anything and everything, getting to know each other more than you already did.

the day you both streamed together was about 4 months later. the internet went crazy. your viewers and his had absolutely no idea you two had known each other but they saw the way you two talked to each other; they knew you sounded like you were talking to your soulmate. you didn’t have to watch what you said, you laughed out to your hearts content, you both teased each other in such a flirtatious manner that it didn’t take them long to start thinking you guys were in a relationship. 

but with the people who supported you, there were twice as many people who hated the idea of you two together. at first it was bearable, neither of you cared about the hate because you were happy with where you both were with each other. clay was confident that you felt the same way about him that he had for you. he fell in love with you and you knew you had fallen in love with him too. 

a few weeks after your first stream together, he asked you if you wanted to fly to florida to meet him in person and you immediately said yes. you started packing your bags and by next week, you were on your way to meet the guy of your dreams. 

when you landed, he was already there waiting for you and when you got to baggage claim you saw him and immediately recognized him. you ran up to him and gave him the tightest hug ever; you were finally in his arms. the height difference was evident and he had to lean down a bit to hug you but he felt so content with you being there, in his arms. 

“you’re really here..” he whispered. “i’m here, clay. i’m here.” you assured. tears started slowly falling down your face and you buried your face deeper into his chest, taking in the warmth that was filling you. clay started crying too, thinking how lucky he was to be able to hold you close to him.

the day after you flew in was the one year mark of you two becoming friends so you went out to celebrate. throughout the day you guys reminisced back to the nights you both stayed up till the sun rose just talking and created new memories as you adventured through orlando. when it was around 3pm clay drove you to the beach to witness the sunset and you arrived just when the sun was kissing the water. you looked around the beach and saw no one but a beautiful set up with roses on the sand. you looked at clay with a surprised expression, he smiled, took your hand and lead you to where the roses laid. he brought you to stand in the middle of it and took both your hands in his,

“(y/n), when sapnap introduced us i never knew you would be such an important person in my life and i couldn’t be more grateful for you. you have helped me through my darkest times, celebrated with me in my happiest, been patient with me when i was being insufferable, stood by me during the most boring days and acted like you were having a blast when it was only just us talking. you’ve shown me that i can let myself be who i am without caring what any other person had to say about me. there’s so many words that i can’t put together right now because that’s how you make me feel. you make me feel so nervous when i’m around you and all the words in my head just get mixed up and i never know what to say. but i do know that right now, i’m trying to ask you on a date. so (y/n), will you go on a date with me?” by the time he was done with his speech you were close to tears. “of course i’ll go on a date with you clay.”

the night of your date had been the most magical night of your life. in the day you both went to disneyworld and at night he brought you to a hill top to, once again, watch the sunset while you both ate dinner on the hood of the rental car he got. everything was so perfect, it was the best date you’ve ever went on. 

he was an absolute gentleman, not letting you pay for your things, opening the door for you, pulling you closer to him when someone got too close to you, treating you like you were a princess and you couldn’t have asked for a better guy to be with. 

after you both finished your dinner you just laid down on the hood of the car and stared at the stars, talking about a future you wish had come true. that night you shared a kiss that would be remembered through the horrid months to come.

the day you left orlando, you didn’t think it would be the last time you ever saw clay in person. when you got home you talked like normal, already speaking about a second date the next time either you or he visited. you both missed each other like crazy and you believed you would see each other very soon.

you streamed together more often and no one was blind to the smitten words you both shared, to the adoration dripping in your voices. so many people hated it and you never understood why, was it because they thought you weren’t good enough for him? because they were so protective over him? did they just hate you? so many questions filled your mind when your phone ringing brought you out of it. you reached for your phone and saw that clay wanted to facetime. you answered with a smile on your face, “hi clay!” but it soon dropped when you saw the solemn look that fell upon his. “is everything okay?” you asked. he sighed and said, “we need to talk.”

and everything fell apart.

the next words that came out of his mouth broke your heart. “i don’t think we should continue dating, or maybe even being friends.” you could feel the tears pricking your eyes as you looked around your room, trying to understand why this would come up all the sudden. “what do you mean?” you asked, slightly laughing hoping he was playing some sick joke on you. but when you kept looking at his serious face, you understood he wasn’t and your tears finally fell. he looked at you and his eyes glossed over. 

it hurt him knowing he was hurting you; the most important person in his life, the person he believed he would get married to and grow old with, the person he stayed up, losing sleep for just to get to know because you were worth that and a million more. 

“i know you see all the hate we’re getting. and that’s only us streaming together. what happens when they find out we went on a date or if we do start dating, what would the fans say?” he said, no longer looking at you through his screen. “why do you care about what they’ll say about us?” you whispered. “look at me, please.” he slowly looked back at the screen to see your face full of tears and that’s what finally broke him.

“our fans. they hate seeing us together, we can’t disappoint them. we can’t dissatisfy them. i know your fans mean the world to you and mine mean the world to me too.” he said, wiping his tears away, wishing he could just wipe yours, kiss your cheek and tell you everything would be okay. “but we can make it work, we won’t stream together as much or at all anymore. we can be like how we were before they knew we were friends! we can make it work clay..” you said. he started getting frustrated, just wanting this to be over with so he didn’t have to see you so hurt anymore.

“i can’t keep going on with my fans hating the relationship i’m in (y/n)! i can’t keep seeing my fans hate you because of me! i can’t keep making my fans mad at me because i have a stupid little crush on you!” he raised his voice. the last sentence hurting you more than anything. and he saw that in your facial expression, immediately regretting it. 

“no, (y/n). i- i didn’t mean it like tha-” you cut him off. “a stupid little crush? is that all i was to you clay? a stupid little crush? so what, that whole year we spent getting to know each other was you just having a stupid little crush on me? you asking me to fly to forida to meet you, was that you just having a stupid little crush on me? me actually flying all the way to florida to meet you, did you think i just had a stupid little crush on you? did you think me saying yes to going on a date with you was me just having a stupid little crush? what, did that date mean nothing to you? did that kiss mean nothing? did you not mean anything you said to me the night you asked me on that date? because i meant every single thing i said to you clay. you’ve impacted my life so much in such a good way, but i guess you didn’t feel the same way. was i just a joke? just someone to play with while you were bored?” you asked, not wanting to believe what he was saying. 

“no, that’s not what i meant.” he sighed. “then why can’t we work things out!? i don’t understand, clay. if you really did mean everything you told me on that beach then why aren’t you trying harder for us?” you asked, disappointment dripping through your voice. “because i just don’t think we’d work out okay!” he yelled at you. neither of you spoke, just looking at each other. he saw the nasty glare and look of hurt wash over your face. “that’s all you needed to tell me.” you whispered. 

you hung up and as soon as the call was disconnected you sobbed. you cried your eyes out. the guy you were in love with made you believe he wasn’t in love with you. you were absolutely devastated and you didn’t know if you’d ever be as happy as you were with him.

---------

in florida, sat a man with his phone clutched in his hands, tears streaming down his face that didn’t look like they would stop anytime soon. he whispered, “what have i done?” he screamed, he threw things, broke picture frames, punched the wall. but doing all those things would never bring you back to him.

---------

twitter

(y/n): hey everyone! i think i’m going to take a break from streaming and all social media for a few months. i don’t really want to go into detail right now but maybe if i come back i’ll explain everything. until then i hope all of you stay healthy and hopefully i come back eventually, i love you all :]

————

authors note:

you guys!! there will be a part 2, send me an inbox or a message if you want to be on the tag list !!

[goddess-evelle]

Better than gold

Well, this is the first part of the story; I accidently made it very spicy. I had it done, and then I started writing the second part. I added a lot of stuff, and it ended up extra spicy. The second part is worst. The second part is very very very extra spicy not smut though not yet.

P.S. I know that Techno has said he is uncomfortable with shipping with other streamers. I know some people have said that he doesn't like nsfw; however I haven't found anything where he says that. BUT if any of you have a clip of it send it to me and I will gladly change the story. The NSFW part of the story is not too important so I can change it without a problem. Make something very very fluffy.

Summary: Techno has always been attracted to you and you are equally affected by him.  Both of your feelings intensify when you suddenly must live with his family. How will he be able to control himself when the voices go crazy when he is close to you. How can you avoid the pretty eyes that follow your every step and every curve?

Pairing: Technoblade x fem!reader

Warnings: Suggestive ( mentions of morning wood, sexual thoughts, sex dreams), NSFW ( in future chapters), The voices really, really like you. The voices are shameless.

The voices talk in italic.

Prologue

Part I ( you are here now)

Part II

Part III

Part I

Taking a note of the last mentioned Philza made sure to observe your interactions with Techno. Even now at 19 and 18 years old you both maintain the cute stares, blushes and giggles when you talked. However, things were going to change soon. When a specific someone grows old enough to have heats.

 P.O.V. Technoblade

I woke up to the sound of Tommy yelling something about breakfast, and how I should get up before he eats it all. I got the covers out of my body and stared down at the bulge in my pants it was getting annoying how this had been happening for a whole week. I had been waking up from the most vivid dreams for a week. The dreams had one thing in common y/n was always the protagonist, and to make this worst I always woke up with a raging hard on. Taking a deep breath; I made my way to the bathroom for a quick shower; I felt something bump into my chest. My eyes follow the track of who is in front of me finding y/n’s eyes staring back at me. I feel like my breath got stuck in my throat as I watch her hold onto her towel; small drops of water sliding down her neck following the lines of her pretty collar slowly sliding past her collarbone. My eyes follow the drop until it gets lost in the small cleavage seen; the drop gets lost past my point of view, and I find myself wishing I would see just where that drop is going to end up in. Surprised at the thought that came to my mind. Normally the vulgar thoughts were controllable, but today I just could not keep my eyes off her.

We want to see, let us see, I’m pretty sure that drop is going down her stomach, we need to see, let us taste, taste, TASTE.

The voices are quick to state their opinions as I try my best to stop my mind’s wondering, but it is too late as I felt my cock pulsate at the vulgar thoughts. I dismissed the feeling remembering that we are in the hallway just outside the bathroom.

It would take us only two steps to get them into the bathroom with us, get them into the bathroom with us, let’s see where that drop lead to, let’s show her what she has been doing in our dreams.

My mind comes back to the reality when I see her lips moving, and before the voices can comment I reply to her apology.

-Don’t worry about it; I just got distracted- My voice rough as I make my way into the bathroom. However, the voices don’t miss the way her breast push softly against my arm, and neither does my cock as it pulses yet again angry at the lack of attention is receiving. I close the bathroom door softly breathing in as the voices chant about her breast pushing against me.

Soft, soft, want to touch, soft, touch, squeeze, TOUCH, squeeze is better, SQUEEZE.

I quickly hop in the shower; trying to shut down the voices. I shut my eyes as the cold water falls from my body. Feeling as it almost burns against my hot skin. Fast breaths leave my mouth as I try to calm myself down from the pain in my lower parts. After my shower I go back to my room, and get dressed going downstairs to eat some breakfast.

I hope they made golden carrots, want golden carrots, carrots are good.

My eyebrows frowned at the voices asking for carrots, and the desire to eat carrots. Eating breakfast quickly (bread and berries) feeling slightly disappointed as I wanted carrot. Phil mentioned something about needing to get some blaze rods. Hoping that one of us would get them.

-Techno, Y/n can the two of you go get the blaze rods? I really need them- Phil said. Sighing I looked over at y/n who looked ready for the adventure.

- Well why can’t one of us just go? It would be quicker - I asked softly; taking note of y/n’s soft shivering at the rumble of my voice.

Nice she likes it, she likes us, talk in her ear, let’s see her reaction.

“It’s better if two of you go. That way I know nothing bad will happen. You two can leave tomorrow make sure you rest well.” Phil stated. The conversation ending quickly after that.

“Well, until then I’m going to make some golden carrots.” I stated softly. Earning a weird look from Philza.

“Techno you have 45 golden carrots left.” Philza said slowly.

“I… just want more carrots.”  I said softly earning a concerned look from Philza.

“Well, I can help you get carrots Tech.”  My head moved quickly at the sound of y/n’s voice.

Yes she needs to be with us, we want her close, keep her close.

“That sounds good, you can help me collect them.” I said noticing how my voice deepened slightly as I talked to her.

“Eh y/n? could you give me a moment with Techno?”  Philza asked looking between y/n and I.

“Sure, I’ll go get ready to pick the carrots.” She said starting to walk upstairs.

[reidsnose]

love letters

overview: spencer has a wonderful idea after finding out that reader had never gone to her senior prom

genre: fluff fluff fluff

a/n: i mixed two ideas that have been sitting in my notes app for this lol but i think its sweet!! i wrote it a little rushed and definitely not bc im not getting a prom this year due to miss rona👀 LMAO but as always please lmk what yall think ab it :)

masterlist

-

the idea had fully occupied his thoughts the second after the words left your mouth.

it was "the buttcrack of dawn" as you had called it, though spirits were high on the late jet ride home. it was a rare but much needed positive end to the case, and everyone was happily chatting with each other. since the case was involving high schoolers, the subject fell on prom. everyone went around sharing their prom stories one by one, recalling awful dresses and questionable dates til the questions turned to spencer.

"what ab you, pretty boy, what was your prom like?" morgan asked, still smiling widely from recalling his own.

you watched spencer shift uncomfortably for a second.

"i uh..i never went to prom." he stammered, a tight lipped smile on his face.

"no! you just dont wanna tell us!" prentiss cried, throwing her hands in the air.

"i graduated high school when i was 12! why would i have gone to prom?" he reasoned.

"you had to have gone when you were older or something! everyone has!" jj countered.

"thats not true, i never went to prom either," you defended, subconsciously inching closer to spencer.

before anyone could even ask you to explain why, spencer got the idea. he mentally left the conversation after you gave your answer. he spent the whole rest of the ride home and the next couple of weeks brain storming and planning.

and casually after work one day, as he was walking you to your car, he asked you if you wanted to hang out with him that weekend; at his house.

you and Spencer had hung out before, but mostly at your house or at coffee shops; he didn't invite people over very often.

of course you agreed but you grew confused when he told you to dress fancy.

you raced home afterwards to raid your closet, looking for any fancy dresses you may have stuffed in there.

spencer spent the whole day preparing his apartment. he put up streamers and balloons. he made a playlist of all your favorite songs. and then he rushed to get his clothes from the cleaners.

and when you knocked at his door the breath that left your lungs struggled to come back after he opened the door.

he stood in a gorgeous suit, different than he had ever worn to work. he rubbed the back of his neck and gestured to the living room, revealing the adorable (albeit poorly made but its the thought that counts) decorations.

"um.. welcome to prom," he said, turning back to you, revealing a blushy smile.

he tried not to stare too much at you, but it was difficult. your eyes sparkled as you stepped inside and looked around. and the dress you were wearing fit you so gorgeously he truly couldnt take his eyes off of you.

"spencer, i..." you trailed off, enchanted by what he had done.

"sorry if it looks bad. or if you think its weird that i did this. i just thought cause neither of us went to prom maybe you wanted to have a little one with me? yeah now that i say it out loud maybe you hate it im sorr-" he rambled behind you.

you turned quickly to him as he got lost in his words, eyes glued to the floor. cutting him off by wrapping your arms around his neck and hugging him as tight as you could. you could feel the tension leave his body as he melted into the embrace, returning it gladly. he doesn't like to be touched by anyone really, except for you.

"i love it. thank you," you whispered, giving him one last squeeze before letting go.

he has a spread of snacks lying out on the coffee table which he has mooved to the corner of the room to make space for a makeshift dancefloor.

he turns on the music and you two start talking and dancing and laughing. two fools with four left feet completely and obliviously in love. well, oblivious the the other anyway.

a slower song came on, an old one that you had wanted to slow dance to ever since you were a little girl. and somehow naturally you two came together, his hand dropped to your waist, the other delicately cradling your own. your other hand found its way up to his shoulder, feeling as though a magnet was pulling you two closer. and closer.

he looked absolutely stunning. the soft lights he had strung around the apartment sparkled like stars in his eyes; its was...dizzying, in the most incredible way.

unbeknownst to you, as you stared at the stars in his eyes he was looking at his whole world that he had been somehow lucky enough to hold in his arms.

he held his arm out, allowing you to spin and when he pulled you back both of your arms ended up wrapped around his neck, and his around your waist. you were less dancing now and more...hugging. with your head pressed to his chest, he hoped with all his might that you wouldn't be able to hear his hammering heart. you most definitely could, but it was calming to know he was as nervous as you were. you smiled, listening more to his heart than the music he had played for you.

you were both sure that you could burst from pure bliss. the song ended a little too quickly for either of your liking and reluctantly you let go of each other. and suddenly Spencer was hit with the realization that he forgot something.

"oh my gosh," his eyes widened as he looked around the room.

"what?" you asked, mirroring him and looking as well.

"i can't remember where i left your corsage! i was gonna give it to you at the door but i forgot!" he exclaimed, running around the room checking shelves.

you smiled to yourself. he got you a corsage!

"ill help you look" you decided.

"please do," he chuckled.

"i thought you had an eidetic memory, shouldn't you know where you left it?" you joked, shooting him a smug smile.

"y/n, my brain was all jumbled to day and it wasn't just from being around you," he realized what he had said and quickly turned back to the shelf he was looking at, "could you check in my room please?"

his heart was racing at his own stupidity; how could he just say that so nonchalantly? he had been planning to tell you that he liked you for the longest time he cant afford slipping up and having it be anything less than perfect.

you slipped into his room, your cheeks warm from the idea that you make his big brain all jumbled. he probably didn't mean it like that, you were just looking too much into it.

you sighed as you crouched to look under his bed for it. you found a small wooden box that you slid out from underneath. it had your name on it.

is it normal to keep a corsage in a wooden box? you wouldn't know, you never went to prom.

you shrugged your shoulders, "i found it spence!"

with out thinking you opened the box, except instead of a band of flowers you were greeted with letters, all addressed to you. there were annotations written in the margins with purple ink. you furrowed your eyebrows as you scanned the various letters.

dear y/n,

today you complimented my glasses and my heart skipped a beat. thats dumb spencer dont start like that

dear y/n,

im in love with you. too forward

dear y/n,

you make life worth living. shes gonna think youre a creep

you felt a rush of euphoria fill your chest. did he really feel these things for you? your thoughts swirled in the most wonderful way. a wide smile broke across your face, butterflies running rampage through your stomach as you reread his words. his words addressed to you.

"oh thank God i really thought i lost-oh. oh no." spencer started as he walked through the door of his room immediately walking back out. you followed, blinking your watery eyes at him. "i can explain.

"i think youve explained enough, theres like 20 letters in here!" you chuckled, flipping through them.

"i didnt know how to tell you and i dont want to ruin what we already have and i-"

"it wasnt too forward." you stated, grabbing one of the letters.

"what?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"in this one," you held up the letter, "you wrote dear y/n, im in love with you. and then you crossed it out and wrote that it was too forward but i dont think it was."

"youre not mad?"

"mad? spencer ive been trying to admit the fact that im in love with you since i realized it myself, why would i be mad?"

"youre..you feel the same way?" he looked back up at you, a hesitant smile pulling on the corners of his lips.

"more so," you beamed, stepping closer.

he wrapped his arms around you, "thats good or else the rest of this prom would have sucked."

you chuckled, pulling him impossibly closer to you as another perfect song played.

-

-

ultra mega super cool taglist

@mac99martin @imhreid @spencersmagic @hollydaisy23 @raelady1184 @a-broken-pact @padfootswife @hey-there-angels @star-stuff-in-the-cosmos @sonnydoesrandomshit @averyhotchner @laurakirsten0502 @reidyoulikeabook @rem-ariiana @spencerreid9 @vampire-overlord @takeyourleap-of-faith @spenxerslut @violetspoetic @aperrywilliams @b-a-utiful @eevee0722 @srhxpci @reidemandweep @imdefinitelyfloating @random-human-person @gurkiloni @luvspence @calm-and-doctor @ssavanessa22 @singularityjc @sydnee-kom-spacekru @sydneekomspacekru

[luimagines]

He Asks You to Dance Part 3

Masterlist

Part 1 Part 2

Part 3 will include Wild, Wind and Legend.

Content under the cut!

Wild

Wild didn’t even know Terry Town was planning a festival.

But here he was, with all his new friends, celebrating with old, the one year anniversary of the inauguration of Terry Town. 

Wild had to be quick on his feet for what felt like the whole day.

Between preparing for the celebration, getting all the requests filled and making sure the group weren’t left to their own devices for too long, Wild felt like he didn’t have a lot of room to breath. Let alone take a break.

But that fine.

The group eventually pitched in and the whole thing managed to run smoothly without any problems.

By the time the sun was gone and the large bonfire was lit, Wild finally let himself sit down and enjoy the atmosphere.

He watched, content and satisfied that everyone seemed to be having a good time. 

Legend and Wind were haggling the musicians in the best way possible. Time, Twilight and Warrior happened to open up the booze and were drinking away with some other men of the town. Four and Sky seemed to be happy enough eating what they had prepared on the sidelines while Hyrule, he knew, was actually up by Mija and her fairy fountain.

He wasn’t a fan of crowds and wanted to talk shop and magic with the fairies.

Wild couldn’t blame him.

Wild took a deep breath and leaned against the bench, closing his eyes momentarily with a smile on his face.

Until he sensed movement next to him.

He opened his eyes again and looked over.

You sat next to him, a quiet and subdued air around you. You smiled at him and if he didn’t know any better he would assume it was genuine.

He’s instantly on edge.

“Tired Wild Child?” You ask. “You were running around like a cucco without their head all morning and afternoon, I thought the place was going to run you ragged.”

Wild snorts unexpectantly and he sits straighter. “A little. But nothing I can’t handle.”

“I’m just glad you’re actually taking a break.” You sighed and lean back. “This is nice. You did a good job.”

Wild preens a little at your words and he feels like he’s floating. “Go enjoy it then! You don’t have to spend the night moping next to me. I’ll hop in, in a minute. I just wanted to catch my breath.”

You hum and look away. “That eager to get rid of me, huh?”

Wild almost shoots off of the bench at your words and backpedals at the speed of light. “No, that’s not it at all! I was just-”

“Relax Link.” You smile that lie again. “I’m just messing with you.”

Wild frowns and looks over his shoulder to where Legend and Wind have more or less taken over to music and have begin to play something soft but lively, enough to get the people dancing and spinning around.

Wild gets an idea.

“Dance with me.” He stands and holds his hand out.

“What happened to catching your breath?”

“Caught it.”

You snort and look over. You’re sad, and he doesn’t know why. But what he does know, is that he doesn’t want you to lie anymore.

“Really?”

“Yes, really. Dance with me.”

You consider it- longer than Wild would have thought to and finally, place your hands in his.

He’s stunned by how soft it is and how you fit into his hand perfectly, like a missing puzzle piece and he grips is gently, tugging you forward. “Just one.”

“Ok.” You looked down and step with him. “I can do that.”

You look back up and Wild’s breath gets caught in his throat. The light of the colored lanterns all around the two or you give you a pleasantly soft and sweet look to your face and your hair and Wild forgets that there’s more than you two at the moment.

He swallows and takes the leads.

And your smile.... well....

He can tell it’s not a lie anymore.

Wind

Wind had no idea what his grandma was expecting him to do with so little time to prepare for the High Tide Festival but Wind was never one to back down from a challenge.

The others were quickly put to work in helping in decorating the place and getting all the food together to feed to whole island and the visitors of Wind’s friend group. 

Wind didn’t actually want to help at all- he had promised to show you all around his home and he was stuck doing everything but that.

He doesn’t even know where you are right now but he wants to be by your side.

Not stuck by the stuffy adults and.... stringing up streamers.

He would normally be more excited for it, but not having you in his line of sight was putting a bit of a damper on his current mood.

He had promised...

“I got this Wind.” Twilight comes up from behind to take the box from his hands. “I think they miss you.”

There’s a bit of  teasing remark on Twilight’s breath, Wind can feel it but he looks over to where he gestures and see you there with your arms crossed and looking to the middle of the courtyard...

You look lost.

Wind feels himself still in that minute and he doesn’t think he actually had it in him to approach you.

Twilight snorts and pushes him forward slightly.

“They don’t bite.“ He says. “You wanted to spend time with them anyway right? Why the sudden cold feet?”

Wind gulps and tries to think of a smart answer. “Uhhh...”

Twilight claps him on his shoulder and walks away. “They were wondering where you were by the way.”

Wind bite his lip.

He did promise...

His first few steps are hesitant and unsure, and even when he finally makes his way next to you, you don’t seem to know he’s there.

“Hey.” Wind smiles ad takes your hand.

You startle and the small smile that graces your face does something funny to his chest. “Wind!”

There’s some music that begins behind you two, the musicians of the island begin to try and find the right mood they want to setting sun to have.

Wind grins and grips your hand tighter, pulling up gently in the direction. “Will you dance with me?”

You blink and smile wider. “Sure Wind.”

Wind feels himself grin and neither of you actually know how to dance but you’re laughing and he spins you around. 

Wind likes this.

Wind thinks this is nice.

Your laugh is nice.

Your smile is nice.

You’re nice.

Legend

Legend wasn’t really comfortable with the current chain of events.

He knew that every one was supposed to have a good time and relax and eat until they felt like they could burst... but he didn’t feel the desire to join them in this time of merriment.

Call him a barnacle if you wish but he would really be in bed and inside. But this was his Hyrule and he had to keep appearances for the group because they wanted to be out here in the festivities.

He wasn’t going to rain on their parade just because he wasn’t in the mood to be there.

He walked around, letting the time pass and watching all the other around him have fun and dance and sing- he would enjoy the party vicariously through them.

It was enough.

Until he saw you.

Briefly anyway.

You took off before he could really see what was happening but something in his gut told him that something was wrong. And he knows better than to ignore his gut at this point in his life.

He follows you and slows when he sees you rubs your eyes and pinch your nose and show all the signs of trying to stop a sob before it actually takes over.

“Hey.” The sounds leaves his mouth before he can even think twice.

You startle and harshly wipe the evidence away from your face.

“Are you ok?” Legend gulps slightly.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine.” You say. Like a liar. “I just got emotional. This is nice. Your home really knows how to throw a party.”

“Yeah.” He agree on his breath. “Are you-... What’s wrong?”

You sniffle and blink owlishly at him.

“I...” You start and sigh, wiping your hand on your tunic. “I can’t hide anything from you, can I? I’m fine really. I’m just a bit homesick, is all.”

“Homesick?” He walks toward you.

“Yeah. Around this time, back home, we’d have a festival just like this.” You say with a blissful look on your face. “It has everything. Food, music, games, shows and good company too. It... it didn’t really register that I’d miss it this year until a moment ago. I won’t be with my family for the first time and I just... got emotional. I’ll be fine. Really. Go have fun. You deserve it.”

Legend stands there, stunned before his ears pick up the subtle tune of a slow song in the background.

He looks behind him and then back to you.

You look too good to look sad right now, and it’s not like Legend is going to rain on the parade just because he would rather be somewhere else.

He holds his hand out and tilts his head. “Come on. Dance with me. You’re too beautiful to hide yourself away.”

“Link.” You sigh.

“It won’t be as much fun without you.” He says in a final attempt to get you go with him.

You look at his hand and smile, letting him pull you toward him and sway left to right with the music. “Alright. You win.”

For a moment, when he spins you around and begins to lead a more cohesive dance with you in his arms, Legend actually thinks that there’s no other place he’d like to be.

[svchengss]

hey barista! | l.dh

summary | befriending the barista from your local cafe doesn’t seem too bad

pairing | lee donghyuck x fem!reader ft. jaemin who’s a rlly cute side character in this :(

genre | fluff, angst, slight humour (?)

warnings | a kiss?? i don’t think there’s any but if i missed anything do lmk !!

word count | 3k+

s. tg | @hyuckefi [my apologies since i didn’t release a proper teaser for this 🙏🏻]

author’s note | this is my first fic exceeding 1k words so if u enjoyed reading this, please leave some feedbacks !! rb’s are also appreciated :D ALSO I SUCK AT SUMMARIES LMAO PLS IGNORE THAT

just another day of working at palm coffee, the same old routine. cleaning the countertop and tables before opening up the cafe, prepping the ingredients - more for top favourites! - and examining the machines to make sure they’re working properly. that’s some of hyuck’s daily routines as a barista. he didn’t mind them though, he loved his job. he couldn’t specify the reason why but all these tasks are genuinely interesting to him.

seeing you drop by the cafe is a normal occurrence for him. since you are a regular customer after all, the rest of the staff already know you well. heck, they’re even good friends with you. jaemin hangs out with you more than he does despite being jaemin’s childhood friend. except for him, he doesn’t really know why. he’s not really shy, considering the fact that he’s a social butterfly. he just couldn’t bring himself to say anything to you, the only times he did so was to take your orders when the rest of the workers were busy in the store.

upon hearing the doorbell chime which signals a new customer entering the cafe, hyuck blurted out the usual line. “hello, welcome to palm coffee! how can i help-“, looking up from the cash register only to find you in a disheveled state. “-you?” he eyes you up and down, noting how a few strands of your hair were out of place, the nude lipstick smeared on the left corner of your mouth and your outfit looks really rushed. 

“sorry, what was your name again, hyuck right?” you quickly glanced at the nametag hanging nicely on his apron. “i’m in a rush right now, can i get a,” you scanned over the menu behind him, “uh, white coffee, please?”. 

“that will be six dollars. you can use the restroom in the meantime to, you know, touch up your makeup and stuff,” he takes the bills from your hand, putting them in the machine in front of him before flashing you with that warm smile of his. you wished him a quick thanks before disappearing into the back of the place.

now that was embarrassing.

your eyes scanned over the hall to find your friend before hearing her shout your name from across. damn, why does she have to be so loud? stares were directed towards you as you walked up the stairs to your designated seat. all the chatter going on in the lecture hall became quiet as soon as your professor placed her things on the desk, which means class has started. 

after hearing a two-hour lecture and writing some notes - where suddenly song lyrics and scribbles appear - the words you’ve been waiting to hear finally echoed through the speakers. 

“class is dismissed, thank you everyone for listening,” mrs. hui’s voice later being flushed out by the buzzing voices of the students walking out the hall, determined to finish their own activities. you stuffed your ipad and papers into your light yellow jansport backpack before going out to meet vic who’s waiting for you outside. 

“i’m exhausted, what did she even teach just now?” vic sighed to her heart’s content. you can’t blame her, today’s topic was quite complicated. circuits analysis or something? you can’t really wrap your head around it, your brain being stuffed with all the information. vic kept on ranting  about the problems she faced from the moment she woke up, making you giggle at some comments she made. 

“wait for me, i’m almost done,” he folded his apron neatly before shoving it into the drawer and grabbing his bag from the counter to join jaemin, who’s waiting at the front door with the keycard. hyuck accepted jaemin’s request to help him with some shopping for his sister’s birthday party next week. obviously, the rest of the staff were also invited. 

jaemin divided the shopping list into two, allowing hyuck to find the rest of the things with ease.

“now where are the streamers…” he muttered out loud enough for himself to hear, crouching down to browse through the party decorations on the shelf. or he thought so, as you could hear him sighing clearly in dire need of the certain decoration, that you decided to help him out. 

“um, hyuck? i think the party streamers are in the aisle beside this one? you look a bit troubled there,” you chuckled lightly. the heat flushed to his cheeks, feeling dumbfounded. 

“really? uh, thank you for the help,” he gave you a small grin that could hardly be seen if you didn’t spot the corner of his lips. and with that, he’s long gone with his shopping basket.

you are fond of the atmosphere you’re in right now. the decorations left you in awe - white and pink silk hanging from the wall with silver letter balloons spelling out happy birthday stitched onto them. you can see jaemin’s sister, eun-ji, being carried out of her room with a small flowy white dress and wearing a golden bow on her head, her brunette hair being tied into ponytails. the na family really adore their youngest girl.

meanwhile, there are only a couple of adults your age attending the party -  jaemin’s co-workers, some of his other friends which you aren’t familiar with and hyuck. he looked rather chill, with an oversized beige sweater and white jeans to suit the party’s theme. you’re not quite bad as well, your hair combed nicely and kept neat with a headband, a white sundress with strawberry patterns on it fit nicely on your figure, complemented with a heart-locket necklace placed on your collarbones. before reaching jaemin’s house, you made sure to drop by a local store to get some gifts for eun-ji. she’s a very well-mannered kid which made you adore her very much.

“y/n? very glad to see you here,” hyuck said as he approached you, offering you a plate of cake which he cut.

“i could say the same to you too, mr. lee,” you let out a soft laugh. he made sure to keep a mental note over how pretty you looked today.

“y/n, hyuck! glad you two broke the ice, did you know how hurt i was seeing you two act like strangers whenever y/n came by the cafe?” jaemin enveloping you into a small hug before fake pouting. you can only laugh at the fake debate the two guys in front of you were having. after conversing with hyuck and jaemin for quite some time, you realised that he’s a cool person to talk to, where all this time, you thought he hated you for some reason. before leaving, you made sure to thank mrs. na for hosting the party and off you went home. 

following the previous encounters, hyuck felt much more comfortable around you - even hanging out with you during his shift where you would do your assignments at the cafe he’s working at. every now and then, he would also invite you to hang out with him and jaemin. however, what he didn’t realise was how he slowly pent up feelings - romantically. 

ding dong!

he pressed on the doorbell button with a box of doughnuts in his left hand. the three of you were supposed to be having a movie night, but jaemin got caught up with his groupwork which leaves the two of you alone. 

“hey hyuck! come in,” you gestured, arranging the cushions on your sofa to make it look more organized. the interior of your rented apartment is calming, the light grey walls suiting the navy blue sofa and furniture with darker undertones. the walls are also not left empty, with modern art portraits hanging from it. 

“i brought donuts, your favourite, right?” he opened the box, placing it on the coffee table while you set up the television. you wished him a quick thank you before grabbing two canned drinks from the refrigerator, handing one to him and pressing play on the remote control. you two weren’t quiet throughout the whole movie, with snarky comments on how hot the actors were or how stupid they were being were made. 

he didn’t know you were sleepy though as all of a sudden, he could feel the weight of your head on top of his shoulder. it was a rather awkward situation as he didn’t move at all so you could sleep comfortably. before long, he joined you and dozed off to wonderland. the next morning, you were more than embarrassed to find yourself cuddling up to him, with the next movie still playing on the screen.

seeing your figure outside the front door made hyuck more excited to greet you today. after making a quick order for a green tea latte, you fished out your purse from your handbag, feeling frantic if you’ve lost it outside. luckily, you were the only customer in line as the rest of them were already seated and carrying out their own businesses.

“sorry, but i think this might be yours,” you turned around to find a tall-looking guy handing out your black purse. a wave of relief washed over your soul, thanking the latter profusely.

“mind if i buy you a drink? i hate feeling like i owe someone,” you offered, which he gladly accepted. 

“i’d like a double espresso, please,” he kept his hands into his pockets. 

“and your name, sir?” hyuck looked mildly bothered.

“yukhei,” he ran his slightly blonde hair through the slender fingers. hyuck hated how cocky he looked, feeling more annoyed than ever over the scene that was played in front of him just now. he hated how yukhei looked at you. 

why should he get jealous? he’s just a mere friend to you, that’s all. you have to stop overreacting, hyuck. 

those words kept running through his mind all day.

“dude, are you okay? you looked-” jaemin opened the staff room, interrupting him from the self-talk he was having, “-distracted,” finishing up his sentence. 

“nope, i’m just fine,” he said, bringing the honey smile back onto his face. jaemin nodded before disappearing back to the front to serve the customers. 

stop being so jealous, hyuck. you’re just a friend. not more, not less. 

“jaemin, how do you know if you like someone?” that question is kind of shocking to him, especially if it’s coming from hyuck. of course, he’s had a crush before but it was during middle school. just a silly, little crush. growing up, he’s never had one - not even in high school.

“you’ve asked the right person,” jaemin managed to do his obnoxious voice, even while driving the car. he’s right, he is the matchmaker of the friend group, just how many relationships worked out because of him? eyes still focused on the road - he’s a responsible driver of course, he began to explain the feeling to hyuck, making his points loud and clear.

“first of all, you start feeling a little too happy whenever you’re around them. and no, this is not the oh-we’re-best-friends-forever type of happy, it’s the i’ll-make-you-the-happiest-person-on-earth one. not to forget, you will also experience some kind of turbulence in your heart, expect them to be jumping around a bit. or a lot, whichever suits you the best.

you also tend to feel nervous around that person. like, stuttering your words in obvious or non-obvious ways, feeling faster heartbeats than usual, you name it. oh! if you’ve ever felt jealous whenever they are around someone else, i mean, in affectionate ways, you might have one. however, my tip is for you not to act out of your mind. you don’t want to ruin whatever relationship you have currently, do you?” even when driving, he still managed to deliver his points with full precision and accuracy. 

nodding his head, hyuck took some mental notes to be thought through when he gets home. 

hyuck stared at you, whose figure is snoring soundly on his lap. he assumed you must be feeling exhausted, mid-terms just ended after all. while threading his fingers through your hair, he remembered what jaemin said to him weeks earlier.

1. being happy around them

like jaemin said, it is normal to be happy around your friends. but being with you, it kind of gave more joy for him. not to mention that he started to catch himself smiling over your texts and being reminded of you over small things - your favorite donut topping, the name of that one stray puppy you gave. 

2. feeling nervous around them

his heart would beat a lot faster whenever you get closer towards him, whether accidentally or to mess with him. 

3. getting jealous over someone else

he shouldn’t be jealous of how yukhei looked at you. but he seriously can’t help it. and the way he’s always there during your hangouts. he doesn’t care if he seems petty, yukhei just isn’t in his favour.

his deep thoughts came to a halt when you called out his name, eyes still half-closed, attempting to open them a bit more. 

“did i interrupt you or something? gosh, i’m so sorry,” you quickly stood up but he pulls your body back onto his lap, asking for you to stay.

“what are we?” that question caught you off-guard. the same one that has been at debate in the back of your mind these days. 

i don’t know hyuck, it’s complicated. 

“what do you think we are, hyuck?” you shot the question back at him, your gaze piercing through his soul.

“i don’t know. it’s just-” 

“are you sure?” a deep sigh left your lips. have you been interpreting his body languages wrong? did he only see you as a normal friend, nothing more? 

“sorry, i’m not feeling well. see you later hyuck, bye,” you tried your best to shoot the sweet smile of yours but only a faint one seemed to appear. once you stepped out of the room, he buried his face into his hands. 

god, what have i done?

“don’t feel too down, y/n. maybe there’s something more that he couldn’t bring himself to say?” vic suggested, handing you some tissue.

“i don’t know, i seriously have no idea. why can’t he just say it?” you continued to sob into her arms, she pitied you, especially in your condition right now. but she can’t do anything to help you, other than consoling and listening. 

jaemin knew something was wrong, from your rare visits to the cafe to hyuck not being himself lately. something was definitely wrong and it’s between the both of you. sure, hyuck might be saying that he’s fine again and again, but his expressions can’t lie. the sweet smile of his is long gone and his jokes are no longer heard. whatever it is, jaemin is determined to solve it. he just wants his best friends back. 

looks of dismay can be read all over hyuck’s face when the person facing him is no other than the guy himself, yukhei. still, he tried to control his composure, not making his inner feelings any more obvious.

“so what brings you here?” he took a sip of the mineral water, still making his throat rough from the tension hanging in the air. 

“look, i’m not here for any fights. i know you like y/n, everybody can see it. and honestly, you were oblivious to your own feelings,” he rubbed his hands together. the latter’s puzzled face made him continue his words.

“i’m not trying to make her like me, or whatever you’ve been assuming. sorry if i gave the wrong message but you are the one who should make a move. i can see from the way she looks at you, the feelings are mutual,” he straightened up the denim jacket outside the white shirt wrapping his figure. 

letting out a heavy sigh, hyuck’s face begins to soften up. “no, i should be the one who’s sorry. i’ve been such a prick to everyone around me lately, especially you,” he took of the cap from his head, messing up his hair. 

“no problem, bro. it’s understandable, i guess. now good luck with her, please treat her well,” the two guys exchanged a fist bump for the problem solved. jaemin leaned his back against the wall, smiling and feeling satisfied.

you called out jaemin’s name but to no avail. he invited you to his apartment but seeing that the lights are out, it’s clear enough that he hasn’t finished whatever he was doing yet. just as you were about to leave, you saw hyuck at the other side of it, both your faces mirroring the same look of confusion.

“so, uh, how have you been doing these days? it’s been a while since we talked,” he chose to break the silence. now, you two were sitting facing each other by the balcony. inhaling the breeze, you paused for a moment before responding to his question.

“i’ve been feeling, not as usual. definitely not happy but not that sad,” you pushed some of the loose hair strands hanging on your forehead behind your ears before asking about his.

“you know what, i’m just going to be direct with you. i, lee donghyuck have been holding feelings for you since i don’t know when. yeah sure, i wasn’t really sure at first about what i was going through. i guess i was just scared of how you would react,” he scratched his ears which are not feeling itchy at all, but rather an attempt to distract himself from the overwhelming emotions deep inside him. 

not wanting to waste time any longer, you placed your right hand onto his cheek, standing on the heels of your feet to bring your two lips together. the kiss was short before he pulls you back in for another, this time a more passionate one. he could feel you smile against his lips before enveloping your body into his arms.

“i’ve missed you, you know?” he whispered, his voice tender, directing right into your ears before you replied with how you missed him more. the both of you continued to whisper sweet nothings while embracing each other’s presence. 

jaemin looked at the both of you from a distance, his heart swelling with pride. 

— another pair of lovers matched, cupid jaemin signing out.